Chapter Text
There were footfalls coming towards Reek.
Reek's eyes opened, no more than slits to let light in. Even that hurt. Reek could see two pairs of boots. One pair were Master's, but Reek didn't recognize the other pair.
Master kicked Reek in the ribs. Reek curled tighter around himself with a low noise of pain.
"Get up," Master commanded. "On your knees."
Reek obeyed. Every inch of Reek burned in agony. Master fisted a hand in Reek's hair and helped Reek up to his knees. Behind Master and the stranger were a few grim-faced men in armor and white livery, who looked horrified at how poorly Reek was behaving. Reek didn't remember seeing them before, but something about them seemed familiar.
The stranger was a little familiar too. He was handsomer than Master, with red curls falling around his shoulders and his blue eyes. He was broad and strong, the fur on his cloak making him seem even broader.
For a moment, Reek thought that he should have snow melting in his hair, but that was silly.
"I did train him," Master was saying, "though he needs reminding often. Just a bit of stubbornness—he was punished last night for it."
"I can see that," the stranger said. He reached down and lifted Reek's chin, studying Reek's face. "What happened to his teeth?"
"Oh, that. Doesn't smile as much as he used to, does he? I trained him to use his mouth for…better things. He lost a tooth any time he tried biting. It took a while, but it was worth it. You can be as rough as you like with him, he doesn't complain or fight back, just takes it like a good little whore."
"I see." The stranger looked angry. Reek must have done something to displease him.
"I'm sure he's to your liking. Completely obedient—you could run him through and he'd probably thank you. He won't betray you again."
Again? Reek didn't think Reek had ever seen the stranger before. But Master knew best, of course.
"Reek," Master said sweetly, "do you know who this is?"
Reek shook his head, gaze dropping to their boots. Reek would surely be punished for not knowing, but it was always worse if Reek was caught in a lie, and Reek wasn't smart enough to avoid being caught.
"My name is Robb Stark," the stranger said. "The King in the North."
The king. Reek's stomach roiled with fear.
"He's your new master," Master said. Reek's head snapped up in shock. Master was getting rid of Reek?
The king smiled at Reek, laying a hand on the top of Reek's head and stroking Reek's hair. Then he turned to the guards that were with him and nodded once, his hand not leaving Reek's head.
The guards grabbed Master and took him away. Reek was frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch through his tears as Master was dragged away. Reek wanted to move, to help Master, to do anything but cry, but Reek didn't dare. The king would surely beat Reek harshly for disobeying him, and Master had said that the king was Reek's new Master.
"It's alright," the king said, still petting Reek. "Everything's alright. He's going to be executed, he can't hurt you anymore."
Master being executed was the least alright thing that Reek could imagine.
"You're safe, Theon. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and out of those rags."
Reek looked up at the king, shaking. Everything about that was wrong. Reek wasn't Theon, Reek was Reek, and Reek wasn't allowed to bathe or take off the rags that Master had given Reek. Bathing would be a waste on Reek anyway, Reek was filthy down to the bones. It would just waste water and time. Maybe he wanted Reek to serve him while he bathed? Master liked that. He sometimes even poured a bucket of snowmelt on Reek before, so that Reek was as clean as Reek could ever be while Reek bathed him. It still didn't make Reek very clean, though.
"Theon?" The king crouched next to Reek. "I promise, you're safe, I won't hurt you. Please, say something?"
Reek didn't dare. Master had been very clear that Reek was a dull, stupid, worthless creature and had nothing to say that anyone would ever want to hear, and so Reek was not allowed to talk.
But…Master was gone, and Reek's new Master wanted Reek to speak. He'd probably realize that Reek was too stupid to be allowed to speak and forbid it again.
"Yes, Master," Reek said, voice rough and quiet from disuse.
"No, Theon, I'm your friend, not your—do you really not remember me?"
"I'm sorry, Master."
The king sighed. He looked sad. Reek braced for a punishment. "Stand up," the king ordered.
Reek obeyed, managing to get upright without falling once, even without Master's help. Tears of agony filled Reek's eyes, but Reek blinked them away quickly, hoping the king wouldn't notice them.
It didn't work. "You're more badly hurt than I thought," the king said. "I'm going to have to carry you to the baths, aren't I?"
Reek wanted to sob in fear. If the king decided that Reek was too badly damaged, who knew what would happen to Reek? Master had sometimes been angry at Reek for being too hurt after a punishment to serve properly, but Master had always been kind and merciful and helped Reek with a hand in Reek's hair, or a sharp swat to make Reek move.
"I—I'm sorry, Master, I can walk, I promise."
The king frowned, and Reek quailed. "Are you cold?" he asked.
