Chapter 29: Silence, When You Talk To Me

6th Month of 298 A.C. King's Landing

Lord Eddard Stark

Robert was much in his thoughts as of late, which was strange considering the entire time he had been in King's Landing he had only really spoken to Robert once or twice. It made him feel a little sad truth be told, that his relationship with Robert had become this. This thing of ugliness, and bitterness, for he was in no doubt that that was what it was, that that was what it had become. More often than not, Ned found himself wondering why it had become that way, and more often than not he found himself saying the answer aloud, Jon. His nephew, the boy he had sacrificed so much to protect had also cost Ned his friendship with Robert, through no fault of his own of course, it was just that Ned had thought it safer to cut ties with his former friend than keep him in as a friend and make him suspicious. His promise to Lyanna and the boy's safety had to come before his own wants and needs, especially when it came to Robert. He supposed that was why he had done as he had done, in the early days of his reign as Lord of Winterfell, when he had had Varys' spies found and killed, it had not been too hard, once he had spoken to Howland, it had been easy to find them lurking within the undergrowth. And then he had killed Barbrey and his nephew by Brandon, that had been a hard thing to do, and sometimes at night he woke up screaming, Catelyn had comforted him when those things had happened, but now she was not here, and he was not sure if he would ever see her again. So yes, it had been the right thing to do, to ignore Robert, and to cut him out of his life, he had known though, that the moment that Jon Arryn was dead, that Robert would come calling, he knew that Robert trusted him still, that he trusted too easily. In a way, Ned felt almost sad about what was going to happen soon, that his friend's legacy would not be what it could have been. But then again that was Robert's own fault, not Ned's. It was no one else's and there was no point in mourning it. What was done was done.

A knock on the door drags him from his thoughts. "Come in." he calls.

The door opens and Jory walks in, looking slightly beleaguered. "Word has come from the Kingswood my lord. King Robert is dead."

Ned takes a moment to close his eyes and say a quick prayer for his friend. "You are certain of this?" he asks.

"Yes my lord, we have word of it from our men within the king's party. The man was killed by many boars. He killed four or five of them, but there were too many of them." Jory responds.

Ned nods, he hopes his friend will be able to find greater peace in death than he did in life. "And what other word is there from the hunt?" Ned asks.

He is grateful that Jory is his father's son, for he need not ask what Ned means. "Lancel Lannister was slain coming as he rode to get help for the king. Our men saw to him. Tyrek Lannister came back to the keep though."

"No doubt he has gone to speak with Cersei." Ned says, more to himself than to Jory. "The men are ready?" he asks then looking at Jory.

"Yes my lord, they await your command below." Jory responds.

"Good, what is to come soon will be violent and bloody. You have men prepared to take my children should things not go according to plan?" he asks.

"I do my lord, but I am sure things will go well." Jory says.

Ned grimaces then. "One can never be sure within this hell hole Jory. Now, bring my son and daughter here. I would speak with them." Jory nods and turns and walks out of the solar, leaving Ned to his own thoughts, as he sits there waiting for his children to come, he wonders if this is how his father felt, or how Brandon felt when they did something momentous. There is so much he still does not know about his family's history, things that he knows will come to haunt his children in time. He hopes that he can be there to stop it from happening, but somehow, he knows he will not be.

The door opens and Jory walks in with Sansa and Bran, their direwolves trailing behind them. "Thank you Jory, you may go now." Ned says, the man bows, then turns and departs. Ned looks at his children then, Sansa looks more and more like her mother with each passing day, he suspects that that might get her into trouble with Baelish soon, he wishes he could do more to protect her, but she is a smart girl, and she knows her way around the game, at least he hopes she does. And then there is Bran, a tall lad, he reminds Ned of his namesake, and Ned's older brother, there is a sureness to him, a confidence that comes from knowing he is loved and charmed. Ned hopes he never loses that, that he keeps that strength through all that is to come. He clears his throat and says. "I would ask you to sit, but there is not enough time." he pauses, unsure of just how to phrase this next bit, sighing and deciding there is no easy way to go about it, he says. "King Robert is dead."

There is a moment of shock and then Bran asks. "How?"

"He was killed whilst off hunting." Ned responds.

A shocked silence falls then, and Ned sees Bran looking at his feet nervously, he wonders at that, but then dismisses it for the time being. "What will happen now father?" Sansa asks.

Ned takes a deep breath, preparing himself for what is to come next. "Now, there will be some difficulty. Cersei will not want me to remain here, but I cannot allow her to corrupt the court as she has done beforehand. The rightful king will not like that."

