Chapter 1- Of Fire and Ice

Eddard Stark, known to others as Ned Stark, stood watch over the courtyard in Winterfell. His gaze locked on his son Robb Stark who was whispering adivce into his younger brothers ear whilst holding the bow and arrow.

Ned had a gentle smile on his face as he observed the scene below him. He knew that Robb would have to one day become the lord of Winterfell and warden of the North. He had started training Robb for the position years ago. Ned had no plans of going anywhere anytime soon but in the great game, who knew what was round the corner.

He spied Arya out the corner of his eye, trying to sneak into the courtyard and watch her brothers training. He smirked as he so often did when watching her attempts to get in, most of the time they failed as Robb would point her out to Ser Rodrick who would then send for his wife and her mother, Catelyn Stark, to come and whisk her away. He presumed to try and persuade her into doing more 'lady' like things as she would put it. Ned knew that she would always fail in trying to tempt Arya into knitting, she was too much like her aunt Lyanna in that regard. She could never procure the patience to endure such an activity either.

Thinking of his sister, Lyanna, he moved his gaze from Robb to the other side of Bran, Jon. Ned's smirk from watching Arya slowly ebbed away as he watched Jon also giving advice to Bran who took back the bow from Robb, preparing to give it another go.

Ned looked over Jon, taking in his looks again, just as he did sixteen years ago when he first saw Jon for the first time when he was placed into his arms in the Tower of Joy. He looked just as much of a Stark as the rest of his children did, even more so. There was no mistaking the fact that Jon had Stark blood in him, just not from the side of the family the rest of the world thought.

He had yet to tell Jon about his true parentage, even after sixteen years of raising the boy, he had never muttered a word to him. He had been close, on many occasions when Jon was asking about who is real mother was, he had nearly let slip the largest secret in Westeros.

But he had given his word to his sister, that he would protect her only son at all costs. Even if it meant that Jon's whole childhood being a lie. Ned hated having to lie to the boy, he hated seeing the look in Jon's eye when he avoided the questions about his mother. But it had to be this way. It had to be this way to protect him, even if he didn't realise that. If the king ever found out that Rhaegar had a son still alive, legitimate or not, he would send every soldier he could to kill him.

Steps creaking turned Ned's gaze away form the bottom of the courtyard to his side where he saw his brother, Benjen Stark come to stand beside him. His brother had come down from the wall to appeal to King Robert, who would be arriving in a matter of days, to send more men to the nights watch to help man the wall and to strengthen the numbers for the coming winter.

"Brother" came the gruff voice of Benjen Stark as he stopped next to his brother, the Lord of Winterfell.

"It's been a while" smiled back Ned as she took in his brother for the first time in years.

"Being lord hasn't gotten to ya head yet then?" smirked Benjen.

"It's alright after a while" chuckled Ned.

"Rather you than me" chuckled Benjen as he turned his gaze to the courtyard below. "Little Bran's coming along" he stated with a gentle smile from under his beard.

"Aye, a long way to go though" replied Ned as Bran's arrow fell just short of the target yet again.

"Ah, give the lad time, he'll be showing up those other highborn brats in Westeros before you can say winter is coming" smiled Benjen towards Ned, who smirked at his brothers use of his most commonly used phrase.

"Aye, winter is coming brother. I've said it for a long time and will continue to" nodded Ned.

"Until proven wrong" finished Benjen.

"No, you know I'm right in what I say, brother. Winter is coming, and not just for the North either" muttered Ned as he yet again observed the courtyard below him and his brother.

"Doesn't mean i want to believe you" fired back Benjen, who for the first time, didnt have a look of amusement on his face.

"I don't know what's comin, i just have a feeling something's starting and that it doesnt bode well for anyone" explained Ned as he still, continued to look into the courtyard.

"May have something to do with Will who deserted the watch and headed here instead" stated Benjen as he took, looked down beneath them.

"You sure he just wanted to taste better ale?" Joked Ned, halfheartedly.

"Will's a good lad, a loyal one. He wouldn't go back on his word, on his his vows, if he didn't have good reason" said Benjen as he turned to Ned.

"Did you actually know the lad?"

"No, not well. Just a few conversations here and there but i judge someone on their actions, not their words" replied Benjen.

"Aye, as do i. But the law is the law" grunted Ned.

"You and your bloody honour" grumbled Benjen. Ned didn't turn to look at him or make any indication that he had actually heard him, just continued to stare into the courtyard beneath him.

