Chapter 207: Offensive at Sea, the Undead Strike

Helene Pyke, standing on the deck of the *Queen*, looked through her telescope toward Fair Isle in the south.

Fair Isle of the Westerlands is the largest island in the region; this place is the domain of House Farman, and for thousands of years, Fair Isle has been a sturdy shield guarding the coastline of the Westerlands against Ironborn Pirates, much like Seagard in the Riverlands or the Shield Islands in the Reach.

The signal fires along the Fair Isle coastline were all lit, with billowing smoke resembling long, slender black fingers stroking the sky.

The smoke from the signal fires warned the residents of Fair Isle to hide from the incoming enemy. Only this time, the enemy was not the Ironborn from the Iron Islands, but the North Coast Fleet.

Previously, when the Iron Islands attacked the west coast of the North, because Jon Snow adopted a strategy of avoiding battle to preserve his ships, the vessels from the Wolf Castles—Blacksmith City at Sea Dragon Point, Stony Shore Castle at Stony Shore, and Warhorse City in the Rills—had all retreated into the upper reaches of the Barrow River.

Later, the Wolf King Eddard and Jon Snow burned the Heatwave River, the Iron Fleet suffered heavy losses, the Wolf Castles occupied by the Ironborn were retaken one by one by the Northern Army, and the remnants of the Ironborn retreated to the Iron Islands, never to recover. The North Coast Fleet, whose ships had not suffered significant losses, quickly sailed south and, under the leadership of Helene Pyke, attacked the coastal regions of the Westerlands.

At first, the Fair Isle fleet of the Fairman tried to intercept the North Coast Fleet, but Helene dispatched five longships to circle to the other side of Fair Isle to raid fishing boats, employing the most familiar pirate tactics; the Fairman's fleet, which was not large to begin with, could only be led by the nose by the small handful of longships Helene sent out, and the nearby waters fell completely under the control of the North Coast Fleet.

Helene Pyke wore a red and green pirate hat, a brown silk coat, chainmail underneath, a longsword and a dragonbone dagger hanging from her bronze belt, and seal-skin boots beneath her black breeches.

Jaime Codd, standing to the side, said, "Fair Isle, I hear there are many beauties here, and dragon eggs too!"

"Iron Maester" Henry Hambly chimed in, "Rhaena Targaryen, sister of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, once lived on Fair Isle for many years; it is said that her Dragon Dream Fire may have laid dragon eggs on Fair Isle."

Henry Hambly had once gone to the Citadel in Oldtown to study in his youth and had even forged a few links of a chain; unfortunately, when he was still an assistant maester, Henry Hambly participated in Maester Qyburn's notorious human experiments, and Henry and Qyburn were both expelled from the Citadel and cast out.

Although Henry Hambly no longer holds the status of a maester, he manages ravens, reads and writes, and treats illnesses, with every skill being no worse than the maesters in the castles; he is the doctor for Helene's fleet, and the Wolf King Eddard specifically appointed him to be in charge of managing the ravens for the North Coast Fleet.

Helene frowned, "Shouldn't the people of House Targaryen live on Dragonstone and in King's Landing? What was this Rhaena Targaryen doing bringing her dragon to Fair Isle?"

Henry Hambly said, "Because Rhaena was married to Guyard Morrigen at the time, though in reality, Rhaena was in love with Guyard Morrigen's sister, Elissa Farman."

"This Elissa Farman, years later, stole three dragon eggs from Dragonstone and fled to Braavos, where she sold the dragon eggs to the Sealord of Braavos, used the money she received to buy a galleon, hired a crew, and began the great voyage to conquer the Sunset Sea. That is, from Westeros, heading west all the way to search for a new continent."

Jaime Codd widened his eyes, "There is no end to the Sunset Sea to the west; this mad woman must have died on the road of the great voyage."

Henry Hambly said, "Who can say for sure? Some say that if you head west across the Sunset Sea, you reach Yi Ti, while others say it is a new continent. Perhaps Elissa Farman discovered a new continent and lived out her life in comfort in a land of plenty."

Helene Pyke said with admiration, "Elissa Farman was an incredible navigator; regardless of whether she succeeded or not, she made the attempt. However, compared to the Ironborn, what do the people of House Farman know about navigation? The glory of opening new routes and discovering new continents should belong to me. In the future, I will take my fleet to explore the end of the Sunset Sea; with the Wolf King's funding, I will surely succeed."

Nowadays, the shipyards at Dawn Watch, the Wolf Castle on the North's west coast, have begun to resume the construction of ships, including galleons, longships, river warships, and armed merchant ships.

