Chapter 49; Reclamation;
Characters of the chapter
Isabela Sailor on the Seadancer, former Captain of the Siren'sCall II, admiral of the Felicisima armada (self-appointed)
Harwyn Captain in command of the Siren's Call II
Yara Greyjoy Master of ships on the small council of the south kingdom, commander of the royal navy, Queen of the Iron Islands
"You're right. You're quite good at this." Yara said as she reclined next to Isabela, admiring her bare form. They were in her cabin on the Seadancer, and the Queen of the Iron Islands had finally taken the pirate up on her offer. She had not regretted her decision.
"Told you. I have had quite a bit of practice over the years. You didn't disappoint either mind you." Isabela replied with a grin. Then she frowned. "Quite good? Are you saying you've had better?"
"Egh, I don't like to compare. Though there was this one time way back when in Essos…" Yara began to say before there was knock on the door.
"My Queen, a sail in the distance, possible enemy." A voice came from the other side of the door. Yara's crew knew better than to enter at a time like this.
"I'll be right there!" Yara replied, stood up and took a shirt into her hands.
"You should get dressed too." She told Isabela.
"Oh, and before I forget, since we are heading into battle soon, I got you these." She said, picking up a pair of daggers and tossing them onto the bed. "I happen to know you prefer daggers in combat. Hopefully these are good enough."
Isabela took the daggers, testing them in her hands. "Yes, these will serve. Thanks." She said with approval.
"You sure you trust me with these?" She asked.
"Well enough. You've proven yourself. And I need all of my crew able to fight during the battle, including you. Now come along." Yara said.
When they both were finished dressing they stepped out onto the deck. Around them were the ships of the Ironborn, the Redwynes, the various stormlander houses, even the occasional Dornish warship. All had been picked up along the way as they were making the long trek around the continent. The combined naval strength of Westeros, ready to do their part in winning this war for the Twin Kingdoms. Long had it taken them, but now they were close to the enemy, only a short while from engaging them.
Yara's people had reported correctly. In the distance, away from the mass of other ships, a sail could be seen.
"Hmm… hard to tell from this far away, but I don't think that's a Westerosi design. Small to medium size, two masts, triangular sails and no oars near as I can see." Yara contemplated.
"Isabela, you probably know Thedosian ship designs better than anyone else here. What do you make of her?" She asked. Isabela merely stared at the other ship, a shocked expression on her face.
"Hey!" Yara said, snapping her fingers in front of the other woman's eyes to bring her back to awareness. "Is something the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"It… it's my ship…" Isabela explained.
"What? Yours? You sure?" Yara asked. Come to think of it, that ship did look kind of familiar. It reminded her of a ship she had only ever seen from a distance, one that she had been chasing for years, but had never been able to catch.
"It's my ship. I'd recognize her anywhere." Isabela confirmed.
"Well, I quess you really did see a ghost then." Yara said.
"Harwyn…" The pirate snarled. "He's there. He has to be. That thieving scoundrel!"
"Woah, get ahold of yourself. Remember what we came here for." Yara said.
"You came here for one reason, and I came for another. That's my ship out there, and I'm going to get it back. That was our deal." Isablela said.
"I know." Yara said, despite the fact that Isabela's current interpretation of their agreement wasn't strictly speaking correct. "But one thing at a time."
"Give me a ship, any ship, as long as it is a fast one, and left me go after him. You have said you'll let me go if wish it. I now wish it." Isabela demanded.
Yara disliked something in the pirate's tone. "If you really wish to leave I'll allow it, as we agreed. But we are headed into battle. If at a time like this you think I'm going to turn over one of my ships to you so you can go on some wild goose chase…"
"My Queen, the enemy ship is changing cource." One of the crew interrupted.
"Damn, must've spotted us." Yara said, turning her attention back to the enemy. "And based on their cource I'd bet they're running straight back to the Orlesians to tell them we're coming."
"Increase to full sail. And signal the rest of the fleet to do the same." She ordered.
"He's got too much of a head start on you. You won't catch him." Isabela said.
"Could be. Even so the closer we are to the enemy when the alarm is sounded, the better." Yara said.
