A Feast For Dragons

Sansa & Theon

The candle no longer burned in the window of the broken tower. Her husband must have pieced together the truth. Sansa was beginning to lose her patience. She drowned in Theon's agony, his screams chipping stone off the castle walls. Hounds howled and barked in the woods behind Winterfell as men with swords followed after them, the flayed man whipping violent behind as they ran. Sansa hit the door as hard as she could, hoping someone would hear her, but no one came. Coming to a reckless conclusion, she hurried to her window and wiggled the knobs. They were sealed shut. Sansa acted quickly. She picked up her silver candle holder and turned it in her hands, then proceeded to jab the window knobs until they snapped off and the window opened. Sansa was seconds away from climbing out and taking the long way down when her chamber door swung open. Ramsay stood there, blood covering his face and body. "Where do you think you're going?"

"HELP!" Sansa screamed at the top of her lungs, but Ramsay cupped a hand over her mouth to silence her. He pulled her to him and squeezed her as if to break her in half.

"You've made me angry..." Ramsay's voice was raspy, his breath like acid on her skin. "I've asked you a thousand times not to make me angry, because when I'm angry... I do this!" He snatched the blade that was caked with Theon's blood from his back pocket and held it up to her throat. Sansa whimpered, tugging on his sleeves to pull the blade further away, but Ramsay was strong. She begged for him to stop. Ramsay did not stop.

Theon heard Sansa's voice break through the iron cells. He wiggled in his restraints, desperate to free himself. Jon Snow made him promise to protect Sansa, whatever the cost. Reek would have let her die, but Theon lived to serve the Starks. He noticed the keys hanging from a hook on the other side of the empty room. Without thinking, Theon began rocking back and forth, pushing all of his weight to one side in hopes to weaken the wood Ramsay had tied him to. A scream tore from his lips as the metal nails that had been hammered through his palms tore and ripped at his skin and bones. He sucked in a long breath, held it, and rocked to one side. Blood spilled from his palms and his feet as the nails ripped him apart.

Sansa bit down on Ramsay's arm as hard as she could, forcing him to release her. She was quick to pick up her silver candle holder, holding defensively at her side. Ramsay squeezed the hilt of the Bolton blade with his right hand, his bruised knuckles turning white. "You should know by now... lying to your husband will only make things more complicated, but inflicting harm on your Lord?"

"Get away from me you sick beast!" Sansa took a step back, Ramsay followed suit. His lips stretched into a wicked smile. Sansa continued. "You Bolton's think you're so much better than everyone else... You show your teeth and make your threats but you bleed like all the others."

Ramsay tilted his head to the left. "And you Starks think you're so hard to kill, but my father proved that theory wrong when he stabbed your brother through the chest with this very blade." He held up the knife for Sansa to see. "Don't make me do the same to you, Sansa." Ramsay pouted childishly. "I wouldn't want to become a widower this soon into our marriage."

Sansa clenched her teeth and raised the candle holder. She reached for the nearest object- which was her hand held mirror- and tossed it at him. It hit the wall and shattered to pieces. "Piss off, you spineless bastard!" Ramsay's smile faded into a flat frown. Sansa was cornered with her armed husband in front of her and an open window behind her. She could either confront Ramsay and die, or jump. She decided to jump. Ramsay lashed out, his blade held high above his shoulders. Sansa grabbed the iron railing and swung herself over the window ledge. There was a thud, and suddenly a hand grabbed hold of Sansa's wrist. When she looked down, she saw the ground far beneath her, when she looked up, she saw Theon, a hole through his hand and his blood staining her dress.

He hoisted her up and over the ledge, bringing her back into her chambers. He held her close, Sansa all but melting in his arms. She noticed Ramsay on the floor, a shard of glass through his back. Theon gripped her shoulders and pushed her back enough to see her face. "We have to go. Someone will be waiting for us outside the tunnels." Sansa nodded and followed after Theon, leaving Ramsay in her chambers.