The next day, Ned stood before the assembled ranks of the Stone Watch and the elite guard of his own household, the men he would be leading south to war.
They had planned to rendezvous with his other bannermen along the Kingsroad, and Ned had calculated the total strength of the Northmen joining him to be between five and six thousand strong.
It was while he was delivering a rousing speech to his men, his voice carrying over the cold morning wind, that he noticed Ra approaching.
The Custodian rode atop his horse, clad in full, gleaming armor that seemed to absorb the pale sunlight rather than reflect it.
"I have good news for you, men," Ned shouted to the crowd, raising his voice just as Ra reached him and took a place by his side.
"The Bright Butcher has procured his Lady wife, Princess Elia's, leave to join us in this war," Ned announced, gesturing to Ra with an open palm and a rare, mischievous glint in his eye only visible to Ra.
The declaration was met with a thunderous roar of approval from the men around them. They knew the value of having such a warrior in their vanguard.
However, amidst the cheering, Ned could distinctly hear the low, rumbling growl emanating from Ra beside him.
The Lord of Winterfell wisely ignored the threatening sound, relaxing his reins to urge his horse forward and signaling the column to move.
Ra could only glance sharply at Ned, his gaze promising retribution for the jest, before he nudged his own mount to follow.
However, they had barely cleared the castle gates when Ra suddenly paused. He pulled on his reins, bringing his destrier to a halt, and raised a gauntleted hand to signal the march to stop.
"Come out, girl," Ra called out, his gaze fixed intently on one of the covered supply carts near the rear of the vanguard.
He sighed heavily when he received no response. With a shake of his head, he commanded his horse toward the cart and dismounted with a heavy clanking of steel.
Ra ripped back the canvas cloth covering the cart. Without even looking, he plunged his hand between the barrels of salted meat, moving his arm around as if searching for a mouse in a box.
"What do we have here?" he muttered.
He pulled his hand up, and with it came a girl suspended in his grasp by the back of her tunic.
"I did not expect such behavior from you, Lady Alysane," Ned chided the girl, riding back to witness the scene with a shake of his head.
"You did not?" Ra asked, looking up at Ned in utter confusion.
The men around them roared in laughter at the sight of the fierce little bear dangling like a cub, while Ned just placed a gloved hand on his brow in exasperation.
"Forgive me, My Lord. However, I must represent House Mormont in the war to show our loyalty," Alysane started in a low voice that gained more fervor the more she spoke.
"The head of House Mormont, Lord Jorah Mormont himself, will be joining us for the war, My Lady," Ned answered flatly, cutting off her argument at the knees.
He left the girl with no more room for debate as he turned his horse back around and rode away to the front of the column.
"If you leave me back at the castle, I will just steal a horse and ride back to join you again," Alysane stated defiantly to Ra after Ned had ridden away.
"I will just tie you to a tree before I leave then," Ra answered flatly, lifting her effortlessly and placing her on the saddle in front of him before he mounted behind her.
Alysane's eyes darted around in thought as Ra turned the horse back toward Winterfell, fully intending to deposit her there.
"I have my axe with me. I will just cut the rope and follow you back," she answered with a smug, triumphant smile.
"Thank you for telling me," Ra drawled.
He reached down and deftly unhooked the hand axe tied at her hip before tucking it into his own belt behind him.
"Give it back to me, damn you!" Alysane shouted, twisting in the saddle to try and reclaim her weapon.
Ra simply held her arms gently with one hand to restrain her flailing.
"I am a she-bear! Let me join you!" Alysane resorted to whining, her struggles ceasing as desperation set in.
"You are still a child. And no child under my watch will experience war," Ra stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Ra had grown up in Nightshade, a place where concepts like human rights existed, unlike the seven kingdoms and children were fiercely protected.
With these values ingrained in his very soul, taking a child to a battlefield was anathema to him.
"I will be safe, you will be with me," Alysane protested as Ra dismounted after reaching the castle courtyard. He held out his arms to help her down.
