The trip to Dragonstone is eventful. Here, there be pirates. Arr!

Warning: This one really lives up to the M rating. Violence, language and explicit content.

20. The Black Wind - Jon

Jon had to admit he was wrong. The Black Wind was just as fast as Yara Greyjoy had promised. He didn't have enough sailing experience to be able to judge, but Ser Davos did. Turning to his left, he looked at the man.

"In all my years at sea, I've never felt the wind fly so fast on my face." The old knight said out loud, when they were both walking on the deck. He had to practically shout just to be heard over the noise.

Jon didn't reply, busy with the effort of trying to stay in place. His heavy cloak was billowing behind him, pulling him backwards.

"You might want to lose that, Snow." A female voice made him turn around. Yara Greyjoy came strutting from the helm, taking long strides as she moved down towards them. "That cloak's far too heavy for these winds. Besides, it's not that cold out here anyway." She paused to take a good look at him. "In fact, I'd wager a northman like you wouldn't bother with the cold even if you were bare naked."

Her eyes lingered a bit too long for comfort, and he coughed before replying, "Well, then I guess I'll go change." He nodded at Ser Davos and walked away.

The lady captain's voice trailed after him, "Do you need help picking out your new clothes?" She asked loudly, and her men laughed with her. She seemed to enjoy making her crew laugh. The woman could be a mummer. When he wasn't the target of her humor, even Jon had cracked a smile at some of her jibes.

At least the trip won't be boring, he mused, opening the door to his quarters. He had been sharing a cabin with Ser Davos. It wasn't all that comfortable, but they didn't have much between the two of them. He himself had only brought one cloak, a few other clothes and his leather armor, which he had been wearing for a while. I should have this washed, he thought, but for some reason he didn't feel safe enough to remove it yet.

Unfastening his cloak, he glanced at the side of the room where Davos kept his things. Jon couldn't remember seeing the old knight in anything other than what he was currently wearing, so he was surprised to see a few different colors sticking out of a worn wooden chest. I wonder what else he's brought…

The door banged open and Ser Davos was standing at the doorway, breathing hard. "Pirates!" He answered the unasked question, moving past Jon and towards the wooden chest. "Four ships were blocking the way."

"What are we going to do?" Jon didn't know anything about sea battles. I can swim, but hopefully I won't have to.

The old knight picked up his sword belt and started tying it around his waist. "I advised caution, but the Greyjoy lass wants to fight them." He turned to face Jon with a determined look. "It won't be easy. This is a fast vessel, and she has other ships with her, but I know what kinds of pirates travel these waters. However many ships we saw, they should have at least twice that number hidden just out of range. Be ready for a long battle."

Jon was already wearing his armor and sword belt, so he didn't need to prepare. There's always another fight. Together, they ran out to the main deck, passing by several other men going in the same direction. When they reached the open air, he caught the end of Yara's speech.

"So let's show these pretenders what a real pirate looks like!" She shouted, and her men roared, lifting their swords in the air. She moved back to the helm and started ordering everyone around while spinning the wheel. Jon didn't understand many of the words, but he heard something about Ramming speed before the ship began to move faster.

"You'll want to brace yourself." Ser Davos warned, already grabbing hold of a nearby rope and looping it around his arm. Jon didn't waste time following his lead. He still tried to keep an eye on the enemy ships ahead. As the Black Wind sailed closer and closer, they started scattering away.

Not fast enough, he thought, before the ship slammed into one of them. CRASH! The force of the impact had almost sent him tumbling forward, if not for Davos holding onto him. The pirate ship creaked and cracked until it started sinking into the depths, the crew jumping away to avoid being caught in the wake.

Well, that was easy. Turning to Ser Davos, Jon was about to say something when he spotted another pirate ship sailing around, trying to take the Black Wind from behind.

"Mind the bow!" Came the voice of Yara Greyjoy. "Oarsmen, about face!" After a short delay, the ship started moving backwards, almost as fast as it had moved forward. How is that possible? He wondered, looking at the old knight.

Davos caught his eye. "Before now, I had only heard rumors about this. Apparently, they were true." He nodded, with a satisfied smile. "Ironborn longships are double-ended, and they can change directions without having to turn around."

Jon watched as the other ship also seemed surprised by the move, pausing in its tracks. Yara noticed. "Let's take this one, boys. A fine prize." And the Black Wind moved a bit slower this time, until they came within range of the enemy vessel.

