XXXVIII.

The sun was in its zenith over Winterfell's north courtyard, as Ned's brother, Benjen, with the help of maester Luwin, finished explaining the events that had taken place behind the shadows until the tourney of Harrenhal. During the exposition that kicked off the Harvest Festival, which had already lasted almost half a morning, both he and his brother had taken turns recounting the true events of Westeros over the past hundred years.

Surely to the surprise of the vast majority of those present, Ned began the presentation going back to the times of the Unlikely and Jaehaerys II and the war of the ninepenny kings. Explaining in detail the unstable position in which the Targaryen regime found itself at the time of the rise to power of the Unlikely and how the reforms in the kingdoms he intended to make, together with the love lives of his children, led the Seven Kingdoms to the precipice they were finished dropping

during Robert's rebellion.

It was the first time that Ned had told out loud everything he knew regarding the fall of the Targaryens. And he was doing it not only before the lords from the North, but also for all the small folk and members of the household who had wanted to be present during the Festival. Or what is the same, every inhabitant of Winterfell, Wintertown and surrounding hamlets was present on that morning of the fifteenth day of the third moon of the year two hundred and ninety-eight after the conquest.

What at first was to be the typical Harvest Festival meeting with the lords of the North in the Great Hall of Winterfell, where the bannermen had to renew their oaths to house Stark and house Stark reaffirm its oaths with their bannermen, had become a multitudinous public spectacle.

When, after a couple of hours of troubled sleep, Ned dressed and prepared for the event, heading towards the doors of the Great Hall he found that the southern courtyard of the castle was a veritable hive of people clamoring to be present during the festival. The household guard hadn't prevented the small folk from entering the castle and if Ned had to gamble, he would bet that the Faithful had something to do with the massive influx of people to attend the festival.

This fact, caused Ned send to hastily install a kind of wood raised platform in the north courtyard of the Castle, near where the altar in honor of his nephew and family now stood. The one that had unofficially become the courtyard par excellence for the training of troops and guards, was at the time a veritable swarm of people. The banners from the lords of the North now covered the stone from the wall of the north gate. In front of the gate, was the platform where he and his children were standing, with the lords of the north occupying the front row of the semicircle that had been formed around it. Behind the north's lords, row after row of men, women and children, where there was hardly room for a single more soul.

Children and not so children were hanging from the interior side of the curtain walls and even from the battlements to better contemplate and hear what was being talked about. Members of the household could be seen peeking through the windows of the armory bridge and from the barracks. If Ned had to do a quick calculation, he would say that about five thousand or six thousand people were totally attentive to every word that left the lips of those who spoke on the raised platform. Mainly his and his brother Benjen's words, with some little contributions from the maester. High and minor lords and ladies, the smallfolk, the mailed guards in their grey cloaks, the servants: all stood heeding their words.

Due to the influx of people and the issues that were being discussed the tempers from the assistants were flaring up. Making than more than once the guards of his household had had to intervene to impose silence and Ned himself had once called to order in view of the pandemonium that was formed when spoke about the real causes behind the passing of his mother, Lyarra Stark.

Many of the topics that Ned and his brother were talking about had little direct relation to house Targaryen and quite direct relation to house Stark and the alliances created in the last fifty years, the meddling of the Citadel's maesters in the noble houses, the politics behind the scene of the kingdoms and the exposure to light of a conspiracy to overthrow the regime of the dragons well before from the Tourney. Conspiracy with if not the direct collaboration from the North, the acquiescence from the North to participate as one more pawn in the proposed game. Or more than from the North itself, from Ned's father as a result of the alliances that among others, Rickard Stark, built during the war of the ninepenny kings in view of the Targaryen's regime condition.

It was during that moment of his explanation that Ned could clearly appreciate the breach in loyalties being opened in his domain. It gave the impression that half from the North was totally

outraged by the actions of Ned's father and that the other half from the North was totally outraged by associating Ned's father with Southerner practices and customs rather than the honorable and honest ones from the lords of the North.

'At least it seems that they have a meeting point between both sides. A blind fury and tremendous contempt towards house Arryn, house Tully and the Citadel, as well as an increase in the disdain with which the south is view.'

Ned thought, as he mentally reviewed how the festival had gone so far and what might happen the moment when he had to talk about what had happened since the Tourney, until the night before with the arrival of Prince Aemon and the correspondence that had arrived from the other side of the Narrow Sea.

'The same they can ask me to disinherit my children, that it is possible that they may want to declare war on the south. And I can't rule out that some of them, especially the mountain clans, want the North to become an independent kingdom again.' He mused regarding the drift that the lords of the North could take. 'Nor can I rule out that once the whole truth is known, they prefer to be one more province of the Freehold, than a Kingdom federated to it.'

Knowing the truth behind Harrenhal allowed Ned a few moments of disconnection within the speech of his brother and from what was happening around him.

