It was a beautiful night. The snow was powdery and laid thick on the ground, the trees, towers and rooftops on and around Winterfell. Only the torches crackling and the occasional wolf howling could be heard. Maya Umber stood as still as any seventeen year old being married away against their will could. She was clad in a long white dress with jewelry and for the purpose of not freezing she also had a big coat of fur with the giant of the Umbers covering her shoulders. It had taken several hours to comb out and put in place Mayas long and tangled hair. Her great-uncle Hoter Umber stood by her side.
"Who comes before the old gods this night?" a soft voice spoke to Mayas great-uncle. "Maya of the house Umber…" he answered. "Comes here to be wed. A woman grown, trueborn and noble. She come to beg the blessing of the gods" he continued in his dark rasping voice. He took and a long breath and asked "Who comes to claim her?" Another voice almost as soft as the one Maya had heard before spoke "Domeric of house Bolton, Heir to Winterfell. Who gives her?" Domeric was clad in black linens and a pink cloak wearing the flayed man of house Bolton. A lock of his hair had loosened from the tight pony tail he wore this night and landed on his forehead. With a curious look he watched Maya with mix of of genuine warmth and the cold ruthlessness of which the Boltons knew everything about.
"Hoter of house Umber, her great-uncle and castellan of the Last Heart" Hother said. "Lady Maya, will you take this man?" The Leech lord asked her. Maya swallowed and took a step forward. " I take this man" she almost whispered forward. Domeric took off his glove and stretched out his hand for her to grab it. She reached for it and put her small soft hand into his. Domeric looked her right in the eyes whilst she took the two or three steps to him and they both kneeled down In front of the large weirwood tree in the gods wood of Winterfell. As Maya squinted towards Dominic on his knees in front of his gods she could distinguish a smile on his face. After what she had heard about the Boltons this was a small relief for her. They stood up and Domeric opened his mouth. "Will you please turn around my lady?" She did as she was asked and remove her fur. His father handed him a cloak wearing the flayed man and Domeric wrapped it around her shoulders. She turned towards him and took his hand before he began to lead her back to the castle.
She was glad that it was this Bolton and not the bastard brother of his she had gotten to wed. He stood their ugly as he was, together with his men-at-arms and grinned at the newlywed couple. Maya had not been given a chance to really get familiar with the bastard but she had heard tales of his cruelty. How he and his men known as "the bastards boys" used to hunt down and kill innocent girls in the woods outside of the Dreadfort. She did not even want to know what he had done to poor Theon Greyjoy or "Reek" as he was known by now. Why Lord Roose had taken him in to his fold and even made him the heir to the Dreadfort was beyond Mayas understanding. Sure there had to be a lord in both Winterfell and the Dreadfort but why he could not raise on of his men to this positon was a big clue in her book.
On the other side of the couple stood the men loyal to house Umber. Or well at least loyal to Hoter Umber, mostly old men and one or two green boys. When her father marched south he took with him most of the fighting abled men. The thought of perhaps never see her father again and definitely never see her beloved older brother again she felt sad. But it was what it was and she had to stay focus at the task before her. To get pregnant with the future Lord Paramount of the North.
Domeric had a soft touch and held her hand up as he led her from the gods wood and back to his chambers. "Have I done anything offend you my lady?" Domeric said as he looked he right in to the eyes. "N-no, why would think that my lord?" She responded with a bit of shock in her voice. He smiled. "I was just making sure"
That night Lord Domeric claimed Mayas maidenhood. She could not claim that she had enjoyed it, but he had been as gentle as he could. He had had her many time during the night and when she finally could lay down rest she thought about everything that had happened. How her father had rallied the men sworn to the Umbers and marched south with the rest of Robb Starks army. They said that her father was the first man to name him king and to swear him fealty. Now Robb was dead and she lay next to the man whose father had killed him as well as many other good northerners. Like her brother for example. The brother of her great-uncle Hoter had choosen a completely different path and aligned himself with Stannis, the demon worshipping brother of the late king Bob. Somewhere out there they were marching for this very castle and they would kill every Bolton who is in their path. Maya just hoped she was not to be counted amongst those.
The next day Maya woke up in the cold and poorly lit big room. Domeric was not to be found beside her. She sat up in the big double-sided bed and looked around. At a small wooden table in a dark corner with only a book and a candle to keep company sat Domeric and read. "Good morning" he said. "Morning" she snorted up. "Would lady Bolton like to join me for breakfeast" he quirked. Maya smiled before she put her foot on the cold floor just too immediately pull it back with a muffled cry. "Not before you get me something nice and warm to wear. It is freezing in here." She told him. He put his book down and walked across the room to the wardrobe and picked a thick winter dress and some sturdy boots.
