The Kraken and the Lion, Chapter 04
by Technomad
Asha GreyjoyAsha smiled broadly as she felt the deck heel and the ship surge forward. She was ironborn, and no ironborn ever was happy too long away from the sea. The rhythm of the oarsmen could be felt, and the sail was just beginning to catch the wind.
Bold Wind was just coming out of the harbor of Kings Landing, on a quick in-and-out voyage. Asha had hinted to Lord Tyrion that she and her men would be very interested professionally in a trip aboard a royal dromond, and Tyrion had been happy to arrange it. The sea breeze smelled wonderful, with none of the fetor she associated with Kings Landing.
With the professional part of her mind, the part that did not sleep whenever she was on or near a ship, Asha was making mental notes. While the negotiations between herself and the royal court had been going well, there was no harm in preparing for all eventualities, was there now? And if she saw that the royal dromonds had a few wrinkles that her own people hadn't thought of, then adding them might make her Black Wind a better longship, which wouldn't hurt anything, either.
Her crew were also enjoying themselves. They called encouragement to the oarsmen, and compared the rowing style to that used aboard longships.
"They have several men on each oar here. On a longship, we have one man to an oar." That was Lorren Longaxe.
"The sail plan's completely different from a longship. How do they handle all those extra sails?" Droopeye Dale was looking up suspiciously. "On a longship, we just have the one big sail."
"That's so that we can trim the sails to what we need, instead of just having the one choice," explained the captain, one Sandor Lannis. He ran his fingers through his dark-blond hair, enjoying the chance to explain things to fellow professionals. "In a stiff wind, we just have the tops'ls up, while if there's almost no wind, we raise the mains, which are a lot bigger. The mains'ls would be much too much for a real gale. We can keep way on in a storm, instead of drifting before the wind or having our masts blown to pieces."
Asha nodded, as did several of her crew. That made excellent sense. Asha began visualizing just how a longship might be re-rigged to take advantage of this concept. Much as she loved her homeland and her people, she had to admit that in some ways they were hidebound and stuck in the past.
The Bold Wind heeled as the captain called "Helm a-lee!" and the dromond turned. By then, they were well out of the harbor, and Asha could hear the oar captain calling the oarsmen to pull their oars in, because the ship was now under sail exclusively. She danced along, and Asha felt a moment's keen envy.
While the dromond was not as manouverable as a longship, and drew more water so that she couldn't go into water as shallow, out on the open sea, she was very hard to equal. Asha could now easily see how King Robert had defeated her father so easily, back in the days of Greyjoy's Rebellion.
Before we try anything like that again, I want some of these ships! Asha kept that thought firmly off her face, concentrating on looking pleasant as the captain, standing beside her, pointed out landmarks on shore. He was quite plainly interested in her, but she had no interest in him; she had heard that he had two mistresses on shore already, and she was not at all keen on being Number Three in his affections.
Asha Greyjoy was not a virgin, and enjoyed male company by night, but she did expect to be the main woman in her man's life. Being one of a string did not appeal.
For some reason, she thought about Tyrion Lannister. He was easily the ugliest man she had ever seen in her life, and yet he fascinated her. They had taken to eating lunches together, and she found him an endless mine of information…about Kings Landing, the Lannister lands and House, and many other subjects. Every bit of knowledge he let drop she soaked up, and wrote down as quickly as she could in the compressed code the Greyjoys used when they didn't want people reading what they wrote.
The more she learned about the situation in Kings Landing, and the war in general, the more she thought that the Baratheon/Lannister faction needed the Greyjoys more than the Greyjoys needed them. Kings Landing itself was not under siege, but the war had badly disrupted the city's usual supply routes, and the people were on the verge of starving.
Her men had gone out into the city, in groups of two or three, and listened carefully to the talk in taverns, at least those that still had supplies to be open with. There was considerable ill-feeling in the city; people were openly comparing the current regime with the reign of King Robert, or even the Targaryens, and very few people were willing to say that things were, or would get, better.
King Joffrey himself got little blame; people were willing to make excuses for him. He was young, and had no power of his own; he was surrounded by evil counselors. That had been what Six-toed Harl had reported, after coming back from a tour of Flea Bottom's finer sinks of depravity.
