XXXIII.

Standing in front of the fireplace in his solar, Ned stared at the crackling fire as it devoured the wood he had just fed.

Despite the castle's heating system, Ned felt a chill run down his spine tonight. The unexpected nocturnal appearance of new last-minute guests to attend the harvest festival only seemed to contribute to the chill he seemed to feel.

While the unexpected guests refreshed themselves after their discreet nocturnal arrival, Ned had decided to move forward in the direction of his solar, personally preparing the room for what was to come. He had already arranged a vase of mulled wine and a couple of jugs to entertain his sudden guests.

'They will surely appreciate it after being out in the open for the night.' Ned thought about his last- minute guests for the harvest festival.

And this led him to think what it would mean the presence of one of these unexpected guests at the meeting with all the lords from the North that would take place in the morning after that night, on the fifteenth day of the third moon.

'I guess that he has come to see in person the public declaration of where my loyalties lie and to deliver further orders and proclamations to me from across the Narrow Sea. Or maybe it's a way to force my hand even more.'

As Ned sighed, he lifted his gaze from the flames, to look right into his front, above the fireplace, where a portrait of the family made shortly after Bran was born hung. Family that was now scattered between two continents and in some cases, they were no longer part of Ned's family. All this forced him to think about how it could be that the situation had reached this point, when for the last fifteen years he felt he was doing the right thing.

Living with his sense of honor in balance with his conception of duty was something that was becoming increasingly difficult for Eddard Stark.

Although for almost seven moons he had been wandering on a kind of tightrope to maintain that balance, it was since the arrival of his brother Benjen and Lady Barbrey Dustin almost a moon ago that Ned began to realize that more than on one tightrope, he was juggling to try to be true to himself and in what he believed, without betraying his family, his duty, or his honor in the process.

'Am I the Lord in the North, or am I the Jailer and Mummer in the North?'

That was a question rounding his mind every day lately. The fact was that in his castle there were three people confined in their rooms, a fourth was constantly watched wherever he went in the castle and that every message that left and entered the Winterfell aviary was watched by one of the 'Faithful' made Ned sometimes doubt about his lordship over the North or even, over his castle and household.

Since the day of the incident in the crypts and especially, on the third day after this, with the appearance of the three huge fire-breathing beasts and the proclamation of Ned's nephew while he caressed the Black Dread as if it were a pet, the household of his castle and of the Stark family, was split into three different factions. Factions that with the passage of the moons have been acquiring more and more relevance in the interactions and social relations, in the same way influencing over where the duty and loyalties lie between the staff of the household and with Ned himself and his sons and his daughter.

On one side were the 'Loyalists'. People linked to high-ranking positions within the household.

These ones were absolute loyal to House Stark and to Ned personally. This faction is mostly made up of much of the guard, his steward Vayon Poole, his captain of the guard Jory Cassel and the master at arms, Ser Rodrik, among others and along their families save some exceptions, forming the bulk this faction. The old Knight even despite the fact that once the real story was made public for some, went several weeks without him so wanting to look at Ned.

In the old knight's opinion, his brother Martyn Cassel, Jory Cassel's late father, should never have fought Ser Gerold, Ser Oswell, and Ser Arthur and that doing so had been like betraying his princess and his king.

And all was because Ned assumed what in that war he wanted to assume and did not bother to think about the words that the knights said to him. Specifically between Ser Arthur and The White Bull told Ned that their duty as King's Guard began at that time. And so much so that it began, because as Ned later learned from his sister's newly returned to life, before the fight between Ned's men and the Sers, the latter had sworn in as King's Guard of Aegon. Ned's nephew. If before the ritual the confrontation in the mountains of Dorne gave him nightmares, after the ritual and with all the information he now had, Ned barely could sleep if he had a mere memory of it.

'I fought with the King's Guard of my own nephew and my own sister, whom in their opinion, were protecting both of them for fear of what I might do to my family myself by being allied with a man like Robert and having fought to dethrone my own family.'

The hindsight offered by the time and the information that he now had that at that moment did not, made the whole situation become more dramatic.

'If only things had been communicated better. If father hadn't been so greedy and with so many southern aspirations. If only Brandon hadn't acted on impulse and he thought for a bit. If I had listened to Howland Reed or take in account the raven sent by Benjen. If I hadn't originally proposed the damn engagement between Lya and Robert ... If ... '

Too many Ifs to dream what it could have been but was not and that now Ned could not entirely lay the fault on Rhaegar Targaryen. Ned's own sister, Lyanna, was also much to blame. Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully weren't exempt. Aerys was the catalyst, and his crimes were horrendous. But he was not the most responsible either. That honor, Ned now knew, fell to a faction of maesters within the Citadel, and the maester of Ned's father's before and at the beginning of Robert's Rebellion, Walys. Honors that could be shared by the one unknown who dealt with lying to Brandon by convincing him that the crown prince had kidnapped Lyanna.

Aegon's royal decree that all activity of the maesters sworn to the Citadel of Oldtown must be monitored from then on was accompanied by a scroll intended for Ned's eyes only. In this parchment in Lyanna's handwriting, a conspiracy was detailed to end any stronghold of magic in the world by manipulating the great lords to do what an anti-magic faction of the Citadel wanted to be done. Killing mothers just out of childbirth, systematically poisoning women to prevent possible pregnancies, destroying messages of utmost importance to set a noble house against another noble house, making lords dependent on them ... but especially the part that made almost lose Ned's composure, was the one in where Lya narrated in great detail how they had been responsible for the death of Ned's mother.

After reading the parchment of his sister, Ned ordered the master's rooms to be investigated from top to bottom and that Luwin make everything related to his predecessor in office available to Ned. This investigation soon bore fruit, because although the messages had long been destroyed, Walys kept methodical tables where he recorded every raven that arrived at the Winterfell aviary, where it came from and when it arrived. Thus it became apparent that no less than five ravens arrived from

Riverrun before Aerys's raven arrived to summon Ned's father to King's Landing.

From that day on, Luwin was always escorted by one of the 'Loyalists' and by one of the 'Faithful'.

The 'Faithful' was the second of the three factions present in Winterfell and in his Household. And possibly the most predominant and most influential faction among the common people in the castle and Wintertown.

They call themselves the 'Faithful' as they claim to have always been 'Faithful' to the true North and its traditions. The north remembers, was in some way, always present in their speeches. At first they were all those who had treated Aegon in the same way that they had treated Robb, or Ned himself at the time he was a lad.

These ones, once the truth was unraveled, becameultra loyalists of Aegon and Lyanna, proclaiming to anyone who would like to hear them of the right thing in having remembered the ways of the North.

This faction was initially made up by of Ser Andrew of the Gate, the former watchman who was once the guardian of the North Gate and now a knight representing Aegon Targaryen, knighted by Aegon himself. Meanwhile Old Nan and his grandson Walder were also in the spearhead of the faction. Especially after an episode in which it seemed that Walder, previously known as Hodor, was going to die and that left the huge man unconscious for several days the following week after Ned's family parted towards the Wall. A couple of weeks later, Walder regained his health along with ability to speak normal and showing an intelligence that before seemed to not to be there.

All this was attributed to the Old Gods by old Nan and those proxy to her in her vision of the world. Walder healed thanks to them having remembered the ways of the North, by doing what was right. That is, treating Jon Snow as if he were Aegon Targaryen, even though they did not know that he was Aegon Targaryen.

In the ranks of the 'Faithful' were most of the members in the intermediate hierarchy within the Household, such as Farlen, Hullen, Gage or Mikken. Beth Cassel and her mother. And even some members of the guard like Desmon, Alyn, Tomard, Poxy Tym and Wyll. Among the Faithful, one could also count the majority of the common folk. Although among these it was difficult to distinguish if they were from the Faithful, or from the third existing faction, the Believers.

The 'Believers', were headed by the current librarian, preacher at times and one of Sansa and Rickon tutors, formerly the Septon of the now-demolished Sept, Chayle. These are those who related through superstitions and divine attributions, the flames seen during the ritual that wiped out the First Keep, with the flames of Balerion. Although twisted and based on hearsay and rumor, this theory was true, as the flames that destroyed the First Keep were those of Balerion, albeit the Balerion of two hundred and eighty-odd years ago.

'Of course according to Aegon, it's the same. So maybe the Believers have something certain in their beliefs.'

This faction resembled to the 'Faithful' in many ways. Especially, due to the unwavering loyalty developed towards Aegon. This only increased in proportions with the arrival of the wards from among the wildlings and some workers from Braavos and Pentos, beginning to develop a kind of divine cult based on the figures of Aegon, Rhaegar, Lyanna, Rhaenys and, curiously for Ned, his own son Brandon.

Chayle could be considered as the founder of this divine cult in conjunction with Rickon''s wildling nursemaid Osha, some of the older wards from beyond the Wall and some families coming from

Braavos whom now lived in Wintertown.

The former septon was in fact the one who gave the name to the faction, because in Chayle's words, 'How can I believe in the Seven or in the Old Gods, when I have had a God before me? After what has happened, it is clear that there has been divine intervention and before me I only saw one God, Aegon Targaryen. The Dragon Reborn. How can I not believe what I saw before my eyes? The sept should have no place here and instead its stones and bricks must form an altar to remind us of the presence of a God among us.'

