Chapter 1-Rebirth

He was dying. Darth Maul was dying. He had been struck down by Obi-wan Kenobi a second time. Only this time, the Force nor the Dark Side could save him. He was going to die on this dust ball of a planet at the hands of his most hated enemy. The one who crippled him in their first fight. The one who was at the forefront of his mind in seeking out to kill. There was no one else aside from his old master that the Zabrak from Dathomir wanted dead for all the pain the Jedi had caused him.

And now he wouldn't be able to do that.

And yet, the Jedi showed him a kindness by holding him. No gloating. No boasting. No witty comebacks over besting the Sith. Just calm understanding. It should have infuriated Maul, but his rage had died out with his body. Still, he could help but wonder what purpose this Jedi possessed to have the conviction needed to fight him? Who was the Jedi protecting from this far away?

Maul could only think of one reason but needed to hear it from the Jedi's own mouth.

"Tell me. Is it the chosen one?" asked Maul while Obi-wan Kenobi held him while dying.

The old Jedi paused and looked off in the distance to barely see a young child running to the homestead of his guardians.

"He is," replied Obi-wan with conviction in his voice.

"He…will…avenge us," whispered Maul, as if seeing a moment in the future from the Force and Obi-wan suspected the man before him did.

And gently closed Maul's now lifeless eyes.

(Netherworld of the Force)

Maul found himself surrounded by light. Up. Down. Left. Right. There it was all around him. Which he found to be strange since his dark deed in the past should have warranted him being sent some place dark. Some place where pain would be his newfound friend and unleashed upon his person daily for the lives he destroyed as a Sith.

So why was he here in a place surrounded by light?

"I can answer your questions running through your mind," said a voice behind him and made Maul turn to face someone he did not expect to see.

It was the Jedi Master he killed on Naboo all those years ago. Qui-Gon Jinn.

"You. You brought me here," whispered Maul hatefully and accusingly at the Jedi he once killed.

"Ironic isn't it. The man you killed brings you here instead of where you expect to be upon death. But you need not fear me in this place. I am not your enemy," said Qui-Gon calmly.

"If you weren't already dead, I would kill you again. And not so cleanly," growled Maul while Qui-Gon just looked on calmly.

"Even if we were alive and had weapons, you would be foolish to fight me a third time. You would gain nothing from it," remarked Qui-Gon with Maul narrowing his eyes at him.

"I would obtain the satisfaction of killing Kenobi's Master a second time," said Maul with the Jedi not being intimidated in the slightest.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Are you still curious as to why I brought you here?" asked Qui-Gon with Maul looking slightly cautious now.

"Possibly," answered Maul while Qui-Gon smiled further.

"I have need of you and your skills. Or rather a world far beyond the reach of the known galaxy has need of you and your skills," said Qui-Gon before the light in the room changed to planets and stars with only light being on the floor beneath them.

Until it zoomed onto a world Maul did not recognize.

"I am done being the pawn of others. The pawn of greater powers," said Maul before Qui-Gon could go any further.

"I am not asking you to be a pawn of others. Much less myself. I am asking you to help this one world in need of help. A world that will be consumed in untold darkness," said Qui-Gon while looking at this one world in sympathy.

"And why would I want to stop the darkness that is to come on this world?" asked Maul with the two now seeing it from the ground and on the frozen section of the Northern pole.

"Because this is the source of the darkness," said Qui-Gon with the two now staring at the army of the undead and the one who commanded them.

"What is that?" asked Maul in shock, awe, and horror at seeing this thing in front him with the ice crown similar to the Zabrak's own bone tips coming out of his skull.

"The Night King as he called by the people of this world. It is preindustrial society. No speeders, blasters, Lightsabers, starships, or anything else we take for granted during our lifetime," said Qui-Gon while he showed him the rest of the world and the different places around them.

"This is the world you want me to save? Some backwater planet where the Force is seen as magic and is used in such a crude manner?" asked Maul with Qui-Gon taking them back to the Northern section of the western continent.

"Yes. Of course, you could say no to this. You have that choice. However, would you honestly prefer the alternative if you refused?" asked Qui-Gon with a portal of darkness opening not even two feet away from Maul with the sounds of torment and screams being heard.

