Run with wolves - Ramsay Bolton (Book 1)

Chapter 44

Ava's POV

"Jaime Lannister rides into Winterfell today, without Cersei." I felt sick. "Bran, how am I going to cope with seeing him? I don't think I can be strong." He smiled, laughing slightly. "Trust me, you're going to be strong." He took a drink. "Jaime won't believe the person you've become." I shook my head. "This isn't about him." He looked at me. "Yes it is sister, you don't want him to see you as weak. Remember. I see everything." I stood up from the table. "I need to go change, Eleanor has spat all over my dress." He raised a brow as I stood up and walked away from the table.

"You look incredible in that dress, like a true Bolton." Ramsay complimented me in his own way, it was the black dress, with the red seams. He was trying to make the point I belonged to him, not Jaime. "That's the point Ramsay, I am a Bolton." My hair was half up, braided. Daenerys had made sure I at least wore my hair similar to hers. She wanted us to stand united, even with our appearances. The queens of our army. "I do hope he tries to fuck you, so I can slice his other hand off." I rolled my eyes. He was still as jealous as he was 3 years ago. "That won't happen, he hates me. Besides, I love you, not him. I never loved him." He smiled. "And you?" He wanted me to carry on, flattering him, confessing my feelings. "And I always loved you." He smiled, snaking his arm around my waist, kissing my temple. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear." He smirked, he liked to win, always.

"You're going to face him here, in the great hall, in just a few minutes. You'll be surrounded by your family, I'll be sat right beside you." Ramsay tried to comfort me, he knew I was nervous. They all knew, Jaime said he wanted me dead. And I didn't believe that he changed his mind. "I'll be your strength, lover. I'm your other half, remember that." I nodded my head. I knew Ramsay was struggling with the thought of Jaime being here, he thought he was a threat, and he wanted to deal with it. He would kill Jaime if he could. "I want to talk to him, face to face. No interruptions, from anybody. I haven't seen him in three years." I turned to everyone in the room. "While I am talking, you all stay silent."

I sat in the centre of the long table, Daenerys on my left, Ramsay on my right. The door opened and he entered. The guards were scattered around, watching his every move. He hadn't changed much, his hair had greyed a bit, and he looked a little older. But he still looked like Jaime Lannister, the one I knew. The one I trusted, the one who loved me. That was long ago, and he wrote me a threat of death. He stopped in front of the table. "Lady Bolton." He looked directly at me. I didn't know what I was doing, but I stood up, and walked to him. Stopping within a few feet. "Jaime Lannister." He smiled at me, but I wasn't sure if he still wanted me dead. "You look strong, you look like a queen. Where is Eleanor? I would love to meet her." I tilted my head slightly. "As if I would have her here, how do I know you won't hurt her?" I stopped, before taking the scroll out and reading it to him.

"Ava, I can't protect you anymore. I've tried for over a year to. I know now that you didn't have anything to do with Joffrey's death. But you are guilty of one thing. You broke my heart. You left me behind, letting me think that you killed my son. The love of my life let me think that as she ran away from me." Jaime went pale. "Please don't do this." He begged. But I kept on reading. "Surrender to Your queen, the real one. Bend the knee and stop playing childish games and pretending to be royalty. If you don't surrender, then you'll be sorry. Cersei will have you killed, but before that, I'll kill your bastard husband right in front of you."

Ramsay clicked his knuckles from the table behind me, but I ignored him. This was something I had to deal with myself. "I'll rip his heart out of his chest. Maybe then you'll know how I felt when you married him. You should never have left me. But it's too late, what's done is done. We're coming, and there is nothing you can do. See you on the battlefield, Your Grace. Jaime." I read his letter. "Am I a queen now? Because you're in my home, up in my land." He looked into my eyes, and the emerald green was so familiar, even though it had been so long. "You've always been a queen Ava." I scrunched up the letter and threw it at him. "You want me dead, and you have the nerve to ride into my home, all on your own Jaime."