Asha Greyjoy POV
She stood on the side and watched as Steph danced with Brienne.
They made for a strange couple. Steph was tall for his age, but Brienne was taller. Steph was handsome, Brienne was called 'Brienne was Beauty' in jest because of how ugly she was. Steph danced with a grace and elegance that bordered on the inhumane while Brienne tried her best not to step on his foot as she stumbled along. Steph wore the best clothes money could buy and looked quite dashing in them. Brienne looked like she was wearing a lady's dress for the first time in her life.
Steph had a calm and charismatic smile on his face. While Brienne was blushing like a newly wedded and bedded wife. Trying to look anywhere else but at Steph's face.
As the previous song faded away, a new one began and the dancers on the floor swapped partners. Despite several ladies vying for Steph's attention, he paid them no heed and persisted in dancing with Brienne for the fourth consecutive song. He didn't care about the envious glances thrown his way or the spiteful words whispered about Brienne.
One of the bolder knights approached her and extended his hand in an offer to dance. She smiled and shook her head instead of telling him to fuck off as she would'v usually done, remembering Steph's words to 'behave'.
The Knight persisted despite her initial rejection, and her smile quickly turned into a glare that finally sent the message clearly enough and the Knight left in embarrassment.
She shook her head as she sipped some wine from her goblet as he went back to studying the couple on the dance floor.
She could not understand it.
Why was Steph so fixated on Brienne?
Why had he asked her to show some kindness to the poor girl? Even going as far as to suggest that she spar with Brienne.
Brienne was not a beauty, nor was she particularly intelligent or wise. The only thing going for her was that she was the daughter and heiress of Lord Tarth. But House Tarth was not a particularly powerful or wealthy House either. And Steph could get a far better match almost anywhere else.
So why?
Was it because Brienne was a female warrior? Is that why Steph showed interest in her as well? Did he have a fetish for women who could handle themselves in a yard? She somehow doubted it.
She was jolted out her thoughts as the song ended. But instead of playing the next one, the bard simply stopped.
She looked around with a frown, wondering if the Dance was going to end so soon. She was pretty sure that Dances like these lasted for an hour at the very least.
She received her answer pretty soon as one of the ladies brought up Steph's lute to him, requesting that he play a few songs for all of them.
She almost groaned as she remembered the new hobby that Steph had taken up, due to the fact that there was very little for him to do in the ship when it sailed from one port to another.
He was actually not that bad at playing a lute. Giving credit to past experience with an instrument called 'Guitar'.
It was his voice that she had a problem with.
He was a horrible singer.
Or he was at least, when he first started singing. From that moment onward, however, his singing improved at a godly pace.
Now, two weeks into their voyage, Steph's singing had progressed from bad to mediocre to actually decent.
If this was how quickly he improved at Swordplay as well, then she could easily understand how he became the monster that he is today.
It wasn't long before Stephen took to the dias and the women rearranged the chairs to form a semi-circle around him. The squares, knights and minor lords getting to sit at the far back.
She noticed that Brienne had been pushed to the side in the mad scramble and gestured for the poor girl to stand beside her at the back.
"I did not knew that Prince Stephen could sing." Brienne said, her eyes never leaving Steph and she grimaced in sympathy.
Poor girl had become infatuated with him. She only hoped that Steph wouldn't play around with her heart too much. And that he'll let her down gently after he was done getting whatever it is he wanted from her.
"Meh. He's pretty shit at it." She said and watched with some amusement as Brienne turned to look at her in great offence. "His lyrics are good though." She added. "It's the only reason I can even bare to listen till the end."
"Lyrics… You mean that the Prince writes his own songs."
"Yeah. Didn't knew that he had an artistic side to him. Should've guessed though. He's perfect in everything else, why not this as well?"
"You seem like you don't like him very much." Brienne pointed out with a frown. "I thought you two were friends."
"You can dislike certain qualities of a person and still be friends with them." She said, "In his case, I hate how perfect he is at almost everything. It has a tendency to make you feel small and inadequate."
She didn't know why she was sharing all this with Brienne but the young woman seemed to have understood what she meant and nodded.
"Yeah… he can be-" Brienne's words were cut off as Steph strummed the lute, the ladies all going wild at the simple gesture before they quieted down and he started singing.
"So many words, for the broken heart
It's hard to see, in a crimson love
So hard to breathe
Walk with me
And maybe~
Nights of light, so soon become
Wild and free, I could feel the sun
Your every wish
Will be done
They tell me~
Show me the meaning of being lonely~
Is this the feeling…"
For the next few minutes, the group sat in rapt silence as Steph captivated them with a song that had never been heard before in Westeros.
