[Winterfell — Locations]
Sansa implored Jon to help her take back Winterfell from the Boltons. Although Jon was initially hesitant due to his weariness from fighting, he eventually agreed after receiving a letter from Ramsay. In the letter, Ramsay denounced Jon as a traitor for allowing the wildlings to cross the Wall . Furthermore, Ramsay revealed that he was holding Jon and Sansa's younger brother, Rickon , hostage and demanded Sansa's return, warning that he would slaughter Jon, Rickon and the wildlings, before having Sansa gang-raped if he refused. Jon and Sansa resolved to march south to confront the Boltons in order to save their younger brother and retake Winterfell.
Just when all hope seems lost for the Starks and Free Folk, a war horn sounds off in the distance. Around the bend appears a large mounted host of the Knights of the Vale , led by Lord Baelish, Lady Sansa, and Lord Yohn Royce. The newly arrived Arryn reinforcements quickly turn the tide in favor of the Starks. With the phalanx facing inward towards the Stark forces, the Vale knights are able to attack the Boltons' undefended side, wiping away Ramsay's phalanx and freeing the Stark soldiers. Tormund, meanwhile, kills Smalljon in a brutal duel. Ramsay, with his infantry force all but destroyed, decides to retreat to Winterfell to hold out in a siege. In a murderous fury, Jon gives chase alongside Tormund and Wun Wun.
Despite his general's concerns, Ramsay expresses confidence they can withstand the Starks since they hold Winterfell and the Starks lack the manpower for a protracted siege. His plan goes awry, however, when Wun Wun breaks down the main gate, allowing the Starks and Arryns to pour through. They swiftly kill all remaining Bolton archers and infantry in the castle. Wun Wun collapses to his knees after being hit by several arrows, bolts, and javelins. Before Jon can comfort his friend, however, Ramsay kills the giant with an arrow through the eye. Ramsay, refusing to surrender, taunts Jon, saying that he finally accepts his proposal of single combat before shooting arrows at an unarmed Jon. Enraged, Jon grabs a shield from a fallen Mormont soldier and while boldly advancing, blocks three of Ramsay's shots. When he reaches Ramsay, he smacks the bow out of his hands and knocks him to the ground. With Ramsay down, Jon pins him and proceeds to beat him savagely. Though it seems he will kill Ramsay, Jon stops when he sees Sansa, realizing she has as much right to revenge as he does. Jon orders Ramsay locked in the kennels, and the Flayed Man banners drop to the ground in a cluttered heap while the Direwolf banner is raised above Winterfell for the first time in three years. With Ramsay's defeat, the Boltons' rule of the North is over, and House Stark and its allies retake the North with a decisive, albeit costly, victory.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, no such battle has taken place yet. The fifth and most recent novel, A Dance with Dragons , ends with Stannis still marching against Winterfell and Jon's death. Given that season six onward is based on an outline of what will happen in future novels, the battle, or a different version of it, rather, may serve as the climax of The Winds of Winter .
Bran Stark originally warged into Hodor's mind in order to escape from Winterfell when it came under attack. The Reed siblings were first introduced in the second novel when they arrive at Winterfell, but their introduction was pushed back to Season 3, after the fall of Winterfell, due to time constraints. Bran's group was hiding in the crypts beneath Winterfell but Hodor could not remember the way out, so Bran warged into Hodor's mind so he could carry his own inert body to safety.
Robb continues his campaign against the Lannisters, winning a trio of victories in the Riverlands and a further three victories in the Westerlands . Bran and Rickon leave Winterfell after the traitorous Theon takes control of Winterfell. Theon kills two farmer's sons and declares their bodies are those of Bran and Rickon, leading the majority of Westeros believing that all the male Stark heirs are dead (as Jon is a bastard son of Ned Stark and sworn to the Night's Watch). Arya is held captive at Harrenhal , but escapes with Gendry and Hot Pie .
Littlefinger secretly returns Sansa to Winterfell and weds her to Ramsay Bolton . Although Sansa doesn't quite realize it, there are many in the North who are already taking heart from the fact that there is again a Stark in Winterfell. Sansa eventually flees Winterfell during the battle in the ice .
The status of the surviving Starks and what political positions they held was not fully clear after Jon Snow was hailed as the new King in the North , by not only the lords of the North , but the Vale as well. The return of Bran and Arya to Winterfell clarified the ambiguity of all of their political positions in the North.
While Jon ruled as the King in the North, Sansa attended court alongside him as the Lady of Winterfell . In his absence, Jon gave Sansa regency over the Kingdom of the North as both his sister and the only Stark (the highest ranking and ruling family in the North) in Winterfell used as precedent.
When Bran Stark , the rightful Lord of Winterfell, returned to Winterfell, he abdicated his lordship for his new role as the Three-Eyed Raven . Once Arya returned to Winterfell, Sansa and Petyr note Arya is next in the line of succession for the lordship of Winterfell. Jon is believed to be Eddard's bastard son, which means he would not be included in the line of succession, unless he were to be legitimized as a Stark.
Half of the Dothraki and Unsullied troops were killed during the Great War. The remainder were forced to scatter and retreat behind the walls of Winterfell. Although both Drogon and Rhaegal survived, they were injured during the battle against the dead. After the Great War, Targaryen forces still maintained roughly a dozen ships in the royal fleet and a contingent of Unsullied forces. After Euron shot down and killed Rhaegal with scorpion bolts, Drogon became Daenerys’s only living dragon.
The Bolton force lays siege to Winterfell. The Ironborn turn on Theon and deliver him to Ramsay in exchange for safe passage out of the North. However, Ramsay and his men turn on the Ironborn and flay them alive, whilst putting Winterfell to the torch .
The Boltons launch a campaign to retake the North from the invading Ironborn , but their army is stuck south of Moat Cailin , cutting them off from entering the North. Ramsay uses Theon to persuade the Ironborn to surrender, then Bolton soldiers kiil them. The main Bolton army now enters the North, along with Roose Bolton, who legitimizes Ramsay as a Bolton for capturing the Moat. With their army now in the North, Roose and Ramsay March to Winterfell and begin repairs on the ruined castle.
Despite the Boltons' victory, Sansa's escape severely jeopardizes their claim to the North. The birth of Roose's trueborn son visibly disturbs Ramsay, who knows that he no longer has the strongest claim to his father's titles and lands; he kills his father, his stepmother Walda, and his half-brother, thus becoming the Lord of the Dreadfort, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North.