Chapter I
The years following Ned Stark's rise as Ruling Regent of the Seven Kingdoms had brought about great changes that many would say was a blessing while others would claim it was a curse. True to his word Ned Stark started by helping to rebuild the King's Landing and the other kingdoms that had all suffered at the hands of Aku. And Ned worked on dealing with the debt that Robert had placed the Kingdoms during his reign as king, hiring multiple builders and every abled man to help clear away the debris. In the meantime following Ned's plan the Seven Kingdoms started training anyone who volunteered to learn how to fight and Ned hired many people who were skilled in many weapons to train any apprentice that caught their eyes.
The Lannisters, the Baratheons, Martels, and many houses that agreed to Ned's plan followed his approach, training many young apprentices while others trained themselves in case none of the apprentices would be strong enough. However now that Ned was Ruling Regent he not only helped rebuild the Kingdoms but he made some decisions that he wanted Robert to make at the end of the Rebellion, starting with the decision of putting Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch on trial for the crime of murdering Elia Martell and her children. The Mountain, on the charge of raping Elia before murdering her as well as her son Aegon, was faced with the choice of death or being sent to the Night's Watch while Amory Lorch was charged with the murder of Aegon's sister. Both opted for a trial of combat and Ned surprised them both by volunteering himself to fight them, one trial at a time of course. The Mountain agreed, believing he could defeat Ned Stark and though he put up a considerable fight Gregor fought like a beast instead of a warrior while Ned Stark himself had fought in a war and defeated the Darkness, the Great Evil or Demon as many would come to know Aku as.
Many believed it was Ned's so-called magic sword that allowed him to win but Ned won and killed the Mountain for his crimes. It was expected that Tywin Lannister would protest Ned's decision to put Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch on trial but to their surprise the head of House Lannister did not protest. Amory Lorch, seeing how the Mountain had fallen to Ned and the many people who had stepped forward to fight on the Regent's behalf, including Oberyn Martel who had come to see the ones who murdered his sister and her children finally pay for their crimes, chose to withdraw his demand for Trial by Combat and instead pleaded to be sent north to the Wall. Though many believed Amory Lorch would get off easy by taking the Black they were all relieved that the Mountain was dead, none more so than Sir Sandor Clegane and Oberyn Martel.
Oberyn Martel himself stated he and his house owed the Ruling Regent a debt for bringing justice to the murderers of both his sister and her children. In the meantime while Ned had been stuck in King's Landing, one blessing came in the form of White Fang who came to be known with many names.
The Wolf-King.
The Fastest Dire-Wolf in the Kingdoms.
King of the Dire-Wolves
The Wolf That Can Fly.
The Great Wolf.
The White Wolf.
The Demon Wolf.
These titles came as people remembered seeing how fast White Fang could move, able to bring Ned's wife and children to King's Landing in less than a day and bring Ned to his home in the North when the Regent just needed time away from the throne. What no one truly expected was legitimizing his sister's son, Jon Snow who was still believed to be his bastard. Very few disputed, one of them being Cersei Lannister who saw Jon's legitimization as a threat to her and her plans for placing her son on the throne. But no one else disputed Ned's decision, especially when he explained of the promise to the Gods made by both himself and his wife. This explanation satisfied those who knew all too well of Ned's nature.
And true to his word Ned sent letters to kingdoms and tribes in Essos, detailing the near fall of the Seven Kingdoms at the hands of Aku and warning them of the possibility of Aku returning. He even decided to send a secret note to the surviving Targaryen children with the same information and a truth of Jon being their nephew through their dead brother Rhaegar.
He would just have to wait and see how they would react.
The rebellion was over and it was time for old wounds to heal.
That was why he worked to ensure the kingdoms of Westeros were ready should Aku return. He personally ensured justice for Elia Martel and her children, allowing some form of closure to her family in Dorne. He had wanted to send Jaime Lannister to the Wall for how betrayed his king, mad or not, but had no wish to get into a dispute with House Lannister who was going along with his plan despite the few troubles from Cersei Lannister and her son, Joffrey. For the most part the kingdoms were living on prosperity but there were a few troubles.
The Freys and the Greyjoys being the latest problem.
Walder Frey refused to accept Ned's plan without an arranged marriage between one of his daughters and Ned's son, Rob Stark to strengthen family bonds and give the Freys greater political power by allying with the Starks. Of course Rob refused and he had the backing of his parents who stated that unless Rob was willing there would be no deal.
