Edric Dayne, Why aren't we talking about him?

[Ygrain]

5 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

Simply put we have no reason to believe Wylla was present at the birth or at the ToJ. Ned could also get a baby to Starfall without a wetnurse. Babies can go a very surprisingly long time without being fed, there are accounts of newborns being buried alive in an earthquake who survived a week without milk. Babies lay down a specific layer of fat which is there to provide calorific needs in the period post birth whilst awaiting milk to come in, which can take between 2-7 days.  Not to mention that Ned can quite simply waltz into the first village and grab a lactating woman stick her up on a horse and say your coming with me, I'll release you from my service once I can find a more permanent source of milk.  Or he can feign his wife having been killed on the rd, and beg women at each village to please feed his son. Or he can simply take someones goat if he gets desperate enough.  

I agree that being wetnurse doesn't necessarily imply that Wylla was present at ToJ - however, poising as Jon's mother suggests pretty early involvement in the coverup, and definitely pre-Starfall. If Ned had picked Wylla only at Starfall, she wouldn't have been able to claim there that she was Jon's mother because people would know it wasn't true.

[tugela]

6 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

Nope. Not true. It seems Lyanna died from childbed fever, and that would not cause her to be unable to produce milk or indeed breastfeed Jon herself right up to and for a short while, after if someone else positions baby in a manor where he can get a latch, her death. 

Simply put we have no reason to believe Wylla was present at the birth or at the ToJ. Ned could also get a baby to Starfall without a wetnurse. Babies can go a very surprisingly long time without being fed, there are accounts of newborns being buried alive in an earthquake who survived a week without milk. Babies lay down a specific layer of fat which is there to provide calorific needs in the period post birth whilst awaiting milk to come in, which can take between 2-7 days.  Not to mention that Ned can quite simply waltz into the first village and grab a lactating woman stick her up on a horse and say your coming with me, I'll release you from my service once I can find a more permanent source of milk.  Or he can feign his wife having been killed on the rd, and beg women at each village to please feed his son. Or he can simply take someones goat if he gets desperate enough.  

Highborn women in the medieval society did NOT breastfeed their children. That was a servant's job, and beneath them. You are thinking that their culture was the same as yours, that is your error.

[tugela]

1 hour ago, Ygrain said:

I agree that being wetnurse doesn't necessarily imply that Wylla was present at ToJ - however, poising as Jon's mother suggests pretty early involvement in the coverup, and definitely pre-Starfall. If Ned had picked Wylla only at Starfall, she wouldn't have been able to claim there that she was Jon's mother because people would know it wasn't true.

Someone had to be a wetnurse at TOJ, otherwise Jon would have died. Wylla is the most likely candidate.

[Ygrain]

16 minutes ago, tugela said:

Highborn women in the medieval society did NOT breastfeed their children. That was a servant's job, and beneath them. You are thinking that their culture was the same as yours, that is your error.

You really need to re-read the series because here highborn women DO breastfeed. Catelyn. Cersei. Lysa. Lady Glover. Joanna Lannister apparently, as well, or else Aerys wouldn't comment on her breasts after she had the twins.

15 minutes ago, tugela said:

Someone had to be a wetnurse at TOJ, otherwise Jon would have died. Wylla is the most likely candidate.

It is likely that there was a wetnurse at ToJ but, as The Weirwoods Eyes posted above, there are other options. 

[tugela]

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

No, that really REALLY is not how the books describe him at all. Rhaegar is described as dutiful, he is described as being, quiet, bookish, and that he only took up a sword because of something he read in a book. 

This is a world where a mans desirability hinges largely on his martial prowess, he sounds far more like the type of man who wasn't particularly interested in women at all.  And if not for being the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom he quite likely would not have been most women's ideal husband. Sure he was gorgeous, but looks really aren't everything, their society idealises swordsmanship, jousting and masculinity in it's most affected form. Robert Baratheon was the maidens fantasy. Big, bold, strong, lusty.

Rhaegar represents a different type of man, he only ever took up these things because of the PTWP prophesy. And Cersei lusted for him, but she only truly lusts for power. her attraction to Rhaegar hinged upon becoming his Queen. Sure he was hot, but to her that was just a bonus. We can ascertain from reading her POV that the only thing that really turns Cersei on is the idea of herself in power. No one else actually tells us they fancied Rhaegar as far as I recall? Catelyn? Lysa? these were the contemporary women of the day. And as far as I remember neither thinks of how Rhaegar was the ultimate man and everyone wanted to be his queen.  

