Asha Greyjoy is the daughter of Balon, and Alannys Greyjoy making her a member of House Greyjoy. Asha Greyjoy has three siblings in the form of Theon, Rodrik, and Maron Greyjoy of which Theon was captured by Lucerne early in life and has spent his entire life with House Starke, her brother Rodrik was a valiant warrior for House Greyjoy but was killed defending Vandros from a suprise assault from Pontus, her final brother Maron is in command of a fleet of some twelve ships that he uses to raid the coastlines northeast of the Iron Islands. Asha has never married nor had any kind of romantic relationship in her life outside of her using her body to get what she wants, of which has included menipulating her own brother into bed.
Asha was born as the youngest of the children of Balon Greyjoy and in this way she grew up being the last in line. When her brother Theon was captured by House Starke her stock rose in the house, and then years later it rose again when her brother Rodrik died leaving just her and Maron as the possible inheritors of the throne of the Iron Islands. Maron made it perfectly clear that he was a Ironborn thick and thin and wanted nothing to do with the politics of it so he too was passed over, and so at the time of the end of the Rise of Lucerne she is the heir to the throne of the Iron Islands.
Asha was born as the youngest of the children of Balon Greyjoy and in this way she grew up being the last in line.
Rise
When her brother Theon was captured by House Starke her stock rose in the house, and then years later it rose again when her brother Rodrik died leaving just her and Maron as the possible inheritors of the throne of the Iron Islands.
Heir to the Iron Islands
Maron made it perfectly clear that he was a Ironborn thick and thin and wanted nothing to do with the politics of it so he too was passed over meaning that Asha was the new heir to the Iron Islands.
``The time had come for the world to truly discover what I was capable of. I would reach into the sky and pull back everything I had ever dreamed was possible, and I dare even the gods to stop me.``
-Euron Greyjoy
Following his meeting with Ramsey Bolten Euron Greyjoy would return in secret to Pyke where he climbed the impossibly high walls of the House Greyjoy Keep. He would wait on the roof connecting the two towers of Greyjoy keep, and when his brother Balon came out onto the bridge as he had always done with their father when he was young Euron would climb off the wall and before anyone could say anything killed the two gaurds with Balon. His brother would laugh at him, and begin insulting him for his pathetic way of doing things, and as he continued Euron lashed and knocked him on the head with the back of his sword. Balon would get up and before he could say another word Euron would end his life by pushing Balon off the bridge and into the water hundreds of feet beneath them. Leaving signs of a Lucernian blade on the corpse he climbed back onto the roof and made his way by rope back down the wall to his small boat which took him back to the ship.
``Never cared for my brother. He was a cold man with little of anything in him of substance.``
-Aeron Greyjoy
Aeron Greyjoy is drowning men at a beach when Gormond Goodbrother appears to bring Aeron to Lord Gorold Goodbrother. Aeron initially declines but relents when the messenger tells him the king, Aeron's brother, is dead. During the journey Aeron remembers his brothers. His father married three times. The sons of his first wife died young. The eldest son from his second marriage was the strongest and fiercest of the remaining. Aeron admired Balon although they were not close in their youth.
When they arrive at Lord Goodbrother's hall, Aeron demands that everyone in the hall be sent away so that he and Gorold Goodbrother can speak privately. Lord Goodbrother insists that his maester will stay as well. Aeron disagrees and prepares to leave, but the maester stops him by informing him that forces loyal to Euron Greyjoy have occupied the Seastone Chair. Aeron is shocked. He remembers his brother but with little love. Goodbrother wants advice on whom to support, but Aeron wants to pray first and leaves for Pebbleton.
``Euron was something to dark to even contimplate in a position of power. He cared nothing for the Iron Islands, or our ways. He just wanted more of whatever he wanted in the moment he wanted it.``
-Aeron Greyjoy
Again Aeron thinks back to his youth. He was not a very religious man but rather a drunken sod. This changed when he fell overboard in a sea battle during Balon's Rebellion. He almost drowned and became a devoted follower of the Drowned God. Aeron has discussed the succession with Balon. Though Balon wanted his daughter, Asha, to succeed him, Aeron did not agree with having a woman rule the Iron Islands. Theon is a weakling and probably dead. Balon's eldest brother, Euron, is ungodly and Aeron hates him. Thus Aeron makes up his mind; it must be Victarion.
