First time I write a chapter from Ned's perspective. I hope you'll like it.


EDDARD I

Lord Eddard Stark was sitting in his solar, going through a recent report that was sent by Jeor Mormont. Ned had met the Old Bear on several occasions in the past. They met when the man was still Lord of Bear Island, back when Ned was only the second son of Lord Rickard Stark, both at Winterfell and at the lord's castle. When he joined the Night's Watch to let his son rule Bear Island, the contacts Ned had with the man became sparser. The last time they met was a few years ago, when Ned returned Longclaw to him at Castleblack, after his son went to exile for selling thieves into slavery. Jeor Mormont by then had become the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. It was obvious that the old man was hurt and grieved by the actions of his son, though he tried not to show it.

Ned respected Jeor Mormont. He was a man of integrity and honor, and wasn't to blame for his son's errors. Jorah Mormont broke the law, and instead of facing the consequences of his crimes, he fled. Ned didn't understand how the young man who was anointed a knight by Robert for his bravery during Balon Greyjoy's rebellion had turned into a slave trader, only to satisfy the desires of his wife. Still, Ned's opinion of the Old Bear hadn't changed in the slightest after the accident. The man was honorable and true, caring for his men, a capable commander, and he defended the Wall very well during the last years. Benjen also had a deep respect for him. However, the report the Lord Commander just sent to Ned left him puzzled, and frightened.

I received the raven you sent to me, my lord, and I am deeply preoccupied. This man was a seasoned ranger, not prone to desertion. Your brother knew him very well. We couldn't find his companions' dead bodies.

We've captured more and more wildlings in the last months, trying to travel south, whether by getting around Eastwatch-by-the-Sea in boats or by climbing the Wall. They say they've seen the dead, as our man did right before he died. This summer has lasted for years. It is the longest in living memory. Mance Rayder is gathering an army north of the Wall. We might need your help very soon.

Ned didn't think the Old Bear would lie, and he was certainly no more mad than Benjen, which meant he wasn't mad at all. But the ranger Ned executed, what he said was nonsense. The White Walkers hadn't been seen for eight thousand years. They were a legend, as much as Bran the Builder was, probably. And yet… If Mance Rayder, who styled himself as King-Beyond-the-Wall, this traitor to the Night's Watch, was gathering an army, he certainly planned to do the same than his six predecessors. Ned may have to call his banners if he ever marched on the Wall. Robert hadn't chosen the right time to ride for Winterfell. Ned would be needed here soon. His place was in the North.

Cat came in at this moment, taking Ned out of his thoughts. He folded the report and put it aside. He would think about it later.

"Are all the preparations over?" he asked.

"Yes, they are." She sat down before his desk, but Ned decided to join her by her side. He took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry to have burdened with all this. Especially with your father's news."

"That's not your fault."

She looked down. Cat hid it well, but she was shattered by the letter that Lady Lannister gave to her when she arrived. The Lady of Casterly Rock spoke the truth. Hoster Tully was indeed ill. He was very ill. The maesters didn't give him more than a year to live. Cat's father was a good man, and Ned respected him as a man, as a lord and as a father. At least he would die in his bed, unlike Ned's own father, and his brother.

"Maybe I should have shut our gates to the Lannisters. This would have saved you some work. You would only have to care about the royal party," he said with a chuckle.

Cat smiled in return, but it didn't last long. "In truth, the royal party was easier to prepare than the Lannisters. Lady Margaery has been of great help with her people. She did almost half the work for me."

"She really helped you?"

"Yes, a lot. I almost expected her to spend her days doing nothing, with all her jewels, all her needs attended by her servants, but it seems I was wrong. I never saw someone so active. She visits the Winter Town every day, helps with the preparations for the king's arrival, and finds time to visit Winterfell and spend time with Arya and Sansa all the same. I wonder how she does."

Ned had shared the opinion of his wife when the Lannisters had arrived. Lady Margaery Lannister was the daughter of Mace Tyrell, who was already called the Fat Flower when Ned met him at Storm's End fifteen years ago. To the opposite of her father, she was slender, and also quite pretty. However, she was charged with jewels and wore thick gowns made out of costly fabrics. Ned thought she might be doing nothing of her days, just like Cat said. After all, she was the Lady of Casterly Rock, thus the woman living in the most luxurious way in all the Seven Kingdoms, and she had grown up in Highgarden, which was almost as luxurious. It turned out she wasn't at all what they believed at first sight. For Ned, this was a relief, seeing how Sansa looked up at her. He didn't want his daughter to take for an example a woman who spent her days doing nothing. He may have to revise his opinion on Lady Lannister, especially considering how kind and helpful she was with Cat after bringing her the news of her father's illness. Still, Ned didn't know what to make of the presence of the Lord and the Lady of Casterly Rock. Why were they here at all?

