Chapter 10: The Arrival

AN: Hey guys, shorter chapter than I expected but I'm keeping the second part of this chapter for the next one. As always I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!

…..

Ramsay placed his hands behind his back as he watched his men practise their hand-to-hand combat skills. Since he had returned he had spent his days ensuring that his men had everything they needed before their battle with Stannis, and he took extra care to ensure that they were not making any mistakes. He had already spotted three errors made by two men and they had been apprehended accordingly, made to fight until each one learned the others mistake.

His eyes moved across the courtyard and he spotted his wife walking with her handmaiden, Jeyne. Red followed closely at Sansa's side as the animal moved her head around, assessing any danger that may be present. Ramsay had been impressed with just how well the dog had behaved with Sansa as its master instead of him or Myranda. In fact, he wasn't sure if he had ever seen a more loyal dog than Red.

"Keep going, and remember one false step and I'll know" Ramsay scolded his men as he took off and made his way over to Sansa. She smiled when she saw him approach.

"My Lady" He greeted as he leaned into her, placed his hand on her cheek and planted a kiss on her lips.

She blushed at his embrace and had to take a moment to compose herself once he had finished. It had been four days since had had returned home and since he had, he had never been far away from her. Sansa loved how protective and caring he had become of her since learning she was pregnant and it shocked her how much she felt at ease with him.

"Things look to be going well" She announced after a few moments, motioning her gloved hand to the men as they practised.

"They are indeed. We need to be prepared for every eventuality. Stannis' men could attack any day. We must be ready for that" Ramsay replied.

"When do you expect his army will come?" Jeyne asked sheepishly. Sansa gave her best friend a re-assuring smile.

"Not to worry, Jeyne. The Bolton army will be no match for him" Sansa advised as she placed a re-assuring hand on her best friends arm. "Ramsay, tell her"

Ramsay smiled politely at Jeyne.

"You needn't worry. Stannis' army will not get close to Winterfell because I won't let him. Our men are used to fighting in colder temperatures, they won't be used to the snow. It will slow them down. And our men are used to bloodshed. We enjoy it, that's why the flayed man is our house sigil" Ramsay replied as he motioned his hand to a banner the hung across from them.

"You see, nothing to worry about" Sansa re-assured.

Jeyne smiled at them both and opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by one of Ramsay's men calling from above.

"There's someone approaching the gate!" He called to Ramsay.

"One person?" Ramsay shouted back.

"No, My Lord. Six riders and a carriage" The man called back.

"Do they have banners?"

"A white bird and a moon on…a…On a blue flag, my Lord" The man called back.

Sansa and Ramsay both moved their eyes to meet each other. They both knew instantly who it would be in the carriage.

"Littlefinger" Sansa announced in little more than a whisper as all of the colour drained from her face. A visit from him would be most unwelcome at the moment. Littlefinger's visit always spelled some sort of misery for someone, and Sansa shuddered to think who his latest victim would be. She turned to Jeyne.

"Take Red and go to your bedchamber. Do not come out until I come for you" Sansa said to her best friend in a sharp tone. Jeyne nodded.

"Yes, my Lady… Red, come along" She replied as she began to walk away, the dog looked to Sansa, who gave her a re-assuring look and a stroke on the top of her head. Knowing that it was safe, Red followed after the brunette.

Sansa turned back to Ramsay.

"Why is he here?" She asked.

Ramsay shook his head before he remembered the conversation he had with his Father several nights ago. He had completely forgotten about Littlefinger the moment he had seen Sansa again. He looked at his wife's annoyance on her face and decided that now would not be the best time to tell her he knew about this visit.

"I have no idea. I certainly didn't invite him" He replied. He had decided long ago anyway that he didn't like Littlefinger. He always stared at Sansa too long or made a somewhat inappropriate comment about her. Ramsay knew that Littlefinger had a longing for his wife. He knew that Sansa knew this too and how uncomfortable it made her feel, and that made his blood boil. He wanted Littlefinger dead, not here in his home where Sansa was.

