Chapter ten

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

I own my laptop and my car, everything else is debatable. Sorry for the wait been busy and struggling with the end of the chapter. Not sure what's up with fanfic but I'm not getting pm notifications. They are only going to my personal email, which I might check every couple of weeks if I'm reminded. My bad. I also might not see them if I have had a lot of emails from fanfic about this being fav or followed, those I delete without reading as I get the notification on my phone. Honestly thank you to everyone that has been reading, it makes me want to continue when I see that there are people reading.

Tormund

Trudging through the snow back to camp after yet another very successful hunt Tormund and his fellow hunts are tired. Dragging two large bucks, one mouse, and half a dozen snow rabbits, all on improvised sleds made the men and women tired. As far as Tormunds is concerned everyone in this group except the warg were the best to go out hunting with.

No giants had agreed to come hunting with them. That was expected as giants would only eat meat if they were starving, being vegetarian in nature. It would have made it easier to get back to Mance's camp if the giants would help carry the hunt. They did help with the temporary fortifications so Tormund didn't complain loudly.

One of the huntress's Ygritte starts swearing and yelling, Tormund falls back to see what is wrong with her this time. He also notices he is not the only one.

"What happened this time Ygritte?" he asks the huntress.

"The fucking sled is stuck again. You pull it this time you great lug." Ygritte says, throwing the rope that acts as a harness down, she walks off following the other hunters.

Tormund looks around the sled to see if it is caught on anything, lifting it from the ground he notices that a root has managed to get lodged between a couple of the planks, shifting the sled so it is off the root Tormund hurries to catch up with the others.

"I heard rumours the recent batch of giants that joined us, brought a couple of the children of the forest with them." Tormund hears as he catches up with the group.

Being one of Mance's closest friends, Tormund knew the truth. The rumours are correct. The giants from beyond the Frost Fangs brought seven children of the forest with them on their mammoths. So far the children have stayed with Mance and Dalla, not leaving their tent, worried about the rest of the clan's reaction to leave.

The children revealed a few secrets as well. Mance and the other clan leaders all meet with the leader of the children, a male named Oakheart. Oakheart told us all how to defeat the White Walkers and their dead thralls. Dragon glass, who would have known the things they threw away as useless was their best advantage. Thankfully there are a few deposits in the Frost Fangs that the men were gathering and shaping for the move to the wall.

"Tormund, have ya got mammoth shit in ya ears. I'm fucken talken ta ya." Orell the warg asks. The idiot in love with a woman that can't stand him.

"Nah, I just prefer not to lisson to the mammoth shit that comes outta your mouth." Tormund responds with a cocky grin. Orell goes to lunge at Tormund before he's grabbed at the back of his furs by Morna the leader of the clan from Hardhome.

"knock it off you cunts." she says thinking in her head, my two young daughters fight like they do. Grown men my ass.

"He's not a cunt, Morna, I'm a cunt because cunts are useful." Tormund says as he grabs his dagger. "If you bring that eagle near me, white eyes, I'll be having it for my dinner."

"I'll show you useless, Giantfucker." He says storming off back to the forest.

"That's not as much of an insult as you think, white eyes." Tormund says cackling to himself while wondering if he could actually try to fuck a giantess without her laughing a him.

"Must you fight with him? One of these days he will warg a bear and you'll be dead." Morna says, shaking her head.

"I'll be dead or he'll be dead. Morna, he's a spineless cunt. He will always be a spineless cunt. The only reason he came with us is right there. And he did fuck all sept stear at her" he says pointing at Ygritte. Morna just sighs and nods her head.

It doesn't take them long to reach the camp after entering the Frost Fangs. The Crows wouldn't be able to find the passage to find the Free Folk, well one Crow might be able to but Benjen Stark left them alone for the most part, he is the only Crow any member of the free folk respected. Even here in the true north everyone knew of the Starks and their honourable ways

Cheers grated them upon their return. Grabbing a rabbit off the sled, before the sled was grabbed by the cooks to be taken away for cleaning and cooking, Tormund makes his way over to Mance and Dalla tent.

After entering the tent he gives Dalla his prize. At first she smiles at the fat rabbit in his hands. That look quickly changes.

"What are you bribing me for Tormund?" she asks, giving him a weary look. Since Dalla got pregnant she has been craving rabbit stew, Tormund always tried to get her at least one rabbit if he wanted to have a serious talk with Mance.

"Not you. Needa talk to Mance. Where is he?"

