Chapter 115: The Stepstones Plan

Perhaps it was the second encounter with the wood carver Guzan in Winterfell that reminded Helen Pyke of her pirate years in the Stepstones. Once the people in the Great Hall of Winterfell had left, Helen Pyke immediately brought up the proposal of sending troops to the Stepstones to Eddard.

"Give me fifty longships and oared warships, and I can easily clear out the pirates of the Stepstones. I am the Pirate Queen of the Stepstones; who knows the Stepstones better than I do?"

Eddard shook his head. "What would we do in the Stepstones? That place is too far from the North."

"Expanding territory! Conquering with sword and fire," Helen Pyke said earnestly. "Lord Eddard, there are many Ironborn pirates in the Stepstones. I can secure more support from Ironborn pirates for you and have them join the North's navy. The Ironborn are natural sailors and can undoubtedly strengthen the North's power."

This was indeed a temptation, but Eddard could not ignore the risks involved. Helen Pyke had become friends with Eddard's children in Winterfell, and the charming Iron Bitch was very popular in Winterfell; whether it was the grooms, guards, or kitchen boys, all were happy to be friends with Helen Pyke.

If Helen Pyke went to the Stepstones, she might rely on her charm to bring back some Ironborn pirates for the North. However, the loyalty of these Ironborn pirates was questionable. In Ironborn culture, every captain was the king of their own ship. Amidst the sound of waves and the scent of sea salt, there was no guarantee which Ironborn captain might defect with the North's ships; such a price would be too heavy.

Therefore, in Eddard's plan, he would try to hire his own people from the North as sailors. Along the White Knife, Sea Dragon Point, the Stony Shore, the coast of Seal Bay, and the coast of the Bite, the North possessed many fishing villages. Although these people were not as skilled in battle on the water as the Ironborn, many were familiar with the water. With training, Eddard believed these people would become the backbone of the North Fleet.

Eddard pondered for a long while. "Helen, those Ironborn pirates in the Stepstones are unlikely to be willing to serve the North. Let's just forget it."

Helen Pyke refused to give up. "Even if we don't recruit the Ironborn pirates of the Stepstones, the Stepstones themselves are of great value. Do not underestimate the value of the Stepstones. This place is located in the middle of the Narrow Sea. Once we occupy the Stepstones, the North can use them as a springboard to threaten Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr."

"Doesn't Lord Eddard like to collect artisans? Myr has plenty of artisans, like people such as the Glassmaster Ortega. Once we occupy the Stepstones, you can capture as many Myrish craftsmen as you want—glassmakers, carpet workers, lace weavers—as many as you need."

"Tyrosh also has a type of sea snail that makes high-quality pigment. Look at how the Tyroshi make their hair and beards flashy and colorful; it all relies on these sea snails. If we occupy the Stepstones, we can go to Tyrosh from time to time to snatch some sea snails or dyes. How wonderful that would be!"

"The brothels of Lys have the most handsome men and beautiful women. Lord Eddard, send the soldiers of the North to set out with me. We can plunder some handsome men and beautiful women from time to time. As long as they are beautiful, the madams of Lys are willing to pay a high price to ransom them back. Isn't this money earned faster than a glass farm? Isn't it faster than fishing in Seal Bay or the Bay of Ice?"

Helen Pyke finished speaking about her grand conquest plan in a continuous stream. Eddard smiled and said, "I know the Stepstones have great strategic value, but Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys are also very clear on that. Don't look at how the 'Three Daughters' are fighting in the Disputed Lands year after year; once the Stepstones fall into the hands of Westeros, Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys will immediately form an alliance to take the Stepstones back."

"Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr can allow the Stepstones to be a pirate den, but they will never allow it to become the territory of Westeros. Not to mention that the North cannot occupy the Stepstones, even the royal family in King's Landing cannot do it. Think about it: back then, the Targaryen family had dragons and still couldn't annex the Stepstones; how could the North possibly do it?"

Helen Pyke said indignantly, "Are we just going to let the old Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan reign supreme in the Stepstones? I cannot swallow this."

Back then, Helen Pyke was defeated by the Lysene pirates of Salladhor Saan and could not gain a foothold in the Stepstones, which forced her to come to Skagos in the North. Helen Pyke was full of resentment toward Salladhor Saan and longed for revenge.

The direwolves Night-Walker and Sunshine came up to Helen. Night-Walker affectionately licked Helen's palm, while Sunshine rubbed against Helen's leg. Only then did Helen reveal a smile.

"Helen, we need to wait patiently," Eddard said earnestly. "The North has a fleet now, but compared to the Royal Fleet, the Arbor Fleet, and the Iron Fleet, the North Fleet is still far behind. It's just like the little direwolves."

"If you let Night-Walker and Sunshine go up against the adult hounds of Winterfell, Night-Walker and Sunshine would likely fail because they are just cubs. The North Fleet is like the direwolves; it needs time to grow."

Helen Pyke pouted and said, "But I stay in Winterfell all day. If I didn't practice swordsmanship with Jon, Robb, Theon, and Domeric every day, my swordsmanship would probably have grown rusty. I want to conquer the sea."

"Instead of expanding territory, it is better to make good use of the land beneath your feet," Eddard said, placing his hand on Helen Pyke's shoulder. "The North has the largest territory in the Seven Kingdoms; Sea Dragon Point alone is not smaller than the Iron Islands. But we have vast land and few people, and we are perhaps the poorest of the Seven Kingdoms."

"The shipbuilders under your command are building ships for the North. We need a large number of ships to fish in Seal Bay and the Bay of Ice, and in the future, we must conquer the Shivering Sea. As long as we make good use of the ocean, this is also a form of conquest. Iron Bitch, I need to rely on your wisdom to expand territory on the sea; I will not allow you to slack off."

Helen Pyke revealed a brilliant smile. "Lord Eddard, you can always convince me. Is this the advantage of early noble education? Those Maesters all say you are an inventor."

Nowadays, Eddard had invented the technology to refine fine salt and had invented the curved plow; he was indeed worthy of the title of inventor.

At this moment, the white-haired Maester Norman walked over, carrying a wooden bucket filled with maple syrup.

"Lord Eddard, the maple syrup you wanted is ready."

Eddard used a spoon to take some maple syrup into a bowl and handed it to Helen Pyke. "Would you like to taste it?"

Helen Pyke waved her hand in disgust. "I think only the Wildlings Beyond the Wall would gather tree sap to drink. How dirty! I won't drink it!"

Eddard took a sip. "You really don't know a good thing when you see it. Maple syrup is a good thing; drinking it prolongs life."

(End of chapter)