Jon walked into the food shed as he shook his head. Half the grain was gone and what was left had been tossed across the floor. Killian questioned the towns people, noticing a teenage boy in the back of the tavern was acting a little nervous.

"Boy, come here," he spoke loudly, pointing to the shaggy looking boy leaning against the wall.

"Me?" the boy said as two men grabbed him and marched him over to Killian.

"Let's go for a walk," Killian said as he tossed his arm around the boy's shoulder, noticing flecks of grain on his shirtsleeves.

The boy started shaking as Killian walked the boy back to the food shed where Jon was taking inventory of what was left. The boy tried to wiggle free from Killian's grip, but Killian held tight to the back of his collar.

Jon smiled at Killian as he placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. "What do you have here, Lord Finn?"

"I have a thieve, your grace," Killian stated firmly as he tossed the boy down on his ass. The boy clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists.

"I won't tell you anything," the boy said flatly, tucking his hands under his armpits.

Jon walked over to the boy, squatting down in front of him. "Why did you take the grain that was meant for all of us. You didn't just steal from Winterfell, you took food from the mouths of those in Winter Town. Each child and babe that cries for a bite of food and receives none, is because of you."

Tears filled the boy's eyes, his body relaxing as Jon talk. The kindness in Jon's eyes wasn't what he was expecting. He had known nothing but pain in his short life, finding men in Jon's position to be the cruelest. "We go North to fight the White Walkers. You sit in your castle and do nothing while the Wall falls more every day. Thoros has seen the dead march into the land of men and we shall stand against them."

"Thoros?" Jon stood back up, looking over at Killian. Neither of them knew the man he spoke of, but they meant to find out where he and his band of thieves where. "We aren't sitting idly by, boy. I've sent men to Castle Black and the Free Folk man the towers I've placed on the border. There are things you don't know, so don't you dare tell me that the North or Winterfell is doing nothing.

The boy stood, his stature tall and lanky. He looked at Jon with great respect, seeing him as a man of honor. "We are the Brotherhood without Banners and we have traveled far with little to eat or drink. I took the grain and food to feed our men. I lied to them, told them the town's people gave it to me. I think Lord Beric would very much like to meet the King of Winterfell."

"I would like to meet him as well. Go tell Lord Beric to come to the gates of Winterfell and we shall talk. Boy, you will work for the farmer you stole the food from. You can't replace what has been taken, but you help him with his farm," Jon walked out, leaving Killian alone with the boy.

The farmer thanked Jon for coming so quickly. Jon knew they had enough food in storage at Winterfell to feed all those inside through the long winter, but he worried about the town's people. He offered to share the provision, but only if they rationed out what remain of their stock. The farmer agreed, telling his wife to take inventory of the food shed and report back to him. The winter would be long and harsh, but running out of food was the least of their worries.

As Jon walked back to the shed with the farmer when he heard a rider galloping towards him, shouting his name. He turned to see Tormund pulling the horse to a stop and quickly dismounting. "Jon - come quickly, your child comes."

Killian told the boy to go back to his people and give his Lord the message. He and Jon mounted their horses and rode back to Winterfell as quickly as their horses would carry them.

Jon could feel his heart hammering against his chest, the hard thumping resounding in his ears. He thought of his wife and the child that would soon be here, only to have an awful thought to take away his elation. He lost his mother in childbirth, would he lose his Careen the same way. As the image of his winter rose lying on a bed of blood crept into his mind, he pushed the horse a little harder.

Podrick was waiting for them in the courtyard when they arrived. Jon's eyes were wild with worry and Killian could tell he needed to calm him down. Jon walked swiftly towards the Keep, wanting to see his bride.

"Jon... don't. We need to let Maester Wendull and Sansa handle this. When your child is born, the Maester will let you know and you can see Careen and your son then," Killian placed his hand on Jon's chest, but Jon moved around him. He was going to see Careen, he had too.

Before he could take a step, the gates opened and Lady Lyanna came in with her guards. She rode up to Jon and he helped her down from her horse. "What brings you here, my lady?"

"I have more men for your cause, your grace. The best of Bear Island is at your disposal. I have personally seen to their training and they are fierce and loyal. They wish to travel North, to the Wall, to help our brothers of the North," Lyanna raised her strong chin as she pointed to the twenty some men riding behind her.

