Prologue

Tower of Joy

280AC

Ned Stark was gleeful as he hurried up the spiral stairs of the tower. Finally, after fighting his way across the continent for the better part of a year, he had found his kidnapped sister.

The only thing that had bothered him so far was the fact that three of the Kingsguard had been guarding the tower. Had even laughed in his face saying they were exactly where they had been ordered to be. And of course they would say that, wouldn't they? They wouldn't want his sister, their precious hostage, to escape.

At least they'd died quickly. With no little help from Howland.

Unable to stop himself, Ned beamed as he thought of how excited Lyanna would be at her rescue. How ecstatic she would be at the thought of the crown that he and Robert had won for her. Isn't that what all women secretly wanted? For their betrothed to fight for them, to prove how devoted they were to them? Robert had done that in spades this past year. Ned couldn't have asked for a better future brother in law.

Ned's smile, however, fell at the sight that greeted him in his younger sister's chamber. What on earth had happened here? What had those damnable Kingsguard done to her before he'd arrived? The sheer amount of blood alone… How on earth was Lyanna still alive? In that moment Ned was glad that he'd already killed the fuckers. For if his beloved sister died because of them… He would never forgive them. They could burn in hell for all he cared.

"Ned," Lyanna's voice was weak and tremulous. If Ned had listened carefully he would have heard the obvious shock in his sister's voice. As it happened, he didn't. "Ned, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be—"

Ned ignored his sister's question. "Who did this to you, Ly? If it was one of those Kingsguard, I swear that I'll kill them all again. Come on, Lyanna Tell the true. It will be the only way to gain the vengeance that you deserve from King Robert."

"Robert… killed Rhaegar?" Lyanna whispered, tears starting to flow. "May the Old Gods and the New carry you to a fairer place. I fear that I'll be joining you in the next life all too soon."

Ned was getting rather impatient with his sister's reactions. Where was the joy and delight at finding out that her betrothed was now the King of Westeros? Where was the flattered surprise upon realising that she would be Queen? Ned rather thought that little girls dreamt of being princesses and queens. Why was his wild little sister instead choosing to mourn her kidnapper and rapist? And what did she mean by joining him in the next life? Ned felt that he didn't understand what was happening here. This wasn't going at all the way he had assumed it would. The way he had all but decided it would.

Once more took in the bloody chamber, noting for the first time his sister's apparent lack of injuries. His sister's voice pulled him out of his musings.

"Ned, you have to promise me," Lyanna whispered weakly. "Promise me."

"Promise you what?" Ned asked somewhat warily. Despite his love for his sister there was only so much he could promise her. Despite what others might think, the kidnap of his sister and the murder of his father and brother were not the only reasons for the rebellion. No, there had been more than enough excuses over the years to rebel against the Mad King.

The Targaryens had had to go. And now the Targaryens were gone, thanks to him and Robert. Three generations of the family dead, the survivors sent into exile…

"Promise me you'll look after my child after I'm gone," Lyanna whispered. "You have to promise me, Ned."

For the first time since entering the bloody chamber Ned really took in his sister, looking past the blood and gore. Blinking momentarily to reset his eyes, Ned was both shocked and horrified by the tiny babe, obviously newly born, that Lyanna clutched to her breast.

At once Ned was overcome with a surge of vicious anger directed at the dead prince. How dare the bastard defile his sister to the extent that she'd been forced to bring yet another spawn into the world? Had the dead demon no shame? Where was his sense of honour?

Ned snapped his eyes back to his sister's face, the words harder for her. He knew that his sister had already lost too much blood for her to be saved now. The cost of bringing yet another dragon spawn into the world had cost his sister dearly. Too dearly.

"His name is Aemon," his sister said, voice barely audible. "You have to look after him now. You and Benjen are all he has left. Promise me Ned, that you'll look after Aemon. Promise that you'll look after my little boy. Robert be damned, with both Aerys and Rhaegar dead, he's the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms now."

Ned averted his eyes at his sister's words. Despite his love for Lyanna, he did not think he could promise her this. Over the past year, they had all sacrificed too much to remove the Targaryens from the throne for him to put another one back on it. Gods be damned, a newborn babe couldn't rule Westeros! What on earth was his fool of a sister thinking. For the first time in his life Ned thought that Lyanna's wildness counted against her. She very clearly wasn't thinking about the implications of her child's paternity. Surely she knew that Robert now held the throne by right of conquest and could not allow any threat to his claim to exist? At least he now knew why the Kingsguard had been outside. Not to keep his sister in, but to protect the babe that they believed to be their king. And they had been more than willing to let his sister die. Where was the Maester his sister so desperately needed?

Ned's mind whirled as he tried to find a way out of making this promise. He couldn't risk his pseudo brother's place on the throne, not even for his nephew's own stronger claim. More than that, after what the common people had suffered, they wouldn't stand for it either. How could he thrust a life of shackles upon them once more, so soon after casting off the shackles of the Targaryens? They couldn't put a Targaryen on the throne, not after they'd just taken it from them!

A soft gasp sounded from behind him. Ned half turned to see Howland standing in the doorway behind him. Damn it to all hell. He'd forgotten about the little man. How long had he been there for? Had he been there for long enough to know of the promise Lyanna had so far been unable to extract from him?

To Ned's great surprise and anger, however, Howland wasn't even looking at him, but rather at Lyanna. With a sudden start, Ned realised that the silence had lasted far, far too long. His heart sinking, Ned ever so slowly turned to face his sister once more.

And in that moment Ned saw the truth he had feared almost from the second he had discovered his sister had just had a child. Giving birth to another dragon spawn had killed her.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Ned leant forward to pluck the babe from his sister's bloody corpse. Why couldn't the babe have died so his sister could have lived?

Ned glared sternly at the babe as he spoke, his words meant for Howland as well. "You must forget everything your mother told you. From this moment you are no longer Aemon Targaryen. You are now no more than my bastard…"

As Ned ever so slowly exited the Tower, the babe began to wail.