- Winterfell - Sometime Later -
Ned was in his solar. He has spent quite a bit of time going over everything that happened since Jon had been brought to his home. Since Jon's sudden disappearance, the Warden of the North investigating what happened when he had gone to Bear Island, as well as any other time he had been away from Winterfell. From disputes, business, and even when he rode off to fight against the Greyjoy Rebellion.
And he was not happy with what he saw from his investigation.
Jon had never been abused by the servants or guards. That much was clear. But they did not make his life any easier. Some of the servants upon harsh questioning had admitted to giving Jon cold soup or warm like the rest of the family. Food given to him were of the poorer quality or not as large as the others received when eating together. The boy even had a much larger list of chores to do during the day, many of them among the far more demeaning ones Ned himself would try to prevent Jon from doing for that very reason.
But with him away from the castle, his wife was in charge until Robb came of age to fill the position as Lord of Winterfell in his absence or death.
As for his wife, Ned was furious with her on a level he didn't think possible given how much the Warden of the North loved the woman. First, she had made it clear to the staff and guards to make sure Jon was miserable as possible without raising suspicion. Second, Cat had ordered they keep such actions from Ned upon his return to the castle each time he came back. Stating the state of his bastard was not his concern and they had to keep Jon humbled or else the boy would one day usurp Robb of his rightful place as the future Lord of Winterfell. Third, the Tully born woman had struck the boy in the face multiple times, demeaned Jon as being so low on the ground for being a bastard. Even stating it was actually allowed by the Seven to keep bastard like him down due to their birth was formed from sin and lust.
But the final straw was the last action, which Ned had been completely furious over.
She had struck Jon for singing and playing a harp, which he purchased with what little money the boy earned to obtain it.
The argument they had that day echoed all throughout Winterfell like one of the North's more ruthless snow storms.
- Flashback - Shortly after Jon's/Aegon's disappearance -
"How could you do it Cat? Do that to Jon?" asked/demanded Ned with his wife standing there with Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik on either side of her.
"I did what had to be done Ned. He is a bastard. Your bastard. It is my duty as your wife to keep him from performing evil deeds while you are away," countered Catelyn while Ned did not look pleased.
"You do not have the right to discipline Jon when I am away Cat. As you keep on stating time and time again, you are not his Mother! Your actions bring shame to you and to me for being unaware of it. Even more so when Jon has done nothing wrong! I have made it clear in the past that any such punishments, disciplines, or actions were to be handled by Ser Rodrik while under the supervision of Maester Luwin. You went against my explicit orders in this Cat. Even worse, you have the Septa and Septon here making it clear that punishing Jon for simply existing is allowed. I will not have you using your faith in the Seven as your own personal tool or weapon against Jon. Nor will I allow you to use them to poison the minds of our children in the belief Jon should be treated lower than the very snow covered dirt we walk on!" Ned shot back with his fury clear in his voice.
"I am the Lady of Winterfell. I am your wife! The laws of Gods and Man are clear that when my husband, which is you, are away from the castle, I am in charge until your son is ready to lead. I merely used my position to ensure Jon would not rise above his station while living here. I was well within my right," Cat countered while Ned slammed his fist onto his office table and made the woman jump back a bit.
"And my words regarding Jon when I left each time were to be honored! Regardless of your position as my wife and ruling over the castle until my return, you are honor bound to carry out my wishes on the matter just like everyone else in Winterfell. Yet you did the opposite! You made sure Jon's life was miserable on purpose Cat! You did this, knowing full well the boy would lash out, which would give you the right to bring about a harsh punishment of your choosing. Or he would have enough of the abuse and simply leave Winterfell to get away from your cruelty. And since he chose the latter, I would wager you are hoping some random group of wildlings, bandits, or even the cold weather of the North ended his life. Am I wrong?!" stated Ned with Cat keeping silent on the matter.
But it was the silence that was the most telling.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Jon is gone. The stain on your honor and my life is removed from Winterfell and House Stark. We can now truly be a family again without having to see that bastard," replied Cat with Ned slamming his fist on the desk again and shaking the room.
"JON IS AND WAS A PART OF THIS FAMILY! HE IS MY SON! AND YOU HURT HIM SIMPLY FOR BEING BORN!" yelled Ned while the room practically shook with his rage.
"N-Ned I...," said Cat since she didn't expect Ned to be this angry or react this way.
She had always assumed the boy held some kind of evil power over him. A power of a trickster the Seven claimed was created through the sin and lust of his conception. She had believed that with the boy either dead or gone, the power would weaken and Ned would break free form the spell the bastard had put him under. But it seemed the bastard's absence had only made Ned's love for the bastard grow stronger.
"Enough! Its clear I have been neglectful in my duties in the castle and it is a mistake I intend to correct as of right now. Ser Rodrik!" stated Ned getting the Master of Arms full attention.
