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"I'd have guessed he believed none of the things about the Watch" Lady Olenna drawled almost boredly, "but seeing as how his father neglected to mention what the Watch had turned into, I'd say the boy thought the Watch was still a place of honour where he could make a name for himself. You do end up pitying the boy, born a bastard but cared enough that you give him false hope, only to then be thrown to the pits amongst thieves, rapers and murderers.
"I care for Jon," Ned said stubbornly, "The Watch is good for him. He'd be safer there."
"Oh? Will he? I wasn't aware your wife was more dangerous than criminals. Criminals that have an agenda against you for sentencing them there in the first place. I wonder what they'd do to Jon if given the opportunity. I'm sure they'll uphold their vows of brotherhood."
Olenna's sharp smile cut right through a stiff Ned Stark
"They are brothers of the Watch now" Ned insisted stubbornly.
Olenna rolled her eyes. "It's a wonder the North survived this long with such a naïve Lord."
"Grandmother!" Margaery exclaimed in shock.
Ned Stark remained stiff and the atmosphere in the room turned slightly awkward.
[Scene changes to Bran's bedroom, Catelyn still at his bedside, Maester Luwin walks in.]
"It's time we reviewed the accounts, my lady. You'll want to know how much this royal visit has cost us."
"Talk to Poole about it."
"Poole went south with Lord Stark, my lady. We need a new steward, and several other appointments require our immediate attention..."
"I don't care about appointments!"
"I'll rephrase my statement" Olenna said calmly with a sweet smile, "It's a wonder the North survived this long with these two as Lord and Lady."
"Grandmother please" Margaery whispered.
"The North has done fine in the last fourteen years my father and mother have been Lord and Lady of Winterfell" Robb stood in defence of his parents
"That has yet to be seen, boy. A war's coming for sure, let's see how your father has prepared the North for it" Olenna barked sharply.
"Robb, sit down," Ned said sharply.
"But father-"
"Sit down."
Robb sat back down with a scowl on his face.
[Robb enters.]
"I'll make the appointments. We'll talk about it first thing in the morning."
"Very good, my Lord. My Lady."
[Maester Luwin leaves.]
"When was the last time you left this room?"
"I have to take care of him."
"He's not going to die, mother. Maester Luwin says the most dangerous time has passed."
"What if he's wrong? Bran needs me."
"Rickon needs you. He's six. He doesn't know what's happening. He follows me around all day, clutching my leg, crying..."
Catelyn flinched at the words Robb spoke on the wall. She had forgotten her youngest in all of this. He wasn't even here right now and still, she didn't notice it.
Beside her, Ned's lips pursed in displeasure, both at the fact that perhaps the future him had he had overestimated what Catelyn would be able to handle with Bran in that state and that he too had forgotten about Rickon.
The system's voice came from the speakers
"You don't have to worry all you will be back to the exact moment I picked you up from, so there will not be an instance of people missing or any chaos because of it."
The people in the room felt a tension they didn't realize they had eased off.
[Wolves howl repeatedly]
"Close the windows! I can't stand it! Please make them stop!"
[Robb goes to close the window but stiffens.]
"Fire. You stay here. I'll come back."
[A moment after Robb rushes out, a man hooded walks in.]
"You're not supposed to be here. No one is supposed to be here. It's a mercy. He's dead already."
"No!"
[The man draws his blade, Catelyn begins to fend him off. In the process, her hands are both sliced. The man walks within inches of Bran and his direwolf comes in and mauls the assassin.]
The Stark eyes turned at once to Jaime Lannister, who did not look at either of them in the eyes. There was only one reason a man would come to kill Bran.
[Scene changes to Catelyn on the ground where Bran's body was discovered, below the tower he fell from. She looks up and sees the window. She now is looking through that same window where Bran fell. She investigates the room, noticing a cleared patch on some flooring, and finding a long strand of blonde hair.]
"I have a bad feeling about this" Brandon the elder muttered, earning a curious glance from Lyanna and a frown from Rickard. The older man had a similar feeling.
[Scene changes to the Godswood with Catelyn, Robb, Theon, Ser Rodrick and Maester Luwin.]
"What I am about to tell you must remain between us. I don't think Bran fell from that tower. I think he was thrown."
"The boy was always sure-footed before."
"Someone tried to kill him twice. Why? Why murder an innocent child? Unless he saw something he wasn't meant to see."
"You're getting warmer" Lyanna leaned forward, excitement in her veins rushing. The sooner those two are caught, the sooner Bran could get justice for the wrong done to him. No matter the kind of man Robert was, she knew if Ned brought something like this to him Robert would believe it without any questions asked.
Jon Arryn frowned at the wall. No doubt he wanted justice to be served, but if this problem reaches Robert and he does something extreme, Tywin Lannister will retaliate and he knew it would not be pretty.
"Saw what, my lady?"
"I don't know. But I would stake my life the Lannisters are involved. We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the crown."
"You do because of the letter, so does Maester Luwin, the rest? Have you shared the information with them?" Oberyn asked.
Catelyn shrugged. She truly did not know.
"Did you notice the dagger the killer used? It's too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, and the handle is dragonbone. Someone gave it to him."
"That's the dagger I was talking about" Rhaegar spoke up. "Put the blade over a fire and the words will appear."
"So the dagger is Joffrey's then? Why would he wish to kill Bran? Cersei or Jaime wouldn't use Joffrey's dagger because the boy is too fond of it from the moment he got it and would not allow anyone to touch it" Tyrion explained. He remembered Robert gifting it to the boy after the man had won it from Petyr Baelish at the boy's nameday tourney.
"Perhaps the Prince took out the insult he felt when you slapped him on Bran instead of you" Oberyn suggested. "You said it yourself, the boy is cruel. He can't do anything to you yet, so he took it out on the reason he was insulted to begin with."
Tyrion frowned. It was a valid reasoning, but not something Joffrey would do. Joffrey hardly cared about what he could or couldn't do, knowing well that his mother would clean his mess up.
"I don't know" Tyrion finally said with a smile.
"They come into our home and try to murder my brother? If it's war they want..."
"Foolish boy!" Rickard snapped, his tone making everyone jump and Robb shrink slightly, "do you have any idea what you speak of? What could be done to your family should word reach the Lannisters that you wish to start a war?! Do you think you can take on Tywin Lannister of all people and come out victorious? Do you not know the story of the Reynes and Tarbecks?"
Robb shrunk even more at the glare his grandfather pinned on him and remained silent.
"If it comes to that, you know I'll stand behind you."
Rickard glared at Theon next, who bristled and looked away.
"What, is there going to be a battle in the Godswood? Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet. Lord Stark must be told of this."
"I don't trust a raven to carry these words."
"I'll ride to King's Landing."
"No. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I will go myself."