Chapter 2226: 21
Chapter Text
The Silver Prince
Rhaegar Targaryen was walking on the grounds surrounding Harrenhall. He had not been back to Harrenhal since the tourney but he still remembered the castle perfectly. He was standing in the exact same spot that his horse was in, all those years ago when he had crowned Lyanna. As he closed his eyes he was able to remember her face when he presented the crown to her. She was wearing a grey dress that she had reluctantly put on, she had told Rhaegar that she would rather wear riding leathers than dresses. Her long hair fell straight down over her shoulders and down her back. She had blushed heavily before graciously accepting the crown of blue winter roses. She had given him a small nervous smile that had warmed his heart. Rhaegar smiled at the memory before turning away.
He walked around the outside of the camps, taking care to stay away from the crown's forces. He headed back to the Targaryen forces camp, he would ensure that everything was going according to plan before heading back to the castle. He had several people in mind that he needed to speak to before the council started. Rhaegar looked up at the sky and realised that since Jon and Dany had arrived later than expected, the council would have to take place the following day.
He walked to their camp on the eastern side of the castle and saw that the Unsullied had set up sentries. Their camp was far from the crown's forces and Rhaegar was pleased to see that it was being constructed quickly. Even their Dothraki had made an effort to build an organized camp. Rhaegar walked towards the camp and looked for either the Unsullied commander Stalwart Shield or for one of the Dothraki bloodriders. Eventually, he found Jhoqo, one of their bloodriders. They had decided to leave Aggo and Rakharo back at Dragonstone with the majority of their horde. Jhoqo spoke the common tongue the best and he would ensure that their orders would be carried out quickly.
"Jhoqo," he called and the Dothraki man quickly walked over. "Have the horses been put out to graze?"
"Yes," he said. "Big castle,"
"Biggest in Westeros," Rhaegar said with a smile. "Did you receive a barrel of wine from the castle?"
"Yes," he said and then he scrunched up his face. "It tasted disgusting,"
"Did everyone drink it?" Rhaegar insisted.
"If Khal and Khaleesi says we must drink it, then we will drink it," he said and Rhaegar nodded. He knew that the Dothraki would do anything for their Khal and Khaleesi.
"Take care Jhoqo, I might return later. Stay clear of the men in the steel dresses," Rhaegar said with a smile as he headed towards the castle. His gloved hand brushed over the hilt of his sword as he walked. Jon had given him a new sword for this meeting, he had yet to name it but he would get around to it eventually. There were only a limited number of Valyrian steel swords in the world and this sword deserved its own special name.
Robert Baratheon had changed over the years. He had allowed his beard to grow and he had clearly put on a lot of weight. He was not the same man that he had been 20 years ago. Still, he was not as fat as Rhaegar had expected based on the reports they had received. Rhaegar had assumed that Robert would be too fat to fight in battle but this did not appear to be the case. Still, Robert's surprise when he saw his face had been worth it. His face had gone from shocked to confused and then to angry so quickly Rhaegar found himself biting his tongue to refrain from laughing. Robert's blue eyes had widened like saucers at first but then they had been reduced to mere slits in anger.
Robert seemed to have brought his eldest son as well, a boy who looked more Lannister than Baratheon. Cersei and her other 2 children did not appear to be here but that didn't bother him in the slightest, he had more important people to see today than Cersei Lannister.
As he walked towards the main castle gatehouse, he observed the camps and the banners that were flying. He did not see any signs that any of the Dornish houses had arrived to attend the council. He had hoped that at least some of the Dornish houses would attend, Arthur Dayne had been his best friend and at the very least Rhaegar could have convinced House Dayne to join them. The fact that the Dornish were not here only served to confirm his suspicions that Jon Connington and his false prince were in Dorne, he would need to relay these thoughts to Jon and Daenerys.
He reached the castle gatehouse and walked to the courtyard on the other side. He saw that the courtyard was nearly empty which surprised him. Then, he realised that the Lords must be gathered elsewhere having their own private discussions before the council, perhaps Jon and Daenerys could have the council today after all. He looked around the courtyard and saw them standing at one side, talking to who he believed was Lord Stark's heir. It looked like they were having a happy reunion so he decided to leave them be. Instead, he turned and headed across the courtyard and into the castle. He walked up a flight of stairs and then he walked along a torch lit stone corridor that led further into the castle. Rhaegar had not been to Harrenhall in years but it seemed that his feet still remembered the way through the castle.
He walked through the corridors until he reached a large wooden door, he pushed the door open and entered a gallery that overlooked the great hall of Harrenhall. It was called 'The Hall of the Hundred Hearths'. Rhaegar knew that the hall did not actually contain 100 hearths, it only had around 30 or so. However the hall was still the largest hall in Westeros, huge enough to entertain an army.
Or as Rhaegar guessed, large enough to hold all the Lords and knights that would gather here for the great council. Rhaegar watched as servants went about their tasks preparing the room. The fires were maintained and the tables had been removed or pushed to the far end of the hall. The room was well lit, there were torches along the walls and there were numerous chandeliers on the ceiling with candles in them.
At the far end of the room, there was a large dais with three chairs on it. Two on one side, one on the other. This would be where Jon, Daenerys and Robert Baratheon would be seated later and address the lords of the realm.
The first Great council had been held in this very hall hundreds of years ago. That council had been held for two rival Targaryen claimants (a male and a female each) in a bid to determine the heir to King Jaehaerys I. All the lords had their discussion, voted and that council had been resolved peacefully. Unfortunately, that was not the normal outcome for such councils. Rhaegar was not foolish enough to believe that Robert Baratheon would peacefully set aside his crown, he would sooner die with his sword in hand than give up the throne. This council was their chance to gather enough support to make a war unfeasible for Robert.
Rhaegar's eyes stayed on the dais and he remembered the time when he was seated at the high table next to his father during the feasts at the tourney. One evening, he even played his harp and sang a special song for the lords in attendance. He sung it especially for Lyanna, it was their song. A song that he had played for her during their short time together. He had not played it since and he knew that he would never play it again. Even though she was seated at a table in the middle of the hall surrounded by her family he was still able to find her with his eyes.
He smiled at the memory. Jon looked so much like her and he knew that she would be proud of their son. He had even begun to work on a song for Daeron, the little prince loved it when he sang and he deserved a song of his own.