"Thank you, my lady. The North owes you much. Lady Sansa has missed you and she will happy to see you back at her council again. My wife gives birth to my child as we speak, I must see her," Jon turned from Lady Mormont, only to have her walk out ahead of him.

"These are matters for women... let me go to the Queen and relay your message," Lyanna was wise beyond her years as she stood there looking back at her King.

"I need to see my Queen," Jon walked pasted her, up the steps to the East Wing and down the hall towards his room. He could hear the soft moans of his bride as he approached the door, his heart knocking hard against his breastbone.

He placed his hand on the door handle when Arya stepped out into the hall, giving him just a glimpse of Careen on the bed with Sansa by her side and Maester Wendull pushing on her large belly.

"No... go to the Great Hall, Jon. Careen will worry if she knows you're here," Arya placed her hand on his chest, pushing him back against the wall.

"I'm not leaving her. I'll stay here, but I can't leave her. Tell her I love her, Arya... tell her," Jon placed his hands on each side of Arya's face, kissing the top of his little sister's head.

"I'll tell her. Podrick... Killian... stay with him and keep him here. No matter what you hear, he's to stay here," Arya walked back inside, the sounds of Careen's muffled scream filling Jon's ears.

Lady Lyanna walked in with Bran and Meera, Bran's face just as full of worry as Jon's. "Bran, what did you see?" Jon asked him and Bran looked away from him. "Bran... answer me."

"I've seen this before. All of us gathered outside your bedroom door, Careen giving birth and... Sansa coming out with your son wrapped in a blanket. Her hands are stained with Careen's blood and then the Maester shouts for Sansa to return. The room is quiet... too quiet for a woman giving birth and I feel cold as I stand before the door. That's all I ever see Jon... I've tried to see more, but it can't," Meera helps Bran down on the floor as she sits beside him and takes his hand.

Jon sits down as well, his face turning a shade of pale. "I'm going to lose her, like I lost my mother. The Gods truly hate me."

Killian took Jon by the arm and pulled him from the floor. He placed his hands on Jon's neck, looking him square in the eyes. "Have faith, Jon. Careen has faith, faith enough to love you, follow you and be your Queen. Believe in her if you don't believe in anything else. I'll send word to the other Lords that the Queen gives birth. They will all come to feast the arrival of the Prince of Winterfell and honor the King and Queen. Believe... for Careen."

Jon nodded his head back at him, but a numbness had crept over him and locked his faith in ice. He paced the floor as he waited, looking at Bran and Tormund as they waited with him. Lady Brienne joined them as the morning became late evening. She assured Jon that Winterfell would be looked after while he waited for the birth of his child. He was grateful to have such a noble and loyal Lady serve him and the North.

Killian told Brienne of the boy they encountered in Winter Town and asked her to meet with him and his Lord when they arrived. She agreed and took Podrick with her when she left. Jon went back to his pacing, his mind wandering in a thousand different directions when the sound of a baby's cry filled the room. Jon stopped, stared at the door as Killian patted his shoulder.

A few moments later, Sansa emerged with a small babe wrapped in a thin blanket. Her hands were stained with both and her eyes filled with tears as she handed Jon his child. "It's a boy, a fine, healthy boy. You have a son, Jon Stark."

Jon took his boy in his hands, looking down at the small baby with his wrinkly face and whiffs of dark hair. He was perfect, his little fingers curling around Jon's as he rubbed the back of the babe's hand. He kissed his tiny forehead, letting his tears stream down his face. "I have a son... Sansa, a son."

Sansa smiled back at him as she let her tears fall as well. Jon turned to Killian, letting him see his nephew. Killian wiped his tears away as he stared down at the sleeping babe in his father's arms. Suddenly the door opened and Maester Wendull asked for Sansa to come back inside. She took the babe from Jon's hands and rushed back in, giving Jon just a glimpse of Careen lying lifeless on the bed.

Jon moved towards the door when Killian and Tormund held him back, pinning him against the wall. "Careen!" Jon shouted, his heart breaking apart in his chest. Bran reached up to take his hand, holding it tight.

"I'm sorry, Jon," Bran said as he stared at his brother, stared at his brown eyes as the tears fell down his face. The room went quiet, no sound but the wind as it blew hard against the wood and stone. Jon let go of Bran's hand and walked over to the door. He placed his forehead on the wood, and said Careen's name softly.