And as was the case with every other song that Steph had sung, this one was utterly one-of-a-kind, unlike the tunes commonly sung by bards in the Iron Islands or Dragonstone.
Unlike the bard songs, which are usually a tribute to a man or woman, a battle, a deed, or simply a bawdy song with no true meaning, Steph's songs always held deep meanings within them.
His songs were not mere tribute to other people, but instead conveyed a particular feeling, a specific moment in someone's life, an emotion that everyone has felt at least once in their life, or a certain experience.
It was perhaps the main reason why even if his singing was only decent, his lyrics held her attention from the beginning to the end.
Silence followed the end of the song, as if everyone was still entranced. Then one lady started to clap, followed by others, until everyone in the great hall was clapping. Some whistled in appreciation or cheered to express their joy.
She turned to Brienne to ask how she liked the song and paused upon seeing the tears in the girl's eyes as she sniffled and wiped her tears with the hem of her skirt.
'Oh come on! This was ridiculous. Steph isn't even that good of a singer.' She thought. However, she could see how the lyrics of the song would touch someone's heart, especially if that someone was a lonely person like Brienne.
She put a hand on Brienne's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile, which Brienne returned with a brittle one of her own.
As soon as the clapping stopped though, the girls and women started begging Steph for another song, something she'd already guessed would happen.
And Steph, being the show off he was, easily accepted. And once the hall was silent once again, he started singing the next song. This one a more upbeat song in stark contrast to the last one which was more melancholic.
"I wanna sweep you off your feet tonight~
I wanna love you and hold you tight~
Spin you around on some old dance floor~
Act like we never met before, for fun, cause~
You're the one I want…"
—
She stumbled into her room, rubbing her palms in an effort to warm herself after the night chill had settled into her body due to sitting still for so long.
The concert (as Steph liked to call his singing sessions) lasted for almost two entire hours. And it wasn't until some of the younger girls and boys were literally falling asleep on their chairs that Steph finally brought his concert to an end.
Some of the ladies asked for more songs but Steph firmly denied their requests and sent them away with a wink and a smile that left several girls swooning.
It was hilarious to watch, despite the slight jealously she felt whenever he interacted with other young women.
'He's not mine, despite what we have between us.' She reminded herself once again as she removed her boots, trouser and jerkin, and took out some warmer clothes to wear before she went to bed.
And then she turned around and flinched as she came face to face with the smirking face of the boy she had just been thinking about.
She punched him in the chest. "Stop startling me like that." She whispered, mindful of the guards outside as she looked around the room, trying to find places where he might have come out of.
As always, there was no place for him to enter the room from. The door was locked, the windows were too small. and she was sure that she would've heard the opening of a secret entrance.
The first few times when he entered her room like this, she had assumed that he hid somewhere in her room and appeared like this in order to surprise her.
But after sharing her bed with him for the past 2 weeks, she was now entirely sure that he used some kind of magic to appear inside her chamber.
She was not even curious about it. Just annoyed.
"Oh, but scaring you is half the fun." He said with a cocky smile before he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close to his chest. Their face bare inches apart as he stared into her eyes with naked lust, his other hand coming up to caress her cheek.
He frowned. "You're cold."
"You had me seated in the same place for 2 hours straight. At night. Of course I'm cold." She grumbled and then rolled her eyes as her body started to heat up on its own.
Huh… this was new. She wondered if he was using his fire magic to warm her up or if it was yet another kind of magic known only to him.
"There. Now remove your clothes." He ordered and she rolled her eyes at his presumption to command her… even as she did her best to get out her clothes as quickly as possible.
By the time she took off her undershirt, Steph was already naked. Using that particular magic of his that allowed him to wear or remove his clothes in an instant.
She was shocked the first time he had used it in front of her in order to get naked. But by then she'd already known that Steph could magic and tried not to let it bother her.
It was a strange magic, given how convenient it was. But Steph was a strange man. And she'd long stopped questioning all his eccentricities.
"Not going after one of your admirers?" She asked softly as she pulled him to the bed, mindful of the guards stationed outside.
"Why? You Jealous?" Steph asked as he climbed over her and picked her legs before putting them over her shoulders.
Her pussy grew wet in anticipation as this was one of her favourite positions, despite how helpless it made her feel.
"Like hell I-" Her words were cut off as Steph leaned down and captured her lips with her own.
She wrapped an arm around his shoulder to keep him close to her even as he folded her in half while her other hand went down to line him up against her pussy.
