Yo!

This is next .. next Thursday's post early .. um my next scheduled update is for the 5th of November but you'll probably see an update from me before then but don't panic if you don't.

This chapter is really tense or it felt that way when I wrote it and on my re-reads. Really enjoyed the Jaime & Tywin interactions though!

Enjoy :)


Chapter 69: Breath of Life

A few minutes later …

Seastone Chair chamber, Great Hall, Great Keep, Pyke, Seat of Power of House Greyjoy in the Iron Islands


"Keep Balon isolated, put any highborn Ironborn in the Guest Keep but bring any heads of houses to this chamber and kill the rest," Tywin barked to his men, noting how the Golden Company men obeyed his orders as well.

"Are you going to kill every Ironborn that can't pay a ransom," Jaime greeted behind him.

Tywin dismissed his men before turning to his son, "I am going to kill every Ironborn that thought he could raid with impunity, capture our women, make thralls of our children and steal our crops."

"You make it all sound so … justified."

"It is," Tywin said sharply.

Jaime leaned in towards his father, "Was sleeping with my wife justified?"

Do all my children know? Tywin wondered for a split second before schooling his face but Jaime had seen the tightening of his father's jaw and that was enough to know Kenna hadn't been lying.

"You can't deny it, she told me herself," Jaime whispered in a low voice.

Tywin made sure no one could overhear them, "Now is not the time-"

"Now is never the time to discuss such a topic," Jaime fired back.

"You refused to do your duty," Tywin scolded.

"So, you thought you would do it for me," Jaime scoffed.

"The line of succession had to be secured."

"Tyrion is your rightful heir," Jaime thundered forgetting where he was but no one gave any sign of having overheard his mini outburst.

"Tyrion will never be Lord of Casterly Rock," Tywin growled deeply trying to contain his anger but if there was one topic that he struggled with it was always going to be his dwarf son despite the little wretch proving his usefulness in recent years.

Jaime remained quiet in the wake of the ripples of anger rolling off his father and both Lannister men observed Ironborn soldiers being bound and taken away, presumably just to be slaughtered outside of their eyeline and tossed into the sea.

The dead men walking were replaced with what Jaime assumed where the heads of the Iron Island's noble houses that didn't fancy a life on the sea and were not Captains in the Iron Fleet. There was only a dozen of them and they were placed in the middle of the Great Hall, leaving Balon Greyjoy surrounded by red clad soldiers near the Seastone Chair.

Tywin contained his anger and reasoned, "Tyrion's place is in King's Landing."

"You trust him to run the Realm but not Casterly Rock," Jaime realised, "You know he would make a good ruler you just can't handle the thought of him ruling the Westerlands because what … you think he killed mother?"

"Enough Jaime," Tywin said with such venom and years' worth of rage that Jaime could only stand still and gape at the effect mentioning his mother had had on his father.

After a few strenuous moments Tywin asked, jumping from one sensitive topic to another, "Will Kenna die?"

"Probably but what do you care, you got your preferred heirs out of her even if they are stranded in Winterfell," Jaime muttered.

"She is your wife; she is a Lannister."

"No, she is the mother of your children and her loyalties will always belong to the Vale, not to Casterly Rock or to you."

"Jaime," Tywin warned, still not fully calmed down from the mention of Joanna or his new born sons.

Jaime conceded the information his father was after not really wanting to feel his wrath further, "There is no way to free her from her chains and there is no way to stop high tide. She will drown, although I applaud her resilience that she has survived long enough to drown in that pit."

Tywin remained silent for a beat and Jaime couldn't decipher his unreadable look at his dire assessment of Kenna's chances at survival, "What do you mean?"

Jaime flicked his eyes to rest on the captured King, "Balon whipped her then had all the Captains of the Iron Fleet do the same, it is a wonder she survived all that punishment just to be walked to the Kraken's Pit to drown. She won't have the energy to tread the water for long."

Tywin's dark emerald eyes rested on the bound Balon then he spoke with absolute authority to his son, "Gather all the Captains still alive and bring them here."

"Father-"

"That was an order."

"As you command Father," Jaime said in a mocking tone before turning away and shouting to some Lannister soldiers to follow him.


Same time …

The Kraken's Pit, below the cliffs of the Guest Keep, Pyke, Seat of Power of House Greyjoy in the Iron Islands


"Kenna," Lord Royce shouted as he struggled to get his lumbering body through the water filled crack in the cliff.

