Chapter 112 - Battle of Bastards

On the morning of the second day, Jon's forces met Ramsay's in the valley not far from Winterfell. Ramsay decided to taunt Jon, so after releasing Rickon Stark, he said, "Let's play a game. You must run as fast as you can to your brother. That's it, that simple."

Rickon just wanted to go to his family, so he slowly started walking towards John's forces. But after a while, he heard, "You must run, those are the rules. Run!" Rickon ran without looking back.

At the same time, Ramsay started to draw his bow and arrows. Seeing this, John wanted to move forward, but he heard a voice so close it felt like someone was whispering in his ear,

"Don't move, he won't hit until we intervene. Dumbledore is already near the boy; the arrow won't hit your brother, even if their entire army fires all at once. Besides, I want to see what he intends to do." It was Grindelwald. His voice was icy. He genuinely despised such cruelty to the weak. Though he killed Muggles, it was always painless and the most efficient way. He never tortured or tormented Muggles or his enemies; he killed many, but their deaths were mostly instantaneous. He found Ramsay's behavior repulsive. Mocking the weak, who couldn't even think to resist, was pathetic, even as a tactical move in war. That's why Grindelwald decided to play with this boy after the battle, to let him experience real power...

Upon hearing Grindelwald's words, Jon calmed down and remained in place. Meanwhile, Dumbledore stood in the middle of the field, subtly adjusting the arrows' trajectory to make it seem like they were about to hit Rickon, but each time, at the last moment, he managed to evade.

After a couple of arrows were released, Ramsay noticed something was off. The last shot was clearly aimed, but it missed...

Ramsay shot more and more frequently, realizing something was amiss! Rickon had already run about a third of the way, and Dumbledore, concealed under an invisibility charm, began to gradually retreat, simultaneously blocking the arrows.

At this moment, Ramsay could no longer hold back. He watched Rickon getting closer and closer to Snow's army and decided it was time to end the games. Turning to his archers, he said,

"Whoever's shot kills Stark's pup before he reaches the army of the wildlings, you can have some fun with Sansa Stark after our victory! Now, shoot!"

The archers impatiently drew their bows and began to aim. Seeing this, John wanted to rush forward again, but once again, the voice of Grindelwald, appearing behind him, stopped him.

"Wait, these are nothing more than Muggle toys. Any 15-year-old wizard could defend against them, and your brother is protected by one of the strongest wizards in history!"

John gritted his teeth and continued to wait.

Davos Seaworth and the others in the army noticed John's unnatural behavior, but they understood that if they rushed into battle now, they might lose this fight, so they remained silent.

At that moment, a barrage of arrows filled the sky, flying straight towards Rickon! Some of John's soldiers began to avert their gaze, thinking that perhaps Jon Snow had decided to sacrifice his brother to minimize losses. But it wasn't the case! The arrows, which were supposed to turn the boy's body into a sieve, as if reluctant to hit him! Just seconds before reaching Rickon, they slightly and unnaturally changed direction, which was difficult to see from a distance.

The arrow that was supposed to pierce the skull gently bypassed the child's head and whistled past his ear. The arrow aimed at the heart inexplicably dropped sharply. The arrow meant to wound the leg flew a bit farther than expected and landed in front of the boy...

Meanwhile, Rickon had already covered half the distance!

Ramsay was furious! He couldn't understand how this was possible! Three hundred archers shooting at a target running straight, at least one should have hit!

"Again!!!" he roared at the soldiers.

Another volley, and still no change; Rickon remained unscathed, the arrows passing dangerously close to him but never touching him.

The problem was, Rickon had already covered 2/3 of the distance, and even without Dumbledore's help, the likelihood of the archers hitting him at this distance was critically decreasing...

Ramsay couldn't allow the legitimate heir of the North to slip right under his nose! He urgently gave orders to his troops.

"Attack! Whoever brings me the heads of John Snow and Rickon Stark will receive a sack of gold!"

The cavalry and infantry surged forward at Ramsay's command, while he remained behind to watch the battle unfold.

At the moment the first horse's hoof moved, Rickon had about a quarter of the distance left, and he kept running. Seeing the enemy cavalry advancing, Grindelwald finally lifted his concealment charm.