"Well, it seems you don't need to run away now after all. With some luck Harwyn will be with the Orlesian fleet and you can reclaim your ship from him." She said.
"And if he's not there?" Isabela asked.
"Then I suppose you will be leaving to hunt him down afterwards. If my needs aren't pressing after the battle I'll even reconsider loaning you the ship you asked for." Yara said.
"But never demand a ship from me again. Doing that is beyond your rights. One does not make demands of Queens." She added pointedly.
Isabela was about to argue back, but reconsidered. "You're right. That was out of line. I'm sorry."
"I can understand how you feel. That ship is your life, unfairly taken from you. Being so close makes you burn with the desire to take it back. And the thought of letting it slip away drives you crazy, making you speak rashly. I'm not asking you to give up on that entirely. But please put your focus on winning this fight first and foremost, please?" Yara asked in a conciliatory tone.
Isabela sighed again, crossing her arms, looking at the floor boards. It was not an easy thing Yara was asking. When she wanted something, she went after it. Being denied it due to circumstance was one thing. To voluntarily walk away from it was quite another. "…I'll try. But if the opportunity to take my ship back arises I'm going to take it. Consider that my contribution to the battle." She finally agreed.
Yara considered. "Fair enough. At least if you succeed you will be removing an enemy ship from the battle."
"But I'm wondering how do you intend to go about this? What's your plan?" Yara asked.
"I'm thinking knives, and sticking them into Harwyn. He hasn't been in charge for long enough to earn total loyalty from the crew. I will be considered at least as valid a candidate as he is. I kill him I will have proved myself, and ought to have enough respect from the rest of them for them to take me back as their captain." Isabela detailed.
"Sounds risky." Yara said.
"Maybe, but it's the only plan I have. Also, if we encounter my ship during the battle, I would prefer that you refrained from sinking it until I have had a chance to try this." Isabela said.
"I'll do what I can. But battles are chaotic things, and I will have only so much control. And my first concern must be on winning." Yara said.
"Got it." Isabela said. She spent a moment in her own thoughts until something about the environment caught her attention. The way the wind was blowing, the sense of oppressiveness in the air. She turned her head upwards and overhead the already grey skies had to her eyes turned somewhat darker.
"The weather. Do you feel it too?" She asked quietly.
Yara looked at the sky as well, and her expression became grim. "I feel it. There's a storm coming."
"How long do you figure?" Isabela asked.
"Not long. This evening or night at the latest." Yara said. "Hmm. This is going to complicate matters."
"Should we tell the fleet to head for cover?" Isabela asked.
Yara shook her head. "No time. The only port close enough to accommodate us is White Harbor, and the imperial fleet is between us and the city. No. We attack as planned."
Isabela chuckled dryly. "Tell you a secret? I don't think I've ever been involved in a major sea battle with lots of ships involved on both sides. Pirates tend to avoid those where possible. And it's likely this is going to be a night battle, plus now it going to be a battle in the middle of a storm too. This truly starting to be a day of firsts."
Yara gave an amused smile. "Well, I got you beat on the first two points then, though I'll admit a battle during a storm is a new experience even for me. But on the upside, the Orlesians won't expect an attack either."
"Yeah. They won't expect us to be quite so mad." Isabela said.
"Well, they say that the best plans are the ones your enemy would not expect. This plan certainly falls into that category." Yara joked.
"Have I mentioned how crazy this plan is!?" Isabela said as their ship climbed up one wave, the down again, forced to shout due to the wind howling in their ears.
"You have! And in fact that's the twentieth time you've said something to that effect! I don't exactly disagree, and I know you are probably doing that because of the stress, but give it a rest would you!" Yara shouted back.
Just as they had predicted, the storm had hit them a few hours later. Now, as night had fallen, it raged around them in full force as the fleet struggled forward. Thunder split the skies every few minutes, while rain was falling in sheets. The weather had not been kind to the Westerosi fleet. Contact had been lost with several ships that had been carried away by the storm. Isabela suspected that a few might have quietly decided to disobey their admiral and head to somewhere where they could wait out the storm, but she kept that to herself. The rest were trying to avoid capsizing or crashing into one another. Not all of them succeeded.
