Chapter 66 CHAPTER 66
Compared to the Ironborn captain who had stubbornly refused to speak moments earlier, the two surviving Ironborn before them were clearly terrified of death.
Garon had not even formally begun interrogating them. After only a few cold threats, the two men immediately spilled everything regarding their landing at Sea Dragon Point.
"My lord, we are sailors under Captain Asha!"
"We were ordered by her to patrol the Bay of Ice!"
"Originally, we were already preparing to return, but Captain Dayne wanted to rest ashore for a while, so we landed here."
"..."
After hearing their explanation, Garon coldly stared at the two trembling men kneeling on the beach.
"Patrol?"
"The Bay of Ice belongs to the North."
"Who gave you Ironborn permission to patrol here?"
The Ironborn whose leg had been pierced by an arrow weakly replied,
"My lord... we only obey Captain Asha's orders."
"As for the rest... I truly don't know anything."
Beside him, the Ironborn whose shoulder had been struck by an arrow clutched the wound painfully while his eyes shifted nervously around.
It was obvious he knew more than the other man.
Garon's gaze sharpened instantly as he noticed the abnormality.
"And what about you?"
He slowly rested his hand on the hilt of his sword while threatening coldly,
"If you also know nothing, then there is no reason for me to keep you alive."
Jon and the others immediately cooperated with Garon's intimidation.
In an instant, several sword blades were pointed directly at the two kneeling Ironborn.
The wounded Ironborn with the injured shoulder immediately trembled violently.
He waved both hands frantically, as though he had forgotten the pain entirely.
"I'll talk!"
"I'll tell you everything!"
Afraid Garon would truly kill him, he hurriedly revealed what he knew.
"I heard Captain Asha say that the King and the North killed her brother."
"So she sent us here to teach the North a lesson."
"We only killed two men from Bear Island before the Mormonts discovered us."
"So we retreated to Sea Dragon Point to rest for a night before returning to the Iron Islands tomorrow."
As Garon listened silently, thoughts rapidly surfaced within his mind.
"So the news of Theon's death has already reached the Iron Islands."
"But that old squid Balon is unexpectedly calm."
"He's not even planning immediate revenge for Theon?"
"Instead, it's Asha Greyjoy taking action..."
A tall and fierce female figure quickly surfaced in Garon's thoughts.
However, he had never personally seen Asha Greyjoy.
The image in his mind only came from the television series in his previous life.
In the original stories, Asha was described as far more attractive than the version portrayed in the show.
"So she wants revenge for Theon?"
"What deep sibling affection."
Garon shook his head lightly and stopped dwelling on the matter before continuing his questioning.
"How many Ironborn entered the Bay of Ice?"
"Two longships."
"But there are fewer than three hundred men in total."
"Where are the rest of them now?"
"We separated after the fighting on Bear Island."
"I don't know where they currently are..."
When Garon heard that there were fewer than three hundred Ironborn operating in the Bay of Ice, the heavy burden in his heart finally eased slightly.
At present, he was still not fully prepared for an all-out war against the Iron Islands.
If Balon truly launched a large-scale invasion now, Garon honestly could not guarantee Deepwood Motte would withstand the pressure.
Still, to ensure the Ironborn were not lying, Garon carefully questioned them further and repeatedly cross-checked their statements.
Only after fully confirming the details did he finally give Jon a slight glance.
Jon instantly understood.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and executed both men on the spot.
Pfft!
The blades pierced through their hearts.
The two Ironborn collapsed lifelessly onto the beach almost instantly.
Jon's expression remained calm.
After glancing once at the corpses, he casually wiped the blood from his sword before turning toward Garon.
"What do we do next?"
"Do we continue searching for the remaining Ironborn?"
"Or should we return to Deepwood Motte and warn Robb?"
Garon gazed silently toward the sea for a moment before finally turning back toward everyone.
"It's already getting dark."
"We'll return to the pine forest first and regroup with the others."
As he turned around and began walking back with Jon, Mihawk, and the others, he calmly answered Jon's earlier question.