Following the instructions of the Wolf King Eddard, Jon Snow took laborers and began building a Wolf Castle at the mouth of the Heatwave River to guard the Heatwave River; in the future, it will be very difficult for any enemy to try to use the Heatwave River to sail upstream and attack Moat Cailin.

Jaime Codd looked at Fair Isle, "The Fairman fleet is simply no match for us; we could easily capture this island and use it as a springboard for attacking the Westerlands."

Helene said, "Do not underestimate Fair Isle; Fair Isle has stood for thousands of years in the face of the Iron Islands, and during that time, it was only occupied by the Ironborn for a few brief periods. Fair Isle is larger than Pyke and only slightly smaller than Harlaw; wanting to completely conquer this island will take some time, and that will delay our time for attacking Lannisport and Ketch."

Henry Hambly agreed, "That is correct. The fleet at Lannisport has already been destroyed by us, and its maritime defense forces are weak. As for Ketch, its defenses are even worse than Lannisport's. Ketch is the largest town in the Westerlands besides Lannisport; we can plunder more wealth and glory there."

Stannis wore a crown of red gold flames, gazing at the fog-shrouded Blackwater River.

"This is just great; you can't even see a person two meters away, let alone King's Landing on the other side of the Blackwater River."

The fog was so eerie; the Blackwater River was filled with thick fog, yet there was not a trace of mist on the south bank of the Blackwater River, with the sun shining on the earth, while the Blackwater River and King's Landing on the opposite bank were both hidden in the mist.

Lord Gunthor Sunglass of Sweetport Sound is a pious man who believes firmly in the Seven; his ships are named *Pious*, *Prayer*, and *Dedication*, respectively.

Sunglass said, "Your Grace, the news coming out of King's Landing is increasingly terrifying; Cersei and Joffrey have not only destroyed the statues of the Seven in the Great Sept of Baelor, but every day, they capture seven people to sacrifice to the Great Other. The pious men and women inside King's Landing are longing for Your Grace to save them!"

"Please, Your Grace, march with all speed."

Stannis pursed his lips, "In this eerie thick fog, you want me to take the Royal Fleet and the lives of my soldiers and charge in blindly? No! Who knows if the enemy has an ambush hidden in the fog?"

Lord Sunglass said, "Your Grace, when you left King's Landing, most of the main capital ships of the Royal Fleet followed you to Dragonstone; now, the boy king has no decent ships left in King's Landing."

Stannis said, "I am not worried about the fleet of the bastard Joffrey; who knows every ship in King's Landing better than I, the former Master of Ships? That necromancer has resurrected Robert and Rhaegar Targaryen."

"Who knows if he might resurrect naval warfare experts like the 'Sea Snake' Corlys Velaryon or 'Oakfist' Alyn in the fog, waiting for us in the Blackwater River. If a fleet of the undead is waiting in the Blackwater River, my Royal Fleet would be charging toward death and destruction."

Lord Sunglass knelt on one knee, "If Your Grace is worried, I am willing to take the ships from Sweetport Sound and be the first to attack King's Landing on the north bank. To defend the Seven and protect those poor pious men and women, what does it matter if I sacrifice my life?"

Subsequently, Godry Farring, Clayton Suggs, Justin Massey, and Richard Horpe, who had converted to the faith of R'hllor, also drew their longswords one after another, calling for Stannis to march.

The Onion Knight Davos remembered that when Melisandre first came to Dragonstone, she had suggested that Stannis expel those around him who piously believed in the Seven, and had even proposed burning the statues of the Seven. However, later, when the Great Other eroded King's Landing, Melisandre realized the threat of the Great Other; with a formidable enemy at the gates, both Melisandre and Stannis felt the threat of the Great Other and the undead, and no longer mentioned suppressing the faith of the Seven.

In times of peace, followers of the Red God and followers of the Seven might be hostile to each other, but in the face of the undead, everyone is united as never before.

Sir Guyard Morrigen said, "Your Grace, the Blackwater River is shrouded in fog, and the enemy's line of sight is equally obstructed. Our army can march with all speed and launch a lightning strike on King's Landing; our army has prepared enough torches and obsidian daggers, so even if we encounter the undead, we have a chance to win."

"The late King Robert would approve of this kind of surprise attack tactic; the late King Robert won many surprise attacks, and even once at Summerhall, he achieved three victories in a single day."

The Onion Knight Davos heard the sound of Stannis grinding his teeth; Guyard Morrigen was brave and skilled in battle, but clearly lacked the skill to communicate with the King.

Stannis has always lived in Robert's shadow; using Robert to provoke Stannis into sending troops can only have the opposite effect.