And that's how a majority of the 'Faithful' and 'Believers' raided and demolished the Sept that Ned in its day built for Catelyn, then using the looted materials to build an altar in the place where Balerion landed. Despite the reconstruction of the vaulting that closed the crypts, the place where the humongous dragon landed in the north courtyard was still clearly visible, thanks to the scars left by its gigantic legs in the ground and thanks to the heat emitted by the dragon that blackened the ground under which The Black Dread posed.

The raid of the Sept happened two weeks after Benjen and the former mistress of Ned's late brother came to Winterfell, and the previous week to the coming of the Lords. Assaulted by the bitter and resentful Lady Dustin about the matter, Ned could only pretend that he didn't hear or see anything. Because to this day, Ned wasn't clear if his orders would have been obeyed by the members of those two factions. And the possible repercussions of meddling in front of a fiery and somewhat fanatic mass, without knowing if he would have the support of his entire guard behind him, weren't encouraging.

And so the Sept was razed and its stones and bricks used to form an altar in honor to Aegon, his sister-wife, his father and mother and his cousin.

'Another of the things I don't know how to explain to anyone among the lords and ladies whom asked about it.' Ned mused inwardly bitterly.

To this must be added the fact that although the banner of the Freehold had not yet flown over it, the Crowned Stag had stopped flying from atop the Great Keep along with the Gray Wolf. And especially, because with his brother Benjen, a series of edicts, decrees, proclamations and guidelines regarding the ruling of the North also came, all of them from the other side of the Narrow Sea. And all of them signed by Aegon and/or Rhaenys Targaryen. King and Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Lord and Lady of Valyria. Protectors and Shield of the Nine provinces from the Freehold of Valyria. Ned's blood nephew and Ned's niece in law. Ned's King and Queen, whom weren't shy in order him.

All of this made Ned ask himself if he really was the Lord in the North.

Outwardly and in his actions, that doubt did not exist.

Having seen with his own eyes a wight of the definitive enemy, along with the conversation with his brother in the Godswood, helped Ned to put aside all doubts and feelings of guilt that he might have, to fully devote himself to everything that he had to do.

The challenge ahead of Ned was enormous and much of his success rested on his ability to manage the improvements project in both Winterfell and the North itself. He also needed to control the information in his domains and among Ned's bannermen, as well as keeping his true affiliation and all the truth hidden until exposed at the harvest festival. In the same way, achieve the acceptance by the lords from the North about the new current status quo in the kingdom and their compliance with what he would order them after the harvest festival.

The first part of his challenge was one that Ned was gladly carrying out. One of his father's dreams, and then Ned's, had always been to improve conditions in the North. But the ever-constant threat from the following winter, or the arrival of it, coupled with the harsh conditions of the terrain and climate in the kingdom, prevented the waste of gold in what which was not strictly necessary for survival. Survival that was not so even guaranteed in normal winters and with coffers full of gold. Much less for one like the one Ned now knew is coming.

However, with the flames of Balerion and the destruction of the First Keep during Visenya Targaryen's ritual, the first excuse in a long time was presented to make a powerful investment in the reform of the ancient fortress. Although he was not proud of it, they took advantage of the First Keep incident to request funds from the royal treasury. The twenty thousand gold dragons from the Crown, added to the almost three hundred thousand in the coffers of House Stark, allowed Ned to pay for the initial stages of the vast and ambitious construction projects.

The certainty of more gold coming from the other side of the Narrow Sea in turn allowed the initiation of larger projects in which to spend everything that was in House Stark's coffers. The main of these projects were the improvement of the King's Road pavement and the pruning of the surrounding forests. The increase in patrols on that road. The construction of more side roads throughout the domains of House Stark. The import of cotton, grain and cloth from Braavos and Pentos. Also there was the proyect in the Moat Cailin, which decrepit fortress is being demolished, leaving only a reformed tower erected and a wide moat across all the Neck will be built taking advantage of the Fever, swamps and marshes. In addition, a great canal north of the western branch of the White Knife was beginning to be dig, which was less than a day's journey from the castle of Winterfell itself and that would end near the south of Wintertown.

To this had to be added the reforms in and around Winterfell itself. Fortunately for Ned and for House Stark's legacy, the incident on Aegon's name day, apart from the almost complete eradication of the Broken Tower and the First Keep, only blew out the over-vault from the crypts, as well the tombs of Ned's sister, brother and father. The rest of the crypts were practically intact, appearing some surprises in the verification process.

Once the remains were cleared and all that could be used later in construction work saved, the vaulted ceiling was rebuilt over the crypts. The space previously occupied by the First Keep and the Broken Tower, was now an extension of the castle's north courtyard, becoming the main space within the old fortress for the training of members from the household guard, that from the wards and that from the levies.

With Ned's second task in the challenge ahead of him, that of the keeping control of the information around his domains, there were times when he felt chagrin with what he had to do and the new duties he had.

The fact that an explicit order from Aegon before leaving on the back of his dragon, made Ned the pimp in the North, was not one of the things that would have suited Ned the best from his king and nephew. But behind that order was the safety of Ned's own family, House Stark and those loyal to it.

And it was soon proven that there were indeed powerful people with interests in the brothels within the Stark domains.

Within a few moons from taking control of the brothels around Winterfell and all the lands under Ned's direct rule, a series of shady characters, albeit with saddlebags laden with golden dragons, passed before Winterfell's throne to petition over the disappearance of the monopoly and control of prostitution on Ned's part.

The situation did not get worse because the whores themselves were grateful to their new employer, that is, him. Since he had been in charge of improving the living and security conditions in the brothels. Added to the fact that Ned barely charged them a small tax and the rest was profit for them, it had also helped in his image with the whores. Something that did not quite sit well with him and that to some extent made him uncomfortable. Especially when some of the lasses came to pay the tax and openly hinted at him.

On the other hand, the fact that one of the alleged affected parties in the petition separated from the petition, saved Ned from having to try to explain why because Winter is Coming ̧it was necessary to control the whores who worked on his lands. Some of the shady characters who claimed that Ned had ruined their lives by depriving them of their brothels had tried to bribe him by offering a percentage of the brothel's profits. Something that caused these subjects to end up in Winterfell cells waiting to a final decision on them was made.

Although in a way Ned had not lie before, nor technically was doing it now, just as now, before he did not tell the whole truth either.

'Maybe Aegon, Lya and Rhaegar were right about Jon Arryn. By telling half-truths and through omissions, you can come to believe yourself that you have a certain honor. But what honor is there in an omission that later becomes a lie?'

The reality is that although Ned never stated, nor did he say, that Jon Snow was his son, he never took action to discourage such thought. Nor did it ever occur to him to defend Rhaegar Targaryen from crimes he never committed, in front of the very son of the Silver Prince and Ned's sister. Even less he thought about telling Aegon about his parents before he would've taken his vows on the Watch.

Although until being faced with the situation in which he was faced when Aegon was aware of his true parentage, Ned had convinced himself that he was acting with honor and fulfilling his duty, now he saw that that it was not like that. Maybe not directly, but through his actions and silences, Ned had lied. He had lied to his nephew, his family, and to the Seven Kingdoms.

The worst is that even knowing much more about the Rebellion and certain truths that Ned gladly ignored before, he would have done everything the same again if presented with the option of going back in time to the day Aegon was born.

As before the incident, Ned saw absolutely useless and stupid the option that he always had, but never wanted to use, of having made public the secret about Rhaegar and Lyanna.

With Rhaegar dead and without dragons, Aegon would not have been able to sit on his throne.

Or if he did, it would have been a convulsive reign, putting the kingdoms in an even worse situation than they are in the face of the looming threat from beyond the Wall. Those in the shadows that he had not known before, but that he now knew of their existence thanks to his sister's scroll, would have done everything possible so that in the unlikely event of having won a war in favor of his nephew, Aegon would have ended up dying of a form or another.

'Capricious destiny seems to have my nephew, the one whose fate makes him the ideal one to lead the living against death, when it seems that all that life has in store for him between his birth and the final confrontation with death is suffering and pain. It does not matter the path chosen by me or by Aegon's own parents. Fate seems to want the one who defends life to be a person incapable of enjoying life simply because he is who he is.'

Ned reflected sadly, thinking of his nephew, whom he really loved as another son.

'Something that has become more apparent since Aegon learned who his real parents were. And not only did he know it now, but he had them, effectively, placing me in the role of a lord sworn to him. There is nothing like losing someone, to know how much you love him.'

And so, for the past nine moons Ned had been juggling for not to lie, while never telling the whole truth.

The three personal letters received by Ned from Jon Arryn, along as two more formal parchments in Jon's capacity as Hand of the King, which at some time not long ago could have been a pleasant surprise, were one of the most poisoned and bitter dichotomies Ned had faced, within the huge and ever growing list of internal dichotomies that did not stop assaulting him since the incident.

Jon's first raven was in reply to what happened in the First Keep and Ned's request for funds from the Crown, being of personal nature, with more emphasis on the well-being of Ned's family and Ned himself, than on the incident itself. Mentioning fond memories and reminiscences of the time Ned lived as Jon's ward and sending Catelyn greetings from her sister Lysa.

