Barristan POV
After watching the Queen mother her sons he felt proud of her. She had crushed two rebellions against both of her uncles without raising a single sword agaist them. When she had raised her swords against the rebellions that had arose after, she had crushed them. House Lannister was all but gone, House Greyjoy had bent the knee to the throne. But the realm faced a deadlier, colder enemy if the Watch would be believed. The Others are marching south. Well winter is coming afterall.
He makes his way to the small council meeting as he thinks of all the tales he was told of the Others as he was growing up. They are things of legend. He remembers his own father saying to him after he had first been told of them. "The direwolves must die. They are menaces to us all. Ever since the Whore Queen gave birth all they do is howl." "No one has visited the Godswood in weeks. Not even the Queen."
He overhears two maids whispering. "I would leave now ladies whilst you can." He says to them. They look at eachother, curtiesies and leave as fast as they can. They called her the whore queen. He cannot believe that maids had openly called her that. She may not be a maiden but she is still their queen.
Every high lord had been disgusted by her having two bastards, some even refused to allow her to rule them as she is a woman. But she is strong and with the backing of the Starks, Tullys, Arryns and even the Targaryens the girl could withstand anything that they throw her way. She only needs to win the Martells to follow her but that may prove challenging as the girl had given her maidenhead to an unknown man.
He reaches the small council to see Littlefinger leaving with a grin, he looks in to see Lyarra sitting at the table. "My Queen. You should be resting." She looks at him. Her beauty is that of her mothers. "I have rested enough. I must show my face to my kingdom." He smiles at her. "Where is Littlefinger going to?" "The Vale. He is to marry Lysa Arryn and become the lord until Robert Arryn comes of age."
He takes a seat alongside Varys and opposite the new Maester Gerin. The sweet smell of Varys makes Barristan want to vomit. "Your Grace, the remaining Ironborn are being thrown back into the sea. I doubt they will cause anymore trouble." Gerin is a strange little man with a twisted face that everyone seemed to easily read. He is obviously an older man with greying hair and kind eyes. His voice is deep as he speaks to the room. "Good, they can return to their drowned god." She looked at Barristan. He asks her a question about her newfound trust in Littlefinger.
"Are you sure you can trust him, Your Grace?" She gives him a stern look. "No. That is why I need him far away from here." He looks at her. "Maester Gerin any other news from the north." He pulls a small scroll out of one of his pockets. "Word has come from Castle Black saying 'The dead walk' it's in Benjen Starks own hand." Her face darkens. "Call the banners. We're to go north." "It is up to the Nights Watch to guard the realm. We must reserve our forces." Gerin says as she stands quickly.
"What good is a crown without a realm? If my people are dead there is no realm." She looks at him. "We must protect everyone from the high lords to the farmers of the smallfolk." Barristan stands. "That may be so but what if someone were to make a claim on your throne. You have yet to leave an heir." "I have two heirs." "Both in the cradle and bastards." "You are to rule whilst I'm at war. If I fall in battle you are to make sure that they aren't be bastards for long." She takes his hand. "Legitimise them both." Barristan stands there speachless looking at a girl that should be with her babes. Her hand is very warm against his. "Your line will not end with you." She smiles at this and takes her leave.
Eddard POV
His brother had sent a raven to him from the Wall saying that the Others have returned. He didn't want to believe it but he had never known his brother to lie so he had called his banners back to Winterfell. When he told them of their foe he recieved many questioning looks from his men. Some even asked him if he had lost his wits. He prayed that he had but his brothers words were shown to the the lord and many of them looked uncertain but marched North anyway.
As they march North the air gets colder, the ground gets harder and covered with snow as it falls fast. But the men push on shivering in their furs and leathers. They see the Wall from a distance as their army moves through the Second Gift. To look at the Wall no one would believe that it has and is being manned at all. For it was so massive, Eddard looks at the sheer size of it, it must have taken Bran the Builder years to build it. Eddard thinks as he sits atop of his great warhorse watching his men march.
"When we get to the Wall we must let the men make camp and relax until the Queen arrives." Eddard says to Rickard Karstark. "Aye, my lord. Do you think she should march with the southern men? Shouldn't she stay and govern the realm?" Eddard thinks of his sweet wild beautiful sister. "She is just like her mother was. Lyarra has more North in her than South. If anyone tried to stop her marching they would never succeed." He pushes his heels in to his horse and he carries on his journey North.