Davis Seaworth, seeing the strangely dressed man suddenly appear behind John, initially panicked, but upon realizing that Jon was communicating with the man, he decided not to ask questions for now.

Meanwhile, with a dangerous smile on his face, Grindelwald addressed John, "Dumbledore will protect your brother during the battle. He is walking behind Rickon and will not leave his side. As for me, I want to show this lad Ramsay what true desperation looks like. Do you think wiping out half of his forces with just one man will be enough?"

"Do you want to fight for me?" John asked, slightly surprised. He understood that saving Rickon was intended to impress him and make him indebted to these people, but Grindelwald had no reason to fight for him, which puzzled him.

"You can consider it my whim. I want to see despair on the face of a man like Ramsay," Grindelwald replied with determination.

Saying this, Grindelwald, without stopping, slowly walked towards Rickon and the cavalry that was closing in on him.

Seeing such a brave move from the unknown man, the people in Snow's army wanted to rush forward, but Jon held his hand clenched into a fist, indicating that it was not yet time.

Honestly, Grindelwald didn't look at all like he was preparing for a dangerous battle; he simply walked forward relaxedly.

As Rickon ran past him, he muttered into the void, "Go, protect this child. I know you don't like killing. I, however, want to show this trash what desperation is!"

Rickon thought he heard something, but he didn't pay attention to it; he kept running further and further.

At this moment, John was less than 50 meters away, and he ran with all his might. The cavalry, on the other hand, was 100 meters away from Grindelwald and was galloping at full speed.

Seeing this, the corners of Grindelwald's mouth lifted. He elegantly waved his hand, and from his sleeve, a short wand fell into his hand. This was Grindelwald's new wand. It had two forms: that of a short sword or even a dagger with a double-edged blade, or that of a 14-inch wand made of lime wood and dragon heartstring as the wand's conductor.

When the cavalry was about 50 meters away from Grindelwald, and John was about to give the order to attack, Grindelwald spread his arms wide, as if embracing the world. In his right hand, people noticed a short wand, which couldn't even be used as a pointer...

Ignoring the strange glances he felt on his back, Grindelwald looked at the nearest cavalryman, who was just 10 meters away from him, and swiftly traced a circle with his right hand holding the wand, first downwards and then to the left.

At that moment, in front of the cavalry charging towards Grindelwald at full speed, a wall of blue flames, as pure as the sky, appeared. The riders, who were galloping headlong, didn't immediately notice the fire, and even if they did, it wouldn't have changed the situation. They were just a couple of meters away from it, unable to react, and turned to ash!

One by one, horses and riders who couldn't stop quickly enough melted in the flames before the eyes of both armies. When the cavalrymen at the end of the charge managed to stop just centimeters from the fire, the battlefield fell silent.

Ramsay's men looked at Grindelwald in horror, while Snow's men regularly glanced at their commanding lord, almost asking directly: "Where did you find such a monster!?"

Grindelwald then waved his wand again, and the wall parted before him, revealing a narrow passage. He looked at the remaining few soldiers. Out of the 300 cavalrymen, at least 120 were instantly consumed by the flames. Another 70 were disabled by the rows of cavalry crashing into them from behind.

Only the last line of attack was somewhat intact, but paralyzed with fear.

Seeing this, Grindelwald provocatively glanced at Ramsay standing on the hilltop and smiled broadly.

"Kill! Kill this sorcerer! Attack!! Those who don't obey will be fed to my dogs! One man cannot kill all of you!"

Trembling with fear, Ramsay gave orders to attack. The soldiers were frightened by Grindelwald's methods, but they feared Ramsay's cruelty more than the unknown sorcerer. Moreover, if this fiery man was so powerful, why did an army stand behind him? Many soldiers thought it could be a trap set by Snow's army; they dug a trench overnight, unseen by anyone! And they filled it with something like wildfire! Many soldiers had heard of the Battle of Blackwater and couldn't think of any other explanation for the sudden appearance of flames other than wildfire. But Snow's army shouldn't have a lot of wildfire reserves, otherwise, they could undermine the wall in Winterfell... Perhaps this man simply discreetly ignited the trench.

When the first convinced soldier moved forward, the others followed suit.

