Castle Cerwyn was a welcome sight for the Lady of Winterfell and her small retinue of guards. The seat of House Cerwyn was a half a day's ride from Winterfell, but it was nearly dark and Ser Rodrik felt it was best to spend the night at the small castle before finishing the journey home the next morning.
"You're almost home, my lady." The old knight said happily. "One more day of riding."
Catelyn gave the knight a small smile. It was a little action, but extremely important because it was one of the first times she's smiled since leaving Riverrun. The deaths of her husband and father weighed heavily on the Lady of Winterfell. She had spent nights in the sept at Riverrun, praying for answers from the Seven. She didn't know what to do and felt lost emotionally and spiritually. It was then that she realized that she needed to go home, her true home in Winterfell. The south had brought her nothing but heartache. Seeing her son grow into a man and see him become as beloved by his bannermen as his father was a small moment of happiness in an otherwise dark time.
That's why she had sought out Jon Snow. She always had her doubts about the boy, but she couldn't deny that he loved his half-siblings. Catelyn would do anything to save her son, but since she was going back north, she needed to know that there was someone with Robb who would give everything to keep him safe. That's why she made Jon swear to her that he would keep her son safe from harm.
"I've been away from my children for far too long," Catelyn said quietly.
"I'm sure Maester Luwin has kept them well in hand," Rodrik said confidently. "Besides, Lord Bran has always been a smart boy. Winterfell is safe under his watch."
Catelyn nodded. "Thank you for your words, Ser Rodrik. They are very kind."
The knight nodded as the small group made their way into the castle courtyard, where a young man was waiting to receive the Lady of Winterfell. Cley Cerwyn was a little older than Robb, but Catelyn remembered meeting the boy several times. He had always been a pleasant young man who got along well with the Stark children.
When Catelyn dismounted, the man bowed deeply. "My lady, welcome to Castle Cerwyn. We are at your service."
Catelyn smiled softly, walking up to the young Northman. "Cley Cerwyn, it has been some time since we've last met," she said kindly.
Cley smiled as he stood up. "Aye, but you haven't aged a day, my lady," he nodded to Ser Rodrik. "Ser Rodrik, well met."
The northern night nodded back. "My lord."
The young northerner frowned. "My lady, I wish to express my deepest condolences for the death of Lord Stark. He was a great man who didn't deserve his death. He was no traitor."
Catelyn's smile wavered for a second. "Thank you for your words. Gods willing, his death will be avenged and my daughters will finally be returned to me."
Cley nodded. "We've had rooms prepared for you and your men, my lady. Please, this way," he said, offering his arm.
Catelyn smiled and took the young man's arm, walking with him through the castle. "I trust you haven't had much trouble here in the North," she said, making conversation.
Cley's face darkened. "I wish I could say that was true, my lady," he said grimly, all pleasantness was gone from the young man. "There have been reports from Flint's Finger that longships have been seen off Cape Kraken."
Catelyn raised an eyebrow. "The ironborn?"
Cley nodded. "Indeed. Bowden Hawker has called all castles on the western coast, specifically Deepwood Motte and Bear Island, to prepare for the worst. I am preparing a small host of my own, in case reinforcements are needed."
Catelyn frowned. "My son sent Theon to the Iron Islands in hopes of allying with the ironborn."
Cley sighed. "It seems his grace's hopes shattered in the worst way possible. The ironborn are coming north in force and we are left with our britches down around our ankles," he said angrily. "We are doing all we can to prepare our defenses."
Catelyn turned to look at Ser Rodrik, who was following the two. "Ser Rodrik, how many men can Winterfell raise?"
The old knight thought for a moment before answering. "A few hundred, my lady. King Robb left a strong garrison before he went south."
"When we return to Winterfell, I want ravens sent across the north to rally what men they can," she ordered.
Ser Rodrik nodded. "It will be done, my lady."
"Have faith, Lady Stark. Bowden Hawker will keep those bastards at bay. He's been fighting the ironborn for years." Cley said confidently.
Catelyn nodded. "Indeed, the Hawkers have always had a talent for war. However, with my son in the south, we must be extra vigilant in defending our home."
Cley smiled. "Of course, my lady," he said, stopping in front of a door. "Here we are. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. My home is open to you."
Catelyn smiled. "Thank you, my lord. Your hospitality is most appreciated."
