One Whole

Chapter 6: The Battle

  It was totally silent which odd considering the number of people present. Ygritte was silent too, stood alongside Tormund and Wun Wun at the head of the free folk. They had separated from the southern cavalry, a corridor of clear space running between the groups. In front of the all though were the archers. Ygritte knew that she would normally be with them but today she was going to charge with her soulmate.

  She could feel his emotion in the back of her head where she visualised their bond to be. He was strangely calm considering how wound up he had been last night. To her eternal shame, Ygritte couldn't say that she was feeling the same as Jon, she was scared. The last time she had fought in a battle she had died and she had certainly never fought a southern army with horses. She did know what they had done to Mance's army though, even if she was still dead at that point. 

  At that moment, Jon rode past them on his black steed. Her soulmate took in the sight before him, the stretch of land between them and the Bolton army decorated with flayed people on burning crosses.

   For a long moment there was no movement and then the Bolton bastard appeared in the distance and, judging by the way Jon tensed up, the boy with him was Jon's brother. The slimy bastard raised a knife high as he dismounted his own steed, high enough to make sure that Jon definitely saw it. He did.

   Jon slide hastily off of his horse and stepped forward. Now tension and worry and anger were rolling off of him. When Rickon's bonds were cut and the boy began to run towards them Jon ran back and practically launched himself back onto his horse, pressing it straight into a gallop.

  Ygritte itched to follow him but stayed put gritting her teeth and gripping her bow tight in her hand as the first arrow headed towards the Stark boy. That Ramsey was a sick bastard playing games with her soulmate and if she ever got her hands on him he would get a liberal taste of his own medicine. 

   Jon continued towards his brother, hand outstretched, desperation and fear flowing from his side of the bond getting stronger despite the physical distance growing between them. Two, three arrows buried themselves in the ground next the kid and hell Ygritte was going to bury those arrows in some worthless bastard hide.

  Just as Jon reached the boy, Ygritte saw him fall. Jon pulled the horse up roughly as nothing but shock filled their bond.

  "Don't," Tormund growled beside her but it wasn't pointed at her- it was at Jon.

  "Prepare to charge," the Davos man yelled, pushing his horse to a brisk trot up and down the lines.

 Just at that moment a volley of arrows flew from the Bolton army and Jon galloped. The empty shock was replaced with a burning rage that was strong even though the distance between them at that point shouldn't be projecting any emotion at all.

  "Go, follow your commander!" Davos cried and she didn't need to be told twice.

  Jon hadn't been happy about her insistence on going into the battle with only a bow and arrow so she had a sword and knife at her hip also, her soulmate having made sure that she was a competent wielder of the weapons. She was still going to stick some arrows in people first though.

  The free folk fell behind the cavalry quickly before a second volley of arrows was released from the Bolton army. Ygritte saw Jon's horse get knocked out from under him, pitching him forward to the ground and for a moment her gut clenched in fear. Then he was up, drawing his sword and facing the Bolton cavalry charging straight at him.

  It seemed that they were pitched into chaos before she could blink. She pulled arrows from the ground and from her quiver, each one taking a man down. The she stumbled over the Stark boy's body. Many more arrows had pierced his flesh but the one sticking through his chest from the back was clearly the one that had killed him. She pulled the arrow from the boy just as another volley of arrows rained down, taking out men from both sides. Ygritte put the arrow in her belt and slung her bow across her shoulder and chest before drawing her sword.