Eddard Stark, along with his bastard son Jon Snow, his adopted son Domirick Bolton, and his adopted son Theon Greyjoy, stood together on the beach, gazing at Seal Bay.
Since arriving at Winterfell as an adopted son at the age of ten, Theon Greyjoy had never seen the sea again. Returning to the beach, Theon was overjoyed. He took off his boots and walked a circle on the sand before returning to Eddard.
"Lord Eddard," he said, "to smell the sea salt again, to hear the sound of the waves, I feel my blood boiling again."
The Ironborn were born sea warriors. Most of the people of the North were descendants of the First Men, who had never desired to conquer the ocean. It was precisely for this reason that Skaggs Island, across from Seal Bay, remained outside the rule of the Stark family of Winterfell.
Domilik Bolton gazed eastward. "Lord Eddard," he said, "Skaggs Island is somewhere east of Seal Bay. We'll be entering a strange island unfamiliar to both the ancient texts of the Citadel and the Winterfell Library. I'm confident I can finish this book about the Rock Seeds, 'The Forgotten Corner: A Complete Record of Skaggs Island and the Rock Seeds.'"
Theon looked bored. "Who would read a book about the Rock Seeds? A bunch of cannibalistic barbarians. Also, Domilik, I suggest you change the title. Give it a shorter one. Who would be interested in such a cumbersome name?"
Domilik calmly replied, "I'll consider it. I have a feeling this will be a great adventure. When the White Harbor fleet arrives, the Northern army will..." "They will sweep through like a whirlwind, utterly destroying the Rockborn, forcing the rebellious Rock King Samuro Crow to kneel in submission. The evil queen hiding on Skaggs, whether she's Iron Bitch or Helen Pyke, will be wiped out by the Northern army along with her schemes,"
Jon Snow said. "I think so too. Daeron I conquered Dorne without bloodshed; we can certainly conquer Skaggs as well."
Eddard sighed. "Daeron I failed to hold Dorne; tens of thousands died for his conquest. Jon, do you think we can hold the island if the Northern army defeats the Rock King and the Rockborn, and then returns home?"
"Yes!" Jon Snow said with an unquestionable tone. "We'll leave behind our elite troops, and anyone who rebels will be executed. They will surely submit."
Eddard disagreed. "That's a dangerous idea. Slaughter cannot win the love of one's people. Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters, with dragons in their hands, if they had burned every king or lord who ever resisted them, Aegon would have only ruled over a pile of bones and ashes."
Domilik said, "Lord Eddard, the Northern army will definitely crush the Rockhead. They only know guerrilla tactics; they'll flee at the sight of the Northern army."
Young people are always so confident. If only Eddard could be as confident as Domilik. Theon, Domilik, and Jon Snow, who hadn't gone to the battlefield, were all boasting about the skirmish along the coast of Seal Bay. Little did these young men know that the real battle would take place on Skaggs Island after crossing the sea.
Although the Northern army had only been encamped at Seal Bay for two days, it felt to Eddard as if two years had passed. The ragtag fleet of White Harbor still hadn't appeared. Where exactly did Willis Manderle take his fleet?
The fleet at White Harbor included a Pentos mercenary fleet, longships hired from the Three Sisters Islands, large sailing ships requisitioned by Earl Willis Manderle at White Harbor, Pentos merchant ships, Iban whaling ships, swan ships from the Summer Isles, and merchant ships of various sizes from all over the Seven Kingdoms, as well as some fishing boats from Old Town and Widow's Lookout.
Ser Herman Tauhar, in charge of supplies, inventoried the provisions and told Eddard that there was enough food to sustain the Northern army for two months, or three months if used sparingly. Greatjon Umber was also willing to provide the Northern army with their winter reserves, so provisions were plentiful. Eddard was still heartbroken; Winterfell was heavily in debt. Since borrowing 500,000 gold dragons from the Iron Bank and another 100,000 from Lord Wyman Manderley, Eddard had become the poorest Duke of the North in history—no Stark Duke had ever incurred such a debt.
If Willis Manderley's White Harbor fleet encountered an accident at sea and couldn't reach their destination, Eddard would be defeated before the war even began.
Unable to cross the sea, Eddard had no choice but to send his vassals home with their armies. This meant all the money spent on mobilizing the army and the march was wasted. And once the Northern army left, the pirates of Skaggs would once again rise from the sea, wreaking havoc in the territories of Houses Umber, Karstark, and Bolton.
If Winterfell's expedition to Skaggs failed, the Rock Seed and Ironborn pirates would ravage the eastern coast of the North for years—Edard had no doubt about that. With the Rock Kings now possessing blacksmiths and shipyards on the island, their power would only continue to grow. Eddard would find it difficult to organize such a large-scale campaign against Skaggs Island again.
This time, Maester Luwin of Winterfell and Eddard's wife, Catelyn, strongly opposed his mobilization of an army. Next, the vassals of the North would likely oppose Eddard. Winterfell was powerless to annihilate Skaggs Island; the mysterious Iron Bitch, Helen Pyke, and the Rock King would remain on the island in secrecy.
Without a fleet, they couldn't cross the sea, leaving Eddard helpless on land near Seal Bay with his army. The Northern army's raid along the Seal Bay coast caught the pirates off guard, capturing several longships, but so few that they weren't even qualified to challenge the pirates at sea, let alone transport a large army. Eddard grew increasingly anxious and turned to Domilik. With Maester Luwin remaining in Winterfell for the Northern army's campaign, Domilik was responsible for managing the ravens and delivering messages.
"Back when I was in Winterfell, I instructed your father, Roose Bolton, to meet the White Harbor fleet at all costs and escort it north. Judging by the timeline, the White Harbor fleet should have already passed the Dreadfort's coastal territory. Why hasn't your father replied?"
Domilik pondered for a long time. "Lord Eddard, we've spent most of these past few days on the march. Even if the Dreadfort released ravens, it would be difficult for them to find us while marching in the open. Even if my father sent ravens, who knows if eagles or hunters along the way might shoot them down?"
"I suspect that if the White Harbor fleet arrives, the fleet and the Dreadfort soldiers will attack from both sides, and the pirates will flee at the mere sight of them. My father might have taken the Dreadfort soldiers aboard and is heading towards Seal Bay. I suggest sending light cavalry to the Karholan territory to see if the White Harbor fleet has appeared along the Karstark coast."
Eddard sighed. "That's the only way. Go tell Jory Caesar to send Winterfell guards on horseback to Karholan to ask Lord Rickard Karstark if the White Harbor fleet has actually gone there."
"Whoosh—" The horns of the North tore through the sky. Eddard saw ships approaching Seal Bay in the distance, their banners bearing the crest of a male mermaid wielding a trident—the very emblem of House Manderley of White Harbor.
The White Harbor fleet Eddard had been longing for had finally arrived.
.....
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(End of Chapter)