Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 383 Alicia – The Queen's Decision

On the sea surface of Lotus Harbor, despair gave rise to a final madness.

The docks were packed with people trying to escape by boarding ships. Nobles, wealthy merchants, and even some soldiers who had abandoned their armor were all scrambling for anything that could float. A few ships that managed to untie their mooring lines, like startled waterbirds, desperately sailed out of the harbor, leaving the burning city behind.

But they didn't know that they were not escaping a better life, but a deeper nightmare.

Beneath the surface of the sea, three enormous shadows are carrying out their master's orders with absolute will.

The first to meet its doom was a lavishly decorated swan merchant ship. It had barely sailed a hundred meters out of the harbor when the seawater on its right side suddenly surged upwards, and a jagged, knife-like dorsal fin ripped through the water—it was King Baron's "Steelscale Saw Shark," Scale Blade! It didn't even need to ram; it simply scraped against the hull with its bony spines, tearing the sturdy wooden hull as easily as paper.

The merchant ship made a sickening sound as it broke apart, instantly splitting in two and quickly swallowed by murky foam and desperate cries.

Another longship, laden with garrison troops, attempted to flank them. Before the sailors could even feel relieved, the sea ahead suddenly turned pitch black, as if a moving island had risen from the water. The manatee "MooMoo," with its mountain-like head, emerged from the water. It didn't even assume an attack posture; it simply lazily opened its enormous mouth, which seemed capable of swallowing reefs. An irresistible suction force instantly seized the longship, and the entire vessel, along with its screaming passengers, was swallowed without a trace into the bottomless darkness, without even a ripple.

Freud's "Shadow Sailfish," the Shadow, did not have the enormous size of its two companions, but it brought death with ghostly speed.

A nimble multi-oared speedboat, using its speed to outpace the other vessels, had barely begun to show a glimmer of hope when it felt the boat shudder violently, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall. The next moment, a long, slender, battering ram-like bone blade, gleaming with a chilling light, appeared as if piercing through the water's surface, precisely piercing the boat's hull before being violently flung into the air! The speedboat was lifted into the air like a toy, disintegrating in mid-air, scattering into countless fragments and falling figures.

A cry for help? A shout?

Meaningless.

Any attempt to make a sound, whether a desperate cry or a horn for help, would only attract the attention of the underwater "hunters" briefly, like a pebble thrown into still water, thus hastening their destruction. They became the most insignificant dessert in the seas ruled by these three sea monsters.

There were no warnings, no mercy, only utter and silent annihilation.

The three sea king-like behemoths, like three insurmountable living barriers, carried out Euron Greyjoy's orders in the most brutal way:

No ships from the non-Iron Islands are allowed to pass through here.

The riots in the port gradually subsided, not because order was restored, but because all the survivors despairingly realized that the sea route was an absolute dead end.

Alicia, the warrior queen of the Isle of Women, stood on the edge of the cliff, the sea breeze tugging at her scarlet cloak.

Alicia's fingers unconsciously tightened around the golden spear of her heritage. She had heard too many legends about the Sea Kings—rulers of the deep sea, moving natural disasters, possessing the power to overthrow kingdoms and tear apart fleets.

Those stories have been passed down through generations, etched into the very marrow of everyone who makes a living at sea. But all along, they have remained just stories; no one has ever actually seen them, or perhaps those who have seen them are no longer able to speak of them.

Until Euron appeared, the man known as the Lord of the Sea Beasts, he once again brought those legendary sea monsters to the world's attention.

Alicia had heard of Euron's exploits against the Sea Kings on the Steps Islands, and she thought she was mentally prepared to face them. As a warrior queen known for her bravery, she had even mentally simulated the confrontation with them countless times.

But when the legend truly manifested as this colossal, sky-covering behemoth before my eyes, an instinctive tremor still surged uncontrollably from the depths of my heart, instantly washing over my entire body.

It goes beyond being simply described as "big." It's a sense of presence that transcends visual scale and directly crushes perception.

The mere eddy created by its emergence from the water caused the previously calm sea to boil over completely, with white foam churning endlessly like the wails of a dying man. The deep, ancient roar did not travel through the air, but rather vibrated directly against the rocks beneath one's feet, penetrating the soles of boots and ruthlessly seeping into the very bones.

Alicia felt as if her heart was being gripped by an invisible giant hand, each beat incredibly difficult. A barely perceptible pallor crept onto her healthy, wheat-colored face, which had been blessed by the sea breeze and sunshine for years.

She took a deep breath of the salty, pungent air, forcing herself to straighten her spine. Her gaze was fixed on the terrifying head that had broken through the waves, a head as large as a mountain, with eyes larger than the dome of a palace, cold and golden, the vertical pupils seemingly connecting to a bottomless abyss, indifferently reflecting her, like an ant on the island.

"So this is what a Sea King is—" she murmured almost silently, her voice drowned out by the sound of the waves and the primordial breath.

All my previous understanding was completely overturned at this moment. The records in books and the embellished stories of the old sailors seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the roar of this living, breathing entity exuding an aura of destruction.

