The King

Chapter Twenty-One

The North arrived at the starting point, and those who thought the North would bring an army to fight the Greyjoys were mistaken.

A single black ship with black sails, bearing the Stark sigil, docked at the port.

Surprisingly, that one ship overshadowed all the ships the other kingdoms could present, even the king's ship was dwarfed by the monstrosity of the Pearl.

Eddard Greystark was the first to disembark, serving as the direct representative of Lord Stark, which made a bit of sense. Behind him were Artemisia and Barbossa, who attentively observed the display of the other kingdoms.

Barbossa found it pathetic; the Pearl could destroy all these ships without any trouble, and the soldiers paled in comparison to the Vikings, Persians, and Spartans. The North's intensive training ensured that its warriors had the endurance and physical condition to adapt to any terrain. For Harry, a war was not only about numerical strength but also about being well-prepared for the terrain, as it could rain, be scorching hot, or snow in a war, and the North was prepared for all.

Artemisia knew what she had to do—earn respect, especially knowing her biological father would be present. She knew who he was and wanted to prove she was much better than him. She might hate him, but at the same time, she was grateful. Thanks to him, she had a real family, bore the Stark name, and with it came many good things. She had become one of the most outstanding warriors of her age, and many young girls aspired to be like her at the young age of 18. She earned this respect because when Stannis abandoned her, Harry sent someone to pick her up and polish the diamond that others did not value.

Their stay here would not be long; they came to fetch Tywin Lannister and nothing more.

Ned knew Artemisia would show her hostile attitude and say nothing more.

When they entered the tent where Jon Arryn was explaining the strategy, everyone stopped to look at the newcomers. More than one was staring because Harry Stark was not present, which undoubtedly drew everyone's attention. Why wasn't the boy here, given that this war would be a good place for him to accidentally die?

- "Ned, it's good to see you again, but why isn't Lord Stark with you?" - Jon was the first to speak, and his question was answered by Artemisia, who stepped forward and threw a flag on the table. That flag bore the Greyjoy sigil covered in blood, something that caught everyone's attention as they didn't understand what was going on.

-"The North will attack the Greyjoys head-on. My brother sent me to fetch Lord Tywin Lannister to pursue Euron Greyjoy." - Artemisia said, looking directly at the named lord, who only stared back at the young woman. He wanted to know more to see if he could take advantage of the situation, given that Jon's expression clearly showed he didn't like the girl's words at all.

- "And who are you? Why don't you go wash clothes like the other women?" - A Lannister soldier spoke up.

Tywin watched closely, annoyed that the man had opened his mouth. The soldier approached Artemisia and touched her shoulder. Before he could say another word, a dagger pierced his neck, leaving the onlookers even more surprised.

The only ones who anticipated something like this were Ned and Barbossa, who expressed their reactions differently—Ned with a grimace because he knew this might anger Tywin and Barbossa with a smile because, after all, that was his pupil.

- "Lord Tywin, my brother, ordered that only you and five of your most trusted men board the Pearl. No one else." - Artemisia said, not willing to continue the conversation. As the captain of the Pearl, she needed to demonstrate absolute coldness to other lords, ensuring they didn't think they could get what they wanted just because they were lords. - "We depart in ten minutes... good luck, Uncle Ned."