The sound of a babe crying broke the silence. Jon listened to his son cry for his mother, for a mother that would never hold him, bathe him, nurse him or raise him. He let that reality sink in as he fell to his knees. Killian knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his back. "Faith," he whispered to his brother in law, letting him know he still believed all would be alright.

The door cracked open and Arya stood before him with his son in her arms. "Jon... come welcome your son."

He looked up at her, confusion masking his handsome face. "I did," he said back softly and Arya shook her head.

"No... you haven't," she pushed the door back further to reveal Careen sitting up in the bed, holding a babe in her arms. "You have two sons, your grace... twins."

Jon took the baby in Arya's arms and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to his wife. Careen looked tired, her hair matted to her head, her blue eyes looking tired and her face a little pale. Sansa had placed a fresh blanket over the bed, trying to make the room more presentable. Careen gave her husband a weak smile, feeling the effects of giving birth, twice. "Twins, the Gods have given us a gift, my love."

He placed his arm around his love, holding her and his sons to him. There was a warmth in his heart he had never felt before, a completion that filled him from head to toe. This was what Benjen meant when they talked before he left for the Wall. As he gazed down at the three most important people in his world, he knew why his father did what he did. He loved Arya and Sansa with all his heart and would do what Ned did for them. He would protect their children, as Ned had protected Lyanna's. To hold his own children now and feel that love, that devotion, the yearning to protect, it awoke something in him that had been dormant.

"There is no man, no beast, no dead creature that walks that will ever come between me and my family. If my father taught me one thing, he taught me love of family is the one thing that binds a man, keeps him true and honorable. I vow to be as good a father to my sons as Ned Stark was to me," he kissed each of his sons before kissing his wife.

Arya and Sansa held each other as they cried, looking at Jon and wishing their mother knew the truth of his birth. Sansa had spent days loathing Jon, hating him for breaking her father's oath and her mother's heart. As she looked at him now, she didn't see the bastard that Catelyn Stark couldn't love, but the brother and man that her father wanted her to embrace. Robb, Bran, Arya and Rickon had accepted Jon as their brother, loved him even, but a part of her couldn't, the part that loved her mother. She loved Jon and hoped to help him be a good King. He was already a good man, a good husband and would be a good father.

"What will you name them?" Sansa asked as she sat on the other side of the bed. She stroked her nephew's head, seeing Jon looking back at her.

Careen lifted her eyes to her husband, having just enough strength to stroke his face. "I think they should be named after the men that mean the most to us... don't you think?"

"I do. We could name them after our fathers," Jon said as he placed a kiss on Careen's lips. She closed her eyes, letting the kiss revive her body and soul.

"I loved my father, but Ronan and Killian practically raised me. Just like you were raised by Lord Eddard but it was Jeor Mormont that helped you become a man," Careen said as the babe in her arms began to fuss about. She held him closer, cradling her hand on his tiny backside.

"It's simple... you name them after both," Arya said, her smile something Jon needed to see more of. His little sister was right, why not name them after both. He looked down at his son, then back up at Sansa.

"Which one was born first?" he asked and Sansa pointed to the one in Careen's arms.

"Jeddard Stark, my first born and Reamus Stark, after your brother Ronan and your father Seamus," Jon smiled back at the three women in the room. The Maester approached the bed, informing the King that the Queen needed to rest and the babies needed to nurse. Jon kissed his Queen once more, then his sons before he took his sisters hands and walked out. Sansa and Arya left as well, Sansa giving Killian a kiss before departing with her sister.

Killian smiled at his little flame from the door, giving her a wink before he joined his bride in the Great Hall. Bran, Meera and Lady Mormont were already busy preparing for the celebration to come. Jon nodded to each of them as he walked in and slumped in his chair by the fireplace. The servants from the kitchen brought him a hot meal and some ale, all of them smiling gleefully.

The bells began to ring, letting the North know that Winterfell was proclaiming the birth of the King's sons. Jon picked up his horn of ale and raised it high. "To Jeddard and Reamus, may they serve the North well."