Since Benjen had been the protagonist in some of the events of Harrenhal, and because his brother wanted to atone for his faults, or what Benjen saw as faults, having been unable to convince their father about the truth between Lya and the silver prince, Ned's brother took on the role of telling what happened in that Tourney. Similarly, Benjen's familiarity with their common nephew and their brother-in-law brought to life almost nine moons ago, made Benjen the ideal narrator of the Tourney from the point of view of the silver prince. The Grand Council of the Seven Kingdoms attempt and Rhaegar's attempts to overthrow the Mad King after Duskdale included.

Lookin to his right, Ned's son was dressed in boiled leather and ringmail, a sword hung at his waist and a gray cloak was hung from his right shoulder towards his left hip in a sash. His eldest daughter, beside Robb's right was dressed in blue velvets trimmed with white, a silver chain around her neck. Her thick auburn hair had been brushed until it shone. Rickon was clinging to Sansa's left hand, in between his brother and sister, dressed as Ned. He donned white woolen tunic with the Stark sigil upon the breast on silver thread and grey cloak, leather ride breeches and last of all a belt of heavy silver links. The only difference between what Ned wore and what Rickon's, was the Valyrian steel sword that hung from his back and protruded behind Ned's right shoulder.

'I prefer a long sword hung from the waist to Ice hung from my back. It's almost taller than me and I've never felt like it really belonged to me. But because of the situation, I have to have it with me' Ned mused.

Fortunately for Ned, it seemed that Robb, and especially Sansa, showed determination and steel in their postures to face what the family knew could happen once everything was revealed.

Once they had recovered from the shock and some of the indignation that, for different reasons, had invaded them with Bran's parchment, the other two envelopes with house Stark seal and the four envelopes with house Targaryen seal, calmed their spirits and put the marital engagements between house Stark and house Targaryen in another light, though they cast some shadows as well. The three parchments with leaded wax seal bearing the sigil of House Targaryen, on the other hand, were quite explicit and without room for interpretation.

The envelope from the Citadel, on the other hand, contained the contract of the Pact of Ice and Fire

that had been acquired by the former maester Aemon Targaryen thanks to some contacts that he still had inside Oldtown's tower.

'As Prince Aemon well told me, I started by opening the envelope that I should have opened the last one.' Ned sighed as he remembered Robb's furious reaction, accusing Aegon of using Arya and Bran as political pawns and Sansa's tears when she felt robbed by her sister of what Sansa felt corresponded to her. 'Thank the Old Gods, Rykker was sympathetic in turn a blind eye towards Robb's string of insults and Robb didn't think of acting against Prince Aemon as reprisal.'

The two envelopes with the Stark seal in gray wax that Ned later opened contained scrolls of Bran and Arya. Bran's, in a less formal tone than that of the marriage contract, specified that his engagement, as well as Arya's, were both a sham to ward off possible marriage claims from nobles on either side of the Narrow Sea. For this, Ned's son gave an example of what happened with Daenerys Targaryen. Both the fortunately failed engagement with the Khal, as well as the attempted engagement by the Prince of Pentos the day after the Targaryen princess's non-wedding.

Bran's words were endorsed by Aegon on one of the two envelopes containing Ned's nephew's parchments. In said scroll, his nephew narrated how the events that took place in Pentos, together with the promise that Aegon made to Ned of not to use his children as political pieces, decided Ned's nephew to close all possible options for future politician use of Arya, Bran or Daenerys Targaryen. Engaging Arya with a person, Aegon, whom no one would think of inquiring about the betrothal, even if it was never fully carried out. Similarly, Bran's age and the recent experiences of the Targaryen princess gave full validity to a long-term commitment that no one would ask for several years. In the same way, served to fulfill the pact of Ice and Fire, or at least, make it appear that it was going to be fulfilled, honoring the North and House Targaryen's commitment to it. In that same scroll, Aegon explained to Ned that in order to exercise power in the Freehold, both Arya and Bran needed to be framed within House Targaryen hierarchy. Therefore, the commitments also served to make official the station of both Ned's children within the hierarchy of house Targaryen and the Freehold of Valyria.

'Despite the commitments being a sham Sansa is not happy knowing that her sister has a station so superior to hers. Prince Brandon Stark and Targaryen, third most porwerfull person in the Freehold and Princess Arya Targaryen and Stark, sixth most powerful person in the Freehold... Seven Hells! Even I will have to kneel before my children when I see them again in the Targaryen court. At least Robb took Bran's titles and station with humor and some pride and he is hopeful that Bran can come up with something with the Targaryen princess. It seems that Robb is more smitten to Alys than I initially though. Also, there you can see Catelyn's influence on Sansa. One is happy for his brother, the other one is jealous of her sister. The news from Bran didn't even interest Sansa. I don't know whether to leave her here with Robb, or for her to come with me to Essos...'

Ned reflected with a certain bittersweet aftertaste.

The envelope with the Targaryen sigil in white wax that contained Lya's parchment, for its part, told the good news that she was pregnant while waiting for a new son or daughter, making firm and official in the eyes of the Freehold and the laws of men her resignation and that of all her descendants to a possible claim in the inheritance of Winterfell and the North.

The second envelope with the Targaryen sigil in scarlet red containing Aegon's parchment was basically a copy of the marriage contract contained in Bran's envelope.

