The King of Winters

Chapter-88

Asha had known other lovers in her life; some shared her bed for half a year, some for half a night. Qarl pleased her more than all the rest together. He might shave but once a fortnight, but a shaggy beard does not make a man. She liked the feel of his smooth, soft skin beneath her fingers. She liked the way his long, straight hair brushed against his shoulders. He had a swimmer's body like her own, long and lean, with not a scar upon him.

A shy smile, strong arms, clever fingers, and two sure swords. What more could any woman want? She would have married Qarl, and gladly, but she was Lord Balon's daughter and he was common-born, the grandson of a thrall. That had put an end to her dreams of wedding, but it had not stopped the bedding though.

“A man would not have done what he did to your brother, my lady," Qarl said. "Euron Greyjoy is as mad as only the worst of the beings could get. The gods hate and curse kinslayers. Yet it didn't stop your uncle from killing your brother.”

Poison, thought Asha. Yes. The Crow's Eye was like a poison. Quick or slow, it made no matter. In the end it always kills. This is poison that I am supposed to face now, she thought. I should alert my father of this poison.

The air was moist and warm and dead calm that day, and the Black Wind was adrift upon a deep blue sea far beyond the sight of land. They had sailed upon the morning tide as the gulls started flying overhead. The drowned god was good to them and the sea was calm like most days. Even with good winds, the crossing of a Summer Sea took a long time than she had known before. It's all because of nuncle Euron, Asha thought. “We ought to find some land soon,” Dywen was heard to say. The Ironborn lived and thrived on the sea like no one else did, yet even they were getting tired of the spray of sea water and the smell of salt in the air.

They are just tired of the fighting and the news of Euron coming back to Westeros, Asha told herself. Once we have gotten some food and water and make our way back to our home, they will be good.

“Keep a close watch on the shore,” Asha told her men. “If you see any place where we can land, you bring it up to me.”

“We are on the middle of nowhere,” Quentyn Greyjoy replied. "There are no lands to be had here. We should continue on our way to the Iron Isles to join the fight against the Crow's Eye."

“Aye," said Dagon Greyjoy. Dagon the Drunkard, men called him, but drunk or sober he loved to fight. "We should make Euron pay for what he did ourselves. Why should the others have all the glory which should belong to us?"

Asha had heard enough. “We will not reach the Iron Islands alive to fight my uncle if we don't find some food and water soon. So do what you are supposed to do first.”

Asha Greyjoy loved her men, captains and crew alike, but half of them were fools. Brave fools, but fools nonetheless. Go to the Iron Islands, yes, as if we could …

Between the Black Wind and Pyke lay long leagues and vast spaces of open waters. And there might be more of Euron's creatures than she cared to contemplate. Asha had two longships and not quite one hundred men… For all the talks of glory, she could only imagine  rushing off to Pyke will get them a glorified death and that was what most of her men wanted.

Asha herself might have wanted that once, but she had to live now and right all the things which were wronged by her uncle.

The crossing was uneventful for the rest of the day. At dusk they spied a galley in the distance, her oars rising and falling against the evening stars, but she was moving away from them, and soon dwindled and was gone. Asha played a game of dice with Qarl and Hagen, and another one with Dagon and Quentyn, and somehow managed to lose both. The others were kind enough to not rub salt in the open wound, but Qarl mocked her. “You should learn much and more about dicing, captain. Try to play when you have learned it sometime or else you might get stripped of all your wealth.”