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Chapter 12 – Eddard Stark 2

Lord Stark rubbed his face harshly, and he closed the large, very uninteresting book that Grand Maester Pycelle had informed him that Jon Arryn had taken it not long before he died. He hadn't had a good time since he had come to the capital, everything was turning out just like he had anticipated and dreaded. Already the dealings with the council were getting under his skin, and it didn't help that one of the only two men that he felt he could trust that was on the council had returned to Dragonstone. Stannis Baratheon was a man with high honour and he would do his duty no matter what and Ser Barristan was just as honourable.

Eddard hated the job, he knew he would the second he had heard about Jon Arryn's death and it was only because of his duty to the king and to find out just who killed the man he considered a father that he was here in the first place. It didn't help that Robert didn't care about attending any of the meetings or what the finances were and instead was all about throwing tournaments, bedding whores and drinking wine. When Robert had taken the throne, the treasury had been flowing with gold and now he discovered that the crown is six million gold pieces in debt. Three million were to the Lannisters and they were at least one million in debt to the Iron Bank. He didn't know which one was worse but Eddard dreaded having to deal with finding a way to pay these loans back. To make matters worse was that Robert insisted on throwing a tournament in honour of him taking the position; Hand of the King. Eddard had tried to convince Robert that he didn't need or want a tournament in his honour but his old stubborn friend wouldn't have it.

The subject of loans brought him to another uncomfortable problem that he had to deal with. Steffon Baratheon, the man betrothed to his youngest daughter, was to become the next head of the Lannister family. That meant that he would have to be tutored by Tywin Lannister and eventually Arya would join him at Casterly Rock... his youngest daughter would be under the roof of the deadly serpent Tywin Lannister. There was no way he could allow that to happen. Although when Robert heard that Tywin wanted Steffon to become his heir, his old friend just laughed loudly and he declared that Steffon would worm out of it, no matter what.

Eddard couldn't deny that he was conflicted. He had given his word that Steffon and Arya would be wed to Robert and it would be dishonourable for him to break his word, even though he believed that Steffon wouldn't be insulted. Also, he liked the young man. He had honour, unlike most here in the capital. He also couldn't deny the fact that he had saved his daughters a great deal of heartbreak when he stopped the Queen from executing Sansa's direwolf. Not to mention that Steffon could be a solution to the crown's debts. If Steffon took control of the Lannister clan, then perhaps he could convince him to forgive the crown's debts or at least give them enough time to deal with the other payments.

Eddard stood up and he immediately headed out of his office, determined to get some air and think through all of this clearly. As he walked through the halls, his mind took him towards his crippled son. His young boy's dreams had been shattered and he would no longer be able to walk and here he was stuck here in the shithole of a city instead of helping Bran deal with his new life. Being here was also straining his relationship with Sansa as she was still upset that she wouldn't be marrying Joffrey and that Lady had been sent back to Winterfell. Her relationship with Arya had all but deteriorated, he didn't think that they had spoken a word to each other since Lady and Nymeria were sent back to Winterfell.

The only positive about being in this city was that his own relationship with Arya had improved somewhat. After discovering her with her own sword, no doubt it was courtesy of Jon, Eddard had set up lessons for her to learn. Arya reminded him a lot of Lyanna and he had witness how his father's and hers relationship deteriorate as he tried to force her to be someone that she didn't want to be. The consequences of this had been major. Eddard wouldn't make the same mistake with Arya and so by giving her lessons on how to wield her sword, he was going to put his belief in her that she would do her duty.

Tyrion Lannister, the imp. That is what Littlefinger had told him and Catelyn when she had journeyed down here to report that Bran had been attacked. The knife that the assassin had used had been identified as Tyrion's, according to Littlefinger any way. He wasn't sure if he could trust the word of Littlefinger but if the man was right, that put another complication in his regards to Steffon and Arya's marriage. He had heard from Arya, from Robert and from Steffon, himself, at how close his is to Tyrion Lannister. They were in a too delicate position to do anything at the minute, until he found evidence that Jon Arryn had been murdered and the reason why, they couldn't do anything against the Lannisters. Eddard had told Catelyn not to do anything to Tyrion Lannister if she came across him on her way back to Winterfell.

His wife was stubborn and filled with fury though and so he could only pray that she followed his order.

Lord Stark didn't really pay much mind on where he was walking, his thoughts distracting him and he was quite surprised to see that he had stumbled on the hall where Arya was practising her needlework with an instructor that Ned had sought. Eddard folded his arms, leant against the doorway, and he observed his daughter practise, allowing it to distract him from his problems. Robert had informed him that Steffon had taken some lessons from this instructor, and despite the young man not performing well with the style, Steffon apparently had great respect for him.

Syrio Forel, a sword master from Bravos, parried a clumsy strike from Arya and he parried it hard enough to force the thin sword out of Arya's hand.

"That was too soft... too soft, little boy." Syrio lectured Arya, "How many times do I have to tell you how to hold the sword?"

