The Falcon Flies North

Winterfell

"Rodrik?, Didn't think you would be arriving."

He simply smiled and shook the hand of his friends after introductions were made between Lord Starks children and that of the King and Queen. "I joined at the last moment, couldn't send a raven." He decided to say and turned to Catelyn, "Lady Stark." He nodded and she curtsied with a smile.

"Come now, Lord Arryn. You and me might not share blood, but my sister is your mother, you are as much a nephew as Robert." She said to him and his eyes went to his brother who had a nervous blush on his cheeks, from seeing family he had seen only once and he was a babe at the time. He then took a look at all of Eddard's children and is surprised by how much they look like him, The Tully looks are dominant it seems He thought.

Robb is the eldest and heir, Then their is Sansa and a blooming young woman, next to her is the youngest daughter and looks more like her father, next to that one is Bran and Rickon if he remembers correctly. All young children and innocent to the South, a shame when Eddard is offered the title of Hand that he will no doubt take the girls and find them a future husband.

He is glad to be around Eddard again, its been too long and the last time was shortly after he returned to the capital with his sister and bastard son whom he hasn't seen quite yet.

"Now that we all introduced ourselves, take me to your crypts Ned, I will pay my respects."

After that, everything seems to have went from tense and happy to incredibly uncomfortable as the Queen sent an icy look at the King for what he had just said right now, and he knows why.

Despite being only a child at the time, he knew that the Lord of Winterfell and the King were passionate about getting the Lady Lyanna back from the Targaryens and it was the basis of the entire rebellion besides Aerys demanding the heads of his friends. He had been in the city when Cersei married Robert and she looked really excited, the next morning and years were different.

"I suppose me and my brother will get settled in." He broke the silence after Robert and Eddard left, his 'aunt' beckoned him and his brother to follow.

"Of course, I will find you both suitable rooms to stay in."

The rest of the day went relatively well, the Lannisters and Starks seem to tolerate each other for the most part and his own men made themselves at him in one of the open spaces where they made camp. A feast began some time after and went well with little going on besides Lady Arya throwing food in Lady Sansa's hair, he made some company with the Robb and Eddard's ward, Theon is a strange one but he can clearly see the Iron-Born in him and it unnerved him slightly.

The Knights of the Vale and the Reavers of the Iron Isles are like night and day, the honor of his people could never befriend that of rapers and killers.

The rest of the night went with one late entry, Benjen Stark, the youngest of the former Lord Starks children. He never met the man but he thanked him for the contribution to the Wall for the recruits he sent their way, he told them that the barbarians were merely causing trouble and thought they would be more useful than being simply hanged for attacking his lands or that of his bannermen's and he swore to send more whilst he keeps the peace against the hill tribes that wreak havoc on his people.

The next morning he and his brother went to Lord Starks solar where he was sitting and speaking to the King, Robert looked like he was already down to his third or fourth cup of wine from the redness in his face.

"Eddard. I was hoping you and me and my brother could speak to you, could we?" He asked and his old friend smiled and nodded, Robert barked out a laugh and stood up, telling him and Ned that he will go and see them that night, once alone he put on the face of a lord and sat down where his other friend had sat.

"What do you need my friend?" Eddard asked him and he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Shortly before my fathers mu- death, he and I spoke one last time about you or Stannis taking in my brother." He gestured to his little brother who remained silent, "He decided on you for the honor and hoped he would send him north but it didn't come to pass. I know Robert offered you the position of Hand of the King, but perhaps he can stay here with Lady Catelyn and Robb." He explained and from the silence he assumed that Eddard was hesitating about it, but the smile from his friend had lifted his spirits.

"Of course my friend, he is my nephew and is welcome here whenever he needs."

He is glad that this business is settled and hopes his father is happy in the afterlife. Now his brother will get the teaching he needs and hopefully will grow some balls and become like him, strong and sensible instead of following the words and promises of that woman. All that is needed is for the investigations into his fathers demise, whether it was House Lannister or Lysa.

"Brother. Go and train with Robb, get to know your other family." He said softly, Robert sighed and did what he said and left the room and left him alone with Lord Stark. "Now what I say will be treasonous, Lysa came back to the Eyrie and told me that my father didn't die from illness, it was murder." He started and Eddard became serious as this is a very serious matter.

"It could be nonsense. She is a fresh widowed and couldn't be in the right mind." Eddard stated and it is almost believable, but he would have it investigated otherwise, he was his father and if he was murdered then he will find who ordered it and see him or her at the tip of his blade. "Who did she say that did it?, if it is true." Ned asked him and he shifted in his seat before speaking.

"She said the Lannisters had done it. I would have this properly investigated and I need discretion and the Hand of the King at my side, I need you in the south to help me get justice."

By the end of this conversation an agreement was made, he and him will search and see the truth of this matter and then will go back to their homes after its all done and over with. He also asked that he don't let his wife know but knew that was futile as he never keeps secrets and more so from the woman he married, he wanted to tell him his suspicions on Lysa being involved but thought it was would cause a rift between himself and the Starks and Tullys, he cant afford making enemies until he has found proof of the woman's involvement in his fathers death.

