The Dragons Heiress (Game of Thrones)

Prologue

He'd heard her horrible scream and was too afraid to let his sister be alone there with just the Septa. He couldn't possibly leave her.

As the children were only one room away Lord Eddard Stark could still hear the cries that were erupting as he watched over her death bed. It was hard, looking at his poor sister laying on the bed, blood covering everything he could possibly lay eyes on.

She was smiling, even though he knew she was in great pain as the tears rolled down her beautiful and pale cheeks. He could feel his heart beating at the top of his chest like a drum, ticking like a bomb that was waiting to explode at any minute. He could not help but hate himself that the God's were taking her instead of him.

It should've been him.

"Ned..." she whispered as she cried, her hand gently touching his cheek as she suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt. It felt like a dream, a complete dream he did not want to be in. However, it was not a dream, he was fully aware of that sadly.

"I've missed you, big brother." she smiled as she cried.

Everything else had been a blur, but he knew what he'd promised her. He knew that what he had as a promise was something he'd keep for a life time even though all he wanted as he held the little twins was for his sister to live.

He wanted Lyanna Stark to live.

--

"You have a son!" Catelyn Stark said as Ned came home with the twins that weren't actually his own. However, he had to protect them. He could not fail them. He could not fail his sister. And he would not.

For the moment, what Catelyn thought about the twins did not concern him one last bit for all he cared. He just wanted them to be safe, for they were the only last, living piece of her.

"I know," Ned said, looking down, pretending to be ashamed of his act. "But I could not leave them. They would've died,Cat!"

For a moment, Lady Stark looked hesitant, as if she was going to say something she would regret. But Ned guessed that she realized, it was never a child's fault. She could not blame little babies and certainly not let them to die.

"You slept with another woman," Catelyn said. "You dare to-"

"Enough, Catelyn!" Ned said as his wife had gotten on his last nerve. He wanted to tell his beloved wife so dearly about Lyanna and the twins, but he would risk them being in danger. Besides, if Robert found out...

The twins would be dead, babies or not.

Ned knew it had only been a short matter of time ago they had been born, but the fact that he had been with them for these last couple of days made him realized that he did not hate these children because of their blood.

He loved them because of that very reason and could already feel the title of 'father' as he looked at them. When he looked at the twins he got the feeling of when he looked at Robb.

Parental love.

"They are my children." Ned said, gritting his teeth. "I will raise them as Stark's even if they are bastards, and they will be respected. The world will know of them as Ned Stark's twin bastards, but at least they will be known as my children." Even though they weren't, but that was not something Lord Stark was going to admit.

He not only promised to protect them and keep their secret safe, but he also promised that from this day on, they would be raised knowing that he is their father.

Lady Stark looked away from Lord Stark as Old nan came into the room, carrying two small figured in her arms. Not so shockingly, it was the twins she was carrying. Of course, it was no secret that Lady Stark did not have the heart to leave babies starving and to die on the streets.

She would accept it.

"What are their names?" Catelyn asked, almost harshly.

That was something Lord Stark had not thought about since they already had names given to them by their mother. But if the Lord chose these names for them, they would be discovered for who they truly were.

Immediately, Ned thought of the man who raised him as his own. The man who had seen the twins first of all. Jon Arryn took a quite a liking into Ned's so called bastards. Not to mention, naming the girl after Lyanna would be too much of a reminder of his poor sister. So, instead...

"Jon and Helena Snow."