"Your grace," he heard a familiar voice say. Rhaegar stood up and turned towards the voice of Ser Barristan Selmy. Rhaegar looked at him. His face had aged and his hair was now completely white. He was dressed in his white Kingsguard garb and his blue eyes were looking at him nervously.
"Ser Barristan Selmy," he said, his voice formal.
"Your grace," he began and Rhaegar knew that he was unsure of what to say. "How are you alive? I thought that you fell that day on the Trident," the old knight said, his voice shaking.
"I survived Ser Barristan. I fell into the river and washed up further downstream. I was nursed back to health by a red priest," Rhaegar answered and he saw Barristan nod slowly.
"Your wounds? Robert said that he hit you with his hammer, right in your chest,"
"My wounds have healed but I still bear the scars, Ser Barristan. It was a miracle that I survived, do not doubt it,"
"Your grace, if I had known you survived. I would have come to you," he said quickly and Rhaegar knew that it was true.
"You could have gone to Essos to seek out Princess Daenerys and Prince Viserys," Rhaegar pointed out even though he knew that this would have been too much to expect of Ser Barristan. Rhaegar knew what he was, he was a follower. Ser Barristan was raised in the Stormlands. A region that not only produced fearsome warriors but also placed emphasis on service and obedience.
"I should have. I should have never accepted his pardon. I am sorry your grace," he said as he fell to his knees. Barristan accepting Robert's pardon did not surprise him. When he had fallen that day on the Trident, Barristan would have felt lost. The Targaryen dynasty was approaching its end and he needed a new King to serve.
"I should have never accepted his pardon," Barristan repeated. "He was not the true King. I know that now. Robert has proved his unworthiness through his actions and decisions during his reign. Please your grace, I beg for forgiveness," he pleaded.
"Rise, Ser Barristan," he said wearily as he tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He watched as the knight slowly stood and looked at him nervously.
"What will you have me do your grace?" he asked nervously.
"Swear your sword into the service of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys. Guard their back as you would mine,"
"You want me to join their Kingsguard?"
"I want you to lead it," Rhaegar said firmly. He knew that Ser Barristan could be trusted. He could think of no better knight that Ser Barristan Selmy to lead their Kingsguard, it would add an extra layer of legitimacy to their cause. It would also send a message, if the Lord Commander of Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard left him, then he was not worthy to be King.
"Your grace, you honor me. I am not worthy of this," he said and Rhaegar sighed.
"Were you serious about not accepting his pardon?" Rhaegar asked and Ser Barristan nodded.
"Then prove it by serving the true King and Queen," he said firmly. He saw Ser Barristan look at him uncertainly before he slowly nodded. "Come with me and I will introduce you to the King and Queen,"
Ser Barristan nodded slowly.
"Why are you not the King?"
"My son is better suited to rule than me. I know that now. He and Daenerys are the rulers that Westeros needs in the upcoming years. They have good intentions and they care about the people they will rule over,"
"Is he your son? By Lyanna Stark?" and Rhaegar nodded.
"Yes. Aegon is my trueborn son by Lyanna. My marriage to Elia was annulled and I married Lyanna not too far from here on the Isle of Faces," he said with a smile.
"Your grace, why did you not tell anyone?" Ser Barristan asked. "Nearly everyone in the entire realm believed that you kidnapped and raped her or ran off with her,"
Rhaegar sighed in frustration.
"We did leave messages. Lyanna was supposed to be heading to Riverrun for her brother's wedding, I met her a few miles from Riverrun with some of my men. She sent word ahead to Riverrun and then to Winterfell by raven, letting them know that she was breaking off her betrothal and leaving with me of her own free will but it seems that our messages were never delivered or concealed on purpose," Rhaegar said bitterly. It was something that he had thought about many times over the years. Someone had disposed of the letters, perhaps it was Hoster Tully and Lord Rickard Stark himself. Hoster was an ambitious Lord and Rhaegar now knew that he wanted to remove the Targaryen dynasty at the tourney. Perhaps, Hoster realised that by destroying this letter, he could move the realm towards rebellion while Lord Rickard probably hid the letter in an attempt to save face in the realm.
That would make a certain degree of sense. Rhaegar knew that the letter had likely made its way to Riverrun, after all, how else would Brandon Stark know that he was with Lyanna?
As Rhaegar thought about it more, he realised that this must have been what happened. Brandon Stark would have been near Riverrun for his wedding to Catelyn Tully, perhaps he had been fed wrong information and this was what caused Brandon to rush off to Kings Landing. That person would have guessed that Brandon, or his father, would do something rash and stupid which would have provided the excuse to start the rebellion.
Was that person Hoster Tully? It was a possibility, he would have to speak to the Tullys today and see if they knew about this. Rhaegar knew that he was unlikely to get an honest answer but he would still ask to see if they knew anything in the slightest.
"I don't understand. Why did you go to Lyanna? Why did you meet her outside Riverrun?"
"I heard that my father planned to arrest her. He did not have a good reason to do so but he was the King so having a good reason did not matter. When I heard this piece of news, I left Dragonstone with some of my most trusted men to meet with her and explain the situation," he said Barristan nodded slowly. Rhaegar decided to omit the part about her being the Knight of the Laughing Tree.
"Where was your son? Was he with you the entire time in Essos?"
"No. He grew up here in Westeros," Rhaegar said.
"Really? Someone would have noticed," Barristan said and Rhaegar sighed.
"It's a long story. One for another time," Rhaegar said, saving the conversation for another time. Barristan looked at him curiously before nodding slowly. "Truthfully, I did not know that he was alive until recently. When I first saw him, I could not believe it. I knew that he was my son immediately, he looks so much like her," Rhaegar said with a wide smile. He still remembered the day that he had met Jon in Pentos, it was one of the happiest days of his life.
They were stood silently on the gallery for a few moments as they watched the servants carry out their tasks. It was Ser Barristan who spoke next,
"Your grace, do you know what happened to my sworn brothers? I knew that Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell were away with you. Then after the Battle of the Bells, the King had sent Ser Gerold to fetch you back so that you could command the royal armies. You returned but he did not, none of them returned from wherever they were,"
Rhaegar was silent for a few moments whilst he considered how much he could tell him.
"Do you know how they died?" he settled on and Barristan shook his head. "I had them with me. First, Ser Oswell and Ser Arthur and then later Ser Gerold. I told them to guard Lyanna whilst I was away at war, she was pregnant with my son then and I could not leave her unprotected,"
"Wait, I remember now. I had heard a rumor that Lord Stark had slain Ser Arthur but I never asked and Lord Stark never mentioned it. This means that Lord Stark found Ser Arthur and my brothers when they were guarding Lyanna?" he said and Rhaegar nodded.
