Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Captain Iron

With a northerly wind blowing, the Invincible Ironborn rounded the headland and sailed into Sanctuary Naga's Cradle Bay. Victarion came to Newt the Barber standing at the bow.Ahead loomed the sacred shores of Old Wyk, above the grassy hills, and the ribs of the naga rose from the ground like great white tree trunks, as thick as a galleon's mast and twice as high. Skeleton in the Hall of the Gray King.Victarion could feel the magic here. "Balon stood beneath these bones when he first made himself king," he recalled. On his head. 'Balon!' cried the Ironborn, 'Balon! King Balon!'"

"They'll say your name just as loudly," Newt commented. Victarion nodded, not as sure as "The Barber."After all, Baron had three sons, and a very doting daughter. So he told his captains in Moat Cailin, and they all urged him to strike at the Seastone as soon as possible. "Balon's sons are dead," argued Red Raffer Stonehouse, "and Asha is a woman, and you are your brother's right-hand man, and you must take his sword." Victarion Reminding them that Balon had ordered him to hold Moat Calim against the counterattack of the northerners, Ralph Kenning said, "The wolf cubs have suffered several heavy blows and are no longer dangerous, my lord. And if you guard this swamp What's the point of letting the Iron Islands fall into other people's hands?" Laffer the Lame added, "The Crow's Eye is an outsider, and he doesn't understand us."

Euron Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands and King in the North.Just thinking about it could awaken the old anger in him, but... "Words are like the wind," Victarion told them, "but those who fan the sails. You want me to fight the Crow's Eye? Brother to brother, Ironborn to Ironborn?" , Euron was his brother after all.The kinslayer will be damned forever. But when Damphair gave the call to the Kingsmoot, everything changed.Aeron is the voice of the Drowned God, Victarion reminded himself, if the Drowned God wants me to sit on the Seastone Seat... the day after the news came, he handed over command of Moat Cailin to Raffo Kenning hurried to the Heatang River by himself, where the Iron Island fleet was moored among the reeds and willows by the river.Rough seas and capricious winds delayed his return home, but he lost only one ship when he returned home.

The Sorrow and the Vengeful Ironborn followed the Invincible Ironborn around the headland, followed by the Stronghand, the Ironwind, the Gray Spirit, the King of Coron, the King of Viken, the King of Dagon, and so on. The big ships made up a tenth of the Iron Islands fleet, and the other smaller ships sailed on the evening tide, in ragged file that stretched many leagues back.Victarion Greyjoy looked up at the sails.An admiral loves his fleet more than a man loves his wife. Arrived longships lined the sacred beach of Old Wyk as far as the eye could see, their masts like spears.In the deep waters lay trophies: barges, galleons, galleons... all won in raids or battles, too deep and too bulky to get close to shore.Familiar flags flew from the bows, sterns and masts of the ships.

"Barber" Newt narrowed his eyes, "Is that Lord Harlow's Sea Song?" "Barber" was stout, with bow legs and long arms, but his eyes were not as sharp as they were when he was young.His throwing ax was so accurate that people said he could shave people with it. "Yes, Sea Song." It seems that even "Scholar" Rodrik left his books and came to join in the fun. "And Old Drum's Howler and Blacktysh's Nightcrawler." Victarion's eyes were as sharp as ever - he was the commander of the Iron Islands fleet, even if the other party furled the sails and lowered the banner , he also recognized them all. "And the Silverfin, which belonged to some relation of Savon Botley." Victarion heard that the Crow's Eye had drowned the Botley chief, and that his heir died in Moat Cailin, But he also had brothers and other sons.how many?four?No, five, and none of them had reason to like the Crow's Eye.

Then he saw the single-masted battleship, the dark red hull was slender and low, the sails were as black as the starless night sky, and it was furled at this moment.Even at anchor, Serenity is relentless, brutal and swift.At the bow is a statue of the Black Iron Maiden with one arm outstretched.Her waist was narrow, her breasts proudly raised, her thighs long and shapely, her thick black iron hair flowed behind her head, her eyes were made of mother-of-pearl, but she had no mouth. Victarion clenched his hands into fists—with those hands he had killed four men and a wife.Despite the sprinkling of gray hair that had sprouted from his head, he was as strong as ever, with the broad chest of a bull and the flat stomach of a young man.Kinslayer was damned forever by gods and men alike, Balon had warned him the day he drove the Crow's Eye out.

