Aegor couldn't hold back and earned a glare from Asha.
Regardless of how tonight's conversation ended, he had at least achieved one thing—entertainment. The story was simply brilliant. He couldn't help but wonder how long Asha had spent crafting and refining it. When pressed into a corner, people could truly tap into unlimited imagination and initiative. Aegor had nearly forgotten the last time he laughed like this. Just for giving him such an entertaining performance, he decided not to throw her out.
"You don't believe me?" Aegor was laughing, but the woman opposite him wore a grim expression. Asha uncrossed her legs and sat upright. "Do you also think that as a woman, I lack the courage and ability to accomplish something great? I originally thought the Lord Commander was open-minded and unconventional, but it seems I misjudged you."
"Ahem. My apologies."
Aegor smiled as he apologized. He genuinely wanted to take her seriously, but he couldn't help himself. No matter how many times he reminded himself that he was a transmigrator from the modern world, supporting a Queen's rise to power and supposedly free of prejudice against women, his instinct just wouldn't accept it. Asha's prestige and influence came half from her bloodline and name, and half from her own deeds. But her father had to give her the chance to act before she could prove herself. In this rigid patriarchal society, it was already difficult for a child to rebel against their Lord Father. For a daughter, it was nearly impossible.
Asha claimed she had planned to launch a coup and become the Lady of the Iron Islands. To Aegor, that sounded even more unbelievable than his own tale of being an "adventurer from China."
Then again, Aegor paused. That fabricated story of his might be false, but the truth was even more outrageous—he was a transmigrator from another world. When he was first captured and sent to Castle Black, who could have imagined that just four or five years later, he would become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch?
Asha becoming the Lady of the Iron Islands was extremely difficult, but not entirely impossible. His disbelief was based on deeply ingrained notions and biases, nothing more.
"Then, Lady Asha, please tell me. What exactly was your plan at the time?"
"Hmph. You think I've spent the past twenty years playing with daggers, axes, and men?" Asha said through clenched teeth. "Don't assume all Ironborn are brainless pirates thinking only with their lower halves. I have far more allies and kindred spirits in the islands than you imagine. Rodrik the Reader of Harlaw, Chief Baelor Blacktyde, the Goodbrothers, the Merlyns… Many captains and chieftains who lost kin in my father's first rebellion. If each of their houses quietly hid three to five warriors instead of sending them to the North, that would amount to a sizable elite force. With me, heir of House Greyjoy, as the insider, it would be easy to take Pyke, which is poorly defended. Once my father is subdued, I'll force him to take the black and abdicate. Before Balon's supporters on the battlefield even learn what's happened and rush back from the North, I'll have him tied up and sent to the Wall, recall those loyal to me, take firm control of the islands, and prepare to deal with any counterattack."
(Damn it, why does everyone want to dump their problems on the Night's Watch?)
Aegor cursed inwardly. This time, he really couldn't laugh. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he thought it over carefully. He had to admit, in theory, the plan was feasible. His initial disbelief was instinctual. Without in-depth knowledge of the Iron Islands' internal politics, he couldn't find any obvious flaws in her story.
"Alright, let's assume you did have such a plan. Then after you take control of the Iron Islands, how do you intend to deal with the chaos on the battlefield in the North?"
"Through peace," Asha replied. "I would negotiate with Robb Stark. As long as he cedes Sea Dragon Point and the Rocky Coast, the Iron Islands will cease all hostilities against the North and never raid it again."
"Impossible." Aegor finally had something to say and interrupted her without hesitation. "Even if you successfully seize the Iron Islands in a coup, you'll face internal rebellion from your father's loyalists and external pressure from the North. You'd be desperate for peace, not Robb. Why would he cede land just to deal with you?"
"Because the land ceded would still belong to the North." Asha raised her chin. "The terms I planned to offer Robb are these: I recognize him as King in the North, and he acknowledges me as Lady of the Iron Islands. I then swear fealty to him, bringing the Iron Islands into his Northern Kingdom. If he truly has the prestige and influence the songs claim, he may even be able to convince the Riverlands and the Vale to break from the Iron Throne and pledge allegiance. If all goes well, this newly born Northern Kingdom would possess more than half the land of the Seven Kingdoms, the strongest land army, and the most powerful navy. No one in the known world would be able to challenge it."
Aegor raised his brows in surprise. He was about to call it nonsense, but caught himself. He was wrong.
This wasn't China. There was no deeply rooted ideology of unity or belief that "division is a sin." The Starks had once been Kings in the North, only forced to kneel because of Aegon the Conqueror's dragons. Now, with the Iron Throne lacking dragons and failing to benefit the North, which had nearly lost its home due to Stannis's repeated campaigns, dissatisfaction had long taken root.
Under these circumstances, seceding from the Iron Throne and gaining independence was not only reasonable but aligned with Robb Stark's honorable nature. If Asha genuinely proposed a plan to form a "Northern Kingdom" and voluntarily bent the knee to him in support of that idea, who could refuse?
