[Chapter Size: 2800 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Winterfell.
...
...
The two members of House Stark were finally passing through the gates of Winterfell, finding the entire line of young Starks gathered there, along with the queen, Ser Barristan Selmy, and the other guests. Lord Stark led the group, with Robb right behind him, along with the others who had traveled with them.
The lords accompanying them would later continue on to their own lands in the North after getting some rest in Winterfell with their troops, such as the Karstark forces, with Lady Alys Karstark now in Winterfell alongside her new husband, a free folk man.
Ned Umber was in the North, as the Greatjon and Smalljon had both died in the south, killed during Daemon's very own attack when they had joined Robb after Daemon captured the Mountain in the riverlands.
Lord Robert Glover was with the troops and Lord Stark, intending to finally lead his men back to Deepwood Motte.
Maege Mormont was also with the troops from Bear Island. From there, they would travel to Deepwood Motte before returning to the island, where young Lyanna remained in command.
The ones who came to Winterfell were the young Cley Cerwyn and Larence Snow, for whom Lord Stark carried a decree from Daemon, declaring him a Hornwood from that day forward.
Those last two would remain in the North, as they were the last of their bloodlines, ensuring their houses would not disappear and allowing them to inherit their families' castles and rule over their lands.
Lastly, Lord Manderly had sent the son who had accompanied Daemon and Lord Stark throughout the war.
In any case, Lord Stark had known his fate from the moment he left King's Landing for the North. He would go to the Wall to swear his vows... Even so, he could not help but show a faint trace of happiness upon seeing all of his children safe and well. They all looked at him with smiles and tears of longing in their eyes.
It was obvious they were restraining themselves from running toward him. One of them was Sansa, who had not seen her father since he had left King's Landing. Ned could also see the guilt and longing plainly written across her face.
Lord Stark knew his daughter had made a mistake in King's Landing by telling the queen about their escape. Daemon himself had said he would not save her because she had betrayed him. Nor did he hide the fact that he disliked her.
Ned had wanted to protest at the time, but there was nothing he could do except board that ship and try to save the only daughter he still could—Arya. That was before they were intercepted in the Vale, where the mercenaries escorting her were killed and she was captured, until Lord Royce intervened and managed to bring her back.
Even so, Sansa remained a captive in King's Landing while he stayed in the Vale, constantly fearing that some harm would come to her, just as he had feared for Arya while she remained by his side.
He had only returned to the North after Yohn Royce intervened and brought him to White Harbor. But by then, the news had already arrived—his son had fallen into the Freys' trap at the Red Wedding, and only a few had returned.
Even so, after all the tragedy that had befallen his house, Winterfell, and his children over the past few months, they were finally reunited once more in the castle. With the exception of Sansa, they had all already seen one another again. Now she, too, had returned, rescued by Daemon directly from the clutches of Lysa Arryn and Petyr Baelish.
That made Ned think of Catelyn and what she had become. He knew that when Daemon told him, he had done so with a great deal of vindictiveness, making him see what his wife had become. It had not been Daemon who had turned her into that, but he had deliberately made sure they would meet.
When Ned saw her, he could barely believe Catelyn had become something he could no longer recognize. That was no longer human. Even so, she was still somewhere inside that creature.
Daemon had been cruel. Even so, he could not blame him. Her fate had been sealed long ago. Whether by the gods or something else... After everything he had seen, Ned no longer knew if he could still believe in gods or anything beyond.
She did not want to see him. He ran and tried to follow her, but Catelyn only cried and fled. He knew there was no way to speak with her, and he told Robb nothing. Because he believed it would be just as cruel to his son as it had been to his wife... Because Catelyn was still there, inside that thing.
But Catelyn was now a creature wandering the riverlands, while he was destined to spend the rest of his life at the Wall... Perhaps that was the fate the gods had reserved for them after everything.
After all, Daemon's memories of House Stark were far from pleasant.
Could Lord Stark blame him? No. The anger Daemon carried came from the way he had treated him as a boy, allowing his wife to mistreat him beneath his own roof. He had only realized his mistake when it was already too late.
Daemon had become the man he was today thanks, in part, to the influence Lord Stark himself had on what he became. The boy was no monster like Aerys. He was intelligent and would have known how to wear a crown. But he had found countless enemies and became ruthless, in a way Ned Stark did not approve of, though most would still call him a monster.
