The Tower of Joy's upper halls were stained with the silence of sorrow.
Eddard Stark, sword dragging, climbed the blood-specked steps. Each footfall echoed like a drumbeat of fate.
Köinzell followed behind, footsteps weightless despite the heavy energy that clung to him like mist.
> "I can hear her," Ned whispered. "She's still alive…"
They burst into the stone chamber at the top.
And there—bathed in moonlight, her skin pale and drenched in sweat—lay Lyanna Stark. Her black hair was matted with blood. Her lips quivered with each labored breath.
Beside her bed… a crimson bundle. A baby.
> "Ned…" she croaked, eyes fluttering open. "You came…"
Eddard dropped to his knees beside her. "I'm here, Lya. I'm here."
Köinzell lingered at the door, eyes fixed on the newborn. The child's hair was already dark like his mother's. His small hands trembled, barely audible cries escaping his lips.
> "So this is the boy. Jon Snow. The last dragon."
Lyanna coughed violently, blood on her lips. "His name… is Aegon…"
> "Promise me, Ned," she gasped. "Promise me you'll protect him… Raise him as your own… They'll kill him if they know…"
Eddard grasped her hand, voice cracking. "I swear it, Lyanna. On my honor."
Köinzell stepped forward.
> "The child has the blood of dragon and wolf. If he survives, this world will not be the same."
Eddard's head jerked up. "You speak as though you've seen the future."
Köinzell simply looked down at the child.
> "I have seen many worlds. And many prophecies. Some are lies. Others… are warnings."
Lyanna's breath hitched.
> "Who… is he?"
Köinzell leaned closer, his voice calm and distant.
> "I am a traveler. A swordsman from a dying realm. And fate has placed me here… to ensure the last Targaryen survives."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small silver pendant—a rune forged in the ancient Elvish tongue of protection.
He placed it around the infant's neck.
> "Let the world call him Snow. But the blood within him will burn hotter than any fire."
Lyanna smiled faintly.
> "Thank you…"
Then her eyes dimmed.
And Lyanna Stark died.