"Here he comes," Victarion told the Barber, "furling the sails and rowing the oars. The order goes on, and the Sorrow and the Vengeful Ironborn come out to block the passage of the Serenity. The rest of the fleet block the bay. None With my permission, neither man nor crow is allowed to leave." People on shore saw their sails, friends and relatives shouted hello to each other across the water, but all kinds of mutes and mongrels on the deck of the Serenity said nothing.The Invincible Ironborn was getting closer, and he saw not only a black man with skin as dark as pitch, but also a short and hairy guy who looked like a Sothros ape.A pack of monsters, Victarion thought.

They broke down twenty yards from Serenity. "Leave a boat. I'm going ashore." While the oarsmen prepared, he fastened his swordbelt; the longsword dangled from his waist on one side, and a dagger on the other. Newt the Barber fastened around the Commander's shoulders a cloak of nine layers of gold thread sewn in the shape of the Greyjoy sea monster whose arms hung down to his boots.Beneath the cloak, he wore heavy gray mail, lined with black boiled leather.At Moat Cailin he had to wear his armor day and night, and a sore back was better than a broken gut.The devils live in the depths of the swamp. As long as their poisonous arrows scratch the skin a few hours later, they will die screaming, accompanied by unstoppable balls of red and brown excrement between their legs.Whoever wins Seastone, I'm going back to deal with those swamp devils.

Victarion put on a tall black warhelm, iron helm hammered into the shape of a sea monster, with sea monster arms wrapped around his cheeks and joined under his chin.The boat is ready. "I'll leave the boxes in your safekeeping," he told Newt as he stepped over the side of the boat. "There will be no mistakes." These boxes are very important. "Yes, Your Majesty." Victarion frowned unhappily at this. "I'm not yet king." He climbed into the boat. Aeron Damphair stood waiting for him in the waves, waterskin dangling from one arm.The priest was tall and thin, but shorter than Victarion, with a nose like a shark's fin protruding from his bony face, eyes of steel, and a beard that fell to his waist. Her long, rope-like hair flapped against the back of her thighs in the wind. "Brother," said the icy white waves crashing against their ankles, "the dead never die."

"It will rise again, and stronger." Victarion took off his helm, and fell to his knees.Seawater filled his boots and soaked his trousers, and Aeron poured salt water on his forehead.They continued to pray. When he was done, the commander asked Aeron Damphair, "Where is the Crow's Eye, our brother?" "He lived in a great tent of gold wire, and there was a lot of noise. He was surrounded by godless men and barbarian monsters, worse than ever. Our father's blood was spoiled in him." "And our mother's blood." Standing in the holy place beneath the ribs of the Naga and the halls of the Gray King, Victarion would not speak of kinicide, but many nights he dreamed that he used The iron fist hit Euron's smiling face, smashing the flesh and causing the other's metamorphic blood to spurt out.no.I swear to Balon. "All here?" he asked his younger brother who was a pastor.

