Chapter 73

Eddard Stark was worried. He thought he would rest easier when they battled the white walkers. He foolishly thought he would find relief once the walkers were defeated. There were only two options. He would die battling the monsters or go back to Cersei and his young son. He hoped that Bran would come back once the war was over. Ned had no such respite. The lord of Winterfell could still remember when he saw his oldest son in bed with the Targaryen girl a few months ago. He despaired for a whole night thinking of the impossibility of the situation. Ned tried to reason with his child. After all Jon was always reasonable if not stubborn.

He tried, maybe Cersei would have had better luck. She always managed to get the children to do her bidding from Bran to taking a bath to Robb not having any bastards. Ned then thought of his oldest son riding a fucking dragon. That perhaps was the most worrying. Only Targaryens rode dragons. It seemed only Tyrion and him understood the magnitude of the situation. The Free Folk thought his son a Fearless man. The lords of Westeros thought him worthy of riding a dragon and fearless as well. The unsullied thought his son a good warrior. Many men were envious of him and spearwives flocked his side and sought him to have a night with him. Jon of course deterred their advances. He bedded a queen every night since the battle. Ned knew, of course he knew that his son left the tent as soon as there was an opportunity. Lord Stark could not have the pretense of sharing quarters anymore. Jon erected his own tent as soon as he and the Targaryens rejoined the camp.

Eddard remembered the morning after the great battle. After Jon and the royals mounted the dragons. Tyrion had looked grim but waited until they were alone in the tent. Jon was nowhere to be seen. Robb entertained prince Aegon. They visited spearwives as did many of the westerosi lords and Free Folk. It was blessing that the prince seemed to have no intention to seek his aunt yet. It was him and his brother in law in the tent. They were to march to Craster's Keep in a few days. Eddard wanted to have the most wounded and his lords reach Westeros first.

Tyrion had offered him wine that he gladly took. His brother in law sat in front of him and asked without preambles, "Who did you bed Eddard? Who is Jon's true mother?"

"A tavern wench, Wylla was her name." Ned replied. There was no more time for coyness. Tyrion had always been very smart. He needed Cersei to make sense of this situation.

Tyrion shook his head, "That boy has your look. He may be yours but only if you bedded a Targaryen bastard girl which I doubt. All Targaryen bastards were comfortable in Westerosi court. No bastard of any of the Targaryens would be as low as to grow up as a tavern wench or a whore."

Ned looked at his brother in law and remained silent.

"That boy rode a dragon in front of our eyes. The camp may believe that he is brave enough to ride a dragon. The queen and the prince may believe that too. He is a Targaryen. Only Targaryens ride dragons; no one else can. No one else ever has. That boy has Targaryen blood."

Ned could have lied to Tyrion but the weight of this secret was too overwhelming. He was afraid for his child. Tyrion was trustworthy and cunning, more cunning than Cersei at times.

"He may be Lyanna and Rhaegar's son." Ned spoke slowly and told the tale to his brother in law.

Tyrion paled, "He must never know. No one can ever know. It could be false. Wylla, she could have been a bastard child." Ned almost laughed bitterly when Tyrion changed his tune. He understood the need to lie to oneself. It was better to think that blackheaded and hazel eyed Wylla had a speck of Targaryen blood than to think that his boy. His first boy was Rhaegar's son.

Ned decided to not tell him about his son's dalliance with the queen. He needed to protect Jon. Tyrion could be right, Wylla could have been a Targaryen bastard. He slowly spun the tale in his head. Tyrion and him spoke more about Wylla and Howland's letter. His brother in law wanted to know how Wylla had looked. Ned argued he did not remember her much. He trusted Tyrion but it was not his place to have that secret. It was Cersei's and his secret. Jon may be a Targaryen but that was only for Cersei and him to know. Ned needed Cersei's counsel. He needed her now more than ever.

Eddard was startled out of his thoughts when Robb entered the tent. "Tommen is at Winterfell." His son stated and brought him the letter.

"Where is your brother?" Ned asked as he read his other son's missive. Cersei and Rickon were fine. Margaery was fine as well. Sansa give birth to another healthy boy. She named the child Tyrek. Tyrion would be ecstatic to hear the news.

"Does your uncle know of his new child?" Ned asked.

Robb smiled eagerly, "He knows and is celebrating with his men."

"Where is your brother?" Ned asked once more.

Robb sighed and looked him in the eye. "He is on a hike with Tormund and some of the Free Folk."

Ned frowned, "why?"

His second eldest poured him wine and sat in front of him. "Some of the clansmen are thinking of settling in these lands. They do not want to south of the Wall."

Ned nodded, "Why is Jon involved?"

