The Kraken’s Daughter

was the hour of the wolf, when Asha Greyjoy was seized from her camping accommodation by knights adorned in red and white. She knew they were Stannis's southorn men. She may not be chained again, but she was still marshalled by them, who ordered her to go with them willingly, unless she wants to face five knights alone. The men in red and white were under instructions from King Stannis himself. Alysane, the She-Bear knew a little of what was happening, but it was big enough to cause discontent amongst the men Stannis brought from the south and the northerners fighting with him. Asha did nothing wrong, but she knew what she did to stop things getting worse than they were now.

"I did what I had to do. Why did I save the greenlander from being killed by that Karstark beast? I saw the man stab him when the green prince saw me coming. I disarmed him, not aiming to kill because Stannis will have fun skinning him alive for wounding his precious son. Why did the northman stab the green prince, unless the man found out something foul about the Karstark men worthy of exposing to his father and he got stabbed for what he knew about it."

The knights Asha saw were from House Follard, the men who guarded the green prince against one of the cannibals, who tried to attack him. The stick man had no chance in doing anything, as Ser Suggs opened the man's throat in front of his esteemed future king. She did not know what came over her, what drove her to save the life of a man, who openly disparaged her in public and in private. It must have been to make her prison sentence lesser than what the southorn king instructed, but Asha knew Stannis paid no debts to anyone, he viewed as his enemies, but would he grant a favour for one, who saved the life of his only male heir.

She was motioned by the guards to go towards the watchtower, the same tower the king and his son made themselves comfortable at, whilst the other men froze within their tents in the middle of the snows. Asha did not have much time, before any of Stannis's men found out about what she did. She would be seized by them to be dragged before the southorn king and would have to explain herself. It was hard enough seeing her dear brother again, haggard and broken beyond recognition. What she did for the sweet green prince could have consequences for the life of Theon and the girl he rescued from Winterfell.

The watchtower looked huge in front of her eyes, but she knew it was the dead of the night and men patrolled this area. The Follard knights allowed her bread to eat before they seized her, as it was unusually good of them to do so. Asha had nothing to answer for, as she did nothing wrong, only saving the prince she tried to seduce. The trouble was Stannis would never see it that way, and see her for the person responsible for almost killing his son, and not the Karstark man who tried to it. She knew the southorn king will put the blame on her, and not on a member of a family he desperately wanted to tie his son to for a northern alliance.

"It's not so simple, my lady. Prince Jacob's hand is sworn to the daughter of House Karstark. His Grace is pleased to have secured an alliance in the north so soon. The south believe he is dead from being killed on the Blackwater and it can be used to our advantage. The king wants us to accommodate the Karstarks as much as we can, as we will be linked to them through marriage and most of us will serve the future Lady Karstark when she weds the prince in Winterfell."

Asha paid no attention to what Ser Justin was telling her at the time. As one of Stannis Baratheon's most valuable knights, Ser Justin was privy to a few of the king's secrets once every moment and was able to tell her as much as he could. He was keen in impressing her and, even courting her for titles and lands she does not own. The frigid prince was right about the knight about the ambition of men in this camp, and Ser Justin was the most ambitious of them all, hiding under courtesies and treating her well. Unlike the Queen's Men, who would have dragged her out of bed and taken her by force to the king, but the Follard knights gave her time to gather herself, before she was escorted by them.

It was a shame the green prince had to be stabbed, for it was not what Asha wanted. She may have dislike for the frigid man, but she did not wish for his death, as it would complicate things even more. The knights entered the watchtower with the ironborn woman in their possession, as they passed the other knights of the southorn king's host. Asha had to defend her tattered honour against a king, who would want to kill her, but all she did was disarm the man, who stabbed the prince not killing him, as Stannis would want to savour torturing the Karstark, who hurt his son.

Within the watchtower was a sizeable audience, with King Stannis sitting on a crafted wooden chair at the centre. He had both his knights, Ser Richard and Ser Justin at his right side and the Grimm knight, Ser Sorrell on the left side of the king, with a few minor lordlings and soldiers in attendance, even a few Queen's Men were there as well. The king gritted between his teeth and clenched his fingers onto the sides of his chair, as she knew he wanted someone held accountable for what happened to the prince and punished for it.

"You know why I have brought you here, Greyjoy?" The king said, in a strained tone. He was not in the mood for formalities, knowing the severity of the situation at hand.

"You blame me for what happened to your son." Asha replied, standing straight with the Follard knights getting her go.

