"ARE you cold, Lady Sansa?" Diana softly asked the redhead on horseback. Said girl's body had went rigid as the group awaited for Ramsay's party to arrive for a parley, clearly affected by his expected presence.
Jon Snow had decided, they would attack Winterfell the very next day.
"No, I'm alright." Sansa monotonously replied.
Diana sighed in worry for the younger girl, even though she didn't tell her much of the man they were about to meet, she concluded that he was abusive towards his bride, prompting her to run away. So it can only be difficult for her to face that man again.
It was bright early morning, the weather was strangely warm, comforting even. But Ramsay Bolton and his party's ride towards them certainly was not. They rode across the hills overlooking Winterfell.
The resigned Lord command looked over to his sister in concern. "You don't have to be here." He claimed, frankly he didn't want Sansa nor Diana anywhere near the psychopath who'd approached them.
Jon knew this parley would determine whether or not he would find Rickon, be it dead or alive. He she out the heavy thoughts of little Rickon's body lying dead in the streets.
"Yes, I do" The Tully blue eyed girl answered in a manner of fact.
The Amazon flinched at the flag one of the Bolton soldiers held up, an image of a flayed man, turned upside down, ominously hung on it.
The man who proudly mounted on horseback stood in the center of his men was Ramsay, Diana gathered. A sickeningly sweet smile appeared on his face. "My beloved wife, I've missed you terribly." He spoke to Sansa and only received a scowl in response. He ignored their displeased faces and continued to speak with false niceties, aiming to rattle the Starks and their supporters.
"Thank you for returning Lady Bolton safely. Now, at this mountain kneel before me, surrender your army and proclaim me the true Lord of Winterfell and warden of the North" He exclaimed, looking at Jon and the Northern Lords supporting his cause behind him.
"I will pardon you for deserting the Night's Watch, I will pardon these treasonous lords for betraying my house." It was evident to Diana, whose horse stood beside Lyanna Mormont's, that the little girl's glare towards the smirking Bastard was sharper than any sword.
Roose Bolton's bastard let go of his false smile, taking in his enemies' unchanging expressions. "Come, Bastard, you don't have the men, you don't have the horses and you don't have Winterfell. Why lead those poor souls into slaughter?" His final question made Diana silently agree with him, but per the stories she's been told, she believed that this man was not to be trusted.
Ramsay gestured with his hands to Jon, instructing him to bend the knee. "Get off your horse and kneel. I'm a man of mercy."
The dark haired woman didn't need to use her lasso to know if he was lying, his lips formed a mischievous grin and his eyes couldn't hide the melancholy behind them, they danced with every intention of flaying each and everyone of them alive.
Jon finally broke the tense silence, but in no way thinking of surrender. Jon saw through his act, this man was not a man of his words.
"You're right, there's no need for a battle. Thousands of men don't need to die, only one of us." A look of question was on Ramsay's face.
"Let's end this the old way, you against me." The black haired man continued, he knew that the legitimized bastard would never in a million years agree to his suggestion, all he wanted was to make him angry. Diana glanced at Jon then to the pausing Lord Bolton, there was a long history of man-to-man combat to settle differences, it was frankly the only way to avoid bloodshed, and she appreciated it.
Chuckling amusedly, Ramsay spoken. "I keep hearing stories about you, Bastard." For a bastard himself, he sure tossed that word around. "The way people in the North talk about you, that you're the greatest swordman who ever walked!" He began, his claiming words making the Amazon admire Jon even more at the new information. Although, his statement was factually incorrect.
"Maybe you are that good, maybe not. I don't know if I'd beat you, but I know that my army will beat yours. I have six thousand man and you have, what, half that? Not even? I would gladly sacrifice all their lives so long they bring me your head."
Having had enough of this man's unnecessary cruelty, she spoke up in a barely audible voice, still in place as she clung to the saddle's stem trying to calm down. "If we go to war, people will die on both sides. They will all die."
Having heard the soft pitched, accented voice; not quite seeing the source as her figure was hidden behind the wildling ginger, Ramsay almost chuckled at the simple mindedness of that sentence. "Yes, that's what soldiers do. They need to protect their liege lord. Do you understand?"
