The Battle of the Bastards: Part 4

A/N: Well, first of all, Happy New Year everybody! Would have updated a bit sooner if I could but well, there had been many celebrations on my end. I hope things went great for all of you as well.

One thing I would like to briefly clarify, however, is that I made a slight mistake in a few of the most recent chapters. You see, I had forgotten that the Snowbear familiar of the warg Josera Snow actually had a name and it was Shadow. Before that realization, I chose to call him Frostclaw to name him something but in light of this reminder, I will be editing that name in the past chapters.

Finally, before we begin, wanted to take a moment to say that, I think this is my favorite chapter yet of the Battle of the Bastard ones, so I hope you have fun with it :D

Read, enjoy, and review!

Epigraph

Regardless, I have never been dedicated to a more important purpose. You may find that hard to believe but despite our disagreements in the past, you cannot deny that the incredibly vast potential of this ascended mortal could easily make too much noise across the stars.

Asher Forrester had been busy hacking at enemy soldiers near him with fast slashes of his blade, walking through the small road out of Ironrath that was partially covered in snow, when he had heard the roar and the battlefield froze with its power.

The second-born son the late Lord Gregor couldn't help but look up, searching the clouds for the source of the sound. He was certain most of the people on the battlefield, especially among their enemies, hadn't experienced the intimidating sound that was a draconic roar but unlike most of them, he could actually claim he had. For even as he grinned at the sight of their King in the North coming to their aid once more astride his mighty Ice Dragon, he was struck by the memory of his chance encounter with Drogon, the biggest dragon of Daenerys Targaryen around 2 years earlier; back when he had been **** to flee Yunkai during his exile to Essos.

Trying to escape that cave with their lives had been a major challenge and even then, he suspected Drogon had seen them more as an annoyance that had been trespassing in his lair. But as the men and women around him started clanging their shields with fierce delight at the sudden arrival, Asher could now see that this mighty she-dragon was a much bigger threat to the Bolton forces than the, at the time, only known dragon flying wildly around the world could be. For starters, she was bigger than Drogon was, at least two years prior but most importantly, she had a rider she considered worthy enough to direct her frostflames in a tactical way. So, Asher smirked widely, realizing that House Bolton was truly unlikely to survive the night now that their king had returned.

Unfortunately, his grin faded when he saw an arrow approaching while he was distracted and became too slow to dodge it.

The former sellsword groaned in pain as he flinched on reflex and raised his ironwood shield. He could feel that his plate armor had taken most of the brunt of the impact but the shot still managed to draw some blood from his torso.

Still, he was surrounded by Forrester bannermen and other allies so he made a show of laughing in the face of danger. "Damn, dragons are too distracting!" He said and chuckled loudly. "But they are worth the hassle if they are on our side so, focus on the enemy in front of us, brave warriors of the North! That sight on the skies is a powerful omen! Time to finish this!"

Reassured, the soldiers around him shouted their agreements and started moving forward, with two of them quickly dispatching the nearby archer that had tried to kill him. With shield still raised, he looked around in search of his eldest brother and found him standing over now dead foes near the battle-ax banners of House Cerwyn.

But then, Asher's eyes widened when he noticed that Rodrik was actually standing over the corpse of Lord Cerwyn; the ancestral blade of House Forrester drenched with blood while he held it like the battle-hardened survivor that he was.

And so, the former sellsword ignored the pain of his injury and headed towards him, just as the Ice Dragon started punching a hole through the enemy's rear with her frostflame.

Ramsay Bolton gritted his teeth, with barely contained fury threatening to overflow his throat. He had no idea what sorcery his enemies had used to eliminate his cavalry arm by guaranteeing all of his horses would mutiny against their riders but the effects were immediate and damaging for his army; with his disoriented bannermen becoming easy prey for a few crucial minutes. But just when he was starting to regroup his forces further back and planned to engage the savage wildlings and the traitors that chose to break bread with them through a heavy infantry charge and some cover fire from his archers, the unmistakable sound of a dragon's roar was heard high above.

And that was when he understood that he had little time to turn the tide of the battle in his favor.

Running as fast as he could, he reached Lord Karstark's side.

"Get your men in position to raise the Glover banner!" He commanded, his voice agitated. "They need to unleash the secret weapon Euron Greyjoy prepared for us now that the dragon is here."

