A/N: Thanks again for all your love! In this chapter, we get to pay a visit to a character I believe was extremely underutilized in the show. This chapter also includes mentions of Garlen and Willas Tyrell. I've only read the first two books of ASOFAI so my interpretation of them may be different from that of the books.

Margaery eyed the Tyrell army with disinterest from atop a wall of Highgarden. The army was preparing to match north. She would be joining them by order of the king, but she knew better than to think it was Tommen who sent her away. Cersei saw her as a threat and had convinced her son to rid the capital of Margaery.

Margaery sighed as she rested her head on her arm, yet again her and her family's plan of making her queen had failed. She had always dreamed of being queen and she had been groomed from childhood to fit the role. It was not just that she was ambitious but she also believed that she would genuinely make a good ruler. She was not cruel like Cersei nor sadistic like Joffrey. She desired to rule unlike Robert Baratheon and knew what she wanted for her people, unlike Tommen. Though every time she was inches away from her goal it would be swept out of her reach once more.

"Now what has got you riled up, child?"

Margaery turned around to find her grandmother behind her, watching her intently. She shrugged, "We ride to war tomorrow."

Olenna Tyrell scoffed, "Don't play coy with me, child. We both know that's not it." Margaery smiled slightly. Nothing escaped the notice of the Queen of Thorns. Her grandmother stepped forward to stand beside Margaery on the wall.

Margaery intertwined her arm with that of her grandmother, "I'd assume you already know, grandmother."

"You assumed correctly. But I assure you, my dear, there will be nothing for us to fear on the battlefield."

Margaery wasn't entirely sure of that. Their army was large and rested but so were the Knights of the Vale, and they were only a portion of Jon Snow's army. The odds of their victory weren't comforting enough. She steered her grandmother and herself away from the wall and the army and down to the extravagant gardens of Highgarden.

"I'd never thought I would see Highgarden so soon. Truthfully I wasn't sure if I'd ever see it again."

"No, you thought you would stay in that shit-filled city with a crown upon your head and a Lannister babe in your arms."

"I would have been queen."

"Not for long."

Margaery stopped to look at her grandmother and Lady Olenna rolled her eyes as she urged herself and Margaery on.

"There is a new player in the game, my child." Lady Olenna started as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Jon Snow commands three of the seven kingdoms. It is very likely he will dethrone the Lannisters."

"Two of which are already in shambles." Margaery pointed out, "Our army with that of the Lannisters even the odds."

Olenna conceded to her point, "Until Jon Snow weds and beds his aunt." Margaery wrinkled her nose in distaste at the that and Olenna chuckled at her reaction. "In turn earning himself an army of Unsullied and three dragons."

Margaery hummed in reply as she considered her grandmother's words. Her grandmother had a fair point if the Dragon Queen entered the greater game especially in alliance with Jon Snow the Lannisters stood no chance.

"And yet we march to Riverrun against Jon Snow."

"Are we?" Olenna quipped sarcastically, "Cersei Lannister is a fool. By sending you away from the capital she lost her leverage and our support."

Silence fell upon them as they passed a group of Margaery's cousins and she smiled politely at them. She and Olenna made their way to a maze, regaining their privacy.

"So we sever our alliance to the Lannisters?"

"Cersei did that for us. I was hoping to do it myself but there was the issue of getting you out of Kingslanding."

"We join Jon Snow then."

Olenna smirked, "If he'll have us. If he'll have you."

Margaery came to halt and whipped her head around to look at her grandmother in surprise. "You mean to marry me to him?"

"I mean to make you his queen." Olenna corrected as they made a turn in the maze, "And do it before his aunt takes the honour."

Margaery gaped at the old woman beside her. They planned to marry her to Jon Snow, a bastard that turned out to be a king. She tried in vain to recall if Sansa had ever said anything about him. Sansa neglected to talk about him likely because she thought he had been a bastard. The plan was a sound one. She would be queen just as she had hoped to be, that is if he consented to marry her. But Margaery knew next to nothing about the man, she had no idea what his weaknesses were nor how to get him to bend to her every will.