"Talking to Magnar Styr. Mance said he should be back soon. I guess you can wait here. After all, you brought me this lovely fat rabbit." Dalla says with a longing look at the rabbit, pointing him to some of the makeshift chairs.

The seat creaking ominously as he sits as carefully as he can, Tormund looks around noticing the children's absence. This is new. Thinking on it for a moment, Tormund can't think of a reason for their absence.

"Where have the children gone?" His curiosity gets the better of him. Something that has led him into a lot of trouble over the years. South of the wall he has had his own conquests, Bears, Giants, even a Silver Smiling Sun definitely smiling after his visit.

"Mance took them with him. They said they wanted to start being more of a help, now more people are used to seeing them." Tormund nods at her words and settles in to watch her cook. Something about watching a woman cook soothed Tormund, even if the woman wasn't his.

It doesn't take long for Mance to return. Mance enters the tent and spots Tormund straight away. If it had been any other man they would have come to blows, but Mance knows that Tormund prefers spare wifes to woods witches so Dalla was safe from his wandering eye. That and Tormund wouldn't forsake their friendship in this manner.

"Tormund, I heard you pissed off Orell again?" Mance says after kissing his wife's cheek.

"He was asken for it." Tormund says snorting and thinking of other ways to annoy the warg.

"I see, is that why you're here?" He asks, sitting next to Tormund.

"No, I'm here again to try talking you out of your stupid plan." Tormund says looking at his friend.

"If it works it's not stupid."

"And if it kills more of us then will die on the way to the wall?"

"It wont, we are sending most of the clans to the wall before we go hunting. I've told you this." Mance says wondering if his friend is starting to lose his mind.

"Trying to capture a Wight is stupid, bringing it to the wall is stupid. Those crows won't listen. Those southern cunts in their stone halls won't care that we are dying. They will throw a feast to celebrate."

"Then we make them care. That's why we are trying to capture a Wight. Tell me you understand that getting us beyond the wall with as little of us dying is a good plan." Mance says near yelling not wishing to have this argument with his friend again.

"Calm down boys." Dalla says, pointing her cooking knife at them.

"I'm sorry you think this is a shit plan Tormund. But the children say it will work. If you don't believe in me, believe in them." Mance says in a calmer tone.

Tormund sits in silence for a while thinking over the plan. It isn't until Dalla put a bowl of her delicious rabbit stew in front of him does he realise how long he has been sitting there thinking.

"Thank you Dalla. Thinking hurts my head, this is the perfect cure, along with some mead." After the three of them finish eating, Tormund looks at Mance.

"I do believe in you Mance even if it's a shit plan. I'll help, but I get to laugh at you if this doesn't work. Be laughing at you from the beyond but still laughing at you." After scratching his beard he looks at Mance. "You don't think the souls get trapped in the wights do you? Cause I don't think I can laugh at you if I'm trapped in this beautiful meat puppet." Laughing as he leaves Dalla and Mance with the thought.

Ser Bonifer Hasty

Receiving a letter from the Vale wasn't something Bonifer was used to. Even more that it was from a great lord, Lord Royce commissioned Bonifer and his men, the Holy Hundred, as protection for his daughter to get to King's Landing for her wedding. It was a good thing the Holy Hundred had taken a commission to rout out bandits near Ironoak or it would have taken them longer to get to Runestone. This way it was only a three day ride at a hard pace to get there. His men are good men, hard men, men of the seven.

The reason why Yohn Royce wasn't escorting his daughter himself, nor were any of the Royce men besides her second eldest brother Robar, was yet another rebellion from the Mountain Clansmen, three villages on Royce territory and two on Redfort lands had been attacked in the week since the betrothal was arranged, made it necessary for an outside force to collect Ysilla. If it wasn't for the hasty needed for an Arryn Heir, Bonifer and his men wouldn't have been called upon. It had been decided that they would travel via Gulltown to King's Landing as it was the fastest and safest way to get to King's Landing.

Along the journey Bonifer found out that while Ysilla is very excited about her wedding, she wasn't excited about being in King's landing, not after she heard that King Stannis was taken with the Red God R'hllor. This news also worried Bonifer. Those Red devil's are known to burn people alive, that just brought back memories of his beloved in the hands of that Mad King she had to call a husband.

The trip between Runestone and Gulltown only took them a day of hard riding, Bonifer was pleased that Ysilla knew her way around a horse. From there it would only take them three days by ship. The trip via the sea was a pleasant experience for Bonifer and his men. Bonifer spent hours each day with Ysilla, they talked about her upcoming wedding and her hopes.