"So, Lord Stark found his sister and my brothers and then they fought. Lord Stark and his friends must have killed my sworn brothers. What happened to Lyanna and the child?"
"Lyanna died in childbirth," Rhaegar said and he watched as Ser Barristan worked out the rest.
"All these years. Lord Stark had your son?" he asked as he leaned in towards him.
"Yes," Rhaegar said quietly. He was still immensely thankful that Lord Stark took Jon in and raised him in his household but he was not happy with the way Lady Catelyn had treated him. Even if Lord Stark could not tell everyone that he was a prince, he still deserved to be treated better than a bastard who was born from a drunken mistake.
"I would never have guessed, although it still does not make sense. The King looks like a Targaryen somebody would have alerted the King if a boy matching those description was spotted in the North,"
"Ser Barristan. That is a good question, but like I said earlier, I will tell you that story later. It is part of an unbelievable story, one that you should hear from them and not from me," Rhaegar said and after a moment Ser Barristan nodded.
"Now, come with you. I will take you to the King and Queen," Rhaegar said as he led them away. He walked through the stone corridors until he reached a balcony overlooking the main courtyard again. They were on the second floor and Rhaegar was able to see nearly the entire courtyard. He could see a group of Northmen talking on one side of the courtyard. He saw a group of knights from the Reach and the Stormlands talking too, they seemed to be showing each other their weapons for some reason.
Then his eyes found Jon and Daenerys, they were in the opposite corner of the courtyard and they were still talking to the Stark boy. Jon had his arm around Daenerys's waist and it looked like they were having a good time catching up. Jon had mentioned that he had a good relationship with the Stark heir and they had hoped that his would be helpful to their cause.
Rhaegar watched as they spoke for a few minutes and then he saw Lord Stark approach the trio with his wife following closely behind him. Rhaegar saw that the mood immediately change, both Jon and Dany stiffened and stood up straighter. He watched their conversation for a few moments before deciding to head over. He had wanted to meet Lord Stark alone and he knew that now would be a good a time as any.
The Lord of Winterfell
Ned Stark looked at Jon standing next to his Queen. They made a striking couple that was for certain, even though Ned was taller than them, he noticed that they exuded an unquestionable aura of authority and power. The Queen was even more beautiful than described in the songs, she truly possessed the same ethereal beauty that Rhaegar did. Underneath her black fur cloak she was wearing a gown that was of a deep plum color, she wore a beautiful jeweled crown on her head. Ned could see gemstones shimmering in the light, it was unbelievably detailed and Ned could not even begin to imagine the cost of such items. However, what was most shocking was the color of their eyes. Daenerys had lilac eyes and so did Jon, and this really confused him. How was Jon able to change the color of his eyes? The hair can be explained with the use of dyes, but the eyes were a different matter entirely. Perhaps somewhere in Essos Jon had picked up this trick, maybe from an Essosi mage or a witch.
Ned looked him up and down. He wore a black fur cloak over his black doublet that had the sigil of House Targaryen sown into it. Ned looked down and saw that he had a sword strapped to his waist and like Rhaegar's, this sword also looked very expensive. Ned saw emeralds, rubies and sapphires glimmering in its hilt. The pommel was crafted into the shape of a dragon head and it had red rubies for eyes. Jon wore a full crown and like Daenerys's Tiara, it too was a showcase of their apparent wealth. The crown and the tiara matched perfectly, as if they were made for each other. As he saw them side by side he realised that this is what a King and Queen should look like. Then Ned looked at Jon, his silver blonde hair, his purple eyes, his Targaryen attire and even his sword was styled after dragons.
Jon was a Targaryen now. Not a Stark.
He swallowed and then drew himself up to his full height, Rhaegar would have probably pushed him to embrace the Targaryen ways, but Rhaegar was not here and that was good, he would be able to have a better conversation with Jon now. He took a deep breath and wondered how to start this conversation.
"Lady Catelyn," Jon said icily as he greeted his wife. Jon's voice was formal and he slowly extended a gloved hand for her to shake. Catelyn ignored him and turned towards Daenerys.
"Lady Daenerys," she said,
" Queen Daenerys," Jon growled as he stared at her, his purple eyes narrowed to slits. Ned saw Daenerys slowly reach out to pat Jon on the arm lightly and this action seemed to make him to relax.
"Lady Catelyn," she said politely as she offered out her hand, palm facing down. She wore golden bracelets crusted with amethysts on her wrists and Ned saw a strange ring on her finger, Ned was not sure what the gemstone was made off. Catelyn stared at it for a few moments before moving to shake it.
"You may have treated me as if I was nothing more than a bastard but I always learned my courtesies," Jon began in a soft voice "I believe the custom is that you should kiss the Queen's hand, not shake it,"
Catelyn turned to him and gave him a cold glare as she stood up straight.
"She is not my Queen," she said stiffly and Ned saw Jon raise his eyebrow in surprise before he quickly scowled. He opened his mouth to speak but Daenerys cut him off.
"Perhaps, we should skip the courtesies my love," she said to Jon who reluctantly nodded.
"Lord Stark," she said as she turned to him, her voice was clear and carried an element of authority to it. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, your wife and your son," she said with a polite smile.
"Thank you. It is nice to finally meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances,"
"What is wrong with these circumstances?" Jon asked immediately and Ned turned towards him.
"We are here at a council to try and prevent the outbreak of a war. A war that you have started," Ned said firmly and he saw Jon's eyes narrow. This conversation was not off to the best start.
"A war that I started?" he asked "I did not start this war. The Usurper started this war over 18 years ago,"
"Usurper?" Ned said and then he laughed cruelly. "Robert is not a usurper. He,"
"He what? Did he not rise up against his rightful King?" Jon said.
"His rightful King? Aerys was mad and had no right to sit the throne," Ned spat.
"He was a Targaryen and just in case you memory has failed you, you should know that House Targaryen have been the rightful rulers of Westeros since King Aegon I defeated all the old royal houses of the kingdoms. So, he was your King by right and law. You were sworn to obey him. Who are you to judge him?" Jon asked angrily. "Your actions over the years prove that your judgment isn't without flaw either."
