Ned
"I wanted him alive, Robert, alive! The fucker knew where Lyanna is? Did you think that? Did you ask him? Are you addled?"
"Enough, Ned. Mind your tongue. The only thing that came to my mind when I saw the dragonspawn was Lyanna, and I went into a rage that could be quenched only by his blood."
"Do not lie, Robert. My men saw the whole fight; you could have taken him alive; could have broken the arsehole's arm or leg, if you wanted. Instead, you broke his chest. If you were not injured, I would drown you in the Trident myself right now. You were not thinking about Lyanna; if you were, you would have left him alive. How do we find her with him dead, how? Do you have any answer for me, you fucking meathead?"
"If I were not injured, Ned, I would take your tongue for speaking like that. Stop speaking now or I will forget that you are my friend and you will come to regret it for the rest of your life.
"Are you though, Robert? Are you my friend? How many times did I repeat that I wanted him alive? You have always been selfish, Robert. You have always done what you want, not thinking about anyone else. How many friends do you have, hmm? Do you see any here? I will tell you, you have none left but me, and you do not even care about that, do you?"
"You fucking ingrate. I do not care, you say; I am selfish, you say. Who took up arms against the Mad King for you and Lyanna? Who killed the dragonspawn? Was it selfishness then? I could have sat my ass down at Storm's End, kept out of the war, like the Old Lion, not lifted a finger for you. What would you have done then? I won the war for you and Lyanna. And you have the nerve to say I am selfish?"
"You have got some nerve, Robert. Did you forget that the Mad King called for your head too? Do you think he would have let you keep it at Storm's End? As for the war, you would be dead if our armies did not save your ass at the Stoney Sept, where you were busy with your whores. And who led the armies while your injured ass sat on the horse or slept in the tent? Did you think you did the whole thing? And killing Rhaegar does not make you a winner, it just makes you stupid."
"That's it, Ned. You and I, let us settle this once and for all."
He was about to retort when Jon Arryn burst into the tent. Without the intervention, he was sure that Robert and he would have come to blows there and then. Jon had known both of them for many years though, and he had brought them to a tentative truce for now. And he understood the reasons; the war was not over yet, King's Landing and the Mad King still looming large, and they would need every man for a siege. That did not mean the issue of the Madder Prince's death was resolved, but until the war was over, both of them would keep the peace.
He was about to walk away from the tent when he heard Robert speak.
"Is this is the way he will speak to me, Jon, where anyone and everyone can hear us. I told you we should have told him, then he would know when to keep his mouth shut."
"Calm down Robert, he does not know the game, and did you think he was in his right mind after the death of his brother and father? Besides, it was for Rickard to decide whether to tell him or not, and it is clear that he did not."
With every word he heard, the fervor he had felt during the battle rose again. His father, Jon, and Robert, the three people he had trusted the most and followed with all his heart, had kept something important from him, something they had had discussions about or were privy to. And what game were they talking about in the middle of a war? He entered the tent again then for he could not keep quiet any longer.
"What the hell are you two on about? What game are you talking about? And what are you keeping from me?"
He could see the silent conversation going on between Robert and Jon before Jon gave a sigh and instructed the guards to set up at shouting distance, no one was allowed.
"Robert will be the king after the war, Ned."
He was stunned then and speechless, for what was he to say? Seeing him rendered mute, Jon continued.
"What did you think was going to happen once the war was over?"
That he could answer easily. "I would kill the Mad King for justice and take Lya home."
Robert and Jon spoke at the same time.
"And who would be the king after the Mad King?"
"Lya would be my queen."
He ignored Robert in favor of answering Jon's question, for he knew any response would bring them closer to blows again. "I have not thought about it, mayhaps the Madder Prince's son or Viserys."
"All my spies suggest that Viserys is not of the right mind, and Aegon is just a babe, not fit to rule, certainly not with a Dornish or a Targaryen regent."
"What about a regency council?"
"The last one did not end well, and the Targaryen rule is at an end, don't you think? Their end has been coming for some time now. It is time for a new dynasty."
He decided to change tack then. "I see that your mind is made up. Did my father know about this? Is this what you meant by the Game?"
