Chương 171: Chapter 171: News from King's Landing

A/N: Hey guys,

Here's today's second chapter.

Thanks for your support.

You can read up to 25 advanced chapters on my pàtreon.

https://www.pàtreon.com/Gnanaa

Enjoy.

------------------------------

Ygritte looked at Edward's back a little before kicking her horse to change her direction. She would visit her people in Skagos before joining Edward again. Jon Snow's eyes did not leave her and wished that he could ask Edward to join her. At that time, Jon Snow was just a teenager.

Two days after Edward left Winterfell, the letter from King's Landing finally arrived in Winterfell, making Ned change his expression, especially after he remembered what Edward said.

In the Godswood, Catelyn Stark, who had just received the message sent by the raven from King's Landing, came to see Ned and tell him about the bad news she just received. Catelyn wore a sad expression after reading the message since she knew how much her husband loved his foster father and respected him more than he did to his real one, Rickard Stark.

"All these years, and I still feel like an outsider when I come here." Said Catelyn as she looked at the Weirwood heart tree behind Ned, who was cleaning his sword. She always had thought she did not fit The North and should have married someone from the south. Well, the author thought of the same thing.

"You have five northern children. You are not an outsider." Said Ned with a smile as he continued cleaning his sword.

"I wonder if your old gods agree with you." Said Catelyn with a smile as she looked at Ned.

"Your gods have all the rules." Said Ned with a mocking smile and looked at the message in Catelyn's hands.

Catelyn's expression changed after seeing her husband's eyes. She would tell him the news that would make him sad.

"I am so sorry, my love." Said Catelyn with a sad expression since she knew how the coming news would hurt her love.

"Tell me." Said Ned as his expression changed a little as he had a bad feeling in his heart about this. He remembered what Edward told him before he left for The Wall. He wondered if the storm that Edward predicted had started already.

"A raven came from King's Landing. Jon Arryn is dead. Fever took him. I know he was like a father to you." Said Catelyn with a sorrowful look as she looked at Ned.

"What about your sister and the boy?" Asked Ned as his heart started beating hard with Edward's words flying by his ears.

"They both are well. Thank gods." Said Catelyn with a sigh since she cared about her sister a lot.

"The raven brought more news. The king rides at Winterfell with the queen and all the rest of them." Said Catelyn as she looked at Ned with a grief expression on her face as she understood what that meant.

On the other hand, Ned was on another sky, thinking about Edward's words and linking them to what he heard from his wife. He thought about the different possibilities, but Ned was not a great thinker, and everyone had to admit that. Ned did not reach the conclusion that Jon Arryn might have been killed and did not die a normal death. But he understood why Robert was coming this far north. He did not want to get involved in the shit in King's Landing, especially after hearing Edward's words and knowing the danger in that place.

"If he is coming this far north, there is one thing that he is after." Said Ned with a troubled look. Although Robert was his friend and all, Ned started to hate Robert long ago before taking the throne. If Robert cherished Ned's sister long ago, the two might have got married before all that shit happened that resulted in her death. Ned's family might still be alive until this moment then. Not to mention that Robert did not go with Ned when he needed him the most to save Lyanna, but Ned refused to stay by Robert's side after knowing his intentions about the rest of the Targaryens. Ned had promised his sister to keep her son safe, but Robert would kill the boy if he found out. That was why Ned decided to stay in The North since then.

"You can always say no, Ned." Said Catelyn with a sad expression on her face. She did not want her husband to go to King's Landing and die like his father or got schemed against and assassinated like his brother.

Ned did not say anything, but he agreed with his wife's words since he did not want to witness the shit in King's Landing.

"We just prepared a feast for a Stormking, and now we have to prepare another feast for another king. Winterfell became boisterous lately." Said Catelyn with a smile, trying to lighten the mood after seeing the look on her husband.

Ned smiled after hearing his wife's words, although this smile held more worry than it appeared. Ned was afraid for his children's lives since they would be in danger if he did not stay in Winterfell.

A month passed in a blink of an eye after Lord and Lady Stark's conversation in the Godswood. After the month-long period, the king arrived at Winterfell, and everything went exactly like the canon without any change. Even Ned himself did not tell Robert about Edward's being in the North since he thought Edward would take more time to come back.

Edward only decided to avoid Robert's first night in Winterfell since he did not want to have any relationship with Bran's accident. Although the blood rituals did their work and hid him from the three-eyed raven's eyes, Edward did not want to take any risk. He returned with Ben Stark, who was already on his way to return to Winterfell. Edward decided to delay the man a little with him before traveling together.

After Edward handed the criminals to Lord Commander, Mormont and giving him enough instructions to fight the wights beyond the Wall, he decided to return to Winterfell. Mormont told him a piece of interesting news, though. It seemed that Mance had managed to unite all the clans beyond the Wall and took them to Hardhome. From there, the Night's Watch and the free folks started attacking the wondering wights in order to decrease their numbers. Edward was planning to kill the night king's army a little by little. He gave the men in the Night's Watch small bombs made from wildfire. He instructed the Night's Watch and the free folks to use them immediately if one man fell in the battle. With this, Edward would cut the Night King's supplies for his army.