Chapter 6

"Tell me, boy, why exactly were you at a tourney that celebrates our defeat? Are you planning to become a greenlander and betray your own people that you fought alongside with!" Yells, Lord Balon from his inkstone throne.

Looking upon the man I can see in his eyes, he truly didn't care but was putting on a show for his court, or maybe he hoped to gain something from humiliating me.

"No, my lord, I'm no turncoat." I answer

"Then tell me why you return with gold not won by the Iron price!" Balon continues to yell,

"It is for a plan, my lord, one to return us to fighting form faster than we would on our own."

"Out with it, then boy, let's hear this plan of yours."States Balon as he finally stopped yelling as his face is overcome with a look of curiosity.

"The plan requires two things, my lord gold and men. The Usurper has a habit of throughing a lot of grand tourneys, each with substantial gold rewards, so I found it prudent to not just prove we ironborn are superior warriors but also have them practically fund our recuperation. With this gold, we can launch our raiders against the wild folk over the wall, and the north will not turn down the gold for the supplies to make such long sailing possible. No one likes them so we can raid them not for gold or trinkets but for thralls and saltwives and with more women being brought to the islands we can recover our fallen numbers within a decade or two maybe sooner if we teach any children birthed to be raised as iron born." I state as looking around many of the short sided leader laughing or scoffing at the idea but those with enough brain cells to see beyond the next day all look pensive and it seems Balon could see its potential as a greedy smile crosses his face.

"A sound plan, but you lack the men, and I shall give them to you on one condition, I get to control the giving out of the thralls and if you grant this to me and it succeeds then I shall give you a fort and port on Pyke." stated Balon while leaning forward on his throne as his eyes bore into my own, daring me to deny him his wish and know I'm beat as I do lack enough men to make my plan even feasible before the war of the five kings.

"It is very generous of you, my lord, and I agree upon your terms."I respond bowing my head.

"Good, and I will write to the manderly of your fleets arrival and do show results, boy, or there will be consequences." stated Balon, but his tone went from kind to stern by the end of his sentence.

Standing to leave, I catch Lady asha staring at me, and I simply give a smile, causing her to turn her head blushing. I do find the fact she is blushing as I'm by far, not handsome rugged sure but handsome is something that could describe me.I would say from the old saying if a man can not be handsome he should be scary then I shall definitely look scary.

"What are your orders, captain?" Asked rickon, standing at the door to leave the castle.

I am looking upon my second in command just now, realizing how deep in thought I was.

"We'll take a break before we sail north with some crews borrowed from Lord Balon," I responded as I passed him, and from the foot falls behind me, he is following. Eventually, I made it to my ship, and once in my quarter, I realized I never named my ship and perhaps it's good to leave it nameless as I would rather not name a ship I shall replace as it is rather worn perhaps I could make one using the iron wood of the north. Just imagining a large Longship made of westeros's strongest wood besides the heart trees, but perhaps that could be experimented with in the future. Deciding to worry about my problems tomorrow, I lay down in my hammock bed since the old bed was destroyed when we boarded during the rebellion.

Waking in a dining hall, I realize I'm in the drowned gods' hall again, and before worry of myself being assassinated in my sleep, I hear laughter in the distance.

"Bwhahahahaha worry not lad your not dead yet. I simply needed to inform you of a development in the game that I thought you should know. The other pantheon have noticed you with the burning star stunt you did and some have thought to bring another otherworldly but before they could make that decision I intervened and eventually we came to a deal and that was you shall loose most of your future knowledge and anything that could put any of our religions at. risk like your worlds great scisms." Stated the jolly pseudo viking God

this actually explains a lot as I was having trouble remembering the exact timeline past the war of the five kings. Trying to look back upon it was all a blur besides dragons, and winter is coming. If it wasn't for the fact that my mere existence would've changed it regardless but what was worrying was my lack of recipes that I was relying on to put me on top like how to make gunpowder or how to make basic morphine but luckily it seems anything that could be improved with common sense seemed to remain so many new plans will need to be remade. Looking back, all I see is darkness, and the floating book, which is nothing new, was changed. Knowing nothing else would change, I chose to let sleep take me.

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Waking to the sound of the segulls cawing and sound of fishermen leaving port to make their catches. Rolling out of my hammock, I reequip my gear, and as I strapped my axe to my back, I heard a hard knock on my door.

"Captain, the other captains are waiting on you at the dock." Stated Ivar

"I'll be there and gather the rest of the crews to prepare for setting sail." I order

leaving my cabin, I see the young man's back as he leaves the deck and it's quite surprising how a boy around my age could improve with no cheats like me as the lad and for that matter the rest of the crew is improving in their fighting strength. Adjusting my coat, I set foot on the deck looking for the other captains and seeing a large gathering of ragged sailors.

"You the men promised to my by Lord Balon?" I ask the gathered sailors and raiders as many were armed and armored.

"Aye, we are lad, and you must be Ragnar,"the bloody" Hoare. It seems we are to help you in your first organized raid, so tell us boy what shore shall we be raiding?" responded on of the older looking sailors with long white beard and covered from head to toe in tattoos barely revealed through the gaps in his clothes and armor.

"We sail north to raid the wildlings and the skagosi not for riches but for thralls and saltwives, and the main goal of our raids is to ensure we make it possible for ironborn to be born to replace those who fell in the rebellion and if we are lucky each man could on the isles could have multiple saltwives." I state trying to inflect as much charisma into my little speech as possible, and from the few nodding heads of the longbeards, it seems a few agree with the idea. With the plan set in a few hours, my small fleet of ten ships set sail for the north, the true north.