Seeing everyone looking at him, Wright quickly diverted the conversation: "The Tyroshi fleet won't face any major issues and will support Moat Cailin on time. Now, continue discussing the support for the North."
Renly quickly turned to Robb and asked, "Lord Robb, House Stark is most familiar with the North. You must have a concrete plan for this. Why don't you share it with everyone?"
Robb stood up and looked at Edmure on the stage. "The people of the North are splitting into three groups heading south. Those traveling along the King's Road will turn into wights if they die, and if captured by the Others, they might be transformed into even more troublesome Others or vampires. So, I ask Edmure to send the Riverland army north as quickly as possible. The cavalry should go ahead, but the infantry must follow quickly as well."
Edmure was a bit confused. "Just the cavalry will do, why must the infantry follow?"
Robb responded, "I dug three deep trenches north of Moat Cailin Fortress. They're four meters deep, five meters wide, and several kilometers long. The trenches are covered with smooth ice, so if the Others jump in, it will be hard for them to get out. Additionally, we've placed a large amount of fire oil and wildfire jars near the trenches. The horses of the cavalry might be startled by the flames."
Edmure leaned forward. "How many infantry should go then?"
Robb replied, "As many as we can send! From my calculations, the enemy force following us is just the vanguard, and their numbers shouldn't be too great. It's best if we can scare them off with our numbers. If we end up in a confrontation, the infantry can use the trenches to kill a large number of wights with fire."
"Lord Edmure, what do you think?" Renly didn't make a decision and threw the question to Edmure.
Edmure looked toward the Riverland nobles, who silently nodded in agreement.
Nobles leading their armies are accustomed to the costs of raising knights and soldiers and supplying them with food. They were eager to march north and rescue people, especially when Robb mentioned that they might not even have to fight. Going to Moat Cailin would allow them to earn credit without much effort.
Seeing that his vassals agreed, Edmure stood tall and spoke in a loud voice: "The warriors of the Riverlands will stake their lives and honor to bring our Northmen brothers back to Moat Cailin!"
Renly slapped the armrest of his chair. "Good, then it's settled!"
Edmure shouted to the messenger stationed at the side of the hall, "Send my orders! Have the Riverland soldiers assemble at the training ground immediately!"
The messenger hurriedly ran out.
If everything went smoothly, Renly and Edmure would take most of the credit. The plan was Edmure's, and he had ordered the Riverland forces to assemble. Renly, as king, only offered a simple approval. If things didn't go well, Edmure would bear the responsibility alone.
Knights needed to don their armor, feed their warhorses, and prepare supplies. Soldiers needed their rations and other supplies distributed. Without a standardized logistics system, assembling the soldiers could take several hours.
The nobles, however, didn't have to worry. Their subordinates took care of the preparations. Everyone in the hall was now waiting for Wright to explain what had happened with the Three Sisters.
Renly asked, "Wright, to the west we have the Iron Islands, and to the east, the Three Sisters. Pirates from both places are a significant threat. The Iron Islands are now the king's largest recruitment ground, but what exactly happened at the Three Sisters that caused you to dispatch the fleet to clear them out?"
Renly's question mirrored what the Riverland nobles were also wondering.
Moat Cailin, located between the North and the Vale, was a larger bay than Blackwater Bay outside King's Landing. The bay contained three islands: Sweet Sister, Long Sister, and Maiden's Isle, all ruled by House Sunderland. The family's vassals included four smaller noble houses from the islands.
The barren islands had no resources to speak of. Their economy relied on fishing and selling crabs, but with an increasing population, there wasn't enough fish to go around, leading to smuggling becoming a major source of income. The even more lucrative business of piracy soon followed.
The northern city of White Harbor had maintained a strong navy for many years, largely to prevent the pirates from the Three Sisters from raiding.
The Three Sisters had been ravaged by the Starks during a conflict known in the history books as the "Rape of the Three Sisters". The islanders, unable to fight back against the fiercer Northmen, submitted to the Vale's King Matos of House Arryn and begged for military aid to expel the Northmen. This dragged the Vale into the conflict as well.
Eventually, House Arryn defeated the Starks, though the Stark records say that the Northmen lost interest in the barren islands and withdrew voluntarily.
Today, the Three Sisters were nominally ruled by the Vale's House Arryn, but privately, none of the islanders respected them. They despised the Northmen and loathed the Vale for forcing them into submission.
Moat Cailin, near the only large city in the North—White Harbor—rarely saw ships dock there. However, with the united armies of the Seven Kingdoms gathering at Moat Cailin, many ships needed to stop and resupply, making the Three Sisters the natural choice for docking.