"I judged him after he brutally murdered my father and my brother. Your uncle and your Grandfather," Ned pointed out. He was shocked that Jon was defending the Mad King, especially after what he did to their family. Although as he looked at Jon's appearance, he realised that Jon no longer considered himself a Stark
"Be that as it may. You should have supported my father and moved to put him on the throne. Even if you did not approve of my father, you should have acted to place me on the throne after the supposed fall of my father and the brutal murders of my siblings. By all laws of succession, the throne was mine and you gave it to the Usurper."
Ned felt a rush of anger and betrayal pass through him. Father? He called him his father? He would have known Rhaegar for barely over a year and yet he called him a father and him Lord Stark.
"But why should I be surprised? This was the plan after all. Your father, Hoster Tully and Jon Arryn were all plotting together to overthrow my family's dynasty long before the rebellion," Jon said and Ned looked at him in disbelief.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ned asked. Perhaps this was yet more of Rhaegar's lies. Jon looked at him curiously for a moment.
"Do you remember the Tourney at Harrenhal? Of course you do. My father secretly funded that tourney with the purpose to gather all the great Lords together so that he could propose his plan to overthrow his father,"
Ned was surprised, Rhaegar wanted to overthrow his father? Why would he do that? For power? If this was true, Ned would have heard about it.
"My father knew of his father's growing madness and he meant to call a great council here in order to gather support to overthrow him. However, the plotting of your father and his allies prevented him from taking action. It was thanks to my mother that he learned of the conspiracy that was brewing against House Targaryen in Westeros,"
"You are talking nonsense," Ned said as he shook his head. "Our fathers had nothing to gain by betraying Rhaegar or House Targaryen. This is a lie," he said and he saw Catelyn nod her head in agreement.
"These are nothing but the lies from a bastard," Catelyn said.
"He is not a bastard. He is my brother's trueborn son and your rightful king. You would do well to show respect," Daenerys snapped as she stepped forward.
"Yet you have married him?" Catelyn asked and she nodded. "The Seven decree that incest is a monstrous sin and they will strike you down,"
"We don't follow the Seven. We are dragons and we do not answer to either gods or men," Daenerys said with a fierce glare at Catelyn who did not back down. The two women stared at each other before Daenerys closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, Ned heard a roar from a dragon, it was not close, but it was still loud. Ned knew that she was sending a message and clearly so did Catelyn.
"Jon, please continue your story," Robb said somewhat apprehensive.
"Don't worry about Lady Catelyn, she listens to everything her stupid septa says since she has no thoughts of her own," Jon said as he took hold of her hand. Then he turned to Ned, his purple eyes blazing.
"Your fathers had everything to gain. If my father had called the council, your father and his allies would have most likely exposed him as a traitor to my grandfather. You can very well imagine the outcome of such a scenario. My father would have been executed, his wife and children would have been punished as well and the realm would be left at the mercy of an unstable king whose only heir would have been a young boy. House Targaryen would have become vulnerable without any stable and strong heir and leader."
"Even you cannot deny that at the time everyone looked to my father as the hope for a better ruler. With him gone, the realm would have to search elsewhere,"
Ned shook his head at Jon who continued anyway.
"Let me ask you, did you not find it odd that your lord father was trying to forge multiple connections with the south unlike all the lords of the North before him? He arranged the betrothal for his heir to ruling house of the Riverlands instead of choosing a northern bride as was the tradition. Surely, the northern lords would not have been pleased by this decision. Instead of trying to appease his lords by sending you, his second son to foster with a Northern house, he sent you to the Vale. Most likely in the hope that you would develop a strong connection with Jon Arryn and his other ward Robert Baratheon. Another southern alliance which would have not sat well in the North."
"Lord Rickard has already used his two sons to build connections with the south and then he arranged the marriage of his only daughter to Robert Baratheon instead of a loyal northern house. Why was your father so keen on making allies in the south? The North has always prided itself for keeping out of southern politics, then why did your father break away from the norm?"
Ned shook his head, this was not true, it had to be a lie. His father was a Northman, and northmen prided themselves on staying out of Southern politics. The marriage to Catelyn made sense, the Riverlands were a neighboring region, having a favorable relationship with them was just a smart decision nothing more. The Riverlands would be able to provide food to help during the cold winters, yet it was just a good move by his father to benefit the North, it was not part of a grand conspiracy.
As for Lyanna's marriage with Robert. That had been something that he had set up and pushed for because Robert had asked it of him. His father had little to do with that marriage, it was a favor to a friend.
Ned explained this reasoning to Jon who simply laughed and looked at him like he was simple minded.
"If the North had survived for centuries without the assistance of any southern houses then why the sudden need to build an alliance with the Riverlands? But for the sake of argument, I'll agree with your logic and accept that the Riverlands alliance served the North's interest. But then how do explain the decision to send you to foster in the Vale? Did your father think that the northern houses were unworthy or unfit to foster his son? Why not send you to a Riverland house to strengthen ties with his new allies? Why choose the Lord Paramount of another kingdom for this task especially the one who was fostering the heir to the Stormlands? He could have sent you to foster in Riverrun to strengthen ties or another kingdom like the Reach or Westerlands who could provide valuable trade opportunities in the future. The Vale offered no trade or financial benefits in an alliance but they did have a powerful army and were already the foster home for a future Lord Paramount. Your father was forming alliances with kingdoms who not only had powerful military forces but also had no strong ties to the crown as well, unlike the Tyrells who owed the status to the dragons or Tywin Lannister who was Hand of the King and a childhood friend of my grandfather."
"The marriage between Robert and Lyanna was something that came from me. My father had nothing to do with it, do not speak like you knew him or his thoughts," Ned said firmly.
"Do you truly believe that your father, the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North agreed to marry his only daughter to a southern lord because his second son had advised him to do so? Tell me, do Arya or Bran tell you what to do when you make critical decisions for your house and lands? No they don't. Your father agreed to betroth his only daughter to a man neither she nor himself had ever met just because you suggested it. Did he not consider that his bannermen might feel offended at continuously being ignored in favor of the South? Please admit it, he simply saw a good opportunity to increase his power and took it."
"One time is an accident, twice is a coincidence but three times is a pattern."
"Now, let me continue my explanation. Once the lords had decided that they could no longer abide the Targaryen rule, who would have been the most eligible choice for king? Your friend, Robert Baratheon who was the closest living relation to House Targaryen,"
"Robert did not only have blood ties to House Targaryen but he also was poised to receive the support of the North, the Riverlands and the Vale along with the Stormlands due to the alliances formed by both of your fathers."