Kenna raised her head slightly from where it was resting on Arty's shoulder, "Yohn," she whispered.

Her mentor had shed his armour and was swimming towards her. The water was now up to her chin and she would have been panicking if she had had the energy left to do so but everything was passing her by in her current state, she couldn't feel her body or her feet touching the sandy bottom anymore such was the numbing effect of the cold water encircling her.

Lord Royce reached them and his tall frame towered over Kenna, Artys and Lord Grafton, "Kenna?"

"She is fading," Lord Grafton said gently up to his old friend as a small wave threatened to drown out his words, "Did you get the key?"

Lord Royce shook his head, "Balon threw it out a window into the sea."

"What," Lord Grafton exclaimed as Lord Royce picked Kenna up so only half her body was submerged in the water and her head lulled to the nook in his neck. The chain could be seen swaying in the water below them.

"This isn't over," Lord Royce said desperately, "We can save her, we can .. we can help her swim and stay afloat."

"Aye we can try but the chains only have so much slack in them to allow her to rise with the tide and I would be more concern with the cold getting to her," Lord Grafton imparted his knowledge with reluctance.

"But we can try," a determined voice uttered, "She deserves us to try."

They all turned to see Robb Stark swimming towards them in a simple tunic and trousers.

"We can take turns in keeping her afloat so we don't tire ourselves out," Robb suggested as he reached them.

"Agreed," Lord Grafton said gesturing for Artys to follow him out of the alcove to take a rest and get dry.

Lord Royce watched as his fellow Valemen swam away then flicked his eyes down to the slightly shivering Queen in his arms.

"I got you," he said while trying to bring his Queen as close as possible to his chest.

"Yohn," Kenna croaked weakly, "My children?"

"They are with Lady Sansa in Winterfell. They are safe," Lord Royce informed as he rested his head on top of her wet hair.

"Good," Kenna said as she turned her head slightly to look at Robb.

He gave her a small smile, "Your Grace."

"I don't think I look like a Queen in this moment," Kenna managed to reply behind drooping eyelids and chattering teeth.

"You will always look like a Queen to me," Robb said without missing a beat.

Kenna let out a tired chuckle which ended up as a throaty cough but didn't respond further.

Robb looked upwards to the water mark on the surrounding cliff edges then to the chain attached to Kenna's ankles.

"What are you thinking?" Lord Royce asked as he clutched Kenna higher as the water kept steadily rising up his body to his shoulders.

"I am thinking," Robb said slowly, "that the chain is long enough so we could keep Kenna's head above water until the tide goes down again."

Lord Royce looked at the water mark. It was perhaps a metre above his head but the chain was still curled around the floor and was attached to Kenna's ankles, perhaps that was enough.

"High tide is still maybe an hour away then we would need to wait for it to completely dissipate then-"

"I know," Robb interrupted Lord Royce's concerns, "but I don't see another option. Once the water as receded enough we can use our Valyrian swords to cut through the chain."

Lord Royce nodded before saying suddenly, "Balon, he knew even if we found her, we would have to watch as she drowned. That was his plan to have Kenna suffer a long torturous death and make us watch."

"He is a bastard," Robb said with spite as his eyes took in the limp form of the Queen over the Mountain, "but his sadistic sense of justice might have backfired on him if we can just outlast high tide."

Lord Royce looked down to Kenna whose eyes were now shut and she was shivering constantly in his arms. The water was creeping its way up her neck and his chin. Lord Royce hoisted her off his chest and placed her in-between himself and Robb so both had a hold of one arm and were keeping her head above the water. Robb was already forced to swim and Lord Royce knew it wouldn't be long before his feet too would find no purchase.

Kenna was situated between the two men but she was little more than dead weight. They both knew carrying her was their only option and that if she was to live, they had to outlast the sea.


Half an hour later …

Seastone Chair chamber, Great Hall, Great Keep, Pyke, Seat of Power of House Greyjoy in the Iron Islands


Jaime trotted back into the chamber with a line of twenty bound Ironborn Captain's behind him who had double that number of Lannister men escorting them.

"Father, as you requested, the survivors of the naval battle at Ironman's Bay."

"Line them up against the wall," Tywin pointed to the far wall of the chamber.

The Captains were shuffled past their kneeling King and tied up Lords, and were pushed against the wall. They all wore masks of fearlessness and defiance that were well known traits for men born on the Iron Islands.

Tywin walked up to Balon and stood before him, "Did you honestly think that a second Rebellion would work when your first failed so spectacularly?"

