Chapter 32
His sister didn't sleep after the meeting with the girls. Both her and Ser Harold were white as milk when they emerged from the room. Ser Harold didn't speak of what was said in the room or what he'd seen, he just admitted that Lord Hornwood was telling the truth. Viserys didn't know if he should ask anymore questions. Part of him knew there was more to the stories that Lord Hornwood has revealed, but that didn't mean that he wanted to know the smallest details. Viserys knew his own sins. He married Aemma too young, her being one and ten him being five and ten, two children pushed into a marriage neither of them knew what to do with. He put babe after babe in her until it killed her. He neglected his brother and ignored his wishes. He spoiled his daughter rotten and allowed her bad behavior and tantrums. He allowed rats to sit at his table and give him council. He was guilty of all those things, but he couldn't imagine doing what Lord Bolton did to those girls. Viserys liked to think that even though he wasn't a septon he wasn't a monster either.
Seeing his unmovable sister looking like that gave him shivers down the spine. She wasn't moved when his Baleon died, nor was she shaken when Daemon killed Mysaria. To see her like this when he knew she saw unspeakable things in her visions was unthinkable. She was pale when she came out, she didn't eat at dinner nor did she speak of what she'd seen in the room. She didn't sleep either, but when morning came he could see the rage in her eyes. The dragon blood boiling beneath her skin. He knew no matter what happened at this trial Lord Bolton was going to die.
Lord Bolton arrived just after noon, in his party was his son and heir, his daughter and her husband and a handful of knights. The man didn't looked panicked or worried about the reason he was called. Viserys wondered if it was because of the confidence he had in his scare tactics or because the man was not in his right mind. Bolton looked more dead than alive, no spark in his eyes, no emotions on his face, nothing. Viserys had seen statues with more life in them than Bolton. His daughter on the other hand looked dreadful. Wide dead eyes, a black eye and a swollen cheek, purple and green bruises on her neck and arms. She looked like she wasn't present, locked in her mind somewhere. She was a living doll. She didn't talk, didn't courtesy, didn't even look in their directions. She just followed along after her father, like a shadow.
All Bolton men were quickly subjugated by the Stark and Hornwood knights. Ser Harwin taking a hold of the Bolton heir and putting his sword to the man's neck when he began to struggle. The girls husband was on his knees, some Hornwood knight being a little rough with him. Viserys didn't mind.
Viserys sat at the table his brother to his right and his sister to his left, ser Harold a silent shadow ready to cut down anyone was behind him. Lord Stark and Hornwood at each side of his siblings. The man in front of him watched the scene happening around him, the only emotion that Viserys could detect was a little curiosity. His daughter on the other hand finally had a reaction, her mind snapped to the present and her eyes were surveying the room around her.
"Lord Bolton you were brought here, today to answer to the crimes you committed." Viserys began.
"I would like to know what crimes are those, my King." Lord Bolton replied.
"You stand accused of murder and rape. You stand accused of breaking His Grace's, the King's, law. You stand accused of continuing the tradition called the First Night, that was abolished by the order of the Old King, King Jaehaerys I. You stand accused of flaying people for no other reason than being of low birth and mutilating servants for your pleasure. How do you plead?" Maenera said.
"Flaying was not outlawed." Lord Bolton replied.
"Really? That is the part that you try to defend?" Asked Daemon incredulous. On the faces of those around him was disbelief and anger.
***
Daemon would admire the man for his hold on emotions if he was not a complete lunatic. The accusation seemed to have no effects whatsoever on him. After Daemon exclaimed his disbelief and the men and women in the room showed their disgust, he saw his sister getting up from her chair and whispering something in Viserys ear. Maenera made her way to Lord Bolton's daughter and took her by the shoulders and moved her where the rest of the wronged women were. The men quickly took their eyes from the pack of females that were staying at the side of the room.
