Artos Stark

Battle of the Bastards

Once they were back to Meereen Artos slid off Drogon letting his knees hit the stone floor of the balcony roughly.
"Never again." Artos stated as he tried to catch his breath. Dany laughed at him as she climbed down with a giggling Ned. Before she could speak Tyrion walked into the room with a letter and a wrapped package.
"You may want to see this." He said handing Artos the letter. As Artos read it though his face became stormy and his eyes darkened.
"What is it?" Dany asked worriedly as Drogon flew off.
"The Bolton's have my home and Jon and Sansa are going to fight for it back with a bunch of wildlings. I need a boat it doesn't matter how big the smaller the better." He said handing her the letter Sansa had written and walked into the room to gather some things.
"You can't go now. We are getting ready to go there ourselves." Dany protested setting Ned in his cot.
"I am not going to let you keep me here while I risk losing the rest of them!" Artos turned to shout at her. Dany flinched back at his tone.
"You'll be there soon. I'll have everything ready for you." He said this time quieter.
"What if I get there and you're dead? Am I just supposed to be okay with that?!" She shouted back at him.
"No, but I need to go." He told her kissing her on the lips and turning to leave.
"Then you may want this." Tyrion stopped him holding up the package. Artos walked over and took it from him. It was heavy and long, wrapped in cotton. Artos sent him a questioning look before unwrapping it to reveal Ice.
"This is my father's sword. How did you get it?" Artos asked him looking over the Valyrian steel.
"Varys was here. He grabbed it just before we fled the capital. I figured you would go once you heard the news. There is a small but fast ship waiting for you." Tyrion told him.
"Thank you." Artos told him before kissing Ned on the head and being pulled into a tight hug and kiss by Dany.
"If you die before I get there I will never forgive you." She told him.
"I will die old in your arms, my queen." Artos told her dead serious before leaving for the docks. The rest of the ships had been burned and the one he was boarding held no more than ten people. He looked back at the pyramid and prayed to the old gods and the new he would see them again.

The month-long voyage before was cut to two and a half weeks in the smaller vessel. Once they made it to the closest dock to Winterfell Artos and Beast were on their way as fast as they could. At this moment he was thankful he remembered his horse seeing as it was still the fastest the North had to offer. He was chanting to himself praying that he made it in time. Artos had five Unsullied men at his back struggling to keep up as they rode through the harsh winter that only seemed to breathe life into Artos and Beast. The Unsullied weren't used to the cold temperatures or the heavy cloaks Artos had supplied them with.