"House Stark has been nothing but good to my family. I would be remiss if I did not return the favor when given the opportunity." Cley responded proudly. "With you leave," he said, bowing to Catelyn and nodding to Ser Rodrik before leaving.
Catelyn sighed. "It seems the war has made its way north," she said sadly.
Ser Rodrik nodded. "Unfortunately, my lady. But I feel confident we will be able to send the ironborn back to their islands soon enough. Without their ships, they are weak."
Catelyn nodded. "I hope you're right, Ser Rodrik."
Line Break
When Catelyn walked into the hall the next morning to break her fast, she found Ser Rodrik and Cley Cerwyn standing at the high table, looking down at a map. The heir to Cerwyn Castle was in full armor and looked extremely angry.
Catelyn walked up to them. "My lord, Ser Rodrik, What's happened?"
Cley looked up, bowing his head when Catelyn approached. "Foul news, my lady. The ironborn has attacked the North," he said grimly. "The Iron Victory has been seen heading towards Torrhen's Square and another fleet of ships was seen just off Sea Dragon Point. Ser Rodrik and I believe that they intend to attack Deepwood and Bear Island."
"What happened to Captain Hawker?" Catelyn asked.
"He was somehow dragged south, my lady." Ser Rodrik said sadly. "The entire Hawker Fleet. The western coast is now completely undefended."
Catelyn crossed her arms in front of her. "What are we doing to repel the invaders?"
"I have three hundred men ready to march as of right now," Cley said strongly. "I have also sent word to Lord Wyman Manderly asking him to gather what men he can and send them to Winterfell. It's the best possible place to rally men in the North."
"When we return to Winterfell, I will send ravens to Last Hearth, Karhold, and the Dreadfort. We'll rendezvous at Winterfell with the men of White Harbor and drive out the invaders." Ser Rodrik added.
"Have ravens been sent to the castles that are about to be attacked?" Catelyn asked.
Cley nodded. "Bowden sent ravens to the entire western coast, even as far as Winterfell and here. They'll be as prepared as they can be, but this is not just a small raid, my lady. This is the Iron Fleet. It's an invasion."
"Has word been sent to Riverrun?" Catelyn asked.
Rodrik shook his head. "We'll have to send that raven when we return to Winterfell, my lady. But I have full confidence we'll see the raiders off. Their true strength comes from the sea."
Catelyn frowned. "I admire your confidence, Ser Rodrik, but I still want a raven sent to Riverrun. The other northern lords deserve to know that their home is being attacked."
Cley nodded. "Of course, my lady."
"We'll be leaving soon, my lady. I will go make sure the lads are ready to go." Ser Rodrik said, leaving the hall.
Cley watched him. "I am glad to have him back in the North, my lady. King Robb took a lot of our best commanders south with him," he said grimly. "Ser Rodrik might be our best chance at repelling the invaders."
Catelyn nodded. "Hopefully we can see them away soon. I did not leave one warzone to enter another."
Cley smiled. "As Ser Rodrik said; the ironborn are only strong on their boats. They'll soon see that it was a mistake to attack the North."
Line Break
Bowden Hawker
"Captain! We've lost sight of them!" A sailor called down from the topmast. He was a squirrel-like man with a good head for heights and great climbing skills.
The man he called down to was a good head taller than him, with broad shoulders and long dark hair that was pulled back in a tight knot. He was garbed in a plaited leather over ringmail. At his side was a heavy-bladed cutlass across from a throwing axe.
Bowden Hawker looked like a mirror image of his brother, with only a few slight differences in their hair and clothing. Other than that, their mannerisms and facial features were nearly identical. Both had dark, stone-like eyes and menacing scowls, along with square jaws and sharp, aquiline noses.
"Come down Tom," Bowden called up to the small man. "Master Jurn, let's get the fleet turned around and go north."
"Aye captain!" The first mate called before he began bellowing orders to the rest of the crew. As the sailors ran around preparing for the ship to turn, the barrel-chested man called for the colored lanterns to be lit and shown to the nearest ships.
Bowden and his other captains used red and green flags and lanterns to tell other ships what direction to turn and what direction they had to be headed. Currently, the Seahawk's signaler was telling other ships to turn to the port side and head north.
The commander of the Western Fleet met with his first mate by the tiller, looking out over his ship. Like any captain, he took immense pride in his ship. She was massive compared to the other galleys in the fleet, with a combined three hundred oars, but she was still sleek enough to outrun any ship in the Sunset Sea.
