Hands To Myself / Ned Stark / Jon Snow / Elia Martell

13. Paper Rings

Timeless / House of the Dragon x Legends of Tomorrow out now!

Lena forgot anyone else existed when she was with Jon and Elia. They just fit so perfectly into their family. Arya loved them, Elia told her all about her brother Oberyn and Arya decided she wanted to go to dorne. 

Ned couldnt justify it. Another trip so far south leaving the north in someone elses hands. For that long. But arya was slipping up. 

"Remember, mother must not know." Robb corrected. 

"Know what?" Catelyn cut in. 

"I think she knows." Arya whispered. 

"What are you talking about?" Catelyn demanded. 

"Arya wants to train with Bran, THeon and I." Robb decided. 

"What?" Catelyn demanded. "Why can't you be like your sister and do your studies, why are you always trying to play with the boys?" 

"What!" Arya shouted. "I'm not Sansa, I'm not perfect like Lena. I'm me! I want to learn!" 

"No, go to your lessons. I dont want to hear this nonsense again, Arya." Catelyn demanded. 

"You need to calm down." Arya corrected as she slumped off. "It's not a big deal."

"Go little miss." Catelyn pointed a finger down the hall. She looked to Robb, "dont think you are off the hook either, you encourage her wild side, you and Lena." 

"She is a good archer." Robb offered and Arya smiled back at him from down the hall. 

"She will never find a man if she is playing with all the boys." Catelyn corrected. 

"She's a kid." Robb corrected. 

"And you are a young man yourself, you need more than just a lover." Catelyn sneered. "Dont think I dont know where you and theon run off to." 

"I think I hear father calling." Robb countered as he took off down the hall. 

"Lena, love?" Ned knocked on her door she was reading over a note from jon. She hid it when Ned came in. "Whats that? What am I saying, its from Jon." 

"He made me a ring." Lena whispered. She slipped it on. "He made it from one of his love letters, isnt that creative?" 

"A paper ring." Ned chuckled. "its nice to have a friend like jon."

"He's not just a friend. He's my true love. Like ELia is yours." Lena corrected. Ned hushed her. 

"Lena love." Ned rasped. 

"I'm sorry." Lena whispered. "It's true though. You dont love mother anymore. I see how you look at Elia. She is beautiful, she is sweet, she doesnt yell about everything... I love her too. She is going to be my mother in law when I marry Jon. Could she stay here? Her and Jon and Faolan?" 

"Your mother wouldnt like that." 

"SHe wouldnt like you having a baby with another woman either." Lena sassed. 

"Do I get a say any of this Lena?" Ned pondered. 

"Nope, its all about me!" Lena laughed out. 

"Ned!" 

"Oh you are in trouble." Lena decided. 

"We will talk about Jon tomorrow. The daylight will give us a better-"

"NED!"

"-perspective on things."

"In other words you think I"m too young to be thinking about this." Lena agreed. Ned sighed sitting back down beside her. 

"You are 16, can't you stay my baby girl a little longer?" Ned questioned kissing her temple. 

"I am going to marry Jon one day. But I dont want to go south forever. They have cruel summers there." Lena assured. "But I wouldnt mind an escape from the snow every now and again. I would like to be closer to Faolan. He's 4 father. I miss him. He see him for little spurts of time. I dont want to miss out on his childhood so we are just memories to him, not family." 

"I know, I hate being this far away from them too." Ned agreed. 

"Then tell Elia to come north, to stay, take her as a second wife-"

"Your mother wouldnt like that." Ned corrected. 

"Daddy please, think about it. Elia and Jon and Faolan are family. We need them just as much as they need us." Lena decided. 

"You are so much like JOlene." Ned remarked softly. "She had something on her mind, she stuck with it, there was no stopping her."

"Woman on a mission." Lena agreed. "You always tell me I'm like aunt Jolene but you dont tell me much else." Lena remarked. 

"What do you want to know?" Ned offered. 

"NED!" 

"Catelyn not now." ned demanded when the door opened. 

"yes now." Catelyn corrected. 

"Not. Now." Ned seethed. "Close the door." Lena looked between them. Catelyn huffed a breath before slamming the door shut. "Go on love." Ned said in a much gentler tone. 

"Rhaegar Targaryen." Lena began and Ned's breath hitched. "Elia said she was best friends with Aunt Jolene, I can't imagine... I'm sorry. Forget I said anything." 

"They were friends, all of them."

"So... the king lied? They all lied?" Lena questioned.  Ned's mouth moved wordlessly before letting out a deep sigh. 

"Jolene loved Rhaegar." Ned admitted. "She... was..." Ned couldnt relive it. "I think it would be better if Elia told you herself. She was there."

"You were there too werent you?" Lena questioned. 

"Yes." Ned agreed. "In the end. I was too late to save her from the monsters of the world."