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Finally Baelish drew rein in front of a raht with la dusk The sounds of hter drifted out and floated over the water Beside the door swung an ornate oil lalass

Ned Stark dismounted in a fury "A brothel," he said as he seized Littlefinger by the shoulder and spun hiht me all this way to take me to a brothel"

"Your wife is inside," Littlefinger said

It was the final insult "Brandon was too kind to you," Ned said as he slaer up under the little pointed chin beard

"My lord, no," an urgent voice called out "He speaks the truth" There were footsteps behind him

Ned spun, knife in hand, as an old white-haired hspun, and the soft flesh under his chin wobbled as he ran "This is no business of yours," Ned began; then, suddenly, the recognition caer, astonished "Ser Rodrik?"

Rodrik Cassel nodded "Your lady awaits you upstairs"

Ned was lost "Catelyn is truly here? This is not soer’s?" He sheathed his blade

"Would that it were, Stark," Littlefinger said "Follow me, and try to look a shade ’s Hand It would not do to have you recognized Perhaps you could fondle a breast or two, just in passing"

They went inside, through a crowded cos while pretty young girls in linen shifts and wisps of colored silk pressed theainst their lovers and dandled on their laps No one paid Ned the least bit of attention Ser Rodrik waited belohile Littlefinger led hih a door

Inside, Catelyn aiting She cried out when she saw him, ran to him, and embraced him fiercely

"My lady," Ned whispered in wonder the door "You recognized her"

"I feared you’d never coainst his chest "Petyr has been bringing me reports He toldprince How are er," he told her "Cat, I do not understand What are you doing in King’s Landing? What’s happened?" Ned asked his wife "Is it Bran? Is he"Dead was the word that came to his lips, but he could not say it

"It is Bran, but not as you think," Catelyn said

Ned was lost "Then how? Why are you here, my love? What is this place?"

"Just what it appears," Littlefinger said, easing himself onto aseat "A brothel Can you think of a less likely place to find a Catelyn Tully?" He smiled "As it chances, I own this particular establishements were easilythat Cat is here in King’s Landing"

"Why?" Ned asked He saw her hands then, the aay she held theers on her left "You’ve been hurt" He took her hands in his own, turned theash from a sword orhow did this happen, er out from under her cloak and placed it in his hand "This blade was sent to open Bran’s throat and spill his life’s blood"

Ned’s head jerked up "Butwhoould"

She put a finger to his lips "Let o faster that way Listen"

So he listened, and she told it all, frouardser And when she was done, Eddard Stark sat dazed beside the table, the dagger in his hand Bran’s wolf had saved the boy’s life, he thought dully What was it that Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow? Your children were meant to have these pups, uilt he was feeling? Or fear? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he done?

Painfully, Ned forced his thoughts back to the dagger and what it er," he repeated It onbone hilt, and he slammed the blade into the table, felt it bite into the wood It stoodhim "Why should Tyrion Lannister want Bran dead? The boy has never done hiht but snoeen your ears?" Littlefinger asked "The Imp would never have acted alone"

Ned rose and paced the length of the roo himselfno, I will not believe that" Yet even as he said the words, he re on the barrowlands, and Robert’s talk of sending hired knives after the Targaryen princess He rear’s infant son, the red ruin of his skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry’s audience hall not so long ago He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna had pleaded once

"Most likely the king did not know," Littlefinger said "It would not be the first tis he would rather not see"

Ned had no reply for that The face of the butcher’s boy swam up before his eyes, cloven al had said not a word His head was pounding

Littlefinger sauntered over to the table, wrenched the knife from the wood "The accusation is treason either way Accuse the king and you will dance with Ilyn Payne before the words are out of your mouth The queenif you can find proof, and if you can make Robert listen, then perhaps"

"We have proof," Ned said "We have the dagger"

"This?" Littlefinger flipped the knife casually end over end "A sweet piece of steel, but it cuts tays, my lord The Imp will no doubt swear the blade was lost or stolen while he was at Winterfell, and with his hireling dead, who is there to give hihtly to Ned "My counsel is to drop that in the river and forget that it was ever forged"

