Author's Note: This will be a time-travel story about Eddard Stark, this Eddard Stark would have lingered in the world after his death so he saw all that happened to his family at the hands of their enemies and the Others, the Old Gods seeing the Stark bloodline being killed off decide Eddard Stark will be sent back to the past to ensure the survival of his bloodline along with defending the rest of the world from the Long Night.
Eddard Stark will be a Werewolf that is somewhat a mix of the werewolves from Teen Wolf and Twilight, he will also be a greenseer, skinchanger, and warg and he will have the powerful magic of the Children of the Forest allowing him to manipulate the elements of nature.
Members of the Stark bloodline will have a high resistance to cold temperatures and some will have the abilities of an Other on a similar scale such as their immunity to cold and fire, and the ability to control ice.
Some characters will look different from how they were originally depicted in the books or shows, there will be few changes and additions to the lore of the world.
Eddard/Ashara/Shaena is the main pairing with the possibility of an additional lover or two.
Polygamy is an accepted practice in the First Men culture and is still used in the North by those that wish for or can support such a lifestyle.
Disclaimer: I don't own GOT or ASOIAF or any elements that are taken from other sources, they belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 1
(The Eyrie, 281AC)
It was a beautiful night with countless stars scattered across the dark night sky bringing light to the vast darkness, supporting the silver beams of light from the silver moon that's visage gets obscured by the passing clouds from time to time.
It is perfectly silent in the mountains at this time of night aside from the howls of the strong winter winds that caress or bombard the walls of the majestic castle of the Eyrie.
Most of the castle is asleep aside from a few servants and guards on the night shift.
In one of the large rooms in the castle that would normally only be occupied by family stood a young man of eighteen years looking out the large glass windows at the quiet night.
He was a tall imposing man standing around six foot eight inches tall, he has a large muscular build covered with powerful perfectly sculpted muscles, and his powerful arms were corded in these perfect muscles that would allow him to snap the neck of a grown man with little to no effort, his chest was a chiseled masterpiece with steel-like muscles, his lower body was similarly built like his arms with legs that can crush a man's chest in with a strong kick.
His dark brown almost black hair fell to his upper back in a warriors braid, his face was called long by Southern women but his sharp cheekbones, strong jaw, and perfect nose topped with a short perfectly groomed beard made him ruggedly handsome as opposed to being pretty as some southern lords.
His skin is somewhat pale as most people from his region of the world are due to the cold climate all year round, there were several scars on his body from both man and beast that marked him as a warrior, and his skin was also covered in First Men runes that seem to humm with magic for those that can feel it.
One of his most startling features was his teeth which were perfect and shined like polished ivory though several of his teeth resembles fangs that elongate when he is enraged or chooses to do so.
The other was his eyes which started out as steel-grey but has become a shimmering molten silver with a ring the hue of icy-blue encircling the molten silver, the molten silver eyes glowed unnaturally at all times especially at night with the shape of the eyes were similar to that of a Direwolf and Dragon mixed together.
Some found it beautiful while others found it disgusting and despise him for having those eyes, especially those that are devout followers of the Seven.
His name is Eddard Stark, the second-born son of Rickard Stark the Lord Paramount of the North, the younger brother of Brandon Stark, and the older brother of Lyanna Stark and Benjen Stark.
He wasn't just a second son though, he was the youngest knight in history being knighted by Lord Jon Arryn at the age of twelve for saving the Lord Paramount of the Vale from an ambush of Vale Mountain Clansmen, he killed close to thirty men all on his own breaking the enemy morale.
He was also undefeated in any Tourney he has participated in whether it be the archery competition, the joust, or the melee, his undefeated record has held true even when he went up against the best that Westeros had to offer which was cemented when he won all three of those contests at Harrenhal which hosted the largest tourney in recorded history. After which he crowned his wife the queen of love and beauty as was the right as the winner of the joust.
He was one of if not the best swordsmen in Westeros which was proven when he bested Ser Arthur Dayne in a one-on-one duel when Eddard was fifteen, his skills have only gotten better over the years since then.
He was also the Lord of Sea Dragon Point and the Sunset Coast which has been developed over the last decade or two by House Stark.
