The Kraken and the Lion

Chapter 12

by Technomad

Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion was unutterably weary, but he still had his duty to do, and a Lannister never shirked duty. "Come," he husked, surprised at how hoarse his voice was, "let us go ashore and find out what's happened while our backs were turned." Podrick and Asha helped him along as they clambered down off the grounded ship.

A boat was soon found that would take them across the Blackwater, and the three of them were soon heading up to the main river-side gate. All three of them looked much the worse for wear; their armor was battered and dented, their faces were bruised and bloody, and their eyes were rather wild. "Aren't we a fine-looking trio?" muttered Tyrion, startling a chuckle from his betrothed.

They soon found people who could tell them what had happened. Tywin Lannister had arrived, with the men who had followed Renly Baratheon before his untimely demise in addition to his own, and had fallen on Stannis' flank. The enemy had been all but annihilated; Stannis had managed to get away, but most of his fleet had been lost, either to wildfire or to the waiting royal and Greyjoy fleets, along with nearly all of his followers.

They limped on in to the Red Keep, and were pounced on by servants. "My lord Tyrion, my lord your father commands your presence, immediately," one of them said, bowing low.

"And we mustn't disappoint my father, must we?" muttered Tyrion. "Lead on. I suppose he's in the throne room?"

As it happened, Lord Tywin was in the throne room, along with Tyrion's pestilential sister and the brat she'd spawned. Joffrey was up on the Iron Throne, but nobody was paying much attention to him, and Tyrion grinned to himself at his expression. Cersei was looking peeved, but then, she usually did.

At Tyrion's entrance, Tywin turned to him. "Ah. You're here. You took long enough." He raised one blond eyebrow. "I must say, you've looked better, Tyrion."

Tyrion forced a grin. "Just following the family tradition, Father. Mustn't let Jaime grab all the glory." He swept his hand to one side. "Lady Asha, may I present my father, Lord Tywin Lannister? Father, this is my betrothed, Lady Asha Greyjoy of Pyke. And, back of me, you will see my squire, Podrick Payne. A good lad, but very shy."

Tywin had never seen Asha before, and judging from the way his eyes widened, he liked what he saw. Coming forward, he took Asha's hand, bowing over it. "Your presence brightens my day, Lady Asha. I take it you were in the battle, too?" He looked her up and down, rather like a horse he was thinking about buying.

Asha nodded, as dignified as a high septa. "Yes, my lord. We of the Iron Islands consider war to be one of our callings in life."

"Along with reaving, no doubt. But forgive my manners. Please retire to your chambers and rest and refresh yourselves. Later, we shall see what the rewards for this day will be." As Tyrion turned to leave, Tywin called after him: "Oh…and see to it that I get the Hand's collar back. You seem to have done well as acting Hand of the King, but now that I'm here, I shall wish to reclaim my position." Tyrion was too tired to argue, so he just nodded as he left.

Asha Greyjoy

When Asha returned to her chambers, maids fluttered around her, stripping off her armor and gasping at her bruises and cuts…none of them serious, thank the Drowned God!…and soon had her soaking in a wonderful warm bath up to her neck. When she got up to get out, she found just how weary she really was, and nearly stumbled; one of the maids, fortunately, was in a position to steady her.

"Take it easy, Lady! You look more worn than my sister did after the first time she gave birth!" The maid's eyes were round with wonder. "May I ask, my lady…is it frightening, actually fighting in a battle?"

As the maids wrapped her in a sleeping mantle, Asha gave the question some thought. "To be honest, Shetha, I'm not frightened at all during a fight. I'm just much too busy. Before, I will admit privately that I get a few butterflies in the stomach, but an actual fight is like a storm at sea; it takes up all my attention to the point that fear has no place in my mind." With that, she crawled into bed and felt sleep take her as she snuggled deep into the blankets.

Tyrion Lannister

The next day, after a long sleep and a good meal apiece, Asha and Tyrion met in Tyrion's new chambers. Tywin had claimed the Hand's quarters as his own, and had seen to it that Tyrion was moved into new chambers, not far from Asha.

"We lost a lot of people," Tyrion said sadly. "I imagine your crew suffered, too."

"Rook and Fingers are dead," Asha sighed. "Harlaw the Horn took an arrow in his side; the maesters say they can save him, but it'll be a long convalescence. Grimtongue broke an arm, Rolfe the Dwarf got his jaw broken, and Lorren Longaxe broke a leg. I'll have to ask among the ironborn captains who took part in the battle for any of their crew they can spare. I don't like leaving Black Wind under-manned."

"Many of my mountain clansmen are returning home," Tyrion replied. "They say they've won great glory, but it's time to go home…and get in on the harrying of the Vale. They've heard great tales of their relatives' deeds, and they don't want to be left out."

"That makes your position more perilous, my lord," Asha mused aloud. "You have said your father loves you but little, and the King and Queen Dowager both despise you completely. If we stay long around here, I fear a 'fatal accident' might befall you."

