The Bolton Bastard
He stabbed his dagger into the table in annoyance and turned to one of his men, Ben was his name and he was supposed to be the one looking after his bitches.
"Ben! Go and see what the girls are barking at. Let's hope they've sniffed out another game for us to play." He sneered. It would seem the reports on their activities had spooked a fewfolkand the roads were experiencing less and less people travelling on them as a consequence.
His kennel master grunted as he got up from where he was sat, whetstone left where he'd been sharpening their flaying knives. Those beauties had seen a lot of action in recent days, the latest of their trophies was hanging just outside and the next ones on the list were in the back room of their newly acquired hunting shack, tied up, gagged and praying for a miracle.
He smiled at that.
The pair that they'd captured a few weeks ago had been an interesting hunt to say the least, a lot more interesting than some of snivelling whores they'd used previously. A man and a woman with a6 manescort was what they'dsniffedout, the guards were taken care of fairly easily. One of his lads, Skinner was his name, he'd lost a hand in the fight. They decided to put him out of his misery, a knife to the heart while he scrambled for his lost hand was the kindest thing to do. His bitches ate well that night thanks to Skinner.
LordHarrionand Lady AlyKarstarkwere their prize in this particular hunt, a high value pair indeed. Damon, one of his men, had suggested ransoming them, sending a letter to RickardKarstark. He wasn't doing what he was doing for money though, no, he wanted to play and play they did.
All the pleading and promises had done nothing to help their cause, they needed to learn that not even the highborn were safe from Ramsay Bolton.
The game was simple, every time him and the boys would come to them, LadyAlyshad to let themhave their way with would obviously be the one to take her maidenhead, it's only right a trueborn does the deed. Unfortunately, LadyAlysdidn't understand the simple rules and refused as much as she could for somebody tied up and gagged. He laid out the rules for her once again but also told her the consequences if she didn't play along.
Every time she refused them, her brother would lose a piece of himself, simple.
12 days had passed and she'd refused every approach, her brother would tell her every time they arrived to not give them what they wanted. The dull man must realise he's only got a limited amount of many body parts before it started to become a real problem for him, and when he did finally die, LadyAlys' time would be up.
He had to give LordHarriona bit of credit, he was soldiering on with their game, some might even say he was winning. Ramsay however, he knew the man was starting to struggle and it was oh so beautiful to be there to see it.
At the moment he was 10 fingernails, 10 toenails, 4 teeth and an earlobe down. At the end of the week, they'd be starting on fingers and toes but Ramsay wanted both of his ears by the end of the day. LordHarrion'sstubbornness was grating him a little but he wouldn't show the man his annoyance, no, he'd show the man the sharp end of his flaying knife.
He heard the muffled cries of the man in question and got up out of his chair to check the back room they were in.
The grotty old wooden door banged against the wall as it was swung open, startling the pair ofKarstarkscowering within. The smell in the room was pungent, a bucket in the corner of the room filled to the brim of their own making. Damon wanted them to clean it out since the smell was starting to spread into the main room of the building but he was having none of it. It added a new flavour to their game, an increased pressure to get out of that room. A part of Ramsay wanted them to find a way out just so they could hunt them all over again.
Wouldn't that be fun?
"You pair of cunts are making more noise than my darlings out there, what's the matter? Finally seen the light and decided to forfeit in your quest to beat me in our little game?" He said with a sharp grin as he spun his dagger in the palm of his hand. He moved across the room and stood in front ofAlys, he slid the flat side of his cold steel against her cheek as she whimpered.
Her eyes were full of tears, she had such wonderful eyes, he knew he wouldn't find it difficult staring into them when he took her. Those eyes he was admiring turned to her right to look at her brother, her unmoving he...?
He flicked a strand of grimy hair from the face of the downtrodden lord, a light prick of his dagger against the man's cheek and the blood began to slowly trickle down his face. There was still no movement from the man.
His head was leant down, eyes closed and chest unmoving. What a shame, the game was starting to get interesting but LordHarriondidn't seem interested in staying to witness the outcome.
"Oh dear" He said as he bent his knees and squatted in front of the seated Lord. He turned toAlyswhose eyes were now wide with realisation "No big brother in the way anymore now. The boys will be very excited to hear about dessert tonight, you've kept them wait..."
The top of the assumed deceased lord's head connected with his nose as the pair of them ended up on the ground. He shook his head from the jarring shot and kickedKarstarksquare in the gut whilst he was laidnextto him. The Lord himself howled in pain and writhed on the floor, still completely tied up to his chair.
He lifted LordHarrionback into a seating position and struck him square in the face with his fist, blood pouring from his nose. LadyAlyscried in anguish at the sight of her brother being struck.
"Clever" He said as he waved and pointed his dagger at the man "Very clever, but you didn't think about these did you" He said as he grabbed the ropes tied to the man and decided to tie them a little tighter. The Lord whimpered at the added pressure.
"We aregonnahave so much fun with the pair of you tonight. We might even let you watch as LadyAlyshere becomes a real woman, would you like thatHarrionhmm? Would you like to see your little sister pay for your little ruse?See her mounted by every man in this shack? Yes, I think I'll allow it with it being such a momentous oc..."