"Ned," Jon sighed again before continuing, "Every Lord seeks to increase his house's power and influence. For lack of a better term, we call it the Game, the Game of Thrones. As for your father, of course, he knew, why do you think your sister was betrothed to Robert; because you are good friends with him?" he said with a scoff. "Keep it to yourself for now. We will make a formal announcement when the time is right."
"And what about the Madder Prince's children and Viserys? They are innocent in this."
This time it was Robert who spoke.
"Dragonspawn, Ned. Tis better they die."
Jon picked up the conversation before he could open his mouth.
"It is the best way, Ned. Do not forget that your ancestors did the same thing to other kings in the North."
"Children should not pay for the sins of their father."
"And what about the rewards, should the children not reap the rewards of their father's virtues? You have certainly enjoyed them."
"What are you talking about, Jon?"
"You know nothing, Eddard Stark. Lord of Winterfell and all associated lands; commander of the armies; an alliance with the Vale, the Stormlands, and the Riverlands; do you think it is because of your deeds? It is because of your father's deeds and virtues, and it is because your name is a Stark, because of your ancestors' deeds and virtues. Children do both, you fool. They reap the rewards of their father's virtues and they pay for their father's sins. This is the way of the world, it has always been and it will always be. Now, get out of my sight. We will talk later; when you have calmed down."
And he could not say anything after that, for it was the truth. "As usual, you have thought about everything, Jon. I will keep this to myself for now."
He walked out then, and he did not linger this time, afraid to hear anything more. Is that what his father had been doing? If his father was playing some kind of political game, he could begin to understand the strangeness of the Stark-Tully betrothal agreement. And Robert's betrothal to Lya, he had naively thought that that was his doing, was his father always aiming for that? How long had they been planning this; father and Jon? Was it just them? Lord Tully certainly seemed involved, but did he know everything or only parts? And what about Robert's father or was it just Robert? How long had Robert known about this? Certainly from before the war started, which meant his talk about taking up arms for Lya and sitting his ass at Storm's End had been just that; he remembered what his father used to say then, 'words are wind.' Robert had lied to his face. He thought of something else then; if Robert had lied, was Jon telling the truth? His first utterance had been when he had been outside the tent, so that would be the truth, but what about everything else, how much was the truth, and how much a lie? The revelations and mysteries and the questions they brought were making his head hurt. The war had taught him a few things though; working on things in your control and keeping aside thoughts about things you had no control over were two of them. He would keep these mysteries aside for after the war.
For now, he would turn his attention to finding Lya. First Jon Connington, then the Madder Prince; two chances to learn about Lyanna's location, both chances destroyed. The second one destroyed by a man he thought his brother; a man who professed Lya was as important to him as she was to Eddard Stark; a man who had lied to his face. Seeing his thoughts turn to things he could not control again, he forced his mind to concentrate on Lya. Who else would know where the Madder Prince had hidden her? He would need to consult Howland about Harrenhal. He was trying to recall who else had he seen with the Madder Prince when he saw Howland signaling him. Howland spoke up as they started walking towards his tent.
"Ned, you stormed off to give Robert a piece of your mind before giving me a chance to explain."
"What do you mean, Howland?"
"Prince Rhaegar is dead, but we have got the next best thing."
"Show me."
The next best thing turned out to be a sleeping or unconscious, grey-haired, injured man struggling to breathe. It was only when he got closer that a sharp memory from the accursed tourney came to him.
"Ser Barristan Selmy," the words escaped involuntarily from his mouth.
"Yes, I suspect we, the Rovers, captured him only because he was halfway to death."
"The Rovers?"
"Sorry, Ned. The men you gave me; they have taken to calling us the Rovers. They are over the moon that we could capture The Bold. By the time the war is over, I can assure you that the stories will say The Bold was standing uninjured on the corpses of 100 men when The Brave Rovers captured him with a heroic charge."
They had a good laugh at that.
"Is he unconscious because of the injuries?"
"Partly, yes. We gave him some milk of the poppy; kept fighting us even after getting captured."
"When will he wake up?"
"Mayhaps in the morning; I had one of the healers with me take a look and take care of his wounds. If he wakes up in the morning, he will survive. Otherwise, it is up to the Old Gods or perhaps the New Gods."
"How many people know?"
"A lot, Ned. Many people saw his capture; and as I said earlier, the Rovers are already spreading the stories."
