AN: I HAVE RETURNED!

Sorry for the delay, I had finals which were mixed between papers and tests and group projects, so I did not have free time to write chapters. I did however manage to do complete decks for several other characters. In addition to those mentioned in the last chapter, here are the new ones: Renly, Oberyn, Littlefinger, Bronn, Mya Stone.

Now, we shall return to Winterfell and if there is time, maybe some other places just to check in.

THE NORTH-WINTERFELL

JON

"Alright now boys! Put away the swords, it's time to train in the new way." Ser Roderick yelled across the training ground. Jon put the wooden sword down and walked over to the rack and put it away. He had been hacking at a dummy while Robb and Theon sparred. It had started with Robb and him, but then Rodrick had Robb come out and Theon became his opponent, then Robb was sent back in instead of Jon. Ser Roderick had made a point about the chaos of battle making your opponent disappear only for another to take their place.

Ever since the cards had appeared, they had adapted their training. The first half was spent on regular combat, while the second half was duelling. Bran had asked why they bothered with the old style only to get scolded by the old knight for making light of how things had been done since the beginning of time. And how it was always good to have a backup plan. A thief may win a duel and take your items, but if he decides afterwards to kill you, you can still fight back. Even now, roughly three moons later, they were still learning new rules as others tried new things.

Jon summoned his disk and approached Ser Roderick. It was just him, Robb and Theon. Bran was with Maester Luwin going over some problems Bran had gotten wrong.

Ser Roderick held out three sticks, the tips just poking out from his hand. "Longest one sits out." he explained. Robb pulled one out, followed by Theon, whose stick was shorter than Robb's. Jon got the third, which was middling in size.

Jon stared at Theon as Roderick and Robb moved to the side. Theon had gotten onto one of his really arrogant phases. They never particularly liked each other, but after Father punished Theon enough for bringing up his bastardry too much, they could at least be courteous when needed or just ignore each other otherwise. But every now and again Theon would feel a need to remind Jon that he was still above him. Jon supposed that if he and Theon were just two small folk boys, they would have killed each other by now. But Robb and the requirements of nobility saw to it that it never reached that far.

Both their Duel Disks displayed their Life Points as the duel began. "Alright Snow, since you don't have a chance, I'll be the gracious one and give you the first move." Theon yelled in that mocking voice of his.

"I would not claim victory before the swords are drawn if I were you." Jon replied. At first, and still sometimes, such taunting would get on Jon's nerves and cloud his mind, but he was so used to it from Theon it hardly registered in this instance.

DUEL BEGIN: J:4000 T: 4000

Jon drew and looked at his hand. 'There is a good combination here, but if I could, I would prefer to use it when I can actually deal damage.' Jon looked at the rest of his hand and made his move. "I summon Pitch Black Warwolf in attack mode." The humanoid wolf with some armor appeared on the field. A second larger wolf head barely visible appeared on top of its head made of black fog. "Next I play one card face down. Your move."

"Hn." Theon grunted. He drew his card and took a minute to come up with a strategy. "I summon 7 Colored Fish in attack mode." A large fish, as big as a giant just shy of manhood according to Old Nan's stories appeared, with scales shining in the aforementioned seven colors.

Jon figured Theon would prioritize his Water monsters. Theon had tried to build a full deck out of them, but they were not all that common in the North. If he went to the coastal regions such as White Harbor, he could find some more, but no one thought it worth the trip. Maesters were still trying to figure why some cards appeared more commonly in some places specific to the type of location, while other cards could be found almost anywhere. Because of this, Theon only had a handful of Water monsters available to him, but he would use them as a reminder to everyone that he was future lord of the Iron Islands.

"Now I play one card face down, and attack!" The 7 colored fish charged forward, swimming in the air. Pitch Black Warwolf tried to block with their blade, only to be pierced by it's tusks.

J: 3800 T: 4000

"I end my turn. Had enough yet Snow?" Theon yelled as his fish swam back to his side of the field.

"Just thought I'd give you a small win to help comfort you." Jon replied as he drew. He looked at the card. 'Shield & Sword, I could use it now, but I can already defeat his fish, so it may be better to hold off on it. That face down is worrying though. Should I risk it?' Jon decided he could.

"I summon the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, in attack mode." The strange figure in unfamiliar green armor with pointed ears, purple marks under his eyes and straw colored hair appeared on the field.

"Come on Snow, I know I'm better than you, but I did not think you were an idiot. My monster is more powerful, and you played it in attack mode. You could have at least had it take a hit for you instead!" Theon pointed out with a laugh at Jon's perceived failure.

