Chapter 7

An Inopportune Leap


Past

I took my phone out and gazed at the selfie camera, fixing up whatever dustings or uneven hairline that had me anxiously self-conscious about the whole party thing. This whole nervousness of mine dated way back during orientation where I had just met another freshman like I was. Luckily, over the course of months, we had gotten along pretty well; Rose Krumskie was really nice and was very friendly to be around with and we kinda helped out with whatever problems that we had. Be it exams, schedules, injuries. Even with figuring out where our classes are on our first day at campus we managed to fumble our way out of that one.

Anyway, we became fast friends because of that and we were pretty much glue from that point on. Flash forward a couple of months later, she decided to pull off a celebration before heading into spring break, so she organized a small get-together and hang out in an apartment with his boyfriend who was apparently living somewhere near the campus.

Feeling ready and shaking off the nervousness, I knocked on the door waited. My ears perked as I was anticipating some kind of noise from the inside, but it seemed like it was uneasily quiet just like the rest of the hallway… Did I miss the party or something? I checked on my clock and I think I was on time.

A tall, lanky guy with some smartsy glasses opened the door and greeted me with a smile.

"Oh hey, someone came! Perfect, I thought we'd all be alone." His voice seemed very gracious, like I was actually an answer to his prayers.

I blanked out for a second. "Wait, am I the first one that got here?"

Talk about being fashionably late.

"No, you're probably the only person that'll be coming, sadly." He pulled one side of his lip into a wry grin. "Name's Ethan. Come on in."

"Rory."

I'm still kind of flabbergasted by it all, and I suddenly realized I actually made an effort into putting a suitable dress together. It's just a normal Sunday's dress though that I usually wear, not really wanting to commit anything overly fancy. But still…

Speaking of not wanting gaudy things, Ethan's place looks very neat and spacious. It had dull fleshy-brown colors for walls but it had made up for some organization of belongings around the home. When I entered, I already heard the T.V. was on and they were playing some movie I wasn't really familiar with. Rose turned her head around from the couch and she instantly screamed with glee.

"Oh my God, thank you Rory! I thought we'd all be alone!" She practically jumped herself off her seat and ran out to me giving me a hug.

I was smacked by the wall of force that is the her and made an "oomph" as she clung to me and she was heaving almost as if she was crying.

"Hey, I already said that line." Ethan quipped.

"Sshh, let's not ruin the moment, please." Rose's grip tightened like a bear and I had almost gave up breathing when she cooed one more time and then released me. "Oh Rory, I appreciate you so much for coming!"

"Uhh, yeah, thanks?" My brows were still furrowed.

"Kinda bummed, everyone backed out for some reason. Kurt couldn't make it because he left early for spring break. Mitch said he had food poisoning from the dinner he ate yesterday, and Jenny apparently told that she was coming, but at the last minute she admitted that she just came home from an all-night party and she said she needed the zzz's." She rolled her eyes and then pulled a devilish smirk. "Guess we know who we don't talk to at lunch table when we get back."

"You're evil."

"I was just kidding!" Rose laughed, sobering after a little bit. "Do you really classify me as some stuck-up bitch?"

"Yeah, whatever." I smirked, I looked at Ethan and he was grinning along while he was preparing popcorn. "Hey look, I don't wanna intrude you guys, so it's really fine—"

"Nonsense," Ethan piped in. "I maybe his boyfriend but we don't want to spend all our time with each other."

"Yeah, and we promise we won't leave you out. You can even sit between us if you'd like." She said, thumbing on the couch with the T.V. still on.

Well, if they really insist.

"What are you guys watching anyway?"

Both of them looked at each other, it was pure telepathy 'till then. After that, they both formed some kind of wicked grin with each other. I think like a second ago they just mentioned they wouldn't leave me out, but I guess it can't be helped anyway.

"You'll love it. It's called Game of Thrones." Rose spoke.

