The Crippled Wolf: Stark SI (GOT)

Chapter 17

EDDARD STARK

The hunt was entirely Robert's idea, and ever since the early morning, Eddard had been taken over by a sense of foreboding that something was going to go wrong.

The hunting party was also rather large, for when the King rode to hunt, the Kingsgaurd followed. And this time, there was also his heir Robb, Prince Joffrey, and Cregan, and Robert had specifically asked for his presence.

And he did not know why.

"It is just like old times," Robert beamed as he rode beside him, though Eddard would disagree.

This was not like the old times. The times of which his friend spoke of were long gone. They had been young, naive boys then, riding out into the woods with no care in the world.

Now they rode as Kings, as Lords and as fathers.

And as he saw Cregan riding there, beside Robb and the young Prince, he could not help but notice how the Prince's gaze would continue to linger toward his second son, and he was not the only gaze that lingered.

No. Two of the Kingsguard rode alongside them, the Queen's brother and Ser Meryn Trant, and of the two, the Lannister's gaze often followed his Prince's as the Kingslayer often looked at Cregan as well, making him rather uneasy.

"Ay boy!" Robert called out suddenly, looking towards his second son, himself, as Cregan pushed his horse forward.

"What do you say about our usual wager!" he asked, and he saw the Prince's face twist and contort as Robert slapped Cregan's back in a boisterous laugh.

Though, Eddard himself perked up at those words.

"Wager?" he asked, and Robert nodded.

"Ay, your boy has a knack for predicting what game we might find during a hunt. It's kind of magic, really. He has been right how many times, Kingslayer?" Robert asked, and the Lannister knight answered after a second.

"He predicted the right game seven out of eight times, your grace," Ser Jamie answered as Robert laughed.

"Indeed, this blasted boy. Cost me a bit of gold this one," Robert laughed as Eddard gave his son a look of disapproval.

"So, what will we find today, boy? I say we find a Stag here," Robert predicted, and Cregan seemed to hesitate before he answered nonetheless.

"A Stag, your grace?" he answered before shaking his head. His voice was cold and detached as he denied the King's prediction.

"No. Not a Stag, perhaps a few good boars if we are lucky, but nothing more," Robert smiled.

"I say we find a A Stag. A mighty stag," he persisted as he added with a sip of wine.

"And I reckon I will have it done before the Night Falls," then, before he could say anything, Robert pulled on his reins.

"Come, Ned, let us show these young boys what a real hunt looks like," and Ned could only do it as he was ordered and followed after his King, as the rest followed after him.

Robb was a good rider, and so was Cregan, but he could see that the Prince was struggling. Perhaps he was not used to the rougher terrain of the North and was barely keeping up with them.

"Robert..."

"I think I see some game there," the Prince's voice suddenly cut in from behind.

"Stark, come with me and help me shoot it down," the Prince ordered imperiously, and his gaze was locked on Cregan as he said those words, making it obvious which Stark he was referring to.

And then, before waiting for an answer, the Prince's horse changed direction as Cregan continued after them until suddenly Robert's voice came from the front.

"Go after him, boy. Maybe the North has awakened the hunter in him. Let us see what game my son brings home," Cregan had told him what the hunts were like in the capital, but he could see Cregan's hesitation as he looked towards him.

"Rober..."

"The King gave you an order, boy," Jamie Lannister's voice cut in before his own as Cregan's eyes narrowed, but Robert had given his order.

"As you say, your grace," and he did not speak up, thinking it all to be rather innocuous as Cregan's horse veered off in a different direction, chasing after the Prince's as they continued to ride forward.

And they rode hard, and indeed, some half an hour later, he was surprised as they found the trail of a Stag. Even though his own hunters had not found it earlier when he sent them into the forest.

"The boy was wrong," Robert spoke with a smile as he rubbed the dung in between his fingers.

"This is fresh, perhaps an hour old. There is a stag to hunt in these woods," Robert spoke excitedly, so unlike a man who was King of the Seven Kingdoms, but more like the boy that rode with him in the mountains of the Vale.

"They have not yet returned, Cregan and Joffrey" he spoke, and Robert frowned.

"Indeed, they should have joined us by now," Robert added before he turned towards his Kingsgaurd.

