Chapter 241: The Night King, King Theon, and Ramsay

Beyond the Wall, in the Land of Always Winter, a blizzard rages.

The Night King wears armor of black profound ice, his skin as pale as milk, his two eyes like deep blue stars; the Night King carries a sword of profound ice on his back, sitting upright on a throne of the undead built from ice and skulls.

A dark altar to the side radiates a blue halo.

"Resurrect! My servant, the necromancer Ogbeta!"

A mass of black fog condensed into the necromancer Ogbeta; he held a skull scepter, wore a long black robe, and his deep blue eyes released greed and hunger.

"Night King, death is so sweet, it makes me even more powerful!"

Maester Luwin said: "And we have ironclad proof; a girl escaped Ramsay's hunt, and she can confirm that Ramsay hunted at least dozens of girls. He also performed skinning torture in front of the weirwood heart tree at the Dreadfort. When the Three-Eyed Raven passed through Winterfell, he also confirmed Ramsay's crimes."

The undead in King's Landing, compared to the Night King's army, can only be considered an advance guard; the necromancer Ogbeta, who manipulates the court in King's Landing, is merely a subordinate of the Night King.

The Night King said: "Finally, the one I want to resurrect is Cersei."

"The only explanation is that the Old Gods sent the weirwood; the power of the Old Gods in the Iron Islands is even stronger than the Drowned God."

Times have changed; once upon a time, the Bolton House of the Dreadfort was a powerful vassal of House Stark, a thorn in their side. Now, Eddard controls the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros; Eddard possesses magic dragons, fire demons, nagas, has numerous wizards under his command, and armies gathered. If the Dreadfort dares to provoke Winterfell again, it would be no different than throwing an egg against a rock.

"After I kill Stormborn, the Mother of Dragons Daenerys, Daenerys will likewise be my Corpse Queen."

Emperor Eddard rode on the magic dragon Flying Wolf, Daenerys rode the magic dragon Drogon, and Jon Snow rode the magic dragon Rhaegal, leaving Oldtown; the armies from all regions also marched in full force toward the Wall.

Wyman Manderly said: "The Green Seer, the Three-Eyed Raven, relies on trees for reconnaissance; the undead army has already arrived at the Frostfangs, still a long distance from the Wall. Currently, the Wall is still safe."

The frost dragons Balerion the Black Dread, Vhagar, Meraxes, the Dragon of Bronze Vermithor, Silverwing, Silver, Dreamfyre, Caraxes, the Blue Queen Tessarion, the Red Queen Meleys, Sheepstealer, and dozens of other frost dragons were all resurrected.

In the Westerlands, the Blackfish Brynden will be stationed at Casterly Rock. For thousands of years, the Westerlands have been Lannister territory. Although Eddard has already relocated all members of the Lannister family from the Westerlands to the North's The Gift, and Tywin, the Kingslayer Jaime, Kevan, and others have all donned the black, sworn to join the Night's Watch, and abandoned their lands and wealth, the Lannisters remain deeply rooted in the Westerlands. Only a fierce general like the Blackfish Brynden can hold down the Westerlands.

Balon led his party out of the city to welcome Eddard; he knelt before Eddard, holding the driftwood crown in his hands.

The blooming Reach is the largest granary in Westeros in any season; on the fertile plains irrigated by the Honeywine and Mander River, there are farms everywhere. The pumpkins, grapes, wheat, and oranges here have fed many people. After Emperor Eddard drives away the ironborn, the Reach will soon restore agricultural production.

Theon, Asha, Iron Fleet Commander Victarion, the Reader Rodrik Harlaw, Dagmer Cleftjaw, King's Port lord Botley, and others waited at the pier.

Eddard patted Theon on the shoulder.

Reek, Sour Alyn, Damon the Dancer, Gollum, Yellow Dick, and Ben Bones—these people were usually arrogant and domineering, helping Ramsay torture and kill many innocent people. Now that it was their turn to be punished, they died one by one, screaming and wailing.

"Roose Bolton has returned from the south; I have questioned him, and he stated that if Ramsay's crimes are true, he will never show leniency."

Eddard asked, "How is the battle situation at the Wall?"