They had finally reached Winterfell after a hard day's ride. Once they hit the top of the hill Artos spotted Ramsay firing arrows at his youngest brother Rickon. Artos took off pushing his horse to its limit as he raced towards Rickon. He watched as Ramsay let his arrow loose and felt the burn as it embedded itself into his arm. He lifted his crying brother onto his horse and pulled hard on its reins sending the horse to its back legs. His firm hand on Rickon's back kept him in the saddle as Artos slid down the back of it. He released his brother when the horse's front feet roughly hit the ground again. He didn't spare it a look as it carried Rickon swiftly towards Sansa who sat on top of the hill watching on in shock with the rest of them at Artos's return to Winterfell. Artos could see the color leave Ramsay's face as he snapped off the head of the arrow and pulled it from his arm. With his father's large sword in his hand, Artos started his quick steps to the bastard Bolton. He heard Jon approach behind him but paid him no mind as the thunder of wildling screams echoed around them. Artos cut through man after man coating himself with thick sticky red. Beast close behind him ridding grown men of their heads. The direwolf dwarfed his brother's wolf Ghost and was far more bloodthirsty. Jon and Artos stood back to back with Beast and Ghost on either side of them. They were covered in mud, blood, and the stink of the dead as they fought. Bolton's men had them mushed up against a wall of dead and the Unsullied pushed their way to Artos. They pulled Artos out of the way as men started to trample them and bodies began to pile high. Artos crawled over them looking for Jon as he continued to fight. He spotted a hand reaching from the fallen and readied his sword and he pulled hard up on it. Jon's panicked and sweaty face was revealed and Artos tapped his forehead against Jon's before making his way through more men. Horns blew and Artos and Jon looked over to see another army approaching. The brothers begin to fight their way to the gates of Winterfell. Artos was preoccupied to really register the giant at their side as they busted through the locked gates. Jon pushed past Artos and snagged Ramsay up as Artos stepped up into a wheat wagon pulling a torch from the wall. He watched as Jon pulled away from the bloody man and smirked to himself when all eyes fell to the large Stark and his direwolf who had joined him.
"Winterfell belongs to the Starks. Let this be a lesson, winter came for the flayed man. It will come for you as well. The wolves own this land and they will not surrender it." Artos's low voice seemed to echo around the stone walls. He raised his arm while he stared down at Ramsay lighting the Bolton banner on fire. Ramsay looked to him in terror, while the wildlings looked to him as if he was a god. He looked every bit the part at that moment. Dripping in blood with a snarling beast at his side. A halo of fire had formed around him as pieces of the banner began to fall. Artos could feel the heat around him and it made him miss his wife and their son. He let his eyes glide over to Sansa and then down to the small boy clutching her leg. His large green eyes looking up at him dissolved the anger inside him. Artos stepped down from the wagon and dropped to his knees. Sansa smiled wildly at her brother and gave the boy a small nudge and whispered down to him before he made a full sprint to who he now knew was his father. Artos fell back onto his feet and he clutched his son close to him. His bloody hands knotted in Alastor's cloak and hair. Alastor giggled loudly as Beast walked up to the pair and stuck his cold nose to the young boy's neck in a loving way. He knew the young human belonged to his master, it was in his sent.
"Hello." Artos said pulling back to observe him.
"Auntie said you would come back for me." Alastor said cupping his father's face.
"Always, little wolf." Artos told him with tears in his eyes.
"Artos!" He heard Rickon call out only to be stopped by the Unsullied men blocking his, Jon, and Sansa's path.
"Do not approach king without permission." One of the said brokenly.
"Let them through." Artos told them lifting Alastor in his arms and turning to face his family.
"King?" Sansa laughed.
"I guess so, yeah." Artos said with a smile pulling them all into a group hug.
"Bran? Arya?" Artos question looking around. Sansa shook her head.
"We haven't seen them." She said. Artos nodded before pulling a confused face.
"Was that a giant?" He asked looking at the overly large dead man.
"Yes." Jon laughed out. Artos nodded his head before shrugging with a sigh. Artos watched as the rest of the banners were pulled from the walls and the grey and white Stark direwolf banner replaced them.
"Alright. I spent the last few years in a desert. I never thought I would say it but it's freezing." He told them turning to walk inside moving Alastor from his hip to his shoulders.
"What do we do with him?" Jon called out making Artos stop walking. The eldest Stark stopped and turned to look at the bloody man on the ground.
"I say we let Sansa decide." He said placing Alastor on the ground and raising his brow at her.

Artos lightly patted the unconscious man awake and stepped back behind his sister. Sansa closed the gates to the kennel as he started to gran and sniffle.
"Ah. Sansa. Hello, Sansa. Is this where I'll be staying now?" He asked looking Sansa over too scared to look at Artos. When she didn't answer he sighed.
"No. Our time together is about to come to an end. That's all right. You can't kill me. I'm part of you now." He said. Artos clenched his jaw doing his best to hold himself back from ignoring Sansa's wishes and killing him.
"You're words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear." She told him just as the dogs started growling and walking out of the cages Artos had opened just moments before.
"My hounds will never harm me." Ramsey told them smugly.
"You haven't fed them in seven days. You said it yourself." Sansa reminded them.
"They're loyal beasts." He argued.
"They were. Now they're starving." She told him before nodding to Artos.
"They also happen to be pack animals, and a new alpha came along." He told the man with a smirk gracing his beautiful face. Artos clicked his tongue and Beast growled lowly signaling to the hounds it was time to attack. The hounds all lunged forward and began tearing at his flesh as Ramsey screamed for mercy.
"It's late, let's get you inside." Artos told Sansa over the screams holding his arm out to her. Sansa smiled at the gesture she missed so much and allowed him to lead her out of the cold night air.

[I think this is one of my favorite chapters. I couldn't let Artos miss this battle. Thank you so much for reading!]