CHAPTER 150
After remaining on the beach for a short while, Garon quickly returned to the camp and summoned all of his officers for a war council.
After refining and finalizing the plan to seize Lordsport before drawing Euron Crow's Eye out of Pyke, the army immediately began preparing for the sea voyage.
Two days later, everything was ready.
The entire force boarded the captured longships and departed from the Stony Shore like arrows loosed from a bow, sailing westward across the cold and turbulent Sunset Sea.
The longships rose and fell with the crashing waves, their hulls groaning beneath the relentless pounding of the sea.
The Skagosi handled the voyage without difficulty, as they had long been accustomed to life upon rough waters.
Most of the Glover soldiers, however, had never sailed before, and the journey proved miserable.
Seasickness spread throughout the fleet, with men constantly leaning over the rails to vomit.
Even Garon, experiencing his first true sea voyage, found himself dizzy and pale during the opening days.
Meanwhile, Asha, who had been raised upon the sea since childhood, secretly took great pleasure in watching his discomfort.
At last, she had discovered something Garon was not naturally good at.
During the days he struggled with seasickness, she occasionally mocked him with barely concealed amusement.
Unfortunately for her, Garon adapted astonishingly quickly.
Within only two days, his body had already grown accustomed to the endless motion of the waves, and he could once again stand upon the deck as steadily as if he were walking across the Wolfswood.
Seeing that Garon had recovered, Asha also began to fully assume her responsibilities.
Standing proudly at the bow of his flagship, she issued calm and precise orders to the helmsmen and lookouts, guiding the fleet through reefs, dangerous currents, and hidden channels while avoiding any ships that might observe their passage.
Every judgment she made, every adjustment she ordered according to the winds and tides, demonstrated the remarkable seamanship expected of the daughter and chosen heir of King Balon Greyjoy.
Most of the time, Garon simply stood beside her in silence, carefully observing and quietly learning.
He never interfered with her command, offering only the occasional approving glance or asking one or two thoughtful questions whenever she made an important decision.
That quiet trust and genuine respect gave Asha an unfamiliar feeling of satisfaction as she exercised authority.
Garon was not suppressing her.
He was recognizing her abilities and making full use of them.
Such treatment was entirely different from anything she had experienced upon the Iron Islands.
Because she was a woman, and because Balon had stubbornly insisted on naming her his heir despite the customs of the Ironborn, Asha had endured criticism throughout her entire life.
Although she had gradually earned the respect of many captains through her own strength and achievements, most of the old priests of the Drowned God still believed that no woman deserved to sit upon the Seastone Chair.
Garon's recognition slowly encouraged her to speak with him whenever the sea became calm.
Life aboard a ship was long and monotonous.
At first, they discussed navigation, shipbuilding, tides, and the customs of the Iron Islands.
Gradually, those conversations became deeper.
One evening, as the setting sun dyed the sea crimson, Garon looked toward the horizon and casually asked,
"What do you think of the current situation across the Seven Kingdoms?"
Asha leaned against the railing with a wineskin in her hand and snorted dismissively.
"What is there to think about? I certainly don't recognize the king sitting on the Iron Throne."
She took another drink before scoffing.
"Can a bastard born of incest truly be called a king?"
"I think House Lannister is doomed sooner or later. Facing King Robb and all the Northern banners, I don't see how they can possibly win."
"Oh?"
Garon answered without committing himself.
"If you were in their place, what would you do?"
That question immediately caught Asha's interest.
A faint flush colored her cheeks as she casually loosened the fastenings around the collar of her leather jerkin without paying any attention to her appearance.
"If it were me, I never would have executed Lord Eddard Stark."
"At the very least, I would have forced his son to bend the knee in King's Landing."
Garon quietly listened to every word she spoke, occasionally adding his own observations or acknowledging the strengths in her reasoning.
His calm approval pleased Asha far more than she wished to admit.
Eventually, after drinking too much wine, she asked with obvious curiosity,
"What about you?"
"What do you think will happen?"
Garon merely smiled while staring across the endless sea.
