The Iron Thorn | Theon Greyjoy

52.

Massey

I sat in the sand off of a quiet alcove on the shores of Harlaw, my skirt pulled up so as to not get the heavy fabric of it wet as I raked through the damp sand for seashells. The sound of the ocean soothed me even in my darkest times, times which now thankfully felt as though they were fleeting. Still, I felt closer to Theon there, felt he was somehow near when I could smell the salt in the air or hear the seagulls overhead. It had come to be a rather peaceful life, one I questioned my willingness to leave behind, but I knew that I had to.

   I brought myself out to the shores to write some days. I'd taken to writing to Theon, telling him of my life on Harlaw as if I had anywhere to send the letters. Telling him how desperately I longed for even one more day with him as if I'd ever receive a reply.

Carrying myself to the docks for the third morning in a row, I passed several men and their long haired ponies, an animal those on Harlaw took great pride in. I had a strong feeling I'd be able to find Rowen there, as I'd been unable to locate him for days now. I needed to ask a very large favor of him, one I wasn't sure was even fair to ask, but he was the only one I'd come to trust that I also knew wouldn't try to stop me.

The harbor was more lively that day. Though I found the people of Harlaw to be a bit warmer than those on Pyke, the docks of each isle brought a strange mixture of men from all over The Iron Islands. One man in particular, who I knew to be from Pyke, went as far as to knock me sideways with his shoulder as he passed by simply because he felt more entitled to what little space that I occupied. That alone was reminder enough that I need not return to Pyke any time soon. The more I learned of his people, the more I wondered if Theon truly idolized them the way the history books here did. Truthfully, I knew that he had. Between the stories from Yara and Lord Harlaw with his books, I came to understand the path Theon had chosen. I understood some of the choices he'd made, but it made them no easier to swallow.

It wasn't long at all before I spotted Rowen, bright eyed and surprised to see me upright and borderline eager so early in the morning.

"Massey," he said as a greeting, passing by me as I fell into step with him.

"Good morning, Rowen," I started. "Are you well?"

"I am well enough, m'lady. And you?"

"I'm well, thank you. Though, I am afraid I find myself in need of some assistance."

   He turned and took me in from head to toe, his eyes narrowing playfully as he spoke. "What sort of assistance?"

   I took a deep breath before I replied, trying to gather my thoughts in a way that would make sense. We usually did not speak of many things of consequence. "Things have been weighing so heavily on me that it is becoming too much to carry around each day," I explained. "I need to get back to The North. I have to."

Though he was not an educated man, he was far from anything that resembled dim. He took my meaning immediately.

   "And you want me to take you?"

With a swift nod, I moved a few steps closer to where he stood, his back to a small ship that bobbed up and down atop the gentle waves. "Yes. You are well travelled, you've told me yourself. You know navigation better than anyone I've ever known, you've faced danger on the seas. You'd know how to get me to The Wall—"

"The Wall?" He repeated incredulously, the tail end of a laugh escaping his lips along with his words.

"The Wall, yes. I know someone there. A friend."

"So, you are so intent upon getting to The Wall that you'd ask me to take you from the safety of your grand castle and trudge you through the frostbitten wilderness of The North? To see a friend? That does not seem wise."