Having been given fertility drafts from the woods witches round Runestone, Ysilla hoped to fall with child fast. Not because the thought of bedding the Arryn lord scared her but because she knows how much the Vale needs an Arryn heir. Ysilla reminded him of his beloved so very dutiful and faithful. A good woman of the faith.

Upon reaching King's Landing Robar insisted that Bonifer and his men help escort them to the Red Keep, he insisted as if they hadn't planned on that from the start. Lord Royce paid them to stay until the wedding, not once could it be said that the Holy Hundred would back down from a mission.

There was an incident in the days leading up to the wedding. The red bitch, witch, whore, whatever you wanted to call her, kept butting in and trying to turn them from the light of the Seven to the fire demon she calls a god. At first it was show unity with your king, then on to, have the wedding with me preceding, don't have it in the sept. It went on until Lord Arryn put his foot down and told her to leave and not come back, that things got back on track.

The wedding passed as all weddings did, Bonifer and his men were very pleased they had the opportunity to see a wedding in the Great Sept. Ysilla is the portrait of the perfect bride, at least to most of the men in his company. To Bonifer no one could replace his love, well no human, the maiden was the only one to replace his beloved.

Having decided that they would rest for a week before going back to the Stormlands, Bonifer and his men split their time between training with the Arryn men and patrolling King's Landing to keep the faithful safe. No one paid them to do that but it was their job as knights to protect the innocent whenever the Holy has had time off. This is what they would do, upholding their vows as knights.

It is on one of Bonifer's patrols he noticed something off in the people of King's Landing, there were alot of small folk going towards the Dragons Pit. Bonifers did not like this, King Stannis allowed the red witches and their so called guard to preach at the Dragons Pit, if this many people were heading towards it that meant nothing good was happening.

Most of the small folk of King's Landing hated the red priests, very few actually showed up to the sermons. So to have this many people heading towards one wasn't good. He looks through the crowd hoping to see any of his men. Two catch his eye and indicate further into the crowd each holding up a few fingers, that was good that means more of his men were in the crowd ahead of them.

It didn't take long to reach the Dragons pit, he can see his men congregating in the lowest part of the pit close to the red witch but far enough away from the fiery hand they wouldn't be overheard.

"Does anyone know what's going on?" Bonifer asks as he joins them.

"Heard rumours about an execution. Nothing confirmed" His second in command Markus Thorn says while nodding to the stake and wood prepared. His second hasn't heard rumours, he was just stating what he could see.

It didn't take the red witch long to come out. This was the Essosi women or well the one that looked more like she came from Slavers Bay than Volantice. Black hair, tanned skin, red eyes though all red priests had those, this was the newest red witch to come to the city.

"My good people of King's Landing, today we come here to sentence a heretic." at her words three of the fiery hand drag out a woman dressed in a septa's robes. Three of his men have to hold him back as the septa is tied to the stake. He tunes out the rest of her speech just staring in horror at the poor woman.

"Not here, not now." He hears Markus repeat over and over from behind him. "We will all die if we do anything, there's sixty of the fuckers." It is when he hears Markus say that he realises it's not just him that Markus is saying it for.

"Markus is right, this calls for a different approach. When this is over we go to the high septon. I'm working on a plan. But this poor woman deserves the faithful saying prayers for her." At these words he and his men start muttering prayers in whisper to the mother, the crone and the stranger. Repeating them over and over even when the pyre is lit. The screams he will remember till his dying day. The look of satisfaction on the red witches face one he will never forget.

"Pray for your sins my brothers and sister. For the night is long and full of terrors!" the red witch yells out

"For the night is long and full of terrors!" the fiery hand yells out after her.

"Pray for your sins bitch, the Holy are coming for you." Bonnifer says only loud enough for his men to hear.

Ramsay

Five days. Five days of frustration. Five days of watching over their shoulders. Ramsay was annoyed. The plan they made at the stream is a good one, one that will work. However the guard that was assigned to them was more than diligent. If they separated another guard would be called over if one was close. Only twice had they managed to separate without both being followed each time Myranda was the one being left without a guard.

This doesn't leave much room for their plan to go off. Myrand told him that a guard would show up within two hours if they hadn't rejoined each other. Having decided on using the only acceptable poisoning method to the North even if it isn't the poison the North uses, Bog Death, while easy to make, gives itself away with the stench. It never crosses Ramsay's mind that the Crannog men are the only one the North accepts using this method.

