Arbor

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred will board a smaller vessel to go confer with King Euric. He'll bring Saim with him, as them going to the King seems to make sense courtesy wise.

[The Forgotten God]

Euric is red faced and pissed off. "Where the fuck did the bastards go? I see smoke coming off his fuckin' island and he didn't even defend it?""

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred faces the King for the first time in about 15 years, but decides obviously the king wants to get down to business (To defeat, the Reach.) "Seems like the Arbor fleet sailed north 8 days ago, according to the prisoners we took. The Arbor is completely undefended, and Redwyne Harbor is empty but blocked off. Do we pursue?"

[The Forgotten God]

"Goddan right we pursue!" Euric frowns. "Little bastard is more clever than we thought."

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred glances at Saim, then bows his head to the King. "Just so." He'll return to his ship and the fleets will press North, corsairs spreading out as they hunt for the elusive Arbor fleet.

[The Forgotten God]

The journey, after a few days, comes across ships fleeing some huge battle, masts toppled, rows broken, ash on their hulls. Apparently Lord Redwyne had won a great victory whilst the Ironborn had landed men on the Shields to take the islands by storm. His fleet had been broken, and now the victorious Reachmen are either at the islands or blockading the Mander, where their still-inferior numbers may be put to great use.

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred looks at the broke ships with disgust. So this is what the Ironborn had become in his absence, arrogant and overconfident. He wasn't in true command of the fleet, so waited for orders from the King. He'd recommend they go in hard and fast before news of them reached the fleet. Try to return the favor of what Redwye had done.

[The Forgotten God]

In their defense, Lord Shaun had fooled Uhtred too. Maybe even himself. As a week goes by, at long last the shores of the Shields can be seen. It looks like a ship graveyard.

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred thought that was fair. Just had hoped they'd be better than he was. He had the sand buckets and seawater brought out, the ships doused and ready for a fight. It only took a minute for a ship to get ready for battle, but preparations were still better than nothing. He waited for word from Eurics flagship.

[The Forgotten God]

Signals go out for scouts to go in among the islands and see what is being faced. It is difficult but not impossible that the Arbor Lord has simply abandoned his fellow Reachmen given their differing allegiances to different kings.

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred see's it done, yet also sends Giovanda in the painted lady back around the entrance of the bay, seeing if maybe another trap was being set.

[The Forgotten God]

They see signal fires being lit all along the coastline. On the easternmost of the islands, smoke is seen rising from a keep.

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred keeps a eye out for any signals from the ironborn fleet, and at Saims ships. He'll have his ships swing around on the right flank, get a good eye on whats going on at the island. if that was Redwyne assaulting the keep, this would be a perfect time to hit him with his britches down. Otherwise, the blockading ships would come out to play maybe.

[The Forgotten God]

It appears some men are burning the keep. It is too far inland to see who. They still have seen no sign of any Arbor warships. Euric signals for transports to drop men off at Oakenshield, but the fleet is to maintain combat readiness.

[Lord Rykker]

Uhtred grabs a stool from his room and sets it up on the aft deck. He sits and thinks through whats happened here, and what Redwyne would do. He was with the West, not the Reach, so would probably not go up the river. That would be suicide but possible. He knew this wasn't the entire Ironborn fleet, so three moves. Arbor, but from how the island had been it seemed like Redwyne was on war footing. He didn't plan to return and they would've seen him on the way back. North? Lannisport made sense, where he could find aid and get repairs. Or the Mander, just to do as much damage as possible to the "rebels."

For now, he'd land with his men and take care of Oakenshield, better than doing nothing.