The room was silent, save for the soft cries of the twins. Lyanna lay still on the bed, her face pale and peaceful, her hands resting gently on her chest. The shadow lingered in the corner, its form flickering as it watched over her.


    It had felt the moment she passed—a sudden stillness, a quiet absence where her presence had been. But something was wrong. The shadow had expected her death to be the result of childbirth complications, but now it sensed something deeper, something darker.


    The twins, Jon and Mary, lay in their crib, their tiny forms radiating an unnatural warmth. The shadow drifted closer, its form shifting as it studied them. It could feel it now—the faint traces of magic that had once flowed through Lyanna, now entwined with the twins.


    They drained her, the shadow realized, its form flickering with unease. Her magic… her life force… it sustained them, and without it, she withered away.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The shadow’s thoughts churned. It had seen the spark of ice and fire within the twins, but it had not understood the cost. Now, it did. Magic came with a price, and Lyanna had paid it with her life, as did Arthur.


    Ned sat frozen, Lyanna’s hand still clasped in his. His chest heaved with silent sobs, his grief too vast to put into words. He had lost his sister—his fierce, wild, beloved sister—and the weight of her death threatened to crush him.


    But he had made a promise.


    He straightened, his jaw tightening as he wiped the tears from his face. He would not fail her. Not again.


    He turned to the twins, his expression softening as he took in their tiny forms. “Jon… Mary…” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “You’re all that’s left of her.”


    He reached out, his hand hovering over the crib as if unsure whether to touch them. Finally, he sighed and straightened, his resolve hardening.


    “We’ll take her home,” he said, his voice firm despite the tremor in his hands. “She’ll rest in the crypts, where she belongs. And you…” He looked at the twins, his eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination. “You’ll come to Winterfell. You’ll be safe there.”