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  ==== ''A Feast for Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons'' ====
  Stannis sends ravens to the Northern houses naming himself as king and asking for their support, but only House Karstark and a faction of House Umber swear allegiance. Stannis has the King-beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder burned at the stake, and most of the wildlings bend the knee to Stannis, although Stannis is unaware that Melisandre had used glamours to switch Rayder and his lieutenant, the Lord of Bones. To rally the North, Stannis intends to attack House Bolton's castle The Dreadfort with the help of Arnolf Karstark, castellan of Karhold. In reality Arnolf is working with the Boltons, hoping to entrap Stannis and have his hostage great-nephew Harrion Karstark executed so his branch of the family can take Karhold. On Jon's advice, Stannis instead rallies the northern mountain clans and attacks Deepwood Motte, ousting the Ironborn holding the castle and taking Asha Greyjoy captive. He restores the castle to House Glover, thus winning their support and that of House Mormont. He marches on Winterfell to confront the Boltons, joined by the men of Arnolf Karstark and Mors Umber (one of the castellans of the Last Hearth), but his host is waylaid by heavy snows and forced to stop at a crofter's village three days away from Winterfell. A letter is later sent to Jon Snow by Ramsay Bolton claiming that Stannis has been defeated and killed, though it is unknown how much of the letter is true. George R. R. Martin confirmed to a fan in 2015 that Stannis is still alive in the books.