Sure enough, Stannis said dryly, "I am not Robert. I will win the victory in my own way."

On the south bank of the Blackwater River, Melisandre lit a large pile of fire, the flames leaping several meters into the air, and Melisandre stared intently at the flames.

The large red ruby on Melisandre's snow-white neck sipped the firelight, and sweat beaded on her snow-white skin; the Onion Knight had never seen Melisandre sweat because of fire, after all, many people had witnessed Melisandre walking barefoot through fire, and the Red Woman could even walk in the volcanic magma of Dragonstone.

If Melisandre was sweating, there were only two explanations: either it was the fragrant sweat from pleasure in bed, or Melisandre was breaking out in a cold sweat from fear.

Stannis paced over to Melisandre, "Melisandre, tell me, what do you see?"

In Melisandre's blood-red eyes, the flames were vigorous, "Your Grace, the dark power in King's Landing is becoming increasingly powerful; I see that the fog is because the necromancer is sacrificing living people to the Great Other."

"Every day, the necromancer Ogbeta sacrifices an old man, an old woman, a pregnant woman, a hired knight, a smith, a maiden, and a silent sister in the Throne Room to the Seven, corresponding to the Father, the Crone, the Mother, the Warrior, the Smith, the Maiden, and the Stranger, respectively."

The Onion Knight Davos said, "I remember you once said that the dark power in King's Landing was so strong that you could not see what was happening in King's Landing."

Melisandre said, "That is true, but this time I saw it; perhaps R'hllor has answered my prayers, or perhaps it is the necromancer, the servant of the Great Other, who let me see it on purpose, showing off his power to me."

Stannis gritted his teeth, "That damned necromancer, sacrificing living people to enhance his dark power; what is he trying to do?"

Melisandre said, "I saw it in the flames; he wants to use the dark magic he has collected and use the dragon bones to summon an ice dragon."

Silence and fear enveloped those around Stannis, and Stannis frowned, "An ice dragon? Is it possible for the necromancer to succeed?"

Melisandre said, "The necromancer's dark ritual can absorb enough dark magic from the wailing and fear of the dead every day; I believe that if the dark ritual is allowed to continue in King's Landing, it is only a matter of time before the necromancer summons an ice dragon for Joffrey and Cersei."

Lord Sunglass said, "Your Grace, this only goes to show that we should march on King's Landing immediately."

Melisandre said, "A rash attack on King's Landing will lead to a miserable death; no one can defeat the death storm and Rhaegar Targaryen."

The Onion Knight said, "According to what the Wolf King Eddard says, wights burn when they encounter fire, and the undead shatter when they encounter obsidian weapons."

Melisandre gave a cold hum, "Onion Knight, the death storm and Rhaegar Targaryen are neither White Walkers nor wights; they are the undead, the creations of the Great Other. You think a fire or an obsidian dagger can destroy them and let their souls find rest? You are too naive!"

Stannis gritted his teeth, "Is there really no weakness for these walking dead?"

Melisandre said, "I believe dragon fire is their nemesis. The Wolf King Eddard possesses a magic dragon, but it is a pity that he is playing the game of thrones in the Westerlands with his magic dragon, completely ignoring the living beings in King's Landing. Your Grace, we should hatch our own magic dragon."

Stannis said, "Woman, you have likely forgotten that I did not find any Dragon Egg on Dragonstone."

Melisandre stepped forward, "Dragonstone hatches Magic Dragon, no need for Dragon Egg; the castle is full of stone dragons. As long as we sacrifice a bastard boy of Dragonstone, we can awaken the Magic Dragon from the stones of Dragonstone! This is the prospect foretold by R'hllor!"

The boy of Dragonstone refers to Robert Baratheon's bastard, Edric Storm; he is the only bastard Robert Baratheon acknowledged while alive, and his mother is Delena Florent, cousin to Queen Selyse.

Back then, Robert Baratheon got dead drunk at Stannis's wedding feast, and before Stannis could enter the bridal chamber, he had already deflowered Delena on the wedding bed; it is said that when Stannis and the bride Selyse entered the bridal chamber, the blood-stained sheets left them both completely disgusted.

Robert Baratheon's one-night stand produced Edric Storm a year later, and many a Septa whispered that this would bring a curse upon Stannis's marriage.

Sure enough, in the days that followed, Stannis fathered Shireen Baratheon, and Shireen Baratheon was plagued by Grey Scale.

Now Edric Storm stays on Dragonstone and has become a close friend of Princess Shireen Baratheon; he is a very charming boy, and the Maester, squires, guards, and grooms are all won over by Edric Storm.

