Chapter 10

Helena raced after Rowan towards her father's quarters her heart was pounding and she felt sick to her core. They arrived outside his room and she burst into his room without bothering to knock. Her father was lying in the bed covered in blood, but at least she could see he was alive. Sam was by his bed.

"What happened?" She cried while rushing to Ned's side. She carefully picked up his hand held it in one hand while checking his pulse with the other.

"You were right my love I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." Sam said gently

"What happened?" Helena repeated with tears slowly running down her face.

"He went for a meeting at one of little fingers brothels and as he was leaving Jamie Lannister appeared with his men. Jamie said your mother had taken his brother Tyrion hostage and he demanded him back, you father said that she had done it on his orders."

"You fool" she whispered to her father softly "He was looking for any excuse to attack you, my father is hand of the king so how has Robert taken it?"

Sam looked at the floor but Rowan spoke up. "Was, he resigned his post as Hand this morning so Robert can do very little without angering the Lannister's."

Helena looked at her father lying there "I warned him not to do anything foolish but here we are. How many of my father's men remain?"

"All that were there were killed except your father, your men got there in the nick of time once your father was unarmed and defenceless Jamie could not afford to kill him with so many witness. It would have been another matter if he had died in combat, the men brought your father back here and they collected the bodies of your father's men and buried them." Sam concluded and looked at his father in Law then at his wife. "What are you thinking? He asked Helena softly.

"At the moment nothing peasant or coherent." Helena's voice was shaking with anger as she spoke.

"How are my sisters?" Helena said turning to Rowan.

"They are safe my lady I have added some of our own men to their guards to help bulk up their numbers as your father has lost over 40 men in the past week a fact he had failed to mention."

"Thank you Rowan that will help to put my mind at ease." She gave him a small smile before turning back to her father.

"I must go and see what I can do in court about this and to remind the Lannister's that Ned is my father in law so they had better keep their distance." He gave Helena a gentle hug before exiting them room, Rowan also took his leave and said he would wait outside for her.

Helena was at last alone with her father, she grabbed a bowl of warm water and started to clean the blood from his face. His leg had already been cleaned and bandaged which Sam had clearly made sure was done before she saw her father. She hummed a tune her father had taught her as she cleaned him and she tried to keep her hand steady as she went but her hand would not stop shaking. Her father's hand twitched and she stopped and whispered "Father."

Ned slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his daughter, he tried to move but she pushed him back.

"Don't you even think about moving, you are lucky to be alive. What were you thinking?" Helena snapped. Then her face and tone softened. "Sorry you just had me so worried, you're alive and that's what matters now."

"How did I end up here?" Ned croaked.

"I had my men follow you and they arrived in time to save you and to bring you back here, they were not in time to save your men however, I'm so sorry."

Ned didn't speak again for a few minutes then "You were right, you warned me and I ignored you and my men died because of me."

"No they didn't father the Lannister's were looking for any excuse, if it wasn't today then it would have been tomorrow or the day after. King's Landing is no longer safe for you or the girls, you must see that now."

"Yes" Ned whispered

"Then let me help you, I know how to get them out of here."

Ned nodded his head slowly.

"I will let you rest father and I will be back tomorrow to see you." Helena kissed her father and left his to sleep.

"Look after him and do not let anyone in their alone except me, my husband or my sisters."

Helena walked slowly back up the corridor towards her rooms, she had a million thoughts racing around her head as she tried to formalise her plan for the coming days. Suddenly she was aware that she was being watched, she looked up to find Jamie Lannister blocking her way up the corridor. Helena kept walking she knew she mustn't show fear, especially now but she also couldn't let her anger take over she must remain in control of herself.

"Lady Helena, I assumed you would still be by your father's bedside." Jamie said with a smirk. Helena pictured herself punching him in his smug face but she resisted "And I thought you would still be scrubbing the northern blood off your armour Sir but I suppose you let someone else do that for you. My father was stabbed in the back of the leg you Lannister's do seem to prefer stabbing people from behind, maybe you should consider changing your family moto."

Jamie's face darkened and he grabbed her arm "You should watch yourself Lady Cavill one more dead Northerner will hardly matter."

Helena leaned closer and whispered in his ear "Is this how Cersei like's you to grab her?" with that she twisted her arm out of his grip and she continued up the corridor. She hurried to her room and then slammed the door, Lily looked up from her polishing as Helena entered.

"What is it my lady?" Lily her voice full of concern. Helena proceeded to tell Lily everything, Lily sat and listened carefully to every word, when Helena had finished Lily got her some wine and then sat holding her hand.

"We will get through this my lady, I know we will. I will go and run you a bath to help you calm down."

Helena stayed in the bath until her skin had started to wrinkle, Lily was right she did feel better and her plan had started to come together in her head. For it to work she needed the help of her husband, father and her men. They also needed complete secrecy otherwise the Lannister's would find out and stop them, Sansa was still betrothed to Joffrey which would complicate matters slightly.

As the next few days unfurled it became evident that they would need to execute their plan sooner rather than later, the Lannister's were on edge now and the tension was mounting. Robert for the moment kept events from escalating further his relationship with Ned kept the Lannister's in check. Helena made all the arrangements and everything was scheduled for a week's time. She had decided to keep her sisters out of it as Sansa was too involved with Joffrey to be completely trusted. Everything was going well until she got the dreaded news. "It's the king Helena he has been injured by a boar on the hunt."

"Is it bad Sam?" Helena asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes he will be dead in a few days at best." Sam said gravely. They both knew what this meant they needed to move the girls out of there soon.

"I must go and see my father."

Helena found Ned in the Red keeps weirwood, she sat down beside him and for a while they just sat in silence.

"He is one of my oldest friends. He was so strong in his youth I would almost have believed he was invincible. Now here he is left dying at the hands of a boar, at least he will go out doing something he loved."

"What are you going to do? I can tell by that look on your face that you are planning something."

"I don't know but I can't rest knowing that the rightful successor is not Joffrey, I don't know whether to tell Robert or not."

"What does your heart tell you?"

"That the knowledge can do him no good now and would cause the death of Cersei and her children, but it is the right thing to do"

"You could walk away, I fear your other options will only serve to get you killed."

"Maybe time will tell, your sisters must be moved out of harm's way though that is certain."

"I think we should move tomorrow, we cannot afford to delay If Robert dies and we are still here then we have lost our window."

"Agreed"