Chapter 111

Asha donned battle leather armor, boarded the longship flying Harlaw's silver sickle flag, and looked more like she was setting out on a campaign than going to a wedding.

Perhaps this is the bearing of Iron Islands women.

These days, Brienne had been almost constantly under house arrest, unable to do anything except amuse the boatwoman's child with her, and in the end she had to watch the boatwoman leave with a grim smile.

From these days' situation, the child's grandmother Arrynys was not stingy; she loved her grandson, was not cold toward the boatwoman, and did not oppose the boatwoman staying in the castle, but the boatwoman, citing the Drowned God's orders, resolutely left the castle, and on the third day took the little boy she had sheltered and returned by boat to Sea Border City.

"I still have one last thing to do for the child," Brienne recalled the boatwoman saying, as if she were giving final instructions.

Brienne did not know how their god showed them dreams, nor how it drove them to act.

The boatwoman was a lass from Oldtown, not knowing when she had turned to the Drowned God.

"Do you see that, Euron has sent all ten of his bastards to fetch the bride, heh, each bastard a different color. He has even more bastards; long ago he became notorious for his debauchery and madness, and when I was younger, his bastards ran all over Pyke Island's great hall and everywhere on the island, these noisy bastards once annoyed my father to no end, I don't know what happened later, but anyway, after he was exiled, there was no trace of these children on the island; some say he took them to sacrifice to evil gods, and now it seems at least not all of the children were given to the evil gods." Asha stood on the bow, gazing ahead, her back to Brienne, and said.

"He is not a good match," Brienne said, but what does that matter, since Asha's errand is not to make a marriage alliance.

"Do you know what the number 'ten' signifies in the Iron Islands? Heh, the sea holds many creatures with tentacles, but here, whether blue octopus, red octopus, iron squid, spear squid, gold squid, or any other named soft‑bodied monster, they all have eight legs, and only those deserve to be called octopus; only those with ten legs can be called sea monsters." She turned and walked to Brienne's side, pointing at the canvas painted with a golden sea monster nearby, "Have you counted? This kind of thing will have ten tentacles. He slaughtered so many bastards, deliberately keeping ten just to make up this number, while the other foolish women who got pregnant by him were all massacred and tied to the prow—hm, both cruel and stupid. Although I haven't had much contact with this uncle, I've long known he is a madman; yet from this number we see that, though he deviates from the norm, is wildly unpredictable, he is unusually devoted to some pseudo‑tradition. Moreover, though he appears unrestrained, in his actual dealings he is cautious and meticulous, almost grasping every detail; otherwise, seizing power would not have gone so smoothly. Even I think his victory in the Kingsmoot rests on careful calculation, bribery, and the dragonbinder horn, barely enough to succeed."

Brienne had never known Euron; she knew nothing about him.

"No matter how smart or cautious a person is, if he leaves a trail, he can be used and defeated; heh, the more he appears mad and unpredictable, the more his flaws will be magnified." Asha seemed to be talking to herself to the sea, as if constantly reinforcing her confidence.

"You've said a lot, but I still can't hear what his flaws are; I don't believe he would be unprepared for you."

"Of course there will be defenses. But pride, vanity, arrogance, and even irreverence toward the gods are his weaknesses; I will use them to send a deadly weapon into his heart." She turned her head to look at Brienne, "Just stay by my side; if you think you might have to kill someone, I advise you best not to eat the bread or salt at the wedding feast, for the Drowned God likewise despises those who violate guests' rights."

"I will not help you kill anyone." Nor will I eat bread or salt, not even a drop of water.

Asha glanced at her, curled the corner of her mouth, and laughed, "Having someone like you nearby truly puts my mind at ease. You know, I originally planned to just pick any servant to keep me company as a companion, but I didn't want to hear her pitiful screams when something happened."

Brienne did not know her plan, nor did she want to, and she gripped her Oathkeeper uneasily.

"If you're nervous, you'd better go back to your room and sleep; in the cabin I've already prepared food and drink for you. The wedding will be held three hours after noon, and I hope you'll have recovered your strength by then."

