Note:

I had finished this story a long time ago. In the original ending, even though they had found out the truth about Jon's parents, they had decided to leave it as it was and continue on with their lives. Many people were not satisfied that canon was still happening (and we all know what that means: death galore), so I decided to give them a happy ending : )

This is an alternate ending following chapter 7. You might want to refresh the story a bit.

Chapter 1: Jon is packing to go to the Wall and Ned is debating with himself how (or even if) to tell Jon about his mother.

Chapter 2: Revelations. Ned tells Jon about his mother.

Chapter 3: Jon confronts Catelyn (who has no idea what Jon is talking about) and realizes she had also been lied to.

Chapter 4: Catelyn confronts Ned

Chapter 5: Ned realizes how bad things have turned out and tries to find a way to fix the mess.

Chapter 6: Jon and Catelyn have a heart-felt conversation. Things are finally on the mend between them :)

Chapter 7: little fix-it scene between Ned and Catelyn.

Chapter 8: Original ending. They know the truth but decide it is better to keep it a secret. The story ends with them waiting for the King to come knowing Ned will be riding south, Catelyn will be staying at Winterfell and Jon will be going to the Wall. In other words, canon.

Chapter 9: Alternate ending :) Please let me know which ending you prefer. Thanks.

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8. Epilogue – alternate ending.

Ned was awake, but his eyes refused to open. He relished the sensation of being close to his wife again. He took a good look at her face. The face he loved: her warm smiles, her soft hair, her beautiful eyes. I could never leave her. He made to hug her tightly but only succeeded in waking her.

"Good morning" he smiled.

"Mrng" she slurred. And then she quickly got up and threw the covers on the floor with a grunt.

"Cat?" he asked confused. What have I done? Did I make her angry again?

"It's so hot in here. I'm sweating!"

And Ned just burst into laughter.

"Ned, you dressed me to go hiking to the Land of always Winter last night!" she complained playfully.

"Well, you felt as if your had just been skinny dipping in the Shivering Sea."

"Thanks" she smiled.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. And you?"

"Better"

"About last night …" started Catelyn sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Shh, hush" he said as he placed a finger on her lips. "Don't talk about it. There's no need. We said what we needed to say."

"I love you Ned. And that's what made it worse."

"I know, and I love you too. I'm sorry I hurt you. You'll never know how sorry I am."

"I do know."

"So, did you talk to Jon yesterday?"

"Yes. We mended some fences and reached a sort of agreement."

"Did you make peace?"

"It's not that easy, Ned. Too many things have happened for too many years. It's not easy to forget, turn the page and just start afresh."

"Well, now you have years to make it happen."

"Not quite. Jon is still adamant that he wants to go to the Wall with your brother. You might be able to sway his decision."

"Do you want him to stay?"

"It's not about what I want, it's about doing what's right. Both him and I were denied the chance to do things right from the beginning. I would have liked to love him and be a mother to him. It might be too late now to fix everything, but we don't need to make it worse."

"I'll talk to him, but … you know Jon, once his mind is set …"

"I wonder where he got that from" she said raising her eyebrows at her husband. "Maybe if his status in Winterfell were to change, he wouldn't feel like such an outcast. He needs to know that he belongs here."

"What are you suggesting?" Ned asked his wife with a hint of confusion and apprehension. "We can't tell people who he really is. If people found out he was the last surviving Targaryen, everybody would be out to get him, either to crown him King, which he clearly does not want, or to kill him, which I do not want."

"Nobody knows who his parents really are, but everybody believes he is yours" said Catelyn, "just like I did for many years" she added in a barely audible whisper.

"Oh, Cat, I can't apologize enough. I'm really.." he trailed lifting his hand to her face.

"Don't" she cut him off abruptly holding his hand in hers. "Let's not go there again. Everybody suspects he is yours. Let's make their suspicions true so all the secrecy can finally be put to rest. Make him a Stark. Make him your son."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhh" she answered shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you alright with this?"

"Not really, but it's the only course of action. As for your honour and mine, it has been sullied for years, nothing will change that. At least now, if we make it real we can put an end to all the whispering and snickering."

"Who should I say the mother is?"

"Mhh … I hadn't thought of that" she said pressing her lips. "I spent years trying to figure out who you had lain with, in my head picturing you and another woman doing all sort of things, but I could never see her face"

"You had pictured me doing things to with another woman? What things? Naughty things?" he ventured, his curiosity piqued.

"Save it Ned, not now" she admonished him. "So, if you had had the possibility to be with another woman back then, who would it have been?" she tried to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"I don't know" he replied raising his shoulders and relaxing his hold on her hands. "I was never the philandering type, that was my brother. And Robert was, as well. After our wedding, when I rode off to war with Robert, he would go to brothels weekly. He tried dragging me along, but I never really wanted to."

