Chapter 263: The Kraken in Action

Naber shouted at the sailors on deck, his hands gripping the rudder tightly as he steered the longboat through the storm-tossed waves.

As the captain of a fishing boat from Lannisport, he had faced countless storms before, but he never let his guard down. He had seen too many sailors perish because they underestimated the sea.

Just moments ago, a crewman had been swept overboard by a massive wave. It was clear he was done for. He wasn't a novice—he had spent more than a decade at sea—yet even he had fallen victim to the ocean's wrath. In the face of the sea, veteran and rookie alike were at its mercy.

"Look! Naber, look over there! The Mermen's Fury! It's the Mermen's Fury!"

The lookout, who had lashed himself to the mast, bellowed over the storm while pointing to the port side.

Naber's stomach twisted as he turned his gaze in that direction. On the distant horizon, a strange white line had appeared on the water.

But it wasn't a line—it was a wall of enormous waves. Sailors called this phenomenon the Mermen's Fury, claiming that the raging waves were caused by furious mermaids rolling beneath the surface. Some even said that if you were swallowed by the waves, you would glimpse the mermaids swimming past you as you drowned.

No matter how absurd the tale, one thing was certain: the appearance of the Mermen's Fury meant death. No ship could survive it.

"Tie yourselves to the mast! Secure yourselves!" Naber roared. He knew it was futile, but there was nothing else he could do.

After issuing the command, he immediately turned the bow toward the monstrous waves. He had to reach them before they crested and crashed down—his only chance of survival was to let the ship ride over the peak before it collapsed.

But he had miscalculated. As the full magnitude of the Mermen's Fury became clear, his heart sank. The towering waves dwarfed any he had ever seen before. There was no way his boat could make it over that sheer wall of water.

Just as despair took hold, a sudden sound rang out over the sea—a bell, deep and resonant. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, louder and grander than the bells of the Great Sept. Even the howling storm couldn't drown it out. And strangely, its tolling filled him with an eerie sense of calm.

"Is this the Stranger's call?" Naber murmured in awe.

What happened next was beyond belief.

Above him, the storm clouds began to disperse, peeling away with each toll of the bell. The raging winds and torrential rain faded into nothingness.

No—not all of the storm had vanished. Beyond this patch of sea, the tempest still raged, waves crashing in fury. But here, in this isolated stretch of ocean, the waters were eerily still. A gentle breeze stirred the surface, and sunlight broke through the parted clouds, casting a golden glow over the sea. The effect was almost divine.

Without the storm to fuel it, the Mermen's Fury broke apart. The colossal wave split in two, each half surging in opposite directions. Where they had once stood, the water lay utterly calm. The broken waves collapsed into rolling swells, which lifted Naber's boat before gently setting it down again.

But Naber was no longer looking at the sea around him.

As the massive waves fell away, the sight beyond them became clear—and what he saw made his breath catch.

A fleet.

A vast armada of ships stretched across the horizon, cutting swiftly through the water, heading straight toward him.

As the fleet drew nearer, Naber realized that the powerful, echoing bell was coming from one of the three-masted ships. On the deck of this vessel, atop a raised platform near the helm, hung a massive bell. Around it, a dozen Storm God priests stood chanting, their robes rippling in the sea breeze.

A towering Storm Priest, broad-shouldered and powerful, wielded a wooden beam, striking it against the bell. With each resonant toll, glowing patterns flickered across the bell's surface. Each burst of light spread outward, dispersing the lingering storm around them.

This was why the waters here were so eerily calm.

"The Sea Witch! The Sea Dogs!"

An old sailor suddenly cried out in alarm. "It's the fleet of the Three Krakens of the Stepstones! The Sea Witch Asha Greyjoy and the Sea Dogs Baelor Blacktyde!"

Naber's gaze snapped to the fleet's banners, and a cold wave of shock and dread washed over him.

Tales of the Three Sea Krakens of the Stepstones had spread to every port through passing merchants, and Lannisport was no exception.