Find me one quote that implies Rhaegar played the field. Because there is Nothing, not a thing which implies he did, the man was married at 20, and we hear nothing about previous lovers, bastards, or mistresses. We hear from Barristan that he was dutiful, which implies he took things seriously, in fact if there is one word I'd use to describe the man the books paint for us it is serious. 

Which brings me on to the big issue that presents itself with your theory. Barristan Selmy. Barristan was a KG, Barristan loved Ashara, so much so that it still haunts him to this day how her life was cut short by tragedy and heartbreak. Being a KG he was around Ashara a lot, that is after all how he came to fall in love with the beautiful handmaiden. He was also around Rhaegar a lot, saw the lad grow up I'd say. Given we know he served in the KG since roughly the year of Rhaegars birth. IF Rhaegar had been knocking Ashara off on the sly, Barristan would have been aware, and how do you think he would feel about this?

But instead of being angry at the selfish prick of a prince, he remembers the man with the fondness and admiration befitting someone whom you have observed grow his whole life and whom you see as having also died before their time for reasons which should have been prevented. He does not resent Rhaegar as one would the married man who was getting jiggy with your love interest.There is no jealousy at Rhaegar having caressed the woman he longed to hold in his arms. He does not spare a thought to how the prince ruined Ashara's life by getting her pregnant.

He thinks only of Stark, and Harrenhall, and Ashara possibly turning to him instead had he declared his feelings. Now why would an old man think he could have swayed Ashara from Rhaegars arms, if Rhaegar is the irresistible fanny magnet you claim. Surely compared to Rhaegar Targaryen Barristan was but a kitchen drab?Answer: because it was not Rhaegars bed he thought he may have been able to prevent her from ending up in. 

Now Ned, who does not think Rhaegar Targaryen the type of man to visit brothels.  Now of course Ned was not close to Rhaegar, he never visited KL as far as we know, let alone served and protected the boy his entire life like Barristan did. But they were peers and would have come across one another as such, from time to time. At tourneys and banquets etc. Ned fostered in the Vale with Rhaegars cousin would have of course come across the Prince occasionally. So we can assume his impression of the man is akin to that of say, "Yeah, met the guy a few times, seemed like a decent sort" type of assessment.

Which then gets coupled with whatever Lyanna told him as she extracted that promise. Which could range from He was my true love, we married under a weirwood with witnesses and this babe is his trueborn son, he treated me with respect and cherished me and my heart breaks at his loss, I go now to join him. Please keep our princeling safe.. To OMG that scumbag kidnapped me, he raped me repeatedly and I'm so glad he is dead, but this son of mine is his bastard and he is of my body too, so please keep him safe. I'm only comforted by the knowledge he can't ever do this to anyone else again.

Somehow given the distinct lack of animosity towards Rhaegar I suspect it went something more like the former than the latter in that regard. Which lets face it doesn't pain the picture of a serial adulterer and general fuck boy who diddled his way through every pretty maid he met. 

Then Lyanna herself. Who did not wish to marry Robert, because he was promiscuous. Sure he was the Westerosi ideal of manhood in every way, High Lord of a prestigious house, Warden of an entire region. Tall, strong, muscled and beautiful, immense prowess on the battlefield and in the tourney's he smashed the melee's. He was charismatic, entertaining, amusing, and well loved by his peers.

But Lyanna didn't want him, but wait! I just described the type of man you think Rhaegar was... Funny that that is exactly the type of man we know she rejected. And you are the one that keeps asserting Ashara and Lyanna must be the same type of woman.  

In fact we have nothing to hint at them being remotely alike in personality. Not one shred of evidence points to the two being in anyway similar. Ashara comes across in what very very little we do get describing her. As very much the courtly lady. Who do you think gets sent to be haindmaiden to the princess and future queen? The tomboyish, wild, wilful and idealistic young woman? Or the beautiful, well mannered, and talented in maidenly pursuits (ie, she maybe plays the bells beautifully, rather than sneaks off and stick fights with her brother) example of idealised Westerosi womanhood. She's in KL and on Dragonstone as a representative of Dorne, and as such would have been chosen for her ability to impress the court. Not likely that she was anything at all like Lyanna actually.  Add in the fact that she was likely Elia's actual honest to goodness friend. And your basically saying Rhaegar was so irresistible that she thought fuck it, I know he's by BFF's hubby but my god I just can't seem to keep my pants on. 

