Witt leaned against the wall to rest. The soldiers of Bear Island ran past him, nodding in respect. They had witnessed the fight on the second floor and now recognized Witt as a warrior in their hearts.
Daisy Mormont ran by, offering him a waterskin. Before he could even thank her, she was off, following the others to attack the enemy. The red-robed, burly man with the flaming sword passed by, stammering, "I..."
Witt cut him off, saying, "I know what you want to talk about, regarding the magic. Come find me in the King's tent after the battle, and we can have a proper chat."
"Alright." Thoros, a Red God priest from the Eastern Continent, had seen other mages before. This was the first time he'd encountered another mage. He had begun to question the Red God's connection to magic. He stopped preaching and started working as a mercenary. He and Robert met during the mercenary work, and later they often drank together. The flames on his longsword weren't magic but were lit by Wildfire. Now, seeing Witt, he was so excited that he couldn't speak properly.
Witt patted him on the shoulder. Thoros nodded and turned to continue fighting alongside the others.
The reason Witt had agreed to talk with Thoros later was because he sensed a magical fluctuation coming from him. Witt had pulled a muscle in his back and any slight movement of his upper body caused excruciating pain. He could only follow the army slowly.
"Stand tall! Warriors of Bear Island, follow me to kill the enemy!"
Jorah Mormont, leading the soldiers of Bear Island, had once again breached the gate of the second fortress. They had broken through the city walls and two gates. The soldiers' morale was high, and Jorah was fired up, leading his soldiers in a reckless charge.
When Witt slowly walked across the drawbridge and entered the second castle, it was already in chaos, with blood and corpses everywhere. Witt's target this time was Euron Greyjoy, but he hadn't seen him. He saw a few soldiers guarding someone, or rather, someone in armor. Witt simply hurled a fireball in their direction. Whether it was him or not didn't matter; he'd rather kill the wrong person than let the right one live.
Soon, the defenders of the second fortress were wiped out, and Jorah continued to lead his men to attack the last fortress.
On the drawbridge, Witt suddenly saw someone using a basket to descend to the sea. There was a stone in the sea about ten meters wide, and several warships were docked nearby. Upon closer inspection, there was a one-eyed man with an eyepatch in the basket.
"It's you. I heard Euron was a one-eyed man, so whether it's you or not, all one-eyed men will die today!"
Witt used his foot to hook the drawbridge rope to steady his body, and he continuously released fireballs with both hands. The distance was a bit far, so he could only rely on quantity. The fireballs from his left hand were aimed at the sails of the warships, and the fireballs from his right hand were aimed at the descending basket.
Euron Greyjoy had heard that the Iron Islands fleet had been defeated at Fair Isle. Robert's brother had used fire magic to burn most of the ships, and had then taken King's Landing. Knowing that the situation was lost, Euron returned to Pyke to persuade his brother Balon to surrender. Balon refused to listen and fled with his personal guard. As the basket was halfway down, a string of fireballs came crashing down.
The basket was made of wood, and the ropes were hemp. The soldiers used their shields to block some of the fireballs, but the exploding flames still ignited the basket. Those inside could only jump into the water.
Witt saw "Euron" and several soldiers jump from the burning basket. A few were unlucky and fell on the rocks, dying instantly. "Euron" was fortunate enough to land in the sea and was quickly rescued by the soldiers on the ship.
He didn't have much magic left, and he couldn't let him get away this time. This man was proficient in the art of navigation; once he entered the sea, he would be almost impossible to find.
Witt cast a few more fireballs, which landed on the warships, setting them ablaze. The soldiers on the ships desperately tried to put out the fires; the ships were their only chance to escape. Just then, Witt saw "Euron" take off his eye patch and look at him.
Suddenly, cheers erupted from the front. Witt turned his head and saw soldiers on top of the castle cutting down the Kraken Banner. The Kraken Banner flew into the sea with the wind. The soldiers were shouting that Balon Greyjoy had been beheaded by Jorah Mormont.
Witt looked at "Euron" again. His few warships had rowed far away, while his own army's ships had arrived at King's Landing from the land. Now, he could only watch Euron escape.
