A Meeting Unlooked For
Twenty-Fourth Day of the Tenth Month 293 AC
The fleet had arrived in Port Moraq along with the last rays of the sun spilling down from behind the tall mist-shrouded cliffs crowned in dark tangled jungle that reminded Theon Greyjoy of the shattered boneyard of Gogossos. However, where that mournful ruin was silent and still save for the shrieks of painted lizards and the distant calls of stranger beasts, the city that guarded the northern shore of the Cinnamon Straits was very much alive. Ten-thousand lights glittered atop tall graceful spires in expectation of the coming night, but by far the most impressive sight to Theon's eye was the great clock set into the tallest tower. He had not thought such things could be found outside Sorcerer's Deep where the Dragon King had commanded them raised by sorcery.
No, not a clock, he realized a moment later,
some sort of astrological circle. Captain Moonsong would probably want to visit... and knowing her she might just try to fly up there just to see the reactions of the locals. Thank Snake, Tree, and Sea it wasn't his job to deal with the locals. Poor Captain Diana had been run ragged explaining the Tree Ship, and the Herald was lucky to be made of unsleeping metal and not mortal flesh. If one had to sail, and he was willing to admit he was starting to enjoy it, then the best way to do it was without a captain's hat dragging one's head down. If every captain was a king of a realm of wood, rope, and canvas then he would rather be the court minstrel, drinking all the wine and making all the ladies sigh.
Sing us a saga
Tell us a story
Tales full of hammers
Full of dragons and stones
Sing us a saga
Tell us a story
Sing us a saga
The rowing song song was so faint that Theon thought it nothing more than the voice of a memory lost in the crash of the waves, until the man next to him on the prow of the ship called out: "Is that a fucking longboat?"
The young Greyjoy heir swore. 'A fucking longboat' it was indeed, with a single mast looking down upon a deck crowded with oarsmen, their shields slung out over the side and a carved sea dragon head for its prow. How such a ship even made it this far east through harsh seas and unknown currents was more than he could guess, but it was coming into harbor, pulling close to the Rhaella to gawk at her.
"Prettiest ship I ever did see," the man at the prow, likely the captain, whistled.
"Why thank you, kind ser," the ship's dryad giggled close enough for Theon to hear her, though thankfully not enough for the Ironborn to do so.
The spirit was not the only one looking on with interest. "They have got to have some sea skill to make it this far," Asha noted. "Think they would be up to signing on with a Greyjoy to head even further east? If nothing else I'd like to hear their story."
"Sea skill or darker dealings," Theon shot back darkly. "Best leave them be if they do the same to us."
"If they hold with the fish-fuckers we can kill 'em and loot 'em as long as we do it quietly," his sister shrugged. "There's gotta be something worth taking aboard that ship."
As though called up by her words a shout rang out from the longship: "Hail, and what manner of folk are you who talk Common but sail with mermen?" They must have spotted some of the tritons.
"We're Dragonmen, here," Theon replied, without any of the self-consciousness he had once felt saying so. "Whose asking?"
"Harren Half-Hoare they call me, sailor on the Sunrise Seas. I've passed the Jade Gates nine times and nine times back. I've seen the shores of Leng and the black waters at the mouth of the Ash River, but I've never laid eyes on a fleet quite like this one."
"Do you lot keep to the Drowned God?" Theon snapped, wanting to get an answer before Asha set foot on the damn boat.
"Only in a storm," the fair-haired warrior laughed. "In port we keep to the God of Tits and Wine, and we're looking to pay him a hell of a prayer and libation, aren't we lads?!" The question was met with a raucous cheer.
Asha looked more interested by the moment.
Fuck.
OOC: I thought about sending the fleet to Zabhad, but what little we knew about it from canon did not draw me, so I went with Port Moraq. Also I know the rowing song does not rhyme, it's mostly just supposed to keep rhythm I think.
