Victarion loved his ships and he loved the sea, but perhaps nothing filled him with as much anticipation as when his ships were flying over the waves towards a beach, ready to unleash a band of bloodthirsty Ironborn to reave their way to greatness and glory. If there was anything that filled him with more anticipation and pride it was when the enemy ships were burning behind him. It seemed that Theon had not completely forgotten the waves at Winterfell, for his longships had ambushed the Redwyne patrol and captured two ships, burning the other five, these greenlanders and their seven headed god, they had to do everything in that number, they were predictable like that. At least, that was what Theon had said on the Shield Islands when he assured him that they could get past a Redwyne patrol should they try and stop his longships.

It was for that reason that Victarion was at the front of the Iron Victory, as is soared towards the beach of the Arbor, where Theon and Dagmer's reavers were already engaging a Redwyne force sent against them by the Lords of the Island. Victarion tried to imagine what his ancestor Dagon had felt as he reaved, the Dragons were defeated and he had tied the tails of the Lions and Wolves in knots before turning the tentacles of the Kraken upon the Reach, he had taken half of the wealth of the Arbor back to the Iron Islands with him, now Victarion would do more, he would seize the island for King Balon, with the Arbor taken, the only islands in the Sunset sea not to know the Ironborn would be Bear Isle in the North, which had very little on it anyway, and Fair Isle, where Victarion had been beaten before. But he drove the thought of defeat from his mind and his ship grounded upon the beach, and as he leapt overboard he knew, that this day would be a day of victory. The only thing to disappoint Victarion was that there was not much for him to do, for the battle was almost won as Theon and Dagmer's men were slaughtering the Arbor's levies and the few knights that were still there. He charged at three men, sinking his axe into the shoulder and deep into the chest of the first one. When another charged at him, he punched him in the face with a gauntleted fist, relishing the feel of cartilage breaking under it, he pulled his axe out, spun, and ended the suffering of the man by carving through his neck, hearing the spine snap as his axe cleaved it in two. The final man ran, joined shortly by the remaining survivors from the beach battle.

Victarion looked at the blood on his axe and smiled at the sight, however when he saw the two dead bodies his face darkened, despite being the organiser of the full scale Ironborn invasion of the Arbor, he had only what these bodies had to show for it, they were what he had bought with Iron, and they were peasants called up to fight, not knights or lords with true treasures on them. Victarion could only imagine the moods of the Ironborn who had come to shore after him, those who had witnessed the battle but had not taken part. They would no doubt be cursing the weaknesses of these Arbor men who had fled before they could kill them. Turning aside the thoughts, Victarion looked up the beach and further into the Arbor, where Theon and Dagmer would storm and turn aside all opposition as they turned the Arbor into one of the Iron Islands. Victarion approached the two of them as they rested after the battle on a nearby rock, Theon examining recovered arrows and his bloodied sword, and Dagmer was also looking over his weapons.

"So Theon", Victarion asked, the two of them looking up to him when his shadow fell over them. "Since I have given you command of the reavers attacking the Arbor, what is your plan?" Victarion peered at his nephew, this was where Theon determined if he was a leader, not because of Victarion's decree, but because he knew what he was to do and how he would do it.

Theon nodded and pointed over to the mainland. "I will take most of the reavers inland, we will ravage the Arbor and defeat what defences remain. Dagmer will take the longships and raid the smaller islands nearby, I do not want the Redwyne fleet attacking our longships whilst we are reaving, stranding us here."

Victarion nodded, normally that would be a sound plan, however, there was a difference between the Arbor and the rest of the Reach. "Do not forget", Victarion warned, "House Redwyne's sons are held hostage in King's Landing, they sent no men with Renly their host remains here."

Theon only smiled. "They will fall."

"How exactly will you accomplish this?" Victarion asked Theon, his heart sinking, this was still raiding to Theon, he did not seem to understand that it would be a bloody business, taking the Arbor, the knights there would fight fiercely to protect their homeland.

"I will use the chivalry of the Reach against them", Theon declared boystously, in a manner which might have impressed the Northmen, but would only be seen as a challenge by his Ironborn, who still did not yet believe in him. "I will raid villages, when they ride out to retaliate, I will ambush them, I will bleed them white so that they are too terrified to leave their holdfasts and then, when they are weak and scared, the Arbor will be mine for the taking."

Victarion was not as convinced as Theon was, he did not believe that the Arbor would be so easily won, but if Theon could in it might just tip the scales of his favour in Balon's eyes higher than that of his sister Yara, for that reason, Victarion said no more, and instead allowed Balon's son and rightful heir to progress as he wished for now, see whether he was truly ready to ascend the Seastone chair.

"Lord Captain", Victarion turned, leaving Theon to his imagined victory as he turned to see a messenger approach him, a man he recognised, but not from his fleet, he had been at Yara's shoulder in Oldtown. "I bear news from Lady Yara", the man said, bowing, "she has retreated from Oldtown, the host of Randyll Tarly has gotten too close and was too strong for her, but she took all there was o value from the city."