Ned regarded him coldly "Lord Baelish, I a He would be dead, and Catelyn with him, but for a wolf pup we found in the snow If you truly believe I could forget that, you are as big a fool nohen you took up sword against my brother"

"A fool I may be, Starkyet I’ in his frozen grave for soer to molder beside him, far be it from me to dissuade you, but I would rather not be included in the party, thank you very ly include in any party, Lord Baelish"

"You wound er placed a hand over his heart "For my part, I always found you Starks a tiresome lot, but Cat seems to have become attached to you, for reasons I cannot comprehend I shall try to keep you alive for her sake A fool’s task, ad"

"I told Petyr our suspicions about Jon Arryn’s death," Catelyn said "He has promised to help you find the truth"

That was not news that Eddard Stark welcoh that they needed help, and Littlefinger had been almost a brother to Cat once It would not be the first time that Ned had been forced to make common cause with a er into his belt "You spoke of Varys Does the eunuch know all of it?"

"Not from my lips," Catelyn said "You did not wed a fool, Eddard Stark But Varys has ways of learning things that no man could know He has some dark art, Ned, I swear it"

"He has spies, that is well known," Ned said, dismissive

"It is more than that," Catelyn insisted "Ser Rodrik spoke to Ser Aron Santagar in all secrecy, yet somehow the Spider knew of their conversation I fear that er smiled "Leave Lord Varys to me, sweet lady If you will permit me a small obscenity--and where better for it--I hold the ers, s "Or would, if he were a man, or had any balls You see, if the pie is opened, the birds begin to sing, and Varys would not like that Were I you, I would worry more about the Lannisters and less about the eunuch"

Ned did not need Littlefinger to tell hi back to the day Arya had been found, to the look on the queen’s face when she said, We have a wolf, so soft and quiet He was thinking of the boy Mycah, of Jon Arryn’s sudden death, of Bran’s fall, of oldon the floor of his throne rooolden blade "My lady," he said, turning to Catelyn, "there is nothing more you can do here I want you to return to Winterfell at once If there was one assassin, there could be others Whoever ordered Bran’s death will learn soon enough that the boy still lives"

"I had hoped to see the girls" Catelyn said

"That would be er put in "The Red Keep is full of curious eyes, and children talk"

"He speaks truly, my love," Ned told her He embraced her "Take Ser Rodrik and ride for Winterfell I atch over the girls Go home to our sons and keep them safe"

"As you say, my lord" Catelyn lifted her face, and Ned kissed her Her ainst his back with a desperate strength, as if to hold him safe forever in the shelter of her arms

"Would the lord and lady like the use of a bedchaer "I should warn you, Stark, we usually charge for that sort of thing around here"

"A moment alone, that’s all I ask," Catelyn said

"Very well" Littlefinger strolled to the door "Don’t be too long It is past time the Hand and I returned to the castle, before our absence is noted"

Catelyn went to hiet the help you gave me, Petyr When yourme to a friend or an enemy I have found you ht lost"

Petyr Baelish smiled "I am desperately sentimental, sweet lady Best not tell anyone I have spent years convincing the court that I am wicked and cruel, and I should hate to see all that hard work go for naught"

Ned believed not a word of that, but he kept his voice polite as he said, "You have my thanks as well, Lord Baelish"

"Oh, now there’s a treasure," Littlefinger said, exiting

When the door had closed behind him, Ned turned back to his wife "Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and fortify Moat Cailin Two hundred deterainst an arthen and repair all his defenses at WhiteHarbor, and see that they are well manned And from this day on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy If there is e shall have sore need of his father’s fleet"

"War?" The fear was plain on Catelyn’s face

"It will not co it was true He took her in his arain "The Lannisters are aryen learned to his sorrow, but they would not dare attack the north without all the power of the realm behind them, and that they shall not have Iis amiss Remember why I came here, my love If I find proof that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn"

He felt Catelyn tre to him "If," she said, "what then, erous part, Ned knew "All justice flows froo to Robert" And pray that he is the man I think he is, he finished silently, and not the man I fear he has become