"We've been fooled Jurn," Bowden said quietly, though his tone gave away how disappointed the man was.
"Captain?" The first mate asked.
"What we saw wasn't the Iron Fleet," Bowden explained.
"Captain, I recognized at least ten of those ships from the rebellion. That was the Iron Fleet, I'd swear my life on it." Jurn answered.
Bowden shook his head. "That was part of the Iron Fleet. Probably a third of her strength. Not to mention the Iron Victory wasn't with them."
Bowden knew the infamous longship by sight. He had faced off against Victarion many times when they were both young men earning their spurs. Balon's brother had attempted to raid the Stoney Shore many times, always to be repelled by Bowden and the Seahawk. Everything the Hawker man knew of the ironborn and their tactics came from those skirmishes against Victarion.
"Where are they, Captain?" Jurn asked.
"Attacking the North," Bowden growled. "Balon the bugger sent Gorold Goodbrother to distract me and drag the fleet south while the rest of the ships got around us."
"Captain, how do you know all this?"
Bowden's face darkened. "Because it's what I would do." He said grimly. "I recognized the Stone Hammer, Lord Goodbrother's ship."
The first mate still looked very confused. He had served on the Seahawk for over a decade, first signing on as a deckhand and working his way up to the first mate. He knew his captain like few did, but he had never heard him like this before.
Bowden recognized the confused look. "A good captain and commander must know two things: his ship and his enemies. I knew my ship, but when Balon put a bloody crown on his head, I didn't know my enemy. I've spent the last decade learning about the lords of the Iron Islands. I know their ships, their sigils, their family tree."
"So what will we do captain?" Jurn asked.
Before Bowden could answer, a sailor ran up to Bowden, nodding briefly to the captain before launching into his report. "Captain, we have a northern wind and the waves are against us."
Bowden nodded. "Understood. Back to your post." He ordered.
Jurn stepped forward now. "Right lads, time for some real work! Run out the oars! Karl, call time! Harker, get those sails down! Turner, Boras, tie-down anything loose!"
The deck once again became a flurry of activity as men ran to do the first mate's orders. With a clatter of wood that sounded like multiple lumberjacks at work, a hundred oars were pushed out at either side. Bowden rarely used all three hundred rowers on his ship, not unless he absolutely had to.
"Ready!" Karl bellowed from his lead rower position. "Row! Row! Row!"
The large ship stopped for just a moment as the sail was pulled down and the oars were put out, but now the ship was moving again, increasing in speed as the timing was set and the sailors cleared their heads of everything except the action of rowing and the call.
Bowden left the main deck and entered his personal cabin. Everything in the room was nailed down. There was nothing loose, but there wasn't much to begin with. The cabin was sparsely furnished. There was a desk, three chairs, and a couple of chests. Besides that, there was absolutely nothing else in the room.
His maps were kept in a long, low chest behind the desk, a heavy steel lock keeping the box shut. They were Bowden's most prized possessions that he had spent almost two decades tracking down. He had maps of Westeros and each of the seven kingdoms, Essos and the Free Cities. He even had maps of Slaver's Bay, The Smoking Sea, and as far as Yi Ti and Asshai. If there was a sea, Bowden had a map of it.
He pulled out his map of the North, checking his notes on constellations and sea conditions. From what he saw, he was just south of the Flint Cliffs. In his urgency of chasing what he thought was the Iron Fleet, he had left the North free to invasion.
Bowden put the map away, locked the chest, and made his way back to the tiller. Jurn's face was drawn in concentration as he read the sundial and the wind pennant.
"We are just south of the Flint Cliffs," Bowden said sourly. "How quickly can we reach Blazewater Bay?"
"I don't know Captain," Jurn answered. "I can't tell when the wind will pick back up. The waves are also slowing us down."
"If we continue rowing?"
"Another day," Jurn grunted, heaving on the tiller to keep the ship on track. "Hopefully once we round Cape Kraken, we'll have the wind again. We can't keep the men rowing with our current rations."
"Get us to Blazewater Bay Jurn." Bowden ordered. "We'll resupply at Barrowtown if we need to."
"And if the ironborn have taken the town?"
"Then we'll kill them all and resupply," Bowden said simply. To him, the only good ironborn was a dead one.