Seeing that the enemy army was advancing and no longer had cavalry, John's soldiers also wanted to start the attack, but they were afraid of the flames. They clearly saw that people who even touched the fire instantly disappeared!

But at that moment, Dumbledore whispered in John's ear, "This is my friend's magic! It is not dangerous to our allies! You don't have to fear the fire!!!"

With that, John rushed into battle, followed by the other warriors.

"Attack!!!"

"Attack!!!"

"Attack!!!"

Hearing the cries behind him, Grindelwald felt a little offended. "Hey, this is my prey! I haven't had enough fun yet!!!" he thought to himself. So the old man in young guise waved his wand again.

The wall of flame, split in half, surged forward, instantly killing all the remaining Bolton cavalry.

But Grindelwald didn't stop there. Seeing that both armies were close enough to him, he waved his wand again, like a conductor at a concert.

The fire that had spread across the battlefield began to quickly flow back towards him. Seeing this, Ramsay thought to himself,

"Ha, that's it! This sorcerer has exhausted himself!" But his joy didn't last long, as he saw that although the fire had receded back to Grindelwald, it hadn't disappeared. Instead, it gathered into a small circle of fire at the tip of Grindelwald's wand.

The Bolton army continued to advance, oblivious to such subtle details. They were simply relieved that the fire had gone!

When the Bolton army was just 50 meters away from Grindelwald, with Snow's army only 10 meters behind him, Grindelwald lightly waved his wand as if tossing a bowling ball, but slightly upward.

The small fiery ball flew upwards and then began to fall, descending straight into the center of the Bolton army. At first, everyone thought, what harm could this small ball of fire do? But then they realized how wrong they were.

As the ball, falling slowly like a feather, touched the ground, fire erupted in all directions! Soldiers at the front heard their comrades behind them screaming in agony. Those in the center instantly turned to dust, while those on the sides reluctantly watched as fire engulfed them from all directions. Soldiers running behind, witnessing this horrific scene and wanting to stop, couldn't do anything as they were pushed forward by others behind them.

The fire spread from one person to another, and Grindelwald continued to advance, occasionally waving his wand to direct the flames towards the approaching soldiers.

The army's formation was instantly shattered, broken from within. At the front line, there were at most two rows left, or even just one person running exposed, with no one behind to cover them.

Throughout the field, cries of pain, wailing, and pleas for salvation echoed. An army of 6,000 was instantly reduced to 2,000, scattered across the field.

Seeing such a tragic situation on the other side, Snow's men wanted to slow down, fearing the fire. But seeing Snow not stopping and running straight into the flames, they gritted their teeth and continued on!

Honestly, John was on the verge of soiling his pants! What the hell kind of sorcery was this? It was definitely scarier than dragons in legends!

For a minute of running, he couldn't shake the thought that the fire couldn't distinguish between allies and enemies! But the idea that someone could toy with fire like a toy was previously just a bard's fantasy!

Summoning all his courage, John led his horse forward through the flames.

Oh, how relieved he was to see the horse effortlessly stepping over the blue fire! Without hesitation, John rode towards the hill where Ramsay stood.

Breaking through wasn't difficult; there were rarely any enemies in his path since they were all burned by the flames.

Meanwhile, seeing John effortlessly pass through the fire, the soldiers, encouraged, rushed to finish off Ramsay's remaining forces.

Seeing the state of his army and John, who was effortlessly running towards him, occasionally dispatching a couple of soldiers, Ramsay was already preparing to flee.

He mounted his horse and, taking a few soldiers with him, was about to escape when he heard a voice from behind.

"Oh, don't think I'll let you escape. You're needed alive. Since you seem to enjoy torturing people according to the locals, you won't mind trying out various forms of torture on yourself, will you? Don't worry; you won't die. I just think you need to broaden your horizons."

It was Grindelwald who apparated behind Ramsay.

Ramsay was so frightened that he fell off his horse, screaming, "Protect me! Kill this monster!"

Several soldiers rushed towards Grindelwald, but without even looking at them, he waved his wand, and under the green rays, three more bodies remained forever left on the ground.

Grindelwald walked forward towards Ramsay, his smile appearing to Ramsay as the devil's grin itself. Grindelwald was about to say something when he heard the sound of hooves behind him. It was John, who had finally reached Ramsay.