Viserys asked if Lord Bolton wanted to defend himself but the man stood in silence, and so one by one the women began to tell their stories. Each more horrific than the other. One of the girls, no older than twelve was clutching his sister hands so tight through out her recounting that her knuckles whitened. The last was the Lady Bolton. When she began to tell her story Daemon observed something curious. One, she was the only one that managed to make her father, brother and husband react. Surprisingly her brother knew, her husband finding out after the fact and beating her half to death. That explained the bruises. Two, his sister disappeared from his line of sight. He couldn't see her. He didn't even realized that she was gone until after the fact. And three, when he looked at his brother he saw that his brother was missing his dagger. Daemon didn't think that his brother even realized it was missing. He had a vague impression that wherever his sister was, the dagger was on her person.
"For the crimes committed, I Viserys Targaryen, first of my name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the the Realm, sentence you, Lord Bolton, Lord of Dreadford, to death. The same sentence to be applied to you heir, and your son in law. "
"I demand trial by combat! And just so you know my King, in the North, the man who passes the sentence swings the sword." Exclaimed the Lord.
There were gasps of surprise, and Daemon began to smirk. He must be mad if he thought that he would let Viserys be the one to fight. It would be a pleasure to cut the man's head off in a trial by combat. He was however interrupted from his musings. His smirk froze. Through the mouth of Lord Bolton the tip of a dagger appeared. The women shouted but on their faces quickly appeared a pleased expression. The men cursed, they weren't expecting it. Lord Bolton fell to the ground his brother's dagger standing from the back of his head. His sister stood behind him with not a drop of blood on her. She looked at the body on the floor impassively.
"Princess! The man demanded a trial by combat!" Rose Lord Stark in indignation.
"Yes, and I accepted. He challenged my brother, I answered. The thing about Targaryen's, my Lords is when you challenge one of them you challenge all of them. That should be a lesson. Prince Daemon will execute the two remaining convicts. Lady Bolton will single out which one of the guards should remain alive and which shoud perish. After all she is the lady of her house now." She pushes Lord Bolton's head with the tip of her boots and takes out the dagger." The dragons will eat well tonight." She said and made her way out of the doors, the women in the room following after her in solidarity. Even the wife of Lord Hornwood. Nobody said anything. Daemon began to laugh.
"What's so amusing?" Asked the Lord Hornwood.
"Do you not realize what happened?" Asked Daemon. "The women made their own justice. They tried, sentences and executed their tormentors. This was The Women's Trial."
"Kill the rest Daemon, the rest of you bring the bodies outside the gates, the Dragons will arrive soon." Said Viserys.
"My King, they were awful human beings that is true, but we have customs. We cannot just feed them to the dragons." Tried Lord Stark to reason with Viserys.
"My sister said and I quote
"If Lord Stark doesn't like the idea of the dragons feasting on the corpses we could do it in the old way. We hang their entrails from the Heart Tree, a sacrifice to the Old Gods." Daemon began smirking.
"So, what will it be my lord? The old way or our way?" Asked Daemon. Lord Stark didn't responded anymore.
***
Maenera thought that she would feel different after taking a life with her own hands. She didn't. The only thing she felt was satisfaction. The audacity the man had to demand a trial by combat. After all he'd done to these poor women, to his own daughter, he thinks that he deserves to make demands? That he deserves to fight her brothers? The monster wasn't worthy enough to even be in their presence. Fouling the air in the room with his breathing. They all should be grateful, grateful that she was too young, too small, untrained. He should have suffered the same thing he didn't to the women. Kept alive while piece by piece was cut off. Without any relief, any pause. Tied to a pole in the courtyard, naked, left to the elements. Exactly like he left Bessie, a crofter's daughter, that just had the misfortune of being beautiful. She knew she couldn't do those things, but oh... How she wanted to.
Last night she promised the women she talked to, justice. And she delivered. She promised them that their voices would be heard, that their stories will not be swept under the rug, that this trial will be talked about for centuries, a warning for all the men, lowborn and highborn alike that think that because they have a cock between their legs can do anything. She will make sure of it. She will spread the word in all Seven Kingdoms. She will make sure that no woman will ever feel like she doesn't have anybody to turn to. She will await the letters, she will hear the whispers and she and Shrykos will be ready to deliver justice. There will always be monsters, bad men that will try and prey on the weak, and she will be ready.