"I thought Joffrey was the rightful king?" Bran asks then. "Why would he not like having your or his mother here?"

Ned swallows then, fighting the growing nerves that are floating through him. "Joffrey Baratheon is not the rightful king, Bran. He never has been, not to me anyway. I did not recognise him as Robert's heir when he was born, and have never done so." He looks at Sansa then and says. "As of this moment, your betrothal to Joffrey is null and void Sansa." His daughter breathes a sigh of relief then, and he feels relieved that he had read that situation right.

"If Joffrey is not the rightful king then who is?" Bran asks.

Ned closes his eyes a moment, forgive me Lya, I promised you I'd keep your boy safe, and now, well now I have to make sure he remains safe for good. "Prince Aegon Targaryen is."

"But Prince Aegon died during the sack of King's Landing father, everyone knows that." Sansa points out.

Ned runs a hand through his hair then, trying to think of how to explain this properly to his son and daughter. Eventually he says. "The babe who died in King's Landing was not the real Prince Aegon, Princess Elia had given birth to a stillbirth after Harrenhal, and to hide that, she used a false child, so as to avoid suspicion from King Aerys. It was that babe who was killed in King's Landing. Prince Rhaegar took your aunt Lyanna to create the real prince Aegon. And when I found your aunt, I found him."

"What? What do you mean?" Bran asks sounding confused.

"Jon… its Jon isn't it father?" Sansa asks then, always the smart one out of his children.

Ned merely nods. "Aye, the boy you knew as Jon, the bastard of my brother Brandon, is in fact the trueborn heir to the throne of Westeros. He is the rightful king."

Ned sees Sansa close her eyes, and sees Bran gasp. "So then why did you come south with King Robert? Why betroth Sansa to Prince Joffrey?" Bran asks.

Ned closes his eyes, wondering how he might answer that truthfully, and he finally decides to be blunt. "I went south because I needed to know who killed my former mentor, Lord Arryn, and you both came with me, because it would have looked suspicious had I denied Robert this opportunity."

"So were we just bait then?" Sansa asks, a strange note to her voice. "We were to be used to lull Robert Baratheon and his family into a false sense of security, whilst you went about your business?"

Ned sighs. "No, not entirely. I had thought it would serve you well to get some experience within King's Landing before Prince Aegon was crowned king, and you were to be his queen."

Sansa gasps then. "You mean, I am to be his queen? Truly father?"

"Yes." Ned responds, looking at Bran then, and seeing an expression on his face, similar to what he would have seen once before on Brandon's.

"You lied to us father. You used us. You wanted us to be the pawns in your little game. And now the king is dead, what will you do now?" his son asks, sounding angry as well as impressed.

Ned looks at his son, fighting off the feeling that it is Brandon, and not Bran who is judging him now. "I will make sure that the Queen and her children are taken into custody, peacefully. And I will send a raven out to invite the king to take his rightful place on the throne."

"What about Prince Viserys? Was he not named as the rightful heir by King Aerys decree?" Sansa asks. "It is in that book we read by someone called Yandel wasn't it Bran?"

"Yes, yes it was. What about him father?" Bran asks.

Ned is silent a moment, hoping the gods will forgive him for the lie. "Viserys is dead, was killed during his sister's wedding night. He has nothing to claim now. With his death, the claim has passed to Prince Aegon, and he is now the rightful heir."

His children seem to be considering that with some depth, and Ned hears the sound of feet down below, it is then that he knows that his time is coming. "What will become of us father?" Sansa asks.

"As I said, you shall remain here for a time, and when all is said and done I shall summon you to be present when the king comes." Ned says confidently.

"And if it does not go well?" Bran asks.

Ned looks at his son then, wondering what the boy has seen, but deciding that now is not the time to ask that, he says. "Then Harwin and some of the guard shall take you out of King's Landing and back to Winterfell." He pauses then, and takes a sealed letter out of a draw and gives it to Sansa. "Give this to your mother when you see her, if things should go badly here. Only thing goes badly do you understand me?"

Sansa looks as if she might cry, but she nods. "Yes father."

There is a knock on the door, and Ned says. "Come in." Jory and Harwin walk in then together. Ned looks at his son and daughter and says. "It is time to go. I love you both very dearly, and I shall see you soon." With that he nods to his children and watches as they walk out with their wolves as well as with Harwin, once they are gone he turns to Jory and asks. "The men are ready?"

"They are my lord." Jory responds.

