Catelyn Stark POV

"You don't trust him, do you?"

I turned my eyes to my lord husband who spoke the words I wanted to spill to him. I hesitated before replying to his question.

"Of course, I don't trust him. Knight or not whatever he is, he seems not to be a human. Being cursed for eternity in his armour is something unnatural Ned. Whoever cursed him like that surely have a valid reason"

My husband stared deep into my eyes as he kept quiet weighing my words in his mind.

"There is something he is hiding, but Cat he appeared in the deepest floors of the crypt. He called Winterfell as "Icecrown". It seems like he is alive during the time of the Long Night"

"But those are merely legends, stories to scare children-"

"Cat the way he talks during our walk to my solar seems genuine. And if everything he said is true then perhaps the Others are true too. The Targaryens have ridden dragons before"

"Still husband, we must be careful of him"

"I'll bring him with me on the way to the south"

I suddenly stopped when he said those words.

"Where are you going my lord husband?"

"Robert sent a raven saying that the ironborn have rebelled. Lannisport and Seagard have been attacked. I have sent ravens to lords in the western coast to be alert and wary of ships coming from the Iron Islands"

A knock came to our door and the voice of Maester Luwin came out of it.

"Lord Stark, a raven from Barrowton came. They are under attack by the ironborn"

"Maester Luwin tell Ser Rodrick to gather men, also send a raven to House Cerwyn we will need their men to drive the ironborn and relieve Barrowton from their attack. Find Ser Frost too, he will accompany us."

I merely stared at his back as he prepares himself to fight the rebelling ironborn attacking Barrowton.

Frost POV

We were too late to save Barrowton and its population from these ironborn. By the time we receive the raven calling for help, the castle has already been stormed. Its household were slain to the last and for the Lady Dustin, it is better to not mention her last moments. The ironborn have attacked during midnight, it is quite a surprise that the garrison within the castle were able to hold on just to send a raven to the surrounding lands, yet it was irony as the defenders have fallen while the reinforcements were about to charge at the unsuspecting ironborn.

"I haven't seen this much carnage since the war", I murmured to myself but it seemed to be heard by Ser Rodrick

"And when was the last time then, Ser Frost?"

"It was the time when the Winter Queen wiped out an entire city full of living people"

That seems to stopped the old knight from asking more questions, I gestured at him for us to report the remaining damage to Lord Stark. Why can't this people just spare the non-combatants, why all this death and destruction. This image had reminded me of the actions the Orokin have done to us and their subjects, yet they are not going to spill blood, especially children.

To them, they will think of it as a waste of a good body to pass their consciousness into. Or skilled labor to be employed, the Grineer slaves may be numerous but they are only good for basic labor. These ironborn will pay for the blood they spilled. Blood of the innocent children that they spilled. No child should die like this, like a sheep being herded to a slaughterhouse.

I will give the ironborn the price they owed to the children. The Devil's due will come for the ironborn and they will be humbled, they will know pain and suffering. The children shall be avenged.

Lord Eddard Stark POV

"You are too quiet Ser Frost? Mind speaking your thoughts?

"The children did need to be killed this way, Lord Stark. They did not deserve to die like this" he said, his tone is emotionless yet contains a subtle hint of anger and hatred

"The massacre of Barrowton will be avenged, you have my word Ser Frost. Now we must march to Westerlands. The ships taken from the ironborn at Barrowton and any ship provided by Houses Mormont and Glover will head to Seagard to relieve the Mallisters from whatever siege laid by the ironborn"

"Will they make it in time?" he asked

"I hope so, Frost. I truly hope that they made it in time"

"As for Lady Dustin's relatives? The Ryswells I heard that they are screaming for blood. They are asking that any ironborn should be handed to them for punishment and revenge" Lord Bolton asked

"Balon Greyjoy's son is currently enjoying the hospitality of my guards as we needed him, the rest of the ironborn who survived are being sent to the Wall. Passing first to the Ryswell land to get more volunteers.

This got a several nods from most lords but a stare from the Lord of the Dreadfort. The meeting that took place that day concerned on the casualties of the Barrowton to who will inherit the Dustin lands if there are distant cousins that it can be passed on.

