[Chapter Size: 3900 Words.]
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Third Person POV
North, 297 AC.
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"I will not allow you to speak of Jon Artica like that anymore!" Ned shouted.
"He is a bastard! His surname is Snow, not that cursed Artica! Calling a bastard a king is an affront to the gods; he is the product of sin!" Catelyn shouted back at her now ex-husband, if the septon agreed to the separation.
"Do not speak of him like that! You acted like a criminal, accusing a child of something that happened nearly ten years ago! Where were your righteous gods when you decided to incriminate a child? A child who now has enough power to invade the entire realm in search of vengeance against you and for what you and Robb did!" Ned shouted again.
"I was protecting our family!" she retorted with a hysterical cry.
"And you ended up dooming the entire Stark family. You'd better pray to all your gods that Jon does not dare to raise an army and march south. No one can stop him; Westeros no longer has a fleet to halt him at sea!" Ned yelled at her, looking at her as if she were a fool.
"He wouldn't do that. He only leads a group of wildlings; the Seven Kingdoms can handle his army of savages!" she shouted, indifferent to who might overhear.
"Tell me, Catelyn! How did those savages handle the Citadel? Tell me how they destroyed the Redwyne fleet and the royal fleet! Tell me!" He shouted, slamming the table. This woman seemed incapable of understanding the kind of situation she had put the North in at this moment.
"..." Catelyn couldn't say anything at that moment.
"Do you understand that the boy you accused of theft to protect your son from something I should have been made aware of at the time—because no Lord of Winterfell behaves like a spoiled child, blaming others to escape punishment—do you understand that this boy grew up? And now, he is no longer the bastard you so enjoyed scorning; he is a king, the leader of a fleet capable of threatening us!" Ned shouted every word.
"He is not my son... he is someone who aimed to take Winterfell for himself, a product of sin!" she murmured, tears streaming down her face.
"He is my blood, always has been, Catelyn! And I would never have allowed you to do such a thing! He was right all along... it seems I have been negligent about what happened in this castle and even with my eldest son... I let him behave this way... maybe that's why Robb has always caused problems while you were coddling him endlessly..." he murmured as Catelyn felt those words stab her straight in the chest.
"Ned... I—" Catelyn tried to argue, but Ned just shook his head.
"We've been shouting at each other for over twenty minutes, Catelyn. Go to your room. I don't want to see you in front of me anymore until you leave Winterfell. Even if the marriage is not annulled, you will leave Winterfell." Ned said, exhausted, finishing his third cup since the conversation with Catelyn began.
"You can't do this to me, Ned!" she tried to argue, but Ned only shook his head.
"There's nothing more to be done about it, Catelyn. Go to your room. We have nothing left to discuss." Ned spoke now in a tone of utter weariness.
"You can't destroy almost twenty years of marriage just like that! Think of our children. Are you just going to send me away?!" Her tears continued to plead with him, hoping he would reconsider.
"It's better that you leave, even for Robb's sake. After all, no one in the North will accept him as the heir to Winterfell when they find out what happened..." Ned replied.
"They don't need to know!" Catelyn pleaded desperately.
"Do you really think I'll do that—hide it—after learning everything that happened here?" Ned said, his tone indicating disbelief at her words. "You know, it's ironic: while you did everything to protect Robb's claim to Winterfell, you've caused a crisis that may cost him that very claim... After all, a king known to possess stockpiles of wildfire, capable of destroying castle gates or even toppling walls, may seek vengeance for what happened here." He spoke in a dangerous tone.
"I didn't want things to end up like this... Ned..." she murmured, still in tears, but Ned wouldn't soften toward her.
"Leave... just leave," he said, despite the pain in his heart as he spoke, but he had to do what was right.
"..." Catelyn looked at him one last time, trying to face him, but the only thing she saw was Ned's gaze fixed on the wine bottle as he ignored her.
Without saying a word, she turned and began to leave, still crying. As she opened the door, the guards outside stood waiting for orders, having heard the shouting. They watched in surprise as Catelyn walked out, her head bowed, wiping tears on her dress as she made her way to her room. Everyone stepped aside, allowing her to pass.
"Lord Stark... may I speak?" Jory approached the door at that moment, and Ned nodded, allowing him to enter. Ned set his cup aside, and the guard looked surprised—he had never seen his lord drinking before.
"As you can see, I'm dealing with some troubling situations. Catelyn is no longer the Lady of Winterfell as of this moment," Ned declared. Jory looked shocked at this, but Ned continued.
"Now, tell me what happened. Did you catch them?" he asked, and Jory nodded.
"Yes, my lord. The guard and the servant were caught," Jory reported, and Ned nodded in return.
"That's good... I'll judge them in the coming days. In the meantime, take these letters to Maester Luwin so they can be sent to King's Landing and Riverrun. Then, bring him here. I need to speak with him," Ned instructed, and Jory nodded before leaving.