"Oh, that thing's what the craze is all about?" I looked at the screen and there was this scene where there's this really handsome guy having fun at a dinner party.

I'm really not sure how it became a really big sensation around campus. One day we were just walking around the place living our prehistoric lives and then the next everyone felt like they had been enlightened in life and everyone's been talking about it like zombies around school.

"Yeah, you wanna watch?" Ethan suggested.

"I think we should let her start with the beginning first." Rose had moved to the position back at the couch again, punching in the controls of the remote. "What do you think?"

I smiled. "Sure. I wouldn't mind… Is it good?"

They looked at each other again.

"Well, let's just find out then." I answered for myself.


"Oh my," I hate to say this, but I literally did the whole easing up my collar all loosely thing. My wide-eyed expression couldn't shy away from the scene that was currently running. Heck, I knew my brain definitely said 'fanservice' over everything while the lizard part of it said 'HOLY YES, CLUB ME WITH YOUR STICK CAVEMAN AND TAKE ME TO YOUR HOME'.

The scene I was talking about was when the three glorious-looking, half-naked men went in to the barbers and had their hairs clipped for the meeting with the King of the land or some sort. I couldn't take in all the information too well since they were so many they were referencing at the time.

And seriously, who in the right mind would be more absorbed about information when there are plenty of other things to be absorbed in? Like, say the Abercrombie models who were standing in front of the T.V. ?

"Eugh, I hate this scene." Ethan commented silently.

"Not for me." Rose replied.

"Me neither," I supplied after. "D'you think they have girlfriends in real life?"

She pointed first at the gut on the far left. "The lanky guy, Theon, not sure if he has one. I think Kit— err, Jon Snow, the bastard guy— is secretly dating one of his co-stars in the next season, but no one is confirming it yet. What, you like him?"

"The broody guy? Uh-uh. Too angsty for my taste." Though I'd definitely say that he looked quite charming. Has that sort of 'I'm never gonna be good enough for you' appeal to him. But ever since I've had the traumatic experience of knowing Edward Cullen, it kinda ruined those guys for me honestly. "I like his brother though. Is he the protagonist?" Asking as I've noticed that the scenes skips so much to different people that I wasn't sure who was the main character really was on this show.

She looked at Ethan haughtily and I swear I could see him hiding a smirk, like there was some sort of inside joke that I didn't know about.

"Yeah. Sure. He's definitely a hero." She lazily answered. "He's married though. In real life."

"Aww, that sucks."

"Shh! We're getting to the good part!" Ryan chimed in the conversation, waving his hand in motion for us to concentrate on the screen.

Way to go for a boner-kill. If there was any bone to begin with. But what can I say? I'm a classy girl. I like a man who would tell you to stay back and don't run to danger as he would ride off into the battlefield, guns blazing and all that jazz. That guy— Robb, I believe his name was— obviously seem to fit the bill just right.

No offense to anyone, by the way.

But even then, little did I know back then that he was just too chivalrous for his own good.

….

"They're twins!?" I exclaimed. Oh Lordy. "And then they… And then…"

Watching as the credits roll over the screen, my mouth gaped like a fish out of water, I couldn't fathom over the fact they'd actually done that. On a freaking T.V. show no less. I'm not sure if I'm too tame with the working all other series out there, but good golly this takes the cake for my virgin eyes to have ever seen in the entirety of my existence.

I mean, the logical part of me would find out the reason why they did it in the first place. I'm pretty sure that it would be further explained in the later episodes, but yeah, I get to see why it's always been a fuss and so controversial every time I see it on my news feed. I mean, incest is slightly unheard of, but it's there. But twins? In each other? I swear, if I ever had a twin, I'd imagine myself looking just like him. And looking at him would make me think I'm looking at myself. Doesn't that sound a little too… pretentious? ostentatious? I don't even know.

"Look Ethan, she's gotten herself all flustered." Rose smirked devilishly on my side.

"Oh yeah. She's got 'it'. The curse." On the other side, Ryan had giggled like a child who just sneakily got away from detention. I slapped him in the arm. "Hey, ow!"

