The whole of House Greyjoy was preparing their ships. Aeron, Victarion, and Balon were selecting their most loyal men who still held the old ways within them to attack Bear Island. I was busy preparing my entire fleet under the guise of going out on our patrol of the Seven Kingdoms. During that week, my brothers regularly jibed me about missing out on a truly momentous occasion; their return to raiding. Little did they know that Aeron had sent his raven before returning to King's Landing, and that King Robert would already be riding west with Lord Stark and Winterfell's finest, as well as his King's Guard. By the time my brothers arrived at Bear Island, the King would be taking ships to cross the small channel to lend the Mormonts his aid.

Serena and Allen knew exactly what the plan was. However, they made sure they only informed select members of their crews so that they could be prepared. Serena's ships were the fastest, manned by the finest warriors in my fleet. She would be the key to intercepting my brother's ships and handling the majority of boarding actions. Allen's ship was designed for maneuverability so he could position himself where he was needed to better cast spells. He primarily focused on fire spells to set sails and decks aflame, killing the opponent's ability to function properly in battle. It also had the side effect of making crews abandon ship and become much easier targets in the water.

I was standing at the front of the docks as I watched the final preparations being done to my ships so that we could set sail the next day when the thumping of heavy boots announced Victarion's arrival. He had a solid stride that was unmistakable.

"Well, Sister, it seems you're just about ready to go bore yourself on patrol," Victarion chuckled as he grabbed an empty crab trap and tossed it on the ground before sitting on it. To his credit, he never stood when he talked to me. He always tried to find a way to sit so that he could look me in the eye.

I looked at him with my arms crossed comfortably and smiled, "I enjoy the patrols. I get to visit people in the different ports, and give my brothers some time to shine while I'm away."

Victarion barked out a laugh, "It's a shame you aren't coming with us. This will be a good fight and I could show you a thing or two on the battlefield."

I gave a light hearted shrug, "I'm sure one of these days we'll be on the same field of battle. Then maybe you can show me a few things."

He reached out and pat my shoulder, "That will be a glorious day. It's a shame Aeron had to return to King's Landing so quickly. It seems strange he would only come back for the meeting."

"I lament him not being able to stay longer as well," I mused. "But I suppose the Small Council needs to keep things in order while the King is away. And who better to keep people in line than a Greyjoy?"

Victarion chuckled, "Certainly not that withered bag of bones Pycelle, or that worm, Little Finger."

"Or the Spider," I added, allowing some contempt to creep into my tone.

"That puffed up powdered unique will be the death of us all, you mark my words," Victarion huffed. He had a great dislike for Varys.

I hummed and looked back out to my ships, "I thought you and our brothers would have left earlier this morning."

"The Drowned Men recommended mid dad," he replied with a hint of irritation. "They say the omens favored a later start."

"I suppose you can't argue with omens," I chuckled. In truth, I was the one who told the Drowned Men to recommend a late start. It would allow me to catch up to my brothers more easily. I simply told the Drowned Men that it was the Drowned God's will and they repeated the instructions without question.

"It would seem not," Victarion growled, but his tone lightened afterwards. "But it at least let me come say goodbye to my favorite sister."

"I'm you're only sister," I pointed out.

"Which makes you my favorite!" he laughed.

"It also makes me your least favorite," I giggled.

He paused as he considered my reply, then laughed all the harder, "That's a fair point!" He stood and kicked the crab trap away, "In any case. I've said my goodbye. We'll bring you back some bear pelts."

I looked up at him, allowing some concern into my expression, "I still wish you wouldn't do this. Whether the Drowned God wishes it or not, this will have ramifications."

"What can the King do? His fleet isn't as big and we're the ones who guard his kingdom," Victarion grinned. "He would have to get one of us to stop us. And he would have had to have done it before he left King's Landing. We'll be fine. Just trust in the message you delivered from the Drowned God."

I sighed and nodded, "I just have a feeling you'll regret it."