Suddenly, Ramsay heard footsteps approaching them and turned his head to see his Father and step-Mother coming towards them. A smug smile plastered across his Father's lips.

"Ah, you two are already here. Good" Roose smirked as he gave within feet of the young couple. Walda was a few metres behind, red faced and panting as she attempted to keep up with her husband as best as she could.

"What is Littlefinger doing here?" Ramsay seethed.

"I invited him…He is an ally of ours Ramsay…One of the only ones we actually have" Roose replied. "Open the gates" He called as he walked further in front of them, Walda trailed behind her husband as quickly as she could muster. "Oh, I also thought that this would be a perfect opportunity for Sansa to tell him the good news!" Roose added as he motioned his hand towards Sansa's belly.

Sansa turned to face Ramsay again with a look of disgust and shock on her face the second Roose turned his attention away from them.

"I don't like this. I don't trust Littlefinger" Ramsay said to her in a voice slightly higher than a whisper.

Sansa traced her finger tips over Ramsay's hand and slowly slid her fingers into the gap between his index finger and thumb and took hold of his hand. He closed his fingers around hers gently.

"Only a fool would trust Littlefinger" Sansa scoffed as the horses appeared through the gates and the carriage halted before Roose and Walda.

…..

Sansa stared at the frozen body of water in front of her as she sat under the Weirwood tree. She pictured her Father sitting next to her, pondering life and his choices. It was often where she found him when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Since coming back to Winterfell she also found comfort under the red leaves. It was the only place in Winterfell she could also truly be alone. No one followed her when she was there, thinking that she was going to the tree to pray. It had been a fantastic cover for her and she was allowed to sit for hours with her thoughts. Today her thoughts had been on her Father.

How she missed him, especially today. She often wondered if he would be proud of her for how far she had come. She imagined he would be pleased that she had not married Joffrey in the end and that she was back home, but she imagined he would be less than impressed with her new husband. Maybe he would understand though, and Ramsay had only ever been sweet to her. She knew that he had a terrible darkness within him, she had seen it when he had discussed killing soldiers, she had seen the flayed bodies hanging above the gates. He was viscous when he needed to be, but with her he was different, protective and she felt genuinely safe with him.

Her thoughts shifted from her husband and her father and onto their future. She was scared about the future, about Cersei, Roose and even Littlefinger seeking to destroy her. But Ramsay had promised to protect her and give her Winterfell back, she had no choice but to trust him, and he had no choice but to trust her. They had an alliance, and that was truly what marriage was, the fact that they had bonded and had a passionate bedroom life was just an advantage for them. She closed her eyes as her thoughts momentarily shifted to the things Ramsay had done with her in that bedchamber this morning. The things that he could do with his hands and his tounge and the way that it made her feel and react. She blushed at the thought of what he would do with her tonight or once he got her alone again.

She heard soft footsteps lightly crunch through the snow and she opened her eyes to see who would dare disturb her whilst she was here. She spotted a figure of a man walking towards her and she tried her hardest not to roll her eyes when she saw who the man was.

"Forgive me, My Lady. Are you at prayer?" Petyr Baelish exclaimed as he made his way over to where she sat.

The urge to not roll her eyes became too strong for her at this point and she couldn't help herself.

"I'm done with all that" She replied as she kept her eyes away from him. "It never helped me anyway. All those hours I wasted as a girl, sitting here, praying to be somewhere else and now here I am. Back here-"
"Where you belong" Petyr interrupted and Sansa shifted her gaze to him and he sensed her annoyance. "Are you not happy here, my lady?" He asked as he moved closer to her.

"Why are you here?" She asked as she rose to her feet and dusted the snow off of her fur.

"To make sure you are safe" Petyr replied as he moved closer to her, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Why would I not be safe here? Winterfell is my home, you said so yourself"

"And what about your husband? Do you trust him?" Petyr asked as he stroked her cheek gently. Sansa nodded her head. "And what about me? Do you trust me?" He asked as he leaned in to kiss her but she raised her hand to his chest and closed her eyes.

"You can't do that anymore. If Ramsay sees you-"

"Are you afraid of him?"
Sansa opened her eyes to look at him again.