"I'm not kidding. I mean how could they…" I waved my hands wildly. "And then they just pushed what's-his-name over a freaking tower!" I mean, emphasis on everything that needed to be emphasized, I still couldn't revel the fact that just happened in an instant.

"You mean Bran," Ethan clarified. "But don't you get it? The kid just saw both of them shagging each other."

"But that's… that's just so wrong."

"You just don't see the beauty of it."

Flabbergasted. Utterly flabbergasted. "I hope you're not referring to the coupling." I said flatly.

"What? Of course not, what do you think I have? Some sort of incest fetish?" He questioned in disgust. Somehow, I did believe that part. "No, the writing. That plot twist. If you've started off your seriess like that, who would not want to turn the next episode?"

I mean yeah, some part of me would think that's a great idea for a plot freaking twist. That twist was like a whirling hurricane that made me question the sanity of the people who green-lighted this show, and it would cause a lot of people to talk about it. And talk they did.

No wonder this show had been the talk of everything as of late.

"Still… It's wrong."

Ryan only just light-heartedly chuckled. "Hey, at least you made it through. That's a start."

"You know what guys, I think I know what we should do." Rose piped in as she reached for the remote.

She punched in a few buttons and then the T.V. blared the iconic static that would someday start the epitome of the fate and destiny for me in the world of Westeros.


Present

I was brought back to my own musings when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking towards the person, I noticed it was Dom's, and then I had suddenly remembered the present.

"You seem to be in quiet thought, lady Rory." He stated in a worried tone.

Domeric was the type of person who never fails to smile and had a positive outlook on things, but at that moment he still showed at least some concern in his eyes for me.

I managed to force a grin back, but I turned my head when I realized the bug of nostalgia biting me again. The thought had struck me a little unguarded this time, and I honestly felt like I was dreaming in the middle of being awake. The train of thought felt like hours as the time dragged on with the memories of my old friends back home, but it only felt like minutes back here in real life.

Was this even real life? Is this place even real? I'm starting to have problems telling which is which now. This place almost seemed like being in a dream itself, but what I'm feeling, what I've gone through, all the wounds, the blood, sweat and everything else, all of them were real enough for me…

I felt a small sting in my arm. I had only just noticed by then that I was actually pinching a portion of skin underneath my cloak.

"I've always been daydreaming, haven't I?" I chuckled at my own horrible deflection, almost feeling embarrassed about myself declaring it.

"Nothing really wrong with it. So long as you find yourself back to where you are."

Oh yeah. Sure enough, I had remembered that Dom and I were partnered for watch duty this time around. I had also remembered that night was slowly about to fall. We were waiting for a few more dignitaries before we could call it a day. But for now, we were stationed in one of the highest merlons in the Keep and we've got a pretty good view over the town and the landscape beyond.

Speaking of... "Did anyone arrive?" I had asked, changing the topic abruptly before he could comment on it.

"My ravens have spotted a group just about half an hour ago." He tilted his head way up, I saw a small black figure circling above us, cawing. "We would see them in a matter of moments."

Holy cow, half an hour? Did I really blanked out for thirty minutes?

Shaking my head, I continued. "How about the others who've just arrived?"

"Well taken care of and ready for the meeting tonight."

I sighed. I wasn't really at all excited about the coming meeting. Not especially when my mind danced around from each and every problem I have right now. The first of those was that I knew somewhere inside Winterfell there's a certain Bolton lurking in the fray.

Yep. The Ramsay Bolton. If there's anything paranoia thought me over the past couple of months, it's to make sure to worry about all the finer details over characters I had remembered in the past. My memories of him were already grainy, but it's really no contest that he was just too horrible, deceitful, and he poses a great danger to anyone near him if he's left unchecked. But that was just a few of the reasons why I needed to be careful this time around.

