Chapter 8 - The Dragon Feast's
Start
Within 3 weeks, the Northern Lords that support him gathered their forces and joined up with him at the Dreadfort. With the Northern Clansmen, the Manderly's, Mormonts, Glenmores, Glovers, Reed's, Tallharts, Cassels, Pooles, Forresters, and 5000 of his Freefolk army, the Stark's had 9,500 men. Naruto decided not to use his other 12,000 Freefolk. If he used a host that big, Ramsay would get scared and he'd turn the battle between them into a siege, something Naruto could not afford, given the weather. He could burn down the gates with his dragon's, but he preferred not doing that, considering he wanted to reveal his heritage after the war was won.
Things didn't all go according to plan. Somehow, the last 3 of Arnolf's grandson's managed to escape escape. Alys was kept under constant guard to make sure she didn't escape as well. Naruto also sent Ramsay a letter to throw him off.
Ramsay Snow
Bastard of House Bolton and Usurper of the North
Your ranting is more akin to a child throwing a temper tantrum. The Dreadfort, Last Hearth, Highpoint, and the Karhold are all mine now, bastard. Come and See. Alys Karstark and Gwyn Whitehill now my prisoners. The heads of Torrhen Whitehill, Arnolf Karstark, his sons and the worthless soldiers you left behind now adorn my mantle, bastard. Come and See.
You destroyed my home, and raped my sister. You're a disease that fester's within the North and a curse on it's people. Return Winterfell to the Starks and I promise to give you a quick death. Refuse and you and your followers will die screaming. Your houses will become extinct and all memory of your degenerate families will vanish as the rain's weep o'er your halls, and not a soul to hear. Come and See.
Signed: Jon Stark
Lord of the Dreadfort, Last Hearth, Highpoint, and the Karhold and King in the North
When word reached Ramsay of these developments he was enraged. First the Bolton garrison he left at Moat Cailin had been wiped out by the invading knights of the Vale and now the Starks had raised an army against him. Harald Karstark was enraged at the imprisonment of his sister, while Ludd Whitehill was mourning the loss of all his son's. Both men wanted to march on the Dreadfort to get thier revenge. But Ramsey realized that was what Naruto wanted him to do and Ramsay knew better than to give up his strong position and fall into a trap. Smalljon had also secretly received a letter from his uncle's about these new developments and told him not to worry about, to stick to the plan to betray Ramsay.
As the Starks gathered his allies, Ramsey did the same and gathered his full strength. Besides the Karstarks and the Whitehills, his supporters included the Dustins, the Ryswells, and the Stouts. All in all, this gave Ramsay 12,000 men, not including the 2,000 Umber men that were secretly loyal to the Starks. Though Ramsay had 6,000 cavalry to Naruto's 2,000, so he had the advantage there.
So once their army had been assembled and properly equipped, Naruto Targaryen began his march on Winterfell.
1 week later
Winterfell
Day before the battle
On the eve of the battle the commanders of both armies met for a parley on the open plains outside Winterfell. Ramsay rode with Harald Karstark, Smalljon Umber, Ludd Whitehill, Rodrik Ryswell, Barbary Dustin, and Harmen Stout.
Naruto Targaryen was waiting along with Sansa, Val, Tormund Giantsbane, Lyanna Mormont, Maege Mormont, Hugo Wull and Galbert Glover. Melisandre was brought along as well, as an attempt to unnerve Ramsay's allies.
Ramsay's party approached and he grinned broadly at the sight of Sansa. "My beloved wife, he said slyly, "I've missed you terribly." He turned to Naruto, "thank you for returning Lady Bolton safely." Naruto merely stared at Ramsay silently, which was unnerving a couple of the Bolton bastard's allies, considering how Naruto's Valyrian steel armor made him appear as a demon.
Ramsay continued his rant, "Now dismount and kneel before me. Surrender your army and proclaim me the true Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I will forgive you for deserting the Night's Watch, and I'll forgive these treasonous lords for betraying my house."
His demand was met with chilling silence from Naruto's party. Lyanna and Maege gave him a death glare, that Smalljon privately thought would have cowed his father. While Tormund snarled and spat in their direction.
Ramsay shook his head smiling, "Come, Bastard, you don't have the men, you don't have the horses and you don't have Winterfell."
Naruto looked Ramsay square in the eye, the red glow of the armor's eyes unnerving some of Ramsay's allies, "Your point being what, exactly? So what if I don't have Winterfell? I took Last Hearth, the Dreadfort, the Karhold, and Highpoint before you even realized what was going on."
"Not for long bastard," Ramsay countered with a bit of snarl. "Why lead these poor souls into slaughter? There is no need for a fight."