Harald Karstark nodded grimly and rushed to bark orders at his men. Then he looked around and noticed that Lord Umber was keeping his men in check despite the airborne reinforcements their enemies got, ordering his bannermen to fight to seize victory, and therefore, survival.

They agreed with the sentiment, were too scared of defeat at this point, or were too loyal to the Smalljon to disobey. But whatever the reason, they rushed towards the nearest enemies before them, which happened to be bannermen from House Forrester and a group of filthy wildlings fighting side by side while the Lord of Ironrath led them into battle before the soldiers of House Cerwyn that...that...

Ramsay cursed when his mind caught up with his eyes and noticed that Lord Cley had fallen to Rodrik Forrester in single combat, the scene of the younger Lord's slashed body registering before his sense. But he swore louder when he realized that between that, the advance of the enemy army and the arrival of a dangerous dragonrider, the remaining hundreds of Cerwyn men were starting to break ranks, apparently deciding they feared the odds against them more than they did him now that their liege was dead.

The Lord of House Bolton glared at them, finding that fact completely unacceptable.

Still, he didn't have much time to curse his enemies further, because Jon Fucking Snow finally decided to fly downwards and fire up blasts icy blue flames at his rear.

"SPREAD AROUND!!!" He yelled. "DO NOT RALLY INTO LARGE GROUPS IF HE IS GETTING CLOSER!"

His advice was actually followed fairly quickly but given the circumstances, it was hard to say how much of that was instinctive on their part.

Then he gritted his teeth once more and called out for Steelshanks, one of the most loyal and skilled men-at-arms that served under him. The soldier that had once escorted Jamie Lannister to King's Landing on his father's orders stood at attention.

"Steelshanks, time to reward your years of service to House Bolton," The Lord of Winterfell and the Dreadfort declared. "Go to the tents in the prisoner area at the back of the army and kill Jonelle Cerwyn. Now that her brother is dead and our rear is under attack, she will try to escape during the chaos and join the thrice-dammed Starks. Bring me her head and I will make you the new Lord of Castle Cerwyn."

Steelshanks' eyes widened considerably but nodded quickly and, after offering his thanks, rushed to obey; to the tents in the back.

"And once that's done, bring me Rickon Stark!" He demanded. "But make sure he is alive when you do."

With those commands, he looked up, just in time for the Ice Dragon to fire another stream of frostflame, this time at a different side of his army; the men serving under him screaming and dying in droves. Clenching his fists, Ramsay told his own honor guard to stay alert and close by. And they did, with their blades, spears, and bows at the ready. Unfortunately, that didn't reassure him nearly enough.

"Come on, Glover, get the ambush ready!" He urged, his tone impatient as he watched the forces around Lord Umber and Lord Rodrik start clashing.

Not for the first time in the last week, Robett Glover, the Lord of Deepwood Motte, was having second thoughts about coming to the aid of House Bolton. True, he had come to regret serving Robb Stark due to his decision to take up with a foreign whore, getting himself, and those who followed him, killed while his ancestral seat was raided by the Ironborn. And while Euron Greyjoy ultimately **** his hand by threatening to kill his wife and children that he kept as prisoners if he didn't fight against the enemies of the Boltons, Robbet could not deny that the bitterness steaming from Robb Stark's folly formed part of his decision to support Ramsay Bolton against the remnants of House Stark, at least not to himself.

But back when he ended up agreeing, the faction of Stark loyalists was smaller and weaker than it was now. More importantly, he still hadn't learned of the will of his previous king, legitimizing his half-brother Jon Snow and naming him his successor. And now that the whole North knew it, he knew that his House's name will be dragged through the mud for generations now that he had chosen to betray the new King of the North all the same even if they managed to defeat him.

Which was a big if, he came to realize in full, now that he saw the Ice Dragon Jon rode with his own eyes.

Sighing, he looked at the large pyramid of boulders that his men had set up around their camped position just before the river and trenches his bannermen needed to cross to reinforce Ramsay Bolton's men. And almost absentmindedly, he ordered the hundreds of archers under his command to get ready to shoot the moment the Ice Dragon came near.

Still, his curious gaze remained transfixed on the hooded figure that was examining the boulders with the touch of his palms, and, strangely enough, his own eyes closed.

Then, the man that Euron Greyjoy had sent to reinforce them removed his hood and started drinking from the odd, crystal bottle he had kept close at hand since they started marching.