What was really bogging me was Theon Greyjoy. I knew at some point that Theon gets to be captured by this guy. Even after locking eyes at him last morning I had even thought of Theon next and turned around to look for him. And yet, he wasn't even here. Did something happened that altered the timeline? I recounted all of the things that I had changed but none of them seemed connected at all to the Ironborn.

I had even asked Alton if he'd seen any thin fellow that looked scruffy and felt like a need to eat, but he hadn't seen any person of that note as well.

"You're about to do it again, m'lady."

I blinked.

"Sorry."

He only smiled gleefully at that. "S'okay m'lady, so long as you find yourself back." He said absent-mindedly through the wind.

I turned to him with furrowed brows. "You already mentioned that."

"Well, in particular, when you train ravens, you often have to repeat things you want to say so they could fully understand what you're trying to communicate with them. Ravens are very intelligent birds at that."

"Interesting… analogy, I guess?"

I find it amusing how sometimes Dom mentions a lot of random things and he still manages to incorporate it with ravens. Dom's innocence was something to be admired. He's like your average crazy-uncle that often forgets the simplest of things in his household, but he's a dear to be around with. Most of the time he's aloof and he really prefers to be with his birds, but in a sense he also didn't mind if he was with people.

"How long did you first started to train ravens?" I had asked, starting another conversation.

"Since I was a wee kid, I presume." He started, there was a kind of melancholy in his eyes that made him revel his memories. And as if like a program, he had automatically begun to recall his past.

"I remembered there was an old crone who lived along the outermost edge of our small town. Blind as a bat she was. Little rugrats we were back then as well. She almost always had food hidden somewhere inside her home, and we would sometimes make a bet who could steal one from her without ever getting caught. Of course, none of us could do it. That woman, blind as she may be, could sense us entering her front door, or if we crept in through one of her windows."

"Ravens however were able to fly inside without her minding. We didn't know why, maybe she enjoys the company of animals. One time, I even remembered there was that one raven that was able to land in front of her. Again, she didn't really mind it, and the raven went about its way. I had managed to watch it with my very own eyes. And it was able to scruff a piece of bread from a table before flying off."

"I was easily impressed. Dare I say I admitted that it was even smarter than me that time perhaps. That was then I knew I had to learn about them birds."

"And how did it go?" I continued asking.

"It was the worst," He chuckled. "I had managed to capture one, but it won't obviously follow my whim. I had tried everything: food, comfort, shelter… It won't simply be commanded. It was after many weeks of failed attempts that I had realized that adult ravens can never be tamed, at least not by normal means."

"Wait, you mentioned about the adult ones..?"

That's when he grinned mischievously. "It took even longer than that to find a proper raven egg. But after climbing so many trees and checking out all the nests, I had managed to find one with beautiful black feathers adorned to it. It was only one, however. Which meant that I had only one chance."

I get it. I think the term called for it was imprinting. Sounds very trashy because I learned the existence of Twilight, but that's how it works in some ways I guess. I've remembered seeing a random picture on the internet about this guy who brought a baby duck in his class and it was well-behaved and it didn't bother them at all during the lecture.

Geez, I never realized internet was actually a thing back in my world up until now.

"I raised it on my own, tried to look like I was its mother. I kept the egg warm until it hatched, fed it, watched it grow and eventually grew its feathers. 'Til it could manage to swing from one cabinet to another…"

"And then you were able to train it?"

"Why, yes. It was… a little trickier to do. I couldn't spare all the details, let's just say it's done with a little bit of caring and reminding." He winked.

Lord knows what that meant. "… So did you manage to steal from the old lady back then?" I said.

"Oh no, she had died before I managed to turn the raven into an adult. Although after that, I never went hungry again. When it learned how to fetch me food from the baker's store, or a tiny chunk of meat by the butchery, well… you know how my ravens became popular."

"And because of your talent, you were enlisted in the war." I smiled sadly. There are a few similarities of the concept of poverty from my world and in Westeros. I guess people on that sort of living condition strive from their own resources… and in a way, it couldn't really be helped.