"Here comes all the high-ranking men. All the captains and chiefs." In the Iron Islands, a captain is the same as a chieftain, and every captain must be king of his ship, and every chieftain must be a captain. "Are you here to inherit your brother's crown?" Victarion imagined himself sitting on the Seastone Seat, "if that is the will of the Drowned God." "The waves will speak to the Drowned God," Aeron Damphair turned his back on. "Listen to the sound of the sea, brother." "Yes." He imagined what it would be like to have his name whispered by the waves, what it would be like to be called by the captains.If the cup is passed to me, I will not refuse. Crowds gathered around him, wishing him luck and trying to win him over.People from every island came: the Blacktys, the Tawneys, the Oakwoods, the Stonetrees, the Winches, and many others.Gubler of Old Wyk, Gubler of Great Wyk and Gubler of Oak Isle come together.Even the Cowds were there, though every decent person despised them.Lesser Shepherds, Weavers, or Knightleys huddled shoulder to shoulder with members of the old and proud lineage, and there were even lowly Humblys among the crowd, descended from slave laborers and salt wives.A Womack patted him on the shoulder, and two Spars thrust a bag of wine into his hand.He took a deep sip, wiped his mouth, and the people flocked to the fires, talking of wars and crowns and trophies, of the glory and freedom of his reign. That night the men of the Iron Fleet pitched a great canvas tent on the tideline, so that Victarion could feast a score of famous captains with roast suckling lamb and salt cod and lobster.Aeron came too, but he ate fish and water, not as much as the ale the captains gulped down seemed enough to keep the Iron Fleet afloat.Many people agreed to support him: "Strong" Flaleg, "Wise" Alvin Sharp, "Humpbacked" Hosso Harlow-Hosso offered to marry his daughter to be his queen. "I have no luck with a wife," Victarion told him.His first spouse died on the delivery bed, leaving behind a stillborn daughter, his second wife contracted measles, and his third... "A king must have an heir," He Suo insisted. "The Crow's Eye has brought three sons, and they are going to present them at the king selection meeting." "A bunch of mongrels. How old is your daughter?" "Twelve years old," He Suo said, "beautiful and plump, just menstruating, hair the color of honey. Her breasts are still small, but her hips are fine. She is more like her mother than me." Victarion knew he meant the girl was not a hunchback.However, when he imagined her appearance, what he saw was his wife who was killed by himself.He punched her and wept all the while, and then he carried her down the beach, between the rocks, and delivered her to the crab. "After the coronation, I would love to meet the girl," he said.He Suo could only hope for such an answer at most, so he staggered away contentedly. Baelor Blacktyce was harder to please.He sat beside Victarion. He wore a lambswool coat of black and green leather, with a handsome smooth face, and a silver seven-pointed star pinned to his sable cloak.After eight years as a hostage in Oldtown, he returned a disciple of the Green Seven. "Balon is mad, so is Aeron, and Euron is madder than either of them," the leader of Baelor commented. "And you, Lord Commander? If I call your name, will you end this mad war? ?” Victarion frowned. "You want me to get on my knees?" "If it had to. Listen, we can't take on all of Westeros - King Robert has proven it - and it would be a disaster. Balon said he'd 'pay iron money' for his freedom, but it turned out What? Turns out our women traded empty beds for Balon's crown. My mother was one of the victims, and let's face it, the old way is dead and never coming back." "The dead will not die, but will rise again, and its momentum will be stronger. After a hundred years, people will sing the praises of the 'brave' Baron." "Better call him the Widowmaker. I'd rather trade his freedom for my father. Can you give it to me?" Seeing that Victarion didn't answer, Blacktyce snorted and left. The temperature in the tent gradually increased, and the smoke was billowing.Gerold Gubler's two sons knocked over a table in a fight; Will Hambury lost a bet and had to eat his boots; Renwood Tawney Jr. played the violin while Romney Vee spins the ballads of ancient marauders like Goblet of Blood and Rain of Iron; Cole the Virgin and Aided Could want to finger dance when Aided's finger falls into the The crowd erupted in laughter as Laffer's glass was poured out. There is a woman in the laughter.Victarion stood up abruptly, and saw her beside the curtain of the tent, whispering in the ear of "Virgin" Cole, which made the other party laugh too.He originally hoped that she would not foolishly break into his big tent, but he still couldn't help showing a few smiles when he saw her. "Asha," he called in a commanding tone. "niece." She walked up to him at the sound, a lean and supple figure, wearing high salt-soaked