The Grey Joy
Early in Robert's Rebellion
Late in coming to the dining hall, Harlon could hear the sound of his half-brothers arguing with their father before he had even seen any of them. News must have arrived about the state of the war, then. Bracing himself for the shouting match, Harlon pushed on a pair of heavy wooden doors, letting the unrestrained noise wash over him as a bracing tide. "What news of the war, then?"
His father grimaced, but Urrigon and Aeron were quickly trying to talk over one another. Both stopped when they realized the other was talking, and Aeron was quicker to resume his words. "The Redwyne fleet has launched for the east!"
"Along with the Reachmen marching on land," Balon picked up where their younger brothers had left off, "I think they're going to lay siege to Storm's End."
"Enough to show loyalty to the dragons, but not enough to actually do anything to stop BAratheon and his allies." Harlon nodded thoughtfully, considering the implications for the Iron Islands. The Reach would be vulnerable in a way it hadn't been in decades. It still left the Westerlands unaccounted for, though, which would be why the Lord Reaper of Pyke was still arguing. Harlon turned his focus to the man in question as he made his way to his seat at the table. "No Lannister action?"
"Not yet, which is why we can't act yet!" Quellon Greyjoy hammered a fist on the table, causing the opposite end to lift slightly before crashing back down. Impressive, given the length of it. Their father must be truly cross. "Harlon, talk some sense into your brothers. It's clear they'll not hear it from me."
Harlon looked over his brothers. Urrigon and Aeron were too young to fight themselves; they just wanted glory and riches for the Iron Islands. Victarion was similar, save that he was old enough to taste that glory personally. Balon, though, was committed to bringing back the Old Way any way he knew how. Any argument would need to be with him, so Harlon looked at him directly. "If we launch as soon as possible, Lannister will deploy his fleet to strike us from behind, or strike our homes while the Iron Fleet is away. Which side he takes in the war isn't relevant; that we're still paying a 'bride price' for the salt wives taken from Fair Isle shows he still holds a grudge."
Balon frowned, but it was a thoughtful one. Even before the war had broken out, the two of them had tried to convince their father to stop making payments to the Lannisters out of the tax on salt wives. Harlon used the silence to get in a mouthful of bacon, but had barely begun chewing when Urrigon interjected. "We can't just do nothing!"
Harlon nodded in agreement, but pointed at his mouthful of food while looking at his father expectantly. Sighing, the elder Greyjoy took up the argument for him. "We aren't going to do nothing, we're just not doing anything yet. We need to see some sign of action from the Lions before we can act."
"We can't just wait, father!" Balon rose from his seat, the scrapping of wood against stone drawing all eyes in the room. Harlon's wife and stepmother had even ceased their quietly snipping at one another to look toward Balon in surprise. Harlon reached for his drink in order to wash down the bacon, hoping to get a word in before Balon said something stupid. Their father was already rising as well. "The opportunity to strike at the Reach is too valuable to ignore!"
"If I say we wait, we wait!" Harlon's eyes drifted to Urrigon and Aeron at that, as he wiped away the drink that had slipped through the scaling of his lower lip. Their father hadn't used that tone since Euron was sent to the Wall. "I will not let the Iron Islands fall to ruin by misrule!"
"Father. Balon." Harlon looked at the two of them expectantly, but waited until they were both looking his way to speak. He needed to get their focus off each other before someone threw a punch, or had a heart attack. "Would you agree that, if we could launch with confidence that the Lannisters wouldn't retaliate, we would?"
Balon nodded immediately, seating himself back down as he did, and after a moment their father nodded as well. "Aye, but no such assurances have been made."
"So, we tell Lord Tywin we're mustering to attack the Reach, and that if he has objections, his written word will be enough to get us to withhold action against the Reach. If he gives us support or silence, we force the Tyrells to withdraw their siege on Storm's End, and take in a bounty in the process. If not..." Harlon grinned, holding up a piece of bacon that he'd punctuate his words by biting into. "We take Hoare's way into the Riverlands."
Predictably, the table exploded into various voices at that, all from his brothers. His father, though, was looking at Harlon with a judging gaze. As Aeron received a refresher on the relevant history, Harlon shifted to face his father fully, swallowing his bacon before speaking. "We can't send all our ships across the land route to the Blue Fork, so we'd still have forces to defend against the Lannisters, and going through Ironman's Bay means they can't hit those we do send from behind. It wouldn't provide the riches that the Reach would, but key support for a rebel victory would see the Iron Islands prosper despite whatever lingering grudge Lord Tywin might hold."
"If he objects, the deception might rekindle his grudge."
Harlon smirked, nodding. "If he objects, he'd be on the losing side of the war. Three Kingdoms are already rising against the dragons, the Riverlands are sure to follow, and the Reach will do the least they can because the Tyrells know they won't hold their seat if they commit to the losing side."
Lord Quellon nodded, then sat back down and looked toward the Piper cow he called a wife. "You know the nobles of the Riverlands better than I, dear. How might Lord Mallister react to Harlon's plan?"
The woman made a show of looking upward in thought, humming in consideration to drive home that her input was going to impact the decision. The woman had never liked Harlon, not after he'd taken the rock wife that he had. "Under most circumstances, I'd say he'd act against the Iron Fleet out of spite. If I recall correctly, though, one of the Mallister boys was in Brandon Stark's party that was arrested in King's Landing."
Harlon nodded, remembering Brandon's retinue from the Tourney at Harrenhal. He'd only attended for the melee, and because his father had insisted upon the Iron Islands being represented. "Jeffory Mallister, the heir to Seagard."
The woman's smile faltered slightly at that, which in turn caused Harlon's Mara to smirk. The greenlander pretended not to notice, though. "I could see him putting aside old grudges, if it might save his heir. If we sent word ahead declaring support for Robert, and promising to do what we could to free Ser Jeffory-"
Harlon's father waved a hand dismissively, cutting off further talk from the woman. Lord Quellon had married the woman to make his efforts to appease the Lannisters less obvious for what they were, and more like the reforms he pretended that they were. The woman let her position get to her head, though. Harlon wondered, in his quieter moments with Mara, whether she might go as far as kinslaying to see Robin inherit ahead of him. Harlon had too many brothers to make it something that could realistically succeed, but the woman didn't hide her hate for Mara's origins as a bastard.
"There's risk of retaliation if Lord Tywin is silent, but it's not the blind leap I've heard so much support for before today. Let's finish breaking our fast, for now. Word will go out for the Iron Fleet to gather at Pyke before the day is done."