Victarion left with all the confidence in the world. I smirked to myself knowing what was going to happen. I didn't hate or dislike my brothers. Well, I disliked Balon, but everyone disliked Balon. Still, we got along very well considering I was 'adopted'. They treated me like their natural born sister, and they encouraged and supported my efforts. The problem was their dedication to the old ways. Eventually it would lead them to rebel against the King and bring the entire island under suspicion. What I was doing was simply going to accelerate the inevitable.

Later that evening, once the preparations had been completed, Serena, Allen, and I sat in my private quarters eating dinner by the fire.

"It's going to be a completely one sided battle," Serena shook her head. "It's thirty ships against over one hundred times that many. Even if half our ships weren't fighting men we'd still be able to overwhelm them with sheer numbers"

"Be that as it may," I said, trying to keep her mind focused on the possibility of things going wrong, "Euron and Victarion aren't to be taken lightly. Euron has his crow eye and sees more than he lets on. Victarion is a fierce warrior, as his men have earned their reputation for being deadly. We play things as safe as we can. This isn't the wasteland where we have firepower, airships, and power armored deathclaws."

"I'm still upset I had to miss all of that," Allen sighed. "That sounds like it would have been awesome."

"I still miss Meirune," I lamented. "But we have to make do without. I want you to focus on Balon's ships, Allen. He may miss the old ways, but he's much more of a coward than Victarion or Euron. His ships will be sure to stay back until the beach is safe if he can help it."

Allen smirked and snapped his fingers, causing a pillar of flame to leap from them, "I can't wait for that. I'll finally be able to shut him up after all those insults he's hurled our way over the years.

"The real problem is figuring out what Euron will be doing," I hummed in thought. "You can never tell what he's thinking or what he'll do. He's chaos personified. He could attack the other side of the island, split his men between Victarion and Balon's, or sail somewhere else just on a mood."

"He's always been impossible to predict," Serena agreed. "But I think we can be sure he'll be attacking the island. The only questions that remain to us are where and how."

"I'll trust you to sort that out," I replied. "We need to be quick about surrounding the island to ensure none of them can escape. But I'll be headed straight to the island to intercept whoever's on the beach."

"And you believe they'll hold off on attacking us since they'll think we're there to help?" Allen asked.

Serena nodded, "They'll be so focused on the raid that they'll see our fleet as welcome aid. A few hundred warriors against the whole of Bear Island will be a close fight. But they'll be happy to welcome our aid. We just need to make sure we're well positioned before we spring our trap. That way we can create maximum damage, and cause more chaos so that they can't recover faster enough to coordinate with each other."

"And King Robert will be there?" Allen asked, as if going over a checklist in his mind.

"That I can't guarantee," I shrugged. "He'll ought to be riding there with all haste even now, but crossing the North, even at haste, is no quick venture. Optimally, he'll be there to see us destroy my brother's fleets. At worst, the Mormonts will attest to our actions."

Just then, a knock came to the door.

"Enter," I called out.

Tommen opened the door and stepped inside, making his way to me quickly and offering me a small raven scroll, "My Lady. A message from Deepwood Motte."

I arched a brow curiously as I took the scroll, "Deepwood Motte? Perhaps…" I unrolled the scroll and read it aloud for all to hear, "Your warning of your brother's intentions brings me great pain. House Greyjoy has known nothing but privilege and goodwill since my ascension tp the Iron Throne. You have my thanks for telling me the truth of this matter. I have left Winterfell with warriors of House Stark, my King's Guard, and am gathering warriors from every House as we ride west."

"You are commanded to set sail with all haste to assist in stopping your kin from performing this act of aggression," I continue, my expression growing into a proud smirk. "You are still dear to me and I must believe that, with your warning, you have chosen the crown over your kin. Rest assured that if this is the case and we find you on the field of battle opposing your kin, the rewards will be great indeed. Yours, in friendship and in battle, King Robert Baratheon; King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm."

Allen grinned and chuckled, "Exactly as planned. He should be close enough to know that we're stopping your brothers by the time it all happens."

"That puts them about ten days out even with fresh horses every day," Serena hummed. "That's just about perfect, especially if this was sent when they were leaving and not when they arrived in Deepwood Motte."

