A Clash of Kings – My Suckling Babe
“Oh, that part was true enough.” Asha leapt to her feet. “Rolfe, here,” she shouted down at one of the finger dancers, holding up a hand. He saw her, spun, and suddenly an axe came flying from his hand, the blade gleaming as it tumbled end over end through the torchlight. Theon had time for a choked gasp before Asha snatched the axe from the air and slammed it down into the table, splitting his trencher in two and splattering his mantle with drippings. “There’s my lord husband.” His sister reached down inside her gown and drew a dirk from between her breasts. “And here’s my sweet suckling babe.”
A Clash of Kings – Chapter 24 – Theon
I know this is a sketch challenge and not high art but I still think I rushed this picture. This is a shame since I really like this scene where Asha shows off her “husband” and “suckling babe”.
This is not just an excuse to show Asha being badass. It shows just how out of his depth Theon is. After a week of no respect, he still thinks he’s entitled to everything. And he’s so arrogant he can’t see it. He’s so deep in his righteous indignation he can’t even tell Asha’s giving him good advice.
Finally, I ashamed to say I keep letting my illustrator’s pedant hat overthink badass scenes. Yes, drawing a dagger from her cleavage is cool. But Asha’s the captain of a ship in a land with the same climate as either New England or Scandinavia. Why would she want to expose enough of her chest to make a dagger accessible?