"I know, I know." Arya muttered, aggravated.

Ned smiled at the sight, remembering his own training when he was her age.

"Lord Stark!" a familiar voice called him from behind and Eddard turned around to see Jory hurriedly approaching him.

"What is it, Jory?" Eddard asked him.

"Petyr Baelish is requesting an audience with you, Lord Stark." Jory, the most loyal of all Stark guardsmen, bowed before his lord. "He is in the courtyard, waiting for you."

Eddard nodded and he immediately headed out. Hopefully he would gain some decent information from Littlefinger that could help him uncover the mystery surrounding Jon Arryn's death.

"I hear you're reading a boring book." It was the first thing that Eddard heard when he entered the courtyard. Littlefinger glided out from behind a pillar and fell into step with the Hand of the King.

"Pycelle talks too much." Eddard grunted, aggravated that Pycelle had let slip that knowledge.

"He never stops." Baelish smirked coldly, "Do you know Ser Hugh of the Vale?" Eddard responded negatively. "Not surprising," Baelish continued smoothly, "until recently, he was only a squire... Jon Arryn's squire. He was knighted almost immediately after his master's untimely death."

Eddard narrowed his eyes, "Knighted for what? Why are you telling me this?" he couldn't hide the suspicion in his voice.

"I promised Cat that I'd help you." Baelish reminded him.

"Where is Ser Hugh? I'll speak to him."

"A singularly bad idea." Littlefinger dismissed sharply, and he pointed over to one of the two boys that were playing. "Do you see that boy there? One of Varys's little birds. The Spider has taken a great interest in your comings and goings." The Master of Coin then pointed to an old gardener, "Now look there. That one belongs to the Queen. And do you see that Septa pretending to read her book?" Baelish finished, nodding over to a woman sitting on a bench with a book in her hands.

"Varys or the Queen?" Eddard asked with narrowed eyes.

Baelish smirked, "No. She's one of mine. Is there someone in your service whom you trust completely?"

"Yes." Eddard answered, unlike the people here in the south, his men had honour and integrity.

"The wiser answer was no, my Lord. Get a message to this paragon of yours... discreetly." Baelish retorted, "Send him to question Ser Hugh. After that, you might want him to visit a certain armourer in the city. He lives in a large house at the top of the street of Steel."

"Why?"

"I have my observers, as I said, and it's possible that they saw Lord Arryn visit this armourer several times in the weeks before his death." Baelish revealed easily.

"Lord Baelish, perhaps I was wrong to distrust you." Eddard admitted cautiously.

"Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse." Baelish replied, before he glided away, leaving a frustrated Eddard behind.

Later that day, Eddard had headed down to the armoury with Jory at his side. He had initially listened to Baelish's advice and sent Jory but apparently Jory was refused an audience with the newly appointed knight.

"He said he'd be glad to talk to the Hand himself. He's a knight, you see." Jory explained to his lord as they road through the town on their horses, approaching the armoury.

"A knight." Eddard scoffed, "They strut around like roosters down here. Even the ones who've never seen an arrow coming their way."

Jory glanced around nervously, "You shouldn't be out here, my Lord. There's no telling who has eyes where."

"Let them look." Eddard grunted and he swung off his horse when they reached the armoury. The Hand of the King instructed Jory to wait there and he entered the armoury. He introduced himself to the owner of the armoury, an elderly man with a balding head and he inquired about Jon Arryn's visits.

"The former Hand did call on me, my Lord, several times." The elderly man answered positively. "I regret to say he did not honour me with his patronage."

Eddard frowned, "What did Lord Arryn want?"

"He always came to see the boy." Tobho Mott answered.

"I'd like to see him as well." Eddard admitted curiously.

"As you wish, my Lord." Tobho nodded and he turned to the boy in the shop that was working on some armour. "Gendry!" the boy didn't hesitate to cease his actions and approach his master. "Here he is. Strong for his age. He works hard. Show the Hand the helmet you made, lad."

Gendry nodded and he walked over to where he had placed his masterpiece. Neither of them had seen Eddard's eyes widened when he got a good look at the young man. For a brief moment, he had thought that it had been Steffon. They were practically twins in appearance. Although, Steffon was taller and leaner but this armourer apprentice was definitely more muscular.

The boy handed him a bulls head looking helmet and Eddard marvelled at the craftsman ship, "This is fine work."

"It's not for sale." Gendry said bluntly.

"Boy, this is the King's Hand!" Tobho snapped at his apprentice, "If his lordship wants the helmet..."

Gendry stubbornly shook his head, "I made it for me."

"Forgive him, my Lord." Tobho bowed apologetically.

"There's nothing to forgive." Eddard brushed it off, "When Lord Arryn came to visit you, what would you talk about?"

"He just asked me questions is all, my Lord." Gendry said stiffly, clearly not enjoying this topic being brought up again.

