Would've, Could've, Should've // Ned Stark // Hayley Marshall

37. Ditsy Blondes

"I had fun, sorry for my sons interrogation." Hayley offered awkwardly when they got back. 

"Worth getting to see you smile all night." Ned assured. 

"You are a smooth talker." Hayley decided. "It's probably for the best they showed up, one of us might have done something he regretted in the morning." 

"One of us?" Ned countered. 

"Oh, Ned I wouldnt regret a thing. I'm not married." Hayley reminded him as she pat his chest heading back inside for the night. "Thanks for the drink, Lord Stark." She purred. 

"Where have you been?" The same question echoed both Catelyn's mouth and Rickons. Catelyn spat it like venom and Rickon questioned it through a tired yawn. 

"I was with your father." Hayley remarked reaching out for rickon. "Why?"

"I was with Lady Hayley." Ned informed Catelyn stiffly. "Why?"

"Why?" Both again questioned. Catelyn had huffed a breath rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Because he was being a great guy." Hayley remarked. 

"Because she saved Bran's life and I wanted to buy her a few drinks to thank you. She saved him, drinks, gold, nothing will ever repay her. So dont look at me like that." Ned demanded. 

"You are very late." They both remarked. Rickon wiped at his eyes reaching for Hayley pulling her into her chambers. Catelyn spat it through gritted teeth. 

"I'm sorry honey," Hayley coed, "You were waiting for me?" Rickon nodded. 

"I dont answer to you." Ned reminded Catelyn. "I am lord of winterfell, and since when do you care? You dont care. You wanted everything to be perfect and everything quickly fell apart. You hate everything and everyone and won't open up to anyone but the queen. She's a Lannister, you praise the ground she walks on."

"Yes." Again they echoed. Catelyn hated that Ned was acting like this. Rickon pulling his book out holding it up for Hayley. 

"You were supposed to ready me a story." Rickon remarked. "You have almost every night since you came, did you forget?"

"Of course not." Hayley declared. "Which story are we reading?"

"Of course I am Ned. She is the queen. She will be family when Sansa marries her son." Catelyn spat. 

"And me being a nice man to Hayley, after she helped out family. Cersei has done nothing, nothing at all but complain about the north just like her son and yet you praise her. Hayley is roberts mother. She is more important than Cersei to the king. The king. You forget that Hayley-"

"Is an imposter!" Catelyn shouted and her words were echoed by Cersei in another wing of the castle. 

"She knows something. She is going to ruin everything." Cersei hissed as she paced her chambers. 

"Or the kid forgot, he doesnt know, he has amnesia and we are out of the woods." Jaime corrected. 

"And if he's lying? Both of them. She will ruin us, we need to end this, end him." 

"Cersei-"

"No!" Cersei spat. "I already sent word, it will be done." 

"What will?" Jaime countered. 

"Need not worry, since you clearly wear the dress in this relationship. I will handle the heavy lifting." Cersei hissed. 

"Not literally though, you dont like to get your hands dirty." Jaime corrected as he headed out slamming the door. An echoed slam just a moment later came from Ned's chambers. He was having a good night, a great night and Catelyn had to bitch at him. Nothing happened. He didnt feel guilty, he did nothing wrong. Even if he had, he would not have felt any guilt. Then a thought came to him and he turned around moving to Hayleys chambers. If he was going to get yelled at for things he didnt do then he might as well do what he had been wanting to since the moment he saw Hayley. 

He knocked gently and heard voices he hesitated until he heard Rickon's laughter. 

"Yeah, Rapunzel, Rapunzel! He called out her name and she let down her hair, like a dummy." Hayley declared. 

"He climbed her hair?" Rickon questioned his shoulders rose and his face scrunched up. 

"He climbed her hair, yanking it, pulling it, it should have ripped right out of her head and he should have went splat." Hayley agreed. 

"And he wouldnt have you to save him like you did with Bran." Rickon remarked. 

"Thats right. But the hair didnt break it held on- because, fairytale." Hayley remarked and Ned stared back in on them. "He made it up to the top and... and... And he..." he hesitated her lips puckered. 

"And what?" Rickon questioned. 

"I dont actually know." Hayley remarked. "I dont remember... did he open the door and let her out because in fairy tales they always make the princesses ditsy blondes with no brains... like Cersei." 

"The queen?" Rickon questioned. 

"Yeah... you didnt hear that from me. Ignore that. I didnt say that, erase it from your little mind." Hayley instructed and Rickon laughed out. "They... lived happily ever after... but I dont remember how... but they did." Hayley assured. 

"How do you live happily ever after?" Ned pondered. 

"Make it up as you go." Hayley suggested. "Until happiness finds you."

"ANd when happiness finds you?" Ned questioned. 

"Hold tight and never let her go, Ned."