Ramsay decided. His choice was firm, taking Myranda back to the river he tells her his plan, a plan that they would put into action the next time she is left alone. He wouldn't wait any longer for his weak brother to die.

It only takes two more days for her to be alone. Which is perfect as the floppy fish looks to be bringing himself out of the mood he fell into. Ramsay, wanting front row seats, stalks Domeric everywhere he goes. It was in the training yard two hours after Myrand split from him, that something happened. A shout echoes around the yard.

"Down."

With the shout everyone drops to the ground even Ramsay drops having had it drilled into him when that word is shouted to drop. A woman's scream can also be heard around the yard. When he gets back up he finds himself at sword tip.

"Don't move, Ramsay Snow." It is Nestor Royce. Ramsay doesn't know how everything went wrong, only that it did. "Oh yes you're in trouble now."

Being dragged into the cells was a new experience but that wasn't a bad thing. The bad thing is that he can hear Myranda's screams, and not the good kind that he got out of her, the kind he got out of his disappointments is what he's hearing.

"Everything she knows we will soon." A guard that didn't look like a guard says from outside the cell he had been shoved into. "Now if I was a betting man and I am, I would say she won't last as long as you would under the knives." another scream rings through the dungeons. With a smirk, the not a guard left.

Bronn

Watching the pair over the past weeks had made Bronn want them to hurry up and get on to the good part. The catching them part. The making them talk part. Bronn let Nestor know when they were going to act and where. Making sure to get into a good position to catch the bint Bronn waits in the rafter of the covered Balcony.

She arrives as expected only slightly later then they had said but Bronn knows most plans don't last, especially not when he was involved in fucking them up. She took little time in setting up. Those Crannog men are craft cunts. Bronn thinks as he watches her hollow a reed shoot and make a poison dart.

Bronn laughed internally, they went with the Widow's Blood, that poison and the tears of Lys are the only poisons he carries the antidote to. It took three months before Broon managed to steal the antidote for that. Paid for by the Citadel of all places, Bronn didn't care why they wanted it but he made sure to steal enough for himself too, if anyone important gets hit Nestor will owe him big, maybe even castle big.

She doesn't waste any time and lines up her shot. Watching her, Bronn guesses she's waiting for the perfect shot. Thankfully his hiding spot is right above the window he can yell a warning before dropping one her.

As she sucks in a breath, so does Bronn. He yells just before she manages to shoot the dart.

"Down." as he yells this he drops directly on her. Myranda screams in shock at the sudden weight on her as she collapses under it. Bronn has her tied up before she can even think.

Bronn looks at her tied on the floor before picking her up and taking her to the cells knowing a confession artist as the torturer prefers to be called is waiting for her.

"I haven't checked her. Figured you would like to do that." Bronn says with a checky salute as he leaves the cell. Shutting the door behind himself.

After his one sided conversation with the mad bastard Bronn makes his way to Nestor, hoping that he would get an extra payday. Walking towards Nestor's office Bronn sees the Blackfish walking in his direction.

"Bronn." the Blackfish says with a nod. "Nestor sent me to find you. He's in the maester's room. Jon Redfort got hit. The stupid boy tackled Domeric. Please tell me you know what they used."

With those words Bronn took off at a run knowing the antidote needs to be administered as quickly as possible. Reaching the maester's room at a run, the Blackfish follows quickly behind. They burst through the door.

"Nestor you owe me a trip to Astapor." Bronn says pulling his case of antidotes out before finding the right one and tipping the content down the boy's throat. Once done he looks up to see the maester, Nestor's son and the Bolton boy staring at him in shock.

"Bronn, Maester Terren just told us there's no cure for it. That it's Widow's Blood." Nestor says with an angry look. Bronn just scoffs.

"Oh aye, there's no cure in Westeros, not after the Maesters wasted their one. But they had me steal some of it from Astapor, you know me if it's an antidote I'ma take some for me too. That's why you owe me a trip there. That was my only vial. He will be fine this time tomorrow. Now the three of us should talk away from the boys." Bronn says as he leaves the maester's rooms.

It doesn't take them long to get to Nestor's solar. He pours himself a glass of Arbor wine while he waits on the other two men. Setting himself in front of the desk, putting his feet up on the dark wooden desk. His wait isn't long, as Nestor and the Blackfish walk in moments after he puts his feet up. As Nestor walks around the desk he pushes Bronn's feet off.

"What exactly do you think we need to talk about.?" Nestor says as he sits down.

