The Catspaw Succeeded – Chapter 2
Before I begin chapter 2 I wanted to thank those who have already latched on to the story. This is my first ever effort to write a fanfic of my own. I was listening to the first book in my car when the Catspaw scene occurred. I was remembering all the mistakes made by Catelyn. From agreeing to the Frey demands, letting Jaime Lannister go, and her forcing of Jon from Winterfell. Thoughts popped in my head of what if she failed to stop the attacker and I spent the drive thinking over possible repercussions. It wouldn't go away from my brain so I decided to give it a try.
- Jon -
Jon Snow looked at the wall that towered in front of him. He was amazed at the sight. It was magnificent. It practically glowed in the daylight – even with the gray overcast sky. This view though only slightly improved his outlook. He loved the time spent with his Uncle Benjen. But every time he looked at Yoren and the two rapers that were joining the Night's Watch to avoid castration, he couldn't stop the loathing he felt for his future. It galled him that Tyrion Lannister was correct in both his assumption of what his future was going to be like, and what it truly was going to be. He had enjoyed the Imp's company at times. His bawdy jokes and quick wit were better than silence.
As Castle Black came into view, it was easy to see it's age. It once may have been solid structure. But now it was two steps short of a moldering ruin. Patches and fixes around the walls, the castle structures, and towers were evident. It didn't just speak to its age, but also to the lack of investment.
As the gates opened, there were three men waiting for them. Two large men in heavy black cloaks, black leather, and black boots. The third was smaller and far older. He wore a heavy black out cloak as well but wore a black robe and a maester's chain around his neck. His hair was wispy and as white as snow. His eyes were cloudy, the overcast day made it hard to determine the original color.
The man in the middle greeted them. "Welcome back Lord Stark." His greeting did not match his face. His face was hesitant….almost sad.
Benjen dismounted from his horse and greeted them all. "Thank you, Lord Commander Mormont. Hello Maester Aemon, Ser Alliser. I look forward to a hot meal and a warm bed for a few days." He smiled but noticed none were given in return. Before they could speak he introduced Jon and Tyrion. "This is my nephew, Jon Snow. Beside him is Lord Tyrion Lannister. Jon has come to take the Black. Lord Tyrion was 'intrigued' by the Wall and wanted to come along". The last part was said with some slight derision. "This is Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Ser Alliser Thorne, and Measter Aemon."
The Lord Commander spoke up before anymore could be said. "Lord Tyrion, I will have a steward find you some accommodations as well as beds in the barracks for your men. Benjen, Jon Snow….I need you to come with me to my solar. We need to talk. A raven arrived while you were making your journey."
Jon's blood froze. Bran? Did something happen to him? He desperately wanted to ask but a look from Benjen stopped him.
Before any more could be said the Lord Commander turned as walked away. Maester Aemon followed. Before Ser Alliser turned, he gave an odd glance to Benjen. Initially it looked sad, and then changed to distaste. He saw Jon looking at him. At once his face turned to one of loathing. 'Well that looks familiar' Jon thought.
They settled into chairs in the solar. The Lord Commander sat behind his desk. The aged maester was standing behind the Lord Commander's right. Ser Alliser stood next to the door, leaning against the wall. A sour look on his face. By the lines on his face this may be his regular look.
"A raven arrived from Winterfell a few days ago. It was Lord Robb. He has commanded his brother, Jon, to return to Winterfell. He has asked for you to return as well, Benjen".
Commanded? Jon thought. Why would he do that? Before he could ask Benjen spoke. "What reason was given?" His voice was tinged with wariness. He knew whatever the reason was it could not be good.
The maester held the scroll in his hands. "It was written by Maester Luwin in Winterfell." He spoke the words without looking at it. "I grieves me deeply to report that Lady Catelyn Stark, the Lady of Winterfell, and young Brandon Stark were murdered by an unknown assailant. Lord Robb Stark, the Stark in Winterfell, commands his brother Jon Snow to return at once to aid is brother. He also wishes for the return of First Ranger Lord Benjen Stark as well. He understands Lord Benjen's responsibilities at the Wall but promises it will not be forgotten."
A derisive snort came from Ser Alliser. "Just because the little Lord needs his nose cleaned and tears wiped doesn't mean we can let him dictate what happens here. As for the 'Bastard'...". In a blink of an eye Benjen was up and had punched Ser Alliser in the gut. An "oof" was expelled from the knight and as he bent over Benjen grabbed him by the head and smashed his nose into his knee.
The knight feel to the floor with a thud and didn't get up. "Benjen!" barked Mormont. He spoke quieter next. "I understand your grief but control yourself." Reece!" he shouted. A brother of the Watch who had been guarding outside the door swung it open. In the guard's haste to enter the room he had struck Ser Alliser in the head as the woozy knight had just began stumbling up and was knocked back over.