After that, a couple of moons later, a group of fifteen men arrived from King's Landing, previous voyage through the Narrow Sea to White Harbor, bringing the twenty thousand golden dragons and a scroll sealed by the Hand of the King, announcing that the Citadel and the Crown confirmed that it had been a flame of the world what caused the incident and they would take care of the cost of repairs without the gold having to be returned. The fifteen men sent by Jon were at all times followed by those of the Faithful and the Loyalist, while the common people were forbidden to mix or speak with them.

Ned for his part offered a small welcome and farewell feast to the fifteen men, when he informed them that his wife Catelyn was indisposed in her rooms, while his three absent children were on their way to the Wall to visit their uncle Benjen.

'Technically, no lies. At that time, both Aegon, Arya and Bran were indeed at the Wall and with their uncle Benjen.'

In the morning after the arrival of the men sent by Jon Arryn, still amazed and fearful by the presence of Winter's ever growing pups at breakfast in the Great Hall, the fifteen men retraced their own steps, retracing the route that had led them there. For the safety of these men due to recent raids by wildlings, Ned offered to have fifteen men of his household guard, led by Jory Cassel, accompany them to White Harbor. All of them from the Loyalists or the Faithful whom permanently monitored all activity of the men from the Vale and the Gold Cloaks whom had traveled to the North and of those from whom they didn't separate until they were aboard a ship bound for King's Landing.

The second raven from Jon Arryn arrived during the last moon of the previous year, inquiring about the family's health, rumors that had reached the court about what happened during the incident and because of the absence from news that Catelyn's father had about her. In addition, Jon hinted about what Ned's opinion would be about a possible betrothal between Robb and Myrcella Baratheon or between Sansa and Crown Prince Orys Baratheon, saying quietly that Robert burned with the desire to unite both houses through his children and those of Ned.

Despite being a personal scroll, there were details in the wording of the letter and in the questions Jon asked in it, which caused Ned to realize that he was trying to fish for information.

Ned personally saw to it that Catelyn wrote a letter to her father assuring Hoster Tully that everything was in order. This was something would later carry to a major confrontation with Robb, after which his son spent almost a moon without talking to him.

'I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the talk with Catelyn and the subsequent argument with Robb.'

Robb, who at first did not welcome the fact that the one he considered his bastard brother, Jon Snow, was not his brother, nor a bastard over whom he had command, with the passage of the moons became even worse about his opinion of his cousin.

As well Robb felt totally hurt by Aegon and in some extend by Ned himself.

Before the heated argument between Ned and his son took place over the fact that Ned forced Catelyn under the threat of exiling her to Essos to the Targaryen court in case she didn't write a scroll to his father Hoster Tully and whose words had been dictated by Ned, Robb had opened up his mixed feelings about Aegon to Ned after receiving the correspondence that the family sent to Winterfell from the Wall before leaving for Essos.

Robb told Ned, that he always envisioned the future with Jon Snow by his side, but as Robb's subordinate, never as his equal or superior. Master of arms from the castle, captain of the household guard. Maybe one day give Jon a little holdfast to start his own family branch. But the revelation proved almost impossible for Robb to cope. As his son Robb told Ned, the fact that Jon Snow went in less than a day from always being the loser in their duels in the courtyard and always the one who was below in the social ladder, to be the one who decided that Robb's mother and father were no longer married due to Aegon's judgment and with Ned's own assistance, in the process stripping Catelyn of everything she had, while that previous morning Aegon gave Robb a sovereign beating in a friendly sparring, led to Robb's hostility towards Aegon and Rhaegar.

'Hostility for the latter, for which much of the blame lies with me for never correcting those who vilified Rhaegar, Robb's uncle and Aegon's father.' Ned mused bitterly, letting out a sigh as he stirred the embers of the fire with the poker.

The appearance of the dragons somewhat chilled Robb's hostility towards Aegon and Rhaegar. Then involving Robb in the construction and improvements in the North, while Ned tried to teach him what it meant to be the Lord in the North, helped his son to get a little out of the shell that had been isolated. Holding him responsible for the work in the crypts filled Robb with pride and he took it seriously, doing an efficient job. Ned's son began to pay more attention to Rickon and even assisted Sansa in managing the household, when Robb was not at Ned's own side or attending his first petitioner sessions by sitting in Winterfell's Throne and deciding on his own without any intervention from Ned.

However, then came the heated argument between him and Robb after the raven sent by Catelyn to her father, and Robb became sour and cranky.

The low point in their relationship was when Robb berated Ned in his solar during their last argument, the day after Benjen arrived. When Ned informed his son of Robb's future marriage to Alys Karstark, Robb said that Aegon had stolen Robb's own future, a brother and a sister from him, while Robb had his mother imprisoned in their own house and Robb's best friend was a prisoner watched as if Theon were a criminal. In addition, Robb added to end his salvo that Aegon was using them and was taking advantage of Ned's naivety and the guilt Ned's felt for having passed off Aegon as a bastard and for lying about the truth behind Rhaegar and Lyanna elope.

It was at that moment the first and only time that Ned had raised his hand to his son. And he did it for two reasons. First because even if Robb was free to say what he wanted, Robb could not disrespect Ned who is his father. And second because Ned immediately knew that Robb had been talking to Catelyn, as his son repeated the words that Ned's former wife said to him when he forced her to send the raven to her father. Robb was forbidden, like the rest of his children, to see Catelyn

without Ned's permission. Rickon could only see her in the presence of a nursemaid from the Faithful or Osha. Sansa only went to visit her once in which they both argued loudly and after which Sansa gave her mother as dead. And it was assumed from what Ned's son had told him about her that Robb had no interest in visiting Catelyn and he didn't want to.

Therefore Robb proved everything that Benjen had accuse him of in the conversation that Ned and his brother had at the Godswood. Robb didn't take it too well Ned's response to his words, returning to offering him a silent treatment for a week, but after a chat between Benjen and Ned's firstborn, Robb apologized to him and totally changed his attitude.

Later Ned learned through Lady Barbrey that Benjen had taken Robb to the cells to show him something and then to the crypts where they stayed for a long time and from where Robb came out with his eyes red of having cried, but smiling.

'I have no doubt that Benjen showed Robb a wight. Seeing these creatures certainly makes one put things in perspective and welcome the presence of three fire-breathing monsters fighting on the same side as oneself. What did Benjen say to Robb? I don't even want to know, but it certainly shows that Benjen has a better hand with the boys and girls of House Stark than I do. When we were little it was the same. He got along wonderfully with Brandon, while Brandon and I fought all the time over anything silly. Lyanna went to Benjen to tell him her secrets and things. Even my own daughter Arya from what she related in her correspondence had a certain reverence for her uncle. Luckily Rickon is the one who has accepted the situation the best, although complaining a bit at first about the lack of seeing his mother, among his Direwolf, Osha, the nursemaids and the boys from beyond the Wall, he doesn't even remember Catelyn. He thinks that Sansa is his mother. At least he doesn't reproach me at all and continues to smile at me with innocence and love. Not that rehearsed Sansa smile or Robb's half smiles.' Ned mused somewhat sad about how all in his life seemed to have changed for the worse.

In Ned's reply to Jon Arryn second raven that triggered the first argue between Ned and his son Robb, Ned informed Jon that even in the North there were all kinds of wild rumors about what had happened the night of the incident, but that except for a flame that appeared suddenly from within the bowels of the earth for then disappear just as sudden, nothing really happened. Ned assured that the absence of news from Catelyn would have been due to some raven that was lost on the way or that his wife, with the frenzied activity that was in the castle with the reforms, would not have had time to correspond with her father.

Regarding a possible betrothal between Robb and the princess, Ned communicated to Jon that due to his marriage to Catelyn, Robb would have to have a noblewoman from the North as his wife, possibly Alys Kastark or one of Lord Manderly's granddaughters. Regarding the possible betrothal between Sansa and the crown prince, because refusing outright would have been counterproductive, Ned replied that he considered Sansa was still immature to be in such a situation and that any commitment should wait a couple of years to become official, but Ned opened the possibility that if the prince really wanted to woo her, he could initiate raven correspondence with Sansa.

'Again, technically no lies.'

Ned's daughter Sansa, after the truth came out and the total breakdown of relations between Sansa and her mother took place, began to have certain dreams about a possible future marriage with her cousin Aegon. Pretensions that continued even though Aegon was married to his sister-wife, because according to Sansa, 'if he had done it once, why wouldn't he marry two women twice?'

Sansa, who in these nine moons had begun to mature by leaps and bounds on a mental and physical

level and even had shown herself surprisingly skillful with the management of the servants and the household personnel, had convinced herself that due to the protection that Ned had offered to his nephew, Aegon was in debt to house Stark and in honor he should marry her.

When Ned heard such reasoning coming from Sansa shortly after Benjen arrival and after the proclaims announcing that Aegon had married his sister Rhaenys, who was now also their queen, he was about to tell Sansa that since the moment she had learned that he was a bastard, she always kept Aegon at a distance and that if Aegon felt dutybound to take a woman from house Stark as a second wife, that would undoubtedly be the woman Aegon considers his sister and who is by his side in Essos.

'Better to let her dream a little more about a possible future as queen, rather than tell her that she will have to marry a Lord from the North or the Vale.'