Eddard was a highly accomplished individual at his age, he was fluent in Old Tounge, High Valyrian, and several dialects of Low Valyrian, the language of the Summer Islands, and the language of the Yi-Ti, he is highly intelligent, a charismatic leader, a peerless warrior, a skilled diplomat, he has a reputation of a trustworthy and honorable man.
He has accomplished more in his short life than most people have done with their entire lives, he should be thinking about the next great thing he will do with his life but that is not what he is thinking about as he looks at the night sky.
Eddard Stark was thinking about how he could have failed the one task he has dedicated his life to up to this point in time; Saving all of his family and stopping the war called Robert's Rebellion from ever happening.
This was not the first time he has had to face the looming threat of all-out war against House Targaryen and their supporters nor is it the first time he has had to feel the loss of his family by their own actions or the actions of others.
He has seen or lived what comes after this war and though there were many good moments after there were also many bad ones, and this was even worse for his children after he had died.
It was a future he had no intention of letting come to pass and the Old Gods had seen fit to grant him this chance to change things for the better, though as with all things, there is a price and he was forced to pay it by his gods.
They made Eddard linger in the world unseen, unheard, and unknown to everything around him, he was forced to see everything that happened to his family and he meant everything.
By the time the last of his children fell to the Others Eddard was long past broken, everything he has believed in gone, his family destroyed, and the world as he knows it erased under the wave of endless winter.
Eddard didn't know how long he had stood there broken before his grief, guilt, sorrow, and pain turned to anger, rage, hate, and an unbreakable will determined to change his fate.
He let the Eddard Stark that he was die and fall away as he rose a man remade, he will no longer hesitate to give into his desires, he will not cage himself by such things as honor, nor will he empathize with his enemies no matter who they are, he lived a life doing his duty and sacrificing for everyone else at the cost of his own happiness.
He died doing the right thing, the honorable thing, and his family only suffered for it.
Nothing was wrong with being an honorable man but not at the expense of your family or your people, survival was the root of honor in the North for if you can't trust your neighbors when the cold winds of Winter come you will find yourself alone in the cold.
He had held to the honor that he was taught by Jon Arryn but he is not an Arryn, he is a Stark of Winterfell and he is not honor takes a back seat to the survival of the pack.
The Eddard Stark that stood before the Old Gods was a darker, more cruel, and determined man that now embodies all the aspects of a true Stark King of Winter.
They sent him back at the beginning of his life and gave him strict instructions that this is his burden to bear alone, he was not allowed to share any knowledge of the life he had lived with another living soul.
Living with and growing up with his entire family alive again was bittersweet to Eddard cause while he wanted to just treasure these moments as a family while ignoring the future that he needs to change, he knew he could not and so while he enjoyed his time with his family he made sure to put most if not all of his focus into reforging himself into what his people will need in the coming years.
He spent every waking moment training in all different forms of warfare, reading anything and everything that he deemed useful, the Old Gods gave him the knowledge that was long lost and restored the true magic of the Stark bloodline which allowed Eddard to converse with the long dead Stark King's of Winter.
Brandon The Builder revealed many secret rooms, vaults, tunnels, and many other things in Winterfell that have been forgotten by the Starks for thousands of years, there were many hidden workshops and armories discovered in the castles of The Wall as well.
He learned everything that the previous Kings of Winter had to teach him about ruling the North and he used their intimate knowledge of the North to help develop the North as a whole over the years.
It was thanks to a conversation Eddard had with one of his dead ancestors during a period when they were alive that he saw an opportunity to change many things for the North that he just didn't have the time to do as some of these changes needed decades to fully take root.
Eddard contacted two men as a greenseer; the first he contacted was his great grandfather in a greendream where he shared with him knowledge of the Others returning which made Eddard's great grandfather take him very seriously, and he didn't hesitate to follow all the instructions Eddard gave him to prepare the North for the future.
The second man Eddard contacted was Cregan Stark a few years before the Dance of Dragons began, he gave Cregan Stark specific instructions to do as the Winter Kings of old and secure the power of a powerful enemy's bloodline for their own.
With the knowledge Eddard gave him Cregan Stark was able to acquire two young Targaryen princesses that would have died originally and fake their deaths to fool the rest of the world, those two Targaryen girls would grow up in hiding in the North and would later marry two of Cregan's sons fulfilling the Pact of Ice and Fire that the new Targaryen king didn't want to.