"Perhaps, but not when I have these! I play Sogen." Grass started to grow on the training yard. Only to suddenly wither away.

"Sorry Snow, but my trap card, Magic Jammer means your card was a waste. All it cost me is one card in my hand." Theon said as he discarded his White Dolphin from his hand.

Jon let out a laugh. "You really should have remembered what I said about calling a battle early. I play my OTHER spell card, Lightning Blade." Suddenly a sword crackling with lightning appeared before Celtic Guardian, and he grabbed onto it. "Now my Monster's attack power is 2200. But that's not all. You see Lightning blade also lowers the attack of all Water monsters on the field." Celtic Guardian pointed his new blade at 7 Colored Fish, and lightning shot towards it. It survived, but was crippled, with a large burn on one side of its body. Its attack was lowered to 1300.

"Next I activate my Trap, Skull Invitation! Now when either of us lose a card, we take damage. Now Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, cut his fish down to size!" Celtic Guardian ran towards the large fish and stayed on it's burnt side. He sunk the blade into the burn and unleashed another blast of lightning, cooking the fish from the inside out until it faded. Jon's Skull invitation then released a black fog that covered Theon's duel disk, further lowering his life points.

J: 3800 T: 2800

"I end my turn." Jon finished. He looked in his hand, he had Shield & Sword as well as Blue Flame Swordsman. Ideally he would have held out and equipped Blue Flame with Lightning Blade, but for the time being, he was in a strong position.

"My turn." Theon said as he drew, bravado now gone that he was trailing so far behind. On the bright side he had four cards in his hand which gave him more options than Jon.

"First I play Red Medicine to heal me!" Theon said as a glass container appeared in his hand. He popped the cork and drank it, only to suddenly spit some of it out. When he looked at it he saw it had turned black. He looked at his Life Points.

J: 3800 T: 3000

'No, I should be at 3300.' Theon thought as he looked at the number.

"Sorry Theon, but Skull Invitation covers ALL cards sent to the graveyard. Consider it paying back your debts before pocketing the change." Jon explained.

Theon focused on his remaining cards. 'two spells and a monster. I can work with that.'

"I play a monster face down, and set a card as well." Theon declared.

"My turn then." Jon drew and looked.

"I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Though I will also take damage."

J: 3500 T: 3000

Jon looked at his two new cards. 'Cost Down, would have been more useful before I activated Skull Invitation.' The other card though could be of immediate use.

"I summon Masaki, the legendary Swordsman." Masaki appeared on the field. (AN: I am not giving descriptions to cards already seen).

"Now I will attack your face down with Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." Celtic Guardian ran forward and cut the card in two, only for it to be Man-Eater Bug.

"Sorry Snow but my Bug is taking out your Guardian as well." Theon yelled.

Man-Eater Bug's claws jutted towards Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's throat, only to have the arm cut off. Unfortunately, the force of the strike meant the claw landed its mark, pushed forward by the momentum. Both dissipated as Skull Invitation wrapped around both duelist's disks. Jon's stayed covered for twice as long as he had also lost Lightning Blade.

J: 2900 T: 2700

"Good move, but I'm not done yet. Masaki, attack him directly!" Masaki charged forward and slashed at Theon's chest, bringing him down to his knees.

J: 2900 T: 1600

"With that I end my turn." Jon said. He was a bit more on edge now. He just lost his strong combination and was left with a weaker monster to defend. 'I'll be lucky if he does not draw a monster, but even then I should hope for another one of my own either way.'

"My move." Theon declared. He looked at the monster he had just drawn. Combined with his facedown that had failed as a bluff, It would work. 'I will hit him with this combo just as he hit me, and then when he goes to put his next monster in defense, I can use the Defense Block in my hand to force him to take damage.'

"I summon Fiend Kraken in attack mode." A large white Squid appeared on the field. Suddenly, a horn appeared on its head as it grew in size.

"My face down, Horn of the Unicorn now activates, increasing my Kraken's attack and defense by 700. Fiend Kraken now has 1900. More than enough to take out your Masaki."

Masaki cut off the first tentacle to approach it only to be grabbed from behind. Fiend Kraken impaled him on it's new horn. Skull Invitation then covered Jon again.

J:1800 T: 1600

"I end my turn." Theon said, his arrogant smirk returning now that he had turned the tide.

"My move then." Jon drew a card. 'I can use this but I need something more in order to win.'

"I place one card face down and end my turn." All Jon could do was hope Theon did not draw or summon another monster as strong as Fiend Kraken, but even if he summoned a weaker one, he would survive for now.

