The Lords Solar, Winterfell
Eddard was sitting behind the desk while looking over the reports sent by his bannermen on their remaining food stock. Winter had just ended and he needed to see what was the overall conditions of his lands. To prepare better for the next winter, he needed to see which of his bannermen were struggling and which were thriving. It was the duty of every Lord of Winterfell to make sure the next winter is better than the last.
If the winter had lasted even a year longer then a lot of the population in the villages all over the north would have starved. Not that it would be a new thing, it's how people in the north have lived for a long time, whenever times get hard the older men will go out to hunt in the night and never come back. Things like these make the smallfolk dream of a summer that lasts forever, however, the Starks know that no matter how long summer lasts, Winter is Coming.
He put aside the report after a few minutes while massaging his forehead and looked over a message from the mormonts, they reported an increase in raids from Ironborn and also noted large patches of forest disappearing, most probably stolen by the reavers for their ships. Eddard hoped that it was just a couple of drunk rogue reavers and not something more sinister. He still decided that he would write a letter to Robert to tell him about the ironborn problem.
He was going over a message benjen had sent from Wall when a knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.
"Come in!" Eddard said while putting the message aside. The door to his solar opened, and Maester Luwin came inside while closing the door behind him.
"You called for me My Lord," Maester Luwin said while coming to stand before his desk.
"Yes, please take a seat," Eddard said while pointing toward the seat, "How is Catelyn doing now, Maester? Is her fever down yet,"
"Lady Catelyn is fine now and even her fever has come down," Maester Luwin said while shuffling his chains, "so I don't think there will be any complication with the birth,"
"That is good news, Maester!" Eddard said while sighing in relief.
"Why don't you visit her, My Lord," Maester Luwin said with a kind smile, "I am sure she will be happy to see you,"
"I don't know about that," Eddard said while squirming in discomfort, "The last time I went to see her she threw a glass at me,"
"That was partly your fault, My Lord. You should have knocked before entering," Maester said in reproach.
"I know," Eddard said while covering his face with his hand and looking away in embarrassment, "I just didn't expect to find her in such a... distressing position,"
"The young lady was quite mortified after that," the maester said while shaking his head, "but I assured her that you would not be angry,"
"Yes, Well thank you for that, Maester," he said before composing himself and hurriedly asked, "How long until she gives birth Maester,"
"You can never be too sure about these things, but if all goes well then she should give birth before the week is over, My Lord,"
"Good! Good!" Eddard said while looking out the window, "And the weather today is clear too, so it seems a good day to go on a hunt,"
"Oh, are you talking about the tradition of going on a hunt before the birth of a child," Luwin asked curiously, it had not been more than a decade since he became Winterfell's maester so he was still new to some things.
"Yes, It is a long-standing stark tradition to hunt an animal and offer it to the old gods before a child is born. I still remember when I went on a hunt with Brandon and Father when Lyanna was born," Eddard said while reminiscing, "While I was not able to do so for Robb and Jon, this next child should have the old god's blessing,"
"Then I hope you have a very successful hunt," Luwin said while standing up, "If that is all, My Lord. I should go back to Lady Catelyn,"
"Yes, thank you Maester," Eddard said while standing up to follow him outside and closed the door behind him
"Do you know where Robb and Jon are," he asked the maester who was already at the end of the corridor,
"No My lord, they both ran away halfway through their lesson," Maester Luwin while shaking his head.
They both shared a bitter smile over the mischievous kids before Luwin went away and Eddard went out of the great keep. He walked around for about half an hour looking for them but couldn't find them anywhere so he forgo looking for his kids and went toward the courtyard first.
The courtyard was half-filled with recruits drilling under the command of the old guard captain along with his apprentice young Jory Cassel. Ser Rodrik Cassel was watching from afar having already finished his morning training. When Rodrik noticed Eddard, he immediately started walking toward him.
"Keeping a watch on your nephew's practice, Ser Rodrik," Eddard asked Rodrik while nodding toward where Jory was going through his forms.
"Yes, My Lord. Just making sure he's not slacking off,"
"He is a good lad just give him a few years and he will be ready to take over the guard captain's position," Eddard said and Rodrik looked at his nephew with pride in his eyes. They talked about the various recruits and who among them was talented or particularly hard-working.
"I came here to tell you to gather a small hunting party," Eddard said after a while," It will be a short hunt so you don't pack too much stuff. Just gather the usual people and meet me at Hunter's gate in an hour,"
"Yes, My lord," he nodded and went away briskly.
'Now, the last and hardest job, to find those two troublemakers', Eddard thought and went off in search around the castle.
He had been going around the castle and asking people along the way for about 10 more minutes when a young maid pointed toward them while hiding a smile. Both the boys were standing on top of the wall beside the east gate and had piled up a small mountain of snow beside their feet. Eddard sighed tiredly and started walking toward them.
"Why is no one coming?" Robb whispered to Jon while looking out of the gate.
"Someone will come, we just have to wait," Jon whispered back before turning toward Robb, "And you have to remember Robb, 'HIT and HIDE', you always forget the hiding part,"
"But If I don't see them getting hit, where would be the fun in that," Robb said while whining a little.
"If you see them then they may see you too," Jon said while rolling his eyes in exasperation, "And don't you remember what father said to us the last time he caught us?"
Robb cleared his throat before he deepened his voice and tried to imitate Eddard, "If I ever catch you, boys, pranking again, I will make you collect horse shit from dusk till dawn,"
"That's right, so we can't be caught," Jon said while looking out the east gate.
"Don't worry, I chose this place after a lot of thought," Robb said while patting his chest, "Father won't catch us here,".
"Won't I? Robb," A deep voice said from behind them suddenly.
Robb and Jon both turned around wildly, startled from their conversation like a stag from a hunter's arrow, and Robb hurriedly tried to hide the small snow hill beside their feet by kicking it sneakily while standing up as if to hide the evidence of their crime.
Eddard just continued to stare at them blankly without saying a word until they started to squirm in discomfort. Robb stared at anywhere but his father's eyes while Jon stared resolutely ahead with a poker face.
"What were you two doing?" Eddard asked quietly, even though he had heard everything.
"Nothing," Robb replied a little too quickly.
He stared at them with an ice-cold face without blinking, waiting for one of them to break and confess. Robb started to move his hands awkwardly and his face looked the part of a child caught in the act.
"We were just watching people come and go," Jon said hurriedly when it looked like Robb would cave in.
Over the years they have pulled many pranks on the household staff. Mostly it was them taking revenge on someone who had said one thing or the other about Jon being a bastard. He had punished the boys of course but also subtly made sure that the staff was out of the castle by the end of the week.
But it looked like they were in the habit of pranking people now and had started to turn their attention to random passersby.
"I don't have time for this today but when we get back, you both will be cleaning the stables for a week," Eddard said and they both started to protest before he overrode them, "And I don't want to hear any excuses. Do you understand," he glared at them until they nodded. He turned around and started walking downstairs with both of them following him.
"But where are we going, Father," Robb asked while Jon looked on curiously.
"We are going on a hunt,"
"Yes," they shouted in unison and started jumping in excitement.
"You are to go straight to your room and change," Eddard turned toward them when they had reached downstairs, "Then meet me at the Hunter's Gate, and If you are late, then I will leave both of you behind,"
He had not even completed the sentence but they were already running away, Eddard just sighed while looking behind them before shaking his head in exasperation and walking toward the Great Keep.
'These two were already a handful and there would be another little wolf in a few days.' Eddard thought while shuddering and prayed to the old gods to grant him patience.
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