"No… But you should be. I've seen what he can do to people"

Petyr moved his hand away from her cheek.

"And yet you're not afraid of him?"
"You never answered my question" She challenged as she took a step back from him.

"You haven't answered several of mine" He responded.

"Why are you here?" She asked again, annoyance thick in her voice now.

Petyr looked to the snow on the floor before he returned his gaze to her.

"To offer my support in uncertain times such as these" He replied. "My Lady, Cersei Lannister wants you dead-"

"This is not new information" Sansa replied.

"She knows that you are here. She plans to attack Winterfell should the Bolton's prevail over Stannis" Petyr replied.

"I already know this. You are a few weeks behind, Lord Baelish. I overheard Roose talking to his men about this some time ago-"

"And this does not concern you?" He asked.

"It concerns me somewhat. Everyone Cersei has ever hated she has found a way to murder. But I am here, I have an army too and Ramsay would protect me against her-"

"You put too much faith in that boy, my dear. You think that just because he can skin a man and shoot an arrow that means he can protect you against a fully provisioned Lannister army?" Petyr returned, anger evident in his face. Sansa looked down to the floor for a moment before she lifted her gaze back to him.

"And what do you propose?" She asked.

He moved closer to her again and took one of her hands in his.

"Leave with me, come back to the Eyrie where the Knights of the Vale can protect you. Cersei will not be able to get to you as long as you are there. The Knights of the Vale are the toughest fighters I have ever seen, they will defend you with their lives" He announced as he looked into her eyes. "I will keep you safe from her, just like I have done since the day Joffrey died"

Sansa looked down at their hands.

"I can't leave Winterfell. This is my home" She quietly protested as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"It doesn't have to be right away, my love. Take a few days, say your goodbyes" He replied.

Sansa shook her head and a tear escaped her eye and ran down her face as her mind raced to her husband.

"I don't want to leave Ramsay" She whispered.

"Why not? Sansa this is for your safety" Petyr announced, his annoyance becoming evident once more.

Sansa looked down at her hands in his and pulled them away, using one to wipe away the escaped tear as thoughts raced through her mind.

"Because I'm carrying his child" She announced in a voice no louder than a whisper.

Petyr's face dropped and she could have sworn his skin colour became at least two tones whiter.

"Sansa… I" He began as he looked down at her fur-cloaked stomach and then back up to her as he tried to hide his disappointment.

"If you'll excuse me, Lord Baelish" She replied as she quickly backed away from him and made her way out of the Godswood, leaving him standing alone to contemplate what she had just told him.

Her mind raced as she moved as quickly as she dated through the Godswood. She had never seen him so upset before, he looked as though someone had just plunged a sword right through his heart. And that thought scared her more than the thought of Cersei or Stannis' army. Littlefinger was used to getting what he wanted. He had expected to arrive today to see Sansa distraught at having to stay at Winterfell with the Bolton's, a family she actively despised. He had planned to ask her to leave with him and he had expected her to say yes instantly, to be so happy that he was taking her back to the Eyrie with him where she could be happy and guarded at all times. He may have even expected a kiss, or more from her to show her gratitude. This was what Sansa had convinced herself he had expected. And it had not gone his way, now he was angry and upset that she would defy him, choose Ramsay over him and then have the audacity to announce to him that she was carrying the child of one of the most hated families in the whole of Westeros. Sansa had never encountered Petyr being angry at her before, she had always done as he had told her to. And now she didn't know how to anticipate his next move.

She hurried her way through the courtyard as she made her way over to the main part of the castle. She passed the stables and froze when she heard a voice call out to her. A voice she instantly recognised.

"And where are you rushing off to?" The voice jokingly called and Sansa stopped in front of the open doors to see her husband standing there, his arms folded in front of him.

"Ramsay" Her voice croaked as she turned to face him. Within moments his joking demeanour faded and concern replaced it. He could see that she was stressed, and he could see that she had been crying.