A few days later, Aeron has arrived at Pebbleton and starts to preach. Asha has also claimed the throne. Now Aeron's followers and a number of lords look to him for advice on whom to support. During his preaching, he finds his inspiration: the Ironmen should elect the king in a Kingsmoot as they did in the old days. Every captain is to go to the hills of Nagga, the ancient place where the old kings were chosen. Aeron hears his followers take up his call and knows he has done the right thing.
``I was the clear choice. If not for the difference between my legs I would have simply had to stand up and accept the Reaver.``
-Asha Greyjoy
Asha is at Ten Towers waiting for her supporters to arrive, and as she is looking around she sees the feast is almost over. There are a lot of Harlaws in the hall but not enough of the other houses, and seeing this Asha knows she lacks support for the coming Kingsmoote.
She tells Three-Tooth to find food for her crew and her prisoners, and after doing this she goes to her uncle Rodrik Harlaw, the lord of Harlaw. She finds him in the Book Tower, reading. Rodrik Harlaw loves his books, and she explains that it was his love of the books that earned him the nickname "The Reader". In Asha's name, Rodrik has sent summons to the captains to gather at Ten Towers. The captains of Harlaw isle have come but very few others. Rodrik informs Asha that Aeron Greyjoy has called for a Kingsmoot, an assembly of all captains to choose the king. Rodrik assures Asha that her cause is hopeless, since no woman has ever ruled the Ironborn. Even the support of Rodrik does not mean his vassals will support her, as their fealty is for war purposes only. In a kingsmoot they are allowed to vote as they please, and because he knows she will lose Rodrik councils Asha to stay away from the Kingsmoot. Besides her lack of support, he is afraid that Euron Greyjoy will kill his competitors once he is declared the winner. Rodrik offers to give her Ten Towers instead. His heir Harras Harlaw does not need Ten Towers and will protect her. Asha declines the offer and walks back to the hall, and while walking she encounters Tristifer Botley on the way. When they were young, Tristifer was in love with Asha, and while Asha liked him in the beginning she became bored with him before he was sent away. Tristifer, though, has never forgotten her and wants to wed Asha. He is the legitimate Lord of House Botley. His father has been killed by Euron Greyjoy for refuting Euron's claim to the throne. His titles have been given to Tristifer's uncle who supported Euron. Asha sharply refuses Tristifer's advances by reminding him that they are not children anymore and that she is his queen, not his wife.
``I was trying to take Harrenhall, and then all of a sudden my brother is dead and everyone is fighting over a position that was mine. While they hid in their boats I was reaving. Always reaving.``
-Victarion Greyjoy
Victarion has left the defense of Moat Cailin to Ralf Kenning, and sailed the Iron Fleet to Old Wyk for the kingsmoot. When the fleet arrives, Victarion has them blockade Euron's Silence. The first to greet him on shore is Aeron, and later that night the priest is at his side for the feast. Several captains pledge their voice to Victarion's claim, but Lord Blacktyde seeks a king who will end the wars, saying the following. Soon, the Captain finds his niece, advising her not to lay forth a claim, because a woman has no place ruling the ironborn. Asha stands by her claim, and notes that the Damphair may have underestimated the appeal of the Kingsmoot, since the Drumm will present his claim and there is talk of Maron Volmark being presented as heir of the throne by Tarle the Thrice-Drowned, while it is apparent that Aeron's intent was to legitimize Victarion as Balon's successor. Their chat is interrupted by the arrival of Euron. Victarion notes Euron does not seem to have aged in the almost three years that he has been gone.
“Who knows more of gods than I? Horse gods and fire gods, gods made of gold with gemstone eyes, gods carved of cedar wood, gods chiseled into mountains, gods of empty air… I know them all. I have seen their peoples garland them with flowers, and shed the blood of goats and bulls and children in their names. And I have heard the prayers, in half a hundred tongues. Cure my withered leg, make the maiden love me, grant me a healthy son. Save me, succor me, make me wealthy… protect me! Protect me from mine enemies, protect me from the darkness, protect me from the crabs inside my belly, from the horselords, from the slavers, from the sellswords at my door. Protect me from the Silence.” He laughed. “Godless? Why, Aeron, I am the godliest man ever to raise sail! You serve one god, Damphair, but I have served ten thousand. From Ib to Asshai, when men see my sails, they pray.”