She turned towards the women behind her.
"You are free now. You can rest your head peacefully, without having to worry that the monster is going to come after you or your children in the middle of the night."
"Thank you, Princess." Said one of them. Clarissa, her name was." We began to lose hope, that anyone will do anything about him."
"You are free to leave or stay, you have a choice now. If you are in need of employment, or just a safe space to raise your children, the Keep I grew up in, is a two day ride from here. There is only one man on the property right now, and he will never hurt any of you." She said." And Lady Bolton, you are now the Lady of Dreadford, you will rule. If you are in need of a cleansing of the castle, you may ask Lord Hornwood or Stark to lend you some soldiers. I am sure they will not denie you."
"I think, my Princess, that... This is exactly what is needed. My father was not the only monster there, I will make sure that there are no others."
"Princess" said one of the women " We appreciate your offer, and maybe we will take it one day, but for now I think that we will go back with the Lady Bolton. To help her get rid of the rats." She said and Maenera could see the tears gathering in Lady Bolton's eyes at the solidarity the rest showed.
***
Ser Harwin Strong was in a continuous state of surprise since he came in the service of the royal family. First with Prince Daemon, and his iron fist with which he wiped into shape the Gold Cloaks. Now the Princess, that was making waves since she arrived in the Capitol. This journey only proved the power the three siblings had if they had a common goal. In a little more than a week they managed to make a journey North, inform Lord Stark of the weeds in his garden, find witnesses, have a trial and make some executions.
He would be a liar if he denied that he was learning from Ser Harold. Everything pertinent about the Royals the man was teaching him. From how to interpret their moods, to what he should watch out for while guarding the Princess. Mayhaps it was pity, Ser Harold seeing him out of his depth most of the time, but the man took him under his wing. He felt like a squire all over again. Dealing with the royal family was taking everything he knew and throwing it out of the window. "They are extremely chaotic" Ser Harold said." Always expect the unexpected with them." And he was right. At first it seemed that the King was the most normal out of all of them. He was wrong. Even the King had his oddities.
They were sleeping in the same room, in the same bed, not giving a flying fuck who saw, or what they thought. They could communicate without words. Sometimes he swears that he could hear from them a series of chirps? Or were they growls? Purring? He didn't rightly knew what they were but he was sure he heard them. Every time the Princess was in need of comfort one of the brothers would take her into their arms and began making the sounds. Mostly Prince Daemon but the King wasn't exempt. He didn't asked Ser Harwin about it, nor did the man informed him of it. That is why sometimes he thought it was only his imagination. Not even the royal siblings seemed to be aware of the sounds they were making. So many strange behaviors that made him think they were otherworldly.
Now they were all in the courtyard, the Lady Bolton, decided to head back home, after the trial from yesterday. The Lord of Hornwood lended her some of his nights and Lord Stark promised some more to help with the infestation of monsters she had in her home. As one all the woman folk present began forming two lines. No, not lines. It was more like a tunnel. A tunnel within which the Lady Bolton and the rest of the abused women were passing. It was like a barricade between the woman folk and the men.
The lady arrived at her horse and got on, and the ladies dispersed braking the little baricade. She and the other ladies were now on their horses facing the courtyard and the royal family and Princess Maenera did the unexpected again. She courtesied to the women in front of her. Nobody moved for a second, then her brothers, the King and Prince Daemon bowed. A small one, but a bow it was. The whole courtyard seemed to snap out of its stupor and follow the King's actions and soon everyone bowing to the ladies in front of them. When they lifted their heads they could see the tears in the women's eyes.
"Thank you, for all you've done." Said lady Bolton. "And know this, Princess Maenera Targaryen, if you are in need you only need to call, the women in the North will answer. From now on House Bolton will always be an ally to the Targaryen dynasty."
The Lady turned and the gates opened letting her, her ladies and a handful of soldiers out of Hornwood. He looked now at the princess, a proud smile on her face. She looked at the figures in the distance and said:
"Farewell, Lady Bolton, may the Gods be with you."
A Women's Trial indeed.