He was interrupted by Damon rushing in through the door "Lord Bolton!" He all but shouted as he gathered his breath "Girls have got a scent, going mad they are, think it might be something big. Ben went to check witha coupleof the dogs but hasn't returned yet." Damon finished as he left the room to prepare.
He turned back to his pair of prisoners "Looks like my men will be in a wonderful mood when they return from the hunt!"He said with a beaming turned toAlys"Who knows, if they're in a real good mood they might make it feel nice for you tonight." He said as he brushed a strand of hair from her face and cupped her chin "I won't though, I want you to remember it, I want you to feel the pain in more than just your cunt, I want you to feel it in your entire being." And with that, he pushed her face away and made his way out of the room, remembering to bolt the door. He smiled as he heard the sobs from within.
Damon was looking through the window with concerned look on his face as he grabbed his bow and his whip "Something doesn't seem right outthereboss." He said as Ramsay joined him at the window.
"There's nothing in these woods we should be concerned about, we're at the top of the food chain out here." He looked at Damon who didn't look convinced "Don't worry friend" He said as he placed his arm around his shoulder "We'll get a good hunt out of this, I can just sense it."He then grinned "And we've got afters for dessert." He finished as he nodded his head to the locked room.
He turned to the rest of the room that consisted of him, Damon, Yellow Dick, Luton, Alyn and Grunt. His boys.
"Rightyousorry lot! Ben's gone out there already, let's go join him!" His men got up from where they were sat preparing "LET THE HUNT BEGIN!" He roared as the rest of the room followed suit with his cry.
Before they even left the shack however, Ramsay realised something was wrong.
The bitches have stopped barking. They never stop until the hunt is over.
He put his hand up to cease the chatter that had taken over the room. Damon was giving him that concerned look he had been before.
He was now weary.
This could get interesting...
He loved a challenge, it made the prize that much juicier.
He made Yellow Dick, a truly awful man to look at, open the door and go out first. The rest of the group were already prepared for a fight that everybody was now expecting due to Ramsay's change in demeanour.
Yellow dick didn't even get chance to open the door fully before the rest of the dogs were scratching at it and squeezing through the gap to shelter inside. That was unsettling and it only got worse when the girls started whining.
Damon looked at him even more concerned if that was possible, all he could do was furrow his brow in confusion "Wolves?" Damon asked.
He shook his head "We've hunted wolves before, the girls don't have a problem with them as long as they stay in a pack and we're with them with bows. No, whatever it is has to be something new." He looked around the room, the men were waiting for his instructions like the good servants they were.
"Whatever it is, whoever it is...I want its head right there." He said in a cold tone as he pointed above the fireplace.
His men looked worried but nodded their head in affirmation.
Damon and Grunt leashed all the dogs that were in the shack with them and practically dragged them out of the front door, they did not want to go outside in the slightest it would seem. No matter, they needed to follow, they needed to track and hunt, they needed to win.
The group entered the woods that Ben had been last seen entering with a few of the other bitches. He'd not returned and the dogs in question couldn't be heard in the distance at all.
A part of him was telling him that something was very wrong as they tentatively advanced into the thicker depths of the woods.
Damon came up to his left "I think it might be a better idea to hold out in the shack my lord. The girls are dragging their heels and the men seem reluctant to go any further." He said.
Ramsay turned and grabbed Damon by the throat and held his dagger near his neck, he felt the man gulp from underneath his palm.
"You want us to hide, is that it? Ramsay Bolton doesn't hide which means you don't hide, understand?" He growled as he lightly slid the dagger across the length of the man's neck, just enough pressure to break the skin and nothing. He didn't want to kill his men, he begrudgingly needed them right now.
Damon closed his eyes and nodded. He gasped for breath as Ramsay released him from his hold.
"Good! Glad that's all settled then." He said as they started walking again. The rest of his boys seem to collectively sigh in relief now that the little outburst from Damon was over.
He climbed over an uprooted tree along with the rest of them...a freshly uprooted tree.
He held his hand up and let out a small whistle to let the group know he was stopping. The men stopped around him and looked at him for further instructions, they'd have to wait though, he was too busy trying to work out why he was experiencing a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.
He looked to his right and saw another freshly uprooted tree not too far away from the first one, there was even another one even further away from that one.
Something is very wrong...
Yellow Dick turned to him and "What do we do now boss?" He whispered.
He was about to answer but Alyn annoyingly cut him off from his position further away at the front of the party "Err boss...youmightwannasee this." He said, a slight wobble in his speech.
He moved towards the front of the party, passing a fewmore thicktrunked tree's before standing side by side with Alyn and seeing just what Alyn wanted his to see.
He just couldn't work it out. None of it made sense.
In front of them was a large clearing, and not a natural clearing it had to be said. 10 or so uprooted trees completely trampled and broken into the soil beneath them. The earth itself looked like it'd been ripped to shreds like he's seen his dogs do to a whore's face.
