House of the wolf

After everybody gathered together in the dark we had the unicorn riders in front because they could see better and took better paths for the men to follow in the dark.

On our silent march in the night we came across a cabin I decided to capture the residents and get some updates on the current situation around the Dreadfort. The residents are a family of five a husband and wife and two boys one girl, the father is unwilling to give information as he is both loyal and scared of Roose Bolton worried that reprisals will made against his family

"You don´t have to worry about that as he will never know you told us... and you should focus more on who has your family lives in my hands right now. If you speak I swear no harm will come to your family" 

"And why should I believe you? You will just kill us all after and be rid of us" He says defiantly 

"Now listen I show him the wierwood bow like it is proof of my identity, I am Edwyn Stark I know it is hard to take a man for his words nowadays but I would like to think the word of our house still holds sway" 

"Edwyn Stark how is that possible? You're supposed to be dead" Thankfully he seems to be not so bright and he falls for it even though it's true. Maybe one day I can cut off my legs at the knees and pretend to be Tyrion Lannister as a career.

After a lot of convincing, I get some updates on what´s going on neither Roose Bolton nor his bastard Ramsey are at the Dreadfort, Roose Bolton is Declaring himself the Warden of the North, and Ramsey sieged Winterfell but failed "The Red Ladies" and "Little Lord Bran" with the dire wolves are holding fast while keeping their hostage Jamie Lannister.

But now Ramsey is now claiming to have a right to Winterfell now that King Robb is dead, through marriage with my sister Arya. When I heard him say this I had to do everything in my power not to rip his tongue out even though I knew he was just telling me what he heard and had nothing to do with it.

And Roose forces are said to be coming back from the aftermath of the red wedding they will most likely meet at Moat Catlin.

I close my eyes tightly tears threatening to fall out feeling pain and guilt, so Robb was killed after all... I must find out what happened at this "Red Wedding" there will be a reckoning for this. But first I need to secure the position of my family and then our lands. 

"The Red Ladies" must be referring to my mother Catelyn and sister Sansa for their red hair and Brandon's new nickname the little lord, they must be preparing to name him king now that Robb is dead he is assumed to be the oldest male heir.

But this is a good opportunity the Dreadfort, a fortress that only a Stark King of old only managed to conquer by starving it out for two years, is undermanned and leaderless, I however will not have the time or manpower to starve Bolton out.

If he gets back to his fort so, I must take this chance to conquer the fort and leave Bolton and his army stuck with their pants down, between two fortresses Winterfell and the Dreadfort.

The Garrison at the Dreadfort will be drunk on power right now and there is no way can they know about our force headed their way but by the time my foot soldiers get to the fort it will be daybreak, so I gather everyone to tell them my plan.

"York you´ll come with me, Magnar you as well will pick 50 of your best warriors to ride with me to scale the wall of the Dreadfort, some of the unicorns are big enough to carry an extra person. Arsa give me twenty-five of your best men at sneaking into a fortress we will ride ahead and scale the fortress while the main force runs after us, by the time the sun is in the sky tomorrow we will either have conquered the fortress or lost"

"Wait you expect to take the Dreadfort with only what seventy-five men if that was the case why even depart with so many men in the first place!" Arsa whispers angrily at me 

"Seventy-five might as well be a thousand in the dead of night, and aye those are the men I need to claim the fort the rest are the men I will need to keep the fort"

"A bold plan! Magnar agrees, house Stane are the best at climbing and at being all quiet like so it will be just me and all his men" Magnar says when I explain the plan to him.

"Then let's go," I say as I get on my unicorn Ari, then Arsa gets on with me after she picked the best veterans for sieges to ride along.

Riding with haste all of us clad only in our leather armor and no metal armor as it would make too much sound. I´m so focused I almost do not notice the way Arsa curves hugs into me as she clings to my back because of the speed of Ari.

I make a mental note for the future to take any woman I´m trying to woo for a ride. Owning a unicorn is like the medieval version of owning a supercar.

As we ride I start my breathing exercises and keep my eyes open to let my eyes adjust to the darkness getting myself mentally and physically ready for what´s ahead.

When I feel that I can see even the branches of the trees that were invisible to me before by recognizing the shapes of shadows to dictate what I see. Adjusting the way my eyes process movements.

Then we finally arrive and see a fortress with stone walls surrounding torches on the walls it looks like a structure that could never fall, it even comes close to Winterfell in terms of security.

But now even in the dead of night, I hear what I was counting on. Laughter, the men are celebrating drinking and what have you no doubt ecstatic over the recent elevation of their lords House Bolton the Warden in the North, my eyes go cold as I listen to the noise even in all the merriment you can still hear the occasional screams no doubt torturing and raping their prisoners in the open now that they feel nobody can stop them.

"I hope you enjoy this night as much as I will Boltons," I say to myself as the riders catch up now lined up side by side with me and we advance hidden in the dark towards the tallest of castle walls on the Dreadfort where it is hardest to see.