Chapter Text
It took four months for Lady Arya to have a carrack, the Sea Wolf, built to her specification and to find a crew and at least another ship, with the help of Ser Davos Seaworth and, unusually, Yara Greyjoy. The forced time onshore was used to learn as much as possible from the Master of Ship. By the time the ship was ready, Lord Manderly’s bastard grandson, Wilhelm Snow, placed himself and the Maiden’s Shield crew at Lady Arya’s service. During the stop at Oldtown, the Lady Olenna, captained by Ser Mace Rewyne, join the expedition. After consulting the Archmaesters, the three captains decided to retrace the route to the three islands found two hundred and fifty years before by Lady Elissa Farman.
A fortnight after leaving Oldtown, Ironborn captain Gynir Botley tried to get control of the Sea Wolf and head back to the Iron Islands. However, the fight was over before he could burst into Lady Arya Stark’s cabin.
“It was Yara Greyjoy! I swear it on the Drowned God!” Gynir whines, tied to the mast, while Lady Arya throws knives dangerously close to his cock. “‘Wait a bit”, she said, ‘then rape that bitch and come back to Pyke’!”
The last knife settles on the rope, releasing the prisoner. Lady Arya crosses the distance between them and grasps his tunic. “You know why I’m not killing you and your mates? It’s because I need a fucking good captain and fucking good men: try this shit again and I will be less understanding.”
About two weeks later, a flock of birds was spotted due south-west: this confirmed the ships were in the right direction, with a minor adjustment. Five days later around noon, Maester Clive noticed something floating: some driftwood and a branch with a half-withered flower were brought aboard. Three islands were spotted at sunset and it was decided to wait the following day to land and it took the Sea Wolf a couple of attempts to find a passage through the coral reef.
They were welcomed by a beach of fine white sand bordered by odd trees, with a smooth trunk leaning toward the sea and a tuff of large leaves at the top. Some crewmembers lead by Lady Arya went inland searching for freshwater and venison; while the maester studied the unusual flora and the cartographers tried to position the island. Upon the hunting party’s return, Maester Clive had found out that the trees’ fruit contained a juice similar to fresh water and white pulp (“I named it bartos nut, due to its hard shell punctured with three darker dots that make it look like a face.”). Since according to Ser Eustache Hightower’s journal, the nuts were edible, Lady Arya ordered to stock some nuts to use in case the supply of sweet water ran down.
About half day after leaving, the expedition was caught in a storm and the barely make back to the island. While the crew made some repairs on the ships, Lady Arya and a dozen of men explored the islands, although she got in a fight with the maester about which one was Aegon Isle, Visenya Isle and Rhaenys Isle. After a turn of the moon, the Sea Wolf set her course west.
On the following month of navigation, they stumbled on a series of small, circular islets with a lagoon. Some were deserted, others bore the evidence of abandoned settlements, and a few were inhabited by a friendly and pacific population, the Maroe. Their language was unknown to Maester Clive, who insisted to stay at least long enough for him to learn the language and teach them the Common Tongue. The suggestion proved fruitful, as it allowed the captains, the navigators and some other crewmembers to acquire the local seafaring knowledge, and learn about a woman “fierce with yellow hair and blue eyes who came many years ago” (“I think the Maroe are referring to Lady Elissa.”).
With the help of three willing Maroe youth, the Sea Wolf, the Maiden’s Shield and the Lady Olenna set sail once more, west at first and then slightly north. A little after four months after leaving Oldtown, a much larger island than the ones encountered was spotted, and to the crew’s surprise, there was a proper harbour surrounded by a small town. The population was wary, forbidding them to come ashore without their sovereign’s permission (or so the Maroe interpreters said). Even more surprising, the local king wore a maester’s chain and spoke the Common Tongue, although bastardised with the native language. From the local lore, Maester Clive learnt that part of Sun Chaser’s crew had chosen to stay on this land. The maester in Lady Elissa’s service was sick and left behind: the maester eventually recovered and, thanks to his knowledge, was chosen as king by the local population.
It was during the stay in Rhaenaria (“So named by Lady Elissa in honour of her former friend, the Queen Rhaena”) that Lady Arya got sick of the stomach. However, when Maester Clive visited her, he found she wasn’t suffering from stones in her gall bladder as he thought.
“You are with child, my lady,” the maester says, not without embarrassment.
“I’m what?! How the fuck am I? I bled every fucking month!” Lady Arya growls between gasps of pain. “I should have known, and I should have dealt with it before leaving Westeros!”
Maester Clive sighs, fidgeting with his chain. “I’d dare say that this is a case of ‘denied pregnancy’, my lady: it is rare, but seldom the body hides or conceal any sign when a woman has a strong wish not to bear any child or so claimed Archmaester Ebrose.”
With the help of some local women (“Since their customs forbid any man to stay in the birth chamber”) Lady Arya gave birth to twins: the boy was named Brandon, after the king her brother, but also after Brandon the Shipwright; the girl after Lady Elissa Farman (“What more fitting names than those of whom sailed across the Sunset Sea before us?”). When it was stated that the babes’ surname should be Snow, Lady Arya just showed the island’s luxuriant flora and asked where the snow was. On the other hand, Ser Mace offered to wed Lady Arya, so as not to taint her reputation with bastards, but his offer his turned down (“I doubt not Ser Mace’s selfishlessness, yet others might see his offer as a political move to gain influence at court”).
Wilhelm Snow and his crew decided to head back to Westeros, while the rest of expedition stayed on Rhaenaria until Lady Arya and the babes were deemed fit to travel, although Ser Mace would have preferred to leave without them, with the promise to return in two months, and Maester Clive preferred that they stayed until the twins’ fourth nameday.
