Damn, this chapter was hard to write. Thanks to everyone who is following my story. I hope I can keep writing chapters that keep you coming back.

Chapter 13 – Cat's and Trees

"Well it's not really betrayal if you're expecting it now isn't it?"

Jon put his clothes back on as the two old friends bantered back and forth about people who tried to kill them in the Time Before. Ned though was trying to get past the fact that Jon had died. Had been killed or in this case murdered by people he trusted to have his back and follow his commands. He was still trying to process the fact that they had lived a whole other life but he believed them completely.

Those scars, they were all too real.

"You died?" He asked in a quiet voice that a stopped their banter dead.

"Yes. Three times actually but the other two deaths, well, we were at war. Apparently those wounds don't scar the soul or my body would be a lot more marked then it is." Jon replied

Three times. Jon had died three times. Ned couldn't understand how he had lived after the first time to be killed a second time yet alone a third. But the other two deaths didn't bother Ned as much as the first one.

The first one was cold blooded murder.

"A priest and priestess of R'hllor somehow, I know not, managed to bring me back to life the first two times. The third, well it was meant to be my final death but the Gods had other ideas." Jon continued seemingly reading Ned's mind. Jon knew that his uncle believed them, but he was having trouble processing the fact that he had died…a lot.

Tyrion, who had been silent up till now, spoke. "My Lord, I hate to rush you but we must speak on all that happened in what Jon and I call the Time Before. As horrifying as that first death was for Jon, we were not brought back here to see justice alone done, although believe me when I say that those men are on my List. We have been sent back to try and save the whole world and the best way we can do that is if we work together. The time for politics and old hatreds is now over. We need ALL of Westeros and quite possible everyone else who doesn't live on our shores to do this, for I warn you now, if we fail to stop The Great Other and the Night King here in Westeros, in the North, they will kill everything with a heartbeat and raise their dead bodies with ice blue eyes. Believe me when I say that seeing that happen is INCREDIBLY creepy My Lord." Tyrion's spoke in a gentle voice that rang with a quiet conviction that made Ned pay attention.

Could they do it? Ned wasn't sure how even the Gods could prevent what was to come let alone these two but here they were, begging him to work with them to save the world.

"Tyrion, call me Ned and you Nephew, will tell me everything. Including how you found out about your mother. After that, we'll speak about what you have already planned and see how we can improve our chances of winning" and with those words, Ned committed himself to the cause.

Tyrion grinned. "Thank you Ned, but for our discussion, I shall repeat the same words of wisdom I offered you the first time we spoke in here. We're going to need wine. Lots and lots of wine because this is not a happy story nor does it have a happy ending; especially for you and yours I'm afraid." Tyrion said as he got up to pour the wine.

They told him everything. From the moment Ned beheaded the Deserter from the Nights Watch to receiving word that the King was coming to Winterfell through to when they died supposedly for the final time and what happed after. They also told him about R'hllor and Death's visits and how Winterfell was the Key in winning the war for if Winterfell was taken by the Night King, he would release his Master.

They told him how Bran the Builder married one of the Children of the Forrest in order to seal the Pact made between Men and the Children and how this was the source of the Stark gifts and the key to the prison built deep in the earth under Winterfell, where the Great Other was imprisoned by Ice that was not cold and that will never melt, spell-sealed by the Children, surrounded by the Fire of the earth and with a blood-lock in place keyed to Stark blood.

Ned was angered, saddened and at times completely horrified as he listened to the horror that they had lived though and died trying to stop. The fate of Cat and Robb horrified and disgusted him. What had happened to Sansa in Kings Landing after he died made him want to kill Joffrey in the most gruesome way possible and even though he would never hurt a woman, Cersei made him want too.

He wanted to try and save Robert but once he understood that there was really no way, he let it go. After what happened to Rickon and Sansa, well let's just say that Ramsey Snow/Bolton would suffer Joffrey's fate, but it was what happened to Bran and Arya that both fascinated him and made him want to kill people right now. A cripple Greenseer and female Faceless Assassin. Of the two fates, Arya's scared him more.