And deep down it made Maul exceedingly nervous. He knew that was his fate for things done as a Sith. Whether under Sidious's command or his own.

"What would I do exactly?" asked Maul before the portal closed and silenced his possible future there.

"You would possess the body of a young boy. A boy who one day become a man and fight this evil. In truth, you would merge with him. It is his destiny to bring an end to this darkness. However, there are those on this world who are power hungry, ambitious, and seek to keep their power by any means. Due to the boy's birth and the secret history surrounding his parents, the number of enemies who would no doubt seek his head, if discovered, are quite large," said Qui-Gon with sadness in his voice now as the events leading up to the mentioned child's birth and next few years played out to them.

They saw Robert's Rebellion and the hidden lie behind it all. The lie which gave those conspiring against House Targaryen the justification to wage their war. The aftermath of Robert winning and his crowning of being a King. How the man proved he was unfit to rule and was spiteful of all things Targaryen, even though he could claim a connection to them. How the people were angry and bitter with the way they were being ruled over. They only changed their tune when House Greyjoy rose in rebellion against the Stag Crown and the King was able to put them down.

Which led them to his moment regarding the boy where a single moment in time focused entirely on one Jon Snow. They were standing in the forest area quite a way from the impressive castle, the light snow falling from the sky with signs of it getting heavier later on.

They saw the young boy was currently being dragged out of a massive, impressively large castle named Winterfell in the dead of night, deep into the forest by a group of men and one woman following behind them. The single woman among the group kept a hooded veil over her head, concealing the identity of this one person from everyone else.

The two Force users watched when the boy was dropped on the ground onto his knees. He tried to get up, but his arms were held in place before the bag over his head was removed. He looked around seeing he was in the forests with the castle walls nowhere near in sight. The men around him looked from the boy to the one they were clearly giving orders to them.

The woman now standing in front of Jon Snow.

"Lady Stark, why?" asked Jon with the woman removing her veil from her head to glare hatefully at the boy in front of her.

"You know why bastard. You are a stain on my husband's honor. You are a constant living reminder, of his unfaithfulness to me during the rebellion. A birth from sin and lies! My husband may have felt it was right to bring you home to raise you here in this keep. To be prove he wasn't dishonorable in leaving a child like yourself alone. But I will not have it! My husband has been rumored to be killed during that damn rebellion by the Greyjoys. Meaning my son Robb will one day be the Lord of Winterfell. Until that time, I will rule over the North in his name until he is ready to come of age. As such, I will not have you living in the same castle, much less the same Kingdom as my son!" declared Catelyn Tully Stark, as she had received a message saying her husband had been gravely injured and possibly even dead before the return back to the North.

Meaning until the woman was told otherwise, she was in charge of the North until her nine-year-old son became old enough rule as the new Lord of the North.

"I don't want the North. I just want to live here with my family. To help them," said Jon, but his words only seemed to infuriate the woman.

"They are NOT your family. You are a bastard! You do not have the right to live in the same castle as my trueborn children. I will not allow you to taint and bewitch my children into believing you have good intentions. You are a creature of sin and lies. You will take what my son has and ruin everything in this Kingdom. I intend to stop it before such a thing starts," said Catelyn while her glare intensified despite one part of the woman reminding the Tully woman of the promise made to the Old Gods not that long ago when the boy had the Pox.

The Pox, which the boy obtained soon after to the initial prayer she made to the Seven asking the boy to be killed. She had prayed to the Old Gods to counter it. Asking them to take the disease away. To let the sick little boy, lying in that bed, completely helpless, live. In exchange, Catelyn would do two things that she thought would never come to the forefront of her mind if the Old Gods answered her prayers.

To make the boy a Stark. To love him as if he were her own child.

But when the boy recovered, Catelyn Tully Stark felt she could not honor the promise to the Old Gods like she thought. The bastard had fully recovered from the Pox and was getting stronger, smarter, and better at everything. It was as if he was born anew and was already showing signs of being better then Robb when it came to sparring in the yard.

The fear she felt over Jon being better at everything soon came to the forefront of Cat's mind. If the Northern Lords saw her husband's bastard as being more Northern over Robb, they may seek to have the boy become the new Lord of Winterfell over her own son. Oh, deep down Catelyn knew that would not happen with the way things were these days regarding bastards. But this was her husband's bastard son and even if he wasn't named a Stark, he had all the Stark features. The woman had tried to convince Jon discreetly about joining the Night's Watch in a few years. Telling him stories of the honorable men there who had forsaken all things for the selfless acts they do in protecting the realms of men from the Wildlings.

