The last of the Krakens
Asha POV
It was hard to look at Theon. I wanted to trust my brother, but I couldn't. I didn't know him, so I could only keep him locked in my ship. Every time I visit him, I see him hate me more and more. It came to now when he won't even talk to me anymore. I wanted to let him go as he asked, but I couldn't risk it.
Euron was too dangerous. If he finds Theon, I shudder at what he would do to him. But soon we will deal with him. And then we can return home. Even if Edmure doesn't keep his word, I will pledge my services to Daenerys. With her dragons, the bastard king sitting on the Iron Throne will have no choice but let us return.
Though I didn't have a chance to prove myself to Daenerys and gain her trust, Edmure was too efficient to my liking. And Daenerys hasn't asked, nor did she need my help. From how I saw her interact with others, I could tell that it wouldn't end well if I tried to push myself on Daenerys, so I kept to myself for most time.
But I had to be patient only for a bit longer. With Euron gone, I will be the only one left with a fleet, even if it only contains a score of ships close to Daenerys. Only then can I be beneficial to her. I need her to secure my place in the Iron Islands. I won't let myself be dependent on the Starks. No matter how beneficial Edmure's offer is to me, I still have my pride.
"Won't you at least eat?" I asked Theon, getting tired of the silent treatment.
"I am not hungry," Theon replied.
"It already evening. The last time you ate was in the morning," I commented. "Don't be stubborn. You are already lost too much weight."
"Why do you care?"
"I am your sister!" I shouldn't have shouted, but he was getting under my skin.
"And I thought I was just a prisoner to you," Theon smirked.
"You are not," I knew my words meant nothing to him. "Just be patient for a bit longer, and we will be able to return home."
"I would have done that with Tyrion in my hands," Theon said. "But you took that away from me. Like you took me away from my home."
"And what should I have done? I was only a couple of years older than you when the Stark took you away," I tried to reason with him. "Should have I offered myself in your place? Should I have fought Robert fucking Baratheon?"
"And you couldn't stop father when he decided to forsake me for the second time?" He responded with another hard question.
"Is that what it is about?" I asked. "You don't care about Pyke. It is about Winterfell."
"It is my home!"
"You are a Kraken, not a wolf!"
It couldn't have gone worse. Theon didn't say anything after we finished yelling at each other. At least he didn't ignore me. And I wanted to yell and scream at him in my frustration, but I knew better. I had to get him to talk to me without resorting to violence. At least it felt like we were children once again. I wonder whether he even remembers that.
"The Iron Islands are our home," I said, filling the silence. "And I promise we will return soon."
"It is your home," Theon replied. "I don't belong with you."
"You are a Greyjoy," I was close to yelling.
"Am I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you all had forgotten that when you decided my life isn't worth more than your ambitions."
"Father didn't see any other option, no matter what we tried to tell him," I grimaced at his words. "You should blame the Starks for holding you hostage."
"Blame them?" Theon asked. "I am alive because of them. Robb could have killed me once he heard of what you have done, as it was expected of him. Yet, he gave me gold and a horse to have a chance to live. He did more than you ever did. He is my brother and my only family."
It hurt more than I imagined hearing his words. It hurt me even more when I realized that he meant those words. It wasn't just words from frustration or anger that he said in the heat of the moment. It was how he felt. And I was furious, but I didn't know at who or what. At the Starks for turning my brother against me? Or was it at myself for being unable to do anything for him? Did I forsake him as he thought?
"If you truly feel like that, then I will let you go back to the wolves you love so much," I said, standing up. "Even if you hate me, I still promise you that I will take you home. It doesn't matter where it is."
"I don't hate you," I heard Theon as I passed the doors.
These words relieved some pain I felt. There may still be a chance for us to be a family. Perhaps not everything was lost. At least, it gave me hope. I didn't want to live in a world where I was the only Kraken alive. Euron didn't care about it. I could tell he didn't look at me as his family but as a piece for his game. Now, he might try to get rid of me as I refused to play with him.
It was a good thing that he didn't know about Theon. If he did, he would get rid of me sooner and use Theon. Soon, I should be able to put him out of my mind, for what he did to Edmure, I do not expect Euron to survive. Once he is gone, everything will be fine. All I have to do is to wait. Yet I couldn't relax.
Everything was going according to Edmure's plan. It went too smoothly for my liking. It made me fear Edmure a bit, how he seems to know everything and predict the future. Now, I understand how he easily defeated the Lannisters, Stannis, and my father. And compared to them, what am I? I am no threat to him. It was insulting but reassuring.