"Damn!" Isabela spat as a wave tossed up one ship and smashed it against the rocks. "Are you sure we have to stay this close to the shoreline!?"
"I'm sure! In case you didn't notice we don't have the stars or the moon! If we lose sight of the coastline we'll have no way to get our bearings and there's no telling where we'll end up!" Yara said.
"Okay, okay, fair enough! But at this rate the storm will sink more of our ships than the Orlesians will!" Isabela said.
"I know!" Yara said. She had to admit Isabela had a point. This idea went against all her sailor's instincts. Storms were something one braved only when there was no other option, or when one was supremely foolish or ignorant. In this regard the Ironborn were braver than most, but even they braved the Storm God's power only sparingly, as far too many had been lost that way. But as she had noted, there was no place to shelter nearby that was adequate. And they did need to engage the Orlesian fleet while they had the element of surprise. She just hoped the fleet would not be too scattered or damaged before they could do that.
Hopefully she was not making a terrible mistake right now…
"My Queen! Over there! Light ahead!" One of her crewmen shouted over the wailing winds, pointing. And indeed, though she was half blind from the rain flying to her eyes, Yara could see clusters light in the distance, making out the rough outlines of ships.
"There they are." Yara said. "Signal the fleet: Battlestations!" She commanded.
One of her crew nodded and began waving a lit lantern at the other ships. Pinpricks of light appeared in the darkness, spreading the word. Drums would usually be added to this, but in this weather no one could probably hear anything anyway, so Yara did not mind that her crew didn't bother with it.
"Archers, to your posts! Load the catapult!" She shouted.
"All this rain… not good for the bows." One archer grumbled as he placed an arrow to his bow. Yara could not help but nod in agreement. The rain would dampen the bow strings, rob them of power. The catapult would likely be affected as well. And certainly the way their ship was being rocked by the waves would make aiming difficult. But better some firepower than none. At least until they managed to get close and personal, which incidentally was likely the best way to win this fight.
Yara turned her attention back to the enemy fleet. They were closer now, so it was possible to make out details of the opposing fleet, although the darkness was still making things difficult. In the brief moments when lightning lit up the night she thought she could spy frantic movement on the enemy ship. She wondered if the foe had yet spotted them. Moments later a large rock impacting the water near her ship answered her question.
"Catapult! Fire!" Yara shouted, and her crew sent a rock of their own arcing towards the Orlesians. A few moments later a satisfying crash could be heard as the rock smashed its way through several oars just as they were being put into the water.
As had been predicted, the enemy had not thought the Westerosi to be mad enough to attack during a storm. Whatever warning Isabela's ship had brought them had come too late. Unable to dock within White Harbor, some of their ships had been beached along the coastline, while others had dropped anchor to weather the storm. Now they were panicking, trying to get themselves ready.
Arrow fire was beginning to be exchanged between ships now, but as anticipated they were proving ineffective, with arrows failing to reach their target or having so little power in them that even leather armor deflected them.
"No matter." Yara thought. That was never going to be the way this battle would be decided. She settled her eyes on one of the larger imperial vessels.
"There! That one! Set course for it! Increase to full sail! Prepare to ram and board!" She shouted, taking hold of her weapons: In her right hand a one handed ax, in her left a dagger. Her crew were reluctant to increase sails in all this wind, but obeyed her command, while also preparing their weapons. From the corner of her eye she could see Isabela taking the daggers she had given her into her hands.
She and her crew braced for the inevitable impact and waited. The Orlesians ship they were aiming for was still trying to raise anchor. There wasn't the slightest chance for them to get out of the way. Moments later the Seadancer reached its intended target, her ram making a sizeable hole in the hull of the imperial vessel. Then the boarding ramp was lowered and Yara ran forward, toward the enemy ship, Isabela right behind her, followed by the rest of the crew.
