"Eddard please; reconsider," you whispered at your brother, your hand gripping his arm as he tried to get to his feet, holding him in his seat as your eyes pleaded with his. You could see Jorah standing in the centre of the room, his head turned to the floor, his eyes closed. "You don't need to do this," you added and your brother let out a deep sigh.
"I can't pardon him just because he's your husband; I'm sorry Y/N," he breathed, shaking your hand off of his arm as he rose to his feet with you close behind him. The sudden movements must have caught the attention of your husband who quickly looked up, his eyes locking with your own as he shook his head.
"Eddard, perhaps if we could speak alone for a moment," you continued, following your brother to where he stood in front of your husband.
"You will not change my mind on this matter. Your Lord husband was involved in selling men into slavery, and the punishment for that is execution; you know this," he murmured as gently as he could, not turning to look at you as he looked down at Jorah, who now kneeled on the floor before him.
"You're not listening to me. Please just a moment of your time," you pressed on, gripping his arm to gain his attention.
"Enough," he growled at you, causing you to shrink back from him. "We were good enough to allow you to be here at all; don't make me regret it," he added, his voice low and dangerous, and his glare meaner than you had ever seen it.
"Jorah is innocent," you yelped as he turned from you, causing him to freeze as tears came to your eyes.
"Y/N, don't do this," Jorah hissed at you, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes sad as he stared up at you.
"I won't let you die for a crime you didn't commit," you told him, your voice low so that only he and Eddard could hear you. "Lord Stark, I request an audience with you in private to discuss my husband being punished for my crimes against the realm," you uttered a little louder, so that those around you could hear.
"What are you doing?" Eddard growled at you, finally turning to face you fully as you felt tears prick at your eyes.
"I made a mistake Ned; I didn't know what those men were. Jorah wasn't even on Bear Island when it happened," you told him. You knew how disappointed Eddard would be, you had always been his sweet little sister, much less likely to do wrong that Lyanna, but here you were confessing to crimes that he would have to judge you for. "I thought they were to be taken to the Night's Watch; I didn't take any money," you spoke softly, sniffing as your fought back the tears. "I'm sorry."
"Y/N, stop talking," Jorah spoke up, his voice shaking as he watched your brother bury his face in his hands.
"You did nothing wrong and you aren't being punished for my mistakes," you started, reaching out to take his hand and kneeling beside him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "You will set my husband free and I will be accepting whatever punishment you see fit," you spoke again, turning to look up at your brother.
"Take her to her chambers, make sure she doesn't leave," he spoke to a guard. "Take him too," he added, gesturing towards Jorah who was still watching you with furrowed brows.
You were still in a sense of shock when you were left inside your chambers, sitting at the desk, opposite Jorah who had his head in his hands, his fingers scratching at his hair. "You stupid girl," he growled, not looking up at you until you began to cry, sobbing as you shook from the tears that finally escaped you.
"I'm sorry," you whimpered, wiping at your eyes and biting back the sobs that tried to break free, causing you to shake. "I couldn't have lived on Bear Island without you, please understand that," you added, watching as he got to his feet, coming around the table and kneeling beside you, taking your hands in his.
"I understand; I wouldn't want to live anywhere without you," he spoke gently, his fingers rubbing soft circles on the back of your hands. "Come here," he muttered, gathering you up and bringing you to sit on the stone floor with him, huddled together as you continued to sob.
"Ned will hate me for this," you whispered, finally holding back your tears as you leant into your husband's warmth, calming down as his fingers ran up and down yours spine with the lightest of touches.
Jorah let out a huff of breath, pressing his face into your hair lightly before beginning to speak, "I don't want to lie to you, he'll be angry, but he will always love you; you're his sister," he told you, his hands pausing in their movements, resting gently at the small of your back.
"He's never been angry at me before," you answered, your voice soft and quiet in the otherwise silent room. "What if he doesn't believe me? What if he thinks I sent those men off on purpose?" you added, almost silent as you rattled on, your mind racing for answers.
"No one would ever think you capable of that sort of cruelty, My Love," Jorah muttered in your ear, rocking you slightly as he spoke and causing you to let out a deep sigh.
You turned on the spot, looking into his eyes and giving him a sad smile. "He can't pardon me, people will revolt," you murmured gently, linking your fingers together with his. "The punishment is death; it always has been," you added.
"Don't speak like that, Ned won't let you die," he told you, leaning forward to kiss you again.
"He doesn't have a choice; it's the law. And I won't let him put his family in danger for me," you uttered, pulling away and getting to your feet, walking over to the shuttered window and pulling one open. This had been your bed chambers when you were a child, shared with your sister Lyanna before she had been taken from your family. You had grown up here, stared out of this window time and time again and thought about who you would be when you were grown; who you would marry and what your children would be like. You thought about your future now, or the lack there of it.
"Sweetheart, if he gives you the choice to live promise me you'll take it," Jorah murmured as he came up close behind you, resting his forehead against the back of your head and wrapping his arms around your waist as he pulled you closer. "Please," he added, his voice breaking slightly.
"I can't make that promise," you told him, your voice as soft as silk as you allowed your hands to run over the backs of his where they rested on your stomach.
As your eyes drifted shut, you heard the light knock on the door, turning around in Jorah's arms to press a kiss to his lips; you quickly pulled away, taking a few steps and pulling the door open to reveal your brother standing tall before you, his furs pulled tightly around his shoulders. "We've come to a decision: you'll leave Westeros and you will never return, if you ever do return you will be sentenced to death," he spoke, his eyes locked to the floor. "There was nothing else I could do Y/N, I'm sorry," he added quietly.
"Thank you for trying," you told him, tears coming to your eyes as you wrapped your arms around him, pulling his rigid form close to you and allowing him to sink into your embrace. "I'm so sorry," you whispered, almost silently in his ear before pulling away to go to your chest.
"I will escort you to White harbour and then you will board a ship to Essos," he spoke softly, his voice shaking slightly at the idea of sending you off to this unknown place. "Jorah, you are free to accompany us to White Harbour before you return to Bear Island," he continued and you heard your husband scoff.
"You're a fool if you think I'm sending her off on her own; I'll be leaving with her," he told your brother who nodded in agreement.
"Keep her safe for all of us," Ned hummed, shaking your husband's hand before turning to leave your chambers, leaving you both standing in silence.
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