And as he finished gulping down the liquid, Glover couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when he noticed that the sorcerer's Yi Tian eyes turned a bright maroon for a long moment.

Brienne of Tarth had managed to exit the Bolton camp with Rickon Stark before they stumbled into the first enemy soldier. He had turned back at the heavy thuds that of Shadowmade as he ran and jumped in alarm at the beast before him before turning his blade to it.

Gritting her teeth, the tall warrioress ran even faster and managed to block his swing with the Valyrian Steel blade she currently wielded, which the solider exposed to her new furry friend's paws, which made him scream as he was mauled.

The former Kingsguard to Renly Baratheon gave an appreciative look at Josera Snow's white bear familiar and decided she liked this Snownbear a lot more than the bear that almost killed her back at Harrenhal.

Then she grabbed Rickon's hand again and urged him to hurry.

"Wait! Where exactly are you taking me?" The youngest son of Eddard Stark asked her.

"To Ironrath!" Brienne shouted back. "We need to get you to safety until the battle ends."

"Oh, no," The former hostage said vehemently. "My eldest sister is with the army, I saw that with the Myrish Far-eye I had. I will not hide behind walls while she is still in danger. Get me to Sansa now!" He commanded.

Brienne paused, suddenly realizing that the oath she made to Cately Stark was getting pulled in opposite directions, as her orders from Sansa were technically conflicting with Rickon's, especially given that he was technically higher than her in the Stark line of succession.

Then, she heard a familiar sound roaring through the landscape and the blonde soldier looked up immediately as the battlefield got suddenly very still. And as she suspected, King Jon had arrived and brought his mighty she-dragon into the fray.

Before long, she heard the boy beside her gasp.

"So it's really true!" Rickon said, his voice filled with awe. "Jon really rides an Ice Dragon now!"

"Indeed," Brienne responded slowly and they both watched with wide eyes as the winged behemoth open her jaws and started blasting frostflame at the rear, creating disarray and mayhem left and right.

Then she examined the now more opened path before her as more and more men got distracted or ran and swallowed.

"Fine, I will take you to Sansa," The tall warrioress relented. "But you MUST stay close, do you hear me?"

Rickon nodded immediately and with that they were off, moving forward as the Snowbear Josera had named Shadow turned looked around as he advanced with a watchful eye.

Lyanna Mormont cackled, feeling a lot of satisfaction her King started breaking the lines of the Bolton traitors with his mighty she-dragon.

"Serves them right," She thought aloud.

Then she continued on as plan, turning the reins of her horse towards Princess Val's position, her own bannermen loyal to Bear Island following close behind.

In due time, she found the Warrior Princess of the Free Folk cutting down yet another soldier that had tried to harm her as her **** advanced, her own ancestral blade dripping with his blood. Then she saw her approach.

"Lady Mormont," She greeted, nodding in respect. "Interested in a joint ****?"

The ruler of Bear Island grinned at her. "You read my mind, Princess. While most of the Bolton soldiers are busy engaging the Giants or fleeing, I noticed that the Karstark men are beginning to rally behind their treacherous Lord; seeking to come to the aid of their fellow oathbreaker of House Umber against the Forrester led battalion. What say you about bringing the fight to them?"

The currently acknowledged Princess of the Free folk chuckled. "To that, I say that I like the way you think."

Then she addresses her soldiers and fellow spearwives. "We can't let the songs that will retell the deeds of this day only focus on the Ice Dragon coming to our rescue," She announced. "And besides, the Forresters have been excellent hosts and valuable allies. So, let's be the hammer to their anvil and crush those traitors where they stand!"

The Free Folk gave out their own roars and the men of Bear Island soon followed, combining their forces, and marching as one.

Sansa Stark was grinning with absolute delight, the standard of House Stark she was carrying flapping around with the wind. Her heart swelled with hope as she looked at the heavens, and the familiar roar of the mighty Ice Dragon filled her with anticipation.

For her beloved brother had returned to her. And now that they had done their part for the battle, she had every confidence that Jon would do his.

The redheaded warg brought her eyes back to the ground before her and as she did, she couldn't help but smirk somewhat as the Bolton forces that had moved against them trembled and scrambled under the onslaught of the frostflame attacks. Still, there were not that many soldiers near her position anymore, as she had instructed most of the Tully soldiers that the Blackfish had sent to guard her to go aid their allies near the vanguard, once the enemy had been pushed back by nearly half a mile.

