Alys
A second passes with Alys stood entirely still. The poker still brandished out like a sword, but she did nothing but stare at him.
And then the metal hit the ground with a clatter as she races forward to throw her arms around him. Hugging him close as a sob sounded from her chest.
It's relief. Bubbling and spilling over her as she realizes that it was all ending. Howland was here, which meant Ned was here. Which meant she, when things settled, would be going home. She would be leaving the capital, and the mad king, and it all.
Howland laughs as he hugs her back. The sound music to her ears and bringing her back to late evenings at Harrenhal with him and Lyanna drinking and singing and laughing.
Better times, happier times.
His arms are tight around her and she tightens her own grasp back, breathing in the smell of northern leather and letting just a few more moments pass where she can live just in her relief.
She pulls back to look up at him, "Ned?" She probably sounds desperate. But she was, by the old and gods and new all she wanted was to see her brother.
"He sent me on ahead," Howland tells her, a grin playing at his lips. Clearly as relieved to see her as she is him. "He told me to find you while he dealt with the throne room for Robert."
Alys nods, her eyes stinging a bit as she smiles and thinks of how close she is to seeing her brother after so long. She's about to say something when a muffled cry comes out from behind the privacy screen.
Aegon cries lightly a bit more, and Alys freezes as Howland looks towards it. "Alys?"
"You can't say anything," Alys starts, reaching and grabbing him, imploring him. She glances as well seeing Elia peaking out now that her cover is broken. She's rocking a still sniffling Aegon while Rhaenys stands clutching at her mothers skirts and eyeing Howland skeptically from behind them. "To anyone, not right now." Howland is looking them over, clearly categorizing who they are before he looks back to Alys. "There were men, going after them. They were going to be killed."
"Ned wouldn't..."
"Tywin Lannisters men," Alys says, but she pauses. "But you can't tell Ned, I will. But, it's dangerous right now for them. We have to be careful. If they're found they…" her voice splinters with the worry. She glances again to the three.
"Okay," Howland nods, "I… I understand Alys."
Alys nods as well, letting out a breath. "It's okay, Elia." She looks back to her friend. "He's a friend. I trust him."
Elia eyes Howland, as she has since she came out from behind the screen. Her dark eyes taking him in and judging him and Alys's word. Finally, her eyes move to Alys and she nods. "Okay." She shifts Aegon in her grasp and nods slowly again.
"I want to go see Ned," Alys says, to Howland and Elia both. "I need to see Ned." She did, she wanted it so badly. To see her older brother, to see family, after over a year of being without them, of being cut off entirely from them. After having her last family she saw be killed in front of her, and spending so much time in the grief for those she lost and the worry for those still left.
"It might not be safe to move through the keep right now," Howland advises. "And you said yourself, we need to keep these three hidden."
"That's why I was hoping you'd stay with them, keep them hidden here." She glances to Elia, "I'll be okay, I've made it this far." She smiles lightly but Howland seems hesitant. "Howland," she implores, "I need to see him."
Howland studies her a moment before closing his eyes and sighing, "I've never been able to talk you Stark girls out of anything." She smiles lightly at him, "go to the throne room, if he's not there than you come right back." He instructs her, "it's too dangerous to be searching the whole keep for him."
"Thank you," she squeezes his hands and then turns to Elia, "I'll be right back, I swear. I just…"
"I understand," Elia nods, voice gentle as she speaks. "Go. I trust you, and so I trust this man to keep me and my own family safe and hidden until you return."
"I do," Alys confirms. "And if it looks like others are coming, hide behind the wall."
Elia nods once more and Alys turns and heads out into the hall and starts making her way to the throne room. Moving quick and stomach fluttering at the idea that soon she'll have her brother in her arms.
Eddard
Kings Landing was already on fire when they arrived. Smoke drifting up into the horizon as they rode up to the gates. They hadn't even had to force their way within the walls, the gates were open for them upon arrival.
It answered the question of whether Tywin Lannister would arrive at the city first.
