Watching Ramsay being lifted by Knight's and taken away was a surreal moment. As someone who was so horrible, so evil and sadistic and virtually unbeatable; he was defeated.
Aris was so used to aimlessly following Ramsay around, it was a struggle to keep her feet planted watching as he was taken away. She shifted her weight and tore her eyes away from Ramsay's body and Sansa rubbed her sisters shoulder in comfort.
As LittleFinger went to turn away he snapped his fingers like he had recalled something. "Ah, which reminds me, Lady Aris." he said turning back to the Stark sisters. "I do believe there is someone anxious to meet you again."
Aris furrowed her eyebrows, "Who, may I ask?"
LittleFinger motioned a hand behind the Stark sisters and both turned following the direction he pointed in. A boy had followed behind Knights coming into Winterfell, he looked around at the mess which Winterfell was. Aris recognised the boy's shaggy brown hair and round cheeks.
The boy kept looking around for a certain person until his eyes landed on Aris across the courtyard. "Aris!" he shouted excited and broke into a sprint. Randyl collided into Aris' arms and cried out, "I missed you so much!"
"Randyl?" a breath escaped Aris and her heart fluttered. She looked up from Sansa to LittleFinger, "Thank you for bringing him back."
"Of course!" replied LittleFinger. "It was the least we could do after he came to us distraught."
Randyl lifted his head from Aris' stomach and gazed up at her with soft blue eyes and she smiled, "I'm so glad you're okay."
Randyl smiled and slipped the bow from around his shoulders, "I looked after it for you." he held out her bow and her mouth dropped surprised. She had forgotten about the bow Gendry made for her. "I practiced with Robyn Arryn and I can shoot arrows now!" he explained excited. "The string broke once because I pulled too hard... put I learnt how to fix it!"
Aris smiled warmly and ran her hands through his hair. "Thats okay. You'll have to show me how you shoot one day." and he nodded with a smile. He had grown taller since she last sent him away.
"I like your home." informed Randyl gazing around the castle.
"It's your home too, now."
The smile fell from Randyl's face and he asked, "Is... is Wyllim here?" he asked softly.
Aris held a hand on his shoulder and assured him, "He's locked away. He can't hurt you, I promise." and she cupped his cold cheek. She could clearly see the trauma Wyllim had caused the poor boy.
"What about the man that hurt you?"
Both Aris and Sansa were taken back by his question. "What man? How do you know?"
"Lord Baelish told me a man was hurting you so that's why we had to come and save you."
Aris looked over her shoulder at LittleFinger who gestured a slight shrug. The boy had to know the truth of the situation.
She looked back at Randyl and said, "He..." and she found herself short of breath. "He can't hurt me anymore... because you so bravely came to save me." and Randyl embraced his arms around Aris' torso again.
Sansa smiled at the two, thinking how great a mother Aris would be. It was like looking at their own mother again. The way she smiled warmly at Randyl.
➵
Jon oversaw that all Bolton banners and shields were thrown into a pile against a wall ready to be burnt and discarded and were replaced with Stark banners. They had finally retaken back their home and The North was once again theirs.
Everything had settled. It was relaxed and quiet in Winterfell while the men settled and recovered from the fight.
He'd washed of all the blood from his face and hair and changed into spare clothes kept by his father. Jon sighed deeply before taking in a cold breath. He reminisced for a moment in the courtyard, he hadn't been home since he left for The Nights Watch. A lot had changed, and then again most of it was still the same.
"Jon!" he heard his name being called and turned.
The moment Aris spotted Jon, she flew to her feet and embraced him tightly. Jon closed his eyes savouring the moment, he hadn't seen his sister since she left for Kings Landing. And since then they hadn't a proper reunion.
"I'm glad you're alright." he said in her ear.
"No thanks to you."
Jon held Aris at arms length and smiled overjoyed to see her again. "You mostly have Sansa to thank." he gestured his head to Sansa who stood beside them and he noticed a boy with them too. "Who's this, then?"
"Randyl Rivers." introduced the boy.
"You're the boy Sansa told me about?" said Jon and Randyl nodded. "You're very brave for looking after my sister. Sansa told me all the stories you told about the Blackfish Bandits."
"Yeah..." murmured Randyl looking down at his boots. Aris gripped his shoulder in comfort with a soft smile.
It was then Tormund and others dragged out Wyllim who struggled against the Wildlings with his hands bound behind his back. Seeing how Tormund matched Wyllim's physique and strength he was able to fight back.
"Keep still you fucker!" swore Tormund and landed a heavy punch to Wyllim's face and he nearly stumbled. Tormund and the others hoisted him to his feet and kept pushing him along.
"Where do you want him?" Tormund asked Jon and Jon motioned to the make shift gallows they made and Tormund looked at the hanging noose confused. His people never used something like that.
Wyllim lifted his head, a trail of tried blood trailed form his nose where Aris elbowed him and a fresh bruise began to form where Tormund struck him. The two arrows had been broken leaving the heads stuck inside his arm and back. "Oh." chuckled Wyllim. "I see you made it alive after all, Randyl." said Wyllim eyeing the boy.
Randyl stepped to hide behind Aris. "Leave him be, you've done enough."
Tormund pushed Wyllim towards the hanging rope. "Is Lord Ramsay still alive?"
"We have no obligation to tell you anything." spat Jon.
"You think you're the new Warden of The North and Lord of Winterfell, bastard, you're wrong. You're still just a bastard. House Stark is dead."
Jon opened his mouth to speak and decided against it. He had no more energy left to argue so Jon placed the noose over Wyllim's head and tightened it around his neck and forced him up onto a bucket.
Aris looked down at Randyl who hide behind her cloak and said, "You don't have to watch, Randyl."
"But, I want to." he argued with a crack in his voice. "He killed Jelissa and Codyn..." and he looked to the ground.
Aris sighed heavily, there was no point arguing. Bran was made to watch their father execute a man at a younger age.
"Do you have any last words?" asked Jon as he stepped back.
Wyllim sighed, "There was a time where I did love you, Aris." he confessed.
"And yet you still betrayed me and your friends."
"I did. And for what it's worth... I'm sorry."
They're eyes met for a moment and still Aris felt nothing but hate for him. "Apology unaccepted."
Jon took the silence as a cue and came forward and kicked the bucket out from under Wyllim's feet and he dropped.
The rope around his neck strangled him. Wyllim gasped for air and kicked his feet helplessly as his face turned blue and slowly he stopped struggling. His eyes bulged with his mouth agape and his body went rigid.
Aris looked at Randyl and the boy sighed heavily. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close and turned him away from Wyllim's hanging body.
Men who carried a wooden gurney with Rickon's body stopped by Jon, Sansa and Aris. They looked down at their poor brother's body riddled with arrow holes.
"We're going to bury my brother in the Crypts, next to my father." ordered Jon and they carried Rickon's body away.
Randyl was free of the haunting memory of Wyllim; but not Aris, she was almost free of the Boltons, but not quiet yet. Ramsay still breathed.