CHAPTER 142
Garon was temporarily unaware of Asha's thoughts. After finalizing the plan of action, he bid farewell to Sansa and the others before immediately leaving Winterfell to seek out the Skagosi who had settled in Winter Town.
With the arrival of the Skagosi, Winter Town, which had only recently regained its quiet atmosphere after the Ironborn invasion, became lively once more. Sparta, the Skagosi chieftain who had just met with House Stark, remained uncertain about Winterfell's attitude toward his request. Anxious about the fate of Skagos, he chose to drown his worries in ale inside a tavern. Without their chieftain's restraint, the primitive and fiercely independent Skagosi freely indulged in drinking, feasting, and loud revelry throughout Winter Town.
That continued until Garon arrived with a detachment of House Glover's soldiers.
Within moments of receiving the news, Sparta hurried out of the tavern and led several of his warriors forward to greet him.
"Lord Garon?"
Having spent his entire life upon the isolated island of Skagos, Sparta was clearly unfamiliar with the customs of the North, and his salute appeared awkward and stiff.
Garon smiled faintly before stopping in front of him. As he observed Sparta, he was already considering how to draw these fierce Skagosi to his side.
"Chieftain Sparta."
Garon wasted no time with pleasantries, his calm gaze sweeping across the hardened warriors from the harsh island.
"Since Winterfell has heard your plea for aid, House Stark has no intention of abandoning the ancient alliance or leaving Skagos to face its fate alone."
The moment those words left his mouth, Sparta instinctively felt the imposing presence of a seasoned commander. An invisible pressure settled over him.
Fortunately, Sparta paid little attention to such things. Instead, hope immediately ignited in his eyes.
He stepped forward, his booming voice filled with anticipation.
"Lord Garon!"
"Then send a great host with us immediately and return to Skagos to slay that beast."
"Every day we delay means more of my people will be burned or devoured."
Garon slowly shook his head, allowing a perfectly measured expression of helplessness to appear on his face.
"Chieftain Sparta, have you seen Winterfell's condition?"
He gestured toward the castle behind him. Though its walls still stood proudly, the scars left by the recent war remained impossible to ignore.
"We have only just survived a brutal invasion by the Ironborn."
"Countless Northern warriors have shed their blood defending these lands."
"Our king, Robb Stark, is still leading the main Northern army in the south against House Lannister."
"The North simply cannot spare another army for a dangerous dragon hunt across the sea."
He paused before meeting Sparta's disappointed gaze with a sigh.
"You said the dragon has plagued Skagos for more than a century."
"Why did you not seek Winterfell's aid sooner?"
"If you had come six months ago..."
"No, even two months ago..."
"I could have guaranteed that House Stark would have hunted the dragon for you."
"But now..."
His unfinished sentence extinguished the hope in Sparta's eyes.
The Skagosi chieftain opened his mouth several times before finally speaking.
"Over a hundred years ago, that dragon settled upon Skagos."
"When every attempt to drive it away failed..."
"We chose to offer it sacrifices and coexist with it."
"Later it fell into a deep sleep."
"We believed age had finally claimed it."
"But recently..."
"It awakened."
"And its hunger only continues to grow."
"We tried to hunt it."
"But its dragonfire burned many of our people alive."
Sparta's words resonated with every Skagosi behind him.
Their expressions gradually darkened.
Realizing that Winterfell might refuse their request, anger and dissatisfaction slowly appeared on their faces.
These Skagosi were even fiercer than the free folk beyond the Wall.
They had crossed the Bay of Seals and traveled countless miles to Winterfell.
They had not come merely to hear excuses.
Just as tempers were about to erupt, Garon suddenly changed his tone.
His voice lowered, carrying an almost irresistible calm.
"It seems the greatest threat facing Skagos is no longer merely the dragon..."
"But also the ambitions of men."
Sparta froze.
"The new King of the Iron Islands, Euron Greyjoy."
Garon stared directly into Sparta's eyes.
"He is the same man whose forces recently invaded the North."
"And the reason he launched that reckless invasion..."
"Was to open a path toward Skagos."
"His true target has always been your dragon."
Garon deliberately paused.
