Eddard

Ned found himself sitting in his solar, staring at the man he hated most in all the world. If Rhaegar Targaryen was uncomfortable being alone with the Lord of Winterfell, Ned could not see it. The King sipped his wine pensively and looked around at the room's sparse decorations. His voice was low and soft, but the tension in the air made it seem as though it shattered the silence like a pick striking ice.

"Good vintage," he said flatly.

"We prefer ale in the North, Your Grace." A long pause followed.

"How much longer do you think he will keep us waiting? Perhaps I should call for my—"

"I'm in no mood for music, Your Grace." Those were the words Eddard said. What he wanted to say was if you bring that bloody harp in here I'll break it over your fucking head.

"Perhaps at the feast, then." Another long pause followed, one which made it harder and harder for Ned to stand on ceremony. Finally, he spoke.

"You violated our agreement," he told the King.

"And who violated it first, Lord Eddard?" Rhaegar replied, sounding somewhat amused. "We promised to stay out of each other's affairs, and you took what was mine."

"I made a promise to Lyanna." Ned didn't raise his voice, but he didn't need to. Like any dishonorable Southron Rhaegar had an appreciation for subtleties.

"The woman was delirious. She had no right—"

"She had every right. You weren't there."

"I won't apologize for doing what was needed."

"And abducting my sister, forcing her into a marriage bed and getting her with child, I suppose that was needed as well?" They had had this conversation once before, although Ned had said nothing about Jon the first time. He was dissatisfied with Rhaegar's answer then, just as he knew he would be now.

"For reasons I fear you will not understand even now, yes it was, though I find it amusing that you of all people believe your sister could have been forced into anything. But think of what you're saying, Lord Eddard. Would you have really preferred that the boy never be born at all?" Rhaegar had him there. So much suffering, so much destruction had been caused by Rhaegar and Lyanna's decision to run away together. No one man's life, no matter how precious or important it would prove to be, would ever be able to make up for it. But he had come to love Jon as a son. Had it been him and not the King who had asked him that question, Eddard would have said no. Instead, he stayed silent, unwilling to give Rhaegar the pleasure of victory.

"But all this is in the past," Rhaegar continued. "We must put it aside, for the boy's sake and for our own. Winter is coming, Lord Eddard." That was it. Ned rose to his feet in rage at hearing his own family's words turned upon him, used as a Southron trick to hide half-truths and avoid plain talk.

"I should have killed you in the Marches when I had the chance!" The words hung like a sword between the two men, and Eddard regretted saying them immediately. But part of him was glad he had. Rhaegar, for his part, allowed himself a small smile, as if he were savoring the victory that came with getting a rise out of the famously cold Lord Paramount of the North.

"I was in your power, true, but what would have happened if you had?" he mused. "The Dornishmen were coming through the Prince's Pass, the Tyrells were regrouping but a few days' march away, and the lion banner flew everywhere from Kayce to King's Landing. You would not have returned home alive, and the best of the North would have died with you. What would have become of the lands you love so dearly? What would have become of your son?"

"At least I care for my sons." For a moment Ned managed to calm himself, but he knew Rhaegar could still see his anger. The uncharacteristic fire had once again simmered down to cold hatred.

"And for the sons of others, even when they do not wish it."

"I saved Jon from the South! I saved him from vipers and lions and dragons who all had a reason to want him dead. I saved him from being a living reminder of everything wrong with you and your rule! I gave him a home where he was safe, where he was loved, where he might learn what it means to be honorable!"

"And in doing so you tried rob Jaehaerys of his destiny!" Now it was Rhaegar's turn to rise. He was not as tall as Ned, but his eyes burned with the mad fire of his house as he met his vassal's gaze. "You tore him from the arms of his family and stripped him of everything he was so he could live as an outcast in the keep of a man who only pretended to be his father! You've kept up this mummer's farce far too long to speak of honor, Lord Eddard."

"And how long have you known?" Ned shot back. "How long did you let me keep this up without so much as a word? If what I did was so terrible, why did you do nothing?!"

"Because you weren't the only one who made a promise to Lyanna!" Rhaegar lunged forward, but stopped himself before he came to grips with Ned. Eddard had thrown up his arms in defense, but lowered them slowly as he realized that the King would not strike him. Rhaegar's normally smooth silver-blonde hair looked tangled and disheveled, and the fire in his eyes burned with more intensity than Eddard had seen in any man, even in the heat of battle. This must be what Aerys looked like near the end, thought Eddard. But slowly, as the King stared at his own reflection in Ned's eyes, he began to calm himself. He sees what he is becoming, and he doesn't like it.

