A/N: Back to Asha finally~ Except, and you guys aren't gonna believe me, but they DON'T fuck.
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By the time Axel finally comes to see her, Asha can't help but be a little angry that it's taken so long. At first, it was rather understandable given that he was said to be on fire there for a while…
However, once he finally stopped being on fire and left the Great Sept behind, the excuses began to get downright outlandish. They claimed he was fine, while at the same time saying the strangest things about his whereabouts!
"I see you were finally able to make time to see me. You know they had the gall to lie to my face and say you were out of the city when I asked after you a few days ago?"
Chuckling, Axel shakes his head.
"That wasn't a lie. I really was out of the city at that time. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I had to hunt down the ones behind the wildfire attack and deal with them before they could do anymore damage."
Asha frowns.
"I suppose you succeeded then?"
Nodding at that, the King bares his teeth in a rather feral grin.
"Oh yes. They faced the King's Justice… just as your uncle will, soon enough."
Asha squirms, trying not to let Axel's grin get to her too much. It's been quite some time now since they fucked in that back alley and even though she'd taken up residence in the Red Keep and they'd had a few conversations, he hadn't come to her since for another roll in the sheets.
It was rather frustrating, really. She'd had a good time with him that day. Almost too good if Asha was being honest. So good, in fact, that she hadn't taken another man to bed in all that time since. Normally, she would have definitely fucked someone else by now, but the very idea seemed… pointless whenever she thought about it.
Axel had ruined other men for her. Nobody, not even some of the men on her own crew that she'd fucked in the past, had appealed when she compared them to her experience with Axel fucking Baratheon.
Still, Asha had her pride of course. She wasn't going to go crawling to him on hands and knees and beg for another go or anything like that. Instead, she'd been waiting for him to come to her. But while they'd talked and even sparred a handful of times, there hadn't been a repeat performance.
Now he stood before her somewhat different from the last time they spoke. There's something new in his eyes… and for the first time since they met, he seems to be growing a beard on that formerly clean face of his.
Letting out a sigh, Asha forces her desires down into the depths of her mind and focuses instead on Axel's words rather than his handsome mug. Crossing her arms over her chest, she grunts as she looks at him a little defensively.
"… You don't think I'm in league with my uncle, right? I know there have been some… accusations bandied about. But that bastard Euron killed my father, I just know it. I would never help him with… with any of this."
Sure, she might not have liked Balon much… in fact, she didn't like him at all. And as for love? Nah, not even that. But she was still his daughter and he was still her father and that meant something, unfortunately. She wouldn't turn on him, at least not for the exiled uncle said to be so vile that even their own people despised him.
Axel spends a moment staring at her in silence… before finally cracking another smile.
"No, I don't think you're in league with Euron Greyjoy, Asha."
Her heart flutters in her chest for a moment before she gets herself under control. Huffing, she looks to the side and scowls.
"Of course not. You're not an idiot. Fuck, the whole reason my father sent me to King's Landing in the first place was to find out what Euron was doing back in the area. Bastard must have slipped right past me while I was too busy chasing his tail to notice."
It pissed Asha off to no end, truth be told. Here she was on the wrong side of the damn continent while Euron Greyjoy had apparently sailed the Silence all the way around the Southern Tip of Westeros, made for the Iron Islands, and 'miraculously' showed up there the very day that Balon died and his exile was technically ended.
No, Asha knew the truth. Euron had snuck either himself or some of his men onto Pyke and thrown her father from the castle parapets. Made it look like Balon just had too much to drink and 'slipped'… but Asha knew better. She fucking knew better.
"Oh? Is that the only reason you were sent to King's Landing?"
Asha blinks, freezing up at Axel's teasing tone. Flushing hotly, she scowls and glares at the handsome King.
"Fine! Not like it matters anymore… but yes, my father sent me to get your measure as well as find out the latest news about my uncle. I failed twice over, alright?"