I knew it was bad

It just sucks that Dom beat the system of ravenkeeping but then he got plunged unnecessarily to this whole thing. "It's… a nice story, I think. Except the ending part."

"Not all wars bring destruction." He smiled ruefully.

I turned again to look at him. "How so?"

"I was living off the streets from the most distant land of civilization. Serving the Lord's cause removed me from that place and gave me food and shelter. At least, more in abundance. And then I get to travel to places I never dreamed of imagining. My growing ravens also get everything that I have. All in for a small exchange to fly to the wind, which is what they enjoy."

"I… hadn't thought about that." I blinked, wanting to say something more or deflect his answer, but it never went through.

He spoke vehemently. "The war brought me purpose. And there are countless of others who thought nothing of their life until this all happened."

"Some men train for life on how to brandish a sword. I guess they really get to test all of it here when push comes to shove." I added as an afterthought.

And then Dom looked to me after a long while of staring into the growing sunset. "You are learning to see all the sides of the coin."

I chuckled. "There are only two."

"Yes, but there are more that you have on your pocket, no?"

I ducked my head, hiding the fit of laughter. I swear I didn't know what he was going on about, but I appreciated the sentiment. I didn't even notice Dom could hold out an actual conversation for his sake. Pretty sure the saying that the quiet ones are often the wisest definitely rings true for him.

"Thanks, Dom. It was a good talk—"

"Look."

He pointed towards the horizon. I squinted my eyes to see, and then I noticed flags hovering over the distance.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

"That's the last of 'em." I started, my voice back to serious mode again. "Dom, can you ride out with another to come and greet them?"

He bowed. "As you command, my ladyship."

And as if by thought, one of the raven that was hovering off above us flew into the courtyard where our men have been waiting. The signal had gotten to them immediately and everyone went scrambling to where they should be.


I could already hear faint noise coming from the other side of the door. I breathed and shook my hands that were somehow frozen in anxiety. Alton was already at my side and he too had noticed me trembling. We were already at the foot of the meeting room and once we opened it, there was no turning back.

"Couldn't help it." I muttered. I wasn't sure if Alton heard it or not, but he didn't react.

I couldn't help it. I couldn't help thinking about what happened to Robb. If everything was becoming a success or not. If, by chance that Renly did survive, they were able to stop King's Landing from causing more turmoil. I couldn't help the fact that the Red Wedding was a situation that could still happen. The Freys were still allies as of now, but who knows what could they be planning right now?

I couldn't help thinking about Theon and Ramsay. How he could freely roam the most humbling land in the North, knowing that he had some hidden agenda of taking it over. I couldn't help thinking the situation Theon could be in right now. If he was locked away in some dungeon beneath Dreadfort or worse, if he was already dead.

And then there were the Stark brothers, and then Sansa and Arya, where their locations are very much unknown to me now since a lot has changed. And then Robb's plea into helping me find all of them. The oath I was very much ready for, but I didn't know how I can commit.

And then there was Jon Snow.

I sighed. I wanted to know the answers right now, but at the same time, I was scared to know all of them. I couldn't explain it, but the closest reason I could get was that I never wanted to know. I didn't want to open the door in front of me now that would reveal some of the secrets in store for me. I wanted to stay on the other side. To let all the questions unresolved before me.

My head did a flinch when I felt a hand wrap along mine. I looked towards Alton who has his intense Lannister eyes looking at me.

"There's no need to be afraid now."

I silently nodded and gripped his hand tighter, accepting the support he was lending. Soon, he had pushed the doors open and we were greeted by the dozens of men all arguing over each other. The loud noise had even covered the creaking of the hollowed doors and we were able to enter without garnering too much attention. We slid ourselves over the walls until we joined in with our men.

