Summery

"Ned Stark was the owner of Stark Steel before he moved down to London to assist the Prime Minister Robert Baratheon. But Robert falls from power and his eldest son Joffery Baratheon is mysteriously elected to replace him, when Ned tries to prevent the cruel Lannister-blooded boy from securing his place, he is dragged into a twisted plot that he can't possibly survive. Now the Stark family is torn apart, Sansa is trapped in the clutches of the Lannisters trying to maneuver her way through high society, while Arya is lost on the streets of London, fighting for the next meal. Both are looking for a way home, and both are faced with immediate danger around every corner."

20th July, 1840

Prologue - The Noose

Ned

From the moment Ned Stark arrived in London he noticed the city reeked of death. Everywhere, from his uptown home in Chelsea, to where he was now, in his prison cell in Milbank, the entire place sat under a cloud far thicker than the black ones the cotton chimneys produced.

He was dressed in plain brown breeches, a white stained shirt, waist coat and old boots. They were given to him by the gaoler, probably taken off the last man who was hanged. All Ned had in his cell was some hay, a bench and a bucket. It was a vile place, but when he was told that he could be sharing a cell this size with four men charged with rape and murder, he became oddly grateful for this isolate cell. It gave him space to think, and to mourn.

It was raining outside, even in July, when the heat from the rotting streets sent pungent fumes floating into the air, the rain still fell thick. It is fitting for the occasion Ned thought leaning down on his hay with his hands under his head as a pillow. Maybe it will wash away all the scum from this damn city, this city that had already taken so much from him. His best friend was dead, and he was stuck in this cell while one of his daughter was in the hands of a monster born of incest and the other was God knows where.

He closed his eyes and dreamed.

He dreamed of home, not his London home that he had lived in for the last few months with his two daughters, but Winterfell. The home up north, with his beautiful Tully wife and all his children, the one his father owned before him. The striking stately home in the heart of the countryside was surrounded by the never-ending Yorkshire moors.

In the North he was close to his factories and mines. As the owner of Stark Steel his family lived in the lap of luxury, yet it was far more humble than the lives of the rich in London. If Ned was honest, he had always hated the capitol city, he would have avoided the place at all cost if he could. If Prime Minister Robert Baratheon hadn't arrived at his home begging Ned to come to London to work on 'using Stark Steel for the National Railways" Ned wouldn't have left Yorkshire, and he certainly wouldn't be in this jail cell.

He could never say no to Robert though. They grew up together, they were almost connected by blood, if only Ned's sister didn't run halfway across the earth to marry a Middle-eastern prince. Robert always wanted them to be his brother, probably because he hated his own; he even went as far as arranging a marriage between Sansa and his eldest Joffery.

He tossed and turned. Grunting, he sat up like he was wakening from a nightmare. The last time he had seen his eldest daughter, her face it was red and puffy as she cried, she shouted something but her words were stifled by tears. It was the last day of his trial a few days earlier on the 15th of July. He had been ushered in to the wooden courtroom to stand and listen to the evidence put against him. All lies, he knew they were.

He was being charged for Treason against Queen and Country, when it was really just rouge to make sure Ned couldn't tell the world the truth Robert had told him. A few weeks earlier Joffery had been elected Prime Minister after his father had stepped down. Ned knowing the truth about Joffery's percentage took it on himself to forcefully removing the boy from his place in power. Taking twenty hired thugs into the House of Lords, with the promise that he'll be backed by the majority without any violence involved, Ned tried to get his voice heard. It ended up in him being betrayed by one of his men and a small riot breaking out in the building. Ned was attacked and woke up a few days later in this cell, only to be told he had been arrested for treason.

On the morning of the 15th Cersei came to the stand. Ned stood tall not listening to Cersei lies.

Varys had visited him the night before the trial, he had told Ned everything that was going to happen that day. "She'll be accusing you of treason, murder, and assault" the fat man quipped. He was not dressed in his usual finery that he wore to the meetings Ned was once involved in. Instead he wore rags, like he was pretending to be a gaoler.

Ned as almost spat at him "Is this funny to you?"

Varys shot him a serious look "Nothing is a joke to me, don't mistake me for Petyr, Mr Stark. Just me being here is putting my life in danger. If you believe I would joke about that then I don't think you deserve the information I am about to tell you." He paused, gazing down at Ned with honest pity "I normally get paid for giving away my secrets. Count yourself lucky."

