The North Calls

Rhaella of house Targaryen



Kesi of house Menes

There was a certain sort of irony in everything that Rhaella did. The biggest one of all was the fact that she was a woman, she had grown up on the Wall despite it not being a place for women. Shortly after her birth, her mother who she was named after, sent her North without alerting her husband to the act. Their uncle resided at the Wall and as dangerous as the journey would be, the woman had hoped her baby would survive. Survive she did and once she reached the wall, with a trusted companion carrying her, Maester Aemon did something that he likely should not have done. Agreed to take the girl in, understanding that there was nowhere else for the baby to go because he had already received news of his nephew's death. His niece had disappeared with her other two children.

Day in and day out, Ray wore a leather chest binder to conceal her small breasts. She was thankful for their size - large ones would have meant certain doom. There had been a few close calls when someone nearly walked in on her taking a bath but up until this point, Ray had been lucky to never be discovered. The Maester was nothing more than a mentor to her, just as he was to the rest of the Watch.

Breakfast had been served and once Ray was confident that she was full, she stood and made her way out of the hall. She made her way down to the stables, intent on feeding and grooming the beasts. Ray had grown up loving them as if they were her own kin - she viewed them as being as close as she would ever get to the dragons her family was known for and so she valued whatever time she could get with them.

---

Regret. Ned was surprisingly free of the feeling despite knowing that his execution was nearing. He could only hope that his daughters freed themselves - that they would somehow get away from Kings Landing before anything dire happened. There was nothing that he could do to help them any longer, he wanted nothing more with them in fear it would mean worse problems for them. If he put as much distance between himself and them as possible, perhaps they would survive and maybe they would find a way to bring the Lannisters to a rightful justice.

His days in the dungeon were spent contemplating every step he had ever taken in his time as Warden of the North, of being by Robert's side all throughout the rebellion, and ultimately, the past few weeks that had begun the downward spiral. His second youngest had been pushed by a tower and when he discovered the truth, oh, how he wished he would rip Cersei's throat out with his teeth. Maybe he'd take her as an offering to the Boltons for sworn allegiance... ah, the fantasies that rolled around in his mind grew more and more morbid as time wore on.

No matter, the hope for exacting his own revenge had dwindled to nothing. His trial would be tomorrow, Ned had little doubt in his mind that he would be put to death. There was little point in hoping for a miracle at this point.

Jon Snow had found comfort in the cold. The bitter winds of the north, wrapped in autumn last chill blew its frigid breath down the nape of his neck. It chilled him to the bone, yet sharpened his senses. Odd as it may have been to anyone other than those who have the gift of insight, Jon Snow was never bothered by cold. He belonged to it and it to him. A Stark by blood meant that ice ran through his veins. While many of the other new recruits- particularly those from the southern lands- chattered their teeth and shook in their boots and multiple layers of clothing, Snow embraced his new home with little more than his normal attire and thick cloak. This made it easier to move....easier to remain silent.

It wasn't only his familiarity with the land and his brother's disarray by it; Snow had taken in much more in his short time at The Wall. He had begun to examine those brothers who had been with the watch long before his time, and even those who had arrived before him, though near in age; Ray being thus, an example of this.

The lad was a mystery to the baseborn Stark boy, who had never seen a more tantalizingly thrill than watching such a feminine young man work harder and suffer more than many that had seen nay less than 60 years atop the wall. Ray was smaller than even him, who in turn was by no means a man of large size.

In studying Ray, Jon found that the days went by much better. It occupied his mind, thinking of all the possible reasons such a kind person might be sentenced to the wall. And as he saw him approach the stables that morning, his words became audible.

"Where were you from?" It was an innocent question, laced with the purest of curiosity.

---

Kesi bit her lip until blood drew. Between the business of keeping Cersei at her heels and quietly reassuring Sansa everything would be alright- after all, her father's men had been slaughtered and the Warden of the North himself imprisoned- the out-lander to the world of Westeros was beginning to go mad.

There had been talk- talk of the incestuous relationship between Cersei and Jaime. Talk that Kesi had assumed to believe once she heard it. It had all become painfully obvious and the princess could have nearly kicked herself for not seeing it sooner. The signs had all been there...when she had first come to King's Landing as waiting lady to her grace, and then again when Joffrey had been born. Not to mention the mysterious circumstance of what had happened in Winterfell. And now....now a man was going to die for voicing the truth. No...no, he couldn't. Kesi couldn't allow it. But what could she do?

"You requested an audience?" Cersei had little time to waste with her handmaiden, yet for the younger woman's birth-status, her grace could hardly reject one.

Kesi held her head high, the jewels of her people cascading down her body in a pool of blue and crimson. Cersei may well have been the most beautiful woman in all of Westeros, yet across the Narrow Sea there was none that could match Kesi, daughter of the king of Atun. "The Wolf," Kesi hissed, sneering at the queen. "Has the protection of Atun at his side. You will not murder that which the Phoenix has placed her wing under."

Kesi watched carefully as the queen attempted to understand her friend's shift in loyalty. "No one else will be harmed in order for you to keep your secrets."

Ray had learned long ago that she should focus hard on her work and keep her head down, it kept people from bothering her too much and she was able to keep her secret fairly easily. She didn't consider that she had any friends, not really, other than one Samwell Tarly. He'd never been anything other than absolutely polite to her - offered her a smile if he noticed she was having a bad day and tried his damnedest to cheer her up so Ray had to give him credit. Even if he couldn't hold a sword properly to save him life. She would listen quietly if he ever felt the need to rant about the unfair treatment he dealt with, sometimes offering her own little comments about her own. A small boy, that's all he was - all they needed to know. Someone like him was an easy target for harassment but Ray's skin had grown thick over the years and she barely batted an eye at even the worst comments that came her way.

Starting at the sudden words that came sounding from Jon Snow, Ray stopped mid-stride. She glanced around to see who he must have been talking to but when she spotted no one, Ray slowly came to the realization that she must have been who he was trying to talk to. Why? She was well aware of who he was - Ned Stark's bastard, a bastard to a man sentenced to death for treason against the throne. The idea made her blood boil, not for Ned's sake, but because of who the crown was worn by. A Lannister, a Baratheon, neither mattered - they were both responsible for her father's death. For her mother's and her siblings - she had no idea about her mother. Where was she? Alive? What about her remaining siblings, Viserys and Daenerys? She knew they had escaped with their mother but she had no clue of where or if she would ever get to see them again - better to act as if they were dead. Master Aemon was her family she knew but it minus well not have mattered, he was a mentor to the entire Night's Watch, treated her the same as every other person.

Eyeing Jon warily, Ray shrugged, turning back to the task in front of her. "I was born not far from here." King's Landing. "The Wall is all that I remember," she paused, tossing a glance over her shoulder to fix him with a glare. "What does it even matter to you? There's plenty more here with a more interesting story than simply growing up here."