Tormund sat down beside him, ripping a leg off the roasted chicken on the table. "Two pups born to the White Wolf. The Free Folk would say your woman's womb is fertile and you are blessed with a big cock, but we both know that isn't true," the ginger warrior grinned playfully as he ate the chicken.

Jon laughed back at him, nodding his head. "In my defense, I was dead at the time."

They both had a good laugh, Tormund always one to bring a jovial mood when things were dark or weary. Jon wished to be alone with his new family, but he had matters to attend to and Brienne was waiting at the gate for him.

~.~

Davos was familiar with the halls of Dragonstone as well as the dungeons down below. He walked into the chamber of the painted table, hearing Ryder gasped at the size of the table and the room. A shapely woman with long silvery white hair stood by the great pillars, staring out over the bay.

Tyrion Lannister walked towards Davos, a cup of wine clutched tightly in his hand. "Ser Davos Seaworth and Lord Ryder Reed. Tell me, Lord Reed, how does your brother Howland fair these days?"

"Well, my lord. He is at Winterfell with his daughter, Lady Meera," Ryder answered back as his eyes looked from the small Lord to the dragon carved into the stone of the massive hall.

Tyrion walked over to the table, pouring another cup of wine and stood before Davos. "You serve Jon Snow now, the Bastard of Winterfell? He's a good man, a fair man... I saw that in him at Castle Black. You come here on his behalf... the King in the North? What is you want of the true Queen of Westeros?"

Davos looked back at Tyrion, hoping he did right by Jon. "He wishes to speak with the Lady Daenerys, but not about King's Landing or the South. He will gladly aid you in freeing the Seven Kingdoms from your sister's grasp, but it's the Night King that he wishes to speak to my lady about. If the army of the dead breach the Wall, all of Westeros is damned, including you."

Dany slowed turned around, her beauty and grace evident as she joined Tyrion. Davos heard footsteps behind him, the Unsullied stood guard with their leader and an army of Dothraki could be heard on the beach below. "I will meet your King, but not in the North. If what you tell me is true and the frozen lands beyond the Wall are full of the dead, I will deal with that when the time comes. The Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms are mine, by birth and once I have them, I will turn my armies North. Bring your King and I will see if a match can be made."

"He has a bride and a child on the way, my lady, but he will meet with you and I shall bring him South. His sister, Lady Sansa will want to accompany him. I'm sure you have no quarrel with that, Lord Tyrion," Davos grinned at Tyrion, knowing he was once wed to Sansa.

"No, no quarrel. Will you travel by ship, as you have done today?" Tyrion looked over the rim of his cup as Lord Varys approached Davos.

Ryder leaned towards Davos, whispering in his ear and turning to Varys. "Good to see you again, my lord. I believe the last we saw of each other; you were discussing a matter of payment from Lord Baelish. Too bad he's dead and you can't collect that debt. Let's not pretend we don't know each other, know things we shouldn't know." Ryder then turned to the Dragon Queen, his smile as genuine as he knew how to make it. "You freed the Iron Islands and gave them back to Yara Greyjoy and Theon owes Winterfell a great deal. My King will meet you at the Pyke, neutral ground sort of speaking and there we will discuss what the Stark's and the Targaryen's can do for each other. Your brother, Rhaegar, was rather fond of Lyanna Stark, perhaps and accord can be struck."

"You speak well, Lord Reed, but I'm not flattered by your wit or your smile. I shall send a message to Queen Yara of the Iron Islands. When the meeting is secured, I shall meet King Snow," Dany turned back around and the Unsullied army surrounded Davos and Ryder, escorting them from the Chamber.

Varys walked with them down to the beach where the pirate ship waited for them. "Ser Seaworth, perhaps you should ask your King about his Aunt Lyanna and if the blood of the dragon runs red in the North."

Davos nodded to him, looking back at Ryder. Ryder took a coin from his pouch and handed it to Varys. "I told you I would repay you, thank you for helping me. Lord Varys, the secrets of King's Landing didn't die with the Targaryen's, they are buried with them."

The cryptic way Varys and Ryder spoke to each other made Davos questioned how well Ryder knew the Lord. Young Lord Reed had spent time in the South, months in fact in King's Landing. It would be a long trip back to Winterfell and Davos was eager to get the truth from him, come hell or high water.

Thank you for your continued support.

Let me know what you think of the twins names. Any feedback is appreciated, again thank you.