Chapter 14: Letting Go of the Past

Winterfell was abuzz with wedding fever. It was only two days until Robb and Wylla Manderly swore their vows in front of the Winterfell Weirwood tree and Ned had locked himself in his solar to give himself a minute to breathe. Cat was rushing about the place ensuring that everything was just right for the ceremony and the feast afterwards, and Ned was eternally grateful for her.

He sat reading a letter from King's Landing congratulating Robb on his nuptials and Ned smiled sadly at his mentor Jon Arryn's words. The end of the year was fast approaching, meaning he had just over a year to try and save both Jon Arryn and Robert from their deaths. Sighing, he took his mug of ale and took a long sip.

There was a pounding at the door. "Lord Stark! Lord Stark!" Jory Cassel's voice called. Ned bid him to enter, and Jory walked in slightly breathlessly. "Banners from the East. The drawn bow and arrow of House Glenmore, the moose head of House Hornwood, the flayed man of House Bolton and…"

"The black Direwolf of Torrhen." Ned surmised. "He's back."

Jory nodded. "Aye, Lord Stark."

"Very well. Go and fetch Sansa, she will want to see him." Ned instructed. Jory bowed and fled the room with speed, leaving Ned to quickly grab his cloak and fasten it before he made his way out to the courtyard.

It had quickly filled up. Lords Umber and Karstark were there, as was Barbrey Dustin. Mira and Ethan Forrester were over to one side chatting, but Ned noticed that both of their eyes were looking over towards the gates. Roose Bolton had disappeared somewhere, but if Torrhen had completed his mission then Ned didn't blame the Lord of the Dreadfort for not being there to greet his bastard's killer. Robb was stood with Lord Manderly, and Ned found himself grateful that his son had integrated himself with the Manderly's so quickly.

Sansa came running towards him then, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Is it true? Are they back?" She asked excitedly.

"So I am told." Ned smiled down at her. Sansa grinned, but stood formally beside him. Bran came running too, and Ned quickly pulled him over to stand on his other side before the gates were called to be opened.

The old gates creaked as they moved, and after only a moment in came Torrhen's riding party, two short of the number they left with, Ned thought quickly. At the front of the group rode Torrhen, who gave off the aura of a battle-hardened leader once more, not just a twelve-year-old boy. Torrhen dismounted first, and immediately moved over to kneel before Ned, the rest of his group doing similar.

"Rise." Ned told them, and they did.

"Father. It is done." Torrhen said grimly. "The Bastard of Bolton was caught tormenting and murdering a helpless woman for sport, and he was executed by my hand. I bring you his head to serve as a reminder the punishment for breaking both your laws and the King's peace."

Daryn Hornwood limped forwards and threw the head on the ground. Sansa shrieked beside Ned, but thankfully that was the only reaction. Ned looked at the tarred head and felt anger rise, before relief filled him at the thought that this monster can no longer commit any of the atrocities he had committed in Torrhen's other life. "You have all done the North a great service." Ned told them. "You all have the hospitality of Winterfell for as long as you require. I'm sure you all need baths and food, that shall be seen to."

"Thank you, Lord Stark." Most of the men replied, only Torrhen and Domeric didn't. The courtyard began to empty, murmurings about Ramsay Snow coming from all corners. Domeric Bolton went immediately to his aunt, and Torrhen stayed behind.

"His mother is dead to." Torrhen told him. "Domeric himself did that. She was mad, Father. I was thinking about it on the road, no wonder he turned out how he did."

"Our upbringing strengthens our character, Torrhen, it doesn't always form it." Ned told Torrhen. "You have done well."

Torrhen smiled, nodding his thanks. He turned to Bran, who was just staring down at the head. "Are you ok, little brother?"

Bran was shaken out of his thoughts and looked up at Torrhen. He nodded. "Yes."

Ned noticed the exchange and put his arm around Bran's shoulders. "Come, walk with me Bran. Let us give Sansa and Torrhen a moment to reunite." Torrhen nodded his thanks and walked away with Sansa. "Somebody place this head on a spike." Ned called out, before leading his thirdborn son away to have a talk with him about Northern justice.

Torrhen and Sansa quickly made their way to his room where a warm bath had been drawn for him. Sansa averted her eyes as Torrhen got himself undressed and into the warm water and sat herself down on his bed as he relaxed. She couldn't escape the image of that severed head though and needed to bring it up. "What was it like?" She asked.

"What was what like?" Torrhen asked back.

"Killing a man."

