AN: What if Ned had found Lyanna closer to the beginning of Robert's Rebellion with Jon in her arms. What if he hid Jon away and after the rebellion returned home with a four year old Jon and presented him as his bastard? What if Robb was only conceived after the Rebellion had finished? What if Catelyn had a larger impact on how all her children treated Jon than Ned. Ned and Jon didn't have a close relationship and Ned put little effort into including Jon with the rest of the family so as not to incur his wife's wrath. What if Jon had not been allowed to leave for the wall but had been forced to stay at Winterfell, and then been a foot soldier in Robb's army. What if Eddard and Stannis had worked together to expose Cersei's bastards and then Ned was imprisoned in King's Landing while Robb and Stannis allied together in the War of the Five Kings and won? This story starts immediately after their combined army beat the Lannister forces at the gates of King's Landing. Different chapters will be from differing perspectives, most will be from Jon, Myrcella or within their household, however it will take several chapters to get to that point. We will also get the occasional glimpse at what's going on outside their walls.

Disclaimer: I don't own ASOIAF or GOT and I don't own any of the characters except my OCs which will begin being introduced next chapter or any of the places except Skyridge.

With that said, here's chapter 1.

Eddard I

It had been over 3 years in this wretched, dank cell. Eddard 'Ned' Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North and one time Hand of the King, stared at the greyish wall of his lonely existence as he did every day. His only regular visitor was his daughter Sansa who was just as much a prisoner of the Red Keep as he was but at least she was allowed slightly more freedom in her movements around the keep, though it had been many days, weeks if he had to guess, since he'd last seen her and he was beginning to worry.

THUD! The tremendous sound from above shook Ned from his reverie. The dungeons were well sound-proofed so whatever was causing the racket above him must be something tremendous. As these thoughts rushed through his mind and possibilities of every kind occurred to him, the sound of many pairs of hooves came from above and then it was a cacophony of sounds. Just as Ned was about to call out questions at his jailors he heard a shout from the hall just down from his cell.

"Find my father and sister! They must be here somewhere!"

Ned's heart thumped painfully. He knew that voice, the voice of his eldest child. "ROBB!" He cried out, in a strangled attempt at a shout. The sounds of movement in the hall outside stopped momentarily after his shout and then intensified, moving quickly in the direction of his cell.

"Father?" Robb's voice was right outside the door now. In just a moment Ned would see his boy. All thoughts and worries flew from his mind as realization hit him. Robb had come for him; he was free. He could make things right for his family, his whole family. Hearing Robb command his men outside the door to get it down, Ned made a promise to himself and to his long departed sister. I will make it right, I'll tell Jon the truth and see to his future.

With another loud THUD the door to his cell came off its hinges and Ned could see a number of men in armour, in varying degrees of battle grime, in the opening. Front and centre Ned saw Robb, his son. He saw Jon, he was a few rows of men behind Robb and the other nobles who were crowded around the door.

Quickly moving across the small space Ned swept Robb into his arms, his eyes suddenly stinging. He glanced around as everyone parted for Robb and Ned to pass through, with the other Northern Lords falling into step behind their commander and his heir. Ned made eye contact with Jon for a moment as he passed him but didn't stop, there would be time later. "What has happened? How did you get here?" Demanded Ned of his son.

"We marched south as soon as we heard word of your imprisonment by the 'Bastard King'," Robb told him. "After it became apparent we couldn't win on our own we partnered with Stannis. He is to be named King, we are on our way to the throne room to meet him there now." There was a sound which was remarkably like a snort that came from just behind Ned, but he didn't stop to take note of who had made it nor their reasoning, instead he continued purposefully until they reached the throne room.

Just before they entered Ned grabbed Robb's arm to stop him. Turning to face his son head on he took in Robb's tired eyes which reflected a gaze far more stern than his years should permit. "How are your siblings, your mother?"

"They are well, last I heard. Mother was in the back of the main army, with other women and children, she should be here shortly. Bran and Rickon are still at Winterfell and Arya is at Riverrun with Uncle Edmure." Relief flooded Ned at the welcome news, while he did not love his wife he and Catelyn had been mostly content over the years and he adored his children. To hear they were well warmed his heart greatly.

"What of Sansa? And Jon?" Ned asked, lowly, as the last of the Northern party which had been following behind passed them by and entered the throne room.

"We found Sansa right before you. She was being kept in her room in the keep, with a guard outside her door. I had a member of our household guard stay with her. I thought it best to wait to speak with her more until Mother turns up. As for Jon, what of him? You've just seen that he's survived." Robb's tone turned from a sweet kindness as he spoke of his sister to a harsh coldness as his words turned to Jon.

Ned sighed, running his hands over his face. "Robb, you must start treating Jon with respect. He is our family-" however any further points that he wanted to make were cut off by a shout from within the throne room.

"LIKE HELL HE IS!" Father and son looked at each other as they both recognized that shout. It belonged to the Greatjon, Lord Umber. Frowning, Ned turned and pushed his way into the room, closely followed by Robb.