---

Cersei's brow raised as Kesi began to speak of protecting Ned Stark - she couldn't be serious. There was no way that she could be, Kesi had never been anything but a loyal handmaiden. She was very nearly hurt but the feeling was quickly washed away as the woman continued, being replaced by a growing anger. "Tell me, Kesi. What secrets do you speak of?" Cersei challenged, pursing her lips as her eyes narrowed the faintest bit.

"I do not care to make an enemy of someone that has been by my side for years," Cersei continued with a slight shake of her head. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair she sat in.

"The so-called wolf you refer to has told blasphemous lies about the woman you have been so dedicated to for most of your life. To the very family you serve so well and you decide that now he's able to give you more than I can? What exactly does he have to offer to someone like you other than a world of betrayal and hurt?" Cersei ranted away, venom dripping into her voice. She had never been that big of a fan of Ned to begin with but Robert had been best friends with him and so she hadn't been able to get in the way. Not until her husband perished, rest his soul.

Cersei's lips turned upward ever so slightly into a small smile. "Besides, my son is king. His rule is what we will listen to, has nothing to do with what I desire," she paused, long enough to eye Kesi. "What would you even have me do? There's very little places for Eddard Stark to hide away for the rest of his life."

"All that you rememeber?" Jon repeated Ray's words, almost mockingly. There was no malice in what he said, yet a tinge of interest and intrigue.

Of course each life that was led before the Watch was dead. They were the brothers in black and Castle Black was their home. Yet somewhere in the moments of peace- which were far and few between- there were times where each one of them considered what their lives may have been away from frozen wasteland they now called home. And this Ray...who seemed so out of place, save for his hardness and capability to stand beside his companions, did not seem fit for the Night's Watch.

"What had you done to earn a life on the Wall? Jon paused then, realizing that what he implied with his wording may have sounded offending. "I- I only meant- well you see, someone like you isn't someone I'd expect to see here. Why aren't you a member of the King's Guard? I've not seen anyone handle a blade quite as you do. Quiet...flawless. I can only assume you were once meant for something better than tending to the horses of Castle Black."

He stood there watching his brother in arms, recognizing the body language of someone who had lost so much. Or perhaps...something they never truly had. Now that was something Jon Snow knew oh so well. The bastard child born to Eddard Stark had never truly been a part of the family he had desired so greatly growing up. Its why he traded that life for this one. At least here...here he was equal among everyone.

"You...you didn't have a choice did you?"

---

Kesi narrowed her eyes and leaned close in on her grace. "You will not speak to me of suffering and hurt. You will remember your grace, as humble a servant as I may be, I was born royal. The daughter of a KING." She paused then, gazing down at the ring upon her finger. The phoenix shined brightly up at her, giving her the confidence to keep her argument strong. "I am not naive," she whispered, "I know of you and Ser Jaime, and in all honestly Cersei....I care not. Love whom you desire and protect your children....but spare the life of Eddard Stark."

Why was she pleading for the life of man who was old enough to be her father? Gods only knew. She had admired him from the moment she had met him in Winterfell....that exotic land so different than her own. Perhaps Kesi had grown to keep him in her heart, in a place he didn't belong. He far all, was married.

"Send him to the Wall...I do not wish to raise my country's banners against you and yours. Do this for me and I will write to my father and propose my younger sister's hand in marriage to Joffrey. THINK!...the hand of a crowned princess of a blood line so pure....5000 years my family has ruled Atun. Think of the strengths the Lannisters would gain." Kesi waited for the reply. Was she really willing to pawn her sister to the monster king?

Ray's shoulders pulled together as Jon continued to question why she was here. Why was he being so damned nosy? Didn't he know anything about keeping his head down and minding his own damned business? It appeared like he didn't and she whirled around to face him with a glare just as he began to fumble over his words. Then out of nowhere, Ray was laughing at the mention of the Kings Guard. "You can't be serious, Snow. You think any of the Lannisters would want someone like me guarding them? I'm small, they'd deem me unfit the moment that that wretched bitch of a Queen laid her eyes on me." Ray didn't try to hide her feelings in regards to the Queen, she never had, and she never would about any of the other Lannisters. Most understood it was just a brother voicing his opinion but for her, it was so much more. The family that killed her own family were the very family that ruled over her. God, what she wouldn't do to see the life drain from their eyes one by one.

"Yeah, no. Before my birth, it was known that this is where I would grow up. This is where I was meant to me," Ray spoke, bitterness leaking into her voice despite herself. There was no point in trying to hide it. Being here had never been something that she really discussed so whenever it somehow came up, Ray grew a bit emotional. Sighing, Ray went to turn back to the horse that she stood in front of, only to freeze in place at the next question that sounded from Jon. She glanced back over to him before finally forcing herself to complete the turn.

Ray reached a hand up and tugged at the cloak that hung around her shoulders, suddenly feeling like she was under suspicion. Jon seemed intent on asking far too many questions and questions were never a good thing, not to her. She didn't like them being directed toward her and she didn't ask them, simply put her head down and did her work.

"Why so many questions, Snow? You want to fight, test your skill a little or something? Careful, you might not like the outcome."

---

Cersei rolled her eyes, not particularly listening to anything that Kesi had to say until the mention of her sister being married to Joffrey. Her eyes rose as she fixed her gaze on the princess in front of her, trying to gauge whether her handmaiden was lying or not. It wouldn't have been too far fetched, it was possible that Kesi was just saying what the Queen would not have been hard to think. But Kesi seemed desperate and Cersei began to believe her, a slight smile urging onto her features as she weighed the options. Sansa was no longer a good option to wed her beloved son, daughter to a traitor as she was. Kesi's sister would be fit for a replacement and even would have been if Ned hadn't dared to show his true colours.

"Ned will always continue to be a threat to the Lannisters as will his family. The Starks, what would you have me do, Kesi? Allow his eldest to take his place as Warden of the North? Continue to let his family live as if their father is not a known traitor to my family? And what if Ned decides to leave the Wall, gather an army? The Starks have ruled the North for thousands of years, he would surely be able to."

With a wave of her hand, Cersei pushed herself to her feet. "I'll consider your proposal, I may even discuss it with my son but until then, Kesi?" A twisted little smile settled onto her features. "Watch yourself, don't go making friends with my enemies, I would hate to have to call you one as well."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Snow sighed, taking a step forward and resting his hand against the neck of the beast. "The Lannisters are no friend to my kin either." It was his one chance at forgiveness at what was clearly a step at making a new enemy.

While he waited for Ray to mull over his awkward apology, Jon rambled a bit over his father, King's Landing, and how he too shared in the hate for Cersei Lannister and her own kin. In truth, there was no viable reason for him to speak to Ray in such a comfortable tone. It wasn't in his own nature to do so with anyone and quite frankly, he was more so like Ray than most men guarding the wall than he'd like to admit. They both kept to themselves; they both had no need for friends. Perhaps that was the reason behind his advancements in trying to understand this fair-haired lad better.

