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„Ouch!“, Catelyn shouted out loud, as she recognized that her index finger was bleeding. Instinctively she took it into her mouth to suck the blood away. Bloody paper!, she cursed innerly as she realized that there was indeed blood on the letter that she had just written. (Bitterly she tried to ignore the irony.) How stupid could one be to cut theirselves on paper?, she thought, as suddenly she remembered something. A memory arose in her head...
Young Cat sucked at her thumb. „Cat! I heard you shouting, are you alright?“, a boy, small and skinny showed up, running around the corner. His dark hair fell into his face, shagged from the running. He looked at her, with a worried expression on his face. „I‘m fine, Petyr.“, she answered, half amused and half annoyed at how fast he had been there: „It‘s just a bloody paper cut.“ She shook her hand with the hope that it would make the pain go away. A smile spread across young Petyr Baelishs face: „Don‘t let your lord father hear you talking like that.“, he came closer. Catelyn rolled her eyes: „As long as you won’t tell him-“ „I would never, I‘m not Edmure.“, Petyr said, holding up his littlefinger: „Pinky oath.“ Catelyn grinned: „Pinky oath.“, she agreed, imitating the gesture, already forgetting the cut in her finger. But Petyr didn’t: „Let me see.“, he said gently and tried to take her hand. „What- no..“, she pulled it away: „It‘s fine Petyr, really.“ „But you may need to clean it.“, Petyr insisted. „It‘s just a paper cut.“, she said: „How stupid can one be to cut themselves on paper??“ She shook her head about herself. „You’re not stupid to cut yourself on paper, Cat.“, Petyr started to explain: „You just haven’t been careful enough. You need to be more careful with yourself. And the things you’re dealing with.“ And he took the letter in his hands, which was already creased from the few times she had tried to roll it in the perfect way; he smoothed it to save it from the worst wrinkles and rolled it up perfectly himself. He held it out to her. He had always been good at things like that, even better than some girls, her or Lysa for instance. „Thank you.“, Catelyn said, rolling her eyes again. „And please stop, always rolling your eyes, I‘m only trying to help.“ „Thank you.“, Cat repeated teasingly. „It’s not funny.“, Petyr said blushing, but again he couldn’t help but smile.
„Still haven’t learned, my lady?“, a voice asked, ripping her from her thoughts.
And suddenly Catelyn felt someone behind her.
She would‘ve turned around but Petyr Baelish was way to close behind her for that. She wanted to say something, but no word wanted to come out of her throat. Suddenly it was dry as the Dothraki sea.
She felt Petyrs body close behind her, almost touching hers.
How dared he to-
„It’s as simple as it’s always been, Cat.“, he explained, his arms left and right from her,
his eyes glancing over her shoulder on the letter.
„It’s not for you to rea-“
„Don‘t worry I won’t read it.“, he promised.
From somewhere he must have gotten a tissue which he used to dab the blood away with it as good as possible.
Catelyn closed her eyes, annoyed by the closeness of him. But for some reason she couldn’t command him away.
She could feel his breath on her neck...
Or was it that she didn’t want to?
„Petyr-“
„Don‘t worry it will be as good as new just in a second.“,
he interrupted and rolled the letter up perfectly.
He held it to her and she took it hastily, maybe too hastily.
She heard him chuckle quietly.
She made another try to rase her voice, but in that moment Petyr wasn’t there anymore. Surprised at the sudden turn, Catelyn turned around.
Petyr stood in the door frame, smiling, one of his many, not letting on what had just happened.
„I will go and get your husband now, he‘ll be eager to see you.“, and with these words and a sly bow he disappeared.
Somewhere in the back of her head, covered by the excitement to see her husband again,
Catelyn had to correct herself: It wasn’t stupid to cut oneself on paper. It was stupid to cut oneself on Petyr.