With Catelyn Stark's corpse lying cold on the floor and the ruler of Winterfell, Robb Stark, far away, the Boltons seem to have completely conquered Winterfell. Theon is incapable of understanding the seriousness of the situation, while he tries his best to win Sansa over.
He had to remain calm and cool, but doing that in situations like these had never been easy for Theon Greyjoy. Seeing Catelyn dead, beheaded by an ally that Theon actually barely knew, his head felt dizzy and weak. He heard Ramsay's laughter as an echo from somewhere in the room, but he was unable to determine where it was coming from. Everything further away than two feet was a blurry mess, and so was his head.
"Oh, Theon, my friend. We really are in control here", the dark-haired bastard then said, putting his arm around Theon's neck, squeezing him like a brother. Theon did not reply. He was just focused on waking up from this haze. Then he yanked himself out of Ramsay's embrace and stumbled across the room towards Catelyn's dead body and Sansa's unconscious one.
"Sansa", he mumbled and almost fell at her feet. He could hear the laughter of Ramsay's soldiers, but he did not care. Sansa was wearing a beautiful emerald green silk dress that made her hair look even redder and her skin even paler, but it really did become her. Her striking beauty was undeniable even if she had fainted and passed out. Theon almost crawled alongside her body and reached out for her hands. They were as cold as ice, but the mere touch of her skin still made him shiver all over.
"No one is going to stop us now, Theon", Ramsay continued, bending down on the other side of Sansa. His eyes went from Theon to the sleeping beauty and he suddenly looked concerned.
"What shall we do with her?", Ramsay said, probably mostly to himself.
"What?", Theon said and suddenly his vision was clear. Ramsay had that usual teasing look in his eyes.
"Yes, what if she refuses to marry you? I mean, you did not actually stop her mother from getting killed. She might not like you so much anymore, dear Theon".
Theon looked straight at the bastard. "What do you mean? I did not kill her! I had nothing to do with her death!", he almost yelled, giving away that he was definitely not in control of anything. Ramsay's mouth curled into a vicious smile.
"Not directly no, but maybe you should consider the fact that when the young lady Stark wakes up, she might not be that kind towards you. And technically, if Robb will not renounce the claim to the power here, then she will be the heir after we kill him, and that we cannot have". Every word coming out of his mouth was filled with mock and superiority.
"She will marry me!", Theon then manned himself up and yelled. "I am Ironborn, and we are not subjects. We decide what will happen, nobody tells us what to do", he continued, filling himself with fake courage and far out beliefs. Ramsay held his hands up and moved away, but his face said it all: he did not believe a word Theon was saying.
Theon had no idea what was going to happen now. He expected that Lord Bolton's soldiers would take over Winterfell the next day, and after that Robb would return. Ramsay expected Robb to simply lay down his weapons, but Theon knew Robb; he would do no such thing. Robb would never give up without a fight, but whether he could win or not, Theon did not know. Frankly, his brain had stopped trying to figure out what would happen now. His focus was on Sansa, and he knew in the deepest corner of his mind that Ramsay might have a point: there was a chance that Sansa would blame him for the death of her mother, which would surely make her despise him. He needed to make sure that that wouldn't happen.
He decided to start this mission by taking care of her. After getting his dizziness under control, he put his arms under her knees and shoulders and lifted her up. She was a tall woman with the body of a Northener, so she was heavier than the girls he usually handled when he visited the villages. He was often pretty rough to these girls, but with Sansa it was different, as he instinctively felt an urge to care for her and handle her gently. His touch on her body was tender, and he made sure to carry her carefully to her room. He knew that Ramsay would place a guard outside her room in order for her not to run away, but inside her room they were alone.
Inside the beautifully decorated room, he carried her to her bed and put her gently down on top of it. He lit the candles so she would feel at home even in her sleep, and then he sat on her bed beside her. He pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around her. Electricity buzzed inside of him as his hands touched her body even if it was just through the thick fabric of the dress. He had dreamed of a moment like this since he saw her the first time, but it did not feel the way he had thought. He felt sad and maybe it was dawning on him that there was more truth to what Ramsay had said than what he liked to admit. Maybe it was the first time they were this intimate together, but it might also be the last. Forcing her to be with him and forcing her to marry him was of course possible, but he had realized that he wanted her love, not just her body. He needed her to love him, and sitting there, caressing her cheek while she was sleeping, it felt natural - for him at least.