"Tomorrow morning, send several men back to Deepwood Motte with a report."
"The rest of us will continue patrolling Sea Dragon Point."
"We cannot allow any other Ironborn to land unnoticed."
Jon nodded silently to show he understood.
Garon quickened his pace and soon led the group back along their original route toward the edge of the pine forest.
"We'll camp here tonight."
After giving the order, he turned toward Jon and Mihawk and reminded them seriously,
"To be safe, double the number of guards tonight."
"You two will come with me shortly to arrange the watch positions."
Both Jon and Mihawk nodded immediately.
Garon ordered the soldiers to temporarily rest beside the horses while he personally led Jon and Mihawk around the perimeter between the pine forest and the hills to arrange lookout positions.
After returning, Mihawk immediately began assigning men to the various guard posts.
At this moment, the soldiers who had remained behind to guard the horses were eagerly listening to the others recount the earlier slaughter of the Ironborn.
Each of them was filled with envy.
One soldier noticed Garon approaching and boldly asked,
"Lord Garon, when are we finally going to war against the Ironborn?"
"We can hardly wait anymore!"
As soon as he spoke, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter and agreement.
Garon merely shook his head and replied calmly,
"What's the rush?"
"Focus first on improving your skills."
"There will be plenty of opportunities for you to earn glory later."
"Enough idle talk now."
"Eat your supper and rest early."
After watching the soldiers gradually disperse, Garon walked toward a nearby pine tree.
He loosened his cloak and sat down quietly against the trunk.
"My lord, have something to eat."
At this moment, Jon walked over carrying dried rations and water taken from his horse before handing them to Garon.
Garon accepted them casually.
He bit into the dried meat, which was as hard as stone, while continuing to think about the future movements of the Ironborn.
"To conquer the Iron Islands, I'll still need ships."
"But besides White Harbor, where in the North can I even find a fleet..."
Thoughts continued flowing through Garon's mind endlessly.
Gradually, all sounds within the forest faded into silence.
Once the forest became completely quiet, sleepiness slowly crept over him.
Garon draped his cloak over himself, leaned back against the pine tree, slowly closed his eyes, and rested.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, the cold dew of dawn woke Garon from his sleep.
He stretched his body, twisted his stiff neck slightly, then threw aside his cloak and stood up.
At this time, most of the others were still sleeping heavily on the ground or leaning against trees.
Garon moved quietly and deliberately avoided waking anyone.
Only after reaching the edge of the pine forest did he stop and gaze silently toward the sea.
"Lord Garon!"
A guard who had changed shifts during the night recognized him immediately and hurriedly greeted him respectfully.
Garon smiled faintly and nodded in response.
The guard wisely chose not to disturb him further.
He quietly retreated behind a nearby tree and resumed his watch.
Nearly an hour later, the sky fully brightened.
The soldiers gradually woke one after another.
Only then did Garon finally turn back into the forest and begin issuing orders for the day.
"You five will ride back to Deepwood Motte immediately and deliver a report."
"Tell the Maester and Uncle Robert that Ironborn activity has been discovered at Sea Dragon Point."
"Have them notify Winterfell as well."
"The rest of you will continue patrolling Sea Dragon Point with me."
The five selected soldiers immediately acknowledged the order.
After preparing their horses, they bid farewell to Garon and galloped back toward Deepwood Motte.
Once they departed, Garon continued leading the remaining men across Sea Dragon Point, patrolling the coastline and selecting suitable locations for future outposts.
This patrol continued for several more days.
By the time Garon finally returned to Deepwood Motte with his men, five full days had already passed.
After returning, Garon did not even take time to rest.
He immediately summoned the key figures of Deepwood Motte to discuss the establishment and deployment of outposts across Sea Dragon Point.
After completing those arrangements, he threw himself back into military training without pause and continued selecting captains for the hundred-man units.
Thus, without anyone truly noticing, more than a month passed in the blink of an eye.
And during that same period, the royal procession finally arrived at King's Landing.
At the same time, Catelyn Stark's ship also reached the Mud Gate of the capital.
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