"I think I will go to Riverrun as soon as the king and his entourage leave. I must see my father," his wife said.

"Of course. If you want, you can go before they leave. Robert won't be displeased by it. He will understand."

"I will stay. That would be disrespectful, but as soon as they're gone, I'll be on my way."

Ned nodded. As always, Cat would do her duty. "As you wish. I could come with you, and bring the children with us, so they can see their grandfather one last time."

"And then you'll be on your way to King's Landing." Ned knew it would come back. He hadn't taken a decision yet. He didn't want to go in the south. His place was here, at Winterfell, but if the king asked him to come… "You can always say no, Ned."

Could he? "Let's wait for Robert to say what he came for."

"You know why he's coming for." Sadly, Ned did. "I won't let him take you away from me."

He still didn't know what he would do. He could still cling to the hope that Robert wouldn't ask this of him, but it was certainly futile. "There's something you must know, Cat. Tyrion Lannister told me a few days ago that Robert was going to propose me something else when he would arrive."

"What is it?"

"He said he would offer to marry Prince Joffrey to Sansa."

Catelyn stared at him for a moment. "Well, that's not entirely unexpected. We thought he might propose this, or offer his daughter to Robb."

"What do you think of it?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment. "This would mean that Sansa would be queen one day, but she would have to leave Winterfell, and she's still a child. Maybe we could convince Robert to let her stay here until she is sixteen."

"If I refuse to be his Hand, I doubt he will maintain his offer concerning Sansa." A silence settled. "You know she will have to leave one day."

"I know. I suppose I'm not ready for that."

"I'm not sure I should accept. I mean, I don't believe I should accept this betrothal."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's something Lord Tyrion told me. He said he wouldn't envy anyone who would marry his nephew."

"That's all?"

"That's all," Ned confirmed.

"I'm not sure we can trust a Lannister. Remember what Lord Tywin did when he sacked King's Landing."

Ned remembered it too well. He could still see the two children draped in crimson cloaks to lower the sight of the blood. He had seen the same image in the Tower of Joy when he found his sister, dying. Promise me, Ned. He kept his promise, despite all the pains it meant for him and his family.

"Have you taken a decision, concerning the offer Lord Tyrion made to you?" his wife asked. That was another decision Ned didn't look forward to. He looked at the woman he had five children with, and saw the hope in her eyes. He sighed.

"Not yet. I don't know. I wouldn't give a dog I hate in the care of the Lannisters."

"He cannot stay here forever," she said icily.

"You just said you didn't trust the Lannisters."

"Not Lord Tyrion, but his wife seems decent enough. I talked to her about it, and she thinks this is a good idea. So why not let him go? They're not going to eat him."

Ned got on his feet and looked away. He knew Cat didn't like the boy's presence, for all sorts of reasons, but he found it cruel that she was ready to leave him in the care of the Lannisters for the sake of having him out of sight at last. "Would you leave one of our sons between the hands of the Imp?" Catelyn said nothing. "The boy is my blood. I will not give him to people I wouldn't entrust with our children."

Tyrion Lannister had offered Ned to take Jon as a ward in Casterly Rock, while Ned would take one of the cousins who accompanied Lady Lannister here as a ward in Winterfell. That was, one of the Lannister twins, the Lady Cerenna or the Lady Myrielle. Ned had been surprised by this offer, and even more by the reasons the Lord of Casterly Rock had given. He said that Jon would have far greater chances to find a place in the world in the Westerlands than at Winterfell, under the disapproving eyes of his stepmother. He also said he wanted to make the relations between the North and the Westerlands better, after the last war. While Ned had to admit this could be appealing for Jon, who didn't have much prospect as a bastard, he wouldn't give him to the Lannisters. That was the last thing he would do.

A servant knocked on the door at this moment, sparing Ned another very possible quarrel with his wife over his bastard son. He announced that the king and the queen were coming. Ned and Cat looked at each other, both knowing what was to come next. They rose, and after giving a kiss on his wife's forehead, Ned went to prepare himself for the king's arrival. When he walked into the courtyard, Cat was already standing there with all their children in line, except for Arya. The king would be there within minutes. Ned wondered where she was again.

Everyone was present in the courtyard, like the day the Lannisters had arrived. Only, this time, the Lannisters were waiting with them. They stood on their left, all tall and proud, led by their lady. Margaery Lannister was more richly dressed and wore more expansive jewels than ever. Looking a moment at the rose shaped pendant around her neck, Ned wondered how many people could be fed through winter if they sold it. Ned realized at this moment that Tyrion Lannister wasn't among them. He should have been at his wife's side.

