King's Landing 298 AC.
Benjen.
Trying to settle into his new life was hard for a variety of reasons, the place itself, his new role, his worry for his nephew, and that he believed he was starting to have feelings for Val. At first, he had thought it was because they were both outsiders here in a way, neither of them used to life in a city or setting like King's Landing or the Red Keep. Then he was starting to be more sure that it was the woman herself, she was irreverent, funny, fierce and despite looking nothing like her, in spirit and personality, she reminded him of Lyanna a little. Especially when he saw her fight. True Lyanna had only done so in jest but there was something about how Val moved that brought up memories of his sister in him.
Other than Val, there were other things his mind had been having trouble with while he was here. Seeing and speaking to Aemon Targaryen almost had him running from the room, so shocked was he by the man's appearance. Aemon looking younger than even he did. It had shocked him so much that he'd ended up going to speak to Ser Alliser and Ser Jaremy to see if they had seen the former Maester, just so he could know that he wasn't losing his mind. Both men telling him that they had and they too didn't know what to make of it.
The biggest shock to his system though wasn't his growing feelings for Val, how Aemon now looked, or even what was to happen with Cat. It was finding out that Brandon had married and had a son. More the first part if he was being truthful to himself as he'd always suspected that his brother may have had a bastard or two out there. That Cregan was Brandon's son was clear to see, that Brandon had married his mother and the boy was true was a huge shock and he'd argued with Ned about it when he'd told him.
"You never told me, Ned. I have another nephew and you never even thought to tell me." he said loudly as he paced his room.
"At the time it wasn't my secret to tell and you were at the Wall, Benjen. There was no way I was sending it in a damn raven." Ned replied.
"You could have sent for me." he said his voice high.
"After how many times I did? No, on this I'll not be told I was wrong, Benjen. I've made enough mistakes to know when I didn't make one. What use would it have been had you known earlier? Cregan and Ashara were in the West and you were at the Wall, what use would the knowledge have done you?"
"I'd have known, Ned." he said almost defeated.
"Aye, you would have but you'd have still been all the way down there and Cregan all the way up here. I didn't tell you to keep it from you, Ben, at first it wasn't my secret to tell, and by the time it was we were already here." Ned said.
In the end, he'd accepted his brother's words, he'd not been best pleased about it, and though his anger had faded it had not completely gone away. Benjen asked to meet Cregan and Ashara as soon as he could and was surprised just how quickly the invite came. He'd strolled nervously to their rooms and knocked on the door. Finding it opened not by Cregan or Ashara but by Gerion Lannister who along with his daughter, a girl his nephew was most fond of, let him into the room and made their way from it, giving him privacy with his nephew and his goodsister.
"Benjen, please sit." Ashara said, Benjen looking to the woman, her son, and the black wolf that lay on the floor, smiling when he saw that his nephew too had a wolf as his other cousins did.
"Lady Ashara." he said with a nod as he did as she bid.
"Ashara, Benjen." the woman said with a smile "This is my son, your nephew, Cregan."