"They say that it's the Imp's fault. Before he was here, they say, things went well. Then he came, and good King Robert died, and things went to pieces fast." Six-toed Harl had been nursing a colossal shiner; he and Cromm had been drinking and minding their own business when some of the local tough types had decided to "see what these ironmen are made of." The Goldcloaks had hauled them back to the Red Keep after breaking up the ensuing brawl. Asha was quite proud that her men had given a lot better than they had received. They weren't called "ironborn" for nothing, she thought.
"And Queen Cersei's not making things better. The smallfolk don't think she's any friend of theirs, and the women told me that her arrogance is legendary." That was Hagen the Horn's daughter. She flipped her red hair back. "As a woman, I can go where men aren't welcome, and what I heard where I went…the women's side of the bath houses, and places like that…makes me think that this city's going to erupt. They don't like the high price of food. Many of them say that they're not sure whether they can feed their families, no matter how much money they have. Money doesn't help if there's no food in the markets."
The Bold Wind came about again, heading for home. Sandor Lannis explained: "By order of the King's Hand, our fleet's to stick close by. Stannis Baratheon's got a fleet of his own, and may be planning an attack by water." Asha nodded, thinking In that situation, ironborn would seek out the enemy's fleet and attack it first!
Tyrion LannisterTyrion was standing by the quays when the Bold Wind came in to harbor. Across the water, he could hear Asha Greyjoy's happy laugh, and he smiled to himself. When the ironwoman had come to him to ask if she and her crew could pay a friendly visit to the royal navy, he had been delighted to expedite it.
When the Bold Wind was made fast and the gangplanks lowered, Asha bounced off and straight up to him, with her crew right behind her. Before he knew what was happening, she had bent down and given him a big kiss. "Thank you, thank you, my lord! I missed that more than I had realized! And your ships are so different…I thought we ironborn knew all there was to know about ships, but I see that we still have much to learn!"
Her crew whooped approval of her gesture. "Who-o-a-a-h! Our captain sees something she likes! Will you make him a salt-husband?" called one of them. They all laughed and laughed, and Asha turned on them with fire in their eyes. At the look on her face, they shut right up, quailing like schoolchildren in the presence of a strict master.
"That part of my life is no concern of yours, and you would do well to remember it. Remember the last man who tried taking liberties with me?" Her voice was calm…deadly calm…and even, but her crew went pale.
"No, my lady. Sorry, my lady. We forgot, my lady." With that, the crew went on back toward the Red Keep, leaving Tyrion and Asha alone on the quay except for Tyrion's guards. Gulls flew around them, their keening loud in the sudden quiet.
"I'm sorry, my lord. I shouldn't have taken such a liberty," Asha finally said. Tyrion looked at her quizzically with his mismatched eyes.
"That sort of liberty you can take whenever you want, Lady Asha…but I'd prefer it be in private."
The more Tyrion Lannister saw of the ironwoman captain, the more he liked what he saw. She wasn't a raving beauty, but after growing up with Cersei, Tyrion was by no means susceptible to beauty by itself. She was highly intelligent, and, like him, a misfit in her society. Ironmen no less than most other people saw women mainly as creatures fit to stay home and breed babies, not to captain ships and lead men into battle. And still, she did it, and from what Tyrion could tell, her crew would have cheerfully laid down their lives for her. And she for them.
Tyrion envied her passionately. His lady was a whore, his right-hand man a sellsword who'd cheerfully sell him out for a better offer, and he, himself was one of the most hated men in Kings Landing, even though he had done all he could to try to re-victual the city. Many people just couldn't see past his appearance.
"Will you walk with me, back up to the Red Keep?" Asha fell in beside him, courteously keeping pace with him, as they went back up to the castle. Around them, her crew and his mountain clansmen automatically went into formation, keeping potential ill-wishers at a distance. In Lannisport, Tyrion thought bitterly, at least I could walk the streets without fearing assassination attempts!
"I got a raven from Pyke," Asha remarked. "My father seems to be quite open to an alliance between the Iron Islands and your…faction. However, I think he wants to be recognized as an independent monarch on his own, instead of bowing the knee to a king clear across Westeros."