He offered no direct answer.
Over the following days, he occasionally returned to earlier conversations, asking for her thoughts on ruling kingdoms, governing people, the balance of power throughout Westeros, and the customs practiced among the noble houses of the south.
The more they spoke, the more Asha realized how extraordinary Garon truly was.
His vision extended far beyond the North or the Iron Islands.
It was as though an even greater ambition lay buried deep within him.
One night, beneath countless stars reflected upon the dark sea, the two shared a single wineskin of strong liquor to ward off the freezing wind.
Slightly intoxicated, the distance between them unconsciously became smaller.
"You know, Garon..."
Asha gazed upward at the stars, her voice carrying a rare trace of melancholy.
"I once believed that ruling the Iron Islands and seeing the kraken banner fly across every sea was the greatest ambition anyone could have."
Garon quietly took another drink before answering.
"The sea is vast."
"But it is not the whole world."
"Perhaps..."
Asha slowly turned toward him.
The starlight outlined the sharp lines of his face, causing her heartbeat to quicken without warning.
Throughout this voyage she had watched him calmly endure storms, share every hardship with his soldiers, and calmly plan for the future with frightening confidence.
She gradually realized that she no longer wished merely to use him.
She wanted to possess him.
To keep him beside her.
To conquer him.
The fact that he already belonged to another woman only seemed to awaken the possessive nature that flowed through Greyjoy blood.
"We Do Not Sow."
Within her heart, admiration, dependence, desire, and ambition became hopelessly tangled together.
Finally, on the night before the fleet reached Pyke, Asha sought Garon out once again.
Darkness covered the sea, with only the gentle swaying of the ship breaking the silence.
This time, she no longer came to test him.
She had already made her decision.
"We're almost there."
She quietly stepped closer.
"Hm."
Garon answered without looking away from the dark coastline that would soon determine the fate of countless lives.
"Garon."
Asha inhaled deeply, unable to hide the slight tremble in her voice.
"Help me reclaim the Seastone Chair."
"And afterward..."
"Don't return to the North."
She slowly reached forward and gently grasped the steel gauntlet covering his hand.
Her eyes shone with burning determination.
"Stay with me."
"With the Iron Fleet and your talent, we would never need to bow before anyone again."
"Whatever House Stark can give you..."
"I can offer even more."
"The Iron Islands..."
"The North..."
"If you're willing..."
"We could even marry."
"Our children would inherit both the Iron Islands and the North."
She searched his eyes desperately, hoping to find even the slightest hesitation.
Garon slowly turned toward her.
The starlight reflected within his crimson eyes, making them appear impossibly deep.
He neither withdrew his hand nor answered with the vague silence he had used before.
Instead, he simply looked at her.
Quietly.
For so long that Asha could hear nothing except her own heartbeat pounding inside her chest.
Finally, Garon leaned slightly closer.
His voice was low enough that only she could hear it.
"Asha..."
"Why do your ambitions stop with the North and the Iron Islands?"
He spoke almost like a whisper.
"Has it never occurred to you..."
"That someone might be pursuing something far greater?"
Those words struck Asha like thunder.
Everything suddenly became clear.
Why did Garon possess ambitions that no ordinary bannerman should have?
Why did he understand the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms so thoroughly?
Why had he risked crossing the Sunset Sea to seize control of the Iron Islands?
He was never merely helping House Stark.
He was building his own future.
"The Iron Throne..."
"His true goal is the Iron Throne."
Asha's pupils contracted violently.
Her mind shook with disbelief.
"But... how?"
"How could a mere lord of House Glover dare dream of taking the Iron Throne?"
Only then did she realize that everything she had offered him was insignificant compared to the ambition hidden within his heart.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Garon had already shifted his attention toward the dark shoreline ahead.
The lights of Lordsport were beginning to emerge in the distance.
His expression instantly became cold and decisive.
"Signal the fleet."
"Prepare every man for battle."
"Lordsport is ahead."
The bowstring had already been drawn.
Only the final release remained.