"Who is your family?" Eddard hoarsely questioned. His feet sluggishly weaved through the dark halls. Every so often, his feet would drag on the stone-dirt pathway. Eddard felt tired and knew that he needed sustenance, not the slop that the 'king' had sent down to him.

He could easily tell that the mystery being was not a child of Tywin Lannister. The pace and footwork were not deliberate like Jaime's, nor light and graceful like Cersei, and the being was too tall to be Tyrion. Who else would be able to gain access to this secure area?

"Like Lord Varys, I serve the realm, sir. I've already lost one world to a force wielder. I shall not lose another." A female voice answered. She had finally revealed something about herself. Soon, her steps turned heavy, yet she possessed a slender build.

"What is this other world you speak of?" He paused to connect the dots. Zipporah.

"You are from Zipporah's world." The figure tensed at her name. "Do you know her?" He pressed with astonishment evident in his voice.

"I am, and no, not her. I knew her father and those like them." Silence ensued. She must have arrived before Zipporah and Han. If his memory served him, the woman before him had to die in order to be sent here. She had flawlessly integrated into their society. Unlike Zipporah and even Han, this woman was very adaptable.

It wasn't long til they reached the end of the tunnel, which dumped them out in a quiet, darkened corner of King's Landing. The woman beckoned him to follow, and he did. She navigated them through the streets and out of the city in matter of minutes. Upon reaching the city limits, the woman gestured for the older man to keep going.

"Thank you."

"Stop the war." The figured muttered as she was pulled into the shadows. Eddard glanced about. He thanked the old gods. The area was silent. No human life wandered about. Noting that he was adjacent to the King's Road, he began to trek along it. He kept out of sight but maintained an earshot with the road. The last thing he wanted to do was run into Lannister sympathizers. As he walked, his mind played over the past days' events.

Robert was gone.

The child of Cersei and Jaime was on the throne.

Peter Baelish betrayed House Stark.

His family was safe.

Winter was coming.

____________________________________

Zipporah slowly undressed. Her battle armor reeked of sweat and blood. Stripping it off, she twisted to see a hot bath drawn. In that moment, she wished that Gwen was there. The girl always had an encouraging facial expression, and at the moment, Zipporah could use all the encouragement in the world. The force within her was frazzled and warring against one another. 

Naive. 

She truly was. Zipporah wanted to kick her own ass for thinking that she could walk the fine line between the two sides. Her father would have told her that she was stupid, and yet, she believed that General Organa would have told her that she was ambitious, and she better watch herself. Her shoulders slouched in reply to her thoughts.

Releasing a sigh, she lowered herself into the water. Her muscles immediately relaxed. There was a moment where she felt relieved and that she could pretend that she was back in Winterfell with the rest of the Starks. Her eyes closed, mind wandered north, sought out Aiden, and found him. She sensed him still awake.

My bubbala. I love you. Your father and I miss you terribly.

Aiden whimpered with longing at her. I know Aiden. We miss you. Get some rest, my love.

She pulled back and settled into the tub. Pain rippled through her being. Her son needed her, yet she was here, fighting a war. A war that will end sooner rather than later. Her hearing picked up Robb and the other house leaders in a tent a little ways down. Zipporah didn't want to know. In fact, she had zero intentions of listening in, but then a loud, boisterous announcement was made.

"NEWS FROM KING'S LANDING!! LORD STARK IS MISSING!!"

"No, that can't be, I would have felt it." She whispered, or would she have? The battles and healing of the men had consumed her thoughts. She hadn't been listening to the waves of the force as much as she should have. Waves of shame hit her. How could she not have been checking on him?

Is he dead?! Robb's excitedly angry voice rang in her head.

Not that I can sense. The force is saying life. I can't get a clear lead, but he is not dead.

He did not reply to her. His emotions had clearly calmed, yet she could still feel his heart pounding. Perhaps he was receiving challenges from the other Lords about the war? This wasn't the time to pry. He was a grown man and did not need her at the moment. Sinking under the water, she let the water drowned out the noise. It was the most peaceful moment she could muster given her situation. With the noise gone, she could clearly think. The thoughts, at first, were of the present, but she pushed passed those, to her earlier ones. Her mind focused on the first time she had ever flown. The adrenaline rush, the stars zooming by, the feeling of freedom.

Freedom, real freedom, had escaped Zipporah the minute the First Order appeared in the Galaxy. She remember the first time she had heard one of their propaganda messages on the comm. A message filled with hate and darkness.

Pressure increased in her chest. Her body was telling her she needed air, but she knew better. A little longer.

Seconds passed, and they, in turn, turned to minutes. She held out til the last millisecond. She resurfaced for air, and that's when she heard it.

"KING IN THE NORTH."

"KING IN THE NORTH."

Her heart sank. They'd never be allowed to go home.

Robb glanced about the room. His men had decided to name him king. His mind wandered to the different stories his father had told him about House Stark ruling the North. Was it right for the North to demand independence?

"Robb, congratulations." Jon's tense voice broke him out of his musings. Jon had a smile tugging at his lips, but his eyes told a different story-a warning. This was big. It wasn't a new battle tactic or even a new law. It was an overhaul of the whole system. Jon could imagine Joffrey's face, the utter disbelief that the North was leaving.

"I do not believe congrats are in order. My wife is going to kill me." Robb joked with sad eyes. He had only ever wanted to live in Winterfell with Zipporah and Aiden. He did not need the whole North on his shoulders. His father could have easily done it, but Robb felt uncertain that he could. He knew his father wasn't dead, but he was missing, that was equally terrible. Would they be able to find him? Would the movement for independence die? Would the Starks rule the North?

