Here is the second installment of "In His Place"! The #BeThronesCertified event has been doing wonders for my motivation to write. I hope everyone else is enjoying getting up close and personal with their favorite character!
Picking up where part one left off, we have Yara offering to take her brother's place as Ramsay Bolton's prisoner. For the sake of not wanting to write explicit torture scenes on Amino, I'll be keeping it rather light or implied!
#BeThronesCertified event has been doing wonders">
"Very well, Lady Greyjoy. Have it your way," Ramsay said and stood from the table, never losing his devilish grin. "Like the kind hearted man that I am, I will take you to your brother so that you can say goodbye to him before I send him off."
Kind hearted? Yara suppressed a scoff. Best to not upset him without necessity. She stood from the table as well and followed him out of the room. It had finally occured to Yara that she had no clue what state her brother would be in physically or emotionally. Perhaps he'd just endured some lashings from Ramsay. Most prisoners suffered from neglect, she thought.
The warmth within the Dreadfort came from the various hearths within it's walls, but that was the only warmth that could be found. Nothing about the castle gave off the feeling of it being a home. Each dark corner that they rounded casted a deeper shadow in Yara's mind. She had never cared much for such sentimental notions, but being stuck within walls so incredibly devoid of life made her all too aware of how much she craved the feeling.
"You have five minutes," Ramsay stated, slipping a key into a solar door. He pushed the door open and stepped aside, looking bored of the situation already. He continued, "Make them count."
"Five minutes?" Yara's eyes narrowed.
"Ah, right you are. I'm being foolish," Ramsay agreed with a sigh. "You have three minutes. We have much work to do. Well? Scurry along, little kraken." He said and shooed her into the solar.
Horrible bastard. Once inside the solar, Yara's gaze instantly fell on a wooden contraption off to the far side of the room. It was an "X" made from from what looked like beams. There in the solar, her brother was tied to the X with outstretched limbs.
"Theon!" Yara exclaimed breathlessly and began closing the gap between them with long strides.
"Y-yara! What are you doing here?" Theon demanded, struggling against his restraints and looking as if he were in distress at the discomfort of the ropes. Yara clenched her jaw in anger at the sight of her brother being hung up and displayed in such a demeaning way. Swiftly, she reached down and retrieved the dagger from her boot, then started freeing Theon from the ropes.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Not even here an hour and you've already lied to me," Ramsay began as he walked in from the doorway where he stood. "Are the Ironborn such incompetent savages that you didn't believe your dagger to be considered a weapon?" He asked with irritation, though it was no question. Just a pointed insult coming from a bastard.
"You can have it once my brother is free." Yara stated without looking over her shoulder to give Ramsay the slightest acknowledgement. She continued cutting away at the ropes that restrained Theon.
"Yara, you need to leave—" Theon pleaded. His pupils were blown wide as he took in the sight of Ramsay.
"No, I think I'll keep her," Ramsay considered, rubbing his chin as though in thought. "You were all too easy to break. A challenge would be far less... Boring."
Yara's teeth could have shattered from how hard she grit them and kept her jaw clenched. It was best to say nothing until Theon was far away from the Dreadfort. Nothing that could set Ramsay off further. She helped her brother down from the contraption and pulled him into a rough embrace.
"What are you doing here? Your crew—" Theon whispered as they hugged, voice riddled with confusion.
"The Ironborn need you, Theon. I was foolish to think they would respect me. They want a man as their leader, and the rightful heir to lead them is you. Just go," She whispered back, feeling hollow as she itted the betrayal she felt from her people.
"Time is up," Ramsay said cheerfully, and before Yara could react, the Bolton bastard had grabbed a handful of her hair and was forcefully pulled her away from Theon, and threw her to the ground. She dropped her dagger in surprise and Ramsay kicked it out into the corridor. The raven haired man gripped Theon by the shoulder, then shoved him towards the doorway. It was impossible for Yara to know how long her brother was strapped to the torture device, but given the way he stumbled as if learning to walk for the first time, she had the feeling it had been quite some time.
"Wait!" Yara exclaimed and reached for Theon, only to be met with Ramsay slamming and locking the solar door. Theon was gone, and she was alone. She beat her fists against the wooden door and let out a frustrated scream that would never be heard.
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Four. That was the number of sunrises that Yara watched through the windows of the solar. The number of days without human . The number of days without food. She wasn't sure what was worse... Not knowing when Ramsay would come, or feeling completely isolated. She sat on the floor with her back against the wall, feeling overcome with exhaustion. Sleep didn't come easy when she was so uncertain of everything around her.
Her heavy eyelids betrayed her and she drifted off for a moment. Flashes of Theon being tortured filled her mind, as they did every time she closed her eyes. The sound of the door unlocking stirred her from her sleep.
A green apple rolled across the floor towards her and she picked it up eagerly. She began tearing into the apple as she stared up angrily at Ramsay. The apple could be poisoned, but Yara cared not. She was starving and if poison was the way the Kraken's daughter was to die, then so be it.
No words were exchanged while Yara devoured the apple. Nothing needed to be said between master and prisoner. It made no difference to Yara if they ever spoke again for the rest of her stay. He could hardly be considered company.
"I've become rather fond of this dagger of yours," Ramsay said, breaking the silence and iring the small blade that be spoke of. "Do you miss it?"
Yara said nothing. What kind of question was that? Ramsay had the making of a true tyrant; talking merely to hear himself talk, and rambling about nothing at all.
"I think it's time that we've cut your hair. What do you say?" He asked, but once again, the question was rhetorical. Yara glared at him and straightened her spine back against the wall. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her exhausted state. Ramsay crossed the room and crouched down in front of Yara, then smirked devilishly at her. "You want to act like a man? Then it is due time for you to look like one."
Ramsay's hand wrapped around Yara's hair, then he lifted the blade and started cutting locks away with aggression. The pain was searing and Yara let out a growl of pain, then tightened her jaw to keep silent. Ramsay laughed wildly while he cut inch after inch of Yara's hair away, not stopping until her hair was as short as Theon's.
"When I give you an order, you are to obey it. Perhaps if you had turned your dagger over when I commanded, then you'd still have your hair." Ramsay said coldly, flashing the dagger before Yara's eyes as he mentioned it. He tucked it away, then tangled his hand in Yara's shortened hair. "We'll continue this conversation tomorrow." He said, then slammed Yara's head back into the wall roughly. The kraken slumped over onto the floor, and although it was against her will, finally fell asleep.
To be continued...
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