Tyrion chewed that idea over. "If your people agreed to leave Westeros alone, and raid elsewhere if you must raid, I don't see why that couldn't be done. I'd have to broach the idea to my lord father, and get his permission, though. He's the real Hand; I'm just standing in for him while he takes care of business elsewhere."
Arya quirked a grin. "We remember Balon's War, my lord. We're not stupid. And right now, we're raiding up in the north. Hitting at your enemies suits your lord father's book, I think. At least, from what I know of your lord father."
Tyrion had to agree. "An alliance between our peoples would suit everybody, I think. As I've said, we have things to offer each other." He grinned back at her. "And your people might be surprised at how much easier it is to gather wealth when you're working with your neighbors, instead of against all of them. Particularly when you're not numerous, and stuck on islands that your neighbors can reach."
Tyrion remembered the maps he had seen. The Iron Islands were not far from Lannisport, and the Lannisters had a powerful fleet of their own. However, not having to worry about ironmen raiders would free up a lot of their ships, both to re-victual Kings Landing, and to hit at their enemies elsewhere. Sea power could decide this war, for all that many of their enemies' strongholds were well inland.
When they got to the Red Keep, they parted company, and Tyrion waddled off to the chamber where the Small Council met; there was a meeting scheduled. When he got there, he saw Cersei, as well as Littlefinger, Pycelle, and Slynt; Varys was nowhere to be seen.
"So glad you could join us," Cersei sneered, as he took his place. "Or was canoodling with that barbarian woman more important to you?"
"We have received an important raven from your lord father," Pycelle said. "It concerns you directly. Would you like to read it?"
"Why, yes, I would, at that," Tyrion drawled. Pycelle handed it over, and Tyrion read:
To Her Grace the Queen Regent and the Small Council, greetings from Lord Tywin Lannister. The information I am receiving about conditions in Kings Landing is disturbing to me, and I would have them ameliorated at once. One part of good lordship is seeing to it that the smallfolk are prosperous; our own prosperity depends ultimately on theirs.
The Lord of Pyke has declared to me that he would like to take up the mantle of independent monarchy again, and I am not averse to this in exchange for his continued goodwill. The ironmen have raided the North repeatedly, and keeping them on our side is well worth allowing him to wear the Driftwood Crown.
Greyjoy has also expressed interest in a marital alliance between our Houses, and I am inclined to agree. He himself is married, but his wife is failing, and we could wait until after her death and match the Queen Regent to him. However, that is by no means a certainty, and I would like to nail down this alliance as expeditiously as possible.
Ser Jaime may not marry, but Tyrion is unmarried, and by happy coincidence, Greyjoy's daughter is not only unmarried, but in Kings Landing. We are seriously considering a match between Tyrion and Lady Asha.
Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Lannisport
Tyrion felt a little like the rug had been yanked out from under his feet. His eyes went very wide, and he sat down in the nearest chair, reading the letter over again. This was unexpected, to say the least. His father had never spoken of marrying him off, even though as a Lannister, he was by no means ineligible, dwarf or no dwarf. And it had never even occurred to him that Asha Greyjoy could be a potential match.
The more he thought about it, though, the more he liked the idea. Unlike many women he met, Asha didn't seem to be repulsed by him physically. And she was one of the more intelligent people he had seen in his life, which had its own attractions. Having a companion he could talk about things to, and be understood…he suddenly felt a wave of longing.
And Asha herself was by no means an unattractive woman. She was by no means the beauty that Cersei was, but that didn't bother Tyrion one bit. Not only that, but she had strengths and skills that Tyrion himself lacked, and he could see them making a very formidable team.
Tyrion raised his eyes from the paper, to see Cersei looking at him with cruel amusement in her huge green eyes. "So, Tyrion," she purred, "it looks very like our lord father wants to pack you off to Pyke." She gave him a carnivorous smile. "You know how devastated I'll be to lose you."
"As devastated as I would be to lose you, were it you being proposed for that alliance," Tyrion replied politely. Privately, though, he wanted to go find Asha and let her know what was in the wind, before someone sprung it on her.
END Chapter 04