It was the other two envelopes bearing respectively the Stark and Targaryen sigil with certain alterations, which cast certain shadows on the marital commitments. 'Or at least about the

betrothal between Arya and the Targaryens.' Ned mused to himself.

The envelope sealed in gray wax with the Stark sigil entwined with a Targaryen sigil contained a scroll from Arya that was a marriage contract of Ned's daughter to Aegon and Rhaenys Targaryen. The envelope sealed in bloody red wax with the Targaryen sigil with a sun pierced by a spear in its claws, contained the same marriage contract as Arya's envelope, but it was from Rhaenys Targaryen and in it, the Queen and Lady of Valyria was engaged to Arya of the houses Targaryen and Stark. If the way it was written was already far from the forms of the contract written by Bran and Aegon, the witnesses who signed the contract left him speechless for a long time.

'Seeing the signature of the Red Viper of Dorne and one of his natural daughters was the last thing I expected to see in a marriage contract between Arya and Rhaenys Targaryen. Because that's really what both contracts look like. A betrothal between the two girls, in which Aegon, or the rest of the world to be precise, painted little'

If Aegon and Bran's parchments had reassured him about Arya, the marriage contracts drawn up by the Targaryen Queen and the Winter Princess placed an added burden on Ned's heart.

Arya's parchment however, although Ned sold it to his children as part of Aegon's strategy, and although it was dated almost a moon and a half after the engagement signed by Aegon, Bran, and Princess Daenerys in Pentos, it had been written in Valyra Toliot se Rhoyne, the former capital of Nymeria. Which is almost two moons of brisk march from Pentos. It was a detail that Ned's children had fortunately overlooked, but which both Prince Aemon and Ned's brother Benjen stressed once his children went to sleep.

'If I have to listen to my instincts, Arya's betrothal to Rhaenys Targaryen has nothing to do with Aegon and Arya's betrothal. Furthermore, after reading the personal correspondence, it is clear to me that both Arya and Rhaenys Targaryen have been for almost two moons on their own, subjugating Norvos, freeing slaves and beginning to build the future capital of the Freehold.'

The three parchments with the Targaryen sigil in scarlet leaded wax, on the other hand, Ned didn't know if they were a way for his nephew to force his hand, a madness, or a brillant idea. Or the three combined.

'Or a way to emulate himself in the past.' Ned reflected fleetingly, remembering the scrolls the Dragon also sent when he began his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms three hundred years ago.

The first of the three parchments, it was one that had not only reached Ned, but was one that was reaching every noble and powerful of Essos and Westeros, making the creation of the Freehold of Valyria official and coming fully to light. To such an extent that Ned had no doubts that soon a raven would arrive from the south calling him to arms to go to war against Ned's nephew.

With the proclamation of Ned's nephew, there was no going back, no more time to stall, no reason to be ambivalent. Loyalties would soon be called into question, not just his own, but those of many lords in Westeros, loyalists to the Targaryen cause and those unhappy with Robert's regime.

'Let it be made public just as I am about to reveal the truth of Aegon to the world, if I believed in it, I would say it is a coincidence. But after the experiences of the last nine moons, I no longer believe in coincidences.'

That line of thought was what led Ned to think that his nephew was seeking at the same time with his proclamation, to force his hand.

'If they don't find out now from me, my bannermen will find out when they go back to their castles

and Keeps. It won't be difficult for them to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.'

The second parchment also from Aegon called on Ned to go to the first Grand Council of Valyria to the capital of the Freehold within a maximum period of six moons. In turn, along with Ned should go five nobles and four members of the small folk.

The third parchment was the official proclamation to all the lords, nobles and citizens of the Freehold of the marriage commitments of the children of Ned with Aegon and Daenerys Targaryen, in which they were invited to attend the Grand Council of Valyria to be held at the end of the year two hundred and ninety-eight.

Benjen, finishing his part, was at Ned's left garbed in his black leathers and furs under the heavy chainmail, long sword hanging from his waist. And at Benjen's left, a couple of steps behind them, maester Luwin.

"... And so, with me as an intermediary, my sister's blue Winter roses came into the possession of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. So that he could make a crown with them to reward my sister Lya for her courage, valor and honor in defending Lord Howland Reed, In case Rhaegar Targaryen won the Tourney, as how it finally was. My sister and the prince became friends, knew each other intimately and appreciated each other. Many of you, like me, were on that Tourney. All of you know that my sister never made any gesture against her crowning and that the only ones who really care about were my brothers and Lord Baratheon. Not even the Mad King or Jon Arryn batted an eye at the gesture. The first, with his madness, was understandable. The reaction of the second speaks clearly of the intentions from the Lord of the Vale. It is no secret to any of us, how much my sister Lyanna hated the idea of marrying Robert Baratheon, for whom she never felt anything beyond revulsion and rejection ... "

Benjen paused in his speech, giving him a fleeting glance. Something to which Ned responded with a nod to reassure his brother.

