LION AMONG WOLVES
— 53. Battle of the Bastards
The following morning, Annalys stood toward frontlines with Ser Davos and their army standing behind them. She looked ahead to see Ramsay's forces nearly twice the size of hers. Her scabbard was attached to the belt she had around her pants. She wore armor on the top part of her body, but not the lower part. Lady's Wrath was in its sheath while her quiver full of arrows was attached to her built. She sat on her horse, gripping onto her bow. She had learned during the War of the Five Kings how to shoot arrows from horseback and she had become great at it without a doubt.
Jon rode past most of the army and toward the front. Annalys wanted to ride next to him and most wanted her to since she was technically more of their leader than Jon, but of course, Jon insisted she didn't, which annoyed Annalys more than anything.
She just couldn't wait for when the Vale arrived and she could tell him she told him so alongside Sansa. She just hoped she would live long enough to do so.
In the distance, Annalys could the Bolton's sigil brought to life with actual flayed set on fire on X-shaped pieces of wood. Ramsay was a monster, indeed.
Soon enough, Ramsay rode forward on his horse, holding onto a piece of rope. She turned her head, only to see that Rickon was attached to the rope. Her eyes widened at the boy's state. She looked much older than the last time she had seen him alongside Rickon. That had been nearly six years before in Winterfell. It was the last time she saw Bran, too.
Finally, when she reached the front of his army, Ramsay got off his horse, a small smirk on his face. He began to walk forward, pulling Rickon along with him.
Annalys shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what was going to happen next. Soon enough, Ramsay finally stopped walking and looked directly at Jon. He lifted up his blade for Annalys and Jon's army to see. She became alarmed as Jon quickly jumped off his horse, walking in the direction of Rickon before stopping when he watched Ramsay use the blade to cut Rickon's ropes.
He began to speak to Rickon, just before he let him go, much to Annalys' shock. Just then, Annalys' eyes widened in alarm, watching as Ramsay was handed a bow. He was going to shoot Rickon as the boy ran toward Jon in hopes of surviving.
Jon quickly ran back to his horse, climbing on before he began to ride in Rickon's direction as fast as he could. Annalys attempted to ride forward on her horse, only to be stopped as Ser Davos spoke up, "Don't," He demanded, causing Annalys to hesitantly stop.
She watched in horror as Ramsay shot an arrow into the air, missing Rickon by only a few inches. Jon rode as fast as he could, holding his hand out for Rickon to take when the time came. Once again, Ramsay notched an arrow, the sharp object landing just in front of Rickon.
As he continued to miss, Annalys couldn't help but feel as though Ramsay was doing it on purpose. Just as Rickon was about to reach Jon, an arrow went right through his heart, causing Annalys to loudly gasp as his tears began to fill her eyes.
Sansa was right. Rickon had no chance of surviving, but that didn't make it any better. Jon's horse quickly came to a stop as he stared down at Rickon's dead body.
With a single tear falling down her cheek, Annalys exchanged a look with both Tormund and Davos. All three of them had a feeling that Jon was going to do something stupid and reckless after the death of his brother.
"Don't, Jon," She muttered under her breath, "Don't do it, you fucking idiot."
Annalys sighed in defeat, knowing that Jon was getting ready to attack. She looked toward her men, riding in a circular motion on her horse, "Prepare to charge!" She shouted out, causing many men to get ready to attack, "Prepare to charge!"
Annalys watched as Ramsay's archers lifted up their bows, beginning to shoot their arrows, arrows that only had a chance of hitting Jon.
Annalys became annoyed as Jon rode forward on his horse all by himself, in the direction of the Bolton army, "Go, go! Follow him!" She shouted out, exchanging a look with Tormund before looking back at the men beginning to ride toward the Bolton army on their horses.
"Run and fight!" She could hear Tormund yell to the Wildlings while she stayed in place.
Jon had forced her to stay put, which Annalys found amusing that he actually believed her when she said she would obey him. She was simply waiting for the right moment to fight.
The Wildlings ran forward, Wun Wun in the front of the crowd. Her men continued to run forward while the Boltons stayed put. The Bolton's archers lifted up their bows, shooting up into the air. The arrows went through the air in a curving motion before heading downwards. Numerous arrows shot into Jon's horse, causing the horse to fall while Jon flew forward. He dropped to the ground, causing Annalys to become concerned. She wanted to ride forward, but she knew she couldn't.
Just then, as Jon finally stood back up, Ramsay's army began to ride forward, in the direction of him and the army riding toward them in the other direction as well.
"Take out your sword, idiot," Annalys muttered under her breath as she continued to watch Jon just stand there.
Finally, after a moment, Jon unsheathed Longclaw, ready to fight. The men on their horses ended up riding right past them, colliding with the other army.
"Nock!" She heard one of her men shout out to the archers, telling them to prepare to shoot, "Draw!"
