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There was nothing Ned could say to that After a quiet, he said, "We should return, Your Grace Your ill be waiting"

"The Others take my wife," Robert muttered sourly, but he started back the way they had co heavily "And if I hear ‘Your Grace’ once more, I’ll have your head on a spike We are otten," Ned replied quietly When the king did not answer, he said, "Tell me about Jon"

Robert shook his head "I have never seen a ave a tourney on my son’s name day If you had seen Jon then, you would have sworn he would live forever A fortnight later he was dead The sickness was like a fire in his gut It burned right through hi-dead Stark "I loved that old man"

"We both did" Ned paused a morief?"

Robert’s ave a bitter twist "Not well, in truth," he ad Jon has driven the woainst my wishes I had hoped to foster him with Tywin Lannister at Casterly Rock Jon had no brothers, no other sons Was I supposed to leave him to be raised by women?"

Ned would sooner entrust a child to a pit viper than to Lord Tywin, but he left his doubts unspoken Sohtest word "The wife has lost the husband," he said carefully "Perhaps the "

"Six, and sickly, and Lord of the Eyrie, gods haveswore "Lord Tywin had never taken a ward before Lysa ought to have been honored The Lannisters are a great and noble House She refused to even hear of it Then she left in the dead of night, without so hed deeply "The boy is my namesake, did you know that? Robert Arryn I am sworn to protect him How can I do that if his mother steals him away?"

"I will take him as ward, if you wish," Ned said "Lysa should consent to that She and Catelyn were close as girls, and she would be welcoenerous offer,said, "but too late Lord Tywin has already given his consent Fostering the boy elsewhere would be a grievous affront to him"

"I have more concern for my nephew’s welfare than I do for Lannister pride," Ned declared

"That is because you do not sleep with a Lannister" Robert laughed, the sound rattling a His se black beard "Ah, Ned," he said, "you are still too serious" He put a massive arm around Ned’s shoulders "I had planned to wait a few days to speak to you, but I see now there’s no need for it Come, ith me"

They started back down between the pillars Blind stone eyes see kept his arm around Ned’s shoulder "You must have wondered why I finally ca"

Ned had his suspicions, but he did not give thehtly "And there is the Wall You need to see it, Your Grace, to walk along its battleht’s Watch is a shadohat it once was Benjen says--"

"No doubt I will hear what your brother says soon enough," Robert said "The Wall has stood for what, eight thousand years? It can keep a few daysconcerns These are difficult tiood men about me Men like Jon Arryn He served as Lord of the Eyrie, as Warden of the East, as the Hand of the King He will not be easy to replace"

"His son" Ned began

"His son will succeed to the Eyrie and all its incomes," Robert said brusquely "No more"

That took Ned by surprise He stopped, startled, and turned to look at his king The words came unbidden "The Arryns have always been Wardens of the East The title goes with the doe, the honor can be restored to him," Robert said "I have this year to think of, and next A six-year-old boy is no war leader, Ned"

"In peace, the title is only an honor Let the boy keep it For his father’s sake if not his own Surely you owe Jon thatwas not pleased He took his arm from around Ned’s shoulders "Jon’s service was the duty he owed his liege lord I aht to know that But the son is not the father A h of this There is a ue with you" Robert grasped Ned by the elbow "I have need of you, Ned"

"I am yours to command, Your Grace Always" They ords he had to say, and so he said theht come next

Robert scarcely seeods, those were good years I want you at , not up here at the end of the world where you are no damned use to anybody" Robert looked off into the darkness, for aa throne is a thousand ti one Laws are a tedious business and counting coppers is worse And the peoplethere is no end of them I sit on that damnable iron chair and listen to them complain until , money or land or justice The lies they telland my lords and ladies are no better I am surrounded by flatterers and fools It can drive a man to madness, Ned Half of them don’t dare tell me the truth, and the other half can’t find it There are nights I e had lost at the Trident Ah, no, not truly, but

"I understand," Ned said softly

Robert looked at him "I think you do If so, you are the only one, my old friend" He smiled "Lord Eddard Stark, I would na"

Ned dropped to one knee The offer did not surprise hi so far? The Hand of the King was the second-do’s ar’s laws At ti’s justice, when the king was absent, or sick, or otherwise indisposed Robert was offering hie as the real in the world he wanted

"Your Grace," he said "I aood-humored impatience "If I wanted to honor you, I’d let you retire I aht the hile I eat and drink and wench rinned "You know the saying, about the king and his Hand?"

Ned knew the saying "What the king dreams," he said, "the Hand builds"

"I bedded a fishmaid once who toldeats, they say, and the Hand takes the shit" He threw back his head and roared his laughter The echoes rang through the darkness, and all around them the dead of Winterfell see eyes

Finally the laughter dwindled and stopped Ned was still on one knee, his eyes upraised "Daht at least hurows so cold up here in winter that a hter freezes in his throat and chokes him to death," Ned said evenly "Perhaps that is why the Starks have so little humor"

"Coain," the king promised "You helped me win this daether If Lyanna had lived, we should have been brothers, bound by blood as well as affection Well, it is not too late I have a son You have a daughter My Joff and your Sansa shall join our houses, as Lyanna and I ht once have done"

This offer did surprise him "Sansa is only eleven"

Robert waved an ie can wait a few years" The king smiled "Now stand up and say yes, curse you"

"Nothing would give reater pleasure, Your Grace," Ned answered He hesitated "These honors are all so unexpected May I have some time to consider? I need to tell my wife"

"Yes, yes, of course, tell Catelyn, sleep on it if youreached down, clasped Ned by the hand, and pulled hi too long I am not the most patient of men"

For a moment Eddard Stark was filled with a terrible sense of foreboding This was his place, here in the north He looked at the stone figures all around them, breathed deep in the chill silence of the crypt He could feel the eyes of the dead They were all listening, he knew And winter was co