Game of Thrones: The Frozen Throne

Edd stood atop Winterfell's walls, surrounded by his vassals. Outside the castle, banners fluttered in the wind, and a vast sea of soldiers gathered.

He spotted the steel gauntlet banner of Galbert Glover, the Earl of Deepwood Motte. A few days prior, Galbert and his brother, Robett Glover, had arrived with 800 Deepwood soldiers and 300 forest tribesmen, all skilled archers.

The first to arrive were the spearmen of Earl Medger Cerwyn—700 in total. The Cerwyns, whose banner bore a sharp battle axe, were the closest noble house to Winterfell. Every time Winterfell called upon its vassals, the Cerwyns were among the first to respond, truly embodying their family words: "Ready for War." 

Ser Herman Tallhart, Lord of Torrhen's Square, brought 800 mounted archers. The Tallhart family's three-tree banner waved proudly over their encampment.

From The Rills, 800 cavalrymen arrived. Their elderly lord, Rodrik Ryswell, chose to remain at home, sending his brother, Roger Ryswell, to lead the troops. The Rills' horsemen all bore shields adorned with a horse's head sigil.

Lady Barbrey Dustin, the widow of Barrowton, sent only 500 infantry under the command of Deron Dustin. Given the vast lands and large population under her rule, sending such a small force was almost an insult.

Lady Barbrey had always been dismissive of Winterfell's commands. Even after Edd had named her nephew, Domeric Bolton, heir to the Dreadfort, her attitude had not changed.

Domeric was the son of Barbrey's late sister, Bethany. After Bethany's passing, Barbrey took Domeric in and raised him at Barrow Hall. Ever since her husband, William Dustin, had perished at the Tower of Joy and been buried in foreign Dornish soil, Barbrey had remained a widow, treating Domeric as her own son.

Fortunately, the men she sent were strong young warriors. Had she sent only the old, the sick, and the weak, Edd would have had reason to summon her for questioning.

White Harbor contributed 1,000 knights, led by Wendel Manderly, second son of Lord Wyman. Like his father, Ser Wendel was a stout man, though still a size smaller than the infamous Fat Man of White Harbor.

Accompanying White Harbor's forces were 500 soldiers from House Hornwood.

According to Ser Wendel's report, his elder brother and White Harbor's heir, Wylis Manderly, had set sail with 1,000 troops, heading towards Roose Bolton's lands.

White Harbor, determined to eliminate the Rockborn pirates, had generously sent 1,000 cavalry and another 1,000 infantry by sea. While these pirates posed no direct threat to White Harbor's territory, they had begun to disrupt trade. If left unchecked, captains from across the world would avoid trading with White Harbor for fear of the pirates—a situation Lord Wyman would not tolerate.

Following Edd's orders, Lord Wyman had requisitioned over a dozen merchant ships docked at White Harbor. Among them were swan ships from the Summer Isles, whaling vessels from Ibben, great merchant ships from Lys, and traders from all corners of the Seven Kingdoms. In addition, House Manderly contributed ten of their own ships of varying sizes.

Once Wylis Manderly's fleet reached the Three Sisters, he planned to hire local "Sistermen" sailors as scouts. Though the Three Sisters were barren and poor, their pirates had once been a scourge upon White Harbor and the Vale, and their naval expertise far surpassed that of the Northmen.

Moreover, Oldtown and Widow's Watch, with their limited ships and men, would join White Harbor's fleet along the way.

Over 1,000 men were now under the command of the easygoing, rotund Wylis Manderly, and Edd could not help but feel uneasy about this makeshift fleet.

The North was never known for its naval prowess. The fleet White Harbor had assembled was a patchwork of ships from Ibben, the Summer Isles, Lys, Pentos, and captains from all across the world. Even an experienced commander would find this situation challenging, let alone Wylis Manderly.

As White Harbor's heir, Wylis's loyalty was unquestionable, but loyalty and ability were not the same. Given that White Harbor had provided so many troops and had even loaned Winterfell 100,000 gold dragons, Edd had allowed Lord Wyman to appoint his own fleet commander. Unsurprisingly, Wyman had chosen his own son.

White Harbor had no shortage of brave knights. Lord Wyman commanded over a hundred landed knights. If Edd had chosen, he would have appointed Marlon Manderly, Wyman's cousin and the commander of White Harbor's garrison.

Edd could only hope that the fleet would succeed. Without ships, even if the Northern army gathered at Seal Bay, they would be unable to cross the water, let alone purge Skagos.

Standing atop Winterfell's walls, Edd's mind was heavy with thought.

"Maester Luwin, send word to Roose Bolton at the Dreadfort. Tell him to ensure White Harbor's fleet reaches its destination at all costs."

According to the plan, White Harbor's fleet would first land at Bolton's territory, aid the Dreadfort in driving out the coastal Rockborn pirates, and then proceed northward.

Edd had never trusted the soft-spoken Roose Bolton, but no one could deny his cunning, his skill in battle, or his experience.

Galbert Glover, wrapped in a black mole-skin cloak, spoke beside him. "Lord Edd, I've always wondered—do we really need such a vast army to deal with the Rockborn pirates?"

Edd replied, "If we were merely chasing them back to sea, no, we wouldn't need this many men. But our goal is to wipe out Skagos."

Once the army marched north, they would be joined by the mountain clans, House Umber, House Karstark, and the Dreadfort's forces, pushing their numbers beyond 10,000.

According to Maester Luwin's research on the Rockborn rebellion over a century ago, all the warriors of Skagos combined would not exceed 5,000. However, if they had Ironborn allies or mercenaries from across the Narrow Sea, it would be a different matter.

"Besides," Edd continued, "this is about intimidation. Imagine—when the Rockborn pirates flee back to their island after being crushed by the Northern army, fear will spread among their tribes. That will make our landing far easier."

Now, with the army assembled, it was time to march. Every extra day spent at Winterfell drained their food supplies.

The time had come to show the Rockborn the fury of the North.

The Rockborn warriors wore armor and wielded weapons crafted by the Ironborn. There was a strong possibility that Skagos harbored Ironborn forces. Whether they were allied with King Balon Greyjoy, King Beyond the Wall Mance Rayder, or foreign schemers from across the Narrow Sea, the Northern army would tear away their masks and expose the true hand behind them.

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