Changing the terms.
Summary: Ned escapes his execution and Catelyn joins Brienne and Jamie in their journey to King's Landing. The Freys and Boltons have no reasons to betray the North. Dorne has a role to play and Stannis may get the help he needs The war of the Five Kings may just turn out differently.
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1) Hope lost and found.
It was dark in the cell; dark, damp, and quiet, save for the squeaking of rats. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed. He had no idea what was going on outside his cell, and that was killing him. He could stand the pain in his leg, he could stand not knowing his fate, he could stand being imprisoned and most likely executed. It was not knowing what had become of his daughters that was tearing at his soul. With Jory dead and most of his household soldiers dead or imprisoned, they were all alone, defenseless and unprotected.
Out of the darkness he suddenly saw a faint glow in the distance. The shimmering light grew closer and steadier, yet, he could barely make out the figure holding a torch coming straight at him. He could not see who it was, but he could smell him: lavender and flowery scents. Most likely his face would be powdered if he could see it.
"Lord Stark"
"Lord Varys, fancy meeting you here."
"How are you holding up?"
"Not very well. My leg is killing me and my daughters are all alone. How are they?"
"Sansa is safe. She's with the Royal family, but no harm will befall her."
"And Arya?" he asked dreading the answer.
"I don't know. No one knows. She hasn't been seen since your arrest."
"What about your birds? Don't they have anything to report?" he snapped more angrily than he intended.
"I have not come here to talk about my birds, Lord Stark. I'm here to help you escape."
"How? Why?"
"Because you don't deserve to be here. You don't deserve what Joffrey intends to do to you."
"He wants to have me executed, right?"
"The Queen wants you to join the Night Watch, that way you'll be thousands of leagues away and with no say whatsoever on the affairs of the realm. But the boy wants your head"
"If I join the Night watch, who will take care of Sansa?"
"You're not going to join the Night Watch. You're going to escape and go North. Your son is mounting an army and has declared war on King Joffrey. So have Renly and Stannis. Both of Robert's brothers want to be Kings, apparently. Your wife had kidnapped the Imp but somehow she let him go or he escaped, my birds' reports are somewhat vague on this account."
"Where is she?"
"She has joined your son at his camp and they are on their way to Riverrun."
"Lord Varys. I don't understand. You served King Aerys. Then when he was defeated you served Robert. Now you serve Joffrey but you say you want to help me. I'm King Joffrey's enemy. Who do you serve?"
"No one and everyone. As I have said before, I serve the realm. And right now the Realm needs for you to be free and join your son at his war camp" he said as he released Ned from his chains.
"How are you going to explain my sudden disappearance?"
"Do not worry about that. Everything has been taken care of. Come with me now. Be silent."
They made their way through secret tunnels and hidden pathways. "This castle was built hundreds of years ago. Each new King adds or rebuilds on top of what was before. Everybody marvels at the new structures, each shinier and brighter and the predecessor. But nobody remembers what's underneath. There are places in this building where only spiders know how to get. When we leave this dungeon, you will run. Do not look back. Follow the river to the God's Eye and make your way to Riverrun. You must not be recognized. Change your appearance. Cover your face. Do not talk to anyone."
"I can't. What about Sansa? I need to look for Arya."
"Do you wish to live? Do you wish for Sansa to live? There's nothing to be done for Arya now. Go home, Lord Stark. Join your son and then you can come back for your daughter. She'll be safe here. I'll protect her."
After hours of crawling and trudging through crooked pathways they finally made their way out of the dungeons.
"Go Lord Stark, and remember do not let anyone see you."
"Please take care of my daughter. Thank you" Ned replied as he took one last look at King's Landing and headed into the woods.
He had a long way to go now. But he had no money, no food and no weapons. He didn't have a plan, but he had something he thought he had lost: hope.
It was not difficult to hide in the woods outside the city. Nobody really came west but beggars and homeless people. Judging by the way I look and smell I fit right in. He found a man lying dead by the side of the road. Not wishing to disrespect the dead but realizing this was his only option he started to search through the man's belongings. That is how he came to own a new cloak with a hood to hide his face, a new pair of boots, and most importantly, a sword. He also found a bag of coins and a sack with spices and scents. The man was most likely a trader who had met a tragic end after doing his business in King's Landing. Ned had no use for the spices, but he did take the bag of coins.
Following Varys's advice he always kept to himself. Whenever he heard people coming he would sneak behind the trees. Whenever he walked into an inn, he would always try to sit close enough to people to overhear their conversations, but far enough to remain inconspicuous. That is how he came to know that both Renly and Stannis were challenging Joffrey's claim to the throne and calling themselves Kings. Depending on who was speaking, his wife had killed Tyrion at the Eyrie, or Tyrion had killed Catelyn and ran away, or he had simply escaped and was back in King's Landing. Apparently he himself had been executed at the Great Sept of Baelor. Many witnesses swore to have seen Eddard Stark's head roll, some were cheering, others were cursing, while others simply did not care. According to some accounts, his son, Robb Stark had been declared King in the North. Or he had perished in battle, slain by the Kingslayer himself. Other people said Robb had taken the Kingslayer prisoner.
Not knowing what was really going on with his family was tearing him apart. He was of two minds. On the one hand, he wanted to get to Riverrun as soon as he could. But on the other hand, the rational part of his brain told him to lie low and hide for a while. Well, he could do both: with a heavy heart, he decided to take the slow way home …
TBC