Specially when the words from his brother caused it to spread a muffled murmur that seemed to fill the entire north courtyard and faces of understanding were beginning to appear on some. Other faces continued to express doubts and lack of understanding about the reason for the topic that was being discussed that morning. What seemed widespread was that tempers seemed to be near the edge and one could start to hear insults directed towards Jon Arryn, Hoster Tully, Catelyn, Robert, the Mad King, Ned's father and even against Ned himself.

Shouts could be heard in some huddles that had formed in the crowd, where in some instances it seemed that fists would soon replace the insults and counter insults thrown between Ned's bannermen and among the small folk themselves.

"Impossible!"

"Hope the Mad Dragon spawn roots in the seven hells!"

"Fallacies, Lord Rickard was honorable!"

"The she wolf was forced by her brother and her father to be with a man she did not want. Where is the honor in that?"

"Arryn dressed in Stark fur!" "Death to the trout and the falcons!" "Death to all Maesters!"

"Dishonorable!"

"Liar!"

"Traitor to your King!"

"Traitor to the North!"

"The North Remembers!"

"Give North to the Dragon, usurper!" "Usurper, go back to Vale with the old man!" "A she-wolf can't be tamed or used as a pawn!" "Southron!"

"What did my children and my brothers shed blood for? What did my father die for? The she wolf was a selfish shit and a spoiled brat!"

"Brandon was twenty times more of a man than you are Ned Arryn! All your sons look like trout. Look at them folk, all redheaded like the fucking trout. None have the North in them, nor do they know the North!"

"Death to Robert!"

"You're Stark in name only! You betrayed your own kin!"

Robb's reaction to the insults hurdled towards them was to put his right hand on the hilt of his long sword. While Sansa tried to maintain her composure as best she could, while she hugged Rickon's back with her left arm and took her older brother left hand with her right hand.

These latest insults against his father and against his own person in particular, Ned could see were generally coming from the Faithful and from the section of people to the left of the platform. Where were the Umber, the Mormont, the Dustin and Ryswells led by Lady Barbrey, the Great Jon and his son, as well as Jorah and Maege. Next to them, the retinue of Prince Aemon whose hood prevented recognition at the moment among as where were most of the wards of the Free Folk.

To the left of this group were the Manderly with most of their bannermen as well as the Flint's finger along with the rest of Ned Neck's bannermen, with Howland's son and daughter in the front row next to Lord Robin Flint. While this group was not as hostile as the first, it seemed that from time to time contrary voices would come out towards House Stark and towards any of those mentioned except Lyanna or Prince Rhaegar. The name of the latter, during the first times that was mentioned during the morning, was at first booed in a similar way as it was being done now especially with the Prince's father, the Citadel's maesters in general, Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully. However, as Benjen's narration progressed, Ned could see how the insults and boos directed towards the silver prince had descended to only a disapproving murmur at being mentioned.

The insults and comments against Lyanna and in defense of her father came especially from the people to the right of the semicircle around the platform. Where Roose Bolton was at the head of most of his bannermen, the Whitehill and Overton being the most prominent, as well as part of the Glover and Tallhart entourage and their minor bannermen from Stony Shore and the Wolfswood.

In front of Ned and the platform, at the apex of the semicircle, extending from the section where

the most critical of Lyanna and defenders of Ned's father were, were his high and minor bannermen who had barely spoken. The Hornwoods, Cerwyn, Forresters, the Flint of Widow's Watch, the Locke and Rickard Karstark and his brood remained expectant, barely expressing themselves, although they closely followed each thing that was being said and explained. Between these last ones and the most critical towards Ned and house Stark, the lords from the mountain clans, who surprisingly to him, were expectant and had not yet caused a fuss.

Although the latter ones seemed closer to the views of what Ned was beginning to mentaly label as the Faithful from the North. For the Umber, Mormont, and much of the Manderly bannermen, as well as his bannermen from the Neck, seemed totally loyal to Lyanna and, in some cases, most certainly loyal to Aegon.

'Worst of all, there is still to tell what happened from Harrenhal until today.' Ned thought as he let out a sigh that he hadn't known how long he had been putting up with, while he clenched his left hand in a fist. 'There is no turning back now. The die is cast. The old Gods protect us.'

Steeling himself, he nodded his head in Jory's direction, Jory began to slamming a spear against the wood of the platform as he was shouting for silence, while Ned himself raised his open right hand to indicate that there was still more to tell.

When after a moments the spirits seemed to cool down a bit, or as much as possible due to the topic that was being discussed, Ned nodded to his brother so that he would culminate his part, and then Ned himself, could culminate the history.

Benjen seemed to reassert himself a couple of times, opening and closing his mouth without saying a single word, then gulping, before he could say what he still had to say.

"And as you know thanks to what we have revealed to you, the prince had his marriage annulled with Princess Elia Martell due to her sterility after the delivery of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen. To my eternal shame, until the moment when my brother was throw into the black cells by the Mad King, I did not say a single word about what happened in Harrenhal between my sister and the prince. By the time I said something to my father, my brother Brandon had already made his mad dash in search of awakening the Mad Dragon. But I can swear to the old gods that my sister was never kidnapped or coerced by the prince. When Lyanna left for Riverrun to our brother's wedding to Catelyn Tully, I knew that she was heading to meet the prince and that she was planning to marry him on the Isle of Faces. However, my father never listened to me, nor believed me. The following you all already know. My father called the banners to Winterfell, I believe that knowing about my sister and the prince and how this was a setback for the plans and alliances formed by him, Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully, he went to King's Landing to request a Trial by Combat..."