"The wedding is being held so quickly?"

"Fast? I've been waiting nearly half a year. Moreover, you wouldn't think that to accomplish this I only contacted you, would you?" Having said that, she hurried back to the cabin.

Asha had always maintained a calm and composed demeanor; Brienne admitted that in this regard her charm was extraordinary, always able to put those around her at ease, and her crew seemed to trust her just as much.

Setting out from Ten Towers City, within a morning one could see from the ocean the castle slowly rising from the horizon; as they passed a headland, the castle seemed to swell dozens of times in an instant, merging with the sheer cliffs of the whole mountain, three tall towers standing apart on three headlands that rose above the sea, with a faint view of the suspension bridges between the towers.

Closer up, the stone walls of the high towers showed a dull black‑gray, just like any other ancient castle; the side facing the wind‑blown waves was already pitted and gouged, the sea having carved out obvious gaps, while the mountainside was overgrown with lichen, dark‑green moss that seemed to have draped a thick blanket over the tower faces.

Soaring atop Pyke's heights was a black banner; no need to think hard or stare closely to know what device it bore.

Is Miss Sansa now in this castle? Is she awaiting my rescue?

To rescue the girl, one must fulfill the Sea Monster Maiden's plot. But her vow is to protect the Sea Monster Maiden, not to help her kill. Can the Sea Monster Maiden really succeed on her own?

A few gray clouds blocked the sun, she felt herself shrouded in unknown gloom, while distant sunlight pierced the breaks in the clouds and fell upon the sea ahead in a sheet of gold.

To make good time, the sailors lowered the sails, took up the oars, and vigorously churned the water, causing the longship to lurch forward toward the castle's ridge, heading for the nearest harbor.

Their ship flew a golden‑yellow sea‑monster flag and a silver‑white sickle flag, entitling it to dock at any harbor on Pyke Island, whether a naval, mercantile, or passenger port.

They docked at Sea Wind Harbor alongside Euron's ten longships and Harlaw's thirty longships; the banners of all the Iron Islands' chieftains had long been waiting on shore. Brienne admitted she had never seen so many unfamiliar banners, yet they were as fresh and colorful as any mainland house's flags, and in the coastal gale they snapped just as loudly.

"Do you see that red ship? That is Euron's Silence, he boasts of having once voyaged to the Valyrian ruins, where he supposedly found countless treasures—there are indeed many treasures, but the crew members who could prove he had been to the Valyrian ruins are all mute, I hear some had lead poured into their ears by him, they are practically living dead, unable to speak or hear, and you certainly shouldn't expect them to know the Common Tongue of Westeros."

After disembarking, Brienne kept close to Asha's side, doing what a guard ought to do, while Asha treated the grand spectacle as if it were nothing, continually briefing Brienne.

Brienne noticed her smile never faded; it was entirely directed at the distant lords and nobles welcoming her to port.

Many flags; you only need to pay attention to the few most important ones: the flag with a green background and a school of silver fish is the Bote Li family's flag; they are closest to Pake City, with the castle and Pake City standing at the head and tail of Pake Island, whether they are reliable depends on whether you are the head of the Ge Lei Qiao Yi family; the flag with black-and-green fur pattern is the Bu Lai Ke Tai Si family, whose home is on Hei Chao Island, almost the smallest island in the Iron Islands, going with the flow is their nature; as for the white bone hand, that is the Zhuo Gu family, same as the Gu Bo Le family of the Black Horn, both are on Da Wei Ke Island, most people think they are supporters of my uncle Wei Ke Tai Lang, but I'm not sure how much they still support him now. Beside…

In the distance along the main road, a huge golden sea‑monster flag rose up and fluttered, coming toward them from the foot of the mountain, the thunderous hoofbeats interrupted A Sha's words.

"Where did this girl come from?" Far away, the handsome man leading the ride steadily conveyed his words to their ears; when Bu Lei Ni saw his face clearly, he had already arrived nearby.