There were even hundreds of ironborn longships in the nearby sea that had already surrendered to Stark.

"Your Majesty, I have followed Your Majesty through many battles in the south and north. Domeric served in the Winter Wolves, so I had no choice but to leave the Dreadfort to that bastard Ramsay to manage. I never expected that he would go behind my back and commit such heinous acts—hunting girls and skinning innocent civilians. This is truly a sin!"

Due to geographical reasons, the North is the region in Westeros most affected by the cold winter. When winter comes, agricultural activities in the North almost completely cease; the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Westerlands are also affected.

A few days later, six magic dragons and thousands of cavalry arrived at the gates of the Dreadfort. Roose Bolton hurriedly bound Ramsay, as well as Ramsay's servants Reek, Damon the Dancer, Yellow Dick, Gollum, Ben Bones, Sour Alyn, and others.

Eddard said: "Balon, your son Theon will become the King of the Iron Islands and rule the Iron Islands. I guarantee that I will let the ironborn live a good life. The ironborn are bloodthirsty and warlike; I will satisfy you. The Iron Islands fleet will become my ace fleet in the future, and I will lead the ironborn to conquer all parts of the world."

The Death Knight knelt at the feet of the Night King.

The Lord of Light's follower Melisandre, Black Flame Moqorro, the masked Quaithe, the Golden Lady, and others all followed Emperor Eddard to the Wall.

"I heard you named your bitch after the victimized girls? Very well, skin Ramsay alive, then feed him to the dogs."

Subsequently, under the slate-gray sky, the Dragon Soul flickered in and out of view.

"Night King, I will conquer the seas and islands for the undead, follow the Night King's banner, and defeat that damned Eddard Stark!"

Once the Night King breaches the Wall, all the people of Westeros will face a survival crisis; the fires of the human world will be extinguished before the Night King, and winter and darkness will rule this world.

Eddard had been waiting for the Dreadfort's Ramsay to do something stupid; now, Eddard could rightfully get rid of Ramsay.

Thousands of giant bats obscured the sky; one bat landed on the ground and transformed into the Bat Enchantress. Her skin was as white as fine jade, her face delicate and charming, and she wore tight black riding breeches.

The news of the Night King's undead army threatening the Wall reached Oldtown, the Citadel, the Starry Sept, the Hightower, villages, and ports, causing widespread shock.

The Iron Islands dispatched one hundred longships to Bear Island in the Bay of Ice to participate in the war against the undead at the Wall. Asha and Victarion are the commanders of this fleet.

The only hidden danger is the Iron Islands.

Theon has been a Stark ward for over a decade; in the eyes of the ironborn, Theon is a complete stranger. He needs the help of his uncle, Lord Harlaw.

Eddard looked at Ramsay. Ramsay was covered in rolls of fat, his thick lips like maggots, his long hair disheveled, and his eyes filled with evil. Eddard said: "Bastard, why did you kill these innocent people?"

Ramsay grinned hideously: "You coward, you are not a Bolton; I am the Bolton with the pure bloodline! I do not fear direwolves. Even if you execute me, I have had my fill; I have killed even more beauties and commoners!"

Subsequently, Eddard began to select fierce generals from all over Westeros.

The necromancer Ogbeta said angrily: "If I hadn't been in King's Landing, slaughtering the followers of the Seven and attracting the attention of human wizards, how could you have easily collected these souls?"

"Emperor Eddard, the Iron Islands are yours. I, King Balon, am willing to remove the driftwood crown, offer up the Seastone Chair, and kneel in submission to Your Majesty."

The Undertaker was as sturdy as a mountain, with long hair, a ferocious face, and a deathly stench radiating from his body; he wore a black cloak and held a killing scythe in his hand.

The Reader Rodrik, the leader Botley, Dagmer Cleftjaw, and others were all captured by Jon Snow during the naval battle at the Heatwave River in the North. Afterward, they were imprisoned at Wolf Castle's Dawn Watch. After Eddard executed Euron, he immediately sent ravens ordering the North's Wolf Castle to release these ironborn leaders and let them return to the Iron Islands.

