Chapter 1: Eddard I
The Lord of Winterfell watched carefully as the castle's portcullis rose to greet their new guests. It had been nine years since he had last beheld the king, back when Balon Greyjoy made his foolhardy attempt at independence. As the gates open, Ned watches as a large procession of guards and knights pass through, carrying large black banners, swing and swaying, emblazoned with the red three-headed dragon of House Targaryen.
The king he saw before him had not changed as much as he had thought. King Rhaegar I Targaryen still had his long silver hair, indigo eyes, and the same melancholic look on his face. Behind the king followed his elder son, whom Eddard was quick to recognize; Prince Aegon, a tall and sullen youth who kept a hand ready on his sword, as if wary of a potential enemy. Behind them followed the queen and her own son, a silver-haired youth who looked upon the castle with a mix of boredom and disdain. Next came the queen's brothers, the Imp and the Kingslayer. Behind them came Rhaegar's daughters, then his brother, and lastly his youngest sister, the girl they called Stormborn.
"It has been a long time," The king said softly as he dismounted from his palfrey. The king was dressed in a thick black doublet, with the Targaryen dragon in the center for all to see, along with a silky black mantle clasped with a brooch shaped like a dragon's head. "It is an honor to be here after so long."
Ned might've smiled at that in the past, but he knew that the prince he had fought beside was his king now, so he had only responded with "Winterfell is yours, Your Grace." Just then, a large man came rushing at Eddard, causing him to put a hand on his sword in defense until the massive man throw his arms around him and wrapped him in a crushing bear hug.
"It has been so long since I have glimpsed that frozen face of yours, Ned!" the large man laughed. "You've hardly changed at all!"
"I'm surprised as well" Eddard jested. "It looks like you gained at least ten stone."
That made Robert roar in laughter. Ned was glad to see that his old friend still smiled. The storm lord had still been a grieving widower the last time Ned had beheld him. During the rebellion, Ned had seen his sister Lyanna and Robert wed under the roof of Lord Jon Connington, and they had fought together on the Trident. When she died giving birth to her third child, he thought Robert would never be the same. He was still grieving for her when they besieged Pyke together during the Greyjoy Rebellion. It made him glad to see one of the few men who could make him smile happily again.
Soon the others in the royal party had dismounted. Queen Cersei with her children, Prince Joffrey and Princess Myrcella. Their wheelhouse was a massive thing, a mix of oak and gilded metal, double-decked and pulled by forty horses. Ned knelt to kiss the queen's ring, though he didn't like it. He never trusted House Lannister, ever since the rebellion. The queen's father, Lord Tywin Lannister, had watched the war go on from afar and had only joined the rebels after victory became inevitable. What's more, her brother Ser Jamie, a knight of the Kingsguard, had broken his vow by slaying the king he had sworn to protect. Then the children were introduced and approved by both sides.
"Take me down to your crypt, Eddard" Robert said, releasing Ned from his grip. "I would like to see my wife again."
"I will accompany you, cousin." Rhaegar declared solemnly. "It's time I made peace with the past."
Ned smiled at that, glad that the king hadn't forgotten after all those years. Ned called for a lantern, only for the queen to protest. It had been weeks of long travel, and everyone was cold and exhausted, at least let them rest for a day. The king did not respond directly, only giving the queen a cold stare. After that, her twin Jamie took away her by the arm, and that was the end of it.
Ned, Robert, and Rhaegar descended down below the castle into the dark, cold vault where countless Starks were laid to rest. Ned led the way ahead, lantern in hand, winding down the stone grey steps, followed by Robert, and by Rhaegar.
Eddard reflected on how much the two men had changed since he had last seen them. Robert now wore a thick shaggy beard, black as soot and crow's feet had begun to grow around his blue eyes. Likewise, the king now wore a cropped silver beard on his chin, and stress had taken hold of him, making him thinner and gaunter than he had been before.
When they had finally reached the tombs, Robert was shivering in his leathers. "Damn you Ned, why did you have to bury her down in this accursed icebox!" he swore. "It's bad enough that I had to travel up through bogs and bridges and barrows, and scarce a man in sight. Why couldn't she be buried at Storm's End, with my kin, under the sun and sky."
"It was her wish to be buried here, you know that as well as I do," Ned said grimly. "She wanted to rest beside Father and Brandon again, not down south." With that Robert relented, and kept his silence as they strolled down the long, low crypt.
When they reached the end of the hall, Ned held a lantern toward the three chiseled stone statues. His brother Brandon was the nearest, handsome and clean-shaven, followed by Lord Rickard, with a thick beard and holding an iron longsword across his lap. Rhaegar knelt before the two statues, making some silent prayers for the dead. Eddard knew how the king felt about his brother and father, that his father had taken something from them, and that it was his duty to pay it back. after he finished, the king laid a blue winter rose on both tombs. Meanwhile, Robert had stood before the tomb of Lyanna, staring at the statue in silence.
"I sill see her in my sleep," Robert said abruptly. "I'm always ahorse, outside Storm's End, and she's ahead of me", Robert grinned at the thought of it, "Your sister loved her horses, Ned. Even I couldn't outpace her in that."
