Love Speaks Louder Than Words

by Amara Lightskipper

Bran's life seemed to be in order, until he met someone who changed it: Meera. But things turn upside down when they found out that their families were on two opposing sides of a conflict that happened years ago that still remains unresolved. How far will they go for love? Will their love open their families' eyes to seek forgiveness and move on?

16. Flashbacks and Now

NED

Ned still couldn't believe it. In one swoop, he became the head of the family.

He was the second-born son of Rickard Stark, the governor of the North, and had three siblings: one older brother, Brandon; a younger sister, Lyanna, and a younger brother, Benjen. And despite growing up without a mother, Ned had a happy childhood. He had a close relationship with all his siblings.

Ned went on to attend the University of White Harbor. The same way Brandon and later on, Lyanna did, and took up Law.

His father, Rickard was intent on assigning all his children a work position in the family company, Stark Industries. But of course, that didn't sit well with his siblings.

Brandon was made CEO of Stark Industries. No surprise there. Of course, he would be. He was the eldest son after all. But Brandon wasn't always the slick and perfect son everyone thought he was. In fact, their house staff called him, the Wild Wolf. Mostly, because he was someone people will call a happy-go-lucky type of person. Back when Ned attended UWH with his brother, he'd always find Brandon in the middle of a party. And most of the time, it's Ned who always had to half-carry and half-drag him back to his dorm after. But despite his wild streak, Brandon was a loving and caring brother to him and his siblings. Stark Industries thrived after he took over, and when Ned became the company lawyer, he was happy to work alongside his brother. People often say that when Rickard retires as governor, Brandon will run in his place. But Ned doubts it, his brother never liked politics. All Brandon did was make appearances to please their Dad, but he never liked it.

His only sister, Lyanna also had the wild streak, but tamer, in a sense. She literally grew up as one of the boys. She was passionate about the arts, mostly painting. Because of this, their Dad had converted one room in Stark Manor to be her art studio. And it's where she's often found when at home. She was also very protective of her family and friends. And Ned was positive that it was her who had taught Benjen the different types of wristlocks when their youngest brother was only eight. Also, once in the UWH quad, when Howland was being harassed by a few frat boys, Lyanna came to his rescue with a paintball gun. She was also the reason how Howland met his wife, Lyanna's college roommate, Jyana Fenn. After Lyanna graduated from UWH, she created a non-government charity organization tied to Stark Industries. It focused on helping children from poverty, people who couldn't afford medical expenses, and the conservation of the environment's natural resources. She called it the Winter Rose Foundation. His sister was a humanitarian and got along great with people. That's probably why their Dad always insist she come with him when he was at public events. Every time Governor Rickard Stark addressed the press, Lyanna would always be by his side. His Dad would never admit it, but if he would retire from his position as governor, he'd want Lyanna to run in his place. And not Brandon, as everyone assumed.

As for Benjen, well, his little brother always kept to himself. He'd always known to stay out of trouble but is often dragged into one by Lyanna. When Benjen told their Dad about his intention to join the military, Rickard refused. Their Dad even tried to discourage him, but he insisted. Surprisingly, the person who was able to convince Rickard was his bestfriend, Howland. Ned didn't know how it happened exactly, but while visiting Stark Manor, Howland apparently walked in on their Dad and Benjen arguing. Benjen went off to the hedged maze to blow off some steam, Howland had talked to their Dad. Then a few days later, Rickard had finally allowed Benjen to submit his application to enter the Westeros Military Academy.

After Ned graduated from the UWH, his Dad sent him to the Eyrie in the Vale for his internship before taking the bar exams. Rickard had asked his friend and Ned's godfather, Jon Arryn to be his mentor, to which he gladly agreed. That was how he became friends with Robert Baratheon, who then was a fellow intern.

As for his then girlfriend-now wife, Catelyn Tully, Ned met her at a frat party in his junior year. It was only about three months when he and his ex-girlfriend, Ashara Dayne, a Dornish exchange student, had decided to call it quits as she was going back to Starfall. It was then when his older brother had told him to move on and meet new people, so Brandon dragged him and Howland with him to the said party. He remembered Catelyn was talking to Barbrey Dustin, who Ned knew as she was a fellow member of UWH's Debate Guild. Catelyn was from Riverrun in the Riverlands and was also a governor's kid. So Ned easily found common ground with her. After that, he asked her out and went on dates several times before officially dating. Ned proposed to her while they were on vacation in a ski resort in Karhold after he was named as the company lawyer. He married her in her hometown of Riverrun before Cat officially moved in with him and his family in Stark Manor in Winterfell.

UWH was also where Ned met his roommate and bestfriend, Howland Reed. They got along mostly because they were both socially awkward and would rather be in their dorm room than go out to party. Brandon, Lyanna, and Benjen, in particular, consider Howland an honorary Stark. He was always invited when there were big events held in Stark Manor. Howland was his best man at his wedding and even made him his firstborn son, Robb's godfather. He was there when Ned needed support after his dad, Rickard, and brother, Brandon were killed in the capital. But his friendship with Howland deteriorated when he became an instrument that led to his sister, Lyanna's death.

It has been three decades, but Ned could still remember the day his father and brother were taken from them. If he had known they would die that day, Ned would've hugged them and told them he loved them.

Ned and his wife Catelyn, who was days away from giving birth to their first child, were both on family leave. At the moment, they were having breakfast in the dining hall with his older brother, Brandon, who was dressed to go to the capital with their Dad.

Lyanna joined them later, but Brandon noticed her casual attire. His sister was simply wearing a white polo shirt and jeans.

Brandon frowned at her. "Lya, that's what you're wearing to King's Landing?" He asked. "Isn't that too…simple?"

Lyanna shrugged. "I'm not going with you." She said as she filled her plate with food.

"Seven hells!" Brandon cussed. "I thought you were coming with us?"

"I would," Lyanna said. "But I have orphans to feed. I already made a promise to the kids. I just can't turn my back on them. And besides, what in seven hells am I gonna do there? Sit among an audience, listen to every boring political speech, hope for false promises, and then clap?" She snorted. "No, thank you."

"And I'm forced to do it?" Brandon brought up. "That's not fair. I really thought you'd wanna come. The State of the Nation's address is your perfect excuse to meet with Rhaegar."

Ned noticed his sister's momentary look of surprise. But she said nothing.

"Please, Lya," Brandon scoffed. "Ned and I aren't idiots. We know you're still seeing Rhaegar even after Dad told you to break up with him."

Lyanna looked around, probably checking if their Dad was within hearing distance.

"Dad's not here," Ned spoke up. "He's in his study, preparing."

Lyanna raised an eyebrow at him. "How did you know?" She asked.

Ned made a face at her. "Well, you're not exactly…subtle in hiding it." He pointed out. "But don't worry, your secret's safe with us."

"For now," Brandon added. "You're gonna have to tell Dad eventually and even if you don't, he will find out."

Lyanna huffed. "It's no use," She said. "There's no reasoning with him." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "But that's enough about me. Another reason I need to be here is that my baby nephew will come out into the world any day now." She then turned to Catelyn. "I'm gonna be his godmother, right, Cat?"

His wife, Catelyn looked up from her meal and smiled at his sister. "Of course, Lya."

Ned turned to his wife. "Shouldn't I have a say in this?"

Lyanna raised her hand. "Ah, ah, ah!" She interjected. "Your wife had already spoken, Ned. It's final. And don't worry, you know I love kids. I can assure you that his Aunt Lya will love him like his Mom and Dad will."

"Yeah," Brandon spoke up. "I better get used to being called Uncle Brandon. And Dad will be…Grandpa? Granddad?"

Lyanna snapped her fingers. "Granddad," She declared. "It's better." Then she lit up. "Oh, also, have you heard Jyana's good news?" She asked.

"No," Ned frowned. "What's the news?"

"She and Howland are pregnant!" Lyanna announced. "They're also gonna have a baby!"

Ned and Catelyn smiled at each other.

"Ooh," Brandon clapped his hands. "Uncle Brandon's got more kids to spoil."

"That's good to hear, Lya," Catelyn spoke up, holding her swollen belly. "At least, our son will soon have a playmate."

"I know," Lyanna said, smiling. "I can already imagine playdates happening. And I'm already calling it, your children will marry someday."

Ned shook his head. "Lya, my son isn't even born yet." He pointed out. "And we don't even know if Howland and Jyana are gonna be having a boy or a girl."

"Yeah," Brandon agreed. "Why are you predicting their lives like one of the plots of those cheesy romantic chick flicks you watch?"

"Just think about it, Brandon," Lyanna insisted. "Their children could marry each other."

Ned chuckled at his sister's wishful thinking. "Ohh-kay, sis," He said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"The kids aren't born yet, Lya," Brandon reminded her.

Lyanna shrugged. "Fine, maybe not your firstborns," She pointed out. "But maybe it's gonna be their younger siblings. Who knows. But I am sure that someday, one of your children will marry each other."

"Oh, yeah," Brandon nodded in agreement. "I change my mind. I'm with Lya. Then you and Howland would be brothers-by-law. Is that right?"

Lyanna rolled her eyes at Brandon. "No, you idiot!" She cried as she placed more food on her plate. "Their children are gonna be siblings-by-law. Ned and Howland are gonna be like…co-parents-by-law? Honestly, I don't know the right term for it."

Brandon made a face at their sister. "Lya, what the fuck are you eating, sis?"

"What?" Lya asked with a mouthful of food.

"Really?" Brandon made a disgusted face. "Green mangoes and mayonnaise together? That is the weirdest food combination ever. And that's coming from me."

"It's good." Lyanna insisted. "Leave me alone."

Suddenly, their Dad, Rickard stood by the archway, frowning at them. He was dressed formally, as he always did when he went out in public.

"Brandon!" Rickard called. "What are you still doing there? It's a six-hour drive to King's Landing." He reminded him. "We need to leave now if we're going make it in time."

"Right," Brandon hastily stood and emptied his glass of water.

Lyanna stood and gave their Dad a kiss on his cheek. "Bye, Dad."

"We'll be back tomorrow," Rickard announced as he gave Lyanna a side hug, then turned to Cat. "And hopefully, my grandson will wait until we return."

Catelyn smiled as she held her belly. "I'm sure he will."

Brandon tapped Ned's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Watch Lya like a hawk," He said. "I think she's hiding something."

Ned frowned at his brother. "What?"

Brandon simply shrugged. "I know she is." He insisted. "Try to figure out whatever you can and tell me about it tomorrow."

Before his father and brother got into the car, Brandon waved them goodbye with his cheeky wild grin. Little did Ned knew that it would be the last he will ever see.

After his father and brother left for the capital, and his sister left for work, Ned guided his pregnant wife back to their bedroom.

He helped Catelyn onto the couch and then opened the double doors that led to a balcony to let in the fresh air.

"Can you believe what Brandon told me before he left?" He spoke up. "He said Lyanna is hiding something."

Catelyn was quiet for about a few seconds before answering. "So, he sees it too."

Ned knitted his eyebrows. "Wait," He said as he grabbed throw pillows from the bed. "You know what he's talking about?"

Catelyn shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure if Brandon saw the same things I saw," She raised her feet onto the couch. "But yeah, I do think Lya is hiding something."

Ned placed pillows on his wife's back, sides, and under her legs for support. "Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?" He asked as he sat on an armchair across the couch.

"All the signs are there, Ned," Catelyn brought up. "I couldn't be more sure about it because I'm literally going through the same thing right now."

"In what exactly?" He asked in confusion.

"The weird food combinations?" Catelyn recalled. "Not feeling well in the mornings, always tired, having to use the bathroom more often? Yeah, I am definitely sure."

"Cat, you lost me."

"Ned, it couldn't be more obvious," Catelyn sighed. "Lyanna is pregnant." She blurted out.

"WHAT?" He exclaimed.

The entire day, it was all Ned could think about. He already had a kid on the way and now he found out he's also having a niece/nephew.

Ned had thought about confronting Lyanna about the bun in her oven when she came home later that day but decided against it. He had opted to tell Brandon about it first so they could confront their sister together when he returned from the capital. But then again, that didn't happen.

The next morning, Ned woke up to the bad news. One of their staff had told him to watch the news and that's how he found out. His father and brother were killed in a bombing whilst on their way home.

Ned came downstairs to his sister, Lyanna crying hysterically, while his youngest brother, Benjen, also crying, was hugging her. He had figured Benjen came rushing home from Castle Black when he heard the news. Several of their staff had gathered and were also in tears. The entire Stark Manor is in chaos. Glancing out the windows, he could see press people outside their gates.

"What do we do now, Ned?" Lyanna asked.

Ned realized everyone present was looking at him, waiting for his verdict. It had only then did the sad truth sink in. With his father and older brother dead, Ned was now the new head of the Stark family.

Despite everything that happened, Ned needed to be strong. For his younger siblings, for his wife and unborn son, for their staff whom they treat like family, for the families of those who died alongside his father and brother, and for all Northerners who lost a leader.

After the bombing, which was dubbed the Massacre of Wolves, the entire North went into chaos. Prayer rallies and protests were everywhere. Signs that said: Justice for our fellow Northmen! Justice for Governor Stark! are everywhere. Friends and political families were reaching out to offer condolences, but most of them only did it to gain media attention.

It took almost a week for their bodies to be brought home. The closed caskets were placed at the North Capitol in Winterfell with acting governor Jon "Greatjon" Umber agreeing to have a nine-day vigil.

While Northerners were paying their respects and mourning, news came out that the President of the country, Aerys Targaryen was behind the bombing, which made people angry. Then somehow the entire North region went on lockdown. People were barricading the ways heading North, refusing to let anyone in. Governors of their neighboring regions of the Vale－with Jon Arryn being good friends with his late father－and the Riverlands－with Hoster Tully being Catelyn's dad－announced their support to the North as threats of a civil war arise.

