Game of Thrones: Kings in the North

Chapter 21 Rock Pirate Army
"Master Ed, that is simply a fleet!"

Ed was sitting on the stone direwolf throne handed down by the kings of the North. Maester Luwin, Chancellor of the Exchequer Krall, and Robb sat at the long table beside him. The adopted son of Winterfell and the heir of the Dreadfort Domilik Bolton and another adopted son, Theon Greyjoy, dressed in chain mail and holding a long sword, stood beside Eddard.

Sansa, Bran, and Arya stood beside Catelyn, and Septa Mordane held baby Rickon.Jon Snow appeared in the crowd, deliberately staying away from Caitlin.

The last lord of Hearth City, Greatjon of the Umber family had a scarring wound on his forehead, blood clotted on his hair, and blood stains on his armor. This tall and mighty warrior looked very angry.

"I've lived such an old age, and I've never seen so many Skags, bloody cannibals."

The Skaggs are a derogatory name for the Skagos people in the north. They call themselves rock species and live on the island of Skagos, only one seal bay away from the Great Jon's territory.Lately, Rockborn pirates have been rampaging through the lands of Umber, Karstark, and Bolton, destroying arrow towers near Saltton, raiding fishing villages, taking children and women, and killing everyone else.

Maester Luwin said, "Lord Greatjon, how many are there?"

Greatjon spit on the ground, "Anyway, when I arrived at the seaside with the Umber cavalry, there was an army of pirates in front of me, there must be more than 500 people, all of them were holding sharp battle axes and long swords. , cannibal warriors in leather and chain mail."

Maester Luwin frowned, "It's unlikely. According to the information of the Academy, the rock species, like the wildlings beyond the Great Wall, lack blacksmiths and hardly know how to smelt steel and make weapons."

Roose Bolton, Earl of the Dreadfort wearing a scarlet cloak, said, "Maester Luwin, what is the date of your information about rock species?"

Maester Luwin pondered for a while, "About 500 years ago."

Roose Bolton's soft-spoken tone was full of sarcasm, "The old calendar 500 years ago? 500 years ago, Aegon the Conqueror hadn't brought dragons to Westeros. Now the dragons are extinct, and the Targaryen dynasty You have also entered the grave, and you actually use the outdated information in the history book to judge the current rock species?"

"Let me tell you, when I took the cavalry from the Dreadfort to fight these barbarians, their equipment was no worse than the soldiers of the castle, and it was much better than the peasant army I improvised. The peasant soldiers could only hold The hammer fights with the sickle, and the enemy carries the steel tomahawk."

This kind of equipment is too sophisticated for rock species. It is incredible for Ed to have so many armors and sharp weapons on the wild island of Skagos Island.

Could it be that Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, really infiltrated his forces into Skagos Island as Ed said? There is no way to explain so many weapons and armors in Rock Seed's hands. After all, the savages outside the Great Wall also lack blacksmiths. If there are good weapons and equipment, it is absolutely impossible for Mance Rayder to give Rock Seed so generously.

Or some hostile forces within the Seven Kingdoms transported weapons and equipment to Rock Species from the sea.

This possibility is very high. After all, the Seal Bay route to the west of Skagos Island is relatively frequent. Many ships from the Seven Kingdoms and the Free Trade Cities will pass here to trade with the brothers of the Night Watchmen of Eastwatch, and even trade with the wildlings. .Some slave ships even regarded the illegal land beyond the Great Wall as a paradise for catching slaves.

Due to the lack of sea power in the northern border, if a force in the Seven Kingdoms that is hostile to Winterfell infiltrates into Skagos Island, makes a deal with the savage rock species in the deep mountains, and provides them with weapons and equipment to attack the northern border, that would be a big deal. It's not difficult.Ed can't help but start to wonder who is behind the scenes?
Ed's first object of suspicion was Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock.Buying the enemy's enemy for my use is very similar to Tywin's style. The gold in Casterly Rock City is endless, and they have the financial resources to support Rockborn against Winterfell.But what good does it do for Tywin?
The direwolves of the north and the lions of the west have always looked down upon each other.In the War of the Reavers that year, Robert killed Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident River, laying the foundation for the victory of the rebel army, but it was Lannister who dealt the final blow to the Targaryen family.

Tywin used Pacelle's master to open the gate of King's Landing, burned, killed and looted in the name of Robert, and took away a large amount of wealth from King's Landing.His son Jaime Lannister "Kingslayer" killed the mad king Aerys with the golden sword.

After Robert was crowned king, he married Tywin's daughter Cersei, and the Lannister family sent their daughter to the throne of the queen. Robert's confidant Jon Arryn became the king's hand, and Lannister and Robert's rebel army divided up The fruits of victory.

If Tywin is really behind the Rockseed attack on the North, the only reason is that Tywin is trying to overthrow Robert's rule.Ed is Robert's close friend. Once the rock species rebellion drags down the northern army, Tywin can play the game of power in the south and attack the Iron Throne.

Thinking of this, Ed couldn't help feeling chills down his spine, is Winter really coming?

In addition to Tywin, supporters of the Targaryen royal family who fled to the other side of the narrow sea may also be behind the scenes.Viserys is the only surviving son of the Mad King Aerys, Rhaegar's younger brother, and his sister Daenerys.Neither Viserys nor Daenerys are too young to pose a threat, but who knows if the conspirators behind them will use the banner of the dragon family to instigate rebellion in the kingdom?

On the other side of the narrow sea, there are many ambitious wealthy businessmen, governors, maharajas and the like, and the Golden Group has hosted many descendants of the remnants of the Blackfyre Rebellion. Ed has no doubt that there are people from the North.Could it be that someone from the other side of the Narrow Sea planned the attack?
Of course, the enemy could come from within the North.

Ed thought of Mrs. Barbaret Dustin, the mean widow, Lord Lathwell of the Brooklands, and Roose Bolton in the great hall.

Mrs. Ballet has always had a bad relationship with Ed. She has never forgiven Ed for burying her husband's remains in Dorne far away. Before she got married, Ballet was Ed's brother and Brandon's lover. Father once wanted to marry Barbaret to Brandon, but was rejected by Ed's father, Duke Rickard.After Brandon's death, Barbara always felt that Ed had robbed Brandon of Winterfell.

Barbara is the daughter of Brooklands, and Roose Bolton is her brother-in-law.

With Mrs. Ballet at its core, the alliance of the three vassals of Blightton, Streamland, and Dreadfort seemed too large in the northern border. In order to beat the vassals, Ed adopted the heir of Dreadfort, Domilik Bolton, as his adopted son. Stay at Winterfell and ensure the loyalty of your vassals.

Could it be that this move angered Madame Ballerina and Roose Bolton?Ed believes that the Earl Roderick Lathwell of the Streamland will not rebel, but the Earl of Roswell is old. Can he restrain the ambitions of his daughter, Mrs. Ballerina, and his former son-in-law, Roose Bolton?

Ed looked into the dirty ice-like eyes of Roose Bolton in the hall. Now he, Greatjon Amber, and Lord Rickard Karstark came to Winterfell to petition, asking Winterfell to help them fight against the rocks. A kind of pirate, Roose Bolton's fief is located on the east coast of the northern border, very close to Skagos Island, the Dreadfort is in the Lonely Mountain, and the River of Tears has a rich, vast fief, a large population, and the Dreadfort is strong and powerful. Lack of ambition.

Could it be that Roose Bolton directed and acted in all this, and then ran to Winterfell to petition in a soft voice?The more Ed thought about it, the more he felt as if a pack of wolves were roaring in his head, and he was very depressed.

(End of this chapter)