"Ben..." he heard Alyn say to his right. He looked at the man and followed his line of sight, Alyn was right, Ben was here.
But he was dead. Very dead.
All they could see was the top end of his body, eyes bulging out of his head, profound veins ready to pop all over his face and neck. The other half of him was under the immense pressure of a fallen tree, he couldn't see the damage but if he had to guess, the tree probably crushed his entire lower half, including half of his torso and without a doubt, killed the man instantly.
He saw Damon shake his head "What a way to go." He said.
"Yes, crushed to death by a tree." He said and huffed shortly after "I can't be dealing with weak links in the group. That tree did us a favour." He finished.
Damon's face didn't change when Ramsay looked at him. He didn't get chance to retort with something that would no doubt get his tongue ripped out as the whole group, including him he begrudgingly had to admit, were shaken to their core by the intense and increasingly stronger rumblings of the earth.
"What the fuck is that!" More than one person said as they looked around the outskirts of theclearingthey had all now moved into the middle of. The bitches were whining even more now and Yellow Dick and Grunt were struggling to keep them under control.
"Shut up and let me think!" He hissed as he tried to work out what direction the sounds were coming from. To his left and hisrighthe heard the unsheathing of steel, it seems that his men had made up their decision and were preparing to fight whatever the fuck was about to come out of thosetre...
Ramsay Bolton is never speechless.
Ramsay Bolton is never fearful.
"Wha...How..." Was all he could breathe out.
I think I might die now...
He'd never given much thought about his own mortality. He just assumed he'd live till he was grey. It was jarring to think his end was hulking its way towards them at a tremendous speed, each step making his entire being shake. He couldn't run or hide from this. He had to die or fight. He didn't want to die right now, he had too many plans to see through. He would have to fight, yes, fight is what he would do.
Ramsay Bolton will be one day remembered for the many feats and accomplishments he'd achieved but none of them will be more memorable than the day he slayed a dragon single-handedly.
"C'mon thenyoucunt, let's see what you've g..."
Jon
He heard the crunch of bone reverberate throughKireina'sneck as she bit the first man clean in half with one snap of her vice like jaw. The men surrounding the now destroyed man just stood there in disbelief, half of them looking atKireina, the other staring at the remains of their friend she'd just chewed down on. Whimpering dogs fleeing the scene and leaving the rest of these men to be judged by death incarnate herself and based off of the second man being torn in half, she wasn't in the mood to let them off in the slightest.
It was over in a matter of seconds.
The final man, who foolishly attempted to wrap a whip aroundKireina'sneck, was picked up between the dragon's teeth and catapulted across the clearing, hitting the base of a tree with a sickening crunch and snap before slouching into a pile on the ground unmoving.
He surveyed the area they were stood in from the back ofKireina'shuge figure, carnage everywhere. Corpses and trees strewn about the place, to his left he spotted the first person the pair of them encountered from the group earlier, crushed under a tree in an attempt to avoidKireina'sfeet. Too busy mesmerised by her sheer presence, the man had not even seen the tree fall asKireinameandered around the forest with her massive bulk, unintentionally uprooting tree left and right in the process.
In the end, mother nature had done them a favour ending the man, some of the things he was saying to the pack of dogs he had with him were disgusting. Mentions of hunts and torture and flaying was all the convincing he needed that the best course of action was to remove this man and the rest of his friends from wholeheartedly behind his decision and proceeded to get on with the dirty work herself, not that it was especially taxing for her. He did give her one rule though, scare the dogs, don't kill them. He had a soft spot for canines and these dogs didn't know any better than their owners.
Kireinalet out a huff"We should check that shack I spotted earlier, there might be more of them."She said almost impatiently.
He checked his back to make sure his swords were still secured and checked his ankle for his dagger, all were present "I'mgonnago in quietly, we've made enough noise and mess to alert a town here." He said as he made his way down off her back and on to the destroyed earth below. "All the witnesses of your existence are all here, we're back to nobody knowing about you and I would like to keep it that way for as long as I can for now."
He patted her flank "Back up in the clouds with you, I'll be fine and if I'm not you'll sense it won'tya?" He said as he tried to sooth theanxiousnesshe felt from her.
She huffed again, he'd worked out that that was her way of showing him her annoyance, almost like a dog would. He found it somewhat cute.
"Fine, but If I sense trouble, I'm getting you out. I don't care who sees me."She said and set off from the ground into the air with one big flap of her wings. She'd not even said bye the cheeky sod.
He followed her quick ascent back up into the clouds with his eyes, in the corner of his right eye he noticed the plume of smoke that they'd spotted coming from the shack earlier. Thankfully, it was rather close to where he was right now so he didn't have to traipse through this bloody forest for hours.
He started walking in the direction of the smoke, climbing over a few trees in the process.
Gods, she really doesn't know her own size, does she?
Within 10 minutes of walking, he was just outside the shack. From the tree he was peeking around, there didn't seem to be anybody home. He circled around the building, noticing two horses tied up around the back of the shack and something he really didn't want to see. Flayed corpses. Fresh by the looks of it, blood dripping on to the ground from where the body was hung like a butcher's wares.
