The Night That Ended

The Night That Ended is a song performed by the singer Abel during the wedding feast of Ramsay Bolton and the woman presented as Arya Stark. The feast took place in the Great Hall of Winterfell, a ruined castle that had been hastily repaired for the occasion. The hall was crowded with northmen, Freys, and Boltons, all gathered to witness the union that would seal the Bolton claim to Winterfell.

Performance and Context

Abel, a bard who had arrived at Winterfell with six women he claimed were his daughters, wife, and mother, was called upon to provide entertainment for the wedding guests. After the ceremony in the godswood, the company returned to the Great Hall for a feast. Lord Wyman Manderly, who had furnished the food and drink, called out for specific songs, including "The Night That Ended." The bride, the false Arya, was present but did not eat, staring instead at her portion with fear in her eyes. The song's title, with its implication of finality and death, stood in stark contrast to the ostensible celebration of a marriage.

Thematic Significance

The performance of "The Night That Ended" at this particular wedding is deeply ironic. The marriage itself was a political sham, designed to legitimize Ramsay Bolton's claim to Winterfell through a false bride. The song's title foreshadows the violence that would soon erupt within the castle walls. The wedding night itself was a scene of brutality, with Ramsay forcing Theon Greyjoy to perform degrading acts on the terrified Jeyne Poole. The feast and the song were part of a mummer's farce that masked the underlying treachery and cruelty. The song's presence in the narrative underscores the theme of performance and deception that pervades the wedding, where lords and ladies played their parts while the true horror unfolded in private.

Narrative Role

"The Night That Ended" functions as a piece of dark foreshadowing within the Winterfell storyline. The song is performed at a moment of apparent triumph for the Boltons, but the narrative soon reveals the fragility of their position. The wedding feast was also the occasion for the disappearance of several Freys, a mystery that would later contribute to the growing tension and violence within the castle. The song's title, in retrospect, can be seen as a premonition of the bloody conflict that would soon consume Winterfell, as Stannis Baratheon's army approached and the northern lords began to turn against their Bolton overlords. The performance of this particular song at this particular moment adds a layer of grim irony to the already fraught atmosphere of the feast.