It also answered the question of whether he would support the Targaryens or the rebels.
As they rode quick through the streets towards the Red Keep they passed Lannister soldiers looting. They passed houses and businesses on fire. And they passed dead bodies. Ned could hear screams around him, crying and shouting. He focused ahead despite wanting to send men to stop the looting and the chaos. He focused because his job was to take control of the Red Keep. To deal with Aerys and the royalists within. Not to mention finding Alys within it.
When the Keep was secure he would turn his focus to the city.
Approaching the Red Keep he saw more Lannister men, and red flags with the golden lion were flying already upon the Keeps walls. The sight of it all only made Ned frown further, distaste burning in his core at the thought of the Lannister lord taking it all after only joining here at the end.
As he started up the steps with his men he wondered if the soldiers littered about would stop them. But no one did, they glanced at the banners and sigils and let them pass.
Which was the only relief so far that Ned had found from the Lannister's presence.
He made his way to the throne room. Passing knights of the Westerlands and the guards of the Red Keep who had surrendered to the Lannisters before Neds arrival. There were bodies as well, here and there. He rode past them all, glancing down only on occasion to be sure that none would leap out and attack him or his men.
Howland had broken off from him as soon as they entered the walls of Kings Landing, it would be easier for him to get quickly through the city and the keep if he travelled alone. Ned was glad to have Reed with him, and to have the man searching out his sister. He trusted him enough that he would keep her safe when he found her. Besides, Howland had been quite close with both of Ned's sisters during their time at Harrenhal and after.
His men pulled open the grand doors to the great hall, bearing to Eddard his first view of the place his father and brother died over a year past. His eyes scour the space, taking in the tall pillars supporting the structure, the skulls of the great dragons of the Targaryens past that stare down on the hall as Ned pushes his horse forward towards the throne. Watching everything that passes through, including him.
Finally his gaze turns ahead, and he studies the scene before him.
First was the throne, massive and sharp like it had always seemed in all the stories he'd heard before this. Swords melted together to create a terrifying and awe-inspiring seat of power for the Seven Kingdoms. And within it someone who was not the Mad King.
Ned's brow furrowed a moment, taking in the man with golden hair and Kingsguard armor who sat upon the throne, leisurely like he hadn't a care in the world. Jaime Lannister, Ned identifies. But why was he sat there?
Then Ned's gaze travels downward, a few steps from the throne a body lay sat in its own blood that pooled and poured down the steps of the dais. It didn't take much to know that was Aerys's body, his crown lays discarded beside his head in the blood.
As Ned gets closer to the throne he can see it, what happened, in the blood on the floor that matches the blood on the sword in Jaime Lannister's hand. His gilded armor of the Kingsguard held splatters across it, and the end of his white cloak was stained from where it must have dragged through the blood.
Ned felt appalled at the sight of it all. He felt no sorrow for the mad king's death, but the manner of it disgusted him. Killed by a man who had sworn to protect, who had made vows to the gods they followed.
Ned eyed Jaime further, studying the man who broke his vows and broke his honor. A man who'd sullied his cloak and all it meant. He met his gaze with his own. He didn't move as Ned drew closer, just stayed lounged upon the throne as though he meant to keep it.
Jaime Lannister had sworn vows before the gods to protect the king dead on the floor before him. Ned thinks of Barristan, grief ridden for the apparent failure in protecting Rhaegar on the field. He'd sworn the same vows as Jaime before him, worn the same armor and cloak, and yet Ned saw no grief to the Lannister's eyes.
He saw nothing of remorse or regret.
Just green eyes studying Ned right back as though trying to judge him worthy.
Ned's horse comes to a stop at the first step of the dais, and the Northern man stayed there. The pair of them staring silently as Jaime's eyes narrowed just the slightest, his head tilting while studying Ned further. The seconds dragged on and Ned wondered if he'd have to drag the man off from the throne.
