293 AC:

Chapter 1: We need to talk

He stood upon the battlements after dawn looking on the fields of his lands. He heard the castle slowly awakening and saw the first farmers strolling onto their fields in the distance. He stood there taking in the so familiar and relaxing sounds of the morning.

'It will be weeks before it is this quiet and relaxing again', he thought to himself while thinking on Robb's upcoming name day celebrations.

Robb's tenth name day was in two weeks but the first of his bannermen would be arriving today to feast his son and celebrate this year's harvest festival.

Although he was looking forward to seeing some of his friends and war companion's again, he was feeling apprehensive at the unavoidable decorum and politicking that would go along with it. Just the thought of Roose and another one of his sly requests to better House Bolton in contrast to his other vassals was making him dread the next weeks.

Half an hour later, he walked back to the keep and saw Cat steer the household for the festivities with practiced ease, an ever dutiful Vayon Pool to her side.

After making sure that he was not needed he headed to this solar to finish his work on the harvest numbers and taxes and prepare himself for the coming meetings with his lords.


A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in", he said routinely. "Glover and Mormont banners have been spotted, my lord", Alyn said when he entered his solar.

Standing up, he said "Thank you Alyn, go and get Lady Catelyn and our children to meet me in the courtyard". Snapping to attention Alyn answered "right away, my lord", before leaving the room.

He easily walked across the castle towards the courtyard. Arriving there he started dutifully arranging the present household, before Cat arrived with a dutiful Sansa in tow. He smiled at his beautiful eldest daughter, who looked so much like his wife already.

Behind Sansa lively little Arya was laughing with Bran. His little son running towards him from the moment he saw him. Arya not wanting to get left behind raced after him and not long after he was tackled by his two smaller children.

Getting them both in his arms he started laughing while Arya immediately started babbling over some stick she and Brandon had found this morning in the Godswood.

"Arya and Brandon Stark behave yourself like the little lady and lord you are before you shame your father before his bannermen," Cat started scolding them. He walked over to her with the children to reassure her the Glovers and Mormonts would never take offense of two lively young Starklings, only to be interrupted by the running arrival of his two eldest sons.

He put down the children on the insistence of his wife and arranged the children in a line, with Robb and then Jon to his right and Catelyn followed by the other children to his left.

It wasn't long before Galbert and Robett Glover entered the courtyard together with the new Lady Maege Mormont and her eldest daughter Dacey.

After getting on their knee to show their respect they warmly embraced him one by one. "Ah Ned, it's good to see you and your family are in so good health," Galbert laughed while clapping him in a hug.

Lady Maege however looked at him apologetically, still trying to make up for her nephew's treason a few months prior. He immediately reassured her by warmly introducing her and her daughter to Cat and the children.

Cat, although every part the gallant lady, looked warily at Maege and her daughter Dacey. Still after all these years not being used to the eldest warrior women of Bear Island.

His gaze didn't fail to realize young Arya looking on with wonderment and admiration at the two warrior ladies all the while he and Cat were exchanging pleasantries.

"Come in, I have rooms prepared for you in the keep, whilst rooms in the barracks have been made ready for your men", he said respectfully while faintly hearing Arya mutter something to Bran behind him about "Fatha wearing his 'lords face' again". If this keeps up it will be an interesting two weeks he thought to himself.

This ritual went on for another two weeks until houses Glover, Mormont, Hornwood, Umber, Karstark, Bolton, Manderly, Ryswell, Cerwyn, Tallhart, Locke, both Flints and many more small houses were gathered into Winterfell. Almost the whole Northern nobility had gathered here with the only obvious absentee being Lady Barbery Dustin.


It was the day after the feast and while sitting wearily in his solar he was secretly happy that most of his vassals would be leaving upon the morrow. He wouldn't have to sit through any more talks about wounded pride or reduced harvest taxes for a while, he pondered smugly. His happy thoughts didn't last long though as they were abruptly disrupted when he heard sounds at the door.

When the door opened, Desmond peeped his head in "My lord, lords Umber, Manderly, and Karstark and lady Mormont are here to see you.". Confused he said to let them in.

Entering his solar all four members of the northern nobility looked upon him sternly. "Jon, Rickard, Wyman, Maege, … what is the meaning of this, has something happened?" he asked some of his most trusted lords.

"We need to talk Ned," Jon replied without his usual energetic attitude.

"What is this about Jon?" he asked whilst looking upon his vassals.

"The future of the North and house Stark," Wyman calmly answered.

"My lords? Do you have a problem with anything I have done at the feast? If so I believe this can easily be settled." he said trying to get a grip on the situation.

"No Ned, you have done nothing wrong, we are here more to speak on something you didn't do than anything else" Rickard said cryptically.

"My lords, explain yourself!" he managed to get out angrily.

"Oh bugger this," Jon Umber shouted, "You're acting a like a damn Southerner Ned and we don't like it. Your beautiful Andal lady and her Southern ways ain't helping either."

