Rose tried to hold her head high as she clutched the sheets to her body and rushed down the corridors. She could feel people staring at her with wide eyes as she clutched the furs to her chest and moved with haste down to her chamber. It was only her way when she ran into a tall man with curly hair. His face was stern and his hair glinted auburn in the light. He looked at her with wide orbs and she looked back to him. She recalled that he was the man who had defended Theon the previous night.

He looked at her as she continued to rush by. Her chin was jutted out and she knew that he was judging her. The word would be out about what she had done before lunch time. People would judge her and call her a whore, but they didn't understand. None of them understood how deeply she cared for Ramsay.

"You stupid girl!"

Rose almost scoffed when she heard Catherine once she had opened the door to her chamber. Catherine was in front of her instantly, shaking her by the shoulders and Rose almost dropped the furs to reveal her naked body. Instead she was too shocked to say anything to Catherine.

"You gave yourself to him! Why would you do that?"

"Because I want him," Rose replied hastily. "I do not want Theon Greyjoy to be the first man to take me. It is Ramsay I want to marry. I want to be his wife."

"No!" Catherine yelled at her, anger coursing through her veins at the naivety of the girl. "You do not know what he is, Rose. You see one side to him and it is that side which you cling to. He is not the man you think."

"Are you honestly speaking of the rumours?" Rose snapped back and she dropped the furs to the floor before picking her robe from the bottom of her bed and slipping it over her body. "They are just rumours! I know Ramsay more than anyone. He tells me everything!"

"No he does not, you stupid child," Catherine snapped and reached for Rose again, taking hold of her by the upper arms and shaking her. Her grip was harsh and tight and Rose tried to recoil from her. "Do you know what he does? He rapes the women...he rapes women for pleasure..."

"No," Rose snarled back. "You're hurting me, Catherine."

"I am trying to make you see sense. The Starks will look after you at Winterfell with their ward. It is the safest place for you," Catherine spoke. "Ramsay will hurt you one day. He will rape you and hurt you."

"No, he will not," Rose snapped. "Now get off of me!"

"Not until you see sense!" Catherine yelled back and Rose felt anger boil inside of her. "You're naive and he has taken advantage of you. He has ruined you for his own pleasure and you are too foolish to admit it."

"No," Rose snapped back. "He wants me. You're a poisonous middle aged woman who doesn't understand anything about love."

It was then when Catherine slapped Rose across the face. The young brunette stumbled to the side, her hand moving to hold her cheek and she looked to Catherine with wide eyes as the elder woman continued to glower.

"You truly are a stupid girl." Catherine hissed. "I am trying to save you, but you are too far gone to see that."

"Ramsay would never hurt me."

"No, I would not."

Rose turned around to see Ramsay stood in the doorway and she wondered how he had managed to sneak into her chamber. He quickly shut the door and Catherine tried to stop Rose from moving over to him. He held his arm out for her and allowed her to envelope herself against him, his arm wrapping around her waist and his fingers curling at her hip.

"And who is this woman who wishes to turn you against me?" Ramsay wondered and Rose could sense the annoyance which dripped from his tongue.

"Catherine," Rose answered. "She has heard rumours. I tried to tell her that she was wrong, but she wouldn't believe me. She is only looking out for me, but there is no need."

"But she struck you, my sweet," Ramsay responded and moved his hand to her cheek, his fingers tenderly pressing against the red mark. "She hurt you and spoke meanly of me. I cannot allow that."

"No," Rose shook her head, her fingers moving into Ramsay's fingers. "She didn't know what she was saying, Ramsay. Please, do not hurt her. Dismiss her from my service, but do not hurt her."

Ramsay heard her plead and he nodded. There were many ways this Catherine could have an accident. Ramsay could make anything possible when he was in the forest. He glowered at the woman and Catherine looked pleadingly to Rose, but her mistress would not look her in the eye. She was too busy focusing on Ramsay as he stared back down to her, kissing her on the forehead once.

"For you," Ramsay whispered against her. "Now tell her to get out of my sight."

Nodding, Rose looked to Catherine and her face was one of anger and sadness at the same time.

"Go, Catherine."

"But, m'lady-"

"-Go," Rose interrupted her and she scurried away to the door, knowing full well that she had tried to warn the girl and take her to safety.

Ramsay heard the door shut once more and he acted quickly. He knew that his father would be there soon enough to scold Rose, but he needed to speak with her first. He took her hands and sat down on the bed with her, cradling her in his lap as she rested her hands on his shoulders underneath his shirt.

"My father will force you to take moon tea," Ramsay told her, "but I shall do everything that I can to stop the Starks from taking you...you are mine now, Rose..."

"Yes," Rose responded meekly. "But we could run, Ramsay. We could run and escape all of this...I would be willing...I do not want a castle...I do not want to be a lady...I just want you...I have done for a long time. You have to believe me."