Torrhen was standing with a bunch of other important people I'm guessing. He was very much into the fray of it and he too was distracted enough that he still didn't notice our presence. I would've imagined if it were me there, it would've been another Margaery moment and be the laughing stock of the parade. But still, by the looks of it, it seems like he's handling himself very well, although he was a bit haggard in his looks.

The talking droned on for another couple of minutes. It was mostly pointless conversation, I had noticed. I bumped an elbow to Alton who was silently whispering something to Warron.

"Did they already start?" I asked.

"Just talked with Warron, it appears they haven't even started yet." He answered, posing stiffly and observing the crowd while he leaned over to me. "I think we're missing one last delegate."

"And who's that?"

He didn't need to answer, for the doors that we had just entered opened, and a couple of heads had turned towards the direction. I had recalled the face. It was the man that talked with Torrhen the first day he came here. He was a slightly pudgy fellow with a stocky build. He was shorter than your average-sized Northerner, but he had a look of creepiness and intimidation when he entered the room.

And he almost looked like one of those hunched-shouldered lab assistants Dr. Frankenstein has in the movies.

The strangest part was the brown patch stitched in the front of his clothes.

The Bolton symbol.

There was no way that that was Ramsay. I had seen him. I swear I did. I instantly scanned my eyes all over the room to look for him, the real him, but he wasn't around.

"It's not him." I muttered.

"Who?" Alton whispered over the brooding silence.

I gestured my head towards the man who just arrived and pointed at my chest to where his herald was.

"I swear I saw him. The Ramsay Bolton. and that's not him."

Stern eyes now had formed inside the meeting and you could almost feel the intensity in the air when everyone had turned on their serious mode. Still, I couldn't stand just letting myself immerse with them. My mind kept on replaying the true face of Ramsay. The one that I knew would scare me just by staring into those hauntingly blue eyes. And this guy wasn't him.

"I believe everyone is already here, let's get this meeting started." Torrhen spoke first, hushing the whispers of the crowd. "I believe the House representatives all over the North have gathered here tonight. I, Torrhen Karstark, personally represent House Karstark…"

I picked up the conversation, and noticed that he was introducing each of the delegates one by one. On his left was Cley Cerwyn, already noticeable that he was only in his teens. And then the next was Larence Snow who represented House Hornwood. That kid was even younger than the Cerwyn delegate. Robbett Glover was thankfully older by a few decades. And then Smalljon Umber who was around in his mid-twenties.

"… And then last, Ramsay Snow of Dreadfort."

I can't believe it. It's impossible… and still… but how…

The instant thought struck me regarding the whole Talisa Maegyr/Jeyne Westerling predicament. I knew something wasn't truly right in this. I'm not sure if there how people who got interchanged for some reason… and could this be possibly one of them?

I knew that Jon and Robb didn't look like who they were. They were years younger, but the resemblance is uncanny. It's like seeing them alive and there, only just shaving a few age off their back. This… I didn't get…

"Okay then, I believe introductions are already in order, let's start it off with you," Out of nowhere, the person who identified himself as Ramsay had pointed out to the speaker. "Torrhen Karstark, son of Rickard Karstark. I have heard reports that you were supposed to be among the ranks of your father. The war is certainly not located in the North… why the curious visit going back to Winterfell?"

Torrhen thankfully remained astute, and simply bowed slightly. "With all due respect my Lords, this was not my intention. I have brought here with me the silver crest of the Starks. I was entrusted with a mission, along a handful of men, to look for the whereabouts of his brothers."

He presented the ever-knowing Stark-crest. Geez, we've been floundering this with everyone. I swear if it wasn't for this, we couldn't possibly be here right now.

"Didn't you know? They're already dead. That Greyjoy bastard had already burned them alive at the courtyard just outside of here." The Ramsay person replied in doubt. "You have seen the burnt noose on the executioner's stage haven't you?"

"It is indeed… a tragedy. We have only received the news when we entered Winterfell. We only decided to stay for a few days until we are all fully rested again, however we will proceed going back south to tell the Young Wolf what had happened."

