Chapter 234: Crow's Eye Flees the Hightower, Eddard Manifests at Harrenhal

Above the walls of Harrenhal, Daenerys rode on the back of the magic dragon Drogon, and Jon rode on the magic dragon Rhaegal, landing on the broad walls of Harrenhal, where a group of soldiers and bears together carried cannonballs up to the gun emplacements.

In the past, the Wolf King Eddard relied on birds for reconnaissance; sometimes Eddard controlled the birds to scout, and sometimes it was the Eagle King McCain, Kanu, or Orell.

However, with more and more giant bats and ice dragons in the Riverlands, aerial reconnaissance became increasingly difficult.

Fortunately, now that the Wolf King Eddard's elemental power had grown stronger, he could easily possess every tree within a radius of hundreds of miles, observing the enemy's movements through the trees.

The Wolf King Eddard focused his mind to scout the Riverlands, while the Griffin Hand Jon Connington, Ser Jorah, Tyrion, Varys, Loras, Brienne, Ser Barristan, and others stood guard nearby.

Daenerys, in a silver-white silk robe, noble and beautiful, came to Eddard's side with Jon.

"Wolf King Eddard, what do you see?"

Eddard said: "The army of the undead is marching toward the Riverlands; the Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne is leading the undead army to attack Stoneway."

Upon hearing the name Stoneway, the Griffin Hand Jon Connington's face darkened.

"A terrible place; it was a cursed land to begin with."

Daenerys raised an eyebrow, "Jon Connington, why do you say that about Stoneway?"

Mischief flickered in Tyrion's mismatched eyes.

"True Dragon Queen, when Jon Connington served as your father's Hand of the King, he once lost a crucial battle at Stoneway; at the time, he had the opportunity to kill Robert at Stoneway and end the war."

"At that time, the Royalist vanguard from The Reach, Lord Randyll Tarly, defeated Robert at Cider Hall and routed the Stormlands army. Robert could only lead a small force north to the Riverlands, attempting to rendezvous with the allied armies of Lord Hoster Tully, Eddard, and Jon Arryn at Stoneway; Robert was wounded and hid in Stoneway."

Jon Connington led the Royalist army to control Stoneway, searching house by house for Robert, but unfortunately, the townspeople were all protecting Robert, and Jon Connington never managed to capture him. In the end, Hoster Tully and Eddard arrived with the armies of the North, the Riverlands, and The Vale, and Robert charged out from his hiding place, greatly boosting the morale of the rebel army.

Amidst the deafening tolling of the bells from the sept, the Royalist army led by Jon Connington engaged in a brutal street battle with the rebel army.

Jon Connington severely wounded Hoster Tully and killed Jon Arryn's heir, the darling of The Vale, Denys Arryn, yet he was still unable to turn the tide of defeat; Jon Connington could only gather his remnants and retreat to King's Landing.

King Aerys believed that Jon Connington had suffered heavy losses, so he stripped Jon Connington of his position as Hand and confiscated his lands, exiling Jon Connington to the other side of the Narrow Sea.

Therefore, Jon Connington had no fondness for Stoneway, and he said: "The undead attacking Stoneway is clearly an attempt to lure Harrenhal into dividing its forces to rescue it; Wolf Prince, you must not be deceived."

The Wolf King Eddard said: "Stoneway has tens of thousands of residents; if Stoneway falls, the Lannisters can directly attack House Piper's Pinkmaiden, House Vance's Wayfarer's Rest and Darry Castle, and thereby open a path to counterattack the Westerlands."

"Robert's bastard daughter, Zhong'er, grew up in the Peach Inn in Stoneway; now, I have brought her to Harrenhal, where she has become a kitchen maid, living with Gendry and Mya Stone. If we do not go to rescue Stoneway, countless innocent lives like Zhong'er will die at the hands of the undead."

Daenerys said: "The undead have too many ice dragons and giant bats; sending infantry and cavalry to meet them would only be a futile death."

The Wolf King Eddard said: "I will ride the flying wolf to the rescue."

Everyone was startled, and Varys said: "Wolf Prince, it is truly heroic that you are willing to personally pilot a magic dragon to save the people of Stoneway. However, after Balerion the Black Dread was resurrected, the undead's ice dragons have greatly increased in strength; if Balerion and Meraxes attack Harrenhal together, even with Harrenhal's six magic dragons defending together, they may not be a match for the enemy."