"How's the rest of them?" Asked Benjen as he followed Ned's gaze.

"They are well Brother, yourself?"

"As a good as a man of the nights watch can be" smiled Benjen in response. Ned turned and smiled at him. At this point, a shout came from down in the courtyard. Arya had just launched herself into the back of Bran and this had put him off balance, as a result he missed his next shot completely. He dropped the bow and went chasing after her, chasing her out of the courtyard and through a near walkway leaving Robb and Jon chuckling softly by the targets.

Ned smiled fondly as he looked at Bran and his youngest daughter. He remembered all to well what it was like to be that age, to have fun with your siblings. To try to at least before you grow up and life takes each of you down different paths. He vowed to himself to make sure that Bran, Arya and little Rickon have all the fun as he did growing up, despite circumstances being different.

Robb then left the courtyard after giving Jon a pat on the back as he walked by. Ned knew that Catelyn had ordered for Jon to clear up after any training session, no matter wether he was involved in it or not. As much as he wanted to contradict her as Lord of Winterfell, he knew he couldn't because it would raise to many questions as to why he would be sticking up for his bastard son.

As Jon was picking up arrows from around the targets, Ned and Benjen observed from a distance as they had been doing for some time.

"He looks a lot like a Stark" stated Benjen "remarkable considering" added Benjen after a moment as the wind whistled around them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Ned as he turned to Benjen fully.

"You know exactly what I mean, brother. She was my sister to" said Benjen as he turned to face Ned as well.

"He's my son. A bastard but my son nonetheless. He still has my bloody running through his veins."

"He has Stark blood yes, but yours?" Enquired Benjen with a raised brow.

"I'm not sure if you want me to answer that or if you even want to know" stated Ned.

"To be honest, neither am i. But as her brother, don't you think i have the right?"

"Aye, you do" muttered Ned as looked up to the sky. "How much do you know and who the bloody hell told you?" Demanded Ned.

"No one told me, just a feeling brother. I don't know anything for certain" replied Benjen.

"Before i say anything, i need your word that you will keep what i said between us and speak of this no no one else. It is imperative, brother" whispered Ned as he leaned towards Benjen to make sure no one else close could hear them.

"You have my word" replied Benjen with a nod. Ned nodded in response and gestured with his head for Benjen to follow him as he made his way down the steps and then across the courtyard, heading towards the crypts.

The crypt held all the remains of the Stark family, including Ned's own mother and father and sister Lyanna. Benjen followed Ned past their parents and towards their sister, looking behind himself every few seconds to make sure they weren't being followed.

Ned came to a stop in front of their sister, Lyanna. This was the first time since she had been laid to rest that Benjen had even stood in the crypts of Winterfell, let alone come to visit any of his family.

"What do you know about what happened between Rhaegar and Lyanna?" Asked Ned as he checked over Lyanna's statue with his eyes.

"Only what everyone else knows" replied Benejen as he to looked at Lyanna.

"It was all a lie, brother. All of it" said Ned, softly, as if speaking to loudly would wake everyone around them up. "Everything about Rhaegar kidnapping Lyanna and him raping her, it was a lie" continued Ned.

"They fell in love didn't they?" Asked Benjen, with a sad look in his eyes.

"Aye, they did. I was to caught up in my prejudice and anger towards the Mad King that i forgot what kind of a man Rhaegar was. He was always better than his father. For a Targaryen, he wasn't half bad" said Ned with bowed head.

"Lya wasn't the type to fall for an arse" smiled Benjen towards both his sister and Ned.

"No, she wasn't. After he proclaimed her the Queen of love and beauty at the tourney at Harrenhall, i believe they met several times and during which time, they fell in love with each other" explained Ned.

"And?" pressed Benjen, although he kind of already knew the answer.

"Lyanna got pregnant shortly after but no one knew, not even me. I believed the same bullshit everyone else did, that Rhaegar had kidnapped my sister and then went on to raper what The Mad King did to my father and brother, myself and Robert decided to start the rebellion against the crown and you know what happened after that" said Ned. Benjen nodded his head.

"King Robert slew Rhaegar and Jamie Lannister killed The Mad King" said Benjen.

"Whilst all that was going on, Lyanna was in the Tower of Joy, giving birth and dying. By the time i managed to get to her, it was to late" whispered Ned, though loudly enough for Benjen to be able to hear him. "I entered and room and there she was, lying there with blood all around her, barely conscious and babe in her arms" went on Ned. "Even though she knew she was dying, she still had a smile filled with love on her face. Looking down on her babe with care and love like a new mother does" said Ned.