"Get some help and escort Ser Alliser to the infirmary" he said.
Jon had not moved a muscle. He could not believe what he had heard. Bran was dead. Lady Stark was dead. His little brother who had dreamed of being a knighthood, of becoming a member of the Kingsguard, who climbed the walls and roofs of Winterfell like a squirrel was gone.
Lady Start was gone too. He did not mourn her. He may have disliked her for her treatment of him, but he never wished ill of her. She was her sibling's mother. Hurting her would hurt them. And Father. He know his Father loved his wife. He had already experienced more loss than many men. This would devastate him.
As Jon was left to his thoughts the conversation continued. "We will let young Snow here rest a day before sending him back. I'm not stupid Benjen. I know I need to let you go back. Not just because we rely on the Starks so much. Your nephew is going to need you until Lord Eddard returns. I know he was tasked with becoming the Hand. We would have benefited from his support in Kings Landing. But I know there is no way he can go there. Not now at least. I know you were planning on going on a ranging in a few days. Ser Alliser can lead it this time. Lots of cold brisk air can only aid healing that broken nose. I will have words with him. I know there is animosity between your family and him because of the Rebellion. I stay out of your squabbles because that is all they are. But his words were a step too far. He is lucky you held back. You can return with your nephew here. You may return to us when you feel it is appropriate. We will resupply you and have a few men go with you as an escort."
Benjen didn't even have the heart to argue with his Lord Commander. Not that he looked like he wanted to. They both sat there for a long time, lost in their thoughts
Jon sat that evening at one of the long tables in Castle Black's mess hall. He was debating how long he could sit there before leaving. He knew most Black brothers cared or knew little of propriety but the lessons he had received were still a part of him. Just as he felt he had been there long enough, Lord Tyrion clambered on to the bench opposite him. They stared at each other for a while before Tyrion broke the silence.
"I am very sorry to hear about your brother's death" he said "He was a sweet boy from what I could see. Tommen and Myrcella were heartbroken when he fell. They will be equally heartbroken over this."
"Thank you, my Lord" Jon replied. He noted he did not mention his other nephew, nor the Queen or the Kingslayer. Jon really was not in the mood for conversation but the Imp had a way of getting you to talk. Even when you didn't want to
"Please call me Tyrion."
"But you are a Lord. I am just a bastard". Jon protested
Tyrion had a slight smirk. "Remember what I said of dwarfs and bastards? You may not realize it but we are brothers of scorn". His smirk turned to a frown. "I had hopes you would leave Castle Black before taking your vows. I know you think this is an honorable calling but I was hoping it would have been the bleak outlook of your future that sent you away, not the death of your brother."
Jon looked at him for a long while. Tyrion Lannister was a mystery. He was quite smart and witty. He had a sense of humor that could leave him in stitches. Yet he was also taciturn and could be cruel with the truth of his words. He was not the typical Lannister he had been led to believe.
"Despite my misgivings during the ride north – I cannot imagine anything else that would have made me leave before my vows were taken. We northerners are a stubborn lot." Jon said. "How long will you stay before heading back south?"
"A few weeks at most" responded Tyrion. "I cannot wait to look through the library here. And to speak to the brother of 'Aegon the Unlikely' is something I cannot pass"
"Wait, who?" asked Jon
"Measter Aemon. He was a maester already when the great council selected his brother. He decided to take the Black to avoid being used by those unhappy with his brother's ascension. I was not aware he was still alive. But he is. The stories he will be able to tell." Tyrion look on in wonderment. He then added with a grin "Before I go I must also piss of the top of the wall"
Jon laughed "Just make sure you check the wind, and don't hit a snark!" They both had a chuckle over it. Despite the laughter Jon still had a heavy weight on him that would not go away. Ser Alliser walked into the room then. He noticed them and walked over. His face was a mess. His nose was swollen and bruised. His two eyes were blackened. His expression was one of having just sucked on a lemon.
He stopped in front of Jon and spoke in a low growl. "I apologize for my words in the Lord Commander's solar. I am sorry for your loss". He took a step and then said "Not that we need the bastard son of a traitor here." He stalked away as quickly as he could, knocking over a young recruit along the way.
Tyrion looked at him in puzzlement. "What happened to him?" Jon explained what occurred in the meeting and Tyrion frowned. "I had heard several of the knights in service to the Targaryans had taken the black after the fall of Kings Landing. Ser Alliser was one of them. He appears to still be holding a grudge."
