The Children of Spring

Eddard I - Not Everything is What it Seems

The trip to Storm's End took longer than Eddard suspected it would take. He assumed it was because his uncle had agreed to come with him, therefore they had to make more stops than usual.
Eddard Stark-Baratheon was still amazed by how fast did his uncle agree to come.
"Uncle Bran, can I ask you something?" Eddard had said and then Bran had just said,
"Yes, Ned. I'll go with you to Storm's End." Eddard had not believed his ears at first, still he realized that he had heard correctly. He had been close to ask him how did he know, however then he realized, He's the Three-eyed-raven, of course he knows. Sometimes Eddard wondered how he was a greenseer and a warg and still got shocked when those things happened. During the journey he tried to practice his ability as a greenseer, he tried to have dreams, however it never worked.
After some days, they finally arrived at Storm's End. Eddard liked to think that the castle was his home, still he spent so much time in the sea with his parents that it seemed like their ship was more his home than Storm's End. It was good to be back in there and as soon as they arrived Eddard met his direwolf Spring. The direwolf had brown fur and golden eyes. Eddard had named him Spring for the fact that he had been born in it. The direwolf came to him and sniffed him, he petted the direwolf and then hugged him.
"There's nothing like a bond between a man and a direwolf." Bran said.
Eddard looked at him and then asked,
"If there was a direwolf for every Stark children how come that now there's only Nymeria and Ghost?"
"Well, the Starks did not do well in the South at that time. Or in the North, actually. The important thing is that they all die saving their owners and we never forget them." Bran explained.
"How was yours named, uncle Bran?" Eddard asked curiously.
"Summer." Bran said smiling.
"Why?" Eddard asked curiously.
"Well, I was the last to name my direwolf. Robb's was Grey Wind, he was the biggest, then Jon's is Ghost, he is so white, you can confused him with the snow, and then Rickon named his Shaggydog, he was black and had a lot of fur and Rickon was 4. Sansa named hers Lady for her status and your mother's is Nymeria for the great warrior Nymeria of the Rhoyne. Then it was my turn and I didn't know what to call him. Then one day, after the fall, when I woke up. I stayed in bed for a long time and there was an old lady that used to tell us stories, Old Nan we called her, and she once said, 'oh my sweet summer child'. And then I got the idea." Bran explained.
"I named my Spring, because he was born in the Spring." Eddard said.
"If we were children of Summer, then, yes, Ned, you all are children of Spring." Bran said. I mean that was what I was going to ask, but thanks for the answer, Eddard thought.
"How come after 17 years of peace, there's a war again?" Eddard asked seriously.
"We'll talk later, let's settle in. It's getting late." Bran said and Eddard nodded and they went inside the castle.
That night Eddard layed down on the bed of his room looking at the ceiling. Three months ago, he was in the sea with his parents and Mia and Brandon and, by then, he was alone in Storm's End, his parents were missing, Mia was after Rhaella and Brandon was in the wolfswood camp fighting. And he was in Storm's End without the slightest idea of what he might possibily do to help them. There was nothing he could do there. He could learn how to rule a castle, still none of that mattered right then. The only thing he could do was trying to control his visions, trying to understand them. But I still can't control them. Or cause them, Eddard thought. After some time, he finally got some sleep.
The next day, Eddard woke up, got dressed and went to have breakfast.
When he got the hall, his uncle was already there. It was always confusing to Eddard knowing that he only had family in the Starks side and that the only Baratheon alive was his father, because he was a bastard of Robert Baratheon. He knew that the rest of them had died in the War of the Five Kings. Still it was weird. He loved his family more than anything, he thought that all of them did, still there was a lot they did not know about their family and that made him feel angry, because it felt like they did not trust them with those things. I'd rather that what was written in the White Book were lies, but I don't think they were. If all of the story is like that, we're going to need a lot of time to cope with it, Eddard thought.
Eddard entered the hall and sat next to his uncle.
