Author's note: This isn't the best chapter, but it's a set up for what is to come. Anna is in for quite the journey with Ramsey Bolton, and Robb is as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Game of Thrones, I own only Anna. Lyrics from Skyfall by Adele.

"This is the end

hold your breath and count to ten

feel the earth move and then

hear my heart burst again"

Chapter 8: What is dead may never die.

Theon

The horn blew for days, and he could no longer enjoy the memories had shared in Anna's bed. His doom was coming, Winterfell was surrounded. He had seen the banners, he knew the banners. Robb Stark had sent Lord Bolton's men for him, and knew that nothing good would come to him. The flayed men banners were just a reminder of what that house had once been, but Theon knew that not every house gave up their tactics. The Iron born never did.

He had tried to get Anna to leave, but she would not. He knew that no harm would come to her, that no Bolton man would dare hurt their King's twin. Anna was the damned Princess of the North, the solider who fought beside them and the woman who cared for the innocent. She was like a beacon for the northerners, and no one would dare harm her. He did not want her caught up in the battle, he did not wish to risk his men harming her.

No help was coming, his sister was gone, and his father had not sent word. Theon was alone with what remained of his twenty men, he was alone and out numbered. The Maester only served to remind him of his failure, to remind him of what he had done. He knew he had betrayed Robb, taken Winterfell and made a mess of everything. He was not dim, he had known what he did.

"This was your home, Lord Stark made it so."

"My captors where quite good to me, you have a way of always reminding me, old man." But he knew the man was right, the Starks were good to him. The only family would have kept by him. "Constantly reminded that I was lucky, and I was to be grateful that I had been ripped from my home."

Theon knew it could have been worse growing up in Winterfell but in the madness of the horn he found no solace in it. He had met Anna, grown to be a brother to Robb, and learned to be honorable but that was the past. He had made his bed, he had forsaken those who helped him, and he would now fight his battle alone.

"Theon, I serve Winterfell, I serve which ever Lord holds this castle. You should leave, take a secret passage out of Winterfell, escape while you can still keep your head."

"Where am I going to run to, Maester? I will never reach the Iron Islands, and even if I do I will be nothing more than a coward."

Theon knew he was already the shame of his family, they did not see him as their own kin. They had no faith in him, no belief in him and yet he fought for them. He was willing to leave the woman he loved for his father's cause, he was willing to do anything for his father to love him again. He sat the chair ashamed, he was already a coward.

"Go North, and take the black. Robb can not execute you there."

Jon Snow would kill him before he ever got to take the oath. Not that Theon would want to take such a vow, he would never be able to marry, have children or love a woman again. He had taken Winterfell to marry Anna, and taking the black would make it so he never could. He would lose her, not that he hadn't already lost her. She had not left Winterfell, but it had not meant that she spoke to him. After they made love, after the Bolton men appeared, Anna stopped speaking to him. She would not leave her chamber.

"At the wall you can start a new life, all your crimes would be forgiven."

"I have done a lot of them, haven't I? I have done things I had never imagined myself doing."

He had murdered innocents, tried to force a woman to marry him, he had betrayed Robb, and he broken every oath he had sworn to him. He had been a sworn brother to Robb, a man who would fight beside him until the war was over, and yet he had betrayed that.

"You are not the man you are pretending to be, Theon Greyjoy, we can see that."

"But I have gone too far to be anyone else. Go fetch Anna, drag her here if you must, we need to speak."

He would make her leave, he would force her into one of the secret tunnels and send her back south. He would tell her that the boys were alive and she would need to find them. He knew what would come after their talk, he knew he would fight and die like an Iron born man should. He was ready for it to be the last time he would see her and he was ready to say goodbye to the woman.

Theon's thoughts all faded when she entered his chamber. Her blue eyes held nothing but darkness and her lids were heavy, she had not slept. He did not blame her, he too had not slept, the constant sound of the war horn was meant to keep them all awake.

"What is it, Prince Theon?" Her voice was cold, and dead.

"You are leaving. Go through the hidden passages, find a way from here."

Her eyes met his and he saw a pleading look flash in her eyes. Was she pleading for him?

"This is my home, and I will not leave it to you. The men outside these gates will not harm me."

She was so certain, so sure of herself. He did not fear for the men outside, as much as the men inside.

"Anna.."

"Silence, I do not wish to hear what you have to say." He had longed for some kind of kindness. "I am going now, you are the one who should flee, my brother will have your head."

He knew as she turned her back to him that the thought of it had killed her. He knew she loved him, and he knew that she did not want him to be dead.

"I doubt he will get the chance."

