King's Landing. The Red Keep. Maegor's Holdfast.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Enter."
As the heavy oak door to the Hand's bedchamber swung open, Jory Cassel, Captain of Lord Eddard Stark's guard, stepped into the room.
"Jory? I thought I sent you to the River Gate," Eddard said without looking up from the ledgers piled high on his desk. But as the silence stretched, a sense of familiarity nagged at him. He raised his head, eyes widening in realization.
"My dear uncle, it's been too long. It seems you've taken quite a liking to your work as Hand. Though I find myself wondering... why do the Lannisters still draw breath within these walls?"
Jory—or rather, Jon, who had Skinchanged into the guard's body—pulled out a chair and sat down with a casualness that Jory would never have dared.
"In Winterfell, you stayed your hand to protect your family and your name. Last time we spoke, I thought you were merely waiting for a base of power. But what about now?" Jon asked, leaning forward.
When Jon had last departed, Renly Baratheon had already aligned with Ned. The power of the Stormlands was within reach. Jon had given Ned the keys to victory: catch the Queen and the Kingslayer in the act, or at the very least, confront Jaime Lannister with a blade at his throat and an army at the door. Yet, as Jon looked around, the Red Keep remained as stagnant and Lannister-infested as ever.
"I spoke with Ser Jaime, as you suggested," Ned said, seemingly oblivious to the look of sheer disbelief on Jon's face. "He has given me his word. If I allow the current state of affairs to persist, he will resign from the Kingsguard and return to the Westerlands as his father's heir."
Jon stared at him, paralyzed by a silence that lasted nearly half a minute. Finally, he managed to choke out a single sentence. "I... I have half a mind to start swearing."
"Jon, I understand your concerns," Ned said with the calm patience of a man who believed he had solved an impossible puzzle. "But the Seven Kingdoms have only just found peace. I will not be the one to plunge them back into the fires of war. If we move against House Lannister now, it will mean a conflict without end."
"You showed your hand to him... and you just let him walk away?" Jon asked, his voice low.
"You once told me he only killed his King to save the people of this city," Ned replied. "I believe he is a man of honor at his core. A knight who will keep his oath."
"He is a spoiled child who was never told 'no,' dear uncle," Jon countered bitterly. "There are too few 'knights of honor' in Westeros to count on one hand. This mercy will be your undoing."
Jon found it impossible to bridge the gap. His uncle was a hopeless idealist, a man who believed that if he acted with honor, the world would eventually follow suit.
"And the children? Arya? Bran? Has Rodrik brought them back safely?" Jon asked, shifting the subject.
"You needn't worry. Our houses have reached an understanding. I have changed the future you feared," Ned said, a hint of irritation coloring his tone. "I know you have seen many dark things, Jon, but those tragedies have not happened here. We cannot view the world through a lens of hatred. Look at what I have achieved through diplomacy."
"Should I send you a Nobel Peace Prize, then?" Jon snapped, rolling his eyes.
"A what?"
"Forget it. I'm speechless. I finally understand why the North loves you so much—you're too honest to realize you're being played." Jon felt a sense of profound numbness. He realized now that Ned Stark would always be Ned Stark. He was a man who would sacrifice everything, even his own life, to protect a shred of honor or a child's innocence.
"As for Bran, I am sending him to Runestone," Ned continued, a flash of sadness in his eyes. To prevent his second son from becoming the 'Three-Eyed Crow' Jon had warned him about, this was the only way. "Lord Yohn Royce will see him trained as a true knight."
"And Arya is with Syrio Forel, the First Sword of Braavos. She will learn the Water Dance, not the ways of the Faceless Men. As for that Jaqen Hghar you mentioned... Renly and I searched the black cells. We found no one of that name. I will not have such a dangerous man near the Keep."
"You are still underestimating them," Jon warned, his voice grim. "House Lannister isn't ruled by Jaime. It's ruled by Tywin. You have uncovered their most dangerous secret; you are the greatest threat they have ever faced. Tywin Lannister does not compromise. He smothers threats in their cradles."
Ned looked at him with an expression of serene confidence. "Fear not. Ser Jaime assured me that only he and his sister know the truth of Robert's children. If the secret remains hidden, it cannot harm us."
Jon wanted to scream. Jaime might keep a secret, but Cersei was a different creature entirely. Without Jaime to anchor her, the Queen would become a cornered lioness, lashing out at anything that threatened her cubs.
"Don't worry so much, Jon," Ned said, pulling several raven scrolls from his ledger. "I have not been idle. I am stockpiling grain and supplies for the 'War for the Dawn.' The houses of the Vale and the Riverlands have agreed to sell to us at a fair price."
Jon took the scrolls, his eyes scanning the logistics. This, at least, brought him some peace of mind. In matters of administration and duty, Ned Stark was unmatched.
"The grain is being split—half to Winterfell, half to White Harbor. We are preparing. When the cold comes, we will have the strength to hold the Wall."
Jon nodded slowly. "This is good. But remember your history, Uncle. Aegon IV nearly destroyed the realm with the Blackfyre Rebellions because he doubted his own blood. The scars of that war lasted generations."
Ned's eyes clouded with the memory of his own lost family—his father, his brother, his sister. "The nobility is not as cruel as you imagine. No lord truly wants war. My proposal for peace and mutual gain will be accepted by Tywin Lannister. I am, after all, solving a problem that has haunted him for years."
Seeing that Ned's mind was made up, Jon realized he had to rely on his own contingency plans.
"I hope you never live to regret this decision, Uncle," Jon said, standing up. "Because I am very far away from you."
"Rest easy, Jon. Everything is proceeding as I envisioned. A peaceful Seven Kingdoms will have the strength to face the Long Night. And since you have chosen the Stepstones, I trust you will keep the sea lanes clear. It will help our trade prosper."
Ned Stark smiled, a look of absolute, terrifying confidence on his face. He truly believed he had averted a war.