I look at the ship in front of me and frown. They are ships coming from the Umber and Karstark families. They are coming to Skagos wanting to raid our ship and steal our fish just like they did in the past.
"I see. This will be a problem."
"Can I ask why, your holiness?"
"This will give the Umber and Karstark a chance to invade our land officially, and this time, the rest of the North will help us."
"Why?!"
I look at my apprentice in druidic class, Holne, who shouted with a frown on her face.
"They are the ones that are attacking us! The Stark should support us!"
I give her a head pat and say.
"It is not that simple, dear. It is true that they are in the wrong in this matter, but they are one of the biggest houses in the North. The Stark will listen to their words rather than listen to us, the 'barbarian' in the shivering isle."
"That is not fair."
"I know, but it has always been like this since a long time ago. The Stark will not help us, they will not listen to us, and they will not honor the ancient pact."
The Ancient Pact is the pact between the King of the North and the King of Skagos. The pact is about how both sides should help each other until the end of time. The Green Mother told me that the Stark never sent any help to Skagos even after signing the pact with blood.
"What should we do now, your holiness?"
I think about it for a few seconds before nodding my head.
"For now, we should go to Winterfell and have some talk with the Lord of Stark."
"Pardon me?! You want to talk with the Stark, your holiness?!"
"Yes. While I already know the outcome, I want to try to talk to them at the very least."
"Please bring a group of Rangers with you!"
"Of course. That is why I want you to pick fifteen Rangers and twenty Bards for me to bring. I also want you to prepare a ship for us."
"Yes, your holiness!"
After seeing him walk away from my presence, I continue to look at seven ships in the dock.
"Master, can I come with you?"
I look at Holne and shake my head.
"No, you can't come with me, Holne. I don't want you to become a target. You need to stay here and continue to train and learn how to use your Druidic power."
Holne is the first apprentice I take when I notice that she has a high potential as a Druid. If we go by the DnD, she would already be a level three Druid. Because of her potential, it only took her two months to grow this fast.
I can see her looking at the ground for a few seconds before looking back at me with determination.
"I will learn and train to be the best Druid in the world! And when that happens, I will stand next to you and follow you around! I will be the one protecting you!"
I laugh a little and give her another head pat before saying.
"I want you to use your power to protect the land and make sure no one can attack our land. Make sure our land prospers and make sure the outside force cannot take it from us. I want you to do that when my time has come to go back to the Pure World."
I can see she did not really understand what I said but decided to nod her head nonetheless because I'm the one saying that.
"Anyway, we should get back. We still need to prepare."
"En! I will help!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|Jon Snow - the Bastard of Winterfell|
My father got a letter from people that we had never thought of. The letter is coming from the people of Skagos. Father said that Skagos unite under one banner and decide to take the name of Skagos as their name, and currently, they are sending an envoy to Winterfell regarding what Umber and Karstark say to them.
When my father reads the letter, I see Lord Jon 'Great Jon' Umber and Lord Rickard Karstark arguing with my father, saying that the savage is lying and they are the ones who get attacked. However, my father decides he has enough and shouts at both lords in front of him.
It is the first time I have seen my father shout like that.
"Enough! I will see if what they are saying is correct or not! We will wait for them to come here, and then I will decide what to do."
Both Lord Umber and Lord Karstark bow at my father's decision, but I can see them frowning. I wonder who this Lord who unites the Skagos under one banner. Will he be the savage that Maester told me? Or will he be different than many people told me?
~ The Next Day ~
I couldn't help but open my mouth when I saw the envoy sent by the people of Skagos. He is a young man that should not be in this world. He has an otherworldly appearance and aura that urges me to give him a bow.
Following behind him are four men. They are completely silent, imposing, and tall. They are wearing leather armor with fur around it to block the cold of the north. I can see a longbow on their back and a long thin sword on their waist.
"William Antares, the Lord of Skagos. I have come to bargain."