Breaking the Cycle

A/N: Well, here is the next chapter. Like I said, it is a bit shorter than I originally planned, which is why it only focuses the current storyline from one of the two continents but as I said, I am kind of busy this week. Still, I hope you like it.

Oh, and by the way, now that my thread is 72 chapters long, it has officially crossed both the 100,000-word mark and the 2,000 reviews mark! I am hyped :D thanks for all your interest. It inspired me to pass that milestone faster than I originally thought I would.

Great Hall of Ironrath: The North

Sansa Stark interlocked her fingers, schooling her features as the flames of anger erupted in her chest. Around her, she could see the scowls of discontent from the Forresters as Lord Rodrik narrowed his eyes.

"Explain," He demanded.

The servant bit his bottom lip, his expression nervous. "Please my Lord, you must see that I disagreed with this action. Why else would I have abandoned the castle and sought to warn you in advance?"

Sansa took a deep breath and approached him slowly while softening her features. "We understand," She said in her most reassuring tone. "And believe me, if what you say is true, then I will personally guarantee you are rewarded for your loyalty to House Stark once I reclaim my ancestral seat. But we could use some additional details. What more do you know?"

The stableboy seemed to relax somewhat and turned to look at her before sighing. "As you may know, my Lady," Gaven began, "Castle Cerwyn is merely half a day's ride from Winterfell so its ruling House is a bit too close to the Bolton's forces for comfort. Not that Lord Medger just bowed meekly at these bloody usurpers, oh no. In fact, I was there that day when he refused to pay his taxes. He said that the Warden of the North would always be a Stark, and that he’d be damned if he’d kiss a traitor’s boot. I was tending to the horses at the time, my Lady, but his yells on the matter were most clear.

Then he swallowed, his expression tormented. "Unfortunately, that bloodthirsty bastard, Ramsay, did not like that response at all. So...he flayed him living, along with his wife and brother. Made his son, Cley, watch. And after that, the new Lord Cerwyn decided it was in his best interests to pay his taxes."

More than one curse was muttered across the Great Hall of Ironrath at such despicable news, the loudest coming from Ser Royland Degore as the seasoned Master-at-arms fumed in anger but Lyanna Mormont wasn't far behind. Sansa, for her part, closed her eyes for a moment, lamenting the fact the loyalists in her homeland had been paying such heavy tolls for opposing the Boltons while they had been unable to aid them for so long.

"That is terrible news," The Lady of Winterfell in exile said softly. "And a damned shame. I will have to visit Castle Cerwyn at some point to pay my respects and to thank them for remaining true to our cause despite all it cost them."

Gaven inhaled sharply, his lips quivering slightly. "I am sure they would be pleased by that, my Lady. Especially if you bring their killer to justice."

"That's my every intention," Sansa declared. "Now, I imagine Ramsay increased his dreadful tactics if he has convinced them to move against us now. What exactly happened?"

"I don't really know all the details, Lady Stark," The stableboy responded. "But I do know that Lord Ramsay has taken his sister Jonelle Cerwyn, the only living relative of Lord Cley, as a ward, while making it abundantly clear that if he did not commit his forces in the battle against you, he will and I quote, "Make you wish you could have flayed her yourself compared to the pain I will put her through."

Sansa glared, and not for the first time, wished that she would have cut off Ramsay's manhood during their wedding night when she had the chance. Then, her face set in a way that she was sure reflected what she was feeling: a grim determination and a desire for retribution.

"In that case, I suppose that your Lord had a more understandable reason for betraying his oaths to my House than the Umbers and Karstarks," The redhead admitted. "It still makes him our enemy in the coming battle but...in light of this, we may spare him the executioner's ax if he survives the approaching conflict. And if it comes to that, I will make sure he knows he will have you to thank for this, since you were the one that brought all this to our attention."

Gaven bowed. "Thank you, my Lady."

Lord Rodrick then took that moment to address the servant. "Do you know when Ramsay was expecting the Cerwyn bannermen to reinforce him? Or perhaps were?"

