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Eddard Stark, the new Lord of Winterfell, was frozen in place.
His foster father had just proposed a double marriage for the Tully daughters.
Catelyn Tully for the Lord Paramount of the North, and Lysa Tully for the Lord Paramount of the Vale.
To secure the bannermen of the Riverlands as per Lord Hoster Tully’s demands.
“Your father signed an ironclad agreement, Ned.” Arryn pointed out. “You would do well to honour it.”
The secondborn son of Rickard Stark cursed his father for the first time in his life. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew he could not hide the truth forever, but he had hoped this was not how he would have to reveal it. “The agreement was made with the phrase ‘first available son’, which I am no longer. I have already taken a maiden to wife and bedded her.”
Jon frowned. “When did you wed?”
“Two years ago.” the Northman admitted. “In a wild Godswood on Cape Kraken. The Old Gods bore witness, as did Lord Reed and two of my bride’s younger brothers.”
The crannogman by his liege-lord’s side nodded. “The Old Gods have approved of their union. The skies were unusually bright when the Wolf of Winterfell married a Daughter of the Sea.”
Hoster Tully’s eyes narrowed. “You are making up lies.”
The 21-year-old shook his head. “I would not lie about having taken a wife.”
“You were only away from The Eyrie for two months.” the Lord Paramount of the Vale stated. “How could you have wed a girl so quickly?”
“I fell for her the moment I first saw her.” Eddard stated. “I had no chance of being the Lord of Winterfell then, so I wed her in secret. I did not think I would be the one to succeed my father, so I did not make my marriage publicly known.”
The man who began this Rebellion started laughing in that signature booming voice of his. “I never knew you had it in you! You cunning bastard!”
The oldest man in the room sighed. “Who did you marry, Ned?”
The new Lord of Winterfell hesitated for a moment. When he was about to answer, the door was kicked open by a raven-haired woman clad in full black holding 2 boys dressed in grey.
“I am the wife of Eddard Stark.” she proclaimed before standing right beside the man she claimed to have wed. “And these are his sons that I have given birth to.”
Considering the woman had ocean blue eyes and the two boys had steely grey eyes like Lord Stark, her claim of the children’s paternity could not be denied.
The Lord Paramount of the Riverlands looked at the woman with disgust. “You wed a Greyjoy?”
The Valeman and the Stormlander both looked confused.
Ned sighed. “Ela and I respect each other. And we have more in common than you would think. I would prefer it if you did not insult her simply because she is an Ironborn.”
“Though I am glad you are telling us now, this does complicate any marriage pact.” Arryn said.
“Uhm, there’s still another Stark brother if you truly wish.” the Ironborn said.
The young Warden of the North looked at his wife. “Benjen is only five and ten.”
“Noblewomen have been wed much younger to much older men.” the mother of 2 said, referring to both her own mother as well as her father’s latest rock wife.
“Don’t you Ironborn practise polygamy?” the Riverlander asked.
Eleanora scoffed at him. “Ironborn men can only take one regular wife. Any others would be mere concubines and are nothing more than pleasure slaves. I doubt you would reduce one of your own daughters to such a position. Besides, Ned is no Ironborn man. He is a Northman who was wed under a weirwood tree with witnesses present.”
The father of 3 looked severely unhappy, from then on only continuing to talk with the Lord Paramount of the Vale.
Baratheon came over to the married couple, eyeing the two boys. “I see you have not deprived yourself of a woman’s touch, Ned. And two little boys to show for it. So, what are their names?”
“Theon and Edderion.” the second son of Rickard and Lyarra Stark answered. “They are twins, just over a year old now. I had hoped to introduce them to my father before my brother’s wedding but… now he shall never know his grandsons.”
The 22-year-old motioned to the boys. “May I hold them?”
Eddard leaned towards his wife. “He is surprisingly good with children.”
The daughter of Quellon Greyjoy and Lady Sunderfly raised an eyebrow but did allow the bigger man to gently take both children into his arms.
“Well, there’s no denying they’re Starks.” the Lord of Storm’s End said with a chuckle. “Just like with my Mya. Do they already brood?”
“They are very quiet children compared to how my nephews were at their age, if that is what you mean.”
The Quiet Wolf smiled. He had sadly seen little of his young children while he was still in the Vale, but he had had a steady correspondence with his beloved Ironborn wife who had given birth to their twin sons on Pyke surrounded by the other members of the Greyjoy clan.
He had come to respect the Ironborn and their own fight for survival. And now, as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, he would be able to assist them by allowing Ironborn settlements on Cape Kraken and increasing the building of glasshouses all around his land to increase food supply.
Robert chuckled. “Just like their father, then. I hope you do not mind me calling them my nephews.”
“For as long as you will not insult me.”
The Stormlander then laughed. “We will be fine then. I would never insult Ned’s wife, I am better than that.” he then noticed the weapons on her belt. “You were expecting a fight?”
“You are fighting a war.” Lady Stark stated. “I am a Greyjoy, we do not sit idle. I will fight beside my husband whether you like it or not and I will command my crew.”
The firstborn son of Steffon Baratheon looked surprised. “You’ve got fire. Well, I suppose we need all the men we need. Let’s hope we soon have the Riverlands too.”
That would depend on whether Arryn was able to hash it out with the Tully’s.