Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and I earn no money from this. ASOIAF belongs to G.R.R. Martin.

It's a modern setting with a difference. As said above, there's a little magic regarding the OTP marks

1. Ned.

Ned Stark felt devastated. The car accident which had taken away both his father and brother's lives had brought up another collateral damage: his dear sister Lyanna had suffered from a miscarriage due to the shock at knowing the bad news. Thus, as she stayed in hospital fighting for her life, the only Starks left to attend the funeral ceremony and banquet were his brother Benjen and Ned himself.

The brothers tried to comfort each other and stay tall in front of the people who were arriving to give the condolences. Ned was lost in thought and grievance, missing Robert's support at his side—his best friend was also Lyanna's fiancé and had left for the hospital as soon as he could have. So, Ned was left alone there with Benjen, a lot of persons whose faces didn't really recognize nor care of and his pain and misery.

If only I had been there with them, maybe I wouldn't have passed out and I could have saved them from the explosion...The fire. He couldn't allow him to think much about it, how it might have felt to burn alive. He could only allow him to trust the voices that said that they might have fainted before the fire started. Might. He couldn't let him think that no one could really tell if it had been a must.

"My condolences," a sweet voice full of grief said. "I can understand your pain. At least, some of your pain. I loved him. We were dating." Then, the voice broke and something about it made Ned return to reality.

"Who...?" he started asking, but his question was interrupted by the vision of the woman in front of him. Long, auburn hair, clear blue eyes full of tears, an expression of deep pain on her beautiful face. He knew her face. He had seen it in photographs before, Brandon's southern girlfriend.

"Excuse me, you don't even know me. We haven't had the chance to meet before. My name is Catelyn Tully. Brandon and I have been dating for some months. Well, we had..."

"That's fine, there's no need to apologize. We knew, Ms. Tully. He wanted to introduce you to the family next Christmas. He talked about you a lot and we were looking forward to meet you."

Catelyn Tully smiled a little and held his hand in a reassuring way. And then, it happened.

Both Ned and Catelyn's right wrists started glowing and a sign appeared on each of them. The signs had the same blue-gray colour and an identical design. A mirror image. The love matching marks that made their appearance when someone met his or her soulmate

They looked at their hands in astonishment, finding the situation inappropriate, finding it disrespectful.

But love and hope don't know of right timing and life must go on.

2. Lyanna.

Lyanna Stark lied down in bed, still in hospital, finding neither relief nor relaxation. She felt like she was rowing through treacherous waters; one mistake and she would drown in pain. The moment she had known about her father and brother's accident, the dreadful punctures in her belly had started and then blood had begun spilling down her thighs. And she had been sure what it would mean—the baby would die. Maybe he was never supposed to be born, a child of sin.

Sadly, Lyanna remembered how shocked her family had looked like when she had first told them about her pregnancy. They could barely believe that young, brilliant, talented Lyanna, who was attending her first year at university with an athletic scholarship, could have made such a big mistake. His boyfriend, Robert, had been shocked, too, but his surprise had changed into cheerfulness very quickly. He would do the right thing, he would sooth her family, they would get married, they would have a little Baratheon, they would be happy together forever and ever... And Lyanna, tired and hesitant for the first time in her life, had smiled with a smile that didn't reach her eyes and had let him do and decide.

He hadn't even noticed that their sexual relationships had always been safe.

She had met him at the Harrenhal athletics competition several months ago.

The competition had been held in another campus, out-of-town. For some reason, neither Robert nor her family had accompanied her.

Lyanna had won three medals and, when she had seen the man who was meant to give them to her, she had thought him to be the most attractive man she had ever known. He had silver hair and fascinating purple eyes. He was tall and his muscles were well-defined. He was graceful and elegant and his facial expression was almost regal. And his voice had sounded like music when he had congratulated her.

"Congratulations, Ms. Lyanna Stark. You have been the champion and the Queen of the Tracks today," he had said in a friendly manner.

Then, he had put the medals on her and Lyanna had felt a sudden heat in her right wrist. She had looked at it and had understood the meaning of that glimmering grey and purple mark. A twin one was shining in the handsome man's wrist. Lyanna's heart had leaped.

That night, there had been a dinner to celebrate the end of the competition and, after that, there had been a party. That night, Lyanna had learnt the man's name, Rhaegar, had learnt that, despite his youth (he was in his twenties), he was a family man. She had learnt that he was the heir of an important company as well as a lecturer on high-performance sports at the same university she was attending and that he loved music. And later that night, she had also learnt the taste of his lips and his skin and she had known she would fall.

They had been keeping a secret relationship since then, though none of them had really finished their former relationships. Lyanna had tried to split up with Robert in several occasions, but she was fond of him even if he wasn't the most faithful boyfriend himself and she cared about what her family would say about it and she wasn't sure of Rhaegar doing the same. She was, in short, too young to sort it out. And then, she had got pregnant and everything seemed to turn into a downward spiral.

And now, tragedy had struck her life.

Someone's voice interrupted her stream of thought. She recognized the voice and faked she was asleep. A gentle hand caressed her face as words were poured down on her.

"I'm sorry, my love, I'm so sorry. Your father, your brother... the baby. I should have come before, but my family, too..." the voice shivered. "It was my father, the driver of the other car. He is dead, too. He had been suffering from a mental health disease for months, he was under treatment. He shouldn't have driven after taking those pills. I cannot find the words to express my regret."

Lyanna opened her sore eyes and stared at Rhaegar's sad expression.

"He was yours, not Robert's."

Rhaegar nodded.

"He shouldn't have paid for his father's sins," he said.

"No, he shouldn't. Neither should you," she replied.

They kissed.

This is wrong, this is a mistake.

But love and hope don't know of common sense and their sins will keep on.