He didn't wonder for long where the small lord was. He came from the Hunter's Gate, with Arya at his side. Ned's daughter was almost taller than him, and if she wasn't already, she would be very soon. Arya had a gloomy look, while the Imp was grinning, a helmet in his hands, that he gave to one of his men as they went through the courtyard.

"She tried the same trick than when I arrived." He gave a pat on Arya's shoulder, and she walked to stand between Bran and Sansa without a word. "I'm afraid she would have been disappointed. There isn't much interesting with my brother and my sister. Bran, you'll recognize Jaime very quickly. He is everything I'm not."

On that note, the Lord of Casterly Rock walked to his retinue who waited for him. Bran had been smiling at the lord. Ned didn't like it. Bran had taken a liking to the Lord of Casterly Rock ever since he promised to present him his brother, the Kingslayer. Arya too seemed to like the Imp, and even worse, Jon shared their impressions. Ned was unnerved with him. He had a gift to get on the nerves of the people. He had gained some appreciation from his younger children and from Jon by mocking Robb, and even Sansa in some way. Cat didn't like the lord at all, and Ned agreed with her opinion that it wasn't good to see their children getting close to the son of Tywin Lannister.

The royal party began to pour into the courtyard. First came a kingsguard, then a boy with golden hair displaying a huge grin, followed by a guard with a helmet in the shape of a dog. After them came a carriage followed by several servants, then another kingsguard, and the king himself. Ned looked at his friend. It had been years, and he had changed. Ned went on his knees, as it was appropriate in the presence of your king. He heard everyone following him in the courtyard, and saw the Lannisters do the same. Well, most of them did. Lord Tyrion and his wife didn't bend the knee and stood tall. Ned didn't know what to do of it. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms was a subject of the king, and from the peasant to the highest lord, they all had to bend the knee. He found it surprising, and arrogant as well, that Lord Tyrion and Lady Margaery wouldn't do it. Even Tywin Lannister bent the knee before Robert. He shot a glance at his friend, who didn't seem to notice the strange behaviour of his brother-in-law and his wife.

His friend got off his horse. Ned saw boys bringing a stool so he could leave his horse. The young man he knew at the Eyrie would have shattered any stool, saying he didn't need it, then gotten off his mount as if he was born to ride. Instead, Robert climbed down the stool and walked directly towards Ned. With a small movement of his hand, he indicated to Ned that he could stand up. The Lord of Winterfell did as his king commanded, and everyone followed him.

"Your Grace," he said to his friend. They looked at each other, right into their eyes. Ned waited for the king to say something. His friend was peering at him. Then finally he said something.

"You've got fat."

That was certainly the last declaration someone expected from a king when he visited one of his liege lords, but Ned knew Robert better than anybody. He felt people around them getting nervous and uncomfortable. Ned only made a move of his head, meaning Have you looked at yourself? After a moment, they both burst into laughs. Robert could be king and Ned could be Lord of Winterfell, but they would still deeply remain the two young boys who grew up together at the Eyrie. They tightly hugged. Once it was done, the king turned to Ned's wife.

"Cat!" she managed to mumble Your Grace as he kissed her on the cheek in all but a kingly manner, and then ruffled Rickon's hair before turning to Ned again. "Nine years! Why haven't I seen you? Where the hell have you been?"

"Guarding the North for you, your Grace. Winterfell is yours," Ned answered.

Robert went to see his children. "Who have we here? You must be Robb." He clasped hands with Ned's eldest son, then turned to Sansa. "My, you're a pretty one. Your name is?" He asked to her sister.

"Arya."

He nodded, and turned to Bran. "Oh, show us your muscles. You'll be a soldier."

In the meantime, the queen had left the carriage in which she was and walked forward to Ned and Cat. Ned had last seen her at her wedding with Robert, some sixteen years ago, in King's Landing. She was a young maiden at the time, the pride of Casterly Rock and the golden daughter of Tywin Lannister. Years later, she had grown older, but was still very beautiful, and Ned knew there were many men whose neck were turning on her passage. Behind her, Ned noticed her twin brother, Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, as he removed his helmet. Ned would never forget the time when he entered the Throne Room and found him sitting on the Iron Throne, the dead body of his king still warm lying at his feet, his sword still soaked with the blood of the man he swore to protect. He displayed the same arrogant grin he had back then.

"My queen." Ned lowered his head to kiss her offered hand. Cat knelt and said the same.

