Chapter 131: The Second Siege of Estermont
Stormlands, Estermont, Greenstone
"Clang, clang, clang..."
"Hurry! Hurry..."
"Get your weapons..."
...
Amidst the shouts of the Greenstone knights, the entire castle was like a disturbed anthill, with soldiers and conscripted militia frantically searching for their defensive positions.
Since the last time Estermont was besieged, the castellan, Ser Lomas Estermont, had sent word to his father, Lord .
Upon learning of this, sent messages directly to the various houses of the Stormlands, ordering them to form a temporary joint fleet to resist any potential attacks.
Jon's joint fleet was twice the size of the previous feint. So when Ser Lomas Estermont saw the scene, he immediately released all the ravens to call for aid.
"Have these fellows still not learned their lesson?"
On the deck of the flagship, the "Sea Fox" lowered his telescope while muttering to himself.
House Estermont of Greenstone was not known for its combat prowess. If were here, he would certainly have implemented a scorched-earth strategy and then led his troops into the Rainwood to wage guerrilla warfare against the enemy.
There were several Stormlands houses within the Rainwood; if united, they would be a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, House Estermont, much like their green sea turtle sigil, only knew how to rely on their castle for a defensive war.
Or rather, most houses in the Seven Kingdoms only knew how to defend using castles. For thousands of years, they had grown accustomed to this, and the castles had indeed protected them for a millennium.
If it were inland, it might take Jon some time to capture Greenstone, but in this situation, Greenstone was merely a fish on the chopping block.
"Eh..."
Just as Jon was about to order Garo to attack, the Golden Eagles and seagulls scouting the skies detected some unusual information.
A fleet of over one hundred ships was racing along the Stormlands coastline toward Estermont.
The fleet was highly diverse, with the sigil banners of over ten different houses fluttering in the wind.
The quality of these vessels was uneven, with even some small skiffs mixed in. Seeing this, Jon doubted if the fleet would survive even a moderate storm, let alone a real naval battle.
"Garo!"
"Yes, Lord Aegon!"
Upon hearing Jon's voice, Garo habitually straightened his back and stepped forward to respond.
"Immediately send word to the Lys–Stepstones Fleet to intercept the Stormlands fleet to the north. If they can't even handle such a ragtag bunch, they needn't bother coming at all!"
"Yes!"
With Jon's command, nearly half of the joint fleet under his command split off and began heading north.
Greenstone was located at the southeastern corner of Estermont, while the Stormlands fleet was coming from the north. Thus, the Stepstones Fleet only needed to circle around the eastern side of Estermont to form a pincer movement.
These Stormlanders were far too used to being protected by the Royal Fleet to think of such tactics.
Ser Sedek Storm, commander of the Stormlands fleet, never imagined that while he was eagerly preparing to earn glory at Estermont, the enemy had already maneuvered behind him.
Meanwhile, the remainder of Jon's fleet, under Garo's command, had already adjusted course and was sailing to engage.
Meanwhile, about thirty minutes' sail from Estermont—
Ser Sedek Storm sat aboard his flagship, Wind Horse, peering through a Myrish lens.
Sedek Storm appeared to be around forty years old, with a neatly groomed beard. Since this was a naval battle, he had ordered his men to wear light armor—either leather or chainmail.
Most of the ships in the Stormlands fleet were private vessels or warships belonging to local lords. Aside from occasional patrols or anti-piracy missions near the Stepstones, these ships were rarely used in real combat.
Despite the fleet being hastily assembled, Sedek Storm, as captain of Storm's End's sea patrol, had trained the fleet commanders to understand horn signals.
"Ser Sedek! I heard you've fought pirates from the Stepstones before. Is that true?"
A voice interrupted him.
Turning, he saw a plump young man in his twenties.
The man wore light gray leather armor, and his green cloak bore the sea turtle sigil of House Estermont.
This was , son of Ser Lomas Estermont and heir to Greenstone.
Since the last feint against Estermont, Ser Lomas had sent his son to join the fleet, hoping he would learn naval warfare.
Estermont's position made it a critical forward point toward the Stepstones and Essos.
House Estermont also had ties to the royal family.
However, the current lord was cautious, preferring to strengthen his own lands rather than seek influence in King's Landing.
"Of course," Sedek Storm replied confidently. "Near , we were attacked by pirates. They had more ships—but I led my men to victory."
"That's incredible!" Elin said excitedly. "You must teach me. This time, I'll defeat those Eastern invaders and prove myself!"
"Of course," Sedek nodded. "Based on what I've heard, the enemy will be facing Greenstone directly. We'll sail past and strike their flank."
Seeing Elin's confusion, he elaborated:
"To besiege Greenstone, they must face east. We continue forward, then strike from behind."
"We're sailing with the wind now," Elin said. "If we turn later, won't we lose speed?"
"It's manageable. We won't be fully against the wind. And once we hit their rear, the advantage is ours."
"Could there be enemies behind us?"
This question clearly annoyed Sedek.
If not for Elin's status, he might have snapped.
"I've already deployed picket ships to the rear. Any threat will be reported immediately."
"I see… Ser Sedek is truly formidable. I have much to learn."
Satisfied, Sedek nodded.
After another thirty minutes—
A lookout shouted from the mast:
"Enemy sighted!"
Sedek's eyes lit up.
"Pass my command—ALL FORCES, ATTACK!"
He drew his sword and raised it high.
"Sound the horns!"
"WOO—! WOO—! WOO—!"
The horns echoed across the fleet.
Three blasts.
Repeated three times.
A red flag rose from the flagship.
The signal spread rapidly.
Excitement surged through the fleet.
War was cruel—
But it was also opportunity.
In Westeros, strength meant everything.
Trial by combat. Trial of Seven.
Power determined truth.
Many hedge knights and commoners rose through war.
These soldiers, though left behind from larger campaigns, would fight fiercely if given the chance to earn merit.
If their deeds were recognized, they might gain a lord's favor—
and become true knights.
Though knights were common—
earning that title meant stepping into the world of nobility.
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