Asha Greyjoy POV
A swarm of Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she got up to face another day in the Flagship of the Royal Fleet.
Today was the day.
The day they would finally complete their long journey and arrive at Dragonstone.
Just the thought of it made her queasy. Her mind coming up with nightmarish scenarios about what her life would be like in this unfamiliar and unknown island.
A torrent of questions flooded her mind. Would she confined inside the castle like a prisoner? Would she be allowed to train with her axe and dirk? Would she be forced to wear dresses like a snobbish Greenlander lady? Would the knights and lords on the island try to take advantage of her? And most importantly, would she ever be allowed to set foot on a ship again?
Feeling ill in the tiny 'guest room' provided to her by Lord Stannis, she rose from her bed and made her way to the main deck, where the familiar cold morning breeze greeted her like an old friend. And the squawking of the seagulls flying above brought a sense of calm and eased some of her fears.
Standing on the deck and gazed at the sun rising over the blue horizon for what felt like a quarter hour before she sensed someone approaching her from behind.
Her body tensed up until the person came and stood beside her, also admiring the spectacular view of the dawn.
"Nervous?" Ser Davos asked casually. She scoffed in response, trying to conceal her fear beneath a tough exterior, just as she had always done back home and would need to do even more so, now that she was in enemy territory.
"Oh I'm quaking in my boots." She said mockingly. "What foul tragedy awaits me on your shores. Will I be sacrificed to your Seven Gods, forced to dance naked for your lord's entertainment, or perhaps this brave warrior son of his would take me for his salt wife and sire a bastard in my belly? How would I ever lived with the shame?"
Ser Davos looked amused at her tirade. "Well, if you are able to find humour in your situation, then I believe you'll do just fine in your new home."
"It's not my new home!" She snapped, before she realised just what she did and frowned. "Just a place where I'll be held temporarily until I'm sent back to the Iron Islands."
"Perhaps lass. But I would suggest that you try to make this island your home, or the next three years are going to be long and boring for you."
"They're going to be long and boring whether I see this place as my home or not." She said before she thought of something and turned to the Onion knight. "Tell me, Ser Davos, how long have you served you dour and stern Lord Stannis?"
"About some 7 odd years by now, lass. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. How well do you know his family?"
Ser Davos turned to regard her more closely. "I assume you want to know about his Lady wife and children, and not his brothers."
"I do. And is there any harm in learning about the people I'll be spending the next few years with?"
Ser Davos looked thoughtful for a moment before he shrugged. "Aye, I suppose I could see your point. Though why not ask Lord Stannis about this?"
"So that he could once again give me that look of barely hidden disgust? No thanks. I believe I've had my share of such looks from the rest of your crew."
Davos winced at her words. "The crew is… well, they've had a few bad encounters with Ironborn in the past. I suppose you make for a convenient target to hate. As for Lord Stannis, he has lost a lot of respect and prestige from the other lords for failing to catch the Iron Fleet. So I guess he has his reason for disliking Ironborn as well."
"Don't lie to me Ser Davos. The reason your lord hates me is because I'm a woman who can fight, curse and sail just like any other man on this ship. Even better, perhaps. And it is something he cannot understand."
Davos looked thoughtful at her words before he shrugged. "I suppose there is something to that as well."
"And you, why are you not put off be me?"
Davos chuckled at her words. "I've spent most of my life in Fleabottom, lass, smuggling under the noses of these high lords to provide for myself and my family. Trust me, there are worse things out there in the world than a woman who knows how to fight. Besides, I like to judge a person by their actions and character, not by their gender or birththplace"
She hummed in agreement at his words, before pressing him further. "You still haven't told me about Lord Stannis' wife and children."
Davos hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Aye, I suppose I haven't. I would usually not tell this stuff to anyone. But since you're going to go and live with them, I suppose there is no harm to it. So what would you like to know."
"Well, what kind of life should I expect in Dragonstone?" She asked, "Will I be allowed to train with the knights and squires. Or will they lock me up inside a room, where I'll remain safe and secure, with a septa for company."
Davos looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied. "I'll not lie to you lass. Lady Selyse is a traditional woman. She is also, hm… how should I put it… well, let's just say that if she doesn't like you, then she'll turn your next three years into hell."
"So she's a spiteful bitch?" She asked and Davos winced.
"I would not say such things where the rest of the crew can hear you. They might report it to Lord Stannis, and that won't end well for you."