Walder Fey did not like their answer and thus said there would be no alliance.
Despite Ned's efforts to warn all of the kingdoms of the threat of Aku and the many people who witnessed Aku's rampage and lived to tell about not everyone was willing to agree to his plan and offer of alliance without some sort of price, including the eldest Targaryens, the Freys and the Greyjoys. However the Freys were a vile clan and though Ned preferred everyone be united on the day Aku returned he was not entirely saddened or surprised by Walder's reaction. The kingdoms were even more united when slavers from Essos attempted to take advantage of the weakened kingdoms but were stopped by the united armies led by Ned Stark and his ally, White Fang.
In a way Aku had been forced the kingdoms to come together for protections against all threats, mortal or demon.
In the meantime there were a few problems that Ned during his time as Regent, the biggest being the expected heir to the throne: Joffery and by extension his mother Cersei. When Ned said he would allow Joffery to take the throne when he was of proper age he was completely honest. However as the years went by Joffery had caused trouble and his mother did little to nothing to stop it. It got worse as Joffery went out of his way to antagonize Ned's children and that caused a few fights that Ned had to break up.
It sparked more than a few arguments with Joffery believing he was above any form of rules and did not respect Ned's status as Ruling Regent and Cersei herself made it absolutely known that she supported Joffery in anything she did. It got worse when Joffery turned his attention to White Fang, whom he considered nothing but a wild beast that should obey him or be put down.
Needless to say things did not go well for Joffery when he tried to force White Fang to give him a ride or have its head cut off.
Xxx
"STARK!"
Ned looked up from the latest meeting of the Small Council and sighed. "May the Seven strike me now if that is who I think it is." He whispered.
Kevan Lannister, by far one of the more tolerable members of his family and currently a member of the latest Small Council chosen by Ned, gave him a sympathetic look. "I suppose my cousin has yet another complaint to voice to us."
"Voice? To us?" Another recently elected member, Cersei's own brother Tyrion, asked with fake astonishment. "I think at this point Lord Stark I move that we receive a raise for having to endure my dear sister's little episodes. Do you suppose little Arya smacked her boy around again?"
It had been a surprise to many when Ned had chosen not one but two Lannisters to serve on the Small Council during the many acts he made to restructure the rule of the Kingdom. Tyrion had proven himself a capable Master of Coin while Kevan Lannister had only recently been selected as Master of Ships, having volunteered for the position. Lord Varys retained his post as Master of Whispers while the post of Hand of the King was still maintained by Jon Arryn. From time to time Barristan Selmy would also attend the council personally.
"I don't suppose you would care to listen to your sister's complaint this time, would you Lord Tyrion?" Ned asked, rubbing his brow.
"Why sir," Tyrion hopped out of his seat. "There is not yet a drink in the world strong enough for me to say yes to that." He quickly stepped out, followed closely by the other members while all but Barristan Selmy departed.
"Cowards," The Lord-Commander of the Kingsguard huffed.
Ned looked pleadingly at the older man. "Tell me, how did Robert deal with his wife at moments like this?"
Selmy looked at Ned with an expression of confusion. "….dealt with her, my lord?" A smile threatened to creep onto his face. "Lord Stark I think you still have much to learn on King Robert's reign."
Ned couldn't argue that point. In the end Robert had stood next to him against Aku and proved that there was still a bit of the great warrior concealed within, but he had discovered that there had been many poor decisions by the deceased monarch. The economy had been in shambles, to put it lightly, and there had been far too many women to come forward in secret with a child who had Robert's eyes and hair. Soon Ned had been forced to keep a careful list of the number of bastards left behind by Robert, if only to ensure that their families would be given enough to purchase their continued silence.
"Thank you once again, old friend." Ned whispered as Cersei's latest scream made him and Barristan cringe. "Well, Lord Selmy, I suppose that we shall face this together."
Selmy nodded. "It could be nothing," He proposed, "Or perhaps the demon itself has returned and Lady Cersei rushes to deliver this urgent news in person."
"Oh by the Old Gods and the new if only that were it." Ned shook his head. "I'll never understand how we didn't suffer another civil war under Robert. The man may have been a grand warrior and a decent enough man but with the mess he's left behind it makes me want to pull him out of his grave just to punch him in the-"
BANG!
The door slammed open.