Ned thought with some discomfort, being unable to rule out that his nephew could end up with Arya as a second wife and about Sansa's possible future husband.

At the beginning of the new year the second parchment sent by Jon Arryn as Hand of the King arrived, announcing a tax increase for all the kingdoms and communicating that Queen Cersei Lannister was pregnant from three moons. Because the parchment needed no response, Ned simply dispatched ten men of his guard from among those of the Loyalists and the Faithful, with the requested taxes bound for King's Landing.

The prompt payment of these taxes as well as house Stark's assuming all of the northern taxes, had earned him numerous scrolls from his bannermen, thanking Ned for facing the Southern taxes without demanding of them more taxation.

'Of course, none of them know yet that house Stark could afford the prompt payment of taxes without raising the taxes from the North, thanks to the payment of repairs from the wildlings in exchange for their settlement on the Wall. I do not know if they will be so grateful when they find out where that gold came from and the reasons why it comes.'

It was Rickard Kastark's scroll of thanks that allowed Ned to open negotiations for an engagement between Robb and Alys Kastark. Scroll in which Lord Rickard also asked Ned about the sudden disappearance of wildling raids, about whether if Ned knew what was happening at the Wall and about what was true in the rumors surrounding what happened in Winterfell during and in the following days after the incident.

Those same three questions were repeated in turn on the different scrolls of thanks from his bannermen. Questions which answers to Ned's bannermen will be delayed until the imminent harvest festival that would be celebrated on the fifteenth day of the third moon of the year 298 AC. So Ned sumonned his bannermen to come to Winterfell for answers in the first days of the third moon.

'Somehow Barbrey Dustin interpreted the summoning as a signal to come here half moon earlier.' Ned muttered bitterly to himself.

In exchange for Lady Barbrey not continually questioning him, Ned offered her the position of governess from the household and Sansa's tutor. Something that Lady Barbrey accepted gladly, resigning herself that she would have explanations at the same time as the rest of the lords from the North, in exchange for her new position within House Stark being permanent after the Harvest Festival. Especially due to the continuous indispositions and the fragile state of health that kept Catelyn in her rooms due to the smallpox that had affected both Catelyn, septa Mordane and Theon.

'Or at least that is the justification that I offer as a reason for these three people to always be in their rooms to all those who ask.'

Lady Barbrey undoubtedly knew that was not the truth, but as later the Lords whom would be arriving to Winterfell, she accepted the truth that Ned offered.

The fact that the ex-lover of Ned's older brother suspected that Catelyn's indisposition was not real became clear to Ned from the day the Forresters along with the Cerwyns and Tallharts arrived as the first guests for the Harvest Festival.

Not only did Lady Barbrey went out to the south courtyard along with the rest of the household, but she positioned herself to Ned's right, between him and his son Robb. Signifying herself as the lady of the castle. Once the new guests were escorted to their rooms by Sansa and Robb, Ned asked Lady Barbrey for an explanation on her behavior. Something to which she responded that politically, a marriage between her and him would give house Stark great stability with what Ned was about to reveal at the Festival.

Since that day, Ned tried to stay as far away from Lady Barbrey as possible. However, the offer made by Brandon's ex-lover had some merits.

With his talk with his brother Benjen, Ned was clear about the need to eliminate the latent danger that was Roose Bolton and the possible consequences of his passing to a better life. Due to Roose's marriage to Lady Barbrey's sister and the absence of living direct heirs in the Bolton line, those with most claim to the lands sworn to the Dreadfort were Lady Barbrey and her family. Once the truth would be made public, Ned could officially cast Catelyn aside, albeit without dispensation from the faith of the Seven but by royal decree from Aegon. Lady Barbrey was only a year older than Ned, possessing a great knowledge of the political ins and outs of the north, she has taken Sansa under her wing and between her house and that of her late husband, they possessed most of the cavalry in the North.

'Not to mention it's my fault that she's been a widow for fifteen years and I only gave her a horse as last memory from her husband. Although Willam was not the one with whom Barbrey wanted to have married, he was her husband and I left his remains at the foot of the ruined, misnamed, Tower of Joy.'

The bitterest challenge to keep information under control for as long as possible, hanging over his spirit since the raven arrived, was the third personal scroll from Jon Arryn that had come to Ned the day before his brother Benjen and Lady Barbrey arrived at Winterfell. It was a missive that made Ned seriously rethink some things and doubt whether he was doing the right thing by supporting his nephew Aegon.

Jon's letter sounded like a plea for self-relief, helplessness, being overwhelmed, isolated, and a call for help, all at the same time. In it, Jon Arryn spoke directly to Ned about the dire situation in the Crown treasury and narrated in great detail Robert's attitudes and his non-government. It hinted at the power of House Lannister now that they had assumed the Crown's debt to the Iron Bank and House Tyrell's approach to the Crown in response to seeking new patrons for the Crown, wanting in return a marriage into house Baratheon. Although at no point did Jon mention which Baratheon they were seeking marriage with.

'Because of the way Jon put it and according to the next topic he covered in the letter, maybe they point directly to Robert. Will the Robert that Jon hints at in that letter be able to put Cersei Lannister aside to marry a girl a little older than Sansa's age? Isn't Cersei expecting a child and has already given him an heir and a princess?'

As the letter continued, Jon Arryn told in it Ned how despite the existence of a crown prince, this one seemed more willing to step aside and leave the Iron Throne to his sister Myrcella, than to fulfill his duty and assume his functions. According to Jon, the crown prince is just as Robert was at that age, but without any of the vices of Robert at that age.

'And of course that the Robert of that age, even without vices, would have stepped aside if finding himself in a similar situation.'

The veiled mention of a possible dance of stags between Robert's children and Robert's brothers if something happened to Robert, made Ned think that for that reason house Tyrell might be targeting Robert for marriage to the Tyrell girl.

This whole situation was of particular concern to Jon due to the growing threat of some alleged descendants from the Old Valyria, whom in addition claimed to be Targaryen and supposedly possessed dragons, with the ones which were conquering through Fire & Blood Essos. As if that weren't enough, according to Jon Arryn, rumors and news also came from Essos from the alleged marriage between Daenerys Targaryen to a Dothraki Khal who had supposedly offered his khalasar as a dowry to Viserys Targaryen.

It was those lines that tempted Ned to answer Jon about the truth of what was happening, and that if they really wanted, they could find an entente with those Dragonlords. Because the alleged Targaryens with supposed dragons were Ned's direct family. About Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen Ned couldn't find out until he talked to his brother. So he decided to wait for Benjen to arrive before answering Jon Arryn.

After his talk with Benjen, Ned's response to Jon three days after he received Jon's raven, was a pathetic attempt to cheer him up and assure him that all that was said about Essos would surely be fabricated rumors in order to destabilize the rule of Robert and that they had surely been propagated by Viserys himself or the Iron Bank. Despite the knowledge of the latest news given to Ned from his brother Benjen and proclamations from across the Narrow Sea that the Dothraki Khal was killed by Ned's own nephew and some members of that Khalasar were living in Brandon's Gift. Or knowing for a fact that Viserys and Daenerys were now under Aegon's command. Or that the entire northwest of Essos was in the hands of the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar, whom also were back in the world of the living and last Ned's brother Benjen knew, were ruling Braavos. And that the Dragons were real and gigantic.

'And that's how the omissions and half-truths turned into lies. A lifetime of dishonorable actions cannot be changed by a few honest words. However, a few false words can change an entirely honorable life. And all my actions constantly call into question my honor and my duty. From the moment I started putting Jon Arryn's advice over my father's, and Robert's company over my brothers and sister, that's where it all began. At the moment when I betrayed myself with my actions, what I preached by word. I talked about a pack, when I was the lone wolf because I wanted it that way.'

And now it was time to face the greatest challenge Ned had ever faced; the Harvest Festival and making public the truth. The next morning, he would have to face all the lords of the North gathered in his castle and hope that after the Festival they would continue to be loyal to house Stark

For almost three weeks, in a kind of uninterrupted trickle, day after day had arrived inWinterfell the vast majority of the bannermen that answered directly to Ned, as well as the bannermen that responded to Ned's bannermen. Winterfell and Wintertown were packed with people.

The Heart of the North was now full of Lords with their wives daughters and sons, along with their entourages and guards and men at arms that had accompanied them, as well as the representation

of the Night's Watch headed by Ned's brother Benjen. To this must be added the increasing number of workers, masons, carpenters, stonemasons, crofters, craftsmen, butchers, vintners, bakers, tailors, shoemakers, fullers, weavers, furriers, stonecutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, cutters, goldsmiths, potters, peddlers, shopkeepers scribes and porters who work from dawn to dusk, day after day, in the reconstruction and improvement from the ancient Stark castle and its adjacent population.

Wintertown, that until recently was a semi-permanent hamlet, now began to take traces of permanent population annexed to the castle main curtain walls and whose population did not stop growing in numbers with each moon that passed for the past seven moons. The fact that the settlement was now enclosed by the new ring of walls of about twenty five feet high that were being built, accentuated the fact that it was no longer a makeshift settlement. The erection of stone and masonry buildings in the population attached at the south of the castle, the confirmation that Ned was indeed planning a permanent settlement of said site.