He watched her leave, watched as her hand rested on the door handle just a moment too long. She did not leave, instead she locked the chamber door turning back to him. Her blue eyes no longer looked dead, instead they held a fire once more. She closed the distance between them and rid herself of her dress. Anna stood before him naked, her pale skin glowing in the candle light. He reached a hand out to touch her but she slapped his hand away.

"You gave this up, gave me up. I just wanted you to see one last time what you should have fought for."

She went to turn from him, but he grabbed her, he pulled her naked body against him. He saw her shiver from the metal of his armor but he did not care, he held her.

"I never gave you up, never. And when I die tomorrow, when I fight and die, you must remember that."

"All I will remember is the bodies of my little brothers hanging above the gates of my home, burnt and dead because of you. I will remember Ser Rodrik and I how begged you not to. Those are the people I will remember, those are the things I will remember."

She pulled herself from him, and dressed quickly. He stood there not stunned by her words but they felt like a dagger in him. He was right when he told the Maester he had gone too far to ever be the old Theon again. He would never be the ward, never be the one the Starks trusted, he had burnt that bridge.

"You should run Theon, and don't ever look back. Don't go home, don't go south, find some where to hide." Her voice held more emotion than his own. "If I ever see you again I will have to kill you, or try to, we both know this. The north remembers, and Winter is coming Theon, you should run."

"Why tell me to run when I meet my end tomorrow?"

She opened the door, and as she left she looked back at him her blue eyes just as he had remembered them long ago.

"Because, may the Gods forgive me, I still love you."

Anna.

She awoke the next morning to the screaming of men, he had begun his battle speech. Anna dressed the actions of last night still weighing heavy on her mind. She had told him she loved him, it was her way of saying something in return for his own words. He had never once told her he loved her, she could not simply let it go without reply. She saw the hurt in his eyes when she pulled away, but he needed to suffer. She would seek lenience when they left Winterfell,she would convince Robb to send him to the Wall. Her brothers lived, but she feared her twin would not take her council

She was dressed and in the courtyard before his speech was even finished. The men eyed her with curiosity, and hatred as she stood to the side. Theon spoke with certainty, and he spoke of valor. He told the men of the songs they would sing of them, and the women who dream of them but none of it was true. They would be slaughtered by five hundred northern men who did not care of their stories or songs, it was a matter of honor for them. .

"What is dead may never die!" He was yelling, and his men chanted in return but as their eyes met, he fell to the ground.

Anna made a move forward but she quickly stopped herself, half the men had turned their gaze to her. She felt panic set in and she looked for a weapon of some kind, she knew the men outside would not hurt her but the Iron born were different. Her fears were calmed for a moment as Maester Luwin came into the courtyard rushing toward Theon. Anna had a hope for a moment until the cursed Dagmer drove a spear into his gut.

"Maester!" Anna ran forward and caught the man before he fell to the ground.

She glared up at Dagmer, she would enjoy slitting his throat. She looked for a weak man, someone she could strip a weapon from but before she could she was ripped from the Maester. The men grabbed her, securing her hands tightly behind her back.

"Let's go home."

She fought against the men who held her, she fought as she saw the Maester struggle to his feet and when her eyes saw the crypts she fought harder. Her brothers were down there, she had to get to them. Anna's fighting did no good, the men holding her were bigger than she was, and their grip was like irons. She continued to fight, but she watched with tears hidden in her eyes as her home went up in flames. She was dragged from Winterfell kicking and screaming as everything she had ever known was set ablaze. She would kill them all.

She took one last look at her knocked out lover, and cursed him. Her home, her family and everything else was his to take the blame for. She cursed herself as well, she should have fled, taken her brother from the crypts and fled. Instead she was dragged through the town and into the woods where five hundred northern men waited. At least, she would see her brother again.

The men she was dragged before held the banners of Roose Bolton, a man Anna had little love for. He was a loyal bannerman to her father, and her brother, but he unnerved her. She did not recognize as single man among them, and that brought her a small comfort. She found herself removed from the bounds of the men and she stood on her own.

"Here is the bitch, and the traitor." It was Dagmer who spoke, as she was shoved forward to the feet of the northern men. She did not fall. "Now we can go home?"

Anna was not going to let them go home, she would not allow the damned Iron born freedom to return to their home. Anna reached for the nearest man and snatched his sword. He was a northern man, and she doubted he would care. She turned on the Iron born and began to slice through them, she got through three of them before a voice cut through them all.

"That would be enough, Lady Anna."

