1st Month of 297 A.C. Winterfell

Benjen Stark

The truth was out, the truth which had hung over the family for fourteen years was now finally out. Jon knew who he was now, and he had acted just as Benjen thought he would, though Ned might think the boy was essentially a younger version of himself Benjen had always seen the fire underneath the elements of himself that he often repressed and did not let anyone see. In that way he was a lot like Lyanna, and that was what worried Benjen, Lyanna had repressed her fire and ended up dying for some half-baked plan. He did not want that to happen to her son. And yet he feared that Jon would not be easily calmed, this was a life changing truth to learn, and at the age he was now, there was every chance he would get himself killed in his anger. Benjen hoped Robb was able to find the boy before he did something stupid, but truly he knew for that to be prevented Jon and Ned needed to talk to one another, and yet knowing his brother, it was not likely.

Ned had many good qualities but dealing with conflict amongst family was not his strongest one. And that was why Benjen had walked from Jon's room to where he knew his brother would be, the lord's solar that had once been their father's, and should have been Brandon's had it not been for Benjen's own idiocy. Of course, Catelyn was with Ned when Benjen arrived no doubt wondering where her son had gotten to. He cleared his throat and they both looked at him. "He knows." he says simply.

"I know." Ned replies. "I told him."

"Indeed it seems he has not taken it well, neither has Robb. Though I cannot say I blame them. You handled that situation terribly Ned." Benjen says.

"Ben, surely now is not the time to chastise your brother over how he dealt with the situation?" Catelyn asks.

Benjen looks at his goodsister, and whilst he does like her, her habit of standing up for Ned when his brother has done wrong, can be quite infuriating. "No he needs to hear this Cat. Ned handled this situation terribly. He always has when it comes to Jon. I am surprised he even told you about Jon's parentage." A strange look crosses his goodsister's face then and he has the realisation then. "He did not tell you did he? You did not tell her?"

"No. Cat…. Cat figured it out years ago." Ned responds.

"And you did not have the heart to speak to her about it? BY the gods Ned what is wrong with you? What are you so scared of?" Benjen growls.

"Of Jon dying! You know what Robert is like. He despises the Targaryens and should he have learned of Jon's parentage then we all would have suffered. I was and I am scared of how Robert would have taken the news. And I am scared of losing Jon." His brother replies.

Benjen snorts then. "You might have already lost him Ned. Truly did you think refusing to tell him even when he confronted you about the matter was such a good idea? What were you thinking?"

His brother looks angry then. "I was not. This is not the right time for Jon to know, I was trying to tell him that. But he would not listen, there are too many dangers now that he knows. There is a risk to all of us. And yet he does not realise that in his anger, he might do something that gets himself and others hurt. He is too much like Lyanna in that."

That gets Benjen's own blood boiling. "He had the guts to confront you about this matter. Something you have never had the guts to do. He asked you a straight question and you answered. There is no shame in that. He has every right to be angry Ned. You made him feel unwelcome in his own god damned home. You made it so that everything he did was seen as either less than or a stain on what you and your true born children did."

"Jon has had a good life here. Certainly better than many other noble bastards would have. He knows his family and he has always known he was loved and cared for. But in his anger he might not remember that and he will be a danger to himself and others because of it. This news is not something one takes lightly." His goodsister says.

"And yet you were never a mother to him Cat? Why was that? Was it because you could not force yourself be a mother to a bastard or the child that cost you your betrothed is that why? Or do you try and justify it as necessary to keep going with my brother's ruse?" Benjen asks.

His goodsister looks hurt then and Benjen takes a moment satisfaction from that. "I did what I thought was necessary. It would have looked far too odd if I treated my husband's bastard as the same as my own trueborn children. I do not like the fact I had to do so, but I had to. And I would do so again if it meant protecting us all."

"And yet now he knows." Benjen replies. "What will you both do now? You cannot continue as if nothing has changed, though gods know you will try Ned. You cannot do that anymore. I will not allow it."

"You are not Lord of Winterfell brother, I would remind you of that fact." Ned replies.

"Aye, and you are. Perhaps it is time you stopped worrying about the past and started thinking of the present. Jon knows now Ned, he knows the truth of who he is, and he is a scared and afraid child. He needs guidance and support, hiding yourself away here is not going to do any good. You need to be there." Benjen retorts.