"Be that as it may, she'll forgive you soon enough." Jon reasoned with a small laugh. He had never thought he'd see the day where the North would demand her independence from the ignorant southerners. The North was simply different, and she never truly belonged to the South.

"This is a mess, Jon. I just wanted father back." His voice whispered in anger. Jon nodded in reply. His cousin just had greatness thrusted upon him. His mind flashed to moment the Northern Lords had decided to say "fuck the South."

Flashback

"The proper course is clear: Pledge fealty to King Renly and move south to join our forces with his."An older lord challenged with arrogance. He paced back in and forth in the small, crowded tent.

" Renly is not the King." Robb muttered upon receiving a raven from the youngest Baratheon. Robb knew that he'd rather negotiate with Renly than Stannis. Stannis was known for his strict and even borderline abuse of law. Nevertheless, he would not dishonor Stannis like this lord was proposing.

"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, My Lord. He will put your father to death." The same lord challenged with indignation.

"That doesn't make Renly King. He's Robert's youngest brother. If Bran can't be Lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can't be King before Stannis." Robb reasoned with a level voice.

"Do you mean to declare us for Stannis?" The older Lord sneered.

" Renly is not right!" A lord shouted from Robb's right.

"My Lords." GreatJon joined in with an apprehensive facial expression.

" If we put ourselves behind Stannis ..." Another man began, but was soon cut off by Great-Jon's thunderous voice, "My Lords! Here is what I say to these two Kings ..." He paused and spit on the ground, generating a smirk from both Robb and Jon. GreatJon continued, "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the South? What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their Gods are wrong!" Most of the room chuckled at this charge.

"Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the Dragons we bowed to and now the Dragons are dead! There sits the only King I mean to bend my knee to..." he drew his sword and knelt before Robb " ... the King in the North!"

Robb's face displayed shock for but a moment, and he easily masked it with his practiced lord face. He stood up to speak, but another lord added, "I'll have peace on those terms. They can keep their Red Castle and their Iron Chair too. The King in the North!" He, too,drew his sword and knelt down before Robb.

Theon rose and questioned, "Am I your brother, now and always?"

"Now and always" Robb confirmed. Theon drew his sword and joined the other two on the ground. "My sword is yours, in victory and defeat from this day until my last day."

" The King in the North!" Greatjon boomed and the rest of the room followed, " The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North! The King in the North!"

End Flashback

Jon sighed. Robb also nodded but questioned aloud, "There is nothing I can do now? To return to Winterfell and live out my days with my wife and son?"

"Oh, you'll live those days, but you'll be a king." Theon cut in as he joined the duo.

Jon rolled his eyes at the Greyjoy, "Leave him be, Theon."

Theon smirked, "I didn't hear you declare for Robb."

"I didn't have to. We're blood brothers. He's a little older than aye. It's custom to keep one's mouth shut when you're second in line." Jon taunted. Robb smirked on the inside. Jon was becoming very good at lying. They were cousins, but the realm knew him as Jon Stark, legitimized bastard son of Eddard Stark. Theon raised an eyebrow at the two, "Fine. I'm going to go get some rest. Don't want my aim going south." Theon joked as he left them in peace.

Robb closed his eyes and murmured, "I better go talk to Zipporah. She must have heard the commotion."

"I'm sure she did, but she didn't come running." Jon pointed out. He knew Zi fairly well. She heard it, but she chose to ignore it. The added stress was not needed, nor was the extra attention. It was clear that the men knew that something was special about her. She fought beside them and miraculously healed them. There were murmurs of what they called her---the Goddess of the North. She was too stunning and gifted to be anything else.

"That's not good is it?" The young king asked with hopeful eyes.

"Probably not." Jon replied with a smirk. His cousin would never hear the end of it.

Zipporah sat, waiting for Robb to show up to their tent. She knew that he knew he was in trouble. He didn't fuss, didn't say no, nothing. Her husband just let it happen. Now, it was more than a rescue mission. It was a fight for independence. She glared at the floor. She'd already fought in a war for independence; she died. There was no way in the force that she'd let that happen again. Aiden needed her. Robb needed her. Hilariously enough, she needed them too.

The tent flap opened, revealing Robb and Greywind. "My love." He greeted in a cautious tone. His steel blue eyes took in her appearance: a simple white night gown, yet to him, she looked like the most beautiful being in the realm. While he was feeling attraction to her, she had her sky blue eyes trained on him with zero emotion. Her cold eyes scanned him. She could see how tired he was, and she could feel how nervous he was. How could she be mad at him?

"Robb." She stated in a quiet voice. Rising to her feet, her hands reached for his face. Their eyes fully connected. Zipporah knew that she could not remain angry with him. He did not introduce the idea, and how, in this world, could he have said "no"?

Robb could not resist anymore. He pressed his lips to hers. God how he had missed her lips. He took her head in his hands and let his hands weave into her wet hair. His movements were feverish and strong. He hadn't kissed her like this since they left Winterfell. Zipporah pulled back and smirked. "You thought you were in trouble?"

"I was ready to take whatever punishment you could come up with." He teased as he pulled off his gloves. Rolling her eyes, she reached up and helped him take off his heavy cloak and such.

"Who said you're not going to be punished?" She replied lowly. Her eyes flashed desire. Robb froze, unsure of what to say. Grinning, she quickly helped him undress. Taking him in, she raised an eyebrow and muttered, "First, though, you need a bath."

"But..." He tried to reason with her. Robb was ready now.

"Either you scrub off the death, or you sleep with GreyWind." Greywind thumped his tail in reply.

"Bath it is."