Finally we do not know or understand the exact circumstances surrounding Lyanna and Rhaegar's situation. So we cannot simply conclude he was led by his dick and acted rashly because his dick told him to stick it in that girl there, now repeatedly.

Many possibilities are at play here, love, inheritance, prophesy etc. 

And I must say that if this is your genuine view of men and their ability to keep it in their pants I feel very sorry for you. 

No one said that Rhaegar visited brothels. But we do know that he was obsessed with prophecy, and he needed three heads for his dragon. He had two, his wife could not make more, that meant he needed to have mistresses. That was his primary motivation. There would have been more than just Lyanna.

The book was pretty clear that women were swooning over him. Robert Baratheon would not have been every maidens fantasy, because the guy was a pig. He got drunk, was more interested in male company for socializing, had very little insight into what women wanted and saw women as objects to have sex with. Lyanna made that pretty clear. Rhaegar would have been more discrete than Robert. The sort of guy he would have been was the sorrowful smooth type, who knew how to present himself to women. Socially refined. He would have talked to them on serious matters as if they were equals. He would have given them respect. He is exactly the kind of guy who would have appealed to the myth of chivalry that highborn girls were brought up believing. He would have been very skilled in the art of courtly love, whereas Robert would have been a blundering buffoon to maidens, more interested in hunting and whoring and fighting than them. He was a thug, who excelled at the brawl of the melee, but was lacking in the chivalric arts of the joust. Robert was the exact opposite of a chivalrous knight as medieval society saw it. Rhaegar would have been seen by every highborn maiden who believed in courtly love as being the highest embodiment of chivalry. He absolutely would have been in high demand as an object of their desire. He could have had any he wished to have.

Ashara was described as having "laughing eyes", who danced with many men at Harrenhall, and was even so bold as to get Ned to dance with her after Brandon talked to her. At the end of Roberts rebellion she was in command of Starfall castle. She was no princess like Sansa, she was a bold confident girl like Lyanna.

[Lady Lia]

17 minutes ago, Ygrain said:

You really need to re-read the series because here highborn women DO breastfeed. Catelyn. Cersei. Lysa. Lady Glover. Joanna Lannister apparently, as well, or else Aerys wouldn't comment on her breasts after she had the twins. 

Queen Rhaella with Viserys too, until her milk dried up.

In our world, some highborn women in some times and places did feed their own children and some didn't. 'Medieval' covers several centuries and a lot of political/cultural divisions. Customs varied.

[AdesteFideles]

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

 I know, Sigh. I ought to know better, but it seems like there is a rash of R+A=D fanatics doing the rounds right now. And A woman hears the call to arms. 

It wouldn't surprise me if this was a knee-jerk reaction to the recent revelations in the show regarding certain Rhaegar and Lyanna theories.

Or to put it more simply, people are mad and don't want to believe the truth.

[Ygrain]

4 minutes ago, tugela said:

Ashara was described as having "laughing eyes", who danced with many men at Harrenhall, and was even so bold as to get Ned to dance with her after Brandon talked to her. At the end of Roberts rebellion she was in command of Starfall castle. She was no princess like Sansa, she was a bold confident girl like Lyanna.

Please, share with us your secret resources about the whereabouts of Ashara's father, mother and uncle (young Edric's father) etc. 

I would also like to hear what's so bold about dancing with a guy who wants to dance with you but is too shy to ask. Besides, even eleven-year-old Sansa knew her way in the society pretty well; now that we see her growing up, she's pretty much becoming bold and confident. Just in a different way than Lyanna.

2 minutes ago, Lady Lia said:

Queen Rhaella with Viserys too, until her milk dried up.

In our world, some highborn women in some times and places did feed their own children and some didn't. 'Medieval' covers several centuries and a lot of political/cultural divisions. Customs varied.

Ah, thanks for the reminder about Rhaella. That's as highborn as one gets.