He sighed at that before continuing, "Let us tie him down. I do not want to risk him waking up and trying to escape. The men who captured him, The Rovers, have them surround the tent, take watches. No one comes in or goes out without my permission."
"I will see it done. See you tomorrow, Ned."
The Next Morning
He knew before starting that there were three possibilities; Ser Barristan would lie, would not have the information, or would have it and refuse to tell. Given the reputation for honor Ser Barristan had, he was unsure if he would lie, but given his struggles with his honor-bound mind and the recent insights, he was not willing to take that chance.
How to ascertain if he was telling the truth or lying though? He had, of course, observed some interrogations done by Jon. Most of them had been done on smallfolk who were afraid of lying to Jon. A few had been done on some of Jon's errant vassals, but Jon seemed to already know the truth behind the situation, making it easier to catch the lie; and wasn't that a revelation, spies of course. There were a few cases where torture was required, but it was a time-consuming procedure, especially if the prisoner was a warrior. And that was the issue here; he did not know how much time he had to get the information from Ser Barristan, and if he did get some information, he did not want that to reach other ears.
That had led him to the discussion he was having with Howland this morning.
"So, do you have any experience?"
"We do not exactly torture anyone if that is what you are asking."
"But you do capture criminals, so how do you get information out of them? And what do you mean by exactly?"
"The Neck is one of the most magical places in our world, Ned. We have many wonders. You should visit sometime." He nodded and gestured for Howland to continue. "Some mushrooms grow in our forests. We call them happy mushrooms. We cook them and force the prisoner to swallow. It takes 1 to 2 hours, then the prisoners usually start to sing or dance or laugh. Then, we give them a pinch of the Sweetsleep, enough to make them pliant. Once they are pliant, then we ask the questions. That usually works. But, there are some issues."
"Go on."
"Do you want him to live?"
He thought about that a little bit. The Ned before the war would never condone death during torture. But he could not afford such fallacies. "If it is possible. Finding Lya is more important for me than Ser Barristan living. If he dies, so be it. Why do you ask?"
"Hmm, if the man is injured, it is possible that the combination of mushrooms and Sweetsleep may kill him. We have seen it happen."
"Acceptable, unless they kill him before I ask the questions."
"Death takes some time to come, does not happen immediately."
"Good enough. Once I have asked the questions, if he is going to die, I will do it the old way. What else?"
Howland nodded at that and continued, "You have to ask the right questions. If you ask questions with many answers, then the answer can be anything, even confusing for us. It is better to ask questions with only one answer, preferably short answers. Start with questions you know the answer to and see how he reacts. If he reacts differently to different questions, that would give you an idea if the mushrooms are working or not. If they are working, he should answer every question without much emotion or any emotion or one single emotion, most of the time happy. One other thing, you keep calling Prince Rhaegar, 'the Madder Prince'.
"What of it?" he said, losing his temper again, only for Howland to continue calmly.
"In that state, Ser Barristan will not know what you are talking about, so he will not be able to answer. You have to use terms and names that he would easily understand."
"Hmm, thank you, Howland, I wouldn't have realized that."
"Also, there is a small chance that he has come across other similar mushrooms or potions in the past; in that case, he may be able to resist answering your questions, either partially or completely."
"Very well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's see if this works first."
A few hours later, he and Howland found themselves looking at Barristan Selmy singing 'The Dornishman's Wife' at the top of his voice; a sight they would remember for the rest of their lives.
He had already thought of the information he wanted from Ser Barristan, and he had thought of some of the questions he wanted to ask. Once Ser Barristan had calmed down after a pinch of Sweetsleep with honey, the interrogation began.
"What is your name?"
"Ser Barristan Selmy."
"Who won the jousting at Harrenhal?"
"Prince Rhaegar."
"Where did Prince Rhaegar take Lyanna Stark?"
"I do not know."
He clenched his jaw at that but knew that he had to continue.
"How did Prince Rhaegar come to King's Landing?"
"By horse, I think." Howland burst out laughing then, and he could not stop himself from cracking a smile either. "Of course," he muttered, "How else?" He wondered if Ser Barristan had even known that the Madder Prince had visited King's Landing. He would need to think a bit more before asking about the Madder Prince.
"Where is Ser Gerold Hightower?"
"I do not know."
