Chapter 7

Author note: Later in this chapter, I would mention crossing under the twins as a way to get across westeros and the reason for this is said that the only way to cross south for the northerners is to cross the twins which is based off the London Bridge and this tied together with other things around the neck its rivers should be deep enough for ships due to how a floating castle is able to sustain itself and be movable so their must be enough space for a fleet to move across the neck.

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It surprisingly didn't take long to gather the crews and a handful of drowned priests for the journey. I guess when men have lost a greater war, a lot of resentment and anger, which this raid should cool a few tempers hell even the iron captain is tagging along. I'm guessing Euron has already been exiled due to never seeing his ship in port, so ol Victarion must be looking for a new salt wife. As we set off from lordsport, I could feel the salty wind blow through my hair as the drowned gods favor helped us get moving with favorable winds and currents and with the wind no man truly needs to row yet. Within a few days of travel, we reached the beginning of the neck, but problems soon followed as the salt bleeds out into the swamp, and so did the drowned gods' influence upon the water.

"Captain, why are we choosing to cross the neck? Wouldn't it be safer to travel around the south of dorne?" Asked Rickon

"Ah, but that's the thing time is not on our side and so like any small ships usually cross the neck to make their trade after all how else do the freys make their coin besides the scant few travelers going back and forth from the north. With our strong oarsmen and a little bit of coin, we can cross in much less of a journey, and the men's energy could be saved for killing." I respond

And as luck would have it in the distance, I could see one of the wonders of westeros the twins, probably one of the largest bridges built in this world and based off its arches for its supports they are indeed large enough for us to travel under.

The closer we get, the more I notice they have a great chain dragged across and a small wooden booth near the water line with a large mechanism, no doubt controlling the chain. My ship is the first to reach the now revealed toll booth and see the Frey guardsman with their cheep mail and scale armor with the twins embossed on their chest.

"How much is the toll guardsman?" I shout across the gap as I try to keep a smirk off my face as the man recognizes us as ironborn if the slight shaking of his hand holding his weapon revealing his fear.

" Four gold dragons, milord" responds the man as he points a shaking finger to a board, showing the cost with the Frey symbol branded below it, making it official

"Very well give the greenlander his gold." I order as a sailor tosses a bag of gold across and based how he did not try to haggle more gold from us it seems he wished us gone as soon as possible and with the chain down we continue on our way as our oarsmen continue to push us forward.

Within a few days, we reached White Harbor, and judging from the large amount of guards and knights around the dock, they received word of our travel, and with our ships docking, I disembarked to find the harbor master and eventually I find the man as he is one of the few fat men among the deck workers no doubt enjoying skimming a bit off the top for himself.

"You the harbor master?" I ask the man as I use my more bulky form to try and intimidate the fat man and seeing some slight sweat gathering on his fat face it has worked.

"Aye, milord, do you wish to make and order?" he asks as he begins to fidget in front of me, no doubt, eyeing my many weapons all over my body, barely visible from the confines of my coat.

With great luck, we managed to have everything go smoothly with my eager men wanting to leave as soon as the extra supplies are loaded, no doubt seeking blood but before we could set off a guard bearing the mark of the manderlys as it seems the lord wishes to ask me some questions and so I entered their castle and was brought before the lord in his hall eating his fill of venison stew based off its smell.

"So ironborn, what is your name?" Asks Lord manderly

looking upon the man, I can't help but realize just how rotund he is compared to all others around him with his thinning hair and graying beard, making him look like a smug merchant more than a lord.

" My name, my lord is Ragnar Hoare, but perhaps you have heard of my other title, Ragnar 'The bloody'." I state as I stare the man directly into his eyes, and I'm impressed that I see no fear in the Lord lard's eyes.

"And what could you wish to achieve buying supplies from me for if you plan to raid the north with said supplies? I will do all I can to bring you down, so answer me ironborn. What do you wish to do this far from your isles." Asks the Lord lard as I refuse to show any respect to someone that shows me none.

With a large smile, I respond, "To raid."

" How long have my people raided the north, but we are not the only ones, are we? No, the wildlings raid you as well, and with the defeat at pyke, we all are now members of the same realm so I shall take my raiding further north and for all things we don't need or want by the end of our raid I could trade to you if you want." I continue ending in an offer.

"You would give up loot from your raiding to a house of what you lot call greenlanders?" Asks the Lord Lard with confusion marring his fat face.

"Indeed I do. After all, I do not plan for it to be the last, " I answer, and from the slight gleam growing in his beady eyes, he has reached a conclusion.

"Very well ironborn, you shall continue to dock in my harbor as long as you trade some of your I'll gotten goods but to be honest fuck the savages beyond the Wall." He responds waving me away as he resumes to stuff his face with food.

Wildling POV:

"Come on, Bjorn, we have to get our hunt back to the village before dark," shouts a young man with dark brown hair and a smiling face

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Stop your yapping yormun and help me carry the deer." I grumble as we climb the hill.

Seeing yormun just standing at the top of the hill, bit it is as I look up, I noticed the smoke. Could the elders decide to create a bonfire, but it was as I reached the top I heard the screams.

Looking over to our village, it was in flames with men fighting all around and women and children being taken from their homes kicking and screaming towards boats on the icy shore as large ships are anchored further out.

"Bjorn, we have to save mother and father," yelled yormun as he beging to rush down the hill as he tried to ready his bow, and he was soon joined by me doing the same.

the closer we got, the more the smell of blood became apparent, with many bodies litering the snow-covered ground and as we got closer I could see our father using his large axe to cut a invader in half as our mother covers him with her bow but a larger invader steps forward as my father charges him along side four other villagers but in the blink of the eye my father and the villagers lost their heads but no seeing any blade in his hand with his arm extended as if thrown something. Dread over comes me as I look to my mother as I see her cradling her arm as an axe is embedded into the ground near her with a severed hand not far from it.

"Noooo!!!" Both me and my brother yell as we charge the man, no the monster, with me raising my bow while yormund picks up an axe from the ground but the moment we got closer the man practically disappeared and reappeared next to us knocking us to the ground from shock before kicking yormund in the face before turning to me.

"You two are young enough to become thralls. I hope you keep such energy in the future."States the man before I see his boot hit my face, and darkness takes me.