Catelyn V and the Heir to King Robb
So last night I have Catelyn V from *A Storm of Swords* and I am more sure than ever that Robb has named Catelyn his heir.
The chapter of Catelyn V itself essentially builds to it.
Throughout the chapter she shows just how much she knows of the land, remembering where specific bridges lie and how strong the land is, as well as recalling the history of some ancient King Tristifer the Fourth, a King of the Trident. While Robb knows essentially nothing of the Riverlands that he rules, while Catelyn clearly knows a lot about both the Riverlands and the North, which is important for a King.
This leads them to discuss heirs, but the inciting incident is Robb claiming that Tristifer's "heir failed him". If he's really talking about his child here, he can do nothing to stop some newborn failing him, and since he begins talking about who he will name as his heir, it must be either Jon or Cat. They know nothing of Jon, though, in war or leadership, they haven't even seen him in well over a year, so it's unclear whether Jon would fail him. Furthermore, Catelyn makes a good point by bringing up how he thought he could trust Theon yet he betrayed him all the same, likewise could happen with Jon (and just because this angers Robb, as the chapter has shown already, anger does not mean disagreement). Cat, however, has always stuck to her own principles, has always done as she thought was right even if everyone hates her for it. Robb even stated earlier that she was right about Jaime and he should have done as she asked earlier. Catelyn would not fail him.
She also proves that she still has a sound mind, suggesting Jeyne stay at Riverrun and showing wisdom to Edmure about what he looks for in a wife and standing her ground on her opinions of who Robb should name his heir, she is strong. While she thinks that she is making a mess of everything, she's actually showing how good a leader she could be. Robb has also admitted to just how right she consistently is, with her original notion of releasing Jaime and her distrust of Theon. She's also proven to be diplomatic, essentially getting Renly on her side before Stannis killed him. She would make a good monarch.
More importantly, from a storytelling perspective, Robb presenting the idea that he's going to name Jon as his heir, then storming off saying that he has the authority to name Jon his heir, and then ending the chapter with the cliffhanger making a big deal about who he's naming his heir and not showing the audience, and then not telling us for the rest of the book as well as the following two books; it would be *just weird* if it was just... Jon. Why all the mystery and tension and build up if the outcome is just the expectation that has been established all the way through it? It would suck to wait over two whole books to find out who he named his heir and the truth was just that it was only person he suggested.
Also, let us not forget that in this very chapter, we also get Robb laying out a clear trap; one wherein he will send people with obvious openly written messages but with the true secret message kept in their heads so if they're captured or killed then the fake messages will be believed and the captors would fall into his trap; and then at the end of the chapter Catelyn claims she has fallen into his trap. Almost like he has told her an obvious open message of him crowning Jon just to force her to stand up to him and stand by her opinions, all so he can be sure she is true and strong, so he can trap her in the end with the reveal that she is his heir, a secret true message he kept in his head.
Furthermore, if the decision is so obvious, why does he struggle so much with it? Robb brings up the notion to Catelyn and although he says that he doesn't need her permission, he's still asking for her counsel and he gets angry when she doesn't agree with him, so her opinions matter a lot to him and her not accepting Jon weighs heavily on him, otherwise why would he struggle with it. Also, earlier in this chapter it is mentioned that Catelyn's decision to leave Jeyne behind had made him resent her, and yet he agreed with it because it was wise, so him being angry does not mean he does not agree.
As Preston stated in one of his old videos, when talking with Catelyn about his heir, Robb has pretty much three criteria; they must be a Stark, they must know Winterfell, and they must have Catelyn's approval. Catelyn fits this very well.
Additionally, if Robb had named Catelyn his heir, that would explain why he wants to send her to Seaguard. Earlier in the chapter, he had found her counsel to leave Jeyne in Riverrun wise, as she is the producer of his heir and must stay somewhere safe and protected. Now, naming Catelyn his heir, he would want her somewhere safe too. If he brought her to the Battle of Moat Calin as he did with her around the Whispering Woods, she would not be safe, and if he died in this risky battle, she could die too before even becoming Queen, so he needs her somewhere safe. Seaguard is stated to be somewhere she knows well, as well as to be well protected from the Greyjoys with a strong fleet. Just like with Jeyne, sending Catelyn away would be wise if she were his heir.
