Ned VI

Ned had to wait until the rebuilding of the now much smaller Rhaenys' Hill and its surrounding areas had started before he felt comfortable leaving for Riverrun. The streets were made wider than before and all of them were laid with stone and lined with trees, including the ones that would be home to the poor citizens of the city. Those who had the money built manses and townhouses in the plots of land assigned to them, and it was the same for any who wished to open up a shop to sell their goods or trade. For the majority, who had neither the money nor the means to build homes, the crown built large multi-family buildings for them to live. Shops were also built that poor tradesmen could pay a monthly amount to the crown to work out of.

Fortunately, gifts had been sent by most of the Great Houses to help in these trying times; wood and stone from the North, wood from the Stormlands, stone from the Vale, food from the Reach and Riverlands, and money from the Westerlands. All of it was appreciated as it lessened the burden on the Crown and its coffers. Of course like all things in the world, the buildings went up quickly for the rich and dragged for the poor. Many still lived in tents outside the city wall as the construction was still going strong.

There were many ideas Ned had wanted to add to the area but found it impossible given the current circumstances, like sewers and a public bathhouse. Inspired by Winterfell, such things would require a source of water that readily flowed into the area and it would cost too much money to redirect part of the Blackwater Rush, and create the gaps in the walls around the city for the river to flow through. So they both had to be left out of the rebuilding process.

But there was one thing he wanted that they were able to put right in the middle, on top of the shortened hill where the Dragonpit once stood - a godswood. It was a little over an acre of land filled with growing grass and planted with tree saplings. Not exactly a proper one, like you would find in the north but for a southern city it would have to do. It would take years before it became anything near what he imagined, but it was a piece of nature in this otherwise stone filled city.

At the same time he was overseeing the start of construction, Ned and Renly were in search of a new Commander of the City Watch. After a few days of speaking with various Gold Cloaks, they had agreed upon promoting Ser Jacelyn Bywater to the position. Jacelyn was tall, lantern-jawed, with deep-set eyes, a prominent brow, and salt-and-pepper hair. He had an iron hand strapped to his right wrist where he lost his hand during Greyjoy's Rebellion. Ned remembered the man being knighted by Robert on Pyke for his services. Bywater had been the Captain of the Mud Gate for a few years, and none of the men he commanded had a bad thing to say.

Jacelyn was tasked with replacing the one hundred and eighty-nine members of the City Watch who had either been sent to take the black or dismissed from their position and banished from the city. He also had the unenviable task of rooting out any further corruption that existed within the order. A wandering crow, a man named Yoren that had stopped at Winterfell on several occasions in the past, had come to the city a few weeks after Jacelyn had been promoted to Commander. He was in search of new recruits for the Watch and was looking to recruit from the criminals locked in the black cells. Ned had advised Yoren to wait two weeks and likely there would be another dozen or two of the City Watch who would be trading their gold cloaks for black. Sure enough, when Yoren left the city in two weeks time he did so with forty-three recruits, fourteen of whom were former Gold Cloaks.

Robert's pick for the new Master of Ships, Monford Velaryon, had responded to the raven that he accepted the position and would set sail for King's Landing within a couple of days, and would do so with a portion of the royal fleet that Stannis had sailed to Dragon Stone with. Why it was not all of them Ned had not a clue, and ravens sent demanding answers went unanswered. He would likely have to sail to Dragonstone himself at some point to find out what was going on. However, that would have to wait.

With the rebuilding effort started, the last of the wildfire removed from underneath the city, a new commander of the City Watch in charge, and the vacant spot on the Small Council filled, Ned had felt the city could handle him being away for a time. With the King's permission he traveled to Riverrun to see his wife, two of his children, and his dying goodfather.

He traveled with Sansa, half of the guard he brought with them to King's Landing, and the bravo Jory had managed to find to train Arya, a man named Syrio Forel.