- Eddard -
Eddard Stark sat in his room at the inn. Jory had found him while on his hunt with the King. Robert had been in a festive mood. Away from Kings Landing, hunting with Ned, out in the fresh air. He was laughing and drinking and doing his best to make him laugh. Robert was beginning to succeed when Jory had raced over on horseback. He held two scroll. He handed them both to his Lord. Ned looked at the already opened scroll first. It was from Maester Luwin, directing Lord Darry to find Lord Eddard Stark among the Kings party and deliver the second scroll to him. It let them know that similar messages had been sent to keeps and towns along the Kingsroad south of the neck and along the Trident. Ned paused for a moment. A message sent in this fashion could not be good. I cold and heavy weight settled onto him. The last time he felt this was when the raven from Kings Landing arrived at the Eyrie. It denouncing his house, demanding his head, and detailing the deaths of his Lord Father and his brother, Brandon. He broke the scroll and read it.
'Father,
I know not how to tell you so I will say it as simply as I can. A fortnight after you departed a fire began in the library. It was set as a distraction. A man used the it to slip into Bran's sick room and attack both he and Mother. Bran's direwolf killed him but it was too late. Both of them are dead. We do not know who the man was or where he came from. We will be tearing Winterfell and Winter Town apart looking for anything. I will be writing to Castle Black to have Jon and Uncle Benjen return, as well as letters to my Lord Grandfather and Great Uncle Brynden. We await your return to Winterfell.
Robb
"Ned, what is it?" demanded Robert. He had seen his friends face go white as milk in shock, then turn into a face of stony fury.
"Cat….Bran!" Ned choked out. "They are dead". The normally quiet and reserved man was anything but. He crushed the letter in his hands and screamed to the heavens. It echoed across the landscape. Several horses in the hunting party shifted uneasily and a flock of birds nesting in a nearby tree flew away in a panic. The Kingsguard with them, Meryn Trant, scowled at Ned but held his tongue. In the distance you could hear the howling of wolves. Not just the girls' direwolves, but from packs of normal wolves in different directions. Before anyone could offer a word of condolence Ned turned to Jory. "Find my girls and bring them back to the inn at once. I don't care what it takes but NOBODY speaks a word of this to them until I speak to them first.
"Yes, My Lord" Jory said. Before he could go, the King spoke. "Use any man in my party you need. I don't care if you have to pull the damn Kingslayer from polishing his armor!"
Back at the inn Ned looked into the into the burning embers of the hearth as he waited. The south was a warm as he remembered. Yet he felt nothing but an unnatural coldness around him and had set a small fire to try and chase it away. He heard the raised voices of his girls as they were brought to his room. He stood and waited for them to enter.
"...He is a cruel little shit!" screamed Arya. "No he is not! And do not speak of the Prince like that!" protested Sansa.
They continued to argue until they saw their father's face. Once they were in his room, Ned directed Jory to close the door and wait outside. As soon as she could Sansa spoke up. "Father, wait is going on?" Sansa asked tentatively.
Ned got down to one knee in front of his daughters. He didn't want to break their hearts but he knew he must. "Girls…. I received a raven from home. Something terrible has happened."
Sansa gasped. "Was it Bran?"
Their father continued. "There was an intruder. He attacked your Mother and Bran in his sickroom...both of them are with the Gods now".
They both sat there in stunned silence. Then Sansa began to cry "No….it can' be! You're lying! Someone tricked you! Nobody would want to kill them! Mother would never hurt a fly, and Bran was just as innocent!" She buried her head into his chest.
Arya suddenly darted from her spot and ran for the door. She yanked it open but was stopped by Jory. "My Lord?" he asked. "Arya I need you to come here" Ned said.
Once Arya was next to him he grabbed both of his girls around their waists and pulled them into his arms. He carried them to his bed and he sat next to the head of the bed. Propped up by a pillow. He let them lay against his chest. They stayed like that for ages. Ned let his girls cry into his tunic as long as they wanted. Sansa cried and wailed and beat her fist against his chest. Arya however kept her tears and sobs much quieter. But Ned to could tell she was just as distraught.
The sunshine that had making shadows though the window was replaced by darkness when he finally spoke. "I will need to make arrangements. We will be leaving for Maidenpool in the morning. Just a small group of us. The majority of the Stark contingent will take the Kingsroad North. We will take a ship to White Harbor and head home from there.
Arya just nodded quietly. Sansa looked up at him. "When will continue our trip to Kings Landing?"
Ned shook is head. "Sansa, there is no way I can be Hand for the King after this. I need to be in Winterfell. I need to be in the North. "
Sansa sat up. "But Joffrey is my betrothed! I have to be with him. I am to be his queen!"
Arya glared at her. "Mother and Bran are dead, and all you care about is Joffrey! Why? He's cruel! He was going to kill Mycah!" Sansa began to argue back but Ned brought it to a halt. He sighed and then asked for an explanation. The sooner this was handled the faster he could make the preparations to leave. Arya tried to begin but he asked Sansa to go first.