Ned's brother hesitated for moment, to then follow with his speech.

"I do not believe that he did that for the madness of the King, but for knowing of Brandon's guilt in his accusations against Prince Rhaegar and thus be able to save his precious alliances. As you all know, Ned did not return to Winterfell until after the war. Therefore I could only communicate by crow with him. Correspondence that I now know never ever reached him. Either because of our Maester Walys or because of the Maester of Riverrun."

When Benjen finished what he was saying, a deathly silence seized the more than five thousand souls gathered there. Some had realized Benjen's faux de pas by mentioning a supposedly dead person as his queen. More had relapsed into the fact that the prince was single and that Lyanna went willingly on her way to marry him. The faces of astonishment, surprise, realization and in some cases, fright, began to emerge among all those who did not had all the information.

'Which, judging by their reactions, is everyone except the Umber, the Mormont, the prince's party, the wards and the children of Howland Reed. It is time. This sudden stillness it's the deep breath before the plunge.'

Ned did not finish thinking that, that a real pandemonium was formed. Voices, screams, insults, and even some rotten vegetables were hurdled against the platform. Those who previously insulted Ned's sister and defended Ned's father and Ned, had now redoubled their insults against Lyanna and the Silver Prince. The small folk of Winterfell and its surroundings soon understood the meaning of what Benjen had said and put the pieces together with what they had seen in person nine moons ago, or with what they did not stop hearing from the mouths of the Faithful and the Believers. Inciting them to join in the oral lynching against Ned, his father, and virtually all of Westeros save Lyanna, Rhaegar Targaryen, and a name he was hearing for the first time in a long time; Jon Snow. Lady Barbrey was giving sailor-worthy tirades against the late Maester of Ned's father, while she was crying bitterly for Brandon. Many women and lasses present were weeping and heartbroken, moved by the love story truncated and doomed from the beginning by external factors between Rhaegar and Ned's sister.

The household guard had had to close ranks around the wooden platform in haste, and the archers and crossbowmen stationed on the north wall and on the battlements of the north gate drew their weapons.

"ENOUGH!!!" Ned roared at the top of his lungs to keep the festival from getting out of hand before even revealing all that was left to reveal "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH I SAID!! HEED MY WORDS!! I AM EDDARD STARK, THE LORD IN THE NORTH! ENOUGH, BE QUIET!!"

Ned couldn't tell if it was because the pups sensed the restlessness and nervousness in their masters, or because of the agitation that was taking place outside the Godswood they were curious. But suddenly as Ned shouted to impose some order again, a corridor in the crowd was open from the entrance to the ancient forest inside the Castle to the place where the platform was. The five Direwolves trotted by the corridor, with Winter and her humongous black mate leading the way and followed by the three pups, until stood in front of the wooden platform, leaning on their hind legs ready to jump at any moment, ears backwards, snarling, growling and baring their fangs to the crowd.

He didn't know if it was because of his words, because of the Direwolfs' threat and their attitude, or because of the flurry in activity from the members of the household guard or a combination of everything. But again there was a deathly silence.

"We the First Men believe that the judge who called the setence should wield the sword. I ask you people and lords, sons and daughters from the north, first listen to what I have to tell you and then act as Judge. I offer you my own family sword to wield when executing sentence if you require it of me. Because, if I am guilty of something, beyond being naive and seeing the world only in black and white, it is of not having told the truth for sixteen years."

Ned said in a heavy, emotional tone. He took a couple of steps on the platform until he was just on the edge of it, brought his left fist closed behind his back and with his right hand drew Ice over his shoulder. Which he placed in front of him and on whose crossguard he supported his right hand.

"Believe me when I tell you that I understand better than anyone the implications of what is being told here today. And I understand that my honor may be tainted once we finish the festival. But none of us here are responsible for what happened more than sixteen years ago, nor none of us schemed behind the back for achieve a greater station. The blame for this falls on the interests of some greedy, avaricious and petty southern lords, manipulated by a faction of the Archmaesters of

Oldtown's Citadel. The rest of them are dead. My father is dead. The Mad King is dead. My father's Maester is dead. My brother is dead. Nine moons ago I thought that a second Long Night would come before conceiving my father in the light that I conceive him today, or that I would speak the next words aloud some time in my life."

His voice powerful and clear, audible to every last person present that morning in the north courtyard.

Ned paused again, swallowed and straightened his posture even more, mentally preparing himself as if he were about to enter a battle.

"With what I know now, I see that I was very wrong about some things. However, today I present myself before all of you without doubts and with the will to atone for my faults." He glanced at his children, and shot them a reassuring look, for then look forward again. "My father was an ambitious man, who due to the wrong advice of his Maester and the alliances he made during times of war, felt that he could improve the situation from the North and at the same time that of the Seven Kingdoms. If they have something in common my late father, Lord Tully and Lord Arryn is that all three pretended to have blood ties to the Iron Throne, but without the Targaryens on it."