Then he slowly delivered the final revelation.
"He possesses an ancient and sinister means of controlling dragons."
"A dark ritual fueled by sacrifice."
The words struck the assembled Skagosi like thunder.
Sacrifice?
What kind of sacrifice?
Whose lives would be offered?
Would the victims be the people of Skagos?
Countless questions surged through Sparta's mind.
His breathing became noticeably heavier.
The disappointment in his heart instantly transformed into burning fury.
"Where is he?"
"How does he intend to use sacrifices to control the dragon?"
Garon's lips slowly curved upward.
"On the Iron Islands."
"He has already returned to Pyke."
"He is preparing another invasion of the North."
"As for those sacrifices..."
He allowed another calculated pause.
"The warriors of the North will not be the only ones offered."
"The Skagosi themselves will certainly not be spared."
Sparta exploded with rage before Garon could continue.
"He dares!"
"That stinking fish dares!"
"I'll break every bone in his body and feed the pieces to my unicorns!"
The surrounding Skagosi erupted with equal fury.
"Chieftain, let's return home and gather everyone!"
"We'll kill Euron ourselves!"
"Yes!"
"Use the blood of the Ironborn as the sacrifice instead!"
"Kill every last one of them!"
Garon remained completely still.
Only after the furious shouting gradually subsided did he calmly cast out the bait he had prepared.
"Chieftain Sparta."
"If you truly intend to return home..."
"Please decide quickly."
"So I can arrange provisions for your voyage."
"Do not misunderstand."
"We are not driving you away."
"In two days..."
"I will personally lead an army against the Iron Islands."
"I intend to stop Euron before his madness consumes both the North and Skagos."
Sparta froze.
His mind struggled to process Garon's words.
"You're attacking the Iron Islands too?"
"Then why not bring us with you?"
Garon smiled before deliberately belittling them.
"This is a Northern war."
"It has nothing to do with Skagos."
"Besides..."
"The Iron Islands are full of danger."
"If your people recklessly join the campaign..."
"I fear many of them will never return."
Fury immediately returned to Sparta's face.
He was no fool.
He clearly understood the hidden meaning behind Garon's words.
"Lord Garon!"
"Are you mocking the Skagosi?"
"Do you think we fear death?"
Garon simply shook his head, pretending not to notice the anger spreading through the Skagosi ranks.
"No."
"Of course not."
"But Northern soldiers fight according to orders."
"As for your warriors..."
"Can they obey my commands upon the battlefield?"
Those words caused Sparta and the surrounding Skagosi to glance at one another.
The hesitation in Sparta's eyes briefly replaced his anger.
He studied Garon before looking at the disciplined but comparatively small force of Glover soldiers standing behind him.
Finally, he spoke in a rough voice.
"Lord Garon."
"The Skagosi have always respected strength."
"But with only these hundred warriors behind you..."
He left the sentence unfinished.
His contempt had already said enough.
Neither Sparta nor his followers truly believed these Northerners were stronger than the warriors of Skagos.
Their journey to Winterfell had been born from desperation rather than admiration.
Garon had anticipated exactly this reaction.
A confident smile appeared on his face.
His sharp gaze locked onto Sparta.
"Because I can lead you to victory."
"Because I understand war better than you."
"You know how to hunt."
"I know how to conquer."
"As for proof..."
Garon suddenly drew the greatsword at his waist.
Its cold blade shimmered beneath the gray northern sky.
"Chieftain Sparta."
"You claim the Skagosi honor only the strong."
"Then let us settle this as warriors."
"If you defeat me..."
"My soldiers and I will obey your commands."
"But if I win..."
Excitement instantly flashed across Sparta's face as he interrupted.
"Then in the name of Skagos..."
"If I lose..."
"I and every Skagosi warrior accompanying me shall obey your command without question throughout the coming campaign."
The gathered Skagosi immediately burst into loud cheers, savage laughter, and wild cries.
In their eyes, Garon challenging their mighty chieftain was no different from courting death.
The soldiers of House Glover, however, remained completely silent.
Every one of them simply looked at Garon with absolute confidence.
Within moments, the entirety of Winter Town had become a roaring arena.
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