As she set foot on the deck of the Orlesian ship, an enemy marine saw Yara coming and raised a sword to strike at her only to get her ax in his skull. The battle's first casualty. Then the deck exploded in violence, the chaotic, messy clash of sea combat. The Orlesian marines were disciplined, but the Ironborn were ferocious. As the crews of the two ships struggled, other ships reached the site of battle as well, ramming into the Imperial ships. Some of the Orlesian warships finally managed to get moving and moved to support the portions of their fleet already engaged. As ships tangled together, several clusters of engaged ships formed, islands of wood embroiled in furious combat, growing larger as more and more ships joined the battle. Projectiles flew, ships smashed each other to pieces, and everywhere the din of battle competed with the howling of the storm.
Amidst this chaos Isabela fought, quickly proving her worth to the crew that had taken her in. She danced a dance of blades among the enemy, dispatching Orlesian marines and sailors in rapid succession. When her enemies tried to strike at her she simply wasn't there anymore, and her dance carried on without interruption.
Her efforts soon began to turn the tide of battle in their favor on the ship they had boarded. As the fight began to die down she looked for any sign of her ship whenever she had a moment.
She cut down two Orlesian marines within seconds of each other, then once again turned to look at the open water, starting to despair that she had seen no sign of her ship. Then she spotted it, ramming a Redwyne ship. Better yet, she spied a route to it through the mess of battling ships.
She set off towards her prize immediately, moving from ship to ship, never saying a word to anyone in Yara's crew. The only one to see her leave was Yara herself, and the Queen of the Iron Islands was too busy fighting for her life to do anything about it.
Along the way Isabela had to fight her way through enemy troops, mostly Orlesian soldiers as before, but there were more than a few pirates who were allied with the Orlesians. As far as Isabela was concerned those pirates were fair game as well. They had chosen their employer as any member of her disreputable profession could, and it so happened those choices made them her enemies today. There were no hard feelings of cource, but neither did she feel any particular kinship towards them. Only one crew among the enemy she cared about sparing, IF they didn't decide to attack her. Even some Westerosi who did not know she was a friend tried to attack her, though most realized their error when they noticed which targets she went after. Those who did not she simply avoided, refusing to kill them. That much at least she could do for Yara. On no particular ship or zone of battle did Isabela remain for long. She moved onwards as fast as possible, only stopping to fight those that got on her way.
In her mind burned a singular goal and she'd not be distracted from it.
As she came close she saw her ship free itself, starting to pull away, perhaps to ram again or perhaps to flee the battle altogether. Either way she knew she could not let them get away.
She ran across the deck of the she was on as fast as she could, shoving past fighting crewmen. Even as she moved forward, her ship slipped further and further away, the distance between the two ships growing greater. She reached the edge and without slowing down she sheathed her daggers and jumped. She would have preferred to land on the deck with a deft roll, in an impressive scene, like one Varric might write in his stories. Instead she felt the air driven from her lungs as she slammed against the railing. Her hands slipped on the soaked wood and she almost fell, but she barely managed to hold on, dragging herself onto the deck. Her crewmen were luckily busy clearing the deck of Redwyne troops, so no one saw her.
Harwyn happened to be right there with her on the upper deck, putting his rapier through a Westerosi soldier. The sight of him made her face twist in anger as she took her daggers back to her hands and stood up.
"Harwyn! You bastard!" She shouted, pointing one of her daggers at him.
Harwyn turned, freeing his blade from the corpse he had speared. "What the… Izzy? How the fuck…?" He uttered, completely dumbstruck.
"I knew I should have gutted you bitch!" He growled then.
"Yeah, you ought to have. Now you'll pay for that fucking mistake!" She snarled back, then attacked him. As the crew were finishing off the remaining invaders the two captains fought for their right to command this vessel.
It had to be admitted that Harwyn was among the trickiest enemies she had faced over the years. His Antivan made rapier was among the more exotic weapons Isabela had come across in a fight. It was as long as any sword, giving Harwyn an advantage in terms of reach, making it hard to get past it. At the same time it was so light as to be lightning fast, nearly as quick as Isabela was with her daggers. To top it all off Harwyn wielded it with years of experience. Against a well armored opponent he might have been in trouble, but at sea people generally didn`t wear a lot of armor for fear of drowning in it. Isabela was no exception to this rule.
