Editing Eddard Stark (section)

===Robert's Rebellion===
[[File:Tomasz Jedruszek Robert and Ned.jpg|thumb|[[Robert I Baratheon|Robert Baratheon]] and Eddard, by Tomasz Jedruszek © Fantasy Flight Games]]
With his father and brother dead, Eddard was now the [[Lord of Winterfell]]. He wanted to raise his banners to join [[Robert's Rebellion]], but getting from the [[Vale of Arryn]] to the [[north]] was complicated by the loyalty to the [[Iron Throne]] of [[Gulltown]], the Vale's chief port.{{Ref|AFFC|23}}{{Ref|ADWD|9}} Eddard crossed the [[Mountains of the Moon]] to the [[Fingers]] and hired a fisherman to bring him to [[White Harbor]] with a boat. They were caught by a storm on the [[Bite]] and the fisherman drowned. However, his daughter brought Eddard to the [[Three Sisters]]. When he arrived at [[Sisterton]], [[House Borrell]]'s maester urged [[Lord Borrell (father of Godric)|Lord Borrell]] to deliver Eddard's head to King [[Aerys II Targaryen]], but Lord Borrell, knowing that Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon had [[taking of Gulltown|taken Gulltown]] in the meantime, was unsure who would prevail in the conflict. Thus he let Ned leave for White Harbor, telling him to remain silent about his stay in Sisterton in case the rebellion failed.{{Ref|aDwD|9}}

Eddard called his banners, and marched south to join Robert, arriving with Lord [[Hoster Tully]] in time to turn the tide at the [[Battle of the Bells]].{{Ref|ASOS|29}} Afterward, he went to [[Riverrun]] to marry Hoster's elder daughter, [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn]], who had been betrothed to his brother [[Brandon Stark|Brandon]] before his death.{{Ref|AGOT|6}} Jon Arryn married Hoster's younger daughter, [[Lysa Arryn|Lysa]], in the same ceremony. [[Weddings of Catelyn and Lysa Tully|The double wedding]] bound [[House Tully]] to the rebels' cause.{{Ref|AGOT|2}}

The rebels won their decisive victory in the [[Battle of the Trident]], in which Robert killed Prince [[Rhaegar Targaryen]] in single combat at the [[ruby ford]]. Because Robert had been wounded by Rhaegar, it fell on Eddard to pursue the remnants of Aerys's armies to [[King's Landing]].{{Ref|AGOT|12}}

[[File:Eddard Jaime Aerys Iron Throne Room.jpg|thumb|Eddard, [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]], and [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys]] in the [[Iron Throne]] room, by Amok © Fantasy Flight Games]]

When Eddard arrived at the capital, Lord [[Tywin Lannister]]'s force had already sacked the city. Eddard had developed contempt for [[House Lannister]] during the rebellion, as Tywin had remained neutral in an apparent attempt to join the winning side in the end. Eddard's contempt increased when he learned that Tywin had conquered the city by treachery and that his men had brutally killed Rhaegar's wife, [[Elia Martell]], and children, [[Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Rhaegar)|Rhaenys]] and [[Aegon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar)|Aegon]]. In addition, Lannister flags were flying over the [[Red Keep]] when Eddard arrived and, as he rode into the throne room to claim the crown for Robert, he found King Aerys's body at the steps leading to the [[Iron Throne]], on which the king's killer, Ser [[Jaime Lannister]], was sitting.{{Ref|AGOT|12}}

Eddard felt the [[Sack of King's Landing]] dishonored Robert's cause. He was disappointed that Robert, upon arriving in the city, did not share his moral outrage and in particular defended the murder of Rhaegar's children. He also ignored Eddard's counsel that Jaime should be made to join the [[Night's Watch]] for breaking his oath as a knight of the [[Kingsguard]] by not protecting the king. Their disagreements created a rift between Eddard and Robert that not even Jon Arryn was able to breach.{{Ref|AGOT|2}}{{Ref|AGOT|12}}{{Ref|ASOS|36}}

Eddard left Robert in King's Landing and went to [[Storm's End]], where he lifted the [[Siege of Storm's End|siege of the castle]]. Lord [[Mace Tyrell]] and his armies yielded to Eddard without a fight.{{Ref|ASOS|19}} Afterwards, Eddard traveled to the [[Red Mountains]] of [[Dorne]] to liberate his sister [[Lyanna Stark|Lyanna]], who apparently was held at the [[tower of joy]]. When Eddard arrived along with six companions, he found the tower guarded by three members of the Kingsguard, [[Arthur Dayne]], [[Oswell Whent]], and Lord Commander [[Gerold Hightower]]. The resulting [[combat at the tower of joy|skirmish]] saw the deaths of all but Eddard and one companion, [[Howland Reed]].{{Ref|AGOT|39}} Eddard is said to have killed Arthur, the [[Sword of the Morning]], in single combat.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Dorne: The Andals Arrive}}

[[File:Ned Lyanna Death Promise.jpg|thumb|Eddard makes a promise to [[Lyanna Stark|Lyanna]] before her death, by Amok © Fantasy Flight Games]]

Unfortunately, when Eddard found Lyanna, she was already dying.{{Ref|AGOT|4}} Before her death, she made Eddard promise her something;{{Ref|AGOT|4}} what he promised her has not yet been revealed. The experience haunts Eddard and he recalls her ''"promise me"'' on multiple occasions.{{Ref|AGOT|12}}{{Ref|AGOT|47}}{{Ref|AGOT|58}} However, the shared grief over Lyanna led to his reconciliation with his friend, now King Robert I.{{Ref|AGOT|12}}

When Eddard returned home to [[Winterfell]], he brought with him his bastard son, [[Jon Snow]]. This strained the relationship with his wife [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn]], who had given birth to their son [[Robb Stark|Robb]] at [[Riverrun]] during the war. Eddard refused to speak to her about Jon's mother. However, stories concerning her identity circulated nonetheless. When Catelyn heard rumors that the boy's mother was the [[Dorne|Dornish]] noblewoman [[Ashara Dayne]], she confronted Eddard about it, but he told her in a brusque manner that the child was his blood and that was all she needed to know. He subsequently silenced the rumors about Ashara.{{Ref|AGOT|6}} [[Sansa Stark]] recalls hearing whispers that Jon's mother was common born.{{ref|AGOT|15}} Lord [[Edric Dayne]] believes that, rather than his aunt Ashara, Jon Snow's mother was a woman called [[Wylla]], who worked for [[House Dayne]] and at one point served as Edric's wet-nurse.{{Ref|ASOS|43}} When asked about the mother of his bastard son by King [[Robert I Baratheon]], Eddard also mentions the name Wylla.{{Ref|AGOT|12}} However, Lord [[Godric Borrell]] claims that the daughter of the fisherman who sneaked Eddard away from the Fingers gave birth to Jon Snow.{{Ref|ADWD|9}}

Eddard buried the bones of his deceased kin in the [[crypt of Winterfell]]. Breaking the tradition of only Stark kings and lords having statues, Ned had them carved for Brandon and Lyanna next to that of Lord Rickard.{{Ref|AGOT|66}} [[Barbrey Dustin]], now Lady of [[Barrowton]], resented that Eddard returned the horse but not the bones of her husband, Lord [[Willam Dustin|Willam]], who had died fighting alongside Ned in Dorne.{{Ref|ADWD|41}} Ned's younger brother, [[Benjen Stark|Benjen]], joined the [[Night's Watch]].{{Ref|AWOIAF|Benjen Stark}}