Naruto and Val share an amused look and Tormund was trying to stifle a laugh. Naruto turned back to Ramsay. "You are correct on one thing, bastard. There's no need for a battle. 14,000 thousand men don't need to die, just you and your allies." Ramsay's smirk dropped at being called a bastard, his eyes glared at Naruto and gripping the reins of his horse as Naruto made a motion with his Valyrian steel covered fingers. A serving boy brought forward chopping block's for Ramsay and each of his allies. "I'll make this simple for you. Get off you horse's, stick your neck's over the blocks, and I will give you all a quick death."
"Are you really so arrogant that you think we would just let you execute us!?" Lord Stout demanded angrily.
"Are you afraid to face us one on one, bastard!" Harald Karstark said. Naruto laughed at that, as he found it hilarious.
"Don't make me laugh. Even on my worse day, I would still cut you all down easily." Naruto mocked before he mocked them further, "But since you mentioned it. We'll settle this the old way, bastard. You vs me. I'll even let you have a handicap and bring in your fellow conspirator's to fight alongside you. Not that it will make a difference. 0 times 7 is still zero."
Ramsay was silent, gripping the rein's of his horse at the mention of his lowborn nature in anger for a moment before he broke into laughter, "I keep hearing stories about you, bastard. The way people talk about you, you're the greatest swordsman who ever lived. Maybe you are that good, maybe not. I don't know if I can beat you, BUT I KNOW that my army can beat yours. I have 14,000 men, what do you have? Half that?"
Naruto hmphed, "Aye, you do have the greater numbers. But will your men fight for you when they see you are craven, even when I offered such a generous handicap?" This angered Ramsey yet again and his eyes turned murderous.
Ramsay's restrained himself, waving his finger, saying with grit teeth to keep his composure, "He's good. Very good!" He regained his composure and said "Tell me. Will you let your little brother die for your pride?"
"Why would I trust the word of a bastard who's too craven to face me himself?" Naruto countered rhetorically. This angered Ramsay greatly as he clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. Sansa and some of the other eyed him, wondering if he might attack.
Instead, he calmed himself and turned to Smalljon, who was not impressed with Ramsay's lack of control and silently longed for tomorrow when he wouldn't have to put up with him. Nonetheless, he tossed the head of the wolf that he claimed to be the direwolf Shaggydog at their feet. Sansa gave it a glance, making it look like she was worried, to keep up the ploy.
"Now then!" Ramsay shouted as he calmed himself and spoke again with a calm voice, "if you want to see any mercy from me, then surrender."
At this, Val could no longer suppress a chuckle, Ramsay turned to him. "Something funny, wildling?"
Val looked at him, "I suggest you look to your gods, bastard. They'll be the only ones granting you mercy."
Ramsay laughed after he calmed down again harshly, "I'll make sure my men spare you for me, Wilding. I will enjoy raping you very much." He looked towards the other Stark loyalists, "the rest of you are all fine looking people. My dogs are all very eager to meet you, I haven't fed them in seven days. Now they're ravenous."
"The only thing they will feast on is you Ramsay," Sansa retorted to the surprise of every one.
Ramsay grinned at her before he turned back to Naruto, "In the morning then Bastard."
Naruto took the opportunity to look to Barbrey Dustin and her father, Lord Ryswell. "I'm surprised to see you two aiding him. You do know he murdered Domeric and Bethany, right?"
"What nonsense do you speak of, Jon Snow?" Barbrey demanded.
"It's all very obvious when you think about it." Naruto continued, "Domeric was the heir to the Dreadfort, the very position Ramsay has desired his whole life. So, while Domeric is fostering in the Vale with House Redfort, Bethany suddenly dies of a fever. But then again, there are poison's that can easily mimic fever's. And then when Domeric comes back from his fostering, the good lad goes to find his bastard brother. He meet's up with him and Ramsay serves him dinner, which Domeric didn't realize was poisoned, and he died from bleeding out through his orifices. It was by no means a natural death. Suddenly, Roose has no heir, and no wife to make more of them. Now, tell me. Who could possibly benefit from all that, but the bastard who has been wanting to be his father's heir his whole life?"
"After all, he recently killed his own father, his father's Frey wife, and their son, who was also named Domeric. I mean, Roose Bolton, poisoned by his enemies? Nobody in the North uses poison, except Ramsay. If this was the South, that might be believable, but this is the North. We do our own dirty work. And right after he murdered his father while Harald Karstark watched, he had his blood hounds rip apart poor Walda Frey and her newborn son Domeric, who had only just been born that same day. Why did he do it, you might ask? Because they were a threat to him. I believe his wording, right before he sicked his hounds on them was, "I preferred it when I was an only child."
