AN: ** I changed the title! ** Been going back and forth between the two and regretted not choosing this one. Sorry if it confused anyone! Also thought I should mention, the previous chapter has been edited a bit. Nothing major, though, just rearranging/fixing sentences and grammatical errors. Anyway, the first few chapters will resolve the three battle cliffhangers from ADWD (Meereen, Storm's End and Stannis's battle in the ice). Battle and fighting scenes are the most difficult for me to write so bear with me, lol :S
This chapter takes place after the Theon chapter from The Winds of Winter so it'd be best to read that first!
THE KRAKEN IN THE ICE
The men were carefully drilling holes into the frozen lakes. Well, drilling more holes since the icy lakes on either side of the abandoned crofter's village had enough of them already after they fished both to near emptiness.
But Stannis had given the order and the task was nearly done.
Asha turned away, unable to bear the biting cold any longer and continued trudging through the snow on her trek to the longhall, her steps slow and difficult. Tristifer Botley followed readily.
"Might just work, don't you think?"
She said nothing, only hummed noncommittally. The truth is she agreed Stannis Baratheon had been clever, making an otherwise wretched village and a solitary watchtower with no walls into something a bit more defensible. Making it into a place where he and his army could at least hold their ground. However, said army was also starved, covered in snow and half-frozen to death but Asha was most concerned over what she and her small band of ironborn should do.
Stepping into the longhall, Asha immediately spotted the others. It was not difficult considering they sat a bit further from everyone else for the ironborn were not liked by southerners nor the northerners, although said southerners and northerners could hardly stomach each other either. Each group implicitly sat among their own.
Asha squeezed herself into a small space between Qarl the Maid and Grimtongue, thankful for the added warmth offered by such close contact. after a curt nod at everyone she quietly delved into her supper – horse meat yet again – not fully engaging with the rest of her group as she chewed contemplatively.
Truth be told, the kraken's daughter pondered continuously over their next move. Tris had unwittingly sparked an idea within her back in Deepwood Motte when he spoke of Torgon the Latecomer and she remembered her Uncle telling her of the one time a kingsmoot's choice was overthrown. She never thought of it again after their harsh defeat and her subsequent capture but after seeing Theon again, having him so close by and still alive it snuck its way to the front of her mind. Asha could never sit the Seastone Chair no matter how much Qarl or Tris called her a queen but there was still one very small and final chance to lawfully raise the isles against Crow's Eye, to at least challenge the kingsmoot's decision.
But that notion had all but shattered into a thousand pieces once again.
As much as she would rather leave this god-forsaken village with her men and brother, such a thing was unlikely. At least for now. The king wanted her younger brother to pay for his sins, he wanted Theon dead to secure the Northmen even more tightly to his cause. The king was also a careful man and thus had them all watched – Theon literally chained inside the watchtower – so escape would be difficult. Perhaps the heat of battle might offer a chance of escape for them but then they'd have to contend with the weather and Asha would rather throw her lot in with Stannis.
Rather than have her thoughts dwell on the past and the loss of her home, she had to think of the present and, at present, Asha dearly hoped Stannis emerged victorious in this next battle. One look at what had become of her brother was enough for Asha to know she would rather descend to the Drowned God's watery halls than stand at the mercy of the Boltons.
She still had to hold back a shudder every time she thought of him.
"Missing your southron knight?" a low teasing voice whispered in her ear so unexpectedly Asha almost spilled the ale she had raised to her lips.
Asha turned her head to the right in order to face Qarl as she elbowed him sharply. "Well, you've been brooding so terribly just now," he laughed.
"Don't be stupid," she said rolling her eyes at him. She knew better than to think he was jealous, Qarl himself new better than to be jealous. But his teasing was slightly embarrassing, damned that Justin Massey for it was all his fault.
Not two days ago, near midday, the man had approached her in front of Roggon, Rook, Qarl, Tris, Fingers and Grimtongue. He pulled her to the side, thankfully, and gave her a long-winded goodbye for apparently Stannis had ordered him off to Braavos after dealing with the Iron Banker.
Asha found herself slightly irritated but mostly amused.
His attempts to court her favor with food and wine had been convenient for her though hopelessly fruitless for him since his chances of wooing her into marriage were nil. The knight also made for better company than most when she had been alone amongst her foes but she would hardly miss it now that the Iron Banker ransomed and brought a handful of her own men.
