Dance Away My Broken Heart / Podrick Payne (2.3)

17. Follow the Howls

"You saw the light!" Brienne shouted.

"Yeah and you ran off to kill stannis. The bolton army will be back already. I dont see you taking them all on," rieka remarked. "Was that sansa? Or a trap?"

"I would like to think it was sansa ." Brienne offered.

"You are too trusting. Dont know northerners." Rieka countered.

"I know you and you are a pain in the ass." Brienne corrected.

"The rest of the north is just as stubborn." Rieka assured. "You ever heard the phrase stubborn as a northern man?"

"Of course." Brienne agreed confused.

"I think that statement was made for me." Rieka remarked. "No point in waiting around for that light. We have to keep moving and hope sansa figures something else out."

"We have to go back-" brienne objected.

"Wrong." Rieka made a noise like a 'errrr' briennes face pinched confused. "You hear that?"

"Your wolf growling" brienne offered.

"Hounds. Searching," rieka corrected.

"Searching for what?" Podrick questioned.

"For whom." Rieka clarified. I

+

"There he is." Ramsay declared meeting Walda in the courtyard.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Walda agreed.

"May I hold him?" Ramsay said kindly as he extended his arms. Walda hesitated before nodding.

"Of-- of course."

"Little brother." Ramsay coed staring down at him.

"Lord Bolton sent for us. Have you seen him?" Walda asked curiously.

"Of course. Follow me, Mother." Ramsay led her into the kennel the dogs were barking wildly.

"Where is Lord Bolton?" Walda asked again as the barking continued the clanging of their paws on the cage doors.

"Down!" Ramsay demanded and the barking stopped, but the baby started fussing.

'It's all right. Come on, shh." Walda tried to calm her babe but Ramsay led her deeper into the kennel. ''It's cold out here, Ramsay. I need to feed him.'' he ignored her still.  ''Ramsay, where is your father? Ramsay.... Where is Lord Bolton?''

''I am Lord Bolton.'' Ramsay shouted back at her and the baby started crying louder.

" Ramsay. Ramsay, please." Walda whimpered. ''I'll leave Winterfell. I'll go back to the Riverlands. Please. Ramsay. He's your brother.''

''I prefer being an only child.''

With his step mother, the new baby and now his father dead. Ramsay was the lord of winterfell. Nothing was going to stop him now.

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"We can't stop." Theon declared. They ran coming across a snowy river.  Sansa faltered. " We have to cross here." Theon remarked.  She took a small step and gasped.

"I can't." Sansa whimpered pulling back.

"It's the only way to throw off the hounds." Theon corrected.

"But it's too cold. I can't. I won't make it. I'll die."

" I've seen what his hounds do to a person. This way is better." Theon corrected and he helped her into the water, she shivered clinging to him as they crossed.

+

"You think she escaped?" Brienne questioned.

"The boltons didnt know i was here or you." Rieka remarked. "I think its a possibility and we have to start moving. The hounds have leader. Followers and chaser. The hounds find their hunt. Their chasers follow and clean up the mess or bring them back to suffer more. We are not going to be that mess."

"They will have sansas scent." Podrick remarked.

"Yes." Rieka agreed marching off.

"You are going in the direction of the hounds." Brienne remarked

"Yes." Rieka agreed again. "You wanted to find sansa. Follow the howls."

+

"You think a horde of wildlings can take Winterfell?" Ramsay laughed out.

"If they get Jon Snow leading them, maybe. He knows this place better than we ever will." he agreed and Ramsay let out a long sigh. He was warden of the north now. He had to maintain that title.

"Pledge your banners to House Bolton. Swear loyalty to me as Warden of the North and we will fight together to destroy the bastard and all his wildling friends." Ramsay decided.

"I'm not kissing your fucking hand." Umber shouted

"Traditionally a bannerman kneels before his lord." Ramsay corrected

"I'm not doing that either." Karstark spat back. "Why would I trust a man who won't honor tradition?"

"Your father honored tradition. Knelt for Robb Stark." Ramsay recalled.  "Called him King of the North. Was Robb Stark right to trust your father?" Ramsay offered and Karstark hissed a breath unable to meet his gaze. "Then it appears we're at a bit of an impasse." Ramsay agreed.

"fuck kneeling and fuck oaths. I've got a gift for you." Umber countered nodding to his companions.

"A girl, I hope. I prefer redheads." Ramsay mused.

"A girl, aye." Karstark agreed laughing. "A wild one."

"I like them wild."

"And the boy, nice and young." Karstark agreed

"The way Karstark likes them." Umber mused. 

"Who's this?" Ramsau questioned stepping forward.

"Rickon Stark."

"How do I know that's Rickon Stark?" Ramsay countered and shaggy dogs head was brought forth. A direwolf "Welcome home, Lord Stark."

By the time they got across they are blue with cold. Barking could no longer be heard luckily when Theon noticed something, Sansa did not.

"Over here. Come on." Theon lead Sansa to an overturned tree. Its roots provide shelter from the snow. They sat down under the roots, shivering.

"Sansa. Sansa."  Theon coed trying to keep her from having a panic attack. He wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Dogs barking got louder, closer by. Sansa whimpered out. "Stay here. I'll lure them away."

"No, I won't make it without you." Sansa begged.

"You will. Go north, only north. Jon is Lord Commander at Castle Black. He'll help you." Theon assured. Theon ran into the woods but was immediately confronted by House Bolton soldiers and hounds.

"Where is Lady Bolton?"

" Dead." Theon answered.

"Liar." The officer countered.

"She broke her leg jumping from the ramparts. I left her to die in the snow." Theon declared. But the dogs caught Sansa scent and began barking. Sansa cowered as they found her.

" I can't wait to see what parts Ramsay cuts off you this time." The solider smirked. He pulled Sansa to her a feet a horse whinnied in the distance and the soldiers drew their weapons.

"It's a bloody woman."