Renly had been easy for his heart had had already belonged to Loras. Joffrey had been a challenge, but Margaery had managed with just the right words and a bit of persuasion. Tommen was a piece of cake, he was a naive boy and possessed a weakness for women as most boys did. But Jon Snow was an unknown. No one had bothered to notice him as he was masqueraded as a bastard so everyone knew literally nothing about him. If he proved to be as honourable as his uncle, who raised him, then Margaery's usual charms would not suffice.

"It's a sound plan, grandmother." Margaery managed to get out.

"I am aware."

Margaery just realized that her grandmother had ordered Loras to have her wheelhouse readied earlier that morning. "You mean to come with us to Riverrun?"

"Of course. I don't trust your father or Loras or even Garlen to convince the King." Olenna snarked, "He will be wary of us and I can't very well send Willas." Margaery smiled, of course, her grandmother's first instinct was to send Willas. If Olenna Tyrell claimed her wit had skipped her son then Willas Tyrell had inherited it all in full force. Margaery suspected that her grandmother slightly favoured Willas because of that. Olenna trusted Willas where she did not trust anyone else, Margaery included. Unfortunately , though Willas rarely left Highgarden due to his crippled leg.

"Now that you are in on my plan, we have more important things to do, my dear." Olenna pulled Margaery closer as she spoke, "The mystery revolving around Jon Snow remains and we must be the ones to solve it."

Rickon crouched down on to the snow and pressed his nose to Shaggy Dog's while tears ran down his face to his slight annoyance. He ran his hand through his direwolf's unruly and black fur, loathing to part with him but he could hear Osha's frantic warnings from behind him. He got up and steeled himself as he found himself faltering at the task before him.

"Go, Shaggy. You have to leave."

Shaggy stared at him with uncomprehending eyes and Rickon gave him a slight shove. "Go!" He ordered urgently. Shaggy Dog continued to look at Rickon before he took a slow step back as though he started to understand what he was saying. The direwolf slowly backed away from Rickon until it turned around and broke into a run. Rickon clenched his fists in grief as he watched Shaggy Dog sprint away on the white snow. He cursed the tears that continued to fall as he tried to stay strong like he imagined his father, Robb or Jon would be.

Someone tugged on Rickon's cloak, and he hurriedly wiped the tears off his face and looked up to find Osha regarding him sadly. Rickon scowled at his caretaker's pity. He was a Stark of Winterfell and he was not be pitied.

"It'll be alright, little lord. Maybe we can find him after the Boltons leave."

Rickon nodded grimly and made his way back inside the Last Hearth. He swallowed nervously as he spied an army of men under the banner of the flayed man approach the keep. It seemed that Roose Bolton had assigned his bastard, Ramsey to ensure the loyalty of the northern lords and as a result, had him visiting them. There was no time for Rickon and Osha to escape, not when the Boltons had already appeared before their gates. They had let Shaggy Dog into the wilderness as it would be suspicious for a supposed Umber bastard to have a direwolf, the Starks were so famous for having.

Rickon entered the main hall of the Hearth and took his place behind the Umbers. He was posing as the GreatJon's bastard and Osha as his wet nurse. He reached up to his sleeve to check that the knife he hid was still there. The Umbers had been nothing but kind to him since his arrival but he didn't trust anyone except Osha.

He had a weird sense of foreboding as he waited restlessly. That feeling usually preceded some unfortunate event. He had had it days before his father and Robb had died and when Theon had taken Winterfell. It was never succeeded by anything good.

Following what seemed to Rickon to be forever, the SmallJon entered the hall. He was followed by a group of men led by one who possessed a crazed look in his eyes. Rickon assumed he was Ramsey Bolton. The SmallJon and Ramsey were exchanging words not so quietly.

"My father only requests that you pledge your banners to house Bolton and swear fealty to him as Warden of the North."

"I'm not kissing your father's fucking hand."

