Winterfell, the Great Hall.
The fire roared within the massive stone hearth, yet it could not drive away the chill seeping through the cracks of the doors and windows, nor the invisible tension hanging in the air.
Several Skagosi, completely out of place among the Northmen, stood in the center of the hall.
Their eyes were filled with confusion as they stared at Sansa seated on the high seat, clearly questioning why a young girl sat there.
Their invasive gazes made Sansa slightly uneasy.
Her hands, resting on her lap, tightened faintly as she instinctively glanced toward Galon and Maester Luwin.
Luwin stood at her side, while Galon stood slightly ahead, calmly observing the Skagosi.
Noticing their crude and dismissive expressions, he immediately understood that these people, even more savage than wildlings, did not respect women.
"The one before you is the acting Lady of Winterfell, Lady Sansa Stark."
"And you still have not bowed?"
Galon stepped forward and spoke coldly, reinforcing her authority.
Sparta froze for a moment before realizing that the girl before him truly was a Stark.
A shadow crossed his expression.
His gaze toward Sansa carried a trace of doubt and disdain, and for a moment, he wondered whether coming all this way had been a mistake.
"We are already here. For the sake of the tribe, we bow first."
Remembering the elders' instructions, Sparta lowered himself and saluted. "Sparta, leader of Skagos, greets Lady Stark."
His guards followed suit.
Sansa steadied herself and spoke calmly.
"You may rise. What do you mean by seeking aid? Is someone attacking Skagos?"
A trace of urgency flashed in Sparta's eyes, and his voice grew heavy.
"No... great Stark, it is a dragon!"
"That monster has nested on our island for over a hundred years. It burns our villages and devours our people."
"Skagos... is bleeding. It is dying."
"We cannot fight this ancient evil alone, Lady Stark."
Hope appeared on his face.
"In accordance with the oldest pact, we crossed the sea to seek your aid. Please, help us hunt that dragon!"
The hall fell silent.
Sansa's face filled with shock, while Maester Luwin spoke in disbelief.
"You are saying... a dragon?"
Sparta nodded firmly.
"Yes. A dragon. We ask House Stark, in honor of the ancient oath, to send men to help us slay it."
"I swear, as leader of the Skagosi, that once the dragon is driven away, our twenty thousand people will serve House Stark without question."
A sharp glint flashed through Galon's eyes.
At the word dragon, all the scattered clues in his mind—the Skagosi's dragon, Euron's reckless assault, his desperate push toward Winterfell—suddenly connected.
'So that is why Euron appeared in the North so quickly... why he risked everything attacking Winterfell...'
'Could it be... he also knows about the dragon on Skagos?'
'Is that why he convinced Balon to launch a three-pronged invasion of the North—to carve a path across the land and reach Skagos?'
The thought struck him like a spike of ice, and in an instant, he saw through Euron's entire plan.
'If that is the case, everything makes sense.'
Just as Galon was piecing it together, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
A servant from the rookery rushed into the hall. "Lady Sansa, a letter from the Iron Islands!"
Sparta looked anxious, about to speak again, but Galon's intense gaze silenced him.
Galon stepped forward and took the letter first.
Only a few lines.
"Iron Islands... King Euron Greyjoy?!"
His pupils shrank as a shocking realization surfaced.
Balon was dead.
Galon handed the letter to Sansa. She quickly reached the same conclusion, her expression changing drastically.
Maester Luwin asked urgently,
"What does it say?"
"On the surface, it seeks peace... but the tone is arrogant. There is little sincerity... And it seems Euron has become King of the Iron Islands."
Luwin's entire body stiffened.
"What?"
His exclamation left the Skagosi even more confused.
'The time has come.'
'Gods are truly helping me. With this, I refuse to believe Asha can remain unmoved.'
Having reached his conclusion, Galon no longer hesitated. He turned to Sansa and Luwin.
"Lady Sansa, Maester Luwin."
"Please arrange proper accommodations for our Skagosi guests. Their request is important, and we must discuss it carefully."
"As for this letter, I need to have a proper conversation with our guest... Asha Greyjoy."
Trusting Galon's judgment, Sansa handed the letter back to him and began arranging for Sparta and his men to rest.
The rapid exchange left the Skagosi confused, but Sparta understood one thing clearly.
The man truly in charge of Winterfell was Galon.
Galon ignored them for now. Leaving Jon and others to guard Sansa, he turned and strode out of the hall toward the dungeon.
'Balon dead, Euron crowned... too coincidental.'
'If nothing unexpected happened, Euron likely killed his own kin.'
'If I can convince Asha to return to the Iron Islands and reclaim the Seastone Chair, I can seize Euron's Dragon Horn... and then use it to control the dragon on Skagos...'
His steps remained steady, but his thoughts surged like a storm.
'The question is how to convince her.'
'And how to help her reclaim the Iron Islands... and whether she will turn on me once she is free...'
He understood clearly that this was the best opportunity to take the Iron Islands.
But it was also a gamble with enormous risk.
'If I win, the Dragon Horn and the Iron Islands will be mine. The road ahead will be open.'
'If I lose... I may not even keep my life.'
He did not slow down.
In a single breath, he made his decision.
'There is no time to hesitate. With what I have, if I want the Iron Throne, I must seize every opportunity.'
'I'm all in'
A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he quickened his pace.
Meanwhile, in the dungeon.
Asha stood by the narrow window, staring at the gray sky outside.
She was confined but treated decently. Still, the loss of freedom and concern for her family gnawed at her constantly.
Just as she was lost in thought, steady footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The door opened.
A familiar figure appeared in the doorway.
Galon.
Asha narrowed her eyes. With the light behind him, she could not see his expression clearly.
"Glover?"
She snorted, forcing her usual arrogance.
"I thought you had died on the battlefield and wouldn't make it back to see me."
Galon's lips curved slightly. Ignoring her provocation, he closed the door behind him and slapped the letter onto the table.
The air in the room froze.
"Take a look at this, Asha."
His voice was calm to the point of being unsettling.
"Your dear uncle... King Euron... has sent a letter."
In an instant, Asha felt as if struck by lightning.
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