"No…you were there when Harald Karstark, the drunkard attempted to murder my son."

"Yes, Your Grace I was."

King Stannis turned his iron glare at Sorrell, who was meant to be the sworn shield of his son, but the knight clearly had a look of guilt on his face. "And you failed at your duty at shielding my son, Ser Grimm. You are to be dismissed from my son's service and therefore a common knight amongst others. It is your incompetence that almost cost me my heir, maybe the Lady Greyjoy should take your place, as she did what you were supposed to do."

Asha was in a room full of foes, but she could not help, but be entertained by the king's jape made at the disgraced knight. "I am honoured at the offer, Your Grace, but I am your prisoner."

"I did not mean to be literal, my lady."

"I did nothing wrong, Your Grace. I was wondering around the camp and I heard an argument between the prince and Harald Karstark about him unfolding a plot."

"I already have knowledge of the Karstarks attempting to have me killed, with the help of their false maester, who serves the Dreadfort not Karhold. I was fortunate to have an ally, who informed me of the situation and how the Karstarks led by Lord Arnolf are working with Roose Bolton to have me and my son destroyed, and my son's bride stolen from us."

Asha glimpsed the expressions on the faces of Stannis's loyalist knights and those to his; they were of disgust and anger, especially Ser Sorrell, the man who was meant to be shielding the sweet green prince from any harm or danger, but the man failed. The men thought the Karstarks were on their side in the war, but with what happened to the prince and Asha's own testimony on what transpired between the Prince Jacob and Lord Harald, things were tense in the room. The men were muttering amongst themselves, as it irritated the king not to have full control his babbling court of King's Men, Queen's Men and others he brought to the northern war.

"You decided to save Harald Karstark for the king's justice, I commend you on thinking such of me." King Stannis said, in an iron tone and had his eyes on Ser Sorrell, the former shield of the green prince. "And where were you when the Karstark almost killed my son?"

"….I…was in the longhall with Ser Luthor and others, Your Grace." Ser Sorrell said, in a forlorn tone of voice. He looked to be ashamed of not doing his duty and now an injured prince lies in a healing hut because of his failure to be there for his charge. As far as Asha was concerned, he deserved to be dismissed from his post.

"Getting drunk with my distant cousin, while my son fights for his life. I never trusted you, Reachman and you proved your disloyalty. You will be under Ser Richard's watch for the time being and keep yourself away from my son, unless you want to join the Karstarks on the execution block."

"Yes….Your Grace." The disgraced knight said, with a bitterness hinted in his tone. He was not allowed to be anywhere near the prince he served, and he had to be watched by Ser Richard Horpe, the most loyal of Stannis's knights and a Queen's Man.

"And as for the Karstarks, who conspired against me and to have my son murdered. The crooked lord, his sons and grandsons have been arrested for conspiracy and treason. The middle son will answer for his attempted murder of my son with his own death and those of his family. To think I considered marrying my son into their house, after knowing they conspired to steal his bride up from under me in order to seize power on Lord Rickard's lands."

"What if the iron bitch helped the Karstark stab the prince in the back, Your Grace?" Ser Clayton Suggs said, in a tone laced with malice, "If she was there, then it makes her guilty as well."

"The Lady Greyjoy is not guilty, Ser Suggs, unless you want me to remind you. She saved my son's life and makes the rest of you look foolish in comparison."

The ironborn was pleased to see a terrible knight such as Suggs be put his place, but it was strange to have the king defend her and even believe what she told. It did not mean Asha was out of the woods yet, she did not know whether the king was going to keep her or let her go. She was a witness to what happened to the prince, which made her more valuable to the king. They say Stannis Baratheon had no weakness, but she knew his son was his sore spot and it was what made him stir more than normal. The men in his gathered court were fearful, but lucky they were not the ones at the centre of the king's ire, like the failure knight.

Ser Sorrell looked down and didn't look up, when court was being held in the watchtower. He was out of place, as the king focused his ire at the knight, who failed to protect his son. Asha thought nothing of it, because the knight was no friend to her, but had some pity for him for being dismissed as the greenland prince's shield and was just like any of Stannis's knights in the barracks again. The ironborn knew not to test her luck, especially surrounded by Queen's Men, who want to set her alight for their red god and King's Men, who want her killed alongside the Karstark, who tried to kill their warrior prince in a brutal way.

"The Karstarks played me false, I ate their salt and bread, and this is how they repay their rightful king. Attempting to kill my son and cripple my war efforts in the north." King Stannis gritted between his teeth, and he was eager to punish all the Karstarks for the crime of treason.