Now, Melisandre suggests burning Edric Storm for R'hllor, and the Onion Knight hurriedly intervenes.

"Your Grace, Joffrey Baratheon is in King's Landing, slaughtering innocent followers of the Seven, and the hearts of the people of Westeros have therefore turned toward Your Grace. If Your Grace burns Edric Storm on Dragonstone, then the commoners and nobles of Westeros will view Your Grace as a heretic as cruel as Joffrey Baratheon and Cersei."

Lord Sunglass said, "Your Grace, although Edric Storm is a bastard, he is after all the son of the late King Robert Baratheon; for Your Grace to sacrifice a nephew to R'hllor is an act of kinslaying, and it will be cursed by the gods!"

Stannis gritted his teeth and glared at Melisandre, "If that boy is sacrificed, will it definitely be possible to summon the Magic Dragon from the stones of Dragonstone?"

Melisandre said, "Yes, R'hllor has shown it in the holy fire."

The Onion Knight said, "The prophecies in the holy fire have been wrong more than once; if R'hllor truly has such power, Melisandre, why don't you use the power of the holy fire to disperse the fog on the Blackwater River?"

Melisandre said gloomily, "The servant of the Great Other is sacrificing living people, while the followers of R'hllor have no offerings to present to R'hllor; what do you expect me to use to disperse the fog?"

The Onion Knight said indignantly, "Only beasts unworthy of being human would do the deed of sacrificing living people. You attempt to sacrifice living people to please your deity, so I ask, what difference is there between R'hllor and the Great Other?"

Melisandre sneered, "Onion Knight, you have a good heart, but have you considered that if the dark power in King's Landing is allowed to surge, how many innocent people will become the Undead, the Dark Servant, in the future? Your Grace needs the Magic Dragon to defeat the Lannister of King's Landing and to make the Seven Kingdoms submit."

"The Wolf King Eddard has a total of three Magic Dragon; he has not yet declared himself king, and he has hidden his ambition very well. However, to defeat the Undead in the future, one cannot do without the Magic Dragon. Even if we clear away the Undead, how could the Wolf King, who possesses three Magic Dragon and the support of the North, the Riverlands, and The Vale, possibly bow and submit to His Grace Stannis?"

Stannis said grimly, "I do need the Magic Dragon, but I will not sacrifice Edric Storm; although this child polluted my wedding bed, he is innocent. There must be another way to awaken the Magic Dragon in the stones."

Melisandre said helplessly, "Your Grace, if you do not have the resolve to sacrifice living people to R'hllor, it will be difficult for us to win this war. I have seen it in the holy fire: a storm of death is coming from King's Landing toward the south, crushing Your Grace's army."

"A silver-haired prince with purple eyes, carrying a sorrowful harp, sweeps through the Crownlands; the prince will lead an army of Undead to attack the castle of the Tourney at Harrenhal."

"The army of Undead in the Kingswood will ravage the Stormlands."

The Onion Knight said disdainfully, "Melisandre, you predicted long ago that there was some army of Undead in the Kingswood, but as it turns out, our scouts have already confirmed that there is nothing in the Kingswood."

Melisandre said confidently, "Onion Knight, do not be so certain; the Knight of Skulls and Kisses is rushing from the Kingsroad with sorrowful news, it is just that your mortal eyes cannot see it."

After a while, a burst of rapid hoofbeats arrived.

Ser Derrick Longmouth rode a black warhorse, galloping all the way; the warhorse was drenched in sweat, and on Ser Derrick's breastplate was the skull-and-kiss sigil of House Longmouth. He swung himself off the horse.

"Your Grace, enemies have appeared in the Kingswood and are plundering the villages around the Kingswood."

Stannis and the Onion Knight looked at Melisandre in shock, and Stannis pressed his lips tight.

"This is impossible; our army is deployed on the south bank of the Blackwater River, and the Royal Fleet has blockaded the mouth of the Blackwater River; how could the Lannister of King's Landing possibly send troops to the Kingswood?"

The Onion Knight frowned, "Could it be that the Lannister had previously ambushed troops in the Kingswood?"

The Kingswood is a vast forest south of King's Landing, and the Kingswood itself is also one of the largest forests south of the Neck; hiding thousands or even tens of thousands of troops there is a common occurrence.

Derrick Longmouth shook his head, his eyes filled with fear.

"Your Grace, the enemies are the Kingswood Brotherhood! Simon Toyne, the Smiling Knight, Wenda the White Fawn, Dick Straw, Big Belly Ben, and the thrice-hanged Oswyn Longneck—all these bandits have crawled out of their graves!"

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(End of this chapter)