"What kind of questions?" Eddard wondered.

"About my work at first, if I was being treated well, if I liked it here." Gendry admitted, glancing at Tobho, "But then he started asking me about my mother."

"Your mother?" This just got more and more confusing for the Hand of the King. It wasn't exactly a secret that Robert had many bastards, so why was Jon killed not too long after being discovered that he had been talking to this one.

"Who she was, what she looked like."

"What did you tell him?" Jon was no fool, Eddard knew. There must be something that he was missing here.

"She died when I was little. She had yellow hair. She'd sing to me sometimes." Gendry informed him, sadly and stiffly.

That didn't clear anything, and Eddard nodded in gratitude, "Get back to work, lad." When Gendry headed off to the back of the room to continue his work, Eddard leaned over to Tobho and quietly told him, "If the day ever comes when that boy would rather wield a sword than forge one, you send him to me."

Tobho nodded and Eddard left the armoury.

"Find anything, my lord?" Jory asked curiously when Eddard approached.

Eddard didn't hesitate, "King Robert's bastard son."

Did Robert know of him? Did Steffon? Was Gendry aware that he was King Robert's bastard son? If he took one look at Steffon then surely he would realise the truth? However, Eddard had to concede that it would be highly unlikely that Steffon would wander into these parts of the city. Now all he had to do was decide what to do with this information.

He thought about sending Jory to the king with the information but he decided against it. Instead he will go to Robert himself.

Robert's Chambers – After Sunset

Eddard approached the King's chambers, fully intent on telling the king about the boy in the armoury and he saw ser Barristan standing guard.

"Lord Stark," the famous knight greeted him, and he approached the Hand of the King with a frown on his face, "I'm afraid that this isn't a good time to go see the king."

"I realise the hour is late," Eddard replied firmly, "however I have important information for the king."

"It is not the hour that is the issue," Barristan admitted, "Steffon has just returned and apparently he has done something to greatly upset his mother. They are having quite the argument in there."

Now that the old knight mentioned it, Eddard could hear a woman shouting from inside of the king's chambers. "Steffon has returned?" the Hand of the King inquired confused. "I thought he was to be the heir of Casterly Rock."

"That's what everyone thought but it seems that he managed to get out of it." Barristan answered.

Eddard released a light chuckle, "Robert said that he would."

The two couldn't continue their talk as the door to Robert's chambers slammed open and the queen stormed out. Eddard noticed the furious look on her face mixed with tears but he didn't dare go after her, not that he really cared to.

Only a few seconds later, Steffon walked out with a tired and an annoyed look on his face.

"Lord Stark, ser Barristan." Steffon nodded to them before walking off.

Instead of going to Robert like he had planned, Eddard had a change of thought and he hurried after the young Baratheon.

"Steffon!" Eddard called out to him and the young prince stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, lord Stark?" Steffon asked him tiredly, "I need to go talk to Tommen about something important."

"I'll keep this brief then." Eddard assured him, "I've been looking into Jon Arryn's death and I wanted to know if he was acting strange or did he say anything strange?"

"Not really," Steffon informed him, "the only strange thing is the last thing that he ever said to me."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Steffon. A tough choice is coming for you. I must tell the King the truth. You must be strong!' Honestly, I have no idea what he was talking about." Steffon answered him.

"I see," Eddard decided to think on this new information later, "also I need to ask you if you were aware of Robert's bastard son that worked in the armoury on the street of Steel?"

Steffon looked surprised at the question, "No, I wasn't aware. I'll have to go down there and see for myself."

"You two are almost a spitting image." Eddard smiled at him.

"Are you going to tell my father?" Steffon asked him curiously and Eddard nodded. Steffon snorted, "I don't really see the point. He won't do anything about it. Besides I'm sure my mother would be delighted to hear that one of my father's bastards was in the city."

That brought Eddard up short. He had been so keen on letting Robert know about his son that he didn't think of the consequences that it might bring on the young lad. He of all people should have been aware of that. He would wait until he gathered all of the evidence before bringing the news to Robert.

"I apologise for my lack of respect tonight, lord Stark." Steffon informed him sincerely, "But I really need to talk to Tommen. I'm afraid that I have placed a large burden on him," the young Baratheon smiled sadly, "but I have faith that he will be able to handle it."

Eddard had a suspicion on what Steffon had done and he dismissed the young man. He would worry on that later. Right now he had to continue working on the mystery surrounding Jon Arryn's death and, of course, that damned tournament that was being hosted tomorrow. Perhaps Robert was right on the Kings road about the possibility of a war happening soon. While Robert believed it to be because of the Targaryen girl, Eddard believed it was much closer to home and he was right in the middle of it. He knew deep in his heart that it involved the Lannisters.

Peace stood on the edge of a knife and if it tilted, only slightly, Westeros would descend into another war.

End of Chapter

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Next Chapter: Arya P.O.V; release – previously the 28th of December but has been pushed back to the 4th of January.