Chapter 23

Shorter POV of Helena on Skagos. Thanks for all the comments!

Chapter 23: Wildlings and Weirwoods.

270AC Helena Whent, Skagos

Helena had been excited following her conversation with Baldur Crowl in Kingslanding. It had taken a bit of convincing, and admittedly pestering on Helena's part, but the large Skagosson had agreed to allow her to travel north in his company to see his homeland and beyond.

Helena had convinced her father to allow her to go. He had voiced his concern about leaving her in the company of the Northerners, but had eventually allowed it, as long as she took an escort of guards. He had never put much of an opposition to Helena's requests, giving her a rather large amount of freedom. She supposed that it was due to her history, she wouldn't likely make a good match and he would rather have her at home and happy than miserable and married to a landed knight, as no Lord would likely take her. Helena had given up hope on a good match, but her father still kept looking.

It use to bother her quite a bit in her youth that she couldn't find a suitor, especially after she was skipped over by the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands in favor of her younger sister. She had been heartbroken over that for weeks and her father could do little to make her feel better, much to his plight. She had eventually picked herself up, accepting her lot in life. She would have to be her own woman, forge her own future and show that she could still rise in the world on her own merits.

As a youth, she had terrible dreams of what happened to her mother and only brother. She didn't remember much, only the screaming and pleading of the woman. It took years for the nightmares to pass, a time in which she was kept to Harrenhall, often spending her hours with the Maester as he tried to help. Here, she had grown close to the old man, studying and one day believing that she could become a Maester if all else failed. It had failed, so now, she would have to prove herself capable, make them change their minds or perhaps even write of her own experiences. Who said that Maesters could be the only ones to gather knowledge?

She had taken the journey north, along with some of her father's guards, men of the watch, Maester Aemon, the Skagosi and a number of knights on a ship bound for Skagos and east watch by the sea. On Skagos, she had unloaded at the town of Baldur's gate, apparently named after Lord Crowl himself, his hubris was astonishing, though she supposed considering the castle she grew up in, it wasn't yet on par with the Hoares. Baldur's gate was a growing town with a river running through it and a growing wall coming up around it. It was nothing glorious, though neither was it a shabby settlement. It looked to be well planned; the Manderlys had done a good job on it.

"Here you are" Baldur presented, stopping in front of a two story stone built house. "Sorry, you won't be finding any castles for a lady such as yourself, still under construction unfortunately." The Large Skogosson informed her with a shrug, not looking very sorry.

"I'm sure it will be lovely." Helena informed him politely. She could deal with staying in a home for the time being, after all, she hadn't expected much coming north in terms of living arrangements. Nodding to her guards, they began taking the things inside to settle them in.

"My uncle Vilkas will be on hand to see to any needs. I am off to the mainland with the watch." Baldur explained to her. "Just ensure you don't wander inland, it would be a shame if you and your guards were eaten." Baldur informed offhandedly as he waved her good bye, stomping off. His manners were an absolute atrocity, that was for certain. Now to get to work, interviewing the towns folk and writing of the history of Skagos.

Helena's time on Skagos flew by. The Skagosi were of a rougher people than those of the main land 7 kingdoms. She suspected that they clung closer to the ways of first men than most south of the wall, with the exception of perhaps the mountain clans of the vale or the north. Vilkas Crowl had been a far more gracious host than Baldur, ensuring that she had ample opportunity to write of the people of Skagossi and how far they had come in the last years, changing their ways.

She had been rather shocked to find that cannibals did once inhabit the island and that blood sacrifices to the weirwood trees were at one time quite common. The Island had since outlawed such practices when Baldur had conquered it and united it, bringing it under the rule of the laws laid forth by the 7 kingdoms. Vilkas had been rather open, showing her the amount of changes, obviously pushing to change the disposition of the main land occupants on Skagos.

Much of her general freedoms changed though, as the fighting north of the wall grew more intense and she was confined to the town. According to many, wildlings had began filtering into Skagos, clans and groups that were more peaceful and were willing to bend knee. Vilkas informed her that for now, it was best that she remain within the safety of the walls, until he could ensure none were ill intentioned.

It was late at night, more than 7 months after she had arrived that a disturbance was heard from within the town, rousing Helena from her rest. Peering out the stone homes window, she could see a few figures being pushed through the streets, torchlight illuminating them in the night. By the looks of them, wildlings, dressed in furs and held by Skagosi warriors. She couldn't catch what was being said, as the old tongue was being spoken back and forth between the warriors and the men being hauled through the streets.

Helena did recognize one of the forms however, he was hardly forgettable due to his size, and she could see his face in the torchlight as he shouted at the men, punching one in the stomach as he dropped to his knees. It was most certainly, Baldur Crowl, the stone lord of Skagos. Helena wondered what they were up to, perhaps this would be her chance to find out something truly revealing about Skagos, instead of what Vilkas wanted her to write about.