By the time they had finished telling him everything they could remember it was very late. They had missed dinner in the great hall and almost everyone was already in bed. They agreed to call it a night and meet mid-morning in the Godswoods.

Ned felt a powerful need to pray.

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

Ned was tired. Actually, in truth he was beyond tired. After they had all sort their chambers Ned had been unable to sleep, still trying to process everything he had heard. Around dawn, he'd given up sleep as a bad cause and went back to his solar to start thinking on how he could help and how he and his family avoid their fates.

Ned had been working for about an hour when Cat came in; demanding to know what he'd been up to the last few days and why was he talking behind closed doors with Tyrion and Jon. Ned tried to ignore her but she just wouldn't stop. It was when she accused Jon and Tyrion working together to overthrow House Stark and will have them all killed, Ned had had enough but a stray comment came to mind,

"I would be willing to bet all the gold in Casterly Rock that Petyr Baelish is the reason why your wife could never accept Jon."

Damn. Tyrion was right. This wasn't his wife or her words. The woman Ned knew and loved would never accuse anyone like that without proof. It was all Baelish. His words were coming out of his beloved Cat's mouth and he didn't like it one bit.

"Enough Cat." He told her. Cat looked at him and opened her mouth once again. Before she could speak Ned stopped her.

"I said enough. What is going on with you woman? You have been nothing but cold, rude and hostile to Tyrion and we won't speak on how you have been treating Jon for the last three weeks. I don't know this woman standing in front of me at this moment. My wife, My Cat, she is not this hateful, spiteful woman. You will tell me what prompted you to act like this and you will do so NOW!"

"I don't know what you mean husband" Cat told him in an icy polite tone.

That was it. Ned was done. He decided to change tactics.

"Oh really? Did you know Catelyn, that there are stories about you circulate in the south, particularly in the Red Keep?" He asked in a mild but deadly tone.

Cat looked at him, a little confused. "I honestly don't know what you are talking about Ned" she confessed.

"Really? Are you sure? Because some of those stories have true details in them. Details that could only have come from you or someone close to you and I'll warn you Catelyn, they are not nice stories." He bluffed in the same tone. Cat for her part started to look a little pale.

"Oh, care to tell me the details of these lies husband?"

'Well, one of them speaks about the time you beat the Bastard of Winterfell bloody with a fire iron. Another speaks of how you tried to kill him once but your conscience got the better of you. Another one speaks of how you have banned me from you bed for life and wished to be free of this marriage." Ned was watching her reaction as he told her some of the more outrageous stories that Tyrion had repeated. By the time Ned had finished speaking, Cat was a pale as summer snow and Ned felt a hard lump form in his gut.

"By the Gods, it can't be true." Cat spoke quietly and in shock. She raised her head and looked at Ned.

"I swear by the Old Gods and the New, I NEVER did any of those things. I may not like Jon but I never raised a hand to him. It is true, I once said I wished to be free of this marriage and I had intended to ban you from my bed for the rest of my life, but this was just after Robert's Rebellion had ended and you came back from Dorne with a bastard in your arms. I wrote that in a personal letter to Lysa. It's the same with the rest. I never did them but I wrote about wanting too when Jon had angered me more than normal but I swear to you Ned, I would NEVER hurt him. Not like that. Not a child." She was begging him to believe her and Ned did but still needed to find out where this sudden onset had come from.

"Where did you hear these stories?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. Ned sighed.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes"

"Tyrion informed me about it the first night he was here. He wanted to let me know of due to the possible repercussions this may have on our family and House outside the North and before you say he's lying, remember you just confessed to telling only Lysa but that's not all, there is one story that is repeated constantly over and over again concerning you and while I know this one isn't true, you should hear it." Ned was concerned how Cat was going to take this one. She wouldn't be pleased that was for sure.

"What is it Ned?"

"This story is about when he was fifteen; Petyr Baelish took the maidenhead of Catelyn Tully before she married Eddard Stark." Ned held his breath.

Catelyn Stark nee Tully's face had no blood left in it and then it all came rushing back as anger took hold of her.

