Snow Ghost [Jaime Lannister]

Chapter I. Battle Of The Bastards

Narrator POV

True to his word, Davos has been walking and thinking, unable to sleep.

As the light starts to rise in the east, he comes upon a pile of wood, nearly snowed over, and sees a charred timber peeking out from beneath the snow.

He stoops to pick it up: a wooden stag, scorched on one side. The one he carved and gave to Shireen.

In the distance, the war horns sound. Outside Winterfell, Battlefield. Jon's Troops. The Battle of the Bastards begins.

The battlefield is about 400m long, a small valley bordered by two hills peaked with trees. At one end is a forest of high trees (the Stark side).

At the other is a ridge with a reasonably soft incline that plateaus and stretches out to Winterfell in the distance (the Bolton side).

The Stark armies are on their end of the battlefield, arrayed in pitched battle formation. Davos oversees the Longbow Archers on the flanks, standing behind defensive caltrop-shaped structures.

Thousands of arrows are divided into large bundles. Tormund stands at the ready, overseeing the large wilding infantry force that is the single biggest contingent on the Stark side.

Wun-Wun is the centrepiece of this wildling infantry formation. Other, Non-wilding infantry stand side-by-side with the wildlings.

And in front: a rank of cavalry, organized according to the house. The banners of Mormont, Mazin, Hornwood. Steam comes from their horses' muzzles.

Everyone stands stock-still, staring across the battlefield.

Jon rides his destrier through the cavalry to stand out in front of his army and looks across the battlefield.

Outside Winterfell, Battlefield. Ramsay's troops. The Bolton army, with Winterfell in the background behind them.

They also have archers, infantry and cavalry in a similar arrangement to the Starks, only there are noticeably more of all.

Crucified flayed bodies hang head-down on Bolton Xs, roasting over eight large bonfires that flank either side of the army, a twisted form of intimidation only Ramsay could have thought of.

Banners for the Boltons, the Karstarks, the Umbers, and all the other quisling houses abound.

Lord Karstark sits his horse at the front of the cavalry, war lance in hand. The Boltons have far more cavalry than the Starks, three ranks to the Stark one.

SmallJon Umber stands with the infantry, eager to separate some people from their limbs. He takes a huge pull off a leather-covered flask of something very alcoholic.

On ground level: a set of horse hooves walk through the Bolton ranks, past infantry, past cavalry.

We see him from behind as he emerges at the front of his army. Both the silhouette and the deference he is shown make it clear that this is Ramsay.

Ramsay is very far away from him, but Jon can see him dismount.

A figure is just visible between the horses behind Ramsay.

Jon dismounts himself, and steps forward several paces to get a better look as Ramsay pulls on a rope and Rickon stumbles forward into view, his hands bound in front of him with the end of the rope.

Ramsay pulls Rickon alongside him, like a dog on a lead.

He walks the boy out toward the center of the battlefield, arm around his shoulder.