Ned took a look at Lord Tyrion. He tried to find the resemblance between him and his siblings, but it was hard to find. All the gods had given to Cersei and Jaime, they had denied their young brother. He was half their height, his hair so blond that it looked white when his siblings' hair was shining gold, and looked very ugly when compared to them. Ned wondered how a man could be so different from his brother and sister.

"Take me to your crypt. I want to pay my respect," said Robert to Ned.

"We've been riding for months, my love. Surely the dead can wait."

Robert didn't seem to hear. "Ned."

The king went forward, and Ned was forced to follow his friend, giving an apologizing look to the queen. He hadn't really liked the way Cersei Lannister said the dead could wait, but Robert could have been more tactful instead of simply ignoring his wife. Ned showed Robert the way to the crypts. He knew to who Robert wanted to pay his respects. As they walked through the darkness, Ned asked what he wanted to know for a very long time.

"Tell me about Jon Arryn.

"One minute he was fine and then… Burned right through him whatever it was. I loved that man."

"We both did."

"He never had to teach you much, but me? You remember me at sixteen?" They both chuckled. Ned remembered it only too well. Who could forget how Robert was back then? "All I wanted to do was crack skulls and fuck girls. He showed me what was what."

"Aye," replied Ned, quite skeptical.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not his fault I didn't listen." More chuckles. They both knew Robert only did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. Robert stopped, still smiling, looking at him like they used to when they were young. "I need you, Ned. Down at King's Landing, not up here where you're no damn use to anybody." So the time had come. That was the moment Ned feared the most. "Lord Eddard Stark, I would name you the Hand of the King."

It wasn't his friend who spoke at this moment. It was the king. Robert Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the First Men and the Rhoynar, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, had just proposed him to become his new Hand. Ned knew it was very likely to happen. Robert could only have come here for this reason. Yet, now there was no doubt left. Stunned, despite the months he had to prepare himself for this moment, Ned got on his knees.

"I'm not worthy of the honor."

"I'm not trying to honor you. I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink and whore my way to an early grave. Damn it, Ned, stand up." Robert had not remained the king for long. Ned did as he was told. "You helped me win the Iron Throne, now help me keep the damn thing. We were meant to rule together. If your sister had lived, we'd have been bound by blood. Well, it's not too late. I have a son, you have a daughter. We'll join our houses."

Robert resumed to walk. Ned was too dumbstruck to move for a while, then he followed. Robert had not spoken as if he had a choice. As he followed his king, he remembered the conversation he had with Tyrion Lannister. The Lord of Casterly Rock spoke the truth. He said that Robert came to make him his Hand, which was no surprise at all, but he also said that he would propose Sansa to marry Joffrey. The little lord hadn't lied.

"Sansa is only thirteen, Robert. She is still a child," Ned said to his friend.

"She's old enough for betrothal. The marriage can wait a few years. My Joff may not be the most handsome bachelor that lives, but she will be queen one day, and it's still better than if she was married to an old man like your wife's sister."

Ned agreed that Sansa would certainly be happier with the prince than if she was wed to a man twice or thrice her age. "I believe Cat would want to keep Sansa close to her before the wedding. Maybe she could wait at Winterfell…"

"Oh, come on, Ned. She'll come with you in the capital. She needs to spend time there to learn how to be queen. Cersei is unflinching about this. Consider yourself honored by this. I'm doing you a favor. Cersei didn't want Joff to be married to her. If your sister had lived, she would have been my queen. It's only natural that your daughter should be queen one day."

If Lyanna had lived, there may never have been a rebellion, and Robert would never have become king. If she hadn't disappeared with Rhaegar Targaryen, Brandon wouldn't have ridden to King's Landing, he and their father would never have died, and Ned wouldn't be Lord of Winterfell. All his family would still be alive, and Lyanna would be Lady of Storm's End, not resting in a grave.

"I need you, Ned. I really need you. I'm sure you saw it in the courtyard. I know you did." Ned wasn't sure what his friend was talking about. "The Imp and his wife. Did you see them bend the knee when I came in? No, of course, you didn't see it, because they didn't. Not long before Jon died, they forced him to lower all sorts of taxes on their territories, and this is only the beginning."

"How could they force Jon into it? They don't have the authority for that."

"They have soldiers, ships, crops, gold. They have everything they need, and I have nothing. Only a crown that weighs on me more and more every day. The Lannisters and the Tyrells have been an impossible problem ever since the Imp married his rose."

"The Lannisters are supposed to be allies. You're married to Lord Tyrion's sister. How can they pose so many problems?"