I nodded as I rolled the message up then handed it to Serena, "This will be perfect. I suggest we all get our sleep. If we leave on schedule tomorrow we'll catch up to my brothers as at least one of them has made landfall."

We said our goodnights soon after and took to our beds. I was so excited about leaving that I barely slept. Thankfully for me, my flagship was manned by some of the finest sailors the Iron Island had to offer. All I needed to do was command them to set sail then I took to my cabin and got some rest. The next several days I focused on controlling the currents. This included the currents surrounding us, as well as those surrounding my brothers' ships. I used my stone sense to lock into an ever growing group of riders east of us. I had to believe that it was King Robert and Lord Stark on their way to Bear Island.

I worked my water manipulation to control the currents to slow my brothers down just a bit, and keep our ships just a few hours below the horizon from them. This way I would ensure that we were nearby when they began their attack, and guarantee that Robert would arrive at least in time to see us arriving to stop the raid. Serena and Allen made our intentions known to their crews the day after we left. The read the command of the King to the sailors, though they left out the bit about me having told Robert what was happening. Our crews were made of Iron Born who preferred fighting and patrols to raiding and pillaging, so they mostly saw this as a necessary evil to move our people into a better future.

Ten days came and went, and finally dawn rose on the day of the attack. The fleet gathered up as close to my ship as possible. I stood on the bow of my ship, the sea air whipping through my coat hair, throwing it back behind me. I summoned magic to enhance my voice to carry out over the water so that the entire fleet could hear me.

"Iron Born!" I called out. "There is nothing better I can address you today as other as Iron Born! Since my father sat the Salt Throne we have known decades of peace! Reaving and pillaging have been put behind us and we are not only stronger for it, we prosper for it! We thrive! We are able to give our people and our families lives they thought impossible otherwise!"

I opened my arms to encompass the fleet, "We have more ships, more wealth, more resources now than ever in our history! And why is that? It is because we have come to not only accept what being Iron Born truly is, we have embraced it! To be Iron Born means to be born of harder stuff than mainlanders! We conquer the waves! We bear the wrath of ocean storms where others would turn back! We sea foam crash against rock and accept the challenge for what it's worth!"

I pointed at a few random sailors I could see, "You are Iron Born because you have taken mastery over the waves and use it to bring the ocean to heel! No pirate, no corsair, no enemy can stand against us because we are Iron Born!"

"Now out there," I said and turned point behind me, "just beyond the horizon, are my brothers, with their most loyal men who are all determined to bring us back to a time where we attacked undefended and unprepared villages, then dared to call ourselves fearsome. I ask you now, is a man fearsome if he beats a defenseless child? No! And no more are reavers who attack defenseless people!

I faced the the fleet again, "This thing we do today must be done to not only keep our people safe from the King's wrath, but also to put the cowardly and outdated old ways behind us. And while most of you will not see combat this day, know that your presence alone is enough to tell me that you believe we are doing the right thing for our people and for your families. So I ask you all to follow me into this battle, and let us see the end of this dreadful day so that the Iron Born and sail into a brighter future. What is dead may never die!"

"What is dead may never die!" came the cacphonous response from the fleet.

I wasn't worried about the sound of our shouts carrying over the water. We were much too far away, and even if we weren't, the sound of commands and battle would have silenced it.

I looked at Serena, whose ship was only a few dozen yards from my own, "Wait until I reach the beach before springing the trap."

Serena nodded, "As you command, My Lady!"

I looked to the opposite side where Allen watched me from his ship, "The same goes for you. Don't start burning those ships until Serena has started her attack."

Allen chuckled and gave a sweeping bow, "As My Lady wishes."

"Then let's begin," I said and marched back to the helm. "Captain, set sail!"

"Yes, My Lady!" the Captain answered. He barked the command and it was relayed several times.

I let Allen summon winds that would push us forward while I manipulated the water to pull us along as well. Our ships moved quickly as if they were screaming down the back end of a massive tsunami. In mere moments the ships belonging to my brothers on the horizon. It took us only a minute to arrive on their position. My fleet began to spread out, wrapping around Balon's ten ships as they were waiting for Victarion's ships to clear the way for them to get to the shore.