"Then let us finish this." Ned says, rising then, and walking from the room, grabbing Ice as he walks out of the room. As they walk from the room, Ned asks. "What happened to Lord Renly and the boy?"

"Gone, they left with the dawning of the sun my lord." Jory responds.

"Good, it is not time for them to be killed yet." Ned responds, then silence falls over them, they walk down the steps, and Ned comes face to face with his men. He stands there looking at them, unsure of just what to say, and then it comes to him. "We are going to right a wrong my good men. We are going to make sure the dragons roar proudly once more. Now come let us do this thing." And with that he walks down the last step and out of the tower of the hand, his men walking in behind him.

As they walk in silence, Ned can feel his heart pounding, ghosts of the past come forward then to haunt him, his mother, screaming in agony as the arrow ripped through her, his father burning alive, his screams blocking all else out, and Brandon, his older brother, his hero, choking on his own blood, as the cords tightened around him. He was not sure what was going on within his mind, or even why those images would float before him now, but he thought it was ironic really, for years his family had lived in fear of the dragons and the stags, just as they had of his family, and now, he was about to put a dragon on the throne. One with a true claim, one that was superior to that of Viserys, or even that whoreson Rhaegar. His mother would've appreciated that, he thinks, his mother always appreciated the odd things in life before she was killed. The dark wolves are going to be an issue, he just knows it, Arya's death was proof of that, and that image, the screaming, he knows why it haunts him now. It was a punishment always a punishment.

He shakes his head then, it does no good to think of things that are in the past, they cannot be changed, and it does no good to worry over them. And so he walks on his stride filled with purpose, determined to make sure that all ends well. They come to the red keep, and he walks in finding the halls strangely deserted, though he thinks he knows where people will be, and sure enough when he enters the throne room, he sees it is packed, Joffrey sits the throne, and his Kingsguard, but Ser Barristan are there in front of the throne. Ser Jaime has long since gone, a good thing.

"Ah Lord Stark, good you have come, now we might begin." the boy on the throne says.

Ned stands there in the centre of the room looking at the boy on the throne and he cannot help asking. "And what pray is it that you wish to begin?"

"Your Grace." Cersei says. "That is your king you are speaking to."

Ned says nothing but merely looks at the woman, and wonders how she can have the gall to say such a thing. The king continues. "The preparation for my coronation must be made. I have one question to ask you Lord Stark, do you wish to remain as my hand?"

Silence falls on the hall then, as the eyes of the court fall on Ned, he acts as if he is taking this into serious consideration when really he already knows his answer. "How can I be hand to a man who has no claim to the throne?" he asks then.

A ripple spreads through the court then, and the whore of Lannister speaks then. "Watch your tongue Stark. You speak nonsense as one might expect from a fool, not a high lord."

Ned laughs then. "It is not nonsense if it is the truth. The Baratheons had no right to this throne to begin with, Robert won it through force, but what right does this boy before me have to this throne? Why should I bend to him? He has no right to it. But then, neither does his brother, or his sister, or even his uncles. No, nothing but corruption and greed has come of the Baratheon rule of Westeros, there is only one dynasty that can rule Westeros as a united kingdom, and that is the Targaryens." He stops for breath, looks around the room and sees the people of the court looking at him amazed. He continues then. "Viserys Targaryen is dead, and the entail that his father made, became redundant with his death. The boy who the world knows as my bastard nephew, Jon, is not a bastard. He is the trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar and my sister Lyanna Stark. They were married and their union consummated. The dragons live once more, and they shall rule Westeros once more."

The court is alive with murmurs then, and the queen whore stands and roars. "You speak treason, you condemn yourself with your own mouth Stark." She turns to her son then and asks. "Your Grace, please, end this foolishness right now, and see this man dead."

The king stands then, his face livid with rage. "Oh most gladly mother. Guards take this fool and his men down."

As the men advance towards him Ned calls out. "Cersei, your brother has turned traitor on you. He has signed himself to my nephew. The Kingslayer fights for the dragons now. You are finished."

Before he can hear her response, the men are on him, red cloaks, white cloaks, even gold cloaks, he knew not to trust Baelish. There are too many of them for them to emerge victorious, but the court is whispering, people are disappearing, spreading the word, he knows. He smiles as he swings his sword, taking one man, then another and then another through the pale, Ice is wet with blood, chaos is all around him. He roars a challenge and he takes down a white cloak, one more dies, and then swords are coming at him. He laughs and brings men down to their deaths, his body aches, but as he feels the world disappear, he bellows. "The King is Dead, Long Live the King!"