This action saw House Stark gaining the blood of Old Valyria as they gained the magical blood from other marriages in the past and now the blood magic of the Valyrian dragonlords flows within Eddard's veins.
The North had a much larger population numbering over eight million people, they had better roads now, and much better farming methods and principles were being used greatly helping to lessen their dependence on the South for food, the infrastructure of the North was also steadily upgraded over the decades to make the people's lives easier and greatly reduce the number of people that died due to the weather, trade for ice, meats, fur, lumber, northern steel, and northern clear-glass was bringing increasing profits for the various Northern Lords who support these projects.
The North was stronger than it has been in centuries and the nation will continue to grow as the years go by.
All his achievements tasted like ash in his mouth whenever he thinks about his dead father and brother or his supposedly kidnapped sister, he had done his duty to his people yet somehow he failed his family.
Eddard felt his rage spike at that thought for he knew the truth; he had failed no one it was his family that failed him.
As Eddard's fame, skill and prestige continued to grow all over the Seven Kingdoms especially the North so did the distance between him and his family grow; his father Rickard Stark only wanted him to be an obedient second son that would serve his older brother but in every area, Eddard outshines his brother Brandon by a large margin which unintentionally highlighted all of Brandon's faults to anyone who cared to look or compare them which was almost all the Northern Lords.
His father could not openly act against Eddard since he was only helping the North as a whole not hurting them, his father chose a more subtle way to express his displeasure with him; his father limited contact with his younger siblings slowly over time, and he presented several ideas that were Eddard's as Brandon's, he made sure to refuse any possible match with northern houses so as to not make Eddard gain more northern support than he already had, and he had rumors spread about Eddard not spending more time in the North due him favoring the South more.
Eddard didn't notice the distance his father was putting him and his family until it was too late to truly fix it while his father was still alive, it had come as a shock due to him never expecting his family to treat him as a stranger when all he was doing was helping his people.
Brandon was extremely jealous and resentful of Eddard due to always being compared to him, and the fact that Eddard had spent several months beyond the Wall when he was fourteen only to return with Direwolves by his side along with him showing clear signs of the magic of the Stark bloodline made the Northern Lords see Eddard as a much better choice for the Liege Lord of the North, not Brandon.
It had led to snide remarks, angry rants, and jealousy-fueled brawls that left Brandon beaten, humiliated, and bitter as Eddard was far too strong for him to defeat at anything, it strained their sibling relationship to the point they couldn't say two words to each other without Brandon losing his temper.
The relationship was broken beyond repair when Eddard brought home Robert's proposal for Lyanna's hand in marriage, Brandon had straight up declared him a traitorous southerner pretending to be from the North for not only having a southern wife but being a knight, and now selling Lyanna off to a southern Lord Paramount as well.
The Great Hall had gone silent at Brandon's words only to be broken when Eddard pointed out that Brandon was going to marry a southern woman as well and he should clean up his act as nobody wants their daughter married to a man who can't keep his cock in his pants even after marriage, Eddard also pointed out that Brandon should stop lusting after a woman that is to be married to his close friend very soon.
Everyone in the Great Hall knew who Eddard was talking about and the fact that he called Brandon out on his flaws in public for his baseless accusations of Eddard who has never done anything aside from helping the North painted Brandon as just a petty jealous man, who is bitter of his younger brother's success.
Brandon attacked first as usual only to be brutally beaten by his younger brother before most of the Northern Lords humiliated him fully.
Eddard and Brandon were never seen in the same room after that, even when Eddard was returning to the Vale to finalize his fostering only his father and his younger brother Benjen were there to see him off.
The relationship with his sister Lyanna was caring and warm until a few years after his fostering in the Vale, he had no proof of what happened during those years and he couldn't confirm anything because when he finally returned home he had brought the marriage proposal which made her angry at him, then all the things between him and Brandon happen which made her chose Brandon's side as he was against the marriage just like her.
In her mind, it didn't matter why Brandon agreed with her all that mattered was that he did and Eddard didn't.
She didn't talk to him unless absolutely necessary, she didn't spend time with him and she didn't trust him anymore, which made her a veritable stranger who didn't want to listen to anything he said.
