The drowned crown

Edmure POV

It wasn't my first time in the siege, so I knew what would happen by now. The other islands have reached a standstill, as only the lord castles stood before our victory. I have ordered most men to come to me in taking Pyke and only leave a bare minimum to keep the watch over them. I wanted it to be over as soon as possible.

The men quickly built trebuchets, and finding good rocks wasn't difficult, so now all left was to break the walls of Pyke. Once the walls fall, the rest wouldn't be too complicated. At most, they had a thousand men inside. I was sure that, slowly but surely, we would be able to take it. Even if I wanted it to be done fast, I was realistic and didn't see a reason to sacrifice men if not necessary.

"My lord, a fleet is approaching," A messenger reported.

"With what banners?"

"Banners from the Riverlands and the North."

"Couldn't you say it for a start? You almost scared me to death. I thought we were attacked from behind."

"My apologies, my lord, ser Patrek Mallister has ordered me to say it like this."

"Damn him, it's fine," I patted the messenger's shoulder as he looked nervous. "Can you wait for them to land and lead lord Stark to me?"

"Of course, my lord, it would be my honor."

"Good, now go."

Patrek was getting bored, not doing anything for the past few days. I will have him patrol our camp at night. I will see how he messes with me then. Good thing I enjoyed preparing for siege and didn't find it as tedious as Patrek. Maybe I was not too fond of unexpected situations, so I tried to eliminate them as much as possible.

…

I didn't watch as the host from the North arrived. I was busy looking at our logistics. It would be bad if a storm hit, and we wouldn't be able to get food for my men. I ensured that medicine, weapon quality, and quantity were up to standards. I despised those who stole the resources reserved for soldiers the most. So, I ensured everything was in order and checked on officers regularly.

"My lord, lord Stark wants to meet you," The guard outside my tent informed me.

"Let him in," I said.

"Uncle Edmure. It has been a long time," Robb didn't look like the boy I remembered him to be.

"The wars had been hard on you, Robb," I said after hugging him.

"To you, too," Robb said.

"I heard what you have done in the Vale. You did well."

"Thank you, uncle."

"Did you hear anything about Littlefinger?" I asked, as I was too busy to inquire about the information on the Vale.

"He has not returned home. It seems the wildlings attacked him on the way."

"How is Lysa doing?"

"Last time I saw her, she was hysterical. Mother is worried about her and little Robin."

"Cat should be worried about herself more," I said. "How has she been."

"Mother tries to look strong for children's sake, but I see her eyes being red from time to time."

"What about you?"

"I will manage. My father's remains are now resting in the crypts."

"Good," I didn't want to probe him further. "Is that Ice on your back?"

"Yes, at first, I wanted to leave it at home, but ever since I held the sword, I couldn't let it go. It felt like I would be too defenseless if I did so."

"I know the feeling," I said. "And from what I heard, you used it well against the Ironborn invaders."

"I barely got a chance to fight them," Robb laughed. "When I arrived at the western shore, only a few places had Ironborn left. They didn't expect such fierce resistance."

"Fierce and swift," I agreed.

"Still, I am now worried about the north part of the North."

"Wildlings?"

"It seems so. When I returned to Winterfell, dozens of reports were waiting for me. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont lost too many rangers. He will do a grand ranging before considering sealing the entrance for the winter."

"Remind me, how many men does the Wall have."

"Six thousand of now, but only half have skill in fighting. At least, that is what Lord Commander has reported to me."

"If the situation is so dire, it is better to finish this war fast," I replied. "We already started the siege. Once we break the towers and at least one wall, we will storm Pyke."

"Good. I need to prepare for the winter."

"One last thing," I said before Robb left. "Next time, don't let hostages go."

"I don't know what you are talking about, uncle."

"I am talking about Theon."

"He escaped."

"I know he wouldn't have done so without your help," I told my nephew. "I could find him and get him killed no matter where he is, but if you believe you did the right thing by letting him go, I won't do it."

"He is my friend. I couldn't kill him while looking him in the eyes. So, I believe what I have done was the right thing."

"If Theon doesn't do anything stupid, I won't touch him."

"Thank you, uncle."

I could only hope that this decision doesn't bite me in the ass later. Theon wasn't someone I was overly concerned for. After I finish the Iron Islands, I will have to concentrate my resources on Varys and the Golden Company. Hearing that the walls started to struggle, it won't be long before I had to fight the White Walkers. Before that happens, I don't want anyone to strike me from behind.