At the same time, he had to admit that Daemon had become just as ruthless as the enemies who destroyed his family, all because of Ned's own negligence. He had raised a boy who had been wronged... And one who was far more powerful than Aerys, Robert, or Tywin could ever have been.
A man with enough power to shatter kingdoms whenever he wished, command dragons, and wield power comparable to that of a god. No one could stand against something like that.
Daemon stood in an unreachable position. Ned could not even ask him to stop massacring entire families, completing the cycle begun by Tywin and Robert. The difference was that now, it was not dragons being killed, but those who had killed them. It was vengeance repaid in kind.
But it was not something Ned Stark could simply speak about. Not when he felt guilty and knew his own fate had already been sealed. He would remain in Winterfell for a while, but soon he would have to march to the Wall, and from there, he would never return as a free man.
So he set Daemon and the Wall aside, focusing on his family instead. As he dismounted his horse and walked forward alongside his son and the others, his eyes immediately fell upon the central figure: Daenerys, her pregnant belly already visible. Daemon's child would be the kingdom's first prince since the Targaryens' return.
After all, the realm was already firmly secured in Daemon's hands. Ned would not have been surprised if, within a week, he received a raven announcing that the Eyrie had already been conquered by Daemon.
He could control everything with ease. Daemon still maintained a relatively open rule. He had only needed to deal with a few problems here and there, a handful of rebellious lords, but there was almost no opposition left.
He would still have many challenges ahead in the political game. After all, even Ned Stark recognized that many nobles would seek revenge, just as had happened during both that war and the fall of the Targaryens. Just as Daemon had risen, other nobles driven by vengeance could also emerge in the future.
Even so, at that moment, the realm belonged to him, and it was no longer something Lord Stark needed to concern himself with.
Lord Stark turned his attention back to the sight of the Targaryens in power once more. The last two living Targaryens had reclaimed control of the Seven Kingdoms, were expecting an heir, possessed dragons, wealth, and above all, a king powerful enough to shake every kingdom on his own and deal with any threat that might arise.
"Your Majesty."
He quickly set those thoughts aside and stepped forward to pay his respects to the queen. As he knelt, everyone behind him followed suit.
A few moments of silence passed before Daenerys raised her hand.
"You may all rise, my lords."
She paused, standing beside Daemon's direwolf, while the others remained with the Stark children. The only Starks who no longer had direwolves were Robb and Sansa.
"Bran Stark kept me informed throughout the war and of everything that happened in King's Landing, as did my husband during the times he came here. I thank you all for your efforts in finally bringing stability to the realm under House Targaryen," Daenerys said in a brief speech.
"You may speak with your family, Lord Stark."
She said it without offering Ned a smile, and he knew she did not have a favorable opinion of him.
It did not take long for Sansa to rush toward her father, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace, while the others stepped aside to give the family their moment together.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything..." Sansa began to cry against her father's shoulder.
"It's all right," Lord Stark said, gently patting his daughter's back. Even though he knew his daughter had gone far too far.
"I promise I'll obey. I won't be foolish anymore. Please, forgive me."
"It's all right, Sansa. It's all right. The important thing is that you've come home and you're safe..." He knew she had suffered abuse at the hands of Joffrey and the queen.
Despite everything, she was still his daughter. That also left a bitter taste in his mouth. Sansa had practically condemned him and his men and had nearly cost both him and little Arya their lives.
But after spending so long without seeing her, he simply forgave her. Having the chance to have her back alive and well meant far more than any resentment. Meanwhile, his nephew had suffered at her hands for years, without Ned ever punishing her because of the anger he carried toward his sister and Rhaegar.
His sister had already made it perfectly clear, in her ghostly form, that she would never forgive him for that. Lord Stark could only accept that fact, and it was far too late to change anything.
"We have much to talk about," Lord Stark said after stepping away from Sansa.
She then embraced Robb before hugging each of her siblings. When she reached Bran, he turned his attention especially to him.
"I heard you did an outstanding job as Lord of Winterfell. I'm proud of you, Bran. You're young, but you've become capable," Lord Stark said.