"What a world it would be..." Jon sighed and gave a small smile, barely visible. "With the way things are going-the whole kingdom on the brink of insanity...most of the men are whispering now that perhaps a Targaryen should take the throne again....I cannot see that though. My kin's quarrels with them go as deep as the ones the Lannisters are creating for themselves...I fear my father may face death by the hands of a Lannister King, much the way his father and my uncle faced theirs at the hands of mad Targaryen one."

There was something in that moment. Something far and sudden; particularly dark that Snow didn't understand. It was like a flash of lightning before his eyes and then just as sudden, black as pitch. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before and thus pretended he didn't know. What Snow did do however, was give himself headway in unraveling the mystery of this boy who seemed to not belong. "You've heard the rumors haven't you?...the two Targaryen children that are supposedly alive and gathering sympathies from beyond the Narrow Sea? Some say they may have even requested an audience with the King of Atun....the same man who threw himself into the fray with the Lannisters."

---

Kesi knew better than to say more. The insults that she felt coursing through her were great, but she hesitated-bowed-and quietly left the queen to muse. This gave the princess her perfect opportunity to reach out to Ned.
**
The dungeons sprawled out like a labyrinth of death before her. With each step she took the small sounds her sandals made against the stone echoed past her and all around her. It was as if she had stepped into a world of shadow from which there was no escape. In this silence Kesi realized that she would have gone mad with grief by now, never seeing daylight in the cold recesses of this wretched place.

She continued in her nightmarish muses until she found the space where the Warden of the North was imprisoned and at the sight of the proud man of Winterfell, the little warmth that was left in her heart went cold. Sadness gripped her belly like a cold serpent and Kesi grew in the sharpest of breaths, only to relinquish her frail shawl and drape it over the shoulders of the Northerner.

"Milord," Kesi's accent rang strong and thick; exotic. "Lord Stark..." She took one of his hands and gave a small squeeze to reassure him she meant no harm in her visit. "Your daughters are safe." It wasn't a lie. Not truly a lie anyway.

She let the silence fall over them before she pried the ring that held the Menes family sigil from her finger and tucked it into his palm. "You will not die here," she promised. "I will not allow that to happen...you will be freed. You will return home, and you will avenge your son. I have tried to send ravens to your lady wife, though I fear Cersei has intercepted my letters...but do not fret...Atun is with the Starks...the phoenix wraps her wings around the wolf."

"Indeed, what a world it would be," Ray agreed, shaking her head quickly to rid the hope that was beginning to grow at just the thought. Maybe if they could manage to piece together enough of an army, they could march against the Lannisters... ha. What a joke. There was no marching against the Lannisters, the family was well respected because of how strong they were. She had grown up on stories of the Kingslayer - Jamie Lannister. The man whom had killed her brother. Ray blinked at the thought, realizing how strange it was to think of the Mad King as being her father. It wasn't as if she had ever met the man, never would have the chance, but the fact still remained. She was the daughter of the Mad King, Aerys despite having never voiced it to another soul. She had never even spoken about it with the Maester and probably never would. What a shame. "My sincere apologies, Snow. No one should have to suffer such a fate under the Lannisters and yet, what is there for any of us to do?"

At the mention of the Targaryens across the Narrow Sea, Ray felt her heart skip a beat. They were alive? They were alive! Her siblings were alive! She still had family other than the Maester who would never acknowledge her as such. Swallowing back the swell of emotion, Ray struggled to bring herself back down to reality. She couldn't dare let out how exciting the thought was else Jon may suspect. If Jon suspected then her life was over. While the Lannisters still remained rulers, a Targaryen in Westeros was a walking dead man (or woman). No, it wouldn't do to accidentally let Jon know her secret.

"I've heard no such rumours," Ray managed to force the words out, trying to remain as stoic as she could. She closed her eyes, willing the tears of pure joy that had surfaced to go away. Crying, for a man of the night's watch, was very nearly forbidden. It would serve no purpose at all. "It doesn't serve me any purpose to delve into rumours that will never affect me," she spoke again, drawing in a sharp breath as she finished. "King of Atun, who?" Now Ray was showing just how uneducated she was - she had thrown all of her worth into fighting and she had learned the skill quite easily but she had never had the chance to focus her readings at all.

"If the King of Atun supported the Lannisters before, he will not go against them now. Would he?"

---

The soft footsteps of one lady -- Ned could only assume it was a lady for mens' steps were so sharp and heavy that they jolted him with a wave of fear with every step that was taken. Not that he ever showed it, no, but it was fear nonetheless. Were they finally coming to take him to his death? Someone with such light steps couldn't be. Maybe a messenger boy... though Ned never dared look up, even as the shawl was placed over his shoulders. Reaching up with shaking hands, Ned pulled it closer to his shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief at what little comfort it could offer. Slowly, Ned looked up to meet Kesi's gaze with a questioning stare though no words were spoken until his daughters were mentioned. "Are they still in Kings Landing? They'll surely be killed..." he trailed off, sighing as he rested his head against the wall behind him. They were his only regret, not even his wife or his sons for at least they weren't in the enemy's clutches.

His eyes had drifted up to watch the ceiling, his mind beginning to drift away from the woman who stood in front of him. Ned jerked at the sudden placement of something small in his hands and looked down, his muscles pulled together, hesitant of what he was about to see. A small vile of poison so he could end his life on his own terms? That had been his initial thought and when his eyes finally took in the ring that lay in his palm, he swore his heart did stop for an entirely different reason. Hope. If there was any ally out there that could save him, it was the King of Atun. The Atun family. His gaze sharpened as he looked up to Kesi, eyeing her warily. This had to be some sort of sick joke.

"Why?" His voice cracked, his gaze dropping back to his hand that had curled around the little beacon of hope. "Your father, no offence m'lady, why would he support this? You may be a princess, that cannot be questioned, but to save an enemy of the King of Westeros, without an army by your side? You'll only end up with the same fate, Cersei's a crazy witch of a being."

Ned drew in a shaky breath, bringing up his free hand to cover his mouth as he coughed. He held out the ring, trying to offer it back to Kesi. "You should go. Before you get yourself into trouble for some old man you barely even know. Go, m'lady. Please."

Jon Snow nearly laughed, before realizing that Ray may well have been telling the truth. Had he truly spent his entire life at the Wall, there would be little for him to know; save the current dealings in the world of Westeros and their own king.

"Atun is a kingdom across the Narrow Sea. Their king's have sat upon the throne in the Valley of Kings for a time out of mind. When the Mad King lost all wit, Atun rose with the Lannisters to end his rein." Jon paused then, trying to remember everything Kesi had once told him when the King and Queen visited Winterfell. "It had something to do with broken treaties surrounding Atun and Westeros. The Lannisters promised justice."

Jon went more in depth, trying to pull from memory any bit of information he could but truthfully, during his history lesson with Kesi, all he could do was stare in awe of her ridiculous attire. He had never before seen anyone covered from head to toe in silver, gold, and other precious metals.