Reek shook his head as a draft blew through and made Reek tremble.
The king's frown deepened. "Please don't lie to me," he said, and Reek flinched in anticipation of the punishment.
The king took off his heavy fur cloak and draped it over Reek's shoulders. Reek clutched at it so that it didn't fall off. It was the finest thing Reek had ever touched, soft and warm, and Reek would surely be punished for dirtying it, but it would be worth it just to have touched something so soft and so warm. It was like the dogs, but even softer. Reek's hand sunk deeply into the fur.
The king lifted Reek easily, cradling Reek against his chest, the cloak still wrapped around Reek.
It was so warm. Reek had never been so warm before.
Reek was confused. Reek was worthless scum, less than a worm, who didn’t deserve warmth or comfort or being carried. Reek didn’t think Reek had ever been carried before. Nobody wanted to touch Reek, Reek was Reek, and Reek was a filthy disgusting thing.
The king took Reek to the baths. The heat of the hot springs soaked into Reek's skin, warming Reek. Reek wasn’t allowed near them because Reek would taint them, but maybe it would be alright if Reek just didn’t get in. Reek couldn’t disobey.
Maybe the king wanted Reek to tend to him while he bathed? Master liked that. But Reek was forbidden from the baths. Maybe the king didn’t know that Reek would taint the springs? No, that was impossible, Master had said that the king was Reek’s new master, and Reek never knew more than Reek's master.
There was a wooden tub with water in it. The king set Reek down next to it, and began taking off his breastplate and jerkin and doublet. That made more sense. Reek was to tend to him while he bathed. But the king wasn’t taking off his boots or trousers, or his shirt; just rolling up his sleeves and revealing strong forearms.
“Come on, Theon, you need a bath. I won’t think you’re ugly or something. You must want to get out of those rags, right? There’s clean clothes waiting for you, but you have to be clean too.”
Reek didn’t understand most of what the king said. It didn’t seem to be meant for Reek, but the only people in the room were the king and Reek.
“Come on, take off those rags and get in the tub.”
Oh. That was an order. But Reek wasn’t supposed to take off the clothes Master had given him, and Reek wasn’t supposed to get in the water. Master had forbidden both of those things. But…Master had given Reek to the king, and the king had given Reek a new order.
Reek hurried to obey, bracing for a blow. Taking too long to obey was bad, and Reek would be punished for it. Obeying had never felt so wrong. Master had never tested Reek like this before. Reek didn’t understand what was going on, but Reek never did. Reek could obey, though. Reek just had to be obedient, and maybe Reek wouldn’t be punished as harshly.
The water felt…warm, on the parts of Reek’s skin where Reek could feel things like warmth. The king smiled encouragingly at Reek, handing Reek a bar of soap.
“Go on, wash up. Let me know if you need help.”
More orders. Reek took a deep breath and started scrubbing. The water came away greyish brown, filthy and disgusting. The king would see and know that Reek was tainting everything and let Reek out and wouldn’t make Reek do this again…
“Oh, gods, you’re bleeding!”
Reek didn’t understand. Reek was always bleeding. Reek scrubbed harder.
“Stop that.” The king caught Reek's wrist, stilling Reek. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
Everything hurt Reek. That was what Reek was for. Reek didn’t understand why the king sounded bothered by that.
“Here, let me.” The king took the bar of soap and wiped it across Reek’s back. “You just need to take the dirt off, not your skin, too.”
Oh. The ashen color must have been his skin, not another layer of dirt, and of course the king would want to flay Reek himself, not have Reek do it. Reek was probably doing it wrong. Reek didn’t know that soap could flay, but Reek was stupid like that.
The king’s hands didn’t hurt. Reek didn’t know why. Nothing made sense anymore.
“There, that’s your body done. Let’s replace the water and we can get your face and hair, alright?”
More baths? Reek shook as the king took Reek out of the tub, wrapping a towel around Reek and rubbing gently.
“Can you keep doing that for me while I replace the water, without hurting yourself?”
Reek nodded hesitantly.
“Good. Stay put, alright?”
Reek watched as the king drained the tub and replaced the water in it, bucket by bucket. Why didn’t he call a servant for that? Even if he didn’t want Reek to do it, there were lots of servants in Winterfell. The king didn’t have to do that himself.
“Come on, time to get back in.” Reek obeyed. The king smiled, reaching for Reek’s face, and Reek flinched away.
Stupid Reek, Reek scolded. The king sighed.
“It’s alright,” the king said. His fingers brushed Reek’s cheek, wiping away dirt. He picked up a cloth and wiped again, a bit firmer. “Tell me if I’m hurting you.”
