(18) The Battle for the Isles

( POV Thorin Stark )

My wedding took place in the Gods Wood of Riverrun it wasn't the size of Robb's but a little larger than Jon's. We swore our vows before the Old Gods as Starks have for centuries though my wife insisted on getting married on the shores of Old Wyk as is befitting of a Greyjoy.

Asha was a wilful woman, quick witted and sharp tongued. We got a long we'll enough and I'm sure without the war we would have been good friends but we where a long way from love and I doubt we will ever be there. We mightn't be in love but that didn't mean we didn't enjoy our wedding night, and the night after. I've met few women who could keep up with me in bed, but me and Asha spent days not leaving our room.

On the third day of our marriage we finally left our large room. And not two days later we where marching north to Seagard with ten thousand Northmen and Rivermen following. When we arrived at Seagard I was met with Lord Jason Mallister who greeted me warmly though he was rather short with my wife as Seagard had felt much sorrow at the hands of the Ironborn during the Greyjoy rebellion.

I stood atop the battlements of Seagard, it was a formidable castle, and gazing out at the gathered ships amazed me, this was the combined fleet of the Riverlands and the North along with many Ironborn ships that follow my wife. The giant galleys stood out the most. Three in total from the Riverlands and only one from the North, but smaller ships littered the water surrounding the large war ships, near fifty cogs from White Harbour and Seagard and almost eighty longboats, the majority being the Greyjoy fleet but a few sailing from Bear Island.

But the ship I found myself drawn to the most is my own, The Howling Wolf. The ship was first planned by my Grandfather Lord Rickard Stark, then Father began its construction a few years ago and it was nearly done just before the war started. It was majestic a true wonder of crafting.

It was nearly the size of a galley and it towered over longships. It was made of Weirwood, the wood was light and strong as iron and it was as swift as any longship. It was crewed by fifty sailors and could hold three hundred soldiers. The ship is also adorned with a giant ram on the bottom of the ship designed to rip other ships apart. All along the side there where slits to fire scorpion bolts at ships. The figurehead on the prow of the ship was a black wolf howling at the sky, the black wolfs fangs where painted blood red.

I looked at the figurehead surprised at how realistic it was, it looked just like Fenrir just after he's killed a Lannister soldier. Though Fenrir doesn't sail with me today he hunts with his brothers in the forrest of the Gods Eye as my own brothers prepare to take Harrenhal. But I still have Alduin as well as Parthunax and Odahvin. Both my brothers dragons will make the fight simple.

I turned after finishing that thought, I would be boarding soon and I need to pray beforehand. So I made my way to the Gods wood. It was filled with tall trees and in the centre stood a Heart tree, I knelt before it and asked for guidance. I had heard rumours about this mad man I am about to fight that he has a horn that can control dragons.

"They are more than rumours Thorin Stark." I heard a voice from the tree in front of me.

"He will take Alduin from me?" I asked in horror.

"Worry not for your dragon, it is blessed by the thousand nameless Gods of the Forrest, not even this binding horn can break this bond." The voice said and it eased my worries.

"And remember Weirwood one, when we gave you your arm we gave you a horn of your own." The voices spoke to me before the wind picked up and I felt their presence leave.

I looked to my belt where I had strapped my horn the runes of the Firstmen that adorned the horn glowed a pale blue.

"The Mad Bastard can try to take my dragon, I will show him why they call me the Bloody Wolf.

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( POV Thorin Stark )

Miles across from me I gazed upon the giant fleet that I was about to engage. We where out numbered I realised as I looked at their ships, where I had four galleys they had six and where I had fifty cogs and eighty longships they had nearly two hundred and fifty ships, and every single one of those Ironborn had fought on sea many times before while most of my own army had fought mainly on land.

Soon enough we where in firing distance and flaming arrows where being shot over great expanses of sea. The real battle will start soon enough when my ship, The Howling Wolf meets the Silence on open water. I looked to my right and saw a great galley it was slightly larger than my own ship but much slower, the prow showed a merman wielding a trident and many of the men on the ship held a trident in one hand and a small wooden round shield in the other.