leather boots, green wool breeches, a brown padded jacket, and the straps of the sleeveless waistcoat half undone. "Uncle," said Asha Greyjoy, who was tall for a woman, but she had to stand on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, "it's a pleasure to see you at my queen's meeting." "The Queen?" laughed Victarion. "Are you drunk, niece? Sit down. I didn't see your Black Wind on the beach." "I parked her under Nunn Gubler's castle and rode across the island." She sat on the bench and took Newt the Barber's drink without asking.Newt didn't protest, he was already drunk and asleep. "Who do you leave to guard Moat Cailin?" "Ralph Kenning. After the Young Wolf Lord is dead, only the Swamp Devils are left to harass us." "The Starks are not the only Yankees. The Iron Throne has appointed the Lord of the Dreadfort as Warden of the North." "You're going to teach me how to fight? I was on the battlefield when you were breastfeeding." "And I lost." Asha took a sip of wine. Victarion did not like the mention of Fairy Isle. "Everyone deserves a defeat when he is young, lest he fail again when he is old. You are not here to fight for the throne, I hope?" She teased him with a smile, "What if I am?" "A lot of people still remember when you were a kid swimming naked in the sea, and playing with dolls." "I play with axes, too." "That's right," he had to admit, "but a woman belongs to her husband, not the crown. When I become king, I will find you one." "Uncle is so kind to me. When I become queen, shall I find you a beautiful wife?" "I have no luck with a wife. How long have you been back in the Isles?" "Quite long enough to find out that Uncle Damphair has awakened a lot more than he first thought. You know? The Drums are trying to take the throne, and someone heard 'Three Drowned' Taller say Marlon Womack was the Black Hearted King True heir." "It's nonsense, the king must be born in the sea monster family." "The Crow's Eye belongs to the Kraken family, and older brothers take precedence over younger brothers." Asha leaned closer. "But I am the blood of King Balon, so I am ahead of you two. Listen to me, Uncle..." Silence fell suddenly.The singing died away, Renwood Tawney Jr. put down his violin, and heads turned.Even the clatter of dagger and plate subsided. A dozen newcomers entered the banquet tent.Victarion saw Jon Myriel the Longface, Torvald the Browntooth, Lucas Could the Left, Gilmond Botley with arms folded before the gilded breastplate— —that he had ripped off a Lannister captain during Balon's first rise—and Oakwood of Oak Isle stood beside him.Behind them came the Stone Hands, Colum Hambury, the Red Oarsman with his flaming hair braided into braids, Laffer the Shepherd, Laffer of Kingsport, and Cole the Slave. And the Crow's Eye, Euron Greyjoy. He doesn't look changed at all, Victarion thought, he looks exactly the same as the day he left after laughing at me.Euron was the handsomest of the sons of King Cologne, and three years in exile hadn't changed that.His hair was still as black as the midnight ocean, without a single white strand, and his face was still fair and smooth, with a neat black beard.A sheet of black leather covered Euron's left eye, but his right was as blue as a midsummer sky. His smiling eye, Victarion thought. "The Crow's Eye," he greeted. "The Crow's Eye, brother," Euron smiled.His lips were black and blue in the light, like bruises. "The kingsmoot decides who is king," Damphair stood up, "the impious will never be able to—" "—Sit on the Seastone Seat. Well said." Euron looked around the tent. "Coincidentally, I've been sitting on the Seastone Seat every day recently, but no one raised any objections." His smiling eyes flickered. "Look, who knows the gods better than I do? Gods of horses, gods of fire, gods of gold with jeweled eyes, gods carved in cedar wood, gods carved in rocks, gods without bodies . . . I know them all. I see People offered them flowers and slaughtered goats, bulls and children in their name. I heard people praying in dozens of different languages: Heal my shrunken legs, make that virgin love me, give me a healthy son… ...Protect me!Protect me from my enemies,Protect me from the darkness,Protect me,Protect me from horse lords,mercenaries,slavers and crabs in my stomach!Protect me from the ravages of Serenity .” He laughed wildly. "Godless? My God, Aeron, I am the most godly sailor who ever lived! You serve only one god, Damphair, but I serve thousands of gods. Whoever it is, from Ibben to Asshai , see my sails and pray." The priest held out a bony finger. "They prayed to trees, gold idols, and goat-headed monsters. Those are false gods..." "That's it," said Euron, "for this godless crime I killed them all. I spilled their blood on the sea and planted my own seed in their crying women. You are right , their puny, hypocritical gods can't stop me, you see, I'm more devout than you, Aeron. Perhaps you should kneel and pray to me." "Red Oarsman" laughed long and loudly, and