Gryn's List 2

Asha stood quietly on the terrace, tall and straight, gazing down at the noisy crowd below. Yet three-quarters of the rows of benches stood empty. Only the members of her mother's family—the Harlaws—had all come.

Asha pressed her lips together. Only a handful of the Ironborn chieftains her uncle had invited had come. She did not doubt the loyalty of those who had refused the invitation to House Greyjoy... she, the original heir, had lost the Seastone Chair, and Euron was now King of the Iron Islands. Faced with such a situation, they were naturally hesitant and uncertain.

Beneath two enormous crossed silver scythes stood a high-backed chair, reserved exclusively for the lord of Ten Towers.

Her uncle had already left, for he had never liked noisy gatherings.

Asha walked through the familiar corridors, each step laden with memories of the past. Her mood eased considerably. Compared to Pyke, Ten Towers felt more like her true home.

The first time she had seen Ten Towers, her uncle had told her with deep affection that it had been built by his grandfather's grandfather with his own hands. She had been young and ignorant then, and thought, How can this count as one castle? It's clearly ten castles crammed tightly together.

She vividly remembered running breathlessly up and down here, happily chasing along the wall walks and enclosed bridges... remembered fishing idly by the Longstone quay... remembered losing herself day and night in her uncle's incomparably vast library.

The library tower was the stoutest of the ten towers, uniquely octagonal in shape and built from cut blocks of stone. The stairs had been cleverly built into its thick walls. Asha climbed swiftly and soon reached her uncle's study.

Her uncle was bent over a desk by the window, surrounded by parchment scrolls.