Humming, Axel tilts his head to the side before mercifully changing the subject.
"They're saying that Euron Greyjoy controls a kraken. Perhaps the biggest kraken ever seen. Apparently, he used it to not only smash the entirety of the Lannister Fleet but also destroy the walls of Lannisport so that the Ironborn could sack the city and lay siege to Casterly Rock."
That brings a grimace to Asha's face, her lips pursing. She's heard the same rumors at this point. News had been sparse for her here in the Red Keep, and she was only allowed limited contact with her crew. But still, his words match up with what she's managed to scrape together. Shoulders slumping, Asha sighs.
"It might be true. Would certainly explain a lot."
"Oh?"
Nodding, she elaborates.
"Aye. It doesn't make sense otherwise, see? My father's death and my uncle's return… that's one thing. And I can understand why the Ironborn wouldn't accept my brother Theon or me as our father's heir either."
Axel grunts.
"And why is that?"
She gives him a slightly suspicious look, wondering how much he's asking just to ask and how much he already knows. But… fuck it, he was raised a bastard. Maybe he actually needs the history lesson.
"… I'm abnormal enough as is being a female Captain, but there's precedent for it all the same. However, there's never been a Lady Reaper of Pyke in our entire history. And Theon… you Greenlanders don't really understand how we work."
Huffing, she rolls her eyes.
"The moment that Theon became a 'ward' of House Stark, he became tainted in our people's eyes. Maybe if my father died before yours did and Euron didn't come back, Theon could have been put in charge of Pyke… but he would never have had the respect of our people. His rule would have been a weak one."
Letting out a shuddering breath, Asha continues to explain. Honestly, part of her is just glad to have someone to talk this all through with, because she's been stewing in her own thoughts for what feels like an eternity at this point.
"What I'm saying is that there should have been a Kingsmoot called after Euron made his claim. Probably by my other uncle, Victarion, who hates Euron's guts. The whole reason Euron was exiled by my father in the first place was because of crimes that he committed against Victarion."
Axel nods along, showing that he's still listening.
"… That's why it's ridiculous that Victarion is apparently following Euron without question and without even settling things through a Kingsmoot. Everything has moved way too fast. The only way it all makes sense is…"
Asha trails off, so Axel finishes her thought for her.
"Is if the rumors of this massive 'mega' kraken are real. If Euron Greyjoy showed up on Pyke with the biggest kraken in the history of the Iron Islands at his back, the Ironborn wouldn't hesitate to bend the knee, would they? Even your uncle Victarion."
Hesitantly, Asha nods.
"Aye. The Kraken is our symbol of power, after all. There are stories all throughout history regarding krakens. Back when the Conqueror burned Harren Hoare at Harrenhal for instance, there was a man named Lodos on the Iron Islands who claimed to be a son of the Drowned God. Priests placed a crown of driftwood on his head and Lodos proclaimed that his 'divine father' would bring forth krakens from the depths around the Iron Islands to drag down Aegon's entire fleet of warships."
Asha snorts derisively and scoffs before finishing the story.
"Nothing happened. When the krakens failed to appear, Lodos the Priest-King filled his robes with stones and walked into the sea to have a chat with the Drowned God. Thousands followed him into the water and their corpses were said to wash up on the shores of the Iron Islands for years afterwards."
Axel's brow has lifted in a mixture of both amusement and bemusement at this story. Asha just shakes her head and gets to the point.
"So yes, if Euron has actually managed to tame a kraken of the size that's being reported… I could see why my people would side with him. Even Uncle Victarion wouldn't really have any room to defy him at that point."
Silence falls between them as Axel processes that. She wonders what's going through the handsome man's mind. Is he losing his nerve at the thought of having to face such a beast? He can't exactly cede the entire west coast of the continent to her uncle, to be fair. The rest of the Seven Kingdoms would eat him alive…
"And you? Do you yearn to go and serve under Euron Greyjoy, Tamer of Krakens?"