"Jon believes it is our duty to safeguard the Free Folk's well-being North of the Wall. He does not want to burn any bridges."

Ned nodded, "So your brother is ranging and making sure the men and women who stay behind can survive. Will Tormund remain back?"

Robb chuckled. "I sure hope not."

"Why not?" Ned asked. Sure he liked the redheaded man but he would not weep if Tormund Giantsbane stayed back.

Robb grinned, "of course you would not know."

Ned frowned, "Not know what?" His second oldest was a gossip. Robb had an eye for sticking his nose where it did not belong. He was almost sure his son knew about Jon's dalliances with their queen.

"Alys Karstark is pregnant with his bastard." Robb finished. "Tormund plans to marry her and raise the child in the Karhold."

"Alys is the heiress." Ned asked a little intrigued by the mindless gossip.

Robb sobered up a bit. "She is the last remaining Karstark."

Ned nodded, "Tormund will change the name of the castle I assume."

His son shook his head, "quite the contrary. Tormund has no last name or titles. It is the small favor he has given to Alys. Their bastard will not be Snow but Karstark as will the rest of the brood he plans on having with Alys."

"Good. We are related to the Karstarks. Tormund is a close ally to Jon. They will have very close and shared interests once Jon becomes Warden of the North." Ned finished.

Robb nodded, "Prince Aegon has requested to travel with me and my men." His son continued. They were staggering the men and it was time for Robb to lead the second biggest party before the remaining men left.

Ned sighed, "He should stay back with his queen. What kind of man leaves his bride to be with strange men?"

His son smirked, "She is his aunt. I hardly think he believes the queen will take him as king consort."

Lord Stark drank his wine. "By the line of succession. He has a stronger claim that queen Daenerys."

Robb drank his wine too. "Yet, the people do not fight for him. The dragons do not solely obey his commands. We follow Daenerys Stormborn. Prince Aegon knows that."

"That makes him dangerous." Ned proclaimed once more.

"I would not say that. The queen could name him his heir without having to marry him. She could marry someone else then." Robb said off handedly.

Ned knew in that moment that Robb was aware of Jon's situation. "How long have you known?"

Robb did not fake ignorance. "Since before we left Craster Keep. To be fair no one else knows. I caught her making her way to Jon's chambers and I could tell Jon desired her."

"Have you tried to reason with your brother? The Gods know I have tried to do so." Ned insisted.

"No, it would be moot. I believe Jon fancies himself in love. I have observed them most carefully and I believe they love each other." Robb made his case.

"You have noticed their affinity. It will not take long for the rest of the camp to notice as well. I am amazed the rumors have not started yet." Ned said despondently.

His second oldest shrugged. "Prince Aegon would not risk his position even if he was aware. The prince does not know neither does anyone else. I get along with him. He is not that sort of person."

Ned was astounded with his children's naïveté. "Fire and Blood. The Targaryens have a need for revenge. They make rules and put people to their unique brand of justice. My father and brother answered to King Aery's justice. Prince Aegon and Queen Daenerys are dangerous. The sooner you and your brother understand that the better."

Robb looked chastised but spoke truly, "Jon will not give her up. You will have to choose father. Will you choose your flesh and blood or peace?"

Ned stood up, "Your mother and your siblings are my life. My life matters little to me. I wish your brother and you could see that. I wish Jon could see the folly of his actions. We are wolves. Dragons and wolves were never destined to be together."

Robb remained silent. Ned asked him more about the men he would take and who else would leave for Craster's Keep. "Uncle Tyrion's men, part of the Unsullied, the Umbers and a few of the Free Folk. We travel at dawn tomorrow."

"Very well. I assume Tyrion will be departing with you." Ned stated.

"You are correct. We will reach Caster's Keep in three months' time if we have a good marching pace. It will be easier to march through the Wall after our men get a bit warm." Robb announced confidently.

"I will give you a head start of two weeks." Ned stated. "I will need you to divide your men and leave for the Wall without us."

Robb nodded, "Am I to set for Winterfell before you as well?"

"You are; your mother should have her children and brother near her as soon as possible." Ned finished.

"I would love to see mother and little Ned." Robb smiled widely.

"And you will." Ned smiled too.

They heard the men shouting outside. Ned and Robb stepped outside. Lord Stark expected to separate a fight. He was mistaken. There was a crowd of men pointing to the sky. Robb spotted an Umber bannerman and asked him about the commotion.

"They will be coming any moment now." The boy said excitedly. Ned heard it before he saw it. There, above the skies were the three dragons with their three riders. It was a dance. Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion circled each other and drew fire. Ned thought the worse. He thought they were fighting. Panic rose in him but then he saw the men laughing.

