Yara finally resolves her issues with Jon, as they hunt for the horn.

Another sea battle, but I promise it's the last one.

Next chapter on Friday. Enjoy.

35. Iron Woman - Yara

Yara couldn't escape him. During the day, he would constantly try to talk to her. You can't ignore me forever, he would say, while she remained silent. But that was the easy part, when she didn't have to look at those grey eyes at all. The nights were worse.

He would visit her dreams every night, and every night she would lose herself with him. His touch, his scent, his taste… She devoured him whole, lapping up every last drop, always hungry for more. And he would scream her name, and tell her he loved her and only her.

Sometimes they would just hold each other. Those were her favorite dreams, when she just lay there, staring into his eyes. And he smiled back at her, a smile that made her believe in a different future than she had planned. A future with little dark-haired children running along their bed, merrily playing with their uncle Theon, who would always let them win, laughing in defeat.

He's just a man, Yara would try to reason with herself, I don't even fancy men all that much. She didn't know why this man should be any different. I'll take a wet pussy over a hard cock any day. What she really needed was a good time away from everything. I should stop by Lys after this horn business. When the fool married the lion bitch, she would rather be naked in the arms of a beautiful Lyseni bed slave. Or two. Or three.

One day, during one of her better dreams, Yara woke up much earlier than usual. Looking outside, she could tell the sun wouldn't be up for a good two hours. Fuck it, I'm up already, she thought, getting dressed to leave her cabin.

When she neared the main deck, a familiar voice made her pause. "Could you teach me to speak High Valyrian?" Yara would recognise that voice anywhere. He must be talking to that Red Woman, since nobody else in the ship could speak that language. She stopped to listen in.

"I could… Though I fail to see why you'd need to learn much, my Prince." That's her alright.

"Almost half the Queen's army speaks it. If I can't even talk to them, how can I expect to earn their respect?" That's a good point, she admitted, thinking of how Euron's Silence was rumored to be crewed by mutes. Euron doesn't want respect, he craves fear.

"You are a dragon, my Prince. They should respect you for that alone. The only word you need is Dracarys."

"Dracarys?"

"It means dragon fire. Remember that, if someone should treat you poorly. Fire heals all wounds."

"What if I treated someone poorly? Someone who won't even talk to me anymore… Would fire heal that too?" She couldn't remember hearing such a sad tone to his voice. Yara held her breath, trying hard not to make a sound.

"You're worried about the rude captain. If you want my advice-"

"On second thought, I don't." He tried to interrupt.

"You must forget about her." The woman continued, as if he hadn't said anything. "It won't end well. Should you follow her lead and start ignoring her too, perhaps the future I saw in the flames won't come to pass." What future?

Yara had enough of this red bitch meddling in her affairs. She finally made her presence known, walking all the way to where she spotted them together, near the prow of the ship. "Isn't it a bit too early for prayer, Priestess? Why don't you go pretend to sleep now?"

Kinvara smiled, nodding slightly. "Of course. I'll give you two some time to… talk."

She watched the woman walk away, her robes leaving a red trail behind her.

"Yara?" His voice made her head snap back a bit too quickly, as she turned to face him. "I'm sorry."

"You don't even know what you're sorry about." She said, massaging her neck.

"Actually, I've had a lot of time to think in these past days." He paused, scratching his bearded chin. "Nights, really. I haven't been sleeping well."

She huffed. "If you just need someone to warm your bed, go ask that red bitch."

"I miss more than just your body, Yara." He protested, coming closer. She resisted the urge to jump him right then and there. I do miss his body. Dreams are a poor substitute for the real thing. "But you didn't let me finish. After all that time thinking, I feel like I owe you an apology for not explaining my decision to marry Cersei."

Yara swallowed the lump in her throat. "You don't owe me anything." She tried to avoid his eyes, turning to look at the dark cloud on the horizon. We'll have to head into that storm eventually. "I said, didn't I? We were just having fun… Now the fun's over." She shrugged.

"Then why are you so angry?" His voice sounded even closer. Turning back, she almost hit his nose, as his face was near enough to feel his hot breath on her skin.