Then Steph broke the kiss and gave her a cocky grin before he took out a rubber duck and put it over her face.
She grimaced but opened her mouth, obediently biting into it as she'd learned what happened when she did not bite into something while having sex.
Remembering how she woke up everyone in the ship with her pleasured screams still mortified her to no end.
Steph's grin widened as she felt his giant member finally line upagainst her tiny pussy. But despite the sized difference, she knew that it would slid right in without any pain. And that's exactly what happened as Steph pushed forward, his massive girth burrowing deeper and deeper inside her tight pussy just as it had done so many times before.
Her back arched, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she grunted into the rubber duck as pleasure filled her entire world. Her cunt spread wide open under the assault of Steph's massive cock, his thick veins pulsating inside her vagina with his heart beat.
Pleasure like this reminded her that she'll probably never be satisfied with the cock of another man once Steph was done with her.
Then he pulled out, the ridges across his massive girth rubbing against her vaginal walls as she bit into the rubber duck in order to muffle yet another moan.
"You're beautiful." Steph said, his usual facade of cockiness replaced by genuine care as he stared into her eyes.
She looked at him pleadingly, her tight cunt fluttering around his giant member in desperate need.
"Okay okay, you needy slut~" Steph teased before he pressed her further until the back of her knees were resting across her ears.
Then Steph begin to thrust. Pushing deeper and deeper as the head of his cock knocked on her womb, his massive balls slapping against her hips with each thrust.
White pleasure and the pounding of her own heartbeat was all that she could hear and feel as he went faster and faster, his deep methodical strokes turning into a rough pounding as she was penetrated against and again until she climaxed.
Steph pulled out of her just in time to watch her squirt, her thighs shuddering from the over stimulation while she tried her best to not make the face that he so affectionately called ahegao face, and what she liked to call a well-fucked face.
She came out of her pleasure high in time to notice the unnatural silence around them that took place whenever they're having sex. She could only guess that Steph does something to make sure that other's can't hear them. And the rubber duck is only in her mouth for his own personal amusement.
But before she could think too much on it, he picked her up and turned her around until she was on her knees and she did her best to brace for what was coming as he took her by the hips, lined himself up, and then slammed home inside her.
Then next hour was a roller coaster of pleasure as Steph took her as many times as he liked.
The only slight reprieve she got was when he laid down on the bed and impaled her from below, asking her to move her hips on her own and fuck herself on him.
The only problem was that she was too tired to do so, so after the initial failed attempts, he took charge once again and impaled her from beneath until she couldn't even hold herself up straight and fell on top of him.
That didn't stop him of course, as he grabbed his ass and slammed into her again and again until he finally filled her inside with his thick hot cum, triggering yet another orgasm from her.
By the time he was done with her, she had been fucked in a dozen different positions. Some positions were humiliating, others were exhausting, and a few were simply bizarre. But all of them pleasurable.
He slipped his cock out from within her and she felt a deluge of his semen and her own sexual fluids flow out of her tight confines, staining the mattress below.
Steph took the blanket and used it to thoroughly clean her up, since she was too exhausted to even move. Then he muttered something under his breath and the background noise returned once again.
Steph then put her in the middle of the bed, covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead before he got up to leave.
"Wait." She said, her voice barely loud enough to audible to her own ears. But just as she'd expected, her heard her and paused to look at her.
"Anything you need?" He asked, his voice filled with a gentleness that he usually lacked during the day.
"Cuddle with me." She told him and Stephen raised an eyebrow, giving her an unimpressed look.
"Seriously?" He asked.
"You always leave." She accused, tears gathering in her eyes in her hyper simulated state. She always became too emotional in the aftermath, and felt immensely lonely when he just got up and left after having sex with her.
Steph stared at her for another moment before he rolled his eyes and climbed back into the bed.
He lifted the blanket and climbed in beside her, spooning her from behind, using his right arm as a pillow and wrapping his left arm around her belly.
A smile formed on her face as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being held by someone. And knowing that utter certainty that she was safe in his arms.
She used some of her remaining strength to wiggle her butt against his crotch and felt his bulge reacting to the sensation.
A sharp slap to her ass cheek put a stop to her attempt at teasing him as he nuzzled his face into her neck. "Don't play around when you can't keep up." He admonished her and she smiled.
They remained like that for the next long while and she started drifting to sleep when she suddenly remembered something.
She turned into the bed and came face to face with the annoyed expression of Steph. "Go to sleep already." He told her and she mock glared at him.