"Father thought so as well" Ned muttered softly. "If Lyanna had been a boy, she would have been a great jouster, he told me once."
"Jon Arryn told me that a woman's place was greeting guests, running a household, and birthing children" Robert chuckled, his voice echoing throughout the long dank stone cavern. "The old fool never told me anything about horses. I scarce could imagine what would have happened had he'd married Lyanna instead of me."
The mention of the elderly lord brought back cherished memories of their shared youth to the front of Ned's mind. He reminisced on the long summer days in the Eyrie, of the long hours in the yard where Robert and he would face off against each other, or when Robert roped him in his foolish scheme to drop barrels of wine out the Eyrie's Moon Door to see where they'd land. That one had gotten Eddard and Robert kicked down to the Bloody Gate for three moons.
"Tell me about Lord Jon, Your Grace," Eddard said quietly, turning to the King. "Tell me how it happened."
Rhaegar sighed with reluctance. "It was so quick that you'd think he'd been struck by the Stranger himself," the king replied, clearly still somewhat unnerved. "We had held a tourney for Joffrey in celebration of his name day. If you caught a glimpse of Lord Arryn then, you'd think he was still fifty years young." The king paused after that, with a look of deep contemplation across his pale white face. "Jon Arryn served well as Hand of the King, better than many of his predecessors."
Ned recalled those predecessors with disdain. The Mad King, Aerys II, had named three men as Hand of the King in the years following Tywin Lannister's resignation. The first was a foolish old lord from the Reach, the second was a proud young warrior once sworn to Robert himself, and a third who Aerys had cooked alive, just as he did Eddard's own father. It was not hard to see how Jon Arryn surpassed them.
"I'm certain he did" Ned replied concisely. The King seemed content with that, only for a moment. "The lady Lysa has taken her son back to the Vale" he declared, with an irritated look about his purple eyes. "The boy was to be my page, until Jon and I could find him a lord to squire for. How can the boy learn to hold a sword when his mother grips his hand like a raven does a letter?."
"Your Grace, I could take him as a ward here at Winterfell." Ned offered. "The boy's mother could come as well. Lysa and Catelyn were close in their youth, her son would be safe here."
"Storm's End is open to the boy as well" Robert suggested. "The boy's named after me, I seems it's only right that I see to his education. Besides, my sons could use a partner in the yard."
"If only things were that simple. Cersei has already sent a raven to Casterly Rock, and Lord Tywin would take your proposals as an affront to his pride." Rhaegar said exasperated.
"My nephew's well-being has more value to me than Lannister pride" Ned proclaimed.
"You are a wise man, Lord Eddard," the king said, a smile forming on his face. "Still, there are other matters that I must discuss with you besides lions. I have caught wind of troubles beyond the Wall."
Eddard felt some relief upon hearing that. "You must see it for yourself, Your Grace. The Watch has fallen far from its past glory. Benjen says that they barely have enough men to man the battlements, and they only can occupy three castles now, even with the fresh dispatches you've made in recent years." Eddard replied grimly. "What's more, reports are coming in of this new King-beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder. They say the deserter has twenty-five thousand in his host, and it's growing by the day."
"I'll see to it that more men are supplied to the Watch. If this wildling attempts to cross into the realm, we'll meet his bronze with hard steel." the king proclaimed. "You are one of the last true men in the realm, Lord Eddard. We need more of your like down south."
The king then took a deep breath, and Eddard could see the cold winter air leave his lips. "Lord Eddard, I would name you Hand of the King."
Ned fell to one knee. He should have known, he thought. Why else would Rhaegar come all the way north? The Hand of the King was the second most powerful man in the realm, behind only the king himself. The Hand spoke with the king's voice, met with the king's council, and commanded the king's forces. When the king was absent or ill, it was the Hand who dispensed justice and wrote laws, and even sat on the iron throne. Rhaegar had just offered him the most powerful position in the realm.
Eddard couldn't think of a post he wanted less.
"Your Grace," he said solemnly. "I am not worthy of such an honor."
"This isn't about honor, Lord Eddard," the king said. "This is about necessity. The realm is in need of men like you. I need someone who values honor and truth, not power or gold. Ice and Fire will work wonders, in union and in rule."
"Union?" the Lord of Winterfell responded, taken aback.
"It's high time that Houses Targaryen and Stark were joined." the king told him gently. "I have a son, and you a daughter. Let Joffrey and Sansa link our houses together, truly."
"Sansa is only eleven" Ned replied, shocked at the offer.
"Only a betrothal, a marriage can wait a few years." the king said dismissively, stretching his hand out and lifting Eddard up. "Do consider the offer, Lord Stark."
"Very well, Your Grace," Ned said reluctantly. "But may I be given some time to discuss this with my councilors and kin? I need to speak about this with my wife..."
"Of course, Lord Stark" Rhaegar answered readily. "Take as much time as you need."
As the three men left the deep cavern, Eddard Stark felt a horrible feeling of unease. His home was here, up here in Winterfell. As he looked back behind him, he could see the dozens of stone figures filling the hall. Their chipped stone eyes seemed to follow him as he exited, and they all knew the same hard truth that he did.
Winter was coming.