And so she stayed behind, waving her Stark banner with pride in her gaze as she only surrounded herself with a handful of guards, a couple of elderly but still powerful and intimidating giants, and of course, Lady and Ghost.

But then, as she watched her brother further damage the enemy lines by flying a bit lower to deliver the blasts of frostflame more precisely, she saw the two direwolves packmates bolt even more upright, their muscles coiling with anticipation.

At first, Sansa had thought that they were detecting an attempted stealth attack but then, she heard a voice behind her back that made her heart jump to her throat.

"Sansa?"

The Lady of Winterfell in exile turned around on the spot and at long last, she saw her little sister once again.

"Arya?" She said, her voice **** up a bit. "Are you really here?"

Her sister smiled widely as a response, more brightly than she had ever seen before, and rushed into her arms, embracing her tightly.

There was a time that Sansa couldn't be bothered to spend time with her little sister. But now that she was in her arms after so long, she could feel herself starting to tear up and as happiness and relief threatened to overwhelm her.

And with that, the nearby direwolves howled energetically at the moon, celebrating the return of another member of their pack.

King Jon carefully watched the battlefield from above, taking note of the position of the banners and the noticeably huge height of the giants to make sure he wasn't blasting his own allies apart with the icy breath of the dragon he rode.

He had noticed several hundred men start fleeing south a few seconds ago, clearly having enough of the battle but he gave no pursuit, knowing that the Knights of the Vale will capture them in due time. Still, from the skies, he had noticed that one flank of the Bolton loyalists had remained mostly intact through the entire conflict: the western front, which was led by Lord Glover of Deepwood Motte.

Jon frowned in distaste as he flew towards them, disappointed that they had broken their oaths to House Stark and sided with their enemies. Still, while he would have to make an example of Lord Glover for that, the Wolfswood region had been one of the most badly hit areas of the North since the War of the Five Kings and hostilities started between the Forresters and the Whitehills. So, he decided to use just enough **** to break their lines and send the enemies from that flank fleeing, if he could help it.

But as he got closer to the trench his subjects had dug near their flank, the king's eyes widened when he noticed a large boulder soaring towards him.

Cursing, he urged his dragon to get out of the way both physically, with the metallic chains he used as reins, and mentally, through the connection he had built between them through his powers and thankfully, he managed to dodge the huge rock just in time. Then he sighed in relief and looked down more warily, wondering if they had been hiding catapults among the trees.

It was with that thought in mind that a rock smash the back of his dragon, making her shriek in pain and almost making him fall off the saddle.

Jon swore, his eyes widening in alarm as he lost altitude, his dragon trying to shake off the pain and shock of the blow as she tried to move her wings faster. He looked back, wondering where on the hell had that come from, as he was certain there had been no catapults on Ramsay's side of the battle. Then he looked back to the Glover front and gasped as another boulder approached.

This time, he didn't even have to urge his winged familiar to get out of the way, she did that on her own, clearly seeking to avoid another hit. But this time, the dragonrider looked back at the barely missed projectile and his jaw dropped when he saw it twist around in midair and head back in his direction.

But suddenly, it hit him. Somehow, someway, Lord Glover had gained the service of a sorcerer that could manipulate rocks with his magic.

And he had spelled the boulders to chase them, even while they fly.

A/N: Well, there you go for now. I hope you enjoyed the various actions packed scenes, team-ups, awaited reunions, and of course, the reveal of Ramsay's secret weapon that Euron provided that I had been hinting at for a few chapters now. Yep, it was a Yi Tian sorcerer, and as some of you may be able to remember from the first Interlude chapters where the Skagosi ship crew clashed with some White Walkers and their wights, I also wrote about an OC character from that far eastern corner of Essos I named Zhu of Tiqui that could manipulate earth and stone to his will through magic inherent to him from that distant land.

Now, just ti clarify, the sorcerer in this chapter is not actually Zhu. As you may also remember, the Night King chose to enter the field himself rather than letting him escape and both slew and raise that sorcerer personally; after which he was able to retain his old magical might into undeath. But he is still contained Beyond the Wall so this earth mage was someone else. More details about him and about how exactly did Euron get him to support him in the coming chapters.

Anyway, I hope you really hope enjoyed this one. See you all when the next chapter is posted which by the way will be the final chapter of the Battle of the Bastards. But until then, please review!