Chapter 31: The Northern Army Assembles

Eddard stood on the battlements of Winterfell, surrounded by his vassals. Outside the castle, banners fluttered, and a sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see.

Eddard saw the steel-gauntlet banner of Galbart Glover, Lord of Deepwood Motte. A few days ago, Galbart Glover and his brother Robett Glover had arrived at Winterfell with eight hundred soldiers from Deepwood Motte and three hundred forest clansmen; they were all archers and crossbowmen.

The spearmen of Lord Medger Cerwyn were the first to arrive, numbering seven hundred. Cerwyn was the closest Northern noble house to Winterfell, and their banner featured a sharp battle-axe. Every time Winterfell summoned its Northern Army, the Cerwyns were almost always the first to arrive, truly living up to their house motto, "Honed and Ready."

Sir Herman Tallhart, Lord of Torrhen's Square, brought eight hundred mounted archers, and the three-tree banner of the Tallhart family flew in their camp.

Eight hundred cavalry arrived from the Rills. Because of his advanced age, Lord Roderick Ryswell chose to remain at the Rills, sending his brother Roger Ryswell to lead the cavalry unit. The shields of the Rills cavalry were all engraved with a horse-head emblem.

Lady Barbrey, the widow of Barrowton, sent Derron Dustin to bring five hundred infantry from Barrowton. Given the vast lands and large population of Lady Barbrey Dustin, sending a mere five hundred men could be considered stingy.

Lady Barbrey had always been perfunctory toward orders from Winterfell, and Eddard taking in her nephew, the heir to the Dreadfort, Domeric Bolton, as his ward had not changed this.

Domeric was the son of Barbrey's sister, Bethany. After Bethany passed away, Barbrey took Domeric to Barrow Hall to raise him. Since her husband, William Dustin, died in battle at the Tower of Joy and lay in the strange lands of Dorne, Barbrey had remained a widow and naturally had no children of her own; the sorrowful widow had always treated Domeric as her own son.

Fortunately, the men Barbrey sent were all sturdy young lads; if she had sent only the old, weak, sick, or disabled, Eddard would have truly sought to hold Barrowton accountable.

The contingent sent by White Harbor reached one thousand men, led by Wendel Manderly, the second son of Lord Wyman. Sir Wendel, like his father, was a fat man, though Sir Wendel's physique was a size smaller compared to the "Lord Eel."

Arriving along with the White Harbor Knights were 500 soldiers from the Lord of Hornwood.

According to the news brought by Sir Wendel, his older brother, the heir to White Harbor, Wylis Manderly, had already set out by sea with one thousand soldiers, departing from the Bite and heading toward the lands of Roose Bolton.

To purge the Rockborn Pirates, White Harbor had generously sent out one thousand cavalry and one thousand infantry by sea. Although the Rockborn Pirates had not threatened White Harbor's lands, the city's trade had already been affected. If the Rockborn Pirates were allowed to run rampant, captains from all over the world would hesitate to come to White Harbor for trade due to the pirate problem. This was clearly something Lord Wyman could not tolerate.

Following Eddard's instructions, Lord Wyman requisitioned over a dozen merchant ships docked at White Harbor, including Swan Ships from the Summer Islands, Ibbenese whalers, Lysene galleons, and merchant vessels from all over the Seven Kingdoms, plus ten ships of varying sizes from the Manderly family.

The ragtag White Harbor fleet commanded by Wylis Manderly would spend money to hire "Sistermen" ships as scouts after arriving at the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters were desolate and barren, and historically, "Sistermen" pirates had once been a major headache for White Harbor and the Vale, as their naval combat capabilities far surpassed those of the Northmen.

In addition, the few ships and troops from Oldtown and Widow's Watch would join the White Harbor fleet along the way.

With a fleet of over a thousand men entrusted to the easygoing and portly Wylis Manderly, Eddard could not help but break into a cold sweat for this naval force.

Northmen were never skilled at naval warfare. In the makeshift fleet from White Harbor, there were captains and sailors from all over the world—Ibben, the Summer Islands, Lys, Pentos, and more. Any other capable commander would find this tricky, let alone Wylis Manderly.

As the heir to White Harbor, Eddard never doubted his loyalty, but loyalty and ability were two different things. Because White Harbor had contributed money and manpower to this expedition and had also lent one hundred thousand Gold Dragons to Winterfell, Eddard did not appoint a commander for the White Harbor fleet, letting Lord Wyman appoint one himself; he ended up choosing his own heir.

White Harbor was not lacking in valiant knights; Lord Wyman of White Harbor possessed over a hundred Knighted Landed Knights. If Eddard were to choose a naval commander for this expedition, he would have chosen Marlon Manderly. This man was a cousin of Lord Wyman and the Commander of the White Harbor garrison.

Eddard knew he had to pray for the White Harbor fleet to go smoothly; otherwise, even if the Northern Army gathered at Seal Bay, they would have no ships to cross the sea, let alone sweep Skagos.

Standing on the battlements of Winterfell, Eddard was filled with thoughts.

"Maester Luwin, send a letter to Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort, telling him to support the White Harbor fleet at all costs."

According to the plan, the White Harbor fleet was to first dock in Roose Bolton's territory to help the Dreadfort drive away the Rockborn Pirates along the coast before heading north.

Eddard never trusted the soft-spoken Roose Bolton, but no one could deny the ability of the Lord of Dreadfort; he was cunning, skilled in battle, and experienced.

Standing beside Eddard, Galbart Glover wore a black mole-skin cloak. "Lord Eddard, I have always had a question: to deal with the Rockborn Pirates, is it really necessary to assemble such a massive army?"

Eddard said, "If it were just to drive the Rockborn Pirates back into the sea, we would indeed not need so many men. But the purpose of our expedition this time is to pacify Skagos."

When the army moved north and the mountain clansmen, the Umbers, the Karstarks, and the Dreadfort's army joined, this force would undoubtedly exceed ten thousand men. Based on records of the Rockborn rebellion from over 100 years ago, Maester Luwin inferred that the combined strength of all the tribes on Skagos could not exceed five thousand. However, if there were Ironborn or mercenary companies from across the Narrow Sea on the island, that would be a different matter.

"Of course, I have another consideration, which is to deter the enemy. Imagine, when the Rockborn Pirates are crushed by the Northern Army and flee back to the island, the news will spread, and fear will propagate among the various Rockborn tribes. This will be more conducive to our landing and fighting on the island."

Now that the army was gathered, the time to set out had arrived. Every day the army stayed in Winterfell was a waste of precious grain. Eddard understood that it was time to let the Rockborn taste the wrath of the North.

The armor and weapons of the Rockborn were made by the Ironborn, and there was a high probability of Ironborn influence on Skagos. Whether the Rockborn were colluding with King Balon Greyjoy, the King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder, or some foreign conspirator from across the Narrow Sea, the Northern Army would tear away the enemy's veil and drag the mastermind behind it all into the light.

(End of chapter)