Balon didn't say anything just spat at Tywin's feet.

"Kill them," Tywin said coldly looking down at Balon willing the defeated man to look up at him as his voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.

"Father we could ransom them," Jaime quickly pointed out by his shoulder.

"I don't need their gold; I want their blood. Kill them," Tywin repeated and his men were not going to be told a third time.

The Iron Fleet Captains put up a loud struggle but all of them succumbed to a Lannister knife point and all of them after a minute were slumped against the wall with their blood slowly dribbling away from their bodies to the centre of the chamber where the Ironborn Lords knelt.

"Why did you do that?" Jaime asked with a puzzled expression plastered on his face, "There was no reason to do that."

"They dared to hurt and kidnap Lannisters," Tywin roared as if it was obvious, "I don't let such insults go unanswered."

Jaime pointed towards the bloodied wall and the corpses that were slumped overreach other, "You did that for Kenna … and me?"

"You are both Lannisters," Tywin said repeating himself from earlier daring Jaime to repeat himself.

"No, that is not it," Jaime muttered muddling through his father's orders and countenance, "You consider her yours, don't you?"

Tywin closed the short distance between them so he could grab his eldest son's face, "I killed them because they are our enemy, they take from our people and they hurt our family. Today has been a long time coming for the Ironborn."

Jaime looked into his father's unwavering eyes, anyone who wasn't a Lannister or wasn't useful to him was simply an ant waiting to be crushed underneath his boot with no remorse, and the Ironborn were more than that. They had been a nuisance for years and now the shadow of Tywin's boot was hovering over them.

Tywin let go of Jaime's face and surveyed the Great Hall, soldiers from the North and Vale were milling around without a leader to direct them while his Westermen stood to his attention awaiting further orders and Commander Strickland was watching it all, with a circle of Golden Company mercenaries surrounding him.

The Iron Islands and the Ironborn had been a problem that had plagued the Westerlands for generations. It was time for this problem to be dealt with, permanently.

"Destroy everything you can find, kill any who get in your way but burning down any buildings is your focus," he commanded to his men who dispersed with efficiency to carry out the order. Commander Strickland indicated for some of his men to follow the Lannister soldiers.

Tywin glanced at Balon who still had his eyes firmly on the stone floor.

And so he spoke and so he spoke ….


Half an hour later …

The Kraken's Pit, below the cliffs of the Guest Keep, Pyke, Seat of Power of House Greyjoy in the Iron Islands


Robb and Lord Royce treaded water as they kept Kenna's head above the surface. Each time a wave rolled towards them they could feel the tug of the chain on her ankle pinning her to the rock, eventually it would pin her below the waves too.

"We're coming," yelled Lord Grafton as he plunged into the water from the cliff edge many metres above the rising water and was followed by Artys who splashed in as well.

"Kenna?" Lord Royce nudged.

"Mmm," she responded feebly but didn't open her eyes.

"Artys and Lord Grafton will be here soon."

"Don't .. go," her failing voice trembled.

Although he was exhausted from battling the constant small waves Lord Royce couldn't deny his Queen anything, not when these might be her last moments.

"I am not going anywhere," he replied taking in her pale face as her light blue eyes opened.

"I want to die surrounded by those I care for."

"We are here," Robb whispered from her other side as he bobbed in the water.

"Robb .." she exhaled.

The auburn-haired man gave her a sad smile as their eyes met.

Lord Grafton and Artys arrived and floated around them just as a wave broke over the party and caused Kenna to start coughing.

Robb tried to pull her away from the water but the chain dragged her down and he was sure the cuffs were biting into her ankles at the pressure but it was no use the water was still rising and soon it would be over her head.

No one wanted to acknowledge the obvious truth and no one wanted to leave so close to the end so all four men helped hold Kenna above the water until they couldn't anymore.


"No," Artys and Lord Grafton shouted in unison as Kenna struggled for air beneath them.

"I have had enough of losing people who I care for. I will not let her die here. I will not lose her too," Robb yelled.

'What can we do?" Lord Royce bellowed as the anguish of the situation bubbled away in him.

"She needs air, I will give her air," Robb declared before he took a big breath and sank below the waves.

Kenna's face was hovering just inches below the sealine and her face was framed by her dark brown hair floating in the water around her. Robb saw the panic in her clear blue eyes as she fought to keep ahold of her last breath. He placed one hand around the side of Kenna's head to focus her attention on him.

