Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

Although James Codd's lies were exposed by Eddard Stark, his Ironborn accent and devotion to the Drowned God proved that he was indeed one of the Ironborn.

Inside the tent, Eddard turned to Greatjon Umber. "How many Ironborn prisoners have you captured?"

Greatjon sighed. "Too damn few. Whether they're Ironborn raiders or Rockborn pirates, they're all clad in Ironborn armor and wield Ironborn weapons. They never engage in direct combat—only ambushes. Against enemies like these, we have no choice but to kill them on sight, or else our casualties would be far worse."

"Besides James Codd, we managed to capture a few other Ironborn, but most of them were severely wounded. Some bled out before we even brought them back, while others didn't last more than a few hours under interrogation. They all confessed that King Balon of the Iron Islands was behind this, so I believed them."

Eddard frowned. "James Codd was lying. It seems these Ironborn pirates, who have allied with the Rockborn, agreed beforehand to blame Balon Greyjoy if they were ever caught by the Northmen. They want to direct the North's wrath toward Balon."

"Other than Balon Greyjoy, did the Ironborn prisoners mention any other names?"

Greatjon crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Some of them spat out two names before dying—'Iron Whore' and 'Helen Pyke.' Eddard, I suspected from the start that Carter Pyke from Eastwatch might have hired these pirates. Look at this Helen Pyke—same last name as him. Could be his sister, right?"

Eddard couldn't help but smile. Simple-minded as Greatjon was, he often made such errors.

"Pyke is the surname given to bastards born in the Iron Islands, just like Snow in the North, Flowers in the Reach, and Stone in the Vale," Eddard explained. "If there truly is a Helen Pyke, it only means she's an Ironborn bastard. It has nothing to do with Carter Pyke of Eastwatch."

Greatjon's eyes widened in realization. "So that's how it is. Then this Iron Whore and Helen Pyke bastard must have planned this attack on the East Coast together. Damn it, the thought of losing a battle to a woman pisses me off."

Eddard pressed on. "What about the Rockborn prisoners? Did they reveal anything?"

Greatjon sighed. "Since the war with the pirates began, we've captured more Rockborn than Ironborn—at least a dozen. But these savages… most of them would rather die than talk. Still, under heavy torture, we managed to get something out of them. They claim that the nine major Rockborn clans have grown stronger under Samro Crowl's leadership. With Ironborn weapons and armor, they're growing wealthier and more powerful by the day."

Dominic Bolton, heir to the Dreadfort, took notes nearby. Due to the lack of ancient records on Skagos, the island remained shrouded in mystery—even the Citadel had little information about it. Determined to document everything they learned in this war, Dominic titled his manuscript The Forgotten Corner of the North: A Complete Record of Skagos and the Rockborn.

Dominic paused his writing. "Lord Umber, did the Rockborn prisoners reveal how many clans exist on Skagos?"

Greatjon stroked his beard thoughtfully. "My men did ask. The prisoners claim there are over thirty clans, some small, some large. The nine major clans are the strongest, with the Crowl and Stane clans being the most powerful. Samro Crowl unified Skagos over a decade ago. The clan leaders swore blood oaths of loyalty to him beneath a heart tree, and he was crowned the King of Rocks."

Eddard's brows knitted together. "King of Rocks? That makes this Samro even more dangerous than Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Did the prisoners say when the Ironborn pirates first arrived on Skagos?"

Since Aegon the Conqueror swept through Westeros with his dragons and the last King in the North, Torrhen Stark, bent the knee, House Stark had been reduced to Wardens of the North. From that moment, there had been no kings in the North.

And now, in the backyard of the North, Skagos had crowned a King of Rocks. How could the Starks tolerate this?

Greatjon frowned. "Three years ago? Five years ago? I don't remember."

Theon Greyjoy spoke up. "Lord Stark, whether it was three or five years ago, it was after my father's rebellion was crushed. Afterward, my father restricted the Ironborn—no more raiding the Seven Kingdoms, only fishing. However, he still permitted raids in the Stepstones and Summer Sea."

"The Ironborn are seaborne raiders, a free people. Every captain is the king of his own ship. Naturally, many were dissatisfied with my father's decree. I suspect that during this time, a group of ambitious Ironborn, unwilling to be caged, left the Iron Islands and began raiding the Stepstones or the Summer Sea. That's how they eventually arrived at Skagos."

Eddard's frown deepened. "But why Skagos? The Stepstones are filled with merchant ships from the Free Cities and the Seven Kingdoms. Raiding there would be far more profitable and much closer to the Iron Islands. Why choose Skagos and the North's eastern coast instead?"

Theon lowered his head in thought. "That is… strange."

Eddard turned back to Greatjon. "Did the Rockborn prisoners mention the names Iron Whore or Helen Pyke?" If they had, it would lend more credibility to the Ironborn prisoners' confessions.

Greatjon shook his head. "No. But the prisoners did confirm that there are Ironborn women among the pirates. The Ironborn clearly have an alliance with Samro Crowl, but the Rockborn we captured were just common raiders—they don't know what kind of deal their so-called Rock King struck with the Ironborn."

"The prisoners also said that, at first, the Ironborn brought their longships, weapons, and armor from the south. Later, blacksmiths and shipwrights arrived on the island. The Rockborn don't know how to forge steel or build ships, so Samro Crowl gave these craftsmen excellent treatment—providing them with forges and shipyards."

Allowing the Ironborn to forge weapons and build ships on Skagos? Clearly, Samro Crowl's ambitions extended far beyond uniting the island.

Eddard recalled how he had once asked Theon to write to Balon Greyjoy, offering to hire Ironborn blacksmiths and shipwrights to help expand Winterfell's harbor. Balon had responded half-heartedly, sending only blacksmith apprentices—and not a single shipwright.

And yet now, Skagos had both Ironborn blacksmiths and shipbuilders. The very thought of it irritated Eddard.

"This damned Rock King," Eddard muttered, his expression dark. "He's using the wealth stolen from the North to develop Skagos, strengthening the Rockborn's military power."

Dominic Bolton tapped his quill against the parchment. "Lord Stark, this doesn't sound like the work of mindless savages. Even if only half of what the prisoners say is true, Samro Crowl is no simple warlord. The old records about Skagos and the Rockborn are hopelessly outdated. My book must document the truth."

Eddard nodded in approval. "You have the skill for it."

Dominic turned back to Greatjon. "Lord Umber, did the prisoners mention if Skagos has its own currency? According to Beyond the World's Edge by Maester Badell, the Rockborn practice cannibalism and lack a concept of money. They supposedly trade with outsiders using black obsidian and unicorn horns. Is this true? How do they conduct transactions?"

Greatjon—

__________________

— Thanks to Venkat for subscribing in Warden of the Realm

— Thanks to Robin kristiansen for subscribing in Warden of the Realm

— Thanks to hussain jama for subscribing in Warden of the Realm

" Help the story climb the rankings! Don't forget to leave a Power Stone and share your thoughts in the comments if you enjoyed this chapter!"