The North Calls

Days had passed since Jon Snow had confronted Ray of his lineage. Days had passed and still Snow was not satisfied with what he had gathered. There was something still there, gnawing at the bit and causing his mind to wander into far off places more often than not. It disturbed his training progress, and he had found himself out of luck when it came to joining with the rangers. He had no one to blame but himself; this only made him angrier. It was in this rage at the end of a long day of fruitless efforts, that Jon decided there was nothing more to do than see if he could muster a hot bath, barely edible gruel, and fall asleep.

Climbing the stairs of the keep, Jon gazed down below him. A few of the brothers were carrying on with their duties- Castle Black was never fully at rest. There had always been someone running to and fro and as luck would have it, Ray had been one of them. Snow had taken it to mind to call out 'Targaryen' but persuaded himself that shouting something like that would do no one any good. So instead, the bastard decided the way of stealth was optimal. He would follow Ray, wherever he was going, as quietly as possible. With any luck, the Targaryen would not even suspect he was being followed.

Jon quieted Ghost, shooing him away in silence before rounded in on the stairwell and in the cold and bitterness of the night, Snow took the first few steps in pursuit of Ray. Why had he decided to follow him? To what end would it bring anything of usefulness? The only reasoning Jon could muster was that there was still a deep seeded secret festering behind the violet eyes of such a handsome boy. Ned Stark's bastard was determined if not insane to find out exactly what it was. He was never one to stay quiet for long.

"I didn't know you were on guard this evening." Snow stepped out from the shadows, his face expressionless.

---

"We will find someone, I'm sure of it." Kesi sighed, rubbing her eyes trying to keep awake. "As for my brother and your daughters, he has secured passage for them to Atun, with the promise that the Hound may follow and ultimately escort my sister back with him....what neither the queen nor her son knows is that the Hound will not be returning with my sister. From there the North will see that my father has kept the daughters of Ned Stark safe in the face of the death of their father, and he will send his army to the north to aid Robb....."

Kesi paused then, remembering her own part to play in the bargain she made with her father. It was something she had so far left out of her conversations with Ned, yet knew full well in time it would have to come out. As much as it pained her- for her heart belonged to Ned and not to his son- she knew her duty as a princess of the blood.

"When Robb becomes King in the North, it is expected that I marry him. That is the price my father will request for his aid in dethroning the Lannisters' and naming your family supreme in the North....I will understand however if you would deny such an offer."

Kesi held her breath then, finding it increasingly hard to imagine what her own life held in store.

(sorry this took so long! my weekend/week has been hectic )

Work. It was what distracted her best before and it still worked to this day, Ray only pushed herself that much further with the lingering sense of dread that seemed to follow her everywhere that she went. Jon was here, it made her so incredibly nervous because she didn't know if he would end up telling others. If he told the others, it would only be a matter of time until they pinpointed exactly who she was. She was a Targaryen, there was someone out there that would know exactly whom and if that secret reached the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch... Ray shuddered to even consider what that could mean. What it would mean if any of the brothers learned her true sex. As far as she knew, there had never been a woman within the ranks of the Nights Watch so there was no saying what would happen should it be revealed. She didn't really want to find out either.

Ray had volunteered to take a watch on the wall for the evening. Nightmares were acting up and she was rather tired of them. She was normally well enough that she didn't have to concern herself with them but it seemed that since Jon had clued into her family name at least, that she was too on edge to relax fully. Which meant sleep was difficult and if she wasn't having a nightmare, she was tossing back and forth underneath her furs.

Startled from her position where she stood stoic, her eyes trained on the distance, Ray only turned her head slightly in Jon's direction. They constantly moved about, she was trying to be as alert as possible. Should wildlings or even the white walkers attack, a few more moment's of warning could be all the difference they needed to be successful. While Ray was confident in her abilities, the thought still scared her right down to her core. She wasn't so positive they would stand a chance if the onslaught was large enough. Even with the wall protecting them.

"And I didn't know that you were sent to check on whether I was capable of performing my duties," she answered with a roll of her eyes. Ray straightened, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword as she surveyed the horizon. "Something I can help you with, bastard?"