Ramsay looked at Naruto in mild fear for the first time and made the mistake of looking back at Barbrey Dustin and Lord Ryswell before he cooled his expression.
"When the sun sets tommorow, bastard, your line shall end," Naruto replied ominously as he and the rest of his party rode away save for Sansa, Melisandre and their guards.
He then turned to his 'wife,' "You're a fine woman Sansa, I'll enjoy fucking you again. Come back now and I may yet show mercy to your traitor brother."
Sansa glared at him, "You think me a fool, Ramsay? You're not capable of mercy. I will never go back to you. I'll take my own life before that happens."
"Your bastard brother will not beat me. I'll enjoy flaying him alive slowly." Ramsay continued.
"You should have more respect for bastards, Ramsay Snow," Melisandre said. Everyone turned to her, she smiled slyly at Ramsay who stared at her with lust filled eyes as she continued. "Take what happened to you, when your father raped your mother under the tree where he had her husband hung. When she came to your father, he only spared you because you had the same eyes as him. None could have predicted that the boy born from such a union would rise to become Lord of House Bolton."
For the second time that day, Ramsay was speechless, 'Who is this woman, and how does she know so much about my conception!? Nobody knew anything about that except father!'
Sansa's expression was like stone as she spoke with ice lacing her voice. "You're going to die tomorrow, bastard." Ramsay stared at her in surprise and anger while she continued, "Sleep well." With that she turned and rode away.
Melisandre smile broadened, "Look to your sins, Lord Ramsay, for the night is dark and full of terrors."
Ramsay was concerned about Melisandre, but at the same time, was excited at the prospect of raping her. He smiled devilishly as the two women rode away, he turn to Harald and said simply, "Save those two for me, and I shall let you have a go at the lady in red."
That night
Later that night the commanders began making their plan. "If he was smart all he needs to do is hold up inside Winterfell and wait us out," Lyanna concluded.
Naruto shook his head, "In this weather, he can't do that. His army is too large. All those men will go through their supplies like wildfire."
Davos nodded, bristling at the mention of the substance that killed his son, "Besides that's not his way. He knows the North is watching Winterfell. If they see any sign of weakness, they will stop fearing him and he only rules through fear. Without it, he has no power."
"It's also his weakness," Naruto replied. "if his men feel the tide turning-"
"it's not his men that worry me," Tormund cut in. "It's his horses. I know what mounted knights can do to us."
Everyone nodded and Ser Davos turned to Sansa, "What do you think about all this, Sansa?"
Everyone but Naruto looked at Davos in surprise, "why ask her?" Lyanna asked.
"Many of us know what kind of person Ramsay is but Sansa is the only one here who had to LIVE with the little maggot. She may have insight on how his mind works." Naruto said.
All eyes slowly turned to Sansa she looked around before speaking, "You're right Ser Davos, Jon, none of you know Ramsay like I do. I know his mind works. I know how he likes to hurt people. Ramsay is not a person that falls into traps, he is the one who lays traps, he's been doing it all his life."
"Well then, he's in for a rude awakening. Because the one thing a trapper hates the most is falling for a trap," Naruto commented as they worked for another hour and finalized their plan's.
The Day of the Battle
It was the day of the battle as both sides were arrayed across the field, which had burning flayed men. Naruto sat on his horse in his full Valyrian Steel Armor, as Ramsay brought the boy pretending to be the youngest Stark to the front of his army. He had thought about showing Naruto the boy's flayed body, but that was too quick for the sadistic shit.
"Do you like games, little man?" He asked calmly, with a smile on his face. "Let's play a game." Grabbing the boy's shoulders firmly, he pulled him in close.
Pointing to the army on the other side of the field, "Run to your brother." Ramsay talked in a friendly tone as he explained, "The sooner you get to him, the sooner you get to see him again."
"That's it. That's the game." He added lightly. "Easy! … Ready?" He asked, a sadistic glint in his eyes. With a whispered go, Ramsay gave him a light shove forward.
'Rickon' started walking instead of running, which made Ramsay chastise him. "No, no, no. You have to run. Those are the rules."
Understanding finally dawned on the boy as one of Ramsay's men came beside his lord with his hunting bow and a full quiver. 'Rickon' started running as Ramsay slowly nocked an arrow. Letting 'Rickon' get a little bit further away, he loosed the arrow and let it fly. He had not bothered aiming, as he was trying to scare the boy and build up the tension, so when he killed him in front of Jon, it would be all the more gut wrenching.
