"You are insulting me, Asha Greyjoy," Aegor said coldly. His tone had lost its earlier casual friendliness, and even the way he addressed her had become more distant and formal. "Since you had no ill intent, I will pretend I never heard what you just said. Our conversation is over. Please return to your room and rest. Tonight is your last night in the inner keep. Tomorrow morning, tell the guards your decision about whether you will redeem the Lightbringer. As for now, I have work to do."
With that, he straightened in his chair, picked up the top document from the pile, opened it, and began reviewing it absentmindedly. His actions made it clear that his earlier order to leave was not just empty words.
Asha stood stiffly before the desk, the straps of her leather top still loose and hanging at her sides. Her whole body trembled from shame and indignation.
As the Princess of the Iron Islands, the most renowned female captain in history, and the only woman to have ever participated in a kingsmoot, she had never lacked for admirers, even as a prisoner. With her experience, status, influence, and appearance, when had she ever needed to seduce a man with her looks?
No one knew what kind of shame and revulsion she had forced herself to endure to make that decision. Yet what she had never expected was that she, Asha Greyjoy, the Kraken's Daughter, the pearl of the sea, after gathering the resolve to pay any price and offering herself, would be told it was an insult.
Who was insulting whom?
Was it that she had chosen the wrong time, place, or method to make her offer? Or was it that the Dragon Queen's beauty had raised his standards? Or was that rumor true—that this man liked boys?
The reason didn't matter. Figuring it out wouldn't help her current predicament. Her mind went blank for a moment, then was quickly filled with shame and fury. But after standing silently for a few seconds, she forced herself, with a level of endurance and sacrifice even she hadn't known she possessed, to suppress the urge to flip the table.
When under another's roof, one must lower their head. As the one asking for help, even if she was humiliated a hundred times worse than this, she had to grit her teeth and endure it. What was this compared to that?
She unclenched her fists and found that her nails had pierced the skin of her palms. But the pain was nothing. Raising her hands again, she re-threaded the loosened belt of her top, pulling it tight as if punishing herself. She returned her appearance to how it had been when she entered and activated her backup plan. It was a path far more dangerous and thorn-filled than the one she had originally chosen.
"Please forgive my earlier offense. I withdraw my previous request." To offer herself and be rejected, then apologize to the man who turned her down—what kind of cruel absurdity was this? Asha didn't know whether to laugh or scream, but for the grand goal of building a prosperous and powerful Iron Islands, she forced herself to do neither. "The Ironborn did not contribute to the Night's Watch's war against the White Walkers. They even caused trouble at a critical moment. I have no standing to ask the Lord Commander to support my ideals. But I believe you have no reason to reject my next request."
She raised her head and formally repeated the request she had made several months ago. "I now officially apply to join the Night's Watch."
She had to board the winning carriage. If she couldn't sit inside, then the roof or undercarriage would do.
Aegor lifted his eyes from the document and looked at her again, this time with an indifferent expression.
He was indeed displeased by Asha's earlier offer. It had been full of inexplicable confidence, superiority, and entitlement. But he wasn't as angry as he had appeared. The reason he had ruthlessly ordered her out had been simply to avoid the need for a long explanation he hadn't wanted to give.
What he hadn't expected was that Asha could assess the situation so quickly and decisively drop the offer that had failed to move him, immediately adjusting her price to a level that wasn't excessive.
Still, even that revised offer was one Aegor had no intention of accepting. This was a buyer's market. He had plenty of options and held total control. There was no need to consider the seller's feelings.
Wearing black meant becoming one of them. As a noble with education and leadership experience, Asha wouldn't start out as a common soldier. Once he allowed her in, her continued stay in the inner keep would be a minor issue. The greater threat was that she would slowly maneuver her way up the ladder, gaining influence and leveraging resources to benefit the Iron Islands.
Aegor had too much to do to be constantly dealing with the Kraken's Daughter, watching for her to embezzle funds or manipulate power. The best choice was to stay uninvolved and give her no hope to cling to.
"My answer remains unchanged, Asha Greyjoy." He held his pen and replied coldly. "The Night's Watch does not recruit female soldiers."
"Don't give me that excuse." Asha snorted and regained her confident expression. "Arya already told me that you once promised her, after the war ended, you would lift the gender restriction and let her become the first female Night's Watch, just so she could escape her betrothal."
Damn that girl. She really hadn't cut ties with Asha.
Aegor's face froze, though it wasn't truly a surprising revelation. Crown Town was his territory. His people were stationed throughout the inner and outer districts. Not even a rat could enter without his notice. Arya, despite being warned, still often visited and interacted with Asha, thinking she was being discreet. But he had known all along. Only after confirming that Asha truly had no ill intentions had he chosen to look the other way.
He had assumed they were simply training together to pass the time. Who would have thought girls could talk about everything?
While he cursed Arya inwardly, Aegor found he couldn't really be angry. In fact, he felt a twinge of guilt. This troublesome apprentice of his was one of the few people in the world with whom he interacted without calculating gains and losses. She had followed him to Crown Town because she liked him. Yet he, too busy every day, had left her to keep company with a prisoner.