Ned waved his hand "Carry on if you may" he sighed leaning back on the wall. He despised the Spider's company. He never trusted the man or agreed with how he got his information, but Robert had enjoyed his company on the council, or maybe he needed Varys around to feed his own paranoia.

"As I was saying, when Cersei takes the stand she will play her part well, as we both know. Then your daughter will take the stand."

"Sansa?" Ned asked. Or maybe Arya, he hoped, he hadn't heard anything about his youngest daughter for weeks now.

Ned was about to ask about Arya when Varys said "Yes, the pretty one, as Joffery's fiancé she will support Joffery in his claims against you." He shook his head in disbelief how, why? Then he remembered, the same reason he had once told Arya 'Joffery is to be her husband, she must serve him as he wishes,' "The evidence she has against you will stand in court, and as my birds tell, it is all completely true." Varys continued with a sigh.

"I only wanted to send my girls away from London so they were safe. So they weren't hurt by the Lannister's team of thugs and…"

"And you decided to tell them your plan to prevent Joffery from becoming Prime Minister." Varys finished his sentence for him.

Ned looked up at the bald man feeling his blood boil "Joffery shouldn't have voted Prime Minister after Robert, it is madness, corrupt madness and the world knows it. I tried to stop it."

"And much good that did you" Varys murmured sarcastically, he pouted "Joffery is sworn into office, the Lords have voted and he is now in power. What you did, marching to the House of Lords with a small personal army was a crime. That was more than enough evidence the Lannister's need against you."

"The Lannister's are criminals" Ned spat out.

"And in the eyes of the law, so are you. You are worse because you're charged with Treason which is a hanging case. I don't think there is anything you can do to avoid this, Mr Stark" Varys stepped back towards the door and sniffed like he had smelt something rotten.

Ned felt his heart rate slow, the anger he felt a few moments ago as a new feeling replaced it, "Or I could tell everyone the truth about Joffery." Ned suggested. He looked down at his clenched fists remembering Robert, remembering how that woman had lied to him.

Varys shrugged and sighed "Yes you could, but then again. What if no one believes you, what if they silence you again like they did in the House of Lords"

"They can't touch me in that courtroom." He remembered the confrontation in the House of Lords, it was a small scuffled had ended with Ned getting knifed in the calf and knocked out but Jaime Lannister, the wound on his leg hadn't healed properly and he still limped like a feeble old man. "and anyway I thought the whole point of this entire thing is to silence me completely with a rope" Ned pointed out

"Indeed, but if you do call Cersei and Jaime out and tell everyone that her three children is actually their three children, well, the noose will still end up round you neck. The only difference is you will ruin the lives of two children and put your entire family at risk."

Ned sideways glanced at him "What do you mean?"

Varys shrugged but looked completely serious "Being romantically connected to a man born of incest will ruin your eldest daughter, she'll never find a husband in the future, for the rest of your family, they will be punished profusely. Not legally, but then again, when did the Lannister's do anything legally. They still use slaves on their cotton plantations and use pirates to remove their enemies."

Ned rubbed his eyes "What do you want me to do then?" He hadn't slept in days and by the way Varys was grimacing at him he must have looked as bad as he felt.

"It is not what I want, it is what you want. I know you Ned Stark, you want to protect your family and you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you ruined the lives of Myrcella and Tommen, even if they are monsters in the eyes of many." He paused and took a steady breath before placing his flat cap back on his head "You have to plead guilty tomorrow."

Ned scoffed feeling a ting of something sting inside of him, was it anger? Or maybe fear? "If I plead guilty I will hang for sure."

"Mr Stark, no matter what happens in that courtroom you will hang, it will either take place in Milbank Yard or it will be in your home. That is your fate. At least you will die knowing you did the most honorable thing"

Ned had to laugh at how ludicrous it was, but it didn't feel like a laugh, it was too sharp in his throat, almost like a cough. "How is being hanged for treason the honorable thing?"

Varys walked backwards to the door, his eyes not leaving Ned "It is the only way you can be sure your family is safe, I am sure that matters more to you than what some people may say about the great Ned Stark."

Ned kept repeating that in his head as he watched Cersei reel off her lies. She was dressed in glorious red and gold dress, with dramatic embroidery decorating the corset and puffy sleeves that came just off the shoulder. She should have been a woman in mourning, yet she was dressed in such a way that it reminded him of a high class whore.

Robert had died only a few weeks earlier, from a hunting accident. The hunt was supposed to be a celebration of Robert finally stepping down as Prime Minister but the day ended with Ned hearing the news that Robert died from a bullet wound. Ned was pretty sure, from the police report and analysis of the body, it was suicide.

