Maidenpool Council – 284 AC

The Driftmark Meeting - 288 AC

Sack of Lys - 290 AC

Red Wedding - 292 AC

White Harbor Meeting - 293 AC

Conquests of Westerland and Reach - 295 AC

The Eyrie Meeting (This Chapter) - 298 AC

Robb and Jon are 14 years old

Allyria is 16 years old

Sansa is 13 years old

Argilac and Argella Baratheon are 11 years old

Even after the Starks began ruling, both the common folk and the nobility continued to use the term "Iron Throne." Of course, the throne the Starks sat upon had nothing to do with Aegon's Iron Throne forged from melted swords.

The throne that Eddard I sat on was made of polished gray iron and had only a single wolf head ornament at the top. For comfort, it was covered with a cushion. The king who succeeded him placed this throne in the royal storeroom and had a more magnificent one made for himself. Many Stark rulers after him followed the same path—either commissioning their own thrones or bringing out the throne of their ancestors, thereby showing which king's legacy they intended to follow. Eddard I's throne was also used by a few of his descendants, though it was modified over time. It was adorned with various precious materials like gold, silver, and amber. The original throne now bears little resemblance to its first form."

— From "The History of the Kings of House Stark" by Maester Cillian.

"She's a pregnant whore," Robert roared.

"She's just a child, Robert," Ned said with frustration.

"If she's old enough to give birth, she's old enough to die," said Lord Baelish. Damn you, Cat, Ned cursed inwardly. Is this really the man you said I could trust?

"This is murder, nothing else," he said as he stood from the table. "I won't be a part of it."

"We're talking about sixty thousand fucking Dothraki riders, Ned. I'm telling you that sixty thousand sons of whores who share the same ideology as Gregor Clegane will come to our shores and slaughter our people, and yet here you are, playing the just man. Fuck off. A big fuck off." Robert kept cursing behind him as Ned walked out of the room.

"He can't speak to you like that, father," Robb murmured. "Even if he is my father-in-law…"

"It doesn't matter," Ned brushed it off. "He'll come to his senses. Besides, King Arryn wouldn't approve of such an act."

"What either of you thinks doesn't change much," Catelyn shook her head. "He's the king, not your vassal. If he gives the order, there's nothing we can do."

"In our youth, he wasn't like this. He wasn't afraid of children or of unfulfilled possibilities. He changed after Lyanna died, but I thought Queen Alara had fixed him." Ned sighed in sorrow.

"I heard Queen Alara supports this idea."

"Then I suppose the opposite of what I thought is true." Ned couldn't hide his disappointment as he walked through the corridor. He could understand why Robert was doing this and the reasoning behind it, but a man had to have honor and principles. Otherwise, what made him any different from the 'lowly Valyrian' society he cursed all day?

As the head of House Stark, Ned was of course familiar with his family history. When people thought of Stark history, names like Brandon the Builder or Theon the Hungry Wolf usually came to mind, but Ned knew more than that. House Stark was thousands of years old, and not all its rulers had been good men. There had been Stark kings who loved torture, rape, who violated guest rights, even who tried to engage in slave trading. The blood feuds between Stark and Bolton kings were famous — it was said a Bolton king once flayed a Stark prince and wore his skin as a cloak. That story was true, but incomplete: the Stark prince flayed by the Bolton king had raped the king's daughter.

Some of those kings and princes were Ned's great-grandfathers — the current Stark line came from their blood. If Daenerys was to be punished simply because her father was Aerys, then by that logic, the Starks should also be judged.

Madness, deformity, stillbirths, or cruelty — none of these things were unique to House Targaryen. Nearly all Great Houses had faced such things in their millennia-long histories. The reason the Targaryens stood out so much was likely because their cases had occurred so frequently in such a short span of time — three hundred years. In every generation, there was always at least one incident.

King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had thirteen children, but only two of them lived long enough to outlive their parents. Similarly, Ned's great-grandfather Lord Cregan Stark had ten children. When Lord Cregan died in his nineties, most of his children were still alive — and that was how it should be. The Targaryens really did seem abnormally cursed. Perhaps it was because of the incest. Maybe their constant violation of taboos had brought the wrath of the gods upon them.

"In any case, as I said, Robert will come to his senses," he repeated. "I need to arrange betrothal talks for Allyria."

The matter of Allyria had recently started to become troublesome. Due to rumors spread by an unknown figure, people began to whisper that her father was Brandon — or even Rhaegar. The second rumor was particularly dangerous. Ned feared something might happen to his daughter, so he increased her security and made sure she sat next to him at nearly every feast, emphasizing that she was his own child. In truth, the best course of action would have been to legitimize Allyria, but he had promised Catelyn he would never do that. Though he later tried to convince his wife, his words fell on deaf ears. Their relationship was already strained because he had married Edwyle to a girl born of incest.