But Ned didn't care about the media or anything else at the moment. With his father and brother gone, he was still trying to pull his family together.

One night, between the vigils, Ned couldn't sleep. In all honesty, he was still processing the sudden deaths of his Dad and brother. Having to bury them made Ned only realized the weight of the big responsibility they had left him. And how he had to be strong, not just for the family, but for their house and work staff, their friends, and basically, the entire North region.

Not to mention both his siblings are…well, a mess. Lyanna was being all emotional and more sensitive than usual. Her eyes are puffy from all the crying and she would have emotional outbursts once in a while over the tiniest things. If Cat was right about her "condition", it would make more sense. As for Benjen, his younger brother tried to be subtle about it, but Ned saw him occasionally wipe tears from the corner of his eyes. Acting all emotionless was part of his military training after all.

For their sake, Ned had to pull himself together. He needed to be strong and be their rock. He needed to be the glue that holds the family together, especially in messier times. But it was never easy.

Ned got up and sat on the couch in his and Cat's room. He happened to glance at the framed photos on the console table by the couch. He grabbed the nearest one and it happened to be a family pic during Benjen's graduation ceremony. Their Dad had placed a lapel on Benjen's uniform signifying that he had finished military school and that he had moved up the ranks. Then they took a family photo to immortalize the moment. Benjen stood in the middle holding his cap, to his right, were their Dad, Rickard, and their older brother, Brandon, then to Benjen's left were Ned himself and Lyanna. All five of them had smiles on their faces.

Looking at it, it made Ned sad. And without knowing, he burst into tears. Losing one family member was hard enough, losing two at the same time was worse. Especially, if you need to stand up and become the de facto head of the family.

"Ned?" Catelyn called. Apparently, his crying woke up his sleeping wife.

Ned hurriedly wiped his tears. "Oh, I'm sorry, I woke you."

Catelyn, who was nine months pregnant, scooted out of bed and sat beside him on the couch. "It's okay," She assured, gently massaging his shoulders. "It's okay to cry. You'll feel better once you've let it all out."

Thank the gods for Catelyn. Ned didn't know what he did to deserve someone like her. She was always there when he needed her and always knew what to say to make him feel better. Of course, she'd understand what he was going through. Cat had a similar experience when she was only twelve. She had lost her Mom after giving birth to her baby brother, who had also died hours after. She had lost a parent and a sibling and had to look after her two remaining younger siblings.

Around the seventh day of the vigil, Catelyn had given birth to their son, who they named Robb. Ned was glad to finally have a family of his own, but it happening amidst the ongoing chaos isn't exactly ideal. Thankfully, Howland and Jyana were there to help them.

After the vigil, the bodies of the victims had to be taken to their homes before burying them. So, their dad and brother were taken home to Stark Manor one last time for a day. It was a weird day. Rickard and Brandon Stark were finally home but in caskets.

The next day, his father and brother were laid to rest in the Stark family mausoleum crypt in the Winterfell Memorial Park. Yes, their family had their own mausoleum. It was where generations of Starks were buried.

After the burial, they had gone back to Stark Manor for the funeral reception. The entire time people were whispering about a guest they had. At first, Ned had no idea who the people were talking about until he saw it himself.

Rhaegar Targaryen, son of Aerys Targaryen, president of Westeros, and the alleged mastermind of the King's Landing Bombing was present. Interesting thing was, Ned only saw him after the burial. And since coming back from the memorial park, he had apparently, never left Lyanna's side despite people giving them looks.

Seeing Rhaegar at the reception made Ned's blood boil. His Dad, Rickard was one of the possible candidates recognized by the opposition to run for president against Aerys Targaryen. When that happened, Rickard Stark often traveled to the capital a lot with Lyanna. His sister often traveled a lot because of her charity work, which was how she met Rhaegar, who then, was an engaged man. Rhaegar eventually did broke off his engagement with some Dornishwoman, whose name he couldn't remember, then started dating Lyanna a few months after. The president's son seemed nice and genuine enough, but for some reason, their Dad didn't like him. And Ned never understood why. Until now.

In all honesty, if it weren't for his wife keeping him at bay, Ned would've strangled the guy for even daring to show his face North. It came to a point where he couldn't keep it in anymore, so he grabbed Lyanna and pulled her to an empty hallway.

"Lyanna," Ned said, trying to keep himself from screaming. "What in seven hells is he doing here?!" He demanded.

"He is paying his respects," Lyanna insisted. "And he's my boyfriend. I need him here with me."

"Lya," Ned sighed before talking again. "Our dad and brother are dead because of that man's father! And you're acting like it's nothing."

"Rhaegar had nothing to do with that!" Lyanna argued.

"Do we really know that, huh?" He asked. "For all we know, Aerys tasked Rhaegar to get close to you so he could plan his move on how to eliminate Dad as a rival in politics."

Lyanna shook her head in disagreement. "No, he's not what you think he is." She countered. "His Dad may be crazy, but he's not. He loves me. And I love him."

"I think Dad was right," Ned announced. "You need to stay away from that guy."

His sister's expression turned to anger. "What?!" She shrieked. "What are you, Dad now? You can't tell me what I can and can't do! This is my life, Ned. I get to decide what I want to do with it!"

"When will you open your eyes, sister?" Ned provoked. "Can't you see? We're all just pawns in this stupid game called politics."

"You're starting to sound like Dad." She noticed.

"Dad was trying to protect our family from harm," Ned defended. "He was only doing what he thought was best for us. And now, it brought him to an early grave."

Lyanna had tears in her eyes now. "Ned－"

"What? Are you really gonna wait until they kill another one of us?" He asked, then he held both his sister's shoulders. "Lya, you, and Benjen, and Cat, and Robb…you're all I have left, okay? I don't know if I can take it if I lose either of you. So, please, for our family's sake."

Lyanna simply shook her head in response. "I－I can't－" She choked.

Ned threw his hands in exasperation. "By the old gods, Lya!" He was screaming now.

"Ned!" He heard Catelyn's voice calling to him.

His wife and his brother Benjen came running to them. They probably noticed that they weren't socializing with the guests and came looking for them.

"Ned," Cat said as she stood by his side, clutching his hand. "We have guests in the other room."

"Yeah," Benjen agreed as he stood by Lyanna's side. "Whatever this is, this will have to wait."

"No, this can't wait, Benjie," Ned insisted. "I would like to know why our sister can't seem to let go of the son of the man who had our father and brother murdered. What the fuck does he have that other men don't?" He demanded. "It could be anyone else but him."

Benjen frowned at him. "Is this really the time for this?"

"Fine," Lyanna spoke up with a firm tone. "You wanna know the truth? I'll tell you the truth. I'm pregnant. And it's Rhaegar's." She revealed.

"What?" Benjen exclaimed.

Ned and Catelyn both exchanged looks, somehow not surprised. What did I say? Cat seemed to say.

"I'm raising this baby," Lyanna said firmly. "And I want Rhaegar to be part of it. Whether you like it or not." She then walked out on them.

Ned also had to kick Rhaegar out of their house and warned him to stay away from his sister. That night, Catelyn went to see Lyanna in her room. His wife, being a gynecologist by profession, attended to his sister with Lyanna still giving Ned the cold shoulder.

Weeks after the funeral, Ned and Cat had their son, Robb baptized and named Howland and Lyanna as his godparents.

Robert Baratheon was also there, and it was also the time he told Ned about his newborn son, Gendry. What? It was Ned's reaction. You have a son? Robert explained that the child was a result of a one-night stand he had at his brother, Stannis' wedding, to Stannis' wife's cousin, Delena Florent. Besides all the body fat Robert gained, he had never changed. He was still the womanizer Ned knew while working together as interns in the Eyrie. Hopefully, he'll get his act together now that he has a kid.

The Stark family attended all the trials of Aerys Targaryen in the capital, with Howland and Jyana attending with them as well. The witnesses and the whistleblower had told the court all of their accounts. But the strongest evidence against Aerys was a mere six-minute audio-recording his own son, Rhaegar had of the both of them. Also, amidst the trials, people had turned on the first family, threatening their lives so they had to flee to Dragonstone, away from the media and haters.

Rhaegar's audio recording was the main linchpin that decided Aerys was charged guilty beyond reasonable doubt for mass murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Wolf's Den in White Harbor. At the same time, Robert Baratheon, his friend and then Vice President of Westeros, became the president and took his oath in front of the Great Sept of Baelor with both his brothers beside him.

Justice served, some people would say. But was it really? Whether Aerys was going to prison or not, it was never gonna get his Dad and brother back.

But on the way to the Wolf's Den, Aerys was assassinated by rebels. The media is pointing at Stark loyalists, but Ned had declined any press people and so Howland spoke in his place. He had said that the Starks just need their space and insisted that they would never do such a thing.

Ned knew that Lyanna was still seeing Rhaegar as her belly grew bigger. He didn't know how, but knowing his sister, she'll always find ways to sneak about. Lyanna eventually gave birth to a boy and named him Aegon. It was bad enough that the child had Targaryen blood, now Lyanna gave him a Targaryen name too. What could go wrong?

Despite his Targaryen blood, Ned grew to love baby Aegon and was glad that Robb now had a cousin and a playmate. He'd like to think Aegon healed the rift between Ned and Lyanna over her relationship with Rhaegar.

When Aegon was about six months old, Lyanna left home. Runaway or…whatever the term for it is. According to their staff, she left at dawn, carrying a bag and Aegon with her. And it looked like she was in a hurry. Ned had just one guess: she was probably going to Rhaegar. Again.

At that time, with Aerys assassinated on the Kingsroad, the remaining Targaryens had left Dragonstone and fled to the United Free Cities. With Lyanna carrying a bag and Aegon, she's probably keen on staying with Rhaegar, wherever he was. But to get to him, she will need help. And there were only two people Lyanna would turn to in desperate times: Benjen and/or Howland.

Benjen was too far North, in Castle Black. What would Lyanna do up there? The obvious choice was Howland in Greywater Watch.

Howland and his wife, Jyana, that week, just had their four-month-old daughter, Meera baptized, with Ned and Lyanna as godparents. And of course, little Meera was another playmate to Robb and Aegon.

At 6am, Ned told Hullen to get the car ready as they were going to Greywater Watch. Catelyn even warned him about the blizzard, but at that moment, he just wanted to get his sister and his nephew home.

By the time they got to Moat Cailin, cars had begun to pile up on the road. No surprise there, really. Traffic congestion gets worse during blizzards.

Ned was getting impatient when they haven't moved for the past thirty minutes. "What is going on?" He demanded. "Why aren't we moving?"

"I believe there's a car collision, sir," Hullen reported, keeping his eyes on the barely visible road.

"Oh, gods," Ned huffed. "Blizzards these days are deadly."

When they finally moved, Ned noticed Howland's car and he was horrified. The car's bumper was severely crumpled with its front wheels up the median strip. It also had several paramedics surrounding it, like they were trying to get someone out of it.

"By the old gods!" Ned exclaimed. "Hullen, pull over."

He couldn't shake the feeling that Howland could've been in that car, with his family. The idea of his bestfriend, his wife, and his four-month-old daughter in that car made Ned uneasy.

"Sir?" Hullen asked, like he'd misheard him.

"Pull over!" Ned insisted.

The instant Hullen parked the car, Ned got out, ran to the median strip, and jumped over it.

He got stopped by a paramedic when he approached the car. "Sir, you shouldn't be here." The paramedic said.

"That's my friend's car right there." Ned pointed out. "I just need to make sure－"

"Ned!" He heard a voice call behind him.

Ned turned and saw Howland by an ambulance, waving at him. When he saw Howland unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief before approaching him. But as he did, Ned noticed that Howland was carrying a baby. Though, it wasn't just any random baby, no. It was Lyanna's son, Aegon. And his forehead was patched.

The panic feeling he had earlier came back.

"Howland," Ned acknowledged, then bent down and examined his crying nephew's forehead. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I tried to stop her, Ned." Howland started to explain. "But she insisted."

Ned took Aegon from Howland and gently hushed him. "It's okay," He assured. "It's okay, Uncle Ned's here." He turned back to Howland. "Where's Lyanna?" He demanded.

"She asked for my help to get to White Harbor," Howland recalled. "Said I need to drive her there immediately. But when I insisted to wait out the storm, she stole my car and－"

"Why?" Ned asked.

Howland shook his head. "I don't know," He admitted. "But she was in a hurry."

"Howland, why is she going to White Harbor?" Ned asked again impatiently.

"I don't know," Howland said again. "Lya didn't say why. If you wanna know, you'll have to ask her yourself."

Ned was starting to get mad. "Son of a bitch, Howland!" He cursed. "Just tell me the truth. You don't have to hide anything."

"I don't know the truth," Howland insisted. "I swear."

Just then, paramedics had pulled someone from Howland's wrecked car. Sure enough, it was his sister, Lyanna.

Ned ignored Howland and ran to his sister being carried out on a stretcher, with his baby nephew in his arms.

"Lyanna!" Ned called.

Lyanna was covered in blood. She had a gash on her temple and her leg was bent at an unusual angle. But despite that, she was flailing around, grasping her rescuers' arms.

"Where is my son?" Lyanna asked weakly. "Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

The paramedics carried the stretcher Lyanna was on into the ambulance. Ned had to yell at Hullen, who had parked the car he came in on the other side of the road, to follow the ambulance.

Ned hopped into the ambulance while carrying a crying baby Aegon as they drove to the nearest hospital, the Moat Cailin District Hospital.

Lyanna seemed to calm down after seeing him carrying Aegon and stopped pushing the paramedics away and allowed them to patch her wounds, put a mechanical ventilator on her, and a bunch of other wires Ned didn't know.

