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Domeric Bolton loved history.
In Winterfell’s hall, before Ned, he explained Skagos and the stoneborn who lived there to the children of Winterfell.
“Like the wildlings beyond the Wall, the Skagosi speak the Common Tongue. Some tribes may speak the Old Tongue as well. They worship the old gods, just as the First Men of the North and the wildlings beyond the Wall do. Some maesters at the Citadel classify the Skagosi as wildlings, believing they descend from seafaring adventurers among the free folk. In that view, they are a maritime branch of wildling civilization. Other maesters think their customs are closer to those of the northern mountain clans. There is also a theory at the Citadel that the Skagosi may have Ibbenese blood.”
“Whether the Skagosi are closer to wildlings or to mountain clans, they are fierce and warlike. They keep many savage customs, such as sacrificing living people to weirwoods. Many old books record that the Skagosi practice cannibalism, especially during harsh winters.”
Sansa shuddered.
“That is horrible.”
Bran banged his spoon against his bowl.
“What is horrible about that? Old Nan’s stories are much scarier. Old Nan says the Skagosi crossed to Skane, the island beside Skagos, stole the women, killed the men and the old, and feasted on their flesh for half a year.”
Sansa’s face went pale.
Robb scoffed.
“Old Nan’s stories are only meant to frighten children.”
Domeric smiled.
“I am afraid there may be truth in them. The most authoritative work on Skagos and the stoneborn is now Maester Balder’s The Edge of the World. Maester Balder served as maester at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea for sixty years during the time of Lord Commander Osric Stark.”
“The terrible Feast of Skane from Old Nan’s tale also appears in Maester Balder’s The Edge of the World, though with different details. In the book, the stoneborn feast lasted a fortnight, not half a year. Skane is likely deserted now, with white bones scattered along its shores. Passing ships avoid it from afar, and many sailors claim they can still hear the howls of the dead there. For that reason, I think the story is likely true.”
Robb and Jon both grew tense.
Old Nan’s stories were one thing.
A maester’s record was another.
Ned gave Domeric an approving look.
“Domeric, you are a walking library. I did not expect you to know so much even about bleak, savage Skagos.”
Domeric answered modestly.
“You praise me too much, Lord Eddard. I only like the battles, heroes, and stories in books.”
Theon said sourly, “I stopped believing stories as soon as I was weaned. Foolish tales are nothing but old women chattering.”
Ned smiled.
“Theon, you, Jon, and Robb should learn from Domeric. Read more. Books can sharpen the mind. If you wish to become commanders and leaders one day, reading will help you.”
Robb and Jon nodded solemnly.
Theon was more perfunctory.
Ned added, “Of course, if you mean to become brave fools with no strategy, men who only know how to charge forward, then reading does not matter. The Greatjon Umber is much the same. He actually asked me for leave to command troops by himself, row fishing boats across the bay, and take revenge on the savages of Skagos.”
The Greatjon’s lands had been raided by Skagosi pirates. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
The first attack had struck the newly founded saltworks by the Bay of Seals.
The soldiers posted there refined sea salt in the morning and drilled with weapons in the afternoon.
Since they had been recruited only recently and trained for just a few days, they were no match for the stoneborn raiders when the attack came.
The first assault killed more than twenty men.
A few days later, a raven arrived from Last Hearth reporting that stoneborn raiders had slaughtered another village, killing old people and men, abducting women and children, and leaving corpses scattered everywhere.
The Greatjon nearly burst with fury and asked Ned for permission to march on Skagos and punish the Skagosi.
Jon looked at Ned.
“Lord Stark, the Skaggs…”
“Stoneborn,” Ned corrected him.
“Skaggs is a slur. The Skagosi are uncivilized savages. They are traitors to the North and our enemies, but I will not belittle an enemy. Contempt breeds arrogance, and arrogance is deadly on a battlefield.”
Jon nodded.
“Very well. The stoneborn raiders are burning and killing in the Greatjon’s lands. The Greatjon asking to attack Skagos seems reasonable. Why do you call it brave foolishness?”
Ned said calmly, “Jon, if you wish to become a worthy commander when you grow, you must consider risk in everything. The Greatjon wants to gather a fleet of fishing boats and fight savage Skagosi raiders at sea. He even wants to land on unfamiliar Skagos. Can you not see the danger in that? Think carefully before answering.”