Among them, the Sea Witch Asha Greyjoy was the most infamous. Not just because she led them, nor simply because she was a woman—but because she was the strongest among them.

Her fleet of Sea Witches ruled the Summer Sea, stretching from Slaver's Bay in the east to Oldtown in the west, and as far south as the Summer Isles.

This vast expanse of ocean was her hunting ground.

And any pirate foolish enough to enter it uninvited became nothing more than another trophy to her name.

One of the most remarkable naval battles saw her single-handedly sink her uncle Crow's Eye Euron's ships with her flagship, the Black Wind. She pursued Euron Greyjoy relentlessly, hunting him down until he was forced to flee ashore in a panic. In the end, he even abandoned his newly purchased ship, escaping in secret from the coast to evade her pursuit.

Beyond the Sea Witch, the Kraken Dagon was also infamous, though his reputation was not solely due to his fleet of krakens. What made him truly feared was his control over a real kraken—an enormous sea monster capable of dragging a fully-masted sailing ship beneath the waves with ease. Its appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Drowned God's kraken, leading some to call Dagon the Son of the Drowned God.

However, the Ironborn had their reservations about this title. If Dagon was indeed the Son of the Drowned God, it implied they were lesser in stature compared to the Storm God, the eternal enemy of the Drowned God. After all, the Storm God had taken form as Lynd Tarran, Lord of Summerhall and Prince of the Narrow Sea—the very man to whom Dagon swore loyalty.

Compared to the widespread renown of Asha and Dagon, the last of the Three Sea Monsters, Baelor Blacktyde, was far less well known. In most tales of the three, Baelor was little more than Asha's shadow, always appearing as her second-in-command during naval battles.

But those who truly understood naval warfare never underestimated Baelor the Seadog. They knew well that, while his skills might not quite match Asha's, the gap was not wide.

Once, Asha and Baelor pursued a pirate fleet into the waters of the Arbor. The Arbor fleet launched in full force, intending to intercept the two Sea Monsters.

In the face of this, Asha pressed on in pursuit of the pirates, while Baelor alone held off the Arbor fleet. Through a fierce battle of maneuvering and attrition, he managed to pin down the superior Arbor fleet within a confined area of the sea until Asha had dealt with the pirates and returned to assist.

While most people thought of the Miracle Fleet as the dominant force controlling the Narrow Sea, those truly familiar with naval warfare knew that the Three Sea Monsters were Lynd Tarran's most formidable maritime warriors.

Now, two of these Kraken-led fleets had arrived at the Sunset Sea along the western coast of Westeros, commanding hundreds of ships of varying sizes. They had also brought with them a massive bell—an artifact resembling something out of Storm God legend. As they sailed, the bell rang out, dispersing the storms at sea. This grand display was unlikely to be merely a show of strength for the coastal ports; it was surely part of a greater scheme.

…

Not long after Lannisport's fishing boats encountered Asha and Baelor's fleet, the ships had already drawn close to the harbor. They anchored just offshore and sent smaller boats into Lannisport to purchase supplies.

Even while docked, the priests of the Storm God continued to ring the massive bell, driving away the storm clouds and calming the sea. The tolling of the bell echoed far beyond Lannisport—it could be heard even in Casterly Rock.

Tywin, Kevan, and members of House Tyrell, along with their vassals and advisors, stood on a platform overlooking Lannisport Bay. They watched the countless ships scattered across the water, none of them speaking.

"Wow! Lucky for us, these two krakens aren't like their kin—otherwise, if they were the plundering sort, Lannisport would be in real trouble," Tyrion remarked in a playful tone. He dragged a stool over, climbed atop it, and leaned against the parapet as he gazed out at the sea.

Tywin frowned and turned to him, his voice sharp. "You should be inspecting the sewers instead of standing here spouting nonsense."

Tyrion met his father's gaze with a calm expression. "Apologies, Father, but you may have forgotten—I no longer oversee the sewers. These days, I'm just an idle wastrel. If you can't stand the sight of me, you could always give me some coin. I'll make myself scarce before I spend it all—just as if you never had a son like me."

