HELPLESSNESS

Author's Note: This is a non-profit fanfiction based on A Song of Ice and Fire. It is part of a larger story world I plan to adapt into an original novel. All names, places, and affiliations may change in the future.

NED

It had been almost four moons since Robb disappeared from White Harbor, vanishing like mist before the morning sun. Four moons of silent rage, of carefully controlled panic, of sleepless nights spent staring at maps of the known world. Four moons of watching his wife's eyes grow hollow with grief.

Ned Stark stood before the heart tree in the godswood, its carved face weeping red sap that matched the color of his son's hair. The cold seemed to seep into his bones, but he welcomed it—the familiar Northern chill was grounding when everything else in his world had been upended.

"I should have known," he whispered to the ancient tree. "I should have seen through her courtesies and foreign ways."

He had his suspicions about who might have taken his son. The timing of the Yitish princess's departure from White Harbor coinciding perfectly with Robb's disappearance was no coincidence. Still, he had kept these thoughts private, sharing them only with Catelyn and Maester Luwin while maintaining a facade of normalcy for his other children and the household. Better they believe their heir was on a diplomatic mission than know he had been stolen away.

When the raven arrived that morning, bearing scrolls sealed with both the direwolf of House Stark and the unfamiliar golden phoenix wax.

"My lord," Maester Luwin's voice was gentle as he entered the lord's solar, where Ned sat reading the letters for the fourth time. "Lady Stark is asking for you."

Ned looked up, his gray eyes carrying a weariness that had not been there four months ago. "Tell me honestly, Luwin. In all your years of study at the Citadel, what did you learn of Yi Ti?"

The old maester hesitated. "Not as much as I would like, my lord. It is a vast empire, far beyond the Free Cities, even beyond the Dothraki Sea. They say its cities make King's Landing look like a market town, and its knowledge of medicine and science surpasses even that of Old Valyria."

"And its military strength?"

Luwin's chain clinked softly as he shifted. "The reports vary wildly, my lord. Some traders claim they have a standing army of a hundred thousand. Others speak of war machines we cannot even comprehend. But these are travelers' tales, prone to exaggeration."

"And would Robert's fleet stand a chance against them, if it came to that?"

The maester's silence was answer enough.

Ned sighed, rising from his seat. "I thought as much." He handed the letters to Luwin. "Read these while I speak with Cat. I want your thoughts afterward."

He found Catelyn in her chambers, sitting by the window, her fingers mechanically working at her embroidery though her eyes were fixed on the falling snow outside. When he entered, she set aside her work and looked up, hope and dread warring in her expression.

"It's from Robb," Ned said without preamble, sitting beside her and taking her cold hands in his. "He's alive, Cat. He's well."

Her breath hitched. "Where? Where is our boy?"

"Yi Ti," Ned confirmed what they had already suspected. "Or at least, on his way there."

Catelyn's hands tightened around his, her knuckles white. "What did the letter say? Tell me exactly."

"He says he was taken against his will after refusing the princess's offer of marriage. Her attendants drugged him and smuggled him aboard their ship." Ned kept his voice steady, though the rage he felt threatened to choke him. "But he assures us he is unharmed, treated well, and they have promised he will be allowed to return home after two years."

"Two years?" Catelyn's voice cracked. "Two years while our son is held prisoner half a world away?"

"He's not being treated as a prisoner, according to his letter. They're calling him a 'diplomatic guest' and plan to show him their empire."

Catelyn stood abruptly, her auburn hair—so like Robb's—falling loose from its careful arrangement. "They stole our son, Ned! They drugged him and stole him away! How is that not imprisonment?"

"I didn't say it wasn't," Ned replied, his own anger controlled but no less potent. "Only that they aren't treating him as such."

"We must write to Robert," Catelyn insisted, pacing the room. "The king can send ships, demand his return—"

"And start a war we cannot win," Ned interrupted softly. "Cat, Yi Ti is not some minor kingdom to be bullied by Westerosi threats. They are an ancient empire with resources and knowledge we can scarcely imagine."

"So we do nothing? We abandon our firstborn to these foreigners?" Her blue eyes flashed with a mother's fury.

Ned stood, grasping her shoulders gently. "We do what we must to ensure his safe return. The princess has written as well. She claims she did not order his abduction but admits she will keep him regardless. She has given her word he will be returned in two years, or sooner if he still refuses the marriage."