Asha blinks, but before she can do more than start to scowl, Axel continues on.
"What about your crew? Would they turn on you to follow Euron?"
That… brings her up short before she can answer the first question. She hesitates for a moment… but finally shaking her head vehemently.
"My crew is my crew. They'll do as I tell them to do as their Captain. None of them would betray me just because my uncle commands a big fucking sea monster. And I'm not about to serve my father's killer, even if I can't prove Euron had a hand in his death."
Asha wouldn't have survived this long as a Captain of an Ironborn ship if she couldn't trust each and every member of her crew to the hilt. Not even her status as Balon Greyjoy's daughter could have protected her if she weren't extremely careful about who she let on her boat.
After all, anything could happen out at sea and she… she was a woman. She had it ten times harder than other Ironborn Captain. She always had.
For a long moment, Axel regards her quietly… and suddenly, it dawns on Asha why he was asking. Perking up, she grows serious as she stares into the King's eyes.
"Let us prove ourselves. That's what you're considering right now, right? You have the Royal Fleet mustering right now under your Master of Ships. Let me take my ship and go with them. We… I will fight for you in the coming war if you'll let me."
Raising an eyebrow, Axel grunts.
"You'd follow orders?"
That… Asha knows he doesn't just mean his orders. Fortunately…
"If your Master of Ships were still Stannis Baratheon, I'd be a lot more reluctant to say yes. But even we Ironborn have heard of the Onion Knight. You making him the Master of Ships has only enhanced his legend, really. Davos Seaworth… aye, I'd follow orders from a man like Davos Seaworth."
He studies her silently before nodding again.
"Alright then. I'll let Lord Davos know to expect you and your crew to join him on the voyage to the Arbor."
Is that where they were going? Asha squirms a bit, trying not to feel too warm that Axel would trust her with such sensitive information. To be fair, it's not like it's too hard to figure out all things considered.
There were only so many places that the Royal Fleet could reposition itself and restock after leaving this side of Westeros. And under normal circumstances, the Arbor would be safe even from Ironborn predations given the size of the Redwyne Fleet.
Then again, these weren't normal circumstances…
"Are you not worried about Euron using his kraken to smash the Redwyne Fleet at the Arbor just as he did the Lannister Fleet at Lannisport?"
Axel frowns at that, ultimately shaking his head.
"It's a worry, certainly. But so far reports say that Euron's ship as well as this monstrous kraken are holding steady at Lannisport. Maybe your uncle has become obsessed with cracking open Casterly Rock and getting all the gold there or something. I honestly couldn't say, but the longer he spends in the Westerlands, the better for us all."
Aye, that was true. Still, what WAS her uncle planning? Asha wished she knew. It couldn't just be that Euron wanted control of the Lannister Gold Mines. Sure, gold was always useful, but it would be hard to spend with the whole of Westeros against him.
Did he perhaps hope to use Lannister Gold to buy off one of the other Seven Kingdoms and turn them against Axel? But no… Asha had spent her whole life being looked down on by Greenlanders for being Ironborn. Every even slightly official port they docked in, they were shunned and treated like lepers.
Euron's best bet would have been to take his kraken south to the Arbor and smash the Redwyne Fleet before the Royal Fleet could get there. Maybe he still would, there was still time after all… but the indecisiveness and lazing about off the coast of the Westerlands didn't make sense.
Then again, she hadn't understood most of how he'd managed to pull off certain things before learning about the kraken. Ultimately Asha was forced to acknowledge that underestimating her uncle seemed like a pretty bad idea at this point. Euron must have a plan of some sort. They just didn't fully understand it yet.
Still… why was he so focused on sieging Casterly Rock of all places? He had to know he was needlessly giving the Seven Kingdoms time to assemble their armies and move against him…
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A/N: Euron's machinations are unFATHOMable! Meanwhile, Asha hours later will realize she somehow missed yet ANOTHER chance to fuck Axel.
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