He felt guilty, but that sentiment was personal, directed at Arya alone. He wasn't going to extend that sympathy to anyone connected to her. If Asha thought that bringing up Lady Stark would change his mind, she was badly mistaken.
He, Aegor West, hadn't gotten from nothing to where he was by relying on sentiment.
Just as he was about to coldly refuse again, perhaps even call for the guards, Asha made another concession without hesitation.
"After joining, I will not use my Night's Watch status to make demands. On the contrary, I will leave the Gift as soon as possible and try to deal with my uncle. All the expenses and resources for that operation will be deducted from the value of the Lightbringer you originally intended to give my brother. If the money runs out and I still haven't succeeded, I will exile myself. I'll never return to Westeros, and I'll never show myself before you again."
Oh? The word "no" that had already formed on his lips was swallowed back.
Aegor studied her again with new interest. His instincts were right. Asha was no longer trying to get something for nothing. She was preparing to become a kinslayer, to kill Euron Greyjoy and avenge her father.
The Night's Watch had no business supporting or carrying out such actions, but Aegor didn't care about "proper" boundaries. The Gift was already in a state of undeclared war with the Iron Islands, and soon, he would be handing out declarations of war like wedding favors. Whatever chaos Asha caused wouldn't make things any worse.
If she failed, she likely would never return. Aegor would regret that, maybe even feel some pity, but not heartbreak.
If she succeeded, the Iron Fleet would be leaderless, and he would hold the last Greyjoy in the world. Even if she was a woman, it would still make controlling the Iron Islands far easier. That wretched place wasn't worth struggling over, but if it was handed over for free, only a fool would say no.
Most importantly, no matter the outcome, his southern campaign would remain unaffected.
Aegor threw down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and this time did not repeat his order for her to leave. He looked at her again.
This time, his gaze no longer carried the perspective of a man looking at a woman. Instead, it was the cold, calculating analysis of benefits and risks. Asha, realizing she had a chance, exhaled quietly. She no longer offered further concessions. She simply stood still and let his gaze assess her, waiting for the final verdict.
After half a minute, Aegor had weighed the entire matter.
"Feasible. But the terms are set by me." His tone remained flat as he continued, "For now, let's set the value of a Lightbringer at ten thousand golden dragons. I will issue an order allowing you to use the Gift's resources within that limit. You can request manpower and materials, but everything must be submitted for approval and signed off by me. I will convert each item into a monetary value and deduct it from your account."
Ten thousand golden dragons was certainly generous. But since Aegor controlled the pricing, the help provided wouldn't come cheap. If she asked for a dagger or a pair of shoes, he could charge a whole golden dragon for it.
"As for your request to join the Night's Watch," Aegor continued, "that will be conditional as well. There is no reward without effort. If you fail, I will not acknowledge this negotiation or admit that I sent you to kill Euron Greyjoy. In fact, I didn't send you. You must also disappear, go into hiding, and remain out of the public eye until I say otherwise. Only if you succeed will I publicly revise the Night's Watch recruitment policy and accept you as the first female Night's Watch."
Arya dreamed of becoming the first female Night's Watch, but if Aegor dared ask her that again right after swearing fealty to the Mad King's daughter, she'd probably spit in his face.
Of course, after laying out all the harsh terms, it was time to offer a glimmer of hope. After all, if Asha succeeded in removing that lunatic, Aegor himself would be one of the greatest beneficiaries. He didn't need much of a conscience, but he needed others to believe he had at least some.
"Once you've eliminated that madman, I will place a campaign for the Iron Islands on the agenda. However, your status and reputation no longer make you fit to be a ruler. You will not become Lady of the Iron Islands. But I can persuade the Queen to appoint you as Governor, with full ruling authority except for ownership."
"You won't be the master of the Iron Islands, and your descendants likely won't inherit it either. House Greyjoy may very well fade into history. But as compensation, I will find a way to help you lead the Ironborn away from their old path of raiding and toward a new future of prosperity. It may not be a generous reward, but if you are truly as selfless and noble as you claimed, then it should be a reward that strikes the mark."
...
This was slightly worse than the worst outcome she had anticipated. It barely scraped the bottom of what she could accept. Even if she succeeded in killing her uncle, she would gain no personal advantage at all.
A bitter taste filled her mouth.
Yes, the man before her was the ruthless schemer she remembered. But it was precisely this meticulous calculation and refusal to take even the smallest unnecessary risk or loss that made this agreement seem genuinely solid. It was also this very ruthlessness and efficiency that had made her certain from the start: he would be the final victor.
And from her private conversations with Arya, Asha had come to understand a different side of Aegor.
When making deals with him, don't try underhanded tricks. But if you stick to the contract, act with sincerity, and harbor no deceit, he would never let a friend suffer a loss.
Most importantly, only by standing with the victor could she begin to calculate her own gains.
Taking a deep breath, Asha gritted her teeth and spat out a single word.
"Deal."
(To be continued.)
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