the others also laughed. "Fools," said the preacher, "a bunch of fools, wicked servants, and blind men. Can't you see what is standing before you?" "It's the king," said Colum Hambury. Damphair spat and strode into the night. After he left, the Crow's Eye turned his smiling eyes to Victarion. "My lord, don't you say hello to your brother you haven't seen for a long time? And you, Asha? How is your mother?" "No," said Asha, "someone made her a widow." Euron shrugged. "I only heard that the Storm God swept Balon away. Who killed him? Tell me, niece, and I will avenge him myself." Asha also stood up, "You know this person's name as well as I do. You have been away for three years, but it was only one day after the death of my lord father that the Serenity came back." "Are you accusing me?" Euron asked kindly. "Should I accuse you?" Asha's sharp tone made Victarion frown.It was dangerous to speak to the Crow's Eye that way, even though his eyes were still smiling, still twinkling with interest. "I can steer the wind?" the Crow's Eye asked his henchman. "No, Your Majesty," said Oakwood of Oak Island. "No one can control the wind," said Gilmond Portley. "If only you could," "Red Oarsman" said, "Go wherever you want, and never stop sailing." "You hear, this is the testimony of three brave men," said Euron. "The Tranquility was at sea when Balon died. Uncle has given you permission to question the crew if you don't believe him." "Ask a bunch of dumb people? Oh my god, it works." "You should find a useful husband." Euron turned to his followers again. "Torward, I forgot, do you have a wife?" "Only one." Torvald "Browntooth" grinned, revealing where he got his nickname. "I'm not married yet," declared Lucas "Left Hand" Corder. "There's a reason for that," said Asha. "Women despise the Cowds, too. Don't look at me so sadly, Lucas, you still have a hand." Her hand wriggled back and forth in a tube. Coulder swore, and the Crow's Eye put a hand on his chest. "Is that your manners, Asha? To make fun of Lucas' flaws?" "Flaw? Well, it's all my fault, I can't chop off his penis to help once and for all. I'm no worse than any man when it comes to throwing an axe, but with such a small target..." "The girl has simply forgotten who she is," roared Jon Miray the Longface, "and Balon made her think she was a man—" "Your father made the same mistake with you," said Asha. "Give her to me, Euron," suggested the Red Oarsman, "and let me spank her as red as my hair." "Come and try," Asha said, "If you're not afraid of being a 'red eunuch', then try it." A throwing ax suddenly appeared in her hand.She tossed it into the air and caught it deftly. "This is my husband, Uncle, whoever wants me, let him pass first." Victarion slammed his fist on the table. "I won't allow bloodshed here. Euron, take your... cronies... away." "I would have expected a warmer welcome from you, brother. I am older than you... soon to be your legal king." Victarion's face fell. "After the Kingsmoot, we'll see who will wear the Driftwood Crown." "We agree on that." Euron touched the blindfold over his left eye with two fingers, and left.The others followed him like a pack of mutts.After they left, there was silence until little Renwood Tawney continued to play the fiddle, and people began to drink wine and ale again, but many of the guests had lost their appetites.Ed Cauder slipped out first with bloody hands, followed by Will Hambury, Jose Harlow, and several Gublers. "Uncle." Asha put a hand on his shoulder, "walk with me, if you want." It was windy outside.Clouds skimmed the moon's pale face like battleships racing each other to ramming speed.The stars are few and far between.Numerous long ships rest along the beach, with towering masts, like the forest on the shore.Victarion heard the creak of the ship's hull on the sand, its ropes whimpering in the wind, and its banners flapping.In the deep-water bay in the distance, the moored ship swayed up and down, and only gloomy shadows could be seen in the mist. They walked along the coast, at the tideline, away from camps and campfires. "Tell me the truth, uncle," said Asha, "why did Euron go so abruptly?" "The Crow's Eye often goes out to rob." "But never gone that long." "He sailed the Serenity to the East, and it was a long voyage." "I asked why he left, not where he went." Seeing that he didn't answer, Asha continued, "I was not there when the Tranquility set sail, and I led the Black Wind to bypass Qingting Island and head to the Stone Step Islands. To compete with the Lys pirates. When I come home, Euron is gone, and your new wife is dead." "She's just a salt concubine." But since delivering her to the crab, he hasn't touched another woman.When I become king, I must marry a wife.Take a real rock wife and be my queen and bear me children.Kings must have heirs. "My father refuses to mention her," Asha said. "It's no use talking about things that are irrevocable." He was bored by the subject. "I saw the long boat of the 'Scholar'." "I