Unfortunately, Robb had heard some of the things she had told Jon and wondered if he should join the Night's Watch too. In a panic, Catelyn had to do damage control by telling her son that it was meant for those without true purpose in life. Being the heir and one day future Lord of House Stark, ruler of North and Winterfell was Robb's purpose in life that he could not shy away from.

Another unfortunate issue was Jon went to see Maester Luwin about the Night's Watch to confirm what Catelyn Stark was telling him was the truth. He had found her reasons for keeping Robb from joining yet wanting him to go instead a tad suspicious. When Maester Luwin had told the boy the truth about how the Night's Watch was not what it once was in terms of honorable people joining the organization, Lady Stark knew she had to act quickly to ensure the boy was unable to rise against her in the future.

Hence why she was here to do what needed to be done. The men here were Tully men. What few she could bring here to the North per her request when she married Ned and lived in the North. They were all loyal men of House Tully and followers of the Seven. Ned had been thoughtful enough to give her a small Sept to pray out of respect for her faith though she honestly wished it were bigger since it was only a matter of time before the number of people who followed the Seven grew in number in the North.

She intended to make that happen as the Lady of Winterfell in the near future.

"I don't want to ruin anything for Robb. Or Sansa. They are my family. I just want to help and be there for them. All I ever wanted was love. Love from my family. Love from my Father. Love of a mother," said Jon, but his words did nothing in terms of removing the hate from the woman's eyes.

"Enough! I will not hear your lies any longer," said Catelyn, as she pulled out a dagger, holding it tightly in her hand, which was shaking terribly with rage.

"Please Lady Stark. I am not an enemy of your son. I never was one. I can leave the North tonight. Go somewhere far from here. You don't have to kill me," said Jon with Catelyn sneering at him.

"And give you a chance to usurp my son in the future? To one day gather an army somewhere, return North and take what my son has here? To let your evil live to kill or defile my children? Never! You will die here bastard. You will die here in the snow where you belong. You will die with the Old Gods doing what I cannot and will not do. I give you that comfort knowing they will at least love you while the Seven curse your very existence," said Catelyn before stabbing Jon in the chest.

Not once. Not twice. Not thrice. Bu nine times. Each one driven harder into the boy while the woman let out her rage and hatred on the child with each thrust. And to make it a more defining moment for the Tully woman, she twisted the blade on the ninth thrust before pulling out the blade out to see her handiwork done.

Jon was in too much shock and in pain to scream out, which had only infuriated Catelyn more since she wanted him to scream. Scream like his whore of a mother no doubt did when she was lying with Ned all those years ago. Screaming in agony like his whore of mother did in bringing the child into the world and asking Ned to take care of his bastard child.

All she got was a slumped over body lying on its back staring up at the cloudy snow falling sky with lost, dazed, confused eyes with one hand trying to instinctively block the bleeding on one of the stab wounds on his body. She threw the dagger into the ground and began walking away from him with her men but stopped and turned to face one of them.

"Stay here until he dies. Let he snow bury the bastard. Once it covers him, you can return to Winterfell," said Catelyn with the man nodding.

"Well, that was depressing. Looks like the darkness is going to consume this world after all," remarked Maul while Qui-Gon glancing over at him.

"Perhaps. Unless you agree to the merger," replied Qui-Gon with Maul frowning and stared at Jon Snow for a long moment.

The bastard who was not really one. The bastard who could be a Prince and one day be King. A bastard who was meant to have so much more yet was denied. Even now, Maul could see him struggling to live. To continue breathing and survive the coming seconds in the darkness that was slowly consuming the boy as time went by. It reminded Maul of when he was sliced in half by Kenobi, struggling to live when by all accounts he should have died on Naboo. Channeling his Will into the Dark Side of the Force to live so he could one day have his revenge.

But this boy had no such hate. He was too pure. He wanted to live, but his upbringing made him afraid to rise up because no one would support him. The boy didn't complain because it would do absolutely nothing for him and tried to prove his worth. Maul could respect that. To earn his keep. To earn his right to be apart of something greater. To earn his right to have a seat at the table with everyone else.