She was not only a queen, but also a warrior who protected this land and its people. Even with her fingertips icy cold, her grip on the spear never loosened.

A salty sea breeze swept over the cliff, ruffling Alicia's hair.

A warm hand gently took her arm. Alicia turned her head and saw Nymeria Shad smiling at her, her bright eyes filled with a kind of teasing and understanding.

"Were you scared?" Nymeria's voice was gentle, drowning out the echo of the waves. "It's alright, Alicia. When I first saw these huge things rise from the seabed, I was so scared I almost sat down."

Nymeria paused, her gaze also turning to the once-turbulent sea, as if recalling the shock of the past: "But rest assured, they possess intelligence no less than ours, perhaps even far surpassing it, and will never harm friendly forces." Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of mysterious allure: "And if you have their master's permission, you can even ride on their backs, cutting through the waves and galloping across the ocean on those scales that are wider than a castle. It feels as if you have become a part of the ocean."

Asha Greyjoy, arms crossed, nodded emphatically, her face radiating an innate pride, a glory deeply ingrained in her blood. "Nameria is right. But they don't like outsiders," her voice clear and resonant, like waves crashing against the rocks of the Iron Islands, "My father solemnly warned us that without the ancient covenant of the 'Grey Sea King' inscribed upon these creatures, their proud nature will never allow outsiders to easily infringe upon it."

She took a step forward, the sea breeze ruffling her short brown hair, her voice growing increasingly spirited: "They are the guardian beasts of House Greyjoy! The moving wall of the Iron Islands! Only those of us with Greyjoy blood can truly communicate with them and gain their recognition and following."

Alicia took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering excitement in her heart. Her sharp gaze shifted to Asha, and she asked a direct question: "You're also a Greyjoy, so what is your Sea King guardian beast?"

The pride that was almost overflowing on Asha's face froze, then turned into an obvious embarrassment. She turned her face away somewhat awkwardly, and her voice lowered a few decibels: "I—I am not yet an adult. According to family tradition, we must wait until after the coming-of-age ceremony before Uncle Eulen will allocate the right to ride giant beasts to us at the clan meeting, based on our performance and potential." There was a hint of imperceptible eagerness and longing in her words.

"I see." Alicia said thoughtfully, then asked, "But I heard that Lord Euron's wife also possesses a sea king?"

“Yes, Mrs. Ashara,” Asha replied immediately, seemingly happy to change the subject. “It was a very cute sea cat named Marina, an engagement gift from Uncle Euron. She was adorable, and her meow was as beautiful as singing.”

"So, can Lady Ashara control her Sea Kings like you Greyjoys?" Alicia pressed, curious about the boundaries involved.

Asha thought carefully, organizing her thoughts: "It can't be called control. Lady Ashara can't communicate with Marina on a deeper level, like we Greyjoys can, through blood ties and will, to issue complex commands. But Marina herself is extremely gentle and understanding, and she genuinely loves Lady Ashara, willing to be like the most loyal pet, always by her side, protecting her safety."

The vastness and mystery of this world far exceeded her previous imagination.

After listening, Alicia turned her gaze back to the deep ocean that had swallowed the colossal creature, her heart churning with not only fear but also a complex mix of emotions.

Before the shock of the colossal beast had subsided, deeper and heavier memories, like a ghost breaking free of its shackles, swept towards Alicia with a howling force.

Alicia no longer saw Greyjoy's proud face; instead, it blurred and was replaced by a darker image—

The cold, heavy shackles, the foul, stench of the slave ship, the desperate looks in the eyes of her people as they were forcibly dragged away—every image was like a poisoned dagger, repeatedly scraping at her heart.

She recalled the sensation of her spear piercing a pirate's chest time and again—warm and sticky. She remembered her bravest warriors, how they roared and fell amidst enemy attacks to protect their homeland, their blood staining the golden sands of Women's Island.

Those faces that have passed away, once so vibrant, now live only in the wind and in her endless dreams.

If—if I also possessed a sea king like that—

This thought was like a lightning bolt striking in the darkness, instantly illuminating all the suffering and struggles in her mind.

Then, those damned slave ships would be torn to shreds by sea monsters before they even reached the waters of Women's Island, and her people would never have to endure that nightmare again. Then, any pirates who dared to raid these waters would flee at the mere sight of them, their fear replacing their greed. Then, her cherished warriors would no longer have to fight against sharp swords with their own flesh and blood, and could live to see the next sunrise.

Everything will be different.

Her homeland and her people will receive unprecedented protection and dignity.

An unprecedented force, a mixture of ambition and determination, was growing wildly within her.

Alicia slowly raised her head, her gaze sharpening like a hawk's once more, passing over Asha as if piercing through time and space, and landing on a certain figure.

I am not Greyjoy, I cannot gain that bloodline approval.

But my daughter can!

The thought emerged clearly and firmly in her mind, like a lighthouse finally finding its way in a storm. A path to strength and peace suddenly appeared before her eyes.