Lord Eddard Stark

Last Hearth was the furthest castle of the great lords of the north, and even then it wasn't so much a castle as a keep, made of wood and stone and protected by a moat. The Umbers were proud people and they were loyal, fanatically so, so Ned ignored some of their baser actions so long as they kept them without the issues of the north. He'd been heading to the Wall, to speak with his brother when Jon Umber, the Greatjon and Lord of Last Hearth had asked him to attend to some issue or the other. Ned had dreaded having to handle another dispute between Umber and the Long family, but instead had been surprised. A wildling, or rather a band of wildlings had been captured, and as such they were supposedly saying things that Jon could make neither heads nor tales of, and so Jon wanted him to handle it as Lord Paramount of the North.

He sat in the throne of the Umbers, with its giant head and called out. "Bring the prisoners in." The doors opened and the guards pushed in the wildlings, there were three of them, two men and one woman. The men did not speak the New Tongue and so the woman was who he directed his questions to. "You know why you are here?" The woman nodded. "You have been found to be trespassing on land belonging to King Robert Baratheon, and pursuant to the agreement signed between Lord Edwyle Stark and Raymond The Crow's Eye, the wildlings were not to cross the wall again unless invited to do so by the people of the North. So, would you please explain why you are here?"

The woman said nothing for a long time. For a moment Ned wondered if he'd spoken too quickly and would need to repeat what he'd said, then he shook off such a thought for he'd seen the woman speak, her name was Osha and she understood the new tongue perfectly well. She said nothing, and as the silence dragged on Ned found his patience beginning to thin. Perhaps she would need some encouragement, he looked at the Greatjon and the man nodded and started moving toward the woman's male companion. As she saw that she spoke. "We were running. We did not want to head north to the Frost Fangs where Mance was summoning the tribes of the Free Folk. We were not mad enough to do that. To head north would be to invite death into our lives. And we prefer to live. And so we scaled the wall and crossed at a point where the defences were lacking."

Ned listened to the woman's reasoning, so it was true that Mance was marshalling the tribes of the wildlings, but then if he were preparing for an invasion, perhaps this woman and her two companions were just part of an initial group who were scouting out the north and the wall. "Were there anymore of you who came?" He asked, and as the woman shook her head, Ned wondered why she had hesitated then. "You can only make it worse for the three of you, if you continue lying to me. Were there anymore of you?"

The woman's male companion, a big bearded brute with brown hair snarled at her, and she replied back in kind, making clicking noises that Ned knew indicated that she was trying to assert dominance. He hid a smile behind his hand as he waited. These wildlings were so very foolish. Eventually, when she was done reprimanding her male friend she replied. "There were two more of our tribe, but they were killed as we made it down the wall. We managed to escape as we pretended to be dead. They left us alone after that."

"And why did you not decide to join with Mance Rayder and the other wildling tribes? Why risk being captured and brought to death?" Ned asked, there was something there, he saw it in the way the woman flinched, and how her male companions snarled at her. "I remind you that your fate has already been decided upon, but you have an obligation to give us the truth."

The woman laughed then. "Your laws mean nothing to us kneeler. Our ancestors might have agreed a treaty with yours, but they mean nothing. You cannot force the free to do anything they do not want to do."

Ned said nothing he merely looked at the woman and then tilted his head, on response the Greatjon drew his dagger and slit the throat of one of the woman's companions causing the man to grunt in surprise and the woman to cry out in pain. "Now, I can either have that wound tended to, or he can die. Tell me why you decided to flee south instead of join Mance."

The woman stared at him in horror, then she quickly said. "We know what is coming from the Lands of Always Winter, my people saw it, we fled as quickly as we could. Mance is a fool, he is bringing so many people together and that will only play into their hands. They will feast on so many people being together in one place. They will consume everything and their leader will gorge himself. We could not allow ourselves to fall into that."

"Who are they?" Ned asked.

"The White Walkers." The woman said.

"The White Walkers are nothing more than a story." Ned replied.

The woman, Osha laughed. "You are foolish if you believe that. They are coming and their leader is hungrier than ever."

Deciding to play along he asked. "And who is their leader?"

Osha crossed herself. "The Weeper."

Ned looked at her and then nodded to the Greatjon who slit both the woman and her other male companion's throats. When their bodies fell to the ground he said. "Burn their bodies." The Greatjon nodded and it was done, as they watched the bodies burn, the Greatjon asked.

"What are we going to do, my lord?"

Ned looked at the man and said. "Find the reserves you need, and join me at the Wall. We will have work to do."

