Chapter 114: The Wood Carver and the Pirate Queen

R'hllor has a great number of followers on the continent of Essos. The followers of the Lord of Light believe that there are only two gods in the world: one is the Lord of Light, R'hllor, and the other is the Great Other, whose name mortals must not speak.

Many Red Priests believe that it is the Great Other who caused the Long Night and the appearance of the Undead; even one as powerful as the Night King is merely a servant of the Great Other.

The name of the Great Other is taboo in many parts of the world. For the sake of money, Guzan carved wood carvings of the Great Other for a necromancer, and Eddard could not help but break into a cold sweat for Guzan.

"What happened to that statue of the Great Other later?"

Guzan spread his hands, looking utterly remorseful.

"Lord Eddard, it was a folly through and through. The necromancer took that statue of the Great Other and preached in secret in Qohor, only to be discovered by the Red Priests of Qohor. They captured the necromancer and burned the statue of the Great Other in the temple of R'hllor. The Red Priests declared the necromancer a follower serving the ancient evil god, the Great Other, and that the Great Other is the mortal enemy of the Lord of Light, R'hllor."

"This matter alarmed the Qohor Governor and the priests of the Black Goat Temple. The necromancer was first taken to the Black Goat altar, where his head was sliced open with a knife before the Black Goat as a blood sacrifice. Afterward, he was taken by the Red Priests to the temple of the Lord of Light and burned as a sacrifice to R'hllor."

"I was also nearly burned to death by the Red Priests. In the end, I had to spend money to avert disaster; I exhausted my family fortune to bribe the Qohor Governor, and only then did I save my life. I could not gain a foothold in Qohor, so I had to go to Braavos. It was in Braavos that I met my friend Ortega."

Qohor is a city of mages; that Guzan dared to carve wood carvings of the Great Other, it is no wonder he was forced to leave Qohor.

Guzan seemed to grow nervous all of a sudden. "Lord Eddard, rest assured, I will never make wood carvings of the Great Other again."

"Don't be nervous, I don't mind your past." In truth, Eddard felt more relief than anything; if not for the mistake Guzan made in Qohor, such a formidable wood carver would never have come to serve in Winterfell. Eddard took a sip of wine. "Have you been in Braavos all these years?"

Seeing that Eddard did not mind, Guzan seemed much more relaxed. He said candidly, "In Braavos, I made some wood carvings of cats for the Sealord, and many wood carvings of gods for the House of Black and White. The Iron Bank also has some of my wood carvings, as well as some carvings of courtesans. I also frequently went to Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr to take on wood carving commissions. Every brothel of any reputation in Lys has my wood carving works to entertain the guests."

Eddard could not help but wonder, if Guzan used timber from the Wolfswood to create lifelike wood carvings of the Seven, how much money the Baelor's Sept in King's Landing or the Starry Sept in Oldtown would spend to buy them. The Church has always been as wealthy as a kingdom, and Eddard believed they would spend a fortune for wood carvings of the Seven.

The Glassmaster Ortega said, "Lord Eddard, Guzan frequently traveled by ship between Lys and Braavos. The year before last, when he passed through the Stepstones, he was once hijacked by a Pirate Queen and nearly became a slave."

Guzan sighed. "I was imprisoned in the Stepstones for half a year. That Pirate Queen was young enough to be my daughter, but for some reason, I actually fell in love with her. I begged her to keep me, but she despised me for not knowing how to build ships, so she sold me to a slaver from Lys."

"Fortunately, I have many friends in Lys who spent money to ransom me, allowing me to regain my freedom. Later, I tried to go to the Stepstones to find this Pirate Queen, but I couldn't find her. I heard she took the Ironborn Pirates and went to Skagos."

"Skagos?" Eddard was greatly shocked; he had already guessed seven or eight parts of it. "Could this Pirate Queen you speak of be the Iron Bitch, Helen Pyke?"

Guzan nodded fiercely. "That's her, Lord Eddard. Do you also know Helen Pyke?"

"Helen Pyke was once my enemy, but now! She is my subordinate." Eddard sat by the dining table and clapped his hands, and the guard Dawson appeared immediately.

Guzan muttered, "Helen Pyke is actually in Winterfell? How is this possible?"

The guard Dawson was practically Eddard's Kingsguard; he was almost inseparable from Eddard, and even when not by Eddard's side, he would be nearby.

"Dawson, go and invite Miss Helen Pyke."

Before long, Helen Pyke, dressed in sea-green hunting clothes, arrived in the hall and appeared before Guzan. Helen Pyke tossed her thick red hair and said playfully, "Lord Eddard, what do you want with me?"

Eddard pointed to Guzan at his side. "You have an old acquaintance who wants to see you."

Upon seeing Helen Pyke, Guzan was so excited he stammered, "Pi-Pirate Queen, do you still remember me?"

Helen Pyke looked Guzan over. "You do look a bit familiar. Could it be that I robbed you before?"

Seeing that Helen did not recognize him, Guzan was a bit sad. "I am the wood carver from Qohor, Guzan. The year before last in the Stepstones, you led the Ironborn Pirates to rob a Braavosi ship, and I became your captive."

Helen Pyke's eyes lit up. "You are that wood carver. I remember you made a statue of the Drowned God to please me, and you even begged to serve me."

Guzan revealed a fawning smile. "That's right, but unfortunately I don't know how to build ships, so you sold me to a slave ship from Lys. I was so heartbroken! You haven't married anyone, have you?"

Helen Pyke revealed an evil smile and stroked Guzan's bald head. "You still haven't forgotten about me? I have always wanted to be Lord Eddard's salt wife, but unfortunately, Lord Eddard doesn't think much of me. Guzan, you still have a chance, but I don't know if you will stay in Winterfell for long?"

Eddard laughed. "Helen, Guzan will be making wood carvings for Winterfell from now on; you two can continue your acquaintance in the future."

Helen Pyke sat down next to Guzan. "Lord Eddard, wood carvings can sell for a high price in King's Landing, Oldtown, Gulltown, and the Free Cities, but I don't know what you intend for Guzan to carve?"

"Let's start by carving the Seven."

The Seven are the faith of the New Gods. Whether in Lannisport, White Harbor, Gulltown, Oldtown, or King's Landing, there are many monasteries and septs. As long as the wood carvings of the Seven are of exquisite craftsmanship, the Church is always happy to spend money to buy them.

Eddard called for the Warden Vayon Poole to arrange a place for the wood carver Guzan to stay. Guzan left with the Glassmaster Ortega, leaving only Eddard and Helen at the dining table in the hall.

Helen toyed with a Dragonbone Dagger. "Lord Eddard, our shipwrights are continuously building new ships, both longships and rowing warships. If Lord Eddard is willing to send me out to raid, I can take a fleet to sweep through the Stepstones and annex the Stepstones into the North."

(End of chapter)