Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark

Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark is the het pairing of Catelyn Stark and Ned Stark in the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones fandoms. They have a canonical relationship. 
==Canon==
Catelyn was betrothed to Brandon Stark. After Brandon's death, his younger brother Ned married Catelyn instead, per the Westerosi custom of Levirate marriage. It's an arranged marriage, but they grew to love each other. They have five children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon.
Theirs is an interfaith marriage, with Ned following the Old Gods and Catelyn following the Seven. Ned had a sept built for Catelyn to worship in.
At the beginning of the series, Catelyn receives a letter from her sister Lysa, saying that the previous Hand had been murdered. Ned goes south with their two daughters, even through Bran had been gravely injured. A catspaw tries to kill Bran, but is stopped by Catelyn. She travels south to warn her husband of the danger. They meet secretly, then Catelyn leaves to travel northwards. Ned discovers that King Robert's children are not his. After Robert's sudden death Ned tries to take his position as regent, as per Robert's wishes. He is betrayed and imprisoned, shortly there after King Joffrey has Ned beheaded.
==Fandom==
===Statistics===
*In 2014, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark was the 4th most popular Game of Thrones pairing on Archive of Our Own.
*In 2017, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark had slipped just slightly to the 5th most popular Game of Thrones pairing on Archive of Our Own.
*In 2020, Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark was the 6th most popular A Song of Ice and Fire ship on Archive of Our Own, accounting for 8% of sampled fics.Phantom Statistician: 10 Most Popular Ships in A Song of Ice and Fire FanFiction (AO3) 2009 - Present
===Common Tropes in Fanworks===
*Canon Divergence AU: varies, but may include Ned not going South to be Robert's Hand, Ned going south but handling the politics better, Ned telling Catelyn early in their marriage the true parentage of Jon Snow 
*Pastfic: exploring the early days of Ned and Catelyn's marriage
*Modern AU: modern setting, often with them meeting or knowing other characters from the series
*Side Pairing: a secondary pairing in many stories featuring their children
===Challenges===
*Cat x Ned Week
==Fanworks==
===Fan Art===
* by fezthepalindrome
* by aryastrks
*Ned loves my hair by Sirilu
*Cat and Ned by naomi-makes-art73
*Catelyn and Ned by ThuyLTran
*Watch for Winter by jenimal
*You Are Not Alone by naomimakesart
*Cat and Ned by naomimakesart
*Ned n' Cat by FieryStampede
*young ned and cat by nami64
*Happy in Winterfell by s-selene
===Fan comics===
* by icesalamander
===Fanfiction===
*I could not love thee, Dear, so much... by RogueBelle
*a castle cannot be built on air by sentential (fallencrest)
*Rivers and Roads by SomeEnchantedEve
*A Reason to be Glad by JacquelineHyde
===Fan Vids===
*I'll follow you into the dark by evehhr2
*You're a Memory by Sylenda Minoris
*if I could see your face once more by mysleeplessnight
===Meta===
* by myrish-lace-love
==Art Gallery==
File:Starks by martinacecilia.jpg|Starks by martinacecilia (2010)|alt="illustration of Ned and Catelyn holding hands"
File:Back to the beginning by sketchditto.jpg|Back to the beginning by sketchditto (2015)|alt="illustration of Catelyn and Ned embracing, with the Stark banner in the background and the text "Ned Loves My Hair""
==Resources==
* Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark tag at Archive of Our Own
* Ned + Cat at FanFiction.net
* DeviantArt paring group: Ned x Cat
* Tumblr Tags: Ned x Cat, Cat x Ned, Ned x Catelyn, Catelyn x Ned
==References==
Category:Het Pairings 
Category:ASOIAF/Game of Thrones Relationships