Would've, Could've, Should've // Ned Stark // Hayley Marshall

65. Psychopathic

'That is Ser pounce,' Tommen told her

'He is very handsome,' she said as he meowed over the bed. "I'm not usually a cat person." Hayley offered. Cats and witches went hand in hand but Tommen smiled back at her. "He's very friendly." Hayley ran a hand over his back up and up his tail. 

"'Joffrey doesn't like him,' Tommen admitted 'he threatened to skin him alive mix his inners up in my food so I wouldn't know I was eating him.' Hayley's jaw dropped. 

'That's very cruel. That psychopathic behavior." Hayley informed him. "You and your sister are not cruel, I dont know where your parents went wrong with him'' Tommen chuckled holding onto her. 

"You know you can come to me if Joffrey ever hurts you, bothers you at all, I will handle it." Hayley assured. 

"Thank you gramma." 

+

'I'm sending you back to Winterfell." Ned informed his children, they immediately started objecting. Hayley heard their little whines of displeasure. 

"What!" Sansa declared furiously, "What about Joffrey?"

"What about Hayley?" Bran and Rickon shouted. 

"Are you dying because of your leg?" Arya questioned.

"Please, father. Please don't." Sansa's voice wavered with panic.

"You can't! I've got my lessons with Syrio. I'm finally getting good." Arya exclaimed.

"Father please, we can't leave, we need to stay." Bran declared. "Ser Barristan was going to help me, we were going to have lessons and he is going to make me knight, he already says Jon has great form, I want that from him, I want him to tell me that too!" Bran shouted. 

"Can we bring Hayley with us?" Rickon begged. "Please father, please, she makes the nightmares go away." 

"Aw, thank you kiddo." Hayley remarked coming up to them. 

"Hayley tell him we can't leave!" Sansa and Arya declared. 

"I dont want to go, I want to stay, I want to stay with you." Bran agreed, the wolves whined around them. Jon took a step back, he was never permitted to speak at winterfell on important matters and figured he didnt have a say now. But he didnt want to go, he thought if anything his father would allow him to stay, Hayley could take him in, as her ward, he was almost a man after all.

"This isn't a punishment." Ned assured them. "I want you back in Winterfell, for your own safety."

"Can we take Syrio back with us?"

"Who cares about your stupid dancing teacher? I can't go. I'm supposed to marry Prince Joffrey. Im the one he is meant to be with. I love him and I'm meant to be his Queen and have his babies." Sansa declared.

"Seven fucking hells sansa!" Arya declared.

"Language young lady." Ned countered. Arya stared back at him hayley snort a laugh. "But yeah..." ned agreed. "Seven fucking hells." Ned muttered. "When you're old enough, I'll make you a match with someone who's worthy of you, someone who's brave and gentle and strong."

"I don't want someone brave and gentle and strong. I want him!" Sansa declared "He'll be the greatest king that ever was, a golden lion, and I'll give him sons with beautiful blonde hair." Sansa went on with a fantasy she had already long since formed in her mind. She was meant to be with Joffrey she was manifesting it.

"The lion's not his sigil, idiot. He's a stag, like his father." Arya said matter of factly.

"No he's not. He's nothing like that drunk king." Sansa declared. "Sorry hayley." Sansa added. 

"Robert is a jolly boy but he has heart, Joffrey doesnt. Take a man that makes you smile, treats you right as apposed to someone with nice hair." hayley remarked. "Take it from me, I had the Creme De La Creme of options and dont get me wrong, Jack was handsome but he wasnt who I suspected to end up with. I'm glad I didnt stick with the first pretty face I found." 

"You are not me and I love Joffrey." Sansa begged. "I think he is perfect."

"And I think Joffrey is a psychopath." Hayley countered. "Agree to disagree on this matter."

"Father please!" The children begged. Ned let out a deep sigh as he ran a hand over his face.  "Go pack." Ned told them to which they shouted louder in objection. "Go, stop arguing and pack.' Ned demanded and had their Septa take them back to their chambers to pack.

"Ned, a word." Hayley offered. "I object." she said immediately. "Jon doesnt like the north, he likes it here. They all like it here and I get it home and all that but honestly Ned-" Jon smiled back at her. "Sending them away wont protect them. I will. I will kill this union between Joffrey and Sansa though, I will compel her into hating him if I have to." 

"What?" Ned pondered. 

"Doesnt matter." Hayley assured. "But what does matter is that I dont want them to leave. I dont want you to leave." 

"I'm staying." Ned remarked. "I... I love you Hayley but please respect my decision to send them home. It is safer for them." 

"Okay." Hayley agreed. "But do me a favor and ask Jon if he really wants to go, I know none of them claimed to want to leave but just... if he wants to stay, I will love him like my own, I will protect him, he can stay and he can be... just ask him before you make him pack up."

"ALright." Ned agreed. "I already know what he's going to say though." Ned nodded to Jon. Jon hugged Hayley tight. 

"I want to stay." Jon agreed. 

+

"My leg feels great." Ned remarked as he peered at the bandage, he was shocked. "What the hell..." he mumbled. 

"Remember when Joffrey and Cersei were whining about scars he would bare forever?" Hayley pondered nonchalantly. 

"yeah." Ned agreed softly. 

"Well a little blood goes a long way but your wound was deep, took a lot longer than his measly little marks." Hayley offered. 

"You are remarkable." 

"Thank you." Hayley agreed. "But hey for the sake of the... fact that I'm not normal, you need to use the cane for a bit, just pretend, I dont want you burning or drowning declaring witch. Or whatever you people do here."

"Sure..." Ned agreed with a chuckle. "But you are magic."