The Golden Company, the Stormcrows, the Second Sons, the Unsullied, the Dothraki cavalry, and others who followed Daenerys to Westeros all headed to the Wall.

The residents of Winter Town braved the wind and snow to welcome Eddard's return, and people shouted Eddard's name.

Maester Luwin said: "The Winter Wolves returning from the south, and the armies from the Reach, the Riverlands, the Westerlands, the Vale, Dorne, and the Stormlands have all headed to the Wall. The Wall has sufficient supplies, and the nobles from all parts of the North have returned to their respective territories and family castles. If needed, all parts of the North will immediately support the Wall."

In Oldtown, Emperor Eddard began to select generals to head to the Wall to confront the Night King.

The necromancer Ogbeta said: "Cersei is useless. Your Majesty, although Cersei is beautiful, the Seven Kingdoms have those even more beautiful than her, such as the Mother of Dragons Daenerys."

Balon shrugged, "I have no magic dragons; losing the war is understandable. Besides, every time I make a driftwood crown, the first piece of driftwood the Drowned God sends to my hometown is weirwood. You must know, the Iron Islands have no weirwood heart trees at all. I have lived in the Iron Islands my whole life and have never seen even a single weirwood. Where did they come from?"

A scent of sea salt drifted over; Euron Greyjoy appeared before the Night King with the mute crew of his Silence and his wizards, joining the ranks of those kneeling to the Night King.

When Emperor Eddard heads north, he will pass through the Iron Islands; Eddard will ensure that Balon and the leaders and captains of the Iron Islands submit to the direwolf's ward, Theon.

The Reader Rodrik Harlaw is the lord of Harlaw, and Harlaw is the wealthiest and most populous island in the Iron Islands. The Reader Rodrik has great influence in the Iron Islands; he loves books and has a clear mind, and he will help Theon govern the Iron Islands well.

The earth trembled, and the Spider Baron emerged from underground with thousands of ice spiders.

The Night King said: "Cersei can satisfy my desires as a man and accompany me through every night. Back when I was at the Nightfort, serving as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the Barrow King's daughter was my first Corpse Queen. Unfortunately, I was defeated by humans, and her soul was sealed beneath the Wall; with the passage of time, it vanished without a trace."

This lineup can be described as both scholarly and martial; Stannis and Robb are both famous generals, while Tyrion and Jon Connington are both political masters.

In the Great Hall of Winterfell, Eddard met with the Warden of the North, Lord Wyman Manderly, the Acting Castellan of Winterfell, Sir Rodrik Cassel, Maester Luwin, and others.

"Theon, your uncle, the Reader, Lord Rodrik Harlaw, will remain on the Iron Islands to assist you; you must listen to his advice. Asha, Victarion, and Aeron Greyjoy will accompany me to the Wall to participate in the war against the undead."

Aeron Greyjoy said: "Your Grace, I have already entered Pyke and spoken with Balon; he will surrender, provided he sees the magic dragons."

Roose Bolton said indifferently: "He comes from a tainted bloodline; I am sickened just looking at him. I request that Ramsay be executed immediately."

The Undertaker arrived with his undead convoy; the catapults were piled high with corpses, and the corpses were floating with a thick layer of yellow plague.

The Night King said: "Necromancer Ogbeta, you have completed your mission in King's Landing well."

"Emperor Eddard, I am not your biological son, yet you have treated me as if I were. I will certainly manage the Iron Islands well for Emperor Eddard."

When Emperor Eddard, Daenerys, and Jon arrived outside Pyke on the Iron Islands riding magic dragons, heavy snow was falling. The Westerlands fleet, the Riverlands fleet, and the North West Coast fleet were all assembled at King's Port, a fishing village not far from Pyke, preparing to attack the city.

The Reader Rodrik said awkwardly: "Your Grace, after Balon learned of Euron's death, he once again donned the driftwood crown for himself, but unfortunately, no captain or leader on the Iron Islands supports him. Dreaming of being king is the madness in the blood of the Ironborn, and Balon has chased the crown his entire life."

"Night King, Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters conquered Westeros back then, and now, their souls have been resurrected by you Beyond the Wall. Riding Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, they will reconquer Westeros. Human beings will surely tremble before the undead."