When Tywin Lannister had died three years ago, Ned hadn't been overjoyed, but he hadn't mourned the man either. He still remembered the dead children. He had heard only rumors about his second son, Lord Tyrion, but most of these rumors said that he was ugly, perverted, monstrous, a mongrel, a drunkard, a sodomite, and worse. So far, Ned couldn't pretend he liked the Lord of Casterly Rock, but he thought the rumors might have been exaggerated. Ned still wondered why he warned him about the king's proposal. Why tell him?

"Cersei hates her brother. He spent a lot of time in King's Landing before his father died, and everyone knows how he and Cersei hate each other. Cersei was always insufferable, but since Tywin Lannister died she's got worse than ever." He chuckled. "I liked the little man, truth be told. He was one of the few who could beat me in a drinking contest, and he whored as much as me. But since he became lord…" Robert sighed. "I thought Tywin Lannister was a pain in my ass, but his son is a damn bloody bolt in my arse. He married that Tyrell girl, and ever since he's become insufferable. I tried to stop that betrothal by marrying her to Renly instead, but the Tyrells somewhat missed my offer, or feigned they never received it. Now I'm stuck with a Lannister for a wife, three children who look too much like her, her twin brother to guard me, and the Imp and his rose who tell me how to rule my kingdoms. And there's nothing I can do, especially since Jon Arryn died."

"Are they so powerful?"

"Yes, they are. I thought I would have peace after Tywin Lannister died, and that his son would spend his time drinking and bedding whores like he always did, but he didn't. Jon said he had the impression to see a smaller version of Tywin Lannister when he came for Joff's name day. Varys says he stopped whoring, and almost stopped drinking as well." Robert's face changed all of a sudden. "Sometimes, I envy him. I saw him with his wife during the tourney. You'd think the Rose of Highgarden would be miserable with that man, but if she is, she hides it very well. Her brother won the tourney, and I never saw a woman so happy in years. I saw them feeding each other and kissing at the feast, and before it was over, they were slipping away to their bedchamber, and I saw stars in her eyes and her whole face shining like…"

Robert stopped. They had halted not long ago, and without realizing it, he was standing before Lyanna's statue. Now he seemed to notice it. Robert's face softened like it only softened when it came to Lyanna. After all these years, he still loved her. Ned remembered how his friend had been heartbroken when he came back from the Tower of Joy and told him of Lyanna's death. She had been the woman Robert had loved, and he had wanted to marry her. Their mutual grieving, one for his sister, the other for his betrothed, had mended the fences created by the death of the Targaryen children.

Robert took a feather from his furs and laid it in the immobile hands of the statue that represented the woman he had loved and still loved. "Did you have to bury her in a place like this? She should be on a hill somewhere with the sun and the clouds above her."

Sadness pierced through Robert's words like they only pierced when he spoke of his long lost love. "She was my sister. This is where she belongs." She should never have left Winterfell. All this story with Rhaegar Targaryen would never have happened if she had stayed home.

"She belonged with me." Robert brought his hand to touch the stone of Lyanna's cheek. "In my dreams, I kill him every night."

Ned knew who he was talking about. Robert and Rhaegar had fought for Lyanna on the Trident, and they both lost her. "It's done, your Grace. The Targaryens are gone."

"Not all of them." Robert turned sinister. Ned felt a chill run along his spine. Of course, the Targaryens were not all dead, but none of them posed a real threat now. It was over. Robert was king, and nothing was left of the Targaryen hegemony but memories, dragon's skeletons and an iron chair.

Robert kept looking at Lyanna's statue for a very long time, still lost in his memories, as was Ned. Promise me, Ned. Robert finally turned to look at him. "I need you, Ned. I need the North to balance the growing power of the Tyrells and the Lannisters. Only you can help me."

Ned tried to think about an answer that was nor a refusal nor an agreement. "These honors are all so unexpected. May I have some time to consider? I need to tell my wife…"

"Yes, yes, of course, tell Catelyn, sleep on it if you must. Just don't keep me waiting too long. I am not the most patient of men. Now let's go up and feast."

And so they did. That is, they went up, but they didn't feast before a few hours. Ned would already have enjoyed the feast much more if the thoughts about Robert's offer didn't weigh on his mind as the crown weighed on his brother's head, but even without that, the feast wasn't a very pleasant occasion. Benjen was there, which brought him some joy to see his brother after so long, though this was deeply weakened by the discussion he had with him about the deserter Ned beheaded and the White Walkers. Ned kept saying to himself that the lad was speaking nonsense, but Benjen's words didn't relieve him. He also had a nasty encounter with Jaime Lannister, who was as arrogant as he was fifteen years ago. Robert didn't help by bringing a kitchen wench on his knees and patting her bosom under the eyes of his wife. Robert had always been whoring, but he should have tried to do better with his wife. She was the mother of his children, after all.

