The Wolf and The Lion || Jaime Lannister

Forty Five

Rayna

The Knights of the Vale ready themselves for the battle as Littlefinger comes to see me.
"I am surprised you accepted my offer", he says as he stands beside me.
"I'm not a fool, without those extra 2000 men this battle would be lost, now it is almost even", I state stiffy.
"Armour?" He asks seeing me dressed to fight.
"I will not stand and watch my men die for me, I will fight alongside them"
I made the decision late last night to fight. I have never been in a battle but I have fought since the Red Wedding to retake my home, I shall fight today.
"Are you sure?" He asks "We could leave for the Vale now"
"No", I reply without further explanation.
"You need me and I need you", he says as gods to stroke my cheek but I catch his wrist in a death grip. I am not one of his whores to be abused anymore.
"Do not mistake my gratitude for forgiveness, you betrayed me and this is your redemption"
If only he could be redeemed. He wisely lowers his hand and steps away slightly.
"My apologies, my Lady, I am truly sorry", he apologises again but my mind is made up.
"We will discuss this after the battle", I say stiffly and I turn my head back to the soldiers getting into formation.
He looks over in the distance to Sansa "She has become a lovely young woman hasn't she"
My head snaps towards him and my protective instincts consume me. The need to protect Sansa. If I wasn't here, if I had died at that wedding it would have been Sansa Littlefinger married off to Ramsay.
"Yes she has, and you would be wise to remember she is your niece by law"
"You are as well, but that never stopped you", he remarks.
"If this battle is lost take Sansa will he returned to Riverrun to my uncle Edmure" I instruct hostily "You are not her guardian and you will not be her lover either"
"Of course not", he says "You are the only woman I love"
I still need his men but if he thinks he can manipulate me now he is wrong.
"Ready your men", I order as I walk away and fight the urge to assault him. When this is over he will be executed.
Sansa stands with Lord Royce, I loaned her the dagger Jaime gifted me. She may need it if we lose this battle.
Jon stands with his men near the front lines and I stand beside him as we wait for Ramsay to appear.
"You should be with Sansa", Jon says then he does a double take as he sees my armour and the sword at my hip "Ray-"
"I am going to fight Jon, I may be a woman but that doesn't mean I have to wait on the sidelines while men fight for me", I say remembering little Lyanna Mormont. She is so young and so fierce. Surely I can be half as fierce as she is.
"Are you sure you can handle it?" He asks. Jon and I have sparred almost every day since I found him. He knows I can handle myself but he just doesn't want to see me hurt.
"Three of the best fighters in the seven kingdoms taught me to fight", I smile "You, Robb and Jaime"
"Just don't die on me alright" he asks squeezing my hand "I need you by my side"
The Blackfish approaches me. "What are you doing on the front lines?" he asks as he looks at me up and down, seeing the armour I wear.
"Fighting", I answer.
"Good", he replies with a proud smile "Robb always fought, he didn't stand back and send men to die while he hid, he fought with them"
"I want to follow in Robbs steps, continue his legacy"
"And you are, just survive this battle and then you can take the North as your own"
He returns to his men and Jon remains by my side. "Robb would be proud"
As I look up to the sky I know Robb is with me today. He won every battle and now I shall win this one.
My men stand behind me waiting for my command as Ramsay appears.
"Wait for him to attack us", I remind Jon but as soon as he sends Rickon running I turn to Jon to see him taking off on horseback towards Rickon but as he approaches I know it's too late. As soon as Ramsay got his hands on my little brother it was too late.
I watch in horror as an arrow goes right through his frail body. My little brother who I haven't seen in years is dead. He was just a little bit older than six last I saw him. Now he lies dead on the battlefield
Ramsay did this to lure Jon out. To make him abandon his battle plans. The plan to wait for Ramsay to charge first.
My brother now stands alone.
"Go, follow your commander", Davos orders and our cavalry charge forward.
I watch on anxiously, keeping my eye on Jon as best as I can but soon he disappears from my gaze and is lost in the swarm of men.
"My lady, do you give permission to send out the rest of the men?" Davos asks.