Ned took his sister's bloody hand, which Lyanna gently squeezed in response.

Lyanna stubbornly removed the ventilator with her other hand, making her breathing shallow.

"No, you have to－" One of the paramedics started to say.

Lyanna ignored the paramedic and turned to him. "Ned," She said in a soft voice, almost a whisper.

"Hang in there, Lya." He said, mostly trying to convince himself. "You're gonna be alright."

That's when tears came from Lyanna's eyes. She then grabbed Aegon's tiny hand and smiled weakly. "I'm so sorry, baby," She told her son. "You have to be strong. Mama loves you so much. Never forget that."

"Lya, what are you－" Ned spoke up.

"Listen to me, Ned," Lyanna interjected, letting go of Aegon's hand and grasping the sleeve of Ned's coat. "You have to take care of him, please."

Ned's eyes started tearing up as well. "Don't talk like that," He insisted. "You're gonna be fine."

"P-promise me, Ned," Lyanna pleaded. "Promise me."

Ned slowly nodded, looking her in the eyes. "I promise."

Then Lyanna gave one last smile before gasping for air so the paramedics had to put the ventilator back on her to help her breathe.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Lyanna was taken to the emergency room to further stabilized her condition, but to no avail. When her pulse weakened, they had to use a defibrillator to restore her heartbeat.

Ned had to scream for nurses and doctors to save his sister. They did everything they could, but the machines had already shown a flatline.

The attending doctor glanced at his wristwatch. "Time of death," He announced. "7:45 am."

Ned then wept and clutched Aegon closer, hugging him tightly. He allowed his tears to stream down his cheeks knowing he had just lost another family member. He lost his sister, and Aegon lost his mother.

Just as the nurses covered to put a blanket over Lyanna, Howland arrived at the scene.

The hospital staff took Lyanna's body to the morgue to clean her up. Ned didn't remember most of what happened in the hospital afterwards. But he did yell at Howland and told him to get lost. He also may have pushed him across a wall until Benjen had to interfere.

"Just get lost!" Ned said angrily.

Howland left without argument. Catelyn took the crying Aegon from Ned and calmed the baby down, while Benjen turned to him.

"What in seven hells was that about?" Benjen asked.

"Don't worry about it," Ned assured.

"Where's Lyanna?" His brother asked. "Hullen told us about the accident. Is she okay?"

Ned froze and looked down. He was so caught up with everything that happened that he hadn't bothered that no one told Benjen and Catelyn the sad news.

"Ned?" Benjen called.

That's when the tears streamed down his cheeks again. Ned simply shook his head and hugged his younger brother tight. As of that moment, Benjen came to understand what had happened to their sister.

Benjen wept and hugged Lyanna's body once they were allowed in the morgue. Between Ned and his siblings, Benjen was closest to Lyanna. Maybe because they're the two youngest or that Benjen helped and supported Lyanna's rebellious ways in return for her to defend their younger brother from anyone or anything.

Benjen settled the hospital bills in the Accounting, while Ned and Catelyn sat on one of the benches in the emergency room. Once again, Aegon was soundly sleeping in Ned's arms.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your sister," Catelyn gently squeezed his arm. "But what happens to Aegon now?" She asked.

"I promised her, Cat," Ned blurted out. "Lyanna asked me to take care of him, and I promised her that I will."

Catelyn nodded as she stroke a tuff of Aegon's dark hair away from his face before facing Ned. "No, Ned," She said. "We will take care of him. And raise him like our own."

The following day, they held a funeral for Lyanna in Stark Manor. The Darling of the North, they called his sister. Gone too soon.

Howland and his wife, Jyana came to the funeral, but after their last encounter, Ned blew up again and kicked them out. And that was the last he's spoken to them until…well, Bran and Meera.

Two weeks after Lyanna was buried in the Stark family's mausoleum crypt, Rhaegar had the nerve to show his face and demand full custody of his son.

So yes, there was a court battle for Aegon's full custody. Automatically with minors, when one parent dies, the custody goes to the other parent, and not the uncle. But it's not the same in their case. At that time, the Targaryens were still hot in the media and they were put in a bad light after it was confirmed that Aerys ordered governor Rickard's death. That alone impacted the jury's decision and he won the case, gaining his nephew, Aegon's full custody.

But Ned didn't stop there, he had also filed a restraining order against Rhaegar and that he and his siblings will not be able to step foot on Westerosi soil for thirty years. He also had the baby's name changed from Aegon to Jon, to officially strip him off of anything Targaryen.

Now, driving alone to the Winterfell Memorial Park, on Christmas day, Ned contemplated on everything that happened before. After the fiasco with Bran running away with Howland's daughter, Ned thought things couldn't get any worse than it already is. And well, looking at his family's history, of course, he was wrong.

Jon volunteered for a suicide black op mission in the far North. And now he was currently missing in action.

Ned's heart sank when he heard the news of Jon's disappearance. Not only was he worried and sad about his nephew's status, but also because he had broken his promise to his late sister that he would take care of her son.

Promise me, Ned, Lyanna had said. Those words haunted him even up to this day.

Ned bought blue winter roses arranged into a casket bouquet to be placed by her gravestone. He specifically chose blue winter roses because they were Lyanna's favorite flowers.

Usually, he'll have their chauffeur, Hullen drive him around, but this time he insisted on driving alone. To think, to sulk, and well, to cry where no one else could see him.

Ned walked to the Stark family's mausoleum crypt with the blue roses, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw another person was visiting. His brother, Benjen was there.

"Benjen?" He said, dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

"Merry Christmas to you too, brother," Benjen said, not looking at him.

Ned placed the bouquet before Lyanna's tombstone and stood next to his brother. "Why didn't you come home?" He asked.

Benjen kept his eyes on Lyanna's tombstone. "Figured I'd stay away from all the drama."

Ned frowned at his brother. "What?"

Benjen shrugged. "Well, there's the issue with Bran running away with Howland's daughter…and you know, Jon going missing."

Ned sighed. "I read his letter," He brought up. "But if it wasn't for that, I'd probably be yelling at you right now."

"I really did try to stop him," Benjen explained. "But he just shuts me out every time." He turned back to their sister's tombstone. "Hear that, Lya? He's definitely your son. Stubborn just like you."

"Jon asked you about his dad, didn't he?" Ned asked. "And you told him."

His younger brother nodded. "I had to. But not many details, just the tip of the iceberg." He admitted. "Honestly, the kid was curious all his life, he just was afraid to ask either of us. He's too modest, like his dad."

"He even signed it as Jon/Aegon," Ned recalled. "And addressed it to Arya."

"Well, you didn't hear this from me," Benjen said. "But Arya is his favorite cousin. Just like she's your favorite kid."

Ned glanced at Benjen in confusion. "What in seven hells are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Ned," Benjen huffed. "I'm not blind. Arya is clearly your favorite. Every parent has a favorite kid, they just won't admit it out loud. Just like how our dear departed sister was our dad's favorite."

"It's never about favoritism, Benjie," Ned said. "I just…I didn't wanna be like Dad. He was so strict and overbearing. I didn't wanna be like that to my children."

Ned did give his children the much-needed freedom he and his siblings didn't have back in the day. Brandon partied with frat boys instead of studying for an exam, Lyanna dated a son of their dad's political rival, and Benjen wanted to be in the military.

He had reckoned that Lyanna was rebellious because their father was too overprotective of her. Maybe because she was his only daughter. Ned vowed to never do the same to his children, given how his own sister turned out. He had learned to support their interest, choices, and passions, trust them and understand why. And maybe he may have given Arya too much freedom because he was afraid she'd end up like Lyanna. Or maybe because his daughter resembled and acted too much like the sister he lost.

Benjen snorted. "I'm not even gonna question your parenting skills, Ned." He said. "But I think you could've handled Bran's situation better."

"What did you want me to do?" Ned tasked. "Just let Bran throw his life away because of some girl? Do you not remember what happened to Lya?" He reminded him. "Dad had warned her about the Targaryens, but she never listened."

"Dad never gave Rhaegar a chance." Benjen pointed out. "He hated him already because he was the son of a political rival. That was the problem. And now…" He heaved a sigh. "I hate to say it, but you're sounding just like him."

Ned remained quiet, not knowing what to say. But his brother did have a point.

"It was you who had said that a child should never be judged and punished by his father's actions, right?" Benjen said. "It's safe to say that you ate all your words, Ned."

"It's not like I didn't try that approach," Ned stated. "I did, with Roose Bolton. I allowed his son, Ramsay to date Sansa, but look what happened. My daughter suffered physical and emotional trauma because of what his son did to her. And she's still seeing a therapist to this day."

"Not all people are the same." Benjen insisted. "Howland is not Roose, we both know that."

"You can't blame me," Ned said. "I'm only looking out for my children. And I'm doing everything I can so they won't suffer the same fate Brandon and Lya did. You don't understand how it feels because you don't have kids."

"But you know the Reeds," Benjen brought up. "They are far better than the Boltons. And I know that you know that. Howland's your bestfriend."

"Was," Ned corrected. "He betrayed us."

"We both know what happened to Lya was an accident."

"Why are you even defending him?"

"I'm not defending him," Benjen countered. "I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt. And you know Lya, she's stubborn. Once she sets her eyes on something, she'll go to great lengths to get it. All she wanted was freedom and acceptance. Freedom to choose what she wanted, and us accepting her choices."

"She told you that?"

"The last time we met, yes," Benjen admitted. "Around a week before the accident."

Ned took a deep breath before speaking again. "Did you know she insisted on going to White Harbor in the middle of a blizzard?"

Benjen shook his head. "No," He admitted. "But I suspected that she was going to run away with Rhaegar. And other than me, there's only one other person she trusts and it's Howland. If she didn't come to me for help, she'll go to him."

"And she did," Ned confirmed. "But why?"

"I'm in the Wall, Ned," Benjen reminded him. "In the far north. There's not much there. And there's not much I can do to help her there either."

The brothers were quiet for a while. Sometimes, Ned wondered what their lives would've been if their dad, brother, and sister were still alive to meet his children. Things would've been so different.

"Well," Benjen broke the silence. "I better get going. Should any news about Jon comes, I'll let you know."

"You can stay for dinner," Ned offered. "It's Christmas after all."

Benjen smiled half-heartedly. "I'd love to," He said. "But if Jon comes back, I need to be there. And we'll come home together. If I don't, Lya would rise from her grave and strangle us both for neglecting her son."

Ned tilted his head in curiosity. "Benjen, you've served in the military for years now. Have you ever thought of Jon being…" He didn't want to finish the sentence.

Benjen shook his head. "No," He said confidently. "Jon is a smart kid. And yes, I've seen people get deployed somewhere and never come back or they do come back in a casket, but no, not once have I thought of our nephew in that way. If anyone could survive an ambush, it's him. And don't worry, Jon will come back home." He promised. "We just don't know when. All we need to do is wait patiently."

Ned nodded in agreement. "And we will be waiting," He said, then gently patted Benjen's shoulder. "Merry Christmas, little brother."

Benjen playfully punched Ned's arm. "See you soon."

. . .

When Ned got home, he came across his daughter, Arya in the foyer pulling Gendry with her. And they were dressed like they were heading out.

"Oh, hi, Daddy," Arya greeted.

Ned raised an eyebrow at her. "What is this?" He asked, pointing a finger back and forth at her and Gendry. "And where are you going?"

"We're going back to the orphanage," Arya replied. "We're handing out Christmas presents for the kids today."

"I'm tagging along with her, Mr. Stark," Gendry spoke up. "There's not much I'm doing here anyway."

Ned nodded. "Alright," He said. "Just be home before dinner."

Arya smiled. "We will," She then hugged him. "Thanks, Daddy. See you later." She turned back to Gendry and they both headed out the front door.

Ned had suspected something was going on between his daughter and Robert's firstborn son. He has nothing against Gendry. Ned found it ironic that the boy was nothing like his father when Robert was that age. Besides the fact that Gendry is a carbon copy of his dad in his youth, personality-wise, they were almost polar opposites. Robert was outgoing and extroverted, on the other hand, Gendry was shy, introverted, and only talked to people when he has to. So if he is dating Arya, Ned has no problem with it.

After lunch, Ned stayed in his study. Well, technically, it was his father, Rickard's study. When he and Brandon died in King's Landing, Lyanna insisted that Ned should make it his. It's also the one place where Ned does work either with stuff he hadn't finished in the Capitol or when he wants to be alone or when he needed someplace to think.

Ned had a lot of things in his mind that he couldn't decide which problem to analyze first. Bran running away with Howland's daughter, Catelyn giving him the cold shoulder, Jon going missing, Benjen not coming home for Christmas, and just the tension in the family knowing Bran and Jon aren't spending Christmas with them.

He was enjoying a mug of hot chocolate while seated on this executive chair, when he received a text from his assistant, Barth. It read:

Barth; 14:37

Good afternoon, Gov. Ned. Merry Christmas! Sorry to bother you, sir, but the Red Keep contacted your office this morning, and the Commander in Chief wants to talk to you via a video conference. I'll send in the details through e-mail.

Ned reluctantly opened his laptop and checked his e-mail. Sure enough, Barth had sent him the video conference I.D. He immediately send confirmation that he was available at the moment so he set up his laptop and all he had to do was wait for the call.

He probably should have dressed formally from the waist up, at least, but Ned didn't care. It was Christmas day and he shouldn't be working, so he didn't give two fucks what the president will think if he was wearing a reindeer sweater. And besides, Robert is an old friend.

Not a minute later, the call came. Ned expected Robert Baratheon in a business suit with a serious face because there was some sort of national emergency and they needed his help or something.

Nope, Robert Baratheon was in a yellow reindeer sweater with a can of beer in his hand and was probably half-drunk.