The next few days pass and he found himself watching the children practicing swordplay and it almost reminded him of his days, practicing with the younger boys in his home before the war. He also remembered the Darling of the Vale, Denys Arryn. He was a young man of twenty and had a wife and daughter when he died, tragically his family would follow suit from the chill.

His thoughts were yanked when he heard a thump and saw below that Rickon had knocked over the young Prince Tommen, the men around shared a laugh and the Crown Prince chided his little brother for not hitting hard enough. He wasn't all that fond of the boy and when he last visited the capital he heard that Joffrey had gutted a pregnant cat to see the kittens inside and was quite disturbed by it, to him that is a sign of madness if there ever was one.

"He sure is willful isn't he?" The sound of her grace caught his attention and he gave courteous nod, despite not agreeing that the boy is anything but a twat, he needs to be reigned in once and awhile before he believes that just because he is the next king he can get whatever he wishes. "I assume you heard about Lord Starks appointment as Hand, and my son is betrothed to Sansa." She began a conversation and he simply wondered why the Queen is bothering with speaking to him, this is the second time this has happened.

"I hope their children become great. And I pray that Eddard serves Robert well." He stated and heard her scoff lightly, all the while they watched as Joffrey go up against his brother who shows his uselessness, they were both terrible and only flailed their practice weapons, yet the fifteen year old was disarmed by one three years younger, it made him sigh in disappointment.

"I like to think that, I really do." He heard her say and then she asked him, "Will you be coming with us to King's Landing?" He thought about what to say back and nodded.

"Yes, temporarily, then I have to return home and keep the land all right and proper." He responded to her and she nodded with a little smile.

"That's good, like I said on the road. Maybe you two can fix the problems that my husband had started, good day my lord." She curtsied and he knelt his head in response.

"Your grace."

After that conversation, the rest of the day went on as usual with his chatting with his companions and some of the Stark and Baratheon men, even had a sparring match between himself and Barristan, that old goat still can swing a sword. Three more days of feasting and chatting pass before the final day and feast, his grace wished for them to go out and hunt their last meal and he actually was the first to volunteer for it because its been too tame and he has a need for at least a little excitement, Robert barked out a laugh at his confidence and so the party assembled.

Sadly their return wasn't so joyful as the moment they re-entered the gates a terrified Catelyn came and informed them about Bran falling from one of the towers around Winterfell. He felt sympathy for House Stark because their pack is already being separated, the boy was to come and squire for a knight and that lies the irony as the boy wanted to be a warrior, now he cant.

Their stay was expanded by this as day and night pass with worry and panic all around the castle, he kept himself busy by having a letter sent home and informing Colemon about his going to the capital with Lord Stark and the King and that he will be back once his business is done and to resume his duties as Warden of the East. He also put forth his apologies to Cat and Ned.

It was late in the night when he was walking about the castles battlements from no sleep, then caught the sight of her grace and he climbed the steps to see what she was doing up there.

"Your grace. You cannot sleep?" He asked and she jumped at his voice and her face illuminated in the moonlight, he heard her say something but he didn't catch it and shook his head, "Sorry. What did you say?" He asked and berated himself on the inside for his dumbstruck-ness.

"Yes, that poor boys fall has me thinking of me and Roberts firstborn. That and I am praying for his recovery." She said to him and he sympathized.

His friends first boys death had hurt him as his father said the King had beat his hands bloody on a wall and the Queen had pled for the body to not get taken away. He was still young and yet hadn't understood the concept of death or the finality of it. It wasn't until later that he understood and never wanted to see death, especially that of a newborn child, only battle ever brought the bloodlust out of him and he intends to keep that separated from his composed self.

"Why haven't you married?, if I may ask?" She asked him and he cleared his throat at such a personal question. He turned away from her lion eyes and looked into the sky.

"Well. Father gave me a box full of offers, I just haven't chosen any yet." He answered and refused to reveal his fears about becoming his father, having stillbirth after stillbirth and miscarriage after miscarriage, its a weakness he doesn't want anyone to know, not even royalty or close family.

"Why not pick one?, I am sure they will give you sons and daughters." She gestured and she might be right. He turned his head and she kept her eyes on the moon, from all the talks with her grace, how could they kill his father as it made no sense, they already have a portion of the power and wouldn't benefit from killing a Lord Paramount and bringing an investigation upon them.

"I might, one of these days. Good night your Grace." He said before taking his leave but before he could take a single step, she spoke up once more.

"You as well, Lord Rodrik."

The next day and a half and the King wanted to get moving south and pushed for the Stark house to get prepared. He thought his grace was being a bit rude but he partly agrees, he has his fathers death to be taken care of, he offered one more apology to Catelyn, said farewell to his brother until he sees him again, afterwards he told the two Royce brothers to tell the men to get ready for the long journey south and at the pace it took them to make it north to begin with, it will be about that long before they reach the capital.