The black cells lived up to their names. Everything was dark when the doors was shut tight, offering no chance of escape. As if that was not enough, Eddard stark, lord of Winterfell, warden of the north, and now former hand of Robert Baratheon his oldest friend that now was death, was chained to the wall and unable to move. The only visits he had had was when Lord Varys the kings spymaster, also known as the spider, came to his cell to tell him the news from the outside world. Eddard's son was gathering an army to march against the south, and Eddard knew that this would bring his son up against the Lion of the Rock, Lord Tywin Lannister, a cruel man, only outdone in cruelty by Maegor the Cruel and the former king Aeris the 2 of that name. He had done everything to keep his family safe from harm, and now even though his better judgement had told him not to go to kings landing, he had followed his king Robert, his friend since childhood, in hopes of protecting him, and find out what had caused Jon Arryns death. He knew that the tears of Lyse had been involved and he suspected Cersei Lannister, most of all. In the end Robert was death, taken down by a huge Boar, and Joffrey, the first of his name, king of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the first men, lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm, had Eddard arrested for the crime of treason, but Eddard knew the truth. Joffrey was the bastard offspring of Cersei and the Kingslayer, and Eddard had started to slowly accept the fact that Varys had told him: That he was a dead man and even if he told the truth, it would be his daughters that would suffer the consequences. Now with Robb taking arms up against the Lannister's of the rock and kings landing, Sansa and Arya would never be allowed to leave. He closed his eyes and the black cell smelled of blood and winter roses, and a soft voice called out to him… "Promise me Ned… Promise me…"
Those was still clear in his mine, those few final words his sister had told him the last time he saw her in the tower of joy, in Dorne… All the trouble that had happened to get to her, his shadow companions with drawn swords against the clear images of the three Knights of the Kingsguard. Eddard had wanted to be Ser Arthur the sword in the morning, he had worshipped the man in his youth, but they had met at the foot of the tower, obstacles to one another. Even after all this time Eddard had never hated Ser Arthur Dayne or Oswell Whent, or Ser Gerold Hightower, he had never seen them as enemies, but the war has pitted them up against each other. They were all professional Warriors at this point, and in the end, only he and Howland Reed left that battle alive.
He opened his eyes again and saw nothing in this dark cell. The smell of blood and winter roses gone. The war had been easy to fight, but the backstabbing in kings landing had not been easy to survive, and again he had the feeling that he was going to die. They were not going to let him live. He knew too much, and he did not trust Cersei even tough Varys had told Eddard that the queen would give him a chance to take the black, if he confessed to conspiring against Joffrey and proclaimed him the lawful king to the seven kingdoms.
Robert had taken the throne, but with no real children of his own, all his children being bastards, the throne was going to Stannis Baratheon, the next in line to the kingdom. He started cursing Renly Baratheon for having left kings landing like that. No doubt was he going to Highgarden to get himself an army, and given the way he had spoken about his elder brother Stannis, Renly was going to try to take that Iron throne for Himself.
It would be a battle of many armies. Lannisters, Starks and 2 Baratheon camps. He was certain that the only army that was not going to get involved themselves was the Martells, as they had hated Robert, for not having taken any action against Tywin Lannister and his monster, Ser Gregor Clegane, who had butchered those Targaryen children. Thinking about the Targaryens his thoughts returned to the wall, where no doubt Jon was getting more training. By sending him there, Robert would not have been allowed to touch him.
Eddard had tried to raise Jon as good as he possible could, even though Caitlyn had made this a difficult task for him. He had tried to keep his promise, and for a second he smelled the blood and the winter roses again and he called out in the dark: "Lyanna, I kept my promise!"
She did not answer, for she had left him a long time ago…