It's also important to note that twice in this chapter we get scenes with the Mormonts where they show how strong women can be, how they can break gender norms and be warriors and all sorts of things Catelyn wouldn't expect them to be. The first one has the line that they dress in "queer garb for a lady", and in a society where female monarchs are basically nonexistent, a crown would be a queer garb for a lady too. She also thinks of the Mormonts and Brienne of Tarth, and both Arya and Asha are mentioned in this chapter too, reminding us of the strong gender-role-breaking female characters in this story. Robb himself even *openly states* how Asha will claim the Seastone Throne as she has a claim to it, even an arguably better claim than the brothers, and no one in company questions it. It's like this chapter is building towards a woman being named heir to a throne or something.
Going back to the alleged trap that Catelyn feels caught in at the end; why would she feel caught in a trap if he named Jon his heir, or if she is sent to Seaguard? It's not a trap if you are simply commanded to go somewhere, nor is it a trap if he claims he will name Jon his heir and then does. What trap could she be talking about? Unless, the trap is as stated earlier, he taunted her with the idea of choosing Jon to provoke her to stand her ground, proving she's strong and of sound mind and willing to show her counsel, and that proved to him that she is worthy to be his heir. Additionally, she could feel trapped if he provoked her to claim that she feels a prisoner to him, only for him to hand her their title of heir to his entire kingdom, trapping her in guilt for her outburst. If she had her outburst and then he revealed he's naming Jon, she wouldn't feel trapped, just more angry. Robb naming Catelyn as his heir is the only option that makes sense.
From a storytelling perspective, it would also make sense if Catelyn was the one chosen to be Robb's heir, as she is a POV character, a very important character whose thoughts and intentions we are intimately aware of and who we have a strong fondness for simply because he are often seeing things from her perspective. People are okay with Jon or Sansa ruling in the North, why not Catelyn? ASOIAF is coming to a close and our POV characters are going to be more important than ever before, having some nameless Vale person be the heir or the secondary Jeyne be the heir or lumping another plotline onto Jon doesn't feel right, it should be someone we have a strong relationship with; Catelyn.
Lady Stoneheart even had Robb's crown, but doesn't wear it. Almost as if she carries the burden of being his heir but her heart is in conflict with itself over whether she should wear it or not.
Importantly, Lady Stoneheart is a thing. Catelyn is still important, she is not dropped off from the story after the Red Wedding, she is still an important living character. GRRM Could have brought back Robb, but he chose to bring back Catelyn, and her being the heir to Robb would help justify this storytelling decision. There's no way in hell that the only reason Catelyn was brought back was simply for the Brienne and Jaime plotline, the last we saw from her perspective she was dealing with enormous-scale issues, it would be strange that her journey comes to an end several books later just for Brienne and Jaime. Given that Sansa is nearby in the Vale and dealing with the exact people that Catelyn brought up when mentioning the heirs, it seems likely that their stories will soon converge. I don't think Catelyn will survive to the end of the series, nor do I think she will become the be all and end all Queen of the North, but I do believe she is Robb's heir and will play a role in Sansa's story, perhaps even helping (or standing in the way of, or indirectly playing a role in) Sansa becoming some kind of Queen in the North.
One other smaller point; one could also argue that since Catelyn is a Tully by birth, her becoming Queen would mean the end of the blood of the Starks. This is true, and I do think that's another reason why it's difficult for Robb to choose Catelyn and why he struggles with it, but also remember that this chapter mentioned that House Mudd died with King Tristifer the Fifth, so the choice of Catelyn is still woven into the chapter. That being said, she could still bare the Stark name and her new society could be matrilineal in some cases, again with the feminist aspects of this chapter, and so she could remarry and her new children, as she's still young and fertile, could continue to bare the Stark name.
Also, and this is a small detail but it's still a detail that was chosen to be put in anyways, King Tristifer IV is said to have won 99 battles but died in 1, symbolically representing Robb, who has so far won every battle, and his heir was King Tristifer V; and this chapter is Catelyn V. It's a stretch but symbolism is a valid aspect of supporting evidence as this is a story full of symbols.
Overall; Catelyn V of *A Storm of Swords* is a beautiful chapter, an ode to Cat, and a perfect set up for the twist that Robb named her his heir in later chapters.