"What should we do, Your Grace?" Ser Luthor said, making his voice known within the court of burly northmen and shivered southern men.

"The treasonous maester will be brought to me at once. Ser Godry, you will be the man to bring the maester to my feet immediately, when this court has been dismissed."

"I will be happy to do so, Your Grace." Ser Godry replied, with a wide smile on his face.

"As for you, Lady Greyjoy. You may have redeemed yourself here, saving the life of my son and being a witness to the falseness the Karstarks presented to me. Unlike my son's failure of a sworn shield, you proved your innocence and I will not punish you today."

Asha was relieved to hear it, as it was what she feared when she was brought the king. She was going to keep her head for now, as the king believed her over the louder voices of his Queen's Men, who were keen to see her be killed, alongside the Karstarks, who betrayed the king and his heir. She knew she was alone, in a room full of enemies and no allies to defend her, but she did not expect the defence to come from the southorn king himself. The man may seem harsh and cold on the outside, but when he spoke of what happened to his son, the king's shell was breaking at the bite of his anger towards the knight, who swore himself to protect the green prince and failed.

Stannis Baratheon claims to have no weakness or vulnerable spot, but Asha saw what it was. It was his son and his only male heir, which is the source of his current anger of what happened to him. The king's son was his only weak spot and the Karstarks sought to use it against him, but too bad for them, all of them will be executed later in the coming moons. Asha may not have wanted to see the Queen's Men burning men alive, but a good chopping would do the trick for the Karstarks, who tried to kill the greenland prince.

"The king loves his son, as cold as he seems. He does care for his son, in his own way. Stannis dismissed Ser Grimm from the prince's guard because of the man's failure in doing his duty. The king had it out for the Reach knight and this was the perfect opportunity for him to make him the one at the target of his fury, at least his ire is not directed at me for once and his loyal knights can rest from being under the king's constant biting comments and scrutiny in his eyes."

She was fortunate to be spared for now, but it would not last long before the southorn king has knowledge about how his precious heir is lusting after ironborn scum like her, and the man will be ruined for all potential northern brides. The ironborn reaver considered the king's search, for a northern bride for the prince to be pointless. The eligible ones are either dead or already married in the greenlands, but Stannis Baratheon was not a man for giving up and will do whatever it takes to get his son matched with a northern girl by any means necessary, even if the prince himself may not like the girl, he must marry her on his father's orders and for hope the stag's bloodline will replenish itself through the king's young and fruitful son.

Her hopes of becoming a southorn queen was fading through fast, even though Stannis would never allow his son to wed ironborn scum like her. Asha could sense the glares of all the king's knights all on her, as if she was the one guilty for attacking the prince. She was reminded again, of how she was surrounded by northerners and southerners, who wanted to kill her or even shed a little of her ironborn blood for the pleasure of it, but she was the king's hostage. She was alive because of the king and her fate was in his hands.

The captain was groggy the next morning, after the night of being trapped between King Stannis's knights and some of the northmen. Asha could tell the war camp was in high alert, after the prince's stabbing by Harald Karstark, who was arrested alongside other members of his family for apparent treason against the king, as the southorn king had eyes at the back of his head to know what was going on. She was stuck with Ser Justin Massey for the day, as he was her permanent escort because she cannot be let out of sight, as most of the king's knights still blame her for what happened, even though the truth was right in front of them.

The snowstorm kept increasing through the days, as it killed off some of the army's horses, with them being a small amount of them still alive on the journey south from Deepwood Motte. She was fine staying away, as it was what she was told to do. The southorn king didn't like her, as she existed as proof of his son's victory against the remnants of her men in the northern castle. It was Prince Jacob, who defeated her in single combat on the field and yet his father was the one, who took the credit for it.

A few tents were blown away by the heavy storms, but it kept Stannis resilient and never wanted to turn back, unless he was dying on the field. Asha could sense Ser Justin's gaze on her, as he was still pretending to be the shining champion, who would win her at and her ironborn lands, but her thoughts were on another man, another who was fighting for what was left of his life in a healing tent. Why would she think of a man, who openly hated her and called her scum to her face? It was the thrill of it, she liked about the prince, nothing else. He was the only decent looking man in this camp and was the king's son, which made things more interesting in her mind.