Ned heard Tyrion's laughter, "They are celebrating. Look at the patterns in the sky. Ned saw them then. The riders were drawing in the air. The three of them guided their beasts to form simple patterns. Ned frowned. He could see a rose, triangles and circles. He wished he could yell at his child and then saw the people. They were laughing and dancing. The spearwives danced and kissed many of the soldiers happily. The place was warm and there was fire above them. Robb joined the throng of men and kissed a pretty dark-haired girl.

Ned smiled and drank ale with a few of his vassal lords. He felt uneasy but it was not for the men to see that. He needed to keep up appearances. He decided to write to Cersei and tell her some of the events that transpired. He tried to be as cryptic as possible.

Lord Stark saw Robb and Tyrion off. They traveled with as many men as possible. Queen Daenerys kissed Prince Aegon on the cheek. "I will see you in Winterfell." He said with a smile.

"Goodbye." She replied with a smile of her own.

"Lord Stark. I shall send your regards to Lady Stark." The Prince said and mounted his steed. Viserion would stay with his mother and siblings. Ned nodded. "Very well my Prince."

Tyrion smiled, "Cersei will be glad to see your face once you get there."

Ned laughed, "Kiss your babes for me."

He hugged Robb, "Take care of your uncle and do not father any bastards." Robb nodded while grinning. It was almost a running jape. So far there were no Stark bastards but he felt the need to make sure Robb remembered that.

Ned saw the horses gallop away. He stayed with a small amount of unsullied, the Umbers, and Jon's men. They were all strong and would travel quickly. Some of Jon's fighters would stay back. The fact was that their armies were thinning incredibly. It helped that dragons kept them warm and scavenged for food and remaining corpses.

The queen made brief eye contact with him and then looked away. Ned could not hide some of the contempt he felt for the girl. "My queen." He said and bowed. Ned visited his men and organized a small party for some scavenging and a hunt.

Lord Stark and his small ranging party did not find much. They found some half starving rabbits. Someone caught some foxes. Ned petted Ghost. He ate some of the game he found and came back to the party once he was full.

The trek to the encampment was easy. They cooked the meat with some of the provisions they had. He preferred to eat in his tent. He was surprised when his son entered the tent. Jon sat by him to eat his stew. The spearwives made something decent of their food supplies.

"I miss Winterfell's cooks." Jon said conversationally.

Ned nodded, "We will be home soon enough."

"Father I don't want to fight anymore." His eldest said.

Ned thought about arguing with his son and desisted. He was tired as well. They won a war against death. He should be happy. He should be rejoicing in the knowledge that he would see his Cersei and never leave her side again. In less than a year he would have his wife by his side. The thought of her brought a smile to his face. She was always soft on Jon.

"I am tired too son." He sighed and looked at him.

"I wish you would see reason. I wish you could understand the danger of this situation." Jon looked ready to argue his point. He could hear his speech once more. "Let me finish." Lord Stark asked the younger man.

"I only ask you to be discreet. I must confess the prince's departure puts me both at ease and makes me uncomfortable. I feel safer in knowing that the future King consort of Westeros is not here to see how his future wife and queen favors the future Warden of the North."

"She will never marry him." Jon said ardently.

Ned did not contradict him. "I feel it is my duty to warn you that your pursuit of her will only end up in bloodshed and tears."

Jon looked at him and once more spoke in clear terms. "I am not as naïve to think that loving her will be easy."

"I see that there is nothing I can say to change your mind." He saw as Jon stood up and made for the tent.

His son looked defeated. Ned stood up and blocked his exit.

"Look at me." He said authoritatively.

Ned looked at his child and remembered when he was a babe. He remembered all those afternoons when it was only him and Cersei. "You are my son. My firstborn alive child. I do not support this madness but I love you. I will protect you until there is breath in my body. No matter what is your decision." It was all he could say.

Jon nodded, "Thank you father." Ned could not give him a blessing or condone his behaviors. He would no longer try to reason with him. It was over for him. He would leave all the wheedling and prodding to Cersei.

Ned went to bed and slept easier that night. He decided to focus on reaching Craster's Keep safely. The dragons did their best to keep the fires going but the fact was that it was a crude and unforgiving winter. He hoped that Robb and Tyrion reached the Keep without any trouble.

The remaining men established a hard pace. They moved quickly through the day. The queen refused to mount Drogon and leave for Craster's Keep. Ned observed her covertly. She was always near her unsullied and Jon. Lord Stark had to admit that their proximity was always well explained. They were either riding the dragons or in the company of others. It appeared the queen took Jon's Valyrian lessons very seriously. The spearwives attended some lessons as well. Queen Daenerys taught them as they marched and whenever there was food to eat.