"How are you feeling today, uncle Bran?" Eddard asked.
"I'm fine. You, on the other hand." Bran said.
"I sometimes forget you are the Three-eyed-raven." Eddard said. He was not very well, it was true. He had more and more questions everyday. And he had absolutely not one answer.
"You don't need to be the Three-eyed-raven to know that." Bran said.
"Is it that obvious?" Eddard asked.
"A little bit. What is it?" Bran said and Eddard looked at him surpirise. "I'm the Three-eyed-raven, not a mind reader."
Eddard chuckled and then said, "There's only questions and no answers."
"The answers will come with time." Bran said.
"Why doesn't our family trust us with their past?" Eddard finally asked seriously.
"It's not that we don't trust you. We do. It's what you'll think of us when we tell you that we are afraid of." Bran said in his engnimatic tone.
"We admire you. How can we think anything of you if you don't tell us?" Eddard asked confused.
"We did things, we went through things that... it still hurts us, talking about it." Bran said trying to stop the conversation.
"It's been 17 years. Me, Mary, Jo, Lya and Jeyne read the Book of the Brothers. We know that uncle Jaime killed a King, we know that uncle Tyrion killed a King, that was his nephew. We know that you were all at war. We know your lives were never easy, but we love you. All of you. Nothing can change that." Eddard said disappointed and at the same time determined.
"Well, Ned, the least I can do for you is helping you with the sight and you may find the answers." Bran said.
"You could tell me what happened." Eddard said hopefully.
"I wish I could, but I can't. It's not up to me." Bran said.
"How did you fall from the Broken Tower?" Eddard asked seriously.
"You'll get there with time." Bran said and Eddard snorted. Really?! I'm tired of not knowing things!, Eddard thought angry.
"Today, we're going to the Godswood, I'll help you with the sight." Bran said.
"Why the Godswood?" Eddard asked confused.
"We see through the trees. Through their faces, through what they've seen. Our power comes from them." Bran explained.
"I see." Eddard said. Maybe, I'll get to see something new, Eddard thought.
After taking care of few bussinesses of Storm's End, Eddard realized why his parents spent most of their time in the sea. It was boring, it was anoying and it seemed to take an enternity. At last, everything was done. Eddard met Bran in the Godswood of the castle.
"At last, I'm free." Eddard said.
"For today, at least." Bran said.
"I'm going to have to do this everyday?" Eddard asked surprised.
"I'm afraid, you will." Bran said with a chuckle.
"Gods help me." Eddard said with a chuckle.
"Are you ready?" Bran asked.
"I think so." Eddard said unsurely.
"When you put your hand in the tree, it will trigger the visions. Probably, nothing more than flashes. Still, you'll see something. Some of them, may have happened, some of them may be happening now, and other may happen in the future." Bran explained.
Eddard looked at the Heart Tree and then at Bran and then, a bit fearfully, he touched the tree and his eyes went white.
"Leave one wolf alive and sheep are never safe."
His father was running in the snow, there was a storm, suddenly he fell.
"When people ask what happened here..."
Rhaella was in the prison of the warlocks.
"Tell them the North remembers..."
His mother. Her eyes were white and she was screaming..."What is happening?!"
"Tell them winter came for House Frey..."
His aunt Joanna was breathing abruptly and then she stopped.
"Winter is coming..."
A man blue as ice with his eyes frozen in a dead horse was riding to the Wall.
"Death. That's what they're like..."
Then he woke. Eddard was a bit scared about what he had seen. He wished that nothing of that was true, still somehow he felt that some of it was.
"Breath. What did you see, Ned?" Bran asked calmly.
"I... I saw my parents and Rhaella and aunt Joanna and... I think, I saw a White Walker." Eddard said.
"The circunstances?" Bran asked.
"Well, my father was running in the snow and I think there was a storm." Eddard said.
"He went beyond the Wall once. It must have been then." Bran said.
"But he fell..." Eddard said.
