71 We do not forget or forgive
Roose Bolton walked through his Dreadfort castle deep in his thoughts.
He stopped at the window after hearing laughter from the outside and looked to the courtyard where his wife Bethany Ryswell was taking a walk with his young son Domeric.
Nothing was going as planned, but he already took necessary steps to rectify that.
His face was expressionless, yet his heart was not.
Roose cursed his lack for the last few years for choosing the wrong bride. He took the first step in taking the North and he already stumbled before it all began and he almost had the perfect results in his grasp.
He tightened his fists thinking about the years he lost molding the Ryswells to meet his needs, to build them into something he actually could use in the future, and then things went to shiet.
He wondered day and night where did he go wrong, but nothing came to his mind.
Fortunately not all was lost, he could turn it around, they named one of their children after him for Gods sake!
He only needed his hired men to succeed and everything would go back on track, that bitch just needed to die.
He did what he was best at, he played the game.
Whispering sweet words to his wife every night before they lay to rest, imagining it was her gorgeous sister that he was sticking his cock into, he used a painful amount of charm to convince the stupid woman that the riches that the Dustin's and the other houses working with them gathered were her by right...
How naive was the woman to believe such a simple reason to betray her blood. No.
It was not the reason, from the beginning Bethany was envious of her more beautiful and capable sister, she just needed a small push in the right direction and that was exactly what he did.
'Poison is a woman's weapon after all' Roose thought to himself.
When his relationship with the Ryswells got colder, and no invitation from House Dustin came asking for his cooperation like the rest, he was disturbed.
Being the intelligent man that he was there were already plans in his head how to rectify it and take over the richest House in Westeros.
He had no delusions.
The Lannisters had their mines, good for them.
The Tyrells had their fertile land, great.
Yet he was sure the Dustin's will rule as the strongest. Why? They had the biggest merchant fleet in the whole continent and beyond it and who ruled the seas and trade, ruled the kingdoms.
The thoughts brought him some happiness when he imagined how the stupid Lords couldn't see it.
They had a widow, free to wed and they could gain everything at the palm of their hands not like the Starks would agree to mediate for him in this case.
He scoffed and raised his hand to waive at the whore in the courtyard, at least as a seed bag she did her job providing him with an heir. Weak, but still an heir.
He turned and started walking to the dungeon to relax his mind and nothing worked better than flaying a man.
He was unsettled for some reason, did the assassination failed and got tracked back to him? Impossible, people he choose were the best at improvising, he personally took care of any loose ends adding few new skins to his hidden collection.
Even if someone suspected him, what proof did they have? None.
If push come to shove, he will cut the only lead they might have, maybe he even will be able to marry the one he should choose before, then put together a small horse riding accident for the bitch and later flay her little fuck and enjoy the status he was longing for. The cunt liked to ride after all so after ra*ing her he would let her.
Since he remembered, she was a defiant one, just thinking about how he would break her, tear down her dress with his sharp flaying knife and put his in the wild cunt made him hard.
'Calm down Roose. Think, plan, act.' he reign in his desires speeding up his step.
"A naked man has few secrets, a flayed man, none..." he reminded himself of his House's wisdom.
~
*Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Whoosh*
The sound of arrow after arrow as they broke through the raindrops and hit their intended targets surprised everyone except for one.
The men looked around ready for the next attack yet it did not come even after some time.
They felt terrified, yes. Even the best fighters in the kingdom couldn't see or feel where it came from and that was bizarre as they were sure there were multiple archers shooting at the same time.
One thing was for certain, the archers were more skilled than the two guards.
"Even the Dustin scouts can't erase their presence like that." Ser Arthur still vigilant backed away in their Lady's direction to get to her as soon as possible, watching the forest at every moment.
Lady Dustin stood like before, full of majesty and calmness as if she expected everything that happened on the island.
The unexpected attacks, one after another cleared her mind.
She was still mourning her foster daughter's death, but the sadness in her heart swapped place with another burning feelings. Revenge and rage.
Ser Arthur, Ser Bryce and Ethan watched as the would be assassins rolled on the ground in pain shouting profanities, begging for mercy or simply from the hurting wounds with dragon glass arrows stuck in their legs, all except for one...
The man who just a second ago had a triumphant smile on his face, for another successful contract while showing his yellow teeth, now he lays on the ground choking on his own blood from the wound in his throat.
Lady Dustin touched her cheek and moved the hand in front of her face to look at it.
The blood on it slowly washed away mixing with the drops of rain falling on to the ground before her eyes.
Knowing fully well the warm feeling on her face, the iron filled smell that was difficult to mask, she looked up allowing the drops to wash it from her face.
'It worked' she thought while a savage smirk came onto her lips.
Not bothering with the screams of the attackers that laid on the ground, she came to her daughter and swiped the water from Bri's face. "It's over baby girl, you can rest peacefully now." the pain in her heart didn't pass, only hid in a dark place waiting to be unleashed.
When the men arrived to her side they were relieved.
"Are you alright my Lady?" asked worriedly Ser Bryce rudely inspecting his Lady's body from head to toe.
The only thing he could see was the small cut on her throat.
Ser Arthur wanted to ask more when a green shape similar to a man walked from within the woods.
Both knights stood in front of the woman ready to guard her with their lives.
They had enough of being useless and incompetent.
Lady Barbrey understood their feelings, but the pain from loosing her child was stronger that the knights wounded honor, forgiveness couldn't be war so easy.
"Stand down fools!" her shout surprised the men for an instant just to obey a moment later.
Both of them still observed the new arrival curiously.
He had a leaves green cloak on his shoulders, under it enshrouding his body was unnatural darkness, only two white lights as eyes felt like the Stranger looking at your dead body.
The man's hand held a long bow and on his head two antlers grew.
Ethan dropped to his knees not willing to look at the person, his body trembling in fear.
'Impossible' he thought in his head, but his eyes told him a different story.
The figure walked slowly in front of Lady Dustin, whenever he passed the smell of forest followed.
When he stood in front of the woman she felt smaller than usual, but just in height as her proud posture did not waiver.
She looked at the two white lights at the place that the head of the person was.
"Thank you for your assistance, as promised we will renew the pact..." she took out her dagger and slit open her hand making the blood drop on the ground in the center of the spiral. There was an illusion of the island shaking, looking closely the faces carved on the trees looked less... menacing?
"He shares your blood in this life..." the figure said as the light in his eyes intensified.
"His life, this... or the previous ones... were never easy... protect him well, as we can not..." his whispering, rusty voice similar to the sound of moving lives on the trees during the wind. "betrayed us he did... this we do not forget or forgive..." more figures similar to him exited the line of trees, but waited there, not moving forward. This made Bryce and Arthur move closer to their Lady's side.
The two knights wandered about the things which the man said, but for some reason his sole presence was enough of a deterrent for them to speak.
"I understand..." Lady Barbrey showed her respect to the Green Man.
The Green man looked at the child's cold body and just like that the rain stopped...
