Chapter 9

Lord Eddard Stark was having breakfast with his family in the great hall when a majestic eagle entered through the door, being chased by a few of the family guards and flew straight toward them before gently landing on a the middle of their table.

Eddard Stark put his hands in front of his wife and children in order to protect them. The older ones among his children jumped from the seat in fright at the sight of the giant eagle while watched at it in fascination.

It took a while for the commotion to die down. Only then did Robb, his eldest noticed the roll of parchment attached to the eagle's leg. The parchment was larger than any raven could handle and for a moment, Eddark Stark wondered if that was why the Gaint Eagle was sent instead of a raven.

But if that was the case, then who did the Eagle belonged to. Seeing one of these birds in the North was a rare sight. To tame them was almost an impossibility. In fact, he doubted any maester had ever done it before. If this was the job of a Maester at all.

Slowly but surely, he approached the Giant eagle and then looked at it's eyes, as if to ask for it's permission. When it didn't react, he felt bolder and reached for the letter before unfastening it from it's legs.

The eagle then gave a loud cry that startled everyone in the great hall before it unfurled it's mighty wings, making Eddard realized once again just how large it was. Then the eagle took flight and left the great hall and everyone watched it go in silence before they started murmuring to each other as some pointed at the letter at his hands.

He clutched it tightly for a moment before noticing the sigil in the seal.

The sigil was that a Weirwood tree. But there were no such sigils in the North or in the South as far as he knew. So who sent this letter to him.

He contemplated on his thoughts for a moment before the told everyone to go back to enjoying their breakfast. Once everyone had taken their seats, he looked at his wife and upon her nod, unfurled the letter and started reading it.

Despite it's length, it was a short letter written to him by none other than Domeric Bolton, son of Roose Bolton who was now the new Lord of Dreadfort and it's lands if the letter was to believed.

"What is it my love?" Cat asked and he passed on the letter to her.

"Lord Domeric Bolton is going to arrive in Winterfell within a week along with Lady Barbrey Dustin whom he had chosen for his Regent." He told her and she frowned upon hearing the name of Lady Dustin.

Everyone in North knew that there was bad blood between Lady Barbrey Dustin and him. And it was not like he could blame Lad Barbrey for hating him either. He felt too guilty to blame her for anything.

But Boltons and Starks had never been friends. Liege lord and bannermen, true. But never friends. And now, the last Bolton in the lands was going to raised by a woman who hated him to the bones.

He didn't knew how he felt about that.

The thought of using his authority as the Lord Paramount and choosing another regent for young Lord Bolton did cross his mind but he removed that thought as soon as it entered his mind.

"What do you plan to do lord husband?" Cat asked as she held little Arya to her breast. Arya. Their second daughter and third child.

"Nothing for now." He said "Domeric Bolton is arriving in Winterfell within a week. I'll talk with him then and see what I can do about his regent."

Cat gave a nod before she went back to feeding baby Arya and he wondered why Domeric Bolton would sent his message with an eagle. And why was the sigil that of a weirwood and not the traditional 'Flayed man'.