A/N: Any flashbacks in this and future chapters will be typed in ITALICS.
The following morning the weather was as unsettled as that of the emotions of the people of Winterfell, the revelation the night before that Jon Snow was not lord Starks bastard and in fact no bastard at all in the birth sense but the first born son of the king had shocked so many people not least of all members of the Stark and Lannisters families.
Not many had slept all that well the night before except for the king who unaware of the furore he had caused the night before with his revelation. It was with many a heavy head that those entering the main hall to eat that morning found within the great hall.
Lord Stark found himself sitting in his chair trying to stomach the food that had been placed before him, he knew he had a busy a and tiring day ahead of him and that he had to eat but he found that he had no appetite to speak, to nervous was to think about food as he thought back to the night before, not just the way Jon had fled the hall had disturbed him and his brothers reaction and understandable anger at the lie that had been revealed but also he remembered his own wife's reaction to the news that the boy who she had all his life treated so badly because she had though him to be her husband's bastard was anything but.
It was later than usual when Lord Stark had entered the bedchamber that he shared with his wife and found his wife pacing the room instead of being in the bed waiting for him as washer usual way. He noted that she looked angry and he could only guess what she was about to say to him, Catelyn had never been one for holding her tongue on any matter that she thought concerned her. As a rule she was a good wife to him and knew her place as a woman but sometimes she did kick off at him but always in the privacy of their chamber and never in front of the servants or any of the children.
Hearing the door open and someone enter, Catelyn Stark had turned to find her husband entering the room somewhat warily and with a more than tired look in his eyes and although she wanted to give him the chance to sleep not that she felt he or anyone else would sleep that much this night considering what had just been learned she felt unable to keep her thoughts and views to herself as she confronted her husband.
"Well is it true what the king says, that Jon is not your bastard born child you had led me and all here at Winterfell to believe all these years but his born in wedlock between himself and your sister Lyanna?"
Eddard sighed before answering his wife as if deliberating his words, as if he wanted to somehow cushion the blow of his own lie to her all these years but found himself unable to do so.
"Yes, it is true! Jon is Robert's son and not my bastard. He is not Jon Snow but instead Jon Baratheon, first born son of Robert Baratheon and as such heir to the iron throne should Robert chose to name him heir."
Catelyn turned away from him at his words unsure what the emotions and feeling his words were causing in her. She knew this news would bring trouble to Winterfell and her family not least of all from the Lannisters who she knew would not take well to finding out their grip on the throne was not as strong as they had first thought. Turning back to her husband she reached for him laying her head against his chest as his arms came up to hold her.
Neither knew what the morning would bring but both knew that their lives were about to change and especially Jon's life for now he would very unlikely not be allowed to go to the wall with his uncle and take the black.
A noise at the back of the hall had Eddard Stark looking up and seeing his brother enter the room he nodded in acknowledgement of him, his brother nodding back but the grim look in his brothers eyes did little to settle the nerves in his stomach he knew that he would have to send for Jon and explain to him why he had kept the secret he had all these years and in doing so had condemned Jon to a life of being jeered at and belittled by the general population at large because they had thought the boy a bastard.
Looking down at the food still in the bowl before him he threw down his eating utensil in disgust, ignoring the food that was still congealed in the bowl looking an unhealthy mess that he really did not want to eat. Rising from his seat he made his way from the hall heading for the room where he took care of all the holds needs and the paperwork he knew he still had to do and knowing that he would have to have a talk with Jon and make sure that the young lad was aright following last night's announcement.
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Jon woke slowly not wanting to face the morning and the change in his circumstances, he groaned softly as he made to roll out of his bed. Pushing back the furs on his bed he shivered slightly as the cold of the morning hit his skin and he wanted nothing more than pull the furs back over himself and to snuggle back under them.
However he knew as much as he wanted to hide back under the furs and never show his face in the keep again he knew he had no choice, life just didn't stop because he had had a bad night or been humiliated as hell he was use to that after all he had been humiliated by folk every day of his life ever since he had been brought to Winterfell by the man who until the night before he had thought was his father but now it seemed had never been anything of the sort.
He knew that people would be talking about the events of the night before and he himself still was unsure how to react to the news that he was Lyanna Starks son and not only not a bastard but the fact that she was married to his real father who it seemed was no other than the king Robert Baratheon making him the first born son and not Joffey.
Too many thoughts were churning in his mind and he almost missed the sound of knocking at his door for a moment so he did not answer as people generally did not knock at his door but rather barged their way in whether he wanted company or not.
At first he thought that perhaps they had the wrong chamber and that they would soon realise it and go away but the knocking continued and he called out to them to enter. The door opened and one of the men at arms who served Lord Stark faithfully entered and to Jon's surprises bowed to him before informing him that Lord Stark would like to see him as soon as he had eaten then bowing again to him before turning to leave.
Jon sat in stunned silence at the man's deferential manner towards him generally most of the men at arms were surly towards him, they treated him with a little respect being he was a member of the Stark family but never had one of them ever bowed to him before after all why would they bow to a bastard but then he wasn't a bastard was he, not any more.
Jon tried to gather his thoughts as he dressed and then made his way to the room that Lord Stark used as an office for dealing with the running of Winterfell and along the way he tried to think of just what he would say to the Lord of Winterfell.