Torrhen sat slightly more upright and looked over at his twin. "Do you really want to know?"

Sansa thought for a moment and nodded. "Seeing that head… it truly scared me. I can't imagine myself what it must have been like for you to actually swing the sword."

Torrhen felt bad that Sansa had been there but knew that this was the perfect moment to shatter her illusions about the world. "He was an evil man, Sansa. We found him with a woman tied up in the kennels as naked as her name day. I dread to think the things that he did to her before we got there, but afterwards was bad enough. He let her run away and then chased her with his hounds."

Sansa gasped, her eyes were wide in horror and her hands covered her mouth. "That's barbaric." She whispered.

"His Mother had filled him with a dream that he was the true Lord to the Dreadfort." Torrhen explained. "He wanted to kill Domeric, to kill Roose once he was confirmed as heir and he likely would have tried to kill you too for being betrothed to Dom. So to actually answer your question, it was easy. I was protecting you."

Sansa's heart almost melted at that. "Tor…"

"I won't always be around to protect you." Torrhen interrupted. "But until you become the Lady of the Dreadfort and can command enough loyalty to protect yourself, I will do all I can to keep you safe Sansa."

"Lady of the Dreadfort." Sansa sighed. "What if people there hate me."

Torrhen shook his head. "The more you wonder on what people think, the less they will respect you. You are a Stark of Winterfell and you'll be going to a harsh castle. Seeing heads not attached to their bodies cannot scare you, I fear you'll see a lot of them once you marry and move."

"I didn't want to be scared." Sansa said, slightly defiantly. "But the eyes… They stared at me."

"The dead have that affect on people." Torrhen said grimly, thinking about the wights. "War is coming, Sansa. The world is a cruel place outside of our bubble and will only get crueller. All those songs you believe in about the South, they're all lies to make them feel better about everything. But Winter is coming, and with it comes death."

He could see Sansa was fighting against his words, but her eyes told Torrhen the whole story. Her eyes had been opened, her thoughts would move away from the songs and the splendour towards the reality of the world. All without her seeing their Father's head removed from his body. Settling into a grim sense of satisfaction with himself, Torrhen closed his eyes and rested in the steaming water.

Domeric Bolton tried to get out of the courtyard as quickly as he could, his mind tormented as to why he had kept offering his evil brother a chance. He knew as soon as he saw the hounds chasing that poor girl that Ramsay needed to die, yet with Ramsay's mother at knifepoint he kept offering him a chance to redeem himself, only to be threatened once more.

Domeric was also amazed at the young Stark that had led the party. Not knowing why, Domeric truly felt a willingness to follow the twin of his betrothed and ignoring everything to do with Ramsay the pair actually got on.

He told Roose that after finding his Father and explaining everything in detail as to what had gone on, and Roose actually seemed pleased. "Integrating yourself with Sansa's twin is excellent. I understand the circumstances were… difficult. But Torrhen Stark is likely the best person to be friendly with in order to have a good marriage."

"He's still years younger than me Father." The 19-year-old said.

"That won't matter at all once he becomes a man." Roose reminded him. "We have an opportunity here now, Domeric. By sacrificing the monster, we have proclaimed to Ned Stark that we are loyal subjects. This marriage to his daughter could be the making of us as a House."

Dom lowered his head. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Roose shook his head, patting his son on the shoulder. "I should have told you truly. His mother was unhinged, partly my fault for raping her underneath her hanging husband's corpse, but I should have brought the babe in with us and raised him as a Bolton rather than let him loose."

Domeric bit back the bile that was forming at Roose's confession. "I don't even think that would have worked, Father."

"It did ok for Ned Stark's bastard." Roose commented bitterly, before he shook his head. "Anyhow, we are in a good spot. When we march Southwards, we will give the Stark's no questions about our loyalty. This alliance grants us more power than we have held since the days of the Red King's, and I will not loosen the grip on it. Do your duty to this girl, make her fall in love with you and befriend her brothers, and we shall be in an enviable position."

After settling back into life at Winterfell, it was quickly the evening of Robb and Wylla's wedding. Torrhen wore his finest grey shirt and black trousers, topping it all off with the most expensive pair of boots he's ever worn and a warm, black wolfskin cloak. Feeling good about himself, he began walking from his room to the Godswood, where all the guests were gathering. He didn't get very far though, as when he passed Robb's room he was called inside.

Robb was there, sat on his bed looking extremely nervous. "Are you alright?" Torrhen asked.

Robb laughed in surprise. "Am I alright?" He repeated. "Are you?"