"My only comfort, my Lady, is that your own men are here to guard you…" The kraken's daughter nearly laughed but politely remained quiet, out of gratitude for his helpfulness all this time if anything else.
After one last curtsy, the blue-eyed flaxen-haired man walked away. Asha returned to her group talking quietly amongst themselves. She noticed Tris had been eyeing her and Massey intently the entire time though she hardly cared. However, when she saw Qarl – who, for all intents and purposes seemed deep in conversation – briefly looking away from the talking Roggon to offer her a teasing smirk she hid a scowl and instead raised a challenging eyebrow, just to let him know teasing would have no effect on her. Of course, she expected it regardless.
"Well then, what are you thinking so hard about?" Qarl asked presently.
"You know." They all did. The seven of them had argued over their situation many times in the past couple of days.
Qarl shrugged turning back to his food. "Let us first face the battle tomorrow then worry over what might come after. I, for one, am happy we shall have our swords and axes with us."
Indeed, the Drowned God has not forgotten us for Stannis allowed us weapons at least, Asha thought. Of course, Qarl the Maid - a warrior to the bone like the rest of her band except for Tris - would think that away and he was not mistaken. The kraken's daughter had enough of fretting, she would be ready for the battle in the ice tomorrow.
Sure, enough, the next day Asha stood firm in her leathers and the steel plates she'd scavenged among the wagons as the sound of trumpets and warhorns blasted all around her sending shivers of anticipation in her. She gripped the handle of her ax tighter, reveling the feel of a weapon in hand once again.
Stannis and his men would hold their ground beneath the shadow of the watchtower, all of them facing the larger lake to the north. The ironborn among them so he could keep a tight leash no doubt.
Asha had not been present for strategizing amongst the lords and captains but the She-Bear had no qualms in telling her about it.
Having questioned Theon, Stannis knew Roose Bolton sent the Frey and Manderly men. He believed the two had split soon after leaving Winterfell. Hosteen Frey was by no means a capable commander said the She-Bear so Stannis had accurately predicted their move. By all reports, the larger portion of the host, near 2,000 men, would attack from the north. The rest, a much smaller force, had separated and fallen a little behind but would surely strike from the south.
So, the bulk of their own army faced north – 1,300 southern knights and men-at-arms with half of the 1,200 northerners made up of Mormont, Glover, Cerwyn and Tallhart men. The other half stood to the south, facing the other frozen lake. Meanwhile, the 2,500 mountain clansmen of House Wull, Flint, Norrey and Liddle lay in wait to the east, spread out and hidden in the Wolfswood prepared to contain any army approaching from the east through the strip of land between both lakes where the crofter's village stood. The She-Bear and Asha both agreed they were the best-suited for the job since the mountain clansmen had a better grasp of the forest than anyone else and could, therefore, move more easily to where they were most needed, to block their enemies retreat if possible or perhaps provide aid to their allies. The wolves were most eager to sink their teeth into Frey meat, they hungered for it.
Asha looked up at the shining beacon of the watchtower, the single most visible thing around. She could make out a bit of the frozen lake in front of her although she couldn't see as far as the heart tree in the middle of it, much less the other shore. Her vision counted for little in the snow so her ears were alert as those of a hound.
The sound of trumpets resonated back to them from the other side. The enemy had arrived and they could see the light. Like moths to a flame, she heard them charging across the frozen lake towards their beacon. Stannis had accurately judged Hosteen Frey. Amongst the war cries of the men around her, the trumpets and yells of their charging adversary grew louder. The thundering of hooves echoed loudly and Asha knew their cavalry ran ahead.
Idiots, she laughed.
Finally, their darks shapes became visible through the snow. The leading wave of cavalry was way past the halfway point but Stannis's host stood their ground. A low rumble and cracking joined the cacophony but before anyone could think twice the ice started to break, groaning and cracking angrily. The loud charging war cries of the Frey men became frightened shouts. The horses were far too heavy and the host too big for the ice to hold, especially when it had been rendered delicate after so many holes had been cut into it. Asha watched with unmasked fascination as the snowy scene became one of desperation. Horses whined in terror and men fell into the freezing depths dragged down by the weight of their armor. The entire lake seemed to be pulling them down; drowning them violently. By the sound of it, Asha knew the ice had cracked all the way to the other shore, swallowing both horsemen and those on foot alike.