In the blizzard, the undead grew more numerous; tens of thousands of wights and White Walkers gathered beneath the Night King's undead throne.

In the south, Eddard also left behind a sufficiently powerful lineup to manage Westeros and the various regions.

In the court of King's Landing, Eddard left behind the Young Wolf Robb, the Griffin Hand Jon Connington, Tyrion, Stannis, Varys, and others to guard King's Landing and manage the Seven Kingdoms.

In the Vale, the Vale Warden Nestor Royce sat in command. During the winter, the Eyrie was no longer habitable, so Nestor Royce managed the Vale from the Moon Gate below the Eyrie. According to Nestor Royce's letters, the Wolf Castle and Griffin Castle in the Vale had hatched more griffins and giant eagles.

Fortunately, under Eddard's painstaking management, the granaries of the North were piled high with corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, and barley. The ice warehouses at the Wall were filled with seafood such as cod, saury, eel, sardine, herring, salmon, crab, and shrimp, as well as meat from wild boar, bison, and moose.

There was not a shred of emotion in Roose Bolton's dirty-ice-colored eyes.

Brienne of Tarth, the Knight of Flowers Loras, the Hound Sandor, the Red Viper Prince Oberyn, the Lightning Lord, the Red Priest Thoros of Myr, the Kingsguard commander Barristan, and others all followed Eddard north to the Wall to resist the Night King.

Nobles from Dorne, the Stormlands, and the Reach vied to send their children to King's Landing to serve as wards for Emperor Eddard; the direwolf firmly ruled Westeros.

Eddard said: "Balon, you really do have an obsession with the crown!"

Eddard, Daenerys, and Jon Snow arrived at Winterfell riding magic dragons.

In the future, Eddard considered having Bran marry Myrcella and making Bran the Duke of the Westerlands.

Besides magic dragons, Eddard could also dispatch fire demons and nagas to deal with Balon, but there was no need. The current Balon had become a frail old man; he had experienced too many failures—losing to Robert, losing to Eddard, losing to Euron. The harsh Ironborn would never again follow a loser like Balon.

"Night King, my plague convoy is ready. We will bring disease, death, and suffering to the humans who do not know humility."

The Night King said: "I think Cersei is foolishly cute; I will resurrect her to be my Corpse Queen."

Emperor Eddard must take the giant eagles, magic dragons, griffins, the warg legion, and the most elite army of Westeros north to the Wall to battle the undead.

The Night's Watch, the Children of the Forest, and the Winter Wolf army on the Wall were already standing in battle array, ready at any time to fight the Night King's army.

The Bat Enchantress sneered: "Such an important matter, and the Night King wants to entrust it to his most capable subordinates. It was I who went deep into Dragonstone, King's Landing, and Dorne to collect the soul fragments of Aegon the Conqueror, Visenya, and Rhaenys."

The Iron Islands fleet suffered heavy losses in the naval battle at Oldtown. After Euron was executed, Asha, Victarion, and Aeron Greyjoy all surrendered to Eddard, and the Iron Islands remained in the hands of the aged Balon.

Eddard said: "For this bastard, death is a mercy. He must be severely punished! Roose Bolton, I think we should let Ramsay and his good boys taste the feeling of being flayed before they die."

First, the Northern nobles who had followed Emperor Eddard in his southern campaigns—such as Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort, Greatjon Umber of the Last Hearth, Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold, the heirs to White Harbor Wylis Manderly and Wendel Manderly, Galbart Glover and Robett Glover of Deepwood Motte, the marksman Fellan of Barrowton, and others—along with the wildling legion and the rockborn legion, all returned to the North to defend their homeland.

Lord Wyman Manderly said: "Your Grace, while you were away from the North, the bastard of the Bolton house of the Dreadfort, that Ramsay Snow, has been privately conducting hunting activities in his territory. He treats girls as prey, riding horses and bringing hunting dogs to chase them down. Ramsay even names his mother-dogs after the girls he hunts."

Fear appeared in Ramsay's eyes.

Necromancer Ogbeta said: "Night King, this Cersei is just a fool. When we were in King's Landing, if it weren't for her being foolishly deceived by me, my plan to massacre the followers of the Seven would not have gone so smoothly. When Cersei was in King's Landing, she always thought the great Night King was her subordinate. Why are you resurrecting Cersei?"