"Sansa" He said as he rushed over to his bride. "What's happened?" He asked as soon as he reached her, placing his hand to cup her cheek. She shook her head and looked down at the floor, avoiding his gaze. "Come here, come out of the snow" He added as he snaked his arm around her waist and brought her into the stables. Once she was inside he turned his attention back to her distress.

"Littlefinger wants me to go back to the Eyrie with him" She replied.

"Why would he want to do that?" Ramsay asked as the concern grew in his voice.

"He-He says I won't be safe here in Winterfell if Cersei sends her army" She replied through her tears. "Ramsay, I don't want to go. I want to stay in Winterfell with you. Don't let them take me" She begged as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

He leaned in and kissed her lips. He didn't know what else to do in this situation or how to calm her but as soon as he pressed his lips against hers he knew he had made the right decision. Her trembling lips almost immediately calmed against his and she moved in closer to him.

"Listen to me" He announced when he pulled away. She opened her eyes to fixate on him.

"No one is taking you, or this child away from me" He replied as he placed a hand on her belly. She placed her hand on top of his and leaned her forehead in to rest against his. "And if anybody dares try to then I will tear their flesh from their bones" He announced as he leaned in to kiss her again.

The young couple were so enamoured with one another that they failed to realise that they were not alone in the stables. Fetching a pail of water for one of the horses, Myranda had overheard strained voices. Voices she instantly recognised as Sansa and Ramsay's. convinced that the two were having a heated argument, she quietly made her way over to investigate, silently hiding behind a bale of hay to avoid being spotted by the pair. There, she had witnessed everything. As she watched their exchange, it became clear to Myranda that they were not in fact arguing, but instead she was shocked to learn that Ramsay was actually comforting his wife. Myranda's shock almost forced her to retreat but her intrigue got the better of her and she continued to watch her ex-lover with his bride. She had seen him interact with other girls but not like this. He hated crying, he thought it was weak and off-putting yet here he was, comforting her, giving her gentle kisses to calm her.

Myranda tried to calm herself as she could feel the anger boiling in her blood and her face becoming red. Maybe this was all an act, she still refused to believe that Ramsay wasn't up to something when it came to Sansa. There was no way that he could go from murdering girls for fun to worrying about their wellbeing. It simply was not possible.

She should have turned and walked away at that moment, a mistake she would later curse herself for. As Ramsay lifted his hand to place it on Sansa's belly Myranda's face dropped as she felt tears begin to form in her own eyes and pure hatred run through her veins.

…

"M-My Lord" Theon croaked as he stood before Ramsay in the library. Ramsay sat at a table as he looked down at a map. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Theon's.

"Yes, Reek?" Ramsay asked.

"I-I found out what you asked" He stuttered. A smirk spread across Ramsay's lips as he looked at his servant. It has taken almost three days but Theon had finally managed it. Sansa had become convinced that Petyr Baelish's arrival was more than trying to convince her to come back to the Eyrie with him and she was determined to find out what it was. Ramsay had become suspicious too as he had been excluded from almost all of his Father and Petyr's meetings which was most unusual.

"Well go on then" Ramsay said, his patience running thin with his servant.

"W-Where i-is Lady S-Sansa?" Theon asked slowly in a voice no higher than a whisper.

"She's having tea and sewing with Walda" Ramsay replied.

Since Roose had learned that Sansa was also pregnant, he made the two ladies spend enormous amounts of time together and every day Sansa would be made to sit with Walda in the North of the Castle to crochet and sew for hours on end. Ramsay initially felt sorry for his wife but she assured him she actually quite liked it. She enjoyed sewing and she had a natural ability to tune others around her out if they annoyed her, a skill she told Ramsay she had learned in King's Landing. She also told him that she felt sorry for Walda, it wasn't her fault she was married to Roose Bolton, it was just unfortunate for her. Sansa also enjoyed sharing her stories of King's Landing and she enjoyed hearing Walda's tales of growing up at the Twins.

"Why?" Ramsay asked, perplexed as to why Theon would want to know her whereabouts.

"My Lord, your Father and Lord Baelish they have been discussing…The whereabouts of Bran and Rickon Stark" Theon announced before he stepped back.

