Sansa is right, Maya thought. They refuse to listen to a girl who knows nothing of wars. She is right, she knows Ramsay better than all of us. We all know the men who hurt us better than most...but they won't listen because they are men and we are women.
Maya noticed a red-haired man sitting on a stool in the corner of the room. She walked over to him in The Great Hall which happened to be empty.
"Tormund, is it?"
He looked up at her. "Who wants to know?"
She smiled. "Jon's older sister that's who. Why are you not with the men and their counsels on the battle plans?"
"Too confusing, you southerners are."
"I'm no southerner."
"I heard things about you, heard you were a fighter. One of the best."
Maya chuckled and sat next to them. "Not the best I'm afraid, but better than most women are these days. I never dreamed of getting married, sewing and all that bullshit. I wanted to be a knight at one point in my life when I was a young girl, but everyone got in my way."
"You shouldn't have let them then."
"I was a girl and I let it happened. There were people more powerful than I was and now I'm married with a child. I love my son and my husband, but…"
"But they held you back."
"Yes as selfish as it may sound. My family didn't let me be who I wanted to be. I used to wish that I was a wildling or born a man, anything that would let me be free of my supposed duties. If I were a man then I could have easily walked away from all of this."
"You're a hard-headed girl, somehow I think that you won't let anything get in your way."
"I did. I escaped this place for awhile and it was exciting to be somewhere in which no one asked who I was or my sigil. I had to come back for my family because they mean the world to me," she explained.
"Family is important."
"So anyone of importance in your life right now, Tormund?"
"There is a woman named Brienne."
"Tall as a mountain, blonde, and fights better than anyone out there...that Brienne?"
"She's nothing like I've ever seen before," he said in awe. "I've seen women fight before, but none looked like her."
"It seems that you are not the only man to be in awe of Brienne of Tarth."
"Who else?!"
"One of my men. He's with her right now at Riverrun. From his letters, I think he has got a crush on her."
"How do I get her?"
"Brienne is a strong woman and women like her, it takes time. Do you think that I fell in love with Jaime at first sight even though I knew he fancied me first? It took time and a lot of it. You must be patient and understanding. It's hard to trust men who have always put you down just because you're not as pretty as other girls or don't have a cock."
Tormund chuckled and mused, "You've got a mouth on you. That's surprising since your sister is so proper."
"I was raised with brothers running wild. I used to ride my horse, Knox before he was killed by Theon Greyjoy when he took Winterfell, through the woods every morning. I loved nature."
"I like women who aren't afraid to act like a man, strong women. They are something fierce."
Maya poured him a cup of mead and herself one of well. She handed him the cup and raised it up to him, "To many victories, my friend."
"Friend?"
"I trust Jon's judgement and he trusts you and your people therefore so do I. We are all on the same side. The Southerners think that those stories about the children of the forest, snarks, grumpkins, the Old Gods, White Walkers, Wights are just that...stories to scare little children and men who are naughty."
"We know otherwise. I've seen them, your brother's seen them, all these men haven't seen them. They don't believe. A great war is coming between the dead and the living."
"Let's hope that we survive this long winter then, Tormund," she agreed as they clinked their cups together, gulping it down.
Later that night when the lights were out and everyone was asleep in their beds, Maya quietly kissed her son's head as the wet nurse smiled at her.
"Keep him safe for me until I get back."
The wet nurse nodded. "Yes, Lady Lannister."
"You know that if something happens then I want you to take him back to my husband, telling him what happened."
"Their army's gone," Ramsay said as he dismounted his horse.
"Our army's gone," one of his guards informed him
"We have Winterfell," Ramsay reminded. "They don't have the men for a siege. All we have to do is wait."
They heard something bang onto the gates, getting louder and louder with each bang. Ramsay heard someone command. "Archers! To the wall!"
Wun Wun roared as they charged through the doors, barely missing the arrows as they knocked down the Bolton men. Men shouted as various sizes of arrows were thrown about and into the air. Wun Wun wasn't brought down even when he had more than enough arrows and spears through his body to kill any man.
There was a ringing noise in her ears as there always was before a battle. She heard her breath hit against the steel, hot against her face. She always felt suffocated in a way. The silver wasn't as bright as it used to be, but the white stallion was just as fierce. She dismounted her horse quickly, stroking the fur.
She tested one of the spears by her side before she threw it into the man standing next to Ramsay. He went down easily as Ramsay stared in confusion as he realized that he was surrounded. He stepped backwards as Maya stepped forwards. She gave a laugh at him, smiling.
"I've seen that armour, well heard about it. That sigil, a laughing tree. Ser Dorren Thorne, The Mocking Knight...The Mockery," Ramsay proclaimed in amusement. "I heard that you defeated The Mountain, The Knight of Flowers, The Kingslayer, and so on and so forth. Have you come to claim me as well?"
Maya strode forward easily and swung her sword at him. Ramsay nearly dodged her blade as he used his sword to attack her. He determinedly kept on swinging his sword at her. She stepped around him, dancing almost. She remembered Arya and her water dancing then, anger filling inside of her at the memory suddenly. She swung her sword at him, slicing his arm before he shoved his sword towards her waist. She jumped backwards, hitting her sword against his. Just as their swords made an misshapen X, she had enough. Maya brought her head down upon his.
Ramsay stumbled backwards and fell into the floor. Maya quickly stabbed her sword into his leg, forcing him down onto the ground. When he tried to get up, Maya put her foot on his chest and took off her helmet. Winter came beside her, growling as she still had blood smeared across her snot and her fangs sharper than ever with blood.
She smiled down at him as she said, "What was it you said yesterday to me? That I could never defeat you in battle, bastard? You underestimated me, Snow...doesn't matter what some king declared you as, legitimizing you, you are and will always be a bastard. I am Maya Stark of Winterfell, Lady of Casterly Rock, apparently I'm the mother to the Prince that was Promised, The Mocking Knight, Princess in the North, Wardeness of the North, Lady of Winterfell and this is my home."
She stepped away from him just as Jon came in and started to beat Ramsay repeatedly. Maya looked away and gasped as she saw Rickon with an arrow through his chest laying on a board. She sniffled as she moved his curly hair away from his face that didn't seem so young anymore. She started to shed cold yet hot tears on her face as she bent her head into his chest, feeling the fur across her cheeks.
Maya held him close to her, whispering, "I am sorry, brother. May you rest well with the rest of our family."
"We're going to bury my brother in the crypt next to my father," Jon commanded. "Maya-"
"I need to be alone right now," she whispered, turning away and walking away. Her eyes caught the wolf on the Stark banners just as the flayed man went down, it hung once again in it's rightful place.
TBC…
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! WOW! HOLY SHIT! 50 chapters later, you guys, 300 reviews, 409 favorites, and 540 follows! I am so extremely grateful that you guys love this story and actually root for another story of just Maya, Malakhi, Brienne, Arya, Bronn. That would be an awesome spin-off, but gotta stick to this story first and get it done before I think about all that.
I already have next chapter planned out and all I gotta do is write it. So I hoped you liked this chapter.
REVIEW. FOLLOW. FAVORITE. Until next time...