The Bastard of the North

The Baby

Kyrin sat in a chair right by the side of the bed where the child lay. The girls shivering had died down and now seemed quiet content. She's so naive, the woman thought, she doesn't even realize that something bad could happen at any moment. Perhaps she trusts me to keep her safe? A warm smile spread across Ky's face as she watched the slow, steady rising of the child's chest. She stood up quietly, giving the little girl a gentle kiss on the forehead before walking over to the window. Her eyes scanned the new Winterfell in search of her husband, but no luck. He's probably talking with his father about political matters about the North. Ky scoffed at how utterly pointless it seemed to her since she was from the South.

Kyrin's thoughts were interrupted by two soft knocks on the door. She quickly looked to the girl, but she had not stirred. Ky sighed and walked to the door, opening it to see Lady Walda Bolton. The Baratheon smiled brightly, stepping out of the cozy loft and shutting the door behind her.

"M'lady, my husband has sent me for you. He and Ramsay are conversing in the dining hall." Walda says, clearly exhausted from her journey to retrieve the woman. Couldn't blame her, she is close to her due date. By the looks of it, the maester believes it will be a boy.

"Of course-- would you like to rest before we go to the dining hall?" Concerned filled her voice as she gestured to a bench outside the bed chambers. Lady Bolton laughed weakly and waved her hand.

"No, no. I'm fine. Let us go, shall we?"

Kyrin nodded and on they went.

-

The two women neared the big wooden doors to the dining hall where their husbands waiting inside. However, Lady Walda stopped short before they got to it and took off the cloak that she wore, draping it around Kyrin's shoulders. Ky gave her a puzzled look, but before she could ask, Walda explained.

"You aren't exactly dressed like a "lady"." The woman gave her a weak smile. Kyrin rolled her eyes.

"You sound like my mother."

The guards pulled the doors open for the two ladies and they headed inside to see their husbands and two Bolton soldiers. The taller one with a smug grin on his face gave Kyrin a wink, instantly making her uncomfortable and he knew it. She clung to the cloak around her like a safety blanket. Her eyes moved to Ramsay who was glaring viciously at the soldier. She smiled lightly at him, knowing he must have seen what the man did. There was still the lingering thought of what he would do to the soldier, but she did everything she could not to think of it.

"Lady Kyrin," Roose nodded to her, then to his wife. "Walda, my dear."

Ramsay was now looking at Kyrin with an unreadable expression, but he soon gave her an unwelcoming smile. She knew better than to believe that smile, however, she didn't have much of a choice except to flash him a smile back.

"Hello my lords." Kyrin said as sweetly as she could without it sounding fake. Ramsay's eyes never left her which made Ky nervous. She could not tell what he was thinking for the life of her. With that she decided to ignore him and focus on what Lord Bolton had to say.

"I received a letter from Cersei Lannister asking permission for her, your uncle, and your siblings to come visit you."

Kyrin was confused at first, not really understanding what he needed her for in this decision. Yes it was her family, but he was the Lord of house Bolton and he had control over Winterfell, not Kyrin.

"Are you asking if it is okay for them to visit, my lord?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm asking why they want to visit you."

Kyrin laughed quietly.

"Now, my lord, the answer to that question should be 'because they love me and they want to see my face again', but we both know that isn't true." Kyrin paused in thought. "-- Forgive me, Lord Bolton, it seems I've drawn a blank."

Lord Bolton looked at Kyrin suspiciously, opening his mouth to say something before we heard water falling hard on the wooden floors. Our heads turned sharply to Lady Bolton who was looking down with complete shock and dread flooding her face.

"She's going to have the baby." Kyrin said slowly and monotone. She knew what this meant-- she knew Ramsay was not going to be happy. If the baby was a boy, the baby would be the heir.

Lord Bolton quickly called for the maester and within minutes Lord and Lady Bolton were gone. Even the two soldiers had left, leaving Kyrin alone with her husband. She had to keep her wits about her.

"M'lady, I've been meaning to talk to you." Ramsay broke the silence. He gestured for Kyrin to take a seat at the dining table as he took the seat on the other side facing her. She did as she was told without hesitation, but inside she had a bad feeling about this. The same unwelcoming smile was plastered on his face before he began talking again. "How's the child?"

A pressure weighed on Kyrin's chest, making it pretty difficult to breathe.

"She's doing fine, she's taking a nap in the bed chambers." Regret washed over her as soon as she finished her sentence. She mentally punched herself, when she saw the look of interest on Ramsay's face.

"Good, I'm glad she's doing well."

Letting out an irritated sigh, Kyrin retorted, "No you're not." Ramsay raised an eyebrow, not breaking the intense stare he had on her. "I know you're not I can see it." Her husbands jaw clenched as she continued on, but she figured she'd already gotten this far. "If you're not happy, tell me. I wont know unless you tell me."

"Oh believe me, you'll know." He was no long giving her a smile, instead her only glared at her with the same unreadable expression. Kyrin felt the knot in stomach twinge.

To Ky's despair, the maester came walking back into the dining hall with a wide smile on his face.

"Lady Walda has given birth--"

Don't say it.

"--to a healthy, red cheeked--"

Don't you fucking say it.

"--baby boy." He cheered.

Kyrin's heart dropped, she didn't dare look at Ramsay.

This should be fun.