Ramsay prided himself on his skill's with a bow. If he had remained a smallfolk like his mother, he would have been able to feed himself by hunting, never have gone hungry and maybe him and Myranda would have married with a few kids.
Alas, today he was fishing, and the little wolf was the worm to draw in the fish and draw him in he did. Naruto was galloping towards his 'half-brother' to save the boy. The thought made Ramsay chuckle, as if he had a chance. Ramsay fired another arrow that missed but it landed closer to 'Rickon'.
But then, just outside the range of his archers, Naruto brought his horse to a halt. 'Perhaps he does have some sense. No matter, this last arrow is the one that mattered anyway. Time to hit the mark,' Ramsay thought. No matter, it was time for the hook. Ramsay nocked his arrow and aimed right through the boy's chest.
Yet before he could get the shot off, the same man who handed Ramsay his bow and was holding his arrows, tackled him to the ground and began wailing on him. Ramsay punched him back, noting the blood red eyes of his soldier, before pulling out his knife and slitting his throat. He looked to 'Rickon' to see he had hopped on to Naruto's horse.
"NO! LOOSE!" He shouted his order with anger to his archers, who fired a volley of arrows toward Naruto and 'Rickon'. But it was not to be, as Naruto galloped back towards his army, already outside the range of Ramsay's archers. Naruto's army cheered him, with their cheers, taunts, and jeers echoing in the chilling air.
'You played your games, and now they're gone.' Ramsay could still hear his father's cold words from when he lost Sansa and Theon, mocking him from beyond the grave. Ramsay stared at the prey that had gotten away with shock and anger. Clenching his fists tightly, his bow creaking under the strain, he roughly handed it off to another Bolton soldier before getting on his horse and ordering the cavalry to charge.
As Naruto made it back to his army, the Freefolk charged forward, leaving the cavalry and any sense of tactics behind them as they spread out. 'It looks like the bastard can't control his savages,' Ramsay thought giddly, as he would immensely enjoy watching half the enemy army being crushed under the hooves and lances of his cavalry, and Ramsay couldn't help but laugh.
His laughter died as quickly as the front ranks of his cavalry tripped over themselves. The second rank and all the ranks after them followed suit as many of the men were crushed underneath their horses and other's were thrown off. Due to having the high ground, Ramsay had an unobstructed view as all 5000 wildlings pulled out short bow's that were previously hidden behind their backs and start firing at will. The loud neighs and dying screams of the men and the horses could be heard from either end of the battlefield. The wildlings quickly moved in with swords drawn once they were out of arrows, slaughtering whoever survived the previous assault.
Any other time, the brutality of their deaths would have given Ramsay a hard-on, but now it was only making him angry, and he was close to losing his composure.
'No. How is this possible? It was… a trap? I AM THE ONE WHO LAYS THE TRAPS!' Ramsay was fuming at the thought of having been outplayed.
With Naruto
A small smile on Naruto's face as he watcehd his men slaughter the Bolton Cavalry as he thought back to the initial conversation he had with his commanders that night, as Tormund's reaction to having some of his stealthiest men dress in all black to hide crudely constructed caltrops across the field was hilarious. He also left a small gap for him to ride ride through to lure the cavalry in after 'Rickon''s rescue. Normally, caltrops are made of metal, but their glint would have been noticed, given the grass was too short to hide them. Stone caltrops, given how they blended in with the dirt, were impossible to notice. Mance was smart enough to realize the Wildlings would likely fight alot of cavalry and had tens of thousands of primitive stone caltrops constructed. He had never gotten the chance to use them, so Naruto used them to bring down the cavalry force.
Still, it wasn't flawless, as he lost 5 dozen of his Freefolk putting down the survivors of the initial onslaught. But now, Ramsay's cavalry, which had been the bastard's biggest trump card, had been wiped out, while Naruto still had several trump cards left to use.
He looked at the boy he had rescued. "What's your real name, kid?" He asked in a calm tone. It wasn't this boy's fault, after all.
"J-Jonas, m'lord." The boy stuttered, fearing for his life, even after his rescue.
Naruto said, "My name is Jon Stark. Tell me, did they know that you were not 'Rickon' Stark?"
"N-No, m'lord. Only Lord Umber knew" The boy stuttered.
'Good' he thought, as he gently set Jonas down on the ground. "On the other side of those woods is our camp. Tell them I sent you, and they'll feed you. I swear that no harm will come to you."
"T-thank you, m-m'lord." Jonas rushed off, quickly fleeing the battle where he almost lost his life.
