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Published:
2019-11-10
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2022-07-01
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The Hidden Prince

Summary:

A scream come just in time and a conversation gone different cause the story to be forever changed. Ned Stark is saved from imprisonment and the game gets a new player, one that would've been lost otherwise. Amidst plots and counter-plots, romance and betrayal, Jon Targaryen fights to reclaim his family's throne. Great enemies are made small, and small enemies great, for in the Game of Thrones only one thing is certain; you win or you die.

Notes:

Hello everyone, this is an AU in which Ned Stark escapes his imprisonment and goes north to tell Jon the truth. I plan to post every week, so long as I can keep ahead on chapters. The story begins in the middle of Ned's imprisonment, when Varys pays him a visit. I hope you enjoy :)

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Ned I

Chapter Text

"Promise me Ned . . ." Lyanna's voice haunted Ned as he drifted in and out of sleep, reminding him of promises made long ago. "His name is Aegon Targaryen . . . and you stole that from him . . ." Ned's eyes flew open in an instant, breaths coming out rough and shallow as his heart beat a frantic pace against his chest. Expecting to see his sister standing before him with a stern expression upon her face; Ned started to settle down upon seeing the darkness that had become his only companion.   

"I protected him just as I promised, Lyanna. That name would have brought naught but pain down upon Jon," Ned said, half convincing himself of the truth of the words. Is that still the case though? He shook the thought off as soon as it came. There was no point to ponder such things while he was trapped living in his own filth. 

Ned stood up slowly, stretching his aching muscles. It was getting harder to get up and move around the longer he was down here. Ned could still feel a sharp pain in his leg where the bone had broken through during the Kingslayer's ambush. Damn Jaime Lannister, Ned thought ruefully as he made his way to the opposite corner. This was what Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King was reduced to; pissing in a corner without even a proper chamber pot. Having faith in the honor of a Lannister had brought him to this, a shame the cost of such a lesson would likely be his life. Pulling up his trousers, he crossed back to the other corner, cursing as he lowered himself to a sitting position. 

Ned sat for awhile in total silence before a clink clink clink from in the hall roused him. The door swung open with a burst of light, blinding Ned completely for several moments. He could just make out a gaoler moving towards him with a torch in one hand, a wineskin offered from the other. After no move was made to reach for the skin, the gaoler pulled off his spiked steel cap. Underneath the mummers scars and false brown stubble, Ned could tell that the gaoler was none other than Varys, master of whisperers.

"Lord Stark," Varys said, holding out the wineskin once more.

"Varys," Ned said, still not so much as moving toward the wineskin. For all he knew it was filled with some poison that would land him in a grave beside Jon Arryn. That would be the way to do it, he mused. A quiet death far away from where the truth could hurt the Lannisters . . . and who better than the Spider himself to deliver it. The man who stood idly by as a massacre occurred all around him.

 Varys sighed, uncorking the wineskin and taking a quick swig before passing it to Ned. "No one trusts the eunich," he stated as Ned began taking large gulps. "You might want to save some of that for later, my lord. The guards often forget that they're meant to bring water every other day."

Ned recorked the bottle and set it to the side, fixing Varys with a glare as the eunuch crouched with a smug look on his face. "You stood there. While my men were slaughtered in that damn throne room, you just stood there," Ned said, eyes never wavering as he stared down the man before him.

"Yes, Lord Stark, and I would do it again given the circumstances. I had no weapon, no armor, do you take me for a hero?" Varys said, all hints of smugness gone from his face and in its place a look of steel, cutting through all argument.

Ned realized that the words were true but that did not help the feeling of betrayal. Those feelings weren't directed at the Spider though. He didn't betray him, all Varys did was not hopelessly throw away his life. Dropping his gaze, Ned took a short pull from his wineskin before asking, "What of my daughters?"

"The little one has disappeared, not even my little birds have been able to find her."

"And what of Sansa?"

"The betrothal is unbroken, my lord. It seems she has accepted that you are a traitor to the crown and is still quite smitten with our young king. Although, I have heard tale that she intends to seek mercy for you before the court quite soon so perhaps everything is not so bleak."                                                                      

Anger washed over Ned like a flood. "My daughter is of the north," he gritted out. "She shouldn't have to bow and scrape before that bastard and his treacherous mother."

"You should choose your words more carefully, Lord Stark. It would be a shame for poor Sansa to beg for mercy just to have it all thrown away because of a few reckless words. Is your pride really worth dying for?"

Varys stood to leave, putting back on his cap and turning away from Ned. A hundred different thoughts ran through his head while Varys made his way towards the door. Is my pride worth dying for? Certainly not when he had one daughter missing and another stuck in the Lannisters' clutches. Then Lyanna's words entered the forefront of his mind. "His name is Aegon Targaryen . . . and you stole that from him." Could it be done? Would Jon even want that bloody chair after all it had cost him?

A foreign thought came to him. The best rulers are ones who don't seek power but take it because it is their duty. With that, his resolve grew as he looked up to see Varys almost to the door.

"Varys, who do you truly serve?"

He turned back and stared at Ned. "The realm, my lord, someone's got to."

With that the resolve he felt hardened to Valyrian steel, ready to finally speak the secret that he had kept to himself for so long. "But what does serving the realm truly entail, Lord Varys? Watching as unfit kings do as they please, hoping that one day everything will just change and we can have peace. Joffrey's reign will not be remembered as one of peace. Neither Renly nor Stannis will sit idly by and let him rule."

Varys pondered the words, shifting on his feet before carefully replying. "You speak truly my lord but neither have the support needed to take on Tywin Lannister, even if the North sided with them and you know this."