As Jory opened the door, Arya was waiting outside. He informed Ned of her presence, and Ned nodded, allowing his daughter to enter.
"How are you?" Arya asked, studying her father carefully.
"You always knew, didn't you?" Ned asked as he put away the wine bottle so Arya wouldn't see him drinking.
"Yes... but it wasn't because of Jon. He never really spoke about it..." Arya replied. "I just told Robb to act like a Stark and correct his mistakes," she said calmly.
"Well... I can't say I'm not grateful for that... but the consequences... I just divorced your mother. She's leaving for the South," he said.
Arya nodded calmly. After hearing all the shouting, like the rest of the castle, she was unsurprised but still taken aback. Unfortunately, it was something her mother deserved after everything.
"I'll stand by you, Father," she said.
"Do you think Jon will seek revenge against the North?" Ned couldn't help but ask, knowing Arya understood Jon better than anyone else there.
"He wouldn't attack easily... but don't provoke him. What you're doing now—showing you're making an effort and delivering justice for his name—this will help calm his anger," Arya explained.
"I hope you're right... daughter," he murmured.
"Anyway, I know you need some time," she said as she started to leave.
"Your mother needs you... I know she didn't act rightly, but she's still your blood," Ned said finally.
"Don't worry, Sansa is already with her," Arya replied as she left. "I'll see you at dinner." With that, she left Ned alone.
The shouts of the Lord of Winterfell at his wife quickly spread through the castle, shocking everyone as they pieced together the events of nearly ten years ago.
The castle buzzed with nothing else, and news of the Lady of Winterfell being removed from the castle terrified many.
"Did you hear...? Is it true they were talking about the former bastard who became a king beyond the Wall? That it was all a scheme Lady Catelyn created to send him away back then?" a servant whispered in the Great Hall.
The hall was restless at the start of dinner, as everyone waited for the Stark family to arrive and eat in the main hall. None of them had appeared yet.
Servants and soldiers took the opportunity to gossip, whispering amongst themselves and trying to gather more information from one another.
"You came to Winterfell four years ago, so you don't know much about what happened," a woman said.
"But I heard about the events when all the rumors about King Jon Artica reached my ears here..." he replied.
"Erica can explain better what happened..." a servant suggested, addressing an older woman eating soup beside them.
"You want to know about that day? Well..." The woman stopped eating her soup, looking at the young servant. "Everyone was shocked by the crime we all learned the eight-nameday boy committed... but don't be fooled, everyone condemned him, even me. After all, we were always told the bastard would take Winterfell for himself. Now everyone will claim they didn't believe it, but that's a lie. Everyone thought it... everyone fears him now that he's grown and might attack Winterfell, and they're terrified of it. At least I'm honest about that time," she said in a calm tone, resuming her soup, ignoring the young man.
"That's all...?" The servant was confused, expecting more, but the woman didn't elaborate.
He barely had time to respond when the hall doors opened. Arya Stark, the youngest daughter, entered first. She wasn't alone; the Lord of Winterfell himself accompanied her, walking side by side toward the table. Both noticed that one chair was missing from its usual spot, just as Lord Stark had requested.
Arya sat at the table beside her father, ignoring the whispers. It wasn't long before Robb and Bran crossed the hall. Everyone stared at them, gossiping and murmuring, but the two ignored the situation as well. Both appeared somber. It wasn't easy facing the reality that their mother was leaving, prompted by their father's request for divorce.
A while later, Sansa entered, head bowed, holding Rickon's hand. The little boy was crying as they made their way to the main table. The Stark family was gathered there, but no one spoke. There were no words left to say. They all remained silent, their palms resting on the table, visibly downcast. Rickon sobbed beside Sansa, who struggled to hold back her own tears. Ned ate in silence, deep in thought.
This continued for some time until he sighed and looked around the hall, where the gossip was subdued but still present throughout the night. He knew he needed to formalize the situation. Rising to his feet, he declared loudly:
"I want everyone's attention."
The hall immediately fell silent. All conversations stopped, and all eyes turned to the Lord of Winterfell.
"Well, I know there are many rumors about what is happening, especially since the entire castle heard my argument with Catelyn. I must say that most of what you've heard is true. As of this moment, Catelyn is no longer the Lady of Winterfell. She will soon be sent to her father's house. I've already sent a letter to King's Landing requesting a divorce, and even if they do not accept my petition, Catelyn will return to Riverrun, where she will remain for the rest of her days. I have no intention of bringing her back to Winterfell."
He declared firmly, while everyone in the hall was shocked by the confirmation. The rumors were true, but the announcement of the official divorce between the two lords took everyone by surprise.
The children, except for Arya, lowered their heads in shame over what was happening, already having heard it from their mother's own mouth before dinner. Sansa tried to comfort Rickon, who cried even louder than before.