"Ah Lord Stark! You wish your son to be trained in the ways of the water dance of the bravos? Then you have found the best to teach! Nine years Syrio Forel was the first sword to the Sealord of Braavos," Syrio had said when Ned had first been introduced to him.

"My daughter, actually. Not my son."

"Son, daughter, matters not. When they train, they are all sword." Syrio was an odd man, but he was Braavosi and they all had an odd way about them, at least those that Ned had met in his life.

Despite the initial joy of seeing each other again after six months apart, Cat was angry with him when he told her who Syrio was and what purpose he had.

"You would have our daughter wield a sword like a , like a -"

"Like a Mormont of Bear Island?" Ned said, wanting to remind her that one of the very wards at Winterfell was a young lady being taught to fight with a weapon.

"It's not lady like Ned! Every day I struggle to get her to attend her lessons, to mind her matters, to not dirty the clothes she wears, and she fights me every step of the way. And you want to reward her for this behavior?"

"She has the wolf's blood," Ned had replied, "like my sister and brother, and look what happened to them. Lyanna kidnapped by Rhaegar, my brother storming into King's Landing demanding the crown prince's head, and both of them dead. Arya needs to learn to control her wilder urges, and I believe this will help. I will make her a deal, that she will behave herself and attend her other lessons without skipping them or causing a problem, and in return she can be taught to fight with a sword. The minute she misbehaves, the lessons will end." She didn't look convinced and he knew it would take time, perhaps a few months of Arya actually behaving, but she would relent. "She already sneaks behind our backs to practice, we both know this. At least now she will do so under the eye of a professional, and she will be using a sword much more practical for one of her size."

Arya had been over the moon, and had readily agreed to not only attend her lessons, something she had already been doing as a promise to Jon when he had given her the sword, but to abide by her mother more and mind her manners. She had shown him the blade she called Needle, which amused Ned greatly. It was finely made, not that he expected anything less from Mikken. From what little he was able to understand of Syrio Forel's explanation of his teaching, there would be a lot of practice in patience and discipline, things he was hoping could help tame his youngest daughter's unruly nature.

Edmure, though somber, had been a gracious host at Riverrun. Lord Hoster Tully was a shell of the man he had been during the war. He was lucid but his mind was slipping, and he would often confuse who he was speaking to or slip into a memory of the past as if he was living it at that moment. Catelyn's uncle and Lord Hoster's younger brother, Ser Brynden, came down from the Bloody Gate, where he was the Knight of the Gate for his niece and Cat's sister, Lysa Arryn. Sadly, Lysa herself refused to leave the Eyrie to see her father on his deathbed. Ser Brynden would not say why, though Ned doubted the man had any idea himself.

He had stayed at Riverrun for six weeks, during which time Lord Tully passed away. At his funeral Hoster's body was put in a boat and set down the Red Fork by Ned, Edmure, Ser Brynden, Ser Desmond Grell, who had been Riverrun's master-at-arms for several decades, and two of Edmure's friends, Ser Marq Piper, heir to House Piper of Pinkmaiden, and Patrek Mallister, heir to House Mallister of Seaguard. Hoster's armor, shield, hunting horn, and a wooden sword were added to the boat. As part of the funeral custom a flaming arrow is fired to light the sails as the boat travels downriver, and as the heir Edmure was supposed to fire the arrow, but he missed three times in his grief. Ser Brynden, seeing this, took the bow from his nephew's hands and succeeded in lighting the sail before the boat disappeared downriver.

Soon after it was time for his wife and two children to head back to Winterfell, and he had been called back to King's Landing. Word had come from Essos that Daenerys Targaryen was pregnant and Robert's fury at House Targaryen had inflamed at the news. Seeing his wife, Arya, and Rickon had reminded him of Winterfell and how much he missed it and his family, but Ned had a duty to uphold and so returned to King's Landing with his men and Sansa.

As he left the castle of his goodfamily, Catelyn reminded him of something he had planned to do while in King's Landing but had slipped his mind with everything else going on; look into the death of his foster father, Jon Arryn. He promised her it would be the first thing he looked into as soon as he was back. Unfortunately the first thing he had done was get into a heated argument with Robert over, of all things, a Targaryen.

