NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Arriving at Seagard
Somewhere near and along the base of the Mountains of the moon.
A group of horse-riding armoured men and an equally large number on foot were slowly making their way through the trees. They numbered around sixty-four, and all of them had a true northern look.
A few hours back, Damian and his men only took some four hours of time to travel the bite and reach the southern point of the neck. Damian had sent some of his men, Jory and the three Stark men ahead to scout the nearby forest for a route south. Damian did this so Jory wouldn't see him hiding the three ships in the space world.
After that, they soon found a remote village in the dense forest of the neck at its perimeter, near the bite and the Mountain of the Moon.
The village numbered somewhere around three hundred with less than a quarter of the population being young and even fewer who were hale and healthy.
Damian asked for a guide who could help them out of the neck safely and asked if anyone would like to join them to war and gain some fame, and riches. Technically, this village should come under the rule of House Reed or one of its vassals as it is situated inside the neck but for a long time, no one has come to them to collect tax or recruit any men. Most of the villages that are located near the beaches of the bite are like that.
Damian made an effort to recruit those few idle men to join him and fight in the war. At first, only a single lanky person came forward, possibly who wanted to get out of this village and see the wider world but after Damian told them about the free food and a salary of one Silver Stag every week until the period of the war, many raised their hands at the opportunity.
Damian recruited twelve healthy young men from the twenty who came forward. He could only quip them with a bow because that was the only weapon they were familiar with and training them with another weapon would take a lot of time.
Usually, levies are not provided with arms when recruited by the nobles but Damian wouldn't want his men to head into a war with a pitchfork, inherited rusty swords or just some thick old wooden stick.
The black bog of the Neck contains lizard lions, snakes, and dozens of varieties of huge flowers (including poison kisses). Dense thickets of trees are half-drowned and covered in pale fungus, and beneath the water, quicksand will drown anyone who attempts to walk the waters.
The King's Road passes through the Neck. Due to the difficult terrain, it becomes the narrow causeway, which is the only safe route to travel through the swamps of the Neck during times of peace.
At the northern end of the causeway stand the formidable ruins of Moat Cailin. But the guide suggested taking another path which was safer than crossing the bogs and swamps to reach the king's road. He took Damian and his men to walk along the Mountain of the Moons where the ground was more stable and where the forest was thhinner.
They came across another three villages in their journey from which Damian recruited another eighteen men, bringing their total tally to sixty-four of which thirty walked on foot and thirty-four on horses with two carts filled with provisions being pulled by another four horses.
It was a temperate force which was enough to take down quite a few villages or raid a small town and enough to protect himself from bandits or deter other small hostile groups who might want to rob them of their steel weapons, horses or food.
After going along the mountains for a while, they took a left turn and adjusted their direction for the King's Road and the Twins.
It would only take another hour or so for them to reach the King's Road and enter the territory of the Riverland. And before the sun sets, they should be able to cross the Twins.
Fortunately for Damian, it went as he had thought, and they reached the Twins before sundown. Exhausted from the day's journey, Damian was eager to cross the Twin's bridge and make camp on the other side to rest for the night.
Unfortunately, they were stopped from doing so by the Frey Guards who were charging him an exorbitant price that was at least three times the regular fees they usually charge the travellers.
Damian had no wish to meet the Wlader Frey, so he gritted his teeth and payed them Ten Gold Dragons for the crossing.
Damian swore he would get a thousand fold from them in the future.
After crossing the bridge without any further hurdle, Damian urged his men to walk for a few more kilometers before they could set up a camp to eat and rest for a few hours.
By next morning, Damina finally arrived at his destination.
Seagard is a town in the northern riverlands, and its castle is the seat of House Mallister. Located on the western coast along Ironman's Bay, Seagard is sheltered by the Cape of Eagles and is nestled near the headwaters of the Blue Fork. It is southwest of the Twins and northwest of Oldstones.
House Mallister of Seagard is one of the most prominent noble houses from the riverlands. Seagard is a fortress built to defend the coast against the reavers from the Iron Islands, and dates from before Aegon's Conquest.
Their blazon is a silver eagle displayed, on a purple field and their motto is "Above the rest".
Damian could see the Booming Tower of Seagard which was named for its immense bronze bell, and used to call the townsfolk and others into the safety of the castle when longships are sighted.
It seems he has arrived a late, because the battle was over and Mallisters had successfully fended the attacks form the Greyjoys last day, droving them back into the Sunset Sea.
Still, Damian wasn't upset as there were still many opportunities left for him to leave a mark in this rebellion. The Ironborn still controlled most of the Sunset Sea and Lord Jason Mallisters should appreciate the men he brought to help him.
The guards quickly gave him entrance after checking his identity and took him straighway to the Seagard Castle to meet with Lord Jason Mallister in his solar.
"Damian Stark? Ah, yes he is Lord Eddard Stark's younger brother. Allow him to enter." Damian heard while standing in front of Lord Jason's Solar.