did everything in my power to pull him out of the library tower." Well, she at least has the support of the Harlow family.Victarion's brow furrowed. "You cannot rule the Iron Islands. You are a woman." "So the King of the Iron Islands was determined by a pee contest?" Asha laughed. "Uncle, I'm sorry to hear you say that, but you may be right. I drank with the captain and the leaders for four days and four nights." and listen to what they have to say... and what they don't want to say. My men stand by me, plus a lot of Harlows, and I get Tris Botley, and a few others Human support. But it's not enough, not enough." She kicked up a rock and splashed into the water between the two longboats. "I'm considering calling Uncle's name." "Which one?" he asked. "You have three uncles." "Including Uncle, there are four in total. Uncle, listen to me, I will personally put the driftwood crown on your head... as long as you agree to rule with me." "Co-governance? How is that possible?" What does this woman mean?She wants to be my queen?Victarion found himself seeing Asha in a way he had never seen before, and his very nature hardened.She was Baron's daughter, he reminded himself, and he remembered her throwing an ax repeatedly at a door as a child.So he put his arms around his chest, "Only one person can sit on the Seastone Seat." "Then sit down, Uncle," said Asha, "I will stand behind you, guard your back, and whisper advice in your ear. No king can rule alone, not even the Dragon King on the Iron Throne. Need help. Hand of the King. Make me your Hand of the King, Uncle." The King of the Iron Islands has never needed a Hand of the King, let alone a woman.Captains and chiefs kill me laughing when they're drunk. "Be my Hand of the King? What do you want?" "End this war, lest it be ended by war. We have won everything we can win... If it is not good, it will be lost in a blink of an eye. I have the utmost courtesy to Mrs. Glover, She swears that her lord will make peace with us, and if we give back Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square, and Moat Cailin, she promises that the North will cede Sea Dragon Point and the whole Stony Coast. The islands are ten times larger. When the peace is concluded, the hostages will be exchanged, and the two sides will be horns from now on, in case the Iron Throne interferes—” Victarion laughed dumbly, "This Mrs. Glover is playing you for an idiot, niece. Sea Dragon Point and the Stony Coast are already in our hands. What will we give in exchange? Winterfell burned and burned to ashes, and Lord Young Wolf lost decapitated and rotten to mud. We shall have the whole North, just as your lord father dreamed." "Your words won't come true until the day longships can sail through the forest. Look, a fisherman might catch a gray kraken, but if he doesn't cut his line, he'll be dragged to the bottom of the sea. The North is too big , and it’s full of northerners who hate us, we can’t control it.” "Go back to your dolls, niece, and let the warriors win." Victarion showed her his fists. "My two hands are intact, nothing more and nothing less." "Someone needs the Harlow family." "The hunchback He Suo proposed to marry his daughter to me as queen. As long as I agree, I will have the Harlow family." These words seemed to startle the girl, "The Harlow family belongs to Lord Rodrik." "Rodrik has no daughters, only books. Hothor shall be his heir, and I shall be king." Saying it aloud, it seemed true. "The Crow's Eye has been gone for too long." "Some people are more terrifying the farther they are," Asha warned. "Go and listen to the campfire if you dare. The stories people tell neither speak of your strength nor of mine." Beauty. All they talked about was the Crow's Eye, and the far lands he had seen, and the women he had raped, and the men he had killed, and the cities he had sacked, and the way he had burned Lord Tywin's fleet at Lannisport. ..." "I burned the fleet of the Lion," said Victarion, "and I myself threw the first torch on his flagship." "But the Crow's Eye made the whole plan." Asha put her hand on his arm. "He killed your wife...didn't he?" Balon ordered that no mention of it be made, but Balon was dead. "He impregnated her, and I had to. I wanted to kill him too, but Balon forbids kinicide in his own halls. He banished Euron, never to return..." "...as long as Baron lives?" Victarion looked at his fist. "She cuckolded me. I had no choice." When word got out, people would laugh at me, the way he laughed at me when I confronted the Crow's Eye. "She is willing, and she is wet as hell," he boasted. "Our Victarion is tall in every way and every part, it seems, except where he matters." But he could not tell her that. "I'm sorry for you," Asha said, "I'm even more sorry for her...Unfortunately, you also left me with no choice but to rely on my own strength to seize the seat of the sea stone." You can't do it. "It's your business to waste your tongue, woman." "We'll see," she said, and left him.