Chapter 69: The Deal of Iron and Wolf

If Eddard had not resisted everyone's dissuasion this time and sent troops to Skagos to forcefully suppress the rebellion of the Rock King and the Ironborn, Helen Pyke's evil plan might have had a chance to be realized in the future.

The coastline of the North is truly too long. As the largest of the Seven Kingdoms, the North accounts for nearly half the area of the entire Seven Kingdoms; this is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The North is vast and sparsely populated, and defending such a long coastline is truly strenuous.

To the north of the North lies The Wall; the Black Brothers and The Wall there form a solid fortress for the North, making it difficult for the Wildlings Beyond the Wall to threaten the North. To the south, the North possesses the fortress of Moat Cailin, an ancient stronghold that has never been conquered by enemies from the south since ancient times.

With no worries from the north or south, the long coastlines on the east and west sides of the North lack protection. If the Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands were willing, they could easily pass through Blazewater Bay, enter Salt Spear, sail up the Heatwave River, and bypass Moat Cailin from land to threaten the North. Deepwood Motte, the largest castle on the west coast of the North, is still a wooden castle, and its defense is fragile when facing fire attacks.

As for the east coast, apart from White Harbor at the mouth of the White Knife, which possesses a certain degree of maritime defense power, other castles such as the Old Town, Gong Yang Men, and Widow's Watch have poor defenses when facing attacks from the sea. As for House Umber, Karhold, and the Dreadfort, they have already proven their helplessness in the face of pirate raids during this attack by the Ironborn and Rockborn Pirates.

Eddard persuaded the coastal vassals of the North to build Saltpans and strengthen maritime defenses, but he did not see very good results in the short term. Eddard could not help but complain about the ancestor of House Stark, Brandon the Shipwright; he burned the North's fleet, and his fire caused the North's navy to continue to decline for so many years.

In the Abyss Keep prison, Helen Pyke said to Eddard: "Lord Eddard, on the battlefield, noble children are kept alive to wait for heavy ransoms. If the pirates under my command were all from noble families like the Manderlys, Lannisters, Baratheons, Tyrells, or Arryns, would you still insist on executing us?"

Eddard thought for a moment, "Noble hostages can not only be exchanged for money but can also serve as bargaining chips. If you were nobles, I would use you to exchange for money."

Helen Pyke said: "I experienced the Greyjoy Rebellion. Even if children of noble families are injured or captured, they will receive proper care from the other side and be locked in a rear prison waiting for the war to end. If they are commoners, once they are injured on the battlefield and lose their combat effectiveness, they can only wait for death. More people end up as 'cripples' wandering in foreign lands, living by plundering and stealing."

"Lord Eddard, I am a bastard. My lowly birth leaves me with no family to rely on. As a hostage, I am not worth much, but I am still a person of value. As long as you spare me, I can prove my value to you."

Helen Pyke's sea-green eyes flickered, just like the cold, dark, and ruthless sea.

"Lord Eddard, if you spare me, I can build a longship fleet for the North. No one understands the Ironborn and pirates better than I do. With me serving you, the North will have no maritime threats. From Sea Dragon Point, the Stony Shore, and the cape of Sea Dragon Point to the Bay of Ice, from the Bite to the Shivering Sea, and to Seal Bay, everything will be under the control of Winterfell."

"If you kill me, those Ironborn smiths and shipbuilders will absolutely not serve you. The smith Wote is of a very high level; he once worked as a smith in Lannisport. Many famous knights of the Westerlands, such as Jaime Lannister—that famous gilded plate armor of the 'Kingslayer' Jaime—were Wote's work. The terrifying plate armor of 'The Mountain' Gregor was also Wote's masterpiece, as well as the dog helmet of 'The Hound' Sandor. Of course, Sandor is not a knight."

"As for the shipbuilder Mogul, he participated in the design of many famous ships of the Iron Islands, such as King Balon's 'Great Kraken', 'Cleftjaw' Dagmer's 'Bloody Drinker', and the 'Iron Victory' of the Iron Fleet Commander Victarion Greyjoy."

"Lord Paxter Redwyne of the Arbor once invited Mogul to the Arbor with heavy gold to build ships for the Arbor Fleet. To move Mogul, Paxter Redwyne was even willing to generously give away a large vineyard to Mogul, but Mogul refused. For my sake, he abandoned the flowery, wine-scented Arbor and chose the chaotic Stepstones and the cold, barren Skagos."

Eddard found it unbelievable. Previously, the Ironborn captive James Codd had also mentioned that the 'Iron Bitch' Helen Pyke was full of charm and could make the Ironborn under her command do crazy things for her. Craftsmen like the smith Wote and the shipbuilder Mogul could have lived a wealthy life relying on their own skills, yet they chose to follow Helen Pyke in her wandering life.

Executing the 'Iron Bitch' Helen Pyke would mean losing excellent Ironborn smiths and shipbuilders. These craftsmen are precious, and besides, if Helen Pyke truly submits, she is indeed a talent worth cultivating. The North has always lacked excellent naval commanders.

Eddard said: "If I spare you, you might very well run away."

"I won't." Helen Pyke's tone was resolute. "In the Iron Islands, there is no place for me. I was a loser in the Stepstones, and I fled to Skagos at the World's Edge. I joined forces with the Rock King and failed again. I will no longer willfully challenge the ocean and dream of being a Pirate Queen. From now on, I define myself as a naval commander."

"As long as Lord Eddard is willing to take in my Ironborn brothers, as long as my Terrence Pyke, James Codd, the shipbuilder Mogul, and the smith Wote remain in Winterfell, I will never go anywhere else. Lord Eddard, they are like family to me."

The longships of the Ironborn have lower construction costs and smaller sizes, making them suitable for coastal defense and suitable for the North. The shipbuilder Mogul can undoubtedly help the North build many ships. As for the smith Wote, his skills can help Winterfell train more smiths. Currently, the Winterfell forge is managed by the smith Mikken, and even Mikken recognizes the craftsmanship of the Ironborn smiths.

Eddard pondered for a long time. "Iron Bitch, you leave me no choice. I must execute you. I cannot do things that damage my own honor for the sake of profit."

Helen Pyke said disappointedly: "So in the end, you are still going to execute me for your precious honor. Then hurry up and do it!"

Eddard smiled. He pushed aside Helen Pyke's hair, revealing her snow-white neck. "I must execute Helen Pyke because Helen Pyke is a female pirate who has committed many evils; otherwise, none of my vassals and subjects will forgive me. Therefore, Helen Pyke must die."

"I will find the corpse of a female pirate and pretend to have executed you. Helen Pyke, from now on, you will sail for me and protect the coast of the North."

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(End of chapter)