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Chapter XXXXIV - Aftermath

Riverlands

Words couldn't even describe what Ned Stark felt as soon as he woke up in the middle of the Riverlands. He was glad that his daughters are asleep, let them be asleep for now, not waking up and suddenly remembering that their mother and brother had died. Ned Stark has quietly sobbing during their trip out of the Twins. He felt immense pain, not only at his leg, but also in his heart. Cat, poor sweet Cat, and also Robb. This was the same feeling he felt when Bran and Rickon died.

He still remembered the day when his father Rickard Stark and brother Brandon Stark died and when he watched Lyanna died at the Tower of Joy, he was upset, yes, but compared to what he felt right now, it felt nothing. Catelyn, Ned could still remember the day he wed her at Riverrun. They haven't known each other yet, but were courteous to each other due to the fact Catelyn was once betrothed to Brandon. During the war, Ned thought of saving his sister Lyanna, and justice for his father and brother more than his wife at Riverrun. He remembered after the war, he saw Catelyn at Riverrun with their son Robb. At that moment, he knew he would love his son Robb and his wife.

Then, there was also ups and downs in their marriage. The ups were mainly the birth of their children and their love grew, from handsome Robb, beautiful Alyssa, sweet innocent Sansa, stubborn Arya, adventurous Bran and baby Rickon. Ned had loved his children and perhaps too much, because he never allowed any of his children to be fostered. But there was also downs in their marriages, and it was Jon. No matter how Catelyn insisted, how Catelyn pleaded, Ned would never allow Jon to be fostered with someone else. Ned remembered the promise he made to Lyanna, he will have to protect Jon from anyone. From Dorne, who still broods at the murder of Elia Martell and her children and if they knew Jon was the product of the Rebellion, the product of Rhaegar's infidelity to Elia...From Robert, who would want the heads of anyone with Targaryen blood despite Robert's grandmother being a Targaryen...From the Lannisters who will murder children...Even from the people in the North, who hasn't forgotten that their kins had died due to the Targaryen sword...

Ned knew that at the process of allowing Jon to stay, pretending that Jon was his bastard, he knew he had sacrifice any hopes of happy marriages with Catelyn. Catelyn may have never treated Jon out right rude, as far as Ned knows, but Jon was always something that he and Catelyn would argue about. Ned knew that raising Jon with their children not only shamed Catelyn, but also made Catelyn scared. Ned knew of Catelyn's paranoias of Jon's children one day taking Winterfell, but Ned knew that Jon wouldn't do that. Jon was part of Ned's pack, and although Jon's true father is Rhaegar, Ned was the one who had raised him, fed him, clothed him, housed him. To Ned, Jon is as good as a son as Robb, Bran and Rickon were.

And then, there was King's Landing...The last time when he met Catelyn and his sons. He had thought he would see them soon, but the Lannisters took that away. Cersei who placed his illegitimate heirs onto the throne when the throne should've belonged to Stannis' or Renly's. He wonders if he should take Renly's advice on putting them as hostages. Then, there was the painful decision of having to leave Sansa at the Lannister's mercy because she was heavily guarded as a hostage. He had hope that they would all be a Winterfell soon. Then Harrenhal had delayed them, along with the Iron Born attacking the North, with Theon killing Bran and Rickon. Ned had hoped that he would get to Robb fast with his daughters, not only to reunite with his family, but to give advice to Robb, on how he should handle on political matters, don't do the same thing that Ned did. But the Red Wedding...

"Father." Ned heard Alyssa mumbled as she rubbed her eyes and got up. Ned immediately rushed to hug his daughter, his eldest daughter, the rightful heir to Winterfell and House Stark now, with Robb, Bran and Rickon are dead.

"Alyssa, you're safe." Ned said trying to move, but he winced as his leg got stabbed. Not for the first time, he cursed the Hound for stabbing his leg.

"What happened? Where's mother and Robb?" Alyssa asked getting up. Ned winced at that, he hasn't prepared what to tell Alyssa and Arya, too caught up in his own grief.

"Alyssa. Arya. There is something you must know."

oOoOo

Alyssa POV

Alyssa felt drained, emotionally drained. She, her father and Arya and Sansa are now the last of the true Starks along with Jon of course, they were currently riding on horses, at the forest of the Riverlands. They saw some soldiers laughing and one of them held his throat and laughed, "I'm telling you, that's what she did." The man did a poor mimic of a woman holding her throat.

This caused the rest of them to burst into laughter, Alyssa noticed the banners were of House Frey. She pointed it towards her father who grew pale then furious, but the Hound shot him a look that made him try to be calm. Another Frey soldier started to taunt about Robb, and Alyssa could see even Arya was furious, so was she. It was tempting to see the Frey soldier scream. They were talking about killing Grey Wind and sewing his head onto Robb's neck. Arya immediately leaped off of the Hound's horse.

"Arya!" Alyssa hissed as she dismounted from her father's and her father came down looking panicking. Arya walked towards them and the Frey soldier noticed her.

"What do you want?" The Frey soldier demanded.

"Mind if I keep warm?" Arya asked.

"Fuck off." The other Frey soldier said grabbing the waterskin and drank some wine from it.

"But I'm hungry." Arya begged.

"Fuck off means something different where you're from?" The Frey soldier taunted.

"I've got money." Arya pleaded as she took out a Braavosi coin. The Frey soldier moved towards Arya and Arya immediately grabbed him and stabbed his neck. The other screamt, Ned took out his sword and Alyssa took out her dagger, and they began to kill the Frey soldiers. Even the Hound leaped off his horse and swung his large sword, causing the Frey soldier to die.

"Where did you get the knife?" The Hound asked and Arya pointed towards his belt.

"Next time if you all going to do something like that, tell me first." The Hound spat but Ned, Alyssa and Arya didn't care. A small justice was shown.