"She is still a child, of age with Robb," Ned said, aghast at being told that Robert had offered a lordship to anyone who killed Daenerys. And that the idea had been backed by Renly, Varys, Pycelle, and Littlefinger. Ser Barristan and the newly appointed Monford Velaryon were the only members of the Small Council who had been against the idea.

"She's a dragon!"

The amount of venom put on the word 'dragon' almost shocked Ned. After all these years his friend couldn't let go of his hatred of the Targaryens, the family of his own grandmother. Viserys was already dead, murdered by this Khal Drogo who had wed Daenerys. All that was left was a girl of fifteen and the unborn child she carried.

"Who carries an unborn child within her. Is that what you have become Robert? The King who murders pregnant women?"

"I will hear no more of it!" Robert yelled, face red in anger. "The decision has been made and will not be undone!"

Robert stormed off before Ned could say any more. He wanted to throw the silver hand that was pinned to his doublet in Robert's face and storm back to Winterfell in protest. Instead he went to the training yard and vented his frustration on some of his guards. He then went to the godswood within the Red Keep and sat beneath the large oak tree that acted as the heart tree. It was there that he prayed to his gods for guidance. He would stay if only to look into what happened to Jon Arryn, he owed the man that much, but afterwards, if Robert would not relent no this issue, he would resign from the post.

The day after had been spent seeing if there was a way he could undo Robert's orders; someone he could talk to or something he could do. He spoke with his own men, Vayon Poole and Jory Cassel, he spoke with Ser Barristan who shared his displeasure, and he even spoke with Renly, though the Master of Law was resolutely on his brother's side.

Not seeing a way forward, he instead turned his attention to Jon Arryn's murder. Grand Maester Pycelle was not much help, though Ned suspected the man was upset that the Conclave had sent another much younger maester to assist the Grand Maester in his duties based on a letter Ned had sent them, though Ned had been hoping for Pycelle being replaced, not given help. Per the Grand Maester, there was nothing suspicious about Jon's death, but Ned knew that Pycelle's loyalties lay with lions. Pycelle did tell Ned of a book that Jon had requested shortly before he died, and Ned asked that the book be sent to him as well.

He asked Jory to look to see if anyone of Jon's former servants were still in the city. As he waited for Jory to return with information, he was given the book by one of Pycelle's serving girls; The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, With Descriptions of Many High Lords and Noble Ladies and Their Children by a Grand Maester Malleon. It was a dull read and he had no idea as to why Jon had been reading it.

It took a few days but Jory found two of Jon Arryn's former servants - a stable boy who had joined the City Watch and wasn't one of them sent to the Wall, and a kitchen girl who had been married to one of Renly's grooms.

The kitchen girl said that Lord Arryn had been reading more than was good for him and that he often worried about the frailty of his young son. She also made mention that shortly before he fell ill, Lord Arryn had visited a blacksmith on the Street of Steel, she believes in the company of Robert's grumpier brother, which could only be Stannis.

The stable boy, now a watchman, claimed he knew Lord Arryn well. Most of the information he gave was useless to Ned but he did say that Lord Arryn was fit and healthy for his age, and that he often went for rides with Stannis Baratheon.

There is Stannis again, Ned thought. Stannis who had left King's Landing shortly after Jon Arryn's death with most of the royal fleet and did not respond to any ravens.

"Did the watchman say where they went on rides to?" he asked Jory.

"He said they visited a brothel."

"A brothel? The Lord of the Eyrie and Hand of the King visited a brothel with Stannis Baratheon?" Jory could only shrug in response for the idea seemed just as absurd to him as it did to Ned. "Which one?"

"He did not know. Likely the guards would."

"Unfortunately for us, Lady Lysa has brought them all home to the Vale, and probably half of the brothels in the city were destroyed during the explosion." Ned tapped at his chin in thought while Jory stood awaiting orders. "Gather some men and tell Hullen to saddle some horses. I will go see this blacksmith."

