Lord Eddard Stark
The memories of the battle were blurred in his mind. One minute he had been fighting a nameless, faceless soldier, the next, he had been fighting Robb, his firstborn, his heir. He had tried to put the thought of potentially crossing blades with his son out of his mind, but then when he had faced his son, it had all come rushing back. His son had not even tried to speak with him, instead they had fought. And even though his son was trying to kill him, Ned had felt a certain pride at seeing just how well his son held himself in the field of battle. They had been dismounted when the dragons came, and that was when everything had gone black. He'd woken up on the way to King's Landing, his son at his side, though they had not spoken, and now here he was in King's Landing, alive, in a room, and the door was open, and his son was standing there looking at him.
Ned looks at his son. "Hello, son. Are you going to just stand there staring at me, or are we going to talk like men?" he knows that will spark his son into action, and just as he thought the words do.
"So now you want to talk like men? Funny that. Your attitude before that was to treat me as if I was a child still. As if I had not just fought for two years, married and seen my wife and child die in front of my eyes. Why should I talk to you now?" his son replies with a sharp biting tone that is all Catelyn.
Ned holds his hands up and winces slightly at the pain in his right hand. "I admit doing that was not very smart of me. It was a mistake, and I apologise, I should have known writing to you as if you were still a boy was not the right move. And yet, you never did think to correct me, by replying. That was quite rude." Again, he gets the reaction he expected.
"Rude?! You want to know what was rude father? It was you letting all of us think you were dead for two years, and then suddenly appearing at the head of an army supporting a pretender, and expecting everything to go back to normal." Robb fumes. "You had not the decency to write to any of us."
Ned sighs, feeling the weight of the past two years' weigh down him. "I know, and that was wrong of me. I admit, I had thought that by not writing to you, I would spare you any sort of suspicion, I could not trust the people I was with, for they kept me there against my will for a long time."
"And you did not think to escape? To make it back to your family? Uncle Benjen died trying to carry out some plot of yours!" Robb replies, his tone accusatory.
Ned can feel frustration growing inside of him, but he knows he needs to remain calm and so instead he says. "I know, that was my mistake, and I admit my decisions have not been the soundest ones to have made since going south. I went in over my head, and I have suffered for it, the family has suffered for it. And for that I am truly sorry Robb, I never meant for any of this to happen."
"Well happen it did." His son replies. "How could you keep fighting for someone who had a hand in Jon's death?"
Ned is stunned by this. "Aegon had nothing to do with Jon's death, that was your King's doing."
His son shakes his head fervently. "No! We received a package which had half of Jon's face in it with a note saying this was done by your pretender."
"As did we." Ned responds, his mind whirring into action at this, eventually he sighs. "Someone has been meaning for this to happen for some time then."
"But why?" Robb asks, his tone sounding confused now, not angry.
Ned thinks for a moment considering his options and then says simply. "Someone who evidently has a grudge against our family, and there is only one person who that could be, but how he could get access to Jon I do not know. It does not matter now, as much as it pains me to say this, Jon is dead, and we must move forward." He sees his son shift restlessly, and he feels grief envelop him once more. Forgive me Lya, I failed. "So tell me Robb, what are you here to decide?"
"What do you mean?" his son asks sounding confused.
Ned tuts then. "Come now Robb, I am not a fool. I know that your King has tasked you with deciding my fate. So, tell me son, what will you have done with me?"
Ned can tell his son was not expecting this to be brought up so soon. There is a sense of uncertainty about him now, and Ned is reminded of just how young his son truly is, and he feels regret for everything that has passed. His son looks at him and asks. "If I let you live, will you bend the knee to the King and come back home?"
Ned is surprised by this. "You would not want to continue as Lord of Winterfell?"
At his question, Robb seems to deflate, the past two years showing heavily on his shoulders and his face. "I have not liked being Lord of Winterfell father. I have found it a struggle; I do not know how you made it look so easy. I have much to learn, but I need to know something."
"And what is that?" Ned asks bemused.
"If you agree to this, I want you to treat me as an adult. I am not a boy anymore. I have led men in battle and I have negotiated through court. I need to be treated as an adult, for that is what I am." Robb says.
In his son's words, Ned hears something he heard Brandon saying to their father once long ago, and so he nods and says. "Very well I agree. I will bend the knee to King Aemon and I will treat you as you have asked."
Robb extends a hand and Ned clasps it. "Very well, it is good to have you home father." Ned stands up and embraces his son.