Opening his left fist to bring it to the front and support it on the crossguard, Ned rhetorically asked.

"You'll ask why, when they could achieve that through their daughters and the prince before this one was married to Princess Elia?" he paused for a moment in his address, to look into the eyes of all his bannermen present in the first row of the semicircle.

"Between the Blackfyre rebellions, the erratic in the Targaryen's reigns, the reforms of the Unlikely, the love lives of the children of the latter, as well as his tragic end in Summerhall, coupled with the madness of his grandson the Mad King, we must concede that although for the wrong reasons, there were certain compelling reasons to worry about the stability in the Seven Kingdoms and about the power of the Lords over their dominions. Due to my father's alliances and my mother's untimely death, I was fostered in the Vale at an early age. Something that indirectly and unconsciously made me become one more pawn in the game played by the ones we mentioned during this morning. A game of power. A game in which the lives of others do not matter as long as you win. Because, if you lost it, you die. It is the Game of Thrones that my father wanted to join and that ended in war and tragedy, tearing apart the Seven Kingdoms. Aside from what we have told and what you now know and knew, there are fundamental things that remain to be narrated before revealing the reasons for having advanced the Harvest Festival. Because although the Long Summer is ending, Autumn has not yet begun. But the North has the right to know the truth, to know what is coming and to choose what it wants. So I ask to all of you to let me finish explaining myself, before dictating and passing your sentence."

The silence, coupled with approving gestures and glances, prompted Ned to continue with what he had to say.

"Sixteen years ago, my sister, Princess Lyanna Targaryen nee Stark, married Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen on the Isle of Faces in the light of the Seven and under the shadow of the Old Gods with Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, Ser Myles Mooton, Lord Howland Reed, and the High Septon Maynard as witnesses to the marriage. This would be something I would not know about until the siege of Storm's End was lifted more than eight moons later. Like most of you, all I knew at the time was that my sister had disappeared without a trace when she was on her way to Riverrun to my brother Brandon's wedding. My older brother was in the lands of the Trident celebrating his last days of singleness, when someone whose identity we still do not know, alerted

him that our sister Lyanna had been kidnapped. Brandon being the hot headed he was, gathered everyone close to him at his hand and as we know, ended up at the doors of the Red Keep demanding the head of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen."

"Quiet you all! Be quiet! Let my brother explain himself!" Roared Benjen to stop the boos and angry shouts that emanated again from the crowd.

Nodding his head towards Benjen in thanks, Ned spoke again.

"If my brother had not gone to King's Landing and had followed his original itinerary, he would have met our brother-in-law and my sister in Riverrun. Whom were being hosted by Lord Hoster Tully and in whose welcoming feast was present the one who until nine moons ago was my wife, Catelyn Tully. Following this feast, my brother-in-law Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and my sister Princess Lyanna Targaryen revealed to Hoster Tully that they knew about the conspiracy hatched between him, Jon Arryn, and my father Rickard Stark, urging him to reverse their plans to overthrow the Dragon's Dynasty and throw their support in favor of Rhaegar in overthrowing Aerys the second of his name. That same night, my sister renounced her titles and her Stark's name, adopting her husband's name and his titles, in a document signed and drafted before the maester of Hoster Tully, and with the lord paramount from the Trident as witness. A copy os said scroll was sent from Riverrun to this castle. We know it came thanks to the archives from the late Maester Walys Flowers. But we don't know if my father ever saw it or it was destroyed before anyone else knew. Along with my sister's scroll, the prince also sent a scroll in which he urged my father to give up the idea of Robert as the future King of Westeros, to support Rhaegar, his son-in-law. This scroll suffered the same fate as my sister's, and as with that one, it is impossible for us to know whether my father received it or not. What we do know is that between the day of my sister's wedding to the prince and the day the raven arrived from King's Landing announcing Brandon's situation, no less than four scrolls arrived at Winterfell's aviary from Riverrun."

The importance and significance of what was revealed was so great, that unlike the clamor against the Maesters, Ned's father, Hoster Tully and Catelyn that he expected, the generalized reaction was an unearthly silence and disjointed faces that showed realization of having been deceived.

'It is not surprising. They are learning that we would have gone to war for a series of lies, half truths, secrets and ambitions of a few, even if the Mad King had never committed the atrocity that he committed with my father and brother. They are learning that the trigger for Robert's Rebellion is not true.'

"One moon prior to these events in the Riverlands, Lady Ashara Dayne who had been on Dragonstone for the nine moons that had passed since the end of Harrenhal's Tourney as lady in waiting for the Princess of Dorne Elia Martell, gave birth to a healthy boy. A boy with golden hair and violet eyes, who was passed off as the fruit of the annulled marriage between the crown prince and the princess of Dorne. This was done to avoid the possible and quite probable retaliation from the Mad King towards Elia for her sterility, or towards Rhaegar's own daughter. Rhaenys Targaryen who as with my children now, regardless of the anullment, continued to be legitimate and the heir to Rhaegar. All this was not known even by the father of the creature that was passed as the supposed heir of Rhaegar. Only six people knew about it, to be exact. Obviously, Lady Ashara, Princes Elia and Prince Rhaegar who were Lady Ashara's best friends, Lady Ashara's brother Ser Arthur Dayne who in turn was the sworn shield of the crown prince, Ser Oswell Whent, the other sworn shield of Rhaegar and my sister, who was the one who concocted the whole scheme."