"I will go and find them," he said, but Robert stopped him before he could turn his horse.

"No, Ned. You stay with me, let the Kingslayer and the rest go. We must chase after this Stag at once," he ordered again as he turned towards the Kingslayer.

"Kingslayer, go and see what mess that son of mine has gotten into," Robert added, his disdain for his son apparent in his tone.

"You should let me go. I know these forests better than the Kingslayer," he added, but Robert shook his head.

"That is why you need to ride with me so that we can hunt down this stag. Come, let us give it chase," and reluctantly, Ned followed again as they rode once again, until suddenly, a few minutes later, their hunt was interrupted by the loud screams coming from one side of a forest.

"HELP!"

And Ned felt his heart skip a beat as he feared the worst.

"Cregan...."

0000

CERSEI LANNISTER

The end was near. Cersei could feel it. She had always been able to feel it. Robert had gone hunting today, and she knew that they would not get a better opportunity than today to handle that cripple boy.

Afterall, the deep forests of the North can be such a dangerous place for a young boy.

It was a shame that she was forced to rely on her son to do the deed. Joffrey, her precious boy, would need to do the dirty deed. Thankfully, though unlike his siblings her eldest bore Stark's son no love and was happy to deal with him after she had poisoned his head. Telling him of how the Stark boy was trying to chip away at his inheritance, that he planned to replace him through his marriage to Myrcella.

He had to ride alone to the hunt, leaving his loyal guard the hound back with her, for despite the knight's loyalty she knew that she could trust no one. That if somehow, any of them saw Joffrey doing the deed, it would destroy everything.

As for the Stark boy, he needed to be killed. She was certain of it the day Jon Arryn had died, and her belief had grown only stronger with every passing day.

The boy knew of her secret. And could very easily bring down both her and House Lannister.

"How do you fare today, my queen?" the red-haired Tully woman questioned as Cersei sat in a chair just at the edge of the forest as they waited for the end of the hunt.

She had used the excuse of illness to avoid the feast today and had no desire to sit here and mingle with these northern savages, but she could avoid them no more lest the Northerns and the Starks take offense to her.

"Better," she answered with a smile as Stark's wife joined her around the fireplace.

"It is good. The Northern weather takes some time to acclimate to. I myself fell ill many times when I first came here after my marriage," she added, and either she was too innocent, or there was a deeper ploy here.

"The weather here is quite different compared to Kingslanding, and I believe you will soon have to get yourself acclimated to it," for if Ned Stark was named as Hand, she would, of course, have to join him in the capital.

Though Cersei would never let that happen.

"Yes, we still have not decided on that, though," Catelyn Tully added as Cersei raised a brow.

"And why is that?" she asked, trying to see just how much Stark knew.

"Rickon is still young, and if Ned is to go to the capital. Someone must rule here in his stead, A Stark, he says," the woman continued as her gaze turned to the forest.

"Robb would have to stay, and he does not think it wise to leave him here all alone. For all his years, Robb is a boy still and has much to learn," and though the words were warm they were dangerous for her. And a shiver ran down her spine as she thought of them.

'He knew,' she thought as soon as she heard those words.

'Stark,' knew.

"A shame, it would have been good to have you join us in the capital," Cersei spoke politely even as her heart hammered in her chest.

"It is not decided yet. I might join him still as a wife should. But it is not yet decided on what we shall do," and as she sat there, thinking of ways and plans to deal with Eddard Stark.

She had suspicions already and had spoken to Jamie about them as well. Of how she found Stark's gaze on her and her children distressing. On how it lingered on when it should not.

It was because the boy had told him. And, of course, he had.

How could she have imagined it to be any different? It was why Arryn would have called to meet him on his deathbed.

She felt her chest tighten as fear gripped her, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Your grace, are you fine?" the woman questioned as she saw her pale, and Cersei smiled weakly.

"Yes, I...." but before she could say anything else, suddenly she heard screams of distress, and her heart became still as she saw guards screaming at one another.

"What is going on?" she questioned as both she and Catelyn Tully rose from their seats.

"Clegane," she ordered and the hulking giant of a man stepped forward, as he followed after her and Catelyn Tully as they rushed towards the commotion.