Ra sighed, the sound echoing in his helmet. He reached up and removed the helm and his gauntlets, placing them on the saddle before kneeling to the girl's level.
"A war is not just about fighting, little bear. It shows you ugly, disgusting truths. Truths I do not wish for you to know yet, or ever if I can help it," he said gently, reaching out to caress her cheek with his thumb.
"I grew up on Bear Island," Alysane whispered, her voice trembling slightly. She took his large hand in both of her small ones. "I have seen Ironborn raids. I already know."
She looked him in the eye, her gaze hard and mature beyond her years.
"I am of fourteen name days now. Whether you may like it or not, girls my age are told to kill ourselves if an Ironborn enters our house," she added, tightening her grip on his hand.
Ra lowered his head with a heavy sigh. The brutal reality of this world clashed violently with the morals of his upbringing.
He knew it would hurt the girl deeply if he did not let her join. She might even think he had not deemed her good enough, or that he did not respect the culture she was born into.
He felt the little girl, whom he had come to think of like a daughter, wrap her arms around his neck and hold him close.
"Please? I just wish to fight beside you," she pleaded gently into his ear.
Meanwhile, Ned and the small army marched along at a steady pace. The Lord of Winterfell had fully expected Ra to simply leave Alysane back at the keep and rejoin them shortly.
He could only look ahead blankly when he saw Ra galloping toward them, a cloud of dust rising in his wake, with Alysane sitting proudly in the saddle before him.
Ra joined him a moment later, slowing his horse to match Ned's pace. He did not speak, his expression unreadable behind his helmet.
The only sound between them was Alysane humming a victorious tune to herself, a bright smile on her face as her head bobbed from side to side.
They marched down the Kingsroad, the army swelling in size as more and more bannermen joined them along the way.
Alysane and Jorah had a warm, greeting when the main host finally linked up with Jorah's contingent.
There were no women in the Mormont force, as Jorah had commanded them to remain behind to defend the island in case of any surprise attacks from the Ironborn reavers.
It took them a little more than half a moon of hard marching to reach the ruins of Moat Cailin, allowing them safe entry into the Riverlands. From there, they made for the coast.
It was at Seagard where they finally met up with Robert Baratheon and the Royal Army. The town was a hive of activity, with ships being readied in the harbor to depart for Pyke.
"Ned!" Robert boomed, his voice thunderous as he crushed Ned in a hug the moment the Northern Lord dismounted.
"Now we show that mad fuck what the Stag and the Wolf can do!" the King added with a booming laugh that shook the birds from the nearby trees.
Robert had grown wider compared to the last time Ned had met the man, the easy life of a King taking its toll.
Yet, it was not by much, and one could still clearly see the terrifying warrior beneath the velvet. He towered over most men, his stature grand and his presence overwhelming.
And it was clear he still trained.
A low growl escaped the King's lips when he saw Ra dismounting his horse nearby and helping Alysane down.
The girl quickly scurried off to join Jorah, while the attention of most of the assembled Lords shifted to the Custodian. Ra was used to the scrutiny by this point.
He walked over to stand beside Ned at an easy pace, nodding back to Jason Mallister, Jaime Lannister, and several other lords who were giving him appreciative nods.
Ra only gave Robert a cursory glance before moving over to the Lords who welcomed him, eager to speak with the man of legend.
"It is good to see you, Ser," Jaime Lannister was the first to greet him, holding out his hand for a handshake, which Ra accepted firmly.
"I must say, the Ironborn will be able to see us approaching from miles away with you gleaming on a ship's deck like a beacon," Jaime added with a chuckle, eyeing Ra's pristine armor.
"Will they now?" Ra replied with a smirk. "I suppose that will give them time to dig holes for us to bury their dead bodies."
His retort was met with approving chuckles and solemn nods from the Lords around them, the grim humor settling well with men about to sail into war.