She turned to the man who spoke. He was not a man she had seen before but she knew his eyes, she had seen his eyes before. She did not doubt he was the bastard of Roose Bolton, the son he had spoken of once before. His hair was a mess of dark curls and his features looked cold, but he wore a smile.

"Who are you to tell me it is enough? These men killed my brothers, and torched my home. Don't you tell me what is enough." Her voice was as cold as the winter's wind.

"I am the son of Roose Bolton, M'lady, I was sent here for you. I am sorry for the loss of your brothers, I regret we could not reach Winterfell in time." He spoke like a King, and she did not buy a word he said. "I know what you wish to do to these men, but the King has bid us to spare them, all but the traitor."

Robb was going to let every other man go, instead of vengeance, and just keep Theon. Anna was angered, and when the time came to approch her brother he would know her feelings. Her brother was offering pardon to those men, to the men who took their home and who burnt it.

"I understand, I understand." Anna dropped the sword, and the solider she stole it from quickly picked it back up. "When I see my brother I will speak to him of my indiscretion."

Anna eyed the dead bodies of the Iron born men, and it finally hit her she had murdered at least eight on her own. She murdered one the night they took Winterfell, four at the murder of her brother, and three when they dragged her before the north. She fought in wars, fought in battles, but she had never committed cold blooded revenge murder.

"We are taking you back to the Dreadfort, M'lady, your brother feels you need to be away from the war."

Once more Anna felt anger rise in her as the man spoke,the bastard son.

"No, I understand my brother is your King but I am not going to sit by the side. This is just as much my war as it is his." Anna felt herself stand tall. "I will go to Riverrun, and I will be with my family. Do you understand me?"

As Anna spoke she saw a smirk grace the Bastard Bolton's lips, and something about the spark in his eyes sent chills down her spine. He looked to his men, and as he went to open his mouth he stopped. Everyone turned back to where Winterfell burned and a flash of grey ran toward them all.

"Grey Heart, you are alright."

Anna had not seen her direwolf since she reached Winterfell, and she was thankful she was alright. She rubbed the small white heart upon the head of her wolf.

"So it is true you all have a direwolf pet." Bolton's bastard spoke.

"Yes, we do. This is Grey Heart, my pup."

Anna was thankful her wolf was alive, and she only hoped her brothers too escaped the burning of Winterfell.

"Lady Anna, one of my men will accompany you to the Dreadfort, we must stay behind and search for survivors."

"I would like to come, it is my home."

Anna was not going to leave until she knew her brothers were safe, she had seen the smoke was she dragged away she knew it was burning. She would ensure her brothers made it from the crypts safely.

"M'lady, I understand but you have been through enough. Allow my man to take you to the Dredfort, and on the morrow we will send word to your brother." The bastard approached her. "You will be with your family again, m'lady, I promise it."

Anna eyed him, she did not trust the glint in his grey eyes. He was a man she could not trust, he was not a Stark and he was not her blood. She had learned her lesson after trusting Theon, no one outside of her blood was to be trusted.

"A week, I will stay at the Dreadfort a week, after which I will leave for my family regardless of my brothers wishes."

Anna respected Robb but she could not believe he wished to keep her locked up in a northern fortress. She was a solider, and his sister, they fought together for the freedom of their sisters.

"As you wish, M'lady."

As Anna was put upon a horse she looked to the Iron born men, and the hooded Theon. She wondered what would become of her love. Would they kill him or send him to her brother? She prayed he was sent to her brother, she would send word once they reached the Dreadfort. She would make Robb understand he could not just kill Theon, not yet. Anna rode away with Grey Heart following behind, her eyes still trained on the smoke. She knew her brothers would escape, she had to believe they would make it from the rubble. She prayed to the Old Gods that they would find Robb and mother.

"What does Lord Bolton's son plan for the traitor?" She finally spoke up to the man with her.

"He is going to be sent to your brother, M'lady, he seeks to take his head."

Anna knew as much, she knew her brother would want vengeance but vengeance was always the way. She saw a war start over getting their family back but when her father died it became about revenge. Robb wanted to kill them all, and she understood, she too wanted to kill them all. But the war was killing their family, tearing them apart. She could not allow that, not any longer.

"If I were turn and go south, would you tell him?"

"I would , M'lady, I serve the King and his word is law."

She cursed her brother, and his words. She belonged with him, she belonged with family. They were everything to her, and she loved them. She would get back to them, she swore it. She kept her eyes ahead, no longer speaking to the Bolton man. She would stay a week and then she would find her brother. She would make him see reason, make him believe in her idea. She just prayed she did not get there to late to save Theon.

"You may have my number, you can take my name

but you'll never have my heart

let the sky fall

when it crumbles

we will stand tall."