Alys
Sometimes at night she can still hear the dogs barking, her children crying out for, and the manic laughter of the man who had captured them. Ramsay Bolton, the man had escaped justice at the Battle of Winterfell, and had hidden away somewhere deep within the villages around the seat of the Starks, using fear and bribery to get men within the villages and even inside the castle to do dirty and treacherous deeds for him. After a time, and with Jon having ridden south with Stannis Baratheon, taking with him what strength was left of the northern houses, Ramsay Bolton had made his move. He had snuck into the castle grounds and had killed the guards on duty, replacing them with men whom he had bought. Alys had walked right into his trap and her children had paid the price for it.
Bolton and his men- there had been four of them- had taken Alys and her children to some broken down house somewhere deep within the Wolfswood, where she learnt he had spent the past few weeks and months since his father's death plotting and hiding. Alys had tried to use her powers of persuasion to get Bolton to release Shiera and Rickard, they were of no use to him, if he wanted to draw a reaction from Jon, he'd have to get her down and beat first, she knew of course that that was not true, her husband would kill Ramsay Bolton for doing harm to any of them, but the man did not need to know that. Bolton had merely laughed at her words though, in all his mad glory had proclaimed that he would not leave either her or her children alive, not so long as his Arya remained in Winterfell's walls, and that he would have what was his right.
And so the torture had begun, each day Bolton would come to her and get one of his men to hold a dagger to either Shiera or Rickard's throats, and the other two men would hold her arms, and Bolton with his sadistic smile would question her as to where Jeyne Poole was being kept in Winterfell, and where the prize was. What prize he meant Alys knew not, there was no prize in Winterfell that she could think Bolton would want, yet whenever she said she knew not what he spoke of, a hair would vanish from her children's heads, or a new scar would appear on their bodies. This carried on for a few weeks, before Bolton grew tired of waiting and simply threatened to kill either Shiera or Rickard unless Alys told him the location of the prize. Still not knowing what prize he meant she gave him false directions toward a vase, that she remembered Robb telling her had been in the family for generations, Bolton was not impressed, he had come back livid and had beaten her bloody before making her watch as he gave Shiera, her innocent little girl to his dogs. The sight and sound of her little girl crying and screaming haunted Alys to this day.
It was a month before someone came and freed her and Rickard. A month in which her ghosts grew, the nightmares continued and her baby boy was mutilated beyond belief by the sadistic urges of Ramsay Bolton. Davos Seaworth and some thirty men all bearing the sigils of the Elk of House Hornwood had somehow managed to find her and her son, Ramsay and his four men had been brutally killed, and their heads mounted on spikes once they returned to Winterfell. Alys had thanked Davos Seaworth tearfully for his help, though the nightmares of her daughter's death still haunted her even during waking hours. "How did you find us Ser?"She had asked, thinking Seaworth had been dead killed during the battle long ago, or ridden south with his king.
The man had looked grim when he replied. "One of the guards saw Bolton leaving the castle sometime ago, he came to me. I am sorry I could not save your daughter my lady."
And that had been that, they returned to Winterfell, and Alys spent her time between ensuring the castle was safe and secure, and making sure Rickard was never out of her sight for longer than necessary. Three moons after her rescue, her goodmother and goodsister arrived in Winterfell. She had met Sansa, had loved Sansa as the sister she had never had before their worlds were turned upside down and was relieved to see her alive and well, remembering how during the war, Robb and then Jon had feared for her safety amongst the nest of vipers that was King's Landing. Her goodmother or rather Jon's mother was another matter. She had grown up hearing of the famed beauty that was Ashara Dayne, the woman who had so much charm and promise, she managed to seduce almost all the men who took her fancy, rumours held or so her brother Harrion had told her once, that one man she had failed to seduce had been Lord Eddard himself. What the stories did not mention was the steel and the determination that lurked in her goodmother's eyes and heart, and every action. Ashara Dayne much like Catelyn Tully had been through much during her life and was someone to be respected, feared even.