"I'll do it. I will merge with him," said Maul finally after seeing enough.

"Just like that?" asked Qui-Gon curiously.

"Yes. He is too soft right now. His time in this place, living the life as he did will not make him stronger. It will weaken him. My spirit will ignite the fire within his own. The fire he needs. The fire this world needs if it is to survive the darkness we saw earlier," said Maul while knowing this would also balance his own spirit out so he wasn't a heartless warrior like he had been in the past.

"My thoughts exactly," said Qui-Gon calmly while Maul kneeled in front of the boy and put his hand on Jon's face with the nine-year-old almost reacting instinctively to the touch.

"What I do and how I do it when merging with this boy will be at my discretion. I assume you are aware this?" asked Maul with Qui-Gon nodding.

"I don't expect you behave in a manner befitting of a Jedi. But I don't believe you will walk the full path of the Sith either," said Qui-Gon with Maul slowly merging with Jon.

"And what do you expect me to become, Jedi?" asked Maul while glancing back at the man.

"Something better. Someone who is better. Someone this world needs. Someone who can help all the people in this world. To succeed where others have failed or refuse to do so for their own ambitions," answered Qui-Gon with Maul thinking it over in his mind.

To be someone better. He could definitely do that.

(With Jon Snow)

He didn't know how it happened. Only that it did. He was drowning in the darkness that was Stranger's embrace. He could feel it coming for him. Slowly. Jon tried to fight it. He really did. The boy didn't want to die. He wanted to live. To grow up. To make something of himself. To be more then a bastard in the eyes of others. For people to smile at him and say, "there goes Jon Snow!" with pride in their voice at having to know him. Or possibly be worthy of legitimization and be called Jon Stark. To sit at the table with his half-brother and half-sister along with any other siblings his Father had in the future.

Was it so much to ask? To have the love everyone else had? That was all he wanted from his family. Not a castle or keep. Not the gold House Stark might possess in its coffers. He just wanted love. Their love.

Alas, it would seem his desire for those things was lost now. The snow from the sky was falling heavily and his face would soon be covered like the rest of his body. The one man staying behind talked a bit about how he was glad Lady Stark had killed him. How bastards deserved to be killed for their lies and sinful births. How he was going to enjoy Lady Stark converting the North to the Seven and ripping the Weirwood tree out of Winterfell, drain the pool of water there, and making a grand Sept to signify the Old Gods power in the North was no more. How she was going to use her son to tame the North to the ways of the South and do what no other had done in the past through military conquest.

The man saying all of this before mumbling about how he had to go into the woods to take a piss.

'I don't want to die here. Not like this. I want to live. I must live. I MUST LIVE!' thought Jon while trying to rise from his snowy tomb but was too weak and tired to move under the heavy blanket it created on his body.

"And you will live child. But not as Jon Snow. You must die in order to be reborn into something more," said a smooth sounding voice that entered his mind.

'Who said that?' thought Jon while wondering if it was one of the Old Gods coming for him.

"Someone who is going to help you rise beyond your supposed station in life. Someone who will reveal the truth that was hidden by lies and deception. Someone who will use his power to see you and this world be remade," said the voice while Jon felt death coming toward him that much faster.

'How? And who are you?' thought Jon while almost seeing the mysterious figure smiling at him.

"I was once like you. We were pawns for greater powers. We played our parts for it was our purpose in life. And how were we rewarded? Betrayal. Pain. Suffering. Torture. Death. You didn't deserve this my boy. You have the blood of royalty in you and are destined to become…so much more," said the voice while Jon was trying to think about the words spoken.

'Royalty? I know House Stark has the blood of Kings in their veins, but all the same, I am just a bastard of the man descended from them. My claim is questionable at best,' thought Jon while the voice chuckled at him.

"Oh, my dear boy. You are far more then you know. You have the blood of royalty in your veins from two Houses. You are indeed destined to become so much more. But those on high will not allow it. There are people who would cast you down and end your life. Some would do it for glory, ambition, but most would do it…out of fear. Fear of you setting things right. Fear of you righting the wrongs those in power created or helped create," said the voice while Jon was confused.