He looked down and shook his head, flaying had been outlawed in the North centuries ago whentheBoltonsbent their knees to Winterfell and agreed to abandon their practice of flaying their enemies. Seems like there were a few who hadn't heard the news.
After circling the shack and confirming there were two doors into the place, he threw a rock through the door that was wide open at the front. The aim was to draw some sort of movement inside but there was nothing, not a peep.
With a deep breath, he darted across the front yard of the shack and pressed his back to the wall next to the front door, he steadied his breathing and closed his eyes to focus on any sounds that were coming from inside. He heard a shuffle, a small one but it was a shuffle all the same.
There's somebody in there...
He pulled his dagger out and assumed a defensive stance,Master Miyamotohad always said the best form of defence was a good offence but the situation he was in right now didn't seem like the best time to be running in like a banshee.
He slowly peeked around the corner of the doorway and into the front room, nothing but a couple of tables and chairs, a lit fireplace and a few discarded drinking horns. He looked up to check the ceiling for any movement, you could never be too sure,Master Mhad proven that one training session when he pounced on him from above inside his hall one morning. He couldn't believe it when the old man had landed on him and then proceeded to show him how he'd even got up there. Now Jon checked every ceiling of every room he entered.
It wasn't a big shack, clearly it was an old hunting shack but it was still a nice one, made up of a combination of wood and brick, even had its own brick fireplace. There were four doors in the room, one on each wall. The first door he'd just walked through and the one directly opposite him was the back door to where the horses were tied up. The door to his immediate left was cracked open just a little bit and he quickly peeked through it, nothing but bedrolls laid across a wooden floor, couple of lanterns and a what looked like the only bed that was in this place.
He could only see forwards through the gap so he was weary about walking in. What he planned would alert anybody in the building but stop him from getting his throat sliced, so with his mind made up he kicked the door as hard as he could, it swung wide open and slammed against the wall behind it with a mighty thud. A quick look confirmed the room was empty and as quick as a cat, he darted across the main room and pressed his back to the wall next to the final door in the hopes of catching someone off guard.
He calmed his breathing again and listen closely for any movement from the last room. Another shuffle and additionally, muffled speech, one higher pitched compared to the other one.
A man and a woman. Prisoners or hostiles? Was this a trick?
He looked down at the door knob and waited for it to turn, when he looked at it, he realised something. The door was bolted and locked from the outside.
He was 95 percent sure these were prisoners now.
He loudly banged on the door twice with his fist and shouted "Anybody in there!?" He asked. The muffled shouting and almost sobbing from the pair of voices almost confirmed his belief that these weren't hostile, almost.
"Stand back! I'mgonnabreak the door open!" He said as the pair inside went quiet. The bolt on the door wasn't the thickest thing in the world, he looked around the room in the hopes of finding a key but the chances were that it was probably melting at the bottom ofKireina'sstomach at the moment.
He unsheathed one of his blades and lined it up in the small gap between the door frame and the door. He heard whimpers from within when his blade slid through and emerged on the inside of the locked room, with a lift and a quick downwards swing, he managed to sheer the old bolt on the door. He pulled his sword back but still kept it ready for when he opened the door, this could still be all some sick twisted game being played on him.
With his free hand, he twisted the door handle and pushed the door open, before anybody could jump him, he leapt backwards and readied his blade at the other side of the room. The whimpering and mumbling were much louder now that the door was open, but what he noticed even more was the smell.
The fuck has been happening in there?
"Hello?" He shouted from across the room, still waiting for the ambush. He wrinkled his nose in an attempt to fight the strong odour. His greeting was met with even louder cries, a woman's voice attempting to say something but struggling with it.
He slowly approached the room, the wall behind the door had nobody behind it since it was laid flush against it. "I'm putting my weapon down and I'm coming in." He said as he made an effort to make the steel of his sword being placed on the floor as loud as he could. He grabbed his dagger and approached the room in the hopes somebody went for an easy kill on an unarmed man.
He peered around the door frame and inside towards the other end of the unlocked room. Clearly a storage room, boxes, shelves and what have you spread around it. Two people, a man and a woman, gagged at the mouth and tied to a chair each. The man was older looking than the woman who looked almost his age.
They were both looking at him with wide eyes, he had one last look to see if they were armed before walking up to them and taking their gags off. The girl was crying the moment he took them off.
The man to his left looked at him like he didn't know what to make of him "Did Ramsay send you?" He asked with a hoarse voice. He looked battered and bruised, a couple of missing teeth and a nose caked in dry blood.
He shook his head as he checked the girl, both of them looked like they'd seen better days but there was a clear difference between the pair when comparing the treatment of the two. The girl was shaking like a leaf, tears in her wide,bloodshot eyes and her hair was dishevelled. The man had clearly taken the brunt of the physical torture.
He lifted his dagger to cut her binds, both of them flinching when he revealed it. They both calmed a little bit when he started cutting at the ropes around the girl's feet.
