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WINNER TAKES ALL

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"Why did he have to go?" – Cersei complained to her twin brother. Ned had left for Winterfell a fortnight before, escorted by several of her father's men and some northern guards who wanted to ensure their new lord's safety passage back home.

"He is the new Lord of Winterfell. He is needed there." – Jaime explained for what seemed like the thousand time and kept playing with Tyrion.

"But father was still teaching him."

"Father couldn't have done anything." – he put Tyrion back in his crib and stepped closer to Cersei. – "There is a war coming, sister. And Ned, as a high lord, has a role to play in it."

"That stupid war." – Cersei frowned. All people talked about these days was about the war.

"Don't be sad, sweet sister. I am absolutely sure he will return for you when this is all over." – he tried to joke.

"Jaime!"

"Come on, Cersei. He loves you just as much as you love him." – he raised his hand when she looked like interrupting him. – "Don't even try to deny it. You have loved him since you were a child. You can be quite vicious when necessary but when it comes to him, you are always different. Only with him.

"But… Jaime, what if they make him marry that Catelyn Tully? – she asked, afraid of thinking of her Ned with another.

"There is always the chance that the Tullys may try to replace one Stark with the other." – Jaime started. His father had told him the same after his conversation with Ned. – "However, I want to believe that no matter what he does, he will still choose you." – he ended hugging her, offering her comfort with his actions and his words.

'Please pick me. Choose me. Love me.' Cersei thought, letting herself be comforted by her brother.

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Unfortunately, almost two years passed before things calmed in the kingdom.

Ned ended up joining the battle alongside the Baratheon heir and together, with their bannermen and allies by their side, they destroyed the Mad King's army and he finally received the revenge he had so craved for his family's death. Because even though he had appeared cold and unfeeling during his many conversations with Tywin before his journey, he had suffered and still suffered deeply for the loss of his family. They were his own flesh and blood, by the gods! He thought every time he ran his sword through one of his enemies.

Of course, Lord Tywin had been enraged once he had learned of Ned's involvement in the war. He swore and cursed his foolish ward, something neither Cersei nor Jaime had never heard him do before, and unless they was mistaken, he sometimes sounded afraid and worried over his former charge. He had been so sure he knew the young man, but he had obviously been mistaken.

For that reason, when it became common knowledge, halfway through the war, that Prince Rhaegar and Lady Lyanna Stark had perished while trying to reach the Free Cities, Tywin started communicating with Robert Baratheon to broker a match and soon it was decided that he would take Cersei as his bride and will crown him queen once he overruled the current sovereign. Robert, despite grieving his former fiancé, had shown himself very eager to carry the alliance, especially since his new betrothed was just as beautiful and quite young too.

As soon as she had found out of the impending nuptials, she had cried and begged at her father's feet to spare her from such fate. He hadn't been moved and had instead ordered his only daughter to get herself together. She had been a ghost since then, leaving the announcement messages for her father to deal with.

Then of course, to increase her despair, it had also been announced that Ned was to marry Catelyn Tully and would soon be the new lady of Winterfell, a union agreeable to the eyes of every high lord in the North and the Riverlands. So great had been her sorrow, that she stopped eating and leaving her rooms, no longer caring for the happenings around her. Her brother tried his best to care for her and even little Tyrion tried to cheer her up with his antics, but it was all for naught in the end. She had accepted she had lost the only man she could ever love and no longer had any desire to enjoy life again.

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The day had started sunny that day. It was one of Cersei's last days in Casterly Rock before she was to travel to King's Landing to meet her betrothed for the first time, and Cersei found herself walking through a small forest near the castle. It had always been one of Ned's favourite spots and for that reason she wanted to say goodbye to it and to him before leaving it. Only the Seven knew when or even if she would ever see it again.

She sat next to the biggest tree and lay down on the soft earth, holding a pendant Ned had giving her as a present on her fifteenth nameday. That had been the last nameday she had spent with him and therefore had always cherished the jewel, even more so because Ned had done it himself.