"Asha!" Tristifier Botley ran into my cabin yelling.
"What is it, Tris?" I asked, not wanting to deal with bullshit for tonight.
"Fire, the marketplace is on fire," He said.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. I came to you once I saw it."
What was going on? Was this another part of Edmure's plan? No, he would have said it to me. Would he? Shit, what should I do? Is it Euron's doing or the work of the Sons of the Harpy? Maybe it was a fight between them that got out of hand. I wouldn't be able to know from the little information I possessed.
"Gather the men," I ordered. "Take the best warriors and tell the others to sail out. Block the Harbor. Nobody is to go in or out."
"As you wish."
I didn't have enough men to try anything drastic, but if it was the work of Euron, it was my chance. I will take him and his men out. Not only will I prove that I wasn't part of this, but I will be able to prove to Daenerys that I am someone she wants as a friend and not an enemy. It was my only and best chance.
When my men gathered, the city's chaos only intensified. It wasn't hard to hear shouting and steel clashing from within the city. By now, I knew it wasn't part of Edmure's plan. So, it could only mean it was Euron's doing. And for a moment, I hesitated. Should I go through this, I will be Euron's enemy forever.
It wouldn't matter if he lost, and I would gain favor from Edmure and Daenerys, but if he succeeded in his plan. If he somehow got the dragons, it would be bad for me. I didn't want to burn in dragon fire. Still, I couldn't let such a chance go and had to believe that Edmure would stop Euron, no matter what.
"Everyone is prepared, Asha," Qarl the Maid brandished his sword and nodded to the men gathered. "We await your orders."
"We move on Euron's ships," I said. "Kill everyone in the Silence."
Nobody disagreed. Nobody liked the crew of the Silence. The mutes were creepy to everyone, even if we weren't superstitious. And the Silence had garnered quite a reputation, and not all were good. Still, I only gathered my best and most trustworthy men, so none voiced their disagreements, even if someone had qualms about fighting their own Ironborn.
I led my men through the harbor, and soon we saw the sight of the Silence. There weren't many who tried to stop us. Without wasting time, we attacked. There weren't as many of the mutes as I expected. Probably some were wreaking havoc in the city. Yet when we moved inside the ship, I found a few blood stains on the board, indicating a fight. Someone was there before us.
"Asha, you should look at this," Tris led me into one of the cabins.
There was a bald man on the ground. He was dead, but it wasn't the man that caught my eye. It was the letters in Tris' hands. I took them and found that in these letters was information. It was information about the war in Westeros—a list of lords, houses, and their families. But what shocked me the most was the information about the attack on the North my father instigated.
I read through it, finding information about my father's plans. Plans nobody but only my father and uncle should know. Movements of our ships and actions Edmure had taken. I didn't understand it fully, nor did I have time to read through it all. But it felt like Euron knew everything even before the war even started.
"Take it all," I said. "To not leave any piece of paper and then burn this damn ship."
When every corner of the ship was searched, I left it and watched it burn from the harbor. Deeper into the bay, I could see some ships trying to enter the harbor, but my ships soon stopped them. Some decided to retreat, and others chose to engage. It didn't look like they were of the same forces. Maybe they were sellsails or disagreed on the course of action.
It didn't matter to me. I have secured the harbor. Nobody will be able to leave or arrive. Now, I only needed to wait for the battle to end. Then I heard an earth-shattering roar from the sky. I had never seen nor heard a roar of a dragon. But the black shadow in the sky made me shiver. I couldn't see it well, but his roars made it impossible not to notice.
"Asha!" I turned my eyes from the sky and looked at the person walking toward us. "What is the meaning of this?"
"It seems you have failed, Euron," I replied, looking at his bloodied body.
"You would turn your sword against family?" Euron asked with blood running over his mouth.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you," I said. "I know someone who will love the chance to kill you more than I do."
"Ha," It was a short laugh from Euron. "So, you indeed worked with Edmure Tully. Well, I shouldn't be surprised."
"I chose the winning side."
"Stand aside, Asha," Euron ordered.
"And what if I won't?" I asked.
"We are family," He changed his tone fast. "Let's return home together."
"Capture him and tie him up," I ordered my men.
I watched as Euron tried to fight back, but he couldn't do much as one of his shoulders was severely injured like he had fought someone to death not long ago. It was probably Edmure. I wondered if he managed to kill the Redfish, but if he did, he wouldn't be here, running away. Either way, I got myself a hefty bounty. Edmure will owe me a big favor after this.
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