"I don't know who that is." He said as he broke through the rope around her feet and moved on to the one tied around her stomach "If he was one of thosecuntswith the dogs then he's dead." He said as he finished cutting the second rope. He looked at the man who looked a little less weary than before "They're all dead." He finished as he went around the back of the chair to cut the final rope around the girl's wrists. The man turned his neck and kept his eyes glued on him throughout the whole process.
The girl got up from her chair on wobbly legs and started rubbing her wrists. "Are you sure? Did you do it? Please, I need to know they're gone." She asked as she started to tremble with fear, she looked over her shoulder to the open door.
"I'm positive. There were 6 of them and a bunch of dogs. The hounds fled but the men are most definitely dead, very dead." He said as he worked on the ropes around the man.
The girl seemed to deflate when he said that, like a pressure being lifted, a steadying breath easing the state that she was in. The man's binds were finally free and he had to help him to his feet as he seemed to struggle somewhat.
The girl came across and took over helping the man, they seemed familial, either that or they were good friends or even lovers.
He stepped back towards the door and checked to see if the coast was still clear. They wouldn't be staying here much longer; the horses round back would rectify that.
He turned around "What are your names?" He asked as the pair of them slowly made their way out of the stench riddled room. He closed the door behind them as they passed through in the hopes of locking it away forever.
They beelined towards the table which had a few drinking horns, bits of cheese and hard bread left on it. The man turned around and looked at him then looked at the girl who still looked a little worried.
Understandable given the situation.
The man nodded his head at him "You first, what's your name?" He asked as he wolfed down some cheese before glugging whatever was left in the horn he'd picked up.
Should he lie? There was no reason to he realised.
"Jon." He said as he headed towards the back door and opened it. He turned back and picked up and sheathed hiskatanathat he'd placed down earlier.
"Jon what?" The girl asked as she drunk and ate at a slower pace than the man.
"Jon Snow." He finished as he grabbed the shovel that was leant against the wall next to the door. He wasn'tgonnaleave these flayed bodies unburied.
They slowly followed him out the back door and leant against the wall, they watched him dig two holes for the two bodies that were hung up near them.
"Jon Snow? As in Lord Stark'sba...son?" The man said as Jon slammed the shovel into the ground a little harder at the mention of that man.
He huffed out "The one and only." He said as he worked as quickly as he could with the hole. He didn't expect to find himself digging graves today but he supposed that was just life, kicking you in the dick one minute then sucking it the next.
"And you two, what are your names since I've just revealed myself?" he asked as he finished the first grave and started on the second.
"My name isHarrionand this is my sisterAlys." The man, now revealed as being calledHarrion, answered.
HarrionandAlys. Those names ring a bell but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Well it's nice to meet the pair of you, wish it was under more agreeable circumstances." He said as he ripped the soil apart with his shovel.
Alyschuckled and so didHarrion"I met you 10 years ago Jon, when my father came to Winterfell for a visit and brought me along with him. I danced with you at the welcome feast, don't you remember?" She asked.
Danced with him? He's only ever danced with...
His eyes went wide when he looked back at them "Alys?AlysKarstark? And LordHarrion?" He said to which the pair confirmed with a nod.
He shook his head and finished off with the second hole, he then chuckled "Small world." He said as he walked towards the two hanging bodies. The mood instantly changed when he looked upon their remains.
Kireina'squick death was a mercy for them. They deserved a whole lot worse.
The twoKarstarkslooked down at the ground, almost in respect as he cut the two bodies down. He ran into the shack and emerged back outside with two white sheets he found in the bedchambers. He wrapped both of the bodies in a sheet each and gently picked them up and placed them in each one of the respected graves. He shovelled dirt over the top of them and closed his eyes for a few seconds after in respect. They'd be left in unmarked graves but at least they'd been returned to the earth instead of being left out to dry like somebody's washed clothes.
He returned to the twoKarstarksand placed the shovel back where he'd gotten it from in the first place. He turned to them and assessed them both now they were in broad daylight "Are you able enough to ride one of these horses?" He asked the pair, mainly looking atHarrionwho looked a lot worse thanAlys.
They both looked at each other and seemed to come to an agreement without even speaking "Yeah, we should be alright. Me andAlyswill share, she'll have to take the reins. Bloody cunts messed up my hands with what they were doing to me."Harrionsaid as Jon nodded.
He looked around as he prepared the horses for their journey, if push came to shove, he'd have to introduce them toKireinaif the situation became dire but for now, they'd have to rely on horses.
"Do you have a rough idea where we are?" He asked.
He walked over to the horses and closed his eyes while he had his back to the pair of them and attempted to reach out wasn't far away but he didn't know if she'd be able to hear his thoughts from where she was."Can you spot any landmarksKireina?"He asked her through their bond.
"I know at one point we stopped near a river west from here. When we were apprehended, we weren't far from theDreadfortaccording to our escorts. Ramsay and his men travelled south with us, I know that at least."Alyssaid.
"We had to go around the Sheepshead hills, mainly to avoidHornswoodscouts."Harrionadded.
