JON ARRYN

When Jon had first received Ned's letter, he had been on the verge of asking Stannis if he would consider taking his son to foster. The boy was small and sickly and had only just been weaned from Lysa-but that didn't stop him from nipping at her breasts, even in public! This was no way for a boy of six to behave! And his wife only encouraged the behavior, in the name of keeping him close and safe.

Yet he did not begrudge his wife her indulgence to the boy for he was prone to shaking fits, and was her only child to live after a long string of miscarriages and stillborns. But the boy, he hoped, would not long remain a boy. One day his sickly son would inherit the Vale-a day he hoped was not too soon in its arrival. The Vale, much like the North he knew, followed strength-and a sick squalling hatchling would be pushed out of the Moon door if he had not at least strength of character for the East to respect. So the boy must be raised away from his mother. He had already mentioned it to Lysa, and she had raged and wailed at the thought of being separated from her babe-as she called their hatchling of a son.

Jon considered what Ned could offer his son. He himself had reinforced the quiet wolf's strict sense of honor, almost to the point where he was more of an honorary Arryn than a Stark in that regard alone. There was the matter of his acknowledged bastard, whose mother nobody knew-though the fact that he'd ridden out of Dorne with the babe did narrow the possibilities. But the fact that Ned had taken in the babe and raised him as one of his own on the one hand showed a sense of compassion and duty, not to mention an ability to acknowledge and live with one's errors. On the other it set a public example of private transgressions, and seemed to show there to be trouble in the marriage bed-though five trueborn children suggested that this had been overcome. Then there were the other benefits to weigh out-Robert would grow as a brother with his cousins and be tended to by his mother's sister-and how could Lysa refuse that? She could even easily visit the boy, though he'd be at a distance to be sure. And those five cousins would, the seven willing, help his son if ever in the future his son's rule were challenged due to his weakness—as unlikely as it might be, he would still need to consider it. And those cousins could inspire great change in his son. Perhaps turn him from a hatchling into a falcon chick?

Stannis however offered his own benefits as a foster father. He was stern, with no doubt at all about his strength—almost to the point of arrogance, but never once crossing that threshold. He had no sons of his own thus far and could spend his time turning Robert into the son he'd never had. But there was a sense of expectation that came with Stannis—that the world owed him something that Jon did not know if he wanted his son to have. And Stannis could be less than forgiving when dealing with matters of justice-he knew well of his loyal short fingered Onion Knight-viewing that past deeds were not erased by recent. If Jon had thought that after the sack of King's Landing the late war might have raged on for several years. Then there was the fact that Stannis was an easy one day's boat trip to Dragonstone from King's Landing, and Lysa could feel that the boy, while apart from her, wouldn't be too apart-even if he wasn't with family of hers.

It was a tough decision, and one he should not make in any haste. He rose from his desk, and moved to his dining hall, asking for wine to be sent so he might mull over the situation some more with ease. He liked the Hand's dining hall, while not grand like those afforded to the King, it opened up onto a splendid terrace with a view of Blackwater Bay that in these late evening hours he found relaxing to view. He was surprised however to find that the King was there waiting for him, finishing a cup of wine he'd brought with him. Upon his arrival into the room, Jon gave his bow, as was only right, and then took his seat.

"You wish to speak with me?" asked Jon

"Aye, Ned has sent me a letter."

Jon wondered if it was on the same subject, "You as well?"

"What did his say to you?" asked Robert

Jon smiled before saying, "He asked if my family and I might journey to Winterfell for a family visit, and for the honor of fostering his nephew in Winterfell, if it so pleased me."

Robert laughed adding, "He seems to be in an asking mood. He asked me if I might make his bastard a Stark."

This news troubled Jon—not that it wasn't unheard of—but it was typically the recourse of a man in desperation to preserve his family from dying out. With five trueborn children, it made little sense, "Why would he ask that?"

"Mayhaps his marriage to that trout isn't as cozy as we've all thought?"

Jon didn't like what this move suggested. It bode for a potential falling out between the Tullys and the Starks, and falling outs had a bad tendency to eventually lead to wars in his experience. If not now, then in a few years hence. Mayhaps it might be better to send Robert to Stannis. Just then the wine he'd asked for arrived.

"Ahh, good, I could use a refresher!" barked Robert, holding out his cup for it to be filled. As it was Jon thought of the coded warning at the end of Ned's letter. He wasn't the only one insisting for him to get a taster, Varys and his little birds had been tweeting as much. Well, he had his own spies-Valemen who had reported nothing of any tampering with any wine. And yet here was Ned singing the same song as Varys-were rumors of an assassination plot against him that widespread that they reached his ears in the North?

Well, either way, from this batch he'd be safe as Robert always had a taster on hand. It bothered Jon, he felt it showed weakness—as a King should show he had no fear of his subjects—but it made sense for him to have one with two Targaryeons still yet living and plotting if Varys' whispers of a potential marriage for the girl to the Dothraki were true. As Jon had his own goblet being filled, Robert summoned the thin man-Penos-from the shadows and told him to drink from his cup. The man did as he asked, commenting that the wine was rather too sweet for his palate. Robert laughed as he reached out to take the chalice from the man, but to his shock Penos dropped the wine to the floor, joining it not long after. As Robert began to terrorize his server, demanding to know every detail of the wine's journey to the table, Jon in horror could only conclude King's Landing was not safe for him or his kin.