Ramsay thought for a moment as he absorbed the words that Theon has just told him. Why would his Father and Petyr not want him to be present at the meetings? Surely Petyr was aware that Ramsay had been looking for the boys when he left Winterfell on his expeditions. Ramsay remained silent for a few more moments before he pondered his thoughts.

"And, have they found them?" Ramsay asked. Theon shook his head.

"No, no my Lord they said the-they followed a few leads but to no avail"
Ramsay stood and walked over to his servant calmly and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. Theon winced and put his head down but Ramsay smiled at him.

"Thank you, Reek. You take the rest of the afternoon off" He smiled calmly as he walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the room Petyr Baelish was staying in.

He reached the room in minutes and banged his hand loudly on the heavy door.

"Yes?" Petyr's voice called.

Ramsay pushed on the door handle and opened the door to the room. He stepped inside quickly and saw Petyr sitting at a table, reading a large book. His eyes moved to meet Ramsay's and he tried to hide a smirk when he saw the irritation and anger inside Ramsay.

"Ramsay, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked as he closed the book and set it down on the table.

"Do you know where the Stark boys are?" Ramsay asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"The Stark boys?" Petyr asked feigning ignorance.

"Bran and Rickon Stark. Do you know where they are?" Ramsay asked.

"Dead? Are they not?" Petyr asked.

Ramsay moved his hand up to his mouth as he scoffed at the remark. So this was the game that Petyr was playing with him.

"You know the answer to that question, Lord Baelish"
"And supposing I do, what importance is it to you? You're not the Lord of this castle" Petyr replied as he stood from his chair. He cocked his head to the side when he saw the fury in Ramsay's face. "You're worried about them because if they re-surface then your family's claim to Winterfell will be lost…Sansa will be a useless asset against Ned Stark's true born sons. Your child with her will be useless. Every house in the North will rally to their support and your family will be cast out and into extinction" Petyr replied as he came to stand inches away from Ramsay's face. "Is that what concerns you so?" Petyr taunted as Ramsay clenched his hands into fists. "Or is it that Lady Sansa will find out you lied to her about them? What do you think she will do when she finds out you knew her brothers were alive all this time?" Petyr asked in a stern voice.

It was all Ramsay could do not to kill him. He wanted to, he had convinced himself in the last few seconds that Petyr Baelish would have to die, right here and now for what he had said. He knew too much, he was too much of threat to his title and to his wife. Ramsay was just about to reach for his concealed knife in his waistband when Petyr spoke again. Ramsay had been so caught up in his rage that he had failed to notice the door open behind him and a figure enter the room.

"Well…Why don't you find out?" Petyr asked as he motioned his hand to the side of Ramsay's head. Ramsay moved his head to the side and his heart sank when he realised he was not the last person to enter the room.

Standing behind him in a navy blue dress and clutching a hand to her chest was Sansa. Her pale face was frozen in a state of shock as tears filled her eyes as she had listened to the interaction between the two whilst heading down the hallway.

"Sansa" Ramsay greeted in almost a whisper as he turned his full body to face her.

"Bran and Rickon are alive?" She gasped as she stared at the two men. Petyr nodded his head as an answer to her question whilst Ramsay remained silent, unable to anticipate his next move. She moved her attention fully to Ramsay as her shocked expression quickly developed into an angry one.

"You" She seethed at him. "You knew?" She asked as the rage dripped through her words.

"Sansa, I-" He began but then stopped himself as he realised he didn't have the words to explain his actions.

She stood glaring at her husband for a moment before she quickly turned on her heels and ran out of the room, her legs carrying her as fast as they possibly could.

Ramsay stood still for a moment before he moved to chase after her but Petyr placed a stern arm on his shoulder.

"Let her go" Petyr advised. "She'll want to be alone"

Ramsay was about to reach for his knife again when Roose Bolton walked into the room.

"What's happened?" Roose automatically asked as he saw the two men standing in the room. The tension in the air so thick it could be cut with a knife. Roose turned his attention to his son. "What did you do, Ramsay?" He asked sternly.

…

AN: Let me know what you guys think in the comments, next chapter should be up in the next few days