Storm of the North

We need to act now. All of us shall ride to Kingslanding. When we get there, Ned needs to do the initial talking. He needs to impress upon Robert and Lord Arryn that the Kingsguard were only doing their duty in service to their king at the time. They did not fight against us after we arrived. He will then need to bring me into the conversation. In Essos there is a sellsword company by the name of the Great Tree company. I have contacts there. They'll be willing to take Ser Whent and Ser Hightower into service. They in turn need to swear that they may not leave the service of the Great Tree, without the explicit order of the king. The Great Tree has no connections to any Targaryen loyalists and they'll not follow any. In addition, we need to get Robert to agree to letting Ser Dayne to return to Starfall. Ser Dayne should swear he'll not ally with any living sibling of Rhaegars and never raise his arms against Robert or his children. In return I as a personal servant of Lyanna, will make sure periodically, by visiting Ser Dayne that he'll not rebel.

-Naruto of Clan Uzumaki-

Chapter 1

Catelyn Stark POV

Lady Catelyn Stark, originally Tully, did not like Ser Naruto.

The man did guard her children with great vigor. He also trained her son. For that she was grateful. But the attention and interest showed her husband's bastard was disturbing.

The man had been knighted by King Robert at the end of the war for his role in guarding Ned's life and credited in being the first to saving Lady Lyanna. Even if Lyanna had been hurt by Rhaegar Targaryen and made it near impossible for her to give birth according to the maesters, Robert still held a soft spot for the woman. The man had been knighted so he should know better than to focus on a bastard of all things.

The man knew honor of service and the meaning of it. He'd even defended traitors for doing their duty. So, it was strange. When he'd taught the boy to climb the towers of Winterfell, she'd secretly held hope it was so that the boy could fall. But no. Every morning they began the day by climbing the old tower. After that they always ate together. After which they trained.

She was glad she didn't allow her son to climb with them. It would do no good if the heir of Winterfell, fell from the tower.

Lady Lyanna also taught the boy, which she found shocking. Even more shocking was when she at one point taught the boy how to wield a blade. Robb was taught how to rule, but Lyanna seemed to be giving the boy similar lessons.

Catelyn had tried to impress upon Lyanna and Ser Naruto that their behavior was not proper. Lyanna had given her a look she thinks she once saw on her Uncle Bryndens face when he stepped in to a cowpie by accident. Ser Naruto had just stared at her silently with a blank face until she'd left. She had gone to her husband to get it fixed. Ned vaguely explained he would not try and command Ser Naruto to leave the boy on his own.

Ser Naruto seemed to have almost taken the boy as his own. He still always escorted Lady Lyanna, but when the boy was upset or could not do something, he would immediately speak with a low voice to his Lady, who would always consent and allow him to aid the boy.

When the boy had gotten ill, Ser Naruto had publicly in a rather loud voice requested permission from his lady to stay at the boy's side till he got better. Lyanna had agreed and told him she would not prevent him from doing his duty to her and would accompany him in caring for the boy. Neither had left the room till the fever had subsided. It seems the northern lords revered both of them to some extent, as some of them sent things to aid them in their endeavor of healing the boy. Furs to keep the boy warm. Herbs and liquids for medicine.

Lyanna truly seemed to love family and not cared for propriety. She didn't care that the boy was only a bastard. When she had asked why that was, she'd looked thoughtful for a moment then replied. The boy reminded of her brother and she never could hate any of her brothers. Lyanna was clearly broken from whatever Rhaeger had done to her.

As the boy grew, she started to hear more and more whispers and rumors saying that Lyanna would never marry and what a shame it would be. Catelyn already knew no-one would wish to be with someone whose honor had been stained so. No respectable man from the south would take her, maybe some minor lord of the north would take her from their hands. She'd take Ser Naruto with her and she wouldn't have to worry about the bastard getting ideas above his lot in life. That would happen in the south. But not here. Not in the North. Ned would not hear of it.

Good thing Sansa understood the true ways of a lady despite Lyanna. She understood the septas lessons and knew the prayers to the Seven and understood the proper place for a bastard. Catelyn requested Ned get a septa brought to the North and even a sept built since Catelyn had never felt welcomed in the North, especially in front of the weirwoods. They seemed to be always judging her with their bleeding eyes. She never understood how Ser Naruto didn't seem to have the same problem despite worshipping his strange gods from the east. He also seemed to be more accepted among the weirwoods, standing in front of them almost reverently, holding quiet conversations with Lady Lyanna.

The Greyjoy rebellion had come six years after Roberts rule began. Ned and Ser Naruto had sailed to the Iron Islands with the king and defeated the Greyjoys. He also brought back the only remaining son of Balon Greyjoy. Also, according to rumor, Naruto had fought Euron Greyjoy and taken the man's eye during their confrontation, with the Greyjoy excaping. There had also been a mysterious assassin seemingly after King Roberts life who Naruto had killed.

When Arya was born the same year, she had been so sure they would have another perfect daughter. Ned had stripped her of those sorts of thoughts when she had wondered why Lady Lyanna had given a wolfish grin when she made eye contact with the newborn. He'd explained that Lyanna as well as him could see the wolvesblood was present in the girl with nothing but the eyes alone.

And if the stories were to be believed, history had repeated and a woman capable of wielding a blade was having a very wild influence on a daughter of a Lord Stark. Ned didn't seem to mind. He had just smiled when Catelyn had brought it up. That was definitely not good. Even worse, a few years later Arya seemed to be following the bastard around like a pup any time Catelyn wasn't making sure Arya was at her lessons. When she had complained to Ser Naruto, he had simply nodded thoughtfully. Then she could no longer find Ser Naruto, Lady Lyanna, the bastard or Arya when Ser Naruto seemed to be training the bastard. That was even more worrying.