They make camp in The Gift where only a few old abandoned mills stand covered in the autumn snows that are coming down fast. Eddard stays in his tent as his men drink, eat and mostly sleep. He looks at a map over a glass of wine. Greatjon Umber enters his tent "My lord, your boy Jon has sent his men to us." "Sent? Did he send news of why he hasn't come to us?" He holds out a letter with the Lannister seal. "I thought that you should read it as he's your son." If only he were. He thinks as he opens it. It reads
Father, my men are yours to command. I am remaining behind to seal my claim upon the Rock and the West. I am to marry Myrcella Waters when she arrives and it is done then I will sail to the Wall. I know you understand. I have sent word to Her Grace Lyarra. You have my thanks and regards.
Jon Goldstark
The boy had been raised amongst his trueborn children even when he was not their half brother. Ned knew that the two loved one another but even the name Jon had given himself was rang of Lyarra Baratheon. The queens bastards could be his. He thought suddenly but even the thought of it made him want to gag. But as the realm knew the Targaryens have more than often wed brother to sister. It is in his blood.
His father Rheagar was born of incest and he tore the realm apart, he even doomed his family. Ned had always hoped the boy would live a quiet life within Winterfell, where he would be safe and even take a wife and father babes on them. "Leave me please." He sits down and pulls Ice from it's scabbard and begins to clean it with an oilcloth. He thinks of the Tower of Joy and his sweet sister who had died there.
Catelyn POV
They had been making preperations to return to Winterfell, when another raven came from Ned. It had carried news of a war against the Others. Her lord husband had asked her and their children to stay in the Vale. So she did as was asked of her and the Eastern men marched to war again under the Arryn banner.
Bran runs around with Arya swinging at eachother with wooden swords as Catelyn watches them. She is fierce with that sword. Bran cuts left and Arya stabs him in the belly. She begins to hoot and celebrate finally beating her brother. She drops the sword and runs to Catelyn wrapping her arms around her waist. "Thank you so much Mother." Her smile melts Catelyns heart.
"Go to your brother." She says as her youngest daughter runs to join her brother. Catelyn had asked the Gods for a healthy babe when she had Arya within her. The Gods had given her health but they had given her a wildness like the North and Brandon Stark. He had been wild and hansom, the Gods had damned him to an early death. Her hand then passed to Eddard as is custom. She had mourned Brandon as she had given her hand to Ned.
She had got her first babe Robb from their wedding night. She saddened at the memory of her first borns death, he had taken a girl to wife and broke a marriage pact but he had not deserved his death. She wanted to go to the Sept at Winterfell and pray for him. When she turns she sees Petyr standing behind her.
Petyr had been a ward at Riverrun when she was a girl and now he was on the small council. He had gone far and now he would go even further as he would be Lord Paramount the Vale until Robert Arryn comes of age. His hair has begun to grey making him look older than he was. Seeing him brought her back to the memory of times long gone, when he had fought Brandon for her hand. How she had begged the Wolf to spare her friend.
The wedding begins they stand until the bride is given to the groom then they sit. Her sister wears a pale blue gown with red laces and sleeves. She looks a Tully again. She thinks back to the Sept where she had wed Ned and her sister had wed Jon Arryn. They had both worn white. Then they had waved off theor husbands the next day. How had she prayed that her lord husband was well, just as she did now.
After Lysa and Petyr had wedded, they would have to attend the feast next, then the bedding. They all sit down as the servents brought the food out to them. The food was plentiful and the music happy but Petyr didn't look to be enjoying himself as much as Lysa was. Catelyns sister had her hands all over him either holding his hand, on his chest or on his leg.
Other people notice it as well. Sansa whispers to her that Lysa loves him. The girl had an innocence to her at only eleven but she clearly couldn't see that Petyr doesn't want to marey her. Arya and Bran were sat beside Sansa but they had been taken to bed by the servents. Rickon had been taken to his room with his supper.
The chants then began to bed them. Her sister wore a smile that made her worn face light up. Petyr tries to hide his frown from them. As many of the lords were at war the crowd is made up of mostly women and children. Some young lords had attended but they were few.
The few men pulled her sister from her seat and began to strip her clothes on the way to the bedding chambers. The women had done the same with Petyr. Catelyn looks to her side at the horror on her young daughters face.
"It's not as bad as it seems, sweetling." "But the... they pulled her naked." "Aye but then the only eyes to see your body afterwards are your husbands." "Were you afraid at your wedding?" "Of course I was. I had never seen your father before then and I knew only that he was nothing like your uncle." "How did it feel after the...?" "A bit pained but like a woman. Everything will be fine when your time comes. Do not worry."
She and Sansa take their leave soon after. Sansa returns to the chamber she shares with Arya. Catelyn returns to her cold chambers, in Winterfell her chamber had always been warm and with Eddard there they had been even warmer. She takes her dress off and slips under the covers naked. Sleep doesn't come easily but when it does she dreams of Neds touch.