"Yes my Lord?" asked Ser Rodrik and was awaiting his Lord's command.
"You are to bring every single man who was on the list Maester Luwin provided stating who was in the so called search party for Jon. You are to bring them to the courtyard of the castle. They are to be flogged twenty times in front of everyone and their crimes are to be known so no one will make any similar attempts should Jon be found and brought back to Winterfell," order Ned with Ser Rodrik nodding while Cat went pale in the face.
"Ned! Those men don't deserve such a harsh punishment. Surely another punishment of lesser, yet still harsh standing could be implemented?" questioned Cat while Ned was clearly not finished.
"Second, the Septa and Septon are to keep their own beliefs about bastard away from my children. I have reviewed my children's studies and everything is about how things are done in the South. Not the North. That changes now! My children were born and raised in the North. They are part of it as the North is a part of them. From what I have seen when personally testing the children, their knowledge of the North is not up to my satisfaction. Maester Luwin, you will be in charge of increasing their knowledge of the North, who all the Lords of the North reside, the history of their Houses, practices, and customs when in their lands," ordered Ned with Maester Luwin nodding since he had wanted to do that from the start.
Unfortunately, Lady Stark had brought about resistance to the idea since she felt that the North and her children needed a firm "southern touch" as she called it.
"That will impede their ability to learn!" protested Catelyn with Ned scowled further.
"Your version of learning Cat. This is the North. Not the South. You have them learning Southern traditions, customs, and Houses while neglecting the North. How can Robb be the future Warden of the North if he acts like a Southerner? My bannermen will never follow him if he abandons our ways. You know this. You have known this since coming here to the North as my wife," said Ned while Catelyn huffed in anger.
"Those Houses all swore oaths to House Stark long before today. They should stand by those oaths regardless if their Liege Lord and Warden follows Northern or Southern traditions," said Cat with Ned sighing since they had this one argument about this in the past.
"And I have told you before Cat, the Northern Houses respect strength. Following oaths to them is only as good as the man commanding them. Robb has to be act as a Northerner in order to keep the loyalty and support of the Northern Lord. Anything less from my son speaks weakness to them and the Northern Lords will not continue following House Stark if the Liege Lord is weak!" stated Ned with Catelyn still not happy about this due to her plan to make the North more civilized like the South was being met with more resistance by her husband.
She still could, but would have to wait until Ned's anger over the loss of his bastard had died down before she tried again. Maybe she should contact her Father and ask for advise or maybe Jon Arryn if things became worse. The man could always influence Ned easily enough due to old Falcon from the Vale was her husband's Foster Father for many years.
- The Cave - Two Years since leaving Winterfell -
{"I have taught you all that I know young one. About the Force. The Sith. The Jedi. And the paths to walk to become them. But I also taught you that the choice is yours on how to act when the situation requires a decisive response. You are free to choose how you act with others, but must remember to accept responsibility for your actions regardless if they are good or ill towards others,"} said Count Dooku with Aegon nodding while he was kneeling before the image of man who had become his Master in the ways of the Force.
"I will not forget what you have taught me Master. I will show the world the power of the Force. I will show the world that the dragon is not dead. That we are alive. We are strong. And those who betrayed us...will know our wrath," said Aegon with his voice strong, full of conviction, and ready to face the outside world.
{"Go my apprentice. Become your own Master. Forge your own destiny. Your own path in life. But above all else...make me proud to call you my legacy,"} said Dooku with Aegon nodding before standing tall and proud in front of the Count.
"By your leave my Master," said Aegon with the Count nodding.
{"One more thing young one. I wish you good fortune in the battles to come,"} said Count Dooku before his image retreated back into the Sith Holocron.
Turning around, Aegon looked at the clothing he intended to wear in the outside world to further make himself known to others. It was the same clothing fabric the Count wore, except it was black in color. From shirt to pants to boots. All black. But the final piece of it that he was going to wear was a black mask helmet he had forged using the Force to guide him in its creation. It had taken a better part of the year for him to forge this one item using the tools he found in the cave itself and the occasional travel to White Harbor to visit the blacksmith there in order to discreetly get the materials required to forge the mask.
Putting it on, Aegon took in a long breath and let it out in a long exhale while grasping the significance of what this meant for him. Jon Snow was dead. He was a phantom. A fake. A weak pathetic thing that would have never amounted to anything in life because of everyone around him wanting to keep him that way.
No more.
Where Jon Snow had fallen due to being so weak, Aegon Stark Targaryen would rise! He would rise and fly like the dragons of old did. He would cast down all the pretenders, the usurpers, the betrayers, the schemers, and those who think they can cast down the dragon.
But first, he needed to obtain a dragon or dragons before such a plan could begin. Not to mention an army to further back his claim for the Iron Throne. Meaning he would have to leave Westeros and travel to Essos where the Force told him was where such things were waiting for the young Prince.
And future King of the Seven Kingdoms.