"My Turn." Theon drew. Unfortunately for him it was not a monster, but it did not matter, as he would still win this turn. 'Might as well go all out.' He thought to himself.

"I play the field spell Umi." The training ground was suddenly flooded, though it stopped right before reaching Robb and Ser Roderick.

"The vast ocean will increase my Kraken's power even more." Fiend Kraken dived into the water and it's attack rose to 2100.

"Now I attack and win this duel!" Fiend Kraken attacked, swiping at Jon with it's tentacles, only to have them bounce off.

"Sorry but my Trap card activated. Defense Draw. I take no damage from that attack and can draw a card." Jon explained as he did so. However he still took damage.

J: 1500 T: 1600

"I end my turn." Theon said.

Jon drew again and looked at his two new cards. 'I can work with these.' He thought as his plan formed in his mind.

"First I activate Cost Down, so by discarding the card I just drew, I can lower the monster in my hand's level by two. This will let me summon the Blue Flame Swordsman." The swordsman appeared, clad in blue robes and armor. His sword shorn his namesake blue flames. Unfortunately the water from Umi dampened the flames, but only slightly, bringing him down to 1600 attack.

"Next I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back the same monster I just discarded. Come forth Summoned Skull!"

A flash of lightning hit the ground as a skeleton like monster rose up. However it also had dark wings on it's back and purple muscles underneath the skeleton.

"Now then, Skull Invitation has to lower my life points due to sending three cards to the graveyard this turn." The smoke once again enveloped Jon.

J: 600 T: 1600

"Now that that is over, Summoned Skull can attack your Kraken!" Summoned Skull summoned forth a ball of lightning and hurled it at the water, frying Fiend Kraken in the same manner Obnoxious Celtic Guardian did to 7 Colored Fish. Skull Invitation then covered Theon.

J: 600 T: 900

"Now then, Blue Flame Swordsman, finish this duel!" Blue Flame Swordsman obeyed, drawing his sword and letting out a pillar of fire that hit Theon, Evaporating Umi along the way. Theon took the hit and was thrown back.

J: Victory T: Defeat

"Alright now. Come over here you two." Ser Roderick barked out as Theon stood back up. They approached him and Robb and began to go over the duel.

"Theon, it was smart of you not to play Horn of the Unicorn when it was in your starting hand. That card is tricky to use as it always goes to the top of your deck. On the other hand, you fell into a panic when Jon acted confident. Had you waited a second you would have seen that Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was still too weak to take on your 7 Colored Fish and could have blocked Lightning Blade instead. You also let Masaki hit you in order to take out Celtic Guardian, which was twice as strong. Given what you had to work with, any competent strategist would make the same choice.

"Jon, that was a good combination you did there, but you could have goaded Theon with Pitch Black Warwolf in Defense mode instead of attack. Also, your Skull Invitation was a double edged sword. I believe you lost more Life Points to it than to Theon. You may have won, but you lost over half your Life Points on your final turn in order to make it work."

Theon and Jon listened. When Ser Roderick was done, Robb's turn was up.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER-DINING HALL

"So when are the Wildling prisoners arriving?" Theon asked as they sat eating lunch.

"They are not prisoners, they are Hostages." Maestar Luwin said as he walked up to the trio. "You should be able to tell the difference."

"They are still Wildlings. I can't see what Lord Stark or the Lord Commander are thinking." Theon replied in a more subdued tone after that reminder.

Jon could honestly say he understood what Theon was saying. True, they only knew rumors and what Father told them, but what they heard was so strange to think about.

Apparently the Night's Watch had a Wilding named Craster as a sort of rest stop Beyond the Wall. Unfortunately his Wife (Or daughter, Father said wife, but Jon had heard someone claim it was his daughter) had dueled Craster and killed him. Now his home had been ransacked, and a wildling village established in a nearby location. After losing their information and aid amongst the Wildlings, the Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had dispatched Benjen to see if a similar deal could be made with the village.

Jon did not know every part of the agreement, but he had been told that the village would be able to trade with the watch, and even hunt south of the wall if they were accompanied by the Watch. In order to maintain order, they had decided to use hostages to keep the peace. The Lord Commander, fearing attempts by his brother's to kill the hostages out of spite, had asked Ned to hold them.

As they spoke, Benjen and his black brothers were escorting a group of Wildings consisting mainly of children with one or two warriors to act as their protector through House Umber territory. THAT, had taken half a moon to get the Greatjon to agree to this arrangement.

