The news of Lord Eddard's death filled the study at Riverrun with a heavy sense of sorrow.
However, this sorrow was not enough to affect the Leech Lord of the Flayed Men. Roose Bolton pushed Herman aside, walked up to Robb, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Robb, are you so easily defeated? Lord Eddard has passed away, and you are now the Duke of Winterfell and the Warden of the North. This is not the time for sadness. You need to shoulder the entire North and lead us in battle until Lord Eddard is avenged. Now, please stand up, stand up like a man."
"Yes, yes! This is not the time for sadness. I cannot sit here and grieve. I must stand up and lead everyone to King's Landing to make that bastard pay!" Robb gritted his teeth, swallowed his tears, supported himself with his hands on the table, and stood up, his eyes filled with angry bloodshot veins, roaring.
"If we enter King's Landing as vassals to punish Joffrey I, no matter how valid our reasons, we will still be seen as kingslayers by the world. Therefore, we need a different identity, an identity equal to the Iron Throne." Roose Bolton said solemnly, "The title that Torren Stark lost to Aegon the Conqueror should now be reclaimed: King of the North."
"King of the North." Robb's eyes gleamed with an unusual light when he heard this title.
"Yes, King of the North." Roose Bolton said in a deep voice, "Only the King of the North is qualified to contend with the Iron Throne. Robb, it is time to reclaim the glory that rightfully belongs to Stark."
"Yes, Robb! King of the North!" Herman Tallhart, who was standing nearby, also appeared very excited and shouted loudly.
Amidst these calls of King of the North, Robb's gaze became resolute.
As Robb decided to become king, Theon Greyjoy, whom he had sent to the Iron Islands, had just arrived in the waters near Pyke.
The reason for his late arrival at Pyke was entirely due to a major storm encountered on the way, forcing the ship to dock near the coast for two days.
Although the journey home was somewhat rough, Theon's mood remained very good. In fact, upon learning that he was nearing Pyke, he returned to his cabin to change into new clothes, adorned himself with various accessories he believed would make him appear noble, and even tidied his hair and beard.
He had always believed that he would one day be the master of the Iron Islands, and that his sister Asha was merely managing the Iron Islands temporarily on his behalf. He was certain that once he returned to the Iron Islands, all the lords on the island would respond to his call, elevating him to the Seastone Chair and crowning him with the driftwood crown.
Therefore, when he proposed going to the Iron Islands to seek reinforcements, he was aiming to become the lord of the Iron Islands.
"How much longer until we can see Pyke?" Theon, now dressed, walked to the bow of the ship and asked the captain.
"Pyke?" The captain was stunned and said, "You can't see it anymore. Pyke was burned down long ago, and even the cliff islands that served as its foundation collapsed. Now, you can only see a bit of the city wall."
Theon was stunned. It was then that he remembered his sister Asha had apparently burned down Pyke, along with those Ironborn lords who had attempted to betray her.
Theon also approved of Asha's actions, believing that if he had been present at the time, he would have done the same.
The captain then pointed to the headland ahead and said, "Turn past this headland, and you'll see the ruins of Pyke. A little further, and you'll see the current Sea Hag City and Pyke Port."
Soon, the fast clipper underfoot passed the headland, and Theon immediately saw the ruins of Pyke. Just as the captain had said, only the outermost ring of city walls on the cliff remained. Pyke's main keep, Blood Keep, Seastone Tower, and other structures had all vanished along with their seastone foundations. His already limited childhood memories became even more Vague.
At this moment, the ship sailed past an outer reef, and the small harbor town beneath the original Pyke came into view.
In Theon's memory, the small harbor town beneath Pyke was small and dirty, just like the town outside Winterfell. The docks were filled with some not-so-large longships, which were all fishing boats, while the Iron Fleet's ships were all docked at King's Port.
However, the dock beneath Pyke had now transformed into a port as large as a city. Docks built from large stones stretched along the coastline from one end to the other as far as the eye could see. Moored at the docks were massive sailing ships, two or three stories high, all equipped with ballistas powerful enough to pierce decks. Numerous sailors in standardized leather armor moved about on the ships.
The port town behind the docks extended from the docks all the way up the mountainside. Stone houses were neatly divided into sections by streets wide enough for four carriages abreast. The surfaces of all the houses were coated with dyes made from crushed seashells, making the entire architecture appear as white as jade and extremely beautiful.
The people walking on the port streets were no longer the dirty individuals from his memory. While their faces and hands still showed they were people who made their living on the water year-round, their attire looked more like that of people from large cities. This made Theon's own attire, which he had thought was very splendid, appear quite ordinary.
"Look, that's Sea Hag Castle!" The captain, while directing the sailors to dock, pointed to the large white castle on the mountaintop outside the port town and said, "This Sea Hag Castle, along with Sea Dog Castle on Blacktyde and Sea Monster Castle on Harlaw, are collectively known as the Three Sea Monsters Castles of the Iron Islands. Besides these three castles, there are also the Storm God Temple and the Prince's Palace on Great Wyk, which are also very magnificent structures."
"Prince's Palace?" Theon looked at the captain, puzzled.
"It's the palace of Prince Linde Terra from the Stepstones across the Narrow Sea." The captain explained, "The Three Sea Monsters, to show their gratitude to Prince Linde, specially built a palace for him on Great Wyk, so that Prince Linde could reside there whenever he wished. However, after the palace was built, Prince Linde never stayed there once. Now it has become a Longwing Dragon Nest."
"What Longwing Dragon Nest?" Theon asked, looking bewildered.
"Prince Linde bestowed a batch of Longwing Dragons upon the Three Sea Monsters Alliance, about three hundred of them. They are all now kept in the Prince's Palace, under the jurisdiction of the Storm God Temple. It is said that those Longwing Dragons have laid many Longwing Dragon Eggs, and it is believed that in a few more years, the number of Longwing Dragons in the Iron Islands will multiply. Perhaps the Ironborn of the Iron Islands will also have the opportunity to become Longwing Dragon Riders."
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