#i guess we can assume in this AU Ramsay was killed by Theon

[ilikestuffthatsparkles]

Theon leaving

[mrsjadecurtiss]

man I’m like exhausted about to go to sleep etc etc but I’m thinking of an Au where domeric dies at/near the dread fort.... I just have this image of roose cradling domeric’s corpse in the only true show of emotion he’s made for like years and ofc he’s waited until basically everyone is out of the room and his face is like blank but he’s also. 👌 this close to actually crying. And he’s really mad too <3. Barb is there and also steelshanks Walton.:::

Hi, thank you for the ask! :) This event is something i often speculate about - I will explain my thoughts below.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you mean with "AU", I do think the implication in canon is that Domeric died at the Dreadfort? He he seems to have been treated by the maester, and was later buried there; the World of Ice and Fire app shows his place of death as the Dreadfort as well.

"Ramsay killed him. A sickness of the bowels, Maester Uthor says, but I say poison." - Reek III, aDwD

Roose is a character who is very closed off emotionally, and since he is not a PoV, we can only guess how much emotion he might feel on the inside; Theon's chapters sometimes hint at his inner life and even somewhat invite us to speculate.

But Theon Greyjoy saw a look in his pale eyes that he had never seen before—an uneasiness, even a hint of fear. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

Reek wondered if Roose Bolton ever cried. If so, do the tears feel cold upon his cheeks? - Reek II, aDwD

If Roose had a private, emotional moment like you describe, i believe he would make sure that not a single soul is present to witness it; especially not a servant, considering the classism inherent in their society (Walton would probably also prefer not to witness his employer like that). Most people don't like to show this kind of weakness even in front of their closest family, especially if they are the patriarch, and Westeros also has toxic ideals of masculinity ("Father," he told the corpse, "it was you who told me that tears were a mark of weakness in a man" - Jaime I, aFfC).

So I think any raw reaction to Domeric's death he may have had, he would have entirely alone with himself; i could imagine some bitterness/grief and anger considering how proudly he still talks about Domeric (who was a great heir; "A quiet boy, but most accomplished."), and the somber coloring to some of his dialogue ("Now his bones lie beneath the Dreadfort with the bones of his brothers, who died still in the cradle, and I am left with Ramsay."). There's also this interesting line about leeching, potentially hinting at him having personal knowledge of the described effect:

"I know." Lord Bolton sighed. "His blood is bad. He needs to be leeched. The leeches suck away the bad blood, all the rage and pain." - Reek III, aDwD

I actually believe that his public conduct at Domeric's death might be one of the reasons that Barbrey talks badly about him:

"Those leeches that he loves so well sucked all the passions out of him years ago. He does not love, he does not hate, he does not grieve." - The Prince of Winterfell, aDwD

Assuming that he would skillfully hide his emotions as usual (as the lord he would also have an interest in appearing strong), this would give Barbrey the impression that he felt no love or grief for Domeric. He also then takes in Ramsay, which Barbrey (who suspects Ramsay, and might even have come up with that suspicion herself, similar to how she blames the maester Walys for her marriage grief) would no doubt find very callous (hence, "he does not hate"). Note that Barbrey does not live at the Dreadfort and would take a while to come over to pay her respects due to travelling times, so whatever grief Roose may have felt, he would have learnt to deal with by the time she arrives, and not show it openly. I don't believe Barbrey ever witnessed him being vulnerable ("Roose has no feelings, you see.").

Of course, this is just speculation, since we have very limited information due to the lack of PoV perspective... Would love to find out more in tWoW, since Grrm set up a lot of interesting dynamics between these characters in aDwD. Apologies if you meant the ask entirely as an AU speculative scenario rather than canon speculation, but i hope this was still interesting to you! For an AU, of course one could also change some of the factors here for scenarios of your own imagination, the world is open :)