Her eyes briefly lingered on his lips, before she shoved him back, hard. "I don't know!" She almost shouted, watching him stumble and fall on the deck. "All I know is that when you agreed to marry that lion bitch, I felt sick. Like a hand was reaching into my chest to choke me, and I couldn't breathe, or talk, or anything…" The memory still stung. After that, all I heard was noise until the Queen clapped. "I was drowning, and it was your hand keeping me under. I've never felt that way before." She followed the Drowned God, but she didn't believe everything her uncle Aeron preached. Sometimes, what is dead may die and not rise again.

"I have…" He said, slowly getting back up, leaning on the gunwale for support. "But when it happened to me, I couldn't talk to her again. I couldn't even see her again… Because she was dead." Standing up, he stared into her eyes. "I'm still right here, Yara. Marrying Cersei won't kill me."

"It might." She quickly replied, feeling a tightness in her chest. What happened to me? Going weak in the knees just because some stupid prince might die. "Why do you have to marry her anyway? That's just dumb, and you know it. There are lots of ways to end the war without doing something so…"

Frustrating. If he married the lion bitch, he couldn't… He could never… Marry me? Is that what I want? To be stuck with some man forever and ever? A man who knew how to use his tongue better than most women. A man who didn't mind that she preferred women. A man who refused to fuck the dragon queen, even when the woman was begging for it. A man who only thought to please her. She remembered the dream again, and her heart hammered in her chest. I wouldn't be stuck with him. With him, I'd be happy.

He was shaking his head. "You saw how angry Dany was. She was ready to take Drogon to King's Landing and burn the place down."

"So?" She raised her hands over her head, uncaring. "Let her. Those fuckers are still following Cersei even after she burned down the Sept of Baelor. If that had happened in Pyke, they'd gut the miserable shit within days… People so weak as to accept some murdering psycho as their queen shouldn't be allowed to choose again." As the words left her lips, she noticed the irony. Euron is an even greater psycho, and he was chosen at the Kingsmoot. I guess Ironborn are just as weak.

"Fear can be a powerful motivation." His voice was quiet and his eyes unfocused. "My greatest fear is that all this effort, all this sacrifice will be for nothing. That when the enemy comes, we'll all be dead already. Or too busy trying to kill each other." Then he blinked and turned to look at her, grey eyes shining like gems. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Yara. But we need peace. We need to show everyone we can put aside our differences to work together. Marrying Cersei is the best way I know to do that without more people dying for no reason." He took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. "I hope you can forgive me someday. Until then, I won't force you to see me again. Goodbye." And he started walking away, shoulders slumped.

Watching him leave, Yara felt that hand in her chest again, choking her, taking her breath away. I have to do something.

"Wait!" She called, making him turn around. "You can come into my bed at night." His eyes went wide at the implication, but she explained, "To sleep. Only sleep. There will be no fucking, or licking, or anything in between." She avoided his eyes, trying to come up with some excuse, and the dark cloud came into view. "You'll be of no use to me if you're tired all the time, and if that's any indication," Her hand shot up to point at the distance, "we're likely to fight during a storm."

His head turned to briefly look at the approaching darkness, before turning back to her. "Thank you. I'll see you tonight." There was a hint of a smile on his face. The bastard's probably hoping I'll change my mind… Let's see who breaks first.

The rest of the day was uneventful, as they left Sharp Point behind to approach Stonedance. When night arrived and her eyelids grew heavier, she left for her cabin. Removing her armor and the rest of her clothes, she rummaged through her things to find a grey linen shift, letting it fall over her head to cover her body. Moving to a mirror, she busied herself trying to check how it looked. I usually sleep naked, so I don't know if this is any good.

After a while, there was a knock on her door. "Yara?" He called.

"Come in." She said, moving to lie down in bed.

The door opened and he was there, staring at her in surprise. "You usually sleep naked." He said, closing the door behind him.

She grinned. "As much as I'd love to give you a nice view, I meant what I said earlier. We'll just be sleeping together, not… sleeping together." He nodded, starting to remove his armor, and she teased, "Of course, if you want to sleep naked… I wouldn't mind the view."

"No, that's fine." He smiled, as he stripped down to his smallclothes, leaving only his scarred chest exposed. "May I?" He asked, stopping near the bed.

Yara shifted the furs, opening up a way in. "Come on, don't make this more awkward than it has to be. Just get in here and let's go to sleep."

