Eddard I
'Ask him why.' A voice resonated in Eddard Stark's ears as he looked up on the golden haired boy sitting on the mountain of melted swords. The voice became familiar to Eddard in the last couple of weeks and he worried that madness had overtaken him from the stress of the war.
'You are not mad Ned, just a fool.' The Young Lion spoke something to Eddard but he was too busy listening to the Voice to hear it. 'Thankfully you are not stupid, nor cruel. Now ask him why.' Ned conceded.
"Why?" Eddard's voice was quiet and barely made its way to the boy's ears, once it did the boy's smile quickly turned into frown. He heard whispers of various lords and knights around them.
"Because he ordered me to kill my father, kinslayer is more accursed than kingslayer." Young Jaime Lannister answered with a chuckle, yet even Eddard knew it to be a lie, there was no need for the Voice to say a word.
'Lies.' The Voice said anyway, Ned wondered if it did so just to annoy him. 'There are thousands of wildfire jars under all of the city, Aerys wished to burn King's Landing, and everyone within.' Eddard's face was as stoic as always, the Voice was always right, and knew things that had no right to know, many of which it told Eddard.
"Only a fool would believe your lies. You might be a Lannister, but you are also a knight, Ser Jaime." Eddard spoke calmly, his eyes all the time focused on Ser Jaime. "I will ask again. Why?"
The whispers stilled and a hundred pairs of eyes looked upon Jaime Lannister. For a minute there was silence, no one dared to say a word. Eventually Jaime conceded. "He and his pyromancer pets placed thousands of wildfire jars under the Kings Landing. 'Let Robert be the king of the ashes' Aerys has said." Whispers started once again, this time said in much more heatedly. Eddard could see fear in some people's eyes as they looked at the stones below their feet as if to search for the jars, he couldn't blame them as he had the same urge ever since he entered the city.
"You are a true knight, Ser Jaime. I am sure there will be many songs about the Tyrantsbane great deeds." Eddard spoke hoping that no one would notice the unease he felt when he spoke such southern words that didn't belong to the northern mouth. The lords who mostly were Westerlanders took up on the name shouting Jaime's new title, they knew what other name would be spoken if the news of Jaimes deed wouldn't spread.
'You were right, that was weird for a northman to say.' Eddard was certain that the Voice's goal was to annoy him, though he wouldn't let it know. 'I told you I can read your thoughts, it is really easy to annoy you.' Eddard said nor thought nothing in response.
The shouts quieted down as Tywin Lannister entered the throne room, a few dozen heavily armed men right behind him. Young Lord of house Marbrand quickly walked towards the Great Lion and spoke quietly to him, if it was about the wildfire, Tywin's stoic face didn't show.
Tywin sent the Mountain and Loch to kill the babes, the thought resonated in his mind, and he had yet to hear from the men that he sent to stop it. 'Whatever happens it will not be seen as the North's fault, if the men you sent die you will say that you tried to protect them, if they succeed Martells will own you a favour no matter what Robert will do to them.' Ned didn't like the Voice's pragmatism, it was not honorable but the Voice spoke that he himself can't be honorable if he wishes the North to be more than it ever was.
"Lord Eddard." Tywin spoke as he came closer to the throne, a small nod accompanied his greeting. "Lord Tywin." Eddard answered with a similar nod. "Lord father." Ser Jaime spoke from behind Eddard, he had descended from the throne during the shouting. Several lords spoke their greetings to the Lord Lannister yet his eyes never left Eddard and Jaime.
"Jaime, my son. You have done a great deed, Aerys madness would bring destruction to the entire realm." Eddard wasn't surprised by the quick speech, Tywin was more pragmatic than the Voice itself. No doubt Tywin will use the information of the wildfire jars to make it seem that the Lannisters saved whole Kings Landing, as the Voice and Eddard wanted.
'Tywin acknowledged that he owes you a favor, how much do you think he values his family being called heroes?' Hopefully enough that he will look aside when he learns of his men's deaths by my orders, thought Eddard. Ser Jaime spoke with the Old Lion for a while, yet it was interrupted by the weeping of a young girl. Eddard looked and noticed Ellia Martell holding young Rhaenys, yet there was no other babe in sight and Ellia's eyes were all red.
'At least they survived, perhaps it is for the better that Aegon died.' Eddard hated it, but part of his mind agreed with the Voice. It seemed like none of his men died, not that he expected two men no matter how monstrous to kill twenty good crossbowmen.
Eddard looked at Tywin to notice him staring right into his eyes, yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't read the Great Lions face. "Lord Eddard, with the Kings Landing under our control it is best that we speak in four eyes." Eddard agreed and they left with few men each to the hands tower to speak. 'Now comes the hard part.' Spoke the Voice, Eddard couldn't agree more.
"I am pleased to see that the Princesses survived." Tywin spoke as he poured wine into two goblets. Many southern lords liked fine manipulations and thousand sweetened words over simple truths, Eddard heard his father speak so once. 'Good that I am from the north.'
"You took King's Landing for King Robert, your son saved it from Aerys madness, such deeds are not done by many. Not even Robert's fight against Rheagar comes close to your son's actions. There was no need for them to die" Tywin looked at Eddard and stared for a few seconds, then slightly snorted.
'WHAT?! Tywin snorted?!' Screams of shock echoed through Eddard's slightly annoyed mind.
Tywin gave the goblet with wine to Eddard and sat at the Lord's Hand seat. "Two Westerlands knights died to your crossbowmen." It wasn't an accusation that Tywin made, merely stating the truth.
