The Bastard of the North

The Flayer

The air was as silent as ever that night. Only occasionally would one hear the wailing of the newborn when Walda Bolton was not holding him. Roose had suggested to name the boy Domeric after his first born. Kyrin had thought it ironic seeing as Ramsay was the one to poison Domeric the first.

Eventually they agreed on the name which resulted in Ramsay's disappearance for the day. Kyrin had gone to their bed chambers to find him but only found one of the handmaidens reading to the child whom Ky saved.

Kyrin, exhausted from the amount of stressed she'd endured in such little time, had politely ordered the two to let her sleep where the handmaidens do. And once again she was left alone to think.

She laid there in bed thinking and thinking but she didn't really know what she was suppose to think about. There was the thought of escaping, there was the thought of the child, of baby Domeric, of her own husband. Soon enough Kyrin gave up on thinking for a moment and just relaxed on the warm fur bed.

Only when her thoughts dimmed did she hear muffled sounds coming from rooms beneath her. She slowly got up, trying to hear every bit of what she could. Her body now pressed against the floor, she heard pained screams that sounded like a man's.

The woman shot up from the ground and grabbed her bow and her quiver which carried her arrows. When she tried to pushed open the door, however, it was locked. That bastard, Ky thought as she made her way to the window.

Kyrin slid her slender body through the small window and let her body fall into the snow. Snow: a luxury Kyrin didn't have to cushion her fall back in King's Landing.

She stopped and listen again for the screams but they were no longer there. Kyrin's heart dropped. She was too late.

"What are you doing out here, my dear?"

Ky whipped around at the sound of the bastard's voice. It was dark, but she could still see his blue eyes staring into her. They moved up to the open window and back at her. Before Ramsay could say anything Kyrin had to have answers.

"Who was screaming?"

Ramsay moved closer and she could finally see he was covered in blood.

"Only a soldier." He answered simply. "Nothing you to be concerned about."

A soldier? Kyrin stood up taller now.

"What did you do to him?"

Ramsay chuckled and stepped even closer and was merely inches from his wife.

"What I had to." And he left it at that. "Let us go, my love. It's very late, you should be asleep."

-

He walked her to the bed chambers and left her to get cleaned up. Kyrin saw this as her chance. She was his wife for gods sake, she figured she should at least know what he's doing.

Her clutched her bow with an arrow ready to be shot. She still didn't trust any of the Bolton men, but at least she knows that Ramsay would "take care of them".

After lurking around she finally found a door that she'd never seen before. Kyrin slowly pushed it open revealing a man on an X shaped contraption. His skin on his chest, arms and legs were completely stripped from him, he'd been castrated, and was missing both his eyes. Ky gasped, covering her mouth at the horrific sight.

"Kyrin."

For the second time that day Ramsay caused Ky to jump and turn to him, her face holding an angered glare. To the Baratheon's surprise, something in Ramsay's expression changed as he saw her.

"You know why I had to do it." His voice was stern and intimidating.

Kyrin, however, was speechless. She turned back to the flayed guard with shock.

"Are you afraid?"

The Baratheon looked at her husband, studying his facial features carefully. He looked amused, which only infuriated her more. That's what he wants, she thought, he wants the reaction. Kyrin shook her head.

"Why would I be?" She knew exactly why she should be afraid. She knew she could easily be the one on that X.

Ramsay laughed, coming closer to his wife. He rested his hands on her waist, harshly pulling her close which made Kyrin wince.

"You're mine." He whispered in her ear. "I can do whatever I want with what is mine."

Kyrin thought it risky, but at this point she didn't think she had much of a choice but to fight back. She slammed Ramsay against the wall, pulling out her dagger and holding it up to his neck.

Ramsay's shock slowly switched to an impressed smirk.

"I am not an object that you can claim." Kyrin spat. "I am capable of killing you and you know that."

"I know," his smirk turned mischievous. "I love that about you."

Kyrin blinked a couple times, not quite grasping what Ramsay said. She had a knife to his throat in a torture room, threatening to kill him, and he was complimenting her?

"You-- ..what?"

Ramsay smiled. Not a sinister smile, but a genuine one. One he rarely gave out.

Kyrin removed the knife from his throat, and shook her head with bewilderment. Ramsay adjusted himself away from the wall once she let him go. The woman's mouth opened, but she quickly shut it and left the room. She didn't really know what she would've said anyways and she was ready to get to her bed chambers.