"Is everything okay? Are you hurt?"Kireinaasked almost frantically.
He finished with the first horse and moved to the next one, both of the stallions seemed very keen to be away from this place. He couldn't blame them.
"Yes, I'm okay. I've got a couple of people that needed help and I'mgonnaneed some sort of direction to go in. Did you see any castles or anything?"He asked. He was pretty sure their best bet was to head towardsHornwood, but he wasn't exactly sure of the direction.
"The forest is too dense for me to pinpoint anything. You're probably going to have to go north."She replied.
Forest is too dense. North it is.
"We are probably in TheHornswoodforest so heading northwest is probably the best idea. HouseHornwoodshould welcome yousurely?...Unless I'vemissed something since I've been away?" He said as he finished with the second horse and turned to them with a quirked eyebrow.
"No, you haven't missed much I'm afraid, other than your father searching high and low for months looking foryaand this one here becoming your sister-in-law soon."Harrionsaid as he struggled but just about managed to mount his him up and sat at the front to take the reins.
Hekindawalked into the whole'your father has been looking for you'comment he had to admit. He knew Lord Stark would have looked for him but he hadn't thought it would've become public knowledge about him leaving. He thought Lord Stark would've respected his choice when it came to leaving but...
...Sister-in-law?!
He looked at the pair as he effortlessly mounted the red stallion, it seemed very keen to get going, stomping its two front hooves into the soil.
"Sister-in-law?" He asked them as they slowly started trotting away from the murder shack this Ramsay liked to call his home.
Alysnodded and smiled as both horses trotted away, northbound "Aye, me and your brother Robb are to wed. Me andHarrionwere on our way back toKarholdafter our visit to Winterfell to confirm the betrothal. That's when all this happened." She finished as her smile faltered slightly.
He huffed and smiled. Robb was betrothed, that was the first bit of news about his family he'd gotten in 3 years. He looked back atAlyswho now had her eyes looking ahead of them, she was a pretty lass he had to admit, a proper northern girl for his brother. He was made up for him.
A few hours had passed since they'd left Ramsay's house of nightmares, conversation had been free flowing,Harrionhad soldiered on despite his clear discomfort due to his injuries and they were making good time he thought. What he didn't like was the fact that the sun was quite low in the sky now and the oranges of the evening sky were starting to dim with every step they took.
"We might have to make camp soon, carry on in the morning." He shouted over his shoulder at the pair of them following behind.
"Anything is better than being back in that place."Alysreplied,Harriongrunted in agreement.
"There's smoke about 10 minutes north from where you are."Kireinawhispered in the back of his mind. She'd stayed close to them throughout the entire journey, high up in the clouds. The world's best personal tracker she was.
He really hoped that smoke wasn't another shack full of nutjobs, he'd dealt with plenty of them today.
As promised, 10 minutes later, smoke plumes could be seen just ahead through the canopy of the forest. He slowed his pace down just a little andAlysdid the same with their horse.
"What's the matter Jon?" She asked, worry written all over her her on the shoulder and pointed up into the trees, he'd obviously seen what Jon had seen too.
"How do we proceed? I'm notgonnabe much use if this is a fight in front of us but I'll fight if I have to."Harrionsaid.
He slowly approached the edge of the forest and peaked out from in between the dense tree line. There wouldn't be another fight tonight.
A castle loomed in the distance, nowhere near as big as Winterfell but still a sight to behold.
This has to beHornwood, for the love of god beHornwood.
He wanted to make sure they got to safety before he left, this unfortunate detour had cost him almost a day. He could have been in Winterfell by now if it wasn't for this Ramsay cunt.
"Is that..."Alysproclaimed as they moved up next to him.
"HornwoodCastle. Thank the gods."Harrionanswered.
Thank the gods indeed.
The three of them slowly trotted out of the treeline and made a beeline towards the huge gates of the castle.
"Let's hope somebody is in." He said with a shook her head and smiled at him. The relief for the pair of them must have been immense.
The castle walls loomed tall ahead of them, with very little fanfare, the front gates slowly rose and revealed two mounted knights heading straight for them. One of them was holding the banner of HouseHornwood, a brown bull moose on a field of dark orange. An orange that almost matched the sky.
"Halt!" One of the men shouted in a harsh tone. Jon andAlysstopped the horses in their tracks.
"State your business." The same guard who'd spoken to them asked whilst eyeing up the three of them. One of the guards looked at him and then just over his shoulder, no doubt at the two swords on his back.
He looked atAlysandHarrion, they seemed to be struggling how to approach this. He decided to help out.
"This is LordHarrionKarstarkand this is LadyAlysKarstark, we request food, shelter and access to one of your ravens if it wouldn't be too much trouble." He said in his most superficial lords voice he could looked at him with an eyebrow quirked and a small grin on her face.
He turned back to the guard who was speaking to him and noticed the man's eyes had widened. It would seem this wouldn't be as difficult as he'd expected it to go. However, before he could open his mouth again, both guards were unsheathing their swords.
There goes that idea.
