160

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299 AC

Kingslanding

Eddard Stark

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"Clear out the fucking lot of you!" A shout full of pain and fury comes from Robert as he lays in bed with a fatal wound in his stomach. "Not you Ned." I sit back down beside the bed with dread filling my bones.

"You stupid fool." I shake my head, gutted by a boar of all things.

"Paper and ink, quickly." I nod and grab the board with some paper on it and ink and quill at the ready, seems they prepared for this. "In the name of Robert of House Baratheon, you know all the titles..." I look over and see him sweating wildly and the bandages seeping blood, he won't last long.

I finish the titles and nod and he licks his lips as he tries to adjust himself and grunts in pain.

"I name Eddard Stark titles titles, the Regent of my son Joffrey Baratheon until he comes of age of majority. Now quickly give it to me to sign, I still have more to tell you..." I nod and write down everything before passing it over and he signs it. "Listen Ned... it was a mistake." I set aside the board and look back over at him questioningly.

"What was a mistake?" He shakes his head and clenches his fists.

"The rebellion, it could have gone differently if I had just cleared my head and if we knew everything. If your hot-headed brother did not get himself and your father killed, the letter that was 'lost' or never was real that could have stopped everything. Daeron tried to tell me before it was too late but I still..." I feel my chest tighten remembering that day, Robert looks on his last breath as his thoughts drift off as he speaks.

"What is done is done, it can not be changed and you are leaving behind a mess that I will not be able to clean up. The Targaryens will still come, and their dragons will still burn everything in their path back to the Iron Throne. It is only a matter of time, even if I give it my best to be a regent for your boy it will make little difference. We will all be following you into the grave before too long..." Though I am ready for my end I need to ensure none of my family follows me in, I learned to die a long time ago but I will not have them die with me.

I should have left before this fool ran off and got so drunk he got gored by a boar of all things...

"The Lannisters will drag it out, my brother would see it done on a battlefield and have that be the end of it. But Tywin will not want to let go... he will do anything he can to win the war that is coming. The Rains of Castamere will flood once again if he has anything to say about it." I shake my head, fire will burn and blood will flow and I got myself caught up in all this mess. "You will hate it, you would hate ruling the kingdoms even in peace but with what is to come, you will hate it more. I would not blame you if you decide to leave, I know you have been wanting to..." His voice turned soft for a man on his deathbed, back to the man I used to know.

"If I left chaos would fall shortly behind me." Not that I can stop it even if I stay.

"Ned." I look him in the eye and he swallows a lump in his throat. "I did not do much right, I spent too much time drowning in my own problems. Joffrey turned out a little shit, but my other two turned out to be fine children. I am not blind or deaf, Joffrey is likely crueler than even Aerys. He enjoys seeing pain even at a young age he enjoyed it, he just got good at hiding it. My other two would be far better at ruling if they had the chance, but they won't, I want you to promise me something." I nod even if my mind is telling me it is foolish.

"What do you want me to promise?" He takes a deep breath before letting it out and looking toward the ceiling.

"I did not do right by them, let me do right by them at least in the end." He steels himself slowly as he looks back toward me. "Promise me you will protect them, either stay and see they are looked after or when you sneak off take them with you. Joffrey will be on the throne before the day is out, I know he is eager and would not leave even if you asked. But drag my other two away if that is what it takes. I was a shit father but I can at least try to help two of my kids." If only he cared enough about his kids, all the bastards that I heard went missing in a large group would likely still be around.

I still do not know what happened to them but I guess it matters little now, they are likely dead. But I suppose I can look after Myrcella and Tommen if it is his last wish, this 'order' making me regent will be a good cover. I can use this to get the two of them to safety before I leave.

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299 AC

Vale - Eyrie

Aemma Arryn

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Looking down at my daughter I smile, only a few hours old and she is already everything I ever could have asked for. I struggled with a name before I decided to name her Viserra, I am sure her father will like it. I saw in the candle he had a boy from Shaena and named it Jaehaerys, I could have picked the name of the Good Queen but I didn't want to give off any ideas I was planning to wed her to his firstborn. I would prefer she stays at my side in the Eyrie and never leaves, I am sure it is just a fantasy and she will eventually fly off with her father but I can set that aside for now. She is perfect and I will enjoy her for as long as she is here, and she will return even if she leaves.