They had dueled for a time when Isabela managed to duck under Harwyn's slash and slice a wound into his flank. Holding his side with his free hand Harwyn snarled and attacked again, redoubling his efforts. In quick succession the tip of his rapier cut across her thigh, her shoulder and her cheek, leaving not time to react between the strikes. The wounds were fairly light, but painful enough to make her fall on her back. Before she could stand she found the point Harwyn's rapier resting against her chest, pinning her against the deck.
"Now you fucking whore, now I'll do what I should've done the first time." Harwyn said with a triumphant grin on his face, and raised his blade for a killing blow. Even in that moment that looked to be her last, Isabela refused to show fear, staring him down with defiance and hate in her eyes.
It was one of the Westerosi ships, eager to join the general battle and only partially under the control of its crew. They were trying to ram Siren's Call II, but managed only a glancing blow that didn't do any significant damage. The impact nonetheless rocked the ship, which in turn meant that the sword that was meant to spear her instead jammed between the boards.
For half a heartbeat Isabela and Harwyn stared at each other in confusion. Then Isabela jammed one of her daggers into his wrist, making him retreat away, howling in pain. He held on to his sword, but it was securely stuck where he had plunged it, so instead the thin blade snapped under the strain, leaving perhaps a third of the original length in his hand.
In an instant Isabela was back on her feet and attacking with her remaining dagger. The first two strikes Harwyn managed to parry with the stump of his sword, sparks flying when their weapons contacted. The second strike however knocked his broken sword aside. Then Isabela spun and cut a deep diagonal line across his chest.
Harwyn collapsed into a whimpering bloody mess. Isabela loomed over him and pulled free the dagger stuck in his wrist, adding even more blood to what was already pooling at his feet. She raised a dagger.
"Wait!" Harwyn cried, holding up a hand. "Izzy, wait. You beat me, fair and square. You can take your ship back, I don't want it that badly. But-but maybe we could make a deal? For old time's sake yeah? For an old friend? I just want to live. Let me go and I'll swear you will never see me again! Please?" He pleaded.
"Are you fucking serious?" Isabela hissed, her voice devoid of any notion of mercy. "You betrayed me. I thought you a friend once, and you turned on me. You took my ship from me and now you insult me by saying you don't even want it that badly. You've now tried to have me killed twice. And now you have the gall to ask for mercy from ME!?"
"Well then, *friend*…" She sneered before stabbing her dagger into his sternum and twisting, making him groan.
"HERE! IS! YOUR! DEAL! YOU! PIECE! OF! SHIT!" She shouted, each word followed by a stab. When she was done Harwyn lay unmoving and full of holes. Harwyn was still wearing the hat he had taken from her while seizing her ship, so she reached out and put it on her own head. Turning her head Isabela saw that her crew was watching, having finished off the Redwyne soldiers that had boarded some moments earlier.
Her features illuminated by a flash of lightning splitting the skies, she was quite a fearsome sight to behold. Her face and shirt were covered in red, slowly being washed away by the continuous downpour. Every last remaining inch of her was soaked in water, her hair sticking to her skin.
Without saying a word she sheathed her daggers and went to walk amongst her crew. The sailors silently gave way as she passed, her eyes moving from face to face. At the bow of the ship she stopped and faced her crew.
"WHO IS YOUR CAPTAIN?" She shouted, raising a fist into the air. Her crew began to cheer and shout her name.
"Orders, Captain?" One of the pirates asked when the cheers finally quieted down.
Isabela turned her eyes towards the rear of the ship, where the Orlesian flag was being buffeted by the winds. Harwyn had really gone all in when siding with the Orlesians. He had made himself into their creature and until this moment her ship had belonged to them as well.
"Take that down and toss it overboard." Isabela said with disgust, pointing at the flag. "We are not Orlesian lickspittles any longer."
"Got it. And then?" The pirate asked.
