(Cregan’s POV)

For what felt like the hundredth time, I found myself standing on the quarterdeck of the Windchaser watching Sunspear slide away into the horizon. Yet, this was, perhaps, the first time I’d sailed away where my thoughts weren’t on my destination, or plans for major future events. Instead, as they had for much of the last week as the final preparations were made for our departure, they were on Asha and the child that she carried. My child.

Knowing that I was to have children altered much of my thoughts. Not just for what might come after the Others, but on what sort of legacy I wished to leave on this world; both in general for those around me, and my bloodline.

Asha and I had no intention to marry, so in theory, the child she bore wouldn’t be entitled to inherit whatever lands I controlled. Or at least they wouldn’t if I held lands in Westeros or even parts of Essos. Instead, my holdings, as meagre as they were, resided in the Stepstones, and with the thought of having to provide safety for my children – I knew this wouldn’t be my only child – my thoughts regarding the island chain had shifted.

While I still doubted I could take, hold, and develop the entire chain, I was more focused on doing it, and if not, then holding enough that I, and my family, would be safe and secure from most threats. At least the sort of threats that would concern any lord. The greater threats, or at least the ones I knew of, were already being planned for, even if, to many my actions in the Stepstones would be hard to link to challenges that lay at The Wall, in King’s Landing, or – provided events there played out as they had in other timelines – Slaver’s Bay, everything had been feeding into preparing for them. Now though, I wasn’t just looking beyond them, but to anything else that might challenge me or my family, with Volantis and the other slavery-supporting Free Cities being the obvious concerns.

I didn’t know how events would play out over the next five years, never mind ten or twenty years down the road, but now I had a true reason to want to make and protect my holding. One far beyond the intent of using the Stepstones to battle-harden myself and my allies for what was to come.

My gaze drifted over the three ships sailing behind the Windchaser. The Ilaerah’s Luck and Pride of Saltbrook were joined by a hired cog. Nearly a hundred more sellswords had joined, along with fifty more lowborn willing to move to Dustspear and help develop the settlement. Included in that number was Phineas Irryl, who I’d freed from slavery on the island. He and a handful of other former slaves were willing to return and make a new life where their old ones had ended. If things went well, then I planned to name Phineas mayor of Northpoint.

I’d need my best men with me in Redwater, but couldn’t leave someone I didn’t know in charge of my island, and Phineas returning was a welcome surprise. And one that, with time, might help open trade with Essos as he had some contacts there. At least before being captured and enslaved.

Of the new sellswords, none had yet stood out, but I was sure by the time we were ready to sail for Redwater, Me, Daemon, Bronn, and the others would know what we had, and how to use them. to help with that, my cogs carried with them several hundred maces, axes, clubs, and the like. While only about fifty were new, the rest were still usable. Those had come from the armouries of Sunspear and the Shadow City thanks to an idea from Oberyn. The downside was that I had to pay for a replacement for every weapon, or ammo as I’d also raided the armouries for arrows, which had cost a fair amount of coin.

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Still, it meant that most of my men would have a weapon designed for the kind of close-in fighting that we’d see, if not a spare if they already had such a weapon. I had seen my axe sharpened and the leather on the shaft replaced. A second axe was in my cabin, having been gifted to me by Doran for my nameday. One I’d promised to use to further remove threats to Dorne and Westeros in my campaigns.

Turning to the bow, I saw Daemon on the deck, four boys around him. Edric Dayne and Trystane Martell were now officially my squires, but I wasn’t the only one to have help. Young Jekar Blackwood had become Daemon’s squire, which explained why the boy had been so desperate to see Daemon when we’d arrived in Sunspear.

I wondered if perhaps a deal had been cut between Daemon and Staur Blackwood, but it wasn’t my concern. Stuar was a good man, and loyal to the Martells. Having his son squire for the sworn shield of Ari was an honourable position for the boy. Others, from older and more important houses, might have an issue with a bastard training their son, but Stuar was the second son of a minor lord, and far more practical than most other trueborn.

The fourth boy was, even to Daemon, a surprise. Morsh was a street urchin whom Daemon had encountered during a trip to the Shadow City. From the story Daemon had told me and Bronn, the boy had been found fighting with three boys close to my age. He was getting beaten to a pulp when Daemon arrived, but he wouldn’t stay down.

After collecting the foursome and taking them to the guards, Daemon had learnt that the older boys had tried to attack Morsh’s sister. Given their age, I didn’t need to hear more, nor did I complain when Daemon had the trio banished from the city, took Morsh as his page, and found his sister a place working for Wylla Manderly. Something I suspected Alysanne had helped to arrange.

Morsh lacked skill, but there was a fire in him that caught Daemon’s eye. The boy had impressed me and Bronn as well, though he wouldn’t be sailing with us to Redwater. At my instruction, Bronn had tried to scare the boy of the horrors of war, and while his words had affected the three highborn boys, Morsh hadn’t been put. Hells, he’d said he’d seen worse in the Shadow City and promised to show Bronn those places when we next returned.

Bronn was aboard the Ilaerah’s Luck to watch over the majority of the new sellswords, which was a relief. While I was used to his teasing, his remarks about bedding and impregnating a Kraken had irked me. He'd realised that, and kept it up, even suggesting I wanted to make sure I left such gifts with my other ladies. While I’d not had that intent, I had spent my last few nights in Sunspear enjoying the company of Ari, Nym, and Asha with the Ironborn girl still wanting to be intimate even with a child growing in her belly.

A high-pitched whistle drew my sight upward, and I saw a bird flying high above. I knew that was Rian, coming to see me off. As much as I wanted him to join me, I wasn’t going to force him to come, not when his progeny wasn’t yet able to hunt and feed themselves. Perhaps Rian would fly to Dustspear once Talon left the nest, but I doubted he’d reach me before I sailed for Redwater. To that end, I’d used Skinchanging to dominate the minds of a dozen seagulls while in Sunspear. All of those birds were now caged, ready to be used as scouts over Redwater, though once I’d hatched the plan to use the gulls, I realised I’d have likely done this anyway. While using Rian was ideal, as I could trust his instincts to guide me, I didn’t want him flying low, risking being shot by a hungry pirate with a bow.

There were some birds in Dustspear, and I’d move to dominate their minds and capture them as I’d need as many disposable recon units as possible for taking Redwater. Three Pirate Lords controlled the island, and while each was, in theory, weaker than the Grim Prince with fewer men and ships, there were three of them on the island, and they were almost constantly skirmishing with each other. Therefore, the men on the island would be better fighters, and unlikely to surrender if overwhelmed and given the chance.

Which was why, when the option came, if in doubt of their loyalties, or couldn’t afford the men to guard prisoners, I likely would have them executed.

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