"Ramsay wants us to divert from the plan, we are not sending more men to slaughter when he still has half of his waiting, we stay with the plan"
He opens his mouth to argue but the Blackfish cuts him off "Listen to Lady Stark, that sadistic bastard is firing arrows onto his own men, no point sending more of ours out, we need to wait him out, wait for him to send more of his men in"
"My Lady, with respect I tell you that we are doing nothing sitting back here", Davos still argues.
"Not yet", I order "We wait for him to send his men out, he is an overconfident impatient man and if we wait he will charge with the rest of his men and then we can take them out with the bulk of our forces"
Ramsay is waiting for me to send out the men.
He has the strategical position not us.
Now it's time for him to take the bait and he does. Soon enough he sends more men out. Now it's time.
"Davos lead your men", I order and the smaller force charges into battle, just as I predicted Ramsay sends the bulk of his men in, he is trying to surround us. He expected me to send all of my men in so he could put them to the slaughter, now the cards have been reversed.
"Now", I order the remaining Northmen, Tully's and Knights of the Vale as I mount my horse "Attack the men with the shields"
As I ride into the battle Ramsay's men begin to surround the soldiers in shield wall. My men begin breaking their attack strategy but I head straight into the battle. I seek out Jon and find him being overwhelmed by Ramsay's men.
"Jon", I call and he sees me riding towards him. I dismount my horse and I run towards my brother, drawing my sword.
With a simple motion I cut down the man about to stab Jon from behind.
"Rayna", he gasps covered in blood "Run, get out of here"
"No"
Jon and I raise our swords and we fight.
Arrows rain down from the sky and the sound of thousands of swords clashing rings through the air.
In the midst of battle we are prevailing, most of Ramsay's men are dead but the phalanx is reforming their barricade around us and enclosing us. If they trap us in that we are fucked. My men are still fighting them and the Bolton's numbers are falling quickly but not fast enough.
My leg is ripped out from under me by a Bolton soldier and I'm thrown onto my back and disarmed.
"Lady Bolton", he grins with a bloody smile and in my horror I realise that he isn't going to kill me. Several Bolton men grab me and begin dragging me towards where the shield wall is reforming, away from the battle and back to Ramsay, but I remember Ramsay's threats to me and I won't be given to him until they have their way with me first.
"Jon, Jon", I scream but I can't see him and he can't hear me. I fight tooth and nail against the soldiers as they drag me through the piles of bodies, as I scream for my men but my screams are drowned out by the cries of battle.
They pull me towards the shield wall, towards where no one can help me if I'm taken behind it and then a war horn sounds in the distance.
Everyone pauses momentarily as Lannister flags peak over the horizon.
Jaime.
The soldiers ride straight towards the shield wall and break through from behind. I break free from the men restraining me and begin to run but the Bolton's grab me by my arms and legs and begin pulling me away through the gap in the wall, away from the battle. The sound of a sword unsheathing rings through the air and I hit the ground
"Rayna", he calls and I see a hand extended towards me.
"Jaime", I breath as my vision readjusts. I take his hand and I'm hauled to my feet.
The remaining Bolton men draw their swords to fight but I grab the dead bastards sword and in my fury I cut them down.
When I'm done I stand there shaking and an arm wraps around my waist.
"Jaime", I tremble.
"Come on", he says pulling me away from the battle which is over once the Lannister's crush the the shield wall that encloses my remaining men.
I don't know how long he's been speaking for before I can finally hear him through the ringing in my ears "It's over"
He turns me to look at him and I meet his eyes which are wide with concern as he quickly checks me over, to make sure I'm not seriously hurt.
"You came", I breath in disbelief as I struggle to steady my breath.
"The things I do for love", he says as his lips collide with mine. My arms wrap around him and when our lips part I bury my head in his shoulder, holding him close to me and taking a moment to steady my breath knowing that I am safe. Knowing he would never let anyone hurt me, not while I am in his arms.
I look up and see Ramsay riding back to Winterfell with Jon, Tormund and the giant chasing after him.
"It's not over yet", I say and he sees where I am looking.
We mount his horse and take off towards Winterfell. I look to my army which is victorious. We began with around 5000 men and most of them are still standing. They are killing the few remaining Bolton men.