"STARK!" Cersei Lannisters voice split the air as she stormed into the room. "Your oversized mutt attacked the Crown Prince!"
Ned raised one brow. "White Fang? Attacking the prince?" He sighed and rose out of his seat. "I shall see to this, my lady."
"There is nothing to discuss here Stark, your vicious hound scratched my son and it must be punished!" Cersei demanded.
Ned stared at Cersei. "…I see," He nodded slowly, "As I said, I shall see to this, my lady…right now."
He stepped past Cersei and made his way towards the throne room while letting out a whistle at each window he passed. By the time he entered the vast hall White Fang was sitting at the base of the Iron Throne and there was a collection of Lords and Knights scattered throughout the chamber.
Among them was Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon…and for the life of him Ned couldn't understand how out of the dozens of bastards Robert had sired the one who would one day sit upon the throne looked nothing like his old friend. Blonde hair, Lannister features, a figure which was nothing compared to what Robert's had been at the same age…Joffrey looked more like a little Jaime Lannister.
And currently he was cradling one arm which had blood staining the sleeve, and his eyes were rimmed with red to indicate that he had been crying. The rest of the King's Guard was gathered, but Ned spotted many of his own bannermen standing among the crowd.
Once he sat in the Iron Throne itself he called for silence, and waited until the chatter had died down.
"I've been told by the Queen Regent Cersei Lannister that there has been an incident involving the Crown Prince and my companion White Fang," He said, "I shall hear the facts behind this altercation, and then I and those of the Small Council shall convene to decide what must be done." He looked to the fuming form of Joffrey Lannister. "My Prince, you may tell us what occurred to leave you with so…" He searched for the word to describe the thin scratch along his forearm. "Traumatic an injury."
Joffrey stepped forward, backed by the towering form of Sandor Clegane, younger brother to the deceased Mountain and personal bodyguard of the young Prince.
"That beast," He pointed at White Fang, who snorted. "Refused to allow me to ride it, and then scratched me on my arm!" He held up his limb, displaying how little it had affected his mobility for all to see.
"Oh my, it would seem it has dropped…" Tyrion, who had been waiting in the hall, gazed at the floor surrounding his nephew. "Perhaps…two, three drops of blood? However shall the servants recover?"
Joffrey glared furiously at his uncle while Ned sighed. "Lord Tyrion, I must ask you to remain silent. The floor is still Prince Joffrey's and it is his right to speak without interruption."
Tyrion nodded humbly. "Of course, of course, my lord. Humblest apologies." He stepped off to the side and shook his head while Joffrey continued.
"After that it tried to take a bite out of me," Joffrey said, "It has spilled royal blood and I demand it be punished!"
Ned nodded. "Very well…" He looked down at White Fang. "The charges are serious, old friend. Do you have any who might speak in your defense of these events?"
White Fang winked once and then looked out towards the crowd. He raised one paw and pointed at…the royal family, specifically the children hiding behind the armored form of Jaime Lannister.
"Tommen and Myrcella?" Ned asked, perplexed.
"What are you doing?! Why are you asking a mindless beast such things?" Cersei demanded. "My son has stated the facts and that beast must die!"
Ned closed his eyes and took a slow breath, calling upon any and all deities to help strengthen his resolve which had been sorely abused after too much time in King's Landing, forced to deal with the behavior of nobles who did not share the values and traditions of the Northern Lords and Vale Knights he had been raised among.
"Kill the wolf who slew the demon? That seems rather extreme." Lord Varys said, "If anything that might be counterproductive, my lady. A mere disciplinary action perhaps would be understandable but-"
"You have no say here, eunuch." Cersei snapped, though to her surprise the smile on the Spider's face did not even twitch in response to an insult which would have made many others recoil in indignation.
"My lady, this is not a place for such childish insults." Ned said firmly, "And Lord Varys, while your counsel is appreciated I do believe that White Fang has called for his witnesses." He looked towards Jaime Lannister. "Ser Lannister, please bring forward Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella."
Jaime looked down, taken off guard by the request, but none the less obeyed. He led the two children to stand before the Iron Throne, but kept himself between them and the massive form of White Fang. Ned observed the behavior of the Kingslayer, and for a moment he felt a pang of empathy for Jaime as he saw just how worried the man was for the safety of his niece and nephew. The knight actually believed that they were in danger within White Fang's presence.