Tywin only snorted in response and turned away, refusing to look at him again.

Kevan, standing nearby, also found himself troubled by the tense relationship between father and son. To prevent them from quarreling in front of their vassals, he quickly interjected, changing the subject.

"What is the purpose of these two krakens making such a grand entrance? Is this under Lynd Tarran's orders?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tyrion spoke up first. "A fleet of hundreds of ships doesn't set sail without a reason. It must be for the Iron Islands. The Sea Witch, Asha Greyjoy, is likely returning to claim her father Balon Greyjoy's title as Lord of the Iron Islands." He smirked. "That's good news for us—at least under Asha's rule, those Ironborn raiders will be kept in check for a while."

"Good news?" Tywin turned, eyeing his son with cold disdain. "You always boast of your clever mind, yet it seems rather mediocre now."

Tyrion chuckled, unfazed. "It's not a matter of intelligence, Father. It's simply a difference in perspective and attitude. I don't see Lynd Tarran as an enemy, so I view this as a good thing. But since you've always seen him as a threat, naturally, you believe the opposite."

Tywin sneered. "Foolish. Just because you don't see him as an enemy, do you think he won't see you as one?"

Tyrion remained composed. "My esteemed father, you might want to remember—this enemy of yours will one day have a son who marries your granddaughter. He will become her father, and we will become family."

Tywin said nothing further. He had no interest in continuing this conversation. Without another glance at Tyrion, he turned and left the platform, retreating to his study to resume the business that had been interrupted.

Tyrion, meanwhile, kept his eyes on the ships, his expression betraying a hint of envy. Then, as if coming to a sudden decision, he hopped down from his stool, turned, and dashed toward the stairs leading down.

Before long, he had left Casterly Rock and arrived in Lannisport, where he boarded a small boat and began making his way toward Asha's flagship.

...

Aboard the Black Wind, Asha and Baelor were deep in discussion about reclaiming the Iron Islands. At this point, their primary targets were just four islands: Pyke, Saltcliffe, Old Wyk, and Orkmont.

Harlaw was under the rule of House Harlaw, and with Dagon Harlaw being the sole heir and future lord, it was clear that Harlaw would not stand against the Three Sea Krakens.

Likewise, Blacktyde belonged to Baelor. Though he had never once set foot there in recent years, the bulk of his fleet's sailors hailed from Blacktyde. Because of his connections, Blacktyde had established strong trade relations with Bear Island, making them unlikely to become enemies.

As for Great Wyk, the Goodbrother, Sparr, and Merlyn Houses had all benefited from Blacktyde's influence. They had entered into trade agreements with Bear Island and profited handsomely from the White Harbor trade route. These families had already pledged their support for Asha's claim to the Iron Islands.

Baelor pointed to Orkmont on the map. "I can win over House Orkwood and House Tawney. Both families have had multiple marriages with House Blacktyde in the past and maintain good relations with us. They can be brought in as allies."

Asha nodded, then suddenly thought of something and smirked. "I remember House Orkwood's eldest daughter, Mila Orkwood, was quite fond of you. Don't tell me you're planning to secure their support through marriage?"

Baelor shook his head and reached up to touch the seven-pointed star hanging from his neck. "Of course not. I have already decided to dedicate my life to the Seven. I will not marry."

Asha paused, caught off guard. "If you don't marry and have children, what will happen to Blacktyde?"

Baelor glanced at her. "Do you really think that once the Iron Islands are unified, Lord Lynd will allow them to continue under the same system? The Iron Islands will become another Stepstones—lords will have titles, but no real power."

Asha fell silent at his words. When Lynd had given them orders to take the Iron Islands, she had already speculated how he might reorganize them. She had no intention of going against his will, but even so, a sense of disappointment settled over her.

Just then, a crewman approached and reported, "A small boat is approaching. The man aboard appears to be Tyrion Lannister."

Asha and Baelor exchanged looks, their faces filled with curiosity. What could the Imp possibly want with them?