"How can he get away with that?" Theon asked from Cassandra later on.
She had written the parchment to send to Robb. She continued to rest against the wall she was chained to, unable to do anything other than that. She could not sit down, nor could she stop the cramp forming in her legs. She stopped herself from complaining when she reminded herself of the predicament which Theon found himself in.
She shrugged in response to his question. "I do not know. Ramsay Snow intends to keep us here for as long as possible...well...for as long as my husband permits."
She had explained everything to Theon, warning him what would happen in the future. She could see no way out of this torture. She knew that she had to think of something. She had to do something to get out of the Dreadfort and go to Robb. She couldn't let him be killed...and her mother...
The thought filled her with dread. She felt sick at the mere inclination.
"Once your husband comes...he will kill me, Cass," Theon muttered, a small whimper escaping him.
Cassandra forgot the chains which bound her for a moment, trying to push herself from them until she came to Theon. All she longed for was to hold him to her. She wanted to comfort him. She needed to comfort him like he had done her many times before. She owed him that much.
"No," Cassandra shook her head. "I will tell him to let you go. I will beg him, Theon."
"You have no authority over him," Theon whispered. She struggled to hear him in the quiet dungeon. She could see how weak he was. His body looked drained and tired, completely unlike normal.
"I do," Cassandra said; her voice slightly unsure. "He will listen to me. He will agree to my terms. He will owe me for keeping me locked in here."
"He does it for your safety," Theon muttered. "But...he should know that what his father plans to do is wrong."
"That is why we have to get out of here," Cassandra urged Theon. "We need to escape."
"There is no escape."
"There has to be." Cassandra retorted.
Theon bowed his head, unable to look her in the eye. He had tried to escape. He thought that he could leave, thought he could make it on his own. He would go back to Robb. He would go back to him and plead for his life. Cassandra would be with him, he had thought that.
"I have been here many days," Theon drawled, slowly looking back into her hurt eyes. "There is nothing, Cassandra. He has us both chained up. He has us both locked away...there is nothing that we can do."
Cassandra shook her head, wiping her nose with one arm. She pushed her hand through her hair and shook her head, unable to believe the mess she had found herself in. Why did she not let Robb send his men? She had been so desperate to get away from Stevron, that she would do anything possible to get away from him. She hadn't thought that this would happen. Never had it crossed her mind that the Boltons would be working against her brother.
"There has to be something," Cassandra whispered, her gaze looking to the floor which she longed to sit on. She looked up to her wrist; the chains binding her were incredibly tight and constricting. There was no way she could slip her hand out of them.
"And how are my lovely guests today?"
Cassandra groaned silently as she heard Ramsay Snow approach them.
"I'm assuming you've told Greyjoy who I am...never mind...it won't stop the games which we play, will it?"
"Let him go," Cassandra urged Ramsay. "You have to let him go. Robb wants him."
"You are not pleading for your own safety?" Ramsay checked with her. "That is true commitment to the heir of Pyke."
"It matters not," Cassandra said. "You won't hurt me. Stevron would kill you if you laid a finger on me."
"Would he?" Ramsay chuckled and moved closer to her. He moved his hand out to grasp her chin, forcing her gaze to his as she tried to pull away from him. "Your lord husband doesn't believe anything which comes out of that pretty mouth of yours. Rumour has it that he thinks you need to be taught a lesson in obedience."
"Does it?" Cassandra whispered after a second. "And will you be the one to teach me? I don't think he would like that very much."
Ramsay smirked as he heard her. He pushed her firmly against the wall, her one free hand trying to push him away as she yelled. She could feel his hands firmly groping her, refusing to let her move anywhere. The pain of his touch made her shriek as Theon could do nothing but thrash against his restraints.
He watched as Ramsay slowly lifted Cassandra's skirts over her legs and she shrieked louder, urging him to get away from her.
"No!" Cassandra shrieked. "Get off of me! Get off me right now!"
Ramsay chuckled at hearing her panting breaths and heartfelt pleas. He dropped her skirts back to cover her legs before he ran his fingers down her cheek. He saw her begin to cry as he pressed his lips against her neck.
"You're right," Ramsay said. "Your lord husband wouldn't appreciate me taking you. However, if you took the bastard between your legs then anyone should have rights to you."
"No," Theon was the one to snap out.
"Hurts you, doesn't it?" Ramsay checked with Theon. "I suppose it hurts more than the pain which you've endured so far."
"No," Theon said again. "You won't hurt her...hurt me..."
Ramsay couldn't help the sinister grin which spread over his lips.
"Oh, don't worry," he assured Theon. "We're about to play my game now."
...
Yara was no fool.
She knew that something was wrong the moment she heard her brother had been taken from Winterfell. The North had fallen, not one of the Stark's loyalists knew it had happened, but it had. She was well aware that the North would be reclaimed soon enough. It was safer to go back home. That was where she had been travelling until she had received word of her brother.