"I love you, Eddard Stark. I will always love you." – she whispered, pressing the pendant to her lips. She cried for hours until darkness decended and she had no other option but return to the castle. She had already stood up when she sensed another presence in the forest.

"Who goes there?" – she asked, afraid that it could be a deserter or any other person who could harm her. The shadow got nearer and nearer, making her step back until the tree was against her back. – "Please...please, don't hurt me."

"I would never hurt you, Cersei." – the voice said.

"Ned... Ned!" – Cersei recognized his voice and jumped into his arms sobbing in relief. He was back. He was finally back.

Ned hugged her close and frowned at the feeling of her body. It was definitely much thinner than the last time he had had her in his arms. He buried his face in her long blond tresses and breathed in the smell that had hunted his dreams for nearly two years.

He finally felt home.

Much later they finally separated, allowing Cersei to properly see the face of the man she loved. He now had a scar on his forehead and his dark hair was much longer than how he used to wear it, reaching his shoulder blades now. His eyes looked tired and he too seemed to have lost a lot of weight, judging by how his clothes hung from his once broad frame. But he was there now, he was still her Ned and that was all that mattered.

'He is not your Ned. He has never been and never would be.' A voice in her head reminded her.

"I'm sorry about your sister." – she blurted out, chastising herself for saying that. He didn't need to be reminded that he only had one sibling alive.

"She is free from pain now. And free from Robert Baratheon." – he expressed still looking at her. – "And so are you."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Robert is dead." – he answered. – "It seems he had an encounter with Targaryen supporters and he couldn't defend himself in the end.

"I see." – the dispassionate way in which he had spoken about his death rang some alarm bells in her head, but since she was now released from her betrothal, she found herself not caring about the man's passing.

"I think it should be better to return you to the castle. I also need to talk to your father." – Ned stepped away from her and offered her his arm before walking towards the castle. Once inside, he went directly to Tywin's study, but not before he turned once more to see Cersei.

"I wish to speak tomorrow with you. Would you walk with me after breaking your fast?"

"Of course." – Cersei beamed. Nothing would stop her from spending as much time as she could with him. Who knew how much time she had before he was no longer there.

"Until tomorrow then, my lady." – he raised one of her hands and kissed her knuckles, watching her intently. He then turned her hand and kissed her wrist, feeling her gasp in surprise. He finally released her and walked away.

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Ned knocked on the door to Tywin's study and waited until he was allowed to enter.

"Lord Tywin." – Ned greeted.

"Lord Stark!" – Tywin answered, surprised with the new arrival. He hadn't received any news of his coming. He rose from his desk and in a surprise move, he hugged Ned. – "I am so glad to see you are well."

"How could I not be with all your lessons in the front of my mind? - Ned exclaimed, hugging the man too.

"Not all apparently. Was it really necessary to go headfirst into the fight or were you just as bloodthirsty as the others? - Tywin scowled walking back to his desk.

"It was necessary, my lord."

"Necessary?"

"The northerners needed to see me alongside Baratheon to fight for what was right, for his right to recover my sister. I needed to be seen as a respected lord, one they could happily obey when the time came.

"When the time came?"

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Flashback

During the journey to Winterfell Ned had been planning every move he had to take in order to reach his goals.

As soon as he arrived to his new castle, he saw his remaining brother and made sure he was being well taken care of. After feeling pleased with Benjen's progress, he had quickly settled as the new lord of the castle and had had ravens dispatched to form an alliance with Robert Baratheon and to call all his bannermen.

They were officially entering the war.

Once he had his army and had received response from his now ally, they moved to the pointed location where the other man's forces were expecting them. To Ned's chagrin, the big man almost always seemed more interested in fucking whores and killing just for fun, instead of planning his moves carefully, leaving such decisions to his commanders and now to Ned too. Hadn't it been for him and the advisors, the war would have been lost quite quickly.

After several important battles won and it became obvious the scale was tipping in their favour, Hoster Tully also joined the fight, too. Of course, Ned knew his reason for this wasn't his so called desire to help people be free from the Mad King, but to ensure Ned's compliance to marrying Catelyn Tully. Ned didn't say anything on the matter, leaving Robert to reach an agreement to the man's requirements, which obviously included Ned's betrothal to his daughter.