No one.
With the North, Riverlands, and Vale forming one kingdom, Stannis—who controlled only the Crownlands and Stormlands, with the Westerlands offering mere verbal support—would have no chance of defeating the Reach or destroying the Golden Company. Aegon, without dragons and plagued by defeats, would also struggle against Stannis's hardened forces. Without Daenerys returning, Westeros could very well fracture into three or four kingdoms—North, Center, South—forming a stable balance of power.
And no matter how it played out, Robb Stark's Northern Kingdom would be the strongest of them all.
Seeing Aegor's reaction, Asha knew she had finally impressed him. Seizing the moment, she continued, "Sea Dragon Point may lack resources, but its pine forests are dense, providing top-tier shipbuilding materials. The Rocky Coast has fertile black soil, yet no one has dared farm it for generations due to Ironborn raids. For the North, these are remote, underutilized lands. For the Ironborn, they're treasures and granaries. With them, we can stop raiding and instead become self-sufficient, building ships, fishing, and farming. And for the North, the Ironborn settlers on these lands would serve as the best hostages. If trouble arises again, the Starks could simply send an army to retake these areas and severely weaken the Iron Islands, all without needing ships."
"Of course, the Kraken's fickleness is well known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and Robb may still doubt my sincerity. So, I'll offer myself as part of the deal. An unmarried, childless, attractive, young, and healthy Lady of the Iron Islands. Knowing the Stark family's sense of honor, Robb probably wouldn't divorce his wife or accept me as a concubine. That's fine. I can accept any marriage he arranges. I've even thought of the candidate. Isn't Galbart Glover, current head of House Glover, still unmarried? Stark would be giving up land, and giving him a wife in return isn't a bad trade."
…
Aegor was silent for a moment, then snapped back to himself.
"I have to admit, this plan is tempting for any Northerner. If I were Robb, I'd take the offer." Aegor finally found a weak point. "But here's the problem. You go to all this trouble to overthrow your father and take power, only to bend the knee to the Starks and even marry into their family? Would the Ironborn follow someone who kneels to the King in the North and accepts being the wife of a Northern Lord? And with all that effort, you gain little for yourself while enriching the North. What are you really after?"
"I have my own ways of handling things on the Iron Islands. You don't need to worry about that. As for my goals... Do you really think everyone in this world is driven by greed and ambition, and that it's only natural to be selfish in all things?" Asha's voice rose. "I don't care about titles like Lady of the Iron Islands, Lord of Pyke, or the so-called glory of the Ironborn. I just want to pull my people out of their blind devotion to piracy, let them eat their fill, stay warm, and live peaceful, decent lives. No more roofless longships, no more sailing through storms and blood just to fill their bellies. If I can achieve that, I won't regret it, even if the whole world sees me as a weak coward, a whore to be ridden by anyone, or a traitor who squandered her house's legacy."
---
Aegor stared at Asha for a long time, nearly clapping for her.
A brilliant performance. He now fully understood her entire persuasive strategy—a three-stage progression:
First, she distanced herself from her father and the rest of the Ironborn, claiming the invasion of the North wasn't her idea. I am not your enemy.
Second, she casually revealed that she had allies and influence within the Iron Islands. I am useful.
Third, just like how Aegor had once branded himself a revolutionary to gain Daenerys's trust, Asha now declared herself an idealist with noble ambitions, winning sympathy and trust on a subconscious level.
It sounded simple, but pulling it off so smoothly and naturally required preparation. Even Aegor would have needed time to craft such a pitch. But once executed, it was highly effective. With all the groundwork laid, it would be difficult for him to flatly reject any requests Asha made next.
He had originally just wanted to see what tricks Asha had up her sleeve. But after talking for a while, he found himself genuinely moved. The strength of such self-packaging was that it cost almost nothing but could easily sway the right audience. And unless someone found direct evidence of her contradictions or lies, calling her hypocritical would only make the accuser look petty in the eyes of outsiders.
Aegor didn't care at all about the future of those stubborn, foul-smelling Ironborn. But he couldn't say that, or he'd ruin his own reputation, because—like Daenerys—his public persona was that of a benevolent man who sought to break the wheel and lift up the downtrodden.
He scoffed inwardly at Asha's grand statement of "I just want my people to live better lives," but after thinking for a moment, he couldn't name a single thing she had done that directly contradicted her claims. He couldn't just say, "I don't believe you. You're just a pirate wench," or he'd lose all credibility.
What was meant as a bit of amusement had somehow turned into a trap laid for him.
What now?
A skilled deceiver is naturally skilled at countering deception. Aegor was silent for only a moment before a thought formed.
He smiled, lowered his arms from the chair's armrests, sat upright, and put on the look of someone fully persuaded and deeply moved. Then he asked the question he already knew the answer to.
"A noble ideal, Lady Asha. So tell me, what can I do to help you lead the Iron Islands into a brighter future?"
(To be continued.)
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