The dinner continued, but everyone avoided looking directly at Lord Stark, fearing any consequences. The meal dragged on until, in the middle of the night, something unexpected happened.
Someone entered the hall, shocking everyone—even the family. It was Catelyn, who simply walked to the center of the room without anyone stopping her, standing in front of her family.
"Catelyn, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in your room. The servants were supposed to bring your meal to you!" Ned exclaimed, rising from the table.
It was evident that she had used her authority to make the servants and guards obey her, whether by intimidation or threats. Despite the recent separation, she still held some power. However, what shocked Ned was her condition: Catelyn was visibly drunk. Even her children noticed, while the servants quickly began whispering among themselves.
"No! I have something more to say!" she shouted, clearly intoxicated, as tears streamed down her face. "You are humiliating me more than anything I've ever suffered in my life! I gave you five children, Ned! Five! And all I ever did was protect this family! But you prefer that bastard of yours! Tell me, do you love him more than your own children? Don't lie to us, Ned!" Catelyn exclaimed with a tone of agony and rage.
"Mother, you'd better not say anything else. There's no turning back from those words," Arya said to her mother in a firm tone.
At that moment, swords began to be drawn. Jill and Buri, the royal guards standing behind Arya, were offended by Catelyn's words and immediately moved to defend the King of Artica.
"Do you dare insult our king in our presence, woman?" Jill exclaimed as Catelyn's eyes widened at the sight of the blades pointed at her—something she had never experienced in her life.
"Stop this!" Ned's voice immediately echoed through the hall as he pointed at the guards. "Take her to her room and lock the door until morning!" Ned ordered firmly.
"No!" Catelyn screamed in fury, her gaze turning to her youngest daughter. "It was you!" She openly pointed at Arya. "You caused this!" She accused, convinced that Arya's return to Winterfell had triggered everything. "You destroyed our family! I tried everything for you, but you've become a complete savage, conspiring with that bastard!" Catelyn declared, gritting her teeth.
Catelyn's accusation against Arya shocked everyone present. Astonished and wide-eyed, they turned to the former Lady of Winterfell, appalled by her calling her own daughter a savage.
"Do not speak to our daughter in that tone, Catelyn!" Ned roared with all the force of a battlefield shout. His voice cut through the hall, halting any movement.
He turned his gaze to Arya, fearing that his daughter's heart might break from her mother's words. However, what he saw was not sadness or shock, as one might expect from a child hearing such things. What he saw was something entirely different.
"Hahahaha!" Arya began to laugh loudly and intensely, drawing everyone's attention. Her laughter echoed through the hall, even surprising Catelyn, who now looked at her cautiously. Her brothers also turned their eyes to Arya, equally stunned.
When the laughter subsided, Arya smiled and faced her mother with unwavering confidence. "You know, Mother..." she began. "It's funny how you've spent the entire week claiming Jon put me in danger, but you forget that the one who puts us in danger is you." Arya said this while staring directly into her drunken mother's eyes.
As silence fell, Arya continued calmly: "You don't seem to understand, Mother, but let your daughter explain her reasoning to you." She spoke with a controlled authority that dominated the room.
"While Jon takes me on journeys where I witness death, betrayal, and theft, you teach us that life is beautiful, with happy endings, and that the gods always answer our prayers. But you forget that, beyond the castle, people are cruel, the world is harsh. There is death, theft, and betrayal—not the fairytale life you insist on portraying. Look at Sansa. She truly believes in this fantasy," Arya said calmly, only to be interrupted.
"But she's the prince's betrothed!" one of Sansa's foolish friends exclaimed, attempting to defend her in the midst of the situation. Arya smiled at this.
"Yes! She's going to be the queen. Father, may I ask you a question?" Arya turned to her father, who still looked stunned, trying to comprehend the direction the conversation had taken.
"Do you know what King's Landing is like? Do you know it's the most dangerous place on the continent? That the royal court is filled with schemes of murder, lies, manipulation, and betrayal every single day?" Ned flinched at hearing this.
"Now, Father, look at your sweet and naïve Sansa. Did you think about this before sending her to that place? Or did you prepare her for it? For the Game of Thrones?" Arya seemed to be addressing the entire hall.
"Tell me, Mother, you're so worried about us, but can you even imagine the kind of horrors that happen there, how every queen before her suffered? Or did you just tell Sansa how beautiful the world is?" she asked.
Catelyn remained silent this time, and Arya continued.
"No... you did neither of those things," she answered her own question. "You're sending your daughter into a den of rats and treacherous snakes. She'll be used as a puppet, betrayed because of her naïveté. And by the time she starts to learn anything, she may already be broken." Arya concluded, attempting to bring some reason to the room.