"Aye, you are right but what if there was another. One with the blood necessary to forge the alliances needed, raised to be an honorable man with the compassion to rule fairly. A man that is worth fighting for."

Varys raised an eyebrow looking at him with genuine confusion. "A pleasant dream for sure, my lord, but there is no such man in existence. Not one of the blood that he would need to make a claim to the Iron Throne."

Ned felt a large smirk spread across his face as he took another swig from the wineskin. He would need to start from the beginning. "Lord Varys, you may want to settle in because this story begins on the day the smiles died."

And so he started from the beginning, telling Varys everything that had occurred to lead them here. From the truth behind the so-called kidnapping of Lyanna Stark, to the fight with Ser Arthur Dayne, and the rough birth of a trueborn Targaryen prince that lead to his sister's death. A promise he'd kept for nearly two decades, protecting his son. After all this time raising Jon as his son, Ned could not bring himself to think of him as his nephew.

Finishing the story, Ned looked up to see several different emotions playing out across Varys' face. "I did what I had to do to keep my word to my sister. I never intended to tell anyone of Jon's true identity. But seeing the cruel boy-king having his strings pulled by the likes of Cersei Lannister, I now realize that I made a mistake. The realm will never be safe under his rule and I do not trust that he would honor any mercy granted, if he granted mercy at all. Jon is a true son of the North, honorable and good. I believed it when you said that you serve the realm. Believe me when I say Jon is the best the realm has got."

Ned couldn't help feeling a twinge of pleasure at seeing the completely shocked expression on Varys' face. If the Spider himself was not able to root out this secret than he was fairly certain that no one else would have figured it out.

After several minutes of heavy silence Varys finally speaks. "I presume you have other proof? It would take more than just your word to convince the other high lords of this truth."

"Aye, I found Lyanna's diary in the tower and I read through it trying to make sense of what happened. It details how happy she was on the day they wed as well as the joy she felt at learning of the babe growing within her. Also, although I can not confirm it, Ser Arthur told me that the High Septon made record of the annulment of Elia and Rhaegar as well as the wedding that followed. I never tried searching for it but the Citadel may still have a copy of the High Septon's journal."

Varys started pacing as he muttered nonsensical words that Ned couldn't make out. He was content to let Varys think it over for as long as he needed. This truth not only changed the so-called Game, it flipped it on its head.

Finally stilling, Varys looked at him with amusement for the first time since Ned had started revealing the many secrets of Robert's Rebellion. "The great and honorable Lord Eddard Stark's one stain on his honor turns out to be his greatest act of honor to date. You never cease to amaze me, my lord. What is it that you hope for me to do with this information? Your nephew is at the Wall, if he has already taken his vows then he will be lost to the realm forever."

Ned sighed, leaning back heavily against the damp cobblestones. "Honestly, Lord Varys, I never expected to speak these truths to another. Perhaps it just felt right to speak the truth for once before I die. Ser Arthur tried to convince me that I should tell Jon when he came of age and let him decide what man he would be, but I was too foolish to listen. I suppose what happens next is up to you."

Varys returned to his pacing, although this time he was dead silent. The torch flickering in Varys' hand and the sound of his leather boots hitting the stone floor unsettled Ned. Careful of his still aching muscles, Ned worked his way up from where he sat to stand before the man walking back and forth at an unnerving pace.

"What of it, Spider?"

Varys stopped in his tracks not turning to Ned as he spoke. "We will need to find a way to stop Jon from taking the vows until you can get there."

Ned felt his jaw drop yet he was powerless to stop it. Could he really dare to hope that he could make it out of King's Landing? "You can't possibly mean . . ."

Varys cut him off before he could finish. "As dangerous as it might be, Jon will need to hear the truth from you. He has spent his whole life as a bastard. He will need you to make him see the severity of the situation and why he needs to claim the throne. Also, the Northern lords' last impressions by a Targaryen ruler did not leave a pleasant taste in their mouths. You will need to be there to assauge fears and make them see who he is, not just his House name."

Ned, jaw still hanging open, quickly shook himself and set aside the prospect of escape to focus on how he could stop Jon from taking his vows. There was one man at the wall who knew the truth and would help them; Ser Arthur, living in Winter Town for all these years as a builder had went to the Wall with Jon. One day, you'll regret not telling him.

"There is one person at the wall who knows, Lord Varys."

"Do you mean?"

Nodding, Ned continued, "I made Arthur vow not to tell a living soul at the Tower of Joy. He decided to head north and has been living in Winter Town as Daeron Snow ever since. When Jon made his decision to go to the wall, Arthur naturally went with him. If you can get him a raven he will do whatever is necessary to stop Jon."

"Ser Arthur was always a very dutiful man. Although, I am surprised he would stay so close. Hopefully, we are not too late. I will also begin the preparations for your journey north. It will take time, but luckily the Lannisters don't intend for you to face the King's Justice for at least another moon turn. Now, I must be going, my lord. I have been gone far too long already."

With those parting words still rattling around in his head, Ned watched as Varys turned to leave and made his way towards the door. Suddenly, a thought came to him and he found himself calling out, "Wait! What of my daughters? I can't leave them here."

Varys not looking back or stopping his exit said, "We will see, my lord. Rest well."

Now immersed in total darkness once more, Ned lowered himself to sit on the hard stone floor and leaned up against the wall. Emotions began flooding rapidly through him. He felt hope for the first time since his arrest, yet there was also a pain that went straight to his core. He would have to tell everyone the truth. Jon was never his bastard and soon the whole realm would know it. And Jon, he was about to have so much thrust upon him. All he ever wanted was to be a Stark and now he never could be.

With that parting thought, Ned fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of his smiling sister finally happy that the truth would be revealed. "His name is Aegon Targaryen, and you will return that to him."