"Ned!" Robert greeted, louder than he anticipated. "Merry Christmas, Governor!"

"Hello, Robert," Ned forced out a smile. "Merry Christmas to you too. You're drunk, aren't you?" He asked.

Robert tilted his head. "Kinda, yeah." He admitted. "But don't worry, this isn't official business or anything. I just didn't know how to contact you and Gendry isn't answering his phone."

"Oh, I think he went to an orphanage with Arya," Ned explained. "They left before lunch."

"Ooh," Robert said. "Anyway, I want to personally thank you for welcoming my son into your home. It's very kind of you, Ned, really."

"Well, Arya insisted," He recalled. "And it's the least I can do. Blizzards are particularly terrible in the last weeks of December."

"So, your daughter and my son," Robert brought up. "I believe they have become…close. What do you think's going on there?" He asked.

Ned shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know," He admitted. "I do pity any boy who gets caught in her wolf's gaze. But he must be different, because knowing Arya, she wouldn't tolerate anything less."

"Yeah, well," Robert huffed. "I got Renly to thank for Gendry turning out like he is."

Arya may have mentioned to him once that Gendry was closer to his Uncle Renly than to his actual Dad. Ned liked to think it was a good thing.

"But I do might have to talk to him though," Robert continued. "About this thing going on between him and your daughter. What about you? Did Arya mention anything?"

Ned shrugged. "Robb and Sansa think they're dating, and I think so too," He admitted. "But I haven't exactly had the proper conversation because I have other things to deal with at hand."

"Oh, right," Robert nodded. "I heard about your nephew. But we shouldn't jump to conclusions, alright? That boy is Lyanna's son, he'll always know what to do." He assured.

It wasn't just Jon, Bran was not there too. But Robert doesn't need to know that.

"I just hope he's okay," Ned said. "Wherever he is."

Ned was gonna bring up how Robert agreed to deploy another set of troops to a previously failed mission, but there wasn't time. And Robert seemed eager to get back to drinking.

"Well, I better let you get back to family time," Robert said. "Have some fun, Ned. It's Christmas after all. Stop being such a dud all the time."

Ned and Robert shared one last laugh before ending the video conference call. He closed the laptop and went back to his hot chocolate.

Robert was right about one thing though. It was Christmas, and all his problems can wait. For a while, at least.

HOWLAND

For the first time, Howland was spending Christmas with his family not complete.

His daughter, Meera had found love with Ned's son, Bran and run away with him to who knows where. It was hard enough to watch her grow from being a little girl who clutched his leg when she was shy to an independent young woman with a career. Now, Meera had just left without an explanation and a proper goodbye.

Howland had nothing against Bran Stark. He's…well, like a young Ned Stark, except for his auburn hair. And despite his falling out with Ned a few years back, he approved of his daughter's relationship with Bran. Ned, however, wasn't too thrilled with it.

It all started with the death of Lyanna Stark, Ned's sister. But before that, Ned Stark was his best friend.

While attending UWH, Howland's assigned roommate in the dorm was Ned Stark, a.k.a. Governor Rickard Stark's son. He had expected Ned to be a snobby rich kid, but nope, he was smart, quiet, and very mature for his age. And they get on great, even his siblings like him. Brandon dragged him and Ned both to parties, mostly against their will, Lyanna shot several guys in the UWH quad with a paintball gun for harassing him, and Benjen, well, the guy declared him as an honorary Stark.

Howland had considered the Starks as his second family. They'd often invited him to Stark Manor to hang out, or to big event parties, and even vacation trips. He even met his wife because of Lyanna.

His wife, Jyana was older than him. She took a gap year after high school and worked to save up to be able to enroll in the UWH. Jyana was Lyanna's roommate, and she had introduced them to each other and the rest is history. At their wedding, Ned and Lyanna were the best man and maid of honor, respectively. And even had them be named his daughter's godparents.

Howland and Jyana have two children, Meera and Jojen. And as expected, Meera's personality was that of her mother, outgoing and not afraid to meet people, and as for his son, Jojen…well, no surprise, he was like him.

When Ned and Catelyn were only weeks from having their firstborn, and he and his wife had just told them about being pregnant, Lyanna had somehow insisted that Ned and his kids are gonna marry each other someday. Not gonna lie, Howland had thought about that, his bestfriend becoming his co-parent-by-law. But then again, he had never hoped their children would ever cross paths…ever since their falling out.

Howland remembered it as clear as day.

It was in the crack of dawn in the middle of a zero-visibility snowstorm. Howland and his wife, Jyana were woken up by their house staff saying there was a woman with a baby on their porch.

At first, he thought, What?! Not knowing who is it or what is going on, he got up and wore his robe over his pjs. Before Howland went downstairs to face a possible threat, he first checked on his wife, Jyana, who had gotten a fever the night before, and then went to check on the nursery, to the crib where his four-month-old daughter, Meera slept soundly.

Halfway towards the front door, he could already hear it being pounded.

He took a deep breath before opening the door and was surprised to see Lyanna Stark carrying her son, Aegon—who was wrapped in thick wool blankets in her arms, and a duffle bag at her feet.

"Lyanna?" Howland said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Howland, you have to help me," Lyanna pleaded. "Please."

He then gestured for her to come inside. "Come inside."

Howland had her sit by the unlit fireplace in the living room before telling one of their staff to get them mugs of hot chocolate. He also had baby Aegon laid on one of Meera's cribs in the living room.

"Lya, why are you here?" Howland asked as he lit the fireplace. "It's nearly morning and why do you have a bag with you? Wait, you're not—"

"There's no time to explain," Lyanna confirmed. "I just need your help, please."

"How can I help you if you won't even tell me what the problem is?"

"I just need to get to White Harbor asap," Lyanna explained. "That's it."

Their housekeeper, Elyse came in with the mugs of hot chocolate, and Howland handed one to Lyanna.

"Why?" He asked.

"I don't think I need to tell you that," She replied.

"Do your brothers know about this?" He pried. "Do they even know you're here?"

Lyanna shook her head. "No, and no."

"Lya－" He started to say.

"Howland, please," Lyanna said. "I came to you because I know you can help me. Ned will never listen or understand."

It took him a full minute to ponder. "Alright, fine," He finally agreed. "I would offer to drive you to White Harbor, but Jyana is sick, and no one's gonna look after Meera. So, I'll have one of my staff drive you－"

"Oh, no," Lyanna countered. "You don't need to drive me. I could just borrow your car, and I'll park it by the Merman's Court. And then I'll just hide the key under the shotgun seat. You do have a spare, right?"

"Of course," He said. "You know, I had just installed a baby's car seat on this car. So, it's your lucky day."

Lyanna smiled. "Thank you, Howland." She said gratefully. "By the way, how is my goddaughter? Her crying is not keeping you up at night, is it?"

"Surprisingly, no," Howland admitted. "Meera's not much of a crier."

"You got lucky, I guess." Lyanna huffed. "After giving birth to Aegon, I barely slept for the first two weeks because of all the crying." She said. "But we shouldn't worry about it. One of these days, they will make us proud."

Howland snorted as he stood up. "Oh, I am very much looking forward to that day when it comes." He approached one of the bookshelves by the fireplace and took out one of the car keys he'd hidden.

"Here you go," He said as he placed the keys on the coffee table. "But I think the blizzard's gonna stall you here for a while. So, get comfortable."

"What?" Lyanna exclaimed. "I don't give a fuck about some blizzard. I'm leaving for White Harbor after I finish this hot chocolate, it's good, by the way, and I'm taking my son with me."

"What is in White Harbor that you're in such a hurry to go?" He demanded. "I can't have you out in a snowstorm, especially not with a baby. It's probably a white out and it's too dangerous. Also, your brothers would kill me if anything happens to you. But seriously, why?"

Lyanna made a face at him. "It's best if you don't know." She huffed. "Trust me, it's best for everyone, Howland."

Howland frowned, still confused as the seven hells. "Yeah, I still hadn't gotten a straight answer from you," He pointed out. "So, I'm－"

"Mr. Reed!" Their housekeeper, Elyse interrupted. "I'm sorry to bother you, but little Meera has woken up and wouldn't stop crying."

Howland sighed and stood. "Don't worry, I'll take her," He said before turning back to Lyanna. "I'll be back. We're still not done talking."

Howland went back upstairs to check on his daughter in the nursery. Sure enough, just as he reached the top of the stairs, he could already hear Meera crying.

Once he entered the nursery, Howland picked up his daughter from the crib and gently rocked her.

"Oh, my sweet," He said, gently wiping her tears. "It's okay, Daddy's here." He assured.

Meera looked at him with her curious green eyes as he tucked a few strands of her curly hair behind her ears when she did stop crying.

"It's going to be alright, Meerakins," He reassured, gently patting her back. "Your mommy is sick so you're gonna be hanging out with me. Your godmother Lya is here with Aegon. You wanna say hi to them?"

Now, of course, his four-month-old daughter couldn't respond to that, so he decided to just carry her downstairs with him. "Let's go meet them then." He said.

Howland slowly walked down the stairs, carrying a sleepy Meera with him. "Lya, I'm sorry about－" His sentence was cut short and he stopped in his tracks he found no one in the living room. "Lyanna?"

He called for their housekeeper. "Elyse?"

Elyse came running from the kitchen. "Yes, Mr. Reed?"

"Where's Lyanna?" He asked.

"Uh, she left with her baby just now," Elyse said. "I think she took your car."

"What?" Howland exclaimed, then he ran to the nearest window and took a peek. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." He muttered,

Howland rushed to Elyse. "Elyse, take Meera," He said, handing his daughter to their housekeeper. "Rock her to sleep and then put her back in her crib."

"But－" Elyse started to say.

"Do not wake Jyana," He insisted, then kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'll be back."

Thankfully, Meera didn't cry when Elyse took her from him. And with that, he grabbed the keys to one of the pick-up trucks they use for deliveries, hurriedly put on a winter coat and boots, and ran outside.

Howland nearly fell on the snow a few times on his way to the pick-up truck. Mostly, because he couldn't see where he was going. And yes, the blizzard was a whiteout.

If he barely made it to his pick-up truck without tripping, how in the seven hells can Lyanna drive through this storm?

"Oh, my gods!" He cried, then took a deep breath. "Alright, all I need to do is go after her." He then turned on the engines and drove off.

Even with the wipers on, Howland can still barely see through the windshield. The only indication of what was in front of him and where he was were the lights. Tail lights of the cars ahead of him on the highway, the street lights on the side of the road, road signs, and lights on the signs of commercial establishments by the road.

Howland had also decreased his speed to avoid getting into an accident since he could barely see what was ahead.

Up ahead, he could already see the emergency lights of ambulances and police cars.

Uh, oh, He thought. Not good.

Police officers and traffic enforcers were signaling to veer ongoing cars to the outer lane, away from the multiple-vehicle collision that he could barely make out because of the thick fog.

As Howland kept driving, he saw his car－the one Lyanna borrowed. The car's front wheels were up on the median strip, and its bumper and rear were severely crumpled.

"Oh, my gods!" He exclaimed as he hastily parked the pick-up truck.

Howland ran towards the wreckage and was stopped by police officers patrolling the perimeter of the collision.

"Sir, I'm sorry," A police officer said. "You shouldn't be here."

"That's my car!" He said, pointing at his car. "My friend was driving and－Lyanna!" He screamed. "Lyanna!"

"Sir, I'm gonna ask you to leave." The police officer insisted. "This isn't－"

"No, you don't understand!" Howland protested. "There's a baby in that car!"

Two more people came to restrain him.

"The baby is taken care of," One of them assured. "He's in the ambulance as we speak."

Howland stopped struggling. "And the baby's mother?" He asked.

"They're still trying to pull her out of the car."

That didn't reassure him at all.

"Take me to the kid." Howland suggested.

One of the paramedics escorted him to the nearby ambulance. A female paramedic was gently rocking Lyanna's son, Aegon, trying to calm him down because he was crying so much.

"It's gonna be okay, little guy," She assured. "You're gonna be okay."

Little Aegon was wailing and he had a patch of gauze plastered on his forehead. Looking at the baby, Howland felt a surge of pity and held back his tears.

"Aegon," Howland approached and took Aegon from the paramedic. "It's okay, buddy," He assured, rocking him and trying to get him to stop crying. "Shh…Uncle Howie's here."

Still, Aegon never stopped crying. That's when Howland saw Ned trying to get to his wrecked car.

"Ned!" He called, waving one hand up.

When Ned saw him, Howland could see the relief on his bestfriend's face for a brief moment. But Ned's relief turned to horror when he saw that Howland was carrying a wounded and crying Aegon, and his mother was nowhere to be found.

Ned took Aegon from him, and of course, started looking for Lyanna and asked questions Howland couldn't answer. He even demanded the real reason why Lyanna came to him, but again, even he didn't know why. All Howland could tell him was if he wanted to know why he'd have to ask Lyanna himself.

By the time the paramedics were able to pull Lyanna from the wreckage, Ned was already convinced that he was lying.

The paramedics placed Lyanna on a stretcher before carrying her to the ambulance. Her clothes were stained with blood. Her leg was bent at an unusual angle and she had a gash on her temple.

"Where is my son?" Lyanna asked, flailing around. "Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

Ned, still carrying Aegon, went into the ambulance as he would head to the nearest hospital, the Moat Cailin District Hospital.

Howland ran back to his pick-up and followed the ambulance to the hospital. By the time he got to the emergency room, it was too late.

The nurses had already pulled the blankets over Lyanna's body as Ned wept by her bedside.

Howland couldn't help but also shed a few tears. Lyanna was his friend, a sister he never had. She had defended him when no one else would and was the first to call him an honorary Stark.