Benjen was the only one of his siblings that trusted and cared for him without reservations which is a combination of him having been to the lands beyond the Wall, having magic and Direwolves, but he suspects the real reason Benjen doesn't dislike him is that his father saw no reason to poison their relationship as Benjen is only a third born son.
Eddard shakes his head removing those thoughts from his mind, he did all he could for them and as usual, they took his loyalty for granted while ignoring his honest intentions for their own perceived truths.
Rickard Stark and Brandon Stark are practically dead already, Lyanna might follow them to the grave if things remain the same but her fate is no longer in his control.
He has a war to fight and a dynasty to restore.
Eddard has already had a message sent to the North telling Benjen to call all the banners for war, Eddard hopes to have the full strength of the North rally at Winterfell before he leaves the Vale.
Eddard plans to restore the throne of the Stark Kings of Winter and make the North independent of the Iron Throne once again, not out of greed as he has never wanted a throne but because the North cannot afford to be tied to the scheming filth of King's Landing, so he will claim the throne for his people and his family.
Unlike before Eddard will have no need to cement the loyalty of his bannermen as he knows those who are the most loyal men sworn to House Stark very well, and for those that aren't fully loyal, they will fall in line once he announces his intention to make their kingdom independent again.
"Ned, are you alright?" An alluring feminine and melodious voice asked from behind him.
He turns around to take in the vision of beauty that is his wife Lady Ashara Dayne Stark.
She is a tall woman standing around 5'9" with long wavy hair that fell over her back as a waterfall of midnight-black hair reaching her waist, her face was angelic with a perfect nose, plump luscious lips, hauntingly beautiful purple eyes, flawless olive skin looked ethereal in the moonlight from outside the room, her large perfectly shaped breasts, wide hips supporting a large curvy ass, firm thighs leading to long shapely legs.
"I just had a greendream, it showed me what will happen to my father and brother at the hands of Aerys Targaryen," Eddard said in a calm voice.
Ashara stood alert as he said this, Eddard had told her of his magical abilities when he grew to trust her and she knew that when he has these greendreams it is not something to ignore.
"What did you see in your vision, Ned?" Ashara asked with poorly hidden horror and sympathy in her eyes.
"Aerys Targaryen will have both my father and my brother killed, one by Wildfire and the other by strangulation after which he will call for Jon Arryn to bring him my head along with Robert's," Eddard said in a cold voice.
"What?! Is he fucking insane!" Ashara asked with wide eyes.
"Oh, he is most definitely insane and he is surrounded by sycophants that do whatever he tells them. This will be war Ashara and thousands will die for the actions of few," Eddard's voice was cold and while he never said it they both know the people who were to blame for this war.
Ashara flinched at his cold tone of voice as she knew that her brother Arthur Dayne was involved in this mess as he was no doubt helping Rhaegar in his madness.
She always knew that Arthur and Ned didn't get along for some reason that they never told her, though things didn't get better when Ned surpassed her brother as a swordsman.
She wants to plead with her husband to not fight or kill her brother but she can't in good conscience ask her husband to fight an opponent as deadly as her brother with his hands tied trying not to her Arthur, it would make her a widow and as cruel as it may be she would rather have Ned at the end of the day than not at all.
Ashara might not be able to save her brother but she can save the other people she cares about.
"I won't ask you to not fight Arthur for that will be impossible as long as he stands with Rhaegar, just please do everything in your power to come home to me, okay?" Ashara said to her husband with pleading eyes.
"I give you my word my love, I will move the heavens to return to your side," Eddard vowed.
"Thank you for saying that Ned," Ashara says relieved but she was not done.
"I know you are going to war with the Iron Throne and House Targaryen, but I am begging you to spare the life of both Princess Elia Martell, her two children, and finally Princess Shaena Targaryen," Ashara made her request with desperation in her voice.
Eddard can understand Ashara wanting Elia Martell and her children safe as she loves Elia like her own sister, but he doesn't know why she would be sympathetic to the lone daughter of the Mad King Aerys Targaryen.
"Why?" Eddard asked and he didn't need to say more as Ashara would understand what he was asking.
"Shaena is nothing like her brother or father and she doesn't deserve to pay for their crimes, she is also the only person I ever loved as deeply as I love you Ned so please keep her safe," Ashara gives him the answer to his question.