"Me? Why wouldn't I be?" Torrhen asked.

"She's your wife." Robb muttered. Torrhen understood at that moment.

He walked inside and sat down on the bed beside his elder brother. "No, she isn't." Torrhen insisted. "That time… that woman. That isn't the girl you've gotten to know."

Robb looked at Torrhen. "You truly don't think of her as the same person?"

Torrhen smiled, gripping Robb on the shoulder. "My wife had green hair, an utter hatred for the Lannisters after they murdered her uncle and her King and was disappointed daily by her husband. Your wife will have a good husband, a loving family around her of both Manderly and Stark. She is as different from my Wylla as fire and ice are."

"But you had a child." Robb countered.

Torrhen sighed, the reminder painful. "And I will always miss him. Not a day goes by where I don't wish I could know him, to see him grow up in a safe Kingdom. But he is safe because of my sacrifice and now I get to live a life that I truly want. Where you and Father live for many years in happiness, where I can actually love my wife rather than pine for a girl that was four years dead."

Robb smiled a bit, feeling better. "I just felt that knowing your history with her, something would be nagging me in the back of my mind all the time I'm wed to her."

Torrhen shook his head. "I feel nothing for this girl you are about to wed Robb. Truly, I don't."

"Good." Robb admitted. "Because I really do like her." He sighed dreamily. "She's smart, she's fierce. She'll make a wonderful Lady of Winterfell."

Torrhen nodded, standing up. He held his arm out to his brother. "Then let us go and wed you to her."

Robb grinned, taking Torrhen's arm and hoisting himself up, both brothers leaving the room in good spirits.

The moon was shining as the pair of Starks raced into the Godswood. Most of the guests were there already and Cat gave them both a sharp look as they got closer to the Weirwood tree. Torrhen joined most of his family in the front row of the audience as Robb took his place by the tree. He stood in between Sansa and Cat with Bran, Rickon and Benjen Stark all in the front line, and his twin leaned in towards him and handed him his lantern. "Robb's late." She whispered.

"He's fine now." He whispered back, telling her everything with that.

They waited for a few moments before most of the guests turned around. Torrhen couldn't see as the Umber party was in his line of sight, but slowly, Wylla Manderly was led by her Grandfather, Lord Wyman, down the path towards the Weirwood tree, stopping a few paces away from Ned and Robb.

"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Ned asked, disturbing the silence of the Godswood.

Wyman Manderly cleared his throat before answering. "Wylla, of the House Manderly, comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble. She comes to beg the blessings of the Gods." Wyman followed the Faith of the Seven and had clearly been practicing the lines of the Old Gods ceremony. "Who comes to claim her?"

Robb stepped towards his bride, his eyes never leaving her own. "Robb, of the House Stark. Heir to Winterfell. Who gives her?" He asked.

"Wyman, of the House Manderly." Wyman boasted proudly. "Lord of White Harbour, Warden of the White Knife, Shield of the Faith, Defender of the Dispossessed, Lord Marshal of the Mander and a Knight of the Order of the Green Hand. Lady Wylla's Grandfather."

Torrhen almost scoffed. Wyman hadn't been the one to give Wylla away at his wedding and so this was the first time he had heard the full titles of the Lord of White Harbour, most of which related to their Reach origins and were defunct. He kept quiet though so as to not disrupt the ceremony and watched on as Ned continued the ceremony. "Lady Wylla, will you take this man?"

Wylla Manderly stepped forwards, her blonde hair illuminated in the moonlight and covering the top half of her turquoise House cloak. She looked up at him, her green eyes staring into his blue ones, and said. "I take this man."

Ned smiled down at them both. "Then join hands and kneel before the Heart Tree, and let the Old Gods bless your union." He told them. Robb took Wylla's hand and they did as they were told, kneeling before the tree and allowing Robb a chance to make his prayers. They soon rose, and Robb moved around to unclasp Wylla's Manderly cloak, handing it over to her Grandfather before receiving a Stark one, the same one that Ned had cloaked Catelyn in so many years ago, and placing it over Wylla's shoulders.

"Now kiss your bride and seal your union." Ned instructed. Robb did so dutifully, gently placing his lips on his new wife's, and just as quickly he parted from her. Robb took Wylla's hand then and led her back towards the castle down the illuminated path, where a feast had been prepared. Ned and Wyman followed them, as did the rest of the wedding party one by one.

