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Here we go!
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There were two ravens and a rider in the night. All of them came separately but after receiving the first letter, the arrival of the second raven and the rider was not a surprise. The real surprise was the first letter, which had come early in the night even before Ned could have gotten into his bedchamber to sleep. Even if somehow he could have gotten into sleep, he was sure that Maester Luwin would have shaken him if needed be. The news was as grievous as it should be. Though the Maester had never read it.
He had just seen the seal and ran as fast as he could toward Ned's bedchamber. Because he had never seen it in past seven and ten years. And he surely had never expected to see it again, but there it was. All red with three headed dragon in the circle.
"What does it say My Lord?" He asked after a long pause of silence. Lady Catelyn was behind him. She was also curious and afraid. How could she be not?
"Another war." Ned said after reading it again.
And again.
Only if war would have been the message, but it was not.
"Princess Daenerys Targaryen has announced herself as the Queen Regent of Seven Kingdoms, And also all the free cities across the narrow sea. She claimed even the Sealords of Braavos have bent the knee. She is challenging Robert to an open war for the Iron throne." Ned did not tell the whole the story though.
"But onto what basis My Lord?" Lady Stark asked with the same confusion. "Last time we know, she was a little orphan girl with no family but her brother. Did she acquire an army?"
"More than that." Ned said with the same grimness. "She acquired three dragons, eight thousand unsullied of Astapor, Second Sons, and other Tyroshi sellswords." Ned did not tell the whole story again.
"The unsullied army or the sellswords can be defeated, but the dragons…" Maester Luwin said with his calmed voice but the distress was evident in that old deep voice.
"Anything can be defeated." Ned said. "Only if you want to defeat them." He did not say this.
"But my lord. Dragons. They are fearsome creatures. Aegon has proved it three hundred years ago. Perhaps, the time of the dragons has again come." His wife was more than anxious.
"Perhaps." Ned said. "But better not to say it in front of King Robert. If I knew anything about this man, he would not bend the knee even for his last breath. His hatred for the Dragon cannot be defeated over anything."
"You say Queen Regent. Does this mean she has another Targaryen. A King?" Maester Luwin asked.
"Yes! It says she has her nephew to rule. She has asked all the lords of the Westeros to bend the knee to His Grace, Jon of House Targaryen. The first of his name. King of the Andals, the First Men, Slaves of the Slaver's Bay and the Sealords of the Braavos." He read the parchment again trying to remove some sense from it. How could she know? For how long and why now?
If only she had written her as the queen and not the regent of…
He didn't tell anyone. And he would stake his life on the word that Howland Reed cannot betray him. Howland Reed will not betray him. And those two were the only witness. Those were the only, who know. He hadn't told it to even his beloved wife. He had seen her torment everyday from the past seven and ten years, whose reason was a boy.
May be she is claiming for someone else. Some other Jon, who would be with her, even now. May be Prince Viserys had fathered some son before dying. Ned would accept it as a coincidence with close eyes. Because another Jon of the House Targaryen is just sleeping in castle of Winterfell now. But he was not the king of anything. He is just a boy.
My boy.
How can he claim a throne even if he doesn't know about it?
But King Robert will not understand. He will not give the thought to any coincidence. He will just wave his War Hammer and will be done with it, just like he did to his father. His real father.
NO. I mustn't think about. I'm his real father. He is my bastard son. His name is Jon Snow and not Targaryen the first of his name or whatever. He is sleeping unaware of the coming war, which would be fought on his name. Not his name.
"Does this mean Prince Viserys fathered a son before dying?" Cat asked in the confusion.
"Can be." Ned said or lied. He couldn't tell.
"Robert will call me soon. There will be another letter. Maester, keep an eye on it." He said and gave Maester his leave to go.
"How can it be?" He asked to himself aloud but his wife was close enough to hear.
"We should have expected it for all the time My Lord. How can the Seven Kingdoms forget about Targaryens? They had ruled for hundreds of years. They had the blood of old Valyria. They had controlled the dragons like their own children. King Robert had the right of it. Even a single Targaryen can flip the greatest empire. May Seven save us." She was speaking but Ned was not there.
"If Robert called, I've to go my lady." He said. But would I fight for him against Jon?
No! Not his Jon.
But what if the Targaryen Princess has found about him. What if she wanted his Jon to rule with her. What will Ned do? What will Jon do?
There were as many ifs as many whats.
"Ned, you have fought Robert's wars enough. It is time to let him handle things for himself. Yet If the Targaryen King attacks, he would attack from the narrow sea. We are thousands of leagues away my lord. King Robert can align his forces with Dorne or can summon Lannisters for all they are good for it. They had presented the heads of the innocents Prince and Princess before. They can do it again. We are far from the war. All we have to do is keep our borders secure. The Lannisters can present the heads of this Regent and her King to Robert." Catelyn suggested.
"Not this King." Ned said grimly.
"What?" She was confused. How could she not have guessed it? All the hints were there. And now they even have a name, but Ned should not speak it. It is good for now.
"I mean, we don't know about this king Jon."He said hopeful that his wife would not get it.
"No! We don't. How can we?" She asked.
"We can't, but perhaps you're right. Our first concern should be to secure the borders of the North. I must summon my bannermen. I'll call my council at first light in the morning. Be sure that Ser Rodrik, Maester Luwin, Jory and Robb also will be there. He should know about the war tactics now." He ordered his wife, who was looking confused now.
"But my lord, you had given him leave to go to hunt this evening. They had gone." It was a sudden realization, which came through his wife's words. "Oh gods! What has he done?"
"Cat! Who else has gone with Robb?" Please not Jon. Oh my Old gods! Please be not Jon. How will he defend him when he is out there is the woods. Or maybe it was all the part of the plot. Perhaps, they had already been captured. Whomever knew about the existence of Jon, would definitely have told the Queen Daenerys and also to Robert.
No. He mustn't think about it. Oh gods be good.
"Theon is with him along with three guards and.." she left the name unspoken. And it was enough for Ned.
But before she could have asked her next question Ned was outside the door. He was running toward Ser Rodrik and Jory. Cat was behind him calling for him. Ned found Ser Rodrik in his solar and Jory in the stables.
"Bring my boys back from hunting. All of them. You hear me. And Theon too. Take ten men to the forests. Wait. No. Take twenty men and ensure me their safe return. They will not be far. Search every corner of the woods. I want them back before first light." Ned said 'my boys' and not only Jon, for avoiding unwanted attention.
"Ned! My love, calm down." Cat said after seeing the confused faces of Ser Rodrik and Jory.
"Calm down? Cat. The war is all over us. And your boy is outside in the jungle. You want me to calm down?" Yes the war was thousand leagues away, but who knows. The Princess, who has dragons, can go wherever she wants and whatever she wants to plant in Jon's head. Or King Robert, who would definitely enjoy to kill the last son of Rhaegar Targaryen. Or the northerner people, who would want a fair reward for the head of the new Targaryen king.
"Promise Me Ned!" A voice was still echoing in his head. A faint and sickly voice but full of hope.
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