[teej6]

On July 16, 2016 at 9:47 AM, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

I am actually genuinely pretty disgusted by this post. It plays into just about every gross myth about male sexuality there is. That; what, he just wouldn't be capable of restraining himself if there was an attractive woman about?  That Ashara MUST have been goo goo gaga over him, just because Cersei & Lyanna both fancied him and found his songs moving. What is that like? one of those cheesy Lynx adverts which shows all the girls running hysterically after the lad after he sprays himself? Why is it not unreasonable to assume he played the field? we have zero in text hints that he was a cad. As far as we are given any clues in text his desire for Lyanna is the only time he looked at another woman. As much as his and Elia's marriage was one of fondness and duty not passion. We have never been given any impression at all that he put it about and was copying his Da and knocking off his wife's handmaidens. Your implying that if a woman "throws herself" at a man he has no capacity to resist. That is just disgusting, and you do men in general a great disservice to imply that they have no control over their dicks. Cliche'd and sexist. I'm literally shaking my head at the idea that someone has really said of course he was knocking her off she was good looking and he had the opportunity. As though men have zero capacity to say no and women are unable to control themselves around good looking men. 

Maybe next time I walk past an attractive guy in the street my knickers will just fall off in response hey?  And I'd best watch myself around my friends husbands as they probably won't be able to help jumping my bones, I am an attractive woman after all. And a lot of them are musicians and after all we all know that if a woman likes your music her pants will automatically drop off.  Best wear my chastity belt tonight!!!!

Wow! that poster really ticked you off. Yeah, nowhere in the text does it imply that Rhaegar wasn't a dutiful husband until Lyanna came trotting along. In fact, you could argue that had Rhaegar been a cad or eyeing other women, all the smiles wouldn't have died when he crowned Lyanna QoLaB. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

13 hours ago, Ygrain said:

I agree that being wetnurse doesn't necessarily imply that Wylla was present at ToJ - however, poising as Jon's mother suggests pretty early involvement in the coverup, and definitely pre-Starfall. If Ned had picked Wylla only at Starfall, she wouldn't have been able to claim there that she was Jon's mother because people would know it wasn't true.

I agree she definitely came into the picture early on. I've been wondering recently if perhaps Wylla was engaged as a wetnurse by Ned on route to Starfall, and that after she returned from the North Starfall found a place for her. Which would add in yet more things Starfall have done for Ned, which wouldn't make sense if he'd got Ashara preggers, married another woman, killed Arthur and that these things led to Ashara's suicide.  I've come to realise that I assumed Wylla was already in Starfalls service because edric says she had served their house for years and years But to a 12 year old would 15 years be considered years and years? I was initially left thinking, Oh well she is an old wetnurse who would have been at Starfall for most of her life. But yeah he's 12. If she came to Starfall after she left Winterfell, and just took up service there. He could feasibly see her as having worked for them for years and years.  So I'm kinda begining to think that perhaps her engagement at Starfall was an arrangement made between Ned & the Lord there before he set off for WF. Kinda like this. 

"Ok Lord Dayne, I've got this young wet nurse, I picked her up in a small village on the way here.And I need her to come with me to Winterfell, but I am worried about her talking."

 "Lord Stark. I see the dilemma. I tell you what. Send her back here. I shall find a place for her. Here at Starfall we can ensure she is not tempted to tell her tale. There is always need of a woman with milk in a large castle. And I shall keep her well. She'll have no reason to talk my Lord." 

"Thank you Lord Dayne, Your House has done me a great service, I am forever in your debt."

" You are a most honourable man Lord Stark, we shall remember you well here."

ETA: Please excuse my cheesy dialogue. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

11 hours ago, tugela said:

Highborn women in the medieval society did NOT breastfeed their children. That was a servant's job, and beneath them. You are thinking that their culture was the same as yours, that is your error.

As has been pointed out to you. The text contradicts you here. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

11 hours ago, tugela said:

Someone had to be a wetnurse at TOJ, otherwise Jon would have died. Wylla is the most likely candidate.

Not true. Plus My god, do you really think a woman would see her baby go hungry rather than breastfeed? No matter If Westeros was as you think it was, and no highborn women at all breastfed. (Which as you've had pointed out to you is simply not true. There are multiple examples in the books of even the Queen herself nursing her own children.)  