The air of nonchalance he held when answering bothered Diana even further, she hastily rode past Sansa and Jon and stopped in front of them, ignoring the looks of protest they sent her way. She gritted her teeth, and her fists clenched.
"No, I do not understand!" She yelled out, disdain to the man who stood in front of her obvious as daylight.
"You would knowingly sacrifice all those lives? As if they mean less than yours?! As if they mean nothing?!" Yelled out the dark haired beauty. She heeded no mind to the Snow calling out her name, rage fueling her entire existence.
"Diana, stop."
Realizing that the savage, Ramsay, wasn't angered by the woman shouting at him, but instead held a bemused smirk as he gazed at her, Jon hurried to the princess' side to try and get her away from the crazy bastard; who stood a few feet away, as soon as possible.
Diana simply yanked her arm away from Jon's hand. She was truly repulsed by Ramsay at the moment. Clearly, his soul was corrupted beyond saving.
"Where I come from, leaders don't hide in their castles like cowards. They fight alongside their soldiers. They die with them on the battlefield." Even more provoked that her words didn't affect Lord Bolton, seemingly amusing him, Diana breathed out a frustrated huff.
Jon had enough with the taller woman, exchanging looks with his sister. He knew that her words would not persuade a man like Ramsay. "Diana, that's enough!"
"You should be ashamed! You should be ashamed." With a shake of her head, she hissed through clenched teeth. Displaying her disapproval before riding to background once more.
Seeing the tall tanned beauty ride away from him in displeasure, the legitimized Snow chuckled from amusement.
She was wild, obviously not fearing him. The sudden realization hitting him that he wanted her. He wanted to own her, to tame her, and his body grew tense at the thought.
Sansa resisted a shudder when she saw her husband's gaze on Diana.
"She's good, she's very good. Feisty little thing." He said, and pointed his index finger at the frowning woman, grin growing more sadistic.
His malicious eyes sparkled like a child's would upon seeing a brand new toy, her attitude needed some breaking in, he thought.
Tearing his gaze off of Diana, Ramsay looked to Winterfell's bastard who glared daggers at him. "Tell me, will you let your little brother die because you're too proud to surrender?"
"How do we know you have him?" Sansa asked, speaking for the first time since her husband's announced his presence.
The Bolton looked to his side and nodded to Smalljon Umber, gesturing for him to show their proof. Browsing through the satchel that hung from his horse, the bearded Lord Umber pulled out something and threw it at the horses' feet.
On the ground was the decapitated head of a direwolf, presumably Rickon's. The master of torture bathed in their glares of detest, gaining immense pleasure from them. This was his way to display his power over them mentally and physically.
"Now-" He began to speak, only to be interrupted by Sansa's unnerved voice.
"You're going to die tomorrow, lord Bolton." Only Diana could spot the mild twitch of Ramsay's left eye, she gathered that he was angered by her composed and sure manner of speaking. "Sleep well." The redheaded Stark stated before steering her horse around and riding away. The Amazon spotted her trembling form afar and followed suit after her.
After Sansa and Diana were out of sight, Ramsay smirked. "She's a fine woman, my wife. I look forward to having her back in my bed." He said to the lady's brother, in hopes of provoking him even more. "As for your lovely companion," He trailed, and relished in how Jon clenched his teeth and continued to glare at him at the mention of the foreign beauty. "she will do fine to entertain me when I'm bored with with your sister."
Upon arriving in the temporary camp, Sansa hastily got off her horse, she didn't pay any mind to one of the men who came after her to lead the horse back to the stables. She rushed inside her tent and shut her eyes, her breathing began to pick up; it had become more like huffs rather than drawn out breaths. Her body trembled and it she didn't know if it was from the cold.
The blue eyed lady flinched when she felt something draping over her shoulders, she snapped her lids open to see Diana standing beside her.
"Here. Calm down." The older female spoke, securing her coat on Sansa's shoulders. Gulping the lump in her throat, Sansa spoke. "If Ramsay wins, I'm not going back there alive."
The statement that bore such dark meaning made Diana bite the inside of her cheek. The younger girl clearly was traumatized by the Bolton's treatment, so much so that it made ending her life seem like the better option. Diana wrapped her arm around the redhead, leading her to sit down on a bench a few feet away. "Don't say that, he won't win. I will protect you." She declared as her fingers traced up and down on Sansa's upper arm to calm her.