Then Jaime Lannister laughed, and stood. He started down the steps, dragging his red edged sword with him as he reached Ned, looking up at the man upon the horse. "Have no fear, Stark," he smiled still, a cheeky look that made Ned wish he could draw his own sword. "I was only keeping it warm for our friend Robert." Jaime glances back at the throne and adds, "it's not a very comfortable seat, I'm afraid." Then he motioned with a slight bow and continued down the last steps.
Ned watched him for a few more moments before pushing away his hateful thoughts towards the man and turning to get started on securing the keep.
Alys
The halls were fairly empty as she traveled from the Maidenvault to the throne room. It was only as she passed through the outside that she saw the evidence of the siege. Off in the city proper she could see fires and smoke, and within the Red Keeps walls itself she spotted cloaks of red moving about. She spotted bodies as well, and as she passed them she whispered quick prayers for them under her breath.
She started to see northern soldiers the closer to the throne room she got. Men in simple leathers and irons, with sigils she recognized of the north. Sigils of mermen, and bears, and giants, and wolves. So many wolves. It filled her heart with a warmth that had been so sparing for so long, and her feet quickened the closer she got.
She was moving through the open grand doors to the throne room when she spotted someone else entirely walking towards the exit. Jaime spotted her near the same time and his steps stopped a second before he quickened his pace to meet her. "What are you doing here?"
She blinks a second, "looking for Ned…"
"No, here, what are you doing here in the castle," Jaime stood before her and she could see several things about him as she studied him. There was blood on his armor, small splatters of red decorating the gilded scales of the Kingsguard attire. Glancing over him completely she could see more red staining the white of his cloak and at his side his sword edge was red with slowly drying blood. "I told you to leave, you should have left."
"I… I couldn't, something came up." Her brows furrow, he's close and his eyes are wide and green and alarmed. "But it's okay, Jaime," she tells him, "I'm safe and fine and my brother is here. It'll be okay."
He shakes his head, "if I hadn't… you could have…" She reaches forward, pressing a palm to his cheek to get him to calm his frantic look. His eyes shut as he lets out a sharp breath, his head leaning into her hand.
"Things are okay, Jaime," she assures. Though she still worries over him, "Jaime…" she starts. "Are you okay?"
His eyes open and she can see just so clearly how entirely exhausted he looks. Green eyes looking her over in raw openness before he tries to cover it with a smirk and a shrug, "I seem to be out of a job." His voice is joking but she hears it, the rawness.
"Jaime…" she speaks softly, running her thumb against his cheek and wondering how she can soften that sound.
She's still looking him over when her gaze travels behind him, and her heart stutters as she spots who she'd come originally for. Ned was stood at the base of the throne, off his horse with other northmen around him, but he was looking their way.
"Ned…" the name escaped her in a breath and Jaime sighed. Leaning into her touch a moment before pulling back and stepping aside.
"Go on," he nods, his green gaze glancing back at her brother with a frown before he looked back at her. "You've waited a year for it."
She tears her eyes from her brother whose started her way and looks instead to Jaime. "We'll speak later." She tells him, and he nods. She looks between Ned and him once more and adds, "thank you." Jaime's brow furrows but she's starting quick towards her brother before anything else is said.
She near ran towards Ned, and was not even half way there when the tears started down her face. When she reached him she threw herself entirely into his arms, wrapping her own over his shoulders and around him and burying her head into his neck.
He returned it all, his grip tight around her as he turned his head into her hair and she could hear him sob lightly against her. She settled into him and shut her eyes, staying in the moment and relishing it.
Relishing her brother, who she'd not seen since she and Lyanna left the Vale to go to Riverrun. Relishing the first family she's had in her arms since Brandon and her huddled in the black cells and her father arrived at Kings Landing at the behest of the king. Relishing in the familiarity that she's longed for since her father was burnt and her brother hanged in this very room.
All she's longed for since she was tossed into the windowless room in the Maidenvault with no clue to what her future held and no company but grief.
She relishes in it all, forgetting anything and everything else but the feel of her big brother holding her tight.
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