Chapter 39: Approaching Skagos

After the order was issued, a Pentos captain looked at the daylight.

"Lord Eddard, it will be dark soon. Crossing the sea at night, I fear we will be ambushed by pirates."

Eddard said: "Pirates can ambush us just as easily during the day. If we set out during the day, by the time we reach the shores of Skagos, it will be dark and we will be ambushed by pirates all the same, and it will be even easier to run aground."

Next, Eddard began to assign tasks to the various Vassals.

"Greatjon of House Umber, you and the Sistermen prepare to lead the charge. 'Great Barrel' Wull, Liddle, Donnel Flint, you take the warriors of the mountain clans and be ready; once on the island, the warriors of the mountain clans will be the fist of the North."

Next, Eddard arranged for Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort, Mark Ryswell of the Rills, Marlon Manderly of White Harbor, Lady Maege Mormont of Bear Island, the Glover brothers of Deepwood Motte, and Rickard Karstark of Karhold to set out together.

Finally, Eddard turned to Wendel and Wylis of White Harbor.

"Wylis, you have worked hard. You and Ser Wendel, along with Ser Herman Tallhart of Torrhen's Square, stay behind to guard the shore, load the grain and supplies onto the ships, and keep watch over the ships and military provisions."

Ser Herman Tallhart was right in front of Eddard, yet he was always overlooked by Eddard, and he was somewhat unhappy. "Lord Eddard, Ser Wylis and Ser Wendel are enough to guard the supplies. I should be leading the Warriors in the charge; I do not want to guard the supply train and spend the entire war doing so."

As one of the few Knight noble lords north of the Neck, Ser Herman Tallhart was a proud man. He longed to prove himself on the battlefield, and when he saw that even the woman from Bear Island, the leaders of the mountain clans, and the Sistermen Mercenaries had been assigned to the front lines, he naturally did not want to remain in the rear.

Eddard waited for Wylis and Wendel to leave, then said to Herman Tallhart: "How can guarding the supplies be a small matter? I am taking the elite main force to cross the sea; if pirates attack the fleet on this side of Seal Bay and our military provisions and supplies are destroyed, how can this war be fought?"

"Wendel and Wylis are loyal and devoted, but I do not trust their capabilities, which is why I have entrusted this task to you. If you view it as child's play, I will have to replace you."

Ser Herman Tallhart finally understood Eddard's intention, and he felt somewhat ashamed. "Lord Eddard, I will certainly not fail your high expectations."

Eddard took two-thirds of the North Fleet and crossed the sea under the cover of night, encountering no pirate ship attacks all night.

Under the dawn's light, Eddard and Marlon Manderly stood at the bow of the merchant ship "Silver Smith's Son" from White Harbor, gazing at Skagos. An endless coastline unfolded before Eddard, and the rocky mountain ranges on Skagos stood proudly amidst the mist.

Breathing in the salty air, Eddard recalled the famous saying of the renowned King Korey of the Iron Islands: "Wherever the scent of the sea can be smelled, or the sound of the waves can be heard, all is my territory."

Skagos was indeed the territory of the North, yet the damned Rockborn seemed to have never pledged allegiance to House Stark of Winterfell. The North might not have the ambition of the Ironborn to conquer the sea, but the Skagos before his eyes must be taken.

The large ships could only go this far; any closer to the coast and there was a risk of running aground. Although Eddard ordered the captains to be cautious, two merchant ships from White Harbor and one Fishing Boat from Oldtown still ran aground. One ship sank quickly, the crew jumped into the sea and swam to other ships, and the remaining two ships had to turn back and return to the shores of the North for repairs.

"Kaserun the Greybeard, you take your men and go scout the island." Eddard shouted to Kaserun the Greybeard on the deck of the Sisterman Longship "Sister's Hammer".

Kaserun the Greybeard revealed a cunning smile. "Lord Eddard, this is a cursed sea, and Skagos is an even more cursed island. Legend has it that the Rockborn perform blood sacrifices to the Old Gods under the Heart Tree and abduct the ghosts of strangers! Lord Eddard, we from the Three Sisters are not believers of the Old Gods, so we dare not be the first to step onto this cursed land."

Marlon Manderly was somewhat angry. "Kaserun, do not forget that White Harbor only settled half of your payment and withheld the other half. If you dare to refuse the order of Duke Eddard, do you not want the rest of the money?"

Kaserun laughed ingratiatingly: "Ser Marlon, do not be angry! I love money, but I cherish this old life even more. If the life is gone, what use is all the money in the world! It is not that I am retreating from battle; White Harbor hired me to deal with pirates, and you never said that the Sistermen should lead the charge when landing on the island."

Eddard understood that while Kaserun the Greybeard spoke of fearing curses, he was actually afraid of the enemies lying in ambush on the island. Mercenaries have fighting spirit when facing wealthy cities because they are supported by the prospect of plundering wealth.

Skagos was a barren and desolate island, and Kaserun and his Mercenaries clearly did not expect to gain much wealth from plundering this island. Naturally, they were unwilling to lead the charge; after all, the first batch of Warriors to land and fight would almost certainly be attacked by the ambushed enemy, and the casualty rate would be shockingly high.

The Greatjon beside Eddard had already put on his Plate Armor and donned his helmet. "Lord Eddard, we do not need the sissy 'Sistermen' to lead the charge for us; leave it to me and my Warriors."

In the coastal areas of House Umber's territory, many farmlands, Saltpans, and Fishing Boats had been destroyed by pirates, and hundreds of women and children had been abducted. The Greatjon and the men of House Umber were eager to devour the Rockborn and Ironborn Pirates alive.

Eddard patted the Greatjon on the shoulder. "Very well! You take the men of House Umber and charge, be careful."

The "Silver Smith's Son" merchant ship lowered its small boats, and together with the Sistermen's Longship, they loaded one hundred Warriors of House Umber and headed toward the coast.

The Longships of the Three Sisters were similar in design to the Ironborn Longships, capable of carrying over thirty people at a time, while the small boats lowered by the merchant ships could barely squeeze in ten people.

Nearby, the second merchant ship from White Harbor, the "Light of the Seven", also lowered its small boats. Eddard shouted to Fellan and Robett Glover on the "Light of the Seven": "Transport the warhorses and scouts to the shore, and charge as soon as you see the enemy."

Robett Glover and Fellan had always been responsible for the scouting troops of the North. At first, Robett Glover was very dissatisfied with Eddard appointing him to work with Fellan, because Fellan was a poacher. But now, Fellan had won the trust of Robett Glover through his formidable archery skills.

Fellan and Robett Glover began to board the small boats along with the warhorses.

Domeric, who was beside Eddard, said: "Lord Eddard, is it not too early to send the cavalry over at this time?"

A seagull swept over Eddard's head, and Eddard said: "If the Rockborn or Ironborn Pirates choose to intercept during the beach landing, they will most likely use archers to fire arrows. Infantry charges are unlikely to be effective, but the charge of heavy cavalry will make the archers afraid, and the cavalry can help us drive away those annoying archers."

(End of chapter)