"I would imagine however, the Lannisters have not upheld their word. The remaining Targaryen's are going to attempt to gain favor, no doubt the brother will try to offer his sister to one of the King's sons....though I doubt Kofu will take her; after all...the Targaryen's are no longer in power. I know some of the men had mentioned the Dothraki."

The conversation went on and on this way, Jon relaying what his father had told him of the Targaryen's and their blood line. It intrigued him how Ray seemed to absorb it and then brush it aside as if it wasn't interesting to begin with.

"Its hard to believe you know so little of the Targaryen's, being from King's Landing and all....when did you arrive here?"

Something was off about it all, but the bastard Stark could not put his finger on it. He stared at Ray intently. And then, something clicked. "Did you know the Targaryens?"

---

"With all do respect Lord Stark, you do not command princes." Kesi knelt beside him then, closing Ned's fist around her ring. "Winter may be coming, Eddard Stark, but I am the morning and evening sun."

She stared into his eyes then, fighting the emotion that was swirling in her heart. She could not explain what had happened to her in the little time she admired him from a distance. Yet what Kesi did know was that Ned Stark was a very married man and if the only way to show her affection for him was to reunite him with his wife and children, then by the Old Gods and the New, she could see it done.

"I will not allow your death to take place. Not here, not while a Menes breaths in the Red Keep. Have faith my friend....Do not hold to ill news."

Kesi continued to hold Ned's hand, staring deep into the Northern's eyes. She knew the look upon her face was bitterly obvious but the Gods knew her intentions were pure. The heart did no decide who it grows attached to, and all that could be done was to decide how to handle it. Trying her best to remain as innocent as possible and stray from the intimate look in her eyes, Kesi took in a deep breath and looked to the stone floor.

"I will speak with Tyrion when I can. He is a trusted friend of mine- Lannister or not- and I will listen to his council. I swear milord, you will return North...your daughter's following shortly....and from there....Atun will aid you and your bannermen in overthrowing the Lannisters and destroying their wickedness. The world will sit Stannis on the throne and you may return to Winterfell...."

Kesi paused then, recalling the wonders of the frozen world. She stifled a giggle, shaking her head. "I had never seen snow before...nor men who wore such thick furs- both on their backs and faces....where I grew up, there is only sand and sun."

"The Lannisters deliver justice? This King must be damned foolish if he thought such a thing possible," Ray insisted with a shake of her head. She let out a dry laugh, turning to move onto the next horse to brush their fur out. "From what little I do know, they've only served themselves. No one else. They would not start just because the Mad King needed to be taken care of." Ray felt bitterness well inside of her. To talk about her father in such a way felt wrong but when it came right down to it, she agreed that Aerys had needed something done. Else the entire kingdom would have burned and where would that have left anyone?

Ray grit her teeth at the next series of questions. She wanted to turn around and lash out, demand that Jon leave her be so that she could finish with the horses before duty called. It was likely her day would be spent training and if not training, on the wall, watching and waiting for the day Wildlings decided to attack. The idea scared her right down to her core but fear had no place in her heart and so she ignored it, pushed it away and stomped it out before it could get a breath of air.

"My family rid themselves of me when I was only a few days old. Some old witch of a woman told them I was too small to amount to anything useful," Ray spoke words she had rehearsed a thousand times over for any circumstances as these. Where someone couldn't just take the hint and leave her alone. A shake of her head, Ray scoffed at the thought. She didn't know if she had ever met her father, if he had ever laid eyes on her before she was sent away. Had her older brother and sister? Certainly Ray had met her mother but that was the only guarantee.

"i don't know and it doesn't matter. I told you I came here as a baby, what happened before my journey here is lost. It's best to leave it that way," Ray said, running a gloved hand over her hair. It was cut short, only allowed to grow a bit longer on top but it was still a masculine cut. What Ray wouldn't give to let her hair grow and feel the wind through it.

"The Dothraki will never cross the Narrow Sea. What stories I've heard of them, they're afraid of the sea. To ally themselves with such a barbaric tribe would be a useless attempt at gaining an army. Imagine! They return and they army stays across the sea. What good would that serve them?"

---

"Lions fight better in the dark, Kesi. Careful who you make an enemy of," Ned answered, his shoulders dropping as he pressed himself against the wall. His body ached in so many places that it was damn near impossible to find a comfortable position but at least with his back pressed flat against the wall (or floor, depending), his back didn't hurt quite as bad from never really getting that much exercise. He spent his days standing and pacing back and forth for a bit but quickly, Ned would tire because he wasn't afforded as much food as he was used to by any means. A stale piece of bread and water most days and if someone snuck him down something a bit more hearty - Ned had almost been hopeful when Kesi appeared but he didn't look remotely disappointed because he had learned not to expect anything. His cheeks had sunken in, his clothes were fitting looser than when he had been placed down here. Ned wondered how he looked - older and sickly?

Ned was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the way that Kesi was looking at him, only blinked and was brought back to the present when Kesi spoke again. He offered a small smile though it was one he certainly didn't feel. "If it comes down to it, save my daughters. Please. Get them to safety, they still have lives to live."

Ned couldn't help the stirrings of a hope that he had abandoned what felt like ages ago. Kesi spoke such sweet words, seeming like she truly believed the words that she spoke. If she could somehow manage to free him, Ned would owe his life to her. To her father, to her entire family. Clearing his throat, Ned briefly wondered if he should mention Robb. Robb would be a fit suitor for Kesi. Oldest son, heir to the North.

At the mention of snow and cold, a genuine smile started onto his features. Ned nodded, reaching to take one of Kesi's hands. He gave a gentle squeeze and held it, feeling like he was holding onto hope itself. "The North is a land unlike any other. If we are successful, you are welcome there any time you desire. I give you my word," Ned's voice grew a bit stronger as he spoke. Ned tensed a bit as he looked up to her, "have you spoken to your father about this?"

"I would ask you why you dislike the Lannisters so much, but I can see that our conversation is slowly turning over into malice." Snow was taken aback by the sudden fury that grew in Ray's eyes. There was fire in those orbs. It was a fire he did not wish to stoke.

"Perhaps I'll see you in the training circle?" It was a goodbye for the present, those Snow's mind ran rampant with more questions than he had answers to. In situations like these he found it more wise to let the topic go for the time being. Still, there was a part of him than felt Ray was truly more than the eye could grasp alone. There was no rhyme nor reason for him to be so obsessed, yet all the same that irking feeling was there.

As Jon walked away and took the stairwell to the library, Sam had crossed his path. There were no words spoken between them for the given moment, but both young men did stare down at the fair-haired lad beneath them.

Jon and Sam had that odd connection with one another; they knew what the other was thinking before it needed said aloud, and in the same moment they answered each others questions. As for the question regarding the unique oddness of their brother in arms, neither one of them had any answers. They shared a parting glance before Jon sulked into the library in search for a book containing the great houses of Westeros. He was not one for scholarly habits, but that gnawing craving for the need to know would not leave him be.