Robb gestured from his mouth to hers, hoping she understood him. Kenna's panicked look turned to confusion then to understanding. She blew out the air trapped in her mouth and a second later Robb's other hand rested on her other cheek and he found her mouth with his own, passing his breath onto her.

He continued to collect a breath on the surface then dive back down to Kenna but after a few goes he was panting and couldn't maintain the pace of breathing for himself and Kenna.

"I'll go now," Artys said and in the next second he had descended into the waves.

"Is it working?" Lord Royce asked as he and Lord Grafton held onto one of Kenna's arms that still poked up out of the water. Her head was only inches below the surface.

"She is still alive," Robb gasped as his heart rate and breathing calmed down.

Artys popped up, filled his lungs then dived.

"This is high tide, if Kenna can hold on for a few more minutes I think she might survive this," Lord Grafton said incredulously, willing the water to recede.

After another minute Robb tagged in for Artys and this system lasted until Kenna's head broke through the water again and she gulped in a fresh breath of air which was quickly covered by a rippling wave but eventually the water retreated down to her neck.

"I think," Lord Grafton started before laughing in elation, "we are in the clear."

"I think you are right," Robb agreed keeping his eyes on Kenna face as she sucked in breath after shaky breath with her eyes shutting out the bleak sun raining down on them.

"Kenna?", Lord Royce prodded down at the near drowned woman in his arms with a worried expression on his face, "She isn't responding."

"She is still breathing though," Artys observed still holding onto one of Kenna's arms in support.

"We need to free her as soon as possible and get her warm," Robb declared, knowing better than anyone the dangers of the cold.

"Agreed," Lord Royce said never taking his eyes off Kenna.


Author's Notes

Robb with the clutch save! Kenna has survived potentially drowning but as anyone who has spent a lot of time near water will tell you it is exhausting treading it for more than an hour let alone hours even with people holding you up and that isn't taking in the energy required to keep you warm etc.

The answer to Tywin's question is yes, all his children know about his secret with Kenna. Varys found out about their rendezvouses and told Oberyn to encourage him to kill Tywin then Tyrion overheard their conversation in the Tower of the Hand when he shot Obeyrn, he then told Cersei when he thought they were going to die in the Throne room to Stannis, and Kenna told Jaime to spite him when they were at Winterfell. That conversation was also overheard by Arya who then told Sansa before travelling with Jon beyond the Wall. Lord Royce knows as well because Kenna told him so there are eight people who know the truth about Jorge and Yohn's (jnr) real parentage (excluding Kenna & Tywin)… is it going to stay that way, probably not. Man, secrets are hard to keep in this universe .. unless you are dead (Well done Ned).

On the science behind breathing underwater like Robb, Artys and Kenna did, it is really doable as long as you get the new breath to the person trapped underwater at the normal rate that you would breath at it is all good. Of course, I am playing around with the fact that people in this time period would know to do it/ think of it but hey give me a little bit of room to wiggle dramatically in please :D


RIP

Copious amounts of Ironborn & a few Vale/North/Westerland/Golden Company men (Stabbed, decapitated, head trauma, bled out, falls from great heights, arrows to hearts, throat ripped apart by Grey Wind – there are many ways they would have died but these are the main ones)

Rest in peace assholes you all died due to Balon's stupidity. I imagine the Ironborn put up a good fight but the combined numbers they faced would simply have rushed them off their feet and a good chunk of their men would have been killed during the sea battle last chapter.

Twenty Ironborn Captains (Knifed to death by Lannister soldiers under Tywin's command)

As soon as Jaime said they had whipped Kenna their fates were sealed. Ransoming them may have got a pretty penny but no one hurts a Lannister and gets away with it while Tywin is in charge. Not sure I captured it with perfect clarity but Tywin's relationship with Kenna is a bit complicated but what is beyond doubt is that he respects her and killing those that whipped her is just a way of showing that and maybe more ….


Reviews:

Fury074 – Yes good thought! I don't think it is an option when the water has already covered the chain but as I wrote in this chapter, they will free Kenna with Valyrian steel once the water has receded far enough so they can get at the chain that isn't in direct contact with Kenna's skin.