Despite the firmness and security in the tone that Ned had managed to have until that moment of his speech before the North, he knew that at his next words it would be impossible not to show

trembling and pain in his voice.

'Too many mixed feelings, longings for what never was and wish had been. I wish my brother and sister hadn't been so temperamental and impulsive. I wish it had been me who Ashara loved. I should have sought justice for Tywin's crimes ...'

"Eight moons after the wedding between my sister and the prince, after the brutal death of my father and brother at the Mad King's hands, after the Trident and the death of Prince Rhaegar, after thousands of unnecessary deaths, took place the Sack of King's Landing and the murder of the Mad King. Many of us here today, were in the Red Keep that fateful day. Several of us here today saw the corpses draped in crimson Lannister banners in front of the Iron Throne. What neither of us knew was that the baby whose head was cracked by the Mountain that Rides was the son of my brother Brandon Stark and Lady Ashara Dayne, fruit of the adventure between the two of them during the first night of Harrenhal's Tourney. We also didn't knew that Ser Jaime and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen had survived and fled from the Red Keep, using the corpses of a Lannister soldier and Aerys' jester dwarf after killing Ser Amory Lorch as a decoy. Those were the bodies The Great Jon saw in the prince's stances. All of this I telling you all now, is something that until nine moons ago I dind't knew or even suspect about it. However, as is well known, even without knowing that, I tried to see that justice was served and that Tywin and his dogs would pay for the atrocities they had committed."

Ned couldn't help but shrink back hunching over the great valyrian sword, trying to contain the anguish and grief in his voice and gesture.

"However, to my great and eternal shame, I was deterred in my pursuit of justice by Jon Arryn. For the greater good it was, he told to me. I, being the gullible naive that I was, was easily influenced by Arryn and with my tail between my legs, I submissively went to lift the siege of Storm's End. On the way to the besieged fortress, Howland Reed told me part of the story that I am telling today and to which I did not give the credit it deserved."

He halted in his words, swalloling the lump that had formed in his throat.

"It would be after lifted the siege of Storm's End that a mute child would appear in my pavilion during the night, giving me a note saying that in the Princess' Pass in a tower, my sister was locked up. The note convinced me even more of the official spined tale that I blindly believed. I was unable to question anything, completely disdaining the words from Howland Reed. Lord Reed, seeing his words unheeded by me, insisted on accompanying me and five other true men from the North, in what was from my point of view, a rescue of my sister from the vile clutches of Rhaegar and the Mad King King's Guards. It never occurred to me to wonder why the Lord Commander of the order, the best sword in Westeros in decades and one of the best knights the Seven Kingdoms could offer, had not accompanied Rhaegar to meet with Robert at the Trident. Nor how could it be that these men of such renowned honor and fame could lend themselves to act as jailers and kidnappers of a girl of seven and ten days of her name. In my head it seemed impossible that my sister would willingly prefer to be with the prince rather than with Robert. I convinced myself that the prince was the rapist kidnapper that many of us wanted to see and whom for all we knew, was still married to Elia of Dorne. Prince whom I considered a worthy son of his father. Until I came to a tower at the foot of the Red Mountains, I firmly believed that justice had been served at the Trident. I naively gave the role of damsel in distress to my sister, when I myself, despite the estrangement I had with her and my brothers, knew that she was anything but a proper southern lady."

He said with a strained grimace, voice hoarse with remembered grief. Even nowadays after everithing that happen these last nine moons, Ned could hear his sister's last words at times during

his nightmares. 'And now it is more tolerable to remember that, because Lya has come back to life. She is expecting a new child and this time everything is different.'

Ned could feel the chill crawling up his back at what he was to said coming next.

"When we arrived at the misnamed Tower of Joy in the Princess' Pass, under the shadow of the Red Mountains, seven faced three, and only two came out alive to tell the tale. Myself and Howland Reed. It's to Howland Reed I owe my life. For when being at the mercy of the Sword of the Morning, it would be Howland who mortally wounded Ser Arthur from behind. It would be when entering the interior of the tower and during the last exhalations from my sister, with her son, my nephew, Aegon Targaryen in my arms, when I finally discovered that the story we belived was not as they had told us, nor as I believed. In fact, until nine moons ago I didn't know the whole story as I know it now. But I knew there were enough gaps on one side and the other to know that not everything was what it seemed."

In his head, it was like he was living it again. A lump formed in his throat and Ned could barely continue with his narration.

