The Birth of Dragons

Lord Eddard Stark

"So you are trying to tell me that Lady Lysa was truly as mad as what the Lannisters would have me believe?" Ned asks disbelievingly.

"I'm not trying to tell you anything Ned, or rather, I am not trying to convince you of anything Ned. I am telling you the truth. Lady Lysa was mad, as mad as Aerys." Benjen responds firmly.

Ned looks at his brother, an internal debate raging within him, he knows Benjen had been keeping tabs on Lysa Arryn for him during his time in King's Landing, and as such, he knows his brother knows more about the lady than he does, and yet, the thought of someone being that mad, is abhorrent to him. Hence why he asks. "Are you certain of this?"

Benjen looks unimpressed. "Of course I am. I told you about the time she took a sack of flour and pretended it was a child of hers, did I not?"

Ned moves around on his chair, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the reminder of that particular incident, he had not told Cat about that, and with good reason. Softly he replies. "Yes, I remember. But why would she be mad enough to do as you are suggesting Benjen?"

His brother sighs. "Because there is no damned evidence that the Lannisters poisoned Jon Arryn, Ned. I have looked over every record, every conversation that I can find, and there is nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"So, you think she made that accusation up then? Is she as mad as that?" Ned queries, and at his brother's look he holds up his hand and says. "Alright, say she is as mad as that, what then? What are you suggesting Benjen? That she had her own husband murdered?"

Benjen runs a hand through his hair, a gesture that Ned notices as being startlingly similar to Jon's, and he feels something like nervousness run through him. "I do not know Ned. All I know is that much of what Lady Lysa says cannot be completely trusted. Not to the extent that we would like it. Everything I have looked at does not suggest that the Lannisters did away with Jon Arryn, even if they did have good reason to do so. Indeed, it seems that Lady Arryn had more reason to get rid of her husband."

Ned shifts in his chair, uncomfortable at the turn of this conversation. "But why? Nothing you told me suggested there was anything but coldness between them Ben why would she act now?"

Benjen runs a hand through his hair once more and then responds. "Because Jon Arryn was considering sending her son away."

"To Casterly Rock?" Ned asks, he had heard this from Robert before, but did not think it reason for someone to have their husband removed.

Benjen's look of confusion gets to him as well, and he finds himself wondering why Benjen is confused. "No, he wasn't going to send their son to Tywin Lannister, the man was many things Ned, but he was not mad. He was going to send him to Stannis Baratheon."

Ned hesitates then, he wants to ask why the King would say one thing and his brother another, but then he decides against focusing on that and instead asks. "Why would Jon feel the need to send his son anywhere? That was not like him."

Benjen shrugs. "I do not know Ned. All I know is that before his death, Jon Arryn was very much in communication with Stannis Baratheon. They went to a lot of places together, mainly brothels, they were looking for something."

Ned feels as though he should ask what they were looking for, but by looking at Benjen, he can tell that his brother likely does not know what it was his mentor and Stannis were looking for. And so he instead changes the topic and asks. "What of Baelish? Do you think he can be trusted?"

Benjen shakes his head, almost adamant. "No. Of course not Ned. He despises our family for what Brandon did to him during that foolish duel. He wants our blood, nothing more."

Ned sighs. "Do you think the man still holds a grudge for something that happened when he was all but a boy? If so, then why is he in King's Landing?"

"Of course he holds a grudge Ned, you took the woman he believes belongs to him away from him. And he is in King's Landing because of Lysa Arryn, she was the one who saw to it that he got a place at court, and worked his way up from there. It was her who recommended him to Jon Arryn for the vacant position of master of coin. He thinks he controls the City Watch, but he does not. That is the only good thing that has come from all of this." Benjen replies.

Cautiously Ned asks. "Why, what do you think is going to happen Benjen?"

His brother looks at him as if he has grown a second head, and replies. "Well you've asked for the Vale to prepare to mobilise, I think it is quite obvious what I think is going to happen Ned. You are not exactly the subtlest of people. Give it a few weeks, and the Queen will be preparing to bring things to action. Had you brought the boy, perhaps we could've avoided this."

"I made a promise Ben. I could not bring the boy here. It would have been far too dangerous." Ned responds, fighting to keep the heat from his voice.

Benjen shakes his head, and Ned feels anger grow within him at that. "You're being too cautious Ned. The boy needs to come here, if he is to ever get what is owed to him. Keeping him over in Winterfell is doing no one any favours."

Putting his fist down on the table, Ned replies. "I will not use him for the games that need to be played. I am not father, Ben. I would have thought you'd have understood all of that." He sees something flash in his brother's eyes, but his brother does not reply, instead he turns and leaves, leaving Ned to consider everything in silence.