"Instead of learning naïve things, Mother, in Artica—the place where you say I became a savage—Jon taught me how the world truly works. While you teach embroidery, southern chivalry, or the Faith of the Seven, Jon taught me mathematics, arithmetic, economics, geography, history, navigation, astrology, agriculture, and alchemy. While you teach Sansa within the walls of this castle, I traveled across the known world. While you teach Sansa to blindly obey her husband, Jon taught me how to negotiate, read people, speak in public, lead, and avoid being manipulated. He showed me how to make deals and handle all sorts of people," she said, staring unflinchingly at her stunned mother, delivering a gaze Catelyn had never imagined seeing in Arya.
"He taught me how to negotiate deals worth half a million. He took me to a negotiation with the Iron Bank. I saw Jon handle millions of gold coins, far more than House Stark possesses. He let me negotiate with the Lannisters, giving me tips in languages only the two of us understand so I could make counteroffers. I witnessed Jon kill to protect his people. I saw Jon save an entire kingdom on the other side of the world, where the Princess of Yi Ti is now his betrothed, and they'll soon marry, sealing a commercial and military alliance between Artica and Yi Ti."
"He attacked Slaver's Bay, freeing hundreds of thousands of slaves. I saw Jon rule as a king. I saw tens of thousands of people cheer and revere him. I saw how Jon forbids his people from kneeling before him, saying his people are so strong and unyielding they kneel to no one, not even their king. To the King of Artica, respect alone is enough!" Arya even recited the last part like a mantra.
"Mother, while you try to teach me about faith in the Seven, in Artica, Jon showed me the Old Gods, where magic truly happens. While you say the North is full of wild fantasies, I saw giants, dwarves, humans, and the Children of the Forest living together in one place. While you claim the terrors of the North are just tales to scare children, I witnessed White Walkers—monsters with ice spears and blue eyes. I saw how they raise the dead beyond the Wall. I saw Jon destroy an army of ten thousand undead and still laugh with his people, saying the White Walkers fear his kingdom."
"Do you think Jon wants Winterfell, Mother? As you've claimed your whole life? Let me tell you something: Jon rules over a kingdom far richer and more powerful than the North. No. Jon sees all of Westeros as an inferior nation, and I can tell you how the Seven Kingdoms pale in comparison to Artica. Even with White Walkers roaming the North, Jon keeps his people united and strong. His people don't go hungry, they don't feel cold, they are joyful and peaceful while obeying all the laws of the nation. They drink alcohol, sing, and laugh all the time; they love their nation. If you saw how Old Nan and Hodor are, you wouldn't believe it..."
"You claim to be religious, yet you follow gods who believe children should be punished for their parents' sins. I didn't understand it at the time, but years later, I began to realize... If I had known back then, I would have defended Jon and run away with him when I was only five namedays old. Everyone already knows that you accused Jon of theft just to shift the blame away from Robb and Theon—and that you dragged Hodor into the mess because he told me the truth in Artica!" Arya said with a tone of anger. Hodor could speak now, though none of them were aware of this yet.
"The child you claim was born of sin took the blame so that another innocent wouldn't suffer. And you, who claim to be kind, accused an innocent child just to protect your son from scandal. And it wasn't Jon who told me this, but he taught me how to deal with life. If it had been up to you, I'd be a fool. Now answer me: is the bastard the one harming this family, or is it you?"
No one knew how to respond to Arya's speech. Her mother was pale, as if the alcohol in her blood had evaporated.
"You didn't just accuse a powerful king when he was only a child... And now he could bring down Winterfell because of it. You caused a cold war between the North and Artica years ago, and all of us might suffer for it..." she said, as the entire hall swallowed hard.
"You openly insult him here, yet I'd like to see you say those words in front of his entire army of over 100,000 people! Remember this: never use your words to insult him again, because you will face grave consequences, not just for yourself but for everyone with you. I'm here to deliver justice as a Stark for the crime you committed against a foreign king. And after your words today, I never want to see you in front of me again." Arya declared before returning to her guards.
"Let's put the weapons away. I'm sure Lady Catelyn is a bit out of sorts, and I believe this will never happen again, will it?" Arya said, then turned back toward her mother.
A moment later, she approached her father, who sat in silence with her brothers, stunned by Arya's speech and her commanding demeanor.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish eating with my soldiers outside the walls. These are people who risked their lives with me, and these people—I can truly say—I know." Arya spoke with disdain and left the hall, which remained silent.
She didn't even glance at her mother as she passed, while Catelyn appeared to have completely lost her daughter, looking full of regret, though it was already too late.
As Arya neared the courtyard, she could hear her father roaring something loudly behind her.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 227 - A student from Arctic 01.
Chapter 232 - The She-Wolf of the North 02.
Chapter 242 - Artican Army vs Khal Drogo's Khalasar 01.
Chapter 251 - Helping Mance's camp.
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