The profound improvements to which the ancient Stark fortress and its surroundings were undergoing had not gone unnoticed by Ned's newcomers bannermen, becoming another of the inexhaustible sources of questions that Ned had to divert daily since almost three weeks ago

The questions varied, but to almost all of them Ned always answered with the same answer.

'Until all the houses from the North are assembled, I can only say that Winter is Coming. Sooner or later the Long Summer is going to end and we must take advantage of the time that remains before the cold winds begin to really sweep the North.'

Although this answer raised some suspicions, it was credible and deep down it was the truth. All the foresight that was being made was in anticipation of the winter that was to come. The North was not going to fight any wars south of the Neck and almost all of the new defenses were geared towards a defense from an attack coming from the north.

To this Ned always added all the truth that he could say about the subject he was being asked.

For example, the questions about the reconstruction and improvements inWinterfell and its surroundings, were easily explained by the incident that had have place almost nine moons ago that devastated the First Keep and the entire over-vault from the crypts.

However, his explanations and the truths Ned told his bannermen when they came to his solar shortly after each of them arrived at Winterfell never finished satisfying any of them.

The houses whose dominions were on the eastern coast of the North, as the Flints of Widow's Watch and, especially the Manderly and their bannermen, the Vells, Woolfield, Slate, Holt, and the Locke, all had reported to Ned their unease about the massive appearance of ships and galleys in the Narrow Sea between the Bite and the Shivering Sea. All these ships carrying banners with the sigil of a three-headed rampant dragon in scarlet red carrying in its claws a white wolf and a white sun and between both, hung a blue winter rose, all of this over black field. Likewise, the Lord of Lamprey pointed out the presence of scribes, clerks and some magistrates from an entity called the Free Bank of Valyria negotiating commercial trade between the North and Braavos, Lorath and Pentos, at the same time taking note of what could be obtained in profit from White Harbor.

Rickard Kastark, who had arrived the week before, had also assailed Ned with questions when they negotiated the dowries of the wedding that would take place between Robb and Alys at the end of the Harvest Festival.

Seeing that Lord Rickard was his kinsman and they would soon be united through their children,

Ned decided to show him one of the creatures he kept hidden in the darkest cells of Winterfell. After that he told Rickard that due to what was coming from beyond the Wall, Ned had decided to take drastic actions in order to ensure the survival of the North against a new long night. This was the reason behind all the construction projects that Ned had initiated in those last nine moons and the root of those decisions related to his separation from Catelyn and the absence of Arya, Bran and Jon Snow.

Ned also asked him to understand that it was information he shared with Rickard due to they being kinsman and due the upcoming wedding between Robb and Alys, but that there would be things that Rickard could only know at the same time as the other lords from the North. When asked by Lord Rickard if any of the revelations to come were related to the sudden stop in the wildlings raids, Dragons and Essos, Ned had no choice but to admit that they were related. Something to which Lord Rickard nodded after a moment in which he regarded Ned contemplatively and with some disdain, while saying 'Fifteen years ago you screwed up big time and we follow you and your friend. I hope you don't screw it up this time, for the good of my daughter and the North.'

'Bearing in mind that ships bearing the sigil of the Freehold pass daily along the shores of Rickard's domain, I have no doubt that after that answer he joined many of the loose pieces and is only waiting for this morning to confirm what he already suspects.' Ned reflected inwardly.

After the meeting between the two, Rickard did not ask him anything more and when a compromising topic came up in breakfasts, lunches, dinners or feasts, the Lord of Karhold quickly came to Ned's aid, changing the subject from the topic towards the constructions and how they would help to improve the economy and situation of the North for the coming winter, or speaking about the coming nuptials between Robb and Alys, causing some embarrassment in the betrotheds by talking about the future grandchildren he and Ned would have, radically changing the subject to a more relaxed one.

Thus between Lord Manderly who knew a lot more than what he was letting on and who guided his vassals in a concealed but firm way in the topics that they spoke about, Lady Barbrey acting as Lady of the household and hostess along with Sansa and, thanks to some occasional help from Rickard Karstark, Ned could get to this day while maintaining some control over the information around the situation in the North.

During the three weeks in which the lords from the North were coming, Ned realized that by now there were some secrets, which were open secrets. The best example was that everyone knew something was happening at the Wall and with the Wildlings. Every newcomer contributed with his grain of salt in the conversations about the matter in which Ned did not participate, giving their opinion on what could be what was happening at the Wall and further north. Some of they even spoke frequently and without much hesitation about a new Freehold of Valyria being built by newly appeared Targaryen Dragonlords from Essos that already had subdued Braavos, Lorath, Pentos and Norvos. At least that Ned's lords knew about.

When the topic of the Freehold came up, the different lords who had spoken about it, always wondered but in a lower voice, trying to be discrete about it, why the presence of the white wolf or the blue winter rose in the sigil of the new Freehold.

Rumors about the true motivation behind the sudden new constructions frenzy in the North, along with the improvements at Winterfell, ran wild through the castle. Ned had heard such different versions of his true motivations behind the actions he had taken these past nine moons that he sometimes couldn't believe the wildness of the rumors. Although they all carried a grain of truth, none were right at all. These rumors usually ranged from Ned intending to separate from the Seven Kingdoms to make himself King in the North, to a version that rumored that because Ned intended

to cast Catelyn Tully aside in favor of Lady Barbrey, he was strengthening the North in case of attack from the houses of the Riverlands sworn to Hoster Tully.

The only lord of the North who hadn't asked Ned any questions had been Roose Bolton. Since he had arrived two days ago, he had only spoken to Ned during his reception at the castle and in a petition session before Winterfell's Throne, claiming that Winter, present during said petition session sprawled at the foot of the throne, should be be put down for having murdered Ramsay Snow, Roose's natural son.

'The same thing that he demanded from me through his raven after Winter did the deed. I did not think to do it before, much less now knowing the macabre, cruel and terrible things that I know about the bastard and about Roose himself.'

Thanks to a witness who would come with the Umber and a few women who had come to Winterfell along with Benjen, Ned now knew that Roose Bolton had continued to use the right of first night, disused since the conquest by order of Rhaenys Targaryen. This alone would be no reason to bring down the Lord of the Dreadfort, yet this was only the tip of the iceberg in the transgressions of Roose Bolton and his bastard son. Although for now Ned only knew it through Benjen, the witness that the Umber would bring with them to the Harvest Festival claimed that he had seen with his own eyes torture, mutilation and flaying of people. Lady Barbrey for her part claimed that Winter's victim had been responsible for the murder of Domeric Bolton, Roose Bolton's heir. Domeric, the nephew of Lady Barbrey, was very dear to her and she did not hesitate to inform Ned of how Roose Bolton decided to cover the matter so that in that way it would not splash him or his bastard son and alleged murderer of Domeric Bolton, Ramsay Snow.

The Bolton bastard had been conceived, according to Lady Barbrey, in one of Roose Bolton's innumerable abuses of the girls in his domain. Lest the way of conception be revealed to the North, Roose kept the boy hidden in a hamlet near Weeping Water. The place near where the bastard was found dead after Winter's attack. Place where Ramsay Snow grew up in a wild way and doing whatever he wanted with the people of the area. Over the years and trying to emulate the cruelty of his father, Ramsay Snow began to terrorize the girls in his father's domain. One of the habitual practices of the bastard son of Roose Bolton was to chase defenseless girls with his hunting hounds, whom then the bastard subjected to unspeakable tortures.

Despite this, Roose Bolton should wait until the end of the harvest festival. Which had not yet started properly and had already given Ned an unpleasant surprise and a near confrontation with some of his bannermen that evening. With the sun set and the feast to celebrate the start of the harvest festival the next day taking place, the northern houses still absent, finally arrived at Winterfell.

All at the same time.

The Umber, the Mormont, and the mountain clans.

Fortunately for Ned, the fact that the feast was in full swing meant that only, with the exception of him, Robb, Sansa, Lady Barbrey, Poole, Chayle, Jory, Ser Rodrik, Ser Andrew, and a few members of Ned's household guard, no one else was in the southern courtyard to receive the entourage of the northern houses that had not yet arrived. Otherwise, the lords from the North would have enjoyed the spectacle given by the lords from the mountain clans upon being received by Ned. Something that would have raised more questions and concerns in the process.

Lord Hugo The Big Bucket Wull, Lord of Crow's Edge as their leader and spearhead. Lord Torghen The Old Flint Lord of Breakstone Hill and direct kinsman of Ned. Also came with them Lord Torrhen The Liddle Lord of Pinesend and Lord Brandon The Norrey Lord of Shadowmoor.

This four lords nothing more descending from their mounts began to haunt Ned with engaging questions, none of them with simple answers.

'What's happening at the Wall The Ned? What's the truth behind Robert's Rebellion, Lyanna alleged kidnap and Jon Snow's mother? Why are the wildlings living at the Wall? Tell us The Ned. Is what The Great Jon tells true? You've lied to all of us?'

Lord Harclay, Lord Burley and Lord Knott asked no questions, but nodded to each question asked by the other five Mountain Clan Lords, still seated on their mounts.

Meanwhile, the Mormont led by Ser Jorah and Maege watched unamused from their horses as the scene unfolded, while directing knowing and reproachful gazes at Ned.