I formed the battle plan around avoiding casualties knowing I would need the men alive afterwards and that's what I did. Ramsay was the fool in firing on his own men hoping he could pick mine off. If I didn't order the men to attack the phalanx they would have succeeded in enclosing us and they would have won.
We won the battle.
I hold on tight to Jaime from behind as we ride towards Winterfell, I expect a siege but the giant bashes in the gate and Jon enters.
We ride inside just in time to see Jon punching Ramsay over and over.
He stops as soon as he sees me. He holds Ramsay up against the wall and the bastard smirks at me.
"Ah my lovely wife", he smirks "I've missEd visiting you at night"
Jaime steps forward and backhands him hard across the face with his golden hand and out of the corner of my eye I see Littlefinger who's just arrived flinch.
"I got your letter", Jaime spits and his self control to not beat him to death and finish what Jon began surprises me.
Sansa stands beside me and returns my dagger which I then press against the bastards throat.
"You loved to threaten me with this do you remember?" I ask him as blood begins to trickle down his throat.
"Of course", his mouth opens in a blood grin.
"You once said I was a violent woman and you are right, I am", I smile as I press it harder against his throat watching him squirm. Then I pull it away. He will not have a quick death. He will suffer for what he did to Theon and I, and all those he killed.
"Take Ramsay Snow to the dungeon where he will await his execution", I order my men.
"Gladly Lady Stark", one replies.
"I'm a Bolton", Ramsay shouts as he is dragged away.
Jon turns to me and pulls my into his arms.
"You're alright thank the gods, I thought I'd lost you", he says as he holds onto me tightly, he withdraws as he sees Jaime standing behind me.
"Thank you for releasing the Tully's from their siege and for coming to our aid", Jon says awkwardly as he greets my lover.
"Anything for your sister", Jaime replies with an upturned lip.
Bronn steps forward and puts a hand on Jaimes shoulder.
"That was quite a battle, a real battle", he grins and he looks at me and points to Jaime "This cunt here is a Lord now"
"Lord?" I ask realising what that means.
"Sort of", Jaime replies "I'll explain everything later"
I turn to everyone looking at me, to the soldiers pouring through the gates.
I've taken back my home now it is time to declare our victory. I stand on a crate nearby and address everyone.
"As Rayna Stark, Lady Of Winterfell I hereby declare that this castle belongs to the Starks, now and forever"
Applause breaks out and a smile spreads across my face. "Tonight I ask the Lords to join me in the great hall and tomorrow there shall be a feast to celebrate our victory, for this is a victory for the entire North"
I look to the wildlings, to the Tully's, to the knights of the vale, to the Lannister soldiers and to the Northmen.
"Today will go down in history, today men from four of the seven kingdoms fought together as well as men from north of the wall, and we emerged victorious"
Men raise their swords and cheer however I cannot ignore the discomfort that fact brings many who stand before me but we did it. We were united. For today at least. I expect many of the Lords will express their disapproval later at fighting alongside Lannister's.
"Everyone, go rest for it is well deserved and be assured that as long as a Stark holds Winterfell the North shall be free"
I step down from the crate and Sansa, Jon and Jaime are all beaming at me.
"Robb would be proud of you", Jaime says pressing a light kiss on my forehead.
"Not here", I say stiffly as I pull away "Too many people that could be watching"
"Rayna we don't need to hide anymore", he reminds me "This is your home"
I smile politely at him but my worries aren't soothed, the Lady Of Winterfell and a Lannister, the Northerners will be outraged. "Jaime, sort out your men and come to see me in private"
"As you wish Lady Stark", he says looking taken aback by my stiffness towards him. We have much we still need to discuss.
He walks out of the broken gate to give his men orders.
"We did it", Jon grins wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"I'll have one of the ladies draw a bath for you, you are drenched in blood", Sansa says as she heads inside.
"The Lords will have to make a decision", Jon says quietly once we are out of earshot.
"They will", I agree "Tonight they will make their choice"
"I don't want any crown, I didn't even want to be Lord Commander, you deserve Winterfell"
"Thank you Jon", I say but my mind is elsewhere.
"What will you do with Ramsay?"
"He will die but not before he suffers greatly for what he has done"