Chapter 9

Returning to the isles was rather uneventful, that is till we made it to port as the men disembarked carrying their loot to no doubt spend or take to their homes but what caught the eyes of the passer-bys was the long lines of thralls being marched to he sold or to new holding to be put to work. While it was not uncommon to raid the far north with most hitting the frozen shore north of Bear Island but this would net the raiders little with the tribes of the shore using sleds in the deep snow making pursuit impossible and most tribes being semi nomadic unlike the eastern tribes meaning once word spread they would simply go inland making the raid a failure.

While the men get to go enjoy their spoils in taverns and brothels, the captains, on the other hand, must go to the castle to report their success to Lord Balon Greyjoy. Due to my leadership of the raid, I was pushed forward by the rest to be the one to give the report. As we walked to the main hall as a group, we all noticed that we entered that we showed up while Lord Greyjoy was holding court. Being forced to wait as the complaints of the few brave merchants to trade with the isles and the bickering of minor lords over perceived slights.

Eventually, the courtiers finished their complaints as we stepped up in front of the sea-stone chair.

"Ah, I was wondering when you all would return, but now the question is of your success or failure." spoke Lord Balon with a smug smile obviously expecting failure.

"We succeeded my lord." I state with a Cheshire grin as the one on Balons face melted away.

"How? No raid on the frozen shore succeeds, and all return with failure." He questions with clear confusion marring his expression.

"Simple my lord, we didn't." I answer, still smiling.

"Then where did you raid?" He asks

"We raided the haunted forest and its shores, hiting village after village killing all men that fought back while taking the rest and all of value." I state as my smile only grows.

"Then why are you here early if you traveled around westeros?"

"We crossed the neck using its deepest rivers till we reached the twins and paid the toll with the gold won from the greenlanders and continued to white harbor and bought further supplies, mostly food and drinkable water. I assure you, Lord, balon we paid the iron price for these furs on our backs and the extra mouths and hands we brought back all at the small cost of some loot to the manderly traded for again food and water and some even a few more coins." I state still smiling till Balon begins to scowl.

"You paid the gold price! We are ironborn. We are only supposed to pay the iron price!" shouts Balon Standing from his throne.

"In no way does using gold won through might dishonor our God, so who is to say we can't pay the gold price and like any other son of the sea I would much prefer the iron price but we don't live in such a kind world where might rules all. Yes, I used gold, but it was gold I won, gold I fought for, gold I got from trade and who are you to tell me what to do with my gold. Ask any of the other captains if I made them pay for the supplies. They would tell you the same that I paid that price." I state with and even tone only putting emphasis on my use of gold as I stare the lord in the eye.

Silence ruled the room as all looked to each other while each thought of ways this could end most not pretty. After a few heartbeats, the stare off ends with Balon sitting back down on his thrown with a withered sigh.

"Aye, you succeed, and yes, it is your gold, and our deal shall stand. I shall see you at the market for the thralls you all owe me." States Balon as he waves us away.

"That could've ended poorly, you know." Victarion states as we leave the hall.

"Aye, I've heard of his temper and uncooling wroth," I respond with a simple shrug."

For the rest of the day, I would check upon the thralls and saltwives of the crews, making sure they bathed in salt water to ensure they were clean and glad I did as some had slightly infected wounds now disinfected by the salty water.

Later in the night in the town of Lords Port in its market center, many an iron born could be seen bartering over the freshly caught thralls, and both item and coin crossed hands and after the greyjoys took their cut I managed to sell ten thralls while keeping the rest for my new hold. Returning to that old dilapidated fort on the coast was not much with its collapsing gate towers and its keep made of rotting wood and ifs walls of badly stacked stone and mud. With luck, I mostly traded for building supplies from wood to nails, and it was just enough to repair the keep and set up a small peer only capable of making two ships and with only two of the reach galleys that I claimed to survive our raid to the north, I chose to dismantle one to further repair the keep making it livable for both my crews and their families along with thirty thralls. For now I need more sleep and the problems with my own slice of pyke can wait for the me of tomorrow.

Waking in my hammock in the shell of what with hope will become my solar. Leaving the room, I see my crew already ordering the thralls to fix up the keep with most doing a good enough job and outside I see a few even planting the few seeds I claimed from beyond the Wall and from white harbor mainly potatoes which were around surprisingly but like in real life the small folk thought them poisonous to humans and used it as cheap fodder and with them and other Hale foods I could actually feed my fief and it should remove some strain on my people.

I'm taken from my thoughts as Rickon jogs up to me.

"Captain, we've found what looks like a mine in the area, and it's already partially dug, but it seems to be flooded, and gods know what could lay below."

"Show me where it is."