They spent harsh weeks and many cold nights until they reached the Keep. "Jon, send some of your men to the Wall." Ned spoke with some brothers from the Night's Watch. Castle Black was ready for the bulk of the men. Robb and Tyrion would leave for Winterfell in a week.

Ned took careful inventory of the Free Folk who stayed behind. Mostly men and some women who believed the North was safe. Queen Daenerys decided to send her unsullied to the Wall as well. "I will be protected here." She proclaimed. The queen looked a bit pale that morning.

"Would it not be best if your grace traveled now? Father and I could stay back. There is no need for you to march when you have Drogon to take you to the Wall." Jon stated.

The queen arched an eyebrow, "There is no need." She moved to take her quarters in the Keep.

Ned distributed the men and was happy to have a bed to sleep on. He was not getting any younger. The travels and battles took the toll on his body. He longed for the warm and soft beds in Winterfell. Ned dreamed of home when he was younger. He dreamed of Benjen, Brandon and Lyanna. It was a nice dream. He was awakened by a very pale Jon.

"Father you have to help me." Jon said hurriedly. He was half dressed and disheveled.

"What is it?" Ned stood up and reached for his sword.

Jon looked anguished. "There is something wrong with Daenerys. She is bleeding."

Ned stood up and followed his son. "There is no maester here. Fetch one of the spearwives."

"Yasha is with her. She is a healer in her tribe." Jon opened the door. Ned was not prepared for the sight in front of him.

Queen Daenerys was on a bed; legs spread open with blood surrounding her. "GET OUT" the spearwife yelled. Ned saw other two girls who attended the queen.

Ned grabbed his son and pushed him out. "What is happening?" Jon asked him with tears on his face.

The two other girls pushed them aside. They left and entered the room without paying any attention to them. Ned grabbed Jon's arms and explained. "She is having a miscarriage Jon."

His son shook his head. Jon looked haggard and scared. Ned relived the pain of losing Joffrey, and Lyarra. Cersei had not wanted to name the little girl they lost. Ned could not let the babe be buried without a name. He named his little daughter after his mother. "She will need you now." Ned shook him a little.

"Daenerys needs to be strong. Weep if you must but give her support. She lost a babe tonight. She needs you to be brave for her." Ned said quickly.

Jon nodded, "I cannot lose her. She cannot die." He looked so young. His son was very young still. Ned had almost forgotten the despair of losing a child. He looked at Jon and comforted him. "She is the mother of dragons. We have not seen the last of Daenerys Stormborn." Jon tried to smile. There weren't any noises from the room. The girls left and ignored them.

The spearwife approached them. She carried a bundle of cloths. Ned was familiar with that. They were going to give Jon his dead child. The woman did not approach Jon however.

"No man should see this. Least of all him." She said carefully.

"I want to see the babe." Jon said.

The woman shook her head. "There is no babe Jon Stark."

Jon paled. "There was a babe. Was it a boy or a girl? I need to know. The babe needs a name."

The woman looked at his son. "It would have been a boy. It is your duty to bury it Lord Stark. You are the man of the family." The woman gave him the remains of the dead child.

"The mother of dragons wants to see you Jon Stark. I will see to her in the morrow." The woman made to leave.

"Not a word to a soul. The same goes for your assistants." Ned stated carefully.

The young woman nodded, "You southerners and your nonsensical rules. Your woman needs you Jon Stark." She left them.

Jon paused at the door "I think Daenerys should have a say in the name."

Ned shook his head, "Do not add to her burden. Pick a name give the queen a name to have for her child."

Jon assented, "Aenys, Daenerys told me that was the first Targaryen that could be traced." Ned nodded. Jon breathed deeply and then entered the quarters.

Ned carried the bundle to a nearby clearing and dug a hole to bury the child. He did not have the will to look at the babe. He would not have been able to piece the child regardless. Had Ned Stark uncovered the beddings he would have seen pieces of an almost babe.

He finished his task and went back to speak to Jon. Lord Stark waited outside the door. He did not want to intrude in such a moment. Ned understood the acute pain of the situation. The Lord of Winterfell did not have to wait too long. His son stepped outside of the room.

"How is she?" Ned asked.

"Exhausted, devastated, sleeping." Jon replied; his eyes were red-rimmed. "I am going to fetch some water. I think some tea would do her well when she wakes."

"I buried Aenys in the nearby clearing. I marked the grave with his initials A.S." Ned commented.

"Thank you." He said despondently.

"You can cry now Jon." Ned said softly.

Jon wept and hugged him. Ned let the younger man cry. "Let it all out now. Allow yourself this moment and then go back and take care of her. Let her take care of you too."