"And then…" Isabela said. She turned her eyes to the open water, where freedom beckoned. She could leave if she wanted, and in good conscience in her opinion. She had fulfilled her bargain with Yara to the fullest, even if her departure had been a little abrupt. But then she turned her eyes to where the battle was still raging as fiercely as ever. It was then that she realized she was still needed. Against her better judgement she felt drawn back to the battle. It was not that she cared for the Twin Kingdoms or their cause, oh no. It was Yara that was the issue, the fact that she still needed all the help that could be given her, which, surprisingly, Isabela found mattered to her. And while Yara might be understanding, if Isabela went away without so much as saying goodbye it would seem as if she didn't care whether Yara lived or died. Which surprisingly again could not be farther from the truth.
"And then we will loiter on the edges of the battle. Be on the lookout for Orlesian warships trying to leave the battle. We are going to be taking them down. But steer clear of Westerosi ships. They might not realize this ships has switched sides." Isabela decided.
"Wait. We have switched sides? So we are not leaving?" The pirate asked.
"No. Got this temporary arrangement going on with the Westerosi commander. Want to settle it properly before we go, after the battle. So we might as well make ourselves useful while we are at it. Now let's get ready." Isabela said.
Her grew shrugged and went to work. Not like they had been expecting to do anything much different before she had showed up. Only the enemy they were supposed to be fighting had unexpectedly changed, and that was a change they could cope with.
The main battle raged for three more hours and smaller skirmishes between single ships continued until morning. In that time Siren's call II counted two Imperial warships among her kills. Both were Orlesian medium size triremes in bad shape and limping away from the battle. The first of these had sustained so much hull damage that is sunk in minutes when Isabela's ship rammed into it. The second one was boarded and captured, its depleted crew overwhelmed in short order by the raiders. A number of other ships had arrows fired at them as they passed by, scoring a few additional kills, although as before the weather made arrow fire ineffective. Westerosi warships challenged them a few times during the fighting, but she had her ship steer clear each time, and as the Westerosi noticed which side she was engaging the number of incidents decreased. By the end of the battle many ships of the Twin Kingdoms had been lost, but in return the whole Imperial fleet had been destroyed, captured or driven away.
As morning arrived the weather began to clear up as well. Isabela quietly had everything of value extracted from the ship they had captured before turning the ship itself over to a Westerosi prize crew. After that she brought her ship into dock with Yara's vessel. Her crew was a little wary of them doing so, remembering as they did narrow escapes from this Ironborn ships and others like it in the past. But Isabela reassured them there was nothing to worry about. This meeting was a friendly one.
"Isabela! We did it!" Yara shouted happily as soon as the spotted the pirate coming onboard. She ran to the other woman, caught her in a tight embrace and planted a long kiss on her mouth.
"It looks as if you got your ship back as well. Good for you. And Harwyn?" Yara said when they were done and they went to have a private chat in Yara's cabin.
"Dead as dead can be, and his closest cronies are in the brig. Gonna kick them off my ship at the first opportunity. Now way I want to be stabbed in the back again." Isabela said.
"But tell me, what happened to you?" She asked, noting how Yara's forehead had been bandaged.
"Oh this? A little parting gift from the Orlesian admiral." Yara said, touching the bandage. "Irritating, but no big deal. And the said admiral fared way worse, so I can't really complain." She said dismissively.
"Looks like you got a few cuts yourself." Yara pointed out.
"A few." Isabela admitted. "Harwyn proved a tricky one to take down. Actually he got close to killing me. But don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain."
Yara nodded with a smile. "My lips are sealed."
"The word out there is that when you managed to get your ship back you turned it on the Orlesians, helped fight them. That true?" Yara said.
"Felt like the right thing to do. Didn't feel like leaving a job half finished." Isabela said with a shrug.
"Thanks for that. I mean it. That you chose to do that when you didn't really have to says a lot. And I have reason to believe you did make a difference out there." Yara said.
"About two enemy warship's worth maybe." Isabela said.
"So now that this fight is finished, what's up next for you lot?" She asked.
"For us? Going to send out some ships to hunt down Orlesian transports carrying foodstuffs for their army and to clear out the pirates still raiding for the enemy. I'm also going to send as many ships as I dare back to the Iron Islands to be ready if the Qunari make a move. Everyone else is going to stay here until the Dragon Queen gives the all clear and has new orders." Yara said.
