Much of what Jon predicted had come to pass. Jaime Lannister rode to The Westerlands and joined his father's armies that were well poised to launch an attack on The Riverlands. Ned Stark had sent a makeshift group of men to hunt down Ser Gregor and had summoned Lord Tywin to come to court and answer for his bannerman. Much to the disappointment of Jon.

The only decision of Ned Stark that Jon was happy about was that his uncle had sent Sansa for White Harbor and from there Winterfell. It was quite a task for the man, to convince his daughter to back. In the end, he had to use his stern 'Lord of Winterfell' voice for Sansa to listen to him, though she wasn't too pleased about it. Jon couldn't wait for Sansa to grow up and learn that life wasn't some song of gallant knights and handsome princes. He blamed her upbringing for this outlook on life.

Things between him and his uncle had been iffy. They talked but their conversation was always kept to a minimum. Either Ned Stark was kept busy with his duties as The Hand of The King, or he couldn't meet Jon in the eyes. Whatever Jon had said and then left him to stew in had affected Ned more than anyone could tell.

Things had been going on as such until the day King Robert died. Jon was there with his uncle when he went to see the king. And when ordered out to leave him and his Hand, Jon exited the room with the rest. The Queen had rushed off right away, insulted that even in his dying moments, her husband did not want to be around her.

"It's my fault" Ser Barristan gritted his teeth, punching the wall beside the door. Jon watched him a moment, before he went to the man's side, and away from the Maester, Renly and Varys.

"The King was drunk," Jon told the old man, a hand on his shoulder. "You and I both know what The King is like if he overindulges. He'd have wrung your neck if you tried to stop him. And then he'd have continued to hunt" he explained.

"I swore to protect him" Ser Barristan argued weakly.

"You could only do so much to protect a man against himself" Jon argued back kindly. "You've done your duty, Ser Barristan. Nobody would say otherwise."

"Thank you, lad" the knight swallowed. There was more he could have said, both he and Jon knew. But right now he wasn't in the mood to speak of it.

"I'm only being honest, Ser Barristan" Jon told him kindly. He paused for a bit, "if there ever comes a day when you require someone to present your sword, The North will always welcome you."

"Thank you" Ser Barristan smiled a genuine smile, his hand now on Jon's shoulder. "You're a kind lad and a valiant swordsman. Don't let the world change that about you."

"Never" Jon smiled. "There was a time that I didn't feel like taking the sword," the boy said with a wistful smile. "I was very young then, a bard had come to Winterfell on the occasion of Sansa's second nameday. And when I looked at the bard, I thought maybe I could do that instead. I was just a bastard, whatever I did wouldn't bring any shame on the family. Not more than my existence did" he shook his head. It was a story of a time right after Jon had been given those memories. With all that he saw and the fate that awaited him, he didn't want to involve himself in any form of combat. He was afraid of it. Had it not been for Brynden, he would have remained a craven all his life. "But the sword came naturally to me and I grew quicker in the art than any of my peers at training."

Something passed in the old Knight's eyes and the grip on Jon's shoulder tightened. But before he could say much, the doors to the king's room opened and Ned walked out. His eyes were puffy and Jon knew that the king will never be heard from again. The Hand of The King instructed the Maester to give The King the milk of the poppy and motioned for Jon to follow and the boy separated from Ser Barristan. Even as the two walked away, Ser Barristan stood there and watched Jon's receding back.

The Hand's Chambers

"The King has written a letter and put his royal seal on it. He has named me regent until Joffrey comes of age" the man explained once they were in the comforts of his chambers.

"May I see it?" Jon asked. Ned nodded and held out the letter for Jon. The boy looked it over before crumpling it in his hand, much to the surprise of his uncle. "This is a piece of paper. You show this to Cersei she will throw it back in your face" Jon advised him kindly. "Have you told Cersei that you know her children are not Robert's?" Jon asked. Seeing the surprise in Ned's eyes the boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not blind, Lord Stark. I saw the book you carried and I looked at the princes closely when we trained. All Lannister, meaning their father too would have to be someone with similar features. And the only one that comes to mind…"

"I have not gone to her" Ned admitted and Jon was pleasantly surprised. "I wanted to, but there were risks and after this" he motioned to his leg, "I didn't want to take any chances."