…

I watched as the last watchtower shattered under the volley of rocks. With the successive few volleys, part of the wall crumbled to the ground. The North went on first, as they weren't too happy to miss the first day of battles. I let them as I saw no reason to deny it. As the path to Pyke was cleared, I stepped forward with my men.

The hardest part of the siege was entering the castle, as its long, narrow halls didn't let us use our number advantage. Some men started to scale the walls on my orders, putting rope ladders to climb through the windows. Arrows rained on us nonstop, but we were well-armored, so it wasn't challenging to block the arrows.

The layout of Pyke was a nightmare for a siege, every part of the castle was separated. First was the gatehouse. The men from the North bravely took it without much difficulty, even if some were riddled with bolts and arrows. Yet it was only the start.

Pyke had three towers on each side, and they stood on individual islands only connected by a rope bridge. We had no choice but to divide our forces and take the towers separately. Good thing it didn't rain today as nobody would like to walk through a slippery and unsteady bridge above the sea.

At least the major keeps of the castle were connected by a great stone bridge or stone walkway. Yet they were well defended. Arrows and bolts would pick out my men one by one. Men with pikes would stop our advance. But most of my men were now seasoned veterans who knew when to hold their shields up. They weren't reckless, and neither did they fear a few injuries.

We pushed our way forward, gutting and killing everyone who stood before us. It was one of the bloodiest battles. The Ironborn proved their worth by not going down quickly. They fought with nails and teeth. Yet no one could stop my sword from carving my way. That was until we reached the last tower, the Sea Tower.

"Uncle," Robb was bloodied and breathing heavily. "This is where Balon Greyjoy is."

"Yes, he wasn't found in other keeps," I replied while we looked at the tangling rope bridge leading to the Sea Tower.

"Should I go first?"

"No, the bridge could break if too many walked at one time," I said. "I will go first with two men and secure the other side of it. Once we traverse, it sent men of three at the time."

"You sure, uncle?"

"Yes, give me a shield," I replied and ordered one of the knights.

Fastening the shield on my arm, I slowly walked on the rope bridge. A few archers tried to hit me, but my shield blocked their arrows. I didn't rush it as I was afraid that the madman that was Balon Greyjoy might cut the bridge down. With one hand, I used my shield to block arrows. With another, I gripped the rope of the bridge.

Ultimately, we managed to get safely to the other side of the bridge. There we were, awaiting a few spearmen. I deal with them efficiently, blocking their spears, punching their faces, and covering my gauntlets with blood. I didn't even have a chance to draw my sword once I crossed the bridge before they showed up.

Once the end of the bridge was secured, the rest of the men slowly crossed it. I waited until a dozen men came before entering the tower. It was a big tower, and there were few men. I only needed someone to watch my back while I cut my way to the top of the building and burst through Balon Greyjoy's solar doors.

"Balon Greyjoy," I greeted the old man who sat behind his table with a crown on his head.

"King, I am a King."

"And who are you?" I asked another man who was inside the solar, ignoring Balon.

"I am Damphair, the priest of the Drown god."

"Do you want me to kneel as Robert did before you?" Balon asked.

"I am curious," I said. "What did you expect from your actions?"

"I expected freedom."

"Nobody is free in this world. I will not tell you to kneel as you would try to do something as stupid as this once again," I said. "A traitor like you won't be expected to serve faithfully anyway."

"You can kill me, but I am no traitor. I don't serve the new boy king. I don't serve any king for me to betray them."

"Good for you," I replied, taking the crown from his head.

The priest tried to jump on me with a small dagger, but I easily evaded it and hit him with the crown in my hand. I hit him once, then twice, then thrice, and then a few more times before his face was nothing but a bloody mess. The crown in my hand was dripping blood.

"I will give you a merciful death," I said. "Bring them outside."

My men quickly apprehended the two brothers and dragged them outside. I looked at these pathetic and ambitious men who took too much pride in themselves and their traditions. Then I looked at the waves crashing at the white-colored base. I grabbed the priest first and threw him to the sea below.

"I let your god take you, that all the mercy I will show to the like of you," I said before doing the same with Balon. "And take your crown with you."

And that was the end of the Greyjoy war. The king drowned with his crown. It was poetic in some way. I was sure there would be some songs depicting my actions. I wouldn't want the Iron Islands to forget why I am called the Redfish after all.

A.N. Sorry for not updating last week. I got stuck in a blizzard and only returned super late and tired. The Winter has come, to me at least. Today too, snow is dropping like crazy at least there is no wind today. I know the story is going a bit slowly, I will try to make the pace faster and, of course, not miss uploading. Again sorry for the last week.

Thank you for reading, and as always, If you want more, up to five advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.