Eddard is hardly surprised that Ashara would have a female lover but he just never expected that lover to be Shaena Targaryen, a woman that should not even be alive in the first place but is alive thanks to the changes his return to the past.
"Fine Ashara, I will try to save her but I can't make any promises," Eddard said with a sigh as he has hardly ever refused anything his wife has asked him.
"Oh thank you, Ned!" Ashara exclaimed in happiness then pulled him into a deep kiss.
The kiss became more needy and animalistic between them, he had his hands caressing her body making her moan into the kiss, and they pull apart to catch their breath though it was mostly Ashara that needed the reprieve.
Eddard grabbed her large perfect ass in his large hands and started to fondle it masterfully eliciting moans, and gasps of pleasure from her mouth, he lifts her up effortlessly with his hands still firmly gripping her ass cheeks and walks them over to the bed before dropping her down on it, she laughed then and Eddard wanted to always hear her musical laugh for as long as he lives.
Ashara watched as Eddard removed his breeches leaving him bear to the world and she is once again struck by the fact that she was blessed to have this man as her husband, he has a tall muscular build, broad shoulders, chiseled chest area, strong firm legs and arms, his face was a bit long like all Starks but it only makes him look more ruggedly handsome, and manly not pretty like some Southern lords, his shimmering molten silver eyes that glowed, and as her gaze travels down his body to his fifteen inches of pure man meat hanging between his legs that she feels it is somewhat criminal that only she has had the pleasure of experiencing it.
Maybe she can convince him to have other women in their bed to make things more fun.
He parted her thighs revealing her glistening hot and wet womanhood with a small patch of dark hair above it, Eddard took his time kissing and licking up her legs to reach her inner thighs, and finally her hot entrance which he gave a long lick against her womanhood enjoying her sinful taste on his tongue.
"Oh, Ned!!" Ashara moans loudly as Eddard thrusts his tongue into her moist insides, expertly manipulating her inner folds with his tongue's flawless technique.
It is a few minutes later that she reaches her orgasm, her legs locked around his head as her essence floods his mouth and which he eagerly drinks down like a man dying of thirst.
Ashara comes down from her high to see Eddard with her essence dripping from his chin as he looms over her body, she feels the head of his manhood at the entrance of her feminine cavern then he kisses her as he thrusts himself into her dripping wet womanhood suppressing her scream with his lips and tongue.
Eddard growls into the kiss feeling her tight velvety, hot, wet walls stretch around his rock-hard twelve-inch manhood, she is always sinfully tight any time he beds her and it fills him with an animalistic pride to know that he is the only man to ever claim her as his, and he will be the only man who will ever claim her like this of that he is certain.
He started to move within her slowly at first then he gradually increased the pace of their coupling, she wrapped her legs around his back pulling him deeper inside herself, and had her nails digging into his broad back leaving a trail of blood when they broke his skin as she is relentlessly hammered into by Eddard.
The sounds of their fucking reverberated off the walls of the room, the smacking of flesh on flesh and the grunts, and screams of pleasure alongside many obscene expressions of ecstasy in different languages painted a very vivid picture of what was taking place in the room to any who came close enough to hear.
They ravished each other for hours until they both fell asleep in an intimate embrace, Ashara had Eddard's seed flowing down her thighs from how many times he finished inside her with the full intent of getting her pregnant with his child or children.
He has no idea how such a strong woman could crumble and ultimately end her life, but he will not lose her this time around for any reason.
Eddard feels content with his lover Ashara in his arms and plans to keep her there this time around, finally, he lets his mind rest for he has a lot to do once he wakes up so he will rest while he can.
Eddard sent a raven to Winterfell immediately the next morning telling Benjen to call the banners and to make preparations for his crowning as King, he sealed the letter and watched the maester sending the raven like a hawk making sure he did not read the letter.
He met with both Robert and Jon after he had breakfast with them, he moved the discussion into Jon's solar so they could have privacy.
"Why are we meeting here Ned?" Robert asked as he sits on one of the chairs in the solar.
"Yes, I would like to know as well Eddard," Jon said from his seat behind his desk.
"We have a war to plan, that is why I called you both here Robert," Eddard said with a firm voice.