The scene that they entered into was not what either had expected. Stannis Baratheon sat on the Iron Throne, gathered around the base of the steps to the throne were several Lords and Generals of his army, each with their own small group of soldiers. They all had their weapons drawn and pointed at the Northmen who were also looking ready for battle. The two faces which stood out the most were that of the Greatjon, who looked furious, and Stannis Baratheon, who looked amused.

Ned quickly raised his arms to show he was without weapons as he stepped further into the room. He steadily approached the Greatjon and glanced back towards Stannis and his men before speaking. "What's going on, Lord Umber?"

The Greatjon gave a great bellow and then spoke loudly, addressing not just Ned but everyone who was present. "I'll tell you what's wrong. This cockless spider," here he gestured to Lord Varys, "described Stannis as the King of the Seven Kingdoms! Well I'll tell you all what I didn't bring my men down to the South to die just to bow down to another southerner at the end of it all. Stannis fucking Baratheon is not my king!" Ned stood shocked as the men gathered around Stannis began to shout for the Greatjon's head. The Greatjon gestured to the southerners before continuing. "What do they know of the North? They can keep their Iron Chair for all I care. We won our war so why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we married, and the dragons are all dead! Here stands the only king I mean to bow my knee to, m'lords. As northerners and Stark men I say we bow to no king but the King in the North!"

Throughout this entire speech Ned's mouth hung open and he was rooted in place. He couldn't believe this was happening. Just a few short minutes ago he had been in the same cell that he had spend every day of the last 3 years and 10 months in and now he was being heralded King in the North by one of the North's most important Lords, and by the looks on the faces of the men surrounding the Greatjon it was a unanimous opinion.

A clearing of a throat caught Ned's attention and drew him away from his thoughts. Glancing at Stannis Ned did not see the expected fury at the open treason in the throne room but rather the same amused expression as before. "My lords," Stannis paused for a moment to ensure he had the attention of both conflicting sides. "We must come to an agreement, we do not need more war. We have been allies for many battles now and Lord Umber speaks the truth, the North has won a great victory. I am prepared to grant the North its independence to be ruled over by House Stark, as long as we can come to settlement which will be beneficial to both our lands?" At this Stannis turned to look at Ned, who felt his brain finally come to life and process what was happening.

"Yes, Your Grace." Ned responded, "I'm sure we can come to mutually beneficial terms." Gods help me, I'm to be King. Ned's eyes met Jon and he knew that he could begin to fulfill his promise quicker than expected.

Stannis smiled at the many men and some women around his throne as he spoke again. "Then I bid you all bow to Eddard Stark, first of his name, the Lord of Winterfell and King in the North." Every person in the room sank to their knees other than Ned and Stannis, the two kings.

Ned knew that he would need time to plan out much of his next moves, now that he was King but there were a few things that he didn't have time to wait on. Moving through the room as people began to rise to their feet again Ned stopped at the base of the steps to the Iron Throne and looked up to Stannis. "Your Grace, might I borrow your throne room to take care of some urgent business with my country men? You and your men might be interested in watching the first acts of an independent North."

Stannis frowned slightly but nodding motioned for Ned to proceed. Turning to face the growing crowd, Ned found the eyes of his wife and eldest daughter had joined the gathering and both looked shocked by the turn of events. "There are many matters to settle for the North and most will wait until we get back to our homes but several require more urgent attention. First let it be known that Winterfell is to be the capital of the Northern Kingdom and the Royal House of Stark's seat. Second, much of my council will remain unchanged but every King needs a Hand." Ned made eye contact with several of the prominent Northern Lords. "I name as my Hand Lord Howland Reed." A portly man with a jovial face stepped forward and made his way through the crowd, many nodding respectfully as he passed.

Bowing as he approached Ned, he murmured, "Your Grace."

"Rise Lord Reed, and sit to make notes of my next commands." Ned smiled at his old friend. Howland Reed had been with him through everything and had seen it all. His presence and advice at Ned's side would be essential during the fine line that Ned would now have to walk to preserve both his kingdom and his promise to his sister.

Once his Hand was situated Ned began again. He knew that what he was about to do would cause some to hate him but it was a necessary step towards fulfilling his promise. "Jon Snow!" He called out. "Jon Snow, my son. Step forward." Mutterings broke out around the hall. No one knew what was about to happen but Ned saw the suspicion in the eyes of his wife and children. He frowned and not for the first time wished he could tell them the truth, but it would be too dangerous, especially now. It took a moment but Jon eventually stepped towards him, confusion clearly written across his face.

"Jon, you are my son; remember that." Ned crossed the short distance separating them and reached up to grasp Jon's shoulder, noting for the first time that the younger man had grown taller than him. "I haven't always been able to treat you that way and I'm sorry. I know that I can't make everything right but perhaps I can now fix some of my past mistakes." Jon's eyes widened and Ned swore he saw fear in the younger man's eyes. "I want to do everything in my power to alleviate whatever pain I caused by how you were known to the world." Now Jon's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. "Kneel." Ned intoned and Jon fell to his knees before him. Ned turned and yelled for his sword and Ice was placed in his hands. He placed the flat of his blade on Jon's shoulders, first the left and then the right. Then he handed Ice to one of the northmen that had taken up guard positions around him. He spoke again. "Rise now, as my legitimized son, Jon Stark of Winterfell."