Ramsay chuckled when he heard her and he kissed her again, his lips wet against hers. "And I would run with you if I could, but we would never make it, Rose."

"But we can try," she pleaded with him. "What if you cannot stop the Starks? What if they take me?"

'Oh, my sweetling,' Ramsay thought in his head as Rose placed her forehead in the crook of his neck and he held her tenderly. 'I want a castle...I can have a castle...I could have your castle too...perhaps I still will. Running with you would bring me nothing that I want. Being inside of you as often as possible is tempting, but I could never chase you, could I? That would ruin your innocence. It would ruin the way you look at me...praise me...and that's what I like about you...well, until I get bored of it.'

"Ramsay, leave Rose's chamber right now," Roose's voice suddenly spoke and Rose clung onto his tightly. He smirked and noted the Maester was stood behind his father with a cup in his fingers.

"Do it," Roose demanded and Ramsay shifted Rose from his lap before standing tall. He bent down to kiss the top of her head for added effect before he left, swearing to go back to her later on that day.

...

Theon Greyjoy was sat in the courtyard of the Dreadfort when he heard the news from Robb. He had taken a seat by his side and he had told him what he had seen that morning. Theon could scarcely believe it. He felt worthless for a few moments. He had done nothing in his life, but he had been shipped away from his father and was a ward of the Starks. They treated him with content, but they did not want him there. And now he was to be given a ruined bride.

It was only then when Theon saw Ramsay walking through the courtyard did he feel anger course through his veins. He stood from the bench he sat on and rushed towards Ramsay. The Bastard of Bolton remained still, his hands in the pockets of his jerkin as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

"You fucked my bride?" Theon snarled and Ramsay shrugged.

"She wanted to," Ramsay said. "Rose loves me. She always has done and she will not go with you."

"But she is to be mine."

"That does hurt, doesn't it?" Ramsay checked and noted how Robb stood from the bench to stand behind Theon. "To know that I had her before you...and she was so tight...the way her tits bounced when she squirmed when I had my mouth in between her legs..."

"Enough," Robb demanded, knowing full well that Ramsay's crudeness was not welcome. "What is done is done."

"It is," Ramsay said, noting how Theon ground his teeth together. "You can try to please her if you get her, but it will be my name she screams when you pierce her with your cock. But...she may be pregnant with my bastard as we speak. That would be a halt to this arrangement...or I could find another way to keep her with me."

"The King sent the order for me to marry her," Theon replied. "What you have done is treasonous."

"I doubt it," Ramsay said, a bored tone in his voice. "But Rose is mine and I do not like sharing what is mine."

"She will not be yours for much longer," Theon replied. "The whore will soon learn her place when she is married to me."

Ramsay gritted his teeth together and grabbed Theon by the sides of his cloak. Rose was no whore. She may be many things, but she was not a whore. She was not a woman for him to chase in the forest or to fuck as roughly as he wanted to. Rose was more than a whore and he would never refer to her as one. Dumb, foolish, naive: yes. But a whore? No.

"Enough," Robb said, trying to prise the two men apart as Ramsay pushed Theon from him in disgust.

...

Rose could see the courtyard from her chamber window and she watched how Ramsay pushed Theon from him, anger apparent in his face. She had taken her seat in the window seat as Roose and the Maester stood near her, the cup of moon tea still untouched. She had ignored them as she settled down in her seat, still wearing the sheer gown on her body.

"I have no trouble in pinning you down and forcing the moon tea down your throat, Lady Rose," Roose promised her. "You shall take it and you shall marry Theon Greyjoy."

"No," Rose said. "I do not want to marry him. I shall not marry him."

"You are acting like a petulant child," Roose scolded her. "My son is not fit to marry a highborn lady like you. You have known that all along."

"I still shall not take the moon tea. I would rather live with the shame of birthing your son's bastard than be shipped off to Winterfell."

"That is not what will happen," Roose said and he grabbed Rose from the seat.

She fought against him as her robe began to part and the tie to it became loose. She continued to kick as Roose kept both of her arms behind her body and her back firmly against his chest. He moved one leg over hers to keep her from kicking as the Maester moved towards her and poured the moon tea into her mouth. She was about to spit it out before the Maester placed a hand over her mouth and held her nose to make her swallow. The taste was bitter in her throat and she coughed as Roose released her.

He pushed her to the floor and looked down on her.

"You truly are a foolish girl," he spoke and left her alone, closing her chamber and locking her inside of it. He would send her away. He would do it and it would be for her own good.

...

A/N: Thank you to HermioneandMarcus, mac and wericdream for reviewing the previous chapter. I do hope that you will let me know what you think so far of the story as a lot of people seem to be following but not reviewing!