Aedric paused mid-sentence, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Lord Eddard. "Uncle," he said slowly, "have you ever wondered — why did dragons, extinct for over a hundred years, suddenly return now?"
Eddard's brows furrowed deeply.
Aedric continued with a faint smile. "Or, let's put it another way. If the Old Gods of the North truly exist… then what sort of threat could be coming that only dragons are capable of stopping?"
His eyes narrowed. "For example… the coming of winter?"
"That's impossible!" Eddard shot to his feet, shaking his head in disbelief. He had understood Aedric's implication, but refused to accept it. "The White Walkers have been gone for thousands of years! They can't come back!"
"True," Aedric said calmly. "But dragons were gone for a hundred years… and they came back, didn't they? If dragons can return, why not White Walkers? People have already claimed to see them."
"That man was a mad deserter!" Eddard snapped, though his voice carried unease. He could still recall the terror in that condemned man's eyes before the sword fell. "I cannot put my faith in the words of a lunatic who broke his oath!"
"Eddard!" Lady Catelyn, who had been quietly listening, suddenly interjected. "Didn't the Night's Watch send a raven not long ago? They wrote that a dead ranger came back to life and attacked Lord Commander Mormont! Could that not be connected to the White Walkers?"
"That was the work of wildlings!" Ned muttered, shaking his head stubbornly. "I sent men to investigate — they found nothing. It's only another trick."
Aedric could see it in his eyes — Ned wasn't truly denying it anymore. He was just clinging to disbelief, because accepting the truth would shatter everything he thought he knew.
So Aedric didn't push further. Instead, he smoothly changed the subject, asking about Sansa's engagement to Tommen.
In this world, he mused, there was no hatred that couldn't be eased.
After all, even the Starks and the Boltons — ancient enemies — had already reconciled. Compared to that, marrying into the Lannisters was nothing.
With Tywin's generous show of goodwill, both Eddard and Catelyn had agreed to continue the royal alliance. Only a few details needed fine-tuning, and for that, Aedric's opinion was essential.
After a long discussion, it was decided that Lady Catelyn would personally escort Sansa to King's Landing to complete the wedding.
Eddard himself would remain in Winterfell — the memory of recent tensions still lingered, and the North needed its lord's steady hand.
Before they departed, Aedric presented Tyrion Lannister with a gift — a Valyrian steel longsword — asking him to deliver it to Lord Tywin as a token of gratitude for granting him a royal bride.
Tyrion's delight was genuine.
After the family sword Brightroar was lost, Tywin had searched tirelessly for a worthy replacement, but Valyrian steel was nearly impossible to find. This new blade, beautifully crafted and perfectly styled, would no doubt bring him great satisfaction.
Aedric smiled inwardly. It should — the sword had been forged to resemble Oathkeeper from the show, elegant and regal, exactly Tywin's taste.
Originally, Aedric had made the sword to ease the tension from his earlier arrogance in King's Landing. Offering this gesture of reconciliation was both tactical and necessary — especially since there might be further alliances between House Stark and House Lannister.
He hadn't expected Tywin to go so far as to gift him a princess in return, but it made this offering all the more fitting.
As for Sansa, soon to be queen, Aedric personally requested the Queen of Thorns to give her an intensive crash course in the art of surviving court life.
Sansa, he knew, had immense untapped potential. Though she lacked the bitter experiences that had shaped her in the original timeline, her foundation was solid — she only needed time to grow.
After all, she was a destined queen once.
With everyone's departure, Winterfell grew quiet. For the first time in years, Aedric enjoyed a rare stretch of peace.
Many of the great disasters from the original timeline had already been quietly erased — directly or indirectly — by his presence.
With Tommen on the throne and Joffrey peacefully removed, Olenna Tyrell no longer needed to poison anyone. Tyrion hadn't been accused of regicide. Tywin still lived, keeping the realm under firm control.
Under his iron rule, King's Landing was calm. The Faith Militant had no foothold. The High Sparrow and his zealots were never given their chance to rise.
One less headache for everyone — especially Aedric, who'd had contingencies prepared for them.
As for Tywin and Tyrion's personal feud, that was beyond his power to solve.
He could only hope that his occasional letters to Tyrion, feigning close friendship, would soften Tywin's view of the dwarf just enough to prevent tragedy.
Because if that man ever treated Tyrion's love as cruelly as he had in the show… Aedric wasn't sure he'd resist cutting the old lion down himself.
Half a year passed in peace.
Sansa and Tommen, Robb and Margaery, Aedric and Myrcella — all three couples were now officially wed, their ceremonies uneventful and smooth.
Unlike the others, Aedric chose not to consummate his marriage right away. Myrcella was still young, and he wanted her to grow stronger — so he began teaching her yoga instead.
Unexpectedly, yoga became a craze throughout the North. Even Lady Catelyn took an interest, and Aedric couldn't help but wonder if the lady of Winterfell, already mother of five, was hoping to bless her husband with a few more heirs.
"Lucky man," Aedric muttered, half amused, half exasperated.
Meanwhile, Daenerys' rule across the Narrow Sea thrived. With a booming trade economy and an army forged from the Wu Mu War Manual, her control was stronger than ever.
Her letters spoke of great progress — Drogon had grown large enough to carry her into the sky for short flights, and the other two dragons would soon follow.
Everything was on track.
Until one day, Bran Stark came to him — eyes distant, voice trembling with strange conviction.
He said he had received a message from a sorcerer named Brynden Rivers.
The Three-Eyed Raven was calling him beyond the Wall.
And he wanted Aedric to escort him north… in exchange for House Targaryen's last ancestral blade — Dark Sister.
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