She is my heir after all and will rule the Vale in the future.

Her wispy silver hair presents a problem but I could care less, my baby is beautiful and all that matters is her health and safety. I already have had the Eyrie locked down and the Vale on high alert. Little to no one will even see her so it will be fine, she will be old enough to walk and talk before she is presented to the public. By then the war will be ongoing and we will be allied with the Targaryens or the Targaryens would have already won the war.

Lord Royce came to terms with what happened, not much he could do other than put a babe in me himself and that was not happening. I also would not have this little bundle of Valyrian perfection if that had happened. Her eyes are a light shade of purple but she does not like to open them for long just yet. She will make a perfect Lady of the Vale and I will make sure she is happy.

I have been putting off using the candle to show her to Eragon but I suppose I can not conceal her forever. I have this odd tension in me that he will snatch her away as soon as he sees her. He is all the way in the Summer Isles but I fear I will miss her growing up just like I did with Rhaenyra. It pains my chest and I want to just lock us both away from everyone but I also know he can not do anything as of yet.

When he closes in and is in Westeros or when he can ride his dragon I will really start worrying. But for now, I am the only one who gets to enjoy her warmth, her soft skin as she squirms slightly as she rests on me.

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299 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Eragon Targaryen

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The last thing I expected when I saw the candle flickering was a small little bundled baby, just like Jaehaerys. Their looks are so similar I almost thought it was Shaena trying to show me our baby doing something cute. But then I remembered she is sleeping and I noticed the woman holding the baby was Aemma.

Now my heart is pounding like thunder and my palms are sweaty as I look at my first daughter who is so far away from me. The only thing staying my hand from taking the new flagship the 'black pearl' and sailing to the Vale is my inability to stand. My knees are weak as Aemma kisses my daughter on the head and I notice it looks like she has not slept likely since she gave birth. Dark circles around her eyes give away her tiredness and I worry for her but mainly for my baby.

"Do you have someone to watch her while you rest?" I ask hesitantly, I do not want her to think I do not trust her as she might stop using the candle.

I learned a woman who is just fresh from the birthing bed is not in a mood to be questioned, Shaena taught me that lesson. A simple question if she was all right turned into me having insulted her capabilities as a mother. So it is best to tread carefully if Aemma turns out to be in a similar state as Shaena was.

"Viserra will be fine Eragon, is Jaehaerys awake, he could see his sister if he can focus his eyes enough. Viserra is keeping hers shut, her eyes are more like your mother's than yours if you were wondering..." I smile imagining my mother's eyes on the little girl sleeping on her mom's chest.

"I am sure they are beautiful, I like the name as well." She nods with a smile before pressing her lips back on the head of the baby.

"Are you not going to show anyone else?" She asks off-handedly and I shake my head.

"I am scared to leave my Solar, if I wake Jaehaerys to let everyone know about Viserra I will still suffer his wrath. He is a handful when woken from his sleep and lets you know just how angry he is. But if you could show her tomorrow I will have everyone gathered and it will give you time to rest." She nods and smiles even wider hearing about how much my son likes to raise hell.

"I sure hope Viserra will be kinder as far as sleeping goes, I am quite tired." I nod as I take a drink from a cup while looking at my daughter.

Each time I think about how she is mine I feel a shifting and stirring in my chest, also a longing. I want her in my arms and I want to feel her warmth and hear her cries for milk or attention. I have to make an effort to avoid my eyes heating up and spilling tears, I will see her soon enough.

I also can not leave with Jaehaerys since he is too young to travel and I have two more about to be born here. Daenerys will be close behind those two and maybe even some others with how a few of my wives have gotten sore breasts as of late. But I also feel another pit forming in my gut at knowing another baby will be born soon in Dorne that I will not see for a while.

Yet another reason to speed up my plans and get the Summer Isles settled and ready for war, we need to take Westeros. Once we have Westeros my family can be together and we can enjoy the sweetness of all my babes in one room. I look forward to the crying and shouting, an odd feeling to want to hear something that used to bother me. Now it is a song that lets me know my child is alive and well since their voice can be so loud, being a father is odd.