---

"Robb will make a worthy king. Better than I would," Ned commented quietly, a sour note tinging his voice. As confident he was in his ability to lead, he knew that Robb was even more set in his ways. He had Jon by his side, would be able to bounce ideas back and forth and hopefully be reasoned with easier than Ned had been. He truly wished that he had been able to realize how little he could trust Baelish and Cersei. Robert had begged him to help Joffrey and yet he had hoped he could fix everything until Stannis could assume his rightful position as King of Westeros. Ned had thought that Cersei was crazed before and now, that only was cemented - he had little doubt whether Joffrey was capable of ruling. The boy was a lunatic, crazed, and unsteady on the best of days. Fight for king was the very last thing meant for Joffrey.

"I would welcome you into my family with open arms, Kesi. You've proven yourself time and time again over the past little while. You are willing to put yourself into harms way to help an old man," Ned spoke, cracking the slightest of smiles at that. He sighed as he leaned so that he could wrap an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her shoulder gently to help create even the tiniest bit of comfort, of the warmth she was desperate for, Ned was sure.

Clearing his throat, Ned leaned forward to kick at the tiny fire they had started. It was barely anything at all, just enough for a tiny bit of heat so that they could both warm up and cook the food they had with them until they reached the coast. "Sleep. You are tired, I can tell," he said,patting her side gently. "Don't try denying it either," Ned teased quietly, narrowing his eyes a bit. "I have four kids, you'll say you're not tired and be fast asleep in a matter of minutes."

“Not so far from over as we are to the beginning of the madness, I fear.” Jon whispered his hot breath swirling overhead as the snow poured from the heavens. “I know not of a single man alive who would not risk all to avenge his father, mad as a hatter or else.”

This was true, in most cases. Snow would have liked to believe that had his father been insane enough to slaughter women and children that he would be the one to kill him…but Jon would also like to believe that he would have done so to his face. With all of this in his mind, the lad also knew that he would not condone his father’s behavior, but he most certainly would not let the man who murdered him-without facing him- remain unscathed by justice. It simply wasn’t the way. Of course…Ray never truly knew his father.

“I will get to the bottom of this.” It was the only thing Jon Snow could muster from his being before turning to head back inside, where a fire might bring him little warmth.

Once enclosed, he thought longer on his conversation with the Targaryen. He had said the Maester knew more than even the Lord Commander. Perhaps the blind old man could be Jon’s key into understanding exactly what was going on within the ranks of the Watch. It was a farfetched idea to be sure- having to delicately approach the inquiries when brought up. There was no saying what the Maester may or may not tell him. For one thing was for certain; once you joined the ranks of the Watch, the old you….whatever name, title, land, rank you held…was gone forever.

So then…why? Why did he feel so determined to understand the enigma that was Ray?

---

Kesi paused, knowing the answer to Ned’s questions was undoubtedly not what he wished to hear. However, it was imperative he knew well before they sought passage to Atun. “Lord Stark…Sansa and Rameses…They were wed the night your transport left for the Wall. With the new plan in place…Thutmose and Kamose never went to Stannis and Robb. They both ensured Sansa’s safe arrival in Atun, where she waits for you.”

The princess knew the lord of Winterfell must has been in a mixed rage of anger and sadness, all tying him back to the idea that all of this madness had been done in order to save his life and ensure his claim in the North…to unseat Joffrey, crown Stannis king in Westeros and Robb King in the North.

“I know you feel useless Ned. In part I may be to blame. I could not bear to see you die…I forged these plans letting my heart lead me.” Kesi gazed out over the frozen wasteland before her. “The day King Robert brought us all to Winterfell…my heart was thrown to the ground at the mercy of the Warden in the North.” She dared to glance sideways at Ned, warm tears spilling from behind her dark eyes. “I fell in love with a man I could never have, so instead I swore to keep the Starks safe…safe is where you all shall stay.”

Rubbing her hands together and clearing her throat, shivering against the cold, Kesi Menes forced a bitter smile. “I believe our best bet is to make it to White Harbor.”

(-cracks knuckles- i got this. sorry about the wait! )

The moment that Ray's relief appeared, the woman turned and all but ran down the stairs. She was intent on hunting down Jon Snow and making it clear just how dangerous it was to know her secret. The only other person who did was a blind, old man who wouldn't tell a soul because he understood the trouble it could cause. Even though it had been nearly two decades ago? If word traveled down to the capitol, there was no telling exactly what would happen to the people who had adopted Ray into their ranks. Oblivious or not, Ray had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't matter to Cersei Lannister. The thought lit a fire under Ray and made her travel across the courtyard even quicker. She didn't stop to leave her sword in her room or take off her outer robes, simply continued in her search of Jon.