He quirked an eyebrow at the pair of guards, he could take them quite easily but it wouldn't look great if he did, it'd end up causing more headache than it was worth.
"Very bold of you to try and ransom Lord and LadyKarstarkin person, bit of a thick decision but it gives us an easy job. I know a few Lords who would like to make an example out of you." One of the guards sneered as they started to move closer toAlysandHarrion, almost like they thought they were protecting them.
BeforeHarrionorAlyscould open their mouth to correct them, Jon was beating them to it "I see common sense isn't your strong spot. Use your fucking head next time before throwing accusations around. If I was ransoming them, wouldn't they be tied up or something?" He said. The guards looked at the twoKarstarks, both of them showed just how annoyed they were with the pair of idiots in front of them.
Both of the guards seem to come to the same conclusion and sheathed their swords. One of them spoke up "Apologies. The castle and the surrounding area have been on high alert since LordHornwoodhad announced Lord and LadyKarstarkhad been kidnapped."
"Can't have been on that high of an alert, we walked right up to your castle gates unperturbed. You need better scouts." He said in an uninterested tone.
"Jon! You're not helping."Alyschided. He just grinned in response.
"Enough of all this! Are yougonnalet us in or not? Fetch LordHalys, we've met once before. Anything to get me in there where a bath, some food, amaesterand a feather bed could be found hmm."Harrionexclaimed. It looked like it took the remaining energy in the man's body to raise his voice to the pair of dolts.
The guards looked at each other before riding past the three of them, back towards the castle gates. One of them shouted over their shoulder "Follow us but any funny business and you'll regret it."
"Probably not but okay."He whispered under his him as she rode by and slapped him on the shoulder like a motherchiddinga child,Harrionjust smirked.
Homely would be the word he'd use to describe the inside of the castle walls. It was like everything was 25 percent smaller than Winterfell, Jon was almost charmed by it all as he looked about the place. A few more guards were eyeing the three of them up and some workers even stopped what they were doing to witness the spectacle of Jon riding a horse.
"Please, no more trouble. You have no idea how much I need a hot bath and some warm food."Alyssaid as she leaned closer to him.
He held up both of his hands in mock surrender "You can do thetalking,my lips are sealed." He said as they came to a stop and dismounted from their a bit wobbly on his feet but shook off any help, Jon just shook his head as he handed the reins of the two horses to the stable keeper.
Northerners could be so stubborn sometimes.
The three of them were escorted into the main keep of the castle and told to wait there as one of the guards disappeared, to get LordHalyshe presumed, and the other kept an eye on them. The guard watching them was looking at Jon intently so he decided he'd do the same and just stared at the man with whatGerionused to call, his Tywin glare.
Jon won the imaginary war as the man looked away.
That's right bitch, look grinned over his success and stopped when he sawAlyslooking at him unamused. He looked back at the guard who now had a grin of his own.
"Prick."He said under his breath. The guard heard him and started moving towards Jon but was stopped by a bellowing shout from the other end of the hall.
"Harrion! My good man, it's so good to see you in one piece. And you, LadyAlys! Lord Robb will be very happy to know his intended is safe and unharmed, he's been very worried I tell you." A grey-haired fellow boomed across the hall. This was LordHalyshe presumed.
Alysto her credit, curtsied to the lord "Thank you LordHalys, news about my intended is always welcome, hopefully as welcome as we are in your castle? The past few days have been truly awful my lord, my brother here will be in need of yourmaesterand we'd appreciate accommodation for the night if that's okay my lord?" She asked. You wouldn't have thought she'd just been through hell with how she'd spoke.
Robb's got a good one there.
LordHalyswaved her off like she'd asked for something absurd "Of course it's okay LadyAlys." He shook his head and smiled at the twoKarstarks"Lord Robb will be ever so pleased to see you, wracked with worry that one earlier. They should be back soon, getting dark out there." He said as he held out his hand toHarrionand shook it.
Back soon? Robb is here?
He couldn't think more of it as the Lord of the castle moved across to him and eyed him up and down.
"And who isthis?" He asked as he looked inHarrion'sdirection.
"This was the man who saved us, if it wasn't for him, I don't know what would be happening to us right now."Harrionsaid as he gave a sad look inAlys' direction.
LordHalysturned back to him "Well he certainly looks like he can handle himself, especially with them two swords on his back that heshouldn'treally have at the moment." He said as he looked at the two guards that had escorted them. They had the decency to look down in shame with their failure to claim his weapons at the gate.
"Do you have a name lad?" LordHalysasked as he turned back to him.
"Yep."
LordHalysshook his head and grinned "And are yougonnatell us it?" He asked.
"Probably."
"Jon..."Alyswarned.
"Ahh! So, its Jon. Jon what?" LordHalyssaid as he grinned atAlysand then looked back at him.
"Snow." He replied. LordHalys' eyes widened.
"Jon Snow...Lord Stark's lad?" He asked. LordHalys' eyes lit up like he'd struck gold.
He just nodded his head in response. It was out there now. Jon Snow was back in town.
"This just keeps getting better and better." The man seemed to mutter to himself.
