- This article is about the granddaughter of Walder Frey, for other uses see Walda Frey (disambiguation).
- Roose Bolton: "Lord Walder let me choose any of his granddaughters and promised me the girl's weight in silver as a dowry, so I have a fat young bride."
- Catelyn Stark: "I hope she makes you very happy."
- Roose Bolton: "Well, she's made me very rich."
- — Roose Bolton to Catelyn Stark[src]
Walda Bolton, née Frey, better known as Fat Walda,[citation needed] was the new wife of Roose Bolton, the Lord of the Dreadfort.
Biography
Background
Walda is a member of House Frey and a granddaughter of Lord Walder Frey.
Season 3
During the wedding feast of Edmure and Roslin Frey, Roose Bolton recounts to Catelyn and Brynden Tully how Lord Frey proposed that he marry one of his granddaughters, and offered her weight in silver as a dowry. Roose then adds he chose the fattest bride available. Catelyn tactfully responds that she hoped that this has made him happy, to which he replies, "She's made me very rich."[1]
Season 4
Walda is introduced to Ramsay.
Walda travels north with her new husband to the Boltons' ancestral castle, the Dreadfort. She is clearly intimidated by her new surroundings and greets her stepson Ramsay with a kindly meek, "hello"; Ramsay responds by greeting her warmly, calling her "mother", and kissing her on the cheek, before she is escorted to her chambers.[2]
Season 5
Walda and the Bolton entourage await for Sansa's arrival.
Walda travels to Winterfell with Roose, Ramsay, and others from the Bolton household. She is there to greet Ramsay's betrothed, Sansa Stark.[3] At a "family" dinner, Ramsay remains polite toward Walda, filling her cup with wine, to which Walda thanks him with suspicion. Walda tries to sympathize with Sansa, saying it must be difficult being in a strange place, which is something that Walda is experiencing herself. Sansa reminds her that Winterfell is her home, and states that it is the people who are strange. This prompts Ramsay to bring Reek into the room to serve more wine for everybody, including Walda, who is visibly repulsed by him.
Walda announces her pregnancy.
When Roose senses that Ramsay is getting too smug for his own good, he prompts Walda to announce that she is pregnant. Roose adds that from the way she is carrying Maester Wolkan says it looks like a boy, which clearly distresses Ramsay but delights Sansa. Ramsay later confronts Roose about the news, expressing his concern of his inheritance to the North, in the event that the child is a boy. Ramsay also takes several jabs at Walda's weight, and ponders how Roose was able to consummate his marriage.
Walda attends Ramsay and Sansa's wedding.
However, Roose assures that Ramsay is and will remain his son and heir, and is to succeed him – although he maintains his implied threat that Ramsay had better behave himself if that is to remain the plan, suggesting that the impending battle with Stannis will also dictate the hierarchy of Walda's child.[4] Walda is later present at Ramsay and Sansa's wedding ceremony in the godswood at Winterfell, in which Roose conducts the ceremony.[5]
Season 6
Walda allows Ramsay to hold his baby brother, just before they are mauled to death by his dogs.
Walda eventually gives birth to a baby boy; shortly thereafter, she is summoned along with the baby to Winterfell's courtyard by Ramsay, who leads her into the kennels. She asks him where her husband is, but is met with silence. Quickly realizing that Ramsay has killed Roose and now intends to do the same to her and her son, Walda begs Ramsay to let her go, saying that she will go back to the Riverlands and never set foot in Winterfell again. She also reminds Ramsay that her son is his half-brother. Her pleas fall on deaf ears, however, and Ramsay unleashes his hounds who proceed to kill both Walda and her newborn son.[6]
Walda and her baby are later avenged when Jon retakes Winterfell and has Ramsay fed to the hounds.[7]
Appearances
Template:Season Four Appearances Template:Season Five Appearances Template:Season Six Appearances
Image Gallery
Family tree
Template:House Frey family tree
Quotes
- Walda: "Where is Lord Bolton?"
- Ramsay: "I am Lord Bolton."
- Walda: "Ramsay...Ramsay please. I'll leave Winterfell. I'll go back to the Riverlands. Please...Ramsay. He's your brother."
- Ramsay: "I prefer being an only child."
- — Walda begs for her life and child before being mauled by Ramsay's dogs.[src]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Fat Walda is the second of three daughters of Merrett Frey and Mariya Darry. Merrett is himself the ninth son of Lord Walder. She is known for her gluttony, hence her nickname, which her father considers shameful, though less shameful than her older sister Amerei, known as "Gatehouse Ami" for her blatant promiscuity.
Lord Walder taunted Merrett that Walda is "a sow in silk", her weight being the only reason Roose married her. He remarks that the Freys would have had the same alliance at half the price if "the little porkling" put down her spoon from time to time.
She is described as a round pink butterball of a girl, with watery eyes, a huge bosom and limp yellow hair. Her voice is thin and squeaky. She is fifteen years old when she marries Roose. Walda has a giggling, fun-loving, even charming personality, and is known for cracking bawdy jokes. It is loosely implied, however, that this is simply an outward persona that she affects to fool others into thinking she is harmless, when she is secretly very intelligent - some of her bawdy jokes can actually be quite witty.
When Roose stays in Harrenhal, Walda writes him letters almost every day, and all the letters are the same: "I pray for you morn, noon, and night, my sweet lord, and count the days until you share my bed again. Return to me soon, and I will give you many trueborn sons to take the place of your dear Domeric and rule the Dreadfort after you." Arya is present when Roose receives one such letter, but he may have never responded to any of them. Roose tells Arya to burn Walda's love letters, though this is not particularly significant, as Roose burns all of his personal correspondence to prevent his enemies or rivals from reading it.
Fat Walda attends the Red Wedding and sits next to Catelyn. It is Fat Walda who tells Wendel Manderly, while Catelyn overhears, about her grandfather's dowry offer to Lord Bolton. She is one of the many Frey girls that Robb politely dances with during the festivities.
Walda is fully aware that Roose chose to marry her instead of another Frey girl - such as Fair Walda, granddaughter of Stevron Frey - simply so he could get her weight in silver, but nonetheless she is very grateful to him, as marrying the head of a powerful House drastically elevated her social standing. Roose initially thought Walda would be an annoying distraction, but later says that despite himself he has become oddly fond of her. His first two wives were silent and still when he had sex with them, but Walda makes a lot of noise and openly enjoys it, which Roose finds somewhat endearing.
On one occasion Ramsay, while talking to his father, refers to Walda as "your fat pig wife" - making it clear he does not care much for his stepmother.
Roose never announces that Walda is pregnant. The only reference to her pregnancy is in the last of Theon's chapters in the fifth book, when Theon sees Roose entering the Great Hall at Winterfell accompanied by his plump and pregnant wife. Roose also remarked to Reek earlier that he feared that if he had new children with Walda, Ramsay would try to kill them to remove any rival heirs to House Bolton.
By the point the books reached, Walda is still alive, and has not given birth yet.
See also
References
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