She knew it was considered poor of a guest to spy on their host, but then, Baldur hadn't been a very good host, and she couldn't sit around if she wanted to find out what actually happened on Skagos. Donning her cloak, she slowly crept down the stairs and out the door, leaving her guards behind. Spying the fading light in the distance, she set off down the streets out of view.

Helena had spent enough time within the gates of the town to sneak past the guards, who weren't at all looking for someone climbing out with their attention on the group of men hauling the wildlings along. Up the hill they went and into the darkness of the forest, Helena trailing behind them the whole way.

They soon arrived in a clearing, the gods wood that the men of Skagos prayed too. It was a large tree with a face upon it, according to the northman, they had been carved by the children of the forest, scholars however, claimed they were put there by the first of men long ago. The face upon which this tree had, was a look of what Helena would consider a grim look.

In front of the tree, the men were thrown down on their knees as Helena watched from the shadows. Words were spoken and chanting began to grow around the tree as the Skagosi all joined in, yelling words in the strange old tongue as Baldur stepped into the torch light, a large two handed axe gleaming in his hands. Almost abruptly, the chanting came to a stop, as silence reigned in the gods wood.

Baldur swept his axe down on the first head as it toppled from its owners body, rolling to a stop on the growth under the tree. Baldur kicked the body over as the men all cheered. The bloody stump of where the wildlings head use to be, pouring out over the roots of the tree. Helena was in a state of shock as she watched the whole scene unfold. This was barbaric… this was… human sacrifice.

"Human sacrifice." She whispered as it dawned on her. This was illegal by the laws of men and that of the seven. It had been outlawed, and Vilkas had been trying to hide such activities from her. No doubt that all the wildlings coming from beyond the wall were actual tributes to their heathen gods, not converts to the Skagosi ways as they claimed.

She couldn't believe she was actually getting to witness such a thing in person, it was more than she ever expected when she came to Skagos. It was everything that one would suspect it would be, bloody and barbaric in every way. Also, it was a crime, one that Helena wouldn't dare mention until she got back to the safety of her father's walls. People would be clambering to read her tales when she put them out. No longer would they mock her behind her back and whisper terrible things. No, they would be begging for her to recount her tales to them. This would certainly grant her favor and prestige, enough perhaps to even get a husband of a proper standing for a lady of House Whent and finally put her father at ease. 

She was shaken from her thoughts as a group of men came bellowing out of the tree line opposite her, wielding spears and bearing furs upon their bodies. The Skagosi were not long startled though as Baldur planted the large axe in his hands between the eyes of one of them charging him, splitting the man's head in two between the brows, causing a spray of blood.

All around the base of the tree fighting could be heard as the Skagosi and wildlings fought and bodies hit the ground. Baldur sliced another man in half as he came rushing at him with a spear, causing his upper and lower torso to be parted from each other as he died almost instantly. A woman followed him, screeching in rage as Baldur picked up a spear and shoved it through her chest, pushing her back and pinning her several feet off the ground into the side of a tree, leaving only her to drown to death on her own blood as she went limp. At this point, Helena lost whatever remained in her stomach, puking the contents out in front of her as she fell to her knees.

Curling up in a ball, Helena waited for the fighting to cease, and after what seemed like ages, it finally did. She didn't dare raise her head as she could hear the old tongue being muttered from within the clearing and the rustling of bushes around her. She had no idea who had won the fight, though neither would bode well for her, spying the way she was. Chivalry was obviously in poor form here if a woman could be impaled on a tree and left to bleed out with little care.

Helena froze as a pair of rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders, yanking her to her feet. She would be finding out who won sooner than she thought it would seem. The man wasn't very gentle as he drug her by the back of her robes through the brush as she kicked and screamed, finally flinging her to the blood soaked floor of the clearing. All around her, she could see body parts strewn about, some of Skagosi warriors, though most of the wildlings that had attacked and of course those that had been sacrificed.

"You were to be confined to the town." A voice came from above her as she raised her eyes to meet that of Baldur's grey ones, staring down at her in fury. "If you would have been killed, the consequences would have surely been bad. Lord Stark…" The man said shaking his head.

"I just wanted to see what was happening." Helena claimed meekly to the blood soaked heathen.

"Stupid wench!" Baldur swore, raising his hand, only to be restrained by Vilkas grabbing him by the wrist.

"Peace Baldur, everything will be fine, calm yourself." Vilkas said staring into the younger mans eyes that were filled with rage.

"You are right Uncle" Baldur agreed, lowering his hand. "I want them rooted out uncle, get the hunting party, don't rest until every last one of them has been put down." Baldur told him furiously as the man inclined his head. "And you!" Baldur said looking back towards Helena who flinched.

"I won't tell a soul!" She swore to him. 

Baldur reached down and hefted her up onto his shoulders as she squeaked out at being manhandled in such a way. "I will see you to your quarters, you aren't to leave again without an escort." Baldur informed her, marching out of the clearing with her hefted over his shoulders.