"Alyn knows the way to the blacksmith," Jory said, as he draped Ned's cloak across his shoulders and clasped it at the throat with the Hand's badge of office. "Is there any other service I might perform?"

"I supposed you'd best begin visiting whorehouses."

Jory grinned. "Hard duty, my lord. The men will be eager to help, I'm sure."

As Ned made his way to the Street of Steel, he couldn't help but feel there were eyes following his every move. He wondered if those who watched him belonged to Varys, Littlefinger, or Cersei. Perhaps they belonged to all three. His time spent in King's Landing had taught him that it was impossible to trust anyone not of his own household, and even then he felt he should be wary. Enough gold could get even the tightest of lips to flap.

The Street of Steel started at Fishmonger Square, a market set up right inside the River Gate, or the Mud Gate as the smallfolk had taken to calling it. Many of the merchants shouted to him, trying to entice him to their wagons to buy whatever product they were selling. He ignored them all, making his way slowly through the crowd that occupied the market before turning down the Street of Steel. It was a curved road that traveled up Visenya's Hill before passing behind the Great Sept of Baelor. The higher up one traveled down the road, the more expensive and higher quality of the items.

At the bottom of the street the smiths worked at open forges and ironmongers sold old blades and razors from their wagons. Alyn led him to a blacksmith that sat near the top of the hill and occupied a huge house of timber and plaster, the bottom floor the forge and shop, and the upper floors where the master blacksmith lived with his family, apprentices, and servants.

Ned left his horse with his men outside and entered the shop. The young serving girl who was minding the front of the shop took notice of his finery, and the badge of the Hand, and quickly fetched the master.

"Wine for the Hand!" the master blacksmith cried to the serving girl as he came out from the back.

He introduced himself as Tobho Mott and rambled on about the quality of his work and his noble clientele, from a young Loras Tyrell, who folks had started calling the Knight of Flowers, to Renly Baratheon, the King's own brother. He wondered if Ned was looking for a new suit of armor, or perhaps a new sword to wield.

While Tobho went on, the serving girl returned with the wine. She poured both Tobho and Ned a goblet full. Ned sipped at his wine and let the man go on as he observed the armor and weapons on display. He could see the quality of the work for himself and it was some of the finest he had seen. Even better than Mikken, not that he would ever tell the Winterfell blacksmith such a thing.

"Did you make Lord Arryn a suit of armor?"

Tobho paused for a long moment and took a big gulp of his wine. "The Lord Hand did call upon me, with the King's other brother Stannis, but they did not honor me with their patronage." Ned sat silent and waited to see if the man would divulge more information without prompting. "They wanted to see the boy, so I brought them back to the forge."

Ned had no idea who this boy was but he needed to find out. "I would like to see the boy as well."

"Very well my lord, follow me." Whatever friendliness Tobho Mott had when Ned firsts entered his shop had all but disappeared.

Leaving the goblets of half drank wine, Tobho led Ned through the back of the shop and across a small courtyard to a large barn. When he pulled open the door the heat that blasted Ned in the face made him grimace. It was already too hot down here, he would be sweating through his clothes inside the barn.

Journeyman armorers were hard at work hammering iron, each strike filling the barn with its ringing. Bare-chested apprentice boys worked the bellows or ran to get more fuel for the fire. Tobho called over a tall boy with broad shoulders, and a chest and arms thick with muscles. The boy had thick black hair as dark as ink and sullen blue eyes. He reminded Ned of someone.

"Boy, this is the new Hand of the King, Lord Stark. This is Gendry. Strong for his age and he works hard. Go on and show the Hand the helm you made."

Gendry led them over to a workbench where a helm shaped like a bull's head sat. The boy shyly held it out to Ned, who took it and looked it over. It was raw and unpolished but expertly shaped.

"This is fine work," Ned complimented. "I would be pleased if you would let me buy it."