"Where is Ser Arthur Dayne?"
"I do not know."
"Where is Ser Oswell Whent?
"I do not know."
"Who does Prince Rhaegar trust the most?"
"Ser Arthur."
"How many troops are still there in King's Landing?"
And the interrogation went on like that for quite a while.
He had gotten a lot of information from Ser Barristan. The troop numbers in King's Landing; the commanders in charge of the gates; the ships in the Royal Navy, the cavalry numbers, and the number of foot soldiers; the weaknesses of the gates, which one was easier to target; which commander of the gates was craven; and many more things.
But Ser Barristan did not have information about Lya's location. There was enough to take a guess though. According to Ser Barristan, Arthur Dayne was the man the Madder Prince trusted the most and Summerhall was his favorite place to visit. Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent were seen in the Riverlands around the time Lya was abducted; they did not join the Battle of the Crossing. Who would the Madder Prince trust to keep Lya prisoner? Arthur Dayne, of course. Where would they take her; either the place the Madder Prince liked the best or the place Ser Arthur knew the best or somewhere close by, a secret place closer to these places but unknown to most people, mayhaps a place not on the map, known only by the Madder Prince or only by the Daynes.
He looked at the map again. It was an instinct, nothing else, but he felt that he would get more information about Lya either in or near Summerhall or Starfall. For reaching Starfall, he had two options, Maidenpool or Seagard, but he dismissed Maidenpool immediately. Lord Tully and Ser Brynden had broken Maidenpool's resistance, but that meant the chance of finding a ship would be minimal. Also, Ser Barristan had told him about the Royal ships, which meant going that way would not be advisable. That left Seagard. The Iron Islands had been silent during the war, much like the Lion, which meant that ships were getting in and out of Seagard unmolested, at least for now. Most of the Redwyne fleet was at Storm's End, so they would let a merchant ship go by as well. He would need to discuss with Jon, Ser Brynden, and Robert about an alliance with Greyjoys, but, a ship from Seagard could be an option. The problem was Starfall; they would likely check each-and-every ship thoroughly with the ongoing war, which meant sending enough men would be a problem. If his assumption was correct and Arthur Dayne was keeping Lya prisoner, then not sending enough men would be foolish.
That left Summerhall, which meant they would have to deal with King's Landing first; or did it? The Royal army lay broken. To Ser Barristan's knowledge, no other army was being gathered. The way to Summerhall would not be as dangerous in that case, especially if the group was small and smart about the travel. But how small could the group be? Worst case, Whent, Dayne, and Hightower were together. Given their reputation, and based on how Ser Barristan had fought during the battle, at least 15 men, if not more, would be required. And if they had more men with them, then even more men would be required. However, if his group had more than 15 men, it would no longer be a small group; hells, even 15 men meant a large group.
And that was just the beginning of the problems. He couldn't leave the army now, meaning he would have to go to King's Landing. Whoever he sent to find Lya would need to communicate their location to him. A sudden thought had him looking at the map again. Not a group of 15, a group of 20 men; one man coming back to King's Landing for every destination they reached; one man once the group was out of the Kingswood, one man once they reached Summerhall and got any news about Lya, and then he would leave it up to the leader of the group.
The route would be another issue. If Lya was not in Summerhall, one way to Starfall was to avoid the desert altogether, through the Reach, a very long way, and not ideal at all since the Reach was the enemy. The other way was through Vulture's Roost. The castle was supposedly in ruins, which meant the chance of encountering enemy forces was low, at least until they reached near Skyreach. Another way was entering the desert from Nightsong, although the group would have to go through Kingsgrave, again not ideal since the Manwoody's were staunch bannermen of the Martells. Entering the desert without proper knowledge of water resources or enough water would anyway be a death sentence. It would be another decision that he would have to leave to the group leader. He thought about getting a letter from Robert for Blackhaven and Nightsong but decided against it almost immediately. He was pissed off at Robert, and most importantly, his trust in Robert had reduced drastically. He was already going to be trusting too many people with the task; it was better not to increase that number.