The laughter was deafening. The feast was in full flow and many of the men were already drunk. Lord Umber himself, Torrhen thought, had stuck to wine rather than the food on offer, and had seemingly been bored by the bard singing the love song 'Two Hearts that beat as One' and from his table started bellowing out 'The Lusty Lad'. The bard himself was quite offended and left the room, but the Northerner's didn't care, laughing at the Southern bard as he went and joining in with the awful singing, with the Smalljon dragging his wife into the middle of the room to start dancing.

Torrhen himself was sat at his table beside Arya now, as Sansa had been asked to dance already by Domeric. He spotted Mira looking over at him and was about to get up when a hand graced his shoulder and Ned sat down beside him. "Arya, go and dance with your Uncle Benjen." He said.

"Do I have to?" The girl complained.

"Now." Ned said pointedly. Arya groaned and got off of the bench, making for the First Ranger of the Night's Watch. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Right now?" Torrhen asked.

Ned just nodded. "Once the guests have left and we are making progress enough on the port town on the Stoney Shore I want us to head down to King's Landing."

That sobered Torrhen up a little bit. "So soon?"

"Aye." Ned nodded again. "But I also want Moat Cailin to start it's reconstruction as soon as possible. So, after your 13th name day I want you to spend one month there, and one month here."

Torrhen was surprised. "Am I ready?"

Ned just laughed, the wine getting to his head a little to. "Torrhen, you still have the mind of a King. Your body may be smaller, but you are more ready than any other. I have faith in you."

That humbled Torrhen. "Thank you, Father."

"Your household will be put in place, and together with Lord Manderly we have the workers for you." Ned continued. "But while you'll have a regent for propriety, likely Daryn Hornwood as you got on so well, you are the Lord of Moat Cailin now. Nothing will be agreed without your go ahead."

"Father… thank you." Torrhen said honestly.

Ned clapped Torrhen on the back. "Without you, none of this would be happening and we may be heading to our doom. Thank you." Ned left it there and looked pointedly over at the Forrester table. "Go and dance, I think the Greatjon is about to break into his favourite song…"

Torrhen laughed and got up from the bench, dodging an eager Theon who had Wynafred Manderly by the hand as they went to the dancefloor. He stopped in front of Mira. "Care to dance, My Lady."

Mira grinned. "It took you long enough." She said, rising and taking Torrhen's hand. Ned had been right, Lord Umber had gotten Cregan Glenmore to start playing his lute to the tune of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' and almost the entire Great Hall seemed to have risen towards the middle, separating into male and female lines as the Northern dance dictated.

Torrhen was grateful that his Mother had instructed him to have dancing lessons as a child, as he performed all the rowdy steps admirably, and he grinned as he danced in tandem with Mira, even managing to lift her up when required. More Northern songs followed the Greatjon's version of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair', as he deftly added 'Iron Lances', 'The Winter Maid' and another song that Torrhen didn't even recognise. Tired out, he and Mira retired to his table, their hands clasped together as they watched Robb and Wylla dancing happily.

"That will be us soon." Torrhen said happily.

Mira smiled. "Not soon enough."

Torrhen turned to her. "I don't know when I'll be able to see you for a while now. Father wants me to start moving between here and Moat Cailin as we rebuild it."

Mira kept her smile as she stroked his cheek. "We've waited for so long, what's another year or so."

"I'll visit Ironrath when I can." Torrhen promised.

"LET'S BED THEM!" The Greatjon roared after he had inevitably run out of his repertoire of songs. Cregan Glenmore immediately began to play his lute again, playing 'The Queen took off her sandal, the King took off his crown'. A loud cheer went up, as the Greatjon bundled into the centre of the room and picked Wylla up, placing her deftly atop his shoulder. The women of the North all crowded Robb too, hounding him out the room. Wylla's sister Wynafred managed to grab his cloak just before the large crowd of people trying to tear the newly weds clothes off left the Great Hall, leaving only a handful of the guests, mainly family, that hadn't wanted to join in. Cregan then broke into 'Meggett was a merry maid' as the remaining people settled down into smaller conversations.

Torrhen was just deep in thought, happily holding on to Mira's hand. The time he'd spent back in his past had been a true eye opener to him, and while he knew he would still miss certain parts of his past, he vowed to himself with Mira at his side that he wouldn't let himself wallow in his past. In his mind he said a final farewell to Cregan, to his Wylla and to all the men and women that had fought alongside him in his final moments before he looked over at the girl to his right.

Leaning over he kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush and to ask him. "What was that for?"

Torrhen just smiled. "It's time to put the past behind me." He told her. "It's time to look to the future, and what we can do with it."