"Moreover, the necromancers have other ice dragons, similar to the Dragon of Bronze Vermithor, Silverwing, and Dreamfyre, all of which are much larger than our magic dragons."

Tyrion said: "The undead's dark magic is surging; since the undead have divided their forces to attack Stoneway, it is entirely possible they could attack Maidenpool, Harroway's Town, Darry Castle, and so on. Must we divide our forces to rescue every single place?"

Eddard said: "Harroway's Town, Darry Castle, and Maidenpool are very close to Harrenhal; if we stay in Harrenhal, we will have plenty of time to save them when the enemy arrives at the gates. Stoneway is a bit further and must be rescued. If the enemy bypasses Harrenhal and destroys every town, every castle, and every village in the Riverlands, the enemy can create even more wights."

Quaithe, wearing a red lacquer mask, walked over.

"Wolf Prince, I saw in the holy fire that the Death Knight, the White Bull Gerold Hightower, is leading the undead army and marching toward The Reach."

The Knight of Flowers Loras was shocked, "The western coastal region of The Reach is being attacked by Ironborn pirates; if the undead army strikes from the east, The Reach will soon face total annihilation."

The Knight of Flowers knelt on one knee before the Wolf King Eddard and Queen Daenerys.

"Wolf Prince, True Dragon Queen, The Reach has no magic dragons; I beg you to dispatch magic dragons to help The Reach defend against the undead, otherwise, the blooming, flower-filled Reach will fall into a kingdom of the undead."

The Wolf King Eddard helped the Knight of Flowers Loras up and comforted him: "The enemy's attack on The Reach is merely a feint; the undead army needs to guard against Stannis's army at Storm's End, and the Balrog could strike King's Landing at any moment; the undead cannot launch a large-scale attack on The Reach."

"The undead's goal is to make us divide our forces to rescue The Reach so they can seize the opportunity to capture Harrenhal. The commander of The Reach on the side of the Rose Road is Lord Randyll Tarly; he is brave and skilled in battle and will certainly be able to repel the undead."

The Knight of Flowers was slightly relieved, "Why did the undead choose this time to attack The Reach? Could it be that the Iron King Crow's Eye has allied with the Corpse Queen Serxi?"

The Wolf King Eddard said: "Crow's Eye is as evil as Serxi and the necromancer Ogbeta; regardless of whether they have allied or not, I will root them out completely."

Victarion's Iron Victory, Asha Greyjoy's Grey Wind, followed Crow's Eye's Silence, approaching Oldtown.

The Hightower stood majestically at the mouth of the Honeywine, on Battle Isle at the exit of the port of Oldtown, like a burning longsword piercing the night sky.

Previously, in Whispering Sound, the Iron Fleet had easily routed the Redwyne Fleet led by the Lord of the Arbor, Paxter.

During Balon's rebellion years ago, Victarion led the Iron Fleet and encountered Paxter Redwyne's Arbor Fleet and Stannis's Royal Fleet at Fair Isle; as a result, under Stannis's command, the Iron Fleet was crushed, Victarion was taken prisoner, and it sounded the death knell for his eldest brother Balon's short-lived Iron Islands kingdom.

The humiliation of the Iron Fleet back then was caused by the Arbor Fleet together with Stannis, and Victarion still remembers the hatred to this day.

The Arbor Fleet possessed many rowing warships, far larger than ordinary longships; fortunately, the Iron Fleet did not lack large longships for naval dominance, similar to the Drowned God, Iron Victory, Grey Wind, and Fury, which were sufficient to contend with the Arbor Fleet's rowing warships.

However, what truly decided the outcome of the battle was Crow's Eye's horn.

When Crow's Eye's sorcerers blew the Kraken Horn, a scarlet kraken extended hundreds of tentacles, dragging the Arbor Fleet's Vine into the ocean.

The other ships of the Arbor Fleet, upon seeing the kraken, instantly lost their courage, and the Iron Fleet seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack; the Redwyne Glory, Warm Sun, and a dozen other rowing warships became prisoners of the Iron Fleet, and Paxter Redwyne fled back to the Arbor with his remnants.