He could just imagine her sudden loss taking a toll on Ned. Especially since it was still barely a year since Rickard and Brandon were killed, and now, Lyanna.

He found Ned in the waiting area, carrying Aegon, who finally went to sleep, while the hospital staff cleaned up Lyanna's body in the morgue. His bestfriend's eyes were almost bloodshot as he stared into nothing.

Howland sat beside him, placed a hand on Ned's shoulder, and gently squeezed it for reassurance. "I'm sorry." He managed.

"Sorry?" Ned repeated, with a cold tone. "My sister is dead! How is sorry gonna fix that?"

"Ned, I－" Howland started to say.

But Ned stood, still carrying Aegon in one hand, grabbed his arm with his free hand, and twisted it, pushing Howland against the wall.

"Why did Lyanna insist on going to White Harbor?" Ned demanded.

"I don't know, okay?" Howland answered. "She never told me. But it must've been important because why else would she leave in the middle of a blizzard."

"You didn't stop her."

"Lya took my keys when I went to check on Meera," Howland recalled.

Ned never said anything in response.

"Look, Ned," Howland said. "What I do know, is that Lyanna didn't tell me anything, because she knew I would tell you and Benjen about it afterwards."

"It doesn't fucking matter!" Ned screamed, twisting his arm harder, making Howland flinch. "Lyanna is gone! She's dead because of you!"

Ned's screaming woke up the sleeping baby Aegon. It was also the time Ned's wife, Catelyn, and brother, Benjen found them.

"Ned?" Benjen called, then ran to them when he saw Ned pushing Howland against the wall. "Hey, knock it off!" He said, breaking them apart.

"Just get lost!" Ned screamed at him.

Howland left without another word, with his head down in shame. Ned was right, he was partly to blame for Lyanna's death. He wasn't able to stop her causing her her life and her son orphaned.

He cried the whole ride home only to find police cars outside his house. He got inside and saw several people in the living room with his wife. Jyana sighed in relief and wrapped him in a bear hug when she saw him.

Their visitors turned out to be cops and car insurance people. They asked for his statement because his car was one of the cars in the multiple-vehicle collision in Moat Cailin. They also assured him that the insurance would fix the damage the accident caused to his car.

Once they left, his wife turned to him. Jyana was already terrifying when she's mad. But seeing her mad while she's sick, was even scarier.

"Howland, what's going on?" Jyana demanded. "I nearly had a heart attack when those insurance people told me my husband's car was in an accident in Moat Cailin."

"I…wasn't driving my car," Howland admitted. "Lyanna was."

"Oh my gods," She exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

Howland kept quiet. He simply shook his head, not meeting his wife's eyes.

"Howie, what are you saying?" She asked.

Howland sat on the couch and stared at the floor. "She's gone." He confirmed. "They proclaimed her dead on arrival at that hospital in Moat Cailin."

Jyana sank down next to him and started crying. Howland had to put his arm around his wife to calm her down. Lyanna was his wife's college roommate and they were very good friends. So yeah, of course, Jyana was devastated.

The following day, the Starks held a service for Lyanna in Stark Manor. And because Lyanna put her heart into charity work, of course, a lot of people came to the funeral. Mostly, people she had helped, financially, psychologically, and emotionally.

Howland went to the funeral with his wife, Jyana, as they were close friends with Lyanna.

Entering the room where Lyanna's casket was placed for viewing, Howland could see Ned, Catelyn, and Benjen entertaining the guests. They were too occupied to notice as he and his wife made their way to the casket.

Both Howland and his wife shed tears when they happened to glance at Lyanna. In the casket, Lyanna lay peacefully, like she was just sleeping. There was a visible cut by her temple, probably the gash he had seen when paramedics were taking her into the ambulance. Lyanna's hands were placed on her chest, where she held a single blue winter rose, her favorite flower.

Howland touched the edge of the casket. "I'm so sorry, Lya." He said softly.

Afterwards, they had to make way for other people to view the casket, and it was only then did the Starks noticed them.

He could see the look of disdain on Ned's face as he headed in their direction. Catelyn, however, took a warmer approach than her husband and hugged both him and Jyana.

Ned knew better than to draw attention to the crowd so he pulled him aside to the hallway outside the room, while Catelyn had a small chat with Jyana.

"What in seven hells are you doing here?!" Ned demanded.

Howland took a deep breath before speaking. "We're here to pay our respects for Lyanna," He said. "And to offer our condolences to your family."

"Thank you," Ned nodded, then paused for a good three seconds. "You can leave now."

Howland raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I believe you heard me right," Ned insisted. "You've paid your respects and offered your condolences. Now, you can leave."

"Okay," Howland started to say. "I know you're still mad at me. I can tell from the way you pushed me against the wall yesterday. And I'm sorry…for everything."

"Sorry isn't gonna bring my sister back, Howland," Ned stated. "And it doesn't matter what you say now. So if you please, get the fuck out of my house. It's like I could feel my blood boiling just from seeing you here."

"With all due respect, Ned," Howland countered. "We're here for Lyanna, not for you. So even if you ignore us, that's fine."

"No, you're in my house!" Ned interjected, his voice becoming louder. "That's the problem. And I don't want you here, so get out!"

Ned's voice changing in volume and tone made both their wives rush in their direction.

"Ned, what are you－?" Catelyn started to say as Jyana dashed to Howland's side.

"No, Cat," Ned insisted. "He's the reason my sister's dead. Why the fuck would I want him here?" He turned back to Howland. "Do I need a megaphone to say it again?"

Howland raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, look, I don't want trouble or cause a commotion," He said. "So if it makes you feel better, Jyana and I will just leave."

Ned huffed. "Good riddance, then." He said. "And Howland, I don't want to see even a shadow of you ever again. Not near my family or my house."

Howland simply nodded. "Noted." He said before leaving Stark Manor.

The way Ned said it broke his heart. He realized it wasn't just Lyanna they lost. That day, Howland lost his bestfriend too, literally cutting all ties between them.

And that was that.

When Ned ran for governor, Howland did vote for him. Because deep down, he knew Ned had what it takes to run the North. He had a good balance of being loved and feared by the people, as the Starks do.

Howland had never held grudges against his former bestfriend. For he knew that Ned only did what he did because of all the pain he went through and the responsibility that went to him by default. Ned was only doing what he thought was best for his family. And yes, Howland couldn't blame him.

But despite his deteriorated friendship with Ned, Howland is actually on good terms with his younger brother, Benjen. Unbeknownst to Ned, of course. Because, unlike Ned, Benjen never blamed him for Lyanna's death. But since the military was keeping him busy, they also hadn't spoken in years.

Howland kept his end of the bargain. He had never spoken or even shown a shadow of himself to Ned in decades…until Bran and Meera.

His daughter fell hard on Ned's son enough that she chose to run away with him to someplace they don't know.

He had no issues with Bran. The kid was a good guy. Very respectful, honest, and a total gentleman. And if they did ask Howland nicely, he would've allowed Bran and Meera to stay in their house and he would protect his daughter and her boyfriend from Ned's fury if he had to. But well, if that happens, Ned's anger at him would only grow deeper. Maybe that's why they chose not to.

Now, it's Christmas and the Reeds are missing one family member. It wasn't the same.

After having their Christmas dinner, their tradition of sitting by the fireplace while exchanging presents, and then them having to watch a Christmas movie on Webiflix, they all went to bed early.

But despite tossing and turning, Howland couldn't sleep. So he decided to go to the kitchen and find some leftovers to eat. As he walked the hallway back to the master bedroom, he passed Meera's room and just had the urge to go inside.

Meera's room was now bare. The mattress didn't have a bedsheet, the corkboard bulletin board didn't have anything pinned on it, and the desk and bookshelves were empty. Well, except for the nightstand. The lamp was still there, as well as their framed family photo.

Howland took the family photo, sat on the mattress, and stared at it. The pic was taken during Meera's graduation, as his daughter was wearing a grad toga and cap on. On Meera's right, stood Howland himself with his arm around her. To Meera's left, was his wife, Jyana, and beside her was his son, Jojen. All four of them had big smiles on their faces.

Without knowing, tears started streaming down his cheeks. Oh, how he wished they could be like that again. Just smiling because they were happy and together, and not worrying about anything at the moment.

"Dad?" A voice called. It was his son, Jojen.

Howland hurriedly wiped his tears as he turned and faced him. "I didn't realize you're still awake."

"I noticed Meera's door was open," Jojen said. "Figured you were here."

"I'm still trying to piece out why your sister left," Howland said. "And not leaving any clues, makes me realize how well-thought-out their plan was."

"We'll find her, Dad," Jojen promised as he sat beside him. "Don't worry, I'm working with the Mormonts and Starks to find them."

"The Starks agreed to this?" He asked his son. "Ned agreed to this?"

"Oh, of course not," Jojen revealed. "Technically, it's just Jon and Arya－well, it's just Arya and the Mormonts now. With the news about Jon going missing in the far north, he'll be out of the picture until he gets home. I also think the rest of the Starks don't know we're working together to find Bran and Meera."

Howland was almost not surprised when he found out Ned renamed Lyanna's son from Aegon to Jon. For a Targaryen, Aegon/Jon mostly had the Stark complexion－dark hair, gray eyes, and pale skin－you could never tell he's a Targaryen. And he could also tell from the way Jon handled himself and the way he talks, he resembled Ned in a way, the same way his cousin, Arya resembled Lyanna. The similarities were uncanny, to say the least.

When Howland had seen the news about Jon and his platoon going missing behind enemy lines, he couldn't help but feel partly responsible. He had told Jon things when he visited that should've come from either Ned or Benjen. He didn't know their reasons for not telling Lyanna's son the truth, but still. He already had Lyanna's death on his conscience, he didn't want her son to suffer the same fate and another life on his conscience.

"Better get some rest, Dad," Jojen pointed out as he stood. "After everything that happened, you really need it." He kissed him on his forehead before heading out. "Good night."

Howland nodded and smiled knowing his son understood what he was going through. He decided to take Jojen's advice and went to bed. Hopefully, everything will work out fine soon.

RHAEGAR

The Golden Boy, that's what the people called him. Being the president's son was never easy. Growing up in the public's eye was never easy to begin with, as there are rules he needed to follow for his sake and the Targaryen family's reputation.

Rhaegar was the only child of Aerys and Rhaella Targaryen, until he was eighteen, after his younger brother, Viserys was born. So, yeah, most of the attention was on him－the media, the girls, politicians, and the common folk.

His Dad, Aerys had raised him in a strict and almost emotionless manner. Telling him to do this and do that, and Rhaegar did without question. His Dad was the president of the country. I mean, if he could handle the entirety of Westeros, he would have to know how to handle his own son. His mother, Rhaella, however, had a different approach. She would encourage him to do what he loves. And it was often the reason for the many arguments his parents would have.

Aerys had him trained in martial arts and gave him college-level books when he was old enough to read and understand complicated words. Rhaella secretly got him guitar and singing lessons and had one of her trusted staff and his personal bodyguard, Barristan Selmy, or as people call him, Barry, escorted him anywhere, without his father's knowledge, of course.

Even in the university he attended, Aerys picked out the degree program he would end up taking, which was in line with whatever plan his dad has in politics and that he's grooming Rhaegar to take his place in running for a position when he retires. But he didn't want it.

It was also in the University of King's Landing, the university he attended, where he met his best friend, Arthur Dayne. Like him, Arthur didn't want to be in the program he was enrolled in and it was his father who made him do it. They sort of, bonded over that similarity and worked together so their fathers won't find out what they were doing in their free time. Arthur wanted to be in construction, planning, and designing buildings, while Rhaegar himself liked doing social work－volunteering to help in charities that involved helping children, he'd mostly be singing to them or having to cook for them.

It was a simple thing for a president's son to want to do. Nevertheless, he loved what he was doing. He wanted to help people, but not through and not involving politics.

His Mom knew about it though, and she supported him completely. But he just knew his Dad wouldn't. Even in the girls, he'd date. He'd have to get approval from his Dad first and Aerys would order a thorough background check on the girl and her family until he was given the okay signal.

The particular girl that his Dad wanted him to marry was Dornish. And of course, it was for political gain. At that time, he was already friends with the Martells of Dorne through their many political dinners and such. Rhaegar didn't have anything against the Dornish people, but still, it would've been nice if his Dad actually consulted him on the idea. And arranged marriages were a thing of the past.

Their "engagement" was announced in the tabloids. When Rhaegar first saw it, he threw the newspaper in the fireplace and burst into his Dad's office in Maegor's Holdfast angrily.

"The President's son, ready to be wed?" Rhaegar said. "What kind of fucked up story is that?"

His Dad was seated on his lounge chair and wasn't even surprised by his reaction. It was like he expected it, but remained emotionless. "We need Dorne if I'm still going to be president in the next election," Aerys explained. "And that's where you come in."

"An arranged marriage?" Rhaegar blurted out, then shook his head in disagreement. "No, that's not gonna happened."

Aerys stood from his seat with an enraged expression on his face. "You're good friends with the Martells, right?"

"Only because you keep forcing me to come to your political dinners." He corrected.

"I've already spoken to the Princess of Dorne," Aerys announced. "And you will wed her only daughter, Elia Martell."

Quick history, when the entire Westeros switched to democracy, one of its regions, became a principality. The southernmost region was called the Principality of Dorne. They still followed the head of the nation being the president, but the head of the region is either a prince or princess rather than a governor.

Rhaegar simply shook his head. "No, Dad," He said. "I will not."

"Rhaegar－" His father started to say.

"NO!" He replied, screaming. "No! All my life, I obeyed and respected you because you're my father. Allowed you to pick the activities I should do, the school I should attend, the degree I should get," He pointed out. "But I am not letting you choose a wife for me. Who I will marry should be and will be my decision."