"I tried to leave while I still could, my Lord, so I don't know the where," He replied. "I do know he said speed was of the essence and that they were to regroup with his Bolton forces that very night...or face the consequences."

"Wait, if that's true then that would mean they have already bolstered their ranks," Ser Royland said in alarm as he stared at the moon from one of the windows. "They may actually be marching to attack us sooner than we thought."

The room grew silent at that, it's mood tense. Rodrik scratched his chin then turned to his Master-at-arms. "Go. Make sure our troops are not slacking off. Then double our patrols and come back once that's done. We will need to discuss if we are going to alter our battle plans."

"Understood, sir." The knight said before moving towards the gates.

Once he was out, the ruler of Ironrath looked back at the servant boy and smiled. "I thank you for coming all this way to warn us. You may stay as an honored guest of House Forrester for as long as you need."

"Thank you, my Lord, you are most kind," He replied with a grateful bow.

And with that, he was dismissed to go to the kitchen in order to receive a warm meal, just as Josera Snow started entering the hall. Sansa narrowed her eyes when she noticed her truth-sensitive necklace gave her an ice-cold sensation when she noticed his arrival but she was soon distracted when Gwyn Whitehill sighed deeply.

"It seems Ramsay has not just been busy menacing my House in the last few days."

That made everyone in the room turn to look at her. "What happened?" Asher asked with concern as he noticed her blue eyes starting to cover in tears.

She sniffed for a moment but then took a deep breath to compose herself before looking at Rodrik. "As I told you during your visit to my ancestral home, my brother Torrhen was sent to foster at Winterfell under Roose Bolton before the siege began. But like Ramsay decreed, the war between our families was to end as far as he was concerned once either the Lord of Ironrath or the Lord of Highpoint would fall and the other one was left standing. It seems that once you succeeded, Rodrik...the new head of House Bolton decided that meant my brother's life was forfeit," She revealed, her lips quivering as her eyes puffed. "That...that monster sent me his flayed skin on a box."

Sansa grimaced as the room turned quiet, understanding better than most how she must be feeling. Asher shook his head, his eyes visibly angered but then he focused on Gwyn once again and saw the pain that was eating her up. And so, he embraced the woman he was once betrothed to, trying to offer a little bit of comfort. She teared up even further but didn't hesitate to hug him back as his siblings looked on.

So, the Lady of Winterfell in exile decided to focus on Josera and on Talia and Rodrik Forrester, trying to gauge their reactions. The young woman seemed conflicted at the sight before her; which made sense given that the grieving woman before her had helped them as much as she could, despite all pain the Whitehills put them through. Rodrik, on his part, stared at his brother for a long moment before letting out what sounded like a resigned sigh. Meanwhile, Josera seemed to be measuring Gwyn with his eyes, or perhaps the leftover instincts of his bear familiar, before shrugging, seemingly finding nothing to cause him to object.

Eventually, the two of them broke away but remain with their eyes locked, seemingly coming to an unspoken understanding when Asher nodded and took her hand to kiss it, which made her smile. Then they started to walk together towards the Lord of Ironrath, with Gwyn taking the lead.

Once they were face to face with the eldest Forrester, they took a deep breath and held hands. "I know that my relationship with Asher has brought your House problems, even before the siege." She admitted. "After all, it was our romance, so reviled by our respective parents, that made Lord Gregor decide to cut his losses and banish Asher to Essos when we were 17, in order to stop our bloody feud from escalating. And for a long time, I was heartbroken, fearing I would never see him again."

Sansa raised an eyebrow as she hard that part of the story for the first time but her own expression softened when the redhead saw Gwyn turn back to Asher looked at him with clear devotion in her gaze.

"But he is back now," She said with a growing smile. "And I have come to realize that neither time nor distance could dull my feelings for him. So, as the new Lady of Highpoint, I would love nothing more than to put this conflict behind us and work to mend our wounds through marriage...if you still want me, Asher."