She learnt of her goodsister, Jeyne Sand's death from illness, Lady Ashara spoke little of her daughter now, and when she did her words were laced with pain and sadness, a sadness it seemed Sansa shared. Alys knew how the news would affect Jon, he had always been very, very close to his sister, closer to her than to his trueborn cousins, or so Robb had told her once. They received word from Jon some two moons after Lady Ashara and Sansa's arrival back at Winterfell, Stannis Baratheon had died from wounds taken whilst taking the Twins, but before dying the man had made Jon promise to fight for his daughter Shireen's right to the throne, and to Westeros. And had named him Lord Protector of the girl, and as such Mors Umber had been given the Crossing by Jon, the proclamation signed by Stannis in his last moments.
Her husband returned to them a moon after that, delayed by snow and by more deaths. He looked ragged and tired and broken in so many ways, wars had come and destroyed much of their lives, she knew, and yet she must share more bad news with him. And so a day afterwards, she sits with Jon, her father, Lady Ashara, Ser Arthur and Sansa in the Lord's Solar to discuss all that has happened since they last saw one another. She speaks first. "Death has befallen us, the Bastard of Bolton killed my daughter, severed her from this life for no better reason than he could. He mutilated my son, the heir to the North. I ask what is to be done to Lady Walda and her child, and the Dreadfort. Will we allow such a house to continue on?" Her voice shook toward the end.
Jon took her hand and held it tightly under the table, her father looked as angry as she had ever seen him, and his voice shook with barely concealed rage when he spoke. "What happened to the bastard? Is he still alive, or is he dead?"
Alys swallowed once then spoke, her voice shaking. "He is dead father. Ser Davos saw to that, his head has rotted away on the spikes above this castle's walls."
There was a brief moment of silence, and then Jon spoke, his voice soft, and quiet but no less chilling than her father's tone had been in its anger. "Lady Bolton gave birth to a stillborn girl. House Bolton is at an end, completely now with the Bastard's death. The Dreadfort will be given to a lord loyal to Winterfell and to House Stark; we cannot afford to have lordless peasants and minor lords roaming the lands. There is more we must discuss. With Stannis Baratheon dead, his daughter is the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, by right of conquest on the part of the Baratheons. This man calling himself Aegon Targaryen, may be who he claims to be, but as of late I heard he had not yet taken King's Landing."
"Surely you cannot mean to abandon Allyria Jon? Not for some girl you've never met before?" Lady Ashara exclaimed.
Alys felt Jon's grip on her hand tighten at his mother's words. His voice was cold when he replied. "And you would know all about that wouldn't you mother? Leaving family behind for someone chance met along the road? Like you and father? Or should I say Uncle Brandon?"
A shocked silence filled the room, Alys looked at her husband questioningly but found that he was looking determinedly at his mother; the Lady Ashara looked stricken as if she had seen a ghost, as did Ser Arthur, her father and Sansa shared in her confusion. "Explain what you mean Jon." Alys asked softly.
Jon turned to her and his eyes were filled with so much pain that she wished she could kiss it all away. His voice seemed choked when he spoke. "When my uncle Lord Eddard returned from the war, it was with his sister's bones and not her live person that he returned to Winterfell. Everyone knows of how he fought three knights of the Kingsguard, the best three knights of Aerys Targaryen's Kingsguard to get to his sister, how he and his six companions rode and fought them. But no one ever speaks of how he left that tower, not with just his sister's bones and Lord Reed, but with two other people, a babe, his nephew and the Sword of the Morning." At this Jon looked at Ser Arthur and suddenly Alys gave a deep gasp as did her father, though Sansa did not react. "That child was left in Dorne, with someone whom Lord Eddard knew well enough, some even say he loved her. The child grew up and in time came to love his adopted mother and family, both in Dorne and in the North. But he was lied to, I was lied to." At that Jon stop, tears freely flowing down his cheeks and falling onto their entwined hands, Alys tightens her hold of his hand and brings her other hand up to his cheek to stroke away his tears.