"And you believe the word of kidnappers?" Catelyn scoffed.

"I believe they have no reason to harm the heir to the North," Ned replied carefully. "Their goal appears to be alliance through marriage, not war. Harming Robb would only guarantee my enmity, and through me, that of the North."

Catelyn turned away, her shoulders trembling with suppressed emotion. "What does Robert say? Surely you've told him by now."

Ned hesitated. "I haven't written to Robert. Not yet."

She whirled around, incredulous. "Why not?"

"Because I fear what he might do," Ned admitted. "You know Robert's temper. If he learns a foreign power has taken the son of his oldest friend, he'll call the banners without a second thought. And that could put Robb in greater danger."

"So instead we lie?" Catelyn challenged. "We tell everyone—even our own children—that their brother is on some diplomatic mission?"

"A half-truth," Ned corrected gently. "He is in Yi Ti. He is learning their ways. The only falsehood is the manner of his going."

Catelyn sank back onto the window seat, the fight draining from her. "I want my son back, Ned."

"As do I." He knelt before her, taking her hands again. "And I will do whatever it takes to bring him home safely. If that means swallowing my pride and playing this diplomatic game for now, then so be it."

She looked at him, her eyes red-rimmed but dry. "And if after two years they refuse to release him?"

Ned's expression hardened, and for a moment, the Lord of Winterfell was replaced by the warrior who had fought alongside Robert Baratheon to overthrow a dynasty. "Then I will bring the winter to Yi Ti, no matter the cost."

Later, in his solar, Ned found Maester Luwin waiting, the letters spread before him.

"What do you make of them?" Ned asked, pouring himself a cup of strongwine.

"The boy writes well under pressure," Luwin observed. "He is careful not to inflame tensions while still clearly stating he was taken against his will. A diplomatic approach."

"He is his mother's son in that," Ned agreed, a hint of pride in his voice despite everything.

"As for the princess's letter," Luwin continued, "I find it... interesting that she claims ignorance of the abduction itself. It would be easier to simply claim the right of capture, yet she distances herself from the actual deed while embracing its results."

"A political move," Ned grunted. "Trying to leave room for reconciliation."

"Perhaps," Luwin conceded. "But there's something else. This passage about what she plans to show him—educational institutions, public works, medical academies. It reads less like a hostage situation and more like..."

"A seduction," Ned finished grimly. "Not of the body, but of the mind. She aims to dazzle my son with her empire's wonders until he forgets he was taken by force."

"It may not be entirely sinister, my lord," Luwin ventured carefully. "The knowledge she shared during her stay here saved lives. If there is more where that came from..."

"You sound as if you approve of my son's abduction, Maester," Ned said coldly.

Luwin bowed his head. "Never, my lord. But I am a man of learning, and I cannot help but wonder what knowledge might come back with Lord Robb when he returns. Knowledge that could help the North."

"If he returns," Ned corrected. "And if he is still the Northern boy who left, not some foreign puppet filled with exotic ideas."

"Lord Robb is strong-willed, like his father," Luwin said gently. "I doubt he will be easily swayed from his duty or his heritage."

Ned stared into the fire, watching the flames dance. "I pray you're right, Luwin. For all our sakes." He picked up Robb's letter again, tracing his son's familiar script with his finger. "In the meantime, we keep this quiet. The children are to be told their brother is on a diplomatic mission at my request. The bannermen will receive the same story."

"And what will you tell King Robert when he inevitably hears rumors?"

Ned's expression grew grimmer still. "The truth, if it comes to that. But not until I've exhausted every other option."

Turning back to the window, Ned watched the summer snows blanket the courtyard of Winterfell. Somewhere beyond the horizon, across the sea at the edge of the known world, his son was sailing farther and farther from home. The sense of powerlessness chafed at him worse than any wound he'd taken in battle.

Be strong, my son, he thought, willing his words across the vast distance. Remember who you are. Remember the North. Remember your home. And know that whatever it takes, I will bring you back. 

Thank you for reading!This story continues on [AO3] — where all chapters are updated regularly.

🔗 https://archiveofourown.org/works/63782263/chapters/163541347

This fanfic is part of a broader world I may adapt into an original novel. Follow along if you're enjoying the journey so far.