"At the front of the gate. They found him." Bran assured him.
"Good. Then I saw Rhaella. She was in the prison of the warlocks. I think it was the present." Eddard said.
"Yes. It probably was. Was she alright?" Bran asked.
"I think so. I hope she is." Eddard said a bit sadly.
"I'm sure she is." Bran assured him.
"Then I saw my mother. Her eyes were white and she was screaming 'what was happening'. Is she a warg too?" Eddard asked.
"No. But she had a couple of rough years back in the day. It was a complicated situation." Bran said.
"Alright... then I saw aunt Joanna. She was breathing really fast and then it just stopped. It was like... she was dying. Please, tell me that's not going to happen." Eddard said.
"I don't know. The future is never certain. It may or may not be possible." Bran said sadly.
"No. It won't happen." Eddard said.
"I hope so. What else did you see?" Bran asked trying to change the subject.
"The last thing was a man blue as ice and his eyes were frozen. He was in a dead horse. I think it was a walker." Eddard said.
"It wasn't a walker, Ned. It was the Night King." Bran said seriously.
"You fought that?!" Eddard asked surprised.
"Yes. It's over now." Bran said.
"I can't control it, yet. Can I?" Eddard asked seriously.
"You'll get there with time." Bran said.
"How?" Eddard asked.
"I'll help you. Help me get to the tree." Bran said. Eddard pushed Bran's wheelchair near the tree and then stood beside him.
"And now what?" Eddard asked.
"Give me your hand and put the other on the tree." Bran said and Eddard did as he said and then they were not in Storm's End anymore.
They were in a room with some kind of a floor door in the middle. Then there was a small throne and a woman with auburn hair was feeding breat's milk to her son, who must have been 6 years old. Around the room there were knights, a woman that also had abourn hair, that had something that remembered Eddard of his aunt Sansa but older, and for Eddard's surprise his uncle Tyrion was there and so was Bronn. He could see that they were in the past, for the lasr two were clearly younger.
"Where are we? Better when are we?" Eddard asked confused and curiously.
"We are in the Eryie, in the Vale of Arryn. At the begining of the War of the Five Kings." Bran said.
"Are those uncle Tyrion and Bronn?" Eddard asked.
"Yes." Bran said smiling. He could see that Eddard was learning.
"Who are the other people?" Eddard asked curiously.
"Well, that is your grandmother, Catelyn Stark." Bran said.
"She looks a lot like aunt Sansa." Eddard said.
"Sansa took after her, while your mother took after your grandfather. And those are Lysa Arryn, your grandmother's youngest sister, she married Jon Arryn, your grandfather's guardian, and they had a son, Robin Arryn." Bran explained.
"Why is she feeding him? He must be 6." Eddard asked surprised.
"She spoiled him too much. Shall we see what happened?" Bran asked and Eddard nodded and so it began.
"You bring him here without permition! You polute my home with his presence! Your aunt has done a bad thing, Robin, a very bad thing." Lysa said at the end looking at her son.
"She's crazy, isn't she?" Eddard asked.
"Well..., uh, a little bit, yes." Bran said.
The boy lifted his head to his mother and she continue,
"You remember her, don't you? Isn't he beautiful? And strong too." No, and if you keep doing that, he'll never be, Eddard thought. "Jon knew it! His last words were 'the seed is strong'! He wanted everyone to know what a good strong boy his son would grow up to be. Look at him, the Lord of all the Vale." Lysa said looking at her son.
"Who killed Jon Arryn?" Eddard asked, looking at Bran. He looked at his nephew and did not say a word.
"Lysa! You wrote me about the Lannisters, warning me..." Catelyn said. Why?, Eddard thought.
"To stay away from them! Not to bring one here!" Lysa said.
"Why are they against the Lannisters?" Eddard asked.
"We'll get there later." Bran said.
"Mommy, is that a bad man?" Robin asked.
"It is." Lysa said.