I had a feeling that Balon would have hung back and let Victarion or Euron storm the beach first. Balon was a decent enough fighter, but he was more of a bully than a warrior. And bullies were ultimately cowards. The men on Balon's ships cheered my ships as they arrived, not understanding the danger we represented. Unlike Balon, I wasn't afraid to push to the shore. My flagship, and several dozen others pushed close to shore further along the coast.

My warriors began to leap off the ship and into the shallow waters as I took a dingy down with Tommen and a handful of other guards. My men formed up on the shoreline as we rowed to shore. Allen and Serena positioned their ships strategically around Balon and Victarion's forces. Euron was no where to be found. I had to assume he was on the other side of the island. That wouldn't matter with our numbers, but it was an inconvenience that we couldn't simply catch them all at once.

As the dingy scraped up onto the shore, I drew my warhammer and jumped out onto the muddy, pebble encrusted beach of the island. I marched toward the head of my men's formation and gave them a stern look, "I don't want to see any hesitation or leniency from any of you. Every one of these traitors dies on this beach today! Should you see a cousin, a friend, or a lover, I expect you to cut them down! I will be killing my brothers and my cousins, as well as friends myself, so I expect you to do the same. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Lady Greyjoy!" came the response.

"Do not attack until you see me engage," I said as I turned and began to jog toward Victarion's men. "Make them believe we're here to help until the very last moment! And remember that you are not pillagers or reavers, but Iron Born fighting for the future of your people!"

The jog took us nearly a minute thanks to the muddy nature of the beach, but as we approached Victarion's men, they began to cheer our arrival. I ran through them, offering them a confident smile. They let me pass, unaware that they were letting a fox into the henhouse. As I pushed away from the shore and toward the mainland, the sounds of battle began to ring out. It wasn't difficult to find Victarion, his black full plate and his golden kraken cloak made him stand out from the rest of the combatants.

Victarion had pulled back from the fighting to see what all the cheering was about. When he saw my men and I rushing up toward him, he gave a superior smirk, "I knew you couldn't resist this fight."

His smile faded as my expression turned to a scowl and swung my warhammer in a sweeping arc before me, "This was not a fight I wanted! But it is one the King has commanded!"

The hammer smashed into his shield, cracking the wood. Victarion was only caught off guard for a moment ,realizing the threat and immediately moving in a battle-ready stance to face me. The same thing could not be said for his men, however. The shock of seeing me attack my brother had caught them off their guard and my men immediately pounced on the opportunity. In a matter of moments, nearly a third of Victarion's forces we slain; stabbed in the back by their own countrymen. I could feel the heat from Allen's magical flames from the beach and hear the confused shouting of sailors across the water as Serena's men began to attack them.

Victarion glared at me, his voice full of rage, "You would betray your own kin for the favor of that fat bastard of a King?!"

I admit, seeing Victarion so angry was intimidating. He was just as big as Sandor Clegane, and just as fast. While he was among the most elite fighters in Westeros, he also wasn't far off. With his full plate, shield, and axe, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"I told you that you shouldn't do this," I replied as I parried a slice from his axe and reached out with my hammer to try and hook it around the back of his heel.

He quickly stepped back out of my range then dashed in, swinging his shield out to bash at me, "You knew! You knew even then what was about to happen and you said nothing!"

I leaned forward, throwing my shoulder into the shield and rolling against it, using the energy from his swing to bring me behind him while staying out of his view thanks to my height.. As I moved I swung my hammer up in a high arc to bring it down onto his shoulder from behind him. The metal in his armor dented down with a shriek and he let out a grunt of pain.

"I told you the night I revealed my dream that it shouldn't happen!" I argued. And I told you that day that you shouldn't go through with this! The raven came the evening after you left. I have to do this for the safety of the Iron Island!"