The most tensed moment of the feast came when the queen asked the bards to sing the Rains of Castamere. Ned had never been fond of this song, and it wouldn't make him any fonder to hear it tonight. However, as the bards began to play it, a knight with the flower sigil on his arms unsheathed his sword and placed on one of the bards' throat. They all stopped to play before they could even sing the first words.

"This song is not to be played in the presence of Lady Lannister," he said with a booming and rude voice.

Everyone had frozen all around, as if the frost giants had come suddenly upon them with the Casket of long gone winters. The queen was first to react and stood up. "I asked for the Rains of Castamere. Surely you're not going to disobey your queen, bard. Play."

Another moment went on, and this time the Lady of Casterly Rock broke the silence. "Your Grace, you are the queen, but this is not your home. We are under the roof of Lady Stark. You wouldn't do anything to displease Lord and Lady Stark after they welcomed us so warmly, and I doubt that Lady Stark would enjoy to listen to a song praising the murder of children."

Lady Margaery Lannister had spoken calmly and with respect, but there was a hardness in her voice as well that she didn't hide. Finally, Catelyn ordered the bard to play something else and diplomatically tried to take away the attention from this incident afterwards. However, Cersei Lannister kept throwing daggers at her sister-in-law, to which Lady Margaery remained indifferent. If that was any indication of their normal relation, it seemed that the queen didn't get along with her sister-in-law any better than with her brother.

Later, when the feast was long gone, Ned was sleeping in his wife's chamber. It was the warmest place in Winterfell. They both had their own chamber, but Ned often slept with her. It hadn't been easy between them at the start. They barely knew each other when they were married. Cat was supposed to marry Brandon, Ned's older brother, but that was impossible after Brandon died, so she was wed to Ned instead. Then he had been off to war with Robert and Jon Arryn, leaving Cat pregnant behind him. They would only meet again two years later, and then there had been Jon. Ned knew his wife wouldn't like it, but he couldn't do otherwise. Jon was his responsibility. He had hoped for Cat to forgive him with time, hoped that she would understand.

Their marriage had turned out quite well, all things considered. They had four more children in the years that followed, and they loved all of them. They both came to trust, appreciate, and love each other. Still, Brandon's shadow was still looming over them. And of course, Jon remained a constant problem. So often Ned had wanted to tell her, to tell her the whole truth, why he kept Jon with them. Surely Cat would have understood. But he didn't. He never told her. He never told anyone. Cat had suffered the boy's presence, but nothing more, and even then… Ned hoped she would come to not disdain Jon. After all, it wasn't the lad's fault. Ned was the one to bring him here. She should have hated him, but although she often asked him to send Jon away, and even if Ned refused every time, he never felt that Cat hated him for that, but he could feel she hated Jon. It wasn't fair. He should be the one she should hate. He remembered when the Lannisters arrived. Lord Tyrion had welcomed Jon more warmly than he had welcomed Robb and most of Jon's siblings. He thought that Catelyn didn't like the Imp at all because of this from the moment he set foot in their courtyard. It was true that the Imp hadn't helped by saying Jon was named after a man who ruled the Seven Kingdoms for more than a decade and a half, when he mocked the king Robb was named after. She never liked to see Jon excel in anything when compared to Robb.

"Have you reached a decision yet?" she asked him.

Ned thought for a moment she was talking about Lord Tyrion's offer concerning the boy, but he quickly realized she certainly asked about the king's offers. "I'm a Northman. I belong here with you, not down south in that rat's nest they call a capital."

"I won't let him take you."

Ned sighed. "The king takes what he wants. That's why he's king."

"I'll say, listen, fat man. You are not taking my husband anywhere. He belongs to me now."

They both laughed at it. Ned was sure it would be a great show to see Robert rebuked by the Lady of Winterfell. Very few women refused something to Robert. Cat would be the second Stark to refuse him something. Maybe Ned would be the third.

"How did he get so fat?" Ned wondered aloud. He may have taken a few pounds himself when compared to his youth, but Robert seemed to have doubled his size.

"He only stops eating when it's time for a drink." She laughed, but Ned almost didn't follow her. That wasn't the Robert he knew. He was afraid for his friend, and not only because of his enemies in the south. He was afraid that Robert might be his worst enemy.

A knock resounded. "It's Maester Luwin, my lord," said a servant behind the door.

Ned closed his eyes for a moment. He wished he could spend a quiet night with Catelyn after this tiring day. However, if Luwin came to see them at this hour, it was certainly not for nothing.

