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[ROOM]
[JON and TORMUND sit across from each other at a table.]
"Where are the rest of the free folk now? Where have they gone? Who leads them?"
"They followed Mance. They won't follow anyone else."
"What about you?"
"Hard to lead when you're in chains."
"What if I unchained you?"
Rickard's brows furrowed.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because you are not my enemy. And I'm not yours."
"You sure seemed like my enemy when you were killing my friends."
"As if you weren't killing his friends" Robb scoffed.
"For 8,000 years the Night's Watch have sworn an oath to be the shield that guards the realms of men. And for 8,000 years we've fallen short of that oath. You belong to the realms of men. All of you."
"And now everything is going to change? Why now?"
"Because now, I am Lord Commander of the Night's Watch."
"What would you have me do, Lord Commander?"
"I'd have you go north of the Wall. Gather the remaining free folk wherever they are and bring them back here. I'll open the gates for them and let them through. I'll find them lands to settle south of the Wall."
"The North would not take kindly to that" Rickard muttered.
"They would if they knew what was beyond the Wall, what would happen should the Wildlings stay there" Brandon argued.
"They don't know, now do they" Rickard grunted. "Jon is playing a dangerous game...
"A necessary dangerous game" Brandon muttered.
"They won't kneel for you and neither will I."
"I don't want them to kneel for me. I want them to fight with me when the time comes.'
"The day I ask my people to fight with the crows is the day my people cut my guts from my belly and make me eat them."
"And how many of your people can't fight? The women, the children, the old, the sick, what happens to them? You're condemning them to death. Worse than death because you're too proud to make peace. Or maybe you're not proud. Maybe you're just a coward."
"Easy thing to say to a man in chains."
[JON unchains TORMUND. TORMUND'S eyes widen as he feels his hands.]
"Stupid lad" Ned hissed. It was careless to unchain Tormund like that, with no protection. With any Lord he understood, but a Wildling was unpredictable. Taking such a risk....
[WINTERFELL; SANSA'S CHAMBERS]
[SANSA sits alone at a table. There's a knock on the door. She turns, gets up, and opens it. An old servant woman comes in.]
"Beg pardon, my lady. I've come to refill the wash basin."
"Oh, I don't need-"
[The woman closes the door]
"You still have friends in the North. If you're ever in trouble, light a candle in the highest window of the broken tower. You're not alone."
Catelyn smiled at the woman. The Starks garnered loyalty and this was what it led to.
Theon on the other hand couldn't help but wonder whether this was a trick by Ramsay, to break Sansa. Or feel bad that if the woman is found she'd be flayed alive.
[DINING HALL]
[SANSA, RAMSAY, ROOSE, and WALDA sit at a table, eating.]
"I don't think she ever imagined she'd be Lady of Winterfell" Sansa muttered, looking at Walda.
"She's a Frey, she didn't expect to be chosen as a bride" her mother muttered back.
It was just gossip between the two and nothing more.
"I trust you find your chamber suitable, my lady."
"Yes, thank you, my lord."
"Allow me."
[RAMSAY pours SANSA some wine.]
"His act is sickening to look at" Robb muttered.
[RAMSAY pours WALDA some wine as well, calling her mother. She smiles. RAMSAY gets up and holds his wine up.]
"My lady, we are all a family, we northerners. Our blood ties go back thousands of years. So I'd like to drink to our wedding. May our happiness spread from Moat Cailin to the Last Hearth."
Arya scoffed. Happiness....
[RAMSAY takes a large sip of wine. SANSA puts her own glass down. RAMSAY sits down and WALDA turns to SANSA]
"It must be difficult for you to be in a strange place."
"It's my home" Sansa muttered softly.
"This isn't a strange place. This is my home. It's the people who are strange."
"You're right. Very strange. More wine, please."
[THEON enters the room with some wine. SANSA looks away.]
Theon stiffened, hands fisted and his nails dug into his palm.
"I heard you two had reunited. A fitting place for it."
"That must have gone down well" Jon muttered. He could only imagine how Sansa would have reacted.
"I like to imagine that the last time you spoke was in this very room. Are you still angry with him after he - what he did? Don't worry. The North remembers. I punished him for it. He's not ironborn anymore."
Not Theon Greyjoy anymore. He's a new man. A new person, anyway. Aren't you, Reek?"
"Yes, master."
Theon spat in disgust. Look at what that bastard did to him!
"That's his new name, Reek."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because Reek has something to say to you. Don't you, Reek?"
[He gestures THEON over]
"Does he not see how it's affecting her?" Catelyn muttered in outrage.
"I don't think he cares how it's affecting her. As long as he gets to do what he wants..." Ned sighed.
"An apology. Apologize to Lady Sansa for what you did. Apologize for murdering her two brothers."
[THEON shakes his head "no" when RAMSAY looks away]
"I don't think I'll understand it the way you intend it to," Sansa said.
"I know. Future me clearly has nothing in his head so he expects that you'd understand that Rickon and Bran are alive" Theon said.
[THEON after a moment stutters an apology]
"Look at her, Reek. An apology doesn't mean anything if you're not looking the person in the eye."
"Asshole" Arya muttered.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry about what?"
"For killing your brothers."
"Asshole" Yara muttered.
"There, over and done with. Doesn't everyone feel better? I do. That was getting very tense. Whew.
[THEON turns to leave]
"You know what, my lady? What with him having murdered your brothers and the rest of your family gone Reek here is the nearest thing to living kin that you have left. Reek. You will give away the bride. Someone has to. What better person? Good? Good?"
"I will kill him" Robb ground out angrily, a vein on his forehead jumping from agitation.
"Yes, yes, very good."
[ROOSE calls attention to him.]
"Walda and I have some good news as well since we're all together."
"We're going to have a baby."
"Another Bolton..."
"From the way she's carrying, Maester Wolkan says it looks like a boy."
"Is that even a thing? From the way she's carrying?" Myrcella asked,
"I don't know. The Maesters don't share their knowledge much, just throw words like that around" Joanna answered. The Maester at Casterly Rock had said the same thing to her when she was pregnant with Tyrion but did not elaborate. He had not done so during the twins, since she was carrying two and it confused the older man.
[RAMSAY sips some wine and angrily sets his cup down.]
"The bastard seems angry" Stannis spoke as he and Shireen came back to the hall. The girl had been crying it was obvious. "What happened?"
"He's about to lose everything" Renly answered with a smirk.
"Bolton's wife is with child. Maester says it'll be a boy" Robert elaborated.
"Meaning, the bastard will lose it all" Renly iterated.
Would he?... Stannis had to wonder whether the bastard would take it in silence. Everything about him so far told the opposite.