Robert looked at Eddard confused but as Eddard looked at Jon he confirms the fact that Jon Arryn has also come to the same conclusion that Eddard had; Rickard and Brandon Stark were not leaving King's Landing alive.
"I'm sorry Eddard, just know that I am with you," Jon says looking directly at Eddard.
"Thank you, Jon, that means a lot," Eddard said with emotion in his voice.
"What are you both talking about?!" Robert asked annoyed with being left out of the loop.
"My father and brother are not going to leave King's Landing alive, and I will not let that crime stand without getting justice, also I have to save Lyanna from Rhaegar which means I will be branded a traitor, and given that you are my brother in all but blood and Lyanna's betrothed he will brand you a traitor as well, which will end with war for I will not roll over and let myself get killed on the Mad King's orders," Eddard said shocking Robert into silence.
Robert wasn't the sharpest sword on the rack but he knew that what Eddard said made too much sense given who that Mad King was to not take it seriously, and Robert will not rest until he kills that fucker Rhaegar for kidnapping Lyanna.
'Rhaegar will die! That is a promise!' Robert thought to himself.
"You have my hammer brother, the Stormlands stands with you," Robert said with fire in his eyes.
"Thank you brother, now to see who will stand with us and who will stand with the crown," Eddard said with a smile.
Jon retrieved a map of Westeros and opened it on a large table in his solar, he, Robert, and Eddard now stand around the map.
They spent the next few hours going over their enemies and allies, Eddard used his memories of the first rebellion along with what he understood of the political structure of the Vale and Stormlands to subtly point out who would side with them and who would not, he recommended Jon to take Gulltown and put House Grafton to the sword for treason to their liege lord, of course, they have done nothing yet but if Jon sent out a call to arms for all the lords of the Vale, while also sneaking a few dozen men-at-arms into the port so that when the fighting starts he could make it a short decisive victory instead of a long siege, also having Houses Royce and Redfort informed beforehand will make them ready to attack the city before Grafton can muster any real defense.
Jon and Robert were surprised by what Eddard had said, but Jon could see the cold logic behind what Eddard had said, he knew Lord Grafton had no love for him, and saying he is standing for the crown will give him the perfect opportunity to rebel against House Arryn, and Gulltown will be able to repel a siege for a long time as they have a port to keep them supplied and they have the money to hire sellswords to boost their numbers. Eddard is right we need to take Gulltown as quickly as possible and putting the house to the sword will discourage others who will think of rebelling, and prompt those houses that would remain neutral to their side of the war.
Jon wondered where this cold, pragmatic side of Eddard came from but he just lost his father, brother, and sister, that is more than enough to change any man much less one who loves his family as much as Eddard.
They spoke more on plans for the Vale before they moved on to the Stormlands, Eddard's recommendations for Robert were simple as they were effective; he basically told Robert to do what he does best and crush the opposition in the Stormlands, he would reduce his enemies plus prove his worth to his fellow lords who don't know if he is worth following as of yet. Eddard told Robert who will side with the crown and that Jon Connington will rally some of the Stormlands against him, he also told him they will most likely meet up at Summerhall so he should inform Stannis to call the banners, and to stock up on food in case of a siege, also if he can launch a preemptive strike against Griffin's Roost cutting off the head of Cunnington's support in the Stormlands all the better.
Robert didn't question Ned and took his advice to heart, promising to write to Stannis as soon as they are done there.
"I and Robert need to help take Gulltown, so we will be among the men sneaking into the city before the fighting starts," Eddard states getting a nod from Robert.
"Why Ned? You and Robert need to get home as fast as possible to lead your men," Jon asked.
"The fastest way is by ship and Gulltown has the port we need to use those ships, plus I and Robert need to prove ourselves as more than young lords who have been in a few battles against bandits or raiders, but as men who have fought in a war before if we want our men to follow Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon not Lord Stark or Lord Baratheon. This is my war and I refuse to let others fight it in my place," Eddard said firmly.
"Very well then," Jon said with a proud look on his face.
They finalized plans then they ended the meeting, Robert sent a raven to Stannis with the details of the plans they just made in Jon's solar, and Jon sent his own raven to House Royce and Redfort to muster their men-at-arms to match on Gulltown in a few days time, they were also to keep it as quiet as best as they can until they receive his orders to attack, Eddard returned to Ashara and informed her of his leaving to fight at Gulltown after which they will make their way North by ship.