"Time stop?"
Witt carefully examined the flow of magic within his body.
No, it wasn't that. The magical flow within his mind was disrupted. It was likely a type of mind-stasis magic. Euron's hidden eye was probably a magical artifact, or perhaps he'd awakened some kind of magical talent that manifested in his eye. Witt would need to study related magic in the future.
"You got the better of me this time, Euron. Next time, you'll pay with your life!" Witt had considered having Euron serve House Baratheon, but as a transmigrator, he knew Euron's actions in the original timeline. After careful analysis, Witt concluded: this man's ambition was too great; it was better to kill him early.
Witt watched as Robert and Ned Stark arrived fashionably late. Given their personalities, they would have charged into the city with everyone else. However, Robert, wanting to display his royal dignity, insisted on riding a horse. Bear Island's terrain was uneven and rocky, making horseback riding slower than walking.
He'd been a member of House Baratheon for over a decade in this world. Without realizing it, his thinking had started to align with the family's interests. The influence of his previous life in a society governed by laws had gradually morphed into a disregard for human life, simply wanting to kill someone because their interests didn't align. Witt looked at his own blood-stained body and couldn't help but reflect.
A large group of people rushed past. Robert didn't notice the blood-soaked Witt. He was now taking charge of the aftermath in the name of the king. Witt, supporting his waist, slowly followed. In the hall, Robert looked at Balon Greyjoy, whose head had been separated from his body. Upon learning of Jorah Mormont's contribution, Robert immediately knighted him on the spot.
Jorah was already a noble with the title of knight, but he had only inherited his father's title. His father had gone to the Night's Watch to pass on the title to him. But this time, he was knighted by the king on the battlefield, a supreme honor. From now on, the name of Sir Jorah Mormont of Bear Island would be known throughout the continent.
The soldiers were searching the castle, gradually bringing out the surrendered soldiers, women, and children to await King Robert's judgment. The fate of the rebels had already been decided at the Small Council before this campaign.
"Execute the rebel commanders. The soldiers will be put to work, and the women will be taken as camp followers." Robert looked at the remaining two children:
"What are your names?"
"Asha Greyjoy."
"Theon Greyjoy."
The accompanying Maester whispered something to Robert, who then said:
"Your eldest brother already died at Sea Dragon Point, and your second brother just died outside the outer walls."
Robert was at a loss. His code of conduct had never included killing children, but these were the children of rebels.
Ned Stark stepped forward.
"I will take those two children as wards. They are about the same age as Robb."
Neither Robert nor Ned were bloodthirsty men. Since Ned spoke up, Robert agreed.
The Maesters began to meticulously record military achievements and treat the wounded. The soldiers dealt with the prisoners and inventoried the spoils of war. Everything in the castle, including wooden furniture, even the candlesticks, was taken to King's Landing for packing and shipping.
After a few days of rest in King's Landing, Robert, in the name of the King of the Seven Kingdoms, gathered the captured families of House Greyjoy to hold a choosing. They would no longer be called the King of the Iron Islands, but instead the Duke of Pyke, who would be fully responsible for leading the Iron Islands. Robert did not exterminate their families, only killing those who followed Balon in the rebellion, which was considered a great act of mercy, so they had no choice but to abandon tradition and accept it.
After careful deliberation, everyone ultimately nominated Savin Botley, the former Lord of King's Landing, for the position of Duke of Pyke of the Iron Islands, with Robert's approval. When Savin Botley accepted the title of Duke, he also led all the Iron Islands families in swearing allegiance to Robert, never to betray him.
Thus, the Iron Islands Rebellion came to an end. House Greyjoy was removed from the ranks of the nobility of Westeros, and their lands were transferred to House Botley. Euron Greyjoy became the most wanted man on the continent, with the highest bounty.
Robert then announced that the entire army would return to Lannisport, where he would reward those who had distinguished themselves. He would also set aside a portion of the spoils of war as prizes and hold a tournament to celebrate the victory.
....
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Patreon.com/AniFic