She was staying in Deepwood Motte again, one of the securest places her men had captured when the raven came to her. Winterfell had fallen and so had all of the men. But there had been no mention of Theon. Yara made sure to send some men to find out what had happened.
Theon was her brother.
He may not be as true to his heritage as she was, but he was her brother. She didn't intend to leave him rotting alone.
"My Lady."
Yara looked up from the seat she was sat in as one of her men walked in, puffing and panting as he bowed in front of her. She instantly stood up, looking at him before dropping her hands to her hips.
"Well?" she snapped, not in the mood for waiting.
"We roamed the North," he informed her. "We came across Stark men...followed them and listened into their conversations for a day. They said that they were riding to the Dreadfort. Apparently the Stark bitch rode there for your brother."
Yara arched a brow, confusion taking hold of her after a moment. She thought about what he had just said, trying to remember all the lessons she had suffered as a child. The Boltons occupied the Dreadfort, she knew that much. They were bannermen of Robb Stark. Why would they keep Theon alive after what he had done?
"What else is there?"
"Nothing, my Lady," he said. "As soon as we got to the Dreadfort...well...we turned around and came back here. The Stark men had been slaughtered; their bodies left to rot in the dirt. It was an ambush."
"Why would the Boltons ambush those who they support?" Yara wondered, commencing to pace up and down as she thought about her own question. The man shrugged, clearly not realising that she had not intended for him to answer her query.
And then a thought struck her.
"If you knew Theon was in there, then why are you here without him?" Yara wondered; her voice was harsh and her face scrunched up in anger.
The man looked worried for a moment. Never before had he feared a woman as much as he did Yara Greyjoy. She had proved herself throughout her life, showing everyone how fierce she really was. He shook his head with haste.
"The men had died. We would have suffered the same fate if we went in there," he replied. "Besides...Theon...he...well..."
"He is what?" Yara snapped with haste. "What is he? He is Ironborn. He is a Greyjoy. He is of higher rank than you. You should have gone in there. What if it was me in there?"
He had no answer.
Yara continued to feel the anger rise within her as she shook her head and turned to look at the fire.
"Assemble all of the men. We ride for the Dreadfort tonight."
"The men will not agree, my Lady."
"They will do what I tell them to do," Yara snapped, her eyes narrowed as a snarl escaped her. "Go! Now!" she ordered.
He didn't gain a chance to say much more to her, apart from pleasantries, as he rushed from the room to assemble the men. Yara placed her hand on her forehead and inhaled sharply, thinking about her baby brother and the mess he had found himself in.
She had told him to leave Winterfell. She had warned him to give up the Stark girl and go home. He hadn't listened and now he was supposedly being held as a captor by the Boltons. None of it made any sense to Yara.
All that she knew was that she would go to the Dreadfort and find her brother.
...
Robb smiled softly as he saw Talisa in the furs, sleeping soundly as he moved around their tent. His mother had requested an audience with him during nightfall. Talisa had told him that she was tired from their journey and longed for sleep, so he urged her to do just that.
He left the tent after writing another letter and found his mother in her own tent, sat on the makeshift bed with her chin in her hand. Robb's anger for his mother had slowly died down. He was still annoyed at what she had done. He was still angry that she let the Kingslayer go.
"What is it that you wanted to speak about?" Robb asked from his mother.
She passed him the letter which she received a few moments ago. She had walked in on her son and his wife as soon as it had arrived. It had been for Robb, but she needed to see what the letter contained. She had been on edge ever since the letter from Cassandra had arrived. She still thought that something was amiss. And this letter confirmed just that.
"What is it?" Robb asked his mother and she shook her head. "It is addressed to me."
"You were busy...and I...something about it...I knew something was not right..."
Robb remained quiet, his eyes scanning through it as he did so.
"How?" he wondered, sitting down beside his mother. "How do we know the Greyjoy girl speaks the truth? It could be a trap."
"No," Catelyn replied. "I don't think it is. Why would she lie? Her brother is being held by Lord Bolton's bastard at the Dreadfort...the men you sent have been killed on their grounds...and Cassandra is supposedly his captive now."
"Cassandra wrote us a letter," Robb replied to his mother. "She wrote to us to tell us that she was on her way to the Twins. It was her scrawl."
"I know," Catelyn agreed with a heavy sigh. "I know it was her scrawl, but something is not right, Robb. There is something amiss here. I can feel it."
"What would you have me do? I don't have enough men to send North to support the Greyjoys. Seven Hells, how can I support them? After what Theon did I want nothing to do with them. You told me yourself never to trust a Greyjoy."