"You just want me to sleep so that you can leave and go do whatever it is you do during the night." She grouched sleepily and Steph gave her an unimpressed look.
"Of course. Why would I want to hold your sweat covered body when I could literally be doing anything else."
"You're being mean." She told him as she buried her face into his chest.
"And you're being fussier than Shireen. Just go to sleep already."
She raised her face to look at him. Not even a hint of perspiration on his face while she was literally covered in sweat.
Times like these made her wonder if Steph was even a human. He was so handsome. So… perfect.
"What?" He asked and she realised that she stared for a bit too long.
She quickly tried to remember what she wanted to talk with him about and the topic quickly came back to her.
"Why her?" She asked.
"Who?"
"You know who I'm talking about." She said softly, still too exhausted to properly argue with him. "Why are you after her? What do you want from her?"
"Why do you care?"
"I care because I…" She paused and hesitated. Wondering if she should give voice to the feelings that she had been feeling for him. If those feelings were even real and not just an after effects of a really good fucking. "I'm just curious." She said in the end.
Stephen stared into her eyes for a long moment, searching for something and as if in the presence of an apex predator, she suddenly became very aware of his presence. The way his hot breath blew over her hair. The way his arm snaked around his waist and rested on her back. The way their legs were intertwined with each other. The matching of her heartbeat with his own. And her suddenly dry throat and lips.
She was immensely aware of how he could break her in half as easily as she could break a carrot. But she didn't fear him for that. No, she trusted him. And trusted that he'll not harm her as she pressed herself closer to him.
"Curious?" He asked, and she gulped as she nodded.
"Yes. Why her. I just don't understand."
Stephen hummed at her words and had a thoughtful look on his face as he stared into the distance. A long moment of silence passed between them before he spoke up. "She'll give me something that is of immense value to me."
She stared at him, and wondered what someone like him could consider valuable.
He was rich, had access to a large fleet, could call upon an army if he so desired, was 4th in the line for throne, and could basically get any girl that he wanted.
One could argue that Stephen had everything. So what could someone like him value so much?
Only one answer came to her.
"Do you want a child from her?" She asked, quietly shutting down the part of her that wanted to say 'I could give you a child if that's what you want.' Because she wasn't sure she if she was ready to be a mother yet.
The thoughtful look on his face turned into confusion.
"What?"
"A baby. They're this small, wrinkly thing that poops everywhere and cries all the time. Ever heard of them?" She asked with a soft giggle.
It still surprised her how she could ever giggle in the presence of someone like this. But apparently, even she could present her vulnerable side to someone she trusted and cared for.
"Very funny." Steph drawled at her. "I have no idea why you would think that I want a child out of Brienne. But no. I don't want any such thing from her."
"Then what do you want?"
Steph shrugged. "It is not something you'll understand."
"Try me." She said stubbornly.
"No." Steph said, his tone making it clear that he'll not move on this matter. "You have your secrets and I have mine. I'll not push you for your secrets. So don't push me for mine."
She stared at him for a moment before she sighed. "Okay."
"Good." He said, pulling her close to his body. "Now go to sleep."
"One more question."
"No. Whatever you want to know can wait until next morning."
"No. This is important." She said, glaring at him stubbornly and he frowned at her.
"Very well. But make it quick."
"Are you…" She hesitated, wondering if she should really ask him this question but in the end she gathered her courage and charged forward. "Are you seducing me for the same reason that you're seducing Brienne?" She asked, staring right into his eyes. "Are you after me because I'm about to provide you with some benefits as well?"
Steph paused, his mouth opening in surprised before he pursed her lips. "Why would you think that?" He asked, but the slight hesitation she saw in his eyes gave him the answer she needed.
"You are… aren't you." She said, hating how her voice broke at those words, how her inside constricted painfully at the mere thought of being used like how he was using Brienne. "Is that all I am to you? A silly girl you can fool around and gain benefits from?"
Seeing what Steph was doing to Brienne had been painful to watch. Learning that the same was being done to her? That was devastating.
"Is it related to your magic?" She asked, fresh tears gathering at her eyes even as she tried her best to hold them back.
Steph nodded. "Something like that."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and glared at him. "Did I ever mean anything to you? Or is this all just a little game for you?"
Steph sighed and pulled her into a hug, pressing her close to his body. She tried to hit him and get away from him but it was futile.
"Shh shh… Listen to me Asha. You do mean something to me. And I do care for you, whether you want to believe it or not."
"Do you?" She asked, disbelievingly. "Did you care for me when I first came to Dragonstone, and you stole a kiss from me? Or was it just a plan to seduce a silly girl."