"Send him in."

The old maester came in on Ned's words. "Pardon, my lord, my lady. A rider in the night… from your sister."

Ned's only sister was dead. It could only be Cat's sister, Lysa. Cat understood it as well since she got up and took the letter the maester was handing to her. Ned started to get up as Cat began to read and told Luwin to stay.

"This was sent from the Eyrie," his wife said, surprised. Ned was too. He didn't think Lysa would go back to the Vale of Arryn so soon after her husband's death. "What's she doing at the Eyrie? She hasn't been back there since her wedding."

Cat took her time to read, then quickly threw the letter in the fire. That startled Ned.

"What news?"

"She's fled the capital. She says Jon Arryn was murdered. By the Lannisters. She says the king is in danger."

That was impossible. Jon Arryn couldn't have been assassinated. He was old. It was to be expected he would die one day. "She's fresh widowed, Cat. She doesn't know what she's saying." All this made no sense. Why would the Lannisters kill Jon Arryn? Lysa was surely confused.

"Lysa's head would be on a spike right now if the wrong people had found that letter. Do you think she would risk her life, her son's life, if she wasn't certain her husband was murdered?"

Ned looked away. It couldn't be. Jon couldn't have been killed. Why? But Robert… He told him he needed his help. He said he was having problems with the Lannisters and the Tyrells. Why were they here at all? Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister had good reasons to be present, as queen and kingsguard, but not the Imp and his wife. Why had they come? Were they preparing something? Ned knew there had been something odd to their visit. If Jon Arryn was killed…

"If this news is true and the Lannisters conspire against the throne, who but you can protect the king?" said the maester. He was saying exactly what Ned barely dared to admit to himself.

"They murdered the last Hand," said Catelyn. "Now you want Ned to take the job?"

"The king rode for months to ask Lord Stark's help. He's the only one he trusts. You swore the king an oath, my lord."

"He's spent half his life fighting Robert's wars. He owes him nothing. Your father and brother rode south once on a king's demand."

"A different time. A different king."

Luwin spoke wisely. Ned knew what he had to do. He didn't want to do it, but duty demanded that he did it. The night was no better than the day it followed, but at least he knew what he would do now.

On the morning, they went to hunt. Many were drunk, including Robert himself, though he didn't show it much. Robert was quite resilient to wine. Many men from his retinue and from Winterfell followed them, and many men who came with Tyrion Lannister as well. The Lord of Casterly Rock himself joined the hunt, though Ned wondered what he would do. Ned gave specific orders to Rodrik Cassel to never let the king out of his sight. He couldn't be entirely sure if Lysa's letter was true. After all, she might have panicked, but he wouldn't take any chance. They rode to the Wolfswood through the Hunter Gate, and soon they were dispersing in all directions.

After some time, the dogs Ned and his men brought with them came upon a group of Lannister men who were disembodying a stag. Ned didn't feel right about it. A deer first gored a direwolf, and now Lannisters had hunted down a stag.

"A nice catch, isn't it," said a voice on his right. He saw the Lord of Casterly Rock riding slowly toward him with two of his men behind.

"I suppose you'll say this is your kill," Ned seriously mocked.

Tyrion Lannister chuckled. "Do I look like someone who's good at hunting?"

"Then why are you here?"

"I may be useless in a hunt, but I enjoy riding all the same, seeing others sweat for the joy and pride of killing an animal, so they may boast they are real men." Lord Tyrion looked at him, waiting for a reply, but Ned gave him none. If the Lannisters had killed Jon Arryn, the Lord of Casterly Rock surely had a hand in this. "My lord Stark, I was wondering if we could have a few words in private, while my men take care of their catch."

Ned didn't relish to speak alone with the Lord of Casterly Rock, but maybe that was the opportunity to make things clear between them, and to give an answer to his proposal. Then he would give his answer to Robert. They rode away all alone for a time, until they were no longer in earshot.

"I suppose your friend Robert made his offers," the little lord said at last.

"He did offer me something," Ned recognized.

"What was it?"

"I thought you already knew."

"So, are you going to take the job?"

Ned stared straight into his eyes. "Why are you here? Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see the North. This is the only part of the Seven Kingdoms I never visited. And I wanted to convince you to refuse the king's offer."

"Then you failed," replied Ned hardly. Tyrion Lannister looked at him in a curious way.

"When have you been in King's Landing for the last time, Lord Stark?"

"Ten years ago."

"Believe me, you don't want to go there."

"And why do you think so?" Ned was getting tired of this game. Couldn't he simply come to the fact?