"Seeing as you have your ship back our arrangement has reached its end. And now I'll fulfill my end of the bargain. I have the written pardons for you here. Had them drawn up before the battle, because I had a hunch." Yara said, handing Isabela a stack of papers.
"With these documents I, Queen of the Iron Islands and the Master of ships on the small council of Queen Daenerys, pardon you of all crimes committed against the Twin Kingdoms prior to this day." Yara said in a formal tone.
Isabela nodded slowly, understanding the significance of the situation.
"So, with that done you… could go." Yara said in a softer tone.
"I could… but from the way you said that I'm thinking you don't really want me to." Isabela said.
"No. No I don't." Yara said.
"For… personal reasons?" Isabela teased.
"I'll admit that is a part of it. I like having you around. And you seem to know your business between the sheets too, which is always a bonus." Yara returned the tease.
"But that's not the only thing." Yara added in a serious tone again. "Look, you are an excellent sailor and one of the best fighters I've ever seen. That much is fact, so no need to tell me to stop flattering you. And now you have ship and crew of your own too. All of that is something I could use. Even when the Orlesians are gone we are going to be dealing with a whole lot of other enemies. You could do a lot of good for the Twin Kingdoms by helping us fight them."
"So what exactly are you proposing?" Isabela asked.
"To hire you and your ship to work for us. You'd be well paid, and you'd get to pick the jobs you want to do for the kingdoms and you'd get to go on your merry way when you choose. No trying to make you a permanent part of our navy like the Imperials wanted to do with you. I'd even be willing to throw in same kind of pardons I gave you for the rest of your crew. Given that attacking the Orlesians probably cost you the pardons they were offering you, I'm sure those would be appreciated." Yara said.
Isabela want quiet, thinking about what was on offer.
"My crew would probably go along with that. They already did something similar with one nation, so why not another? And I'm not saying I'm not seriously temped to accept. I don't usually like to take orders from anyone, but taking them from you wouldn't be so bad. But… look, I don't fight for causes. Never have. The very reason ended up joining forces with your crew was because I refused to do so for the Orlesians. And if not for the need to take my ship back I would not have gotten involved in this war at all. Messes like this… they are too big for me. And you are probably going to be taking on the Qunari next. Those Oxmen are seriously bad news. I'd rather not tangle with them if I can help it. Don't take it badly, it's just… it's not me." Isabela said finally, her tone apologetic.
Yara sighed. "I understand. It's alright. Really. I get where you're coming from. If you don't want this then I won't press you." She said with a nod, although clearly she was disappointed. "Well, I suppose you have places to be. I shan't keep you. My offer will remain open though, just in case you change your mind."
"Oh and one more thing." She said just as Isabela was about to leave. "Please refrain from attacking Westerosi ships from now on. If you do they might send me to hunt you down again, and this time around I'd hate to do that. Huh, quite a change of pace considering how we started off, isn't it?"
"It is. Very well, I'll do what I can to not attack Westerosi. Be seeing you… Yara." Isabela said. With no more words to say she stepped outside and headed to where their ships were tethered together. She was just about to step onto her ship when she stopped, one foot hovering in the air.
Yara had said that she was okay with her leaving. That she understood her reasons and was willing to let her go. And Isabela had fulfilled her end of the deal they had made to the fullest, not cheating the Ironborn Queen out of anything. Now there was no obligation saying that she would have to fight other people's wars. She had every reason and right to walk away…
Then why did leaving feel like the wrong thing to do? Why did this remind her of another event many years ago, on the road outside Kirkwall, staring back at the city's lights, the Tome of Koslun in the crook of her arm, coming to a realization that she had to return, for her friends and because it was the right thing to do.
"Dammit Hawke, why did you have to teach me to care? Teach me to be responsible? Worst friend ever." Isabela muttered as she realized she wasn't able to just walk away from this.
With a sigh she went back to Yara's cabin, to tell her that she had had a change of heart considering her offer.
It appeared she would be running errands for the Twin Kingdoms and the Queen of the Iron Isles for a while. Quite a change of pace indeed.