"Your fathers had everything to gain. Robert becomes the King while Lord Rickard's daughter would become Queen of Westeros and Stark blood would sit on the throne one day. Similarly, Lord Hoster would gain influence at court through his marriage connections with House Stark along with having his grandchildren become the rulers of the North eventually. As for Lord Arryn, the new king would surely reward his foster father and loyal supporter. Appointing him Hand of the King would be the logical choice."
"Lord Hoster even tried to bring the Westerlands into their alliance by trying to arrange a marriage between Jaime Lannister and his daughter Lysa. But sadly, my grandfather's paranoia and madness destroyed that alliance before it could be formed. Still, you can clearly see the great web of treason and conspiracy that was being created in the realm"
"This means nothing," Ned said to Jon "These are just coincidences and there is no proof of any conspiracy," and Jon simply laughed and Ned scowled.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked and Ned nodded. "How can you not see it? All of these lords had a lot more to gain by placing Robert on the throne. Surely you are not so naive to think that all of these outcomes were mere coincidences. They were ambitious men who sensed an opportunity to seize more power for themselves,"
"How dare you accuse my father! You do not know him. He would not do this. Family, Duty, Honor—these are House Tully's words and we live by them," Catelyn said angrily.
"Greed, Opportunism, Hypocrisy—these words describe your family's actions far better. When the rebellion broke out, he gave the support of the Riverlands to the rebel cause only after you were wed to Lord Stark and Jon Arryn married your sister. The grief of his daughter who was mourning her dead betrothed, justice for a fellow Lord Paramount or loyalty to the crown were not part of his thought process. He used the war to improve the standing of his own house. He forgot that it was a Targaryen who raised his family to the status of Lord Paramount. Your father had neither honor nor loyalty," Jon told her as he glared at her.
"You are a rude, ungrateful, spiteful boy. I took you into my household for 18 years and I"
"Did what?" Jon asked angrily "Put a roof over my head? Put clothes on my back? You did the minimum for me. If it wasn't for your husband you would have put me outside with the horses and the dogs. You did not care for me. You gave me nothing to be grateful for," Jon spat as he glared at her.
"That is my wife you are speaking to," Ned said as he stepped forward to close the distance between them. He had no right to speak to her that way, he raised him better than that.
"Yes, your wife. The woman you let treat me as if I was nothing for nearly my entire life. That says a lot about you as well. It shows that you didn't care about me either,"
"That's not true. You're Lyanna's son, you're my family," Ned said as he shook his head, surely he still remembered this.
"Then why did you let her treat me like that!" Jon shouted angrily and Ned heard another roar. This one was different, it sounded higher pitched. "You either didn't know which means you are stupid because this happened under your own roof. Or it means that you didn't care for me at all since you did not stop her. That means that your claim of being 'family' is nothing but a lie as you would not let family be treated like that. So which one is it?"
Ned angrily stared at him, he could not believe that Jon would act like this. He refused to answer his stupid question.
"You know when I was growing up at Winterfell, I often heard how people sympathized with you and your wife. Lord Eddard is so good and honorable, no lord would ever do so much for his bastard and poor Lady Catelyn, she truly is a dutiful wife to tolerate the bastard's presence in her home. That boy does not realize how blessed he is and he should be eternally grateful to them. It's far more than the son of some southern whore deserves."
"So, I am grateful to you both. Thank you for stealing my name and birthright and giving it your drunk lecherous friend. Thank you for turning the trueborn heir of the most powerful dynasty to ever exist into a lowly bastard. Thank you for constantly reminding the true king of Westeros of how lucky he was to have the scraps that you threw his way. Thank you for letting people slander my father's name for 18 years. Thank you for allowing people to taunt and make insulting comments about my mother, your own sister. I sincerely hope that I get the chance to repay all your acts of kindness and love."
Ned stared at him and Jon stared back. They were inches apart and grey eyes stared into purple and Ned felt like they were the only two people in the world. He could hear him breathing they were standing that close to each other. How dare he accuse him of this? How could he take all of those years of kindness and throw it back in his face?
Eventually Robb pushed them apart.
"We are family," Robb said firmly. Glancing at both of them. Ned took a few deep calming breaths before he decided to change his approach.
"I saw Ser Jorah Mormont with your party today," he said and Jon nodded. "Did you know he was a former slaver? Did you know I was going to arrest him and execute him for this crime before he fled Westeros?"
"Yes we know that," Daenerys said.
"Then why is he with you? He can't be trusted,"
"He is with us because we believe in second chances," Jon said firmly and Daenerys nodded. Ned looked at him in disbelief before he shook his head, he could let the issue of Ser Jorah slide.
"What happened in Slaver's Bay? I have heard stories that you have been sacking cities,"
"Yes, we sacked two cities. Astapor and Meereen," Daenerys said. "We sacked the cities and killed the masters that ruled and oppressed the slaves,"
"We set the slavers of Astapor aflame while in Meereen, we crucified them. The masters of Yunkai were wise to submit to us and their city was spared." Jon said without a hint of remorse.
"That is what our reports told me, but did you have to do it so violently? Do you not feel any remorse for committing such atrocities?"
"Violently? Have you never sacked a city in your time? Have you never been to war?" Jon asked and Ned could hear the disbelief dripping from every word.
"I have been to war. You know that,"
"Then you should know that sometimes innocents die. Cities get sacked. It happens," Jon said defiantly. "I don't know why you act like such a hypocrite. You are still friends with Robert Baratheon, the man who condoned the brutal murder of innocent children!" Jon yelled and Ned winced
"As for remorse, the slavers treated slaves like they were cattle. They tore babes from their mother's breast, they crucified children to posts and left them out in the sun as food for the carrion to punish the slaves. The masters performed many cruel acts to their slaves and in my opinion, they deserved every ounce of pain and suffering that we inflicted on them," Daenerys added with conviction.
Ned shook his head. Violence was not the answer to violence, just because the masters were cruel did not give him the right to be cruel in return. 'It happens' was not good enough. Ned still remembered the brutal sack of Kings Landing. 'It happens' was definitely not good enough. As for Robert…..
"What happened in Volantis?" Ned asked as he changed the subject again.
"What do you mean?" Jon asked and Ned looked at him curiously.
"You burned down an entire city,"
"No, we didn't," Jon said as he shook his head.