After all, he didn't have the time to think of such trivial matter in the middle of a war. And also because he wasn't really going to comply with the Tully family's wishes. He had only argued that if there was to be a wedding, it wouldn't happen until after the war and that the agreement remain private between the parties involved.

What he hadn't counted on was that soon his bethrotal would become common knowledge, forcing his mentor to make a similar arrangement between Ned's so called friend and his daughter. When he had heard Robert telling him about his future marriage to the pearl of Casterly Rock, he had been shocked. Shocked and angry. He had wanted to kill Robert on the spot and go to his former foster home and demand answers from Tywin.

In the end, he had simply calmed himself down and congratulated Robert.

"I am sure she will make you very happy." – he had said, seething on the inside.

"That wench will only need to be on her back for me to be happy. Now that ought to be a cunt to die for Ned!" – Robert joked, not noticing the look full of hate Ned threw his way.

After that conversation, Ned's plans for battle became more vicious. He vented his frustrations in the battlefield since he had to act according to his station when in the presence of the other lords, or else all his plans would have been in vain. They were already nearing the capital so he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

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Once in King's Landing, it wasn't difficult to take the city, since nearly all King Aerys' army had already been ran through their enemies' swords. Robert himself was responsible for killing the king and seizing his throne as his spoil of war.

What had horrified Ned like never before in his life was that that instead of showing an ounce of mercy to the former king's expecting wife and remaining son, Robert had ordered his most trusted and brutal men to round them both and had them massacred in front of him. Looking at the gruesome scene, Ned couldn't stop vomiting and it reaffirmed his desire to leave the capital as soon as possible.

Less than a week later, his men were ready to depart and that night he went to talk to Robert for the last time. He had plans to go to Casterly Rock and get Lord Tywin to reconsider marrying Cersei off. However, his meeting with the new king changed his course of action.

"I suppose you are eager to go claim your Tully bride." – was Robert's first comment after Ned had expressed his resolution to depart the following morning.

"Yes." – he lied. He didn't want people to know he was really going to Casterly Rock.

"Enjoy her, Ned. And I'll be here enjoying my own virginal bride's cunt."

"What?"

"The Lannister girl is coming very soon. I think I will give her a little taste of what our marriage will be like. Now that I know I'll enjoy very much."

"You shouldn't talk about your bride in such terms." – Ned warned him, but as usual, Robert didn't realise the danger he was putting himself in.

"Bah! You have known that wench since you were kids. I bet she was a really stuck up bitch. But don't you worry, I'll enjoy breaking that mare, maybe hit her bleed a bit while I take her. Or a lot."

"Enough!" – Ned couldn't take any more of his badmouthing his intended, so he grabbed one of the knives on the table and pressed it against the other man's throat.

"Come on, Ned! Whats the matter with you?" – He took Ned's threat as a joke and tried to get him to release him, in vain.

"Stop talking about Cersei, you worthless piece of shit!" – he pressed the knife harder.

"Oh, I see. You want her for yourself, is that it?" – Robert laughed. Ned didn't say anything. – "No need to be like that. We are friends after all and I'll gladly share her with you when I'm done with her. Tell you what? You can even go first and I'll grab her for you. Let you feel how thigh her cunt is."

"We are not friends, Baratheon. And I'll make you pay for your words." – was all Ned said before stabbing the other man in the stomach, making him groan in pain and fall to the floor.

"Ned... what...?"

"I was never your friend, Baratheon. You were just a mean to an end."

"Help..." – Robert tried to call one of his guards, but he was getting weaker by the minute.

"No one is going to help you. You will die here alone and I will gladly take everything that is yours."

"Ned..." – Robert held onto one of the other man's boots, but Ned simply kicked him away.

"You have brought all this on yourself. I would have just gone to the North after ensuring Cersei became my wife and left the rest of the Kingdom for you do as you pleased, but now I will take your crown and your kingdom and will make Cersei my queen." – That was a lie, of course. He had never had any intention of letting the other man take the throne and Cersei with it. Especially since he was positive that Tywin wouldn't have passed the opportunity to enter the royal family through marriage, no matter his dislike of Robert Baratheon and mentoring of Ned. He would have never been pleased to marry his daughter to a lord instead of to a king.