I was mildly impressed that Torrhen was practically lying through his teeth. He's actually really good at this whole speaking thing. He seemed to be a born diplomat, if not better at controlling the Game. I couldn't help but smirk beneath the mask.

One of the delegates, I believe it was House Glover, spoke up. "Speaking of our Young Lord, I have heard reports of his coming siege at Red Keep."

I gasped. This is it.

"What happened?" Torrhen asked just as quickly as I thought of it. "Forgive me for sounding too hasty, we have been travelling solely by foot and avoided much of Kingsroad. We have not heard of any news regarding Robb after we have left encampment near Riverrun."

The delegate nodded. "It is as they say: Casterly Rock has been captured. There were no severe casualties, and trade routes coming in from Dorne to the Twins have been cut off. King's Landing is already pinned with only the sea for a chance to escape."

Oh thank God.

For once, a weight of worry in my chest started to ease a little, making me breathe out a sigh of relief. Things were starting to change, and I think this time for the greater good. At least, it's not as worse as what had happened originally. Right around now I was expecting some kind of distrust growing among the ranks of Robb's armies, but it seemed like it didn't happen this time. They are still as strong as ever, and for the life of me, they are already so close into achieving their victory.

I guess this is it then? If the Lannisters were driven out of Red Keep, would the war be finally over?

It would happen in a matter of days now. The siege won't be easy. We are talking about King's Landing after all. Before they get to the Keep, they will be going along the streets and the walls. There would certainly be civilians along the fray, and I prayed dearly that Robb or Stannis would think of a way before causing a lot of harm to others.

Speaking of harm, I took a glance at "Ramsay", and I noticed he was listening intently. I still couldn't make heads or tails about him yet, but I had a strong gut feeling that this some kind of elaborate plot that would somehow bite me in the butt later on. At least one part was clear though, that there is still a matter of the Boltons still having the capability of being turncloaks.

No matter how much the changes in characters were in the story, things were still clearly being forced to happen. Even if I try to take a gentle nudge out of it, somehow it still tries to wind its way through the correct course. The only thing that I knew that broke that rule was Renly's predicament.

"Now, it's only a matter of time before the Young Lord returns, and Winterfell is at a state of disorder. There were reports of bandits, plunderers, even Wildlings found within the area. And when we heard that there were more than a dozen men who settled in the castle, we had to make sure they weren't a threat." The Glover House delegate explained.

"Rest assured that House Karstark seek no claim to Winterfell. We shall remain loyal to the Starks, as my ancestors did before my time. That is my word."

I smirked at the remark. Oh, if you only knew how wrong that was if Robb tried to upset the balance just a little bit.

"House Karstark gave his word." Another representative claimed, I believe it was Smalljon of House Umber. "So please, let us press on with more urgent matters…"

The conversation was ringing on the background of my head after that. I didn't know why I didn't have the ability to withstand meetings like these. Either I must've been really tired, or I just didn't have a knack for politics. I looked at Alton to my side and he wasn't feeling bored at all.

It went on like that for about thirty minutes. I sometimes would try to stay awake, but my eyes kept fluttering closed. When I felt a nudge on my side, I would jolt out of my stupor and tried to pay attention. Just like classes back in the day, I guess.

I didn't know why I just mentioned that.

Before I got anything out of that though, there was a slight scratching of the floor by the entrance of the door. One of the giant doors opened, and came inside a man.

And holy shit, I wasn't kidding.

I knew it. I knew I wasn't wrong.

"It's him." I muttered in a whisper.

Alton caught the sound of it, and he broke his eye contact to the much lesser topic. "What? Who?"

"The guy who just entered. It's him. That's Ramsay."

"How'd you know—" I looked at him in the eye. "I-I mean, are you sure?"

I knew I was sure. The strikingly blue eyes. That face. Everything. The only thing that was suspiciously odd enough was the way he walked. He seemed to act all servant-y and nervous. His hands covered each other like he was rubbing himself of the cold.