"I know," Catelyn agreed. "I know what I said. But Yara Greyjoy seems convinced that her brother and your sister is at the Dreadfort."
"Why would Lord Bolton keep Cassandra?" Robb wondered. "What does he have to gain from that? Nothing, mother. Lord Bolton is on our side. Cassandra wrote to say that Theon was not there."
"And Farlen supposedly saw him there. Now Yara Greyjoy claims he is there," Catelyn replied. "You have to send men, Robb. If Cassandra is being held there then something is amiss. There is something gravely wrong."
"No," Robb stubbornly said. "Lord Bolton would not betray us and keep her hostage. She is on her way to the Twins. Yara Greyjoy wants my men to go there so that her men can slaughter them and finish what her brother started. This is a trap."
Catelyn inhaled sharply, shaking her head back and forth as she did so. She did not believe what Robb was saying. She could not believe it.
"And if it is not a trap?" she wondered. "If Ramsay Snow has Cassandra, then what do you think will happen?"
Robb pursed his lips and shook his head.
"I shall write to him and the Freys," Robb declared. "I will see if I can sort this mess."
...
Cassandra had found herself feeling faint as she watched Ramsay torture Theon. She could feel her blood run cold and her head become light as the smell of blood wafted through the air. Sickness was the one thing which kept coming to her mind. Theon's screams were blood curling and painful to listen to.
She yelled at Ramsay to stop drawing skin from his arm. She pleaded with him to leave Theon alone as she pulled on the chain which kept her to the wall. Bile rose in her throat as she finally closed her eyes and passed out, unable to take anymore of the sights which she was seeing.
Ramsay stopped then, looking across to her as her weight was supported by only one chain. He groaned as his fun had stopped and released her from her restraints, allowing her to fall to the floor.
Theon stopped his whimpers, trying to be brave as he wondered what had happened to Cassandra. Ramsay checked that she was still unconscious before he ordered for a maester to be sent into the dungeon from the boy on guard.
"Lord Stevron would have my head if his pretty wife died," Ramsay explained to Theon who was still watching Cassandra, urging her to wake up. She was normally much tougher than the heap she found herself in. She had never fainted before in her life.
Ramsay followed Theon's gaze as he watched Cassandra slowly stir, consciousness coming back to her and she looked around the room.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," Ramsay cheered.
"Lord Bolton, you sent for me," the maester made his presence known.
"Ah, Maester Pittery...yes...our guest here fainted. I thought that you had best check that she is in excellent health considering her husband wants her back...well...relatively unharmed."
"As you wish." The maester said.
"I'll leave you to it," Ramsay said, smirking as he went past Theon. "Be a good boy and keep quiet."
Theon felt his lip curl slightly as Ramsay left the dungeon, clearly having better business to attend to instead of looking at Cassandra's wounds. Theon kept silent as the maester sat Cassandra up and checked her temperature with the back of his hand.
"Your wrist will be sore for quite some time," the maester told her. "Have you ever fainted before?"
"No," Cassandra said.
"I see," he replied, glancing down to her stomach for a second as he thought about what could have caused her to faint. He knew that the gut wrenching screams of Theon Greyjoy could be a contributing factor. "And when was your last moon's blood?"
Cassandra took a moment to think, her mind hitting a blank as she wondered what date it had been. Surely it had been a few weeks ago.
"I...I don't know..." she admitted. "I can't be pregnant. I took moon tea every time my husband tried to impregnate me. It isn't possible. There has to be some other reason."
"May I?" he asked, holding his hand out towards her breast. She nervously nodded as Theon felt shock enter his system. Cassandra grasped as his fingers closed around her breast, holding it tightly before his other hand reached for her stomach.
"Well...it would seem that you are pregnant," he informed her. "If you cannot remember your last period then that is a clear sign. Your breasts are also very tender."
"No," Cassandra shook her head. "I can't be...not with his baby..."
"It's not his," Theon assured her as the maester stood up.
Cassandra looked across to him, visions of their previous night together coming back to her. She clasped a hand over her mouth as she remained seated on the floor.
"A bastard?" the maester checked with her.
"No!" Cassandra snapped. "It is my husband's child. I assure you. Write to him...tell him of this news...please!"
The maester looked at her, clearly knowing that her words were a lie. It didn't help that Theon was glaring at her either. He sighed, clearly sensing how much pain the girl was in. He didn't need to make her suffering even worse.
"As you wish." He said and let her be.
"Why did you tell him that? You know it is mine!"
"What would Stevron say if he knew?" Cassandra wondered. "He would have us both punished...worse than now...I cannot believe this."
"You are not the only one," Theon whispered.
How had this happened? How had he managed to be so reckless? Theon didn't know. But he did know that she had to escape now, regardless of what it took.
...
A/N: Bit of a shocker there for you! Anyway thanks to those reading and do leave a review!