Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

Edd stood on the shores of Skagos Island, watching as the soldiers of the Dreadfort, clad in armor bearing the sigil of the flayed man, arrived one by one on small boats. Before them, two thousand soldiers from the northern mountain clans—the Wull, Flint, and Rydell clans—had already marched across the beach, driving away any nearby enemies.

Scouts led by Ferran and Robert Glover had secured a rocky hill near the shore, raising the direwolf banner of House Stark. Some soldiers had begun setting up tents along the slopes.

Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly. Edd had been concerned that the pirate longships would outflank them from the sea while the Northern army was landing. Most of the ragtag fleet from White Harbor consisted of merchant and fishing vessels, with only the Three Sisters' ships, Pentoshi mercenary vessels, and the Summer Isles swan ships having any real naval combat capability.

Indeed, the pirates had attacked the flanks of the ragtag fleet as they landed, but rather than launching a full assault, they merely loosed arrows from a distance. When the Northern cavalry dispersed the Rockborn archers on the beach, the pirates seemingly realized their cause was lost and promptly set sail, vanishing beyond the horizon.

The soldiers of Seven City under Count Medrick Seven, the warriors of Bear Island under Countess Magee Mormont, and the men of Karhold under Rickard Karstark disembarked in turn, walking across the bloodstained, muddy sand.

Theon, bow in hand, grinned smugly. "Lord Edd, we took the beach with ease. I bet those savage Rockborn have already fled into the mountains, trembling in fear! This war is won before it's even begun."

Edd remained calm. "This is but a small victory. The real battle is just beginning."

Domeric Bolton, heir to the Dreadfort, nodded in agreement. "A single battle won does not decide a war. But it's a promising start. We'll capture the King of the Rocks, and who knows—we might even see the legendary unicorns!"

According to legend, the warriors of Skagos rode unicorns into battle. Edd had no idea what kind of creature they actually were, but he had already instructed his vassals to prepare their soldiers and cavalry for any encounter with these mythical beasts.

Greatjon Umber stood with his armor riddled with arrows, looking like a human pincushion. His son, Smalljon, and several Umber warriors were helping him pull them out. The Umbers had been the first to land on the beach, facing a barrage of Rockborn arrows. Of the hundred Umber warriors, a third had perished, and another third lay wounded.

Jory Cassel and a group of Winterfell guards were gathering the fallen Umber warriors into a single location. Edd noted that the Umber warriors were all towering figures—some were burly men, others elderly veterans, and some were barely more than boys.

Jon Snow frowned as he looked at the bodies. "Lord Edd, look at these Umber warriors. They're enormous, just like the Rockborn, who are said to be tall and broad-shouldered. Could it be, as some maesters claim, that the Umbers and the Rockborn share giant blood?"

Greatjon spat on the ground. "Snow, don't talk nonsense! The Umbers have nothing in common with those Rockborn savages. They lack honor—we do not."

An Ibbenese captain, speaking in heavily accented Common Tongue, chimed in. "Actually, the Rockborn of Skagos may share ancestors with us Ibbenese. We Ibbenese know that long ago, our forebears crossed the Shivering Sea, establishing many colonies in the North and beyond the Wall. Skagos was once an Ibbenese outpost, so the Rockborn may have Ibbenese blood."

The Ibbenese captain was covered in thick body hair and reeked of sweat, much like the Rockborn. However, unlike the towering Rockborn, he was short and stout.

Edd approached Greatjon. "Are you injured?"

Greatjon scoffed as he yanked an arrow from his armor. "Not at all! These Rockborn arrows are useless against my fine armor—crafted in the Last Hearth itself!"

On the White Harbor merchant ship Harvest, small boats were being lowered as Dustin soldiers, under the command of Deron Dustin, began unloading supplies. Wagons and ox-carts were also being transported from the larger ships. To avoid the treacherous reefs surrounding Skagos, they had to carefully navigate small boats through safer channels to reach the shore.

Due to the many hidden reefs, the waters around Skagos were highly dangerous. Edd had no way of knowing how many pirate longships might be lurking nearby. The ragtag fleet was too stretched out to be effectively defended by the Pentoshi mercenaries and Sistermen ships, so Edd had only brought a third of his supplies, leaving the majority aboard the Harvest.

The remaining two-thirds of the supplies were under the protection of Ser Herman Tallhart, Wyman Manderly, and Wendel Manderly, who, along with over two thousand men, remained stationed on the Umber coastline across the sea. According to Edd's plan, once the Northern army had secured a foothold on Skagos, they would send ships to transport the rest of the supplies.

As he watched provisions being carefully transported from the Harvest to the newly established Northern encampment, Edd felt a measure of relief.

Now, with over nine thousand soldiers—including Northern bannermen, Sistermen mercenaries, and Pentoshi fighters—having landed on Skagos, securing a steady supply chain was paramount. Without provisions, the Northern army would be helpless in this mist-covered island wilderness.

Roose Bolton, Count of the Dreadfort, surveyed the distant hills and rolling mountains with his icy gaze. "It seems the Rockborn have retreated deep into the mountains. No matter where they hide, with so many warriors at our disposal, we will hunt them down."

Sisterman Captain Graybeard Casseren chuckled. "Lord Roose, don't be too confident! Any seasoned sailor will tell you—this island is no ordinary place. It's larger than Bear Island and the Three Sisters combined."

Countess Magee Mormont looked surprised. "Larger than Bear Island? Are you serious?"

Graybeard Casseren nodded. "At least four or five times its size! Skagos is the largest island in the North, but like the North itself, it is vast and sparsely populated. There's even another sizable island to the east, nearly the size of Bear Island, with countless smaller islands in between."

For centuries, if not millennia, Skagos had remained autonomous, refusing to pay tribute to Winterfell. Edd couldn't help but wonder how much wealth had gone unclaimed.

Graybeard Casseren lowered his voice. "And don't forget about Skane Island to the north."

Domeric Bolton's eyes widened. "The Feast of Skane! It's said that long ago, the Rockborn raided Skane, abducting its women and children, and feasted on them. Since then, Skane has remained uninhabited."

Magee Mormont scoffed. "Just an old nursemaid's tale to scare children."

Graybeard Casseren smirked. "My lady, when my ships pass Skane at night, we dare not linger. They say you can hear the wailing of spirits."

Jon Snow frowned. "Is Skane still uninhabited?"

Graybeard Casseren shrugged. "It was deserted for years. But now? Who knows? Under the rule of the King of the Rocks, something even worse may dwell there now."

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