Chapter 66: The Iron Bitch's Desperate Gamble

On the sea outside Abyss Keep, "Iron Bitch" Helen Pyke stood at the prow of the longship *Queen*, observing the distant Abyss Keep through a Myr lens. The Myr lens was a telescope made of glass and a long bronze tube; it was exquisitely crafted and expensive. Helen Pyke had obtained this Myr lens while raiding in the Stepstones, and she had never been able to put it down.

The Myr lens could always help Helen Pyke discover prey at sea and bring her hope; however, today, the Myr lens allowed Helen Pyke to see the Direwolf banner fluttering outside the castle gate, which broke Helen Pyke's heart.

Helen Pyke had once fantasized about joining forces with the Rock King to build her own pirate kingdom on Skagos. Now that Abyss Keep had fallen, her pirate kingdom was also shattered under the shadow of the Direwolf.

Helen Pyke wore black breeches, chainmail over black leather armor, and a sea-green cloak draped over her shoulders. Dressed in her battle gear, she remained a wild, untamable, voluptuous, and noble beauty. "The little wolf actually captured Abyss Keep. What is the Rock King doing?"

Terrence Pyke said disdainfully, "The Rock King? Samlo Crowl lost even his castle; what kind of king is he? 'Rubble King' would be more like it. Helen, I told you long ago that the Rockborn could not defeat the Northern Army."

Fair-faced with brown hair, Terrence Pyke came from King's Port. He was the bastard son of the Botley leader in King's Port and was the confidant of "Iron Bitch" Helen Pyke. When Helen Pyke first left the Iron Islands with her longship, Terrence was already serving on Helen Pyke's longship, the *Queen*. Since then, whether in the Stepstones, Skagos, the Beijing Donghaian, or Seal Bay, Terrence Pyke had always fought side-by-side with Helen Pyke.

The fall of Abyss Keep was hard for Helen Pyke to accept. Helen Pyke put away the Myr lens. "Abyss Keep has fallen. The Ironborn Smith, the shipwright—they are all my brothers. Are they still alive? If Eddard Stark has killed them, I swear I will avenge them."

Terrence Pyke said, "How can we even worry about that now? Helen, run! The Northern Army has occupied Abyss Keep, and the food in the granaries inside Abyss Keep has provided the Northern Army with a large supply of provisions. The Rock King is likely already dead, and the various Rockborn tribes will submit to the North. We must flee immediately!"

Helen Pyke was somewhat angry. "You want me to abandon the Smith and the shipwright brothers and run? Many of these Ironborn brothers began following me in the Iron Islands. They left their homes to follow me to the Stepstones, to Skagos. They have been captured, and I am to run away? No, I cannot do something like abandoning my own brothers. We must save them."

Terrence Pyke said excitedly, "Are you crazy? We don't know if the shipwright and the Smith are dead or alive. Even if they are alive, they are locked in the dungeons of Abyss Keep. With only the three hundred or so men we have, how are we going to save them? More Ironborn brothers will just die for nothing."

Helen Pyke touched the sapphire necklace at her throat. "The Smith Wote gave up the chance to earn a high salary forging iron for the Lannisters in Lannisport for my sake. The shipwright Mogul—he could have been in the warm Arbor, drinking Arbor Gold and building ships for the Redwyne Fleet. He only came to the barren, desolate, and cold Skagos for me, to build ships for me and the Rockborn. I will never abandon them."

Terrence Pyke placed his hand on Helen Pyke's shoulder. "I completely understand how you feel, but impulsiveness won't solve any problems. Helen, after Eddard Stark takes Abyss Keep, he will next summon the Sistermen fleet, Pentos Mercenaries ships, and the ragtag Northern fleet to attack us. The wise thing to do is to flee immediately and leave Skagos."

"After we leave, we can go to the Stepstones to continue being pirates. Once we have saved enough money, we can pay to ransom the Ironborn brothers like the Smith Wote and the shipwright Mogul. We aren't abandoning them!"

The Stepstones were where Helen Pyke began her pirate career, and also her place of sorrow. Helen Pyke said, "Do you think Eddard Stark will accept a ransom and release them? That would be great; I am willing to take out the few jars of Gold Dragons on the longship to ransom my Ironborn brothers, but I fear Eddard Stark wouldn't even deign to release them."

Terrence Pyke said, "We don't have enough money on our longship. As long as we go to the Stepstones, we can raid as pirates, and once we have accumulated enough wealth, we can naturally produce enough money to persuade the Northern Duke to release them."

Helen Pyke shook her head. "I will not abandon my brothers to go to the Stepstones; I must save my brothers. When night falls, we will hide the longship by the sea, follow the Abyss River to kill our way to the foot of Abyss Keep, sneak in through a side gate, and storm the castle. Once we have rescued the Ironborn brothers, we can jump onto the longship and leave Skagos to the Northerners. The sea is ours to roam as Ironborn!"

A dozen Ironborn warriors nearby shouted their approval in rough voices. Terrence wanted to say more, but Helen Pyke waved her hand. "Terrence, I am the Captain, and you are my subordinate. The discussion ends here!"

Terrence was clearly not very happy; he turned away sullenly. Helen Pyke couldn't help but wonder if her tone had been too harsh.

After night fell, heavy rain began to pour. Helen Pyke landed the remaining sixteen longships of the Ironborn Pirates in a forest outside Abyss Keep. Under the cover of the forest, they crept to the side of the Abyss River and followed the Abyss River toward Abyss Keep.

The rope bridge outside Abyss Keep appeared hundreds of meters above the Abyss River. The Northern soldiers at the bridgehead could not see the situation below through the heavy rain.

Eddard, Jon Snow, Domeric Bolton, Theon Greyjoy, and others were patrolling inside Abyss Keep.

The Northern Army and the surrendered Rockborn clans had all moved into Abyss Keep. People lit Night Fires and torches, and hundreds of halls were brightly lit under the glow of the torches.

Jon Snow said, "Lord Stark, I didn't expect the Rockborn to have such a magnificent castle."

Eddard said, "The North is full of treasures. Sitting in such a magnificent and sturdy castle, it is no wonder Samlo Crowl wanted to usurp the title of king." After Abyss Keep fell, the Northern Army did not find the hundreds of women and children that the Rockborn and Ironborn had abducted from the Beijing Donghaian. Eddard couldn't help but worry if they had been made into Rockborn-style pies.

Eddard arrived at the smithy. The Winterfell guards were moving away the bellows, smelting furnaces, anvils, and the like used for forging. After the Rock King's smithy was destroyed, it would be difficult for the Rockborn to forge the Ironborn's steel weapons and armor again.

"Where is the shipyard?" The Ironborn shipyard was a place Eddard was concerned about. "Could it be that the Ironborn shipwrights are building longships inside the castle?"

Winterfell Captain of the Guard Jory Cassel said, "Lord Eddard, the shipyard is at the very bottom of Abyss Keep, in a cave near the Abyss River. The Ironborn shipwrights build longships there and sail them directly out to sea along the river."

"Let's go take a look." Eddard led his ward, his bastard son, and a group of Winterfell guards down the stone stairs. They arrived near the shipyard cave when they suddenly heard the sounds of battle.

(End of chapter)