"So the reports were false?" Ned asked. "We received countless reports all detailing the same thing. Tell the truth," he said firmly.
"Tell you the truth? Why would I do that? It sounds like you've already judged me guilty," he said as he folded his arms across his chest. "We did not burn down an entire city. That is not the complete truth,"
"Then tell me the truth," Ned said firmly.
"Volantis is known as the first daughter of Valyria. It was the first colony of the Valyrian freehold and as a result it followed many of the freeholds practices, including slavery," Jon said.
"The nobility of Volantis were called the 'Old Blood' and they lived behind the famous black walls of the city, a place where only the highborn nobles can reside. These nobles could trace their ancestry back to the Valyrian freehold and they were the ones who financed the slave trade in the east. They refused to stop financing slavery, so we removed them," Daenerys said, her voice unwavering.
"Removed them? By burning them alive in their homes?" Ned spat angrily. Perhaps she was truly the Mad King's daughter.
"Yes, we did," Jon said stoutly.
"Could you not think of another way to get them to see things your way? You could have sieged them or starved them out,"
"The Black Walls of Volantis are huge and they are so thick that 6 horses can ride abreast at the top. It would be impossible to siege them with a conventional army. Luckily for us, we have dragons, and dragons fly,"
"So you burnt them alive because they did not agree with you. Is that how you plan to rule over Westeros?" Ned asked.
"No. We killed them after they did not agree to peacefully join us and our new empire. They were supporting slavery. Only a few moments ago you were criticizing us for working with Ser Jorah as he is a former slaver. Now you are defending the slavers? Another example of your hypocrisy?" Jon asked as he cocked his head to the side and Ned scowled.
"I am not defending the slavers. Abolishing slavery is a good thing, I am criticizing your method of doing it. You burned the nobility alive in their homes, that is cruel and a terrible act that is something that Tywin Lannister would do,"
"Are you comparing me to Tywin Lannister?" Jon asked and then he laughed, loudly and cruelly.
"You have some nerve to accuse me of that. You're still friends with the man that condoned the brutal murder of my half brother and sister. What does that say about you? Worse still, you knew he did that and you're now his hand. You're actively trying to help him keep his stolen crown," Jon spat.
Ned looked at him and cursed himself. He should have told Robert the truth earlier. He was about to open his mouth to correct Jon but then Rhaegar arrived with Ser Barristan following behind. What was Ser Barristan doing with him?
"Lord Stark," he said, his voice was calm and clear. Ned felt his anger returning and he opened and closed his fist repeatedly.
"Prince Rhaegar," Ned said and he tried to keep his voice level. He stared at Rhaegar, whose eyes were a much darker shade of purple than Jon and Daenerys. They stared at each other for a few moments before Rhaegar looked away and turned towards Robb.
"I presume you are his son?" he asked and Robb nodded quickly, he looked a little in awe of Rhaegar which annoyed Ned. Did Robb not realize that Rhaegar was the cause of these problems?
"Yes. I am Robb Stark," he said as he offered his hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Robb," he said as he shook his hand and offered him a smile which Robb returned. "I have heard good things about you,"
Then he turned to his wife.
"Lady Catelyn," he said in an icy voice. Rhaegar opened his mouth to speak again but then he closed it, perhaps he thought better of it.
"Say it," Ned spat and Rhaegar turned towards him and then he shook his head. "You were going to say something to my wife. I want you to say it,"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "It wouldn't be proper,"
"He was going to thank Lady Catelyn for her kind treatment towards me during those years. Only that would have been a lie," Jon said and Ned watched as Rhaegar shot him a scathing look.
"Sorry father," Jon said after a moment and Ned felt another flash of anger pass through him.
There was that word again. Father.
Jon had cast him off in place of Rhaegar Targaryen, a man he hardly knew yet he called him father all the same. Ned's hand twitched with anger. He had raised him in his household for over 18 years and he had betrayed him for Rhaegar, a man that did not deserve to be his father.
"I would like to thank you," Rhaegar said and Ned looked up to see that he was looking right at him. "You took Jon in and you protected him for his entire life when I could not. You were a father to him when I could not be and, for that, I am thankful," he said as he held his hand out in front of him.
Ned stared at the hand as if it was laced with poison. He had taken Jon in and he had raised him to be a good man and yet here he was, burning down cities causing innocents to die and his stance was 'it happens'. Rhaegar had clearly changed him and caused to Jon to think this way and now here he was, thanking him for raising Jon.
Ned looked at his hand and then up at Rhaegar who had a smile on his face. Was he being mocked?
"I have raised Jon. I raised him for 18 years. I did my best to ensure that he would grow to be a good man that would do good and noble things. The Jon that I knew would protect the innocent and the weak, not burn down cities. It seems that since he met you his mind has been poisoned by you," Ned said and Rhaegar looked at him with a confused look on his face.
"I did not poison his mind. What on earth are you talking about?" he asked as his smile faltered.
"Yes, you did. The Jon that I knew would not have committed these horrendous crimes. He would not have been so nonchalant about it. It is your influence that has caused these changes. It is your fault," Ned said angrily as he voiced started to grow louder.
"Do not blame my father for these things," Jon said as his voice started to get louder in turn. "Those decisions were made by Daenerys and myself. Do not blame him,"
"You do not know Jon as well as you think. Jon and Daenerys hated the fact that innocents died, but they both knew that to build a better world, some people would suffer. They are both determined to build a better world and they both know that they will have to make some difficult decisions along the way. Volantis was one of those decisions," Rhaegar said.
"I don't know Jon as well as I think?" Ned asked in disbelief and Rhaegar nodded which caused him to laugh cruelly. "If I do not know Jon well then you don't know him at all. You have been in his life for a little over a year," Ned sneered and Rhaegar scowled.
"I know I have not been in his life for a long time and it is one of my biggest regrets. I wish I could have known him as he grew up just as I wish I could have had more time with Lyanna," he said.
When he said her name Ned's hand twitched and he nearly reached for his sword.
"How dare you speak of her name to me," he said angrily.
"Why would I not? I loved her. She was my wife and the mother of my child. The only child I have left,"
"You did not love her. How could you love her when you barely knew her? All you did was crown her the Queen of the love and beauty. She held a childish affection for you. That is all. It was not love,"
"Don't speak for her. You do not know what we shared, you barely knew her,"
"I knew her better than you. She was my sister," Ned spat.