He put his other hand around hers and nodded firmly, his eyes shining. "Of course I do, Gwyn. I never stopped loving you."

Then they both turned to look at the Lord of Ironrath, clearly hoping for his blessing. Lyanna Mormont also seemed particularly interested in what he had to say, given the intensity of her own gaze. Rodrik interlocked his fingers as he took a long moment to measure his response in silence, his expression all but unreadable. Then he sighed.

"Some of our peoples may become more than a little outraged by that," He replied. "But, personally, I am sick and tired of our ancestral feud and I refuse to be the one to start a new one within House Forrester by executing the last Whitehill as a foolish attempt to end it," The Lord remarked while staring at his brother with a knowing look. "I know my brother well enough to understand that I would lose his loyalty with that move and with good reason. Because you are right, your relationship may have caused us many problems in the past but I truly believe that no one else has been able to make Asher happy like you have. So, I am inclined to give you my blessing."

Before they could speak, however, Rodrik raised his hand in a quieting motion. "That said, at the end of the day, the members of House Whitehill still broke their oaths to House Stark, whether by action or inaction. As a result, I would like to be certain that my rightful liege does not have any objections."

Everyone turned to look at Sansa as her eyes widened slightly at becoming the center of attention under such circumstances. But soon enough, she calmed her expression and focused on the unlikely couple. She could read their nervousness plainly on their body language as they wanted for her verdict. It didn't take her long to organize her thoughts as she decided to take a gamble.

"Well, first of all, I have a confession to make," The Lady of Winterfell in exile announced as she grabbed her pendant with one hand. "This necklace is actually enchanted with a very special property: the ability to warn me through changes in temperature when someone is lying while I can hear them," She said, which clearly peaked their interests based on the looks of shock across the room. "Useful, I know. As you can imagine, this is not a secret I usually reveal lightly but I have decided to let you all know because, while it's true my initial reaction to you was tainted by the betrayal of your family, it didn't take me long to realize that you were being completely truthful with your apologies. In fact, I hadn't sensed you say a single lie this entire time."

Asher's eyes sparkled at the news, his smile widening as everything started to sink in. Sansa returned the smile and took a deep breath as she addressed the Lady of Highpoint. "As a result, I certainly believe that you truly love him, despite the old feud between your Houses. So, in the interest of keeping the peace the Wolfswood region and because I just can't break away from such a lovely couple," She added with a grin, "I, Sansa Stark, rightful Lady of Winterfell, officially pardon you, Gwyn Whitehill, of any guilt you may have had when your family rose against me. Let's work for a brighter future together."

The last Whitehill sniffed, crying tears of joy. "Oh, thank you so much, my Lady! I swear I will work hard to honor the faith you have placed in me."

Sansa smirked as her necklace revealed her sincerity once more, feeling good with herself. "That is good to hear. Now, what are you waiting for, Asher? Kiss your betrothed!"

The greatest warrior of Ironrath chuckled at that as he stared at the women he loved. "It would be my pleasure," He said before the two joined their lips, embracing with all the love they could feel.

Sansa felt her heart fluttered, as she stared at the joyful sight. "So this is how a century-spanning family feud dies," She thought with a smile. "With a passionate kiss."

Then she sighed, as she imagined her future wedding to her beloved brother.

A/N: Well, I know this could have felt as a bit of a detour somewhat, but like I keep saying, there is a method to my madness. The Forresters are kind of important for some of my plans of a Post-Bolton future for the North in this alternate reality and a big part of that was just shown here. Now the influence of House Forrester has increased with their new connection to Highpoint through a political marriage that also happens to involve a couple that love each other, as it is clear in the Game of Thrones Telltale game. And between that their alliance with House Glenmore through Rodrik's wife...well, the balance of power in the Wolfswood region is starting to change, if you were to ask Lord Glover. More on that later though.

For now, I hope you liked the chapter and I will try to update one more time before the end of the weekend if I am able. Until then, see ya in the comments XD