"Did you?"

"What?"

"Did you? You know, go to a brothel with Robert? At least once?" she asked fearing the answer.

He took a deep breath. "Once" he said after a long pause.

"So I guess the rumours were not that far off" she said ruefully to herself.

"Cat, I'm sorry. It was a long time ago. I barely knew you back then. We had just fought a really hard battle, we had lost many men. I was drunk. Drunk on ale, on grief, on worry and on thrill. I let myself be dragged by Robert."

"What was her name?"

"I don't know. Who cares Cat? It was a long time ago. You are the only one I love. She means nothing to me."

"I know that" she stopped him waiving her hand as if to dismiss the matter. "But what was her name? Let's use her. You can say she was the mother. The lie will be more believable if it is based on something true."

"Always the pragmatic one" he replied with a smile. "Wendel"

"Wendel?"

"Wendel of the Falling Star Inn. She had died by time we rode back. Bandits had attacked the Inn"

"Wendel it is then."

"So, that's it. We make Jon a Stark. He is my son with a wench from the south" he stated and Catelyn just nodded. "Being a bastard, however legitimized, he will only inherit after our children together. You know that, right?" he reassured her.

"Just try and convince him to stay and not go to the Wall. He deserves as much."

"Thank you, Cat."

"Let's just put this behind us so we can start afresh" she finished and got off the bed. "I'm starving, Ned, let's get dressed and go have breakfast. We'll see him there, and the children. Are you going to tell them the truth about Jon?"

"I don' t know. I don't think it's prudent, not yet when the King is coming in just a few days. They might make a comment, especially the young ones, and set Robert thinking. We can't risk it, not after everything that's happened."

"As much as it pains me to lie to them, I agree. But they need to be told, eventually."

"And they will. Maybe after the King leaves. Let's go get breakfast. I'm also very hungry, I could eat a horse. I didn't have dinner last night. I came here and stayed with you and kind of forgot about dinner"

"Alright, but I need to get out of these clothes before I burst into flames. I had forgotten I had this nightgown and these stockings. I hadn't worn them since last Winter all those years ago!"

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Before they reached the Main Hall, they came across Jon who was also heading in that direction.

"Good morning, Jon" Catelyn greeted him.

"Good morning, Lady Stark, Uncle Eddard" replied Jon.

"Cat, why don't you go ahead? I'd like to have a word with Jon, if that's ok with you"

"Of course, Ned. I'll see you in a few minutes. Jon" she nodded at her nephew and he mimicked the gesture.

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"Jon," started Ned after Catelyn had left them alone, "Cat told me the two of you talked yesterday and reached a sort of understanding."

"Yes, we did."

"Good. That's good. You know that this is your home. I have the utmost faith you and Cat can get along."

"Of course, uncle"

"Father. Please, call me father. I may be your uncle by blood, but I still feel like your father and would like for you to consider me so."

"Father it is, then. Besides, I don't want people to know my true identity"

"As you wish"

"I don't want people to know I could be King. I have no wish to sit on the Iron Throne and I don't want a war to start because of me to see who becomes King. Your friend Robert is a good King and I don't want to be the cause of trouble."

"Of course, whatever you prefer."

"The only problem is that, as a bastard, there's not much I can aim for."

"Cat says you still want to become a Man of the Night Watch."

"Yes, father. I want to start a new life, and that's the only place I can do that."

"You have a place here."

"Your wife said the same thing, but I still want to go."

"You're always welcome here."

"I know father. But, still, I think it's better if we pretend these past couple of days never happened and we just continue the way we were: I'm your bastard son and I'm going to the Wall."

"What if you were no longer Snow? What if you were to become Jon Stark?"

"Jon Targaryen, you mean."

"No, Jon Stark, my son. We can legitimize you and make you a Stark. You will no longer be a bastard, and people will never know the truth if you don't want."

"I don't think your wife will be pleased."

"Actually she's the one who suggested it. She knows you don't want people to know you are Rhaegar and my sister's, but she knows that as a bastard you will never get anything. People already think you are mine, let's just make it true."

"Does she really want that?"

"Well, she's not opposed to it" Ned replied cocking his head to one side. He waited a few seconds for the information to sink in and then continued. "It makes sense Jon. I did stray from my marriage bed once. It was about the time you were conceived. Lyanna had been hiding with Rhaegar and I rode off to war with Robert after our wedding in Riverrun. I'm not proud, but I went to a brothel once. Her name was Wendel. I'll name her as your mother, nobody will ever know differently. That way you will no longer be an illegitimate bastard, people will stop taking guesses and prying into your life, nobody will doubt you again, you will have all the rights afforded to the son of the Lord of Winterfell and your true identity will be kept a secret. Think about it."

