Next day, Brian and Stewie went to parley with Ramsay before commencing battle. They met him at a place halfway between Winterfell and Brian's camp. Ramsay had Bertram and Gideon with him.
"Hello, Brian," said Ramsay. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
"And I've been looking forward to seeing you again, Stewie!" added Bertram.
"Well, the feeling's not mutual," said Stewie.
"Tell me, Brian Griffin," said Ramsay. "Do you honestly think you can defeat me? You don't have the men, you don't have the horses, and you don't have Winterfell. But there's no need for a battle. Simply return my wife to me, and I will pardon you, and all the other lords who dared to stand against me."
And Brian replied, "She was not your wife in the first place. You have no right to Winterfell. You and your father just took it out from under our noses while our backs were turned. But you're right. There's no need for a battle. Thousands of people don't need to die. Only one of us. Let's end this the old way. You against me."
"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," said Ramsay. "The one left standing takes all. But can I trust you to honor your word?"
"I am a Griffin of Winterfell," said Brian. "My word is my life and honor!"
"Good!" said Ramsay. "I too will pledge you my word."
"We'll fight tomorrow at noon, on this very spot," said Brian.
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Back at camp, Stewie had some suspicions to share with Brian. "Ramsay was far too quick to agree with you, Brian. He must have something up his sleeve."
"You're right," said Brian. "But what else can I do? This is the only way I have any hope of defeating him."
"Well, at least you've got a warg on your side," said Stewie.
Brian shook his head. "I don't want you to warg into me, Stewie. Not this time. I want to win this fight on my own."
"I say, have you gone mad?" Stewie exclaimed. "He'll slaughter you!"
"Yeah, Ramsay is a total monster," Ruth agreed.
Brian dismissed this. "Bill Cipher is a monster. The White Walkers are monsters. Ramsay is just a criminal."
"I don't want you to die, Brian!" Stewie cried.
"I already died once," Brian reminded him. "I'm not afraid to die again, as long as I can take Ramsay with me."
Stewie had never heard Brian talk like this before. Clearly, he was no longer the same direwolf Stewie had known growing up at Winterfell. His ordeals had changed him forever.
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In another part of the camp, Davos was talking with Tormund. "You think there's hope?" Davos asked.
"I've never seen this Bolton fucker fight," said Tormund. "And he's never seen Brian fight. So yes, there's hope. You want to avenge your king, don't you?"
"It wasn't the Boltons who defeated Stannis, it was Stannis himself," said Davos. "I loved the man. He lifted me up and made me somethin'."
Tormund said, "I believed Mance Radar was the man to lead us through the Long Night. But I was wrong, just like you."
"Maybe that was our mistake," said Davos. "Believin' in kings."
"Brian Griffin's not a king," said Tormund.
"No, he's not," Davos agreed.
Then Stewie came rolling up in his wheelchair. "Brian thinks he's going to carry the day by whacking Ramsay alone," he said. "But there's no reason we shouldn't make double sure of things. Ramsay Bolton knows nothing of honor. I don't need to look into the future to know that he can't be trusted."
Davos nodded his agreement wholeheartedly. "You're right, Stewie, so what's your scheme?"
"Brian is going to face Ramsay in single combat tomorrow," said Stewie. "But I think Ramsay will play some trick, like having his men step in to help him. So, we should have some archers standing ready in case the Bolton forces try anything."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Tormund. "If they step out of line, we'll let 'em have it!"