-Later at Winterfell-

At the Godswood of Winterfell, Frost sat silently in front of the Heart tree preparing his sword as he was informed that he will join in the army going to south to quell the ironborn rebellion.

"You are not as quiet as your namesake Lord Stark" the Knight of Winter said to one of the trees

"I am merely observing you Ser Frost. You are furious to what the ironborn had done to the children."

"Of course, Lord Stark children are innocent and pure. I never had completed my childhood so that's why I do my best to protect them because I don't want them to experience the things I have."

That made the Stark lord looked at him. Frost knew that he wanted to know but at the same time gave him the space and respect he needs but in order to gain his full trust he must tell Stark his past.

"I, no, we were children when we became killers. My parents and I like all the other people onboard our ship thought that everything will go according to the plan, yet it started the beginning of a tragedy."

I kept staring at him, listening to his every word as he recounted his past.

"My father used to say there is a being outside our ship. Observing. Moving. Waiting for an opportunity to consume us. I always believed that he was scaring me but when I looked at him. I saw fear of the unknown and when I stared at the abyss outside our vessel, I noticed a creature lurking. At that moment I knew that my father was telling the truth."

Silenced remained between the Northern lord and the ancient knight. Ned is still trying to understand the tale that came from the newly sworn and mysterious knight. Not knowing whether to leave or stay, Frost continued his tale.

"That moment left my mind for a few days until a bright light consumed our ship as we enter the void. I and the other children were listening to our instructor or maester as she taught us and ask questions about our lesson from the day before. It was a normal day but we did not know that the tragedy has begun. As the light swallowed our ship, our parents and the other adults slowly changed. Bit by bit their sanity left them as they hunted everyone aboard the vessel, they use their sweet voices to lure others to their deaths. Some of us children were forced to kill our parents in order to survive or because of outright fear and I was amongst those who forced to kill their parents.

I could see the madness in my parent's eyes as they slaughtered an innocent family and feasted upon their remains. I was disgusted, angry and afraid that they would do this atrocity to others. That I would be next in their sights. After I killed them, I ran and hid in another part of the ship. There I saw the other children surviving, hiding. We don't know if help will come and save us or our minds will rot like what happened to every adult including our parents inside the ship. We were about to lose hope when he came, disguised like a child. Like us."

Ned could not believe it. He noticed now how the knight beside him matured long before his children had. To be kinslayer is a fate worse than death. For no one will trust a person who had the gall to murder his kin. His mind is split, one part wanted to punish him for his crime. The other part understands the circumstances laid upon the knight. If it was him, would he have the strength to end his family and if he did, can he suffer the consequences of doing it.

"He gave us a choice, accept him and his gifts or die like a livestock. Forever hunted by their own blood. At first no one answered, either afraid or distrust dominated their minds. I told others that I was tired of it all, always hiding and running. Scavenging for scraps just to fill our stomachs. I was the first to accept him and the others followed me. Some agreed, others were forced in order to live. To survive. Who would have thought that his gifts were a curse to haunt us all.

With our newfound strength, we were now the hunters and the predators. We scoured the ship for every mad adult and then one day for a moment the ship rose from the abyss. The empire noticed the appearance of our ship and took us in. At first, they were overjoyed to discover survivors until they notice our strange abilities. They branded us devils and named us children from the very ship that spawned monstrosities. We were studied, experimented, burned and cut just to satisfy their desires on how to destroy us or control us."

I stared at the being before me. He had suffered so much that all I could do was pity him or give him soothing words but I knew such thing was too late.

"That is until they gave us to her. A woman who cared for us, loved us like her own children. She endured even after we burned her, cut her, hated her. She kept at our side and for a moment we believed that our suffering will end that we will have a mother that will care us and listen to us. We loved her, some of the children called her mother but most called her Margulis. She gave us peace and she gained our undying love and admiration. That is until she was executed for her actions towards us.

The council of the empire wanted to use us like their slaves, guards or toys. She wanted to give us an opportunity to live in peace. But they do not want that. They do not want the devils staining their glorious empire and so they killed her and they used us, the Tenno, to wage their wars."