Eddard I
[282AC, The Dornish Sands]
Seven Men could be seen riding their hardest through the harsh Dornish terrain, their destination one that was of utmost importance.
*Heavy breathing*
"We need to move faster before it's too late!" Ned called out as he pushed his steed even harder, unsure whether they would reach Lyanna in time.
'Gods, how could it come to this?' Ned couldn't help but wonder, now having fought in a rebellion and seeing firsthand the horrors of war.
After another hour or so of hard riding, Ned and his companions finally arrived at their destination, waiting for them in front of the tower were three members of the fallen Mad King's, King's Guard.
As they dismounted, the three King's Guard members came towards them, Ser Arthur Dayne, throwing his famous sword, Dawn tip first into the sand.
Ser Gerold Hightower stood at the ready, hand hovering over his pommel, and Ser Oswell Whent, the annoying git, had a shit-eating grin plastered across his face, almost as if he was looking forward to what was to come.
After exchanging some words, the fight's beginning was signaled with a single sentence.
"And so it begins." Ser Arthur Dayne said, almost in a resigned tone.
"No, now it ends," Ned replied, his hand quickly moving to his sword
As he unsheathed his longsword, Ned quickly parried a strike from Ser Oswell Whent that was aimed to slash across his chest, following his parry, Ned went to send his own attack back at Whent, a slash of his own closing in only to be blocked in kind by Ser Gerold Hightower.
The White Bull gave Ned no reprieve as he followed his block with an attack aimed at Neds offhand, narrowly missing as Ned swung his blade toward Ser Gerold's right arm, missing his intended target but still slicing the aging King's Guard in the gap between his shoulder and arm, although the cut was shallow it was a good start.
Off to the side, Ser Mark Ryswell, a knight of House Ryswell and Lord Rodrik Ryswell's cousin, sent a thrust toward Ser Oswell Whent, the sly knight parrying the attack and slicing through Ser Mark's boiled leather armor and disemboweling the northern knight.
As Ser Mark fell, Whent changed his aim for Ned and quickly rushed toward him, sword at the ready, only for Lord Willam Dustin to deflect his strike and send him reeling back, giving Ned the room he needed to parry the White Bull's strike and send a thrust into the gap in his armor at his knee, although shallow, Ned had gotten a good strike on the old Lord Commander's knee.
"Willam with me!" Ned exclaimed as he saw Howland and Martyn Cassel, a trusted warrior and retainer of House Stark attack the White Bull as Theo Wull with his battle axe and shield sent a powerful strike at Ser Arthur Dayne with Ethan Glover backing him up.
Sadly, the Sword of the Morning would parry the strike and swiftly head for Ethan, the still gaunt youth from his time in the Black Cells not having enough strength to effectively prevent being run through by the greatsword Dawn.
Despite feeling a flash of sadness for his two fallen companions, Ned quickly refocused on the King's Guard member of House Whent as he launched toward the fallen knight with Willam at his side, although Ser Oswell managed to redirect Willam's attack to the ground, Ned's thrust struck true and Ser Oswell Whent, a once proud member of the King's Guard, laid in a puddle of his own blood, drawing from the red fluid as it leaking from his neck where Ned rammed his sword through and quickly retrieved.
turning toward the White Bull who was closest, Ned could only watch in horror as Martyn Cassel pushed Howland out of the way and took Ser Gerold's blade to the neck, almost decapitating the poor man.
Not wanting to give the old man any respite, Ned, Willam, and a recovered Howland launched at the elderly knight, running him through and promptly turning their attention toward Ser Arthur Dayne, just as he slashed a deep cut down Theo Wull's chest, sending the mountain clansmen back with a fatal wound.
With four of his companions lying either dead or soon to follow, and two of the three King's Guard sharing in the same fate, Ned, Willam, and Howland moved to surround Ser Arthur Dayne, the famed Sword of the Morning twirling the greatsword known as Dawn in an attempt to create some space.
Seeing an opening that he could capitalize on, Ned launched to Ser Arthur's left and slashed down with all of his force, surprising the knight but only momentarily giving him enough time to redirect his blade and parry the blow, sending Ned tumbling onto his back, his sword falling from his hands.
"Argh!" Willam roared as he went to attack Ser Arthur in an attempt to prevent him from striking Ned, although, all it served to do was allow the Knight of House Dayne to parry and slash Lord Willam Dustin across his face, thankfully, the cut was only shallow but it sent Willam reeling back in pain just long enough for Ser Arthur Dayne to turn his attention to Ned who was quickly trying to gather himself.
Standing from his spot, Ned launched his sword diagonally toward Ser Arthur's right arm, his attack quickly being parried and having one sent right back at him, Ned could've sworn he saw his life flash before his very eyes, almost as if the gods gave him some final solace to his fate, however, the fatal strike never came.
Ned watched in amazement as Lord Willam deflected the blow and attempted to slice Ser Arthur's neck, quickly being parried as well.
Just as Ser Arthur looked primed to end Willam's life, Ned did the only thing he could think of to prevent yet another friend of his from dying, not only were his father and brother burned, but many others died during the rebellion and if all of the fighting had thought Ned anything, it was that honor was subjective, and what truly matters were keeping those you care for safe.
And so, the honorable Ned Stark, choosing the life of his friend over his honor, plunged his knife into the gaps of Ser Arthur's armor, stabbing deep into his knee.
Although he had plunged his knife deep into the knight's knee, by either sheer pain, rage, or determination, Ser Arthur Dayne swatted Willam away, while not killing the man, he left a nasty slash running down the Lord of House Dustin's chest.
