The air was thick and musty below the deck of the ship, the smell of vomit and sweat clung to every room, even those with small portholes. Years of people being crammed into such close quarters did nothing for the moist wood of the hull. Which was why Arya prefered to stay above deck when the weather permitted, sleeping in whatever spot she could find: piles of ropes, sacks of grain, once or twice she slept on the deck itself, not wanting to feel suffocated down below. They had been on the sea for close to a month and scarcely saw any land after they left Westeros but she was determined to keep sailing until they reached land again.

The men of the ship were not happy with her plans despite the heavy compensation she was paying them all to come along. She heard their not-so hushed whispers as they complained to each other. 'The young wolf doesn't belong on the sea,' they would say, 'she's a fool for believing there's anything more to the world.' To that she would announce her presence by reminding them that they were just as foolish for agreeing to sail with her.

She was sitting on the edge of the deck, picking apart some brown bread and soaking in the warm morning sun as the rest of the ship was still waking up below. It was nice to have a few peaceful moments every day where she didn't have to be Arya Stark. Sadly, her moments alone were interrupted by the sound of boots walking toward her. She could tell by the gait and speed that is was their captain.

The woman cleared her throat before speaking, "My Lady," The Iron Island accent pierced Arya's ears just as much as the phrase.

"I'm not a Lady," she looked over her shoulder and was greeted by Yara Greyjoy's permanent scowl before going back to her morning bread. "What can I do for you, captain?"

"I've heard you're still not using your cabin, typically I couldn't care less, but the men are complaining."

"They complain about everything, what of it now?"

She could hear a sigh and could only assume Yara was pinching the bridge of her nose before with frustration. "Clearly this voague is a lot longer than any of them anticipated, they find it unfair that they're crammed together while you have your own room that you are even using."

Arya finished the last of her food and brushed the crumbs into the sea before standing to face the woman. "So give it away, I don't need it, I prefer above deck. Just put my chest in the hall. These men of yours complain more than the Northmen in the middle of Winter."

"There is also the matter if we should continue on and risk running out of rations or return home empty handed."

Arya scoffed at the notion, "Where is that Greyjoy dedication your brother spoke of so much?"

"Don't you dare speak of my brother," she nearly hissed as she spoke. Arya could tell she hit a nerve but Yara quickly collected herself before speaking again. "Shall we take a look at the maps before you make a decision?"

She may be captain, but Arya was in charge. "I've already made my decision, we're not turning around. No great discovery has happened by turning around."

"The men will not be happy with that, but as you wish."

"I'm sure you can handle things, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to check the horizons." Yara gave a small nod before leaving. Arya felt herself relax as she watched the woman leave. Growing up with Theon as a brother figure, she always wondered how it would be to meet his older sister. She had always admired the stories but after the years of war, when they finally met, there was too much strife between the two families for Arya to enjoy being on Yara's ship.

She crossed the deck to the high pole of the crow's nest. Typically she enjoyed her shortness, but once a day she had to make the long climb to the top to check their progress. Sure, any of the men could do this job, but once she was up there, she enjoyed being able to see farther than anyone has before. Sucking in a breath, she took hold of the rungs of the ladder and started her climb.

Finally, she reached the top; out of breath and sweaty, but she made it. She took off her thick leather over shirt to let the wind whip through the thin blue blouse, instantly cooling her off. It always took her a few minutes to regain her strength before she pulled a looking glass from her belt to check the sky. "Please show something, please show something," she muttered as she scanned around. Everything, as far as she could see was blue. Blue of the sky and a slightly darker blue of the sea. It was breathtaking the first few times she had gone up there but now, a month later, she was bored of it. She was just about to finish her circle when the scenery changed drastically. The sky Northwest of the ship was a deep blue and she knew a storm was blowing towards them. "Gods dammit, not what I was hoping for." She could tell it would be a few hours before it would reach them but too large to go around. Typically she stayed up longer but with this news, she knew she had to tell Yara so she tied her shirt around her waist and started back down to the deck.

Yara was below deck, talking to a group of men when Arya finally found her. "Greyjoy," she called as she approached, out of breath.

The other woman looked away from the men with what seemed like a hopeful smile. "Please tell me there's actual something out there."

"There is, but not what you're hoping," she brushed the loose strands of her hair out of her face before she finished. "There's a storm coming, looks pretty bad. We should start securing everything." She tried to make her voice sound commanding but she could hear the shakiness with her own ears.

"Gods," Yara muttered before turning back to the men. "You heard her, get to work." The men scattered to spread the word and start the annoy job of preparing for the storm. They listened to Yara with complete loyalty, which Arya was actually impressed with. The Islanders were a fiercely loyal group that was to par with the Northmen. "Bet you regret giving away your cabin now, four men already claimed it as their own." There was a teasing tone to her voice that reminded Arya of Theon.

"I'll be fine, I'll just stay with the cargo or something." It wasn't the first time she had to stay in peculiar places.

"Nonsense, even if you say you aren't, you're still a lady. There's more than enough room in mine. You can ride out the storm with me."