"My sister made me to promise that I would take care of her son and her son's inheritance. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The childbirth fever had taken her strength and her voice was faint as a whisper, but when I gave her my word, the fear was gone out of my sister's eyes. I can remember the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched mine as she gave up her hold on life, the blue winter rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that I barely remember anything more. Howland found me still holding her body, silent with grief. The little crannogman took Lya's hand from mine, and my nephew from his mother's chest."

If the silence until now was sepulchral, after his words only the sobs of some women and lasses could be heard. Maege and Dacey Mormont openly shedding tears for the end of who was their friend. Trying to steel himself, Ned straightened his posture, cleared his throat and prepared himself to finish revealing his for ten an five years most precious secret.

"Unfortunately for my nephew, as well as possibly for the Seven Kingdoms, my views on the Targaryens were clouded and biased. I had lost a lot in a very short time and was not able to exactly explain why. Robert for me, despite the episode of the Great Hall of the Iron Throne, was someone who I considered my brother in everything but blood and my nephew was barely few hours old. At that moment I decided that I would honor a part of the promise I made to my sister, betraying my duty to my King. While at the same time betraying a part of my duty to my sister, to fulfill my honor with the one I considered my brother and my King. I forced Howland Reed to keep a secret under oath and we headed to Starfall to deliver Dawn to its rightful owners. When I was asked at the Daynes' castle about the identity of the baby, I named him Jon Snow and everyone took the rest for granted. Fortunately little Aegon had inherited his mother's hair color and the indigo purple in his eyes was hardly noticeable with the streaks of silver. I never lied, because I never said that Jon Snow was my son, nor said ever whom his mother was. But I never told the truth, nor did I intend to tell it. Not even to the boy himself. At least until nine moons ago."

The deathly silence that dominated the north courtyard seemed to propagate the sound of Ned's voice. Looking at his bannermen and at his small folk, he could see that the mood had gone from heated to solemn and introspective. It seemed that everyone was putting the pieces together, along with the implications of everything that had been told that morning in the present and in the future in the short and medium term.

Only the Umber, the free folk's wards and the prince's party seemed totally serene and up-to-date

on everything. Moors Crowfood and Great Jon nodded in his direction, while Ned could watch an approving nod unfold under Prince Aemon's hood. The she-bears were staring daggers at him, while Jorah, who surely by now understood perfectly the implication of Ned's orders, had a face that mixed wonder with pride.

Rickard Karstark and his entire family looked at Ned expectantly, while the lords of the mountain clans, minus his kin the Flint, began to argue quietly among themselves.

Some of his bannermen, like Howland Reed's sons, the Flint from the mountains, and those closest to Winterfell looked at Ned with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

Lord Manderly, as he gazed at him with intrigue, whispered something in the ear of his eldest son, while the youngest of them spoke to Lord Halys Hornwood.

Roose Bolton for his part, had his cold eyes fixed on Ned, looking at him suspiciously.

A cough and throat clearing in the front row of the semicircle in front of him, diverted Ned's attention from Roose Bolton.

"Ned, I think I speak for everyone. What in the seven hells happened nine moons ago? What really happened in the crypts of Winterfell on the fifth moon of last year? Because if I have one thing clear now, it is that your nephew, Aegon Targaryen, Jon Snow, or whatever his name is, probably with your two children absent, Ser Jaime Lannister and Rhaenys Targaryen are the ones responsible for subduing northwestern Essos in these last nine moons, with dragons the size of hills. And if I have to gamble something, I'd bet he is behind whatever has happened beyond the Wall and what is happening in Eastwatch and the Narrow Sea. Until nine moons ago there were no wild tales of dragons, no ancient Empires brought back to life, no myths or legends made true, nor magic was something roaming the world."

The blunt, direct, concise and accurate of the questions asked by Robb's soon-to-be father-in-law made Ned wince.

The last words carried especially much weight and much of the responsibility for what happened nine moons ago.

'Having seen one of the wights from the Others, plus confirmation of the existence of an Aegon Targaryen and my tacit confirmation of the existence of dragons, has rightly led him to believe that magic is behind it all.'

Ned glanced at his children, who, including Rickon, displayed a fortitude improper for their age and the situation that was taking place. 'This last year has made them mature leaps and bounds, opening their eyes to the real world.' He mused to himself with pride in his children.

Glancing towards his brother Benjen, he had his left hand on the left temple, while Maester Luwin that for the first time knew the whole story except what exactly happened in the crypts, had his jaw open and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Lord Karstark's question returned the full attention of everyone present to Ned. He sighed deeply, and proceeded to reveal the last that remained to be revealed. 'Nine moons of secrets, half truths, internal doubts and what seems a whole new world for me.'

Ned took a deep breath and prepared to say what would decide whether the North would follow his nephew in the preparations and fight against the Others, or there would be an internal war.

"Nine moons ago, my nephew Aegon Targaryen, unaware of his true identity and his true parents,

celebrated his fifth and tenth day of his name. And my gift was to suggest him that he would seek a life in the Nightswatch. That evening, while my nephew sleep dreaming of fire and blood in a half demolished solar from the now non-existent First Keep, a red comet appeared in the sky, that upon awakening from his nightmare decided Aegon to went down to the crypts. There, in front of the grave of his until that moment unknown mother..."