FAMILY MATTERS
CATELYN STARK
Just before going to bed Cat's husband Lord Eddard Stark asked her to join him. He had something to show her. They go to Robb's room, then Talisa, Sansa, and Bran's room. "What of Arya, Rickon, and Theon?" She asks as they walk to Jon's room.
"Arya already knows. Rickon is too young and as for Theon, he is not ready to know."
She frowns as Ned pushes on a stone in the wall revealing a secret passage to a lift. "I thought you showed me all the secret passages in Winterfell."
He kisses her, "I did. This one was built recently."
They ride a lift down to a cave beneath Winterfell, "How far down does this go?" Robb asks.
"To the lowest part near the tombs of the first Kings of Winterfell."
When they exit the lift, Cat and the others all have different reactions to what they see. Jon is there, but he is not alone. Maester Luwin is with him, along with a young man older than Jon, and young woman of the same age as Jon. Both have white hair and purple eyes, marking them as Targaryens. There is a Targaryen banner on the cave wall as well.
"Lady Stark, Robb, Talisa, Bran…May I introduce my Uncle Prince Viserys and my Aunt Princess Daenarys."
"Ned?" Cat asks looking at her husband.
"Jon is my nephew not my son. His mother was Lyanna, his real father was Prince Rhaegar."
"But I thought Rhaegar kidnapped and Raped Lyanna." Robb says.
"No…They loved each other. Fell in love here at Winterfell, when Rhaegar came North to visit his Great Uncle at the wall. After the tourney at Harrenhal they married in secret." He walks closer to her, "Cat I have never been unfaithful to you. I lied to protect Jon from Robert. Had he known about Jon…gods I try not to think of what he would have done."
"My mother named me Jaehaerys Targaryen." Jon says speaking up.
"You're the Masked Dragon aren't you?" Robb asks speaking up.
"I am."
PRESENT
Ned had gone with Jon or Jaehaerys to Castle Black along with Prince Viserys and Princess Daenarys. Cat was of two minds, part of her was angry with Ned, but she really couldn't be angry at him for protecting his nephew. The other part was happy, because Ned had never been unfaithful to her. "Are you alright mother?" Robb asks standing in the doorway of the Sept. Ned had built it for her, as part of an apology about Jon and to make her feel welcome at Winterfell.
She sighs wiping the tears away, "I am…I will be. I just wish…Oh to hell with it. I love your father…Even more now knowing that he had never been unfaithful to me."
"My father is a good man. I can only hope that I become half of what he is."
"You are more. You were born to be a leader. Your father…He was born a second son. Not that it makes him less. His responsibilities were thrust upon him."
ROBB
Robb smiles, "I am a little angry that Jon did not tell me, when he found out. But, I am glad he knows the truth now." Later Robb goes riding with Talisa. Within a year's time they would marry.
"What are you thinking about?"
He smiles, "Many things. Jon, my family, but the number one thing is you. Soon you will be my wife."
"Soon you will be my husband." They kiss from the back of their horses.
"We could practice for our wedding Night."
She over exaggerates a gasp and hits him, "My mother was right. Men have only one thing on their minds."
"Your mother is wrong, we have multiple things on our minds."
"Yeah like what?"
"We want to do it more than once." She laughs and rides off to get away from him.
When he catches up they ride back to Winterfell, with their guards following. With his father gone Robb has to take on the duties as acting Lord of Winterfell. Because of Jon or Jaehaerys, (it was a struggle to keep the names right in front of people and in his head.) the Whitehills' lands had been restored. Their Ironwood trees started growing again and because of this the feuding between Houses Forrester and Whitehill, have stopped.
Robb enjoys ruling Winterfell in his father's absence and thrives at it. He even makes plans to start building roads in the north. "How much do you think it would cost Maester Luwin?" He asks in a meeting going over maps and figures.
"It depends on what type of road you wish to build. Cobblestone, brick, the cheapest would, be dirt roads."
"How much for brick."
He sighs, "That much brick…connecting all castles, towns, and villages. I would say…" He pauses doing the figures in his head, "…one point two million gold Dragons. That includes labor to pay the men to make and lay the bricks. And to feed the bulls that pull the carts. Of course if we did that we'd have to brick the King's road."
"What are our coffers like?"
"We have four million gold Dragons. That does not include jewelry and precious stones. We also have one million in silver."