"That's … that does sound interesting" Jon admitted. "Can it really be done?"

"Yes. It's your call, Jon."

"Yes. Absolutely!" he exclaimed and hugged his uncle, his father.

"You don't have to go to the Wall if you don't want to, Jon"

"I never really wanted to, to be honest. I truly feared it."

"Stay. We all want you to stay."

"Will you be going to King's Landing with the King."

"To be honest, I really don't want to."

"Stay, we all want you to stay" Jon replied with a smile.

"Let's go get some breakfast, son, I'm starving" said Ned and guided Jon into the Dining Hall.

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Hours later Ned stood together with is wife watching the children train in the yard. Robb and Jon were teaching Bran how to shoot an arrow with a bow, but Bran was failing miserably and his brothers were giving him a hard time about it.

"And which one of you was a marksman at ten?" Ned asked his older boys.

Suddenly a shot came out from behind the boys hitting the mark. As they turned to see who it was, neither Ned nor Catelyn were surprised to see Arya smirking with a bow in her hand. She ran past Bran and Bran started chasing after her.

"So, what did Jon say?" Catelyn asked her husband when the children had left the training yard.

"He said Yes. He was positively thrilled. He was concerned you would be opposed to it until I told him it was you who had suggested it. That seemed to put his mind more at ease."

"Will he be leaving for the Wall?"

"No, he's staying. I have already talked to Benjen about it."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth. All the truth."

"What did he say?"

"He was … surprised. Surprised and relieved, I think."

"We all are, I guess. What about you, will you be going to King's Landing?"

"Not if I can help it. I'm planning on growing old here with my wife and children. All my children."

"Nice plan" she smiled at him.

"So, you truly are alright with Jon and everything, then?"

"It's not that easy Ned. The secret's out now. As for Jon and I, we are trying to mend some fences. It'll take time but I am confident we can make it work. I'm happy he is not leaving as I am really looking forward to trying to make it work between us. What about you? Are you and Jon alright?"

"Yes, we are alright. Not perfect, but alright" he said and took her hand in his. "Are you and I alright?"

"Yes, we are."

"Good. You're not getting rid of me that easily" he smiled.

"I would never dream of it."

"So now what?"

"Now, we just wait for King Robert to come and see what he has to say. Hopefully he won't take you away from us."

"What if he does offer me the position of Hand?"

"In that case, you will just have to respectfully decline" she gave him a knowing smile and punched him playfully on his chest.

"Ouch! I won't be able to go if you break my ribs" he admonished her kindly.

"Ned," her tone turned more serious and her eyes grew darker, "I've been thinking of another reason he might be coming all the way to Winterfell. What if he proposes a marriage between Robb and Myrcella? Or Sansa and what's his name? The Prince?"

"Joffrey?"

"Yes Joffrey. I would hate for our children to leave home just when things are about to get better."

"They won't be children forever, Cat. Robb is old enough to be betrothed, and so is Sansa. If that is the case, we'll have to think about it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, we are all here" said Ned and gave his wife's hands a gentle squeeze, "and so are all the children, including Jon. And I'm not planning on letting that change for a very long time. Let's enjoy our days as a family. Only the Gods know what time will bring."

THE END.

Please let me know which ending you prefer!

Thanks.

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End notes:

As for R+L=J … grrr I hate it! And I hate that it has been confirmed on the TV show and will most likely be confirmed in the books.

It is such a teenage fantasy ending for such a complex saga. It turns a serious plausible story about politics, backstabbing, war and strategy into a rags-to riches cliché: the poor bastard is actually the heir to the throne. … In the books there were some hints that if you read them a certain way may lead you open up to the possibility that it might be true - but only if you want to read it that way. I read all five books and was familiar with the theory, but never got that vibe. Yet on the TV show it was never even hinted at until this season. It just feels so farfetched, like a cheap plot twist to elevate the figure of Jon Snow and make it more marketable: yeah, we all love Jon Snow, and Kit Harrington is to die for (my husband is not reading this!), but there is no need to turn him into a fairy tale knight in shining armour. It actually belittles the story for me.

Plus it reflects badly on Lyanna and Ned. She becomes a spoilt little brat who did not care thousands died just so that she could elope with her lover. And it shows Ned had no grasp whatsoever of how the world works – how could he really think Robert would believe Catelyn did not know about it? By keeping them in the dark he was dooming her and the rest of his Household. If they knew the truth they would be able to prepare better in case Robert ever found out, but in this case they would be caught unawares and would most likely go down with Ned. Plus Ned becomes a very bad husband, lying to his wife for so long. As she says in this story: one thing is a one-night-stand a long time ago, another thing is an on-going blatant lie! Especially when all it did was fuel her nightmares.

… Still, as I said in my notes at the beginning, it suited my story to go with RLJ this time :)