The Royal Fleet and the Tyroshi Fleet filled every harbor on the three islands. Ports that were normally only big enough for fishing boats were now overcrowded with massive warships.
The rulers of the three islands are Ser Triston Sunderland. Upon seeing so many navy ships docked on his territory, he naturally thought it was an opportunity to make a profit.
Ser Sunderland quickly realized that the royal fleet wasn't easy to deal with. They could tell what you were up to with just a glance at the ship's cabin, and if you said anything slightly wrong, they'd react with knives and axes. However, the people of Tyrosh, who were polite even to commoners, became his target.
During the day, he invited Tyroshi soldiers to dine at his home, and at night, he had the island's women entertain them.
A few days later, when the Tyroshi fleet was preparing to depart, Commander of the Northern Navy, Lord Aurane Velaryon, along with his guards and trusted men, arrived at Ser Sunderland's residence to settle the bill. Upon seeing one hundred gold dragons placed on the table by Aurane, Ser Sunderland placed his legs on the table and, calling himself the Pirate King, demanded fifty thousand gold dragons in exchange for letting the ships depart.
Many children who grew up by the sea dream of becoming pirate kings. Aurane had once dreamed of becoming a pirate king in his youth, and now, he had encountered one.
Wright slowly explained the situation to the others: "Just a few days of eating and drinking did not repair the ships. One hundred gold dragons were more than enough for Aurane, but Ser Sunderland didn't appreciate it."
Jon leaned toward Robb and whispered, "If we don't buy new equipment, our three thousand gold-clad soldiers' yearly expenses wouldn't even reach fifty thousand!"
Robb explained, "The Tyroshi navy usually operates in the south and on the Eastern continent, so they're not very famous in the North. There was an incident where they attacked a pirate ship with a fleet of dozens, only to have one of their ships sunk by pirates. Their military discipline is good, and they seem easy to intimidate."
The two had lived in Tyrosh for a long time and understood that the Tyroshi navy grew from nothing, emphasizing both combat and discipline. Unlike most navies today, their soldiers, if not for their dark skin, seemed more like young nobles going on a trip.
Renly turned to Wright and asked, "How many people died on the islands?"
He knew Wright's style, and Aurane had encountered him many times before, so he knew this man was no fool. Moreover, Aurane's wife was Asha Greyjoy, the daughter of the former Pirate King, so instead of asking about the process, he directly asked about the result.
The three islands had men, women, and children, more than the Tyroshi navy, but Renly believed Aurane would not come out at a loss.
Wright answered in a calm tone, "House Sunderland has only five members left, House Borrel of Sweetsister still has six, House Longthorpe of Longsister and House Torrent of Littleister have been exterminated. Those who survived are the culprits, and Aurane will bring them to Moat Cailin for public execution."
"Exterminated!"
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
Several of the Riverlands nobles started to murmur, as they hadn't heard of such a thing in many years.
"After all, the Three Sisters are vassals of House Arryn in the Vale. To wipe them out without even giving them a greeting... if this were in normal times..."
Edmure stopped, and everyone knew the next step—war.
Wright continued, "The King has already ordered the gathering of the Seven Kingdoms' armies. The entire continent is in a state of war. When the Tyroshi fleet was extorted during their rest period, normal kingdom laws do not apply. Only military law is needed for their punishment."
"Military law?" Renly lowered his voice, "Won't there be any issues? The people of the Vale are stubborn, and they've been hiding in the mountains for years. Do I need to intervene personally?"
Wright raised his voice to address the assembly, "As for the Three Sisters, I will personally discuss the matter with Lord Denys Arryn once he arrives at Moat Cailin."
Wright had helped Denys become the Lord of the Vale, and the Three Sisters were a hot potato in the Vale. Wright had handled it for him, and Denys might even be grateful.
---
A few days later, Wright's personal guard arrived at the Moat Cailin stronghold. Some naval officers also came here, and the Vale's army had arrived. "Pirate King" Ser Sunderland moved into a single room that Wright had arranged for him.
"Wright, you will die!"
The shouting continued all night, until the voice turned from a strong, booming one to a hoarse, raspy sound.
After the army set out, many blacksmiths who had accompanied them remained behind. Seeing that they didn't have enough work, Wright ordered them to make an iron cage about half the height of a man, specifically tailored for Ser Sunderland.
The iron cage had six sides with ventilation, and the person inside could only sit. His legs and arms had to remain outside the cage. Ser Sunderland was stripped naked and shoved inside, and a few strong soldiers pushed the cage into the prison cell.
