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Eddard Stark awoke with a start, the last thing he remembered was the feeling of the cold blade as it made contact with his neck, and then nothing. Looking around he saw he appeared to be in the Gods Wood in Winterfell, but there was something more ethereal about it. He wondered if he had made it to the heavens his heard his wife speak so much about. If so, he feared what Lyanna would have to say about his treatment of her son.
Movement to his left caught his eye, and he saw a young man sitting against the heart tree. His head bent over a sword as he cleaned the blade. When he looked up, his eyes met a set of eyes that were so purple they were easily mistaken as gray.
"Jon?" He could hardly believe this man before him was the same boy he parted with on his way south. It broke his heart when he realized that if he saw him here, it meant the man had died young, and not lived to the ripe old age he had intended for him.
"Father" The young man stood, and it about broke Ned to see the aged look in his son's eyes. This was not a man who had led an easy life, or a happy one for that matter.
"I'm so sorry Jon." He spoke as he pulled the young man into I tight embrace. "I should have told you..." The guilt of his sister's son calling him father after he had failed him so, it was almost more than he would bear.
"I know, I know everything," and he could see it in his eyes that his son spoke the truth. "I may have been the of Rhaegar's love for my mother, but you are the man who raised me. You are the father I choose, just as I was the son you chose."
The next time he awoke, it was to the cries of a babe. "I'm sorry she woke you husband." Cat said as she cradled the tiny babe to her chest.
He could feel the superficial wounds he'd earned in the Greyjoy Rebellion pulling as he moved, and remembered Jon telling he would have the Father return him to this time.
Jon had given him instructions, things he would need to do to prepare the North for the long winter that was to come. He had promised him someone to help him, but he would not see this person for a year or so, as this person had preparations to make on their end.
He had asked Jon if he would be sent back as well, and Jon said he would, but not till his past self was older. He spoke of how difficult it would be to return as an adult trapped in a child's body. He also said, that those who would be children during this time would be returned to the past when their bodies are older. He would be relying on those who were adults now to play their parts and be ready for the rest of them.
"Never apologize for waking me." He smiled at his beloved wife, "Especially not when it comes to the children. Their time with us is so short as it is, they grow so quickly, and will soon be out of our care and in holdfasts of their own. We must enjoy every minute with them we can." He spoke taking his little Arya in his arms.
He wished he could tell Cat all he knew, but he knew she wouldn't believe him. He also needed time to brace himself for the months to come. He would be making a lot of changes, most of them ones Jon had told him would be imperative for their survival, but would also be despised by his people.
However, it was the decision he had made himself that was going to cause him the most grief, and from his Lady Wife. Clearing his throat he spoke, "In the morning I am going to order Jon's chambers to be moved next to Robb's."
He didn't have to look at her to know she was angry, the way she practically snatched Arya out of his arms spoke loud enough for him. "The boy is of my blood Cat, he is a part of this pack and, if treated right, could grow up to be one of our children's biggest supporters." She had always been so scared of Jon steeling her son's birthright, but it was Robb who stole Jon's, and Jon who had to win back Robb.
"You would shame me further by treating that boy as well as you would your own children?" The venom in her voice surprised him. Had Jon lived his whole life with that amount of hate from his father's wife.
"That boy, as you say, is my son, and I believe it is long past time he stopped being punished for a sin that was not his own." His fury matched hers, and he could see she was shocked by it. "His only crime is being born to the wrong woman, and he had no choice in the matter. If anyone is to blame it is the parents who did the deed with no thought as to how it would affect everyone they loved."
"Then why not leave his with his mother then?" Cat asked, the accusations clear in her voice, and he wondered how long she had lived wondering if Jon's mother was more loved and able to return to him. If he would force her aside to be with this phantom woman.
"Jon's mother took her last breath shortly after I found them." He said sadly, and he saw her face fall. "I knew he was better off with one parent, with me, than with none at all, so I made the decision to bring him home with me."
"Ned...I..."
"I did love his mother, but it is nothing like how I love you. I would have died for her, but if something happened to you or any of my children I would burn all seven of the kingdoms to the ground to avenge you, and then follow you myself." The tears in her eyes told him she heard and felt every word he said.
He had waited until Cat had fallen asleep before he slid from the bed. Quietly, he stole down to the crypts, stopping at the base of Lyanna's. Saying a silent prayer, he knelt down to dig, unearthing a chest that had been buried their many years ago. Opening the chest, he felt nothing but dread in the pit of his stomach as he looked at the contents.
He wondered how things would have gone in his past life if he had given the items to Jon as his sister had intended him to. He cursed himself, saying he had only sought to keep the boy safe, but now wondered if it was more out of love for a man he saw as a brother, but in reality no longer existed.
"Last year's harvest records like you requested." Luwin spoke as he handed over the scroll. It had been a few months since he had returned, and those months had been full of preparations, and putting his plans in order.
"How are preparations for the Northern tour going?" He asked as he looked them over.
"Right on schedule my lord, and the children are ever so excited if I do say so myself." The maester said with an indulgent smile.
"As is their mother." Cat spoke from the doorway, "I have been sent to retrieve you. The boys are becoming restless, and I don't think we have much longer before they make a run for it.
He had made the decision that the boys should be taught politics at a younger age this time, hoping that they would be better prepared for the future than they were last time. He had even gone so far as to bring in someone to teach them, and he and Cat sat in on them as well. They had both found they had a lot to learn, he was actually a bit embarrassed to find out how little he truly knew or politics. However he had also found them a brilliant teacher, so knew they would get there.
"Well then, we mustn't keep them waiting." He said with a grin as he stood. The two made their way to the room where the lessons were held, and were not surprised to hear the children's laughter. "I apologize for our lateness Lord Tyrion."
"Not at all my Lord, we were just reviewing what we learned last time." The dwarf said with a grin, and the boys excitedly nodded along. It had been Jon who had suggested that he bring the man north to teach them politics, stating he was one of the brightest minds of the time. He hadn't interacted with Lord Tyrion much in the past, but he remembered him as being an intelligent man. He hadn't been disappointed, and he and Luwin had a wager going on how long it would take the man to devour every book in the library. Even at just over 16 the young man was one of the most brilliant men he had met in both life times. What's more, is he was truly a kind and honorable man, something he would never have expected from the son of Tywin Lannister.
It was good to see the man's demeanor so light and welcoming. The young man had been carrying a great deal of sadness when he came north, and while he never spoke of the cause, both he and Cat knew it weighed heavily on him. At times it seemed only the children could bring him out of his doldrums, and it was clear he adored both Robb and Jon.
"Lady Stark, I saved you a seat next to me." Jon spoke shyly, and Catelyn gave him a smile as she slid into the seat next to his. Knowing that his mother was no longer alive had softened her to the boy, and Jon soaked up all that motherly attention. She still struggled from time to time, he could see the moments she wanted to snap at the boy, but she would take a calming breath and try her best to be patient. Slowly, the struggles were becoming less and less. This gave him hope that his pack would be a completely united force when winter came.