"Ple...please..."

Ned knelt next to him and twisted the knife, making Robert cry out in desperation.

"Cersei will be mine. Only mine to be with, to laugh with, to live with. She will be my equal and not a submissive wife. She will bear my children and she won't have to watch me bed others or share her body with anyone else. She won't have to suffer the indignity of me bringing bastards into our lives like my sister always feared. And if anyone ever dares to touch her will suffer the same mistake as yours." – he grabbed another knife and plunged it into Robert's groin.

"Lyanna... I... I... lo... loved... her..." - Robert reminded him, writhing in pain.

"She never loved you. She hated you and she hated the thought of being your wife."

"Lyanna..."

"Don't you dare pronounce her name with your filthy mouth!" - Ned stood up and kicked him in the head. – "I have always wanted to be the one to tell you she never loved you. She feel in love with Rhaegar and they escaped. She was never kidnapped. She preferred him instead of you.

"No... No!"

"Yes. And now it's time to say goodbye to the Baratheon reign." – and with that he picked a third knife and embedded it in the other's neck, ending his pathetic existence.

End Flashback

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"When the time came?" – Tywin repeated his question.

"When I finally took my place as Lord of Winterfell."

"You have been Lord of Winterfell for almost two years now."

"But my people didn't know me. They were wary of me having been educated in your household."

"I see." – Tywin looked at Ned proudly for having thought ahead on how to gain his people's trust without appearing weak.

"Unfortunately, it has been in vain. I won't be returning to Winterfell."

"And why not?"

"I am the new King of the Seven Kingdoms. Robert Baratheon is dead."

"Dead? How?" – The travel from King's Landing to Casterly Rock two several days and even if Ned had left the capital right after the former king's death, the event should have become common knowledge by now. Why hadn't he heard anything about it?

"A man like him must have had several enemies. Only the Gods know which one wielded the sword." – Ned lied again, but something in his eyes made Tywin suspicious. – "But that is not what I have come here for. Well, not exactly."

"Then what?" – Tywin wasn't stupid and instantly knew where he was going with this, but he needed to be absolutely sure in order to be prepared accordingly.

"I would like to marry your daughter."

Even hearing what he had expected, Tywin was surprised. He, of course, had seen the obvious attraction between the two but there were issues that prevented such union, despite how agreeable it sounded to him.

"You are betrothed to Hoster Tully's daughter."

"I won't marry that lady on the grounds that the betrothal was made without my consent."

"Hoster Tully joined the war to support you."

"He never told me directly that his decision to enter the battle was to get my acceptance. In fact, I remember him always telling everyone of his need to do the right thing for the kingdom and for the people. That it was his honour and his duty to serve the kingdom in any capacity. Now the kingdom is at peace, he has achieved his goal and will be rewarded accordingly as I will arrange a good match for his daughter."

"And if they don't agree? After all, a lord doesn't sound so good a husband as a king.

"They will have to agree since I will already be married to your daughter by the time they find out."

"In case you fail to remember, I still haven't given you my consent."

"But you will. You will want a good marriage for Cersei. Who could be better than me, who have known her and loved her since she was a child and will give her the entire world if she asks me to?"

"And yet you didn't do anything when we announced her marriage to Robert Baratheon."

"I was just bidding my time until I could let my wishes be known." – he reasoned and Tywin understood then what had really happened to Robert Baratheon.

"It seems I've taught you very well."

"That you did, my lord. As soon as I marry Cersei and take the Iron Throne I will need loyal men by our side. And I intend to make you Hand of the King, for who could better care for our interests?" – Ned smirked, knowing he had won.

"Then you have my blessing to marry her if she agrees." – Tywin accepted with a smile.

"Thank you, my lord." – Ned stood up and was about to leave when Tywin stopped him.

"Remember what I have always taught you, Ned. Cersei and your dynasty will need you to always remember it."

Ned nodded before leaving.