Ksyushangel – Haha well one of my favourite scenes so far is happening next chapter but I still want to know what you thought of this chapter and the last chapter :)

Supreus85 – Honestly, I didn't even think of reeds but after a little research I don't think that plant, or similar, would grow near the Castle as it needs shallow running water with sandy beds and the Kraken's Pit is basically a hole surrounded by rock cliff. I went with the idea of Kenna outlasting high tide with Robb's help. I had mixed feelings for Yara to be honest, she was cool but I just really hate the Ironborn culture of taking from others. Aeron does indeed have a part still to play ;P Yes Kenna survives this time ;D

Mister LaGuardia – I googled keelhauling and DAMN! Glad you liked Littlefinger's death, I thought an execution style kill just suited him. Kenna is in a banged-up shape but I am sure she will come up with something … :P Artys's parentage is very important to the next few chapters. Dany if/when she returns to Meereen will have a bit of a transportation problem but maybe the current Council ruling Meereen will come up with something .. or maybe they won't :D She might not be a great strategist or logician but I don't think you have to be when you have three adult dragons ;P

DannyBlack70 – Your frustrations makes me happy :P I do kill a lot of characters ;D The way to get away with that I find is to make sure you have enough surviving characters to carry the story and readers interests and it is very true that I have other Arryn OCs now that have their own interesting backgrounds and potential futures in the Game of Thrones … ;P But today wasn't the day for an epic Kenna death scene (although I did write one for her drowning in this chapter months ago and I will showcase this at the end of the story once it is completed in a missing scenes/ AU of my AU section)

Lord Demolitions – The problem I have with the whole firing demolitions at the dragons would be the fact that they would more likely explode as they are trying to be catapulted than they would in the air near the dragon. I agree that if you take the flight of a dragon it is a much easier target. The kamikaze tactic I can visualize more like in Lord of the Rings scene where that Orc runs at the wall/gate to blow it up. With fighting a dragon that might work too but if the dragon blows fire at them or tail whacks them into others then the explosives do more damage to your own forces than the dragon. I think explosives vs people is much easier to manage than vs dragons.

No feet cutting necessary in the end. I can just imagine Kenna asking for a hairpin from Robb or Lord Royce then signing dramatically at their blank faces as she pulls one from her own hair then unlocks herself. That would have been cool, maybe another scene to go in my extra/AU AU/missing scene section at the end of the story.

Guest (commented 16/10/2020) – Don't worry she didn't :) Greyjoys do suck! That bugged me too! Yara promised not to pillage/raid and the Iron Islands was granted Independence then Jon asks for the same for the North and she was like, "I am the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!"

Chris141linardi – Hi Chris! Yeah, I was feeling good and the chapters where ready and I am excited to get to a certain scene which happens in the next chapter :D Hope you liked the Robb save on Kenna but there will be more Kenna and Robb coming as well.

Guest (commented 16/10/2020) – Robb's character growth in the last chapter I think was a valid issue to bring up. I guess he hasn't been rattling around my brain as much as the other MCs. I went back through the last chapter and made some edits to Robb's bits as I do agree he would be more assertive than I originally wrote him but I would like to point out his hesitation isn't at the thought of performing an execution but rather at the fact he wants to kill Balon not Yara, as she is just a follower of her fathers. Robb's survival of the Red Weddings and the experience of the North Civil War has changed him to become a harder person and less merciful or naïve in his decision making but he still values honour and still has compassion, he is his father's son just he survived his honorable mistake of choosing love over duty whereas Ned did not. Robb hasn't gone full punisher mode … yet ;D

What potential conflicts have I swept under the rug?

The Lannisters as they are currently positioned (Cersei in Meereen, Tyrion in King's Landing, Tywin and Jaime in Pyke, and Yohn (jnr) & Jorge in Winterfell) are important to most of my plot lines so they are going to have agency because they are the Lannisters and are incredibly influential still in this universe.

I hope my characterization is better too, always looking to improve :)

I mostly disagree with your third point. You may not have to be a total bastard/bitch to survive as a noble of a Great House in Westeros but being capable of doing wicked or immoral things greatly increases your chance of survival, for example if Arya had not lashed out and stabbed that stable boy she would have remained a prisoner in King's Landing, if Sansa hadn't gone behind Jon's back and asked for Littlefinger's help then Winterfell would still be in Ramsey Bolton's hands, if Kenna hadn't preempted Stannis's attempt at betrayal with her own then she would be headless right now. Also I don't think a love triangle can exist with those three as Tywin isn't capable of love since Joanna died and Kenna wouldn't love him because he always seeks to be in control and the thing she wants most is independence.


Next Up: Kenna's pain is avenged, Artys pays the Iron Price, and Cersei shows her value.

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