"Sunderland just asked for too much, you can negotiate with him, but killing is not acceptable!" shouted a red-faced noble from the Vale.
"If I say he's a pirate, he is!"
Aurane slammed his hand on the table, ripped off his head tie, and stood up, shouting at him. His platinum-white hair flowed like a lion's mane, not backing down at all.
In the large meeting room, Asha and her brother Theon disliked meetings, so they purposely sat in the back. Asha couldn't help but laugh when she thought of her husband Aurane being robbed by pirates.
"Can't even pay for a meal, how embarrassing!" Another old noble from the Vale spoke up.
Garlan Tyrell took out his gem-encrusted golden pocket watch and placed it on the table. With a click, he opened the watch and looked up at the Vale noble across from him. "Do you think we in Tyrosh lack a little coin?"
He and Aurane, as the leaders of two factions, had been subtly competing under Wright's tacit approval, but at times like this, they had to present a united front.
With Wright and Denys absent, the Tyrosh and the Vale nobles argued fiercely about the fate of the Sister Islands.
"Where's Jon?" Theon asked as he looked around.
Asha thought for a moment, "This morning, I heard Lord Wright say Jon went north with Robb. They should have returned to Moat Cailin by noon, but it's already afternoon. I'm starting to worry."
"Can't you think of anything positive?" Theon replied.
"Every time there's a meeting, I just fall asleep unless I think about something nonsensical," Asha muttered, trying to keep her eyes open, while the huge arguments around her felt like a lullaby.
The bickering continued in the front, but those in the back either dozed off or chatted idly. Everyone knew that once Wright and Denys, the real decision-makers, reached an agreement, both sides would probably end up sitting together to drink afterward.
Bang!
The doors of the meeting room were violently slammed open, and all the arguing nobles immediately fell silent, turning to look at the entrance.
The person who entered was Balon, the captain of Wright's personal guard, clad in pale golden plate armor. He was tall and imposing.
"Urgent military orders, everyone assemble and prepare for battle!"
"Have the Others reached Moat Cailin?" Garlan quickly packed away his expensive pocket watch.
Balon, wearing his helmet, replied with a deep voice, "A large number of wights are pursuing the Northern army. They've already engaged in direct combat. We don't need to leave the city, everyone must go to the walls and assist the Northerners in entering the city."
In the meeting room, all the Tyrosh officers stood up, quickly adjusting their armor and weapons as they rushed out.
"You're Wright's personal guard, but we're the men of the Lord of the Vale!" hat the people of the Vale said was true. The two places were on an equal footing, and unless there was a special order from the king, Wright could not command the people of the Vale.
Balon turned back and, hearing the argument inside, spoke up. "The Tyrosh never interfere with military orders. Vale nobles, listen up. Three, two, one."
As he finished counting down, a loud horn sounded, echoing throughout the fortress.
"They really came!"
---
"Just around this bend, we'll see Moat Cailin. Don't worry about the supplies, get the people out first!" Robb shouted to the knights beside him.
Panicked civilians were surrounded by soldiers. Upon hearing Robb's orders, they dropped their goods and began sprinting on the frozen King's Road.
A purple shadow swiftly weaved through the crowd of runners and stopped next to Robb.
"Robb, where's Ned?"
"Father's leading the army to the west to fend off the attack!" Robb shouted.
"The west!" Jon glanced toward the west before disappearing with a flash.
Robb and his cavalry escorted the civilians, and as they neared Moat Cailin, perhaps the Others had finally realized their intent, as they began commanding the wights to attack the Northmen.
The long line of people stretched for several kilometers. Coming from the south, the wights attacked from all three directions—north, west, and east. The eastern wights were fewer in number, and after minimal casualties, Jon and the mages managed to secure a victory.
But to the north and west, wights surged like a tide.
"Prepare the wildfire!" Ned shouted, holding his sword.
The wildfire was poured onto the ground, and green flames erupted, but even the fire couldn't stop the crazed wights. Their bodies were consumed by the flames in less than ten seconds, but that was long enough for a group of wights to trample over the fallen bodies and charge through the flames.
"Raise your shields, pikemen ready!"
Obsidian daggers were hastily bound to pikes, and only this weapon had an immediate effect against the wights.
Humans had no advantage on flat ground, and facing a wight army on the plains was incredibly difficult.
Golden-red flames rained down from the sky. Ned looked up at the four intertwined dragons flying overhead. "Looks like the Others are willing to trade lives for lives. Northerners, if we survive this wave, victory will be ours!"