Putting aside all thought but the battle, he turned his horse around. The Bolton infantry were advancing, practically charging. Ramsay, being a coward, would never risk himself and advance with them, content with remaining in the rear with a reserve if 3500 Umber, Ryswell, and Dustin men. Smiling as he saw what was happening, he urged his horse and his infantry forward as they marched forward. He stopped them outside their archer's range.
The Bolton, Karstark, Whitehill, and Stout men at arms packed themselves into a tight phalanx formation in an arc in front of is forces once they got close enough and slowly advanced forward. Their plan was obvious to him. The phalanx was a good formation to use, and was part of the reason the Old Ghiscari conquered large parts of Essos before he created the Freehold and why the Unsullied could defeat the Dothraki.
Some of his men loosed arrows, but the enemies shield did their job for the most part, with an occasional lucky shaft falling through the gaps, as shown by some corpses being left behind, trampled by the rest of the men as they continued their gradual pace.
He ordered the Freefolk to pull back to a safe distance and the all lined up in front of his infantry. They kept their weapons at the ready but they awaited for his orders. The cavalry also stood ready, but Naruto kept them back as they would do more harm than good with all the caltrops still lining the field. What they needed was a hammer to break the phalanx, or rather 10 really big hammers. Naruto opened up his helmet for a minute and blew into the black horn that he had with him. The deep booming sound of the horn reverberated all throughout the battlefield and for a moment after he finished blowing, everything was silent, minus the marching of the Bolton forces.
Then, out of the tree's came three giant arrow's. Arrow shafts that were 10 feet long and as thick as Naruto's wrist, they pierced through the shields of the Phalanx, each arrow killing or severely wounding half a dozen men. Then, WunWun, Magmar, and the other 5 giants came out of the tree's, dressed in their armor, roaring and charging forward with their massive club's of Ironwood, while Dongo and two other giant's fired several more rounds of giant arrows into the Phalanx.
The phalanx formation was an effective formation to use in battle. But it was made to stop human armies. Not giant wit,h giant ironwood clubs that looked like the giant just ripped a tree out of the ground. The giant's roared raising their club's and swung them in low sweeps, demolishing everything in thier path.
No one on that got hit with the clubs had survived the blows. Men were turned into paste with every swing and impaled with every shot fired from the 3 giant's using bow and arrow's. Harmen Stout got a giant arrow thorugh his face. Ludd Whitehill was turned into a pancake by one of Magmar's swing's. It didn't help matters when Naruto gave the order and moved his Freefolk to the left and right flanks of the phalanx, and ordered them to fire arrows into the phalanx, creating a 3-sided pincer attack that was quickly turning into a slaughter for the 4000 Bolton forces. Naruto also participated by using his old weirwood bow that he had used as Brynden River's and fired precision shots, getting a kill with each shot. Ghost joined the battle as well, ripping men to pieces.
With Ramsay
To say that this battle was not going Ramsay's way would be like saying dragon's fly. All his plans turned to dust as he was played for a fool a second time in this battle and his army was being slaughtered like sheep.
"Archers, advance and focus on those giants. KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" He screamed, all his composure gone. His men hurried to follow his orders, hearing the anger and frustration in his command. And they knew it wasn't a good idea to be around Ramsay when he was pissed off.
"They're doing a lot better than I thought they would." He heard Smalljon comment next to him, the Umber's ancestral greatsword planted in the ground. Ramsay barely restrained his urge to snarl.
However, he could not resist the urge to insult the man, "Here I thought you relished fighting wildings, Umber, but here you are, hiding in the rear." Ramsay's thought was to insult the Umber's pride and love a battle to get him to go down there and rally his men.
Instead, the large man responded in kind, "You're one to talk, boy. You're back here too." He chuckled, "Seems that King Stark had the right of it, after all."
"And what is that, Lord Umber?" Ramsay hissed through his gritting teeth.
Pulling his greatsword out of the ground and resting it on his shoulder, Smalljon asked rhetorically, "Why should we fight for you, when you're too much of a pussy to fight him yourself?" He swung his sword and chopped off both of the legs on the right side of Ramsay's horse with a loud battle cry. The poor horse toppled over with a whinny of pain, bringing Ramsay down with it. Landing on his leg, Ramsay felt more than heard the snap of his leg, crushed under the horse's weight.
Blood filled Ramsay's mouth as he barely stopped himself from screaming in pain. As he looked around, he could see the other Umber men cutting down his rear guard. Smalljon wasted no time in attacking Harald Karstark, decapitating him with ease, before doing the same to Arnolf's 3 remaining grandsons. Taken by surprise, Ramsay's men had no chance. Meanwhile, the Ryswell and Dustin men didn't do anything to help Ramsay.