He joined her in bed, covering himself with the furs, and said, "Goodnight, Yara."

"Goodnight, Prince." She replied, turning around to avoid looking at him.

Sleep didn't come for a long time, so long that she was still awake when the sound of his deep, heavy breaths told her he was already asleep. Yara turned back to take a peek. His face was as calm as the sea, and a faint smile graced his lips. He slept facing me… She made herself comfortable on the pillow and kept her eyes fixed on him, making sure this wasn't a dream. Eventually, it became harder to keep them open, as her lids grew heavier and heavier…

Yara woke up several hours later, her mind confused as to whether she was still dreaming or not, since his face was right there in front of her. Looking around at the rays of light sneaking into the room from outside, she figured it was the right time to wake up. But she decided to stay in bed, watching him.

He's as pretty as a woman, maybe that's why I…

His eyes opened, blinking slowly. They stared at each other for a long time, the grey growing bigger and bigger, before she realised her head was inching towards him. Yara blinked and stopped herself, pulling her head back. No sex, she told herself, I should be able to control myself.

"How… how did you sleep?" She asked, trying to cool down.

"Well." He replied, smiling. "Better than I've slept in a good while. Ever since…" His eyes trailed down her body, before going back to her face. "I really needed… this." She noticed the hesitation on the last word. Could he mean…

"This… will always be here for you. I hope you know that." Yara tried to make her meaning clear.

He moved a hand and placed it on her cheek, making her close her eyes for a moment. She put her hand over his, afraid he might take it away. I've missed… this.

They slept together every night after that, and every night her feelings for him grew stronger. Yara missed the sex, of course, but there was something far more intimate about just lying together, staring into each other's eyes until they slept. She had never done that before, not with any man or woman, not without sex being involved in some way. This isn't working at all, I'm just making it harder for myself when he gets married to the lion bitch.

One night, when she was feeling bold after drinking some ale, she asked, "What if we run away?"

"What?" He replied, confused.

"What if we forget all this? The horn, the dragons, the dead… We could take the Black Wind and sail for someplace quiet, to wait out the storm." Yara's voice gained confidence as she spoke, "Have you ever been to Lys?"

"I can't say I have. What's it like?"

Her eyes lit up. Maybe I can convince him. "Oh, it's a lovely place. Some people call it a paradise, and they aren't that far off. The sunny island is filled with palm trees and juicy fruits, its blue-green waters hold all manner of fish you can possibly dream. And the people…" She briefly closed her eyes trying to recall some of them. "You won't find any place more crowded by beautiful people than Lys. They say the old Valyrians used to go there to find wives or lovers, so their blood became mixed, and almost everyone now has those purple eyes and silver-gold hair, just like the Queen." She licked her lips. "Imagine what we did to her, only every day and with a different person each time. We'd never get bored."

He was quiet for a long time, probably trying to picture it in his head.

Come on… Please… Don't make me beg…

Then he sighed, slowly shaking his head. "That sure sounds nice, Yara. I hope I get to visit there someday, but I can't just run away now. We can't. It wouldn't be right. We might survive, but what's the point if everyone else is dead?" He asked, staring at her.

I don't care, she wanted to say. If they took Theon, she would be fine with leaving everyone else to die. But he has family at Winterfell. And the Queen is his family too, she admitted, even if the woman was clearly hungry for some princely cock. Yara could share him with her Queen, but she doubted the lion bitch would be as willing.

She let it go. "You're right, of course. Maybe I'll take you there, once everything is quieter."

Or maybe I'll kill the lion bitch. Yara had been thinking about it for a while now, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. He might be upset, but he wouldn't mourn the vile woman for long. Who would?

Yes, she made up her mind, once Euron is dealt with, I'll kill her.

"I'd like that." He said, drifting off to sleep.

On the sixth day of their voyage, they found the ships. Galleys, longships, cogs, and all manner of vessels bunched up in a tight formation around an inlet south of Stonedance. By then, the storm was raging all around them, water falling in huge drops and thunder crackling so loudly as to make a woman lose her hearing. The sun was about to set, but the darkness made it seem like the hour of the wolf was already upon them, since the only natural light came from the buzzing streaks of lightning crisscrossing the clouds.