'Something that is not strange. Between my orders to Ser Jorah and that they have direct contact with the Wall and the Lord Commander of the Watch is Jeor Mormont, I have no doubt that they know everything I can tell them and even more. If Ser Jorah's cold greeting had not been indicative of that, Maege making references to a woman from the north who would kill herself rather than allow herself to be kidnapped and against whom they fought at Robert's whim and because of my own blindness, made clear the position of house Mormont. Faithful to Lyanna and therefore to Aegon. I hope that tomorrow's meeting is not the start of a civil war in the North.'

Ned thought now, hours after the uncomfortable moment with the lords of the mountain clans and coldly analyzing the reactions that in the heat of the moment, he could not analyze.

Hours before, during the reception of the last northern houses to arrive, the Umber for their part, seemed that had been summoned to go to war. They crossed through the south gate of Ned's castle with no less than one hundred members in their party, of which at least fifty were men-at-arms.

The tone and the forms that accompanied the questions from the mountain clans Lords, the occasional veiled insult towards Robb when Ned's son tried to intervene to diffuse the situation, increased by the menacing size and body expressions of these lords and their sons behind them, caused some discomfort in Sansa and lady Barbrey, putting Ned into alert.

When it seemed that the matter was going to escalate and lead to an open confrontation due to Ned refusing to answer anything until the next day, Winter's pups menacing growls and his household guards were about to unsheathe their swords, Winter, who had been absent a couple of days, suddenly appeared behind the Umber entourage accompanied by a direwolf even bigger than Winter herself, with totally black fur and red eyes like those of Aegon's pup.

Both recently appeared direwolves placed themselves squarely between the mountain clans lords and Ned's family, growling and showing fangs as they flexed their hindquarters, ready to pounce on the mountain nobles the moment they gave the excuse to do so.

Obviously, the lords of the mountain clans recoiled, in the same way that the horses of their retinues tried to escape and some or other escaped from the stable boy who was guiding them towards the stables.

'The horses of the Umber and Mormont, however, showed little fear of the direwolves.'

The answer as to why these horses might be accustomed to direwolves was not encouraging, as was

later shown indeed.

'The Small Jon wearing a three-headed dragon clasp on the cloak should have been the first sign of what was to come. It seems that Benjen was not exaggerating at all regarding the Umber

affiliations.'

Having dismounted from his horse in a moment that Ned did not notice, the Great Jon approached Ned and his family, nonchalantly standing next to Winter. A moment that the giant Umber took advantage of, to mock the lords from the mountain clans for their fear of wolves, of which there was no need to fear if they were respected.

A message that was quickly understood by the lords of the mountain clans, because with the Norrey as the first and being the example for the others, they ate bread and salt and then were guided to their rooms by Robb, Sansa and Vayon Poole.

After that, came the cold greetings with the Mormonts and the brief and ankward exchange of words while they ate bread and salt, before being accompanied to their stays by Chayle, Lady Barbrey and Beth Cassel.

It was from that moment on, that the circumstances turned from complex and uncomfortable, to practically surreal.

Great Jon and his son the Small Jon, as well as Moors Crowfood ate the bread and salt in utter silence, glaring at Ned with daggers. When Ned tried to exchange a word with the Great Jon, he looked at Ned with contempt and said that for now, he and his people would be staying at a camp that they had a couple of hours' ride from Winterfell. The future possible stay of the Great Jon or his family in Winterfell, would depend on whether tomorrow Ned proved to be the right man to follow and on the treatment that Ned offered to a guest who required the King's rooms in Winterfell. Unexpected and uninvited guest that for the sake of Ned and not to further heat the situation, preferred to stay behind to come to the castle at night and discreetly without formal reception. Having said that, Great Jon and his men retraced their steps in search of the unexpected guest, curiously followed by Winter and the newly appeared and massive black Direwolf.

'I never imagined Great Jon giving me orders as if I were his bannerman and not the other way around, as actually is.'

At the hour of the wolf and this time accessing Winterfell through the north gate, Great Jon and his son appeared along with twenty men-at-arms in black steel armor in imitation of one armor that Ned knew too well. Closing the procession, three people on horseback with hoods on their heads that Ned did not recognize, as well as a cart pulled by a pair of oxen. And following the cart, Winter and the giant black direwolf.

Despite not identifying the riders from atop the wall, Ned could imagine what Vayon Poole and Ser Andrew had communicated and confirmed a while ago.

One of the hooded riders that Ned did not identify, wore a white cloak of white wool that fell on his back and on the horse's back. The hooded rider in the middle of the three wore black leathers and wools except for a few flashes of red and silver on his neck and chest and a black and scarlet cloak that hung from his back. The third hooded rider wearing the same armor as the men-at-arms, carried a double banner. A white field with seven swords in circle over it on one side and, on the other side, in four quarters over black field, four three headed rampant dragons on scarlet red. The sigil of Maekar Targaryen and that of the Prince of Summerhall.

Ned sighed again, bending down to add some more wood to the fire. After that he went to his chair behind his desk, to await the imminent arrival of his unexpected last minute guests.

Prince Aemon Targaryen and his retinue now also were in WInterfell for the Harvest Festival.

Night of the fifteenth day of the third moon of 298 AC. Winterfell, The North "Knock, knock" there was a knock on Ned's solar door.

"Who goes?" Ned asked from his place behind his desk.

"Lord Stark, it's me, Dryn." came the voice of Ned's page, one of the wards from the families beyond the Wall. "The guests are here." Communicated the page to Ned in his closed northern speech which was barely passable as common tongue through the heavy door of Ned's solar.

Ned straightened his posture and let out one last weary sigh before starting this unexpected meeting in the wee hours of the morning, hours before Ned had to face all the truths and lies in his life at the Harvest Festival.

"Show them in, Dryn." Ned said in a deep, lordly and cold tone.

As the door opened, Ned could see first through the lintel a broad man of Ned's height, wearing a shiny black chainmail and a embossed cuirass where the sigil of house Targaryen was engraved. A white woolen cloak fell behind him.

'Ser Jaremy Rykker.' Ned affirmed to himself, confirming the identity of the first of the unexpected guests.

The knight as soon as he entered the solar and without even a glance in Ned's direction, scanned the stays with his gaze, affirmed to himself and then turned on his heel and bowed to a figure that Ned still couldn't see.

"Rykker, I don't think these theatricalities are needed. I'm sure Lord Stark has no ambush in store for us. I have yielded to your over-protection on the journey from the Wall to here. I think that for one night that you relax, will do us no harm." came from the hallway beyond the door lintel, a warm, melodic voice.

"But my prince, Lord Commander's orders were quite clear. Also, remember that we are in the castle of the one who is like a brother to the Usurper. I can never be too farsighted." Ser Jaremy replied to who undoubtedly must be Prince Aemon Targaryen.

While the exchange of words between the knight and the prince was taking place, a lad who undoubtedly, due to the armor he was wearing, must have been the third rider, entered Ned's solar, carrying a oak chest in his arms. Oak chest that the lad deposited on the floor in front of the fireplace, and then went back into the hall.

"Bah, nonsense Ser. My nephew is extremely overprotective. In her missives my niece has mentioned it to me more than once." The prince answered to the King's Guard with some amusement as he crossed the lintel of the solar door, still hooded and wrapped in black wool and leathers with scarlet flashes on the neck. A silver braided chain, crossed from right shoulder to left

waist, closed at the chest with a brooch in the form of a rampant three-headed dragon whose eyes had rubies, stood out in the clothing of the former master, again a prince.

"If you say so my prince ... But I still do not plan to take the night off."settled Ser Jaremy, as he nodded in Ned's direction and headed to the corner opposite to the desk in Ned's solar.

'When he says nephew, does he mean Aegon or Rhaegar? Isn't Ser Jaime Lannister the Lord Commander of Aegon's King's Guard?' Ned wondered, trying to understand the exchange between the still cloaked prince and the knight in black and white.

After a couple of surprisingly determined steps for a person who had seen more than a hundred days of his name, the old prince turned his head in the direction of Dryn who was still under the lintel of the door. "Lad, your father sends his regards and hopes you are not softening among the kneelers."

Dryn, who would be the same age as Ned's son Brandon, blushed at the prince's comment, lowered his head, and began to mutter a series of inaudible babbles.

"Lord Stark, excuse my familiarity with Dryn, but he is the son of one of my Free Folk friends. And Tormund asked me to try to embarrass his son a bit when I've see him. From Dryn's reaction, I'd say I've made it." The prince said to Ned in an amused tone, while Aemon uncovered his head, surprising Ned when he saw what the hood concealed from the features of the 'Old?' Prince.

Short silver hair, smooth pale skin, pointed nose, full lips and violet eyes. Fully upright posture, of about five feet four inches tall and appearance of not having more than forty days of his name.

"Prince ... Prince Ae ... mon Targa ... ryen?" Ned could barely stammer in response, shocked by the image before him.

"Mmm... Indeed that's me," the prince replied to Ned with a smile in his direction, as he gazed at Ned with his vibrant violet gaze, "I can understand the surprise on your face. To have met your great great great-mother Melantha, but that I don't look like it. But it's only the appearances, Lord Stark. A magic trick that allows me to look like I did sixty years ago. Shadows and mirrors, in truth. Although I am grateful to have regained my sight and some physical vigor." was the reply with a certain melancholy and forlornness in the prince's tone.