-Euron Greyjoy
Aeron confronts Euron with the accusation that "no godless man may sit the Seastone Chair", but Euron cows his brother into leaving the hall. Asha then accuses her uncle of the death of her father, but Euron denies he had anything to do with it. When a fight nearly breaks out between Asha and one of Euron's men, Victarion steps in and demands that Euron leave. After his departure, Victarion and his niece walk outside, and Asha asks why Euron was banished by her father, for he refused to ever speak of it. Victarion eventually tells her that Euron impregnated Victarion's wife. Victarion wanted to kill his brother but Balon forbid it and sent Euron to exile. Later Victarion killed his wife with his own hands.
Asha offers to set aside her claim if Victarion will name her his Hand and end the war. She feels that the Ironborn have overextended themselves and tells her uncle that she has reached an agreement with Lady Sybelle Glover, and that their people may keep Sea Dragon Point and the Stony Shore in return for the release of Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square and Moat Cailin. Victarion is not receptive. Asha replies that she then will claim the throne.
``Cowardly was my running, and it probably led to the fool being made Reaver.``
-Aeron Greyjoy
Aeron is wading in the ocean, berating himself for running from Euron. He considers Nagga's bones, where the Grey King had ruled for 1000 years and warred against the Storm God. At dawn, Aeron has his drowned men sound the drums and warhorns to announce the onset of the kingsmoot. The prophet wishes for Victarion to win the claim, and hopes Euron will make a mistake and declare early. But the first claimant is Gylbert Farwynd, who rules a small barrier island far to the west of the Iron Islands where shapeshifters are said to live. Aeron sees madness in the lord's eyes. He offers to lead the ironmen to a bountiful land beyond the Sunset Sea; few of the gathered captains shout his name.
Next up is Erik Ironmaker, who once might have made a great king. But age and his immense weight make him an easy target for Asha to dismiss by asking him to stand up from his chair. The following claimant is another famous ironborn, Lord Dunstan Drumm, who asks the gathering :
Asha Greyjoy had nearly won the Kingsmoot when Euron Greyjoy appeared and his appeal destroyed her chances nearly in the same moment.
"Where is it written that our king must be a kraken?"
-Dunstan Drumm
But the Drumm's downfall is the cheap loot he offers to swing the vote of the captains.
Victarion steps forth next and asks for Aeron's blessing. His speech is short and concise and he offers to continue the rule his brother Balon had set. His offerings are generous, and many captains give him their voice.
But it is Asha who interrupts the shouts of "Victarion!", and declares that her claim is best as she is Balon's daughter. She tells the ironborn that war is bleeding their people and to continue it would be folly. She offers peace with the Northmen, and prosperous land on the western shores of the North. When she opens her chests to show the scant spoils of her warring in the Northlands, the tumult of support she receives is staggering.
Fearing that a woman will win the kingsmoot, Aeron is shocked back to reality by the horrible bellowing of a horn. All eyes turn to a giant war-horn bound with ancient Valyrian glyphs being sounded by one of Euron's "mongrels". After sounding the horn several times, the giant mute nearly falls over, his lips bloody and blistering. Euron steps forward and announces that he has sailed further and braved more than any other ironman. He offers not only peace and land, but all Westeros itself to the ironborn. When Asha asks him how he means to do so, her uncle responds that he will use dragons to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, as Aegon had, using the Dragon Horn he found amongst the ashes of Old Valyria. When he tells the crowd that the horn can bind dragons to his will, and that he knows where three dragons can be found, he receives the overwhelming cheers of "Euron! Euron! Crow's Eye! EURON KING!"
“We sailed up the bay, and attacked the unsuspecting fools in the middle of the night. The taking of Seagard and their queen in one fell swoop was a huge gamble but it paid off.”
— Harras Harlaw
With the Ironborn now in line with the forces of Bolten under the new Reaver of Euron Greyjoy they would launch themselves in seemingly all direction but mainly in the direction of Lucerne and their allies. There were few neutral parties and outside of House Frey of whom most believed was waiting to see who was going to win before they chose a side in the war, so that simply left the Kingdom of Seagard of which was a vast kingdom located just east of Westbridge on the eastern side of the Rhine and had been moving towards Lucerne but had remained relatively neutral. The first talks between the Bolten's and the Seagard royalty when extremely poorly after Varish Bolten the weak minded final son of Betha Bolten was sent there as the representative due to the intervention of Jordin Bolten in trying to ruin the Bolten attempts. Varish would try his best but was a less then intelligant young man and even past that was so young that he didn't understand the intricasies of the situation and through all of this he had little effect and was sent away. Later the Lucernians would send representatives under Oberyn Martell, and Jack Shephard of whom would offer relative auntonamy and simply wanted Seagard to protect their sealanes, and didn't want any kind of offensive ground force unless the situation with Mordor came to fruition.
