What was the actual content of Ned's letter before his death?

[Spartan64Destiny]

I know this topic was more than likely posted some time in the past but I'm interested to read all the viewpoints and insights regarding this subject matter. After that interaction between Varys and Ned had taken place down in the dungeon quite a few very significant events had take place as listed as follows: 1) The Reed children, Jojen & Meera show up out of nowhere at the feast held in the Winterfell Great Keep. 2) Daenerys is warned about King Robert Baratheon's assassins attempting to take her life. 3) Maester Aemon of The Citadel reveals his true identity to Jon Snow.

[rystine]

IIRC, Ned didn't end up writing the letter. He was probably going to write Jon and tell him about his mother, but when Varys said he would read the letter before he sent it Ned decided to not write it afterall.

[Luthien Targaryen]

If I were Ned, I'd have written to Jon explaining who his real parents were. I guess the letter has gotten lost somewhere or gone astray if Varys thought he'd rather Jon didn't know.

1)I assumed the Reed kids' arrival at Winterfell was thanks to some green dream Jojen or somebody had had, ie due to some mystical stuff rather than a message in the post.

2)Jorah Mormont got a letter from someone, but i doubt it was from Ned, since he'd probably have burnt it on sight. Also hadn't Ned already announced that Robert had decided against bumping off Dany on his deathbed?

3) I'm not sure that Maester Aemon's surname is that big a deal. Jon's impressed, sure, but i got the impression that it was common knowledge, or an open secret amongst the Watch, which was only of significance to Jon because he was a new recruit and because there was a certain amount of sympathy between them as they both had to choose between the love of their families and their duty to the watch. If something terrible had happened to Yohn Royce for example, i can imagine Maester Aemon having the same conversation with Waymar.

Ned might have decided not to, since (providing R+L really does equal J) he'd kept the secret from his nearest and dearest for 14 years, and letters could be intercepted putting Jon in danger, so he might as well take the secret to the grave. Also Ned might have expected to have been allowed to take the Black, like everyone else did (except Joffrey and Ser Ilyn it seems) , and though, "oh well, I'll tell him myself."

[Welease Woger]

"Jon, let's talk about how I met your mother."

[RumHam]

I assumed the Reed kids' arrival at Winterfell was thanks to some green dream Jojen or somebody had had, ie due to some mystical stuff rather than a message in the post.

It's actually explicitly stated that this is the case

Meera Reed hung the net from her belt. “When Jojen told our lord father what he’d dreamed, he sent us to Winterfell.”

As for the letter I think Ned gave up on writing it when he decided to confess and take the black. Why trust Varys with it when he could just tell Jon at The Wall.

[Prince of the North]

I think it's important to remember that Varys didn't even promise that would deliver the letter. He said he would read it and then decide to send it or not. So, Ned very wisely did not write the letter that he wanted so desperately to write.

ETA: Good point, RumHam! Ned thought he'd be seeing Jon again anyway so he could tell him what he wanted to in any case. So he didn't write that letter in the end.

[Jô Maltese]

1) The Reed children, Jojen & Meera show up out of nowhere at the feast held in the Winterfell Great Keep. 2) Daenerys is warned about King Robert Baratheon's assassins attempting to take her life. 3) Maester Aemon of The Citadel reveals his true identity to Jon Snow.

1) RumHam and Luthien Targaryen have the truth of it.

2) My understanding is that Jorah simply disregarded his orders from Varys and was aware that other assassins would follow.

3) This has never happened, in fact Aemon died believing Dany was the only true PtWP.

IIRC, Ned didn't end up writing the letter. He was probably going to write Jon and tell him about his mother, but when Varys said he would read the letter before he sent it Ned decided to not write it afterall.

We do not know for sure, as the chapter ends before Varys / Ned's meeting is over. That said, as RumHam puts it, Ned may have given up on writing it when he decided to confess and take the black and tell Jon later when on the Wall. My feeling though is that Ned did write a letter but Varys kept it.

EDITED : grammar

[Spartan64Destiny]

1) RumHam and Luthien Targaryen have the truth of it.

2) My understanding is that Jorah simply disregarded his orders from Varys and was aware that other assassins would follow.

3) This has never happened, in fact Aemon died believing Dany was the only true PtWP.

We do not know for sure, as the chapter ends before Varys / Ned's meeting is over. That said, as RumHam puts it, Ned may have given up on writing it when he decided to confess and take the black and tell Jon later when on the Wall. My feeling though is that Ned did write a letter but Varys kept it.

EDITED : grammar

Yeah Jo, regarding your last statement, Varys keeping Ned's very last written letter and not sending it to the recipient is how I interpreted it as well reading that specific chapter over and over again along with replaying the dungeon scene.

[Ludd]

I rather think Ned wrote the letter and still has it - ie it is with his body

[Knight Of Winter]

As for the letter I think Ned gave up on writing it when he decided to confess and take the black. Why trust Varys with it when he could just tell Jon at The Wall.

This. Why would Ned write anything when Varys explicitly warns him he'll read the letter and use it to fit his purposes?

I rather think Ned wrote the letter and still has it - ie it is with his body

We know Ned's bones are traveling north. In order to separate bones from the flesh, Ned would have to be stripped and and his body cooked. And after all this, you think that whoever did that couldn't find one letter somewhere in Ned's clothes?

[joluoto]

If Ned wrote a letter, Varys most likely still has it. Or he burned it.

[Ice Turtle]

Not even Ned would write anything too obvious in it. At most it was to Howland: tell Jon about his mother, or simply tell him.