"God's, if I had to wait any longer to do that, I might have stabbed myself cause I got tired of waiting." Smalljon calmly said.
Ramsay's eyes widened as he had been betrayed, "Why!? You gave me 'Rickon', and the head of his direwolf!"
Smalljon laughed at his confusion. "I never brought you the real 'Rickon' Stark, nor his direwolf neither, or even his wildling protector. They're all safe at Last Hearth. I would never betray someone who has been my guest for 2 years, especially not a Stark. I'm not a fucking Frey. That boy I handed over was a farmer's son named Jonas who lives near Last Hearth. Besides, have you ever seen a direwolf before?" He asked incredulously. "Those great beast's grow bigger than horses. What I brought was just the head of a plain old wolf. Shaggydog, I think its name is, is about the size of a small horse." Seeing that direwolf and also the white one that followed Jon Stark around reminded him of seeing Grey Wind when he campaigned with Robb in the south.
Ramsay spat, "We had a deal, Umber. An alliance!"
"HA! I never bent the knee to you, Snow. While I would love to kill you myself, I think that there is someone else who that right belongs to." Smalljon said.
"Dustin! Ryswell! Kill them!" Ramsay commanded.
"You do not command me and my daughter, bastard," Lord Ryswell said with a snarl.
"What!?" Ramsay screamed in confusion and frustration. Was everyone betraying him today!?
"You murdered Domeric, my sister's son. A boy I loved like a son. I hated Ned for what he did to my husband and brother….but I loved Domeric and my sister more. I won't follow the man who killed him. You bragged about how great it was to kill him when you murdered your father. It wasn't too difficult to get answers from your men, who were guarding the door that day." Barbery said as she glared down at him.
Smalljon turned to his men, who had finished cutting down the Bolton part of the rear guard. "Ten of you, stay here with Lady Dustin and Lord Ryswell. Keep the bastard alive. The rest of us, TO THE KING!" He cried with a loud echo, quickly joined by the rest of the men.
Ramsay's archers were closest so they would die first. The Bolton archer's had turned to see what the commotion was about, but they were too late to defend themselves. It didn't matter what they did, none of it would do any good. 3500 Umber, Ryswell, and Dustin men at arms against a couple hundred archers who had been taken by surprise? There was no contest.
With Naruto
At this point in the battle, the Boltons and Karstarks were severely outnumbered. Deprived of all their advantages, and a possessing a non-existent morale, they recognized there was no hope for victory. With that in mind, they began to surrender. After the first one threw down his weapon and kneeled, the idea quickly spread through the remaining men like a casket of wildfire going off, leaving about 1500 men, Bolton, Stout, and Karstark, kneeling the ground awaiting judgment. Naruto smiled at this. When he was Aegon the Conqueror, he had never really learned military tactics extensively. He didn't need to back then, for there was little to no defense against dragons. But when he was born as Brynden Rivers, he had been forced to learn military tactics, and the revelation that he won his war by using strategy and tactics, without using his dragons even once, brought a smile to his face.
Sure he cheated a bit with his Greensight and his warging, but he didn't care at this point.
Spotting Tormund and Val, in the crowd, Naruto walked towards him. Tormund saw him approach, "Well, seems we won." He spoke simply.
"Aye, it looks that way. We need to get these men in chains. I'll figure out what to do with them later. Val, you and I will find out what's going on over there." With that, Naruto and Val walked toward the Umber, Ryswell, and Dustin men, who were waving the Stark Banner.
With Smalljon
He didn't have to wait long for Naruto and Val to show up, as the man and woman had walked past the Stark forces that surrounded them, and walked towards him without hesitation.
"Lord Umber, good to see you. I am correct in assuming you are still on House Stark's side?" Naruto asked. He had to be certain.
In response, Smalljon took his sword out and bent the knee. "House Umber remains loyal to House Stark, as we always have, my King. Ramsay Bolton is now your prisoner, as proof of this. How is Jonas?"
"Stand, my lord." Naruto said, "And Jonas is fine. A bit shaken, but that is to be expected, given his ordeal. He should be safe at our camp by now."
Complying with his request, Smalljon sighed in relief. He added, "That's good, he's a brave lad."
"And what of you two, Lord Ryswell? Lady Dustin?" Naruto asked as he turned to them. They dismounted their horses and stopped 5 feet from him.
"I still hate Ned Stark for what he did to my brother and husband, Jon Stark. But I loved my sister, Bethany, and her son Domeric more, and my father is of the same mind. My family and I will never follow the bastard that murdered them. Your words yesterday made us see sense. And we would renew our vows to the Starks, here and now," Lady Dustin said as she and her father took to their knees and stabbed their swords into the ground.