Which left the question of whom to sent. This required subtlety, the ability to make decisions without overthinking, the ability to keep secrets, and the ability to be level-headed in tough situations. Four names came to his mind; Howland Reed, Gregor Forrester, Wyman Manderly, and Roose Bolton. He discarded Roose Bolton immediately. Roose Bolton was extremely effective, and he had all the qualities required for the task. The problem, of course, was that of trust. A couple of thousand years of mistrust tended to seep through the generations, and he was no different. The Red Kings may have bowed, but the Starks had never been able to uproot them as they had other kings, and the Boltons had never forgotten that they were kings once. Leaving Lya, for any amount of time, in Lord Bolton's control was not acceptable to him.
He thought for a long while on Wyman Manderly. The man had watched him like a hawk, seemingly assessing every move he was making. But that was true for many of the lords. And once he had observed it, he had returned the favor. While the lord had remained aloof at first, content to observe, he had begun to interact more as the war went on. He gave good advice, was level-headed and deliberate, and was unafraid to make decisions. There were two problems. One was that of speed. In all their interactions so far, Lord Wyman had been slow, almost southern in his habits. He took too long to think about things, almost testing his patience many times. He was the last man out of his tent; he was the last man out of a meal; he was the last man to pick up a weapon. He was thorough but slow. If he was the leader, his speed would be a great issue. The other problem was the game Jon had mentioned. His father had seemingly been looking to increase their influence in King's Landing. With Lord Wyman's nature and way of doing things, he was thinking of a different role for him. If things went well, he wanted Lord Wyman with him when they took King's Landing.
Gregor Forrester reminded him of Brandon sometimes; the ease with which the man interacted with both soldiers and lords was similar to Brandon. Despite the death of his father in the war, he had done well. He had taken his men in hand immediately, and it was clear that the Forrester men respected him. He was a good swordsman but was even better with a battle-ax in his hands. He was quick to help any man in trouble, was well-liked, and best of all, knew when to keep his mouth shut.
That left Howland. Howland had been his principal advisor in the war. He was quiet, was so good at fading in the background that many a time people had no idea that he was in the room. He was extremely observant, was able to change plans based on situations, and the man he trusted the most. The only problem was that he was not a fighter. Faced with three fresh Kingsguard, mayhaps the best warriors in the seven kingdoms, what would be his approach? Would he keep waiting for a moment that may never come?
Ultimately, he decided on both Gregor Forrester and Howland. A group of 20 men, Howland would lead until they located Lya, and then it would be Gregor's task to deal with the Kingsguard. They would peel off the army just before their army reached King's Landing, preferably at night, ensuring most of the army remained unaware. He would lead the Forrester men himself, mixing them with Stark men, and hope that no one noticed until it was too late. He would need to talk with Gregor to make the transition easier.
He was ready to finalize his plans when another thought came to him, 15 or 20 men could not go to Starfall and be undetected but mayhap two could or one. One or two disguised men may slip into Starfall, gather information, and report back to King's Landing or send a raven from Riverrun depending on the situation. The only man that immediately came to his mind was Martyn Cassell. It would have to be enough, and Martyn Cassell could leave immediately.
Plans finalized, as much as they could be, he called for Martyn Cassell. It was time to get solid information about Lya's location.
Author Notes: This one is a little long compared to other chapters. (I know it is nowhere near the monster chapters some writers can write.) Now, you guys know that this is an AU. However, before this chapter, whatever changes I had made were very minor, pretty much unnoticeable. I have been setting up Ned's changes in perception and attitude. Hopefully, those have come across. The changes to canon have been minor/unnoticeable precisely because of that. And, I could not stop myself from adding "You know nothing" and "Words are wind." So, with that out of the way, the first noticeable changes (something almost every reader would have understood) came in this chapter. Now, the changes may seem minor at first (to some), but the domino/butterfly effect they could have is potentially massive. Frankly speaking, I have given some thought to the domino effect, and you can see that a little bit in this chapter, but even I do not yet truly know how the changes would affect the whole story.
Another thing that I want to address is Rhaegar's death. I struggled with it; whether or not to keep him alive. I played a little bit with the idea of keeping him alive, captured by the Rovers, but as I went down that rabbit hole, I realized that that story would need to focus a lot more on Rhaegar, not Ned because the whole political plot would change with Rhaegar alive. With that in mind, I decided to kill him here.
For those who have read even the Author Notes, my heartfelt thanks; it is a pleasure to have you as my readers, and a Japanese bow for all of you to show my respect.