Reek nodded. The king’s orders were strange and baffling, but Reek didn’t need to think, Reek just needed to obey. If Reek could just obey, without hesitating or thinking or getting confused, Reek might avoid punishment.
The king sang under his breath as he washed Reek’s face, a song that Reek didn’t know, but somehow Reek recognized the tune. Reek had heard it before, somewhere.
This was…nice. The water was warm, and the king’s hands were gentle, and it all felt strange and dreamlike. Maybe it was a dream. Reek’s dreams were usually as bad as waking, on the rare occasions that Reek had a dream, but this one wasn’t so bad, as dreams went.
“I don’t think there’s much we can do about your hair,” the king said, passing his fingers across it. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cut it.”
Reek didn’t understand why the king was saying I’m sorry to Reek, like it mattered what Reek thought of it. Reek's hair belonged to the king, just like the rest of Reek.
“Close your eyes for a moment,” the king said, and poured water on Reek’s head. “Scissors,” the king muttered, rummaging through something. Reek didn’t turn around to look; it was always better if Reek didn’t. “Scissors, scissors, here we are.” Reek heard scissors snipping at the air and tried not to flinch. Would the king want to see Reek flinching, or calmly waiting for punishment? Reek could sometimes predict what Master wanted. “Alright, let’s get your hair dealt with.”
Reek stayed very still as the king snipped Reek’s hair to an acceptable length. It was…short. The air was cold on Reek’s ears and neck.
“There, that’s…well, it’s not great, but it’ll do. It can grow back.”
The door opened and Lady Bolton walked in, carrying some folded clothes. She half-sobbed when she saw Reek, rushing to his side and grabbing Reek tightly, the clothes dropped in the king’s lap.
“Theon! Oh, you’re alive, are you hurt? Look at you, oh!” She squeezed tighter.
“Reek, my lady,” Reek reminded her. She’d mistaken Reek for Theon before, Reek thought, though Reek’s memories were bad. Reek didn’t know who Theon was, but obviously he mattered to her.
“Oh,” she said. She let go of Reek, her hands fluttering. “Right, of course. I brought clean clothes for you. Come on, out of the tub, let’s get you dried off.” She wrapped a dry towel around Reek, patting Reek dry. “Look at you,” she said again, “you’re clean. It’s a shame about your hair, but I suppose there wasn’t anything for it.”
“It was matted, and I saw lice,” the king said.
“Have you eaten anything today?” she asked Reek.
Reek shook his head. Reek wasn’t sure how long today had been, but Reek had snuck the rat what Reek thought was a few days ago.
“Alright. I have food in our solar, you can have some once you’re dressed.” She kissed the king’s cheek and took the folded clothes back from him, passing them to Reek. “Here you go, I don’t know how well they’ll fit, but we can take them in if they’re too big.”
Reek glanced at the king. Lady Bolton had never given Reek orders before, and Reek wasn’t sure if the king wanted Reek to follow them or not.
“Go on,” the king prompted after a long moment. “Do you want help with it?”
Reek shook his head, looking at the clothes. They were so fine, Reek would ruin them. They were clean white, with grey embroidery on the collar and cuffs.
Reek put them on quickly, waiting for punishment. Reek had taken far too long to obey the orders.
“Don’t you look handsome,” Lady Bolton said, draping the king’s cloak around Reek’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you fed. Robb, will you find Hilde and ask her for another plate?” She took Reek’s hand and led Reek upstairs.
Reek followed, reeling. Lady Bolton had ordered the king around. Was she in charge? That couldn’t be right, Master had given Reek to the king, and Reek didn’t know much, but even Reek knew that kings were always in charge.
Reek could ask Lady Bolton, maybe. Reek hadn’t seen her in a while (Reek remembered Master saying that he had killed her, but that couldn’t possibly be right, Reek was too stupid to be worth lying to, and Lady Bolton was here, so she wasn’t dead, so Master hadn’t told Reek that she was) but she had been kind to Reek, Reek remembered that. She’d be angry with Reek for his impertinence, of course, but then Reek would know what was going on, and the punishment would be worth it.
Reek waited until they were in the solar and Lady Bolton had settled down into her seat, Reek standing behind her. Reek's stomach cramped at the sight of the food. Reek couldn’t remember how long it had been since Reek had eaten.
“Sit,” she ordered. Reek knelt by her side.
“Lady Bolton?” Reek said. “May I ask you something?”
“Of course you may,” she said.
“Please, what’s going on?” That was too vague. Reek bit his lip.
“Didn’t Robb explain it to you?”
Reek shook his head. Robb was…the king. King Robb. Master Robb? Reek wasn’t sure.
