Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

The rockborn's unicorns appeared on the battlefield like moving fortresses. Their pillar-like legs struck the ground with each step, causing the earth to tremble violently.

In Westeros, various legends about the unicorns of Skagos Island had been passed down. Many sailors and captains who had sailed along the coast of Skagos claimed to have witnessed unicorns. However, the Citadel had always scoffed at such claims, for to this day, no unicorn horns or bones had ever been found within the Seven Kingdoms.

When the Northern army set foot on Skagos Island, Eddard had discussed the possibility of encountering unicorns with his Northern vassals. The vassals had differing opinions on what the unicorns might look like.

Mark Ryswell from the Rills believed that unicorns were white stallions with horns, capable of traveling a thousand leagues a day. Given that the Rills were a major producer of Northern warhorses, many cavalrymen supported his view.

However, Mark Ryswell's nephew, Domeric of the Dreadfort, disagreed. "What use would a unicorn capable of traveling a thousand leagues a day have on Skagos Island? While Skagos is the largest island in the North, it remains an island. The rockborn never relied on horses for travel, so how could the unicorns they revere be swift steeds?"

Domeric speculated that unicorns were massive creatures similar to rhinoceroses. Meanwhile, Theon Greyjoy argued that unicorns were horned sea monsters. The debate continued without resolution.

As it turned out, Domeric's speculation was correct. The unicorns before them indeed resembled rhinoceroses, though they were clearly much larger. Eddard estimated that they stood nearly three meters tall and over four meters long. Their skin was as thick and rugged as stone, and their horns resembled sharp battering rams.

On the wooden fortresses atop the unicorns' backs, rockborn slingers and archers rained down stones and arrows upon the Northern forces. Drummers on the unicorns beat a rhythm that set blood boiling. Fortunately, there were fewer than twenty unicorns in total.

Standing on a hillside, Eddard observed the battlefield, taking in every detail. He noticed that many unicorns bore banners depicting leafless driftwood. Frowning, he turned to the rockborn guide, Nonda, and asked, "Which clan bears the driftwood sigil?"

"The Sterns," Nonda's voice carried a trace of fear. "The Stern clan is the most powerful in northern Skagos, known as the 'Kings of the North' on this island. According to legend, the infamous 'Skane Feast' was orchestrated by them."

Skane Island lay north of Skagos. It was said that when the rockborn landed there long ago, they abducted the women and children and slaughtered the rest of the inhabitants. They then feasted for half a month, leaving Skane a desolate wasteland.

Nonda shielded his eyes and scanned the battlefield. "I don't know if Billy Stern is here. He is a warrior feared by all and the leader of the Stern clan, ruling from Driftwood Hall. When the Stone King, Samro Crowl, united the clans of Skagos, Billy Stern was one of his greatest threats."

Eddard considered this for a moment. "It seems that as the Northern army advances toward Abyss Keep, the Stone King has summoned Billy Stern and his warriors to defend him. By letting his strongest vassal clash with the Northern army, he weakens both the Stern clan and us. If I were him, I would do the same."

Both the Ironborn prisoner James Codd and the rockborn guide Nonda had warned that Abyss Keep was nearly impregnable. The Northern army was running low on supplies, with two-thirds of its provisions burned by the Iron Bitch in Seal Bay. Eddard had dispatched Ser Marlon Manderly to transport supplies from the North, but it was uncertain whether the supply fleet would return safely, given that the Iron Bitch, Helyne Pyke, lurked in the bay like a relentless specter.

Eddard had feared the Stone King might adopt a scorched-earth strategy, ordering all the rockborn to retreat into fortresses or caves. Now, it seemed the rockborn were willing to fight.

Nonda stroked his thick beard. "Or perhaps your pirates raided Stern territory and provoked Billy Stern. Before the Iron Bitch and her Ironborn longships arrived, Billy Stern's wooden fleet was the strongest among the rockborn clans, and his fishermen were the most numerous."

To gather supplies, Eddard had sent the Pentoshi mercenary fleet and Greybeard Kasaron's Sistermen raiders to plunder around Skagos. He had ordered them to avoid unnecessary slaughter, but bloodshed was inevitable in practice.

If these raids enraged the rockborn leaders, they might turn to the Stone King, complaining that the Ironborn could not protect their villages and lands. In response, the Stone King might order Helyne Pyke to lead her remaining few hundred Ironborn pirates into battle against the Sistermen and Pentoshi raiders.

If she became entangled in a naval conflict, Helyne Pyke would have no time to plot her schemes. During their campaign on Skagos, both Eddard and his vassals had come to realize that the Iron Bitch was far more dangerous and cunning than the Stone King.

Apart from the rockborn on the unicorns, most of their warriors fought on foot, wielding axes and swords. A few ragged cavalry rode skeletal warhorses into a frenzied charge.

Without the unicorns, the rockborn infantry and cavalry would be no more than a rabble before the Northern army. As they had pushed deeper into Skagos, the Northern forces had encountered fewer well-armored rockborn warriors, making it easier for the Northern cavalry and mountain clans to defeat them. However, with unicorns in play, the situation was entirely different.

Eddard watched as a unicorn's horn swept across the ground, instantly felling three Northern cavalrymen and their horses. The horses' legs, like stalks of wheat under a scythe, were severed in an instant, blood spurting everywhere. Elsewhere, another unicorn bit off a horse's head in a single snap. Blood rained down as the rider screamed and leaped from his headless mount, only to be struck dead by a rockborn slinger atop a unicorn.

Jory Cassel, captain of the Winterfell guard, led a charge against the unicorns with a group of Northern cavalry. He rode forth with a spear in hand, but as he neared a unicorn, it let out a piercing scream. The warhorses of Jory and his men instantly panicked, rearing wildly and throwing their riders.

Some dismounted soldiers barely had time to react before they were trampled into pulp under the unicorns' feet. A unicorn's horn thrust toward Jory, who barely managed to dodge.

Seeing the Northern cavalry struggling, Roose Bolton ordered the Northern archers to loose their arrows. However, when the arrows struck the unicorns' thick, rough hides, they simply bounced off, utterly useless.

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