'I don't understand,' thought Jon with the smooth voice making a small sound of understanding.

"Considering you are but a child kept from the knowledge and truth of the world, it is understandable you wouldn't know. You couldn't know. But we will change that in time," said the voice with a smile almost manifesting in Jon's mind.

'What do I call you?' thought Jon curiously while the presence chuckled.

"It is not what you can call me my dear boy. It is what you can call yourself when this is over," said the voice while Jon was even more confused.

'When what is over?' thought Jon before he felt the presence that went with the voice in his mind that now seemed to be covering his body.

"Our merging. You and I will become one. My knowledge. My power. Everything. Soon, all the lies you were told will die. The conspirators who hurt you and your family will be cast down. And the one thing you will desire above all else will be achieved," said the voice before Jon suddenly gasped loudly from the sudden power rushing through his body.

So much so his hand twitched and rose slightly underneath the snow that buried him.

'And what is it I would desire above all else?' thought Jon before the rush of power surged through him and he had enough strength to power out of the snow and sit up while gasping for breath.

"That is easy my dear boy. Revenge. You must have revenge," said the voice while Jon frowned slightly in thought about the idea since it didn't seem very honorable.

Of course, neither was it honorable for a woman to stab a defenseless boy nine times in the chest and twisting the blade on the ninth thrust.

"I don't believe this shit. I walk away for a short time to take a proper piss and shit in the forest, and this happens," said the man assigned to watch Jon die by Lady Stark.

Jon had struggled to rise from the ground, but Lady Stark's man wouldn't allow it. He walked over to the boy and kicked him in the ribs, knocking the boy over, and started to stomp on him several times. Jon had managed to grab the offending foot and redirect it enough for the man to stumble and fall into the snow.

Again, Jon tried to get up from the ground. But the man was on him again before he could fully stand and punched Jon in the cheek to knock him back on to the ground. The man was soon on him again, his knee on the boy's chest with hands on Jon's throat choking the life out of him. The anger in the man's eyes at a bastard child putting up a fight and the fear of failing his assignment given to him by the Lady of House Stark were clear in his eyes.

As for Jon, he was trying to survive this second attempt in a single day (or night) at the Stranger trying to claim him with his smaller hands grabbing the man's face. Trying to cause his would be killer discomfort in some fashion to make him release his grip on the boy's throat. Sadly, it only made the man angrier, as if Jon's defiance against death was a sin unto itself.

"Still think revenge is out of the question? Look at this man. He seeks to kill you. Not only on the order of the woman who stabbed you multiple times, but because he sees you as a waste of a life. He sees you as nothing. He sees you as filth. What right does he have to hate you? Because of that woman? He should not hate you regardless of your position in life. You can sense it can't you? His deep seeded hatred. It is unjust. It is immoral. It is dishonorable. Why not show him what true hate is my boy? Simply reach out and take from him what he does appreciate," said the voice while Jon struggled to understand while it became more and more difficult to breathe.

'How?' thought Jon while desperate at this point to live.

"Focus. Our merging is almost complete, but to fully understand what is about to happen, you must truly experience the power you now wield at your fingertips. Use your mind's eye. Focus on the man trying to kill you, feel his presence, feels his very life energy, and when a strong enough hand in your mind's eye has grabbed enough of it…pull!" commanded the voice with Jon doing as instructed, feeling the power within him grabbing the man from within, and started pulling the life energy into his body.

The man on top of Jon must have noticed something was incredibly wrong because he jerked his head up in surprise, feeling his strength starting to leave him. Releasing his grip on Jon's throat, the man tried to pry the boy's fingers from his face in the hopes of getting free from whatever was happening to him. But the grip Jon had on his face strong, unnaturally strong it seemed, and the longer the boy had a hold on his face the weaker he became.

"Magic. You are somehow using magic. Northern heathen. Not only should you die for being a bastard but using magic too. Now more then ever, the Seven compel me to end your blasphemous life!" stated the man while fear began to mix with his rage at the boy.