"Tyrion Lannister" she hissed. "He is the most vile, disgusting thing that ever lived. How dare he spread such vicious, ugly lies." Her hands here hooked into claws and she looked as if she was about to commit murder of fore mentioned Lannister.

"He didn't make it up Cat. He overheard it. He overheard Petyr Baelish himself bragging about it and also how he also took Lysa's maidenhead too. He has no reason to make this up Cat and I believed him when he swore to me that the stories weren't his creation."

Cat sank back in her seat in shock, not knowing what to say. Even she had to admit, there was no reason for Tyrion to make up such a lies and unfortunately, the part about Lysa was true. It was why she was married to Jon Arryn to fast.

"My Lord…Ned, I need to go .I need to think about all you've told me." Cat was distressed. Her emotions and thoughts were whizzing around her head and heart. Ned gave her a sad smile.

"Go Cat and for what it's worth, I'm sorry." He told her. She gave him a sad smile in return and left.

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

It was now mid-morning and Ned was headed for the Godswoods for his meeting with Tyrion and Jon. He was now stressed on top of tired due to the confrontation he'd had with Cat this morning and now he had to help Jon and Tyrion by preparing the North to fight myths and legends while they did everything else. Personally he thought he had the easier job.

He was just outside the clearing in the centre when he heard laughter. He continued on and walked in or Jon and Tyrion laughing over something. He smiled. He had never seen Jon so carefree and unguarded before. He came to the conclusion that Tyrion was good for the boy. He pulled Jon out of his self-imposed shell. He frowned as he remembered that Jon wasn't exactly a boy anymore and he had lived ten years more than anyone else bar Tyrion.

Ned smiled at both of them and bid them good morning. Jon studied his uncle for a moment.

"Is something wrong uncle? You don't look well rested." He asked

"I'm fine lad. Just had trouble sleeping last night and this morning, I had a not so pleasant discussion with Cat about those stories you told me. She is not very happy with me right now and while I think I've managed to stop her form blaming you about it personally Tyrion, she may just kill the messenger so to speak." Ned said informing them of his morning so far. "But right now, I feel the need to pray. I hope you don't mind Tyrion."

"Not at all. We never did meet the Old Gods. Apparently they had been the first ones killed when the Great Other was freed and while I now believe the Gods are real and have all due respect for them I'm not a hypocrite, I won't pray to a god or gods I never believed in until recently." Tyrion explained to Ned.

Jon laughed and knelt down. "I'll pray with you uncle." He said.

They prayed only for a short while as they knew that they needed to start getting organised and putting the pieces they needed into place in order to beat the Great Other and his minions. As they were raising from their knees a voice from behind Tyrion said,

"You should touch the tree."

In a single smooth motion that impressed the hell out of Ned, Tyrion drew his dagger, pivoted on the spot then threw. It was a perfect shot and would have pierced the throat of the person standing there.

If the person was physically there that was.

Instead it flew through R'hllor's throat and buried itself into the trunk of the tree behind him. Tyrion cursed a blue streak as the God just starting laughing. Ned's jaw was agape at what he just witnessed. He decided to not panic due to the fact that neither Jon nor Tyrion were drawing weapons and the stranger was laughing.

"Who are you?" Ned asked. He was Lord of Winterfell after all and if this personage meant to harm anyone then Ned needed to know.

Tyrion who stopped cursing said, "Lord Stark, meet R'hllor, The Lord of fucking Light and the god who travelled back with us from the Time Before. Why are you here?" He demanded. R'hllor just smirked at him.

"Touch the tree." He said again and disappeared.

"Fucking show off!" Tyrion cursed him in a loud voice. Now Jon was laughing and Ned was looking awed.

"Why was he here?" Ned asked them. Tyrion just shrugged.

"I don't know but he told us to touch the tree, so we touch the tree." He replied and walked up to the Weirwood, joining the other two. He raised his hand. "Shall we?"

The moment all three hands were touching the Weirwood, their worlds went black.

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

When light returned, they found themselves standing a poorly lit cave with white roots from a Weirwood tree descending down from the roof to form a Throne of roots in which sat a man who was more part of the throne on which he sat then not.

