***Second Bonus Chapter of the Week***
Dreadfort Castle
POV of Domeric Bolton
"Did snipping at a little girl really give you so much satisfaction that you're willing to put my alliance with the Starks in jeopardy?" Domeric asked in a cold and apathetic tone. "Or was that your intention from the start?"
His aunt looked hurt at his accusation, "Dom. Listen to me."
"No." He cut her off. "I've been listening to you ever since I was a child. But when the time came for you to extend me the same courtesy, you did not. You continued your childish spat with Sansa and Catelyn. And now this is the result. How do you think Lord Stark will take it when he finds that I threw his wife out of my home, huh?"
His aunt chose to remain silent in the face of his anger and he continued to glare at her before he finally felt deep exhaustion coming over him and he let out a sigh.
"I am asking you as my regent, how should I behave if someone disrespects my liege's wife who was a guest in my house?"
At this moment, Lady Barbrey also started to realize the consequences of her actions. He put Domeric in a difficult position. He had chosen her side, but in doing so, he jeopardized his relationship with the Starks.
It was embarrassing for her to put Domeric in this situation when, as his regent, should have prevented these kinds of disputes. So, she said nothing and bowed her head in shame.
"I'll go with Lady Catelyn to Winterfell where I'll take full blame for this whole debacle and ask for his forgiveness from Lord Stark," Domeric said.
"What? Dom, you can't! It was my fault. I am... sorry. I shouldn't put you in this kind of situation as your aunt and regent. I will go and..." she said but Domeric cut her speech before she finished it.
"So, you realize you were wrong. Good, your apology is accepted. But I will still go to the Winterfell with Lady Catelyn. I will talk with Lord Stark and tell him that Lady Catelyn is no longer allowed on Bolton Lands in the future. I shouldn't let her stay at the castle in the first place." He said.
"Lord Stark will see this a great disrespect, Dom."
"I know. While I still had to ask for Lord Stark's forgiveness, I can also give him some pressure. After all Lady Catelyn crossed the line and by contract, Sansa should have come to Dreadfort without any family members. But it is still a great disrespect for Lord Stark, so I really need your opinion about damage control. What do you suggest Auntie?" He asked his aunt.
Lady Barbrey Dustin felt sweet inside as Domeric accepted her apology without thinking. She really shouldn't have put him in this situation. But the milk had already spilled and now she had to help him with damage control as much as she could.
"You really shouldn't banish her from your lands indefinitely. If you really want to banish her then it would be more appropriate to set a time limit. Maybe till your official betrothal with Sansa? Like about 2 or 3 years?" she suggested.
"Fine, I only banish her for 5 years."
"And you can't just only punish her. It would look like an unfair punishment even if she crossed the line. After all, I also have some faults in this situation. You should also banish me from your land for a while."
"Nope, I am not going to banish you. You are my family." Domeric rejected directly her suggestion.
"Dom. I know I am guilty and I'm willing to accept my punishment. Also, you don't have to banish me for a long time. A few months should be enough. I can return to Borrowton and rule my land for a while. If you want to look fair, this is the only way." She explained his idea to him.
Domeric thought in silence for a while. He really didn't want to punish his aunt and definitely not banish her from his lands but knew he had to be fair. Or... he had to look fair.
Then he realized that he didn't have to punish his aunt. He just had to find something that looked like a punishment while in reality, it wasn't. Like a mission.
He looked at his aunt and said. "I have a better idea, Auntie. I have a mission for you. I want you to go to Bolton Port where you'll live as the castellan for the next four months." He said, exiling her from Dreadfort for the next 4 months, on paper of course.
"Hımm... that could work. It is still an exiling punishment after all. But in reality, you want to give me a mission, right? What is it? Governing the port? Or maybe starting a new business of yours?" she asked.
This was better for her. She had to stay away from Dreadfort and Domeric for a while, but it wasn't because she was exiled. It was because of a mission.
"I want to you train and educate Sansa there. She was too comfortable at Dreadfort in the last two months. Bolton Port might be a better place for her education. I know you don't like Starks, but no child should be punished for the actions of their parents. She might be my future wife. So, I want you to see her a future Bolton, not a Stark."
When Lady Barbrey Dustin heard Domeric's mission she went silent. She could tolerate the presence of Stark children but educating and training them was a hard mission for her.
Domeric knew her dilemma, but he really wanted to change her opinion about the Stark children. She could hate Lady Catelyn and Lord Stark all she wanted but she shouldn't hate Stark children till they have done something that earned her hate.
But he still had one more trump card.
"Don't you want to train and educate a Stark child and shape her as you want? When she became a well-learned lady, you could brag about it to other lords and ladies. A stark trained and educated by a Dustin, Lady Barbrey Dustin. And if you can impress her maybe she will praise you to Lord and Lady Stark at Winterfell. How do you think Lady Catelyn would have looked when Sansa praised you to them?"
When his aunt heard his words, she looked into his eyes for a few seconds with her now sparkling eyes, and then she smirked.
"Haha... hahaha... this is a brilliant idea, Dom. I want this mission. Give her to me and I will prove to the whole North... no, to the whole Westeros that Sansa Stark became a perfect lady not because of being a Stark but because she was trained and educated by Lady Barbrey Dustin." She laughed and declared with newfound energy.
'Uhhh... Looks like I woke something up inside my aunt. Well, maybe this is better for her. Everyone needs a purpose to move forward in life.
"Then I will leave this matter to you Auntie."
"Hımm. Don't worry. I will do my best."
And then she left the room, leaving him in silence that made him wonder if he should have used some compulsion charms on Lady Catelyn when she first started butting heads with his aunt. That would have made things so much easier.
But Sansa was his suitor, maybe even his future fiancée. And even if he had not made up his mind about marrying her yet, that still made her his pseudo-family for the time being. And he had a rule to never use mind magic on his family members.
It was such a foolish decision to put Lady Catelyn and his Auntie in the same room and hope that the whole thing wouldn't blow up in his face.
---------------
Author's Note: Thank you, Rocky, for becoming my Patron and a SILVER member of my page. And thank you, Kristoffer, for becoming my Patron and a COPEPR member of my page. This Chapter is dedicated to your names.
You folks also can read up to +47 Chapters on mt P@treon Page as an early access privilege.
You can also read "+2 Free Chapter" and see some pictures as aFree Member.
www.patreon.com/vanguard_v
P@treon Page Name: V For Vanguard
Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.101: A Request
Ch.102: Titanic
To 3rd Bonus Chapter Of Week: 94/100 Power Stones – You folks can get, up to 7 bonus Chapters every week by completing the quota. 1 B.Chapter = 100 Power Stones