"May your loyalty never waver again, Lady Dustin, Lord Ryswell. Stand." Naruto commanded and they did so. A horn sounded in the distance. Looking to the source of the sound, he frowned. "Their late. I need a horse. Val, Lord Umber, with me." They mounted several horses and rode off to the hill, Ser Davos joining them on the way, where a large force of cavalry under the Arryn banner had just arrived.
With Sansa
The red-headed Stark had not been sure what to expect when she caught the first glimpse of the battle. Had Naruto been beaten and already flayed alive by Ramsay? She didn't know, and she hid her nerves behind an impassive and icy expression. Even here, surrounded by her so-called 'allies', such measures were necessary because of the man riding next to her. Petyr Baelsih, the same man who had sold her to the Bolton's in the first place.
What nobody in the Vale Army expected was the battle to already be over; and judging from all the Stark banners still flying and none of the Bolton one's were, it was a total victory for Naruto, who was riding towards them with Ser Davos, Val and Smalljon Umber as well.
Once they got close enough, Naruto took off his helmet, and one look could told her that he was annoyed with her for going behind his back and not saying anything.
Naruto addressed the Vale knights, "Greetings, Knights of the Vale. What has brought this far North in Stark territory?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.
Next to her, Baelish answered with a sly smile, "Well met, you must be Jon Snow. I've heard much about you. I am Petyr Baelish, Acting Lord Paramount of the Vale."
"Mind your tone, fool. You speak to Jon Stark, King in the North." Val retorted, as she would not allow her lover to be insulted like that, and Naruto held his hand before and argument took place. Baelish bristled a bit at being called a fool and also was annoyed that there was a new King in the North, as now his plan's to tie the North and the Riverlands to him by marrying Sansa for his bid for the Iron Throne were in ruins. He had to figure how this came to be so he could undo it and get his plans back on track!
"You have not answered my question. What are you doing in the North?" Naruto said.
"We, at Lady Sansa's request, have come to assist in the retaking of Winterfell." Baelish explained.
"It pleases me that the bonds of friendship between the North and the Vale remains strong, my lords, but your help is not needed. As you can see…" He pointed behind himself, "My army and I already won, and Winterfell will fly Stark banners shortly."
Sansa could tell that Baelish was irritated at being ignored from someone he considered beneath him by the twitch in his left eye and he was especially angered that apparently there was a new King in the North. "Oh, really? And how do you plan on accomplishing this?"
Instead of Naruto, the larger and thicker bearded Smalljon Umber answered. "Some of my men, along with Ryswell and Dustin forces are inside the castle, and will open up the gates once the Bolton forces inside have been cleaned up. If not, then as proof of House Umber, Dustin, and Ryswell's continued loyalty, Lady Sansa, we have taken Ramsay Snow prisoner…" He pointed to where his ten men still surrounded Ramsay, his leg no longer being crushed by his horse, "Right over there."
Looking over to where he pointed, she could see that he told the truth. Looking even farther, she gasped in surprise and a bright smile grew on her face. It was at that moment the banner of the flayed man had been struck down, and once more the banner of a grey direwolf over a snow-white field flew proudly.
Later that night
The banners of the Flayed man had all been burned and the bodies were being gathered up by the men and moved into the forest, though the Vale men were unsure why. This was so his dragons could eat in peace until he was ready to reveal them.
In the courtyard, was the Bolton's giant X that they used to restrain people while they tortured them. It was in the middle of the gathered lords of the North and the leaders of the Freefolk, while torches and brazier's lit the air. The Vale wasn't allowed to see this.
Sansa had been angry with Naruto when he stopped her earlier from sicking Ramsay's hounds on him, but he explained to her that he made the rules around here and he was angry she didn't tell him about the Vale, quickly laying down the law of who was in charge, though he promised she would have a chance to take part in the final end of the Bolton bloodline.
Ramsay was dragged out and tied to the X, and was also completely naked.
Naruto, out of his armor and in the outfit he had worn when he met Sansa at Castle black, walked out with Sansa behind.
"My lords," Naruto said as he addressed them, "Tonight, we are gathered here to witness the death of Ramsay Snow and the end of the Bolton bloodline."
"Now, some of you may be wondering why I call him Snow and not Bolton." Naruto said as he continued, "Because none of us gathered here care what the Bastard on the Iron Throne said! He's not our king! Robb Stark was our king, and he never legitimized Ramsay Snow! Am I right or what!?" The Lords gathered there cheered and shouted in approval. Naruto continued on, working the Northern Lords into a bloodthirsty frenzy.