"And whatever nonsense you may have told yourself to justify your theft of my son, you were right about one thing," he went on. "He is safe here, and I cannot afford to lose him. He will have too important a role to play in what is to come." Just when I thought he was beginning to act like a father, thought Ned. And then it dawned on him.

"Shouldn't Jon be here by now?" Rhaegar gave him a look that showed he had come to the same conclusion.

"I have guards posted at the doors and a man watching the windows," Ned added. "If he weren't in his room, I would know about it."

"And I sent Ser Barristan to retrieve him some time ago. Had he failed I doubtless would have been informed."

"I'll go talk to him," Ned told the King, but as he turned to leave the solar Rhaegar placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lord Eddard, wait." Rhaegar looked at him with an expression Ned couldn't place. It was almost pleading. "The boy needs his father." Ned pulled away from the King without being too rude or abrupt.

"That he does, Your Grace, but right now that means the man who raised him." With that Ned took his leave of the King and followed a path he knew well, following the hallways and passages of Winterfell until he reached Jon's room. Every servant or bannerman he passed eyed him nervously, as if they did not know what to think of him. What has this done to my legacy? He thought. Will men still follow me after this?

Finally he reached the room of the boy he once called his own. His guards were standing, silent and ready, as an old man in ornate armor and a white cloak banged against the door.

"Your Grace, you have been summoned by the King!" cried an exasperated Ser Barristan.

"I'm not coming out!" cried a muffled voice from behind the door.

"Your father has ordered that you attend him in Lord Stark's solar. There is much that must be discussed before we return to the capital, Your Grace!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"I can take it from here, Ser Barristan," Ned told him as his men stood at attention. He bid them to be at ease and saw a look of relief spread over Ser Barristan's wizened features.

"The Knights of the Kingsguard are not known to run from a fight," he said, "but I know when I am outmatched. Do your worst, Lord Eddard."

"Jon, open up! It's your…" Ned found the word 'father' caught in his throat. "…It's me."

"Go away! If I won't leave my chambers for the King, what makes you think I'd do it for you, Lord Eddard?" Being called by his title took Ned aback, but as much as it hurt him he understood. He wasn't the only one who had a hard time using the word 'father.'

"You don't have to come out, Jon. You don't even have to let me in. Just listen, please." Silence. Eddard took that as a good sign.

"I know you must be confused. I know I may not understand how you feel. But I also know you must have questions. Mayhaps the King and I can answer them. You don't have to say anything right now, but please, think on what I have said. Things are bad now, but they will not get better until you understand who you are and what you want, and you cannot do that if you never leave your chambers. I'll be waiting out here for you when you're ready." With that Ned pushed up against the wall opposite the door and slumped into a seated position on the floor. He waved the guards off; he was more than capable of watching the boy. He saw Ser Barristan was still standing there, taking up a post vacated by his own bannermen. Ned shot him a quizzical look, which caused the old knight to smile.

"The king has given me a charge, Lord Eddard. One way or another, I will see it through." And so they waited for what seemed like hours but was probably far shorter than that. Ned thought he heard a thump come from inside the room. Perhaps the boy knocked something over in a fit of rage, Ned thought. It may be a while before he's ready. He continued to wait, but sooner than Ned had expected he heard the door being unbarred. As it swung open he saw John, Arya and Bran emerge from the room. Scarcely able to contain his shock, he rose to his feet and looked to his children in a way that demanded an explanation.

"Robb distracted the man watching the window while we climbed in," Arya, the better liar of the two, said innocently. That explains Bran, but not her. Ned decided he would have the chambers searched for secret passageways later.

"We just wanted Jon to know that no matter what happens, he's still our brother," Bran blurted out. Ned smiled at this, but it also dawned on him that that meant Jon had not left his room because of anything he had said. He looked into the boy's eyes and could see the two of them were a long way from any sort of reconciliation.

"I'm ready, Lord Eddard," Jon said.

"Jon, you don't have to call me that if you don't want," Ned replied crestfallen.

"Then I'm not sure what to call you." There was a long pause that was only interrupted by the soft padding of feet as the white dire wolf pup approached his master. Gods they grow fast.

"Can Ghost come too?" Jon asked. Eddard thought for a moment, but nodded his assent. At this point, the pup was probably the only constant in the boy's life, it would be wrong to rob him of it. Not after I've taken so much. Jon picked Ghost up by the scruff of his neck and held him close as he and Ned walked back towards the solar, with Ser Barristan falling into step behind him. He waved off Bran and Arya before turning his thoughts to what lay ahead.

If Rhaegar knows what's good for him, I won't find him in my solar with that bloody harp.