Most of the Freys charging across the frozen lake seemed to be drowning but the ones that managed to make it through were met readily by the waiting coalition of southern and northerners who charged as soon as their foes came onto solid ground. The king's men yelled and further down the wolves ran forth howling. Horses were met with spears and soon the sound of steel rang above anything else. Asha raised her shield to block a man's sword then struck him in the belly with her ax. Horses screamed and reared in pure terror. She threw herself to the left narrowly avoiding being run over by one. She was quicker than the next man, cutting his hand off clean with an enormous amount of force behind her slash before slashing his throat open for good measure. Asha could hear her fellow ironborn cursing and screaming ferociously while battling in her vicinity She threw an ax at her next adversary then spun to find another one advancing on her. A blow knocked the wind out of her, thankfully her steel plate had not been pierced but she would definitely find a large ugly bruise in that very spot come tomorrow. Somehow she managed to drive the pointed edge of her dirk into a crevice in his armor. The sting of the long thrusting dagger proved enough to distract him so she could move away and throw her last ax right into his face. She saw a horse running in her direction and quickly pulled a spear from a body on the ground and stabbed at the charging horseman knocking him off his horse. She then drove the spear into him, pulling it out roughly dripping with blood.
Before long her arms ached, her legs shook and her throat had gone dry. Asha could still barely see through the snow although her ears recognized the grunts and screams to be fewer. She lost all notion of time and the blood had frozen on the skin of her face when her back came up against Fingers and Qarl whom she'd lost sight of long ago. Fingers pierced a man's chest with a broad heavy blade.
A trumpet blew and a roar erupted from the battle ground. For a moment, Asha stood in a daze, numb from fighting not fully understanding until the stag with a flaming heart rose above them in victory. Asha let out a shout of her own, raising her shield in celebration. Qarl the Maid and Fingers bumped each other's chest with a hard fist before Qarl turned to her with a wide grin, his hair matted with sweat and a blood-spattered face matching her own. If possible, her heart hammered even more furiously against her ribcage and Asha grinned back wanting nothing more than to jump him then and there. She had not been in his arms since Deepwood Motte but tonight surely they'd find a moment to slip away unseen, so the heat in her belly would have to wait till then.
At present, they'd all revel in the aftermath of the battle and Asha smiled to herself knowing she had once again avoided the halls waiting beneath the sea for every god-fearing ironborn.
/
The next day Asha woke up sore in every inch of her body but feeling more like the kraken's daughter than she had in so long. The sky was white but no brighter than yesterday as she pushed her way out of the tent in her heavy furs.
After their victory news of the northern forces positioned to the south reach them quickly. They had not seen battle for the Manderlys never came.
Instead, the merlings arrived near nightfall, marching into the village from the wolfswood alongside the mountain clansmen with Hosteen Frey's head on a pike raised up high in display.
However, it wasn't until she was outside the watchtower the next day that Asha heard the entire story. An enormous crowd gathered waiting for their commanders to come out. She noticed the knights with three silver mermaids on a violet field amongst the Northmen.
Asha was quick to learn the shrewd merlings had first ridden south before doubling back once they were out of sight from the Freys. The Manderly host of 300 men attacked the Freys as they retreated from the northern-most shore, blocking them from getting off the lake and effectively killing them all. Their commander had been holed up with Stannis in his watchtower for most of the night and again this morning. Asha dearly wished to hear whatever plan they were concocting up there. So much that she almost envied Theon.
They all waited for the better part of the morning.
Asha held her impatience at bay, a task made easier by the lingering feelings of satisfaction after yesterday's battle. She remained standing in the snow with her men looking forward to the ale they'd surely taste for supper, no longer brooding and instead prepared for whatever was coming for she was ironborn. Even amongst the wolves and southern flowers she had never stopped being ironborn or the kraken's daughter.
Excitement shot up when some of the lords and commanders finally walked out of the watchtower. Through the crowd, Asha caught a glimpse of Ser Richard Horpe. She also spotted the She-Bear and Big Bucket Wull along with a couple of bearded Manderly knights. One of them raised a gloved hand and shouted.
Like her, the other six ironborn also survived the Battle in the Ice relatively unscathed save for a few ugly cuts and heavy bruises and were all in good spirits. However, none were in higher spirits than the wolves, that was certain. She watched silently as some howled while others raised their fists, their shouts disturbing the otherwise silent snow-covered surroundings.
"The North remembers!"
