Eddard II

"If you want me to tell you the truth, Lord Arryn did not seem the same in recent times" Grand Maester Pycelle said. "For years we were sitting together on the council and at the time I attributed it to the huge workload on his shoulders. All the responsibilities of the kingdom fell upon him, and not only that. His son is very sick, and his wife was always worried about the poor child. I'm sure that was enough to tire anyone, or so I thought back then. Now I'm not so sure."

"What can you tell me about the disease that killed him?" asked Ned.

"One day he came to ask me for a certain book. He was as healthy as ever, but he seemed very worried. From what I know, he came here after talking to Lord Stannis and his wife. The next day he writhed in pain. Maester Colemon tried to treat him, but Lord Arryn kept getting worse and worse, so I went to treat him myself. Unfortunately, all my knowledge did not help to save him."

"I know you expelled Maester Colemon."

"Yes, he is a good man and very wise, but young, and often young people do not understand the fragility of an old body. I feared that his treatment would've killed Jon Arryn."

"Did Jon Arryn say anything in his last hours?"

"In his delirium, he repeated Robert's name several times, but I don't know if he meant the king or his son" Pycelle said with a frown. "He also whispered something to his wife, the seed is strong, I believe were his words. It must have been some kind of blessing to his son."

"Did you notice anything unnatural in his death?"

"Unnatural?" The elder maester's voice was a whisper that Ned could hardly hear.

"His wife Lysa thinks it may have been due to the poison. And she doesn't seem to be the only one who thinks that way."

"Forgive my rudeness, my lord, but tragedies can wreak havoc even in the strongest minds. And Lady Arryn's never has been one. Since she came to the capital, she's always seen enemies everywhere. Who else thinks Lord Arryn was poisoned?"

"Lady Tyene seems to believe the same as Lady Lysa, " replied Ned.

"Ah, you mean Tyene Sand." Pycelle cleared his throat as he stroked his thick beard. "Being the daughter of a murderer does not make her an expert in medicine, my lord, let alone with her youth. A maester knows the most common poisons and I can assure you that Lord Arryn's symptoms did not correspond to any of them. Besides, what kind of monster would dare to murder such a noble person?"

"I understand that poison is a woman's weapon."

"Yes..." considered Pycelle. "Of women, of cowards and of snakes." He cleared his throat again and spat out the window. "Do not trust the Martells, my lord. They have always been the most loyal servants of the Targaryens, and I am concerned that their tricks may have corrupted the honorable Lord Stannis. Since he married Princess Arianne, he's never been the same again. Now, every time he opens his mouth, I get the feeling that it's his wife who speaks through it."

"I will take into account your counsel, maester" It wasn't like he needed to be told about it. Stannis still appeared to him the same as always, but there was something about Arianne Martell that made him distrust her. Nevertheless, he had agreed that one of her cousins would train Arya, although perhaps he should rethink it. "I thank you for your help. If you could lend me the book Jon Arryn asked of you, you'd do me a great favor" Ned said as he got up.

"I don't think you'll be too interested in it" Pycelle said. "It's a very tedious book about the lineage of the great houses of Westeros."

"I'd like to see it, anyway."

"As you wish" said the old man as he got up laboriously and walked him to the door. "As soon as I find it, I'll have it sent to your rooms."

"You've been very kind to me" said Ned.

"Come to me whenever you need it, Lord Stark. I am here to serve the kingdom, after all."

He was going back to his rooms when he met his daughter Arya in the courtyard at the back of the Tower of the Hand. The girl was running around the enclosure and the bare stone had filled her bare feet with chafing. Next to her ran Obara Sand, who encouraged her and gave her water when she saw the girl start to gasp. Ned stared at them until they noticed their presence.

"Father" greeted his daughter.

"Lord Stark" said the imposing woman.

"What were you doing?" asked Ned without being able to contain a smile.

"Obara says that Dornish soldiers can run for hours through the desert under the scorching sun without drinking a drop of water" his daughter replied with a smile from ear to ear.

"And is it imperative that you do it barefoot? You're going to hurt yourself."

"It's to harden them" replied Arya as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, I don't have shoes to train, if I put on my shoes, I'd tear the soles apart. Father, is Bran coming south to live with us?"

"He won't come until he regains his strength, and it may not be for a long time."

The night the raven from Winterfell arrived, Ned took his daughters to the godswood of the castle. They knelt before a great oak tree as if it were a weirwood and thanked the Old Gods.

"He wanted to be a knight of the Kingsuard" Arya told him. "Can he still be one?"

"No" replied Obara for him. "Almost better so, seeing how low the white knights have fallen recently."

"She's right" Ned added. There was no point in lying to her. "But someday he may become lord of a great castle, and he may even sit in the Small Council. He could even become High Septon if he decides to accept the faith of the Seven."

But he'll never be able to run or climb again, he thought sadly. Or feel the happiness of seeing his child born.

"Can I also have a great castle, or be a counselor of the king? Or I could even be a member of the Kingsguard, instead of Bran. It's not the same, but I know you'd be proud of me" Arya said quietly.

Ned leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"You will marry a great lord, rule in his castle, and your children may become Knights of the Kingsguard."

"No, that is for Sansa" she said with a grimace. "Obara has told me that in Dorne women can also rule castles, and even be soldiers. Can I go with her to Dorne when she goes back?"

"I don't think your mother will like it; you know how sad she is to be away from you, and I don't want to send you further away from her."

His daughter looked at him angrily and started running again.

