(Third-person perspective)
Aermir spread the news of his victory. This way, he could see who remained firmly on the side of the Three Sisters Three Sisters. He had sent all the male ruling nobles to the islands, and after demonstrating his power on each one, the remaining people were content to live under his rule and didn't care who ruled them. They were simply grateful to be alive, but some still wanted to help House Arryn. Most of them were knights and servants. Those who remained on the islands could no longer be considered nobles; each female heir would be accompanied by a North Knight or Paladin under Aermir's command. He had complete control over these people, and over time, he would eliminate all those who supported House Arryn.
Jon Arryn returned to the Vale with King Robert's permission. He could not allow his army to be ruled by other lords or branches of families. He set up camp on the shore of Bite. They were right across from the Three Sisters, but because of the Druid's cursed familiars, they could not reach the islands by sea. Orcas were sinking all their ships. His men were able to reach Pebble and Paps; they built fortifications there, and he was certain they could not be defeated by so many, but he did not know how to reclaim the Three Sisters from the invaders.
He surveyed his army, revealing that he had brought a massive force to the Vale coast. This army numbered 25,000, 10,000 of whom were conscripts, yet it was still a formidable force. His fleet was ready to transport this army, but the orcas had ruined all his plans. The enormous army had become utterly useless.
He returned to his tent and called a meeting. Just as they were discussing the matter animatedly, a servant brought him news: the Three Sisters army had suffered a defeat, Yohn Royce had been defeated. He angrily crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it away.
"Damn it!"
At this moment, he was considering whether to march towards Moat Cailin. He had no chance of crossing the sea; he could try every means to do so, but in the process, he would lose at least half of his army and ships, perhaps more, and the Three Sisters Undeserving such a loss. In this war, everyone underestimated the Druid and Lord Drasil.
Horton Redfort said.
"If the report is true, they lost only about 800 men in the conquest of the three islands."
Benedar Belmore said.
"My lord, what should we do? We simply cannot reach those islands. He has already occupied all three, but I don't think he will take his seven thousand troops to attack Pebble and Paps as well. He must be stretched thin now; it would be unwise to attack those islands again."
Gerold Grafton slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with anger.
"If we could face him face to face, we could destroy him and his army. I don't care how powerful his magic is. He can't fight an army of twenty-five thousand with only seven thousand men."
He turned to Jon Arryn and said.
"My lord, we should make some deals with your father-in-law, cross the Riverlands, and then attack Moat Cailin."
Jon Arryn shook his head.
"This is not a good idea. He may be my father-in-law, but he's also Ned's father-in-law. Besides, if we march north, it won't just be a war against House Drasil and the Druid anymore. It will be a war between the North and the Vale. Can any of you tell me honestly if we can win a war against the North and the Druid at Moat Cailin?"
He waited a while, but none of the lords spoke. Then he continued.
"So this isn't a good idea; if we launch an offensive against the North, we'll lose our numerical advantage. Right now, the Druid is the invader; even if he has a reason to oppose the Three Sisters, he can't win over the other North lords, but if we attack Moat Cailin, the situation will be different."
He sighed dejectedly and said...
"We have no choice but to consider the Three Sisters a loss; I won't lose any more people for them. None of our plans can proceed if we can't kill those orcas. We have only one option until he pulls those orcas to Pebble and Paps. We need to strengthen their forces."
Lyonel Corbray said with a puzzled look.
"My lord, haven't we been putting too many men on those islands? Our strength on the mainland is waning."
Jon Arryn said with a confident smile.
"I don't think that Druid would be arrogant enough to attack our homeland on his own. Even if he brought everyone, he would only have nine thousand men. Even with his magic, do you think he would pose a threat to us on our own soil?"
As they continued their discussion, they were unaware that Aermir was already close to Pebble; they still thought Aermir was on Longsister. On the bright side for the Vale, they had already sent four thousand soldiers and two thousand conscripts to the island as reinforcements. Pebble itself had two thousand soldiers and two thousand conscripts, while Aermir could only bring five thousand men.
As Aermir led his fleet toward Pebble, the moon hung low in the inky sky. The night was their ally, shrouding their movements in darkness. Five thousand resolute North warriors stood ready, prepared to attack the unsuspecting Pebble.
Aermir stood at the bow of the flagship, feeling the cool sea breeze as the fleet silently glided across the waves. Beside him, the Iron Giants Harrick stood on the deck, a massive warhammer resting on his broad shoulders, and a huge tower shield supporting him.
As the fleet approached the coast of Pebble, Aermir released his flying familiars, Po and Erebus, to scout the land. Their keen eyes observed the terrain, searching for every road and the location of enemy forces. His nimble hands moved swiftly, drawing a map of the entire territory within an hour.
The North troops landed silently, their footsteps muffled by the sandy shore. They reached their first target: a reinforcement force of 2,000 men from the Vale Army. They were positioned on a hilltop, thus able to defend the coast, but the attack was shifting and stealthy; they were caught off guard, unable to establish a defensive line, let alone fire defensive stones.
Aermir's eyes gleamed with elemental power as he raised his hand and roared, "Let the earth obey my command!"
The ground beneath the defenders trembled, roots burst forth, and entangled them. Aermir's incantation, "Incoinfra"—the Dwellers Below —firmly bound the unsuspecting warriors, and massive thorn roots began to lash their lines, creating a breach.
The Iron Giants Harrick stepped forward, his massive warhammer gleaming in the moonlight. With a thunderous roar, he swung his hammer, mercilessly crushing enemy soldiers. Then, he raised his giant tower shield and charged into the enemy ranks with unstoppable force. As the North warriors poured in, the first clash erupted, their battle cries mingling with the clang of clashing steel.
Ser Reynard Stonegate, a highly skilled Vale knight and commander of the force, was completely unprepared for the nighttime assault. He attempted to rally his troops. The Vale nobles did everything they could to unite their men.
"Hold the line! We can't let them break through our defenses!"
Jory Flint led the Knights in a flank maneuver.
"Advance! Break through their lines!"
As the first battle commenced, the North army proved ruthless, with Harrick carving a path through the defenders with every swing of his warhammer. But Aermir and his familiars were the most terrifying presence on the battlefield, unleashing elemental attacks upon the enemy. He could transform into an eagle, swoop down to one spot, cast a few spells, and then fly to another; in this way, he disrupted all of the Vale army's defenses, creating exploitable weaknesses for his forces.