"Prince Tommen, Princess Myrcella." Ned softened his voice. "Your brother has told us that White Fang attacked him, unprovoked. Can either of you tell us anything about this?"
Prince Tommen looked nervously between his brother, who was glaring at him out of the corner of his vision, and to White Fang who was more focused on adjusting his position on the floor next to the throne.
"I…yes, sir-my lord." He said, "Myrcella and I were in the gardens, looking for some of the kittens, when we saw White Fang. He was licking one of them, and we thought he was going to hurt it but…he just let it go."
Myrcella added. "He was just cleaning it, my lord." She spoke more clearly than her brother did. "One of the guards said that he might let us ride him, I think he was a Northman."
Tommen nodded. "Yes, and…so…I asked White Fang if I could ride him. He laid down flat and the guard told us that meant he was saying yes. So I climbed on and White Fang let me ride him around the garden."
Joffrey's hands clenched into fists as his siblings continued to speak, feeling compelled to speak the truth. Unlike their oldest brother the two younger royal children had been raised under different values, and had been taught many times by their Uncles Jaime and Tyrion to always speak the truth when standing before a lord or the regent himself. At their young age this had seemed like an absolute rule that should never be broken, lest grave consequences be suffered, and the positive effect which White Fang had had on them did not help the hopes of Joffrey or Cersei in having the two side with them.
"Joffrey came out into the garden and-" Myrcella was about to continue.
"Lies!" Joffrey shouted.
"Prince Joffrey, you are not to interrupt one when they are presenting testimony." Ned warned the young boy firmly. "No one, noble or otherwise, is exempt from that."
Joffrey looked ready to shout again, but Jaime laid a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. Ned only vaguely heard something that sounds like 'It's alright, Joff'.
"My lord regent, if I might interrupt again." Varys cleared his throat, looking away from where Tommen and Myrcella had retreated out of Joffrey's line of sight. "I believe that there may be any number of guards and servants who witnessed these events. Perhaps it would be prudent to get the testimony of as many as possible."
Ned nodded. "Agreed." He said, wishing to alleviate the stress being placed on the two younger royal children by this…and to keep White Fang from growing anymore aggravated.
The moment that Joffrey had shouted and his siblings had recoiled the Direwolf had begun to rise and bared its teeth. White Fang had shown a tendency to form connections with smaller animals and children, and had displayed his displeasure at them being threatened or upset in any way. As a result many young servants and even small folk living out in the streets had come to enjoy the company of the legendary Direwolf whenever it departed the Red Keep of its own accord…of course this was after several periods where all had panicked and fled.
"Will any servants and knights who witnessed the events please step forward?" Ned asked.
One by one they all stepped forward, including Sandor Clegane whom all stated what they saw. They saw Joffery come out as White Fang had given a ride to Myrcella after Tommen had his turn and demanded the wolf give him a ride. Only White Fang had simply ignored Joffery after allowing Myrcella to get off and turned away from Joffery to take a nap. Joffery had not reacted well and shouted several times at the great Direwolf who ignored him and tried to sleep.
It reached that point that Joffery grabbed a stick, ignoring Tommen and Myrcella calling out to him to stop and tried hit White Fang in the face…Only for the White Wolf to react by swatting the stick out of his hands with one giant paw, scratching Joffery across the arm and send him crying away with a single growl.
"Liars!" Cersei shouted as most of the people were done telling their tale. "Joffery would do no such thing!"
"Do you dispute the word of your own children, my lady?" Ned asked, watching as Cersei glared at him. "Their testimonies fit with the testimonies of everyone who has spoken."
"They are lying!" Cersei shouted again.
"Including your own children?" Ned asked again, this time Cersei having no answer. "Given what I've just heard it is concluded that Prince Joffery provoked White Fang who defended himself from what was perceived as a threat. Therefore there's no need for punishment since White Fang only defended himself and the prince was only…scratched."
"You dare let that beast live for its crimes?!" Cersei screeched.
"Oh enough!" Tyrion said, having enough of this show. "It is clear that your son provoked the wolf and lied. There's no point in dragging this on any longer so let it go."
Cersei glared hatefully at Tyrion and then at Ned who considered the meeting over. She simply stomped out of the room with Joffery who was just as angry but said nothing.