"There is something..." This thoughts traveled into silence as his thumb found the spine of an old tome.

---

"Your daughters will remain safe, I swear it." Kesi smiled bitterly. "And yes, my father has been made aware of the goings on in this place. I write to him often. He was well pleased to know I had seen your part of the world. What would please him more would be to see a Stark as King in the North...."

It was bold to throw into the fray what dark matters had passed between Kofu and his daughter. Their relationship was never strong, not since he had blamed Kesi for his wife's death in her child bed. However as the years grew and the letters carried well, a sort of relationship had been rekindled. Kesi was no fool though; she knew her father only wished to see his lands and prospects grow. He had made it abundantly clear he wished for Kesi to marry well. At first Tyrion Lannister was the main suitor- a union that neither Kesi nor Tyrion cared for, but would carry out if only to keep their families pleased. But then the rumors of the Lannisters crossed the Narrow Sea and Kofu had already withdrawn from those ideas. It seemed Kesi's fate was tied into whoever won the great war to come....and if she were stupid, the news of the Targaryen's would have slipped from her tongue and floated into Ned's ears. So she staked her ground with the Starks. At least she had met them and found some sort of friendly.

"My father will send troops to Robb and to Stannis...if Stannis agrees to let the North go free....there are too many details for me to disclose here milord...but Atun is ready to stand beside you. I need only send a raven."

Ray couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when Jon left her alone, leaning forward so that she could rest her head on the horse she was currently grooming. Her eyes slipped shut and for the briefest of moments, Ray wondered if she was going to lose control. Jon had asked so many questions and what few answers she could offer up didn't seem to satisfy him. Ray had glanced up just long enough to watch Jon disappear into the library.She considered going after him but dropped her gaze away when she realized that would only cause more suspicion.

Finishing with the horse that she had been last working on, Ray bid the beasts farewell with a small wave of her hand. What now? She had to carry on as if everything was going normal despite the nerves that were on fire. She wanted nothing more than to go find Jon Snow and give him a piece of her mind. How dare he go sticking his nose in business that isn't his! It wasn't as if Ray had ever met the bastard up until a little while ago. Sighing, Ray turned to make her way back to her small room where she changed her furs out for a looser shirt, that had fur on the inside to help keep her warm. It would be easier to move around once she stepped out onto the courtyard to train.

Leaving her room, Ray headed out to the main courtyard, her sword fastened to her side. It was a plain sword, nothing particularly special about it. The only semblance of her true name that she had was a tiny little dragon statue that she kept hidden in the folds of her chest binder, right above where her heart beat. Ray was quiet as ever as she pulled her sword free, happy when one of the brothers' stepped up to spar with her. She bowed her head slightly in a sign of respect before they began.

---

Ned had kept his calm exterior, until those words fell from Kesi's lips. His gaze shot up to meet her and he was silent for a long moment, feeling like this was suddenly some sort of sick joke. But she appeared serious and he was beginning to realize that maybe trusting Kesi wasn't so terrible... if things could only work out. "Stannis has no worth as a king, he's a ruthless man. He would keep us safe," Ned paused, letting out a dry laugh as he shook his head. "From outsiders but from himself? No, we'd all be fucked before even Winter came."

"I've regretted a lot of things in my years but most I've come to terms with. I wonder if... I wonder if perhaps doing away with the Mad King was the wrong idea. At least we knew what to expect, madness. With Cersei more or less ruling Westeros, we have no clue what may happen from now until tomorrow and the following days."

Ned drew in a ragged breath, running fingers through his hair. He had to tug to move through the knots that had accumulated over the past few days. "How are you going to manage to convince Her Grace to free me short of promising my death at your hands," Ned tried his attempt at a joke and failed rather miserably. He offered a slight smile then, "tell your father that once I am free, if this succeeds, that I look forward to meeting with him to discuss plans," Ned paused, eyebrows pulling together at the sudden thought. "Will he travel to Westeros then?"

Peering down at the pages of the old texts, Jon found himself absorbed in more than he bargained for. His intentions had solely been on researching what was left of house Targaryen- and their downfall- but had also come upon a treasure trove of information regarding all of the houses of Westeros. Within those crinkled and dusty pages lie the answers to every war ever fought; every trial each house had ever formed with one another.

Interesting enough, Snow found a decent amount of knowledge involving house Menes and house Targaryen. The facts staring him right in the face as to why Menes and Atun-who had once been allies to the Targaryen's- had betrayed their allies when they needed help the most.

King Kofu- the king that now sat on the throne of Atun- had been very close to the Mad King, more or less before he turned insane. The hand of his youngest son was to wed Kesi, thus binding the two great kingdoms for all time. However once the king upon the iron throne turned his mind to wickedness and threatened the world of Atun just as he threatened his own people, Kofu turned to the Lannisters.

The tale went on and on, twisting and turning until it formed the plot that the world knew so well. Once Jon had found his fill of knowledge of the house Targaryen and the minor details of which took place, he turned the pages until the family tree was displayed. It was here on this page- recorded births and deaths of all Targaryen's- that the bastard did study. The list of the Mad King's children were all known, accept what Snow saw as perhaps a mistake- a simple flaw. For next to the name Daenerys was a another bracket, scratched from the parchment and lost from the world. An indication that perhaps the youngest Targaryen had been a twin and her womb-mate lost in childbirth. That all would have made perfect sense- seeing as no one had ever heard of a fourth Targaryen ever being born....yet still....the white hair...the violet eyes....the house by physical trait was hardly mistaken.

"Something isn't right." Snow muttered, his hand closing the tome in a puff of dust and cold air.

---

Kesi listened as Ned spoke, her heart twisting furiously at his incessant doubting. Yet as he finished and the quietness of the dungeons closed in around them once more, the princess shifted down to the floor and tucked her knees to her chest.

"My father has sent his three eldest sons, Rameses, Thutmose, and Kamose, acorss the Narrow Sea. My full brother, Rameses will have an audience with Joffrey, while Kamose will be sent to Stannis. Thutmose will find Robb in the north, where he will gather men to break you free from your escort to the Wall.....we Menes' act quickly, Eddard Stark. We are a proud people who stand by those who speak to our hearts."

She rested her hand over Ned's, her heart pounding. If anyone should ever expect foul play, Gods only knew what would be done to them both....what would happen to Sansa and Arya after Kesi and Ned had lost their heads for treason.

"It won't be long, old wolf. Soon you will be in your home once more....I've send secret raven's to your...." Kesi pulled her hand away, letting her eyes fall to her lap. "Lady Stark was made aware of our plans as was Robb. Both are awaiting the arrival of my brother...."

For a moment Kesi considered the possibility that the North won their freedom. If this happened, her own fate would be sealed no doubt. A new King in the North would need a queen and if Kofu himself weren't there to suggest the match of princess to a Robb, then Thutmose certainly would. But how could she marry the son of a man whom she had grown so fond of from afar? Gods damn her to the sevens hells for such impure infatuation.