"Yes she was your sister and yet you were still willing to force her into a marriage with that pig known as Robert Baratheon,"
"I did not force her to do anything,"
"Yes, you did. She asked you to speak to your father to try and stop it and you decided not to. You stood up for Robert, you told her that he would change. You chose your friend over your sister's happiness. What kind of man are you?"
"That is not true,"
"Yes, it is true. She spoke to your father and Brandon who did not care. She spoke to you but you were too busy defending Robert. The only one who listened was Benjen but he was powerless to do anything. You are a terrible judge of character, you thought Robert would change but you were wrong. He is still the same lecherous man that he was 18 years ago. You don't know Jon as well as you think you do and you didn't know Lyanna very well either," Rhaegar said angrily, his purple eyes seemed to be growing darker in anger.
"You were the crown prince. You should have done better, you ran away with her without leaving a note. You had a wife, you did not need my sister. The entire realm rebelled and it all started because you did not do your duty," Ned said to him and thankfully Rhaegar actually looked apologetic.
"I know I should not have ran away with her, but I loved her and I had to protect her. I had no choice,"
"Protect her? From what?" Ned asked
"From my father and from Robert," he said simply and Ned looked at him skeptically.
"Why would your father want to harm my sister?"
"Do you know the story of the Knight of the Laughing tree?" Rhaegar asked.
"Yes but what does that have to do with this? It was just a mystery knight,"
"The mystery knight was Lyanna, my father seemed to have worked that out and he had sent men to arrest her when she arrived at Riverrun for your brother's wedding. I found out so I went to rescue her. I got to her a few miles outside of Riverrun and explained the situation to her. She agreed to leave with me and she sent a note ahead to Riverrun and another letter by raven to Winterfell that explained her decision to leave willingly with me," Rhaegar said and Ned shook his head, Lyanna was not the mystery knight.
"I know nothing about a note or letter. Neither did Brandon or my father, they would not have gone to Kings Landing if they knew the truth,"
"I disagree. I think the note arrived in Riverrun and someone hid it from your brother. Or perhaps Brandon saw the note and decided to rush to Kings Landing anyway. Either way, someone told him that Lyanna was with me and that is how he knew to come to Kings Landing to look for me,"
"If the note made its way to Riverrun, my father would have known about it. I would have known about it," Catelyn said as she shook her head. "You are lying,"
"My father is not a liar," Jon said angrily.
"Then where did the note go? No one seems to know of its existence so somebody is lying,"
"Your father is an overly ambitious man. It would not surprise me if he hid it to further his own goals," Jon said to her
"And your father is a foolish prince who plunged the entire realm into war with his foolish actions," Catelyn snapped
"My father is a good man and he would have been a good King, had your fathers given him a chance," Jon said and Ned groaned. He was still repeating this nonsense.
"Jon this isn't true. They were not plotting to overthrow him or whatever nonsense he has told you,"
"It is not nonsense, it is the truth," Rhaegar said.
"Who told you this? I am sure that my father would not tell you his conspiracy to overthrow you,"
"Lyanna told me. She loved me and she told me of her family's plans to betray me. She was a brave woman and that is one of the reasons that I loved her," he said and Ned shook his head in disbelief
"You are wrong. Lyanna would never betray her family," Ned said and Rhaegar sighed and ran his hands through his hair
"Did you truly know her? It does not sound like you did. What Lyanna did was not betraying her family, she was doing what was right,"
"Stop this nonsense. You would only have known her for a short while. Stop claiming that you truly know her," Ned said and Rhaegar opened his mouth to speak but he interrupted him. "I have had enough of your lies,"
"They are not lies. Why are you so stubborn!" Rhaegar shouted as his frustration boiled over and he started to get more animated as he spoke. "You have this habit of judging people and then not opening your eyes to new information. You did it with me and you did it with Jaime Lannister," Ned looked at him in disbelief, was he really comparing himself to Jaime Lannister
"Jaime Lannister killed your father, the man he was sworn to protect. I judged him guilty because he was guilty. He did not even try to deny it," Ned said and he watched as Rhaegar slowly shook his head
"You never thought to ask why? You never wanted to know why he did it. Just like you did not want to meet me before the Trident. Once you make your mind up about a person, that's it. There is no changing it. I played my part in starting the rebellion but so did you. You are just as guilty as me,"
Ned quickly shook his head. This was not his fault.
"It is not my fault. By the time the battle of the Trident was upon us, the rebellion was already in full force. You are delusional if you think that I am guilty,"
"No, you are not guilty of that. If you had done more for your sister, if you had stood up for her like a brother should have then she would not have been so unhappy at the thought of marrying Robert. The betrothal would have been broken off,"
"You are foolish. Great lords do not simply break off betrothals," Ned said as he shook his head. "My father would have had to honor this agreement,"
"Is this what you intend to do with Sansa?" Daenerys asked "Do you still intend to marry her to the Usurper's son?"
"Yes he does," Jon said quickly and Ned looked at him incredulously. After all Rhaegar had just said about judging people, here he was doing the same thing. Judging him before he had the chance to properly explain himself. "He is still close with the Usurper. I saw them together this morning when he led the Usurper away like he was his brother," Jon spat.
"Jon you do not know what you are talking about,"
"I know exactly what I'm talking about. The Usurper named you his Hand and then you agreed to marry Sansa to his son to tie your houses together. From the reports that I've heard, Joffrey attacked Arya and was bitten by Nymeria. Then when the Lannisters demanded that Nymeria be killed for protecting Arya, you killed Lady who was innocent of any crime since Nymeria had managed to escape and you needed to appease the Usurper and his cruel family. Direwolves are a symbol of your house, they are sacred in the North but you slaughtered one like a common sheep, where was you sense of honor or justice?"
Ned shook his head, how could he know these things?
"Then when you heard rumors that I was with alive in Essos, instead of breaking the betrothal, resigning as Hand and distancing yourself from him. You have remained as his Hand and not broken the betrothal. In fact, seeing as you are working as his Hand, you are probably helping him think of ways to stop us. Tell me that that is not true,"
"Jon you don't understand. I can't break off a betrothal, especially one with the royal family," Ned said quickly.
"Yes you can. It's simple. You open your mouth and you tell him that you don't want Sansa to marry Joffrey!"
"Ned he does not understand. He has spent his entire life as a bastard, he does not understand that there are certain courtesies and traditions that must be maintained, especially when you are dealing with the King,"
"If you call me a bastard one more time I'll"
"Son stop," Rhaegar commanded "He is not a bastard. He is my son. He is a prince and yet you treated him cruelly like he was nothing, you should be ashamed of yourself," Rhaegar said as he turned towards her.
