WILOW-Ch.387: King of the North
Northern Host Camp, Riverlands
POV of Lord Eddard Stark
"Is this some kind of joke, Lord Stark?" Lord Glover asked, as the whole tent clamored in response to his request.
Well, they weren't calling him an outright liar and demanding his head, so that was something.
"I'm afraid not, Lord Glover." He said, "Jon Snow is not and was never my bastard. Just a name I used to hide it from Robert Baratheon, like my sister asked me to. Although I try to raise him like my son, he is my nephew."
"This makes so much sense!!!" Lord Greatjon Umber bellowed out, and everyone else quietened down a bit.
He gazed at the older man, who continued.
"For years, people have been wondering about the girl who made great, honorable Ned lose his honor." Greatjon Umber said, "We should have known that you would never do such a thing, Ned. And you…" Greatjon said and turned to Jon Snow, who looked a little afraid under all the scrutiny but was holding himself up well. "You might be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, but I see more Stark in you than anything. A true Northerner through and through. If Ned wants us to support you, then I don't mind seeing a Northerner on the Iron Throne."
There were some cheers, and then Greatjon sat down, and Lady Mormont stood up.
"This is good and all, Ned. But do you have any proof, or do we need to take all of this on your mere words?" Lady Mormont asked.
He nodded, "I do have some proof. I'll show it to you at the end of the meeting, one by one." He said, and Lady Mormont gave a nod before sitting back in her seat.
Then Lord Manderly stood up and asked, "Why tell us this now, Lord Stark? Why not before?"
He sighed, "Because of Robert. And because of my promise to Lyanna to keep her boy safe."
"No, Lord Stark. I meant, why did you not tell us about this as soon as King Robert died?" Lord Manderly asked again.
The tent went silent at those words, and he closed his eyes. "Because I never intended to tell anyone this secret."
The men started clamoring again, but once they had quieted down, he looked at Jon Snow and continued, "I was not even the one who told Jon about his real heritage. But Lord Bolton."
"Lord Bolton?"
"Yes." He said, "When Lord Bolton joined this war, he talked with Jon and Robb and told them about Jon's real parents. The two of them pressured me, and I told them the truth. But… even after learning about his heritage, Jon never wanted the Iron Throne. He still doesn't want it. But circumstances have pushed my hand. And it is better that you learn this from me than anyone else."
"What do you mean, Lord Stark?" Lady Mormont asked.
"After learning of Renly Baratheon's death, Lord Bolton feared that the Tyrells would join the Lannisters so that they could seat Margaery as the queen. So, Lord Bolton went behind my back and sent them a letter, telling them about Jon's real heritage and asking for an alliance. The good news is that Tyrells have accepted and are now moving toward King's Landing to take the city in Jon's name."
He was surprised by how well everyone was taking this news. He had at least expected a few to fight against him in this one. To call him a liar or an honorless opportunity-seeking bastard. Which would have been understandable, as it did look that way.
But he was genuinely thankful that this whole thing was going so well.
"The rumors would start coming back sooner or later. And it's better to hear this truth from me than hear rumors about this from some spies."
Bringing Lord Bolton's name in had the effect of shutting up any naysayers in the group. Mainly because by this point, Lord Bolton had become a sort of legend and was secretly thought by everyone as the Chosen One of the Old Gods, even if they didn't go about proclaiming it to everyone.
People also didn't throw any blame at Lord Bolton because, while he technically went behind their back to do this, he also earned them an alliance with the Tyrells. Something that would most likely win them this war.
Perhaps the reason that others didn't go against him was that Jon was bringing the Tyrells to the table, and because the only other option was King Stannis, who was now known as the Kinslayer.
"What is the boy's name, Ned?" Lady Mormont asked, "I doubt his mother would name him Jon Snow."
He nodded. "Lyanna named his Aegon Targaryen."
Some people frowned at the name Targaryen, but after a while, everyone calmed down.
"But I'm afraid that my only request today won't be to place Jon on the Iron Throne." He said.
"Do you have any other requests, Lord Stark? What are they?" Lady Mormont asked.
"Although I am asking for your support to place Jon on the Iron Throne, the North will declare its independence in this war and separate from the Seven Kingdoms, forming a separate kingdom." He said.
"What?"
"Isn't this a rebellion?"
"Why are we even attempting something like this?"
And clamoring started again. Everyone was saying something and shouting at each other in all directions.
When the commotion didn't subside for a long time, he was forced to repeatedly bang the cup on his desk to bring about silence, and then he spoke. "Shouting left and right won't get us anywhere. If you have questions, ask them. One by one."
"I assume that the Royal House of this new kingdom will be the Starks. Is that correct, Lord Stark?" Lord Ryswell asked.
"Yes. I will declare myself King of the North and continue this war," he said. Even though he didn't want to take on such responsibility himself, Lord Bolton's plan was logical and necessary for their situation.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to prepare for the Long Night fully.
"You wish to place your nephew on the Iron Throne and create another throne for yourself, Lord Stark. Don't you think you are taking advantage of this situation too much?" Lord Ryswell asked again.
"I know it seems that way. But if we really want to prepare for the Long Night, this is necessary," he said.
He was about to continue, but Lord Manderly interrupted him. "Will separating the North from the Seven Kingdoms really help us during the Long Night? We need the South's support in many things, especially food. And even if your nephew wanted to support us, the Southern Lords wouldn't so readily support another kingdom."
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.388: Lord Bolton's Claim
Ch.389: Convincing the Northern Lords
Ch.390: The State of the Lannister Army