Flayer

35.Edda

We woke up to a loud banging at our door.

"Lord Ramsay!" Called out a distressed soldier "There's an emergency, you must come immediately"

Ramsay and I gave each other a look. No doubt they'd found the body of Roose Bolton in the Godswood.

I started to get up but my husband gently laid me back down. "I will come shortly!" Ramsay announced. I tried to complain but he shushed me, kissing the top of my head. "Rest,"

"What are you going to do?" I almost whispered as he got up, his bare self looking almost godlike in the morning light.

Grabbing a couple of things from his closet he startled to dress himself. "I'll simply tell them the truth: My father wanted to kill us, so in self defense we ended his life" His expression was joyful and unbothered as he buckled his belt and button his shirt.

"And Walda? And..." I clenched my jaw, fearing his answer "And your brother?"

Ramsay laughed at that, straightening his garments and pulling on his boots. "You needn't worry. By dusk we will be the last Boltons left alive" he smirked as he finished putting on his gloves.

But this only made me worry more. The blood of a baby, a newborn boy, was going to be on my hands.

He pulled open the door and Lya strutted in, growling lowly as she passed my husband.

"Good morning to you too, my lady," Ramsay muttered at her as she climbed on the bed and licked my face, making me giggle. With a smile on his face, my husband left me alone with my direwolf.

...

My mind was distracted by the same question all morning, must the baby die? Every part of me battled each other, even though I knew Ramsay's decision was final.

Luckily my young and lively handmaiden kept me from dozing away from reality. She spoke of her favorite stories and of the sand of Dorne and, more recently, about my hair.

Arena tilted her head to the side "But it's not Tully red is it, my lady?"

Arena and I were taking a stroll around Winterfell, with Whimper following closely behind. I paused my pondering for a moment to answer.

"Well, it is a shade darker than the normal red hair, isn't it?" I referred to my hair "I like to think my hair is a mixture of both my mother and father-"

"Like you?" Arena smiled sweetly.

I was taken back a moment by her words. I realized the two parts of me fighting in my head were duty and compassion, Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully. But my father would've never even considered murdering a child, I reminded myself.

Shaking my head glumly I insisted "I am nothing like them."

We continued to walk in silence until I noticed a large group of people crowding in front of the Keep's side. It appeared something had appeared on it.

Arena and I looked at each other worriedly before walking over to the crowd of people, who immediately let me through so I could read the new sign.

The Bolton Code of Winterfell
As of the day of today until the day of his death, Lord Bolton decrees the following crimes to be punishable by death.

One who betrays, deceives, or harbors any other loyalties toward any but Lord Bolton shall hang flayed from the Broken Tower.
One who hurts, betrays, touches, looks suspiciously, or speaks poorly of Lady Bolton will be mauled by the Lord's noble hounds.
One who harms the Bolton Direwolf shall be skinned alive and fed to it.

Ramsay Bolton, Lord of Winterfell and the Dreadfort and Warden of the North.

I hadn't noticed that the crowd had dispersed once Ramsay arrived behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin gently resting on my shoulder.

"Wife," he kissed my cheek,

I smirked "Husband,"

"What do you think of it?" He looked up at the Code as if it was one of his prized, flayed men. Arena and Wylla slowly made their way away from us, leaving us some space.

"Well," I said hesitantly, "I think it is quite charming of you to place a law protecting Lya," I turned around and took his face in my hands.

"Why, if anything happened to my Wife's sweet direwolf, how would her fragile heart be able to overcome such grief?" He kissed my nose, taking my hands into his. "But, like you, she must prove herself"

I was puzzled "How could a direwolf prove herself to you-"

"Tonight, my whore stepmother will leave the nursing room," Ramsay explained, "We will take her to the stables and have the hounds feast on her and my little brother. But, I would like Lya to have the first bite!" His wide smile was erased once he saw the look on my face. "What troubles you?" He placed his hand on the side of my face.

I swallowed back my concern as best I could, "It is nothing-"

"Don't," Ramsay stopped me, gripping hard to the side of my jaw "Tell me what it is"

My heart beat fast. Should I tell him not to? Should I beg? What is it I should do!

"...My love, I've had a change of heart about the Bolton Boy."

He chuckled, giving me a concerned look. "The boy born last night?" as if it was the most ridiculous idea he'd ever heard, he insisted "Please, he will only cause us more controversy-"

"I want a child!" I quickly blurted out a lie. "I-I want a child and I want it now so I can practice for when I become a mother."

Puzzled, Ramsay led me inside a shed for privacy as he spoke "That is absurd, no soon-to-be mother does such things! Edda if you are scared of being a mother we can get a wet nurse to raise our children-"

As soon as he slammed the door of the empty shed I grabbed him by the vest desperately. "Please, Ramsay?" I begged, slowly falling on my knees "Please, my love?"

A mischievous smile slowly spread across his face again "And so that is the trick to get you on your knees for me?"

A light smile formed on my face. "Please?"

With a roll of his eyes, Ramsay frustratedly huffed. After some moments of petting my hair he muttered "... I do not want to see the child. Keep him in a separate room. But Walda dies tonight"

My body was filled with euphoric relief as I jumped off the floor and into his arms, dangling off the ground as I held him close.

"I love you, Ramsay,"

"Yes, yes you do," he purred, picking my legs up so that I sat comfortably in his arms. Grazing his lips slightly against my neck he breathed warmly into my tender skin "And you best never stop doing so."

"Only if you will not," I smirked, grabbing his face aggressively and giving him a lustful, greedy kiss. And just when he backed me up against the wall I turned my head away to tease him. This made him clench his teeth with frustration.

Ramsay yanked my chin to make me face him and huffed "You're smarter than that, Edda. You know what you've made me into. A fool who would risk everything he is for you, because you're the only one that makes a bastard-born like him feel like the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, the luckiest man alive! And if you think I'm going to give that feeling up for some bland, young wench...then you haven't been paying attention."

He literally bit into my collarbone, making me shriek in both pain and excitement. But just as he was doing so Wylla burst in.

Groaning in annoyance, Ramsay insulted her "What do you want, you fucking cripple?

She whimpered, shakily handing me a letter. Ramsay was too pissed to even notice it, grabbing her by the hair and threatening her in every way possible.

"Ramsay, stop!" I said as he promised to hang her. "Come and see this letter."

He let her go as tears trailed down her eyes. Snatching the letter, his eyes widened.

"Sansa Stark," he read the name of the composer "Lady of Winterfell and Warden of The North"