Bu Lei Ni had never seen such a strange man; his skin was pallid, his appearance handsome, black hair and black beard, his blue lips in the overcast weather looked darkly purple, rather than saying he was handsome, it was more like a sickly eeriness. Besides this, his left eye was covered by an eyepatch, the exposed one still flashing a blue ghostly light.

By his side were several dozen mounted warriors, each bearing flags of different colors, each holding a flag of a different family; the two flags held by those two were the ones A Sha had just introduced.

Even as dull as Bu Lei Ni, she understood that the newcomer wanted to display his supporters' families through the flags held by the guards.

"Where do I come from, uncle, isn't it obvious?" A Sha had just disembarked, stepping onto the stony road, she raised her head and spoke to the newcomer.

"Winterfell?" You Lun laughed, "I was still worried about you after hearing you were captured by the she-wolf, after all my dear nephew was already killed by her, I don't want to lose another niece."

"Is that so? If it weren't for her, I could also participate in the kingsmoot, and the one wearing the driftwood crown would be me."

"Good girl, I like your confidence. If you want to wear a crown, I can give you one anytime, any kind will do, even the one fit for a queen regent is the same. Moreover, you came this time not just to wear a crown, did you? This wooden crown on my head only suits rough men; women, on the other hand, are suited to jeweled circlets. I have gathered all kinds of gemstones from around the world, I guarantee to give my good girl a surprise—how about it, want me to come with you to have a look?" After saying that, he loudly dismounted, waved his hand, and a person from the Summer Islands led him a white mare.

You Lun took the reins, smiling as he led the horse to A Sha's side, and handed the rope to her.

"My dear uncle, when have I ever dressed myself in jewels? Your driftwood crown is not bad; would you yield it to me?" She took up the reins, stepped onto the saddle, leapt to sit firmly on the white horse, turned the horse's head, and galloped toward Pake City along the road people had made way for.

You Lun laughed loudly, also mounted his horse at the same time, turned the horse's head, and gave chase.

When Bu Lei Ni saw A Sha again, she had already changed into a striking gold-and-black dress in a room inside Pake City, and with the maid's help was putting on the final touches.

"The wedding is held by the sea, officiated by a Drowned God priest; I've seen plenty of such weddings, they're poor and boring. Nobles' weddings, officiated by a Drowned God priest, after the ceremony the newlyweds return to the castle amid everyone's cheers to hold a feast. The feast is the grand affair where guests drink and make merry; there will be dancing, the lords' blessings and gifts, you are my guard, one of only two people at this feast allowed to carry swords." She pushed the maid aside, stood up, and then gestured for them to leave.

"Am I beautiful?" she asked with a smile, "Wearing this skirt makes it hard to kill, but this is my own choice. The mages of Lys and Volantis just love this kind of skirt and cuffs, do you find it lovely?" She flicked her wrist, a long red ribbon appeared in her hand; then she pulled with one hand, the red ribbon kept spilling from her empty palm, she brought her hands together, kneaded it, and the red ribbon vanished into thin air.

At any other time, Bu Lei Ni would likely have exclaimed in amazement and cheered loudly for the mage, but today she felt only loss.

"Chief, you are very beautiful, and your clothes are also very beautiful."

"Chief, if we succeed, perhaps you could call me the Sea Salt Queen or the Rock Queen. In the entire history of the Iron Islands, no woman has ever ruled as queen."

"I thought you were only doing this for revenge." rather than to change a title.

"A name is both power and responsibility, an offensive spear and a defensive shield; in the right person's hands it benefits mankind, in the wrong or evil person's hands it is a bloody slaughter knife. You Lun has already raised the hilt pressing toward the Shield Islands; when will it press upon Tars Island? According to my uncle's saying, Westeros is a corpse, the kings are like crows feeding on the corpse, yet even a corpse has hard bone; You Lun thinks he is a blade forged of fine steel, but he himself is not clear on that—he is merely a relatively well‑preserved piece of the Iron Islands' ancient broken sword."