After clearing away the hindrances, the Iron Islands fleet could finally attack the jewel of The Reach, Oldtown.

Oldtown is one of the only five cities in Westeros, with a population second only to King's Landing, far exceeding Lannisport, Gulltown, and White Harbor in scale, and it is also the oldest city. This is the cultural center of Westeros, and the Citadel, which supplies maesters to lords across Westeros, is located in Oldtown.

Before Aegon conquered Westeros with his magic dragons, Oldtown was also the religious center of Westeros; the Starry Sept had been the seat of the High Septon for thousands of years, until the Baelor's Sept in King's Landing was built, and the Starry Sept's status was replaced by the latter.

Oldtown's Lord's Sept, Sailor's Sept, and Sept of the Seven were likewise holy sites for the Faith of the Seven.

After King's Landing fell into a city of the undead, the followers of the Seven rebuilt the Church in Oldtown, and Oldtown once again became the religious center.

The most stunning building is undoubtedly the seat of House Hightower, the Hightower; legend has it that it is a full eight hundred feet tall, towering into the clouds, and the most magnificent warships of the Ironborn are as small as ants beneath the Hightower. The Hightower is not only a magnificent lord's castle but also a lighthouse, with the light on the lighthouse burning day and night.

Oldtown is an excellent harbor, and as the mouth of the Honeywine, it is incredibly wealthy. The Iron Islands have many reefs along the coast and lack high-quality ports; King's Port near Pyke is just a small fishing village, and compared to Oldtown, King's Port appears even more shabby.

Victarion longed to conquer this city for the Drowned God, turning the septs of the Seven, the Hightower, the Citadel, and the Town Hall all into holy sites for the Drowned God.

However, the Hightower before his eyes made Victarion tremble involuntarily; the Hightower located on Battle Isle had a base of black stone, covered with defensive facilities such as catapults, arrow towers, and ballistae; even if the Iron Islands fleet charged onto Battle Isle, attacking such a tall castle would likely cost the lives of many Ironborn warriors.

No wonder the Old Man of Oldtown, Lord Leyton Hightower, had not stepped down from the Hightower for decades; legend has it that from the top of the Hightower, one could even see The Wall. Since he could overlook his domain just by looking down, why would Leyton Hightower need to walk down the Hightower? Ruling the city from the clouds and the sky was even more perfect.

The Iron Islands longships beat the rhythm of raiders, yet not a single warship from Oldtown came out to meet them. As the largest port in Westeros, Oldtown did not lack ships; even if House Hightower's fleet did not have the strength of the Arbor's Redwyne Fleet, they should not have all hidden in the harbor when the enemy was at the gates.

However, House Hightower had by no means given up resistance; as the first line of Iron Islands longships entered the attack range of the Hightower, the Hightower's countless arrow towers and murder holes released fire arrows in unison, and catapults shrieked as they hurled giant stones.

Soon, the Colleen, Red Kraken, Seal, and others in the first line were all sunk by stones, and some longships began to catch fire and burn.

Victarion stood at the prow of the Iron Victory, glimpsing from afar that in the harbor behind the Hightower, the sails of hundreds of ships were fluttering, moored at the docks, hiding under the protection of the Hightower.

As the Iron Fleet Commander, Victarion had always respected brave enemies and despised cowards; he said angrily: "Do the people of House Hightower have milk flowing in their veins? They are truly a bunch of cowards; they clearly possess so many ships, yet they dare not sail them to meet the enemy, only knowing how to hide in the Hightower and throw stones."

Euron stood on the deck of the Silence, which was very close to the Iron Victory, and Euron heard Victarion's words and laughed: "This shows that House Hightower has at least learned the lesson of House Redwyne; the people of The Reach are simply no match for the Ironborn at sea."

More than a dozen ships launched a charge toward Battle Isle; the Sailor's Light was struck by a giant stone and began to sink, the Dark Tide was swallowed by flames, but the Crab's Kiss, the Cockroach Bully, and the Seagull charged onto the shore of Battle Isle.