He sat there for a while, content to just be near her, listening as her breathing became more and more regular. Every now and then, he leaned in and kissed her face with gentle little kisses, and when he felt her skin turn warm from his kisses, he smiled to himself.
"Oh, Sansa", he whispered and let his fingers explore her skin from her forehead down to her chin and further down to her neckline. He stopped himself there, and a part of him really wanted to touch her soft chest and caress her soft breasts, but he was afraid she would wake up. Instead he put his head to her chest and let his cheek feel the softness of her skin.
He closed his eyes for a while to rest, only to be woken up by a penetrating scream.
"What are you doing? Leave me alone, Theon!", Sansa screamed suddenly, quickly regaining her strength and getting up. She held her arms up, ready to defend herself. Theon did the same but only to hush her.
"Easy, Sansa, calm down. You are okay. I made sure of that". Her eyes were still red from crying, and now they turned even redder.
"Don't ever come near me again, Theon, or I will kill you". There was a mixture of hatred and fright in her voice.
"Please, Sansa, you are not thinking clearly", he replied, still trying to calm her down. Normally, he would have yelled back, but this was not the way to handle Sansa. She was too delicate.
"You... you are the reason my mother is dead", she continued, remembering all the things that Theon had hoped her passing out would have made her forget.
"No, please, Sansa, I did not. I tried to keep her alive, I swear", Theon tried to bargain, but he sensed the hopelessness in his venture. Instead he reached out for her hand and grabbed it. She screamed and tried to pull free.
"Let go of me Theon!", she screamed, but it only made him pull harder. Her body was weak, so it was rather easy for him to pull her so close to him that he could wrap his arms around her, keeping her locked up inside his embrace.
"Stop fighting, Sansa, please, let me explain", Theon kept trying to soothe her, but she put up quite a fight. He did not want to, but he had to squeeze her harder to make her stop.
"Stop, Theon, you are hurting me", she then coughed and her voice sounded squeaky like a mouse. He loosened his embrace and kissed her neck. That made her fight even harder.
"Let me go! I hate you!", she screamed and he tightened his grip again.
"Calm down, Sansa. He will hear you, and he will hurt you", Theon then tried, but it did not help.
"He can't hurt me more than you have", she then whispered, finally giving up her struggle. She went completely limp inside his embrace.
"Please, Sansa, try to understand. I saved you. With me, he won't hurt you. As soon as we marry, he will not lay a hand on you", Theon then continued. For a moment she did not reply or move, but then she turned inside his arms to face him. Red eyes, swollen lips and a dead expression across her entire face, but she managed to look Theon directly in his eyes.
"Marry you?" she then said. First he tried to smile, but then her look made him feel awkward.
"Yes, we will get married, just like you said yourself", he replied, forcing himself to keep smiling.
"Theon", she said, barely able to force the words out of her mouth. Her eyes revealed that she was broken. "I will never marry you. You betrayed my family and you are the reason my mother is no longer breathing". Theon looked bewildered, and his wide eyes gave it away.
"No, Sansa, no, don't say that", he whispered, wanting to touch her and kiss her into life again. He pressed her face against his and kissed her warm and soft lips, but she did not move hers. He put his hands on her breasts and squeezed them, but she did not react. Her non-reaction made him push her away and look into her eyes with confusion in his. He shook his head in disbelief.
"But Sansa, I love you, you know that", he then whispered, sensing that he was losing her. With eyes half closed she gazed upon him too.
"I know you do, Theon, but make no mistake: You can do anything you want to me, but I will never love you. I'd kill myself before allowing myself to love you". Her voice was low but the clearness of it hit him like a thousand knives. The pain of her lost love for him made him throw her on the bed and get up himself.
"He will kill you then, I cannot stop him from doing that", he tried desperately. She was lying on the bed in the position he had left her in and blinked a couple of times, still watching him.
"I do not care, Theon. You are dead to me", she answered with her cold, tiny voice that spoke louder than a million screams. Theon felt the anger rise inside of him, but he did not let it out. Instead he clenched his fists so hard it hurt and left her room.
"Do not let her out until I say so", Theon then said to the guard. He knew he had lost the battle, but maybe there was still a war to win...
I know this was a difficult chapter for the relationship between Theon and Sansa, but maybe circumstances will force Theon to act differently? And with Robb and Yara coming back, things might change once again...