Clegane loyal as he was, towering over a few men before returning to her side in visible hurry and apparent distress.

"What happened?" she questioned with a racing heart as he began.

"It's the Princess, my Queen," and her eyes widened as she heard that and looked around in search of Myrcella, and yet found no trace of her.

"Where is she? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!" she screamed in worry.

"She is gone missing. Some say that she has run into the forest while playing with that animal of hers!" and she heard the worst.

"The boy! The Stark boy she was playing with. Where is he!" she thundered in worry as she felt her head spin, and Clegane answered.

"They were playing, the boy's gone as well," and her throat dried up as she thought of her daughter.

"No, it is impossible!" she raged, for despite everything, she loved her daughter. She loved her more than anything. She could not lose her. Not like this.

"Is this how you care for a Princess!" she screamed at the Stark woman, losing her patience, and saw her pale at her words.

"What were your guards doing! How could they let this happen!" she raged as the woman gulped in fear.

"We will find the Princess, your grace. The guards know the forests quite well, they will search for the Princes..."

"NO!" she cut in sharply, her mind whirring and racing as she turned towards Clegane.

"Gather your men! All of them, and have them scour the forest. Find me, my daughter! FIND HER!" she raged as Clegane nodded and turned his back on her as he headed towards the Lannister men and began to gather them around.

"My lady..." the Stark woman tried to speak up, but Cersei's mind was whirring as she raised her hand.

"I expected better of House Stark, but this. This is preposterous!" she raged as she looked into her eyes and saw that the woman's eyes narrowed.

"My child is missing as well, your grace. The men will find them, you need not wor...."

"She is my daughter!" Cersei raged, imagining the worst. Thinking of just what lingered in that forest, the woman quietened at her outburst, as the yard was filled with bustle as men began to ride into the forest as Cersei walked towards the edge of the forest with her own guards as she stood there and prayed as her heart hammered in her chest.

0000

The little Myrcella Baratheon ran through the woods chasing after the little light grey wolf entrusted to her by Cregan, as she tried calling it back.

"Aurora!" she shouted as the little wolf ran forward. And they had been playing for hours, and hours and it had been good to her. Following her words, letting her pet her fur. But suddenly, as she and Bran were playing, it had began to disregard her commands until it had broken into a run, rushing into the forest as Myrcella chased after it.

"Aurora! Stop!" she screamed, and her breath was getting heavy. She did not know for how long she had been running, and yet the little wolf did not stop and continued to run as Myrcella followed after it.

Her feet began to hurt, as Myrcella ran until she could run no more.

She held her knees as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she walked forward with hurting feet.

"Aurora!"

"Aurora!" She could see the wolf no more as she looked around in worry, with only trees around her, and the realization dawned on her.

Until suddenly, she heard voices and perked up.

"Aurora!" she gasped as she ran towards them, and just as she rounded up a tree, she saw it.

Men. More than a dozen men, a few of them with crooked faces and teeth, surrounded someone. And immediately she stopped, as she recognized just who it was.

"Cregan," she gasped and saw him limping as he held his arm, which had an arrow lodged in its shoulder as the men laughed and inched closer and closer.

And in her stupor she missed the second body lying besides, Cregan as the men surrounded him.

And as she saw one of them raise his axe on him, she feared the worst and could do little else but scream.

"HELPPP!"

"Shit!" "There is someone here!" she saw them all turn towards her, as fear gripped her heart.

"GET HER!" one of them screamed as a man rushed towards her, as Myrcella's eyes found Cregans, who was looking at her as well, his face pale and covered in mud and dirt as he screamed at her.

"RUN! MYRCELLA! RUN!" he shouted, and she followed his words as she ran and ran as the man rushed after her. She could feel him getting closer and closer as her feet bled and pained, and yet she followed Cregan's words and ran and dared not look back.

Until she heard a scream from behind, and finally turned back and saw the man grunting as he fell down. She saw him look down, and there she was.

"AHHHH!"

"Aurora!" she gasped as she saw the wolf tear into the man's leg.

"Don't look back!" she heard Cregan's scream.

"RU..." but the words were cut off, and she felt her heart pain as she heard his scream, and yet she did as she was ordered and continued to put one foot infront of another.

All this while a single raven flew above the forest watching it all.

0000

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