You really think a feverish Lyanna would lay there saying, Nope not feeding him. I am above that kind of thing, what do you mean he's hungry. Find a wetnurse then. I'm NOT doing it. 

As I have already pointed out to you No he would not have died instantly. I will politely point out that I suspect I know a shit ton more about breastfeeding and lactation than you do, given that I have a qualification in it which required 3 years study, I run a breastfeeding support group, and have three children all of whom I nursed to pre schooler age. Just a guess but I don't think your knowledge will match mine on this particular subject. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

10 hours ago, tugela said:

No one said that Rhaegar visited brothels. But we do know that he was obsessed with prophecy, and he needed three heads for his dragon. He had two, his wife could not make more, that meant he needed to have mistresses. That was his primary motivation. There would have been more than just Lyanna.

The book was pretty clear that women were swooning over him. Robert Baratheon would not have been every maidens fantasy, because the guy was a pig. He got drunk, was more interested in male company for socializing, had very little insight into what women wanted and saw women as objects to have sex with. Lyanna made that pretty clear. Rhaegar would have been more discrete than Robert. The sort of guy he would have been was the sorrowful smooth type, who knew how to present himself to women. Socially refined. He would have talked to them on serious matters as if they were equals. He would have given them respect. He is exactly the kind of guy who would have appealed to the myth of chivalry that highborn girls were brought up believing. He would have been very skilled in the art of courtly love, whereas Robert would have been a blundering buffoon to maidens, more interested in hunting and whoring and fighting than them. He was a thug, who excelled at the brawl of the melee, but was lacking in the chivalric arts of the joust. Robert was the exact opposite of a chivalrous knight as medieval society saw it. Rhaegar would have been seen by every highborn maiden who believed in courtly love as being the highest embodiment of chivalry. He absolutely would have been in high demand as an object of their desire. He could have had any he wished to have.

Ashara was described as having "laughing eyes", who danced with many men at Harrenhall, and was even so bold as to get Ned to dance with her after Brandon talked to her. At the end of Roberts rebellion she was in command of Starfall castle. She was no princess like Sansa, she was a bold confident girl like Lyanna.

But nothing you are saying in any way matches the picture the author pains of him.  You make out that Rhaegar MUST have been a sleezey user. But nothing in anything anyone says of the man implies he was like that. And you have nothing to back up your opinion other than the extremely false and frankly offensive assertion that all men are incapable of resisting the urge to shag anything that moves and so he absolutely had to have had mistresses coming out  of his ears. 

I challenge you again; find me some quotes which back up your theory. Find me anything which implies he and Ashara had a sexual relationship. 

No she was not in command of Starfall. We have never been told she was. And even if she were that in no way implies she was the "same type" of woman as Lyanna. Hell Lyanna Mormont is in charge of her castle at 10 years old. And I'd seriously doubt you can assume from that that she would grow up to throw her kickers at a man just like Rhaegar. 

Your stretches make Plastic Man look rigid.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

11 hours ago, AdesteFideles said:

It wouldn't surprise me if this was a knee-jerk reaction to the recent revelations in the show regarding certain Rhaegar and Lyanna theories.

Or to put it more simply, people are mad and don't want to believe the truth.

Haha, yes I guess so. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

9 hours ago, teej6 said:

Wow! that poster really ticked you off. Yeah, nowhere in the text does it imply that Rhaegar wasn't a dutiful husband until Lyanna came trotting along. In fact, you could argue that had Rhaegar been a cad or eyeing other women, all the smiles wouldn't have died when he crowned Lyanna QoLaB. 

Yes, more evidence that he was not putting it about at all. No matter how "Discrete" Tugela thinks he must have been. Like I pointed out in my post. Barristan was by Rhaegars side his entire life. He was also in love with Ashara. If Rhaegar had been slipping her the D he'd have known. The KG keep the Kings (And the Princes too) secrets. They are closer than any other to the royal family, they guard them, are ever present and only posted outside of the room during nuptials. In fact I'd hazard a guess that staying outside only happens between the Royal couple. As who knows if some whore might in fact be a paid knife.  Their role will have included whatever the King asked of them, and if that means standing guard whilst he takes a shit - so be it.

Aerys was paranoid in the extreme the idea he would have left adolescent Rhaegar to his own devices is naive. If Rhaegar was a serial adulterer who seduced women simply because he could. The KG would have known. And if the KG know, Barristan knows, and if Barristan knows he ain't loving on the guys memory, cos he isn't happy about whoever it was who got Ashara pregnant. 