Queen Cersei Baratheon

The people were gathered in the throne room, murmuring and whispering, her husband and eldest son were away at war, her goodbrother, or one of them anyway was away at war also, as for her other goodbrother? Well Stannis was here, and he was looking right at her, a frown on his face. Cersei had always known that Stannis coveted power, that he wanted everyone to know that he as the son of the noble Steffon Baratheon was worthy. He was quite pathetic really, and she knew that the only reason Robert hadn't taken his children away from him was because his wife was a good mother. The people of the court were waiting for her to speak, or rather for someone to come forward, she was sat on a chair just below the Iron Throne, Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Preston Greenfield standing guard, she did not trust Moore and felt he was Arryn's creature, as for Greenfield he was average at best, if someone wanted to kill her their job was infinitely easier.

Eventually a woman came forward and curtseyed. "Your Majesty, my name is Elaena, I own three taverns in the city and I have come to you to ask for redress against the sins committed by the City Watch."

Cersei leaned forward, Janos Slynt was in the pay of Littlefinger and if she could find a reason to remove him she would take it gladly. "And what did these members of the most honourable city watch do?"

The woman hesitated and Cersei said. "You need not fear any reprisals, my lady. You are under my protection." The woman visibly relaxed and said.

"They entered my tavern on the last day of the week, and proceeded to drink and eat, that was fine, but as the night wore on and they drank more, they started acting as ill befits members of such a prestigious organisation. They harassed my serving girls, and they even beat my son to within an inch of his life. When I asked for assistance against them, their fellow brothers refused, saying that the City Watch was immune to such things."

The court murmured, privately Cersei was delighted that this had happened, not the harassment of course, but the fact that the woman had presented such a story, as it meant she now had grounds to fire Ser Janos, the incapable oaf that he was. "And, what happened then?"

"I said I would go before the court, to you, Your Majesty. And they laughed and they held me down and they, they had their way with me." The woman replied.

There were angry whispers amongst the court, Cersei saw Baelish smiling and she wondered at that, him losing Slynt would be a blow to his own desires, but for now she focused on what was before her. "I know this will mean nothing, but I apologise most humbly on behalf of the throne. You should never have had to experience such disgusting treatment from officers of the Watch. Indeed, you shall have recompense. Slynt." She said, the man stepped forward. Cersei looked at the woman and asked. "What were the names of the officers who did this?"

The woman was visibly shaking now. "Traveston, Goat, and Hoat."

Cersei nodded. "Slynt summon those three men here now." The man stammered but quivered under the look she gave him and he eventually moved off to do as asked. As they waited, Cersei looked around the court, Baelish seemed to be contemplating her, with his beady eyes, Jon Arryn looked as if he were going to be sick, Stannis looked well she didn't know what he was thinking. Eventually the three men stepped forward through the crowd. "Are these the men?" She asked the woman, she nodded her head. "What would you like to be done to them?"

"I cannot forget what they have done, Your Majesty, I cannot forgive them. I do not think they should die for that would be too easy a punishment for them. I wish for them to lose their manhood." The woman said. There were roars of approval from the court.

Cersei smiled. "If that is what you wish, then that is what you shall get." She looked down at the three men and said. "You violated the oaths you made to serve the crown and the people of King's Landing, as such you are no longer deserving of being part of the City Watch. Ser Mandon." The men had their trousers forced down and then one after the other, clean strokes removed what had once defined them. The men screamed as they were led away, their blood dripping down onto the floor. The woman curtseyed and walked away. "Clean this mess." Cersei said and the servants came to do as bid.

This time a young man, with blonde hair and green eyes, with a little bit of stubble on his face walked forward, he bowed. "Your Majesty, my name is Jason Waters, I am a member of the Holy Faith, and I have come with a request from the Most Devout."

Cersei looked at the man, she recognised him, though she did not where she had seen him before, she took a moment to compose herself then said. "Very well, and what is this request?"

"They request that you take a moment from the reflections tonight to issue a summons for all those who hold to the faith to worship and to reflect for the time is coming." Waters said.

"And what time is that?" Cersei asked.

The man looked at her and grinned. "The time of the truth, the time of the coming where the sin shall be removed and all shall know that the Valonqar is coming."

Cersei froze at that, and she didn't know what was happening until she saw Ser Mandon cut down the man, and turn to her and say. "He lied, Your Majesty, he carried the mark of the Black and White." Cersei nodded and it came down to Stannis to call for the court meeting to end. She sat where she was, stunned. What the hell had happened? "The children, make sure the children are safe." She said then, her heart hammering as she remembered the witch's prophecy.