FS-novel Chapter 411 – Pyke 04.
Chapter 411 – Pyke 04.
[Chapter Size: 3200 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Pyke, 300 AC.
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The eagles continued watching the battle in the sky, as they saw the last remnants of the ironborn beginning to fall one by one, until all of them were eliminated.
Those who jumped into the water died from the fall or were devoured by the legendary creatures that feasted by throwing them in, while the acid in their stomach finished the job of completely dissolving them.
The krakens were already down there beneath the newly formed cliff, among the ruins of the old fortress, grabbing one man after another as they fell into the water trying to escape.
Those who tried to pass through the natural path, attempting to climb down the rocks, either fell from a height they would not survive, or were caught by animals within the forests.
Little by little, the screams faded, until nothing was left. The army had simply crushed the enemies while they burned with wildfire.
The giants were the first to arrive, clearing the way easily, using powder to clear the passage. When there was no path through the flames, they used an alchemical substance that simply extinguished the wildfire, creating access with ease, impressing even the enemies.
They advanced to the shattered coast where Pyke once stood, while the infantry followed right behind.
It was a massacre.
"So this is how everything ends...", Jorelle crossed her arms and murmured, listening to the silence coming from the highest part of that coast.
Soon after, a trumpet sounded, announcing that the enemies had been defeated.
"Well, it's over here. Let's organize things", Jon said, turning around. He remained below, at the port, observing everything while his men did all the work this time.
They still had work to do: sending men around the island and also going after those who managed to escape the animals. There were other ports, and some ships had escaped upon learning what happened on that side of the island.
The explosion of the wildfire, along with the fall of Pyke, had certainly been seen across the entire island, leaving everyone frightened.
Meanwhile, further north, Lancelot had already conquered Old Wyk, while they advanced through the smaller islands, massacring ironborn. Some men were left behind only to organize the slaves and ensure they would not starve.
"We've finished here, commander", one of the officers said.
"Great. Let's head to Pyke. Our king must have already arrived there... he has probably already dealt with the false king", Lancelot replied, before beginning to give orders.
Some men were left to maintain order on the island, while nearly the entire fleet sailed south.
It was at that moment that they encountered ships fleeing from other ports of Pyke island.
"Prepare wildfire on all of them! Sink those ships!", Lancelot ordered.
The giants did not hesitate before aiming and firing. The projectiles struck the ships that had the misfortune of crossing paths with half of the Arctican fleet advancing across the sea ahead of them.
What happened next was simple: fire, death, and destruction.
Everyone was annihilated. The path was clear to Pyke.
They then received a raven from Jon, ordering them to hold the other two ports of the island, eliminating any ironborn and trying to preserve as many slaves as they could.
The ships continued sailing, carrying out their duties swiftly. Lancelot split the fleet into two parts and left one under the command of another holy knight he trusted.
Barristan Selmy, despite having skill and knowledge, had just joined the Kingsguard. He still did not have the qualification to lead troops, being a complete stranger who still needed to prove his worth.
The port was easily taken. There was not much defense, and most of the ships with warriors had already been decimated at sea.
After taking control, Lancelot placed another man in command and proceeded inland, along the paved roads, toward the port of Pyke, where the king awaited him.
Upon arriving there, Barristan Selmy could not help but look toward the highest point of the coast and frown. The natural defense with the great cliffs was still there, but the entire structure of the imposing fortress, which had given King Robert Baratheon headaches more than a decade ago, had already disappeared.
He swallowed hard.
He could not understand the power of wildfire, which had destroyed and decimated the Royal Fleet when he had still served his king, trying to face the Arctican fleet. Even more so after what they had done in battle against the Redwyne Fleet, in addition to facing men like the Mountain.
Even so, it seemed they had underestimated the power of that chemical product.
He knew it could destroy ships… but bring down an entire fortress?
It was still hard to believe.
In any case, they moved on, toward the port.
There was a crowd of women and children separated in one corner, while the Arcticans spoke with them, gathering information, writing on papers and interviewing each one. Barristan Selmy had never seen this before, as they recorded something he could not understand.
The king was at the port. A table had been set up in the middle of the place, and he continued giving orders to his men, with a map of the coast open, assigning tasks.
When Lancelot arrived in front of him, Jon stopped looking at the map and greeted them. "Welcome back."
"I would like to report, my king", Lancelot said, lowering his head, while Barristan Selmy knelt.
"Give the report", Jon replied.
"Old Wyk has been conquered. We had some casualties at the port, but most were protected. Most of the ships were captured, and we had to deploy wildfire on some of them in the port...", Lancelot continued. "We are awaiting your order to mobilize troops and take them north. All the slaves have been organized and are willing to go."
"Excellent", Jon nodded.
At least one hundred and fifty thousand slaves had been gathered on the current island. And Old Wyk had an even greater number, possessing approximately eighty thousand.
If all of this were added to what already existed in the north, in the Gift, two hundred thousand people would be more than enough to rebuild the entire region.