"Alright, boys!" She shouted, to be heard over the noise. "The horn is all that matters! We just need to find the right ship and take it." But how, though? Even with better visibility, finding that horn would be a challenge.

The Prince seemed to read her mind. "Follow that raven!" He screamed, pointing at a moving black dot between the two fleets, almost invisible against the darkness.

She knew better than to waste time questioning him. Turning to the helmsman, she said, "Dagon, you heard the Prince. Keep an eye on that raven!" If you can.

As they neared their destination, she spotted the raven flying further and further into the inlet, then it finally landed on the mast of a massive ship. It was the biggest vessel of the bunch, a great lumbering cog, with rounded prow and stern, fit for little more than transportation. That should make it easier, she thought, before seeing their formation grow tighter and circle around the great ship.

"Let's make a path! Ramming speed!" Yara braced herself for impact, keeping an eye on the prize. Her ship gained speed, moving faster and faster, as the enemy sent cannonballs flying past. The prow took a heavy beating, but they were moving too fast to stop, until…

CRASH!

The Black Wind ran into the portside of a smaller galley, nearly breaking it apart. Looking around, she spotted her other ships following suit, as the Tiny Dancer, the Sparrowfeather, and the Wingless Bird also crashed into other ships. Those were her fastest, only slightly slower than her own, so they had the pleasure of breaking their maidens before the others had the chance to join the fun. The sound of wood breaking and sailors screaming fell on deaf ears, since the rain made it almost impossible to hear anything. Only the cannonfire was loud enough to be heard over the din, her other ships already sinking four vessels in the first volley. They weren't expecting us.

"Don't stop now!" She commanded, pointing ahead at the great cog. "Let the others deal with the stragglers, we'll go for the horn!" A lightning bolt fell when she finished, casting the ships in a bright shade of white for a brief second, before everything turned back to black.

When they neared the prize, she grabbed her Prince's arm, leaning into his ear, "Listen, these are Ironmen we'll be fighting. You've only faced those weak pirates near the Fingers, and those pricks never wear armor. Ironmen are different. Be careful." She couldn't remember how well he fought, as she had been busy fighting herself, but she knew men often got a big head after a victory, no matter how small. Overconfidence can be more dangerous than fear.

He grinned, his wet hair falling in front of his face, the dark locks framing his eyes. "Don't worry about me, captain. I can handle myself." He said, drawing his swords to get ready. Yara had the urge to roll her eyes. Overconfidence it is. She would have to keep an eye on him.

Soon enough, their hooks were firmly placed on the gunwale of the lumbering cog, and they were ready to board the great beast. Theon would stay on the Black Wind, keeping an eye on the rest of the battle while she led the charge. With the Prince to her right and Qarl to her left, she searched the deck, trying to see where the blasted horn could be. A thrown axe took Qarl in the leg, and the great oaf fell on the wet deck, moaning. Yara shifted her body to throw one of her own axes back at the attacker, landing it squarely on his head, bringing the man down.

Her Prince was already in the thick of it, taking down two men at a time with precise strikes. He's good, she admired, before a whizzing sound made her duck just in time to avoid another thrown axe. The blood was hot in her veins, and she ran to face the coward. A monstrous man with a shaved head and a tattooed chest was smiling at her, almost daring her to fight. Let's dance, then. She twirled her dirk in one hand while she threw an axe with the other, hoping to catch him unawares. It almost worked, but the man sidestepped in time to only take it in his shoulder. The idiot should've worn armor. Yara used the distraction to kick him hard in the knee, hearing a crack as the man yelled in pain. Her dirk pierced his eye in a smooth motion, and he dropped dead at her feet.

Turning around, she spotted her Prince surrounded by four heavily armored men, their steel glinting against the darkness. Fuck, I knew it! She cursed herself for being distracted and ran towards him, only noticing the massive horn behind him when she came closer. He took one down with a stab in a weak spot on the shoulder, and another with a well placed sweep to the leg, but he slipped on the wet deck and a tall beast of a man managed to catch him on the left arm, the heavy axe proving too much for his slender blade to stop, sending his blood spurting all over the horn and coating it in red. She almost felt the pain herself when he screamed, dropping the glittering ruby blade.