"Prince Stannis was looking for you, Lord Stark. He came here looking for you a few hours ago, but since you weren't here, he told me to let you know if I saw you" Obara Sand said. "He told me he'd be in his quarters, if you need me to point the way for you..."

"You don't have to" said Ned. "I know the way."

At the time, all Ned wanted to do was take a bath and get some rest until it was time for dinner, but he still went back from where he had come from and headed to Stannis Baratheon's rooms. Several Dornish guards greeted him when he arrived at the rooms of the king's brother's household. A young squire, who would not be many years older than Bran, asked Ned to follow him. The boy was thin, square-faced, brown eyed and his brown hair was thin and fussy. He did not look like a dornishman, which he confirmed when he saw that he was not wearing the Martell badge like the rest of the guards, but the Crowned Stag of the Baratheons. In addition, a strange black boat was also embroidered, but Ned was unable to identify the house to which the strange sigil belonged to.

"My lord, the Hand of the King has come" the young man introduced him when they arrived in Stannis' room. The stay was warm, and the only one present was Stannis Baratheon. Ned sighed relieved. At least I don't have to deal with Princess Arianne or Lady Tyene. Stannis was sitting reading several letters he had piled up on the side of the table.

"I can see that" said Stannis, raising his sight. "You can retire Devan." The boy, who apparently was called Devan, bowed and leaved closing the door behind him.

"I can offer you wine. Or water with lemon if you prefer, Lord Hand."

"No thanks" replied Ned as he sat down. "Why did you want to see me?"

"I'll go straight to the point. I hear you've been asking questions about Jon Arryn's death."

"Yes" Ned replied, guarding his words. "He was my mentor when I was young, so his death has shocked me remarkably. I'd just like to know how he spent his last hours in this world."

"I've been serving on the Small Council for over a decade, Lord Stark. I know when someone lies to me" replied an irritated Stannis.

This man doesn't mess around with games, Ned thought, but can I trust him?

"From what I've been told, Jon Arryn was in good health, even for his age. I suspect his death may not have been due to natural causes. I was investigating if my suspicions were based."

"Jon Arryn was poisoned, Lord Stark. You can be sure of that" Stannis said.

"The Grand Maester seemed to have the opposite opinion, my lord."

"Tyene Sand told me and my wife that it was poison the very moment that he fell ill. And I trust her much more in this matter than Pycelle."

Every time he opens his mouth, it is his wife who speaks through him, Pycelle had told him, and Littlefinger warned him of the same thing days before.

"The poison that killed him is called the Tears of Lys. You can look for its symptoms if you don't trust me, Lord Stark. You will see that they match those suffered by Lord Arryn" Stannis continued as if he was reading his thoughts.

"If you're so sure of it. Why didn't you tell Robert? Why keep it a secret?"

"And what evidence would I present, Lord Stark? I doubt Tyene's word would have more value than that of the Grand Maester."

"Lady Arryn thinks the same as you. That he was poisoned by the Lannisters. If you both tell Robert, maybe..."

"It's still my word and that of a madwoman against that of the queen, the Kingslayer and all the power of Casterly Rock. Robert has given Jaime Lannister the title of Warden of the East and took Dragonstone from me to give to Ser Stafford, a distant uncle of Cersei, until Joffrey is old enough. Honestly, who do you think he will listen to in this matter?"

"Who poisoned him?" Ned had to know everything. If the Lannisters killed Jon Arryn and then tried to kill Bran in Winterfell, his family was in grave danger.

"I don't know for sure, though I believe the same as Lysa Arryn. No one else could want him death but them" replied Stannis coldly.

"But... Jon was Hand of the King for fourteen years. Why kill him now?" His heart was beating at full speed. For an instant, all Eddard Stark wanted was to return to Winterfell with his daughters and forget about conspiracies and murders. But the Lannisters had tried to kill his son and he had to stop them before it was too late.

Stannis rubbed his temples, as if whatever he was going to tell him was the kingdom's best-kept secret.

"Neither Joffrey, nor Tommen nor Myrcella are my brother's children. They're all Cersei's bastards" Stannis said impassively.

Ned was puzzled at the revelation. It was true that none of them looked much like Robert, and they all seemed to have inherited their mother's traits, but Ned still found it crazy.

"It is true that they do not look much like Robert. But some children just look like one of the parents. You have seen my daughter Sansa. She looks nothing like me" Ned replied incredulously. "How are you so sure they're not your brother's children?"

"Jon Arryn and I have been seeing my brother's bastards, he's got several all over the kingdom, mostly in the capital. They all had my brother's black hair, no matter who the mother was."

"Was Jon Arryn investigating the matter with you? Is that why they killed him?"

"The day before he was murdered, he informed me that he had the evidence we needed in a book. Lineages and stories of the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms, I recall that he told me its name was, but I never got to see it. We were going to tell Robert everything, but they poisoned him before we could do it."

"If what you say is true, then you are Robert's heir" said Ned dryly.

"Yes, but I don't care about that. I don't want the throne; I've never wanted it. And Robert is still young enough to marry again and father legitimate children."

"Why do you tell me and not your brother Renly or some other council member?"

"Because I don't trust them. Pycelle has been serving the Lannisters faithfully for decades. And in Littlefinger and Varys I don't trust even the slightest bit. As for Renly... He's been thinking about marrying Robert to a Tyrell for months. And believe me, I'm not taking the kingdom away from Tywin Lannister to give it to Mace Tyrell. No, I hate to admit this, but you're the only person I can trust in the council, Lord Stark."