The three men and one woman went to their bed with their thoughts on the war that was coming.
When morning came Eddard, Robert, and six other men-at-arms of House Arryn made their way from the Eyrie to the Bloody Gate, then move on to Gulltown, similar groups of six to eight men made trips like that for days until the raven came bringing the news Eddard was dreading; his father was dead, so was Brandon and the Mad King was calling for his and Robert's head.
Jon Arryn did as we had discussed and raised his banners in rebellion, Royce and Redfort's army moved out as soon as they received Jon's letter, and the other Lords loyal to him will launch similar attacks to keep the Corbray's, Snakewood's, Templeton's, and any other Loyalist forces contained while Jon will lead a force to crush House Waxley.
The Loyalist forces in the Vale were caught unprepared with the swift response from the Rebel forces, most were hit before they could even properly organize or muster their men leading to devastating losses on their forces, the worst was what happened to House Grafton.
Lord Grafton was wondering how things had turned out so bad so quickly, he had a plan; he would declare for the crown and gather all the other true loyal men in the Vale, then he would hold Gulltown until the Royal army arrives then they would push against the Rebels breaking their army and ending that bastard old man Arryn, he would get rewarded and possibly be named Lord Paramount of the Vale.
'It all went to shit before it could truly start thanks to that blasted monster named Stark!' Lord Grafton thought furiously as he looks at the architect of his Houses destruction.
Eddard Stark was in full plate armor from head to toe, his helm was that of a snarling Direwolf, the color was grey with blood-red runes running all over the armor that gives off an ominous glow, and he had a steel shield with similar blood-red runes on it in one hand, and in his other, he has a greatsword that is soaked crimson from all the men he has killed and thirsty for the blood of the men he is going to kill before this is done.
Lord Grafton watches as the Quiet Wolf tears through his men with no signs of slowing down, Grafton like most lords of the Vale have seen Eddard Stark more than once over the decade he spent in these lands and everyone agreed he was just an honest, hard-working, dedicated, quiet young man, who was a legendary fighter but not one to boast about his success, he was also seen as naive with his disliked politics so he wasn't really important to certain Vale Lords.
It seemed Grafton forget even if he is a quiet wolf he is still a wolf and he has shown his fangs today, nothing they had thrown at the Stark had stopped him for even a moment, he moved and fought like a war veteran, not an eighteen-year-old boy, he fights with a speed and ferocity that his men have never seen, and they had been unable to match it only succeeding in adding to the Stark's body count, the Stark had dodged or blocked all arrows that came his way as if he had eyes in the back of his head, the lucky few that managed to hit him bounced harmlessly off his full plate armor like drops of rainwater.
Lord Grafton suddenly feels a chill run down his spine and immediately looked to see the Quiet Wolf looking directly at him, they stare at each other for a few seconds that feel like a lifetime to Lord Grafton but then it ends, and Stark goes back to killing his men.
"My Lord! The gates are open! The main force is pushing our men back!" A soldier shouts and points.
Lord Grafton follows the man's finger and sees the gates open with the Baratheon on the ramparts laughing as he kills his men with his Warhammer.
"Get the men we will meet them in the square, I will not die like a coward! If I am to die I will bring as many of those bastards with me as I can! Now, who's with me!?" Lord Grafton shouts.
"Aye!" His men shout with him as well.
"Alright, lads! Let's go-" Lord Grafton started only to be cut off suddenly, he looks down to see the shaft along with the blood-soaked head of spear protruding from his stomach, he turns and sees Eddard Stark standing close to the keep's walls with the body of a dozen of his men at his feet.
The Stark takes up another spear looks at him then throws it at him, the last thing Lord Grafton saw was the tip of the spear and then darkness.
Eddard watched satisfied as his second spear tore Lord Grafton's head off from the force to pin it on the upper walls of the keep, he looks around to see men dropping their weapons and surrendering as he expected after having their lord killed in such a manner, also he doubted any of them are ready to challenge him anytime soon or ever.
A few hours ago when the siege started he, Robert, and over a hundred men in full plate armor burst out from the different places they chose to his until now, the plan was for all the men to stage attacks on Gulltown's forces to disrupt the defense and draw more forces to them, after which Robert would take forty men and attack the gatehouse to let the army in, while Eddard along with the rest of the men keeps the reinforcements off their backs.