"I should be going, milord."

(super sorry this took so long. work has been weird and just. gah I have tomorrow off though!)

Ray kept her attention on the door to the library all through her sparring, growing increasingly uncomfortable with how long Jon was spending inside. While she had no need for anything inside, she knew that there were family trees and books of all the Great Houses that had come and gone throughout the ages. Her family had largely been a part of history, she knew, and if Jon discovered... she had never gone looking for the Targaryen family tree, afraid of what she would see and afraid that if someone saw her, they would grow suspicious. There was no hiding the fact that she had the characteristics of a Targaryen but the fact that Jon had seemed so curious earlier... it couldn't be good. Swallowing around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, Ray struggled to decide whether she should follow after Jon when he emerged. Wouldn't that be just as suspicious?

Reluctantly turning her attention away from the library, Ray focused entirely on the training in front of her. She felt like she was moving with baited breath, half expecting for Jon to come rushing out and proclaim that he had discovered something strange in the family tree. Ray wasn't sure she would even be able to get away in time... she was of the Night's Watch. She couldn't just abandon her watch, even if she wasn't even supposed to be here. What would the Brothers say if they found out? She was female, she didn't have the parts to get someone pregnant and to add onto all of that, she belonged to the House Targaryen. Fire burned through her veins. Ray had no clue whether she would still be welcomed here or not.

The sound of the library door opening and closing almost made Ray's heart stop. She tensed with anticipation, fear coursing through her. It distracted her enough that her opponent landed a solid blow to her side, sending her crashing to the ground where she just lay, burying her face into her sleeve. Maybe if she just laid here for a long enough amount of time, the ground would open up beneath her and she would no longer have to be afraid to even look up at this moment.

---

"If you catch word that they have somehow found out, save yourself. This isn't your fight, you don't deserve to go down for this," Ned spoke quietly, his eyes cast downward to the damp ground that had become his bed over the past few days. Closing his eyes, Ned very nearly drifted off to sleep. His fatigue was certainly catching up with him and it would have been so, so easy to slip off to his dreams and yet, Ned was pulled back to reality at the mention of Kesi leaving. He felt oddly protected with her here - Ned had met Atun in person and yet, he felt like the man was here in Kesi's presence. The protection he could offer... if there was any house he thought that would somehow manage to keep the Lannisters away from his family and his home, it was the Menes. The Menes were even more famed than the Lannisters themselves and God... if he had their aide. This was possible.

Ned reluctantly reached up to undo the shawl from around his shoulders so that he could hold it out to her. "Keep this. The Lannisters don't need to know of how strong our bond has grown or they'll never let us out of the city," he spoke. He hesitated for a moment before using the wall as support to push himself onto his feet. He reached to take one of her hands between both of his.

"I can't even begin to thank you, I will do anything I can to repay this favour to you, to your father, to your family. Please understand that no matter what your request is that after this all happens, I will do anything I can to keep you happy. I owe you my life," Ned spoke, his voice hard despite the emotions that swelled inside. Being so tired probably didn't help his emotions to stay in control but he was thankful that he seemed to be able to keep it together. Years and years of practice had certainly helped him manage his emotions.

"Go, Kesi. We will meet again soon," Ned said, a gentle smile on his lips as he gave Kesi a small push forward.

What Jon suspected of Ray hardly mattered- if he was Targaryen- for he was a member of the Night’s Watch now, which gave him no right to claim anything. Still, watching him from above, Snow could see the tension rising in him; as if he knew what Jon had been up to. This gave way to notion that he had wanted his true identity, the name he had been born with, to remain secret from the rest of the watch. Perhaps the bastard of the north could have accepted this. If it had been anyone else, Jon may have very well turned away and not even bothered delving any further. Yet, there was bad blood between them- or rather, between their families.

Snow continued to gaze upon the scene unfolding below, dying to rush in and put a stop to all of it. There was nothing more he desired in all the seven kingdoms than to confront Ray on the secrecy of his decision to keep who he was hidden from the world. It wasn’t as if anyone a top the Wall would had cared who his father was anymore than they cared that Jon was the bastard of Eddard Stark. Granted, there may have been the snickering and the teasing, and of course the brutality of the nature of men, but Ray’s life was still safeguarded. He took the black; that meant he was just as much a part of this fuck up little brotherhood as anyone else who had also sworn to serve a top the Wall.

“Your footing….” Jon muttered, seeing Ray’s mistake before he had been swept off of his feet and onto the frozen ground.

Seeing this had set something ablaze within the bastard. Was it pent up rage for all the lies and secrets of the world that had seemed so cruel once upon a time? Perhaps it was the illusion that Snow had expected to find truth and honor at his new post and was truly disappointed to know not much more than cowards and murderers were mockingly crowned ‘protectors of the seven kingdoms’. Whatever the real reason, Jon Snow found himself descending the stairs and marching over to the small body that refused to move from the ground. Jon yanked Ray up easily- to his surprise he was far lighter than any man he had ever helped to their feet. He forced his eyes on his and in a silence he studied Ray’s features….the violet eyes….

“Why?” Jon whispered, thankful that the victor of the sparring had gone to ‘celebrate’ his victory with those that had cheered for him. “Why did you lie?”

---

Kesi sat in her chambers with Sansa pacing back and forth; shouting at a figure new to King’s Landing. “Rameses, you do not know King’s Landing. Not the way I do…I’ve spent more of my life here than in Atun.”

The three young people had been discussing the best possible way to save Lord Stark and still remain loyal to the crown of Westeros.

“You promised the hand of our younger sister to a monster who would have an innocent man put to death….I do not think that would sound pleasing to any ear, regardless of where they have lived most of their life.” The oldest son of Kofu leaned against the grand chair that sat in Kesi’s chambers, having just come from the promised meeting with King Joffrey. “I agree with you, as does father…the Lannister bastard cannot remain on the throne of this kingdom- not at the expense of all the people who will suffer at his ruling hand. Yet the North will not rise against a suspected incestuous bastard- not while Ned Stark lives and the Starks are unbroken…they will not have the cause to fight such a long and devastating war.”

Kesi glanced over towards Sansa, who had begun to silently cry once more, hearing that her father must die.

“Ned must live,” Kesi seethed. “I promised him his life…I gave him the word of Atun that he would live.”

“Why would you promise that?” Rameses shouted back at her. “We cannot control Joffrey and there is no telling if he will uphold his word- even with our sister thrown into the fray.”

Kesi placed her head on her hand, mulling over all the events in her mind. Suddenly, there was an epiphany. “Joffrey will condemn Ned to the Wall. Sansa and I both know Lannister men will transport the prisoner to Castle Black…you say the North needs the death of a Stark to spark a war…we will free Ned on his way north. We will slaughter them all and save Ned…burn the bodies so none can be recognized; spreading the word that Lannister’s had Lord Stark killed, and the north retaliated by slaughtering Lannister men. That should give Robb incentive enough to claim his right on the North, and freedom from Joffrey the pretender.”