"Don't," Annalys demanded, causing the men to turn to her, "We'll just end up killing our own men. Stand down."
Annalys watched as the Bolton's archers shot their arrows, which found their ways into men from both sides.
Annalys shut her eyes for a moment, not being able to take seeing her men die the way they were. Annalys rode forward on her horse as fast as they could, knowing she couldn't take it any longer. She wasn't her grandfather. She wasn't a commander who stood on the sidelines while her men fought on their own.
No, she was the type of commander who fought alongside her men. A true leader. She recalled the days when she and Robb fought together alongside their men, winning each and every battle they took part in.
Was she still that type of leader? She didn't know, but that didn't stop her.
Ser Davos yelled after her as he watched her horse become further away from him and closer to the battle.
As she entered the battle, Annalys lifted up her bow. She remained balance on the horse as she notched an arrow before releasing the arrow. The arrow found itself into a man's throat, causing him to fall off his horse.
She saw Tormund struggling to fight one of the Bolton solidiers, but before he could get stabbed, an arrow found itself into the man's chest. Tormund turned his head in shock, only to see that it was Annalys.
Annalys continued to shoot men with her bow as she rode around for several minutes, but Ramsay, who had witnessed what was happing from where he stood with the archers, ordered the men to release their arrows. She was a Great Archer, he could see that, but would she be as great of an warrior when she couldn't ride on horseback?
Soon enough, many of the arrows found their way into Annalys' horse, causing her to yell out as she fell onto the ground. after recovering from her horse, quickly placed her bow on back on her back with her quiver, unsheathing Lady's Wrath instead.
A man rushed toward her, but Annalys swung her sword, the blade slashing him across his chest. He fell onto the ground and Annalys turned in enough time to deadlock her sword with another before the man could stab her. With their swords deadlocked, Annalys lifted her leg, kicking the man in the stomach with her boot.
As he fell backward, Annalys stabbed him in the chest with her sword before moving away from him. A man yelled out as he rushed toward her, but Annalys ducked before she could get hit with his sword. She stood back up, slashing him across the neck with Lady's Wrath before he had time to react.
Another man ran toward her, attempting to attack her. She blocked him with her sword before retracting it, stabbing him in the gut before he had time to react.
Two Bolton men rushed toward her as well, but she quickly ducked, dodging their attacks. She used her sword to slash them on the back of their legs, causing them to fall the ground, unable to stand back up.
Annalys glanced around worriedly, finding Jon nowhere in sight, "Jon!" She called out nervously, fearing that he was injured or dead.
As expected, she ended up getting no answer and arrows began to fly down. Annalys crouched down, attempting to avoid the hits.
She stood back up, only to have another man attempt to attack her. She moved to the side, avoiding the hit before she stabbed him in the back. She pulled her sword out of him, using her foot to pull the blade out of the man.
Annalys sheathed Lady's Wrath, pulling out her bow. She knew it would be easier to attack men who were on horseback with a bow.
She notched an arrow, preparing to attack any men that came toward her. A man began to run toward her, but before he could lift his sword, she simply shot him in the chest with an arrow as if it were nothing. Another rushed in her direction. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver before she shot him in the leg, then in the chest seconds later.
Hearing someone coming toward her, Annalys whipped her body around, quickly taking an arrow out of her quiver before pulling the drawstring back. She released the arrow, which ended stabbing the man right in the heart.
One of Bolton men shouted out in anger, lifting up his sword as he ran toward her. Before he could do so, she shot an arrow in his direction, which killed him instantly.
Two men ran toward her at once. She released one of her arrows into one of the man's chest and as the other one ran toward her, she quickly dodged him. She gripped onto her bow with her right hand and as the man swung at her, she ducked before she pulling her hidden dagger out of her boot and stabbed him in the gut.
Annalys placed her dagger back where it formerly was before she prepared her bow. A man on horseback rode toward her, but Annalys lifted up her bow, shooting the man in the shoulder and then in the leg, causing him to fall off his horse.
A man ran past her and Annalys followed him with her eyes, trying to find the right time to shoot. She refused to miss. She never had before. Finally, she took a deep breath, just before releasing her arrow. It found its way into the man's lower back. The man stumbled forward, falling onto the ground.
Another man came rushing toward her at a distance. She shot him once, but he continued to run toward her. He was on the verge of reaching her before she shot him in the stomach.
Almost out of arrows, Annalys placed her bow back with her quiver before she unsheathed Lady's Wrath. One man rushed toward her, but Annalys slashed him on the back before running forward.
Arrows came down once more, causing Annalys to quickly duck on the ground and numerous men yelled out. She stood back up, a man coming her way. Annalys stabbed him with Lady's Wrath, even before he had time to swing at her.
Annalys turned in a circular motion, glancing around. She found numerous men on horseback attacking others, Wildlings attacking Bolton men. It was clear at that moment though, the Boltons were winning. And she had no clue what the hell she was going to do.