In Winterfell, the hostages would be both close enough to be executed should the village betray them, and safe from any Night's Watch brother seeking reprisal from other Wildlings.

"At any rate, they will be here within a fortnight." Luwin told Theon before walking off.

WINTERFELL-LORD'S SOLAR

EDDARD

Ned Stark sat staring at a map of the North. He had three rocks in his hand that he tried placing onto the map only to take them off and put them somewhere else. The largest rock, represented Jon, the middle one Bran, and the smallest Rickon. He was searching the North for areas that his sons could rule once they were men.

The North was vast but sparsely populated. There were huge tracts of land that he could give his sons but they would hardly matter if there were too few people to be under them. The North had the harshest winters in all the Seven Kingdoms. Even the nobility was not immune to all that. Each winter there were worries of a noble house being wiped out. A man with five brothers each starting their own family in summer may find that by Winter's end he is all that remains of his blood. It's one of the reasons why there were no direct branch houses of House Stark or any of the powerful houses. It was a delicate balance between having a large enough family to ensure the house lives on, and of making sure the family was small enough that one did not run out of supplies before spring. The Flints were unique in this regard, holding two keeps.

Ned hoped that all of his children would live to be old and wrinkled, and while Sansa and Arya could be married into other families to look after them, his sons would be his responsibility.

Unfortunately he had to ignore any open land on the eastern side of The North. His Father had always stressed that they could not give the Bolton's a foot hold, and while Ned was courteous with Roose, he did not like the idea of leaving his sons so close to such a man. Maybe he would reconsider when that son of his was leading the house.

For now he considered giving Rickon an abandoned keep from the days of the IronBorn raiding between the Stony Shores and Sea Dragon Point. It was just outside of the Glover's domain, and the fishing villages there were always hard to deal with due to being so isolated. A local lord who could open direct communications to Winterfell would be useful.

Bran may be able to hold a keep in the forest between Flint's Fingers and the swamps of the Neck. There he could hunt in the forest for meat to salt for winter, and it was far enough south that the Winter may be weaker there. Not like in the south but any advantage could help. He knew Howland would be delighted to have a Stark so close.

That just left Jon. He was the hardest to place. Some would say he was not worthy of a keep, due to his bastardry. As such, any lord who is nearby to Jon's seat could view it as an insult. 'If they knew the truth then they would be marching their daughters to him.' Ned let himself chuckle at that thought. Unfortunately it would never happen. Jon may have had the blood and legitimacy, but to acknowledge it meant certain death.

If the truth came to light, then Ned would have to choose between the brother of his childhood, or the nephew he had sworn to protect. He did not want to make that choice. Mainly because he already knew what he would do.

There was one place that he wanted to give Jon, but he worried it would be too great a seat for Jon's public persona to have: Moat Cailin. On the one hand, it was a ruin, and would take years to rebuild- though Ned had been planning on doing so for awhile. Many would say that Jon should be thankful his bastardry got him that much. On the other hand it held such significance to the North that to put it in the hands of a bastard could be seen as an insult.

Ned sighed and walked out of the Solar. He still had years to plan things out and something could happen to open up new opportunities.

We walked out only to bump into Maester Luwin, who held a scroll from a raven.

"News from Greywater Watch, My Lord." The Maester handed it to him.

Ned unrolled the scroll and read the familiar writing of his old friend. Apparently Howland had just escorted a boy of noble birth through the Neck on his way to the watch. Howland told the boy to stop at Winterfell before heading to the wall. Strangely, the note said Ned had to hear this boy's story before he left for the Wall.

AN: Here we go again.

Most of the Free Folk on the way are just random children being used as hostages, but as you can probably guess, 2 or 3 are some old friends from canon. Sam is also on his way.

I spent so long looking at maps of the North, trying to figure out the Ned scene.

Next chapter we return to KL for Robert V Trant.

Deck Analysis LF: Baelish is unique in that he has two decks. One for public use against other members of the court and such, and a secret deck that he can use to surprise his opponents. His Public deck is relatively run of the mill, but holds enough rare cards that people would not question why the guy in charge of money has such weak cards. He has both Petit Dragon and Invader of Darkness in it. It is possible to win with such a deck, but Baelish prefers to be seen as the non threatening guy.

His Private deck is a whole other beast. Just as Baelish wishes to sacrifice others to get what he wants, his deck reflects that. Filled with Ritual monsters and ways to summon them. Also, he has Marshmallon in this deck.

In terms of monsters, both decks tend to lean towards Light or Dark attribute, but he has others as well.