Shoving into the room without so much as a knock, Ray kicked the door shut with the heel of her boot. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the man. "Listen. You obviously have questions," she paused to take a deep breath. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of her sword on instinct alone. Jon was a threat to her, that much was obvious whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"But hunting for answers in places unfamiliar to you is only going to cause problems for you. And for me," Ray was trying her best to sound like she didn't really care, like it didn't really affect her but she had the sneaking suspicion that Jon had already clued into the fact that it very much did affect her.

Letting out a sigh, Ray inched far enough away from the door so that she could lean against it. "So ask them. I can't promise I'll give you an answer to everyone but... but I'll try my best to sate your curiosity," she paused long enough to clear her throat before continuing on. "I am a Targaryen. You've sorted that out for yourself, I honestly don't understand what you're still trying to figure out, bastard. There's nothing else to it."

---

Ned was conflicted at the news about his oldest daughter. He would have been destroyed if he had left Sansa behind, knowing the sort of trouble she would face in Kings Landing. He wouldn't have been there to protect his little girl and the thought was enough to choke him up, even now. He drew in a shaky breath, his shoulders sagging as he nodded. He owed the Menes his life, and he knew that, so it wasn't as if he could deny the marriage.

The admission that fell from Kesi's lips caused his heart to skip a beat. He was not one to cheat, he never had, despite what others seemed to think. Jon was not his but he had raised the man as one of his own. Because his sister had. His family had needed him and when he brought the baby home to Winterfell, it had been the hardest thing that he had ever done. To see the betrayal in Cat's eyes as he explained the story that he had made up. But he'd vowed then and each year after, that he would never harm his wife in such a way again. Ever.

Grunting, Ned set a hand on the rock they were leaning against and shoved himself to his feet. He stretched his arms above his head before glancing over to Kesi, deciding that it was likely best to change the subject entirely. "Right. We should probably get going," he muttered under his breath, kicking at the snow beneath his feet. "Up we go," he said, offering Kesi's his hand with a forced smile. He didn't want her thinking he was judging her or upset by her admission - that would be very fair to her.

Jon had let the conversation go for a time, buying the days of silence in order to observe Ray. For regardless of what the Targaryen said, Snow knew there had been more than met the eye. There was a secret buried deeply than any Targaryen blood the young man carried- it was just have the skill to expose and place it with a calm and collected manner. And besides, it wasn't as if Jon wanted to expose him to anyone. He didn't know exactly why he wanted to comb through and uncover his secrets...it was just something that simply was there. Like the air one breathed, Jon Snow had to know exactly what it was Ray was hiding.

"You look troubled," Sam greeted his friend inside the library. Jon was bent over the great book of the houses.

"I'll be better once I've figured out a puzzle I've been contemplating." Jon sighed, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Sam what do you know of the Targaryens? The last of them anyway."

Jon waited for his friend to answer as he took a seat across the way.

"Well, the mad king had three children which survived- at least in rumor. Only two were recorded."

"Aye we all know the stories," Jon sighed, knowing full well the rumor was true.

"A son and two daughters..."

"The son is the one in speculation to legend?" Again Jon spoke with surety. After all, Ray was here at the wall- living proof of a Targaryen male heir.

"No, Viserys is alive and his birth is well documented. It would be the twin sister of Daenerys who is the myth."

Jon Snow coked his head to one side and as reality set it, his jaw dropped.

---

Kesi stood in silence next to the lord of Winterfell as they waited for the ship which would transport them to Atun. What she had admitted to him was humiliating to say the least; it would make for a most awkward journey to her father's kingdom. In her mind she searched for ways that she could possibly patch what damage had been done, yet try as she might, she felt as though it only dug a deeper hole.

"I did not mean to speak out of place, Lord Stark." She whispered, huddling closer to a barrel of fish, hoping the solid wood would block the wind. "The gods say we cannot help who we fall in love with..." Her words caught in her throat, and her eyes welled with tears. She found that it was no use trying to say anything in her defense; for the man she spoke to was still very much married....at least for all they knew.

Trying her best then to ward off any ill towards one another, she averted the subject completely. "Have you ever seen Atun, Lord Stark? The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Dead?"

She felt a fool pinned against a rock and a hard place. She could see it in Ned's eyes every time he HAD to look at her. His desires were well suppressed for he was a man of honor, and Kesi felt a whore for testing his boundaries with every moment that their eyes locked.

"Why do you look at me that way?" She whispered as their ship was seen in the distance.