"Wise decision" Jon nodded. "We're going to go meet The Queen and Joffrey when they summon us tomorrow. And when we do, they will ask you to bend the knee and accept Joffrey as your King. And you will."

"You would have me swear to a bastard born of incest?" Ned asked, completely shocked at what Jon was suggesting.

"I would have you swear to the one true King of The Seven Kingdoms" Jon insisted. It might have been the way Jon said it, the innuendo in his words, whatever it was, it had quelled Ned's outrage and he looked defeated in all sense of the word.

"How long have you known?" the man asked in barely a whisper.

"That the Queen was going to summon you? Last night I saw-"

"How long have you known about your mother" Ned interrupted him and Jon looked at him with no emotion on his face.

"That night when I ran away from home and Brynden found me. I had my first dream then. I saw a woman give birth in a tower in the desert and I saw you, younger and grieving while carrying a child. For me who has known you closely for so many years, it didn't take me long to figure it out."

"And you never came to me with that knowledge? Why?"

"I didn't believe in you for a good part of a year. You hid something life-changing from me, kept me in the dark and weren't planning to tell me anytime soon. I was hurt by that" he confessed. "But then it became unimportant. You took me in and raised me like one of your own when most would have handed me to Robert to meet his 'justice'. I was still a Stark by blood and you treated me as such. I didn't tell you because I was waiting for the day when you would tell me on your own accord" Jon explained.

Ned swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and shook his head. He had caused the boy more pain than he wanted to. He knew that eventually it would be known to him, he had hoped to tell him when he was older, at an age when he would understand. Knowing that he had hurt his nephew made him feel more guilty. The boy had suffered enough at the hand of his wife, he wanted to lessen that. To know he only added to it was a stab in the heart for the man.

There was a knock on the door that Jon answered to. It was Renly Baratheon and he looked a little out of breath. "Lord Stark, a moment. Alone if you will."

"You can tell me anything you wish in front of my son" Ned Stark spoke, stuttering slightly at the end but keeping his composure. "He will speak of this with no one, I swear it."

Renly still looked unconvinced, but when Jon swore to it, the man relaxed. "He named you Protector of the Realm."

"He did not" Ned answered and the surprise was clear on the man's face. Neither of them was stupid enough to understand what Renly meant.

"But he wanted to-"

"He wanted to speak alone with me to reminisce about the days long gone. He told me about his insecurities, about his failures as a king and as a father. He apologized to me for the call he made on Daenerys Targaryen and wanted me to call off the assassination if I could. Other than that he has told me nothing."

That was not the answer that Renly had been expecting, that much was clear from the look on his face. "I see" he mumbled before walking away. Jon closed the door behind him.

"Not even an hour goes by and the plotting begins" Ned spat viciously, falling to his chair and rubbing his forehead. "And this is what you want?"

"What I want is to better the kingdom and rid it of the leeches that have been sucking it dry. Will you help me in this, father?" Jon asked, his tone even and his eyes as hard as steel.

"You will always have my support" Ned Stark promised and Jon gave him a slight smile. "What do you plan?"

"First thing is to get out of here with our heads. And once we reach Winterfell, you will call on your banners and I will declare to them the truth of my origin. I will need the entirety of The North on my side for this."

"The North isn't easy to bring to your side" Ned argued. "Your grandfather was a man hated up there after what he had done to my father and my brother."

"Your father and brother are my grandfather and uncle as well. And I was raised by you" Jon smiled. "If not for my upbringing, the blood of the first men flow through me as they do them. I will stand before them as a wolf, not as something else."

Ned didn't look too sure but he said no more. There was another knock on the door and when Jon opened it, he found Brynden there, and with him Varys.

"You wanted to see me, my Lord Hand?" Varys asked, covering half his face with the sleeve of his tunic.

"I did actually" Jon answered instead, closing the door once the both of them had entered. "I would like to talk to you about bringing over a certain silver-haired girl we both know."