Aeron Greyjoy said piously: "Balon, Emperor Eddard is the incarnation of the Drowned God on earth. Did you not see? On the high seas, he defeated Euron, captured the sea monsters and nagas, and mastered the Storm Horn and the Wave Horn. The sea, the storms, and the waves are all at the command of Emperor Eddard."

The head of the little flayer was impaled on the battlements of the Dreadfort, and the ravens began to feast on Ramsay's eyes and brains.

Eddard saw the golden kraken banner fluttering over Pyke and said: "Balon has not surrendered yet?"

The Spider Baron rode on a tarantula: "Ogbeta, you did some trivial things in King's Landing, and you dare to claim credit before the Night King? I recruited a spider army for the Night King in the underground kingdom; is that not more impressive than your achievements in King's Landing?"

Before long, a blue light flashed, and Prince Rhaegar, Robert the Death Storm, the Sword of the Morning Arthur Dayne, Bittersteel Aegor Rivers, the Horse Lord Drogo, the Sleeping Dragon Viserys, Ser Gregor the Mountain, the Goat Vargo Hoat, Prince Daemon the Prince of Flea Bottom, the one-eyed Aemond, and other death knights walked out of the dark altar one after another.

Ramsay smirked: "For fun, I only find joy in abusing these bitches. Besides, I am a pure-blooded Bolton; flaying is the ancient Dao of the Bolton house."

Amidst the roars of Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, Aegon the Conqueror, Visenya, and Queen Rhaenys appeared before the altar.

"The death knights and dragon souls have all entered the dark altar; they will soon be reborn in the Land of Always Winter!"

Euron Greyjoy exuded an aura of the ocean and death.

Thus, before the heart tree in the godswood of the Dreadfort, Ramsay's good boys screamed as they were flayed layer by layer, their blood staining the earth red.

In Riverrun of the Riverlands, Lord Hoster Tully sat in command. Eddard's brother-in-law Edmure Tully and the Lord of Raventree Hall Tytos Blackwood would be stationed at Harrenhal to secure the nation's grain and fodder, ensuring a steady stream of supplies to the northern front.

The ocean witch Grace, Gillian, the Sea Snake Corlys, and Oakfist Alyn would take the Royal Fleet, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, and the mermaid legion to Eastwatch at the Wall to participate in the war.

Winter arrived, and most of Westeros was covered in snow. According to information brought by the Three-Eyed Raven Brynden Rivers, Riverrun, King's Landing, and Lannisport were all experiencing snowfall, and the snow in the Vale had frozen the great mountains, blocking the mountain roads from the Riverlands to the Vale.

The south was covered in silver, while the North had long since become a kingdom of ice and snow.

Theon underwent a transformation and became King Theon; he hugged Eddard gratefully.

"It's just that I don't know when the Night King collected the souls of Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys."

Sure enough, when the Koi, Eagle Eye, Flying Wolf, Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion flew over Pyke, the direwolf banner of House Stark was immediately raised over the city.

Ramsay cursed incessantly at first, but the flayer's knife soon taught Ramsay how to beg. Finally, dozens of mother-dogs rushed up and tore Ramsay apart, and Ramsay died amidst a series of horrific screams.

Necromancer Ogbeta wore a fawning smile.

Eddard turned to Roose Bolton: "How do you think Ramsay should be dealt with?"

A blue light flashed across the dark altar, and the blizzard stopped. Cersei appeared before the Night King in a crystal dress, her porcelain-like skin, golden hair, and azure eyes beautiful and moving.

Since ancient times, the Ironborn had been the mortal enemies of Bear Island. Now, the Ironborn submitted under the direwolf banner, and they would fight the undead alongside the Northmen, including those from Bear Island.

The heir to the Dreadfort, Domeric, became increasingly favored by Eddard's side; Roose Bolton clearly had no need to offend Winterfell and Emperor Eddard for the sake of a bastard like Ramsay.

Ramsay Snow did not even get to be a Bolton for a single day before he died.

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(End of chapter)