Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

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Duke Eddard welcomed the commander of the White Harbor Fleet, Wyllis

Manderly, in the central command tent by the shore.

Accompanying Wyllis were Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort and Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold. Along the way, the White Harbor Fleet had also gathered an additional thousand Bolton soldiers and eight hundred Karstark troops.

Wyllis Manderly was bald, with a walrus-like beard that was tangled and unkempt. Like his brother, Wendel, he was immensely fat, but unlike Wendel, who could still ride a horse, Wyllis was too heavy to do so.

"Lord Eddard, I have never been seasick before," Wyllis said apologetically. "But my father told me that this mission was of the utmost importance—that the White Harbor Fleet had to reach Seal Bay. Otherwise, it would delay your expedition to Skagos. So when we set sail, the pressure weighed heavily on me. I couldn't sleep, and I spent my days vomiting from seasickness."

According to Wyllis, Lord Wyman Manderly had placed great importance on this expedition, which was why he had sent his heir to lead the fleet. Unfortunately, Wyllis had been unprepared for such an enormous responsibility. As soon as they left White Harbor, he became overwhelmed, and by the time they reached the Three Sisters, he was so ill that he could not leave his quarters.

The true command of the fleet had fallen to Ser Marlon Manderly, Wyman's cousin and the experienced commander of White Harbor's garrison forces.

Eddard turned to Ser Marlon. "Was the journey smooth?"

Ser Marlon, a sturdy man clad in gleaming silver-white armor, responded, "Lord Eddard, after our fleet left Bite Bay and entered the Narrow Sea, we encountered longships of the Rockborn pirates from time to time. These ships would flee north the moment they saw our fleet."

"At first, things were uneventful. But as we neared the shores of House Bolton's lands, the number of pirate ships increased. Some even began to gather and exchange volleys of arrows with our fleet. They fired flaming arrows, setting one White Harbor merchant ship and a Widow's Watch fishing boat ablaze, though we managed to put out the fires before they spread."

"After the skirmish, the pirates continued their retreat northward. I remained cautious, fearing an ambush. I sent the Sistermen's ships ahead to scout, assigned the Pentoshi mercenary vessels to guard our flanks and rear, and ordered every captain to remain vigilant."

Roose Bolton spoke in his usual soft, quiet voice. "Ser Marlon's tactics proved effective. The White Harbor Fleet easily drove the pirates from the Dreadfort's waters."

Greatjon Umber roared, "Just as I expected! These pirates only prey on the weak. When faced with a fleet, they turn tail and run!"

Ser Marlon continued, "Once the Dreadfort's soldiers joined the fleet, the pirates made several attempts to strike our flanks, but the Pentoshi mercenaries and our archers repelled them. By the time we reached Karhold's waters, the pirates no longer dared to come near us—they all fled toward Skagos."

"We sank a few stragglers and captured some prisoners. All of them were Rockborn—tall and strong, but poor oarsmen. We didn't capture any Ironborn ships."

Eddard was relieved that Wyllis had spent the entire journey incapacitated. Had Wyllis been in command, the fleet's arrival would have been delayed, and losses in the pirate-infested waters would have been much worse.

After all, this was a makeshift fleet primarily composed of merchant vessels. It included unreliable mercenary ships from Lys, Ibben, the Summer Isles, and other parts of the Seven Kingdoms. Only a seasoned veteran like Marlon Manderly could navigate such a precarious voyage and command such a disparate force.

"Ser Wyllis, you've done well," Eddard said, despite knowing the true credit belonged to Marlon.

Wyllis patted his large belly. "Indeed, Lord Eddard! I lost more than ten pounds on this voyage! But at least I delivered the fleet to Seal Bay. Mission accomplished!"

Eddard turned to his northern bannermen. "Now that the White Harbor Fleet has arrived, we can delay no further. We must cross the sea at once and set sail for Skagos."

Greatjon Umber raised a fist. "Those damned Rockborn and Ironborn pirates have plundered our lands, taken our women and children—we must have vengeance! Now, we take the fight to them!"

The other lords, including Robett Glover of Deepwood Motte, Ser Wendel Manderly of White Harbor, Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold, and Ser Herman Tallhart of Torrhen's Square, roared in agreement.

Roose Bolton spoke again, his voice calm yet chilling. "My only concern is that we have no knowledge of how many longships Skagos has. If the pirates attack while we're halfway across the sea and force a naval battle, what are our chances of victory?"

Lord Rickard Karstark scoffed. "You've seen it yourself—those mongrel pirates flee from the fleet rather than fight."

Eddard nodded. "Still, Lord Bolton raises a valid concern. What if the enemy is feigning weakness to lure us in? We must be cautious and plan carefully."

Ser Marlon offered a suggestion. "I propose that the Sistermen's ships take the lead. They have spent years fighting pirates in the Stepstones and are well-versed in Ironborn tactics. The Rockborn will be even less of a challenge for them."

Eddard agreed. "So be it. Our flanks at sea will be protected by the Pentoshi mercenary ships and the Summer Isles vessels to prevent any pirate flanking maneuvers."

Roose Bolton frowned. "Lord Eddard, I understand why the Pentoshi mercenary ships are guarding the flanks, but why assign the Summer Isles ships as well?"

Eddard explained, "Because the swan ships of the Summer Isles are equipped with goldenheart longbows, which outrange standard bows with ease. Only dragonbone bows surpass them, and those are rare and valuable. Few pirates would dare engage a Summer Isles swan ship."

Greatjon Umber declared, "Lord Eddard, I suggest that Umber soldiers take the vanguard. If we land at multiple points and launch simultaneous surprise attacks, we'll catch the Rockborn and Ironborn completely off guard."

Eddard considered the proposal for a moment. "The Umbers may take the vanguard—but I will not divide our forces."

Skagos was too mysterious. The northern army had been unable to find any local guides. Though they had captured some Rockborn prisoners, none had provided useful intelligence, let alone agreed to act as guides.

Landing on an unfamiliar island and splitting their forces would leave them vulnerable to ambush. A hundred years ago, during King Daeron II's reign, the Skagos Rebellion had proven the dangers of underestimating the island. The North had achieved victory on the mainland, but once they set foot on Skagos, they faced fierce resistance. The war dragged on for three years, costing the lives of over a thousand warriors, including Lord Barth Stark. Even then, Winterfell had failed to bring Skagos fully to heel.

With that bitter history in mind, Eddard preferred to keep his forces together, establish a foothold, and advance cautiously.

Once they landed, the Rock King, Samlor Crowl, his Ironborn whore, and the enigmatic Harlon Pyke would finally be forced into the light.

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