Aerys remained cold and emotionless. "Are you done?"

"When are you going to stop using me as a pawn in your political schemes?" Rhaegar asked, tearing up. "Are you gonna do the same to Viserys too?"

"When he's old enough to go to school－"

"HE'S FOUR, DAD!" He reminded him. "And I won't allow you to use my little brother as another pawn in your games the way you used me!"

Rhaegar stormed out in despair and anger. He confided in his mother, Rhaella, who was alarmed and had no knowledge of his father's plans. And when she did, Aerys slapped her in front of him.

"How dare you speak to me like that, woman!" His father demanded.

Rhaegar had to put himself between his parents and prevent his Dad from hurting his Mom further.

After that incident, Rhaegar got his mother and younger brother out of the Red Keep and King's Landing and into their ancestral home on Dragonstone Island for their safety. He cannot allow them to be hurt by his delusional and power-hungry father again.

Rhaegar made his social work public after the whole "marriage" news. He was often asked about it, but he declined to answer those questions.

For months, he traveled around Westeros for charity works. And up in the North region, was where he met the love of his life, Lyanna Stark.

Lyanna was headstrong, opinionated, and beautiful. But her eagerness to help people was what made Rhaegar fall for her hard. If I'm going to marry someone, it's her, He thought.

Despite this, his father kept on planning dates for Rhaegar and Elia to get to know each other better. And he only showed up for Elia's sake, as he respected her as a friend enough to stand her up.

Like him, Elia never liked the arrangement but showed up just for her Mom to stop bugging her about it. But she does have a boyfriend, the same way Rhaegar had Lyanna.

When Rhaegar first confessed how he felt to Lyanna, she laughed in his face.

"You're engaged!" She reminded him.

"It's a political stunt," He explained. "My Dad's making me do it so he could gain Dornish support."

Lyanna frowned. "No offense, but your Dad's full of shit." She declared. "What kind of father uses his child to retain power? And honestly, politics is the oldest pyramid scheme."

"I couldn't agree more," He said. "Also, aren't you the North governor's daughter? And no offense, I think your Dad brings you everywhere because of your work in charity."

Lyanna made a face. "Unfortunately," She confirmed. "But I don't give a fuck about politics. My main goal is to help people. And my charity is a non-government org, so my Dad can't tell me what I can and can't do. It's my way of helping the community without answering to any politicians. Well, except when we have to ask for permits, but you get what I mean.

Rhaegar nodded. "I do get it. And I agree, there are many ways you can help people without involving politics." He looked down in embarrassment. "It's one of the things I like about you."

Lyanna simply rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, Mr. Targaryen," She scoffed. "I don't care who you are. You might be incredibly handsome and good with people, especially with the kids, but I'm not that kind of girl. I don't go out with engaged people."

"We're not exactly engaged," Rhaegar brought up again. "Neither of us actually wanna marry each other."

"That's not what the tabloids say," She pointed out. "And it's not what the people know."

"Okay, so if given the chance, would you actually－?"

"I'm not answering that!" Lyanna snapped then proceeded to walk away and kept herself busy helping her staff.

Rhaegar unknowingly kept staring at her and smiled. Distracted, he hadn't noticed that his bodyguard, Barristan Selmy was already standing beside him.

"Ooh, you really have fallen hard, sir," Barry spoke up.

It startled Rhaegar and he nearly jumped in surprise. "How long have you been here?" He asked.

Barristan Selmy was one of the presidential security team. In other words, he was a white cloak. Barry was personally hand-picked by his Mom to be Rhaegar's personal bodyguard. Growing up, Barry became his parent figure. He was always there. He was the one who sent and picked him off at school and wished him good luck. Barry was present during his martial arts, guitar, and singing lessons, and it was usually just him and other white cloaks who attended tournament matches and music recitals. And when Rhaegar's had a bad day in school, Barry would usually take him out for ice cream.

Barry also used to call Rhaegar, Little Sir back when he was still in grade school. But dropped the little when he started high school when Rhaegar had his growth spurt and grew taller than him. After he graduated from university, Barry, with his graying hair, still accompanied him everywhere.

"I'm your bodyguard," Barry reminded him. "My job is to keep an eye on you and keep you safe, so yes, I saw the whole thing."

He could feel himself turning red from embarrassment.

"But don't worry, sir," Barry assured. "None of what happened here is getting to the president."

"Thanks, Barry."

Barry simply smiled and patted his shoulder.

But Lyanna was right though. Rhaegar needed to clear the air to the people. Of course, he had asked Elia about it too, and she agreed. Together, they announced that they were not getting married anymore. It definitely ticked off his father, but that was his problem, not Rhaegar's.

Rhaegar continued to pursue Lyanna. After a few months, she finally agreed to be his girlfriend. His Dad was furious when he found out, of course. Aerys barely kept it together when he and Elia publicly broke off their engagement. Especially since there had been hearsays that the opposition was eyeing Rickard Stark, the Governor of the North region and Lyanna's father, to run against him for presidency.

At first, Aerys ordered him to spy on the Starks because he was dating Lyanna. But when Rhaegar refused, his Dad insisted that he break up with her as she's the enemy's daughter. He didn't, of course, and still dated Lyanna against his father's wishes.

Over time, Rhaegar became on good terms with Lyanna's family. Well, at least with her brothers, Brandon, Ned, and Benjen. Her Dad, not so much. Rickard was civil enough, but he could just feel that he didn't like him for his only daughter.

When Aerys had said some ill things about Rickard Stark and Northerners, Lyanna's dad insisted that she break up with Rhaegar. Saying that if Lyanna does end up marrying him, Rickard didn't want Aerys to be his co-parent by law.

Lyanna, stubborn as she was, never listened and still kept seeing him in secret. Well, not really a secret, because her brothers and their family friend, Howland Reed knew that they were still dating.

Meanwhile, Rhaegar used to think his mother, Rhaella's kind heart was a gift, but only did he realize that it was also a curse. Despite his Dad hitting her and Rhaegar himself having to take his mother and brother away for their protection, just a single apology from Aerys and his Mom forgave him prompting them to move back to the capital.

A week before the president's State of the Nation's Address, Lyanna told him the great news. That she was pregnant with his baby. Rhaegar was delighted when she told him. He couldn't wait to raise a family with her. But then again, their relationship was now a secret to their families so they had to lay low. Plus, Rhaegar was convinced Lyanna's brothers knew that their sister was still seeing him, but did not know about the pregnancy though.

Everything changed the day after his father's annual state of the nation's address. The King's Landing bombing of 283AC happened. It was dubbed the Massacre of Wolves because the casualties were Northerners. Nine people died and several others were injured. Among those killed were the North Governor, Rickard Stark, and his eldest son, Brandon－Lyanna's father and brother respectively.

An investigation was ordered and the entire case caused chaos throughout the entire Westeros. Who would dare plant bombs in one of the governor's convoys? Enemies of his? No one knows. That was until a whistleblower came forward, Qarlton Chelsted.

Qarlton was one of Aerys Targaryen's presidential advisors. He had resigned from his position after the bombing happened, which Rhaegar already found suspicious. Qarlton then explained that he was forced to say something when he was a target of a failed assassination attempt. He pointed a finger at Rhaegar's father saying that he was the mastermind of it all. That he had three white cloaks plant bombs on the convoys while Aerys was giving his annual speech.

Aerys then had a presscon to deny all allegations against him, saying that these are all stunts to ruin his reputation and that Qarlton was pissed because he was actually fired and did not resign.

The three white cloaks that planted the bombs were detained for questioning. But before they were placed in Witness Protection Program, two of them died mysteriously. It was obviously a cover-up. Because they don't want the truth to come out.

But Qarlton told Rhaegar something about why his father ordered it to happen. And it shook him to the core. The Starks are gaining the people's approval and your father hates it, Qarlton had said. They're a threat to his reputation and political career and he also despises the fact that you're dating his daughter.

By this time, the news had already blown up. Protests and rallies were forming everywhere, even at the gates of the Red Keep threatening their safety. Because of this, Aerys had insisted that his sons, Rhaegar and Viserys, and his pregnant wife, Rhaella, go back to Dragonstone to stay away from the angry crowd.

When Rhaegar attended Rickard and Brandon Stark's funeral service in Winterfell, he was getting accusatory looks. Especially since Lyanna's brothers, Ned and Benjen's treatment of him changed. Ned in particular was cold towards him and insisted he should leave. Lyanna came to his defense, but he did just leave to not further escalate the tension. He could not blame them either way. It was also the same day Lyanna told her brothers that she was pregnant with Rhaegar's child, and well, that did not help his cause.

His father, however, remained in the Red Keep, mostly, because there wasn't enough evidence pointing to him. But Rhaegar could never shake Qarlton's words on why his father allegedly had the Northmen convoy be killed.

Conflicted, Rhaegar decided to take matters into his own hands. He went to confront his father about it, and he had also hidden a portable microcassette recorder in his pocket so he could record their whole conversation.

"Is it true what they said about you?" Rhaegar asked.

"Why?" Aerys snarled. "Do you believe them?"

"I'm not sure," He admitted. "But I know that the Starks are good people. No one would do this to them unless－"

"Unless what?"

"Unless someone is threatened by their potential."

"And you think I did it?" His father asked.

Aerys then held his head back and laughed wickedly like he was glad it happened. "Rickard and his posse should have seen it coming." He declared.

"Oh, my gods!" Rhaegar said in disbelief. "So you actually had him killed?!"

"Rickard? Yes." Aerys admitted. "The others were just at the wrong place and time when it happened."

"His son was with him, Dad." He reminded him. "And he died with him too."

"I don't care if others died with him," Aerys said. "All I care about is the gods blessed me by eliminating an enemy. He and his wolf savages."

"It's not just about Rickard Stark, isn't it?" Rhaegar pried.

Aerys took a deep breath before speaking again. "Alright, it was meant as a 'kill two birds with one stone' thing. Or kill two wolves with one stone. Whatever. It would've fixed both our problems."

Rhaegar's eyes watered when he realized the truth. "You meant to kill her too."

"And she would've been, had she come to the capital with her daddy," Aerys revealed. "But she didn't, so I still have that problem."

"NO!" Rhaegar argued. "No, this has to stop, Dad. It's inhumane!"

"You think I care about that?" Aerys was screaming now. "The fact that you dated one of those wolf savages just to mock me is outrageous."

"Stop calling Northmen savages, Dad," Rhaegar said. "They're not. They are Westerosi just like us. And I'm not dating Lyanna to mock you. I love her and I wish to marry her someday."

"NO!" Aerys angrily replied. "You are not going to do that. You will not! I forbid you."

Rhaegar was horrified at his father's admission. He turned his back on his father and left.

"Rhaegar, we are not done talking!" He could still hear his Dad's voice calling out to him, but he simply ignored him.

Rhaegar cried in his car as he drove from the Red Keep. By then he had already decided what he would do. He would be betraying his own family to give justice to Lyanna's family and the families of the Northmen killed in the bombing.

He drove to Qarlton Chelsted's house, who was very surprised to see him.

"I'm not taking back what I said, Rhaegar," Qarlton said. "What I said is the truth and I stand by it."

Rhaegar nodded. "I know," He said. "And I'm sorry…for doubting your judgment."

Qarlton frowned. "I don't understand."

"You need strong evidence to convict him, right?" He asked. "For the bombing and the deaths of the Northmen."

"Your father's rather good at covering up." Qarlton pointed out.

Rhaegar pulled out the microcassette from his pocket and placed it in front of Qarlton.

"And what is this?" Qarlton asked.

"Your evidence," Rhaegar blurted out. "You can present this at the supreme court."

"You realize that your own father will be in prison for what he did," Qarlton said. "And all of you will be removed from the Red Keep."

"I'm aware, Qarlton," Rhaegar admitted. "But I don't care about that. This whole ordeal is taking a toll on my family, on the victims' families, and the entirety of Westeros."

What he didn't tell Qarlton, was it was also that they could move on and live in peace. So he could marry Lyanna and raise their child together without all the allegations attached to their names.

"You're doing the right thing, lad," Qarlton said. "This will give justice to the victims and their families."

When Qarlton Chelsted did present the evidence at the Supreme Court, Aerys Targaryen was detained, with Robert Baratheon as acting president.

Thus, the trial began, and his father was impeached, remove from office and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Wolf's Den Prison. The VP Robert Baratheon was inaugurated as the new president of the country.

As his father was escorted North, the convoy was ambushed and Aerys Targaryen was assassinated by a sniper. Just like that, his father was dead. When his mother, Rhaella heard about it, it sent her into premature labor. His Mom gave birth to a healthy baby sister she named Daenerys, but died not even an hour after birth.

Just like that, he and his siblings were orphans. And Rhaegar became the parent to his younger brother and sister.

There's not much of a funeral for their parents, as their family was already shunned by most people. Rhaegar had his parents buried within their family estate in Dragonstone like most family members were.

While his parents' caskets were lowered into the ground, little Viserys tugged his shirt. "What are we going to do now, Rhaegar?" He asked.

Rhaegar, still holding back tears, knelt before his little brother. "We carry on," He said. "But don't worry, Vis. I'm here." He assured. "And I will take care of you and baby Dany as best as I can, okay? That's a promise."

Viserys nodded and threw his arms around him in a hug, to which Rhaegar returned.

Despite their parents' fates, their family still received death threats. So Rhaegar had no choice but to leave Westeros with his younger siblings, away from everything and started a new life in Pentos in the United Free Cities.

During the first few months, Rhaegar and his siblings lived with a family friend, Illyrio Mopatis. He didn't put their inheritance money to waste and invested it on business opportunities.

Rhaegar had enrolled Viserys in a private school. Yes, private school tuitions are expensive but public schools tend to have more students and they're supposed to be in low profile. As for Daenerys, he leaves her in Daycare when he went to work.