This would certainly also help reduce food prices. Jon knew he would need to lower prices in Arctica, but even so, he knew that with more production, food would become cheaper and more accessible to the common people. He had that as his goal.
The Gift could be an essential farming region, helping to supply a large part of the world — especially if he could replicate there the same system he used in Arctica.
"Alright. We will already demand that they take all the living there. Besides that, I want to know… did you rescue Lord Blacktyde?", Jon asked.
"We found him almost dead, my king, but he was rescued and treated. However, his attitude is not very good", Lancelot said.
"Then he must hate us as well… perhaps even more than the ironborn themselves. Well, I will speak with him later. Let's see if there is still a solution", Jon replied.
There was no point in placing a fool who openly hated him as lord. He preferred to give the title to one of Blacktyde's former slaves, someone who would be more grateful.
"Well, we will spend a day here today. I want to organize the ships for the women who will go north. Those who wish to stay may return to their homes, as long as they do not cause trouble. Otherwise, they will be treated accordingly — and the sword will be an almost certain option for anyone who interferes with the Arcticans", Jon said in a serious tone.
After all, some of these women could be resentful. Some were forced, others perhaps not. Some were not even captured and were simply born as ironborn.
The Arcticans continued working.
Jon returned to the ship and went to the cabin where Mari was.
She was sitting, with an empty look. When she saw him, she raised her eyes. There was sadness and pain in them.
"It's over… it's really over?", she asked cautiously.
Perhaps, for her, none of that had been worth it in the face of everything she had lost. The Arcticans had arrived too late. There was nothing that could be done.
"Yes… The ironborn have never suffered so many losses. All our ships passed through the islands. We decimated most of them, and the slaves are about to be taken north. More than two hundred thousand, in total. They will never be the same people as before...", Jon replied.
"I will execute Balon Greyjoy tomorrow. And I also ordered my men to search for the girls, based on the description you gave us."
She nodded. Despite the reluctance... "Thank you… thank you for everything. I just hope they are alive… and well."
Jon simply nodded before leaving the place.
He could not help but think about the horrors that the ironborn had caused in recent months. In his mind, that brutal and cruel response still seemed like an appropriate price.
"Jon… I think you should take her down from there", Arya commented. She was looking at the mast. Jorelle was also by her side.
Jon raised his head and saw Asha there, standing with empty eyes. She had practically given up on living.
She no longer cried. She no longer said anything. Her eyes focused on nothing — they were simply open, staring into the void.
Jon sighed. "Take her down from there. She has already played her part", Jon said.
Despite almost no witnesses having survived in the Iron Islands to tell what happened there that day, it still sent a clear message. Asha had been crucified on the mast as a trophy — something the Greyjoys would never expect, with Pyke soon being sunk into the sea.
Jon watched the night fall.
Some women refused to go north, while others accepted, being placed on the ships — many of them former ships of the ironborn themselves.
"Looks like we'll have to leave some ships behind", Jon commented. He needed sailors to steer the vessels north, as well as Arcticans to ensure safety during the journey.
His forces were diminishing, but there was nothing to be done.
Even so, he still maintained enough troops to attack the Westerlands. However, before that, there were the Crownlands, an area he needed to deal with. The domain seemed to have collapsed after the fall of the North and the Riverlands.
Jon already had a good idea of what had happened.
And now… it was time to strike back.
He then saw Asha fall to the ground. The men themselves had loosened her restraints and left her there.
"Place her together with her father, behind the ship. Leave them like that until tomorrow. They will be executed anyway", Jon said, shrugging.
To him, that was justice. The men dragged Asha to where Balon was, still giving off a strong and unpleasant smell.
She did not complain. She said nothing. She simply let herself be taken and stayed there.
"Just make sure they don't die until tomorrow", Jon added, since they were out in the open.
Meanwhile, Lancelot returned to take care of the other side of the island, organizing the slaves responsible for shipbuilding and mining.
As the name itself indicated, iron was extremely abundant there. It was enough to observe the soil — Jon could detect several geological layers rich in metal.
That place was more than a trading point he wanted in the future. It was a valuable mine.
All this material could be transported to Arctica and turned into valyrian steel ingots, using runic forges and dragonfire.
Another resource whose value should already begin to change due to its abundance. With large-scale production in Arctica, the price of valyrian steel would inevitably decrease in the market.
But that did not matter.
Jon had bigger plans.
He intended to equip as much of his army as possible with that magical metal, creating an absolutely unparalleled force.
Later, Jon had dinner with Arya and Jorelle. He even invited Mari, but she refused. Even so, Jon asked that food be taken to her cabin. She needed to eat something.
The next day, they resumed preparing the ships.
They had already gathered more than two hundred vessels at the port, filled with women, children, and slaves ready to depart. The older sons of the ironborn would be taken directly to the Wall.
There were some problems, but nothing the men of Arctica could not handle. Using sedatives, they managed to contain the younger and more rebellious ones who did not accept their fate in the ships' cells.
For Jon, there was no longer any solution for them. They were ironborn.
That meant that, in the future, they could return to the ships. For that reason, all those between twelve and eighteen years old who survived were condemned to the Wall.