"We could pay for the road ourselves." Luwin looks at Robb, "Or ask each house to contribute fifty thousand. I will present this to my father when he returns."
SANSA
Sansa had never seen a Targaryen in person before. She had seen drawings and pictures, but they did them no justice. Prince Viserys and Princess Daenarys were both living deities. Viserys is unnaturally handsome. And she envies Dany's white hair. She could not take her eyes off Prince Viserys and when he caught her staring his smile sent chills through her body.
She is in her room with her Mother Catelyn Stark. Jon had already left with her father and the Targaryens. "Mother?"
"Yes my sweetling."
"How do you think I would look if I dyed my hair white?"
She smiles, "You would look beautiful, but I would not. The Targaryens consider it to be an insult to do such a thing. There is a story of Maekar the Cruel challenging a Lord to a duel for such a thing. And I don't think Jon would allow the Targaryens to harm you. I would not take the chance. Besides I love your red hair."
She smiles, "It was just a thought."
"So you've taken a fancy to Prince Viserys." She blushes and does not answer. "Sansa look at me." She does, "Oh my beautiful daughter. If you can marry for love do so. If you can win the Prince's heart then make it happen."
They hug, "Thank you mother. Will you show me how?"
Later she decides to work on a song for Prince Viserys and give it to him, when he came back with Jon.
ARYA
After her sword training Arya meets with her mother in her solar. "So young Lady…Why didn't you tell me about Jon?"
"Are you angry with me?"
She smiles, "No."
"It wasn't my secret to tell."
There is a knock on the door. Her mother gets up, opens the door and takes a tray of cookies, cupcakes, and tarts. "You can have two and only two." Arya takes a cookie and a cupcake. "So how do you feel now knowing Jon is your cousin and not your brother?"
"I still see him as my brother."
She smiles, "My little wolf…gods I can't wait to see the kind of man you will marry." When Arya scrunches her face Cat laughs and grabs her in a hug.
BRAN
All his life Bran Stark had been told the importance of telling the truth and having honor. So when he learned that Jon is his cousin and not his half-brother he became angry at his father for lying. When his father left for Castle Black, Bran refused to say goodbye to him. Bran starts acting out by ignoring his lessons and mouthing off at the adults.
After a few days Robb approaches him, "We need to talk."
"Why so you can lie to me too?"
He sighs, "Listen Bran…father wasn't trying to hurt us. He was trying to protect Jon. If the wrong people knew about him. They would kill Jon. They would kill us to get to him."
"But why keep it a secret from us? We wouldn't have told."
"No but you weren't even around when father bought Jon home. You had not even been born yet."
He looks at his elder brother with teary eyes, "So it's okay to lie?"
"Life is complicated. Its not okay to lie, but sometimes adults have to in order to protect those they love. Lying is really bad when you do it to gain power or hurt someone." He grabs Bran in hug, "Do you understand?"
"I think so."
"Can you forgive father/"
"I guess." After talking to Robb Bran writes his father a letter and sends it by Raven to Castle Black.
THEON
Theon started noticing the funny way the Starks were acting. Lady Catelyn seemed distracted. Robb was Robb, he could tell his friend was hiding something. Sansa was acting like a love struck maid fallen for a merman. Bran was angry and distant. He could tell that Jon was keeping a secret as well. Even Lord Stark seemed not to be his usual dire self. In fact he had the look of a man who had a great weight lifted off his shoulder.
A few days after Lord Stark left with Jon, Theon decided to confront Robb about his suspicions. "Can we talk?" He asks after evening meal.
"Sure."
They head to the solar, "What is going on?"
"How do you mean?"
"Lady Catelyn seems at times sad one minute and happy the next. Sansa is walking around like a love sick puppy…No offence. Bran is angry about something. And you…you are holding a secret me thinks. Are you keeping a secret?"
He sighs, "I am…Not my secret to tell. But I did talk with Jon and well I wanted to ask if you would stand as my second on my wed day."
"Of course!" He replies excited, then he frowns, "You're not just making the offer to throw me off my line of questions are you?"
Robb smiles, "Yes and no. See I did talk with Jon and he agreed that I could name you my second. You were my first choice. As for the secret. It concerns Jon. Don't be angry, he's just not ready to tell you."
"Okay I can live with that…" He replies forcing himself to wait patiently for Jon to broach the subject.