A stoic expression that held much pain was placed on Sansa's, her eyes were focused on the carpet that covered her floor. "No one can protect me. No can protect anyone." Diana smiled sympathetically to the lady, she knew that she's been through a lot, but she needed to try and believe that things could get better. "Will you have a little faith?"
Closing her eyes and remembering her naive self that prayed to the heart tree every day in hopes of becoming queen and living in the capital, Sansa almost scoffed. She prayed for her father's life to be spared, she prayed that Robb would come and save her from Joffery, yet nothing happened. "I've lost my faith in the gods"
Diana blinked a few times, she didn't imagine life without faith, a bleak hopless world with nothing to believe in.
It was all the Night King's fault.
"Have faith in me then." She spoke so surely that made Sansa turn to her in question.
The Princess smiled, raised her hands to place on Sansa's cheeks. The latter felt strangely comforted by the former's warm hands and rested her face subtly on her palms. "I promise you that we will win this war. And I promise that I will do my utmost effort to save your brother. I swear it by the Old gods and the New"
"Are you planning on fighting?"
"I do."
Pleased was Diana when she saw that Sansa no longer masked her emotions. Her eyes watered, her lips pursed, Sansa turned away Diana, separating from her touch.
"Why are you helping us?" She asked, her inquiry caused the Amazon to raise her eyebrows. "Honestly, why are you here? You say that your duty is to kill the Night King but here you are, South of the wall, helping us. Why?" No one can blame the Stark girl for her trust issues. Diana's presence, helping them in recruiting for their army, even comforting her, it seemed impossible for someone to do that much without a hidden agenda.
A smile rose to the corners of the raven haired lips. "Because when you see something wrong happening in the world, you can either do nothing or do something." She'd always heard stories of how the Night King acted in the shadows, poisoning people's hearts, making them do horrible things, she's wanted to act and rid this world of him, but was held back. "And I've done nothing for all my life."
Her answer seemed to be the right one making Sansa return the smile; a genuine one. Everything fell into silence, comfortable for both.
"I've got to admit, it was rather brave of you to stand up to Ramsay like that" Then, Sansa softly giggled.
The fingers of the princess tapped on her knees, she released a deep sigh. "He deserves all that's coming to him." She said.
Diana's words seeped into the young lady's ears, Sansa knowing full well he would suffer at their hands. "Winter is coming." She declared, her house words almost making her smile.
Not understanding Sansa's exclamation, Themiscyra's royalty furrowed her brows in confusion. "With all this snow I'm surprised that you can't recognize that winter is already here" Her sentence and incredulous way of saying it made the redhead release a laugh in response.
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I ask you, Heleos, to bless our troops so we may end this war with the least the casualties on both sides.
I pray to you, Ares, to give us all courage in these days of srife and turmoil.
A lit fireplace kept Diana's quarters warm, with it's sparks and wood creaking under the fiercely blazing arms of the fire. She silently stood, observing the embers of the flames and contemplating tomorrow's upcoming events.
"We missed you at the war council, Princess Diana." The gravelly voice of Jon Snow awoke her from her daydreaming. Taking a breath, she turned her entire body to face the Bastard.
Diana released a smile before she corrected the man before her. "I'm not a princess, not here anyway." With a nod and a tight lipped smile, Jon Snow accepted her humble indication.
"I was praying." She continued.
At the moment, Jon could use a distraction from the talk he'd had with his sister. He, too believed that their numbers weren't enough but what could he have done. Waiting around like Stannis did and end up with dwindling numbers and dying horses certainly wasn't an option.
"What did you pray for?" He asked.
To say that the Amazon was pleased that Jon had an interest in her ramble of the gods would've been an understatement. She willed her lips to stretch wider for her grin as she answered his question. "I prayed to Heleos to have mercy on us all, and to Ares for his protection and valor in tomorrow's battle."
Her words seemed to only succeed in confusing the Commander of the army, she could tell from the quizzical look he held. "The Mother and the Warrior, Jon." She clarified in a chime.
The shorter man felt a bit flustered at her amused giggle, he looked to the carpeted floors before muttering a quiet 'oh'.