The boy snatched the helm from Ned's hands, much to the horror of Tobho.

"It's not for sale."

"Boy, this is the King's Hand! If he wants the helm you should make a gift of it. He honors you by asking for it."

"I made it for me," Gendry said, jutting out his jaw in stubborn defiance.

"My apologies my lord -"

"No need to apologize," Ned said, waving Tobho off. He now knew who Gendry reminded him of. "Gendry, when Lord Arryn came to see you, what did you talk about?"

"He asked me questions, is all."

"What sort of questions did he ask?"

"If I was alright and being treated well, if I liked the work, who my mother was, things like that."

"Your mother is …" Ned trailed off.

"Died when I was a boy," Gendry said with a shrug. "She worked in an alehouse."

Ned nodded his head. The pieces fit together, there was no doubt as to who Gendry's father was.

"Go back to your work lad, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Ned turned and walked back out of the barn, where the heavy warm air of King's Landing felt like a cool breeze compared to the heat he had just dealt with.

"Who paid for the boy's apprentice fees?"

Mott looked fretful. "No one my lord. He's such a strong lad and -"

The blacksmith trailed off as he saw the look Ned was given him. It was the look Ned's children called his lord face, when he had to deal with unruly bannermen or other disputes that arose in the North.

"A lord. He gave no name and wore no sigil. He paid in gold, twice the customary sum and said he was paying once for the boy and once for my silence."

"Describe him."

"He was stout, round of shoulder. Not so tall as you. Brown beard with a bit of red in it. He wore a rich cloak and had his hood pulled up the entire time so I never got a look at his face. I swear."

Someone who did not wish to be discovered had brought Gendry here to hide him. Ned could only speculate as to who it was but he knew the why.

"You know who the boy is."

"I'm just a simple armorer, my lord," Mott said, sweat glistening on his brow that had nothing to do with the heat of the forges. "I do not want any trouble."

"These are troubled times," Ned said. He glanced back at the barn and frowned. "I will hire the boy."

"My lord?" Tobho Mott's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"Even if you won't say who the boy is, I know who he is. And if I know, and Lords Arryn and Baratheon figured it out, then others likely know as well. King's Landing isn't safe for him and I won't let any harm befall him out of the love I hold for his father. Winterfell needs more armorers and the boy has talent. He'll finish his apprenticeship there. Write up the contract."

Tobho looked as if he wanted to protest but he withered under Ned's glare. As Tobho rushed to do as told, Ned walked back through the shop and out to the front. He had only brought five men with him today, Alyn, Desmond, Cayn, Jacks, and Wyl, and wished he had brought more.

"Alyn, head to the port and find me a ship heading to White Harbor that has room for a passenger. Tell the captain they'll be richly rewarded. I will be arriving shortly after you."

"As you wish my lord," Alyn said, climbing back onto his horse.

"Cayn, I'm going to need your horse."

Cayn hesitated, before handing the reins of his horse to Jacks.

"For the walk back to the keep, to spend how you like," Ned said, handing Cayn a few copper groats.

"Thank you my lord."

Alyn and Cayn walked down the street together, one on a horse and the other on foot. Ned went back into the shop and waited for a few moments before Tobho Mott came out with the contract to sign. Ned did so and handed over the gold coins. He asked to have a piece of parchment and to borrow the quill and ink, and wrote a letter to Lord Manderly while Tobho fetched Gendry.


Gendry had never ridden a horse before, but Cayn's mount was a gentle horse that caused no problems and Jacks was able to lead him. The boy was quiet on his way to the dock, having naught but the clothes he wore and the bull helm he made. Ned explained that Winterfell only had the one armorer and he needed more, which is why he hired Gendry.

When they arrived, Alyn was waiting in view with the captain of the ship he had found. Ned gave the man a few gold coins, and handed the letter he wrote to Lord Manderly to Gendry. He told the boy that when he arrived at White Harbor, to inform a guard that he had a letter for Lord Manderly from Lord Stark, and that Lord Manderly would get him safely to Winterfell.

