Lady Catelyn Stark
The coup had lasted as long as it possibly could, that much Catelyn was sure about. Dustin and Ryswell might be family, but Lady Barbrey was far too stubborn to allow her father to dictate terms. Balthasar Bolton had come good as he had said he would, leading the way with his men to overthrow Ryswell and Dustin and delivering them into chains. Catelyn had then sent Ser Rodrick with men to remove the ironborn from Torrhen's Square which had been achieved successfully, once this trial was over and done with, they would deal with the ironborn still lodged in Deepwood Motte. Now though, Catelyn found herself sat on the winter throne, preparing to hand out judgement to the traitors.
They were all gathered out in the great hall, Bran and Rickon and the girls, preparing for judgement to be passed. The prisoners were before them in chains. Catelyn takes a breath then speaks. "You are here to answer for the crime of treason, of breaking your oaths of fealty and trying to rule what was not yours to rule. Lady Barbrey, this is not the first time you have been brought here as a warning. You were cautioned once by my Lord Husband long before the war began, and yet now here you are." She pauses and then looks at Lord Ryswell. "And you Lord Ryswell, you are nothing more than a leech, a leech who deserves to be buried." A pause. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"
There is a general silence as they digest the words that she has said, then Lady Dustin speaks. "You claim we have committed treason, but who have we committed treason against? We swear two oaths, one to the throne, another to Winterfell. Your son broke his oath to the throne, and has not sworn an oath to another King. And yes, Winterfell is our liege lord, but how are we to respect a liege lord, who does not seem to care for his people? He fights in the south, making use of our men, our fathers, husbands, brothers and sons, shedding their lives, for no apparent reason. You expect us to just accept this without question? We are not mindless slaves to accept a bad hand when we are dealt it. We did what we thought was necessary, if that means we must now face death, then so be it."
The woman speaks well Catelyn will give her that, perhaps it was all the time she spent preparing for something she would never get, regardless, now she has admitted to the treason, and by admission of silence, so have her father and brothers. Catelyn takes a moment to look around the great hall, the lords of the north who were here when things went southwards, are here, Manderly, Locke, Flint, Wull and many others, all are here, to witness justice done. Eventually, she speaks. "Very well. Lady Barbrey, Lord Rodrick, you and your family are convicted of treason against your liege lord, the punishment for this crime is that of execution. Ser Maron shall do the deed." The big and bulky man who had come with her from Riverrun all those years ago, steps forward, he swings an axe as the members of Dustin and Ryswell are forced to the ground, their necks bared. One by one their heads are removed, and Catelyn has to do her best not to be sick at the sight, she sees Sansa holding Rickon tightly to her chest, and she is grateful for that. Bran rests in Hodor's arms, staring unseeingly. Once the last of the Ryswells has been executed, the heads are removed to be placed on the walls of the castle. The people begin to stir, and Catelyn speaks once more. "Subject to his aid against the traitors, Winterfell recognises Balthasar Bolton as Lord of the Dreadfort." There is some murmuring at that, and Bolton walks forward, before bending before her. "Do you promise to uphold the ancient oaths to the best of your ability?"
Bolton looks at her through his lashes and nods. "I do my lady. I swear it before the old gods and the new. I will make sure the enemies of House Stark are dealt a heavy blow."
Lady Catelyn nods. "Good, I want you to move forward with your men to meet Ser Rodrick at Torrhen's Square, it is time for the ironborn to be dealt a heavy blow and driven from the Motte and the surrounding areas."
Bolton rises to his feet and smiles. "Nothing would please me more my lady."
Catelyn nods, then she dismisses the man, with a command she dismisses the rest of the gathering from the hall. Once the last man has left, she steps down from the winter throne and nods for Hodor to carry Bran to the solar, once they are there she shuts the door, and looks at her children. "You are well?" she asks, looking at Sansa, and then at Arya who has a distant look in her eye.
"It was surprising." Sansa says, speaking to break the silence. "That you'd allow us to see the executions."
Catelyn sighs, she had debated this long and hard, and had eventually reached the conclusion that there was nothing to it, they would have to see it eventually. "I thought the time was right. These are difficult times, it was necessary."
"Will Robb really be coming home?" Arya asks then, her voice hopeful.
"Yes. And Jon will be coming back with him." Catelyn replies.
"What will happen to Theon then?" Bran asks, his voice sounding small.
Catelyn grimaces then, thinking of the broken husk of a man who rests in a cell within Winterfell, his hair greying, his chin broken, as are his teeth and fingers. She sighs. "I do not know."
"I hope he dies." Arya says with some fire. "He was a traitor; he deserves to die just for that."
Catelyn takes hold of Rickon then, allowing him to nestle in her arms, she looks at her daughter and nods. "I agree."