Jon's admission - unexpected and sudden - is enough to steal the breath from Ned's lungs, but rather than leave him gasping the way the news of Jon Arryn's death had done, he finds it bubbles a certain feeling of pride and returned affection in his gut. He is silent for a few moments as he attempts to collect his thoughts before reaching out for Jon's shoulder, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I love you, too, Jon," he finally concedes, voice thick and gruff with emotion. "I have since the moment they'd laid you in my arms. I know I didn't say it often enough when you were young, and I should've, but I'm saying it now. I might not be your father in blood, but nothing in the Seven Kingdoms could make me feel differently about you."