"In the past, when House Bolton rebelled and fought against House Stark, they were allowed to live. And I say, my ancestor's may have been right. In the past, the horror stories of House Bolton helped protect the North from invasion. But they haven't been needed since Aegon Targaryen came to Westeros. And after what they did at the Red Wedding, conspiring with the Frey's, the same bastards who murdered your king's pregnant wife and his mother, and broke the Guest Right, they don't deserve to live!" The men roared in approval at him.
"Now," Naruto said as he turned to Ramsay, "I will admit, Ramsay, I had a hard time trying to figure out your punishment. I had thought to behead you but that would be to quick. I thought maybe I'd rip your guts out and let you bleed to death or let Ghost make a meal out of you, but again, still too quick." Naruto walked over to a table he had set up. "I even thought about letting your bloodhounds rip you to shreds. It would be poetic justice, since those hounds are the same one's you used to hunt countless innocent girls. But still too quick. I really had trouble figuring it out, until I found this." Naruto picked up a filleting knife and held it up for all to see.
"This is your families ancestral knife, I believe. The one you little shits pass down as a heirloom, as if the things your family has done is something to be proud of." Naruto snarled. "The crimes committed by you, Ramsay Snow, are too numerous and deplorable for a quick death, so instead, your punishment is to be tortured to death, and House Bolton will end by the same practice your house proudly practiced for thousand's of years!"
Naruto held the filleting knife in a brazier until the blade was red hot. "You raped Sansa and countless other girls. That will be the first thing you lose." Naruto said as he put gloves on, gripped Ramsay's cock and ball sac with his gloved hands, pulled them down hard, and proceeded to roughly saw away at them with the glowing red blade, violently cutting them off. The red hot blade cauterized the wound so Ramsay did not bleed out too quickly. Ramsay's screams of pain filled the air as the pain was too much for him to bear.
Naruto put the blade down to take gloves off. "We drew lots earlier so everyone here that you have tormented would get a chance to pay you back. The others will just take satisfaction in your screams. Now then, next is Lady Dustin."
Babrey Dustin, came and took the blade. "Now, remember," Naruto said, "whatever you decide to cut off, don't kill him. I would not deprive the other's of the opportunity to torment him before he is killed."
"You little whore!" Ramsay screamed at Barbrey Dustin, "Domeric screamed for mercy as my poison killed him, but I gave him none! I loved watching him bleed to death! And having his younger namesake by the fat bitch Walda ripped apart by my girls-It was even better than when I killed the real Domeric!"
Barbrey breathed hard almost attacked him but calmed herself down and turned to Naruto. "I need his mouth opened."
Naruto grabbed a pair of pincers from the torture tools and pulled Ramsay's mouth and pulled his tongue out before Barbery slowly sawed it off, Ramsay's muffled screams filling her ears, before she cut it off completely, and Ramsay screamed again. Barbrey held the tongue in the air and shouted, "Let's hear this bastard speak now of how he tormented our loved one's!" The Northern Lords roared in approval.
Lord Dustin was next. He took a moment to decide until he made his decision. "The breast!" He announced as he roughly cut of Ramsay's right pectoral and nipple. Ramsay's screams were becoming louder and longer as his pain lasted longer.
Lord Wyman Manderly was next. Wyman did not have the heart to participate, so his son Wylis, did it for him, and sliced him deep in his right side.
Smalljon ripped out one of his eyes.
It continued like this for another twenty minutes as the various Lords that decided to participate in this, tortured Ramsay for all the pain he had inflicted on their families and the North as a whole. Finally, it got to the last one. Sansa.
By this point, Ramsay was barely alive, looking like a mess and no longer had the energy to scream. "Well Sansa, you're the last one. How do you want him to die?" Naruto asked.
Sansa looked him over and wasn't sure she could go through with it. Naruto placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him, and he nodded. She looked at Ramsay and took a deep breath before she steeled her expression and said, "Burn him."
"Get some pitch." Naruto ordered two of the Stark men and they rushed to get some flammable pitch, and came back a minute later. "Douse him." Naruto ordered, and they covered Ramsay from head to toe in it as well as most of the X, while leading a small trail from Sansa to the X.
Naruto handed Sansa a torch and she lit the trail where she was and watched as the flames moved from her until they engulfed the X and Ramsay, who screamed silently as he was slowly burned to ash, as his final moments were filled with unending pain.
The other lords began heading to their chamber's to sleep the night while Naruto and Sansa watched Ramsay die.
And as she watched the bastard that had raped and tormented her draw his last breath, she smiled.
Chapter End