"It was done to protect you sweetling." Alys hears Lady Ashara whisper.
"Robert Baratheon would have put you to death, no matter you were his Lyanna's child." Ser Arthur says.
"You should have told me mama. I, I have lived a lie. My whole life, I thought that my father was a Stark of Winterfell, but he was actually a mad rapist who tore the kingdoms apart simply because he couldn't keep his cock in his pants." Jon fumes.
"Your mother went willingly with him Jon." Ser Arthur replies calmly.
"What? She was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, why, why would she leave him for someone who she knew was already married?" Alys hears Jon ask, sounding terrified.
"Because she cared not for Robert, and she was young and foolish. Please Jon you must understand, all that we have done has been for your protection. I love you as my own flesh and blood even if you are not, you are my son all the ways that count, and Jeyne was always your sister." Ashara says to Jon, her tone pleading.
Jon looks at his mother, then he looks at her, and Alys can see the panic the fear, the confusion in his eyes, not caring that there are others in the room she brings his head to rest on her breast and strokes his hair murmuring soft words to him. "Where is Jeyne? Why is she not with you and Sansa?" Jon asks.
Alys sees Ashara look at Ser Arthur quickly before she says. "She was grievously ill Jon, she, she died before we left."
Jon is silent for a long, long time, Alys can feel his sobs, they wrack her body just as they wrack his, and her heart breaks for him, he has lost so much, they both have. Eventually he speaks. "She is buried in Starfall? Is Edric home now?"
"Yes sweetling." Lady Ashara says.
Jon moves his head from her breast and looks straight at his mother then and in a tone that brooks no argument. "When this war is done, and the Wall is secure, I shall pay my respects to her. And I shall tell her the truth."
Talk then turns to the south, as Alys knows it must. "So you are convinced that this Aegon is the actual Aegon, my brother?" Jon asks.
"Yes my lord. Prince Doran and Prince Oberyn seem convinced that he is who he says he is. Else wise they would not have committed their forces to his cause." Ser Arthur says.
Jon snorts at that, Alys her head on his shoulder can feel the noise reverberating through his body. "Those two have been hungering for justice since the sack, they don't care if Aegon is who he says he is, so long as they can kill some Lannisters they will be happy. I do not like that they betrothed Allyria to this man, even if he is my brother, without asking myself or Edric."
"Edric had just come home when we received news of Aegon taking Storm's End. He was in no fit state to make lordly decisions." Ashara says defensively. "And we knew not where you were sweetling."
Jon merely stares at his adopted mother then and then says in a cold voice. "Very well, but if that man mistreats Allyria I shall kill him myself. I don't care if he is my brother or my king or what not, he will not mistreat Allyria."
"There is something more you should know Jon," Ashara begins. "Willas Tyrell spent some time with us in Starfall, and has asked for Sansa's hand."
Jon stiffens, his body goes rigid. Alys can feel the anger and rage beginning to boil in him, and she tries to sooth him by running her fingers across his arms and chest like she knows he likes. Still his voice comes out angry when he speaks. "The nerve. They are traitors, they did not support Stannis when Renly died, they married their daughter to three different kings, and now Willas Tyrell has the nerve to ask for Sansa's hand in marriage. Why? Does he think I am a fool that I do not see what he is trying to do?"
Sansa speaks then. "I do not think he wants to take Winterfell Jon. He is nice and kind and honourable, and I like him. A lot." She blushes after saying that last part, Alys hides a grin behind her hand, as does Lady Ashara.
Jon says nothing, but instead turns to her father and says. "What news did we hear when we were at the Twins? Martyn Lannister has taken the Rock has he not?"
"Aye my lord he has." Her father replies gruffly.
"Aye well let the south rot for now. We must face our attention northward and to the threat at the Wall. Then we can deal with the south, and my brother."