Pyke Harbour

[Fel]

Ulfrik's men who surrender are tied up and brought back to castle Pyke.

[Deleted]

OOC: Still far back in the past, game time.

Aranya heard of a grizzled veteran captain who no longer could command a ship because of various injuries, and sought him out.

[Fel]

Yarmen One-Foot was as grizzled an old salt as his reputation would have one believe. He sat alone in a dark corner of the Hooked Fish, with empty horns of ale scattered around him, drunkenly singing a sea-chanty to himself, when Aranya came upon him.

"Down below where we all do go!
that's where we'll put the cap'n!
He made us row and row and row!
and now this had to happ'n!

He promised us women 'n plenty a' gold!
but all along we ain't seen a groat!
So under the water his head we'll hold!
and then we'll dance on his boat!"

[Deleted]

Aranya raised an eyebrow, but reflected that a drunk, eccentric old captain would be easier to deal with than some of the other ironborn out there. She strode over to him swiftly, and sat down at his table in the corner.

"Another horn of ale for Captain Yarmen," she called. She turned to the old veteran, eyeing him. "Well met. I've heard stories of your great deeds ever since I set foot on Pyke. I'm the Lady Regent of Duskendale."

[Fel]

One of Yarmen's eyes was a pale milky colour, but the other was a deep, dark blue. He looked at her out of his good idea, trying to keep her focused.

"You remind me o' me wife," he said finally, in a raspy voice, "now she was a wild'un. If it's me hand in marriage yer after, I have to say that even after fifteen long years, I still 'ave never gotten over Gesebel's dying, so I'm a' have to say no, but thank ye kindly, me lady."

[Deleted]

Aranya laughed at him. "Though I am sorely tempted, captain, I am afraid I not here to marry you. I am here to offer you a job."

[Fel]

"Ah, well 'ad to be one or 'tother I suppose, di'n' it?" Yarmen said seriously. "What kinda job where ye thinkin'? If it's your chief ale drinker, I may be able to oblige, elsewise I don't think ye'll be needing me."

[Deleted]

"I need the skill and experience you were once famous for, before you lost your leg and one eye's vision," Aranya said. "I am building ironborn longships in my harbor - or rather, I have a shipwright of House Goodbrother building them for me. But I need crews to sail them, crews that know what they're doing in battle and on high seas. I would hire you to train them."

[Fel]

Yarmen snorts, "a Goodbrother? Since when was any man from Great Wyk able t' build a ship worth his salt?"

Then he looks seriously at Aranya, "where did ye say ye were from again? Ah, doesn't matter none anyhow."

Yarmen, pushed himself up from table, standing on one real leg and one wood one. He was a short man, no more than five foot and a half at most, but even past the prime of his life he was still broad shouldered and barrel chested, and his arms still looked strong enough to tug an oar, not that he'd had to row since he was very young.

"I ain't saying I can do it, ye greenlanders weren't meant for our ships, and ye can't just teach it, but I'll try. The God knows I ain't had much to do since that shark got me leg."

[Deleted]

"Thank you, captain, I am honored and grateful," Aranya said, supporting him as they walked out. "And we'll teach that whoreson shark that this isn't the end of Yarmen One-Foot. He probably choked on your leg anyway."

[Fel]

Yarmen pushed away the support, hobbling along alone, then let out a booming laugh, "if he did then that axe blow to the head wasn't too effective."

[Deleted]

"That's the way to deal with that cocksucker. Chop his head off. Did he taste good at your table?"

[Fel]

"I ain't ever tasted anything so sweet, me lady, never in me life. I'd half a mind to feed me other leg to a shark just for the taste of it."

[Fel]

///////////////////

The Iron Price returns to the Islands after the long Dornish campaign. With them, the young Prince Rodrick descends from the boat, a large Ironborn holding one of his wrists tightly and one of the King's Man holding the other wrist. Rodrick had been enough trouble on the journey for them to recognise the damage he could do now that he wasn't surrounded on all sides by ocean.

[Lord Howland Royce]

Ser Patrek Redfort grunts as he steps out of the boat, they did not suit him well it seemed.