"Ser Justin is a sad knight, all he cares about is his own ambitions. He would never willingly disobey Stannis, like his son does because he was born a high lord and can do anything he wants. The king put away my ironborn men to ensure my good behaviour, but it would be easy for him to kill them in front of me, as a warning of staying away from his son. The forbidden is always more inciting than what was allowed because of the prince being married off to some greenland woman, who is only a broodmare to birth his children and keep Stannis's bloodline from dying out."

The ironborn captain was bitter, bitter towards everything that happened to her. Her mother was a lifeless corpse, barely alive and grief-stricken for Theon; her father dead, murdered by the mad uncle who wears his driftwood crown and took the Iron Fleet with him to the south and the uncles, who stole her birthright from her. Asha had nothing, apart from her name. As a Greyjoy, she still had value to the greenlanders and was going to be a prisoner for the rest of her life. It was penance for what the ironborn had done to the north and what Theon had done to the Starks, who used to rule the north. Her brother was responsible for allowing the Boltons to have a foothold in Winterfell and for the war to continue in the north.

Asha loved her little brother dearly, but never forgot his faults and the consequences it brought. It was unlikely she was going to take him home to see their mother again, not after Stannis beheads him in front of the northmen, as a show of faith to them, as their rightful king. She wouldn't want Theon to die so far away from the sea, where he was born and where he belonged with her and their ailing mother, who missed him so much in Ten Towers. She couldn't think about him now, especially with her diligent escort next to her with his smiling face. Ser Justin was good company for the road, but she looked at him in a new way, after the prince revealed his true intentions towards her.

"You should not wonder off, my lady." Ser Justin said, in a dull tone.

"Should I be shackled again?" Asha replied.

"Of course, not my lady. Things are tense and with the situation with the prince, it's best you stick by me."

"I am not guilty, if it's what you think."

"I believe you, about those Karstarks. The king arresting them all proves what you said to be true."

"Why would I be foolish enough to hurt him?"

"The prince is often targeted by his father's enemies."

"I should be rewarded."

"For what, my lady."

"Saving his life, ungrateful green man." The ironborn captain said, with a brittle bite in her tone.

"His Grace, the prince will thank you, but his father will not."

The smiler was right in a way. Stannis Baratheon was not the kind of man, who thanked anyone for anything, as it was in him to be a stubborn and self-righteous man. The king inspired obedience, never loyalty out love like some greenlander lords did, but it kept him in the game. He was brittle man, who accepted nothing, unless it was an advantage for him in the long term. She wondered how Prince Jacob could tolerate a father like Stannis. Who was Asha to judge? As her own father Balon was a bitter man, lamenting his loss of his own foolish rebellion and the two sons who died because of his folly. Asha was her father's heir, all because of the sons he lost in the war, and he was sure his bloodline continued through her, even though she was a woman, who would eventually take her lord husband's name and not keep her own last name.

There was an irony of the false marriage forced on her, as long as she was Stannis's prisoner. Asha will never want to stare into the face of the old reaver, Nuncle Euron made her husband in name only. She was in no hurry to go back to the Ironmaker, who occupied the Iron Islands and Pyke in Euron's absence. The man cannot afford the ransom for her release, but even if he had enough coin for her, King Stannis would never let her go. She was too valuable to him, as a hostage and a pawn in his game with the northern lords.

"Take me to the healing tent, my noble champion." Asha said, in a different tone, as it might surprise Ser Justin.

"I…cannot, Lady Asha. The king has forbidden any knight from going there, only the maester brought from the Forrester retinue and the prince's cousin, the Estermont boy are allowed there." Ser Justin replied.

"You are my guard, are you supposed to go wherever I go."

"I am already under fire, by the king for doing my duty poorly. I will not disobey him again."

"You could be the prince's new shield, Ser Justin."

"Why, my lady?"

"The king dismissed the reachman and this could be your opportunity."

Asha had gotten Ser Justin to think. The most obedient of Stannis's knights could be elevated, from the vacuum of Ser Sorrell being dismissed by the king and other knights could be in contention as well. She saw through the gallant knight he pretended to be, as it was Prince Jacob, who told her the truth about the smiler. She was growing used to the discomfort the war camp brought her, as one of the only women present, which made most of the men around here stir more, as some have never seen a woman in years, since they started fighting Stannis's war for the throne.