"How ... How is it possible?" Ned asked between incredulous and amazed at what was in front of his eyes and at the prince's presentation.

"Magic." Aemon Targaryen answered with complete simplicity. "If you really want to know, I could explain later. But if you will call your son and your daughter, we could begin to discuss the matter that has brought me to your wonderful castle, Lord Stark. I think that you more than anyone should want to be well rested for what lies ahead tomorrow and the sooner we solve this, the sooner you will lose stress on the reasons for my presence and that of my entourage here." The prince said with a melodious and close tone.

Ned fixed his eyes on Aemon Targaryen's violets for a second, which offered a clean, sincere look with a paternal tint in reply to Ned's gaze.

"Agree. Prince Aemon, Ser Rykker, would you like a jug of mulled wine?" Ned asked the knight in black and white standing stiffly in the corner opposite where he was and the prince still standing in a relaxed position in the center of Ned's solar.

"I could use it to warm up my body a bit, thank you." The prince replied, while Rykker shook his

head.

"Dryn, pour the prince some mulled wine and then go find my son and daughter and tell them I am summoning them immediately to my solar." Ned said to his page in a firm voice, once recovered from the shock of the Targaryen's appearance in front of him. "Prince Aemon, do you wish to sit down?"

"Thanks Dryn." The prince offered as he took the jug from Ned's page, then looked at Ned and nodded. Ned indicated with his right hand the chair that he had arranged in front of the desk and in it the prince sat down.

"A good chair is appreciated after weeks sitting on horseback and on stones. Despite having the excuse of age and having the cart, I wanted to experience the pleasure of riding, even if it is for the last time in my life. When one reaches my age, things that at the time were not important or dind't attracted me, turn out to be those that I missed the most." replied to Ned once seated the prince, with the melodic but melancholic tone that seemed inherent in Aemon Targaryen.

As the prince answered Ned and sat down, Dryn had left the rooms, closing the door behind him.

"I hope Great Jon wasn't too rough on you.You must understand that there are some loves that do not perish with time, but rather increase. On the other hand, and although that is not my case, there are people who see in your meddlings before and during Robert's Rebellion, the origin of many real and imaginary problems. There are many people who do not allow the truth to spoil the story they believe and hold on to it more strongly the further their story gets away from the truth. I have no doubt, Lord Stark, that you know something about that." Aemon Targaryen said, breaking the silence in the solar.

Ned tensed at the words spoken by the rejuvenated prince, closing his gaze on the Targaryen.

"What do you mean by that, Prince Aemon?" Ned asked defensively and with some aggressiveness. Something that did not go unnoticed by Rykker who tensed and brought his right hand to the hilt of his long sword.

"Oh Lord Stark, you don't have to be angry. It is not a compliment, but it is certainly not an insult." Aemon Targaryen paused at his words, took a deep breath, and continued explaining himself to Ned.

"You are a man who is a product of your growing context and what you have done, you have done trying to be faithful to what you believed in. However, your love for some of those involved and the fact that you never had the truth, only a story, made you blind. And the important thing for you was to keep the story that you sustained with your word and your promises." The prince smiled sadly at him, took a drink from his jug, and stared at Ned.

"What is honor compared to a brother's or a father's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn nephew in your arms. . . or the memory of a sister's smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy." Aemon Targaryen sentenced in a sad voice and then added.

"And Lord Stark, men are men, vows are words, and words are wind. Actions are what define us. Yours define you as someone who loves his sister and his nephew, but whom also loves Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon as if they were his family."

A knock on the solar door left Ned thinking about the words the Targaryen in front of Ned had spoken to him, and how what was spoken by the prince seemed to have no bite or resentment

against Ned for what he did sixteen years earlier.

'Rather, he seems to sympathize with the position I was in and am in, trying to show me the truth behind my actions and not in what I wanted to believe. The tale that through my actions and omissions I created and clung to until it became untenable.'

Ned reflected sadly and sourly to himself, while he nodded to Ser Jaremy that had walked to the door for open it.

"Lord father, why was I summoned? Oh! I see we have new guests." Sansa said surprised and with a smile as she entered Ned's solar and she saw that who opened the door was Ser Jaremy and that in front of her father there was a person sitting that Ned's daughter did not know. Sansa was dressed in a white cotton and furs surcoat, open turquoise woolen and cotton tunic and long white stockings, over which she wore a turquoise wool and leathers en skirt. At her waist, a white satin sash and gray silk embroidered wolves tied in a bow at the back.

"I am Lady Sansa Stark, it is a pleasure to receive you in our castle and home my lords." Sansa introduced herself to the unexpected guests, almost humming and smiling from ear to ear, all the while making a formal courtesy to Ser Jaremy Rykker first and then to Aemon Targaryen.

Taking Sansa's right hand with his right, Ser Jaremy leaned down and kissed Ned's daughter's hand.

"Ser Jaremy Rykker, Lady Stark. King's Guard of King Aegon Targaryen and sworn shield to Prince Aemon Targaryen. A pleasure to finally meet you in person my lady. Your family had told us about you beauty, but their words don't do you justice. I have no doubt that in a short time you will be known as one of the most beautiful women in Planetos." Ser Jaremy told Sansa as way of introduction.

Ned's daughter blushed a little, but she was especially impressed and surprised by whom the unexpected guests were in Ned's solar.

Prince Aemon Targaryen rose from his chair, to go to where Sansa was and replicating the gesture previously made by his King's Guard, present himself to Ned's daughter.

"Prince Aemon Targaryen, my lady. Nice to meet you Lady Sansa. My nieces Arya and Lyanna have told me many good things about you. Your aunt seems to think you have a gift in dealing with people. That is fundamental for someone in your position." Aemon said while now tenderly caressed Sansa's hand with both of his hands.

"But do not allow people to take advantage of your illusions, nor devalue others because of their origins or appearance. Sometimes the greatest treasures come in the worst imaginary forms. Here where you see me, I am a wrinkled old man who a couple of moons ago could barely move around Barad Suvion without help, due to my blindness and physical frailty. Yet my mind was as sharp as when I was young and my brother dreamed of dragons." intoned melodically and warmly Aemon Targaryen, although at times distilling a certain sadness in his words and something that Ned could sense as a tone of reproach and paternal advice at the same time.

"But it's impossible.The only prince Aemon Targaryen is the son of Maekar and has about a hundred days of his name. My brother and sister who were at the Wall wrote me some lines in which they spoke of the prince-maester. A very old and wise man. Bran even told me that he had gotten Arya to sew without complaining..."said Ned's daughter in an accelerated manner, as she removed her right hand from the prince's grasp as if his hands were red-hot.

After stepping away from the prince and Rykker, fully entering Ned's solar Sansa looked at him

with her huge turquoise eyes with incomprehension etched into them.

"Father, is it true what this man says?" Sansa asked Ned, something he could only affirm.

"It is, Sansa. The prince and his retinue have discreetly arrived at Winterfell tonight to discuss urgent matters with us. I already saw to it that Poole gave him the King's rooms and that his retinue was attended to. About how he looks, I'm just as surprised as you are my daughter. However I have no doubt that he is who he claims to be and that if he wants to, he will explain to us how it is possible that he has rejuvenated." Ned said to his daughter in warm tone, to finish adding. "The prince thought that your presence and that of your brother Robb were necessary, that is why I have summoned you."

Sansa looked at Ned for an instant, waiting for him to deny the words he had just spoken and when he didn't, Sansa frowned, blushed and said something inaudible under her breath. After that she turned to face the Targaryen and his King's Guard again and bowed broadly and formally to the prince.

"Apologies for my reaction, my prince. I did not mean to offend you at any time." Sansa said with a trembling voice and her gaze fixed on the ground, still bowing in the direction of the prince. This one, took a couple of steps, approached Sansa, to gently lift her chin with his left hand and thanks to the small difference in height between them, look at Ned's daughter in the eyes.

"Child, you have nothing to apologize for. You have not committed any crime and your reaction is understandable. You imagined Aemon Targaryen as I really was until a moon ago, and in a way, I still am. Old, wrinkled, shrunken and blind as a bat." The prince let out a chuckle, an amused click of his tongue and released his tender grip on Sansa's chin, to continue what he was saying. "However, it seems that we once again live in a time when magic roams the world freely, allowing certain tricks of illusions. Deep down I am changing years as an old man waiting for death, for some moons as a man fighting against death itself." Aemon Targaryen concluded to Sansa in a grim and resigned tone.

The noise of Winter's heavy trot with some of her pups in tow preceded the entrance of the huge silver and gray she-Direwolf, as well as Greywind and Lady. Robb's and Sansa's direwolves respectively.

Winter approached Ser Jaremy and with total normality, the huge she-wolf licked Rykker up and down. The knight tried to defend himself against Winter by tickling the sides of the mythical creature, whose tail didn't stop swinging and hitting the ground in glee.

Winter's two pups, however, had remained at the door. As Lady watched her mistress expectantly, to see if she should enter or not in the solar, Greywind tensed and bared his fangs in Ser Jaremy's direction.