I put everything out of my mind and focused, I closed my eye and began to warg, for this whole journey I had reached deep into the sea and warged into the most dangerous monsters lurking within, a Leviathan easily the size of a galley, seven Krakens that have lived deep in the sea undisturbed for centuries and a hundred narwhals, with horns that could break through a ship hull as easily as Valyrian steel through paper. As I commanded them to the surface of the water I was interrupted by a horn blast.

When the horn finally ended the sea itself split open and I giant beast emerged, its scales were a sea blue and it's eyes a yellowish green, it opened its giant jaw and roared, it was then I realised what I stared at, a sea dragon one hasn't been seen since the Grey King killed Nagga in the age of hero's. I looked to my men who cowered in fear of the beast. Then I looked to Alduin and his brothers.

"ALDUIN! FROSTFYRE!" I shouted to my dragon now a towering over me, he was bigger than a house. Alduin roared a challenge to the sea dragon and his brothers followed his lead, soon enough they took of to engage the sea dragon in combat.

I willed Chillrend into my hand and commanded the Narwhals, Krakens and the Leviathan to attack and the did, the Narwhals made first contact as they soared through the water, it took five to sink a boat completely and by the time the first boat was sunk another was being pulled beneath the waves by the tentacle's of a Kraken. The leviathan eat half a longship in one bite of its mighty jaws.

Before I reached any ships I raised my own horn to my lips and blew with as much power as I could muster. The wind howled and the waves crashed against the side of our ships. The Ironfleet wasn't as lucky, the waves pulled many longships under to their drowned God.

Soon after The Howling Wolf faced its first victim, a longship was tore in two by my metal ram, a second longship was shot full of holes as I sailed up beside it and i fired the scorpions. I sailed toward a large Galley that was firing at one of my longships but before my ram made contact I gave the signal and The Howling Wolf howled. From mouth of the figurehead erupted blue fire that engulfed the whole galley in a matter of minutes.

It continued much the same until I eventually reached the Silence. I sailed up beside it and jumped aboard taking a reavers head as I landed. Another Ironborn advanced, he swung his axe at me but he only met steel, before he could react I grabbed him by the neck and I flung him overboard. My men boarded after me and joined the fight.

I cut a path directly to The Crows Eye, slaying seven Ironborn before I reached him. He wielded a sword in his left hand and an axe in his right, his right eye was covered by a eye patch similarly to how my left was covered. I stared at him with a fierce determination, but he just cackled crazily before suddenly lashing out with his axe.

I blocked just in time and countered with a thrust that he expertly dodged, we continued for minutes while our crews battled around us we exchanged blows, though none connected this was the most intense fight I had fought since my duel with Jamie Lannister in the Whispering Woods.

Our fight took a turn when I made it seem as if i made a mistake and Euron swung at my Weirwood arm expecting to hack my arm off. But the axe head dented at the attack and as he stared in shock I willed Chillrend away and charged at the mad man. I picked him up and slammed him into the railing of his ship his sword lay across the deck and he was unarmed but still he cackled madly.

"Go to your drowned God, you mad bastard!" I shouted at him before extending my hidden blade and slicing his throat, wanting to be sure I stabbed my blade through his good eye before ripping his head from his shoulders and throwing his body over the railings.

I turned to find all the remaining crew throwing down their weapons. I turned to the sea dragon as I heard a roar of pain followed by three roars of victory, I turned just in time to see the mighty dragon falling, its body covered in frost and blood. When it hit the water it caused a giant wave that crashed against the shore.

I returned to my ship expecting to have to fight more of the Ironborn ships but just after I crushed another longship with my ram the Gulltown fleet arrived, late to the battle but when the Ironborn saw another thirty cogs and two Galleys they surrendered soon after.

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{ Authors Notes }

So what do you think, I just spent hours writing it and I was pretty tired at the end so if it's bad that's why.