Some men were already waiting with hooks, throwing them over and attaching ropes between the ships. The Ironborn moved as one, climbing on the ropes to board the pirate ship. However, the pirates were also using the same ropes to climb aboard the Black Wind.

"To arms!" Yara yelled, drawing her own weapons as she made her way down from the helm. She had a long dirk in one hand and an axe in the other, which she threw at the nearest pirate. It caught the man on the shoulder, sending him down to the wet deck.

Jon spotted another man sneaking in from the other side of the ship. Everyone else was focused on the ropes, so he nudged Ser Davos and pointed at the pirate.

"He's probably not alone." The old knight replied. "Let's go." So Jon drew Longclaw and they moved quickly. By the time he got there, two more men were climbing aboard from the same place.

Where are they coming from? He didn't have time to think, as the previous pirate slashed at him with a curved blade. Jon deflected the blow and mounted a counter, glancing the man on the leg. He noticed these men weren't wearing much in the way of armor, only a light tunic and breeches. The Ironborn wore armor, so Jon had simply assumed that every sailor wore them too. I guess not.

With that advantage, the fight didn't take much longer. One powerful swing from his sharp Valyrian Steel sword took the man's unprotected arm clean off, blood splattering all over his face. The pirate lay at his feet, screaming in pain, but those other two came at him. Ser Davos caught the attention of one of them, but Jon knew he wasn't that good with a sword. I'll need to work faster. So he drew his other blade.

Dark Sister and Longclaw whirled in his hands, taking the pirate by surprise. This time he went full on offense, pressing the man backwards and backwards until he jumped back out of the ship. Jon went to see where he fell, and got a surprise. There was a small boat full of pirates on this side of the Black Wind, with about half a dozen men waiting to climb aboard. Two were climbing already. So that's how they got here.

He turned back to help Davos, but found that the onion knight didn't need his help. He was bleeding from a cut on his left arm, though it didn't seem too deep.

"They're coming from the side!" Jon shouted, pointing at the small boat.

Ser Davos went to see, but turned his head away just in time to avoid being slashed at the face, as another pirate climbed aboard. Jon stepped forward to block the way, and their blades clashed. He heard Davos say something and move away, as he quickly countered a blow and struck back forcefully, sending the man tumbling into the sea.

"Some of these men seem familiar…" Ser Davos searched for the biggest enemy ship, then picked up a Myrish lens from one of his pockets. Aiming it at the big ship, he murmured, "I can't believe it… Salla, you fool!"

Who? Jon was about to ask, when yet another pirate came at him. "Keep him alive!" Davos yelled at him, as the man started slashing viciously. Easy for you to say. He dodged and parried the blade, waiting for an opening. Finally, the pirate dropped his guard and Jon sliced at his leg, making him lose balance. Quickly, Jon stepped on his arm and pried the sword from his grip.

Davos moved fast. "Do you work for Salladhor Saan?"

The pirate squirmed a bit, before nodding.

"Could you take me to him on that little boat of yours?"

"And why the fuck would I do that?" The man almost spat.

Davos sighed. "If you haven't seen it by now, you've picked the wrong target. Unless you let me help you, the Greyjoy woman will kill you all." His voice was grave.

While they waited, another two pirates came to fight. It never ends. Jon moved to face them, trying a more defensive strategy this time. They were only good enough to provide a challenge. He was about to knock one down, when he heard a whistle.

"Enough!" The injured pirate yelled, and both of his allies stopped fighting. "We'll take you to the captain."

Soon enough, they were standing side by side in the pirate flagship, waiting for the man Davos had called Salladhor Saan, who he claimed was a friend from his smuggler days. Jon wasn't very sure about this plan, but he trusted the old knight enough to follow along.

"Davos, my old friend!" A dark-skinned man smiled broadly, as he approached to greet them. He was dressed just as lightly as the other pirates, only distinguished by the fact he was wearing a green hat with a large feather. "I would never have expected to find you on the other side of a battle." He turned to Jon. "And who's this?"

"This is Jon Snow, the Prince of Winterfell." Ser Davos replied.

Salladhor Saan frowned and shook his head. "You're slipping, onion knight. Last we met, you were following a king."

Jon opened his mouth to say something, but Davos forestalled him. "Nevermind that, what are you doing here? Did you really think it was wise to attack Ironborn longships?" He asked, as the sounds of the sea battle still raged all around them.

Looking back, Jon could see that Yara had already captured that ship. And the Black Wind was repositioning itself to ram yet another vessel.