[Chib]

On 7/17/2016 at 7:35 PM, Lost Melnibonean said:

Since everything in ASOIAF is hereditary, it would explain why Jon digs Satin's curls so much. 

loll I like the idea

[Winter Rose Crown]

Hang on, I'm confused now. Edric Dayne is 12? Kids were typically breastfed to age 2 in 'medieval' times). Jon is 14. So she breastfed Jon for 2 years and then made a months-long journey south to starfall just in time to start nursing Edric? I guess his mother could have died/dried up when he was a few months old but the timing seems oddly convenient.

There is an SSM that says it took Ned months to get from ToJ to Winterfell, so would likely be just as long in reverse.

[Ygrain]

This is probably yet another point against Wylla being Jon's nurse in Winterfell. Wetnurses usually don't travel long distances, unless with a baby, or else they would have to "milk" themselves to sustain lactation.

IMHO, Wylla stayed at Starfall right away, perhaps to nurse another child (Allyria?) and Ned found a replacement who had no idea who Jon was or where he came from.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

1 hour ago, Ygrain said:

This is probably yet another point against Wylla being Jon's nurse in Winterfell. Wetnurses usually don't travel long distances, unless with a baby, or else they would have to "milk" themselves to sustain lactation.

IMHO, Wylla stayed at Starfall right away, perhaps to nurse another child (Allyria?) and Ned found a replacement who had no idea who Jon was or where he came from.

I have to admit this idea seems logical to me too. Wylla being his wet nurse does not mean she was the only woman to ever nurse him. The only thing which has ever persuaded me that she was the nurse in Winterfell is the fact that he would have needed a nurse for the return journey. But anyone who is lactating would have done. 

And your suggestion Wylla may have stayed at Starfall to nurse Allyria makes sense. If as so many assume; she is in fact Ashara's daughter. She'd have been an older baby by this point, and still needing milk, IF her mother disappeared presumed suicide during Ned's stay, he may well leave Wylla to nurse the child and take a different wet nurse to Winterfell, after all one who knows as little as possible about Jon's origins is best, given that servants gossip like the wind. 

Of course chances are Ashara wasn't allowed to nurse her baby, as that would kinda ruin the whole ruse. So Ned could have swapped nurses with Allyria's wet nurse in order to make the trail back to who Jon really is, more difficult to trace. 

There are plenty of options for what went on, plenty more than most at first assume. Another would be for Wylla to travel to Winterfell nursing Jon, and upon arrival Ned engages a local wet nurse and Wylla sails straight back to Dorne. And arrives home in more than enough time to nurse Edric. 

[The Broke Howard Hughes]

On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 11:28 PM, House Beaudreau said:

Edric Dayne is Lord of Starfall, a Major house of Dorne who happens to be riding with the Brotherhood without Banners and gives Arya some big time testimony in Storm of Swords about Jon snow. 

What I'm getting at is, 1. why do most of the R+L=J theories disregard everything he says to Arya about Jon real mother being Wylla. 2. if the known story was that Ned killed ser Arthur Dayne why would his family call him or allow him to go by Ned. the Daynes must see Ned Stark in some sort of positive light, Why? What did he do for the Daynes besides return the sword Dawn? 

If Wylla is not Jon snow's mother who did she give birth to? and if Jon was in Starfall because Ned brought him there after the tower of Joy, it would have been a short stay, not long enough for anyone to consider Jon and Edric milk brothers. Why would the people of Starfall tell Edric that Wylla is Jon Snows mother? Why tell Edric about Jon at all?   

Returning Dawn is a pretty big sign of respect though. How big of a jerk did Tywin look like for reforging Ice. It's a priceless family heirloom and Ned returning it shows the Dayne's that what happened with Arthur wasn't personal. I'd understand, it was war and all. Not to mention Brandon or Ned is probably Ashara's baby daddy. Ned likely planned on marrying her, or something along those lines but the war happened, and Cat became Lady Stark, they likely understood that too. My guess. They just liked Ned, he probably spent quite a bit of time there, hence why anyone would even believe he knocked some serving girl, or Ashara up. He had to be around otherwise the story wouldn't make sense.