Asha's Escape

The oars of the black sailboat swung rapidly, leaving two white streaks on either side of the vessel, like the marks left by a large black rat as it fled.

Behind the black-hulled ship, two sailboats and five longboats were in hot pursuit.

The ship was Asha's Black Wind. She stood at the bow, her brow furrowed, glancing at the pursuers behind her while mentally estimating her distance to Harlaw Island.

"Push harder! Row faster! Row faster!" Asha shouted, wishing her Black Wind could really be as fast as the wind.

On Pyke, rumors of Euron killing his brother and using magic had already reached everyone's ears.

Asha believed Jon must have been behind it all, but upon closer examination, there were indeed many suspicious points. Victarion and Aeron were both dead, and even her own brother Theon had almost fallen to his death before Asha's return.

All of this is too strange.

In Pyke now, Euron has practically become Balon's proxy, and Euron Asha from seeing Balon. Asha realizes that her father may have been taken into custody.

If he wanted to rescue his father and survive, the only way was to seek refuge with Jon. At this moment, all the sailors on the Black Wind were exerting all their strength, their faces and necks turning red from the exertion, and the helmsman was wide-eyed, dodging the reefs.

Fortunately, Asha got along very well with her crew. After hearing about Asha's concerns and plans, the crew cooperated very well and rowed with extra effort.

The distance between the two sides quickly widened until the pursuers realized they couldn't catch up and gradually stopped.

Asha breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the distance between herself and her pursuers widen. However, not long after, she saw several patrol boats approaching her.

Those were the sailing ships of the "United Fleet," and despite her reluctance, Asha reminded her crew not to resist.

Soon after their identities were verified, Asha arrived at the other ship, while her Black Wind was escorted to Harlaw Island.

Soon, Asha followed them to the port of Ten Towers, where sailboats stood tall with masts, like long spears in the hands of soldiers.

The masts stretched as far as the eye could see, forming an impenetrable wall. This United Fleet was arguably larger than any other fleet in the history of Westeros.

If it weren't for their fear of Euron's magic, they would have already stormed Pyke.

Asha was thinking to herself, and at the same time, she was very curious about what Jon was going to do. Suddenly she saw several sailboats with obviously deep waterlines passing by not far away, and those ships were piled with thick chains.

It appears that someone used chains to connect the sailboats together.

"Where are they taking the ship?" Asha wondered to herself, a thought that piqued her curiosity, but she didn't dwell on it. Asha was quite nervous about meeting Jon.

She soon boarded a carriage and headed to Ten Towers, which served as the command center.

At this time, Ten Towers was not only the command center for the war on the front line, but also responsible for the operation of supplies and personnel.

Although Jon had promised that the serfs who stayed would be granted commoner status, their land would be given to them to continue cultivating, and their tax rate would be set at one-twentieth.

But the psychological trauma inflicted by the Iron Islands was so great that most people were unwilling to stay in such a place.

Because they had also contributed to the war, Jon planned to send those who absolutely had to go home to Seagard and Lannisport, while also providing them with travel expenses.

However, the war is not over yet, so these people are basically living temporarily near the port and Dry Tower City.

This was also thanks to the food reserves on Harlaw Island; for the next six months, food supplies for these people and Jon's army would not be a problem.

However, the fact that tens of thousands of people were staying near Dry Tower City still greatly shocked Asha.

She could recognize and name every flag on the Ten Towers, and had even snatched some of them, but now she had to look up at them.

Despite feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Asha lowered her head in order to avenge her father and uncles, and of course, her younger brother Theon, whom she wasn't very close to.

After waiting outside the hall for an unknown amount of time, a somewhat thin servant, who was also half a head shorter than her, came to Asha's side.

Please follow me.

Asha straightened her clothes and followed Robert House Frey quietly into the hall. As soon as she entered, she saw a huge black White Wolf Banner, about the size of a ship's sail, hanging on the wall directly opposite her.

Beneath the banner, a young nobleman sat upright, watching her calmly.

"This must be that bastard son, no, Jon."

Asha thought to herself, then bowed deeply to Jon.

"My lord, I am Asha Greyjoy, daughter and heir of Balon Greyjoy, and I have come to surrender to you."

Jon looked down at Asha; her actions were indeed somewhat unexpected.

He had already used his Divine Vision to "see" beforehand, and Asha was still herself, not controlled by Euron.

Asha stated that she came to surrender to Jon partly to beg for help and partly for revenge.

"Without me, Euron's magic will likely only be usable once more. I think that will be somewhat helpful to you, sir. After retaking Pyke, Greyjoy will forever remain loyal to the Stark of Casterly Rock," Asha said, bowing her head and glancing quickly and carefully at Jon as she spoke.

"Yes, I accept your surrender, but I will not give you Pyke after we take Pyke."

Jon said it very frankly.

He stated that he would overhaul the Iron Islands' lords, a decision he would never change, and that families like the Greyjoy would no longer be allowed to continue their lineage on the Iron Islands. However, regarding Asha, Jon said he would allow her to leave Westeros with those willing to follow him.

These conditions were so harsh and cruel that Asha only tried to plead once before giving up, since she had no other options.

As the lord's daughter, the moment she left the land, it meant she relinquished all power.

Meanwhile, in Pyke, Euron threw a severed head into the Kingsmoot Hall. The bloody head had short hair and looked somewhat similar to Asha.

This was a crew member from Asha's ship; he stayed in the Iron Islands in Asha's place, giving her a chance to escape.

Of course, Euron wouldn't let the sailor off the hook and killed him with his own hands.

Prince Euron coldly surveyed the crowd. "That bastard doesn't want submission; he wants to be a godslayer! If you are still children of the Drowned God, descendants of the Grey King, then fight alongside me!"

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, Jon's conditions are far too harsh. None of us are willing to leave our land," said Godgrubler.

The iron ore mines on their Great Wyk are getting bigger and bigger. Not long ago, they discovered several more rich mines of excellent quality. They could mine for at least another few hundred or even a thousand years without any problem. Leaving their own territory is like being at the mercy of others. No one is willing to surrender.

However, Euron's mindset changed under the stimulation of repeated failures, and he was no longer as composed as before.

"For the Drowned God! For the glory of the Ironborn, the What Is Dead May Never Die, but rise again, with even greater might!"

The sound of Donald Drumm suddenly rang out, even producing a lingering echo, but at this moment it only made people feel that Ironborn had reached a dead end, and apart from Euron's magic, there was no possibility or hope of victory.