"You think I'm afraid of your lord? What do you think he'll do? Look at me with those stern eyes that seem to frighten everyone else? It has been two moons since we left my home, and he hasn't talked with me once."
Davos grimaced at her words. "Lord Stannis… is a private man. And he doesn't really know how to deal with you."
"I figured as much," She said before gazing at the sunrise. "So you're telling me that my next thee years will be a living hell?"
Davos remained silent for a long moment this time before he looked at her and sighed. "Not necessarily."
"Not necessarily?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.
Davos looked around to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on them before he stepped closer and spoke in a hushed tone. "What I'm about to tell you lass, you must not tell anyone else."
"Ooo… a secret from the mouth of the onion knight himself."
Davos didn't look amused by her jest as he spoke up. "There's another woman in Dragonstone, one that Lady Selyse is very good friends with. And one who may hold more influence among the people there than Lady Selyse herself."
She looked at Davos for a moment before she a chuckle escaped her. "Heh… I admit, I didn't think Lord Stannis would be the type to have a mistress. But I suppose that you learn something new every day."
"No." Davos said with a shake of his head. "This woman is not Lord Stannis' mistress. If anything… no, never mind. What you need to know is that this woman is a Red Priestess from Essos. She came to Dragonstone about two to three years ago when Lord Stannis' daughter was afflicted with Greyscale. This woman healed her Greyscale and has been living in the castle ever since."
"She cured Greyscale?" She asked in disbelief. "I thought that was supposed to be impossible."
"So did I lass. So did I. But this woman cured little Shireen within a week. And… asked to serve Lord Stephen in exchange for her services."
"Stephen. The same guy who killed my uncle Euron?"
Davos winced at her words. "Try not to hold it against him lass. It was war, and he did what he had to do to survive."
"I've heard of him. Your crewmates may not talk to me, but they talk to each other. And the way they talk about Stephen, you might think that he's a ten-foot-tall behemoth, who's as comely as a Targaryen and as strong as a dozen men. But whenever I ask about him, they shut up as tight as a clam. Come to think of it, you haven't told me anything about him either. Why is that?"
"Well… talking about Lord Stephen is… complicated, I suppose."
"Complicated, how? Does he truly wields a shining sword, has a ten-inch cock and defeats armies with a fart?"
"Well, he did destroy the Iron Fleet with Wildfire, which is called Pigshit by some in Kings Landing, so there's that." Davos said with mild amusement. Though she had a feeling that he was merely using humour to sidestep this conversation.
"If you don't want to talk about him then just say so." She told him bluntly and Davos sighed.
"It's… not that simple."
"Well then, make it simple. What do you think about Stephen Baratheon?" She pressed.
"What do I think about Lord Stephen? Well… the young lord is an enigma to me. I've only crossed paths with him a few times in my life, but the thing that stood out to me was that the lad seemed wiser than his years. Even when he was a young child, he was able to converse with adults like they were his equal. He's also extremely charismatic, and well loved by the guards and servants in the castle. I believe that the love and respect he commands has only grown since he broke the Iron Fleet and defeated the Ironborn."
"That still doesn't tell me what kind of man he is." She said and Davos chuckled.
"I suppose not. But that's just how it is. You'll have to meet him and make up your mind about him yourself." He said before he regarded her seriously. "And try not to hold your uncle's death against him."
She scoffed at his words. "Euron was a creepy fucker, even compared to the other creepy Ironborn. Trust me, the world is a better place without him."
Davos appeared taken aback by her comment, and then furrowed his brows and nodded. "As you say lass. Now, I need to go and do some work. But feel free to come and talk with me if you need anything."
She nodded and watched as he turned and left. She stayed on the deck for the better part of an hour before returning to her room. There, she had her morning meal and practiced throwing her dirk until they arrived at Dragonstone around noon.
—
Dragostone Island didn't look like much at first glance. Its most noticeable feature being the colossal volcanic mountain that towered from the center of the island, reaching high into the clouds.
She wondered what the island might have appeared in the time when the dragons were still roamed the skies. Would she have seen one of the large fuckers flying around the mountain? Would one of them have flown over their ship, carrying a whale in its talons?
Alas, dragons had died out over one and a half centuries ago, and all that flew around now were seagulls and the other birds.
Then their ships drew nearer, and she got a first hand view of the Port town of Dragonstone.
It wasn't as grand and imposing as Lannisport or Oldtown.
But it was still twice as the size of Lordsport, with four times as many ships docked at the harbour. This was impressive, especially considering that Lordsport was the largest port town in the Iron Islands.