Asha was more aware of what would happen, if she stepped out of line, surrounded by southorns and northmen, who want to bleed her dry and believe she hurt the prince. She didn't like him, the grim Prince Jacob, who inspired fear and hatred of those around him. He was no green man and could have killed her at Deepwood Motte and left her in the snows to bleed out. The stag kept her alive to secure the victory for his father and for his forces that day. He treated her as she was the true enemy, and not Roose Bolton. It didn't matter to Asha, as the deaths of the Boltons and Freys will satisfy her hunger, for revenge for what they did to Theon, behind the walls of Winterfell's dark dungeons, where the bastard of Bolton broke him.

Ser Justin was a knight desperate to rise through the ranks; he had nothing to his name, since the Lannisters took everything from him. Asha knew the smiler wanted to be connected to her, as a way of furthering his own ambition to be lord of the Iron Islands through her, but it was never going to happen. Euron was king and had the loyalty of the old-minded reavers, who wanted to continue terrorising the greenlands, not knowing the consequences, with the lions and roses on the throne. The madman was going to lead the ironborn into more death and violence, as the greenlanders, who hold the south will never forget the ironborn and Euron's invasion will get her fellow ironborn killed in this war.

The ironborn captain was being led by Ser Justin through the treks of the heights of snows. It was going to get colder, and the armies will perish day by day, waiting for their moment of glory on the battlefield. Asha knew it was a risk, knowing she will face the northmen, as it was a northern house, whose maester is mending the prince's wounds. The knight was risking a lot for her, even though he still has hope of becoming her husband, as a reward from King Stannis, for his loyalty to him. Ser Justin was persistent, even though everything is stacked against him; he was unpopular with the other knights and the prince personally disliked him.

Asha had extra furs on her, as it was colder than the previous days. The bones of the perished horses were bare to see buried in a foot of snow. Horse heads were scattered around the blown down tents, which couldn't hold against the fury of the heavy storm coming this way. As a hostage, she was fortunate than most. However, she was still a gutter rat compared to Stannis's second cousin, the Estermont boy with hair like dragon fire and his son, the lord of the storm and fury. The cold had caused her to lose some feeling on her nose, as her fingertips were filthy from sleeping in cramped conditions with the She-Bear most days.

The tent ahead had the banner of the white branched out tree, on a black field. It was the banner of House Forrester, a proud, but small northern house in the north near Deepwood Motte. There were guards from House Follard guarding all areas surrounding the tent. Ser Justin's newly found status might allow her to pass them, but the guards sneered at her, without saying a word. All greenlanders thought she and her fellow ironborn were pirates and rapers, and in their eyes were the worst kind of people on their shores.

"Who passes here?" One of the red and white knights said, and stared down at Ser Justin, looking down upon him.

"Ser Justin Massey, good sers." Ser Justin said, introducing himself to the knights, even though Asha assumed all of Stannis's knights and soldiers knew each other by name.

"You cannot pass here, ser."

"Why not?"

"The king had specific instructions to guard this area."

"As one of the king's most loyal knights, I am allowed inside, just to check on how the prince is doing. The king will want to be updated."

"Do you take us for fools?" One of the other knights said, in a bitter tone.

"Of course, not good sers. I would never do such a thing, knowing the king placed your house knights here to protect the prince."

"You are only allowed inside, until we say you come out, but the ironborn filth stays with us."

"The lady Asha is my responsibility. As her escort, she goes everywhere with me."

"Keep a tight leash on her, since she is the king's prize after all."

Ser Justin led her into the tent, as the curtains opened her nose to the stench of bleeding flesh, which she hoped the maester cleaned up before she came in. The healing hut was not much, as it only had a portly maester dangling his long chain around, whilst cleaning up his station to make sure the infections don't spread through the camp. Asha saw what was in front of her, the prince who was full of life and brazen force was now a living corpse laid out for her to see. She didn't know if he was still alive, after losing the blood he did, being stabbed by the Karstark days ago. She used the trim of her fur cloak to cover her nose from the unbearable stench, but Ser Justin didn't mind it at all.

As a man at war, her champion must have smelt worse than this. Ser Justin was quivering, underneath the guide of a confident knight. Men who feared anything were closer to death than they knew; a lesson Asha learnt as a young reaver on Pyke years ago. She never forgot what her father taught her, as she was the only child he had left, cutting ties with Theon all together, as he was too soft and more greenlander, than ironborn when he came home to them.

"How can he be still alive? The prince looks dead, and if the flowers bloomed in the frozen wasteland of the north, then I would give one to him. The place stinks, no wonder why the horses have perished in the storms with a smell like that coming from the Forrester healing tent. Ser Justin is unfazed by the terrible smell, as a soldier used to bad smells. I could not have gotten in here without my champion, even though those knights outside could do with a leash on their tongues for being rude, without manners, it's how Stannis trains his men."