Perplexed he looked at his loud friend for a few moments, after collecting his thoughts and realizing what had just been said about him and his family the rare drops of 'Wolf blood' in him started rising. "What is this outrage? You come into my home into my own solar and you dare to insult me and my wife?!" he declared whilst trying to control his anger.

"Ned sit down please, we are not trying to insult you" Wyman said. "We're trying to do what's best for the North and are here to give our advice, nothing more I promise." The fat lord of White Harbor continued.

Before he could respond Maege followed up "No one blames you personally Ned, but due to your fosterage in the Vale and your subsequent marriage to Lady Catelyn, who although a great lady of the castle is still not from the North, you are behaving way too Southernly".

"What could you possibly have to say about my ways or those of my lady wife?" he grunted angrily.

"For fuck's sake Ned, a Sept in Winterfell for starters? We didn't beat back those Andals for thousands of years to bring them and their blasted ways with you in your marriage bed." Jon Umber sputtered out angrily.

"Not to mention that blasted Septa who seems to follow your wife and daughters around like a hawk." Rickard muttered.

He looked around the room incredulously. "Really that's your problem? A Sept and a septa?"

"It's not only that Ned." Wyman added, "it's how this castle is being run, it feels like I'm in a Southern keep sometimes not the hearth of the North."

"Even you Wyman? Doesn't your family believe in the Seven anyway?" he asked perplexed.

"Aye, we do but even my granddaughters aren't being brought up half so piously as those daughters of yours and from getting a look at it, the smallest doesn't like it one bit more than we do." Wyman sighed, looking at him apologetically.

"So what do you propose then?" he asked pensively.

"To get that woman to stop poisoning your daughters while you still can. Give them a Northern governess just like the rest of us bloody had, it made do for my mother and my wife, it'll do for your bloody daughters Ned." Jon said indignantly.

"Or if you really need a damn Septon or Septa, get a Northern one in White Harbor instead of that damn Riverlander woman. In only two weeks it has been clear to me she knows nothing of the North and doesn't learn anything about it to your daughters, however charming the eldest may be. That will not do for a daughter of House Stark." Maege said defyingly.

"So that's it? You're worried about the upbringing of my daughters?" he grunted under his breath.

"No that's not all Ned, you must understand the North has not gotten a Stark Marriage for 2 generations now. Meanwhile most of your children look like Southerns, your daughters are being prepared for Southern matches, a damn sept has been built in the hearth of the North and not a house in the North has gotten an offer of fostering in." Rickard Karstark said to him calm but sternly.

"Fostering? Who Robb? And have I heard that right and are you disrespecting my children, amongst them my heir, all because they look like their mother?!" He asked rage starting to rise again.

"No Ned we would never presume to do so. We are trying to tell you that we, even the most loyal Northern lords, feel like House Stark is losing connection with the North with everything that's happening as a whole. You, our lord, were fostered in the South, your wife is from the South, she brought with her Southern ways and a Southern religion in which your daughters are being groomed and to top it off it seems like House Stark has no intention to bond itself with their Northern Houses either through fostering or betrothals. That is an evolution no true Northmen can look upon without fear." Maege explained, and although harsh no disrespect could be heard in her voice.

He wanted to react upon that but when he saw he three other lords grunt and nodd in support for what the new Lady of Bear Island had just said it made him pause. He started to really think on her words. 'Did Catelyn want Sansa and Arya to be married into the South? Was that what that Septa was preparing them for? Is it dumb of him not to foster Robb? Robb is ten and he had already been fostering in the Vale at the age of what, ... eight?'

Jon broke up his thoughts when he said gruffly to him. "All of us here followed you into war twice Ned, for the honor of house Stark and the North and we would all gladly do it again. We just don't want it to be in vain."

Turning to his old friend he calmed down and did his best to sound as honest and respecting as he could. "House Stark appreciates your sacrifice Jon, I appreciate it. I will think about what all of you said and what to do with it. However, whatever I decide to do I can promise you now that House Stark will never forget the North and the blood of the First Men that runs through its veins, through mine AND my children's. You can be very sure of that."

Jon squeezed his eyes to slits and looked at him suspiciously for a short moment before laughing and clapping him on the shoulder "That's all we wanted to hear Ned, House Umber's yours as always, we wouldn't want to miss the next time we can go kill some Southern cunts with you."

The others in the room nodded and also reconfirmed their loyalty to him without him detecting a hint of any dishonesty. Afterwards they all left, but not before Wyman send him a reassuring smile his way while telling him "He is always welcome at White Harbor to talk about trade or if he has any more questions."

When the door finally closed behind them, he let out a sight he didn't knew he had been holding in before moving to his desk to ponder all that had been said today … he really had a lot to think upon. Before that however he was going to have to ask his wife about her intentions for their children and subtly check upon the education of Sansa and Arya. If only a fraction of what his bannermen thought was true he had a serious problem in his keep.