“Euron may have been a madman, but he had an intelligence that was beyond ninety nine percent of everyone else, and that makes him doubly dangerous to everyone.”
— William Lovie III.
The forces of the Iron Islands would launch a very large force of some one hundred longships against the Kingdom of Seagard without any warning, and led by Asha Greyjoy (of whom was trying to save the life of Maron Greyjoy who had been taken prisoner) and Harras Harlaw alongside many other vassals of House Harlaw they would launch up the Yellowsprite river during the night and landed to the north of Seagard with most of their ships. Of these ships Harras Harlaw would lead some twenty ships and about a thousand further north where they would land and move inland towards the Seatower which was a gigantic Tower that gaurded the northern approach into the area of Seagard. If they took Seatower they would block the escape of the queen from Seagard and on top of that could force defenders away from Seatower itself. Harras would attack during the night and unprepared for the asssault the tower was taken relatively simply with top level closing a gatehouse which Harras forced them to open by executing a defender of the Seatower every two minutes until the door was opened.
“It seemed to simple that they would raid the Seatower for no reason. I should have trusted my instinct and scoured the seas for more of them before I sent men there. Too late now...”
— Queen Florance Seagard
With the capture of Seatower Queen Florance Seagard would order nearly half the defenders of Seagard to move towards Seatower to defend the tower, and for ships from Seagard to scower the Yellowsprite river for the Ironborn. When night came no word had returned of either force, and as Seagard went to sleep the sounds of fighting filled the streets as the Ironborn fleet landed inside the port. The Queen was rushed by her gaurds to try and get her out of the city, but as they made there way out of the western gate they ran into the destroyed elements of the relief army they had sent out who said that the Ironborn that had taken Seatower had ambushed them and destroyed most of the force. Returning into Seagard she would hide herself in the Keep of Seagard to little avail as the city fell to the Ironborn, and Asha Greyjoy took her personal surrender.
Kidnapping of the Nobles
Asha Greyjoy attacked Seagard not out of desire for power, but to save Maron Greyjoy of whom Euron was holding prisoner to secure her loyalty.
“We had to work quickly before the fall of Seagard was common knowledge.”
— Asha Greyjoy
With Seagard fallen, and the queen under their control alongside many of the nobles Asha Greyjoy would take control of the city, and her first command was that Florance Seagard sent letters to all of her vassals asking for them to send a son to Seagard for a royal tournament where all those participating would be provided with knighthood or if this was unsatisfactory then a royal purse. As Queen Florance Seagard was beloved by the people of Seagard most of the nobles would think nothing of this, and those that did would be vastly outweighed by those that didn't. Ravens returned to Seagard stating acceptance from nearly half the houses while as the days trickled on they got acceptance from some seventy percent of the noble families in Seagard. As these nobles sent their sons, and many times their heirs to Seagard the Seatower was rebuilt of damage by Harras Harlaw and as the nobles passed it on the road to Seagard the Seatower alerted hidden Ironborn troops who would then capture the nobles. Over many weeks nearly dozens of heirs and sons were taken prisoner, but Harlan Wynch would defeat the assembled Ironborn and escape going north up the road where he warned the remaining nobles of the trap and thus halted the attempt.
Asha had Harras Harlaw controlling the entrance to Seagard while she forced to Florance Seagard to make deals over the control of Seagard.
“Immediatly after hearing of this betrayal the vassals of Seagard arrived at the Seatower, but were blackmailed by the holding of so many of their children into not using their overwhelming forces against the Ironborn.”
— Harlan Wynch
With the capture of their sons now known due to Harlan Wynch the vast forces of Seagard moved against the capital with all speed meeting together on the outskirts of Seatower. As they prepared to march forward they were approached by a party of Ironborn of whom warned them that the Queen alongside fifty seven sons of the nobles were now prisoners of theirs in Seagard. Blackmailed into relenting the army of Seagard would be commanded by Florance to stand down and return to their lands while this was settled, and while most did fearing the death of their son or the queen there were many who had no sons, or who were too angry of whom didn't and for these forces they remained camped at the opening of the Seatower cliffs despite commands to stand down.