"She saw me and gestured me over. I knelt beside her and she just looked at me with tears in her eyes. I looked down at the babe and she leant in so only i could hear. She made me swear to protect her babe, to protect him from Robert. She knew that Robert would stop at nothing to kill her babe if he ever found out who the babe really was. I gave her my word that day that i would protect him, even if that meant having to lie to him for his entire life, even if he had to grow up being treated like a joke. Even if it meant that there would always be some tension between me and Cat because of it. Honour is one of our greatest values" ended Ned, unshed tears in his eyes.

"I protected him the best way I could, by changing his identity. I named him my bastard son and called him Jon Snow" finished Ned as he finally looked away from Lyanna and towards Benjen. But to his surprise, Benjen didn't have a look of surprise or shock on his face, only one of understanding.

"What name did Lyanna give him?" Asked Benjen.

"Aegon" replied Ned.

"Aegon Targaryen, little does Jon know that he is actually the heir to The Iron Throne" muttered Benjen.

"No" interrupted Ned.

"Pardon?" Asked a perplexed Benjen.

"Jon isn't the heir to The Iron Throne, neither is he a Targaryen. Lyanna and Rhaegar wanted to marry yes, but Rhaegar didn't want to disrespect Elia, that was the type of man that he was. She told me so just before she died. They didn't want Jon to be a bastard but even though i have lied to him regarding nearly everything, i have not about the bastard part" informed Ned.

"So his real name is Aegon Sand?" Confirmed Benjen.

"Aye, it is brother" nodded Ned with a sigh.

"When you planning on telling the lad?" Asked Benjen as he observed Ned.

"Never, it is for the best."

"Fuck that, he deserves to know Ned. He deserves to know who he truly is. Even if he hates you because of it, he still deserves to know that damn truth" said Benjen, with a determined look.

"And then what, he belongs here, Benjen" argues Ned.

"Does he? At the moment he is a dragon in wolfs clothing, Ned. Listen, the boys family to me, always will be. And even though you may not be his biological father, you still raised him. Raised him with your values, the values of the Stark house and he still has Stark blood. But sooner or later the dragon will rear it's head. How long do you think it will be before it starts producing flames?" Said Benjen.

"You think he will be like the Mad King?" Replied Ned, anger lacing through his tone at his brother's insinuation.

"No, I don't think he will be anything like the Mad King. I'm saying, that if he doesn't already feel like he belongs somewhere else, he will soon. He doesn't belong here Ned. He maybe a bastard but he's a Targaryen bastard. He still has the blood of the dragon in his veins. He always will" said Benjen with a softer look on his face.

"What would you have me do brother? Send him to be on the run with Viserys and Daenerys?" Said Ned, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"Of course I wouldn't suggest that, all I'm saying is that before long, he won't belong here. You know him the best and you may understand him whilst he's still a young man. But as he grows older he will change, don't be so naive to think that he won't brother, because he will and you know it" said Benjen. "It takes a Targaryen to understand a Targaryen, Ned. He will always have the blood of the wolf in him. But the blood of the dragon will always prevail. I think you know it as well" added Benjen.

"He wants to take the black, Benjen" said Ned after a minuets silence. Benjen didn't look surprised.

"Many bastards do, they have no family to turn to, no money and feel like they have no purpose. But Lyanna would haunt us both if we allowed him to join the watch" said Benjen with a fond smile on his face as he looked at his sister's statue.

"Aye, she would. What do i do brother?" Asked Ned as he turned to Benjen.

"Tell him, tell him tomorrow and tell him everything. Let him come to terms with who he is and let him make the decision for what he wants to do and honour that" suggested Benjen. Ned nodded as he turned towards the statue of his sister and Jon's mother.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing Lya, you always knew what the right thing to do was" Ned muttered and rested a hand against his sisters stone cold one, reminding him of the day Jon was born, and before he left the Tower of Joy with Jon, he squeezed her hand. Her hand still felt the same sixteen years apart.

A/N

Theres the first chapter of The White Dragon. I hope you all liked it. I have tried to keep the characters as much to the show as possible but with a few differences here and there. Jon will be slightly different but not in a Mad King sort of way so don't worry. Daenerys will (obviously) come into it in a few chapters time. In the next chapter, Jon finds out who he really is. Finally, please Review and give opinions, feedback and suggestions.

Kind Regards,

chaser10