"You didn't tell me that Dragonstone was such a thriving trade port." She said to Davos who stood alongside her and Lord Stannisat at the prow of the ship. The dour man having finally emerged from his cabin now that they were about to reach the Island.
Davos sighed at her words. "It wasn't. Not until a few years ago at least. But then things started to change. Dragonstone transformed from a barren island to a thriving hub of trade, with dozens of farmlands spanning multiple acres, producing valuable fruits, dry fruits, and spices."
"How can a barren island just go from being barren to suddenly having so many farmlands?" she asked, intrigued by the island's transformation and wondering if she could apply the same methods to Pyke.
"I don't know myself, lass. Though, from what I've heard, it has something to do with the black volcanic soil found at Dragonmont." Davos said, and she felt a pang of disappointment. There went her plans to enrich Pyke.
"And who brought these fascinating changes to Dragonstone?"
Davos looked uncomfortable at her words for some reason and just shrugged. "You'll live here for the next 3 years lass. You'll have all the time you need to find out."
Seeing that he wasn't about to give her an asnwer, she turned to Stannis. "Your onion knight doesn't seem keen on telling me much. What about you? Are you going to tell me how you turned your Island into this growing trade port?"
Stannis turned his head to glance her way for a moment before he went back to ignoring her.
Well, figures.
She spent the next few minutes pestering both Davos and Stannis for answers- Davos more often than Stannis, until they finally docked at the harbour.
From here, she could see that a number of men were working to expand the port. Adding permanent stone platforms for the landing of cargo. As well as adding cranes and pulleys to the existing ones so that the cargo could be brought to and from the trade ships at a quicker pace.
She could also see new buildings being built in the far distance. As well as what seemed like a sewer line being dug some distance away from the port town. Maybe they planned to deposit the sewage in the far distance so that the Port won't smell as badly as Kings Landing?
A lot of gold was being invested in improving this Port. And considering how barren the island was until just a few years ago, she wondered where all this gold was coming from.
Though the one thing that bugged her the most about this situation was that the workers at the port looked distinctly Ironborn in origin. Though from this distance, she couldn't be sure about it.
"Come." Stannis said, breaking her out of her thoughts and she noticed that the crew had already dropped the boats to the sea and were currently one the process of boarding them.
Well… time to meet her new 'family'.
She climbed down the rope ladder and landed on the boat. And soon enough, they were rowing toward the sandy beach of Dragonstone, where a large welcome party was waiting for their arrival.
"Why didn't we just land at the port?" She asked Davos.
"Well, there are over a hundred ships in the Royal Fleet. And up until a few years ago, the port used to be small enough that only 2 ships could dock on it at a time. Unloading men at that pace would take days if not weeks. Better to just stay at the harbour and row to the beach on boats. That way, we won't block and delay the trade ships either."
She nodded and remained silent as the boat landed at the beach, her stomach doing flip flops as she finally arrived at what was going to be her foster home for the next 3 years.
She walked beside Stannis as they approached the welcoming party waiting for them. At the head of that group was a pretty looking woman in Baratheon colours, and behind her was an extremely beautiful woman in a red dress. Probably the most beautiful woman she'd seen in her entire life.
That must be the Red Priestess Davos told her about. Though how in the world did he forgot to mention that she was this beautiful.
As if sensing her gaze, the Red woman turned to look at her and gave her an amused smile.
She quickly looked away and turned to scan the rest of their welcoming party.
She could also see a maid holding a young girl that she guessed was Shireen. But she couldn't see anyone matching the description of Stephen Baratheon in this group. Did he not come to greet his own father?
"Welcome home husband." Lady Selyse said with a bow and Stannis grunted in acknowledgement before he looked around with a frown.
"Where is Stephen?" Stannis asked.
Lady Selyse pursed her lips at his question. "Stephen set out on a voyage a moon ago. He wanted to go to Braavos for trade deals with their magisters. Last we heard from him, via a raven, he was sailing back from Pentos. He was supposed to be back by this morning but the weather must have delayed him."
Stannis grunted in acknowledgement before he took his daughter from the maid, his stern facade changing into a less-stern facade for a brief moment as he gazed at his daughter.
"How have you been Shireen?" Stannis asked gruffly. And she almost laughed at his attempt at 'kindness' when talking to a child.
Shireen didn't seem to mind his stern exterior though and gave a gap toothed smile to her father. "I've been good, papa."