Some Ironborn roared as they leaped onto Battle Isle, charging toward the base wall of the Hightower; even the base wall was taller and larger than the walls of King's Landing. The Ironborn were indeed brave, but they were soon covered by a rain of arrows; the roars of the Ironborn turned into screams, and the beach of Battle Isle was piled high with the corpses of the Ironborn.

Euron Greyjoy blew the Kraken Horn.

A massive golden sea monster emerged from the bottom of the sea, and the golden sea monster stretched out its tentacles, reaching toward the Hightower.

However, when the tentacles touched the base of the Hightower, they instantly began to smoke; the sea monster shrieked repeatedly and began to thrash in the ocean, and several Ironborn Longships were struck by the tentacles, their crews screaming as they fell into the sea.

The sea monster dove into the ocean, and Victarion was greatly shocked; he said to Euron on the nearby Silence: "What on earth is going on? Your sea monster touched the base of the Hightower, why did it seem like it was scalded? Is that magic?"

Euron did not seem surprised and said: "That certainly belongs to magic. Do you know? The base of the Hightower is made of stacked black stone and was originally an ancient fortress. This kind of black stone is the same material as the Seastone Chair of the Iron Islands."

"No one knows who crafted the Seastone Chair, nor does anyone know who built the black stone fortress on Battle Isle during the Dawn Age. Some Maesters believe that the Valyrians built the black stone fortress, the reason being that the Valyrian roads and the walls of Volantis both used this technology."

"However, in reality, I am the one who understands the black stone fortress best. It was the Deep Ones who built the black stone fortress and the Seastone Chair; the black stone fortress they crafted possesses magical power. Back then, House Hightower invited Brandon the Builder to construct the Hightower atop the black stone fortress. Otherwise, the Hightower, towering into the clouds, would have collapsed long ago."

Victarion said: "So, your sea monster cannot shake the Hightower either? Then what about Naga?"

Naga is far larger than the sea monster; as the world's first sea dragon, sea beasts and sea monsters are all food for Naga.

Euron said: "I will not use Naga against the Hightower. If Naga destroyed the Hightower and it collapsed, not only would the magic books and the scrolls of the valley inside the Hightower be unobtainable, but even the Citadel might be crushed by the Hightower; at that point, all knowledge would be destroyed."

Victarion said disdainfully: "You have actually become a knowledge lover; perhaps you should go to the Citadel to forge a chain and craft a slave's chain for yourself."

Euron gave a light snort.

"What do you know? Once I have absorbed all the knowledge, I will burn every book and bury every Maester and Archmaester alive."

Victarion protested, "Bury them alive? They should be sacrificed to the Drowned God."

Euron ordered his men to blow the horn of retreat; the Iron Islands fleet had no choice but to withdraw, and the cheers from the Hightower echoed across the sea.

"Long live the Hightowers! Long live the Tyrells!"

"Long live Lord Leyton!"

"Long live Malora!"

Victarion frowned, "Who is Malora?"

Euron said: "The daughter of the Lord of Oldtown, nicknamed the Mad Maid; she has not married for decades and has stayed in the Hightower, studying magic."

Victarion loathed those who practiced sorcery, as sorcery lowered the status of a Knight, and he stopped speaking.

When the Iron Islands fleet returned to Blackcrown, Euron held a meeting.

Asha Greyjoy said: "Even the sea monster is powerless to shake the Hightower; we have no choice but to abandon the attack on Oldtown."

Euron Greyjoy's eyes were filled with evil.

"I will take the Ironborn army, travel up the Mander River, and capture Brightwater Keep, Highgarden, and Bitterbridge; once our army occupies the Mander River basin, we can form an alliance with the Lannisters of King's Landing and with the undead, and we can attack Oldtown from land."

Harrenhal was shrouded in dark clouds.

Balerion the Black Dread, Meraxes, the Dragon of Bronze Vermithor, Silverwing, Sunfyre, and the Red Queen Meleys all arrived above Harrenhal.

Giant bats covered the sky, and the undead wights were endless.

Previously, the undead army had split its forces to attack the Riverlands; Prince Rhaegar led the undead to attack Harroway's Town, but was blocked by Grey Worm leading the Unsullied legion, and immediately the Giant Eagle Legion dropped Wildfire, purifying thousands of undead with the Wildfire.