“Alright. First, I’m not Lady Bolton anymore. Do you…do you remember escaping with me?”
Escaping? Reek had never, would never, try to escape.
Reek’s expression must have been enough of an answer, because Lady Bolton sighed. “You helped me escape, and protected me. I went south and joined my brother’s forces, and we retook the North. Ramsay pretended that he had never betrayed us when he surrendered, but he’s going to be executed for his crimes once everything settles.”
Reek’s head hurt. Nothing she was saying made any sense, and Reek was more confused than ever.
“This isn’t helping, is it?” she asked, and sighed. “Here’s what you need to know. I’m not Lady Bolton anymore, I’m Lady Stark, and I want you to call me Sansa, alright?”
“Yes, Lady Sansa.” Finally, clear orders.
“Good. My brother is Robb. We’re ruling Winterfell now, not Ramsay. None of his orders matter anymore, you don’t have to follow them. That means you’re allowed to bathe, change your clothes, all of that.”
Reek’s eyes widened.
“We’re not going to punish you,” she promised. “Neither of us are. You need time to adjust and recover, and so you won’t be punished, understand?”
“I understand, Lady Sansa.” Reek didn’t know how long the not-being-punished would last, but that didn’t matter. Reek would learn what his new masters wanted, and Reek would obey. Reek was slow, though, so it would probably take longer than their patience for Reek to learn. That was fine. The punishments would help Reek learn.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“How do you want me to serve you?”
“First, you’re going to eat, and then…” She tapped her finger against her chin. “Go around the castle and find all the Bolton sigils. Don’t take them down, just list where they are, and then report back to me at sundown. Don’t worry if you can’t find all of them today, just do what you can.”
“Yes, Lady Sansa.”
“Good.” Lady Sansa patted the top of his head, smiling. “Very good. Now, come sit at the table and eat with me.”
Reek stared at Lady Sansa. She knew that Reek wasn’t allowed on the furniture. But…she had said that none of Master’s orders mattered anymore. It must be a test.
Reek perched on the edge of the chair, hesitant to fully sit on it like she was doing, and stared at the plate and utensils, shaking like a leaf. She’d said to eat, but Reek felt too ill to swallow anything. Master would see. Master would know that Reek was pretending to be a person again and—
Lady Sansa put her hand on Reek's. “Do you want to kneel again?”
Reek nodded, desperately.
“Alright. Go ahead.”
Reek sank back down to his knees, head resting against her leg. Her hand drifted down to pet Reek.
“You still need to eat,” she said. “Here, I’ll feed you.” She held out a piece of meat, bite-sized. Reek knew this: when Master was in a rare good mood, or wanted to show off how well-trained his Reek was, this was how Reek would be fed. Reek leaned forward, taking the meat in his teeth, careful not to bite Lady Sansa.
Reek’s stomach cramped with hunger when Reek swallowed, as though reminding Reek how long it had been since Reek was last allowed to eat. (Reek had been bad and ate a rat since then, but Master didn’t know about that. The rat didn’t count, anyway, Reek had only been hungrier afterwards.)
“How long has it been since you last ate?”
“I don’t know, my lady.” Reek never knew how long had passed in the darkness of the dungeons.
“That won’t do. You’re to eat three times a day from now on, I’ll tell the cooks to feed you.”
Reek couldn’t remember the last time Reek had been allowed to eat three times in a single day. Reek wasn't sure that Reek had ever been allowed to eat three times in a single day. Would Reek even be able to eat that much? She didn’t say they had to be much, maybe Reek could eat something small three times a day, and that would count as obedience.
She held out another bite of meat and Reek took it. Reek liked this, the quiet obedience of it. Reek was a good dog for his master.
The best part was that there was little danger of disobedience. Reek just had to not bite Lady Sansa, not let his teeth graze her skin, and Reek was good at that.
Time slipped by. Lady Sansa was petting his head now, letting Reek doze by her side. There was a dull ache in Reek’s knees from kneeling for so long.
“Hello there,” Lady Sansa said, smiling at Reek. Why was she smiling? “You dozed off. It’s alright, we’re not mad.”
We? Reek thought, and then noticed that the king was sitting at the table with Lady Sansa.
“You looked like you needed rest,” she continued. “Would you like to go to bed?”
That was a trap, but Reek knew the right answer. “No, my lady.” Reek’s knees protested standing, and sleep really did sound welcome, but Reek had to do the task Lady Sansa had assigned, first. “You wanted me to find all the Bolton banners for you.”
“Alright then. Here.” Lady Sansa handed Reek a wax tablet. “To write your notes on. I don’t want you to just recite them for me, I won’t remember them all.”
“Yes, my lady."