"What if he does not want to see me?" his brother asks, and Ned sounds so dejected and childish that Benjen wants to laugh.

"Of course he wants to see you Ned. You blind fool. You are the only man he has known as a father his whole life. He is angry yes, and he has every right to be, but right now he wants to know that you will still be there for him. If you do not go to him now and speak with him then you are no better a father than our own was." Benjen says sharply.

His brother looks hurt at that and Benjen merely looks at him pointedly. Catelyn speaks then. "Ben does have a point my love. Now that Jon knows, he will be gravely upset and hurt. And that is a risk for us all. If he were to do something stupid then we would all be in danger. You must go and speak to him."

His brother looks torn then. His voice is soft when he speaks. "But what do I say? I….I am afraid truly I am. What if he rejects me?"

Benjen has to laugh at how childlike his brother sounds then. "For the love of the mother Ned, Jon is still your son whether or not he is from your loins or not. You are still the only man he has known as a father. Whether he wants to speak to you now or not is immaterial, he will want your reassurance later on. Hells even now he might well want it. Staying here and allowing him to fret is not going to be good for anyone. Be a man and go and deal with this now."

His brother looks between him and Catelyn, and then sighs, his shoulders sagging. He stands but before he leaves he looks at Benjen and asks. "Did you tell him about your suspicions?"

Benjen looks at his brother a moment and then whispers. "They are not suspicions brother. They are the truths that I told Jon."

"Truths?" Catelyn asks. "What truths?"

"The truth of what I found at the tower of joy." Ned replies simply.

It takes a moment for the realisation to dawn on his goodsister's face but when it does she looks panicked. "Why did you tell him that Benjen? Now we are all in trouble!"

Benjen looks at his goodsister a moment and then says. "I told him because he needed to know. There is no point in merely telling him half-truths. If you are going to turn his world upside down you might as well tell him everything."

His brother looks at him then with anger. "You just had to say it did you not? You could not let it lie? Now Jon is going to want to find his brother and sister and cause trouble for us all. I can understand being there to comfort him, but why did you have to tell him everything? Now you have just made it harder for us all!"

Benjen looks at his brother in contempt then and says. "He has been kept in the dark for far too long. It is time he realised who and what he is brother. It is time he knew the truth all of the truth. From start to finish he must know everything."

"Why? Why must he know everything brother? He's just a boy." His brother replies

"He will be a man soon Ned. And you and I both know that this peace will not last for very long. Sooner or later something will happen that will cause a war the like of which we have never seen. He must be ready for that." Benjen replies.

Ned moves toward him then and Benjen prepares to be hit, instead his brother merely walks past, Catelyn hot on his heels. Benjen stands there alone in his brother's solar for a while, thinking over all that has occurred. Deep down he wonders if he made the right choice in telling Jon about his brother and sister, they are in Dorne, and yet the order knows of Jon and his brother and sister. It is his duty to ensure the dragons are protected, but the time is coming. The prophecy is coming true, they cannot allow things to go unchecked for much longer. Still, if he could spare his nephew the pain that is to come he would, he would spare them all.

Sighing he turns and walks out of his brother's solar and walks back to his room. His thoughts are plagued by the ghosts of people past. Of running through these corridors with Lyanna, and walking hand in hand with mother, before she was murdered. Of speaking to father when the first signs of the gift came. So much has happened here, but it is time for him to leave. He has stayed for too long, he knows he needs to leave, but he needs his nephew to be ready before they both leave. The longer they wait the more dangerous it will become. Sooner rather than later they must both leave and prepare for the darkness that is to come. It will be too dangerous for them to remain here, but he does not want to take Jon before he feels ready to go. The sight has shown him what will happen if he does, and he does not want that to come to pass.

He enters his room and is not surprised to see a hooded figure stood there, the figure's face is obscured by the mask of a dragon. But the voice is one he knows well. "Is it done?" the figure asks.

Benjen nods. "It is done. He knows now."

"Good. I was beginning to lose patience." The figure replies.

"How long do we have?" Benjen asks.

"Until the wolf howls." The figure replies.

Benjen nods and then asks. "Where will you be?" but he gets no response, the figure has gone.