After Cersei, came Sansa to take the stand. She was dressed in a new tighter blood red dress. Her waist was smaller and breast pushed further up, her hair had been pulled off her pale face and neck into a complicated bun at match Cersei's, she looked older than her seventeen years but still had her features that matched her mother.

She didn't speak for long, all she had to say was Ned told her and Arya that he planned to remove Joffery from his place as Prime Minister. After that the Judge excused her. She didn't look at her father till that moment then she chirped "If it pleases you sir" She said to the judge, her eyelashes fluttering in a childish manner "Can I make a request to the jury?"

The Judge adjusted his wig "I'll allow it"

"Gentlemen" She said to the group of elderly men in suits and top hats glaring at her. A certain graying man with muttonchops started at her with hungry eyes which made Ned's skin prickle. "I request that you judge my father fairly, these accusation are only partly true, at the time he was recovering for the death of a dear friend of his, and I think he was worried about Joffery being Prime Minister because my betrothed is young. Though, I am sure, he will do a fine job. What I am saying is… There are other options than death, my father is a good man, hard working as well. Maybe you would, maybe consider deportation to Australia rather than death." Her voice became desperate as her eyebrows slanted, pleading with anyone that would listen.

The judge croaked from above her "I don't believe it is orthodox for a girl to be telling men how they should do their jobs. Don't you agree Miss Stark?" The judge was looking down at her over his glasses.

Sansa went a shade of red that matched her dress. When she was dismissed, with scuttled away from the judges gaze, her eyes not catching Ned's.

"Is there anything else before court is dismissed?" The Judge asked shuffling in his seat.

Ned stood from his seat in the defendant stand "I plead guilty for the all crimes I am being accused of" He swallowed looking at nothing. Ned spoke with a steady voice but his hands shook. He clasped them together, hoping no one would notice

There was a grumbling about him, which seemed to increase until it was hushed by the judge. "If that is the case" he said when the room was silent. "Ned Stark, for the Crimes of Treason against the Crown, the Murder of Robert Baratheon, and for instigating public unrest, my only option is to sentence you to death by hanging." The judge said with regret before banged the gavel.

That was when he heard Sansa cry out a sudden "No" he turned to see her in the crowd of spectators. Joffery was with his mother on the other side of the room, his face smirking. Cersei didn't look pleased at all. Sansa had started to noticeably cry, she was whimpering alone, with no one to comfort her, only one of Joffery's thugs to hold her back as she tried to launch herself forward in the most unladylike manner. "You promised me, you said he would be deported" she whimpered pulling away from the huge man. Ned wanted to go to her, but at that point he was being dragged away. He managed to see his daughter mouth something that could have been "I'm sorry". In his dreams he remembered her screaming it. Ned wasn't sure what was true. At the time he couldn't hear a thing. His mind was rushing and it felt like a sea of blood was gushing round out of his ears.

"I'm sorry" he said to himself. He wanted to see his daughter then. Tell her it isn't her fault and she shouldn't be sorry, tell her to be strong and that he was doing this for her. He was lying down, staring at the stone roof of his cell. The rain had stop and a red July dawn was appearing from beneath the clouds. It is going to be a nice day he idly thought; to die at dawn was his next thought, but that one was more of a memory.

He didn't know how long he sat there before the gaoler came to retrieve him.

Ned stood proudly and pulled his shoulders back ignoring the pain in his leg. If he was to die today, he would die knowing he didn't cower. In that last moment in his cell he thought about Robert, His childhood friend. The last time they had spoken was in Robert's London office, the day before the hunt accident. The office had been cleared and was a shell with nothing but a desk.

Robert had been drinking heavily since midday and then it was almost eleven in the evening. He wore a creased shirt and a beaten-looking top hat, as well as, his travelling cape lazily pulled over his shoulders. Ned had asked him if he wanted him to call a carriage to take him home. Robert had laughed aggressively "What home?" he slurred swirling his empty glass. "Have you never noticed that my wife hates me?"

Ned said nothing, and Robert didn't wait for a response when he started laughing again. "I am surprised Ned you didn't, you were always the smart one out of the pair of us. Well admittedly, you weren't stupid enough to marry the cunt." Ned cringed at the word which just sent Robert into more laughter, but what was always a charismatic laugh that drew people in, was now harsh like rusted iron scraping against steel "I was supposed to marry your sister."

