Whether awake or asleep, Aemon Targaryen could see the moment his wife, his beloved dragon, fell from the sky. He could hear her high- pitched scream of terror as she plummeted to the ground below, a horde of wights waiting to finish her off if the fall did not. What really kept Aemon up nights though was being forced to stab her with Longclaw in order to keep her from turning. Even stabbing the Night King immediately afterwards, thus ending the war, did nothing to ease his pain. He wanted Dany back. If he could have anything he wished for it would be for them to go back to being simply Jon and Dany. Not King Aemon or Queen Daenerys. Just Jon and Dany, two young people in love.

Not even a moon had passed since he lost her, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. He had been content to be merely Dany's consort, allowing her to rule. Now, he would take the throne in her honor. He read over the plans his council had submitted when he heard a knock on the door.

"Lord Tyrion," he said wearily, "I swear if you are here to suggest that I take another bride, I will see if Ghost has a taste for dwarf flesh."

Instead of the Lannister Dwarf, his Hand, Lord Davos Seaworth opened the door, followed by, no it could not be. "Father?" said Aemon, clearly stunned.

Father looked at him and saw that he was dressed in the colors of his house, House Targaryen. "Jon, what has happened? How did I get back here? I remember hearing Joffery order my execution and then nothing."

Aemon gave Davos a look. "I think you should introduce me properly to Lord Stark, Lord Davos."

Davos gave him a slight bow. "You stand in the presence of Aemon Targaryen, first of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the first men. Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm."

Aemon almost smiled at his Hand leaving out any extraneous titles. "As you see, Father, or should I say Uncle, that I know who I really am."

Father looked at him sadly. "You will always be a son to me, your Grace. I must beg your forgiveness for not telling you who you were sooner." With that he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

In answer, Aemon embraced his father and helped him to his feet. "There is no need for forgiveness, Father. You did what you thought best."

He then had Father sit down and ordered a servant to find Sansa and Arya and to send for food. When his cousins came, Arya immediately ran to her father and gave him a bone crushing hug. Sansa, however, held back.

Ned Stark patted his youngest daughter's back. Gone was the little girl he had left in King's Landing. She had grown into a beautiful young woman just as he had known she would. He saw that she wore breeches and kept her hair short now. He also noticed the thin sword by her side. Was that the same sword he had caught her with back in the Red Keep?

As if sensing his question, Arya straightened and then with a flourish said, "Yes, Father, I still carry Needle. It has served me well since Joffery killed you."

He took a good look at his daughter's eyes and saw that they were much colder than he remembered. His heart broke at the thought of all his children had endured. He looked over at Sansa, who still stood by the entry way, as though afraid of coming in. "Come here, Sweetling," he beckoned.

Instead of embracing him like her sister had done, Sansa dropped to her knees before him. "It is my fault you were killed, my lord. I told Cersei your plans so I could stay and marry Joffery. I do not deserve to be called a Stark. I only beg of my lord to allow me to stay in Winterfell as a servant."

Ned felt his heart break. Perhaps his daughter did have some blame for what had happened. At the same time, she had been a child and some of the fault lay with him for not putting a stop to her daydreams. He stood up and gently helped her to her feet.

"My sweet child, have you blamed yourself all this time? Sadly, you made a foolish choice, one that effected the lives of many. That does not make you any less my daughter or a Stark. After all, it was my foolish choices, not yours, that led to my demise. In any case, the only title you need ever address me as is Father."

Sansa broke down and sobbed in his arms. To his pleasure, Arya and Jon both tried to comfort her too. Presently, Arya broke the silence. "I think between what that prick Joffery did to you and what that bastard Ramsay did, you have been punished enough Sansa."

Jon nodded in agreement, "Although It was much too harsh of a punishment."

Ned frowned. "What did Joffery and Ramsay do?"

Sansa composed herself and sat down. When she spoke, her voice sounded as cold as ice. "Joffery made me look at your head. Whenever Robb won a victory, he would have the Kingsguard beat me. Ramsay Bolton raped me and tortured me every night of our marriage. After King Aemon helped take back Winterfell, I fed Ramsay to his dogs." She spoke this last with no more inflection than if she had inquired about the weather.

Ned felt his heart shatter in two. What had his children been forced to endure? And how had Winterfell been lost to begin with? He looked at Jon and Arya. "I think I should know the whole story. How long have I been gone? Where are Robb, Bran, and Rickon? Where is Cat?"

Arya answered. "Ramsay killed Rickon. Roose Bolton betrayed and killed Robb at the Twins. One of . Freys killed mother. Bran died right after Jon defeated the Night King."

Ned put his head in hands. "You have all suffered so much. And what is this about the Night King?"

Jon gave him a look. "Old Nan's stories were true. Winter came and the dead came with it. We won, but at great cost."

"I hesitate to ask what the cost was."

The tale that followed found him sinking deeper and deeper into despair. Jon had married and lost his wife, Daenerys Targaryen of all people, in the battle. Thousands of small folk had lost their lives only to become part of the army of the dead. Theon Greyjoy had died protecting Bran only for Bran to still fall dead after the defeat of the Night King. Cersei Lannister ruled now as Queen. Jon merely waited for his men to recover before marching on King's Landing.

Ned said a silent prayer to the old gods. "I thank you for letting me see what happened after my death. If there is any way I could go back and make better decisions, I beg of you to allow me to do so. If not, I will do my best with this new life you have gifted me."

And all went dark.