"My king, we found someone hiding… a dwarf carrying a man", said a soldier.
Jon widened his eyes.
"How did this man survive?", he asked, surprised.
He had made sure that Balon Greyjoy would survive the fall, but he had not imagined that the priest of the Drowned God would have lived as well.
The man was dragged and thrown before Jon, trembling, with wide eyes. That priest, who once showed so much faith and confidence, was now broken.
It was no wonder.
He had seen his people being massacred, the fortress — the pride of the Iron Islands — being destroyed, and the krakens, which should have been symbols of his faith, obeying the Arcticans and devouring his people after destroying their ships...
Nothing made sense.
When Jon looked at him and gave a slight smile, as if he had an idea, the man seemed to break even further.
"Good… good that you are alive", Jon said, satisfied. "At least we can carry out a proper execution."
He clapped his hands.
"Gather everyone. It is time to kill Balon Greyjoy."
With those words, the crowd began to form around the port. Even women and children approached, curious.
Balon's execution would not be ordinary.
Jon walked to a more open area of the deck and ordered the ships to move away, making space.
Balon was brought forward, still alive, but completely broken. The priest was also placed in front.
Asha was forced to kneel near them. Some men held her head, forcing her to look, even with her empty gaze.
Jon then drew his sword.
He drove the tip into the wooden deck in front of him, holding the hilt with both hands.
And stood there, in silence, watching the crowd.
"We are here today to execute Balon Greyjoy!" He burst out with his voice, even though he seemed nothing but calm. Some said the voice was coming from the sky.
"He, for the second time in about twelve or thirteen years, created two rebellions trying to make himself king. The first failed… so he tried again twelve years later. And once again, he failed!"
"But I must say… it was a mistake for Robert Baratheon to have left him alive back then."
"I will not make that mistake."
"That is why I intend to execute the entire Greyjoy family… and eliminate them completely from the Seven Kingdoms."
The words echoed. Some trembled. Others looked in disbelief.
Even those who wanted to mock could not ignore it: the Greyjoy family was about to disappear before their eyes.
"I could use my sword to cut off your neck", Jon continued. "But I believe that would not be a proper execution for someone like Balon Greyjoy."
Jon then raised one of his hands. At the same time, tentacles began to emerge from the water.
Cries of horror echoed among the natives. The Arcticans were already used to it, but even so, it was an impressive sight.
A kraken began to rise, its enormous head appearing for the first time. A deep and mythical sound echoed through the air — a strange, unique roar.
"I intend to execute Balon Greyjoy… by the kraken itself."
"I will make the man who claimed to be this legendary creature… be devoured by it."
The priest began to tremble upon hearing this.
Jon placed his hand back on the hilt of the sword and took a few steps back. Then, he raised his arm and pointed directly at Balon.
"Today, I execute Balon Greyjoy. I condemn him to death for his rebellions." With those words, the tentacles slowly advanced.
They wrapped around Balon, who was still paralyzed, and lifted him.
Everyone watched.
The kraken opened its mouth.
The sight of its countless teeth made even the Arcticans shudder — many had never seen a kraken this closely.
Balon was brought to the creature's mouth.
And then… devoured.
The mouth closed.
And there was the end of the Kraken King.
Jon seemed satisfied. He began to walk across the deck.
But the kraken had not finished. Another tentacle rose.
It moved directly toward the priest.
"Wait! No! What are you doing?!", he screamed, desperate, as he was wrapped up and lifted.
"Did you really think I would let you live?", Jon said, in a cold tone. "Die like your king."
The man screamed as he was taken to the creature's mouth. It opened again. And, in the next instant, he was thrown inside. The teeth closed, crushing his body.
Everyone watched in silence as the kraken returned to the depths.
Jon then looked at Asha.
She was still kneeling, seemingly empty. But, upon seeing her father being devoured… her body trembled.
"Asha Greyjoy… I condemn you to death for all the atrocities you committed in the North", Jon said.
Without much ceremony, he raised the sword and, in a single motion, cut the woman's neck with Blackfyre.
Her head fell and rolled across the deck.
She probably did not even feel pain.
"Place her head on a spike", was all Jon said, before turning and beginning to walk away.
There was nothing impressive about that death.
Jon simply did not ensure that she would be devoured by a kraken like her father, but he would never allow her to live.
With that, the Greyjoy family was completely destroyed. As far as they knew, only one remained — and Theon was a castrated man.
That is to say, the Greyjoy name would not continue. The Greyjoys were dead.
"My king", a man approached. Jon made a gesture for him to speak.
"We found two women on the other side of the island… matching the description you gave. They also claim to be from Icehill!"
Jon nodded upon hearing that. "Bring them here immediately. Let's see if Mari can recognize them."
Whatever had happened to them, now it was time to act.
Pyke was no longer the focus.
The next objective was, finally, the continent.
Jon would go first to Seagard, then advance to the Twins with his men.
The Freys were his targets at this moment... And Jon wanted to make the Twins simply disappear from the map.
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