The King of Winters

Chapter-110

Asha

Asha Greyjoy was seated in the longhall of Starfall drinking the Dornish red provided by Lady Allyria as she read the last letter she'd received from Pyke.

The parchment was still fresh at her hand and as much as Asha wanted to crumple it and get rid of it she could not do it regardless of her desire to do was. She had the letter tightly rolled, seal of hard black wax and all.

She remembered the day the maester of Starfall had brought it to her, a short, squat man with enormous hands. Asha had known that the letter was bad news even before she had gazed at the button of black wax which bound it. She could see in it Marwyn's face. She knew that it was from Pyke the moment she had it in hand. Many a house Westeros rode to battle beneath black banners like the Greyjoys and then there was the Night's Watch of the Wall but none had any reason to send a letter to her. It only stood to reason that the black sealing wax was from Pyke. She had known that it was poison that she held in hand, the thought of Euron and his creatures still fresh on mind. I should have burned it before I had opened it, Asha thought. Instead she had cracked the seal and read everything that had happened in Pyke whilst she had been crawling along the Dornish shores after scattered away by Euron's storm.

She read the dry black words again and her black mood grew blacker still. Dark wings, dark words. The ravens never brought glad tidings. She recognized Theon's words easily as he had hurriedly scrawled what he could before flying this raven to her. At least Theon had received the raven she'd sent from Starfall. It was the first thing Asha had done, inform her father of Euron's return and her brother's death. It did nothing in the end though. This was worse than what she had thought might happen. Far, far worse.

The message spoke of the fall of Pyke, of her father's death, of the triumphant return of the King of Salt and Rock to his domains, of the deaths that Pyke had seen. Asha had believed her little brother would be the first to die should Euron come upon Pyke. Of all of Lord Balon's children Theon had been the last born and the least recognized. How the gods must be laughing now to leave Theon as the last of Balon's sons alive. She held the letter to the candle and watched the smoke curl up, until the last of it had been consumed and the flame was licking at her fingers.

Qarl hovered expectantly at her elbow, watching as she burned the letter. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What I should have done earlier," Asha told him.

"Burning the letter doesn't make it all go away?"

"It doesn't," Asha said. But it feels good all the same. Anything that mentions Euron's name is evil come all over again. Only fire could cleanse it, if her mad uncle doesn't corrupt the flames first.

Asha wondered what Euron might do now. She had expected him to go for Pyke so it didn't surprise him that he took it by force. But now... He styled himself as the King of Salt and Rock according to Theon's letter. It wouldn't surprise her if her uncle would send his creatures after her and Theon now. With her father and elder brothers both dead, Theon and her were the last remaining heirs of Lord Balon. She was Balon's daughter, and her claim was stronger than her uncle's. So long as she draws breath she'll remain a danger to him. She will be killed the moment she was seen. Whether the Crow's Eye would bother himself with sparing any effort to search for her or her brother, Asha could not say. She thought not. By now her uncle would have gathered the Kingsmoot and turned them all toward him. Not many of those in the Iron Islands dared to cross Euron Greyjoy and those who are brave enough will be bought for or erased from existence. Uncle had a sweet flair of doing it.