He had certainly feared that his son would struggle, but that had not been the case. In any event, Lord Stark continued greeting his other children, while everyone else, along with the nobles who had arrived behind the Starks, greeted the pregnant queen and all the others.
Afterward, he asked permission to go with Bran and Robb to the solar while they spoke about everything that had happened.
"Lady Baratheon has always been difficult to deal with. She's always demanding, and the queen is constantly putting her in her place. There are times when she forgets she's no longer the queen and that Stannis bent the knee to Daemon. Little Shireen has become a great friend of Rickon's," Bran began, speaking about everything that had happened in the castle over the past few moons.
"Dalla isn't very pleased that Mance stayed in King's Landing," Bran said.
"That was Daemon's request. He needed someone to keep the free folk under control. We still don't have enough ships to bring them all north," Lord Stark replied.
"I already know. I overheard a few conversations, and Daemon told me as well."
"In any case, I no longer need to serve as Lord of Winterfell. That position now passes to you, Robb, doesn't it?" Bran said, looking at his brother.
Robb could not help raising an eyebrow as he realized just how much his brother had matured during the nearly seven moons they had been apart.
No. It was not only the fact that Bran had completely recovered from his crippled condition and now walked normally. He was no longer that somewhat shy boy either.
"What else, Bran?" Lord Stark asked.
"We haven't had any problems aside from those Essosi mercenaries hired by the Blackfyre, who somehow tried to assassinate the queen using valuable, poisoned objects. We received a few complaints from villages in the Gift and the Umber lands about the free folk. Some claimed they were taking advantage of the population because they were 'wildlings,' but we found no evidence that this was actually happening. Besides, we received letters from the Wall stating that the Night's Watch investigated the matter and denied those claims."
"The people of the North clearly won't accept the free folk easily, even if it means making up a few lies," Robb muttered.
"The Children of the Forest are staying in the godswood, where they've begun planting small trees to provide themselves with food. Even so, we've been bringing them fruit every day. At the same time, they've been helping us with certain matters."
"Maester Wolkan has never been a problem either. I just haven't found a master-at-arms to replace him yet. I'm taking care of that at the castle," Bran said.
Robb and Lord Stark could not help but grimace in pain as they remembered their old companion, Rodrik Cassel, who had died by the blade of the traitor Theon.
"Is Rodrik's daughter doing well?" Lord Stark asked.
"Yes. Beth Cassel has been at the castle for five moons now, and she's getting along well with young Cley... It's possible a betrothal may arise between them."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Robb asked his father.
"We'll need Bran's help to review all the financial records. We have to see how the North stands now after all these crises and decide what we can send to the Wall. Daemon is gathering a great deal of resources in King's Landing to be brought north for the war," Lord Stark said.
They all nodded.
Three days later, a letter arrived concerning the Eyrie. The Vale now belonged to Daemon's domain.
He had executed Petyr Baelish by throwing him from the High Hall through the Moon Door, causing Lord Stark to frown. He had not expected that kind of execution. He had never liked it and had never even seen that method used when he had been Jon Arryn's ward at the Eyrie.
He had always considered that form of execution barbaric. Jon Arryn had never resorted to such a method. He had always carried out executions by the sword, granting a more honorable death. But it seemed Daemon did not share that belief.
In any case, Lysa would be handed over to the Silent Sisters.
They also discovered that Robert Arryn was not Jon Arryn's biological son. Daemon confirmed it through several potions prepared before everyone present, using multiple examples to prove his theory.
When he used Robert's blood and compared it with Harrold Hardyng's, he found no connection whatsoever. He also performed tests among willing siblings, cousins, and uncles from noble families to prove that his method was correct.
"What will happen to the child, since he's a bastard?" Robb asked.
"Brynden will take him to Riverrun. He'll train and become a knight in the future, but he obviously won't inherit anything from either the Tullys or the Arryns. Meanwhile, Harrold Hardyng will be declared the new heir."
"That explains the other letter." Robb looked up. "I saw a letter from him."
"I suppose so. In any case, Harrold swore loyalty to House Targaryen, along with the Vale lords who accompanied Daemon. The others will be summoned to King's Landing. Daemon intends to return to the capital to settle a few matters, while we have our own work to do," Lord Stark said, and his sons nodded before returning to their work.
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