Both sat down side by side, enjoying the warmth the fireplace provided them. The raven haired sat there elegantly, grateful for the man's company. In that lapse of time, Jon watched each of her movements, how her rosy lips lifted, almost sinking into the softness and grace of them. He knew that only a princess or a queen could carry those actions. His first love, Ygritte, was the opposite of her, he thought, still watching Diana's soft features. There was not a single physical resemblance between the two, but they both maintained confident and headstrong personalities that he blindly admired.
The woman who'd brought him from the dead certainly intrigued him.
Abruptly, he came to from his thoughts and began to speak, his voice empty. "Speaking of the gods, if I do-" He began shakily, catching Diana's full attention.
"If I fall, don't bring me back." His dark brooding look made the female frown.
"It wasn't me who brought you back, it was the gods. I just asked for their favor, and they respond as they will." She truthfully declared, entwining her fingers in thought. It was true, she had no power. It was the Seven's will for him to live on.
Giving an understanding nod, the grey eyed man said, pushing his wishes. "Then don't do it again."
Diana's head shook in disagreement of what Jon had just said, nor she or he had a choice. If the Seven brought him back then that meant he had a purpose to serve, perhaps even help prevent the Long Night from happening with her help. "I'll have to try." She voiced out determinedly.
"I'm ordering you not to bring me back." Jon Snow said as sternly as he could, in an attempt to convince the stubborn woman.
Raising a questioning brow, Diana resisted the urge to grin. "I'm a princess, you can't command me, Jon Snow."
Jon's lips raised into a bemused smirk, even in this situation he managed to find some comfort in her presence. "I thought you said you weren't a princess here."
Diana giggled.
After a short pause, Diana spoke. "Each one of us has a destiny written in this world by the gods, whether it's good or bad it's not known. But do you truly want to have been the man who was resurrected only to die again in tomorrow's battle?"
No, he didn't.
The shorter male appreciated Diana's words of wisdom, he lightly smiled to himself. His conversations with her brought his mind and heart at ease, it seems.
There was a momentary silence; a comfortable one
"Afterwards, will you take me to the Night King?" The princess did not want to seem hasty with her request, she knew he had a lot in mind, but with his talk of wanting to remain for death after tomorrow's battle concerned her. He made a promise to her.
"I appreciate your optimism, Diana. But how do you there's an afterwards? From what he's said earlier, he's coming at us full tilt." Jon said, chucking. His question was rhetorical but Diana answered it nonetheless.
"Because you have me."
Both of the Snow's eyebrows raised in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"Us, Amazons, we've been perfecting mastery of every weapon in existence for thousands of years. I was worried that with only me, we'd face trouble with Ramsay's forces, but luckily we gathered enough men to make a difference."
In contrary to Diana's thoughts, her statement didn't comfort the man, it seemed to distress him, even.
With a nod of his head, Jon gathered his remaining confidence to clarify his point. "You're not fighting with us, Diana."
Her face looked exalted and somewhat confused. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I?"
"Because this is my camp, my war and ny decision." He stated, clenching his jaw. "It's too dangerous."
"Too dangerous?" Like a furious wave, impotence rose to Diana's chest and running through her entire body, and she got up to her feet frantically. The warrior princess understood that the man before her is only doing and saying the things that he is because he wanted to protect her. But she did not need protection. She was the one who least needed it in this entire camp. She was an Amazon; the fiercest among them, trained harder than any before her by the very best.
"These men will die if I don't help you!"
Seeing the fury shine in the honey eyes of Diana, Jon maintained his position of disagreement.
His silence and unchanged stance bothered the princess to no end and she released a frustrated huff.
"So what? So you expect me to do nothing?"
He simply couldn't take her, the soldiers at times of war were ruthless. When a man's blood was up in battle, any woman to them looks good, a beautiful thing like Diana would look very very good.
Even if she claimed to know how to fight, the Snow simply couldn't live with himself if someone else he cared for would die before his eyes.
"He has way too many men, Diana! I fear for your safety. I can't let you do this." Jon argued, his eyes looking pleadingly to hers.
With an incredulous shake of her head, Diana began to walk away, making sure he heard her last words loud and clear.
"What I do is not up to you."