"Father, have you seen Winter being so playful with someone that is not from the family?" Sansa asked Ned, snapping him out of contemplating the scene before him, while she called with her hand for Lady to come to her side.

"I really think that except with Lyanna or your sister Arya, with few people she is so playful. She is usually more reserved." Ned answered his oldest daughter.

"Ah! My dear Starks. I have the answer that Rykker cannot offer right now. He and Winter have spent many hours guarding the princesses. During their stay at Castle Black, Lyanna and Arya led a rhythm of life contrary to the rest of the Watch and Ser Jaremy from the beginning was the sworn shield of my nieces. Wherever Lyanna and Arya went or were, there also were Ser Jaremy and

Winter. And even if competition has appeared in the form of that huge black Direwolf, I am sure Ser Jaremy will not give up his fight for his beloved." The Targaryen prince said amused, causing a chuckle from Ned and Sansa.

"My prince, you with that joke too, no. Please! The princesses spent two moons torturing me with that. But seriously, it's pure friendship. She is the woman who has listened to me the most in my life..."Rykker replied as he tried to wipe off his face Winter's drool. The knight couldn't finish because he was interrupted by a deep, warm voice.

"That's because Winter is the only female being who has ever listened to you Rykker. Ha! Ned! How could you not tell me that was coming Ae... mon? " Benjen appeared through the door to Ned's solar, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping at the appearance of Prince Aemon.

"Brother Benjen! Nice to see you again. You are missed in Forlond and Barad Suvion. I imagined that we would meet in the morning and catch up, but I see that as usual, you have anticipated my intentions." Aemon said with a wide grin and a tone that was clearly sign that he was happy to see Benjen.

"By seven hells! What have you done ?! Don't tell me you've taken a page from your Uncle Bloodraven's book." Benjen practically spat, as he approached the prince to gently touch his chest and hands, checking if what Ned's brother saw in front of his eyes was really true.

Ned looked at his daughter, who seemed to understand even less than he did.

'I don't know if Sansa will know exactly who Bloodraven is. But it is not very flattering that they speak of a supposed sorcerer in relation to the renewed youth of Prince Aemon.' He thought to himself, trying to understand what Bloodraven might have to do with the words his brother just said, and the fact that Aemon Targaryen appeared to be sixty years younger than he was.

"Brother, I can assure you that this time you don't even want to know." answered Rykker to Ned's brother in nervous tone while the Ser frowned and raised his right eyebrow.

"It can't be worse than the cave of the seven times cursed Lord Brynden, can it?" Ned's brother replied.

A Cave that Ned knew something about, but a part from the story that Benjen told him in which Ned knew that his brother had omitted many things from him.

'Like me and Bran, when he lies, he look at the ground first.' Ned thought as he mentally reviewed the Godswood conversation with his brother.

"There was no Army of the Death, nor Others, but we almost fainted with fright. In fact, Tarly is still shaking from when the package arrived." Rykker answered Benjen.

Before Benjen could question Rykker again, Aemon Targaryen silenced them both, despite the amused expression on his face.

"Brother Benjen, let's say it is a gift from an aunt of mine, through a niece of mine never known but forever present in our history." Aemon Targaryen uttered enigmatically and with a grin.

It seemed that to Benjen the answer had said as much as to Ned or his daughter Sansa, however the sound of a person running through the corridor and a voice coming from there, prevented more questions.

"Father, here I am! I have not been able to get here before and you will not believe why. The black

Direwolf who appeared with Winter... Uncle Benjen...Sansa...Father... Who are these men?" Robb asked just through the lintel of the still-open door of Ned's solar.

His son looked agitated, was panting, his cheeks were red and his neck was bitten. The moss green leathers and wool surcoat was poorly arranged and the gray woolen hose were outside the brown boots. There was hay and straw from the stables in Robb's hair.

'Good thing he and Alys have gotten along, but they could wait a couple of days until they are married.' Ned thought between happy and frustrated for his son.

Greywind at that moment relaxed his until then tense position, placing himself at the feet of Winter who had stretched out in front of the fireplace and was curiously sniffing the oak chest deposited on the floor by the lad that Ned assumed should be Ser Jaremy's squire.

"Robb" said Ned "These men are Ser Jaremy Rykker, one of your cousin's King's Guard and sworn shield of whom also accompanies us. Our unexpected last minute guests bringing news for us." Ned concluded in his lordly voice, making Robb, and to some extent Sansa, understand that serious matters were going to be discussed that would require proper conduct from both of them.

"Your lord father is correct in what he says, Lord Robb." Aemon Targaryen asserted. "I have come from the Wall with an escort of three hundred soldiers of the Freehold Army in Forlond, not for visit or pleasure, as I would have liked. Nor to control what happens this morning in the Harvest. Although I have to admit that for someone with my studies and inclinations, being able to be an eyewitness of an occasion like the one that is going to happen this morning is something exciting."

'Three hundred men from a neutral army camped a couple of hours from Winterfell?!' Ned paled a bit in front of such revelation. 'The Umber also must have camped with the men of the Targaryen army.' He mused mentally.

The prince paused, turned his head in Ned's direction, and with his purple gaze fixed on Ned's eyes, he continued in clear and firm voice.

"Nor have I come to enforce decrees, orders or proclamations. If you agree to enter the Freehold, either as a tenth province or as a Federated Kingdom to it, we are equal before the laws and before the Freehold of Valyria. Neither I can't give orders to you, nor you to me. And correct me if I am wrong, all of us present here, and many of those present in the castle, answer to the same Lord and King." said the prince softly, as he touched with his right hand the clasp of the crossed chain on his chest.

"The absence of the banner from the Valyrian Freehold waving alongside the Gray Wolf made me suspect for a moment that this might not be the case. But Ser Andrew has informed me that you were waiting to make your loyalties public in order to wave it. Something that seems respectable and intelligent to me and that Aegon himself would surely approve of."

The prince paused once again in his speech, glanced at Ser Jaremy, after which he affirmed a question never asked by the King's Guard. The latter left his position near the entrance to Ned's solar and next to Ned's brother, to go to the oak chest that Winter was nibbling.

"Winter, let go the chest." The knight told the she-direwolf quite casually, as he bent down to pick up the oak chest. Greywind made a feint to pounce on Ser Jaremy's arm, but one of Winter's massive fore paws brought Greywind back to the she-wolf's body.

With the expectant gaze of Ned standing behind his desk meanwhile Sansa offered a jug of mulled wine to Benjen, Robb, and to the prince, Rykker placed the meter-long, half-meter-wide, and half-

meter-high oak chest on the top of Ned's desk.

Extending his right arm in the direction of the chest just placed on the desk, with a clear voice and with a certain command in the tone, the prince said;

"I have come from the Wall to Winterfell for this. Or to be precise for twenty-nine chests somewhat larger than this, with about eight million gold coins, about ten million silver coins and about fifteen million copper coins. Those of gold and silver have a somewhat less weight than those in circulation, but it is hardly noticeable and with the monopoly of the Free Bank of Valyria the loss in value is practically negated in the medium-long term."

Aemon Targaryen said nonchalantly, leaving four of the six present totally dumbfounded at the ridiculous amount of wealth that Aegon was allocating to the North.

Ned sat down upright in his chair. Sansa had spilled some of the mulled wine that she was serving to Benjen, all over the sleeve of Ned's brother. Robb nearly choked, as he was just taking a drink from his mug. Benjen hadn't even realized that Sansa had spilled the wine over his arm and was now looking at Aemon Targaryen as if two heads had grown out of the prince.

'There is nothing to spend so much wealth in the North. I took it for granted that Aegon would send us gold. He told me before leaving and in his two scrolls. But this unheard of amount? It is four times what was in Aerys's chests at the end of the Rebellion. It would gives to sustain the Seven kingdoms for a couple of decades.' Ned mused inwardly, while trying to recover from the shock.

And so Ned let know to the former ancient, prince.

"There is not so much in what to spend in the North. Wouldn't it be better to share these riches with the other kingdoms?"

Ned inquired, sounding more unsure than first intended. Something that was accentuated by the withering look that Sansa and Benjen gave him. Robb, however, seemed like he was either still impressed or mulling something over in his head.

"I want to remember you, that although it seems a lot, you shouldn't forget that even being the North a federated Kingdom, the law of one, ten and fifty is fulfilled for all subjects of the kingdoms or cities federated to the Freehold. Only in that possibly more than half a million gold coins will go. The costs of the substance produced for Moat Cailin's moat will not be low. They have had to build a facility in The Lost Daughter expressly for the manufacture of it. You should also have to start something resembling a fleet and a defense on the west coast and Bear Island. The strip of land under direct rule of House Stark between the North and the Gifts should be prepared as a second line if the Wall falls. And at the height of the Pale River you should build a third line... "

The prince sighed and looked at his audience. Starting with Ned in front of him, following Robb and Benjen on the left and ending with Sansa on the left and in front of the former maester. The prince sighed again and continued explaining his motivations to be in Winterfell, running his right hand through his thinning silver hair.

"I am not going to elaborate on this anymore, since I am sure that in the correspondence that I bring, it comes in a more detailed and explicit way. Izembaro, the second-in-command of the Free Bank, has also come with me to speak with you more in depth about the spending and income in the North."

"So you have news from the family in Essos?" Sansa asked excitedly.