Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun

Chapter Four.

Ned sighed as he stood outside of his Father's solar nervously, speaking to his father was never normally this difficult for him but right now it seemed as if it was the most difficult thing imaginable. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door and waited for his father's voice to call him in from the other side.

Rickard Stark was a large man, wide shoulders and as tall as two men standing on one another's shoulders despite this Ned knew that his father was a gentle man but even so he couldn't help but still get a twing of the same fear he had held for the man ever since he was a child and he had seen him execute a deserter from the wall.

"Hello Eddard, what is it that you want?" His father asked as he glanced up from the letter that he was writing.

"Father...must I marry Elia Martell? I do not know her and she's a princess and I am only a second son, I would not have a wife who would resent me and-" Ned stopped talking as Rickard held up his hand to stop him.

"Eddard, I am disappointed in you. I expected you to be better than your siblings and do what is expected of you, Brandon and Lyanna continually disappoint me but I expect better than that from you. You will marry Elia Martell and I expect to hear nothing more on the subject. Do you understand?" Rickard asked as he drew himself to his full height.

Ned bowed his head. "Of course Father, I understand." He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before speaking again. "Who are you writing to?"

"Lord Robert and Lady Catelyn, I am inviting them for your wedding. I am hoping that if your siblings spend a little time with them both then they may be able to come to terms with the fact that this is happening wither they like it or not." Rickard sighed heavily. "Now if you will excuse me these letters won't write themselves."

"Of course Father, I won't bother you." Ned bowed his head again and spun on his feet to leave, as soon as he opened the door and was about to step outside but before he could leave his Father sighed once again and told him to close the door and sit down.

"I know how it feels Ned, believe me I do understand. I did not want to marry your mother at first, I did not love her and yet I was being forced to marry her." Rickard stood up and walked over to the fireplace where a fire was still blazing away. "I was certain that it would be impossible for me to make her happy and she would grow to resent me and I her."

Ned was more than a little surprised, it had been years since his father had even mentioned his mother and if any of them tried to he would become extremely upset and would forbid them from speaking of her. "But you did grow to love one another?"

For a moment Rickard was silent. "I am afraid that it was impossible for me to love her as she deserved to be loved, but we had a duty that needed to be done and familiarity breeds content and in time I grew to love her as the mother of my children and a dear friend who's advice I grew to respect and cherish."

Rickard sat back down and stared intently at his son. "You may never love Elia as a wife and she may never love you as a husband, I hope that you do. I pray that you do but if you do not then you will love the children she will give you and like your mother and I before you will find some common ground there and you will come to respect her as a noble companion."

Ned nodded and stood up from his chair. "Thank you father, you've given me a great deal to think about. I will leave you to your writing." He left the room quickly and closed the door behind him.

He needed to speak to his siblings, both about what his father had told him and about their respective betrotheds coming earlier than expected. Hopefully he would be able to soften the blow for them both.

Rhaegar Targaryen frowned heavily as he heard his mother scream from her room in the maiden vault as his father delivered his tender ministrations, he would give anything to make his father stop but two men of the kingsguard, whom he could not identify due to their heavy helms stood outside the door and they would stop him before he could do anything about it.

He sighed and knelt down next to Viserys and ran his long fingers through his silver hair and began to hum a song that would calm him, he wasn't as close to his younger brother as he should be but he remembered what it was like to have to listen to his father hurt their mother and he knew that he would've done anything to be comforted back then so the lest he could do now was comfort his little brother now.

Viserys eventually calmed down and fell asleep against his chest just as Rhaegar heard the door open down the hallway, he could hear his father angrily muttering as he walked down the corridor and the sound of the armoured boots of the knights echoing down the hall as well.

When the sound faded away Rhaegar picked up his sleeping brother gently and walked down the hall and entered the room, he sighed heavily as he placed Viserys down on his mother's lounger and he walked over to where she was hunched over on the floor.

He gently lifted her head and sighed heavily and he stared at the ugly black swelling on her eye which ruined her beautiful skin. "Oh mother..."

Rhaella shook her head despite the fact that both her eyes were filling with tears. "It does not matter Rhaegar, I am well."

"Father shouldn't be able to do this to you." He protested weakly even through he knew that it didn't matter that his Father shouldn't be able to, it would not stop him.

Rhaella got to her feet with her son supporting her, she walked over to her lounger and sat down next to the still sleeping Viserys. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled down at him sadly. "It is nothing I am not used to my son, do not worry for me."

Rhaegar bit his lip and looked upon his sweet mother who was bound to a monster, her own brother who had been abusing her for years and made a decision. "Do not worry mother, it won't always be like this. Not for much longer."

"Not if Tywin Lannister comes through for me." He thought as his mother wiped her head around to stare at him.

"Rhaegar...do nothing foolish." She warned as he started to walk out of the room.

"It is already in motion mother." Rheagar whispered so she would not hear as he left the room, he could only hope that he would live to see his mother and brother and the kingdom free of his father's poisonous influence.

End of Chapter Four

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