The Iron-Eye Returns! (Alyn)

[Viktor Greyjoy]

Three years, has it? the iron captain caught a glimpse of the stone towers that erected from the small patches of land by the cliffside. Pyke had not changed one bit, nor did the grey skies that seemed to plague the Iron Islands since the dawn of days. It was a somber sight for the iron captain, who had been around the world before this, only to return to a sad piece of rock he had to call home.

The mighty longship, the Leviathan, crashed through wave after wave as it neared the harbor of Lordsport, the only safe way a ship could approach, since the island was surrounded by jagged rocks that made the waters nearly impassable.

Ironmen at the harbor had spotted the golden one-eyed kraken that belonged to the former Captain Commander of the Iron Fleet and moved to prepare for his arrival. Rumors had it that the iron captain was making his return, after he had heard the untimely demise of King Richard Baratheon.

How unfortunate...I wonder what it was that did you in, heh... the iron captain had always wanted the chance to fight that man. Once during his brother's meaningless rebellion, the iron captain had the chance to meet the King in battle, but fate had decided against it. Even then, if the iron captain had the opportunity to kill the King, he would have had to run a gauntlet of Kingsguard knights to reach him. And what a task that would have been. The iron captain remembered the day Talon the Tall fell to the red-haired demon. He remembered the song the bards sang after that event. The ironborns hated it, but the green landers loved it. It was pretty damn catchy, I'll admit, he told his older brother, in which his brother went silent with contempt and despair.

That was ten years ago. The Greyjoys and the Iron Islands had almost lost everything. His brother was bold and fearless, but the rebellion was folly. It was ill-timed and above all else, it was stupid. The Old Way was old because it could no longer exist in this world. Only the iron captain realized it, but he had gone with his brother's wishes. What other choice did he have?

Now that he returned, with the green lands at the brink, the iron captain had plans of his own. Plans that needed him to sit on the Seastone Chair that his brother's ass had gotten so comfortable in for all of these years.

[Alyn Greyjoy]

Three years, yes three years that’s how long it has been since she had seen her uncle. Alyn leaned against the carriage window as she watched the one eyed kraken coming over the horizon. She was always curious why he choose to have his own weakness display on his banner for the world to see, in her opinion losing an eye wasn’t anything to be proud of in fact it was one of the few marks against him on his nearly perfect record. Men treated battle scars like they were trophies yet you generally only received such a trophy when you had lost your battle so how could you claim it as a trophy? No a man covered in battle scars wasn’t a great warrior he was a blundering fool well either that or he was a berserker but either way Alyn didn’t see much of a difference.

Her father had begun the planning for the rebellion it was another chance to reclaim the old ways another chance to become free of the mainlanders and maybe even extend the power and holdings of their house. However none of this could be achieved without an ally another great house to stand next to them. Yes the ironborn where fierce warriors but the truth of the matter was that they were raiders and what’s worse is that they lacked numbers. During the first rebellion they were outnumbered 10 to 1 it was a foolish attempt back than and unless they could muster up more men or form an alliance she saw the war going in much the same way as the first.

Alyn sighed as they finally arrived at port. She stepped out of the carriage the wind swept back her hair as she set foot onto the wooden dock. She walked out as the great ship entered harbor and began to dock. Her mother had wanted her to wear some frilly dress to greet her uncle the argument had nearly come to blows but in the end Alyn had won and wore trousers and a shirt. “Uncle!” She called up to the ship.

[Viktor Greyjoy]

So many familiar ironborns, each deserving a song after them for their valor and treachery over the years. There was Roger the Ripper, the ironborn who went to battle with the crudest looking sword Viktor had ever seen. Stan Steeltoe was among them as well, with his dark grisly beard. Many had come to await the arrival of the Iron-Eye. It was a most welcoming gesture, even if they were the most ragtag bunch in all of Westeros. Among the ironmen, there was a young woman, having spot her pale head from a distance. At first, he wondered what kind of woman could suffer being in the company of men such as these, these savage and ruthless bastards.

"Ah, Alyn," the Iron-Eye grinned, inspecting his niece with a smiling eye, "my my have you grown. I have missed three of your name days, have I not? What are you now? Eight and ten?"

The iron captain grabbed a rope and swung down from the longship, landing on the wooden docks. His attention remained on his niece as he walked up to her, delighted to see her again after so many years. He did not pay the rest of the ironborns any mind as he walked through them as if they were ghosts.

"So did you miss me?" he asked, placing a hand on her pale head as if he was talking to a child, in which the rest of the ironborns snickered at the way the Kraken's daughter was being treated at the moment.

[Alyn Greyjoy]

Alyn’s eyes grew hot for a second as he rested his hand upon her head but her anger quickly faded. She was something of a hot head but she wasn’t about to let her uncle get the best of her. “Oh my, Uncle has your eye sight began to fade? How old are you now 60 or maybe 80” she asked a look of horror on her face. “Or is it your mind since if I remember correctly it was on after my 16th name day that you left.” She grinned her eyes glinted with honest humor.

She ducked and slid sideways from under his hand and started walking back to the carriage giving a few of those that laughed a look that made the smiles fall right off their faces as she did so. “Come uncle we shouldn’t keep father waiting too long, there’s a lot to discuss.” She said as she walked towards the carriage assuming that her uncle would fallow her.

She wanted to talk to her uncle about the upcoming uprising as well. She wasn’t sure it was the best of ideas, at least not just yet. She didn’t like their odds just yet the way she saw it every great house had them outmanned at least 2 to 1, and that simply wouldn’t due even if they had the naval power. After all valor was a poor substitute for numbers.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Viktor Greyjoy]

"A lot to discuss indeed," the iron captain said as he followed her onto a carriage. Since when did they have carriages on the Iron Islands anyway? This contraption was nothing grand like the ones found in King's Landing or those from Highgarden. Shoddy worksmanship and leftover pieces from longships put this thing together. The carriage was pulled by two dark horses, nearly half the size of those found in the greenlands. It was pitiful to watch these creatures carry them. The Iron Islands were a harsh place, not fit for breeding and grazing. Harlaw might be a different story, but that was only one of the islands. The ironborns needed more land. And his brother, the Lord Reaper of Pyke, had plans for conquest it seemed.

"Your father is a hasty man. He didn't even send word for me to come home," the iron captain grinned, "I had to find out on my own accord, hmph."