Stannis looked like he wanted to ask something else, but in the end, he just nodded and said "Good" before handing the girl back to her maid.
It was then that she was pushed forward by Ser Davos. And as that happened, she came under the scruteny of Lady Selyse who gave her a distrustful look.
"And who is this young woman my lord?" Lady Selyse asked, her tone making the words 'young woman' sound like a curse.
"That's Asha Greyjoy. His grace has burdened me with fostering her at Dragonstone for the next 3 years. Will that be a problem?" Lord Stannis asked.
Lady Selyse looked her over properly, her nose scrunching up ever so slightly upon taking notice of her men-like clothes.
"I question your brother's wisdom for hosting a Greyjoy in our halls but I suppose we'll find a way to accommodate the girl."
At this point, the disrespect became too much and her emotions got the better of her as she snapped. "The girl is right here and doesn't appreciate being talked to in such a manner."
Unfortunately, the words only seemed to lower Selyse's opinion of her even more. And the look of disgust in Selyse's eyes became even more apparent.
"Look at her. No respect at all for her betters." Selyse said derisively. "Well, what can you expect from these savages. A good caning from a septa should put her right in her-"
"No caning. In fact, you're not to harm the girl in any way. Physical or otherwise." Stannis said, cutting off Selyse tirade. And despite her general dislike for the man, she was grateful to him for standing up for her.
Selyse's face scrunched up at that, like she had eaten a rather sour lemon. The woman gave her another glance, promising retribution, before she nodded. "Very well husband. Shall we go back to the castle. I've prepared a feast for you and your men."
Stannis gave a curt nod and within moments, dozens of horses were brought forth for their party.
She quickly took one of the horses. She was grateful that she'd learned how to ride a pony in her brief time in the Harlaw Island, as she didn't want Lady Bitch to find another reason to look down on her.
It didn't work completely.
Selyse gave her another derisive look upon noticing that she was riding like men, instead of riding side-saddle as these greenlander ladies tend to do. Thankfully, she didn't have to bare with those looks for long as the group promptly started riding toward the castle at a slow pace. Her anxiety increasing the closer they went to the castle.
Her eyes started to wander, hoping to find something interesting. And it wasn't long before something captured her attention, as she'd finally found one of the farms that Ser Davos had told her about.
And she could see that Davos had, if anything, undersold just how large the farm would be.
The farm went on and on for as far as eyes could see. And must've held a few dozen acres of land within it, if not more.
A canal full of water passed through the centre of the farm, with smaller canals forking off from the main one at uniform distances.
The farm was filled with rows upon rows beautiful red plants that reached knee height. She could see some people harvesting those plants, though she couldn't identify what that plant actually was.
Yet, it wasn't the farms, the canals, or the plants growing in there that caught her attention. But the people working on those farms.
Earlier, she had been merely suspicious about the nature of the people working in those ports. But now that she could take a closer look at these people, she was sure that they were Ironborn. Not all of them but she could definitely identify a few of them.
And these were not just any Ironborn either, but the men that went with the Iron Fleet to fight in the war.
Hell, she was sure that she could even recognise a few of them. She didn't knew them by their names, but she was sure that those men served under her cousin Ragnar Harlaw, who was presumed to have died in the Battle of Kings Landing.
She quickly rode to the front of the column until she reached Lord Stannis and Lady Selyse.
"Lord Stannis, why are there Ironborn working in your farms?" She asked, a bit more curtly than she intended.
Lord Stannis turned to look at her with a frown. "What do you mean, girl?"
"Those men working there." She said pointing at the men she recognised. "They're Ironborn. I'm sure of it. Why are they working in your farms?"
Lord Stannis stopped his horse, stopping the entire column behind him as he squinted to look at the men she was pointing at.
After staring for a while, he turned to look at his wife. "My lady. Do you want to explain why there are Ironborn working on my lands?"
Lady Selyse looked nervous under her husband's scrutinising gaze. "Uh… the thing is… my lord… they-"
"If I may explain on Lady Selyse behalf?" A silky smooth voice cut in between them and she saw the Red Priestess slowly riding toward them at a sedate pace. The woman turned to her and smiled. "I'm Melisandre, by the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Asha Greyjoy."
Lady Selyse looked thankful at the save and allowed the Red Priestess to bear the full brunt of her husband's attention.
"Well, do you want to explain why there are Ironborn in my lands?" Lord Stannis asked, glaring sternly at Melisandre.