Allyria's bastard status made finding her a marriage prospect difficult, but as the beloved daughter of King Stark — and especially a girl as beautiful as her mother — she still had many suitors. Catelyn had recommended Beric Dondarrion. Ned was reluctant; Beric was a bit too old, his household was poor, and he lived far from the North.

Nearly all eligible men in the Westerlands were considered potential husbands. Their houses were in the worst condition they had been in for thousands of years. As such, they wished to forge marital ties with the royal family — even if only through a bastard daughter. Addam Marbrand was particularly passionate in his pursuit, but Ned shut the door on him completely. He knew the young man had drawn a blade against his own king during the Red Wedding. Ned had sent many involved in that event to the Night's Watch, but he couldn't do the same to Addam Marbrand — the young man was the last surviving member of his house. If he sent him to the Watch, the ancient line of House Marbrand would go extinct. Ned didn't want to be responsible for such a tragedy. Instead, he imposed extremely heavy tax penalties. House Marbrand wouldn't recover for several generations.

In any case, while still residing at the Eyrie, he hoped to find a husband for his daughter. Of course, Allyria's own choice also mattered, but that was a matter for another time. For now, he only needed to see King Arryn.

Old Falcon coughed harshly in his sickbed as Ned quickly offered him a handkerchief. Jon Arryn had once been the strongest and noblest man he had ever known — seeing him like this shattered Ned to pieces.

"I heard you argued with Robert," said the old man.

"Robert is spouting nonsense again," Ned said. He didn't want to burden him with political matters in this state.

"You're both well over thirty," said Jon Arryn with a sigh. "But you still act like children."

As Ned bowed his head in embarrassment, the old man chuckled to himself.

"Ned," said King Arryn at last, "I have a request of you."

"Of course, anything," Ned said at once.

"I will soon bid this world farewell, and…"

"Please don't talk like that."

"Don't interrupt me, Ned. I'm an old man and my breath is short." The old man coughed. "Death comes for everyone, and I'm no exception. But don't worry, I still have some time left." He sighed again. "Jasper is still very young, and my wife Lysa… her mind isn't sound. I'm afraid of what will happen to the Vale after I die."

"I'll do everything I can to protect them."

"I have no doubt about that." Jon waved his hand. "But you can't influence an independent kingdom too much."

Ned tilted his head to the side, showing he didn't understand.

"Being the first King of the Vale in 300 years was nice, I won't lie," the old man laughed. "But even when I started this, I knew it wouldn't last long. Jasper can't be king."

"You…"

"After I die, I want you to take over the Vale, Ned," the old man said firmly. "I also considered tying it to the Stormlands, but to be honest, Robert is not a good king. But I can comfortably entrust the Vale to you, and your heir, young Robb, has high potential. I see no issue in entrusting the future of House Arryn to the Starks."

"Jon, I... I don't know what to say, but I swear to you, I will put my life on the line for the Vale if I must."

"Don't rejoice just yet," the old man chuckled. "The union won't happen so easily. The Vale will demand many of the privileges Dorne once had. Talk to Nestor about the details."

Ned truly didn't know what to say. He just stood in silence and held the old man's hand. Until Old Falcon said something Ned had never expected.

"I once thought of marrying your mother."

Ned looked at his stepfather in shock. As the old man looked at King Stark's stunned face, he let out a booming laugh as if he had regained his health.

"Don't be so surprised. After my first wife died, I started looking for a new lady for the Eyrie, and one of the candidates was your mother. We already had very good relations with the North, and the northerners definitely had a certain lobby over the Vale. Your mother was a good candidate."

"So why didn't you choose her?"

"I was looking for a lady, and she didn't quite fit the description I had in mind. She rode horses, used a sword. I learned that she had climbed the Wall at the age of twelve, and I said this girl is too much for me." He shrugged. "Besides, even though she bore the Stark name, she didn't come from the main bloodline, so she couldn't secure the alliance I wanted."

The old man paused for a moment and watched the distant mountain scenery. "Years later, you came here to be educated. To be honest, at first, I didn't care much. You were just a duty and a responsibility, nothing more." He took a deep breath. "As I got to know you and Robert, I realized I was warming up to you more and more. You two were opposites, as different as can be, and yet you were brothers in every way except name and blood. Both of you were like pieces of children I never had." He looked at Ned. In his eyes were love, pride, and a touch of sorrow. "And at that moment, I began to regret the choice I made years ago. I thought, if I had married Lyarra, you would have been my son. I would have been proud of a son like you."

A tear fell from Ned's eye and he gripped the old man's hand tightly. "I would have called you father with love. My lord, my king."

As the old man smiled and touched Ned's face, King Stark did something he hadn't done in years. He hugged his father and cried.

Deep down, he knew.

He would never see him again.