Victarion nodded in approval, much as he may disapprove of a woman inheriting the Seastone chair, he could not deny that she commanded well, for knowing when to retreat was of import, especially to the Ironborn, who would be forever outnumbered by their enemies on land. However, it seemed that Theon did not share this approval. "Ha", he laughed, "my sister runs away when she should fight."

"There is no shame in running from an impossible fight", Victarion snapped back, Theon may not have entirely lost his Ironborn ways, but he was also certainly too impulsive and naive to command a large campaign at the moment, which was why Victarion had assigned Dagmer to him, so that Theon would not take the ships and reave on his own. "That is something you had best learn if you ever wish to be the Iron King." Leaving the mollified Theon, Victarion turned back to the messenger, who had not moved from his position. "Was there something else my niece wished me to know?"

The messenger nodded, "word from the capital would seem to be that Stannis Baratheon and the Royal Fleet have sailed." Victarion took in a sharp breath as his vision was clouded with images of his beloved fleet being smashed into pieces in the straits between Fair Isle and the mainland. The black background and golden kraken of Greyjoy falling as, through it all, he saw the golden background and the black crowned stag of Baratheon advance, tall, proud and strong atop the Royal Flagship. Victarion could have imagined the King's brother at the prow, looking on as his trap was successful. He shuddered and looked back to the messenger. "Apparently, squadrons of the Royal Fleet have set in at Gulltown before heading towards the Wall."

That confused Victarion on two counts, one, there was no naval threat at the Wall so he had no idea why the Royal Fleet was travelling the Narrow Sea to get there, and two, with the Reach in rebellion, he did not know how Yara would have discovered it. "How did Yara discover this?" He asked the messenger.

"The Citadel", the man said, "they get reports from maesters across the Seven Kingdoms, Lady Yara confiscated the reports before she left Oldtown." Victarion nodded in approval of his niece again, she certainly had brains, but she was a woman, and no woman would sit in the Seastone chair, his brother Aeron Damphair would never accept it.

"What of Yara?" He asked the messenger, "where is she?"

"She is returning to the Shield Islands Lord Captain", the messenger said to him, "reaving villages along the coast as she goes." Victarion absently wondered whether or not there was anything of value left along the coast of the Reach, a year of almost constant reaving would drain a land faster than building Harrenhal did to the Iron Islands and the Riverlands.

"Does she know what she will do when she gets there?"

The messenger nodded, "she said that unless you return with orders for her she intends to return home with the loot gathered from the campaign so far."

Victarion nodded, "it has to be done, tell her she should go but that I will need her back here when she is done."

"I shall Lord Captain", the man rushed off down the beach to where his ship was no doubt waiting for him, a ship loyal to his niece.

Victarion looked around him, at the reavers who were still wading ashore those belonging to Theon's command and those under his, who would be returning to their home of the sea before long. Indeed, half of Victarion's Iron Fleet remained at sea, for, although he estimated that at most only around half of the ships that the Reach could call upon remained, if they were to catch the Iron Fleet and the longships at the beach, they would win a stunning victory, and Victarion would never be caught with his britches around his ankles, pissing into the air in celebration of victory by an enemy fleet, as he had in the straits between Fair Isle and the mainland. His gaze was caught by a newly arrived Longship, putting into shore not far away, when only a single reaver leapt over the edge and into the surf, Victarion suspected that it was another messenger had come for him. When the man looked around, caught sight of Victarion and rushed over to him, Victarion knew that his suspicions were correct.

"Lord Captain", the man said, dropping to one knee in the sand. "I have a message from Iron King Balon Greyjoy."

Victarion narrowed his eyes. "Where have you sailed from?"

"The Shield Islands, Lord Captain."

"How did you get here from the Shield Islands so quickly?"

"The message arrived mere hours after you left, Lord Lenwood dispatched me as soon as it arrived."

Victarion nodded, glad that his subordinate had not become indulgent in his new Lordship. "What is my brother's message?" He asked the man.

"Lord Balon says that he will be arriving on the Shield Islands in two moon's time, he wishes to oversee your reaving efforts in person for a while."

Victarion nodded again, waving his hand to dismiss the messenger, who scurried back to his ship. Two moons brother, Victarion thought to himself, two moons to destroy the Redwyne Fleet, he would not dare present himself before his brother with his task unfulfilled, he would shatter the remains of the Redwyne Fleet before returning to the Shield Islands to prepare for his brother's arrival. "Two moons then", Victarion turned at the sound of his nephew's voice, "two moons to take the Arbor for my father."

"Do not rush this matter Theon", Victarion warned.

"It will not be a rush", Theon replied, a viscious smile on his face. "It will be a feast, and by the time my father arrives, the Arbor will be Ironborn once again."