Back at the Tower of the Hand, he wrote a letter to Cat and Robb telling them about their new blacksmith but made no mention as to who the boy really was. While he waited for Jory and his men to discover the whorehouse he found out more unsettling news about Stannis Baratheon.

"Dragonstone hasn't paid any taxes since Stannis left King's Landing," Baelish informed Ned in his solar one night after dinner.

In the North, taxes moved from the smallfolk, to their lord, to Winterfell, to King's Landing. Tax collectors were men who traveled the land and whose sole duty was to go over books and records to make sure everything lined up and collect the owed money. Winterfell paid taxes to King's Landing twice a year.

"It has only been seven or eight months. Perhaps he is just a bit behind."

Baelish shook his head, giving Ned his patented little condescending smirk. "Ever since Stannis became its lord, Dragonstone's taxes were paid monthly like clockwork, but that stopped over six months ago. Normally, I would handle this but given it's the King's own brother, I thought it might be best to bring it to your attention."

Ned rubbed at his temples. "I will deal with it."

Baelish bowed and left.

The next day, Ned had sought out Monford Velaryon, who provided him with no information as to what was going on at Dragonstone, why Stannis had abandoned his post and refused to answer any messages, and why over half of the royal fleet was still seemingly under the command of Stannis and not the new Master of Ships. Just more questions he needed to ask the Lord of Dragonstone.

It seemed if he wanted answers, he would have to get them from Stannis himself. So he made plans to travel to Dragonstone to get those answers. He arranged to travel on the Lady Lyanna, a formidable war galley named after his late sister, and would be escorted by three other ships. He would be accompanied by eighty of his house guard, leaving the rest in King's Landing with his daughter.

The day before he was to set sail, Jory came to him with news. He believed they had found the whorehouse that Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon had visited.

"It was located at the base of Rhaenys' Hill and owned by a woman from the Summer Isles named Chataya," Jory explained. "Unfortunately, she and most of the whores were killed in the explosion, but her daughter still lives. One of the establishment's more common patrons, who swore he saw Lords Arryn and Baratheon in the brothel shortly before Lord Arryn's death, says she's now working at an alehouse on River Row"

It was as good a lead as any. Not wanting to delay Ned rode down to River Row with Jory and seven others. He tied up his horse outside and left the seven others as he went in with Jory. The alehouse was a narrow and dingy place with tables and chairs packed together. Against the far wall was a wooden bar covered in scratches and gouges, as if it had withstood bladed weapons striking it many times. Straw covered the floor and the whole place smelled like fish.

"There, my lord." Jory pointed to a young Summer Islander, with skin as black as polished jet, and wide dark eyes. She must have been beautiful before the explosion, but Ned could see the thick scarred skin from heavy burns that covered the lower part of her left face, down her neck, and disappeared down the collar of the dress she wore. Likely a large part of her body was covered in healed burns as well. The explosion had taken her mother from her, and robbed her of her beauty.

"Bring her to me," he told Jory.

Ned spotted an empty table in a corner and made toward it as Jory approached the burned woman. After a conversation, she came and sat down across from Ned. Jory stood nearby to make sure they weren't disturbed.

"Your man says you wish to speak with me, my lord?" she asked.

She looked miserable, as if the joy of life had been ripped from her, and Ned supposed it had. He wondered how many others in the city were like this? Going through the motions of life in misery because of a series of unfortunate events starting with the Mad King, to the Kingslayer, to Ned himself for ordering the Dragonpit torn down. Thousands dead and hundreds more left scarred in more ways than one.

"Yes, any help you can provide will be appreciated and rewarded."

"I will do my best."

"I was told your mother used to own a brothel, and that the previous Hand, Lord Arryn, visited it."

"My mother owned the best brothel in the city," the woman said, a sad smile making its way across her face. "In the Summer Isles, those who are skilled at giving pleasure are greatly esteemed. Many highborn had visited us, including the Lord Hand, though he did not come for pleasure."