After Theon Greyjoy had been brought to Winterfell, the future Lord Greyjoy had done his best to show the bastard his place, which Catelyn was grateful for. When words were not enough, the young lordling had tried to teach with his fists. The bastard had the nerve to strike back. Naturally, Young Greyjoy had taken a blade to teach the bastard his place. Which was only right. He was a trueborn son of a lord no matter the name. But before he could teach the bastard his lesson, Ser Naruto had taken the blade away and slapped the young man hard enough to spill blood. Catelyn had tried to stop the injustice, but Ser Naruto had not listened to her words. He had growled to the poor young lord that if he ever dared to threaten or raise a hand against anyone with Stark blood or any of the servants he would come and take the offending hand away and feed it to the young man. The young man had tried to explain to the brute of a knight that this is not how things were done. Naruto didn't seem to understand and slapped him again and told the boy that he wasn't a lordling here, he was a hostage.

Catelyn had gone to Ned to tell of this injustice. Ned had listened calmly, then summoned Ser Naruto and told him that Greyjoy wasn't to be hurt. Ser Naruto, outrageously, had told Ned that in that case he would be moving Lady Lyanna and, if need, the bastard to Greywater Watch if Ned insisted or surrendering the rule of Winterfell to the Greyjoy. Ned had gone so red Catelyn was scared he would catch fire and ordered her to leave the two men alone. As the door closed, she could hear muffled shouting from her lord-husbands solar. When they emerged later Ned informed her that young Theon would not be allowed near Jon anymore.

Ned had then put Robb and Theon mainly into training under Ser Rodrik Cassel.

A year after the Greyjoy rebellion, Bran was born. Finally, the Stark line had been secured. Just like in the old texts. Two sons at least. The bastard had started to grow faster than Robb. He was taller, this wasn't good. If something wasn't done soon the lords of the North would start whispering that the bastard was more of a Stark than her own son.

The bastard had started to learn the strange language Lady Lyanna and Ser Naruto spoke sometimes. They would speak to the boy in small conversations and sometimes laugh. Sometimes Ser Naruto and the bastard would talk and glance at her and the people around. Sometimes they would laugh. She was sure the bastard was plotting something. It would have been better if Ned had them leave.

A few years later her sister had her first son. Named him Robert Arryn. According to the letters he looked just like his father. So, the boy was going to be noble and strong like Lord Jon Arryn then. Ser Naruto had also started teaching the bastard some barbaric methods of fighting, sometimes they wouldn't even use weapons, simply their fists and legs. Not even wearing shirts. The bastard was growing up too fast. His body was becoming sinful. Soon he'd start attempting to spread his seed. He might even try to take her to bed by force. Bend her to his will with his strong body from hours of training. Grab her supple body with his strong hands and use his big muscles to make her his. Still better her than Sansa or even worse, Arya. He knew when his husband brought back the bastard that he would grow up big and strong like her husband and probably beautiful as well. Ned would never have betrayed her for an ugly woman. All bastards were sinful. She hoped Ned never left her with him. She had no doubt he would take her and she wouldn't be able to fight him.

She had also noticed Lady Lyanna would linger her gaze on Ser Naruto quite long when he would teach the bastard the barbaric ways. If she weren't married, she might as well. The man was strong and the way the sweat would drip from him was very sinful. But she was a proper lady. Not a lady of the North. Proper ladies like her had no thoughts of betraying their husband by some knight. Even if they looked like you could tenderize meat on their stomach and the servants had began whispering Ser Naruto was sneaking off from the watchful eye of his Lady to be with a secret lover. Every time she thought of him or the bastard, she would find herself needing the touch of her lord-husband. That's how Rickon was born a little while later.

Theon Greyjoy had started going to the brothel in Wintertown, most likely to de-stress from his position as a hostage. More than once Ser Naruto had dragged him back from there because Ned asked him to. She was so glad Robb didn't go with him. It would be no good for her firstborn son to act like that. She had no doubt the bastard was secretly going to the brothel or forcing the servants to tend to his sinful wants. She had already started to convince her husband to send the bastard to the wall, but didn't seem to be making much headway.

Even little Bran had started to follow the bastard around, especially in the mornings. They still climbed the damn towers and now they were teaching her baby. She had tried to get him to stop but he still kept doing it. Ser Naruto wasn't any help either as he kept encouraging the climbing. Only thing she was grateful for was the harness he had made that was attached to a rope that was attached to the pulley system on the side of the tower. That way someone could stand below the tower and pull on the rope to stop him from falling. The problem however was that it was only on a single tower. Not the most dangerous one Bran liked to climb.

Her little Sansa was still the perfect lady. She would make a fine wife for some highlord one day, maybe even the prince. That was if the bastard kept to himself.

To be continued…?

I've been doing my best to get the years right. I found it hilarious that Balon Greyjoy thought it might be a great idea to declare independence and attack the king's father-in-law SIX YEARS after the king took over via rebellion. The situation still hadn't calmed down and things hadn't settled. He just basically gave Robert an excuse to flex on him, in front of the whole continent. Robert was still on edge about possible Targaryen loyalists and waiting to tear every threat a part like a wild animal and Balon goes ahead and basically pokes him with a stick to see what happens.