When Asha heard Cole say that, she finally turned around.
There was no anger or grief on her face now, only the calm that came from experience-the kind of calm that came only when someone knew they had nothing left to lose.
"Cole, pass on my orders."
Asha spoke calmly. "Have every ship we have that can still move sweep around from the south together in a moment. Then have the Sea Dog and the Iron Oar each take ten fast ships and hug the coast, circling ahead to the north of that fleet to cut off every route they could take back to the Iron Islands."
"Have the remaining large iron ships advance together from the front. Use their rams to break up the enemy formation, then bring the smaller ships alongside and board them. Tell the men to leave no survivors."
Cole looked at Asha, his throat bobbing as he hesitated. "Asha, if we fight this battle, we'll expose ourselves completely to the Iron Throne and openly break with them. As for Viserys and his people..."
Although Cole and Tristifer were both Asha's lovers, they actually got along quite well in private. Otherwise, Tristifer would never have sent Asha aboard Cole's ship.
Asha was the person he trusted most in this fleet, and Tristifer believed Cole would protect her just as he would.
Because of that relationship, Cole also tended to agree with some of Tristifer's views, particularly that they need not rush to take revenge on the Iron Throne.
They should first build up their strength on secluded islands that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, then gradually eat away at the coastal territories of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
In fact, considering the fighting power of Viserys's dragons, the surviving forces of the Iron