"What did he come for?" Ned asked. "Was it to see someone?"

"He saw Mhaegen."

"Mhaegen? Does she still live?"

"She does my lord. She works here as well, though she is not working now."

Ned put five silver stags on the table. He couldn't help but wonder if this girl was once a prostitute at her mother's brothel. Perhaps there was a point in time where getting a favor from her cost more than five stags.

"Can you take me to her? I'll give you more if you can."

She looked at the coins and then at Ned, as if deciding if it was worth the effort. After a moment she picked up the coins and stood. "Follow me."

Ned followed after her, and Jory after him. She surprisingly led him up the stairs, which were just as narrow as the building itself. Up they went past the second and third floors to the fourth. It must be where the workers lived.

The Summer Island woman, whose name Ned never got, knocked on one of the doors. There was a shuffling sound before the door was opened. In the doorway stood a young girl with light red hair and a powdering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She too was partially covered in burn scars, robbing her of the beauty she had beforehand. Even her breast, which was exposed, had some scarring. Suckling at the nipple of the exposed breast was a baby girl, no more than a year.

The baby already had thick curls of black hair and, from what Ned could see, bright blue eyes. She reminded Ned of Robert's first bastard, a girl he made with a serving girl back in the Vale before the war started; a girl named Mya that Robert used to dote on. This was another bastard of Robert's that Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon had visited but Ned had no idea as to why.

"M'lord," Mhaegen said upon seeing him. She gave a stiff bow. "Did you come to see her too m'lord? Like the other Hand and the King's brother did?"

The girl was so young Ned did not dare ask her age. She had likely been a virgin, the better brothels could always find a virgin if the purse was fat enough. She pulled the babe away from her teat, which caused it to cry in distress, and held her out for Ned to look at.

"I named her Barra. She looks so like him, does she not my lord? She has his nose and his hair."

"She does," Ned said, brushing his fingers against the baby's hair. "Was she harmed?"

He left the 'in the explosion' part unsaid.

"No milord! We were out for a walk when it happened, getting some turnips for a stew. The flames came at us but I shielded Barra the best I could, and the gods were kind enough to see her unharmed."

Ned imagined that most of this poor girl's back was covered in scarring. She was right that the babe being unharmed was miraculous. Wildfire was not known for sparing any in its path.

"That's good to hear."

"Tell him when you see him milord, if it pleases you, tell him how beautiful she is. And tell him I've been with no other, I swear. Chataya gave me six months after the baby was born, and then that explosion…"

Ned looked at this young girl who was clearly in love with the King and the bastard babe she held in her arms. There was a reason Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon were visiting Robert's bastards in King's Landing, a reason Ned was trying to piece together, and in doing so was likely just increasing the notice on the bastards by those who killed Jon.

"I've come to help you, if you would accept" Ned said. She looked at him with hopeful eyes, probably thinking he had been sent by Robert himself. "I'm to arrange passage for you to the North, where my family rules. You will be put in the service of Steward Leobald Tallhart of Moat Cailin. Neither you nor Barra will want for food or shelter."

"North? I thought maybe, well, the Red Keep…"

Ned shook his head with a sad smile. "I'm sorry but the Queen will not allow it. I am the Hand of the King, Robert's oldest friend, and I have been tasked with making sure you are taken care of but it must be done away from the eyes of the Queen."

She looked uncertain. King's Landing was all she knew, and even despite everything she still clung to hope that somehow Robert would come see her again, that he would take care of her and his bastard child. The poor girl had no idea that Robert would swear undying love to any women he lay with but forget them by evenfall.

"Take it," the other woman said. "My mother is gone, and after everything I am thinking of heading to the Summer Isles. There will be no one here to help you."

Tears came to Mhaegen's eyes as she looked at her friend. She gave the tiniest of nods as she brought the baby back to her nipple for it to continue feeding.

"It will take a few days but all will be arranged for you. My man, Jory, will see you taken care of until then."

Damn you Robert.