The White Knife River, born from the slopes of Long Lake, carves its way through half of the North before spilling into the Bite. In the morning light, the river's surface often appears a hazy grey.
Children's tales speak of singing mermaids and man-eating sirens hidden within the sea mist. Some even whisper of Krakens and colossal sea dragons that can swallow merchant ships whole.
As autumn deepens, fewer fishing boats venture into the Bite.
A lone ship cut through the waves on the murky sea. The confused sentries of White Harbor huddled under the railing of their watchtower, a bonfire blazing beneath them.
The soldiers passed around wineskins, their voices a low murmur as they discussed brothel girls or the war in the South.
"Hey, a ship's coming!" someone on the watchtower suddenly shouted.
The soldiers looked towards the sea, seeing a vessel slowly materialize from the fog. They scrambled to their feet, grabbing the weapons propped beside the campfire. White Harbor was on war alert, and the sentries quickly blew their horns. Soon, the army stationed at the port dispatched ships to investigate.
The Sea Spirit was a warship with fifty oarsmen. A red-robed figure on the deck flickered in and out of the mist, a spark from the fire she watched intently flashing like a monster's eye.
"Look, there's a fish!" Edric Storm pointed to the sea. The winds and waves were calm today, allowing the two children to be on deck.
Shireen wore a hood, tilting her head as much as possible, her eyes filled with melancholy as she gazed at the water. Edric knew what worried her. "Cousin, Uncle Stannis will be fine. My father said that even though he isn't a great warrior in the field, as long as he stands in a castle, it's the strongest place in the Seven Kingdoms. At Storm's End, he defeated the Reach's armies twice."
"Really?" she asked, her voice innocent.
Edric grinned. "Of course. After my father, Uncle Stannis is the bravest man in the Seven Kingdoms."
"What about Cole?"
Edric pursed his lips, thought for a moment, then declared, "He must be third!"
"Hey, it looks like a ship's coming," Edric said, looking at the harbor in the distance. He saw a large ship sailing towards them and carefully observed the flag it bore: a white flag on a blue-green background, depicting a bearded mermaid with a tail, holding a black trident.
Edric wasn't good at remembering family sigils, so he scratched his head, trying hard to recall but failing. He could only ask his cousin, "Look, there seems to be a mermaid on that boat."
"Maester Pyros said the Mermaid family is the Manderlys of White Harbor, in the North," Shireen explained, clearing up his confusion.
Edric's face was a mask of bewilderment. They had been kept in their cabin, with no idea where the ship was heading. All they knew was they'd been rocking on the sea for four days. "Ships from the North? Why are they here?" He looked at the port. This was not the familiar Storm's End.
The icy sea breeze swept by, and he heard Ser Axel Florent's voice nearby, "Hoist our flag!"
Several flags bearing the Crowned Stag with a flaming red heart were promptly hoisted aboard the Sea Spirit.
The battleship approaching from the port was significantly larger than the Sea Spirit, with at least a hundred oars protruding from its hull. They shouted across to the Sea Spirit. Ser Axel had them identify themselves. After some negotiation, the White Harbor warship led the way for the Sea Spirit.
Upon hearing the news, Lord Manderly, in the Merman's Court, expressed his displeasure, scolding the knight in charge of the sentries. He believed it was the knight's negligence to allow a warship to approach White Harbor without an earlier response.
After docking at the port, the group from Dragonstone disembarked from the Sea Spirit, looking around the unfamiliar harbor with confusion.
"Why are we here?" the bastard asked Ser Axel.
The knight answered him coldly, "The Lord of Light guided me here, Your Highness."
The Lord of Light? He knew his aunt, Queen Selyse Florent, was a loyal follower of the Lord of Light, and Davos Seaworth had told them that these people were all believers. Edric had noticed that many people he'd met at Dragonstone Castle believed in this new god.
"Aren't we going to Storm's End?" Princess Shireen also looked confused.
Queen Selyse gently hugged the little princess from behind. "Shireen, Storm's End has been shrouded in darkness. God points the light to the North."
Melisandre spoke from the side. "The Lord's savior will come to the North, and I merely wait here. R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the Heart of the Holy Flame, the God of Shadow and Fire, will battle his destined foe here: the alien god from ancient times, the god of darkness, the soul of black ice, the god of night and fear. The war in the South is merely a farce, Your Highness. The true battlefield is in the North."
"Your father will lead the warriors of the Lord of Light to defeat God's enemies here," the Queen added.
Horse hooves echoed on the port, and a group of White Harbor Knights approached. The White Harbor Knights held a high reputation in the Seven Kingdoms, as this was the highest concentration of knights in the North. The Manderly family, however, still believed in the Seven Gods of the South.
The White Harbor Knights escorted a sedan chair, carrying a portly figure slowly towards them, borne by four strong men. The knights lined up, the sedan chair was gently lowered, and Lord Wyman Manderly stepped out with his thick, fat legs.
He was truly enormous. Edric looked at the fat man, then at the chair behind him, curious if the man would crush the sedan. How much did he weigh? His fingers were like sausages, and his palms resembled five pork sausages stuck into toast.
He offered a slight salute with his 'breaded sausage' hands; Edric couldn't even see where his waist was, only a vast belly.
'Mr. Pork Sausage' said, "Dear Lady Baratheon, White Harbor welcomes you." He turned to the little girl behind the Queen. "This must be Lord Stannis's daughter. Greetings to you, beautiful lady."
After some pleasantries, Lord Manderly invited them to his castle, whose hall was named the "Merman's Court."
Shireen and Edric walked side by side, speaking quietly. "Merman's Court? Is it a palace of mermaids? Will there be mermaids?"
Edric shook his head. "Mermaids live in the sea. If they come ashore, they'll definitely die, just like we would if we fell into the sea."
"But they say Patchface came out of the sea."
He thought of the legend about Patchface in the castle, how the mermaids supposedly taught him to breathe underwater in exchange for his seed and wisdom. In Edric's opinion, Patchface was a foolish idiot, but he wasn't going to tell Shireen that.