He wasn't there when Lyanna had given birth to their son Aegon, but he kept in touch with them as much as he could. And visit them, secretly, of course.

He and Lyanna were planning to get away together and have them live with him and his siblings in Pentos. He was gonna marry her and they would raise Aegon together.

But when Lyanna tried to get to White Harbor in time for her flight to the UFC, she was caught in a vehicular accident and died shortly.

Barristan Selmy had told him the news of his beloved's untimely death and it broke him. Rhaegar was inconsolable for days. Lyanna was one of the reasons he kept going despite his shitty upbringing. Her, Aegon, and his siblings. With her gone, it was like a part of him died as well.

Arthur had to shake him out of his misery and reminded him that he still have younger siblings that depend on him. And his son, who was now without a mother.

Rhaegar went back to Westeros for his son. But to his surprise, Lyanna's brother, Ned had already filed for Aegon's custody.

He fought for his right as Aegon's father. But he ultimately lost to Ned, with him gaining full custody of his son. Ned didn't stop there though, he had also filed a restraining order and had him and his siblings banned from ever stepping foot onto Westerosi soil for thirty years.

As he was leaving the courtroom that day, Rhaegar saw his son and just lost it. He walked towards Ned and practically begged on his knees.

"Please, Ned," Rhaegar pleaded. "Just give me a moment with him. From a father speaking to another father, please."

Ned only stared at him in disbelief.

"I won't steal him away, I promise." He said.

Ned hesitated, taking a while to answer. "Fine." He agreed. "Five minutes. That's all I can give you."

Rhaegar smiled. "Thank you."

He took his son from his caretaker and hugged him tight while tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Aegon," He told his son. "I tried, but I lost. But don't worry, my little dragon. We'll see each other again." He said, sobbing. "Hopefully, you'll come find me someday. And then we'll visit your Mom and we'll bring her blue winter roses, her favorite."

Aegon simply mumbled baby noises.

"I love you so much," Rhaegar declared. "Daddy loves you so much." He said. "Be strong. Be a good boy, okay?"

"Alright, that's enough," Ned interjected.

Rhaegar gave his son one final kiss on his forehead before having to give him back to the caretaker. "Please take care of him, Ned." He said as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

"Don't worry, I will," Ned promised. "I promised Lyanna that I would. And that's what I will do."

That was the last time Rhaegar ever saw his son, a ten-month-old boy. But that was twenty-seven years ago. His son is no doubt a man now.

Maybe that's what's meant to happen. Because back then, all Rhaegar had was their inheritance, plus he's had to take care of seven-year-old Viserys and one-year-old Daenerys. If he had Aegon, he'd have to take care of three kids.

Overtime, his small business grew to a multi-million conglomerate, the Triumvirate Dragons Inc., with three subsidiaries, namely: the Blackfyre Imperial Builders, the Sunfyre Publishing Co., and Lyanna's Grille.

He had his bestfriend, Arthur Dayne, who followed up his education on engineering and construction, run the Blackfyre Imperial Builders. His brother Viserys took up culinary arts so he had him run his chain of restaurants, Lyanna's Grille. While his sister took up journalism and afterwards had her run Sunfyre Publishing Co.

His siblings didn't have it easy growing up with just Rhaegar as their guardian and parental figure. Viserys struggled through grade school and was a moody teenager. But when he found his passion, he had changed for the better. He now was engaged to his girlfriend, Doreah.

As for Daenerys, it was like she was looking for a sort of parental figure, and it definitely showed in the guys she dated. She preferred dating older guys rather than guys her age. She even got married early at twenty-two to a guy just the same age as Rhaegar himself. Rhaegar never liked Dany's husband Drogo, but he was nice and seemed to make his sister happy, so he had to be the supportive big brother in that case. But barely two years into their marriage, Drogo died in a vehicular accident. He was driving home with an 8-month pregnant Daenerys when a drunk driver slammed into their car. Drogo was declared dead on arrival in the nearest hospital, while it caused Dany into premature labor. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy she named Rhaego－who he absolutely adored.

Now, Rhaegar was sitting in his office, going about his daily routine when Barry came in with Arthur Dayne.

"Rhaegar, you will not believe this," Arthur said.

"What is it?" He asked.

"About two weeks ago," Arthur explained. "Our marketing team had been advertising job openings to take care of several of our projects across the UFC."

"And?"

Arthur placed a folder on his desk. "There's a certain standout from all the applicants," He reported. "I just thought you'd wanna take a look at it and be as surprised as I am."

"Why are you showing this to me?" Rhaegar wondered. "Don't we have a team who handles background checks?"

"Just take a look at it." Arthur insisted.

"Fine," Rhaegar took the folder and opened it.

Reading the name of the applicant made his eyes wide. Brandon Eddard T. Stark, it turned back to Arthur with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, you're reading that right." Arthur confirmed. "The T stands for Tully. And, yes, that, my friend, is Ned's son."

Rhaegar frowned. "Why's he applying here?"

"That's a very good question, Rhaegar." Arthur shrugged. "But we don't know. Only he can answer that."

Rhaegar continued reading through his application and was utterly impressed. "His resumé is impressive," He pointed out. "Have you scheduled an interview with him yet?"

"Yes, this Monday," Arthur informed. "But it's just for formalities, because honestly, with his educational background and work experience, I would hire him on the spot."

With Brandon's impressive resumé, Rhaegar was suspicious. Why would a Stark be applying for a job here? He thought. Then he had an idea.

"Formalities, huh?" Rhaegar raised an eyebrow. "How about you just send him directly to me for his interview." He suggested. "I'd like to know more about him."

Arthur narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why?" He asked. "Does it have to do with the whereabouts of your son or－"

"No," Rhaegar interrupted. "The Starks of the North are old money. They're one of the founding families of Westeros. But why is he here? Applying for a position that makes peanuts compared to the entire fortune of his family? Doesn't that make you suspicious? I think it's something else, and I wanna know what it is."

"Hmm, you think Ned sent his son here?"

Rhaegar shook his head. "No, I don't think so," He said. "And besides, why would he do that? He already banned me from Westeros, what else does he want?"

"I don't know, to bring you down?"Arthur guessed. "Spy on you? The possibilities are endless."

"I doubt that," He countered. "Ned wanted nothing to do with me or my siblings. Why would he suddenly reconnect? Also, what position did this boy apply for?"

"Site engineer," Arthur revealed.

Rhaegar frowned. "Only a site engineer?" He asked. "If we're gonna hire him, I think he'd be best suited in a higher position. He's way overqualified to be just a site engineer. Do we have other positions open?"

"Well, remember Jon Connington?" Arthur recalled. "He retired last month and since then, his position was left vacant and we haven't found a replacement yet."

"Project Director," Rhaegar said. "Yes, perfect! Why don't you give that position to the Stark boy?"

Arthur huffed. "Alright, what's your angle here?" He wondered. "Are you just gonna give that position to him because he's Lyanna's nephew?"

"There are no angles, Arthur." Rhaegar corrected. "He is just like any other applicant looking for a job, but is clearly overqualified for the position he applied for. What we're doing is taking advantage of a great opportunity." He turned back to the resumé. "It says here that he graduated with Latin honors—that is rare. And that he was born on 289AC, which meant this young man is barely twenty-three, but he had managed to become a Co-CEO of a successful construction company—which is highly unlikely for someone his age. So I have no doubt that he can handle being Project Director."

Arthur raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, you're the boss." He said. "I'll have Barry take him here on Monday."

He didn't tell Arthur or Barristan this, but maybe, just maybe, Ned's son was his chance so he'll be able to see his son again. Aegon, his Little Dragon.

When he did meet Ned's son, Brandon, he was surprised on how he carried himself. He could tell that this boy was brilliant and smart, but was shy and reserved. And there's this aura of sadness surrounding him that Rhaegar couldn't place.

Rhaegar knew that Brandon didn't come to Pentos just for a job, especially applying for a job that paid way below his previous salary grade. Nope, there's another, deeper reason. Rhaegar wanted to know what it was and assured him that what they talked about will be strictly confidential. He had a good guess about it too: Brandon wanted to get away from his family.

And he guessed it right. Well, partly right. Brandon told him about his girlfriend, Meera, and how they had both struggled on staying together because of their families' decades old differences. Apparently, Ned had blamed Howland Reed for Lyanna's death and cut all ties with him and his family. That is until, Ned's son, Brandon, started dating Howland's daughter, Meera. Both of whom weren't aware of their fathers' spat in the past. They got tired of all the fighting so they decided to leave everything and everyone and start a new life together away from all the conflict.

Rhaegar understood that. It was what he had planned with Lyanna years ago. That she'd come to Pentos with Aegon and start over. But of course, that didn't happened. Lyanna died trying, and he lost the custody battle for Aegon to Ned.

Rhaegar knew what it felt like, so he sympathized with Brandon. He ended up telling him his story. He was genuinely happy when Brandon told him about his son, who Ned renamed Jon. Not surprised that he did.

He had then told Brandon that he's overqualified for the job that he applied for, so he's giving him a higher position, with complete benefits and an assigned company car. He had also told him to let his girlfriend apply to Sunfyre Publishing Co. since she was a journalist by profession. Rhaegar had suggested to put his name as one of the references in her resumé to ensure that she will be hired when she does apply.

By the time he finished Brandon's interview and Barry had escorted him out of his office, Rhaegar made a promise to himself. He wasn't there when his son was growing up. But with Brandon, Rhaegar somehow understood what he was going through, because he had been there before. He's not gonna allow this boy to suffer the same fate he did, so he was gonna help Brandon, however and whenever he can.

RENLY

Renly had always thanked the gods that Gendry wasn't like Robert. Well, at least, the disgraceful part of his brother's personality.

Growing up with brothers who he had around fifteen-year age gaps was tough enough. By the time, Renly entered pre-school, Stannis was already in his junior year in college, and Robert was in an internship in the Vale.

When Renly was ten years old, both his parents died in a plane crash, so by then his brothers, Robert and Stannis took the reigns from there. Well, not really. They were barely around. And Renly had to explore things on his own for the most part.

All three of them were very different from each other. The eldest, Robert was a people person; charismatic, wild, and a total womanizer. The middle child, Stannis, was the total opposite of Robert. He was stoic, sharp, and rarely smiled. And if the three of them would be on a scale of friendliest to hostile, Renly would be in the middle. He'd like to think he brought out a good balance in their sibling dynamic. But unlike his brothers, Renly plays for the other team.

At thirteen, Renly's brother Stannis got married to his wife Selyse Florent, and Robert, despite being the country's VP, slept with of one Selyse's younger cousins, Delena, on the wedding night and had gotten her pregnant. A stupid move on Robert's part, and he's still being a git by seeing other women while Delena was literally carrying his child.

Delena Florent gave birth to a healthy baby boy but died hours later. Robert named his newborn son, Gendry. And he was Renly's first nephew, and admittedly his favorite. And of course, Gendry was barely a year old when Robert became president of Westeros. His brother got another woman, Cersei Lannister, pregnant and ended up marrying her. They went on to have three children, namely, Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.

Stannis and Selyse had three stillborn baby boys within five years until they had their only child, Shireen. They didn't have any more children since Selyse barely survived giving birth to their daughter, whom they both adore and most times, are overprotective with. Mostly, it's Shireen's keloid scars on the left side of her face that had something to do with it. Stannis and Selyse often worry that people were gonna bully her for it. And also, because it was their fault on why Shireen had to have stitches on her face at the age of nine. Stannis and Selyse were arguing as they drove home in their car with Shireen in the backseat one night. Whilst the argument, Stannis ran the red light and a truck in the intersection hit them. Stannis came out unscathed, Selyse got a minor concussion, and Shireen suffered the worst of it. The scars definitely took a toll on Shireen's self-esteem. Renly thought the only reason people wouldn't dare make fun of her was because of her last name. She's a Baratheon and the president's niece. And if Gendry was shy and introverted, Shireen was even more so.

With his brothers barely present in his life, Renly promised that he would be a parental figure to his nieces and nephews and would genuinely love them like they were his own children.

Gendry, in particular, had it rough despite being the firstborn son of the leader of the country. Mostly because Robert's wife Cersei, was barely a mother to him, and would often exclude him from their privileges. Oftentimes, Renly would have to pester Robert about it, and only then would Gendry be included in whatever Cersei had exclusively planned for her children. When the time came for Gendry to go to college, Renly did not hesitate to tell him to enroll at a university in the Stormlands and live with him in their family estate in Storm's End, to which Gendry happily agreed. And he had been living there ever since.

As for Robert's other children, they were nice enough. Well, at least, Myrcella and Tommen were. Cersei's firstborn, Joffrey is like a male version of her, with his blond hair, green eyes, and that evil sneer. Safe to say that the kid's a spoiled brat, and honestly is more Lannister than Baratheon. Robert's only daughter, Myrcella, is a spitting image of Cersei but has nothing of her personality. She was sweet and affectionate and has most of Robert's best qualities. The youngest, Tommen, Renly liked to say, is more like him. He brought out the balance in their sibling dynamic. And like Gendry, Tommen has Robert's dark hair and blue eyes. And yes, like Renly himself, he plays for the other team.

Of course, Tommen had never said anything about his sexuality, but Renly could tell. And Tommen probably hasn't told his parents or siblings about it yet. But Renly had been giving him subtle hints that it was okay for his closeted nephew to talk to him about it. Maybe not now, but when he's ready.

The thing about being gay is that you can also tell if others are as well. And yes, Renly has awesome gaydar like, Honey, I can feel it from your aura, don't deny it.