In the following year and a half, the Sea Wolf and Lady Olenna travelled further West. At first, what was thought to be an island, proved to be a peninsula: by following the coastline both North and South, it was concluded they had found a continent, promptly named New World (“Or, in High Valyrian, Vysarlie, which I must confess has a nice ring to it”).
Further proofs of Lady Elissa’s passage were found, and a little more than two years after leaving Oldtown, the discovery of Xa Han, a refined country rich in spices, silk and other goods made a possible trade with Westeros a possibility. Ser Mace Redwyne managed to soften the sovereign, whom the Xahani called ‘Sunchild’, to engage in trade with Westeros by offering a bottle of Harbour Gold. Another bottle of Harbour Gold won Ser Mace the hand of one of the Sunchild’s maiden sisters (“To make the match seems more proper in the Sunchild’s eyes after he recovered from the fumes of wine, Lady Arya used her status as King Brandon the Broken’s sister to grant Ser Mace the fancy title of Lord of the Conquerors Islands.”).
However, while hosted by the Sunchild, a tempest hit the kingdom’s capital, destroying the Sea Wolf and heavily damaging the Lady Olenna. As a proof of goodwill, the sovereign armed a junk for the use of Lady Arya and the crewmembers who would sail with her, escorted by four troop ships, three supply ships and three water tankers, to accompany her to a harbour known as “Kinato”, a travel that would take two months if they weren’t caught in a storm.
Three storms and a close encounter with pirates delayed the expedition’s arrival in Kinato of a month and a half. To the Westerosi’s disbelief, the island was known to them as Ulos, about five days further West (“If there are some simple-minded fools who picture Planetos as a disk, we have proof that it is possible to reach the East by sailing West”) and the Easternmost known place. There, Lady Arya’s junk part with the Sunchild’s envoys.
A sickness stroke little Bran, forcing his mother and the crew to stay in Asshai until his full recovery. Against Maester Clive’s advice, Lady Arya got interested in the arts of the shadowbinders (“‘Tis curiosity at its worst, and curiosity killed the cat.”). However, Captain Gynir’s suggestion to sell part of the goods gifted by the Sunchild to finance their stay was welcomed.
The expedition took the route to Leng and Yi Ti; then a discussion arose about the best route back to Westeros. Some wanted to sail to Qart and New Ghis, contour Valyria, then Volantis, Lys, Tirosh and, at last King’s Landing. Lady Arya, on the other hand, preferred a longer route, through Marahi and the Cinnamon Straits, following the coasts of Sothoryos and then head to the Summer Islands and Planky Town in Dorne. In the end, the shorter route was chosen (“I reminded Her Ladyship about her sister-in-law, Talisa of Volantis, and that it was her duty to bring closure to the late queen’s family.”).
In Volantis, Lady Arya, her children with their nurse, and the crew were welcomed, although with some initial reluctance bordering hostility, by Lysello Maegyr and his family. However, the tale of how his daughter Talisa and unborn child were avenged eased the mood (“While our skin crawled, Lord Maegyr could not hide his glee at the awful tale, and Her Ladyship did not spare the details.”). The host assured his guests they could stay in his mansion as long as necessary, while Lady Arya was grateful for his help in selling a good part of their goods, and in replacing the junk with a galley, the Summer Winds. It was during this stay that a message from Westeros arrived, although for the Maegyr Household rather than Lady Arya: it announced the incoming nuptial of the Queen in the North, to which Lord Lysello and his family were invited as extended relatives. Lady Arya pleaded not to talk about her visit in his response since she wished to surprise at least her sister (“Although it is well-known that there are no secrets for King Brandon”).
During the crossing of the Stepstones, Myrish pirates attacked the Summer Winds. Gynir Botley and seven other men are killed, and only when the lives of her children were threatened that Lady Arya lowered her blade.
“Then her Ladyship did the most scandalous thing for a highborn woman: not only she stated her identity, claiming that King Brandon the Broken would pay their weight in gold as his sister, nephew and niece’s ransom, but also that she favoured brave men like him and that he could get much more than ramson if they wed, revealing that she had been educated not only in the Art of the Seven Sighs and the Sixteen Seats of Pleasure, but also in the Sacred Knowledge of the Ghiscari Red Graces. Once assured of the safety of her children with a sultry look and voice, she and the pirate captain retired in his quarters: one hour later, Lady Arya threw the pirate’s dead body on the deck, claimed his ship and crew, and asked me for a cup of moon tea.”
On the way from Tyrosh to King’s Landing, a storm pushed the Summer Winds off -route, forcing her into Shipbreaker Bay and dock at Weeping Town. While the ship was repaired, Lady Arya left Maester Clive in charge of her children and left, claiming she wished to check on an old friend. She came back a fortnight later in a foul mood. ("She said nothing to reveal this friend's identity, so I can only guess that Lady Arya has seen Master Bradon and Lady Elissa's father and that the meeting wasn't what she hoped.")
Before the Summer Winds reached King’s Landing, Lady Arya made all crewmembers solemnly swear not to reveal her identity or where they came from. When the Golden Cloaks came aboard to check the ship, Lady Arya introduced herself as Braavosi captain Ziry Zokla. However, later that same evening, Lady Commander Brienne of Tarth came in person to bring Lady Arya and her children to a private audience with the king.
The Sea Wolf left Oldtown of the twenty-second of the sixth moon of the Year 804 AC and the Summer Winds arrived in King’s Landing on the twenty-seventh of the tenth moon of the Year 809 AC. It took us five years, four months and five days to circumnavigate the world. Of the initial ninety crewmembers, eighteen have returned Westeros, sixteen stayed in Xa Han and six in Rhaenaria. I am yet to gather any information about the Maiden’s Shield, though.
Yet thus ends the First Voyage of Lady Arya Stark, the Dawnbringer and Sunchaser.