"I was spending the day with the Prince. It was perfect. We went along the river, at lunch at a holdfast, explored the countryside, and had some wine-" She stopped and looked at him with a guilty face. He frowned at this but motioned to her to continue. "We came upon Arya and that butchers boy she insists on being with whacking each other wish sticks. The boy hit Arya on the arm and the Prince defended her."
At that point Arya exploded. "No he did not! Mycah and I were playing by the river. We've been doing that every day when we are stopped for a day. I got distracted by seeing them and Mycah caught my hand. Joffrey mocked me and he mocked Mycah. He took out his sword and wanted Mycah to fight him. He cut Mycah's face and was about to attack him when Jory and The Hound found us!"
Sansa began to scold her sister for lying when Ned told them both "Enough! We do not have time for this. We are a family. A part of our pack is gone. These are the times we need to stick together. Sansa, I will speak to Robert. I will not break the betrothal but you ARE coming back with us. You WILL stay until matters are settled at home before we will make arrangements for you go back. I know you may be disappointed but this is what the family needs." Ned stood up. "Now go to your room and pack your belongings. I need to make preparations. And no more arguing…..for my sake" he asked with a sad look on his face.
Ned left the room and met with Jory and told him his plans. After that, he asked him about what he saw when he found the girls. Jory's face turned dark. "The 'Prince' had the edge of his sword against the cheek of some boy. He had a nasty cut already and from the look on his face he was enjoying it and was ready to slice him up when we found him. He blustered about defending himself but I've seen whores look more innocent."
Ned grimaced and thanked him. As he walked to find his King and friend he mind was a mess of emotions. He did not like what he saw from the Prince and this just made it more apparent he was going to have to break his daughters heart. He found Robert in the inn's main room. Sitting at a large table to the side he had a tankard of ale and a large platter of food. Surprisingly both were untouched. As soon as he spotted Ned he got up and wrapped him in a bear hug. "Seven Hells, Ned….I am so sorry. I cannot believe it. What happened?"
Ned looked at him with his long face and a stern look. "An intruder set fire to our Library as a distraction. While that was going on they went to Bran's sickroom. He killed both my wife and son. My son's direwolf killed the man."
Robert looked at him in bewilderment "Why in Gods name would anyone want to kill your son? It makes no sense! Are you saying that boy was who he was after?"
Ned just stared ahead. "I do not know. But we will find out. Winter will come for whomever we find is a part of this. I swear on the Old Gods for my son, and the New Gods for my wife".
He looked to Robert then. "My King. I am sorry to do this but I cannot be your hand. I cannot leave my family or the North in such turmoil. I am needed there." He took a deep breath and continued. "You are my brother in all but blood, my best friend. Take my last piece of advice. Make Stannis your Hand." Robert began to laugh but Ned placed a hand on Robert's shoulder. He spoke firmly but quietly to avoid being overheard. "Robert, listen to me! You said it yourself you needed help to run your Kingdom, to counsel you about the Targaryans, and any other threat to your rule. That the Red Keep is crawling with Lannisters. Make Stannis your Hand. He may be as joyful as a stone in your boot during a march but he is your brother! He served you faithfully in Storms End during the war, during the Greyjoy Rebellion, and as your Master of Ships. He will bring balance to your court and keep your counselors in line. He is the best man for the job."
Robert looked like he still wanted to argue the point but the look in Ned's face said it all. "You are the only man in the realm who could convince me to do this. I will do it for you Ned. Maybe he can help with my infestation of blond headed twats, HAHA!"
Ned nodded and before he left said "As my last act as hand I will have a raven sent to Dragonstone and Kings Landing announcing this" After another giant hug from Robert and declining a drink Ned departed the room and met with Vayon Poole, the steward of his household. "Arrange to have my children, Jory, and a small contingent of guards depart for Maidenpool in the morning. You will join us along with Jeyne. We will sail for White Harbor. The rest of our party will take the Kingsroad back home. When we get to Maidenpool, have a raven sent to Winterfell letting them know of our plans. Send a raven to White Harbor for Lord Manderly informing him of our planned arrival. That will ensure he has horses and provisions for our journey. I will also have a message for Stannis Baratheon to be sent as well but I will give it to you in the morning." Poole acknowledged his orders and quickly walked away. Ned sighed and walked back to his room. As he passed by he could hear movement in his daughters room but no arguing. 'Thank the Gods' he thought.
He arrived in his room and sat on the bed. He looked over at the empty side and realized it would forever be empty. He knew deep down grasping Lords would try and foist a pretty young maiden on him. To sire more heirs and gain whatever favors they could. But that would never happen. The thought of a life without Cat was sinking in now in his solitude. For the first time since Lyanna died, Ned Stark weeped.