The Hunt and the Chase

Chapter 7

A very faint tinking noise awoke Elspeth from her light sleep and it wasn't Ramsay's soft snoring. Late as the hour was she found the faint noise strange. She got out from under the heavy sheets and Ramsay's arm that was carelessly strewn over her naked waist. It was cold, but Elspeth didn't mind she peered curiously out the window. She ached pleasantly still from Ramsay's imperative intimacy. Her room was quite high from the ground almost as if they were in one of the towers, which it very well could have been. The light flicker of torches could be seen on the walls that housed the guards on night duty. She could slightly make out their forms as they made their rounds on the wall.

Elspeth brushed it off that the noises could have come from them. But as she was about to turn away from the glass of the window, a flicker of movement and the glint of armour caught her eye. At first Elspeth hadn't realised it but there were people climbing the walls. It was only when one of the figures pushed one of the Bolton's men against the said stone walls, then moments later he fell to the ground did she realise that they weren't friendly. Even from here the sigil that was presented proudly on their dark armour could easily be seen. In a panic she scrambled over to the bed where Ramsay lay. She shook him desperately awake. She didn't want to die.

"My lord! Ramsay!" she shook his arm in an attempt to wake him. He awoke with a violent start. His eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"What? This had better be important." he seethed dangerously, not at all pleased to be woken.

"There are people climbing over the walls. "Her voice held a note of rushed urgency. This seemed to snap him out of his sleepy stupor. He quickly became excited as not a second later he leaped out of bed and glanced out of the window, there was indeed foreign people where his guards should be. Ramsay hastily pulled his pants on along with his weapons belt that nursed his daggers. They weren't his valerian steel ones. He noticed Elspeth eye his old daggers.

"Far too good for Ironborn filth! And besides these ones are much more blunt." A sickening smile broke across his face. He marched to the door and threw it open.

"Bar the door. Don't let anyone in or I'm sure they would gladly have their way with you." he said smirking cruelly. Once he left the threshold I slammed the door shut and did as he said. All I could do was wait. It would be close up combat, she was only useful with a bow. The risk wasn't worth it, though Ramsay was confident of massacring them. She would not deny him his fun.

...

Ramsay appeared in a ridiculously good mood when he arrived late at breakfast the next morning and to be perfectly honest with herself it scared her somewhat more so than anything. How could someone love killing so much? But she decided to look past it. She had no other choice but to live with it. Or die but that definitely wasn't an option. She should have felt degusted yet she didn't. Ramsay pulled the dark rosewood chair out from the table and sat beside me. Anyone could see the tired look in in Ramsay's eyes though he was still by far too wound up from the early hours of this morning. The shallow cuts on decorated him she knew but they were barely noticeable now.

"Lovely morning!" he exclaimed smugly, glancing with a hint of suppressed gleeful mischievousness at everyone that sat at the table. Reek sniffled fearfully in the corner softly. Ramsay appeared very pleased since he returned to their bedchambers. Walda smiled at her step son and Roose ignored his antics entirely.

"You haven't touched your food." Roose stated in a deathly soft voice, though a mild coldness stained his expression like frostbite. The fact that he said anything was a great surprise to Elspeth. His pale eyes bore into his daughter-in-law. The similarity between Roose and his son's eyes was astonishing, very eerie.

"I was waiting for Ramsay, my lord." Elspeth replied harmoniously, not at all bothered by his intimidating gaze but she was wary of him, with good reason. Though now she had picked up her knife and fork and cut into her food, eggs and pork sausages. Her father always deemed it discourteous to start a meal without everyone present for a meal at the dinner table. Bastard or highborn, it didn't matter.

"How very thoughtful of you, my love." Ramsay said through a mouthful of egg. I noted his ill manners disdainfully and said nothing. He was met with silence.

Ramsay continued to chew his food noisily. The temptation to tell him to shut his damn mouth became stronger to Elspeth. She felt rather nauseas. Her deathly pale fingers shook slightly as she reached for her goblet of wine. It tasted sweet on her tongue. The flavour rather enjoyable, though the aftertaste was as bitter as the cold wind outside. Elspeth was afraid to ask about the intruders. Dead bodies could be seen getting hauled into carts outside her window. Some bodies had even been flayed, they hung precariously from the walls like some sort of prize. Still this did not disturb Elspeth like it should have.

After everyone finished their breakfast Roose left without a single word and Ramsay trailed after him in almost the same fashion. Elspeth was left slightly shocked as she realised that Ramsay hadn't tried anything at the table. She didn't trust this change at all.

"Lady Elspeth would you care to join me for lunch today?" the fat little woman asked timidly. How could I refuse? It was either her or Ramsay. The former was by far a much more appealing choice.

"Of course, my lady! It would be a pleasure." I said almost charmingly. She smiled happily in response. Elspeth would never know how lonely Walda would get in this dreary place which once was filled with light and laughter.

...

Elspeth idly wondered if Walda knew any details about the attempted 'rescue endeavour'. She would soon find out as she made her way to some sort of parlour in what was once the library tower, though it had been restored now. She knocked twice on the heavy wooden door that led inside and entered. The handle felt strangely warm.

Elspeth looked up in awe of how many books she saw. Towers of them. She thought she would swoon for the first time in her life. Her eyes darted around until landing on Lady Bolton's rather large figure and made her way over to her. She caught a glimpse of Roose in a far corner of the library, away from his wife.

This should be interesting, Elspeth's thought before she shortly strayed back to all the books.