"Oh yes. You are in the wrong for using this power. Who was it that was trying to kill a child moments ago simply for being a child? Oh yes. Him! The man is hypocrite my boy. He uses his faith as an excuse to see you dead. For one thing or another. And yet, you can sense the man has more evil in his heart then he would ever admit. See his thoughts. See his secret desires. This man likes to touch little girls and boys while no one is watching. He even has dirty thoughts about your half-brother and half-sister but does not act on them because they are currently beyond his reach. But will that last forever. Who knows what will happen if he lives and returns to the castle? You must not give him the chance. Take what he does not deserve and use it to heal your injuries!" commanded the voice with Jon getting angrier from what he was seeing in this man's mind while draining him of life.

This man was using his faith as an excuse to kill him, yet between the two of them, Jon was the lesser evil here. This man loved to touch children and hurt them, which Jon knew from his own studies was a big fat sin to the Seven faith. Yet because Jon was born a bastard and used magic, he was the evil one between the two.

The voice was right. This man was a hypocrite and using his faith to hide it.

'He doesn't deserve to live. I need to kill him. Not just to protect myself, but to protect Robb and Sansa too,' thought Jon while delving deeper into the power he was using.

All the while fueling it with anger at the man. Anger at Lady Stark. Anger at the world. Anger at the sheer injustice he suffered from living in a world where he was treated like less than shit all because his Father slept with an unknown woman and had him as a result.

And the result of this proved itself in front of Jon's eyes by draining more of the man's lifeforce, ignoring his screams of pain and horror. Ignoring any possible feelings of guilt that he might have had after killing this man in order to live behind this contest of strength. Ignoring the feeling of his own body suddenly feeling better, stronger, and the pain from the knife wounds no longer existing.

It was at this point that Jon realized he wasn't' just killing this man by taking his lifeforce from him. Jon was healing his body in the process.

When it was over, the man Jon had killed was nothing but bones and cloth. The body was quickly thrown off and Jon found himself throwing up over the fact he killed someone with the end result on the snowy ground in front of him. And yet, despite it all, Jon did not feel any guilt over it. None. Why should he feel any? This man tried to finish the job Lady Stark started. This now dead man, who hated him simply for being a bastard and again later for using magic. This now dead man, who liked to do horrible things to children, if not fantasize about such things, and yet hid it knowing his own faith would punish him.

And all the while acted as if Jon was the bigger sinner between them. Fucking hypocrite.

"Well done young one. Well done. You have tapped into your power and stepped into a much larger world as a result," said the voice with Jon standing up fully and looking himself over.

'I can't stay here. I can't go back to Winterfell. I can't go home,' thought Jon with the presence in him making a noise of agreement.

"True. But is it really your home? Truly your home? With your 'Father' gone, his wife is now in charge of Winterfell. And we both know what will happen if you return to the castle," commented the voice while Jon winced since he did know.

Lady Stark would have him arrested for one reason or another. Lie to make Jon appear to be a demon in human skin. Throw him in the cells for Gods know how long. Possibly force him to join the Night's Watch in some sick attempt to bind him to a group that forsakes the claim to any inheritance. And if the vows were broken in any way, the punishment would be death. Something Jon was sure Lady Stark would almost wish him to do.

'So, what do I do?' thought Jon since he couldn't go home without risking imprisonment or execution.

"Simple. Go into the world. Learn. Walk among the people. See new things. Experience new things. Let those who wronged you grow weaker while you grow stronger. Let them become fat and lazy. Let them sit in their cradle of power. Believing themselves safe. Protected from their now dead enemies. Let them be deceived by the very truth they wish to stay buried. Until finally, when the time is right, you will be able to return, and when you do…only then will the truth be revealed to cast them down," said the voice with Jon now looking around and saw the dead man's cloak under a nearby tree.

'Lady Stark might suspect something when her man doesn't return,' thought Jon with the voice making noise indicating he was right.

"Perhaps. But what can she do? Send more men after you? It would be suspicious. Oh, I imagine she will make up some story about you showing your true nature. But it matters not. She won't send anyone out to hunt you down. What does matter is your means to survive this day and thrive in the chaos that is to come. You will go through a transformation not seen in this lifetime," said the voice with Jon grabbing the cloak from the snow and wrapped it around his form though it was clearly meant for an adult and not a child.

'I can't go by the name Jon Snow anymore. What do I call myself?' thought Jon while the presence in his mind smiled further.

"You can call yourself by the name I once went by when alive. A name that brought fear, yet respect. A name that signified me as a hunter," said the voice almost eagerly.