Assisting Prince Rhaegar in attacking the town was Silverwing; the Wolf King Eddard used his mind to control the flying wolves, koi, and Eagle Eye to besiege Silverwing, and Silverwing was miserably defeated and fled, while Prince Rhaegar escaped into the night.

The Horse Lord Drogo led the undead cavalry army to attack Fairmarket, and Queen Daenerys, riding the magic dragon Drogon, and the Dragonknight Jon, riding Rhaegal, defeated this undead cavalry; the frost dragon Dragon of Bronze Vermithor appeared at Fairmarket but was repelled by Jon and Daenerys's magic dragons.

The Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne led the undead army, with the cooperation of the frost dragon Sunfyre, to attack Stoneway; the Wolf King Eddard personally led the magic dragon flying wolf and the griffin to reinforce, just like when Eddard defeated the Sword of the Morning at the Tower of Joy back then; this time, Eddard defeated the Death Knight Arthur Dayne.

Bittersteel Aegor Rivers attempted to bypass the Gods Eye to attack the territory of his arch-enemy, House Blackwood, but his movements were discovered by the Wood Dancer Shiera Seastar on the Isle of Faces; Shiera Seastar immediately notified the Wolf King Eddard, and the Wolf King Eddard summoned thousands of crows, combined with giant eagles, to destroy this undead force.

Fairmarket, Stoneway, and Harroway's Town had successively thwarted the undead's attacks, yet the threat was far from resolved, because the undead's true target was the giant city of Harrenhal on the shores of the Gods Eye.

Tonight, they finally came.

Not only were there frost dragons, the Death Knight Prince Rhaegar, the Sleeping Dragon Viserys, the Horse Lord Drogo, the Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne, Bittersteel, Oswell Whent, the two-headed monster Maris, Myles Toyne, and others, all assembled beneath the walls of Harrenhal.

Daenerys looked at the terrifying size of the frost dragons Meraxes and Balerion and was secretly startled.

"Wolf King, Balerion and Meraxes are much larger than our magic dragons."

The Wolf King Eddard said: "Indeed, Balerion was the magic dragon of Aegon the Conqueror, and Meraxes belonged to Queen Rhaenys; these two magic dragons lived for over a hundred years, while our magic dragons are only a few years old."

The undead sorcerer Ogbeta rode atop Balerion the Black Dread, holding a skull scepter in his hand.

"Wolf King Eddard, Queen of True Dragons, Harrenhal can resist the undead because the magic dragons in your hands are the bane of the undead. However, when I resurrect the first frost dragon, humanity's advantage will be gone."

"Now, I have resurrected the Black Dread; back then, Aegon the Conqueror rode Balerion the Black Dread to destroy Harrenhal. With just the magic dragons in your hands, how could you possibly contend with Balerion?"

"Kneel and submit immediately, and become servants of the Great Other; that is your only way out."

The Wolf King Eddard waved his hand, and the cannons, fire-spitting crossbows, ballistae, and catapults on the walls of Harrenhal were all aimed at the undead, the frost dragons, and the giant bats.

"Justice will never retreat before darkness; prepare to die!"

The cannons roared, ten thousand arrows were fired at once, and the burning crossbow bolts lit up the night sky over the Gods Eye and Harrenhal; many giant bats and wights died screaming.

The undead sorcerer Ogbeta, riding the frost dragon Black Dread, spewed ice, instantly freezing the turrets, arrow towers, and catapults on the walls; many crossbowmen let out screams as their blood froze, falling to the ground, only to turn into blue-eyed wights, and just a heartbeat later, they were burned to death by dragonfire.

Daenerys leaped onto the black magic dragon Drogon, Jon Snow mounted the back of Rhaegal, and the Wolf King mounted the magic dragon Viserion.

The three magic dragons—koi, Eagle Eye, and flying wolf—successively spewed dragonfire, bathing the undead wights and giant bats beneath Harrenhal.

To the surprise of Jon Snow and Daenerys, the undead sorcerer took Meraxes and Balerion and turned to fly toward the south. The frost dragons—Dragon of Bronze Vermithor, Silverwing, Sunfyre, and the Red Queen Meleys—remained above Harrenhal, locked in combat with the magic dragons.