Victarion whirled about, shield first followed by a deft swing of his axe that I had to duck. I was shorter than any opponent he'd faced, but he'd help teach me how to fight on a boat while the waves constantly threatened your stance, so he was used to adjusting his attacks for my height.

"Balon was right," Victarion snapped. "You are a viper that we took to our breast and you have now decided to strike. Does Aeron know you're doing this? He'll kill you if he ever finds out!"

I smirked and swung my hammer from left to right, catching the edge of Victarion's shield and using the momentum to throw his shield arm out, "He knows and is likely already gathering the royal fleet to come to Bear Island's aid!"

I drew a dagger as Victarion's defenses were open and drove it into the gap between his cuisses and poleyn so that the blade bit into his flesh and drove down behind his kneecap. I only just managed to dodge a fatal strike of his axe which still managed to slash at the flesh of my shoulder. I hissed at the pain as I watched him pull the dagger out a bloody spray mixed with a small amount of clearish fluid. The dagger had dug into bone. Good.

Victarion snarled at me as he moved slowly to the side, hobbling as he tested how much pressure he could stand to put on the injured knee, "You think you'll get away with this betrayal? Euron believed even this morning that you would arrive. He said we should stay out of your way. Now I have to think he knew more than he was letting on."

"And where is our dear brother?" I asked with a smirk as I moved through a series of pokes and prods to force Victarion to keep moving on his injured leg. "We didn't see his ships with Balon's."

"You think I would turn my cloak like you?" Victarion spat. "I'm sure you'll see Euron again when you least expect it. He will assure that you do not get away with this."

"Well," I chuckled as I stalked forward, "at least you know there won't be anything you can do about it." I swung my hammer in an easily blockable arc.

Victation brought his shield forward to block the block but this time I had added more of my compounded strength to this attack. My hammer shattered his shield, and the bones in his arm, to splinters. The power of the blow, and the weakness in his leg, put Victarion on his back. Before he could recover, I stepped forward and brought my hammer down on his other leg to break it and crack his armor.

As he screamed, I kicked his axe from his hand and stared down at him, "You, Balon, and Euron are stuck in the past. This raid would have brought down the wrath of the King, the North, and rest of the Seven Kingdoms. You put your desire to pillage above the good of your people. And what's worse, is that you put it above the lives of your children who you brought with you."

He tried to grab my leg but I slammed my hammer down on his arm, crushing it beneath the weight of the blow, "Now your bloodline, and your outdated mindset, will be wiped from this world and the Iron Born will be able to grow more prosperous than you could ever imagine. I hope it was worth it."

Victarion roared in defiance as I lifted my hammer up, then brought it down on his chest plate, denting the metal of armor into his chest with force that blood managed to burst from the hole it created.

With the deed done, I pushed forward to keep up the fight. Victarion's men might have been skilled, but they weren't Victarion, nor were they anywhere nearly as well armored. All told, the battle took only a half hour. Superior numbers, our surprise attacks, and careful positioning made the fight extremely one sided. By the time the fight was over, King Robert, Lord Stark, and hundreds of warriors were riding toward the shore.

The fighting was over at this point and the work of clearing the bodies had begun. I stood at the top of the shoreline, watching my men and the men of Bear Island stack the bodies. The water was filled with burning ships, though the screams of the crews aboard them had long since died out. Beside me stood Maege Mormont, the Lady of House Mormont. She was in her sixties, with gray hair and aged skin. She wore fine boiled leather with chainmail under a series of fur cloaks.

"This was a good thing you did, Lady Greyjoy," Maege said as she supervised the cleanup. "Do not let anyone ever make you think otherwise."

I let a regretful smile play across my face, "My brothers were too stuck in the past. This was inevitable. I acted in the best interest of my people in order to keep the peace we've all fought for."

"Let us hope the King sees it that way," the elderly woman replied.

"Whatever faults the King may have, he is a good and fair man," I said as I looked up at her. "He will see that I was loyal and will see the proof when I give him my brother's axe."

Maege chuckled, "I hope you're right."

Just then, Robert's voice cut across the beach, "Lady Greyjoy! I would have a word with you!"