"He's little." Robin said. What's wrong with you, kiddo?, Eddard thought.
"He's Tyrion, the Imp of house Lannister." The Imp?!, Eddard thought in shock. "He killed your father, he murdered the Hand of the King!" Lysa said.
"He did what?!" Eddard said.
"Wait. Patience is a virtue." Bran said and then Eddard looked at him with a anoyed look.
"Oh, did I kill him too? I've been a very busy man." Tyrion said with a bit of a mocking tone. He didn't, so who did?, Eddard thought.
"Watch your tongue. These men are Knights of the Vale. Every one of them loved Jon Arryn, every one of them would die for me!" Lysa said.
"If any harm comes to me, my brother Jaime or even my sister Joanna will see that they do." Tyrion said. That's true, Eddard thought.
"You can't hurt us! No one can hurt us here! Tell him, mommy! Tell him!" Robin started to scream. Seven Hells, Eddard thought.
"Shhh. He's just trying to frighten us. Everything is alright. No one will hurt my baby." Lysa said. Well, if you kill him, I'm not so certain of that, Eddard thought.
"Mommy, I want to see the bad man fly." Robin said. Fly?, Eddard thought.
"Perhaps you will see, my love." Lysa said.
"This man is my prisioner! I will not have him harmed." Catelyn said. My mother did not took only after my grandfather, Eddard thought smiling.
"Ser Vardis, my sister's guest is weary. Take him down below so that he can rest. Introduce him to Mord." Lysa said.
"We have to go." Bran said.
"What? Why?" Eddard said, but it was too late, Bran put a hand in his shoulder and they were in Storm's End again.
"What the hell was that?" Eddard asked.
"That was a past event." Bran said.
"Why did Lysa Arryn want to kill my uncle? Why did my grandmother say that he was her prisioner?" Eddard asked.
"Well, Lannisters and Starks weren't very friendly at that time. And Jon Arryn had been killed. And I had fallen from a tower and someone hired an assasin to kill me." Bran explained.
"Who killed Jon Arryn? And who hired the assasin?" Eddard asked, when the maestre came to them and said,
"My lord, a raven came from Tarth."
"I'll be right there, maestre." Eddard said and then turned to his uncle,
"I'll be back."
Eddard went to his parents' solar and there was a letter with the sigil of Tarth. What happened? I hope everyone is alright, Eddard thought.
Then he opened the letter and read it.
Dear Ned,
I'm writing this letter, because I need your help and because I have good news. Today a ship came to Tarth, a Greyjoy ship. Their commander, Yara Greyjoy, says that Pyke was taken by Eliot Pyke, a bastard of some Euron Greyjoy. She also says that they had prisioners, two of them being your parents. They're alive, because they don't know who they are.
I said that I would help her take the Iron Islands, as long as she help us get your parents back. I ask you to came to Tarth as soon as possible.
Joan Lannister-Tarth.
"They're alive! My parents are alive! We have to get them b-..." Eddard was saying and then he started to have a vision.
He was in the Broken Tower, there was a man next to a window and a boy that was in the window, the man was holding him and the boy was a afraid to fall.
"Are you completely mad?" the man asked the boy.
"He saw us!" a woman said, behind him.
"It's alright. It's alright." the man said, trying to calm down the boy and preventing him from falling.
"He saw us!" a woman said again.
"I heard you the first time." the man said and he looked down and at the boy again and said, "What a little climber, aren't you? How old are you, boy?"
"7." the boy said.
"7?" the man said and then let go of the boy and looked at the woman, she was scared. Then the man said with loathing, "The things I do for love." And he pushed the boy out of the window.
Eddard woke up, breathig heavily. Uncle Bran did not fall from the Broken Tower, he was pushed... by uncle Jaime, Eddard realized, then he got up and started to run to the Godswood. When he got there, his uncle looked at him surprised, and Eddard just looked at him in the eyes and asked,
"Why did uncle Jaime push you from the Broken Tower?"