"These are desperate times, my friend." The pirate's smile faltered. "I've been avoiding Euron Greyjoy's fleet, but once we saw a smaller target we had to try our luck."

Davos sighed and put a hand to his head. "Always the gambler… Look, you have to strike your colors immediately."

"Are you mad?" Saan replied, barking a laugh. "We can't trust Greyjoys. They won't stop simply because our flags are down."

"Lady Greyjoy was just escorting Jon, she has no reason to pursue your ships if you surrender." Davos tried to reason.

Saan looked at him with raised eyebrows. "So this prince is more valuable than he looks…" He seemed to be thinking hard. I shouldn't have come here. Jon hadn't contributed at all, and now he was at the mercy of a stranger.

Ser Davos looked from one to the other. "Salla…"

The pirate hesitated for a moment, then he huffed. "Fine! Some friend you are..." He threw his hands in the air and made a gesture. "Strike the colors!" He shouted, and the crew ran to follow his command, sounding a loud horn.

After a while, all of his ships had their flags lowered and the fighting stopped. Glancing back, Jon noticed the Black Wind was slowing down and changing its course, moving towards them.

"Let us see if this Lady Captain is as reasonable as you say."

The matter with Salladhor Saan and the pirates was resolved rather peacefully. Yara Greyjoy had even agreed to return the ships they seized during the battle, taking only a portion of their gold as compensation before they parted ways. Ser Davos had played an important role in the negotiations, making sure the talks never turned to violence.

On their way back, the lady captain seemed furious with Jon. "What the fuck were you doing in his ship?" He opened his mouth to argue, but she barreled on, "What if that cunt had decided to keep you hostage?"

"I didn't think-" He started, but she interrupted him.

"No you didn't, did you? Do you ever think before you act?" He remained silent this time. Let her vent. "How you ever became king of anything is beyond me."

"Yara…" Theon said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and noticed how everyone was looking at them.

She sighed and turned back towards him. "I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on you, prince. From now on, you'll stay by my side until we get to Dragonstone."

And he stayed by her side. As he did so, he watched her. When she was at the helm, he would watch her hands working the wheel. When the wind picked up speed, he would watch her close her eyes and lean backwards to let her brown hair flow freely. Sometimes she would catch him staring. That's two gold dragons you owe me, Snow, she would say, with a smile on her face. After night came, he was making his way to the room he shared with Davos when she blocked his path.

"I told you, I'm not letting you out of my sight." She grinned. "You're coming with me." And she grabbed his arm, leading him to her captain's quarters.

A few hours later, she was screaming with pleasure from the way he had worked his tongue deep inside her. The strength of her legs wrapped around his head almost made him pass out, as she began shaking her entire body. After the last spasm died out, he moved take a good look at her face.

She was breathing heavily, with her mouth half-open. Her cheeks were flushed with heat and her dark eyes were glazed over. She's actually a rather beautiful woman, when she's not cursing or killing anyone.

When she noticed him staring, she grinned. "Is that…" She breathed, "...all you've…" Her breasts heaving, "...got?" She rose up and whispered in his ear, "Fuck me, bastard." Then she bit him hard on the neck, drawing blood. Fuck!

He grabbed her firm ass with both hands and rammed deep inside her, sending the whole bed backwards. She let out a moan and arched her back, her brown hair cascading down. My turn, he thought, as he leaned in to bite her nipple. She seemed to enjoy it, as her legs wrapped around him tightly, urging him on. He took the cue and thrust harder and harder until she screamed again, only this time he could feel her spasms from the inside. Gods! He buried himself deep and reached his own climax, joining her peak. Her shaking increased even more, before they both collapsed on the bed.

After a few moments, he heard her voice. "That was…" He turned to look at her. She was still struggling to breathe evenly, her eyes wide and her eyebrows high on her forehead. "...a nice start." She finished, with a crooked grin. "You'll have to try harder next time."

Why do I keep writing sea battles? These things are a pain.

I've always thought Jon would get along well with Yara (or Asha, in the books), since she kinda reminds me of Ygritte. Just as a heads up, this couple isn't endgame.

I considered keeping Salladhor Saan involved, but it didn't feel right. I don't think he'd be willing to support yet another ruler, after his alliance with Stannis went so poorly. He was fun to write, though. Maybe he'll show up again later.

The date is 26/05/2019

Edited 15/06/2019 (made Jon's clothing descriptions a bit more vague, since it comes up later)