He walked over to her, gave her the clothes and sat down on the bed. Maya removed the cover thus exposing her body in front of Domeric before she slowly put on the dress. Domeric had made the mistake of taking a pair of big man boots so when Maya finally stood up and was ready to go down to the great hall she tripped over. But Domeric caught her in the fall and whilst laying in his arms she looked up in to his small pale eyes for several seconds before he lifted her up again.
"Maybe should use another pair of shoes my lady" He said with a big grin on his face.
"Maybe I should" she responded.
They were soon on their way down to the great hall with their bodys pressing hard against each other. Most of the court yard was still in turmoil. Bolton, Ryswell, Dustin, Manderly and Umber men were all trying to keep themselves in line and try not to get in to a fight with one another. It was easier said than done. The Umbers didn't like Ryswells and the Dustins didn't like Umbers and no one liked the Manderlys. In the middle of this the Dreadforts master-at-arms Argholm is running around trying to keep the groups separated. Argholm was a large man with a well-trimmed beard and a handsome face. If Maya did not know better she would have thought him to be a southern knight. If it was not for his charms and wit the whole place would go of.
The couple stepped in to the great hall and found that Lord Roose and Hotar as well as Ramsay all were sitting and having their breakfast. The bastard rose up from his seat and walked forward to great them. "My beloved brother and his beautiful wife." He took Mayas hand and placed a kiss upon it. "Save your charms for later little brother, we are starving." Domeric said and took a place to the right of his father around the large wooden table in which lord Roose sat at the end. Hoter was sitting to his left and and Maya was invited to sit beside Domeric with Ramsay sitting opposite.
Lord Roose and Hotar mostly spoke about the preparations that had to be done for the possible siege of the Winterfell if Stannis decided to show up. The others mostly sat quietly as the servants brought in foods of all kinds and sorts. It was strange Maya thought, while the peasants were starving out in the fields and villages the high lords enjoyed massive parties and seemingly could eat and drink as much as the wanted to. Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud tongue of Ramsay. "Reek, more wine" he shouted to the man who used to be Theon Greyjoy. Reek was standing in the corner and Maya had not noticed him until now. He came running and started filling theirs cups to the big joy of Ramsay. "You see my lady this is Reek, I have trained him all by myself. Is that not right Reek?" Maya could not stop herself from looking disgusted of the creature standing in front of her. "That's right milord." Reek stuttered forward. "Take your pet outside Ramsay, he is making my lady frightened." Domeric said calmly. "Come on Reek, let's see to the men." Ramsay said before excusing himself and leaving with Reek following closely behind him.
In the doorway he had a bump in with Lord Manderly. The fat lord was according to himself starving when he made his way in to the hall. "I hope you saved something for me as well" the big man spoke loudly. "You have not by any change had a run in with Lord Ryswell this morning, i have a few things I need to discuss with the man" Lord Roose said as soft as only he could speak. "I am afraid not my Lord. I just woke up." The fat man responded. He waddled up to the table to sit down. "My lords, my lady." He said before starting to digest the food that was in front of him. Lord Roose got up and left the hall. He said something about inspecting their supplies or something like that.
Domeric did not eat very much Maya noticed. He mostly sat there stirring. There was no doubt whose son he was. He had the same pale eyes and skinny body, the same long black hair. He was more unpretentious than Roose was. Maya was interrupted in her thoughts by the arrival of the Ryswell brothers. They were more talkative to the great pleasure of Lord Manderly. Maya could afterwards not remember what they had talked about at all.
Domeric had later that day showed Maya around the castle. The last time she had been here was over ten years ago together with her father. All she could remember was how she and Lord Stark's bastard had been running around on top of the battlements and playing. He was Lord Commander of the Nights Watch now. She was the future lady of his father castle and all the treasonous lords sang to her glory.
Domeric took her up the stairs to those same battlements and walked around and pointed out the crypts of Winterfell. The gates and the kennels, the keep and the hall and all the other landmarks of the castle. It was a big castle, much different from the Last Heart.
"Look over there my lady." Domeric pointed north. "And there." Pointing to the south." All the land between the wall and the neck will ours to control one day. The north is a huge land" The north was the biggest part of the realm, Maya knew. But the Boltons did not reign over the entire north. Many hill tribes and other great houses of the north had already declared for Stannis, such as the Karstarks and the other castellan of the house Umber, Mayas other great-uncle Mors. It was a strange setup and Hotar had made lord Roose promise that if it came to battle with the Baratheons no Umber would stand against another Umber.
The day pasted on and later that night Domeric had his wife many times over before they finally slept. The alliance between the Boltons and the Umbers was soon to be written in stone, but alas no one knew about that yet.
Thank you very much for reading. More is to come soon ;)