"You're still a silly girl." He said, teasingly, as he gazed into her eyes and carefully tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And no, I did not care for you when I first met you. Though still held a certain fondness for you even back then."
She gazed at him skeptically so he continued.
"Seducing you has always been my end goal." Steph admitted. "But over the past few weeks, I've grown to care for you. And you're not even my type of woman. I'm more into sexy milfs, or young, innocent, feminine and submissive girls whom I can love and cherish, spoil and dominate. You fit in neither category. You're bold as a brass, with a foul mouth and little in the way of feminity. You're not even all that educated, which is something I eventually plan to change. But despite all that, I've grown to care for you, Asha. Annoying little gremlin that you are."
She continued to stare at him as he finished his cheesy monologue. A part of her was elated at his strange 'I care for you' confession. But another was still skeptical. Still confused.
There was so much she still didn't know. So much that she was in the dark about. What benefit did his magic even give him for seducing someone like her, or Brienne?
She thought on this for a long moment before she finally asked. "Are there others?"
"Other girls that I'm trying to seduce?"
She nodded.
He stared at her for a long moment before he sat up on the bed, pulling her up so that she was sitting on his lap, her body leaning against him as he looked at her with utmost seriousness.
"If I'm going to tell you, then I need to promise you, that you'll never tell anyone else.
She scoffed. "And who will I tell? Your mother? She have me thrown in a dungeon for spreading lies about you. Your servants and guards? They'll slit their own throats before seeing you come to harm. Other ladies? Who would throw themselves at you if you so much as smiled at them." She gave him a brittle smile. "In case you've not noticed, I'm a ward living in the home of my family's enemies. No one will believe me over you. But yeah… okay. I'll still promise. I'll not tell anyone."
Steph looked at her for a moment before he spoke up. "Lysa Arryn and the Queen."
Asha stared at him. At his audacity and is brazenness before she chuckled. "Of course you'll go after them, why not? So… ladies in high positions of power. They're what provide you with your magical benefits… whatever that benefit is. Well, I can definitely see where I fit in that, but I still don't get it. Why Brienne? Unlike me, Lysa and the Queen, she is not a lady with a high position."
"She'll eventually grow up to be the greatest female fighter in all of Westeros." He told her.
"I see… so other forms of power aside from merely political ones." She nodded. "Are there… other girls and women that you plan to seduce in the future? No wait, let me guess… women in power. That'll be… Arianne Martell, Margaery Tyrell, Alerie Hightower, Myrcella Baratheon, Catelyn Stark, and her two daughters. Did I miss anyone?"
"The Sand Snakes are in that as well, and most importantly, Daenerys Targaryen."
Her eyes opened wide at those words before a chuckle escaped her lips. "Of course. Is that what those dragon eggs are for. One dragon for you and one for her?"
Steph blinked in surprise at her words and she scoffed.
"Yes, I'm not stupid. I know that you can hatch your dragons. I've seen you taking those dragon eggs out of your satchel and holding it after every hour. And with all the magic you're shown me, I have no doubt that you'll be able to hatch those eggs in time." She said and then giggled. "Oh god, I'll fucking a future dragon rider. This is so unbelievable."
Steph stared at her. "So… are you no longer mad at me?"
She hummed as she tried to get a better measure of her own feelings. "I'm still a bit upset at you. And I'm unsure about my own future. But no, aside from that, you're forgiven. Just… be careful with the girls you go after. Remember that they're humans as well, and not toys for you to play around with."
"Oh." He said as something dark entered his eyes and his voice turned into a growl. "But I enjoy playing around with you so much. I would even say that you're my favourite toy. Or do you not want me 'playing' with you any longer, my little slut."
"Fuck off! I'm not your little slut, you manwhore." She grumbled before she fell back into his arms. "How did you even become so good at fucking? I may have been a virgin before we did it. But I still know that most men leave their women unsatisfied. Is it magic?"
"It's more complicated than that. And a mix of things, rather than simply magic. But you might as well see it that way." He explained before carefully laying her back onto the bed and joining her under the blanket. "And now if you're done interrogating me, then go back to sleep, my slutty little toy. You do need to wake up early tomorrow, if we wish to depart by noon."
"Not your toy." She grumbled and watched as he extinguished all the candles in the room with a wave of his arm, and darkness engulfed the room.
After hearing everything Steph had told her, sleep didn't come easily to her. Her mind was consumed with trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. However, the long and intense session of sex had exhausted her too much, and before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep in Steph's embrace.