“You mean to make Ned’s family believe he is dead?” Rameses paused a moment, before raising his fist to his chest. “What Atun speaks will be so, for I will be the morning and evening sun.”

Kesi smiled at the old custom and the grinned beamed even more knowing that soon the man she cared so deeply for would be freed.

Dirt had smudged on Ray's cheek and even as she was pulled to her feet, she didn't have to look to see who it was. There was no mistaking who it would be - Ray had just been stupidly hopeful that Jon would have abandoned his search. The bastard had been here for not very long at all and yet, here he was discovering a secret that Rat had fought all her life to keep. She didn't want anyone to figure out what family she belonged to because she was afraid of what would happen should it get to the Lannisters in Kings Landing or... Or maybe the brothers would figure out she wasn't really a brother after all.

Ray fixed Jon with a hard glare, hopeful that would end any questioning but it only seemed to spark Jon's interest more. She sneered at the question, straightening up and squaring her shoulders as she looked around. It wouldn't do for anything to overhear their conversation. Without a word to the bastard, Ray turned on her heel and stalked away to a corner of the courtyard where they would be safe to speak.

Turning back around to face Jon, Ray crossed her arms, grinding her teeth together. What did she even begin to tell Jon? It was an impossible situation. Sighing, Ray finally shrugged her shoulders.

"What would you do? If that name was attached to you, and not Stark, do you really think the Lannisters would have let you live? No, they would have sent someone to kill me the day my father was killed. There is nothing more to it. I am a Brother of the Night's Watch. My namesake means nothing anymore - I have no claim to the Iron Throne and I don't want it," Ray declared, chewing on her bottom lip. She felt like Jon could see right through her lies. If he could figure out the one, there was no saying whether he would be kept in the dark about her gender either.

"What would you prefer to hear, Snow? That I'm going to leave my oaths and march on Kings Landing without an army?" Ray challenged, looking away from Jon. "This doesn't have to change anything and I hope that it won't... That you won't tell my secret because I wouldn't do it to you it roles were reversed."

---

Ned's days continued on in much the same way as the past few. He would wake up throughout the day and was reluctant to roll over and go back to sleep because it seemed to be the only thing he was doing with his days any more. If he wasn't sleeping, Ned was sitting up and thinking about all the things that had led to his predicament. Gone were the days that Ned could stand and pace around, he was weakened from lack of nourishment. Shamefully, as time wore on, Ned's fantasies began to be over taken with the thought of a warm meal and not stale bread.

There was a certain level of fear that plagued Ned regardless of what he was doing. He couldn't protect his daughters, his sons, his wife, or his people from his position as a prisoner. The thought made Ned sick - he had grown into a proud man that would go to any lengths necessary to fight for what was right. To have that ability ripped from him by the very same people who had tried to kill his son? The family his oldest daughter had been promised to. What would become of Sansa?

Groaning at the thought, Ned finally forced himself to roll to the other side, hoping that sleep wouldn't evade him for too long.

"Why did you feel the need to lie? You do realize there are men a top this wall who have taken the black, that actually committed crimes more terrible than you could possibly imagine? And you honestly think they would hold against you, something your father had done nearly a decade ago?" Jon realized that Ray had been raised at Castle Black; that nothing could ever become of his Targaryen blood-not since he had taken the Black. Yet to deny who he was, didn't add up. It was part in fact, a jealousy that swelled within Snow.

"I've come to realize something," Jon whispered, tightening his grip on the small forearm of Ray. "Despite any man taking the Black, you can never truly be rid of who and what you were. Look around you....our Lord Commander will always be a Mormont, I will always be the Stark bastard, and you will always be a Targaryen-whether people know it or not. So don't act like your escaping anything."

Maybe he had come across a tad overdone, but Jon was only trying to make a point. The idea that he would have gone and ran his mouth over the knowledge that they had a Targaryen in their mists was crazy. He simply desired to know why Ray had lied. Or rather, withheld his true identity.

"What are you afraid of?"

---

The world stood to see the outcome of Ned Stark's trial. No one dared to breathe, less they miss what the king had to say. And all the while, Joffrey reveled in it.

"Do not worry Sansa," Kesi rested her jeweled hand upon the young Stark's shoulder. "You remember the plan we had laid out....everything will be well."

And as Kesi had promised, Rameses was brought forth as a witness to the King's mercy, sentencing Ned to the Wall in exchange for the hand of one of Atun's princesses. The cold stare that Kesi's brother bore into her stung worse than any words could have, but both knew that their younger sister would never cross the Narrow Sea to wed the Lannister bastard. Not while Rameses and Kesi drew breath. Joffrey would long be dead before that happened. No...once Ned was freed from the men who would be transporting them and the North thought him dead, the three would seek passage to Atun, where-if the gods were good-they would gain the support of King Kofu and possibly, if in time, the Targaryens.

Ray let out a bitter sounding laugh as Jon continued to rant. She shook her head, only to fall deathly still when his grip tightened around her arm. She fell silent, her eyes trained on the spot where their arms connected. As much as Ray wanted to think that she could, she knew that there was no hope in overpowering him in any sense of the word. If He really wanted to, he could have easily discovered her other secret. It would have only taken a few wrong moved and Gods forbid... Ray swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat at the thought.

"I am afraid of the Lannisters," Ray finally spoke, turning a hard glare on Jon. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she took a small step forward, their chest bumping together. "Robert Baratheon was not kind to my family, do you honestly think he wouldn't have sent someone for my head if the world knew? And even now, if Cersei finds out? She's a crazed bitch of a woman, can't tell me she wouldn't try to send someone after me.Oath or no oath."

Ray looked away to the side and reached up with her free hand to rub her cheek. "I'm not trying to escape from anything, my life is on the Wall. I am a Brother of the Nights Watch, I took my oaths. This is where I will remain until the day I die," Ray declared, standing up a bit straighter, squaring her shoulders.

"Tell me something. What does it matter why I don't want my family name thrown everywhere? Does it bother you for some reason? It's not as if I chose what family I was born into. Believe if I had, I would not have anything to do with any of the Great Houses. Maybe I'd even live across the sea... in Dorne! What little I've heard of the place, it's like paradise."

---

Ned's heart was in his throat as he was led up to the front steps of the Great Sept of Baelor. He knew what Kesi had promised could very well come true but both Cersei and Joffrey were wild cards, they could change their mind at the last minute and truly, what could any of them have done otherwise? He certainly could not have done anything in his position, his hands tied behind his back as he walked.

As he caught sight of his oldest daughter, Ned's chest tightened. What if all he did ended up not being enough to protect his family? Deep down, despite having a firm loyalty to his people, his family would always be most important. They were the reason he was who he was, through and through. Ned Stark was a strong, loyal ruler of the North but he felt like nothing more than a little boy about to be led to a cruel place he had no place in. His place was ruling the North, nowhere else.

