When Arya hit the cabin door, Bart was serving breakfast. She ordered Bart to drop the serving and to bring them a waterproof bag with bread, dried meat, and a water skin. Bart looked at her, saying, "Of course, but why?" Arya was busy cutting thin ropes and rigging cork floats, but she looked up, "Because a massive storm is about a mile away and bearing down on us. I don't want to be afloat in the water with nothing to drink again!" Brienne grabbed the door handle, and Arya said, "Take that cart with you, leave it in the hall, on the deck, or throw it overboard." Bart looked horrified and said, "Not my cart!" grabbing at the cart and dragging it out the door behind Brienne. In a few moments, Brienne returned. "How can I help?" she said, "It's pouring out there already. And why floats?" Arya handed her some floats and said, "These saved me on my last voyage until I could find floating wreckage to climb up on." She showed Brienne how to tie the floats so that they were just below the chest when worn. The women all pitched in and ate bites between working. In half an hour, Bart came back in with a big sealskin bag. Arya thanked him and saw that the bag was too large for its contents. She turned to the women and said, "Put a few things in that are dear to you." Bart left to lash a few large pots to the railings to catch fresh water, since the rain had already started. Before he left, he turned and smiled at Arya, saying, "She's a good ship with strong bones, she'll ride it out."
The rain came down in sheets, and two captains in rain gear struggled at the wheel to keep her turned into the storm's path. The Sovereign was a large ship, but these waves were massive. She rose, crashed through the crests, and then fell into the troughs. The timbers squeaked and moaned in the bottoms, and then she rose again. Several crew members in rain gear were on deck to monitor the rigging and gear lashed to the deck. A fierce bolt of lightning cracked and struck the tip of the fore mast, shaking the ship with thunder and raining smoking bits of wood on the crew. In the cabin, Nymeria whined and stared out the window. Arya ran to it, locking the glass and the shutters. "We're in for it now", she informed the women. Beth looked green around the gills and ran to the small privy off the hallway.
Bronn and Tormund stood side by side against the railing on the quarter deck, with their arms locked in the railing. Bronn was wearing a rain cap, and Trormud said, "You should have stolen me one too, Lord Bronn." Bronn laughed at him and said, "You needed a bath too badly for that." Tormund raised both arms and shouted upward, "We shan't sink you rain storm, no Wildling has ever died from sinking."
Bronn laughed again, "Fool, you were at Hardhome, you know many died when a ship sank." Tormund raised his arms again, shouting, "No Wildling has ever died from a four-masted ship sinking you weak little storm." As if in answer, the ship dove into a trough and a massive wave crashed over the fore castle, scattering gear. The ship turned, and the wind pushed her over in a terrible roll, and as she righted, a terrific snap sounded in the mizzen mast just above deck. Dirk turned to Tormund and shouted over the wind, "You can shut the bloody Hells up, you know, this storm needs no help from the gods!" The ship got spun around, and the captains were back fighting the wheel. A crewman ran up on deck shouting, We're taking on water, sirs!" Portsmith, who had come up on deck and run with the man to see to it.
On the lowest part of the ship, in the animal pens, the ship's carpenters were already at work when they got there. Trevor, the lead carpenter, pointed over his shoulder at a dead cow, saying, "That roll threw her against the hull so hard it cracked through as it snapped her neck. We're applying a metal sheet with pitch and nails. It isn't too bad, but we'll have to haul her out or roll her over to really fix it." Portsmith could see a small trickle of water still coming through after the application was finished. The ship rolled hard again, and the carpenters scrambled to get out of the animals' way. Portsmith ordered the animals tied to a beam and then ran back to the deck to report. He got to the deck just in time for a massive wave to wash him nearly overboard. Water flowed down the stairs into the decks below. He shouted, "The leak is small, it won't sink us." One more wave pitched them up, and suddenly the seas abated. The wind and lightning vanished, and it was only hard rain left. Portsmith shouted orders for more crew to spread sails and man barrels to catch rainwater. He smiled back at the other two captains, stretching their arms, "There have to be some spoils for a victory as sweet as this." In the cabin, the last wave had wet the rugs, but they were afloat. The women looked wide-eyed at each other, and Beth ran for the privy again.