Assassin

Bran is still in a coma and Catelyn is by his bed ever minute of every day, awake or asleep.

Catelyn

Maester Luwin enters Bran's rooms to speak with Catelyn on matters of "state".  There are treasury issues and political dealings that have come up in Ned's absence that must be handled.

Catelyn has turned in to a single thing: a grieving mother.  She has abandoned all responsibility to her people and her land, refusing to deal with anything besides her son.

Robb enters and says he will handle it all, giving Luwin some instructions.  Luwin leaves and Robb then speaks with his mother.  While talking, Catelyn walks to the window and looks out to the city, surveying the land.  After some time, she sees a fire has started in the library wing.

Astonished, she relaxes once Robb points out the fire will never reach her and Bran.  Robb leaves to take care of the fire.  Shortly after his departure, the door to Bran's room creaks open behind Catelyn and she  turns to find a man she does not recognize holding a wicked looking dagger in his hand.

He admits that she was not supposed to be there, and she realizes that the man has come to kill Bran.  In a fit of rage, Catelyn goes after the man and grabs at his dagger with her bare hands.

Only seconds in to the struggle, Bran's nameless wolf bounds in to the room and attacks the assassin, ripping out his throat.  The wolf then cleans off Catelyn's hands of the blood from wrestling the dagger away from the assassin, and then jumps up on the bed, curling up beside Bran.

Catelyn laughs hysterically.

Maester Luwin, Robb, and several Winterfell guards find them like this hours later, and they take Catelyn away to her rooms.  After a scalding bath and dressing of wounds, Maester Luwing gives Catelyn some milk of the poppy to sleep.

She sleeps for four days.

Upon awaking, Catelyn is clear-headed once again.  Thank god.  I was getting sick of listening to her crap.

She calls for Robb and Theon Greyjoy, Hallis Mollen, and Ser Rodrik, as well as Maester Luwin.  Once they were all present she begins asking after the assassin.

They found his hiding place in the stables, and amongst his things was a pouch of ninety silver stags.  Someone paid him well to kill Bran.

After some talk, decision-making, and the conclusion that Bran was to be killed because he knows something, Ser Rodrik asks if Catelyn had a chance to see the dagger.  Catelyn is somewhat sarcastic about this, saying that she didn't have the chance, but she can vouch for it's edge.

Ouch.

Rodrik informs Catelyn of the dagger, that it was made from Valyrian steel, and has a dragonbone handle.  Too fine a weapon for the likes of that man to carry.

Catelyn decides it is time to tell these men of the suspicions of Lysa, her sister.  She informs them that Lysa believes the Lannisters killed Jon for some reason, and that Jaime did not join the hunt the afternoon Bran had fallen.  Jaime had stayed behind.  She believes Bran was pushed from a tower.

Rodrik expresses his feelings that Jaime wouldn't harm a child, Kingslayer though he may be.  Theon Greyjoy, however, has a different opinion, seeing the deed not beyond Jaime.

In a fit of rage, Robb declares Jaime's head is his, and draws his sword to brandish it in the air as he swears to kill Jaime.

Rodrik chastises him for drawing his weapon and having no one near to use it on.  Catelyn notes Robb is wearing steel now; Rodrik notes that he felt it was time.

Catelyn agrees, saying that it was even passed time for Robb to grow up.  She then decides that someone must go to King's Landing to investigate the source of the dagger.  She determines that she must go alone.

Robb insists that she have an escort on the kingsroad.  Catelyn disagrees, saying that she will not go this way and that she must go alone.  Ser Rodrik insists that she at least let him go with her.  She agrees to this; they are to ride down the White Knife to White Harbor, and hire a ship to take them to King's Landing.  They'll get there long before Eddard.

More Murder

Jaime is trying to frame someone.  Who, I don't know yet.  But the little ponce is up to no good.  He very well wouldn't give the assassin his own dagger so everyone could put two and two together straight away and figure out he orchestrated this.  That dagger does not belong to him.  I believe we'll find out soon who it does belong to though.