Contents
THEON
Overview
Inside snowbound Winterfell, Little Walder’s corpse ignites a bloody Frey–Manderly brawl before Roose Bolton orders sorties against Stannis. Amid the chaos, Theon aids Abel’s washerwomen in a desperate attempt to free Ramsay’s bride. They slip Jeyne from Ramsay’s chambers, kill guards, lose comrades, and, cornered on the battlements, Theon leaps with Jeyne.
Summary
At dawn in storm-lashed Winterfell, men brace for Stannis while Theon broods over Abel’s plan to steal Ramsay’s bride. Tension spikes when Ser Hosteen Frey brings in Little Walder’s frozen corpse. Accusations fly at Wyman Manderly, whose jape provokes Hosteen into slashing him, triggering a deadly Frey–Manderly melee before Roose’s men restore order.
Roose Bolton brandishes a raven’s message and commands Ser Hosteen and Lord Wyman’s forces to sally against Stannis’s snowbound host, deferring internecine vengeance. He demands a song from Abel to calm the hall. Seizing the distraction, Rowan urges Theon to begin the rescue through the kitchens under the guise of fetching hot water for a bath.
Theon leads Abel’s washerwomen through guarded corridors to Ramsay’s chamber, past Sour Alyn and Grunt. Inside, they find Jeyne cowering beneath furs, traumatized and fearing a test from Ramsay. Theon gently coaxes her, and the women dress her in Squirrel’s clothes to pass as a serving girl while Squirrel takes the bed.
They slip past the door guards and into the snow-choked trenches. Rowan, Myrtle, and Willow turn back to retrieve Abel, leaving Theon with Holly and Frenya to push on toward the Battlements Gate. Confronted by two guards, Holly kisses and kills one while Frenya disarms and impales the other, prompting alarms as they cross the drawbridge.
On the outer battlements, they realize Frenya holds the rope they need to descend. Crossbowmen on the inner wall shoot Holly dead as men close in from both sides; below, Frenya fights to delay pursuit. Trapped and seeing no path, Theon seizes Jeyne and leaps from the wall into the storm.
Who Appears
- Theon GreyjoyTerrified yet determined, he aids the washerwomen’s plan, calms Jeyne, leads the escape, and finally leaps from the battlements with her.
- Jeyne Poole (posing as Arya Stark)Ramsay’s traumatized bride; rescued from his chamber, disguised as a serving girl, and carried by Theon during the escape.
- AbelSinger leading the rescue scheme; provides distraction with music while his women attempt the extraction.
- RowanWasherwoman conspirator; drives the timing, confronts Theon, helps dress Jeyne, then turns back to find Abel.
- HollyAssassinous washerwoman; seduces and kills a gate guard, is later shot by crossbow bolts and dies on the battlements.
- FrenyaMassive washerwoman; seizes a spear, kills a guard, stays behind to hold the drawbridge as others flee.
- SquirrelAgile washerwoman; swaps clothes with Jeyne and takes her place in the bed to mask the escape.
- Willow Witch-EyeWasherwoman conspirator; helps during the rescue and later turns back with Rowan and Myrtle.
- MyrtleGaunt washerwoman; provides disguises, warns of activity in the yards, and withdraws with Rowan and Willow.
- Roose BoltonCold overlord; quells the brawl, announces Stannis’s nearby, and orders Hosteen and Wyman to sally forth.
- Ramsay BoltonBrutal heir; his presence and cruelty drive Jeyne’s terror; his chamber guards are deceived during the escape.
- Wyman ManderlyTaunts the Freys, is slashed by Hosteen, then ordered to lead men out against Stannis as his knights defend him.
- Ser Hosteen FreyBrings Little Walder’s corpse, accuses Manderly, starts a brawl, then prepares to march against Stannis.
- Big Walder FreyReports finding his cousin’s body and hints at White Harbor men teaching dice.
- Little Walder FreyMurder victim whose death sparks Frey–Manderly bloodshed in the hall.
- Sour AlynRamsay’s guard at the chamber door; insults Theon but allows entry, unwittingly enabling the escape.
- GruntMute guard at Ramsay’s door; lets the group pass and survives unaware as the escape unfolds.