Ned's shoulders sagged with relief, the tension slowly leaving his body as his sentence was called out. He would live another day and ultimately, so long as nothing went wrong, the Lannisters' men sent to protect him would be nothing more than memories. Ned would have felt bad at some point if it wasn't for the look of fear that he caught on Sansa's face and when he looked out to the ground, his eyes had been drawn to Arya's. So young, so innocent about to be upturned into a world that Ned couldn't protect her from.

With his sentencing over, Ned was turned rather unceremoniously to be led away so that more important things could be dealt with. He paused just long enough to offer Kesi and Rameses the small of smiles before being jerked away, back down to the Black Cells. His travel would take place the next day, beginning at dawn.

He paused for a moment. No words came to mind to lash back out at Ray. There was nothing left for Jon to say, except stare into the violet eyes of the only Targaryen, given Ray's direct line to the Mad King, left in Westeros. The son of the last Targaryen king...and no part of him wanted anything to do with the Iron Throne...no wanting revenge on the Lannisters, no hatred boring so deep that not even winter's chill could bade it to stand still. There was only the Night's Watch. Only this frozen land riddled with darkness.

"You're lying about something," Jon whispered. His breath creating plumes of hot air around them. "I don't know what it is, but you are. Targaryen or not...something is not right here."

And Jon could sense it. He had not spoken much to Ray and it may have been the right out fact that at their current state in time, there was not much to do at the Wall. But Jon had dedicated his time to trying and figuring out exactly what this boy was all about. Where he came from, why he had been abandoned and not taken with his siblings over the Narrow Sea....none of it seemed to add up.

"Does anyone else know? Anyone at all?" Jon looked the boy up and down, desperate to be let in on whatever the gods were helping his lad hide.

He listened carefully as Ray spat at him the irony of names and what a bastard might care for them. Snow released his grip then and took a step back. "You're cruel with your words you know...I've only known a woman to be so quick with her tongue." Jon nearly cracked a grin. "Unless your Tyrion Lannister."

---

(Skipping forward a bit)

Not three days had passed since the 'death' of Eddard Stark by the hands of Lannister men. Not three days had passed since the North had taken revenge on those same men and murdered them as well. The world of Westeros was separated by North and South, both Stark girls still in King's Landing under the protection of Rameses, while Kesi had taken it upon herself to travel with Ned.

The pair had made a rather unique and rather awkward team, the princess of Atun quick with her daggers and Ned clumsily carrying around a crude sword. They were making their way towards the coast, hoping to bribe for passage to the Valley of the Kings in order to seek out Kesi's father. Currently the two were setting up a makeshift camp in a narrow cave; Ned fairing better to the weather than Kesi.

"It's freezing," Kesi's teeth were chattering as she tried to make idle conversation. Ned had been less than jovial these passed few days. Anyone would be if they knew their family thought they were dead, and there was no way for him to let them know he was alive and well. "How do you Northerners stay so warm in this cold place?"

The silence that followed only broke Kesi's heart. There was no denying what she felt for Ned, and to see him suffer so greatly in turn caused the princess great pain. She stood up and crossed their camp carefully, resting her body down against his, praying for some heat to warm her. "Forgive me, I'm cold..." She started. "Lord Stark....one day you will return home."

"Am I?" Ray answered back, raising an eyebrow. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast she swore that it was going to break right out of her ribs here and now and rest between them on the snow covering the ground. Her chest was tightening and for a moment, she thought she might collapse in the spot she stood. How had she managed to so thoroughly convince everyone that she had grown up with, even at a young age, that she wasn't anyone of importance? And here, a fuckin' newcomer had already discovered one secret. Should he figure out the other one? Ray didn't even have to think that her life would be over. Mormont was a great leader, of that she didn't doubt but she didn't think he would be all that forgiving should he learn there was a woman within his ranks. No matter how capable she had proven herself to be.

Ray's shoulders sagged for a moment and she let out a long sigh as she looked away from Jon. Maybe if she offered up some sort of answer, it would help curb his curiosity before it grew out of control. "The Maester knows, being who he is and all," she admitted finally. The Maester knows more than you could ever hope to. Letting out a dry laugh, Ray looked away. "Maester knows everything, perhaps even more than Mormont himself."

Ray was sure the shock of Jon's words flashed briefly across her features before she sneered at Tyrion Lannister's name. "If I was a Lannister, I would slit my own throat from ear to ear before I took another breath. There is no honour in being one," Ray spoke, her face scrunching in disgust at the mere thought. She shook her head, crossing her arms as she glared at Jon.

"Are we done with the interrogation?" Ray questioned, tilting her head back so she could fix Jon's gaze with a hard glare.

---

Ned had done his best to distance himself from the emotions that constantly flocked around him, plagued his every moment whether he was sleeping through nightmares or simply through his own thoughts racing away. He had expected more to accompany them but he was alone with Kesi but he knew enough to know that he shouldn't question it. Kesi had a plan, Ned would not question it lest she turn on him. There was no denying that Ned trusted her but trust could easily be broken, that had been proven to him not too long ago. This could have all been a horrible way to give him false hope, maybe she had been convinced by the Lannisters. Ned wasn't sure he would feel any sense of relief until they were in Atun. Hear it from Kofu himself.

As the days passed, Ned found himself growing more concerned for his children because they were just that, children. His wife was a strong woman, she didn't need the sort of protection that he was so desperate to offer to his children but he couldn't. He needed to get out of Westeros, find allies, and return with an army to defeat the Lannisters. Rid the world of such a demented family that had wreaked havoc on their world for so long, Ned had been opposed to Robert's marriage from the beginning but the only argument he had ever faced was that he was still healing from his sister's death. Would it be safe to admit his heritage to Kesi? Perhaps once they were across the Narrow Sea and his fears had been soothed.

Only looking over when Kesi cuddled into his side, Ned raised an eyebrow. "I fear that it will be too late. If not to save Cat, to save my children. To save the very people I was sworn to protect with my life. I'm only a coward running from a fight that I couldn't possibly win," he let out bitter laugh and shook his head. Reaching a hand up, Ned massaged at the sore muscles of his shoulder.

"I am sure we will find passage. There are still people loyal to the Stark name and that combined with yours? Surely, there must be someone," Ned spoke, trying to ease whatever concerns she may have had.

"What is Rameses plan to get out of Kings Landing? As soon as Cersei and Joffery realize that your sister isn't coming, he will be in danger," Ned said after another beat of silence. He frowned, looking down to his hands. "All to save an old man's life," he muttered under his breath. It was something he had contemplated quite a bit over the past few days and had simply come to the conclusion that it must be because they knew the Lannisters needed taking care of. The armies of the North, should they all come together, would be a worthy match for any houses foolish enough to side with the King. The northern armies and Kofu's combined would decimate anyone opposing them.