The real Ramsay went to the fake one, and he whispered something in his ear. All discreetly of course, nodded, and went on his way back to the doors again.

"We have to follow him."

"What?" But before he was able to press further, I had already turned towards the doors as well. Luckily we were so far into the back that no one would notice if we had also left. I knew Torrhen could handle this on his own. He hasn't done anything that would raise flags from the delegates, so I'm pretty sure he has it covered.

Alton just gave up with a sigh and had started to follow me too. We eventually snuck out of that room and back towards the darkened hallway again.


We literally followed this guy through so many corridors that I had really thought he would've noticed sometime already and I was at some point trying to play us around, but thank the stars that he finally stopped by the final hallway and entered a room.

By the looks of it, I managed to notice that this was the hallway the Boltons stayed. The door was slightly ajar, and I gulped with some sudden thought of unwanted surprises, but I knew that Ramsay wouldn't dare spend blood on Stark home. I made a silent sign towards Alton, and we were already on the move.

We planted our backs against the walls like some super-secret international spy and peered inside the room. Ramsay was just standing there as if he was writing something down on paper by the table. I gestured Alton to be quiet and waited for my signal.

1…

2…

3…

I hurled the door open like some badass cop and Alton went straight for it and lunged at the person, pushing him against the wall. With his strength, he even got him a few inches above the ground too. That was impressive.

I walked across the small room, looking at him as the person tried to claw his way out of Alton's grip. But certainly it was to no avail. I took my time observing the room. It looked like any ordinary place, and there wasn't really much to note at least for the table, a bucket at one corner, and the bed on the other side.

I came across the note he was scribbling on, and that was just it: scribbles. There wasn't anything coherent in the writing, just some random squiggles on the piece of paper, which was very strange to me. It felt like the whole thing was a trap.

I immediately ran outside, but there wasn't anything besides the empty hallway and the lit torches.

I went back again, finally facing the two who were at it for at least a minute or two already. I gently pulled down the scarf that covered my mouth, and revealed myself to him.

I then gave him a wicked smile. "Soo, Ramsay Snow… I believe it is your turn this time around."

Ramsay only just stared in disbelief, but I ain't buying one shit. I've thoroughly checked his belongings and seemed to found no hidden knives or anything sharp and pointy he could retaliate with from his room. Except maybe for the tipped feather pen he was writing with earlier, but I made sure even that couldn't be made use as a weapon.

When I was sure everything was in the clear, I gently closed the door behind us and plopped a wooden chair right under the doorknob, making sure that none entered the room unannounced.

"Look, I don't trust your sorry little ass, but if you promise you wouldn't scream at the top of your lungs when tall-lanky-guy here let go of you, then you and I could make it out of here alive."

He nodded fervently as if he was scared out of his wits… which in the first place was something immensely out of character for him. I never knew that there was a day that I could actually scare off Ramsay, huh…

I signaled Alton and he pushed him against the wall one last time before releasing him. Ramsay plopped into the ground like a sack of potatoes, choking on air and gasping. What I would've assumed next was him laughing his ass off, making some villainous speech that I would make me regret what I did and then pulling out a knife and make a run for it, but instead, he scampered around one corner of the room hugging himself like he was some abused kid.

"Okay… I'll be making a few changes around here, and whatever I say goes. If you don't follow my orders… it's your… head on a pike…" My pacing slowed as I noticed what was happening in front of me.

Why the heck is he rocking himself? What the hell is going on?

A sudden thought flashed in my head.

"Who are you?"

No response.

I pulled out a portion of my sword underneath the scabbard, brandishing it with a sharp noise. He flinched. Threatening wasn't really my thing, but sometimes you just have to live the hard life to get what you want around these parts.

"R… Reek."

I looked at Alton he could clearly see the look on my face.

Well, this has taken what probably was the weirdest turn of the century.


A/N: Still alive and kicking. The delays have become very insane, again, I must apologize. Hope you are still alive and kicking too!

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