"Why the execution of course. And keeping my name out of things. Bolton may be a lord but he's a bastard, he won't forget this. I know for a fact that bastard of his, has been castle raised since Domeric left the Dreadfort. Which means he at the very least cares about the boy." Bronn takes a sip of his drink as he looks at both men. The Blackfish shifts in his seat uncomfortable, knowing the truth in those words.

"When I send the notice of his death it will not have your name in it. I'll put it down to a nameless guard. As for the execution, the Vales laws are clear. Kinslaying or attempted kinslaying has a punishment of being drawn and quartered. We will do that on the morrow." Bronn smiled at Nestor's words, while the Blackfish looked even more uncomfortable at those words.

"What of the girl Nestor?" the Blackfish asks. Nestor gets a concerned look on his face.

"I guess I'll leave her alive for Roose, he will want to at least question one of them. But the bastard dies. I won't let a kinslayer live." Nestor says with a firm look on his face. The Blackfish's face goes pale at those words.

"would be kinder just to kill her Nestor." Bronn says. The Blackfish nods at those words.

The morning of the execution dawns clear after everyone has broken their fasts they make their way to the courtyard. Bronn sees all three of the boys watching from the edge of the courtyard. Most of the women of the gate stay inside away from the gruesome sight that is about to take place. Most of the guards for the Gate were present.

The scaffold for the hanging was in place. The butchers block for the gelding waiting. The Blackfish and three other guards have the horses.

Nestor appears in the courtyard with Ramsay Snow being dragged behind him. Ramsay has been gagged, that doesn't stop everyone from seeing the madness in his eye. Nor does it stop him from trying to speak or rather scream at everyone gathered.

"Ramsay Snow, Bastard of lord Roose of house Bolton, in the name of Stannis of house Baratheon, fist of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, King of Westeros, Protector of the Faiths, Breaker of the Iron Fleet, I Nestor Royce Protector of the Bloody Gate sentence you to die for attempted kinslaying. Do you have any last words?" Bronn is impressed that Nestor managed to get all those lofty titles correct or at least he thinks they are correct. Then in Bronn's opinion Nestor makes the mistake of taking the gag out of the bastard's mouth.

"My father will kill you all, painfully, torturously. I only wish I could be here to see it." The insane smile on his face makes Bronn know he is not going to be in the Vale or the North for the next couple of years, hoping that by the time he has a job in either region the Flayed Lord will have forgotten about him. That or Domeric would be the lord.

The attempted kinslayer is then dragged to the scaffold where he is then hanged almost to the point of death, Nestor at his side to make sure that he survives, Ramsay is then cut down as his face goes purple, then dragged to the block. Ramsay is held down by four guards, one on each limb, with only his hips and ass on the block. Nestor wielding the red hot knife emasculates and cauterises at the same time, then he has dragged to his final punishment, Nestor waves Domeric, and his Nephew Jon over.

"You both have a choice if you want to be involved in this last part." Both shake their heads at Nestor's words, Nestor then waves Bronn over. "Heads or Tails?"

"I'll take the head if you don't mind." Nestor nods at Bronn's words. Ramsay has his arms and legs tied to four different horses with Bronn at his head and nestor at his stomach. On Nestor's signal the Blackfish and the three guards slap the horses on the flank, the rear and pull away. While Nestor disembowels him, Bronn beheads him, the horses rip off his arms and leg, and so ends the miserable life of a deranged man.

To answer the reviews.

Necromancer96 I know. Hopefully this chapter will show you that I know of the outcome and have planned for it. Good guess for Arc two.

Xealchim, there were roughly 100 people in the celebration feast, not that hard to poison 100 people at once, the thousands was an accident on Jon's part. Also this is the first main arc. Jon Snow isn't a big part of the first arc, I have three arcs planned. The first arc is clearing the way for my main protagonists and antagonists. I change the tags to show who's important at that time, Jon is the Prince who was promised so he will always be important but only Ned, Stannis, and Arryn are truly important for this arc. I'm also only ten chapters into what is looking to be over twenty chapters. I haven't got a set number right now as my muse isn't telling. However the first arc is ending in the next chapter so more Jon will be seen after that. You also have to factor in that nothing important happens in the north due to no war of the five kings so no Theon going home, it's not until the wall gets attacked by the free folk that something happens that I haven't stopped by placing Stannis on the throne and that was at the end of season four, a good two/three years after Jon Arryn died, it's only been roughly six months since he was meant to die. Give it time and he will come in.