Jon and Tyrion both knew this place from Brann's description. They were in the cave under the old Weirwood tree far in the North on the other side of the wall and before them sat Brynden Rivers also known as Bloodraven, The Three Eyed Raven. Before they could speak, they once again heard a voice from behind them,

"Hello Jon, Tyrion…Father"

All three spun around and saw a tall brown haired lad with Tully blue eyes. He looked exactly like he did when Tyrion and Jon last saw him.

"Hello Bran. What are you doing here? Oh wait, Greenseer. Of course you would be here. You can visit any time right?" Tyrion asked. He was slightly surprised that Bran was here. In the Time Before, Bran had told him that while he had learned how to do it, he hadn't mastered these types of skills before he had to leave the cave. Bran gave them a knowing grin,

"We know no King but the King in the North whose name is Stark. The White Wolf."

"Bran? My Bran?" Jon croaked at him .He dared not hope. No, this couldn't be possible. There was no way this was his Bran because his soul didn't travel with them. Bran's smile got wider.

"Yes Jon, it is me."

Jon and Tyrion were flabbergasted and Ned was just confused. This was his son. His second youngest son who was most likely climbing the walls of Winterfell as they spoke, yet here he was, a young man.

"Bran?" Ned asked. "What's going on? I don't understand!" He cried out to anyone who would listen to him. Bran smiled sadly at him.

"Hello father. I imagine this is all a bit much for you. Have you been told about Greenseers?" Bran asked his father. Ned nodded.

"Yes Jon told be a bit about them and I also know both their souls were sent back to change our fate. But how are you here? Did Death send you back as well?" He asked his son.

"When I died in the future, I was using the Weirwood tree to try and strengthen the spells on the Great Other's prison. When my physical body was killed, my soul stayed in the tree. As for why I'm here, well the saying "The North Remembers" refers to the Weirwood trees. They have a memory all of their own they remember everything that they witness. It's really odd because what one tree saw, all Weirwoods know." Bran explained to them of how he came to be here.

"But there are two of you in this time. Two separate souls. Do you know what will happen to you when "young Bran" come's to take up his Destiny? After all, from what we were told, to be the Three Eyed Raven is you fate in any timeline." Tyrion asked him.

Tyrion was fascinated by the whole situation and wondered if Death knew that this soul escaped him last time. 'Of course he must. Why else would R'hllor have told us to touch the tree. I very much doubt that R'hllor knew he was here or he would have already told Jon' he thought to himself.

"When "young" me comes to Bloodraven, he and I will merge as you both did." Bran replied. "But I didn't just come here to let you know about me. I came to let you know that so far, you've done the right things in order to save us from the Great Other and the Night King. While that future is still possible, it is no longer a certainty. Bringing Father into this was a smart choice and I trust you to keep making them." Bran smiled at them, proud of what they'd already accomplished. But there was one last thing.

"Father, about mother. You have to tell her the truth about Jon. Something mother will do in the future will help Jon in a big way somehow but she needs to stop hating him. Thanks to Petyr Baelish, she has hated him needlessly and it has done nothing but hurt her. You already started the process when you informed her about the stories and Petyr's role in them but she will need the truth in order to start healing." Turning to Jon he continued,

"Jon while I don't think that there will ever be any love between you and mother, I do believe that you could develop a mutual respect and appreciation for one another. Mother is very politically astute and you will need that going forward. My advice to you is this, tell her about the Time Before but not before you tell her about your parents. She needs to get over that first before she can help."

Bran just hoped that it was enough.

Ned sighed. "You know you mother is going to kill me when I let you go to come here." He stated to Bran. Ned now knew he had no choice when it came to Bran. He had to go north of the wall. His Destiny lay here.

Bran smiled back at his father. "For what it's worth father, I am sorry for the trouble it will cause you with mother." Bran truly was sorry. He knew what his mother was like when it came to her children. Bran just hoped that his younger self wouldn't have to suffer the loss of his legs like he had.

"It's time to go."

And with those words, Tyrion, Jon and Ned found themselves back in their bodies in Winterfell's Godswoods.