Slowly and with a seeming great effort Jon stood. His face was locked in solemnity but behind his serious expression Ned could see a fire of unadulterated joy burning in his eyes. Ned smiled and winked, relaxing Jon slightly; then he shifted his gaze to that of his wife, son and daughter who were all standing and staring at himself and Jon.

Catelyn looked… broken. There was no other word for it. Ned knew that she considered Jon to be her greatest shame. It was the thing that had kept their marriage from growing beyond a casual acceptance of each other. Ned knew that she would never forgive him for recognizing Jon as his legitimate son. Robb looked enraged. Ned realized that with Jon the elder of the two it would raise questions of succession, he knew he needed to put those to rest quickly or else he had marked Jon for death. Ned knew of Robb and his experiments and he would not put Jon at risk prematurely. Sansa looked confused and upset. Ned knew that she didn't fully understand what was happening but that she disliked Jon just as much as his wife and the rest of his children. He knew that this was a risky move but he had a promise to keep and a future to build for his country.

Finally Ned looked around to the room at large. Many people looked doubtfully back at him, some even went so far as to chuckle and give their heads a shake. There were a few who looked bored and others who were downright hostile. Ned knew that Jon would never have an easy life and likely have a difficult time finding a wife but at least he had a name, though Ned knew that soon he would have to tell the young man what his proper name was.

"My Lords and Ladies I appreciate your patience while I took care of that matter of personal business. The final item I must address for the new kingdom today is the order of succession." Glancing, first at Robb and then at Jon, the northern king took in their expressions. Robb's eyes had lit up and he looked hungry, his body leaned forward slightly; whereas Jon looked wary. Ned knew that the elder of the two was not ready to be a king or even a crown prince. He would need to ensure that Jon was ready when the time came; this game would require patience. "My heir shall continue to be my son Robb. He has trained for it all his life and I do not believe it right or fair to strip it of him just because I have legitimized his older brother." Robb's posture relaxed slightly, his face shifting to that of a relaxed confidence. "My eldest son, Jon Stark shall be granted a Lordship of his own, along with a keep and a household in the North." Robb and Catelyn now glared into him with fury filled gazes, as did most of the other Northern Lords. Ned turned from them and back to Jon.

"Jon Stark, I declare that you and your heirs after you shall be a Northern Lord Paramount of the Ice Mountains Range with the keep and town of Skyridge to be your seat." Jon's face shone with excitement and Ned smiled back although internally he was grimacing. Skyridge was an old keep which hadn't housed a family since House Snowfall had died out several decades earlier. There was still a small town around the keep and several other small settlements of smallfolk dotted throughout the mountain range which had fallen under House Stark's purview since House Snowfall had perished. Jon was going to have a lot of work getting his keep and lands back up to scratch but Ned knew that they could flourish.

Glancing around once more Ned nodded to himself. He knew that he had just made a great deal of enemies, in his own home and outside of it but at least he would be able to sleep peacefully that night.

"If that is all, Your Grace?" Turning, Ned saw Stannis glancing down at him with a mocking glint to his eye.

"Yes, I believe it is, Your Grace." He replied to the other king.

"Very well, I believe it would be best then if we retired for the night." Stannis said.

"Yes, I quite agree. We will each have more matters to attend to in the morning." Ned turned from the Iron Throne and quickly assessed the room now that their proceedings had ended.

The southerners all went and crowded around Stannis; most of the soldiers and spectators left and there were a number of Northern Lords who all looked eager to speak with him. His wife was speaking lowly with Robb and several Tully men, this gave him a bad feeling. "Howland," Ned called his Hand over but lowered his volume to a whisper once the other man was close. "As quickly and quietly as possible I want you to gather a dozen men that we can trust completely."

"Your Grace?" Howland's face and voice carried equal levels of confusion.

"I want them to escort Lord Jon home to Skyridge. No one else is to accompany them and he is to wait for me there and deny any visitors until I get there. I will visit him after I ensure all his well in Winterfell." Howland's confused look faded into one of growing comprehension. "Do you understand these orders, my Lord Hand?"

Ned's question had a double layer and they both knew it. Swallowing Howland nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. Right away." With that he scurried away to follow his king's orders.

Ned turned to Jon, who was still standing next to him. "I'm sorry I can't explain it better right now Jon. But things are just not safe for you here. You must travel to Skyridge; I will see you there soon and," Jon's hand felt calloused as he grasped it and pulled him into a hug, "I'll tell you everything when I do, my son. Now find Lord Howland's and his men and go. Don't look back." Letting Jon go Ned turned to face his Northern Lords.

AN: So here's chapter 1 of what is going to be a story about 2 broken people taking revenge on the people who broke them and establishing a dynasty to last eons.

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