Mother was gone for two weeks now and still Ned woke every night, crying and shaking, with the deserter waiting in his dreams.
He had cried, too, when Mother had pushed him out of harm's way and the knife had pierced her jugular.
After, when they arrived at Winterfell his tears had dried. He had not cried in front of Lya or little Ben. He had promised Mother. Protect the pact.

Mother had been against him seeing his first execution at seven.
But Rickard insisted, saying Bran was with the Dustins now and already they had failed at containing Bran's wolf's blood. Maybe his blood would have cooled if he had seen the weight a Stark carries when he has to uphold the realm's laws.
Blood like winter instead of blood of the wolf.

"But our dearest Ned is not wild", Mother had protested, "and Bran is wild but kind. Show Bran when he is ten and Ned when he is ten.
Like I saw my first execution when I was ten and you saw yours when you were ten, back when your father showed us how to follow the old way".

Rickard had been set in his decision, not willing to wait another day. Oh, if they just had…
So off they went to execute the deserter of the Night's Watch and Mother had come along, to hold Ned and to keep him warm. And the world still had colors.

It wasn't supposed to go like it had.
Where did the deserter hide a knife on him? How did he wrest himself free?
Why did he go for Ned with his knife and why, why did Mother stop in front of him then!

Ned forgave Rickard for Mother's death. But Ned did not forgive himself Mother's death, at first. Only Mother herself forgave Ned as she lay dying. And all the world was red.

"I love you Ned", Mother had said, "I always will, even when I am not here anymore. Don't blame yourself for living. Protect your pack. Tell Bran, Lya and Ben I loved them and love them, tell them on every day that I can't tell them myself."

Mother tried to say more, something to fa – to Rickard but only a wet, labored wheeze escaped before her eyes broke.

Lya and Ben did not understand Mother's death.
They still asked for her, but less now that Ned took them playing in the Wolfswood every day.
Still, whenever they asked for her Ned told them that Mother loved them all. He also told them so when he woke them up and when he tucked them in.
He would keep his promise; he would protect his pack. His pack helped the colors come back.
Brandon understood. Ned told Brandon of his promise to Mother and Brandon promised to protect the pack with him.
But Brandon had the wolf's blood and without mother he had only gotten wilder.
With the way Bran went about trying to protect the pack from anything, Ned was afraid, that his big brother could forget to protect himself. So Ned would need to protect Bran as well.

Lyanna though, Lyanna was already showing the wolf's blood like Bran and she would not like to be protected forever, Ned could see that.
He hoped Bran could see it as well and listen to her, not smother her in the name of protection.
But Bran did not like to listen and Lyanna did not like to be smothered, so Ned would just have to be strong enough to protect the pack despite themselves.

With a plan forming in his head, Ned slept fitfully like he always had since Lady Lyarra Stark's death at the hands of an insignificant common Night's Watch deserter.

The next morning Ned sought out the best fighter in the North, his mother's father Rodrik the Wandering Wolf, to train him to be the strong enough to protect his pack from anything that may threaten it.