When Eddard stepped out on the streets of Gulltown he moved with purpose as he killed everything that challenged him as fulfilled his part of the plan
He had spotted Lord Grafton looking down at the city from his keep; his men had brought him back to the keep because the men under Eddard's command were blitzing his men from all directions, keeping the defense forces unbalanced and unable to organize any counter-offensive. Eddard started making his way to the keep dispatching the men that came to block him from reaching their lord, slash, parry, thrust, dodge, cut, block, slash, parry, thrust, dodge, cut, block, in an effortlessly systematic method he carved a bloody path through Gulltown on his hunt, thunk! An arrow bounces harmlessly off his full plate armor enchanted with runes powered by the magic of First Men, Eddard is once again thankful for his foresight in enchanting his armor, shield, and sword they are still in pristine condition as if he hasn't cut a path through over a hundred men blocking swords, axes, and arrows.
He did somewhat feel some remorse for these men not because they deserved it but because he is using them to deal with some of the darker emotions flowing through him, he had spent so long watching his family be torn apart by enemies, allies, sworn brothers, a foster child he raised as a son, he could not act then but he can act now, even if his new family will be different from his old one he will never be powerless again.
Eddard sees the banner of House Grafton being replaced by the banner of House Arryn, the battle was won now comes the example that will be used in breaking the will of the Loyalist forces in the Vale.
With the victory won in Gulltown all the members of House Grafton over the age of fifteen were executed publicly so that everyone got the message; this is what happens to traitors of House Arryn. The ones that weren't killed were sent to either the Night's Watch or the Silent Sisters, the men that were most loyal to Lord Grafton were sent to the Night's Watch denying them the death some ask for, forcing them to keep living the rest of there days never forgetting their failure.
When the news of what happened to House Grafton got out all the Houses that had chosen to be neutral suddenly took up arms to support House Arryn, the morale of the Loyalist forces took a heavy hit with the loss of House Grafton, and then Jon and Elbert Arryn ended House Waxley in a similar manner, this effectively broke the Loyalist movement in the Vale.
Houses Melcom, Ruthermont, Corbray, Snakewood, Templeton, and Donnlger fell in quick succession to the Rebel forces, the captured men who didn't pledge their loyalty to House Arryn anew were sent to the Night's Watch, all the young heirs of the defeated Houses were taken to the Eyrie as wards to be raised loyal to House Arryn, Grafton lands were taken over by House Royce as a reward for their loyalty, House Redfort gained the lands of House Ruthermont with them being stripped of their lands and titles, the lands of House Waxley were held by House Arryn until further notice.
Mop-up operations would continue until all dregs of Loyalists are gone from the Vale, the loss of the Vale to the Rebel alliance would strengthen their cause while making the Targaryens look weak, which made some people reconsider whose side to choose.
Robert left the Vale after the battle of Gulltown and made his way safely to Storm's End in less than a month, his brother Stannis had done as he asked and had staged several assaults on the Connington lands killing scores of their men, no major confrontations have happened as of yet, but with Robert's return with a large victory behind him plus the defeat of all the Loyalists in the Vale made some of the neutral Houses declare for the Rebels giving him in total the support of Houses Penrose, Errol, Buckler, Wensington, Tarth, Rogers, Wylde, Bolling, Kellington, Estermont, Whitehead, Mertyns, and Morrigen.
Robert also knew thanks to Ned where the Loyalist forces would likely choose as their rally point so he made plans with his brother's input along with his lords, another thing Ned had advised him to do for it would show he values their opinions and was willing to listen to sound advice when given, instead of just rushing off even if he wanted to.
Ashara traveled to Gulltown two weeks after the victory there, she met up with Eddard, and then a few days later a ship from White Harbor came for them, they left the next day and spent two weeks on the ship until they reached White Harbor. Once there Eddard had the maester of House Manderly look at Ashara for she was sick on the last part of the trip, the maester confirmed something Eddard already knew Ashara was pregnant with his child or children, he was more determined than ever to have her safe in Winterfell than ever before, he had lost her once along with his daughter in that other life which won't happen this time around as long as he has the power to stop it.
They rested the day and then they were off to Winterfell.