"And you, my lady and love," Tyrion answered. "My sweet sister detests you as a 'barbarian,' and my nephew cannot forget that you saw him shamed before the entire court, the time he beat Lady Sansa so. And we are no longer needed here, I think. The Tyrells have opened the kingsroad, and between them and your people, Kings Landing should be well-fed."

A page entered. "My lord, my lady…be prepared for court later. His Majesty wishes to honor the heroes…and heroines…of the Battle of the Blackwater, and announce certain changes in the makeup of the court."

"That sounds like our cue, my lord," Asha leaned down and kissed Tyrion. "Let us go to court…and ask for the reward we really want!"

Looking into her dark eyes, Tyrion knew just what reward she had in mind. He gave her a grin, and they hugged carefully, before separating to go prepare for court.

Asha Greyjoy

When the summons came for Asha and her surviving ironborn to come to court, they were ready. They were in the height of ironborn fashion, and glittered with gold and jewelry. Asha looked them over, her heart aching for the ones who couldn't be there, either due to injuries or death.

"Well, men…and Jinjur…" she began, with a wink at her female crew member, "it's about that time. Let's show these soft folk that ironborn fear nothing!" She had noticed that some of them looked more worried at being paraded before the court than they had been before the battle. "Come on, chins up. They'll be glad to see you! We're all heroes!"

And so they were. When they came into court, in single file behind Asha, the court cheered them to the echo, and Asha was very pleased to see that some of her own kin from Pyke had come. Her favorite nuncle, Rodrik the Reader, was there, a book under his arm, and Asha smiled to herself at the thought that prying him out of the royal library would probably be a challenge for the Kingsguard and his crew.

Joffrey was on his throne, looking surprisingly regal, but it was clear that his grandfather, Lord Tywin, was in full command. Honors and titles were being dispensed with a generous hand, and a long parade of defeated, captured lords were paraded before the throne to bend the knee to the King and forswear further rebellion.

Asha cheered and clapped when Bronn was called forth, to be told that he was to be dubbed a knight and given lands of his own. She knew that for a sellsword of no family, this was a glorious reward, and she liked the cynical fellow and wanted him to be happy. She began wondering about finding him a wife.

Finally, her name was called. She came forward, limping only a little, and knelt to the King, before Tywin told her to rise.

"It appears, my lady, that you and my son turned the tide of battle. If it were not for the sheer number of eyewitness reports to your bravery, I'd hardly have credited it myself."

Asha bowed. "All in a day's work, my lord. You speak of it as though it were…unusual." At this sally, the ironborn in the room all cheered, and the other warriors smothered smiles. Queen Cersei looked like she'd bitten into an apple to find half a worm in it, and Asha smiled inwardly. The Queen did not care to be upstaged by any other woman, Asha had noticed. She made a mental note to do it again; it was her considered opinion that Cersei needed taking down a peg or two. Then she had a wonderful idea. What if I were to plant the idea in Lord Tywin's mind that he should marry her off to someone far away…someone she'd be sure to detest? At that thought, she had to stifle a giggle. She could just picture Cersei's outraged tantrums at being told she would have to marry again.

"Still and all," Tywin intoned, "you should be rewarded. What gifts can the Throne give you, Lady Asha Greyjoy of Pyke?"

"For my crew, I would ask that they be given enough wealth to be able to buy ships of their own, once we return to the islands," Asha said, her voice steady. She had given this some thought. "A good captain trains up her crew so that they may one day be captains themselves, just as a good parent trains up children to become strong, useful adults."

Her crew gasped, and then applauded her loudly. Her nuncle Rodrik's eyes shone with pride. Tywin nodded thoughtfully. "That is well-thought-of, my lady. A good leader thinks of his or her followers. And for yourself…?"

Asha stood straight and tall, and the hall went very quiet. Everybody knew that she had earned rich rewards, and the Lannisters were known to pay their debts. "For myself, my lord, all that I ask is that we set the date for the wedding between myself and Lord Tyrion." At this, the hall erupted in noise. Many people couldn't believe that she would still go through with the marriage that had been arranged, and a buzz of speculation arose, only to be quelled by a hard look from Lord Tywin.

"My lady…are you sure about this?" His expression was stern, but behind it, she thought she could see a man who was confronted by a pretty young girl who wanted to do something he couldn't begin to comprehend. "Is this truly the one reward you want? You could name your match, and if he were unmarried, he would be your husband as quickly as we could arrange a wedding."

"My lord, I have named my match. It is Tyrion Lannister, of Casterly Rock. You yourself promised him to me! 'A Lannister always pays his debts,' remember? I will wed him, and no other, and have him for my husband until the end of our days!"

"Very well, so be it! I shall command the servants to prepare the castle for a wedding." Tywin still looked slightly gobsmacked, and Asha took pity on him. Greatly daring, she stepped forward and took his hand in both of hers.

"I look forward to having you as my good-father, my lord. And after the wedding, I want to take my new husband, and Black Wind, and sail to Lannisport and Casterly Rock. As the newest member of the family, I should get to know those places, should I not?" Tywin nodded, unable to speak, as the cheering and applause echoed around the hall.

END Chapter 12