"They were ordered to protect the royal family by my own orders." Eddard simply answered, yet his heart raced. "Their deaths would prolong this war."
"They were vile men, wild dogs even. There are rumours that Gregor raped and murdered his own sister, I doubt anyone will miss them, especially since young Aegon was so brutally murdered." Eddard's heart slowed down as did his thoughts. 'Told you he won't care, he seems even pleased with the outcome.' Ned thought so too, yet he hoped that it would be his father or older brother that would be in his place right now, he never was supposed to play the game.
"Vile men indeed." Eddard answered, waiting for Tywin to change the subject. He didn't have to wait long.
"Jaime would never speak of the wildfire, he didn't say it to his friend Adam Marbrand and wouldn't say it to me, the prideful fool that he is." Tywin stated, getting straight to the point to Ned's shock. "But he spoke of it to you, after you pointed out his lie that is." He took a sip of wine as the Old Lion stood up and walked to the window overlooking King's Landing. "House Lannister owes you a debt, and house Lannister always pays its debts." Tywin looked to Eddard, this time expecting an answer.
Eddard knew that this unsaid question would come, that is why Voice told him to make Jaime speak the truth, even though he would do so without the promise of gold. He and the Voice have long debated what the favor would be used for.
"A road. Between the Saltspear tip and the White Harbour, I mean to build a new city at the west coast to facilitate trade between west and east, it would be cheaper and faster to use a road and two different ships rather to sail around Westeros." Tywin's eyebrows rose as he looked on to Eddard, he hadn't spoken for a few seconds yet Ned could see that his eyes had a different gleam to them.
"It has some merit, 300 to 400 miles of road through the swamps and hills, inns with stables every twenty miles, a big enough port and necessary buildings such as warehouses, barracks, houses and a keep. It will take almost 150 thousand gold dragons over the span of two to three years but I am willing to pay the costs." Eddard didn't show it but he was a bit shocked, given that he wished for Tywin to fund only a road, not the whole enterprise.
'He knows that it will make Southern Reach and the Dornish weaker in the long run, it is simple geopolitics, Westerlands ships need to travel by their coasts and pay their fees, which are high given that there is no competition. Not to mention the increase of trade for the Westerlands.' The Voice spoke once again, Eddard has heard it before from the Voice, and if it truly worked as it claimed, it would be a great boon to the north, Westerlands loves its gold.
"It will be a boon both to the North and the Westerlands, my own brother Benjen will be in charge of the project as well as two maesters, I mean to rebuild Moat Cailin as well to act as barracks to a force of three hundred men that will patrol the road, but it will be done at a later date." Eddard wouldn't have said so to the Great Lion, but the Voice said that sharing the plans of possible increase in plausibility of the enterprise is a great way to ensure that the investors will be more content. Ned didn't understand all of the words the Voice used, but he got most of it.
"Plans will need to be made once the war ends, though it is only a matter of time now. I believe that it is all Lord Stark, it is best to..." Before Tywin could end Eddard stopped him.
"I wish to speak about Lyanna first." Eddard spoke slightly louder than Tywin himself. The Great Lion looked at Ned and waited for him to continue.
"She won't become queen, I know it. God's willing she is still alive, but she never loved nor will love Robert. She escaped with Rheagar from him, though I doubt that she expected for Rheagar to rape her and imprison her as a price for help. There will be unrest if Robert were to marry her, Jon Arryn will push to end the betrothal and I mean to back him" Eddard sighed, he continued after a few seconds. "I wish to say that the position for the Queen is open, though it would be best not to say this to Robert just yet." Eddard stood and said his farewells. When he was closing the doors he spoke in his mind to the Voice. 'I hope you are right in this.'
The Voice in his head responded. 'Only Lannisters can hold the south together, Robert will fail and when he dies realm will be at war once again. And the North needs Lannister support, more than they need ours.' Eddard once again hoped that the Voice was right as he walked to meet with Princess Ellia, time was of the essence.
"Enter." A voice spoke from the other side of the door, not that Eddard couldn't enter with his own sworn men guarding the door. One of his men opened it, he entered taking note of little princess Rhaenerys at her mothers lap.
"My Princesses." Spoke Eddard as he bowed towards the occupants.
"Lord Stark." Princess Ellia responded not bowing since little Rhaenerys clung to her. "What is it that you wish to do my Lord? Have you come to take revenge yourself? To do what Tywin's dogs almost succeeded in?" Ellia snapped, Eddard recoiled a bit.
'She is grieving and not thinking straight, but you must ask her to do her part, her and Rhaenys' lives depend on it.' Spoke the Voice.
"I want you to write to your brother, make him come with a sizable guard quickly, if Robert comes before him I am afraid that you and your daughter might meet the same end as your son did. Doran will be able to stop that if he will be willing to bend the knee." Eddard spoke quickly and to the point hoping that she would understand.
Ellia started crying, her daughter followed in her mother's footsteps not knowing what was happening. Eddard waited for a minute, but couldn't wait any longer. "Time is of essence Princess Ellia, ravens don't fly at night. And even now Robert with an entire host is coming closer to King's Landing, eager for revenge, as you put it." She didn't stop crying for a few more minutes.
"Give me something to write." Eddard obeyed, and reached to his pocket, coming prepared. It took a few more minutes, but Eddard left with a letter in his hands and headed towards the rookery.
'Hopefully the dornish ships are fast and their oarsmen well motivated.' The Voice spoke, Eddard couldn't agree more once again. 'There are still many things to do before we can leave to save Lyanna.' Ned didn't respond, yet moved his legs slightly faster.