Ramsey smiled, "Traditionally a bannerman kneels to his lord."

"Not doing that either."

The Bolton bastard's eyes narrowed at the lord of the Last Hearth. He let his eyes roam the room and his eyes fell on to the Umbers and lit up in glee almost instantly. He clasped his hands in delight as he approached them, abandoning his conversation with the SmallJon.

"So this must be your lovely family." Rickon heard a threat in the statement.

The SmallJon's jaw tightened as he grunted in reply. Ramsey took his wife's hand in his own and pecked it. The man then turned to the SmallJon's sole son, Ned who was named after Rickon's father.

Rickon's attention turned to the Boltons companions. Most of them were Boltons soldiers but the person who stood out to Rickon was a meek man who cowering behind Ramsey. It was only when Rickon squinted did he recognize the man. Rickon clenched his fists, before him stood Theon Greyjoy the man who had driven Bran and Rickon from their home and killed Ser Rodrick.

Theon had changed though, Rickon could remember that Theon had always been a proud and arrogant young man who often had teased Rickon. Now Theon was unkempt and kept his eyes glued to the ground in what seemed to be fear. Rickon's eyes flitted between Rickon and Ramsey, his captor, he realized. A part of Rickon was glad that Theon got what was coming for him.

Rickon quietly shifted sideways so that he would be covered by the SmallJon's wife, the last thing he wanted was Theon recognizing him. Unfortunately, the noise caused by the shifting of his feet caught the attention of Ramsey. His eyes regarded Rickon curiously. Ramsey pushed the SmallJon's wife aside and approached Rickon. Rickon could feel Osha stiffen beside him and he stared hard at the ground to keep himself from glaring or doing something else reckless.

"Now who do we have here?"

"Torhen Snow." The SmallJon cut in, fighting to keep his voice from panicking. Rickon glanced at Theon through the corners of his eyes. Theon's eyes had widened and started tremble to as he studied Rickon.

Ramsey smiled knowingly, "A bastard."

"My father's."

Theon's trembling had become pronounced and he started to mutter to himself 'Reek'. Ramsey turned around, "What is it, Reek?"

Theon continued to tremble and murmur urgently to himself. Rickon slid the knife in his sleeve down to his hand and clutched it tight. If Theon was going to give him away, Rickon would make sure that Theon went down with him.

"You are here to negotiate. Not meet my family." The SmallJon interrupted and this time Rickon could hear the panic his voice. Osha placed a hand protectively on Rickon's arm. Ramsey ignored the SmallJon altogether as he looked curiously between Theon and Rickon. He stepped closer to Theon and urged to tell him what was bothering him.

"What is it, Reek?" His voice dangerously low. Theon cowered in fear of his captor and Rickon clutched the knife even tighter. Ramsey's eyes narrowed. "You know I don't appreciate it when you don't listen to me, Reek."

Theon's eyes widened with sheer fear, "Rickon Stark, my lord." He said quietly, "That's Rickon Stark."

Rickon screamed in rage as he launched himself at Theon. He heard shouts and screams from around him but he paid no attention to him. Theon raised his hands in defense. Rickon's knife was inches from Theon's neck when a pair of hands grabbed hold of his arms. He whipped his head around to look at the man who was restraining him. Ramsey Bolton was watching him with excitement and glee. The man reached for Rickon's weapon and wrenched it out of his grasp.

"I'll be taking that."

Ramsey looked to the SmallJon in triumph. "You've been hiding a wolf. A wild one." Rickon glared at Theon with utmost contempt who lowered his head in shame.

The SmallJon reached for the sword but a Bolton man grabbed his son, placing a dagger to his neck.

Ramsey smiled and ordered, "Take Lord Umber and sweep the keep for the other boy." He then turned back to Rickon.

"You should be glad that I found you, little wolf." Ramsey said happily and Rickon felt a shiver run down his spine, "I'm taking you home."

A/N: I always thought Rickon had so much potential. Hope you like the chapter. Subscribe and Review!