"Father don't waste your breath on that woman. It's amazing that she goes on about blood and birth status but forgets that she is the one who descends from a family with no royal lineage. She is the daughter of a house that grew up on the scraps thrown to them by our ancestors and then like the ungrateful dogs they are, they bit the hand that fed them," Jon said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Don't speak to my wife like that," Ned growled at Jon. Catelyn may not have treated him as well as her own children, but that was something that could not have been avoided. It was something that was necessary. How could he insult Catelyn and her family like this?
"So she is allowed to call me a bastard but I'm not allowed to call her an ungrateful bitch? Once again you show me where your priorities lie," Ned raised his fist in anger before he slowly dropped it. Jon was being unbelievably disrespectful, this was not the same boy that he had raised.
"Nothing here changes what Jon has said. You have not broken off the betrothal between Sansa and the crown prince, and you have not resigned as Hand. Instead of readying yourself to help us, you are defending the Usurper's actions and laying accusations against us," Daenerys said to him, her voice had taken on a cold and judgmental tone.
"That is not true," Ned said quickly
"Then tell me Lord Stark " Jon said, his voice laced with venom. "What have you done to help us take back our throne?"
Ned stared at him, he did not have an answer.
"That's exactly what I thought. You have done nothing to help us. You were never planning on helping us. You are too committed to the Usurper. You chose him over my mother, and you're choosing him over me,"
"Jon," Robb began but Jon cut him off.
"Robb. I know he is your father and I am sorry that it has to be this way, but it's clear that he has made up his mind. He never intended on helping us and I'm not even sure why he's even here,"
"I am here to see you for myself. To see if those reports are true. I knew that your experiences would have changed you, but I wanted to see if those changes are ones that I could live with,"
"Oh, so it's all about me," Jon said as he waved his arm back and forth in his anger. "It's all about how I have changed. What I did in Essos or what my father did years ago. It's never about you, is it? It's never your fault!" he shouted and Ned heard another roar.
"Of course it's about you!" Ned shouted. "I have not changed I am still the same man I have always been,"
"I can see that and after listening to my father, I can only question whether you were a good man in the first place," Jon spat and the words stung.
How dare he question his integrity, he took him in and sheltered him for all these years. He did it for Lyanna, he accuses him of being loyal to Robert but he had gone against Robert for over 18 years by hiding Jon, but of course Rhaegar had failed to mention that. He looked towards him and saw that Rhaegar was staring back at him.
Ned looked away from him and then he looked at Daenerys who had her arms folded across her chest as she stared at him. Catelyn looked angry and Robb looked conflicted. Then he turned and looked around the courtyard, everyone had stopped what they were doing and they were staring at them. He saw Lady Olenna and Lord Mace Tyrell observing them from above, then he saw Roose Bolton staring at him, no emotion on his pale face. They probably overheard parts of their argument but Ned was past the point of caring.
"I have one question for you," he said to Jon. "If you had it to do over, would you do it again?"
"Do what over?" Jon asked.
"Everything, from the day you left Winterfell. Would you change how you handled things in Essos? Would you still have burned and sacked those cities?" Ned asked, he had to know. If Jon showed the slightest remorse for what he did then perhaps their relationship could be salvaged.
Ned watched as he looked at Daenerys and then at Rhaegar. His eyes settled on Daenerys and they seemed to communicate using only their eyes. He seemed to reach an answer with her because he grabbed hold of her hand and kissed it.
"If I had it to do over," Jon began, his voice was softer now. Soft and dangerous. "I would not do a single thing differently," he said and Ned nodded his head slowly. He finally saw who Jon was, Rhaegar had poisoned his mind and caused him to think this way.
"Then we have no more to discuss here today. I will see you at the council King Aegon ," he said as he turned and walked away. He did not turn back and he heard Catelyn and then Robb fall into step behind him
"Father what are you doing? He is our family," Robb whispered to him as they walked quickly through the castle towards their rooms.
"No Robb. He has his family, Rhaegar and Daenerys. If he was family, he would not have spoken to me like that,"
"Father, he was angry that's all. He was angry because for all his life he knew one thing and now he has learned that things that are not what they seemed. He's trying to figure it all out at a very difficult time,"
"Robb. He did not even give me a chance, he had already made up his mind before this meeting started. Everything he said about how I was guilty about judging people and he did the exact same thing to me," Ned said angrily.
"Perhaps you deserved it," Robb said and this caused Ned to stop and turn around to look at him angrily.
"Robb Stark. Think of what you are saying. You can't be siding with that bastard," Catelyn said sternly
"Mother, he is not a bastard and you made everything worse by repeatedly calling him that. What were you thinking? I don't blame him for judging father. The facts are that as soon as you knew that Jon was alive, you should have done more to help him but you didn't. What else was he supposed to think?"
"Robb Stark. Do not defend him, he is going to attack us with his armies. His Dothraki and his dragons, Robb. I am your mother and he did not treat me with respect, you should be defending me,"
"Defending you! If you had treated Jon kindly then he would not be so angry!" Robb shook his head. "You don't know him. Neither of you know him, he's my brother and I know he won't fight again us,"
"That may be true but he is not our ally Robb. Think about it. Even if he does not attack the North he will likely be at war with the Riverlands and your mother's family will be counting on our support," Ned told him, he realised that he would have to choose between his wife or his sister's son.
"But if we support the Riverlands then we will be fighting against Jon," Robb pointed out quickly. "We can't do that,"
"Why can't we? He is no family of mine," Catelyn said viciously. "I will not leave my brother and my father undefended against the bastard and his army of savages,"
Robb looked conflicted but he quickly composed himself before speaking.
"You don't know Jon's battle plans. We don't know where and who he will attack," he pointed out.
"That is true Robb," Ned said as he sighed. "We will have to find out who he is allied with at the council later. Then we will make our decision,"
He saw Robb shake his head. "I can't believe it. I can't believe either of you. Why do you have to make this so difficult?"
Notes:
The next chapter is called the Great Council. I don't know when it'll be up, I'm behind schedule and I'm probably going to be busier in the next few weeks so I'll have less time to write this
The latest it'll be up by is the 3rd March.
Let me know what you think, comments are always appreciated, especially the longer ones
Thanks for reading
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