Chapter 49: Unicorn Cavalry

The Rock-born's unicorns appeared on the battlefield like moving castles; every time their pillar-like legs stepped onto the ground, the earth trembled violently.

In Westeros, various legends about the unicorns of Skagos circulate; many sailors and captains passing by Skagos claim to have witnessed unicorns while sailing along the coast of Skagos, but the Citadel has always scoffed at such claims because, to this day, no unicorn horn or skeleton has ever appeared in the Seven Kingdoms.

When the Northern Army set foot on the land of Skagos, Eddard once discussed the unicorns they might encounter with his Northern vassals, and the vassals had differing accounts of what the unicorns looked like.

Mark Ryswell from the Rills believed that a unicorn was a white steed with a horn, a horse capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. The Rills is an important production area for Northern warhorses, so Mark Ryswell's view was supported by many cavalrymen.

However, Mark Ryswell's nephew, the Heir to the Dreadfort, Domeric, did not agree with his uncle's view. "What use is a unicorn that travels a thousand miles a day on Skagos? Skagos is the largest island in the North, yet it is an island after all; the Rock-born never rely on horses for travel, so how could the unicorn they worship be a thousand-mile horse?"

Domeric believed the unicorn was a behemoth similar to a rhinoceros, while Theon Greyjoy believed the unicorn was a sea monster with horns. People argued endlessly over this.

As it turned out, Domeric's speculation was correct; the unicorns before them were indeed more like rhinoceroses, though clearly taller and larger than rhinoceroses. Eddard estimated the unicorns to be nearly three meters tall and over four meters long, with thick, rock-like skin, and their horns were like sharp battering rams.

Rock-born slingers and crossbowmen appeared on the wooden fortresses on the unicorns' backs, attacking the Northmen with stones or sharp arrows. The drummers on the unicorns' backs beat out a rhythm that made the blood boil. Fortunately, there were not many unicorns, fewer than twenty in total.

Eddard stood on the hillside, taking in the entire situation of the battlefield. He saw that on many of the unicorns, the banners were of driftwood without leaves. Eddard could not help but frown, asking the Rock-born guide Nonda at his side, "Which clan or tribe's sigil is the driftwood?"

"Stern." A trace of fear seeped into Nonda's voice. "The Stern Clan is the most powerful clan and tribe in the north of Skagos; this clan can be called the 'King in the North' of the island. According to legend, the 'Skane Feast' of those years was the handiwork of the Stern Clan."

Skane is an island north of Skagos. Legend has it that when the Rock-born landed on Skane, after abducting the women and children, they killed all the inhabitants on Skane and began a feast that lasted for half a month, leaving Skane a no-man's-land.

Nonda shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed at the battlefield. "I don't know if Billy Stern is on the battlefield. Billy Stern is a warrior who inspires fear; he is the leader of the Stern Clan and the master of Driftwood Hall. When the Rock King Samro Crowl unified the various tribes of Skagos, Billy Stern was once a major thorn in the side of the Rock King."

Eddard thought for a moment. "It seems that as the Northern Army marched toward Abyss Keep, the Rock King summoned Billy Stern to bring the warriors of the Stern Clan to defend the king. Letting a powerful vassal fight the Northern Army not only weakens the strength of the Stern tribe but also consumes the Northern Army; if it were me, I would do the same."

Whether it was the Ironborn captive James Codd or the Rock-born guide Nonda, both said that Abyss Keep was easy to defend and hard to attack, and the Northern Army was short on provisions, with two-thirds of the supplies burned by the Iron Bitch in Seal Bay. Eddard had dispatched Maron Manderly to take the fleet to the Umber family, Karhold, and the Dreadfort in the North to transport supplies, and it was unknown whether the supply fleet could return safely; after all, the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke had been haunting Seal Bay, lingering like a ghost.

Eddard had once worried that the Rock King would choose a scorched-earth tactic, ordering all the Rock-born to shrink into castles or caves. Now it seemed the Rock-born were intent on a battle.

Nonda stroked his thick beard. "Lord Eddard, or perhaps it was your pirates who went to raid Stern's territory, infuriating Billy Stern. Before the Iron Bitch and her Ironborn Longships arrived on Skagos, the wooden fleet under Billy Stern was the most powerful among all the Rock-born tribes, and the Stern Clan tribe also had the most fishermen."

In order to collect provisions, Eddard had dispatched Pentos Mercenary ships and Casell with his fleet of Sistermen to raid around Skagos and collect supplies. Eddard ordered the pirates not to kill innocents indiscriminately when raiding, but in actual practice, killing and bloodshed were inevitable.

Once the pirates' raids could anger the Rock-born tribal leaders, the Rock-born tribal leaders would run to Abyss Keep to complain to the Rock King that the Ironborn Pirates could not protect their fishing villages and territories. In this way, the Rock King would likely order the "Iron Bitch" Helene Pyke to take the remaining few hundred Ironborn Pirates to clash with the Sistermen pirates and Pentos pirates at sea.

If she were mired in a slaughter with the Sistermen pirates and Pentos Mercenaries, the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke would have no time to brew her schemes. During the days of the expedition to Skagos, Eddard and the Northern vassals had all seen that the Iron Bitch was more dangerous and cunning than the Rock King.

Except for the Rock-born on the unicorns' backs, most of the Rock-born had no mounts; they fought with battle-axes and sharp swords, while the Rock-born's small number of cavalry rode gaunt warhorses, charging madly.

If not for the unicorns, the Rock-born infantry and cavalry before them would be nothing but a rabble before the Northern Army. On Skagos, the Northern Army encountered fewer and fewer Rock-born equipped with fine armor and weapons, making it difficult to withstand the attacks of the Northern cavalry and mountain clans. However, with the unicorns, everything was different.

Eddard saw a unicorn's horn sweep across the ground, and the warhorses of three Northern cavalrymen charging abreast instantly fell to the ground; the horses' legs were like wheat under a sickle before the unicorn's horn, snapping instantly, with blood gushing out. At the other end of the battlefield, a unicorn bit off a cavalryman's horse's head, blood raining down; the cavalryman screamed as he jumped off his headless mount, trying to escape, but was killed by a stone from the slinger on the unicorn's back.

The Captain of the Guard of Winterfell, Jory Cassel, led a group of Winterfell cavalry and charged toward the unicorns. Jory Cassel rode his warhorse, holding his lance, and reached the unicorn. The unicorn let out a piercing shriek, and the horses of Jory Cassel and the Winterfell cavalry beside him instantly lost control, rearing up madly and throwing the riders from their saddles.

Some of the soldiers who fell to the ground were trampled into meat patties before they could react. The unicorn's horn thrust toward Jory Cassel, and Jory Cassel struggled to dodge it.

The Northern cavalry's charge was unsuccessful, and Roose Bolton ordered the Northern crossbowmen to loose their arrows, yet the sharp arrows only bounced off uselessly after hitting the unicorns' thick, rough skin.

(End of chapter)