Jon pondered for a long while.
“The Greatjon’s fishing boats cannot stand against pirate ships. He may be attacked at sea and never reach Skagos.”
Ned nodded.
“Good. And even if he reached Skagos, that island is wrapped in tales of terror and cannibalism. Few outsiders dare set foot there. To the Greatjon and his Umber men, it is entirely unfamiliar ground. Narrow mountain paths, ancient forests, unknown lakes. Marching deep into that country alone would likely end in the whole force being wiped out.”
Robb ground his teeth.
“Those damned stoneborn raiders are traitors to the North. They once swore loyalty to Winterfell, yet they rebelled again and again. I expect the stoneborn have forgotten that the Starks were once their liege lords. They attacked Umber lands. Father, as Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, do we simply endure their killing and insult?”
Ned said, “I have already sent orders to the Greatjon and Rickard Karstark. If they see stoneborn raiders, they are to kill them without mercy and destroy stoneborn ships whenever possible. But they are not to go to sea to fight them.”
Domeric said, “Lord Eddard, Skagos is a backward, poor island. I think if House Karstark and House Umber join forces, and Winterfell sends soldiers as well, we can gather a fleet, land on Skagos, and teach those savages a lesson. Our odds should be excellent.”
“Of course, if Lord Eddard summons soldiers from all across the North, if crannogman bowmen, cavalry from the Rills, horsemen and spearmen from the Dreadfort, knights from White Harbor, infantry from the mountain clans, spear-and-shield men from Deepwood Motte, and mounted archers from Torrhen’s Square all gather in great force at the Bay of Seals and find ships to carry them to Skagos, then wiping out these savages and making them bend the knee should not be difficult.”
Ned smiled bitterly.
“You think the stoneborn are so easy to deal with?”
Domeric shrugged.
“When a lord gathers a great army, savages flee into the mountains, struggle for a time, lose, and are captured. When a tyrant runs wild, a hero answers the people’s call, raises the banner of justice, kills the tyrant, and ushers in a new dawn. Justice always defeats evil. That is how history books tell it.”
Domeric wore a confident smile.
Among boys his age, he was mature, steady, and learned.
But he was still too young.
“War is not a game. Every victory you read about was full of peril. Never underestimate the stoneborn. Their last rebellion occurred during the reign of Daeron II, barely more than a century ago. That rebellion lasted for years and took thousands of lives, including that of Lord Barthogan Stark, the Lord of Winterfell at the time.”
Ned’s saltworks plan had been aimed at ironborn raiders along the west coast.
He had not expected the stoneborn on the east coast to be the first to spring out.
Reports said small groups of raiders still appeared along the west coast, but their targets were mostly fishing villages.
Ironborn rarely troubled saltworks protected by seaside watchtowers.
The stoneborn rampage forced Ned to turn his attention to Skagos.
According to a raven from Karhold, stoneborn raiders had even appeared on the Karstark peninsula, though not in numbers as large as those attacking Umber lands.
The expansion of Winter Town, the saltworks, the military settlements in the New Gift, and the beehive plan in each region all drained gold dragons from Winterfell every day.
Winterfell’s finances were already tight.
For the cursed stoneborn raiders to stir up trouble now left Ned deeply frustrated.
Skagos was too mysterious.
No one knew how many tribes or people lived in its mountains.
But from Winterfell’s last campaign to put down a Skagosi rebellion, the stoneborn were not easy prey.
The brothers of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea killed wildlings in the Bay of Seals whenever they caught their small boats, yet they still could not stop wildling craft from appearing along Umber and even Karstark lands.
It was easy to imagine wildling raiders landing on Skagos often.
Wildling and stoneborn tribes spoke the Common Tongue with similar accents.
Some were said to still use the Old Tongue.
They both worshiped the old gods, and their customs were close.
If the hateful King-beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, extended his influence onto Skagos and used it as a stepping stone to attack the North, that would be a disaster.
At the very least, the saltworks, the New Gift settlements, the beehives, and Winter Town’s expansion that Ned had worked so hard to establish would all be interrupted.
The investments already made would be lost.
Thinking of it, Ned felt cold even in the warm hall.
The chill crawled up his back.
Cold wind rose, cutting to the bone.
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