'And what name is that?' thought Jon curiously.

"Maul. You may call yourself…Maul!" said Maul with Jon feeling his connection between them growing stronger and feeling their minds merging even faster.

(King's Landing-Weeks Later)

Jon Snow was dead. The young boy now calling himself Maul had emerged. His once naive eyes had now become cold and serious. A rage and hatred were hidden behind his eyes. They had seen what had truly befallen the Seven Kingdoms on the way to King's Landing. Seeing the people suffering under the Stag's rule. Seeing the city slowly falling apart, smelling like shit, seeing the people in the poorest sections of the capital starving for food and shelter. Most of the women being so desperate by whoring themselves for coin all to stay alive or feed their families.

During his travel to the capital, Maul felt the merger with the Sith spirit complete itself. The two merging to balance the other out. The Sith's fire igniting his own. The connection to the Force, understanding the cosmic power, and using it properly flooded his mind when both awake and asleep. And not just on how to use the Force itself. The reborn Maul even had memories of his predecessor's fighting styles, forms, knowing how to plan and strategize.

All that was left was to test those things in the here and now. But the time was not right. He didn't have the weapon he wanted to use it. One day soon he would get what his mind's eye saw vividly in his head to use against his enemies.

He just had to get to his destination in order to obtain it.

'To think, this is what has become of the capital since the Stag took over. From what I have heard, the man drinks too much wine, does nothing for the people, and sleeps with whores and wenches every chance he gets. And those around him let the fool do what he wishes while scheming to achieve more power in the process. The place is decaying and will continue to do so for nearly another decade. By that point, this place might as well be called Shit's Landing instead of King's Landing,' thought Maul while he made his way to the docks to buy passage to a ship heading for Braavos. He could have taken a ship in the North at White Harbor, but Maul didn't want to risk someone recognizing him there since he had gone their a few times when with Lord Stark on business.

The death of a stupidly wealthy and fat merchant in his home had helped provide the boy with the funds needed to afford such a thing. Oh, he imagined someone would investigate the fat man's death. But by the time they did, many days from now, Maul had every intention of being in Braavos with no one being the wiser in believing a nine-year-old boy had killed someone in their own home.

With the Captain of the ship paid heavily in both for passage and silence of his presence, Maul sat in his own cabin alone in deep mediation. Feeling the Force pulsing within his body. The world pulsing in sync with his own presence. Feeling the cosmic energy surrounding him. Feeding him. Fueling him. Guiding him. Showing the boy things kept buried in the past that people didn't want brought to light and it only fueled the darkness within him.

'One day in the future Usurper. One day, all you have will be cast down. The revenge of the dragon will be upon you and all that is yours will die,' thought Maul with a smile on his face and wondered what his so-called Father would think of him now with such plans.

As it turns out, Lord Stark did not perish from his supposed injuries when fighting at the siege of Pike to put down the Greyjoy Rebellion. He was injured of course. But nothing fatal that would warrant his end. The message itself had been written prematurely and by someone who clearly wanted others to believe Lord Stark was not going to last long. Another schemer trying to manipulate the board was at work no doubt. And the delay for Lord Stark, the King, and everyone else to get back home had been delayed due to a storm at sea from what he heard people in taverns when in the capital. By the time Lord Stark did return to Winterfell, he would be in for quite a shock over the fact Jon Snow was no longer there. Maul wondered if Lord Stark would actually investigate on the boy's disappearance? Or, if he would take his wife's word on his "son" showing his "true nature" to her?

And should he find out the truth? How would Lord Stark take it? Cast his wife aside? Or would he forgive her over time? Would he tell the woman the truth about the boy's parentage? Or would he simply keep them all buried like the dead bodies in the crypts beneath Winterfell?

In the end, Maul felt it didn't matter. One day, he would return the Seven Kingdoms. He would return and demand answers from the man he called Father. If Lord Stark refused to answer or speak the truth of his true identity, Maul would make him.

One way or another.

(A/N: YAY! I made a new fic. I know you guys want me to work on my older ones and I will do that. But I had to get this one chapter out of my head before I could start working on anything else. It was driving me nuts! I had to get this out of my head before it stopped me from continuing working on any of my other fics. Until next time…PEACE!)