Compared with the Ironborn, these pampered soldiers of the Reach had long since forgotten the fangs of the Iron Islands. They simply took those few fishing boats for timid fishermen of the Reach who had strayed into their shipping lane.
The blue sails of the Arbor Fleet and the purple grape sigils swaying on its masts gleamed with a cloying sweetness in the sunlight. In the eyes of the Ironborn, that gleam became piles of gold dragons and silver stags, fine wine, and plunder.
"This Arbor Fleet has twenty-eight ships in all, ten of them large galleys."
Asha lowered her spyglass and turned to the captains gathered behind her to hear her orders. "And judging by the sigil on their flagship, it looks like the Greenstone. That means Oliver Redwyne should be commanding this fleet."
She paused, then continued, "That old bastard spent years patrolling with the Arbor Fleet. He has plenty of experience at sea, and he's meticulous, too. He once led a force that wiped out more than a dozen of our longships in the Reach."
At that moment, a short, stocky man with a dark brown scar on his face stepped forward. His name was Halag, and he was one of Asha's most seasoned captains.
Halag came from House Harlaw, the house of her mother, Alannys. He was also a veteran captain who had followed Asha's father, King Balon, in the first rebellion of the Iron Islands.
Now he had followers commanding at least ten ships, giving him considerable sway within Asha's fleet.
And because the captains of those ships were almost all his relatives, Halag did not particularly care that Viserys had burned the Iron Islands. He cared nothing for whether those salt wives lived or died, nor did he want to retaliate against the powers