Ned had heard it a million times before, mostly when Robert was drunk "And she married someone else." He huffed knowing he needed to changed the subject "Listen, tomorrow you'll no longer be Prime Minister, you should celebrate your years of success."

Robert gave him a miserable glare "And which successes are these? The first riot which ended in the deaths of twenty people or when the lords raised up against me and forced me to step down so my son could replace me like the pathetic fat old man I am." He sniggered then and poured himself some more wine "Ha, son, what a joke"

"What do you mean?" Ned asked, considering removing the alcohol from him, he could still match Robert in a scuffle if need be, and with Robert being this drunk it would be an easy fight to win.

Robert set down his glass and leaned on the desk "Joffery is not my son, and I'm sure the rest aren't mine either. They are all Jaime's" He said calmly and paused for a long time to let it sink in for Ned, "Do you want to know what's worse Ned… I don't even care" He went to pick up his glass again "I just don't care anymore, I have been the worst Prime Minister in British History, I almost destroyed the Empire, my wife wants me dead, and our children aren't even mine. I have children out there, somewhere, in the arms of whores and maids and worker's wives. But they aren't my kids either. I am going to leave this world and have contributed nothing… Then again, if that is the case, people can't blame me for Joffery" He raised his glass in the air with a false grin on his face "Cheers to the new Prime Minister. I hope he learns how to be a true gentlemen before he fucks up the entire world"

That time the next day Ned got the news that Robert had died. Shot through the throat. His youngest brother Renly was with him, but he says it was a drunken accident. Ned hoped so. He couldn't imagine Robert damning his soul by taking his own life.

It wasn't until he stepped outside into the summer dawn when Ned released he had done the same.

A small silent crowd was watching as he limped towards the wooden platform that had been erected in the middle of the yard. His eyes gazed over a few faces and saw none he recognized until he saw Yoren, a local leader of a gang of thieves. He had been friends with Ned for a few months, they were both born in the same town, which was enough to bond over. Ned nodded to his friend that was dressed in a shabby black tailcoat.

When he was on the platform he stood with three other men above trapdoors, under a beam. Two men were crying, the other was completely still but had noticeably pissed himself. From there Ned could see passed the crowd to the walls around the jail's yard. He saw all the Lannister, including Tywin, who didn't manage to make it to the trial. He looked disappointed, almost unhappy. Also Sansa and Joffery were there. Joffery held her arm with what looked like a vice like grip. Sansa was struggling to look up, as if the sun was in her eyes, but when she did she stared like she was seeing nothing.

A priest stood by the stand booming the prisoner's final rights from a bible. Ned's eyes still scanned the grounds till he saw a small figure standing by the farthest wall. A small child in breeches, shirt, and familiar-looking black excessively buttoned blazer, far fancier than anything a normal street child would wear. When he recognized it had belonged to his youngest son Bran the figure completely came together. Her hair was dirty around her face and her eyes huge. In one hand she held onto her dagger her half-brother had once given her. If the Lannister's see her she'll be as trapped as Sansa, Ned looked to Yoren and gestured to the figure at the back.

Yoren turned towards the figure and then back to Ned showing he had recognized her, he made his way towards her. Ned sighed with relief almost feeling like the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

A black sack was placed over his head and his breath quickened knowing what was about to happen. The rope came next. He chose not to think about the pain, or how long it would take, but the thoughts came back to him. He couldn't imagine any pain worse than the pain of waiting in silence and darkness.

His breath felt tight in his throat and he thought he might just choke to death then and there. This is it he told himself, taking advantage of the darkness of the bag, and the endless amount of time they were taken before they dropped him, he started to pray.

'Dear Lord, protect my girls when I can't, give them the strength to conquer these evil people, and guide them home back to their family.'

"Amen" He barely managed to whisper the word when the ground feel beneath him and his body plunged into the abyss.

My Notes:- Wow, lot to take in for a first part. Any questions, just ask, don't be afraid. Thank you for reading, I am damn proud of this chapter and I am not normal pleased with my first chapters. Inspiration from this came from many places including Oscar Wilde, The Resurrectionist, Withering Heights, History lessons, Sherlock Holmes (though if you are looking for the Sherlock Holmes like story you have come to the wrong story I do apologies.) and of course ASOIAF.

There may be some ships, also it does mainly focus of Arya and Sansa for the first few chapters but I may branch out to Bran and possibly Theon depending on where the story takes me.

I own nothing at all, it all belongs to GRRM

Further note, greatest apologies if the next chapter isn't posted for a couple of weeks.