Xxx
Needless to say both the Queen Regent and her son hated Ned Stark and his wolf for the fact that Ned refused to punish White Fang for his 'crimes' but aside from that no one really took them seriously. As the years went on a great many people had come to hate Cersei and Joffery for many reasons. During Robert's reign Cersei saw no problem endlessly spending money and spoiling her son who went out of his way to hurt and humiliate anyone who caught his eye. After Robert died both found themselves unable to enjoy their lifestyles much since Ned had set about to stabilize the economy, helping rebuild the kingdoms and build new homes for refugees who lost their homes during Aku's rampage.
Cersei hated Ned for legitimizing his bastard, which threatened her plan for her son to take the throne, as well as keeping her from indulging herself and her son and for allowing his beast and his children to get away with humiliating her son. Joffery hated Ned and the Starks for they actually stood up to him and he hated people who had the spine to stand up to him. It was even worse than when Ned decided to send a message to the exiled Targaryens, claiming to warn them of the demon but Cersei believed he was making plans to replace her son with one of the children of the Mad King. So to prevent that she made an alliance with House Bolton who wanted to capture White Fang and Ned Stark's magic sword, which would give them the power they wanted.
Roose Bolton, formerly a loyal bannerman to House Stark, had been swayed both by the promises of power as well as his own views on Ned Stark. In spite of the Warden of the North's newfound power he was proving to be inept at understanding the more complex mechanisms behind the operation of an entire kingdom, ruling with his heart instead of his head. It had been the suspected alliance with the Targaryen exiles that had finally convinced him that Ned Stark was doomed to become more trouble than he was worth in the future.
He had arranged an ambush with the assistance of his bastard son Ramsey to capture White Fang, only it had not ended well for them.
Xxx
White Fang was on one of his many runs around the kingdoms, enjoying the forests where he could be free to enjoy nature and the freedom it offered.
"There it is!"
White Fang narrowed his eyes as a spear shot towards him but he swatted it away and growled as men came out of the woods, led by Roose and Ramsey Bolton.
"The Demon Wolf, Ned Stark's pet." Ramsey Bolton sneered as he held his sword. "I look forward to making you into my newest hound."
White Fang snarled, showing its answers.
"Take it!" Ramsey shouted, confident that the number of men he and his father had brought would bring down the Wolf-King.
Only they did not realize that White Fang was Ned's companion, his ally sent from the Gods who stood with Ned Stark against Aku. White Fang moved such speed he became a white flash that cut down the numerous men that tried to skewer him. White Fang showed no mercy as he slashed with his claws and bit through the armor of House Bolton's banner men with his teeth, demonstrating great speed and strength as he barreled through the men right to Ramsey and his bastard son themselves. Roose swung his sword at White Fang who caught with his mouth, pulling the sword out of Roose's hands and swung the hilt back into Roose's face with such strength that his skull shattered from the blow.
White Fang spat the sword out and growled as he crept towards the trembling Ramsay.
"You beast!" Ramsey shouted upon seeing White Fang kill his father and steal from him the one chance to become a legitimized Bolton lost to him. "I'll put you down myself!"
However White Fang had had enough and simply slammed Ramsey's head into the ground with his giant paw, ending Ramsey's life instantly. Seeing that everyone was dead White Fang moved to find a river to clean himself of the blood of the filthy and savage mortals that dared to think they could control him.
Xxx
When the bodies were discovered it was concluded that Roose and Ransey Bolton had been attacked by savage animals who killed them in a brutal fashion. Only Cersei knew what had happened and it made her only hate White Fang even more. She even tried to plug her ears in night as White Fang howled at the moon. Normally a wolf howling to the moon would be considered bothersome to the people of King's Landing who tried to sleep but White Fang did more than howl.
He sang.
His howls were in a pattern that sounded like he was singing and it was done in such a way it sounded harmonious and even helped many children sleep at night who were told stories of the Great Wolf and how if they did not go to bed the wolf would stop singing and come after them. It surprisingly worked as many liked hearing White Fang singing so much that its song even had a name.
The Song of the Moon.
Even Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen liked hearing White Fang singing to the moon from wherever he was. Sometimes he sang atop the castle or from the beach or from a cliff overlooking the ocean. The sounds of his singing reached far and wide and people of the North loved hearing the songs of the Great Wolf. The few people who did not like it were Cersei and Joffery if that was at all a surprise.
Ned Stark himself appreciated the harmony of his companion's songs as they helped him sleep better at night.
Truly, White Fang was a godsend.
But now White Fang had a mission to complete.
With one final song White Fang leapt off of the castle…and into the sky.