But to be honest, seeing Ramsay already in a pre-hysterical state, John had no desire to even kill him. So he approached Ramsay, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him to a spot where he would be visible at the foot of the hill. Holding Ramsay by the hair as he struggled, John put his sword to Ramsay's neck and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Surrender!!! Ramsay is captured!!! Surrender and you will be spared!!!"

At first, his voice wasn't loud enough to be heard, but on the last phrase, he felt as if his throat had become as powerful as a lion's, and his voice echoed across the entire battlefield. The Bolton soldiers, who had long wanted to surrender, finally saw an opportunity. They immediately began to drop their weapons; there wasn't a single one left who still wanted to fight. Due to the broken formation, low morale, and fear caused by the occasional fire on the battlefield, the Bolton army couldn't offer any resistance, and in just a couple of minutes, less than 1000 men remained from the Bolton army.

Seeing that the enemies had laid down their arms, the wildlings and the crows ceased their attacks and surveyed the battlefield. To be honest, they were very pleased! Among the corpses, they only occasionally saw a few of their own. The losses were almost negligible! Such a battle had never been seen in Westeros. 2500 men had completely routed 6000 and suffered almost no losses.

Certainly, they understood that all of this was thanks to the mysterious stranger who could control fire. Yet, their commander is John Snow, and they began to chant his name:

"JON SNOW!"

"JON SNOW!"

The chant echoed across the field and would have continued if not interrupted by the sound of a war horn. Over the hill emerged another army, bearing the banners of House Arryn.

At first, the Snow's men thought another battle awaited them, but upon seeing Sansa Stark leading the troops, they were reassured.

Honestly, at that moment, both Sansa and Petyr Baelish were stunned, with Sansa slightly less so but still in shock. She didn't fully believe that two mysterious strangers could turn the tide of battle, so she had sent a request for help to the Eyrie.

Who would have thought that upon arriving on the battlefield, she would witness Jon holding Ramsay Bolton by the hair, with only a handful of Bolton soldiers left.

Petyr, too, was puzzled. According to his calculations, Sansa would become the heroine of this battle, but what battle was even taking place?! A thousand soldiers sat on the ground, laying down their weapons, while the enemy commander knelt, attempting to wrench his hair from John Snow's grip...

Snow was also surprised by the arrival of troops from the Eyrie and by Sansa's failure to inform him of the reinforcement. But now, he was more preoccupied with what to do with Ramsay.

Just as he pondered how to execute the fiend behind him, the familiar and unforgettable relaxed voice of Grindelwald sounded:

"Kid, leave this scum to me. I want to try out a new idea. And I need a test subject. Of course, the likelihood of the subject dying is high, but in the event of a successful experiment, their life will be worse than death. They'll beg for death, but they'll live. I think it's quite deserved considering what he's done."

"Then he's yours. I want to thank you again for your help. If not for you..."

John instantly agreed to Grindelwald's request. He wasn't planning to spare Ramsay's life, though he was against torture. Good relations with someone who could single-handedly destroy an army were key to success.

Grindelwald, upon hearing his gratitude, simply waved his hand and said:

"I hope there's an empty room in your so-called Winterfell?"

"Don't worry, wizard lord. We'll find one for you."

"Haha, I like you, kid!"

Grindelwald, satisfied, patted John on the shoulder.

"Boom."

There was a clap, and out of nowhere, Dumbledore appeared in front of John, with Rickon by his side.

John wanted to rush to hug Rickon, but before he could take a step, Rickon fell to his knees and began to retch.

John wanted to run over, thinking Rickon was injured, but he heard Dumbledore's voice.

"Sorry, it's the side effects of the Apparition spell. He'll be better soon. Here, little one, have some chocolate. You did well, not much came up. Usually, people empty their stomachs entirely!"

Dumbledore patted the unfortunate Rickon on the shoulder and handed him a chocolate candy.

Rickon nodded gratefully and ate the candy. This man had protected him when the battle began, and he knew he was able to run across the field only because of him.

So, although he didn't know what chocolate was, he ate it without hesitation. And it was delicious! The nausea from the strange teleportation passed.

John approached Rickon and hugged him.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier."

"Sorry I got caught, brother..."

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