Damn, that stupid prince… Please be alright…

Yara gripped her dirk tightly, ramming into the shorter man while she stabbed the tall one in the back of his exposed thigh, making him double over in pain, dropping the heavy axe. She lifted his steel helmet and quickly slit his throat, turning to finish the shorter man, who was still trying to get back up. Sheathing the dirk, she picked up the axe. Too heavy for me, but I'll only need one good hit. Lifting the thing with both hands, she brought it down on his head with all her strength, caving the helmet into his skull in a loud CRACK! She quickly made sure they were all dead, before tuning to find her Prince.

Going to his side on her knees, she could tell it was bad. He was leaning on the massive horn, his left arm a ruin of red blood and brown leather. Without that blade, he probably would've lost the whole arm. She ripped his sleeve to see the injury, and the sight almost made her sick. A huge gash ran from his elbow to his wrist, blood oozing from the opening. Looking at his face, all color seemed drained, and only a pale pasty white remained. I can't let him die, she thought, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"Yara… I found the… horn." He said in a weak voice, closing his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face. Stupid idiot, why didn't you wait for help?

"Shut up, you bastard. Don't talk, just…" She ripped a bit of leather to turn it into a strap, binding his left arm above the elbow to see if the blood stopped flowing, but it did little good. We should've brought a maester. He'll die if I can't… Her eyes started to sting and she blinked, I can't… tears fell on her cheeks, I can't… the salty streaks mingling with the rainwater.

I can't lose him.

"Let me see." A strong familiar voice made her look up. Kinvara. The red woman knelt down to grab his arm, then put both hands over the ugly gash, muttering unfamiliar words. Probably High Valyrian, Yara figured, feeling an intense heat coming from the woman's hands, the falling rain becoming mist around the arm, while the ruby on her neck grew brighter and brighter, almost blindingly so. After a short while, she removed her hands and the gash was gone. Thank the gods… Yara was about to say something, when the woman moved to stand up, wiping her hands on her robes. "The bleeding has stopped, but the poison shall claim his life in a few days."

"Poison?" Yara turned to look at the heavy axe again. Now she could almost see a faint green sheen on the edge. Those fuckers… Euron must have coated all of their blades with poison.

"Worry not, captain. I can save the Prince." The High Priestess spoke with confidence, her red eyes shining. "I shall require a blade. Silver would be best, but iron will serve. A brazier too, for we'll need fire, but I have that in my cabin. Just bring me the blade. There will be pain, however." The woman warned, "A great deal of pain. Such torment that he might wish for the release of death, but the poison shall leave his blood. This I vow."

Yara looked from her to him. His face seemed to have gained some color, but his breaths were coming with difficulty. "Do it. Save him." She said, nodding. "Please."

"Very well." The woman clapped, and two muscular slave soldiers walked forward. They easily lifted her Prince, carrying him with them.

Following them, Yara stopped along the way to ask for a silver blade. Only Tristifer Botley had it, an old heirloom from his father's reaving days. She reached the door to the red woman's cabin just as the slave solders were leaving, and the Priestess raised a hand to halt her.

"The ritual is quite long, captain." Kinvara said, her voice not unkind. "And you might see things you'll wish you hadn't. Perhaps it would be best for you to wait outside until it's over."

Yara just stared at her, pushing the silver blade into her hand. "I won't leave his side." And I don't trust you.

The Priestess nodded, leading her inside. She was immediately blown by the heat. It's a furnace in here. Her eyes glanced over the many instruments and flasks scattered around the room, but when they landed on him, nothing else mattered. He was lying over a narrow table, naked from the torso up, his arms falling to either side. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was uneven. Yara went to his side, holding on to his right hand. Don't you dare leave me, bastard.

Kinvara locked the door behind her. "Let us begin."

For some strange reason, I enjoyed coming up with ship names. In fact, I was tempted to name all twenty (or nineteen, since the Black Wind is there), but I couldn't find a good reason for Yara to think about all of them.

Also, I'll need to make these Red Priests more fallible, since they can't always be right about everything. By the way, this ritual is similar to what happened to Victarion in the books. At least that's the inspiration.

Finally, I'm thinking of another story focusing on Jon/Yara, since they're so fun to write. It'd be much shorter, though. I'll think about it.

09/07/2019