Renly can't really remember when he figured out that he was gay. But he did remember kissing a girl at fifteen and he cringed like ugh! or maybe when Stannis married Selyse, he was like, Me marrying a girl? Seven hells, no! He did like girls, but only as friends. They would gossip, shop for clothes and talk about boys. He was also not the flouncy type of gay, and he definitely did not do cross-dressing or have a 'gay lisp'. He's what society calls a 'straight-acting' type of gay－a gay person who does not show or act like the stereotypical gay people. It's ridiculous.

In all honesty, Renly prefer himself as a Metrosexual－someone who is conscious about how they look, likes to shop, goes to a salon rather than a barber, has a fabulous hobby/skill, and enjoys the finer things. Except, the term is coined for straight men, who do and like a feminine approach to things. If that's the case, then he's a gay metrosexual.

His brothers are definitely supportive of him being gay. Robert sometimes teased him if there are any guys he met during business meetings when Stannis sent him in his place most times. Well, technically, Renly did meet his boyfriend in one of the business meetings Stannis sent him off to.

It was a negotiation meeting on the exportation of flowers and crops overseas by the Tyrell Plantations Co. and different bottles of wine by Gilbert of the Vines. Those Reachmen companies had sent their family members, cousins Loras Tyrell and Desmera Redwyne who represented each company respectively.

Renly didn't know how it happened, especially since there was almost an eight-year age gap between him and Loras. Nevertheless, they actually have a lot in common and started dating afterwards.

Even Stannis was surprised. How in seven hells did a business meeting ended up in you getting a date out of it?But despite his reaction, Renly knew his brother was happy for him.

When Robert said his family would be spending the Christmas holidays in Storm's End, Renly had mixed feelings about it. He was excited to meet his niece and nephews, but still skeptical since he also had to deal with his bitch of a sister-by-law, Cersei.

Robert's family arrived the day before Christmas. Literally an hour after Gendry called and said he couldn't make it back home because all the flights were canceled.

"Little brother!" Robert exclaimed and wrapped him in a hug. Wherever they were and whoever they were with, Robert will always call him that.

Renly sighed. "Big brother, welcome home."

"Uncle Renly!" Myrcella smiled as she hugged him. "It's great to see you again."

"Cella," Renly returned the same hug, then reached out to Tommen, who was standing beside his sister. "Get in here, Tommy."

Tommen happily obliged. Joffrey, however, made no effort to hug him and simply looked around in distaste like this place is the last place he would be in right now. Figures, Renly thought. He's as snobby as his mother.

"Stannis and his family are inside," Renly informed. "Everyone settle in and get ready for dinner."

Once, they entered the estate, Robert turned back to him. "By the way, where's Gendry?" He asked. "I haven't seen him."

"Oh, he's at Winterfell." Renly replied casually.

Robert frowned. "It's Christmas. Why isn't he here?"

"He would've been on the plane right now," He explained. "But all flights to and from the North are canceled because of the frequent blizzards."

"Son of a bitch!" Robert cussed.

"Okay, would you please calm down?" Renly pleaded.

"Calm down?!" His brother cried. "My son is stranded in the North on Christmas. He's probably alone in a hotel room and you're telling me to calm down?!"

"Maybe if you let me finish my story, then you wouldn't sound so panicky right now."

"Fine, go on." Robert pushed on.

"Gendry's alright," Renly assured. "And he won't be spending Christmas Eve alone. The Starks invited him to their place."

Robert sighed in relief and nodded. "That's…great!" Then he looked confused. "But how did they even－?"

Renly smiled. "Oh, your son just happens to be very good friends with Ned Stark's daughter. Wink-wink."

Robert looked confused again. "Gendry has a girlfriend?" He beamed. "I didn't know that."

"Oh, I don't think they're there yet." Renly pointed out. "With labels and all, but it's definitely getting to that direction. You know, if you actually make an effort to spend time with your firstborn, you didn't have to ask me about these things. Except all he has are two uncles: Stannis the grumpy one, and Renly the gay one."

Robert kept quiet. But mostly, because it was true. Robert barely makes an effort to spend time with his children.

That night, everyone sat at the table for dinner, which hadn't happened in a while. The last time they had dinner together, none of the kids were still in high school. It was nice, except Gendry wasn't present.

"So let me get this straight," Stannis spoke up, between bites of Christmas ham. "Gendry is with the Starks right now?"

"Yes," Renly confirmed. "And apparently, they invited him to stay at Stark Manor."

"Oh, that's nice," Shireen beamed. "At least, he'll have friends as company."

Joffrey frowned. "The Starks?" He snorted. "How did he even get in touch with them?" He asked, with disgust in his tone. "Did he knock on their doors or did he befriend Sansa or－?"

Renly wanted to roundhouse his nephew at that point. Because not only did he get away with physical abuse from his relationship with Sansa Stark, he still had the audacity to joke about it. If Joffrey wasn't Robert's son, he'd be in prison right now.

"I'd like to point out that Ned Stark actually has two daughters," Renly informed, matter-of-factly. "And your brother is good friends with the younger one, Arya. She invited him to stay with them. Nothing wrong with that."

Out of the corner of his eye, Renly could see Cersei rolling her eyes like she hated the fact that one of Robert's sons was getting in touch with a Stark girl again.

"Oh, I like Arya," Myrcella admitted. "She's artsy and quirky."

Joffrey scoffed. "I question your taste in friends, sister."

Myrcella glared at her brother. "I question why girls even date you!"

Renly restrained himself from laughing. Joffrey- 0, Myrcella- 1.

"Speaking of Arya," Shireen spoke up. "Gendry has mentioned that she does a lot of charity work and she has this sort of feeding program during special holidays, and I thought maybe the Stags and Does should do that too."

Stannis had been allowing Shireen to be more involved in the activities of their charity, the Stags and Does Foundation.

"There wasn't time to organize everything though," Shireen continued. "Everything is set for the year. So instead, the staff would just be volunteering for several soup kitchens in the city until the new year's. I'll be at the one near the Sapphire Spike."

"That's so cool!" Tommen praised. "Can I come with you?"

"Of course," Shireen agreed. "An extra pair of hands is always greatly appreciated."

"Ooh, I wanna go too," Myrcella volunteered. "Make that three."

Renly was not surprised as he knew Myrcella also did charity works around the Crownlands. And he was glad that there's gonna be some cousin bonding this Christmas.

"Great!" Shireen said excitedly. "I'll just call Devan and have him arrange that you'll both be coming with me."

Tommen frowned. "Wait, who's Devan?" He asked teasingly. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"He's my assistant," Shireen explained. "And no, that won't be possible because he's gay."

At that point, Renly saw that Myrcella sneakily elbowed her younger brother and gave him a mischievous smile. It was like she was saying, Dude, you have a chance!

Devan is one of DavosSeaworth's seven sons. Davos is Stannis' childhood bestfriend and Shireen's godfather. He works in Baratheon Corp. as do four of his sons.

Renly saw that Joffrey just rolled his eyes at his siblings for volunteering so he decided to mess with him.

"What about you, Joff?" He taunted. "Don't you wanna go with your cousin too?"

Joffrey turned to him. "I'm good," He said. "I'd rather stay here than out in the cold."

Of course, Renly was not surprised.

Myrcella rolled her eyes at her brother. "Joff doesn't like to get his hands dirty," She brought up. "As for the cold, he's probably afraid he'll get frostbite or something."

Renly had to cough to hide his laugh. Joffrey- 0, Myrcella- 3.

"Hmm," Robert nodded. "I think it's good that you kids wanna go out and explore. I still have to call Ned and thank him though."

After dinner, Renly's nieces and nephew (Joffrey went to bed early) bonded and shared stories. His brothers had several bottles taken from the family wine house, while their wives also went to bed early.

The next few days were a bit weird. Since the kids were mostly out, except Joffrey who mostly explored the estate, Robert was always half-drunk, and it was hard to take him seriously when he was wearing reindeer sweaters. Renly pitied Selyse though as she was often stuck entertaining Cersei.

Three days after Christmas, Gendry was able to book a flight back to Storm's End, which Renly, of course, volunteered to pick him up from the airport.

Renly didn't know what surprised him more, the guitar Gendry was carrying or the hint of smile on his nephew's face.

"Welcome back home," Renly greeted. "What's with the guitar?" He asked.

"It's a gift from the Starks," Gendry explained. "It's a long story."

Renly helped his nephew get his stuff onto the trunk of his car. "So, favorite nephew," He said. "I sensed a shift in your energy, and you seem particularly happy today."

Gendry frowned at him, confused. "Are you a psychic now or is that like a gay thing?"

They got into the car with Renly on the wheel and Gendry on the shotgun.

"No," Renly replied as he started the engines and they drove off. "I just noticed that you're smizing."

"What is that?" Gendry asked.

"Smiling with your eyes."

Gendry didn't answer and only glanced out the windshield, giving a sideways smile.

"Mm-hmm," Renly smirked. "I got it. Something happened in Winterfell."

"What are you talking about?" Gendry turned to him. "Nothing happened, Uncle Renly. I didn't sleep with Arya if that's what you mean."

"Hey, I didn't say anything yet." He said, teasingly. "You brought up Arya. That's on you. So something did happen, right?"

He could literally see Gendry's face turning red even from his peripheral.

"I knew it!" Renly exclaimed. "I've never seen you like this. It's cute."

Gendry groaned and looked away. "It's just a kiss, nothing more." His nephew admitted.

Renly nearly hit the brakes. "Oh, my gods!" He briefly took his hands off the steering wheel and clapped for his nephew. "I can't believe I'm fangirling about my nephew's love life right now."

Gendry cleared his throat. "So anyway, how's everyone at home?" He asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"We're all good," Renly replied. "And don't change the subject! We're still talking about Arya. So, what is the status between you two? You guys dating now, hmm?" He asked impatiently.

Gendry shyly smiled and shrugged. "Well, you can say that."

Renly squealed. "Oh, my gods, finally!" He said. "I'm so very happy for you, nephew."

"Uh, thanks?"

"So, when's the wedding?"

Gendry frowned at him. "Seriously?"

Renly chuckled. "I'm messing with you, sheesh." He sighed. "I can't wait to meet her. This Arya Stark must be one of a kind enough to attract my favorite nephew," He booped Gendry's nose. "Who is admittedly hard to please."

Gendry laughed. "Wow, you really are the world's greatest uncle."

"I know," Renly smiled smugly. "It's written on my coffee mug that you got me. That's why you're my favorite nephew. And I always thank the gods for not making you like your Dad."

"What do you mean?" His nephew raised an eyebrow at him. "Everyone keeps telling me I look like him when he was young."

"Oh, you do," Renly assured. "The resemblance is uncanny, but character-wise, you're nothing like him. You're reserved, introverted, and humble, your Dad is the exact opposite. And I know that Cersei was not the only woman he was seeing when your Mom was pregnant with you."

Gendry huffed in disgust. "My dad is a pig."

"Oh, you said it," Renly chuckled. "Literally and figuratively. And it's also not my fault that my brothers have terrible taste in women."

"I thought you liked Aunt Selyse," Gendry pointed out.

"She's tolerable," Renly corrected. "I never said I liked her. And your stepmom?" He shook his head. "Nope. Never approved of her. That woman has red flags all over her. But on the bright side, she gave you younger siblings. Ooh, speaking of which, your brother is starting to…flounce."

One of the only two people Renly ever told about Tommen being still in the closet was Gendry, the other one being his boyfriend, Loras. Though they agreed not to talk about it because Tommen have never actually approached them on the subject. But if he would, they would be supportive of him regardless.

"Tommen came out already?" Gendry guessed.

"Actually, no," Renly said. "Or not yet. But I did notice that he had his eyes on Shireen's assistant."

"Devan Seaworth?" Gendry nodded. "Hmm, the guy's actually nice, so that's not a problem. And Davos is very supportive of him being gay."

"Your brother needs to come out of the closet first, you know." Renly pointed out. "I don't know when, but we'll be supportive of him when he does."

"Of course," His nephew agreed. "But uncle, you told me that you and Loras were already betting on when Tommen will come out."

Renly shrugged. "True, we did." He said. "But that's not what I'm really worried about when he does. It's the reaction on his mother's side of the family. Because on the Baratheon's side, that would be fine."

"How do you know that?" Gendry asked.

"Um, hello?" Renly waved one hand at him. "You're literally speaking to your openly gay uncle right now. I know for a fact that your Dad would be okay with it. Oh, and speaking of your Dad, did he call you while you were in Winterfell?"

"Yeah, he did," Gendry confirmed. "He definitely had a few when he did. Not surprised." Then he frowned. "By the way, how did Tommen meet Devan? I mean, it's the holidays, Uncle. You're not supposed to be working."

"Oh, about that," Renly said. "Your cousin had been volunteering for soup kitchens around the city for the Stags and Does that I think you had something to do with."

Gendry made a face. "Okay, I may have told her about it. It's what Arya does during special holidays." He recalled. "But how does Tommen come into the picture?"

"He volunteered to go with Shireen," Renly informed. "Him and your sister. That's how he met Devan. I totally caught him flirting with him while they were waiting for Shireen and Myrcella in the carport. He turned pale and nearly jumped when he saw that I was there."

Gendry chuckled. "It would've been so funny to see that."

"Oh, it was," Renly declared. "And then I hugged him and whispered in his ear: keep it in your pants, Tommy."

His nephew burst out laughing. "That is gold!" He sighed. "I can't believe I wasn't there to see his reaction."

"Oh, fair warning," Renly brought up. "Your dad's been drinking ever since he arrived home from King's Landing. So if anything weird happens, you know what to do."

"Oh, gods," Gendry sighed. "Noted. Also, please don't bring up－"

"I won't," Renly interjected. "But I'm certain that they will be asking you about Arya. Don't say I didn't warn you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm finally updating 'cause it's my birthday month. Enjoy and stay tuned.