Harrioncleared his throat "LordHalys, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, we'd like to get out of these dirty clothes and I really would like themaesterto take a look at me." He said, clearly impatient now.
"Ah, yesyesof course. Donella always said I could talk the ears off anybody when I wanted to, of course she's the one who gets the worst of it..."
Harrionjust raised an eyebrow.
"I'm rambling. Right, you two follow me. Jon, these servants will take you to the kitchens for something to eat while I get the rooms prepared." LordHalyssaid as he escorted the over her shoulder at him and mouthed'Be good'at him. He just saluted her and she shook her head.
He could smell the food before he could see it, and when he did, he realised just how hungry he was, he'd had nothing all day. It looked like the leftovers from a feast but he didn't care, one of the servants handed him a plate and told him to help himself. He nearly kissed the man.
With his plate full and a horn of ale, Jon made his way out of the kitchen and into the halls where a different servant showed him to his room. There was no conversation between the two of them even with the girl constantly eyeing him up, it would have been rude to speak with a mouth full of chicken. He wasn't in the mood for conversation either, he was buzzing with excitement instead, excited to see his brother again.
I hope he's not mad. I don't know how I would handle that.
He was shown into his room, it wasn't large but it had what he needed. A roaring fire, a featherbed and a hot bath. The servant curtsied and left him to it.
He placed his food and drink on the table and took his blades off his back. He grabbed his plate and horn and sat on the bed, he almost sunk into its softness. He lent against the wall the bed was next to and quietly enjoyed his dinner.
I've got good food, good northern ale, a nice soft featherbed and a steaming hot bath. He was alsogonnabe seeing his brother again, the gods were looking down on him today. Hell, he might even treat himself tonight and toss himself off before he goes to bed.
With his food polished off, Jon undressed and sank into the copper bath he was provided with. The muscles in his arse and back were singing in pleasure at the relief from all that riding. He cleaned himself off fairly quickly and just laid there with his eyes closed, letting the heat soothe the rest of his body. If he wasn't too careful, he'd fall asleep with how blissful it was.
He must have been laid in that bath for nearly half an hour, it might have been even longer if it wasn't for the clear commotion that was happening outsidehis room. He looked over his shoulder at the door, if he was about to be attacked, he wouldn't hesitate to fight his assailant stark naked. Thankfully he wasn't about to be attacked, going on the shout he heard outside from his window. Somebody was at the gates and by the sounds of it, they were being opened.
Robb!?
He'd never got out of a bath quicker in his life, water sloshed all over the ground as he towelled off with the fresh linens he was provided with. He dressed as quick as he could, strapping his swords and his dagger in their appropriate positions. He ran his fingers through his damp curls and picked up his horn of ale before necking the remains of it in a single gulp.
Please don't be mad Robb.
There was a knock on the door and he must have startled the servant with how quick he opened it.
"LordHalyshas told me to tell you the search party has returned mi lord." The man said as he bowed and walked off.
With a spring in his step he all but jogged through the keep and out of the front door. He was surprised at the amount of horses and dogs that were in the courtyard.
Search party? Robb must have a small army here!
There was a lot of movement in and around the horses that were currently being moved to the stables. There was a small crowd in front of him and hewas stood at the back trying to see if he could spot thosetell taleauburn locks, what made him scrunch his face in annoyance was the sight of one Theon Greyjoy.
Of course that prick was here, why hadn't he considered that earlier?
His face calmed and a smile grew as he saw his brother, he had a few more inches on him now, still a poor excuse of a beard though. He chuckled at the thought of that, he'd told Jon years ago that he couldn't wait to grow one.
His brother was in an embrace with a woman, from the back he couldn't really tell but if he were to guess by the beaming smile his brother had on his face, it was Alys.
He was glad he'd been in the right place in the right time. He would have to thankKireinafor her intuition, if she'd not got his butt moving this morning it could have been a whole different story.
He saw Lord Halys walk up to Robb and shake his hand, Alys was currently stood next to Robb with both of her hands holding one of his, almost hugging his arm. He couldn't spot Harrion but if he had to guess, the Lord was probably still in with the maester.
Lord Halys then moved across to someone stood behind a horse and held his hand out, who he saw made the blood in his veins run molten, he could hear his heart beating in his ears and his vision narrowed.
Why did I not think I'd be this angry? Why does he have to be here right now? Am I supposed to play nice because we have an audience? WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?!
He would have to think fast, the man in question had Lord Halys whispering in his ear and his eyes darted all over the place like he was looking for something.
"Where!?" The man said, almost yelling at Lord Halys. Robb looked at the man confused.
That's when Lord Halys looked around himself and finally locked eyes with Jon and smiled. Jon wasn't in the mood for smiling anymore.
He was pointed at by Lord Hornwood and all eyes turned to him, especially the two Starks that were in the yard.
Robb was almost crying when he finally realised who he was looking at but the other man...
Lord Stark.
Well, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"...Jon?" Lord Stark almost whispered, almost like he didn't want to scare him away.
Jon just looked at him with cold eyes and didn't respond.