A drawn breath was sounded from the prince's frozen, pale lips, and Ser Justin turned around. He was gleeful, to not have a dead prince or to be next ruled by the little girl, Stannis left behind at the Wall with his lady wife and his red witch. The prince being alive vindicated Asha, and no longer should she bare the guilt of doing something decent. When the sweet green prince wakes up and still hates Asha, she is better off for it, as it will remind her, he is himself, his brittle and hateful self. She stood by Ser Justin, as she knew her champion was willing to defend her against the higher-ranking knights of Stannis. He was risking a lot, all for a chance to further his ambitions in becoming her lord husband in name only.

"How is the prince, maester?" Ser Justin asked, not wanting to know the extent of the prince wounds, but it was formality for him to report to Stannis about his son's recovery.

"The prince's wounds have been healing well, luckily he only lost a small amount of blood and wasn't dead. A strong man, he is. I expect he will awaken soon." The maester replied.

"The king is thankful for what you have done for him."

"It matters not, ser. Prince Jacob has done good for the Forresters, giving us the reparations for what those ghastly Whitehills have done to them."

"The Karstarks responsible have been arrested for their crimes."

"Better safe than sorry, good ser."

Asha couldn't help, but fidget with her fingers. She could not stand still forever, as it bored her not to do something with herself. She knew what the Karstarks did, Stannis will never forgive and will be gleeful in seeing them all executed for their crimes, even the little boys Lord Arnolf brought with him. All children inherit the sins of their parents, even if the children do not know or are ignorant. Asha carried more than the tattered ruins of her father's legacy, but the guilt of her own failure to secure her birthright from her meddling uncles. It was what she deserved for being beaten by a greenlander in single combat, and for allowing her injured leg to be her downfall. The injured leg was fully healed, and she still limped on it, as a memory of what happened in the Wolfswood that day.

The ironborn captain tried to put on a face of not caring, but she could not because she had a hand in the prince still being alive. Asha never saw her brother after the big Umber man took him and the frozen northern girl away, after their short reunion with each other. There was no way, she could ever take Theon home to their mother, as Stannis means to kill him in front of the northmen to gain their support. She was his sister, but never forgot what he was to the rest of the world.

A turncloak. A child killer and a traitor to the Young Wolf.

"The maester has done a good job with the prince. He should be a part of the king's retinue, but the Forresters value him well." Ser Justin said, in a low tone.

"Should we stay when he wakes up?" Asha asked.

"I do not know, my lady. The maester will want us out of here, and the knights of Follard will want us on our way."

"Unpleasant, are they?"

"The king likes their diligence to his orders, unlike the failures like Ser Grimm."

"What happened to him?"

"He is just another one of the King's Men now, not so privileged anymore. The king blames him for his son being in this state."

Asha never thought of Ser Sorrell, to her his identity was his association with Prince Jacob and being his sworn shield, but he was dismissed by the king in front of his court. She did not care for him, as he was not ironborn and a southorn from the Reach, who wanted her dead for her nuncle's actions. With the Grimm knight gone, more of Stannis's knights and captains will want to step up to such an important duty, even though the chosen man will be allowed a warmer sleeping area than a cold, damp tent for most knights, and will not have to eat frozen horseflesh for supper and eat something warm from the fires.

The maester was putting his finishing touches onto the prince's original wound, which had gotten smaller through days of working to clean it up. A groan was heard from the prince's frozen form, with his still fingers now moving as a sign of life in him. Ser Justin turned to the prince's now conscious form, and his eyes widened at the sight of the young man's fingers wriggling, as if he had seen a ghost come back from the dead, he had a gleeful smile on his face, as did the maester, who saved his life. Asha had seen plenty of her men wounded before, but she kept all her feelings under the guise of being a leader to her ironborn soldiers. This time it was different, as the man was Stannis's son and a man, who she should hate with every fibre of her being. The nephew of the yoe Robert Baratheon, who ordered her last brother be stolen away from her by greenlanders.

All that mattered now, was the prince was alive and was waking up. Will he remember the Karstark, who almost killed him? Or will he be the same again after being under for so long. The prince's head gave a slight movement, as it indicated he was very much alive and not a lifeless corpse. Asha could give Prince Jacob his due, of surviving death like it was nothing. It must be in his Baratheon blood not to give into death so easily, when he had so much to live for and a throne to see to the end.