"I've seen the North for what it is in these last weeks. King's Landing is everything but the North. Everyone is spying your every move there, everything is to sell and to buy, lickspitters are waiting everywhere to beg the king's favor, and the greatest allies can turn into bitter enemies within the hour. Did you ever meet people who made you believe they were your friends, and then turned on you at the right moment, sometimes after plotting against you for years?"

"No."

"Did you ever plot against someone? Did you ever trick someone?"

"What's the point of it?"

"No, you never did. When someone is your enemy, you face him, and you fight him, fair and square. If this is your way, Lord Stark, King's Landing is not the place for you. You won't survive there. Jon Arryn played the game, even though he disliked it, but he didn't play it very well. Look where he is now."

They stared at each other for a long time. Then the question burst from Ned's teeth. "What happened to Jon Arryn?"

"He died, obviously."

"How?"

"Of a sickness. Officially."

"How did he die?" Ned was getting furious.

Tyrion Lannister shrugged. "I don't know. Not for sure. But he died. The fact remains, if you go there, the same fate may be waiting for you."

"What do you want?" Ned asked.

"I want you to refuse the king's offer. I want you to stay at Winterfell, where your place is. I want you to refuse the betrothal between your sweet daughter and my repulsive nephew. I want you to stay away from King's Landing."

"Then you'll be disappointed, because I'm going to accept. I swore an oath to my king, and he's asked for my help, so I will answer the call. I will go to King's Landing to serve as Hand like Jon Arryn did for seventeen years, and I will bring my daughter Sansa with me, since I will accept the proposition of betrothal."

The Lord of Casterly Rock looked at him with a neutral expression, then it changed to something that looked like sadness. "I pity your daughter, then, my lord. Her life will be miserable with my nephew. Joffrey may look more like my brother than his father, but he's too much like Robert and Cersei, and sadly he inherited their bad traits without their few good qualities. You're sentencing your sweet Sansa to a horrible marriage."

"I'll be the judge of that." He didn't trust this man's word. He didn't trust it already when he arrived, but now he didn't trust it at all.

"And I'm afraid you may only come back to Winterfell as a pile of bones."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's no threat, my lord. It's a warning. You'll have many enemies in the capital, but I'm not one of them. These enemies won't warn you before they stab you in the back, believe me. As I told you, King's Landing is not the North. I'm only trying to help you."

"And why would you want to help me?"

"I like peace. Unlike so many young men of my age, I cannot ride to battle and enjoy it. My joys in life are books, wine, food, and my wife. I don't want a war, and the best way to avoid a war is to keep you as far away from King's Landing as it is possible. And the best way for you to not lose a war you would be doomed to lose, is to refuse the king."

This man really was a queer sort. "I will serve my king, no matter what happens, and no matter the consequences. He is my king."

"And he is mine. But to the opposite of you, I'm not ready to follow him as he digs his own grave. Mark my words, Lord Stark. One day, you will regret accepting Robert's demands. My lord Stark."

He bowed and began to ride away. Before he was too far, Ned shouted. "What happened to Jon Arryn?"

"I told you. I don't know."

"Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying. I'm in the dark as much as you. Maybe Jon Arryn died naturally. Maybe he didn't. But I know one thing. If Jon Arryn died the wrong way, it would be far better if I discovered the truth about it in your stead."

"Why?"

"Because it wouldn't get me killed. Oh, by the way, you gave me no answer about MY proposition."

"The answer is no."

"How sad. Your son would have liked the Westerlands, I think."

Tyrion Lannister rode away for good this time. Ned didn't know what to do of him. He claimed that he wanted to help him, and that he didn't know what happened to Jon Arryn, but Lysa claimed the Lannisters assassinated her husband. If they did, the Lord of Casterly Rock had a hand in this. Robert said he was present at the prince's name day. Ned would have to investigate this. He would have to investigate about a lot of things in the capital. As for Joffrey, Ned saw nothing in the young prince to let him think that Sansa would be miserable with him. He looked more like his mother than his father, true, but nothing he witnessed so far led him to believe he would make a bad husband. Furthermore, that was his king's wishes.

Ned reined his horse and went back to his men. They met the king's retinue some time later, and Ned went to speak with his friend as he stopped for a large swallow of wine. It was then that Ned told him he accepted. His daughter would marry Robert's son, and he would come with him to King's Landing. Robert strongly clasped his back. He had lost nothing of his force. He could still crack skulls if he wanted.

When they went back to their men, however, one of Ned's stewards was here, talking very quickly with Ser Rodrik. When he saw his lord walk in their direction, he got on his knees.

"My lord, please forgive me, but you must come back to Winterfell immediately. It's my Lord Bran. He fell."


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