Turning toward Ned and as quickly as a man near crippled could do, running off of pure adrenaline, the Sword of the Morning moved to end Ned's life, only, instead he fell to his knees, blood running down his chest.
the small figure that was revealed standing behind the King's Guard knight, was Howland Reed, a blood-soaked knife in his right hand, his left holding his stomach in pain from what looked to be a pretty nasty, yet nonfatal wound.
Ned watched as one of the known world's greatest swordsmen fell to his knees, all of the strength in his body leaving him.
'A pity,' Ned thought as he went to pick up Dawn, lamenting on how such a great warrior would die such a death, and yet, his hesitation died down quickly remembering how they were keeping his sister hostage in that damned tower behind them.
And with a quick diagonal slash, Ned ended the Sword of the Morning's life with his own weapon with a slash to the neck down his chest.
Taking a heavy breath, Ned stared down at the now stilled body of the once great knight, a man whom many respect and even more feared.
'Thank the gods he wasn't on the trident.' Ned thought, mulling over the tragic fate that might have befallen Robert had Ser Arthur Dayne and the other king's guard been with their prince on the trident.
Before he could sink into his thoughts any longer, Ned and his two surviving companions heard a terrible, blood-curdling scream come from the top of the tower.
His face pailing at the scream, Ned snapped back to attention, he looked over to his two friends, both wounded yet still breathing.
"Go to Lyanna, I'll patch Lord Dustin and myself up Ned." The lithe crannogman told Ned, assuring his friend that the two of them would be fine down here.
Nodding toward his two friends Howland and Willam, Ned rushed into the tower, climbing up the steps as fast as his tired feet could carry him.
'By the Old gods and New please be alright Lya!' Ned exclaimed internally as he quickened his ascent up the tower until he reached the door leading to where his sister was held.
Throwing the door open, and along with it the handmaiden who was standing beside it, Ned rushed into the room, a smell that he knew all too well invading his senses.
The smell of Death.
As Ned caught sight of Lyanna, his face fell, despair written across it as he gazed toward his sweet little sister, not caked in sweat as blood-drenched sheets lay beneath her.
"Out, all of you!" Ned roared, something the Quiet Wolf did not do all that often.
Taking heed of his words, the frightened women ran out of the room descending down the tower.
"Lya!" Ned exclaimed rushing to his sister's side. a weak smile gracing her tired and ain't appearance
"Ned, you is that truly you?" She asked, half dazed from the blood loss.
"It is sister, I am no dream or apparition," Ned replied in a soft voice, his sister's bloodied hand meeting his face
"Im so sorry Lyanna, if only I was here sooner." Ned cried out in a quiet tone toward his beloved little sister
"Oh Ned, there's nothing that you could've done to prevent me from going, you know that as well as I." She said with a sad smile
As Ned looked upon the small dying figure of his sister, he couldn't help but have a small feeling of... contempt, rise from the depths of his mind.
Anger even, a small feeling of being angry with his sister for causing the events that led to his Lord-father, and older brother's deaths.
'What am I thinking?' He thought, pushing those thoughts down to the deepest corners of his mind, redirecting his anger toward the dragons.
Damn, Areys the mad bastard king to the deepest of all hells. the madman who burnt his father alive in his armor as his brother Brandon watched. suffocating and trying his best to free himself from the tight grip of death.
Damn, Rhaegar Targaryen the lustful idiot who seduced and stole his sweet innocent sister away.
No, she wasn't as innocent as he thought but he couldn't dream of laying any blame on his kin.
As wept by his sister's side, holding her other hand, just as bloody as the other, Ned was brought back to his senses by the wail of a child.
"Lya is that..." He trailed off looking upon the child whose parentage was of no mystery to him.
"This is my, and Rhaegar's son, the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms." She said weakly, smiling as she looked upon her sweet baby boy.
Hearing the valyrian bastard's name struck a nerve with Ned but he was more concerned with his sister who, from the look on her face, was rapidly declining in health.
That dragon bastard, by the gods, if he wasn't already crushed to fucking paste he would've begged to die for daring to steal away his sister and touchi-
Interrupting Ned from his murderous thoughts, Lyanna told Ned a shocking truth.
"I... I know what you are thinking Ned, I went with him- urgh!" Lya yelped in pain
"I went with him willing, my sweet silver prince." she groaned out as the pain was slowly becoming too much.
Hearing his sister's confession, Ned came back to his senses, He knew she had gone with him willingly but he still couldn't understand.
"Why, Why did you go with him, Lya?" Ned with a hoarse voice
"Because, well, I loved him, and he loved me as well." She said weakly, coughing out some blood followed by another groan of pain.
"Please Ned, you must take care of my son, of the heir to the Seven Kingdoms," Lyanna begged her older brother meekly as her conscience started to fade
"Lyanna! You're going to be fine Lya please!" Ned exclaimed in panic at his sister's dying form, knowing his words to be for naught.
"No, I won't Ned, please, just promise me you'll take care of him, take care of my sweet boy, his- his name is Daeron Targaryen." She said as her grip on life began to slip as she handed the babe to Ned
'Daeron huh, likes hells he was going to refer to the child like that, he couldn't imagine what would happen if word got out of a trueborn son of Rhaegar living
Ned could still see the conflicted yet... satisfied look on Roberts's face, two words replaying in his head.
'Dragon Spawn.'
as Ned thought about all he needed to do to keep his sister's son safe, his focus was brought back to sweet Lyanna who was not long for this world.
"Please Ned, promise me."
"I promise Lya, I promise to keep him safe," Ned replied, however, his sister too far gone slipping ever closer to her death kept repeating herself, her love for her young child evident in her determination.
"Promise me, Ned"
"Promise me."
Promise Me
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