Daenerys asked in surprise: "What are the Black Dread and Meraxes doing going south?"

Eddard said: "The undead sorcerer Ogbeta wants to resurrect Vhagar and Caraxes from the bottom of the Gods Eye."

"Daenerys, Jon, you engage the undead; I will go to stop the undead sorcerer."

At this moment, Eddard leaped from the back of the magic dragon Viserion, and a giant eagle steadily caught Eddard.

The Gods Eye is right next to Harrenhal; above the Gods Eye, Eddard could still easily control every magic dragon, griffin, and giant eagle. Leaving one magic dragon behind could enhance the defense of Harrenhal.

Sure enough, the shadows of Balerion the Black Dread and Meraxes obscured the sky over the Gods Eye, and ice covered the sky and earth, freezing the lake water.

Only the Weirwood Forest on the Isle of Faces remained unmoved amidst the ice.

The Undead Necromancer Ogbeta, riding on the back of the Black Dread, began to chant.

"Cold God, please grant me power to resurrect Vhagar, Caraxes, and the two Dragonknights, Prince Daemon and Aemond One-Eye, from the bottom of the Gods Eye!"

A massive skull pattern spanned across the sky.

The frozen Gods Eye began to tremble, and even Harrenhal nearby felt the tremors; the ice tore apart, and frost dragons flew out from the ice.

The rider on Vhagar's back was a one-eyed man, none other than Aemond One-Eye. Vhagar, Meraxes, and the Black Dread together blotted out the sky and sun!

Following them was Caraxes; the frost dragon Caraxes was not as large as Vhagar, yet it was swift and strong, as evidenced by the fact that Caraxes was able to perish together with Vhagar back in the day.

Riding on the back of Caraxes was Prince Daemon.

Eddard rode a giant eagle and arrived above the Gods Eye.

The Undead Necromancer Vhagar, on the back of the Black Dread, said disdainfully: "Wolf King, back then Vhagar, Balerion, and Meraxes together conquered Westeros; what do you have to resist with?"

Eddard said calmly: "This is the sacred ground of the Old Gods; Dark Magic is destined to fail!"

Subsequently, the Weirwood Bracelet on Eddard's wrist emitted a red halo, and the Skull Bracelet emitted a blue halo.

"The power of the elements belongs to the earth, rivers, mountains, trees, metal, and fire."

"Power of Wood!"

A Weirwood Forest appeared in the air, and immediately after, countless thorns pierced the giant bats and frost dragons in the sky; every frost dragon was trapped by the thorns, and the frost dragons struggled to break free.

Tens of thousands of crows covered the sky and earth, covering the undead on the ground and the giant bats and frost dragons in the air like flies.

The Wolf King Eddard said sternly: "Ogbeta, tremble before the Old Gods!"

Eddard held high the greatsword Ice, and Ice instantly froze the frost dragons Vhagar, Caraxes, Balerion, and Meraxes in the sky, while the Gods Eye instantly thawed.

The Undead Necromancer Ogbeta said in horror: "How can this be? You can actually use Ice to freeze frost dragons?"

Eddard said solemnly: "Ice, when it comes down to it, is water. Ice is made of water, yet it is colder than water."

"This is the power of the Trident, the Milkwater, the White Knife, the Bay of Ice, the Seal Bay, and even every nameless little creek!"

The Weirwood Forest in the air shone in mutual reflection with the Weirwood of the Isle of Faces; in the sky appeared the Golden Axe, tree-man warriors, rivers, lakes, and seas, vigorous flames, and the boundless earth.

The Element Power condensed, emitting rays of blood-red light; the blood-red light transformed into sharp swords, instantly killing the giant bats in the air, and some frost dragons were torn into pieces.

Varys, the Griffin Hand Clinton, the Imp Tyrion, the Knight of Flowers, Brienne, Lysa Arryn, Bran, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Daenerys, Jon Snow, Catelyn, Barristan, and even the Unsullied eunuch soldiers from all over the world, members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, Golden Company mercenaries, Second Sons mercenaries, and others, all knelt on the ground, worshipping this miracle.

At this moment, the Wolf King Eddard was no different from a god.

Thanks to John Smith for the monthly ticket, thank you for the support!

(End of this chapter)