Melisandre, for her part, seemed completely unaffected by the glare that would've sent lesser men shaking in their boots.
"Those are the prisoners captured during the Battle of Kings Landing."
"Prisoners?" Stannis asked and then turned to look at the Ironborn once again. "Then why have they not been executed or sent to the Wall?"
"Lord Arryn did offered them the choice of the block or the Wall, my Lord. But Lord Stephen interjected, and convinced him that it'll be better for them to make use of these prisoners, rather than outright killing them or sending them to the wall."
"Make use of them? They're not cattle that you can just use and discard!" She shouted, more than a bit alarmed at her words. "I thought you Greenlanders didn't do slavery! What is this if not-"
"Silence!" Stannis barked at her, making her jump on her saddle at his unexpectedly loud voice before he turned to look at Melisandre. "Despite her lack of manners, the girl is right. Explain what you meant by 'making use of them'."
Melisandre remained completely unaffected in the face of Lord Stannis' displeasure as she spoke in a calm voice. "It was proposed by Lord Stephen, that instead of executing these men, or sending them to the Wall, where sending such a large number of them might be dangerous, we should find better use for them. He suggested that they put these prisoners to work for the next 10 years, after which, they'll be given their freedom and be allowed to go back to their homes, if they so desire it."
"And lord Arryn was amenable to this idea?" Lord Stannis asked, looking skeptical.
"Not at first but Lord Stephen eventually convinced him. Though Lord Arryn was adament in punishing the leaders. So after sending the leaders, the war criminals, and the worst instigators to either the Wall or the block, Lord Stephen interviewed and brought most of the… less disagreeable prisoners to Dragonstone, where they'll spend the next 10 years doing manual labor."
Lord Stannis didn't look very happy to hear that. "How many prisoners have been brought to Dragonstone?"
"About Three Thousand."
"Three Thousand…" Lord Stannis' eyes narrowed dangerously at those words. "And how many of them have already escaped."
Melisandre smiled at his words. "None so far my lord."
"You want me to believe, that out of 3000 men... Not a single one has tried to escape so far?"
"No my lord. Some of them did try to escape on the way from Kings Landing to Dragonstone. 17 of them to be more exact. They were caught and executed by Lord Stephen himself. Afterward, they arrived at Dragonstone. And upon seeing that they were not going to be mistreated in any way and would be given the basic amenities, none has tried to escape so far."
"None?" Lord Stannis asked suspiciously.
"None, my lord." Melisandre said with confidence before she turned to look at her. "And as for your previous allegation of slavery. I assure you, that Lord Stephen is giving them a decent pay every moon. It is only 1/3rd of what an ordinary worker is paid, as they're still prisoners of the realm and serving their sentences. But since they're already being given free food, and shelter, they are able to spend their pay however they like."
"I see." She said and even Lord Stannis looked slightly relieved at that news.
After all, the allegation of being a slaver was not a small thing, since slavery was banned in Westeros and punishable by death.
"This still seem highly risky." Lord Stannis said, looking uncomfortable at the idea of having 3000 Ironborn in his lands.
"The worst of them have already been sent to the wall or executed." Melisandre repeated. "Lord Stephen personally selected these 3000 men to come here and work for him. And any risk of having so many Ironborn work in our lands is mitigated by the reward that they bring."
"And what reward would that be?" Lord Stannis asked.
"Their knowledge of shipbuilding." Melisandre said. "A lot of these Ironborn have already been put to work in expanding the Port. And once the work there has been done, Lord Stephen plans to construct a new shipyard near the Port Town. One that'll mimic the properties of the Arsenal of Braavos, though on a smaller scale. It is for that reason that he went to Braavos in the first place."
Lord Stannis still looked skeptical about this entire idea but nodded at the end. "I'll talk with Stephen about this before I make a decision on this entire thing. For now, let's go back to the castle."
She and Melisandre nodded, and their column started moving once again.
This time, she rode beside Melisandre who had a warm smile on her face as she looked at her.
"What are you looking at?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable at being stared at in such a manner.
"You. I saw you come to Dragonstone in my visions. My lord is very interested in meeting you Asha Greyjoy."
"By my lord, I guess you mean Stephen Baratheon?" She asked, ignoring the 'vision' part of her words.
"Yes. He is my lord. And do hope you won't disappoint him when he returns." Melisandre said, her words holding a hint of warning, before gave her one last smile and rode ahead. Leaving her behind to grumble about crazy priestess as she followed. Silently wondering what kind of madhouse she'd arrived in.