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What is dead may never die (Chapter 95)
🕑 Added 2023-11-07 16:43:33 +0000 UTCWar it is
Theon POV
Impatience was the word I was looking to describe the mood of everyone in the small council meeting room. Aside from Strong Belwas, who was satisfied eating, as Ser Barristan, who was guarding the Queen, the rest bore ugly faces before me. We were called at the moment I was deemed in acceptable condition from the poisoning.
They weren’t feeling bad for me, though. They were mad that another assassin got close to the Queen, and just imagining that it wasn’t me who they were after, but Daenerys, made them angry. Well, Oberyn was a prideful man, and this failure would be a significant mark in his life. Ser Jorah was the most concerned about Danaerys out of all of them.
The rest were mad at themselves, too. Grey Worm took it personally as failing to stop an assassin from entering the Great Pyramid. At least not everything was lost, and Oberyn managed to get information about that woman. Knowing that she wasn’t only targeting me but the Green Grace, too, we knew it wasn’t the work of the Great Masters.
Considering that Qarth didn’t have anything against me yet, they weren’t the likely assailants. That only left Yunkai and Volantis. Oberyn managed to trick the assassin into admitting they wouldn’t betray each other, which meant that Volantis and Yunkai probably worked together. That was all we needed to conclude that something must be done.
I couldn’t stop smiling at that. Not only did the assassin give the push the Queen needed to embrace her role in Essos fully, but I could also find a way to sleep or get something close to sleep. Maybe it was my imagination, but now I feel lighter and have more energy than ever. I don’t remember when I felt so relaxed. I smiled even more when Dany came into the room.
“War?” I asked, not waiting for pleasantries or any of that shit.
“War it is,” Daenerys voice was grim and resolute as she answered.
“We know that Yunkai has been gathering soldiers,” Ser Barristan said. “But we don’t know how many. The numbers could have already surpassed tens of thousands.”
“Half of them will be slave soldiers, other half sellswords,” Oberyn commented.
“Either way, apart from my Unsullied and Theon’s Ironborn, our armies are made of freedmen,” Daenerys said. “I know how unfit they are against proper men trained in the art of war.”
“We simply don’t have enough men,” Jorah said grimly. “If we dedicate all our resources to Yunkai, Volantis might take notice of it and strike at us.”
“Hahaha,” I couldn’t help but laugh at their worries. “You no need to worry about such silly things. For I will take care of everything by myself.”
“You?” Oberyn looked at me like I said something offensive. “You only have one and a half thousand men. What can you even do with them?”
“Everything I need to do,” I replied, not backing off. “Give your order, your Grace, and Yunkai shall burn.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jorah yelled out in anger. “This isn’t a joke. Even though we know of your feats, this is a different matter altogether. We should await for your sister and the rest of the Ironborn first. By your words, they should get here at any day.”
“A joke?” My smile was gone instantly. “I might make jokes lightly as I wish, but trust me when I say this. If I want to burn a city, I don’t need an army. I only need a city to burn.”
“Then I give you what you want, Theon Greyjoy,” Daenerys said before anyone could comment. “I want Yunkai on their knees.”
“It shall be done.”
It was as simple as that. Even though everyone else had something to say about it, it didn’t matter because Dany fully trusted me. And her trust would not be proven wrong. I have a great idea of how to bring those greedy, prideful, and foolish to no end, Wise Masters. They won’t even realize what struck them before it is too late.
…
Even though I wanted to leave almost immediately, for my plan to work, I needed thorough preparation. First, I needed to gather my Greycloaks. They were mainly left to do as they wished, as I spent most of the time with Thoros and Anguy anyway. And Bronn was easy to find, even though he was reluctant to pause this mission.
“What are we doing here again?” Bronn asked as we entered the biggest carpenter shop.
“I told you before, we need people to build something for us,” I replied, looking around for some capable hands.
After gathering a group of experienced and capable carpenters, I quickly instructed them to build me something capable of toppling a city like Yunkai. At first, they didn’t understand or didn’t want to work with me, but they had no choice as it was the order of the Queen. And when I made sure that they would get paid for work well done or they would be paid the Iron Price, they quickly went to work.
“It would help if you told us what you are planning,” Thoros said.
“But that would ruin the surprise,” I replied.
“Alright then,” But he wasn’t insistent. “So what now?”
“Now we gather even more gifts,” I replied.
Soon, my ships were filled with precious jewels and the most expensive wine in Meereen. My men didn’t seem to understand what I was thinking, but they didn’t care as they prepared for departure. Now, I only needed to wait for carpenters to finish their work, and then we could sail. I couldn’t wait to see the faces of the Wise Masters once they looked up at my blade.
…
You can call the Ironborn many things, but no one can’t deny their craftsmanship when it comes to ships. From one battle to another, they carried us, from one sea to another, and they still stand firm. Not only were they durable, but with both sails and rows, they could sail in the seas and the rivers. Especially my ship, I wouldn’t be surprised that the only way to sink it would be if it were done by one of my men.
I couldn’t see any other scenario where this ship sank otherwise. And once the rest of the Ironborn fleet joins me, we will be unstoppable. We only needed to get rid of a few pesky bastards before the seas of this world belonged to the Ironborn. Once we take complete control and authority in the Slaver’s Bay, only the little pirates at Stepstones would hinder us.
“You sure you won’t need any support?” Daenerys asked as she came to the Harbor to oversee the preparations for my departure. “I don’t want to sound doubtful, but I don’t see how the giant statue of a Dragon, gold, precious gems, and wine will win me the city of Yunkai. Are you going to buy it?”
“Don’t worry, Dany,” I smiled as confident as ever. “Why would I buy anything when I can just take it? No, I will only let Yunkai borrow those things before taking them back with interest.”
“Then I will await good news,” Daenerys was still skeptical, but she was willing to trust me.
And I wasn’t willing to disappoint her, so I ensured everything went according to my plan. The Wise Masters thought themselves clever, using underhanded tactics, but they made a mistake in choosing me as their enemy. They haven’t heard of how underhanded I can be. But soon they will know, and soon they will regret it.
Of course, I wasn’t just overconfident, but if my plan worked as planned, the war Yunkai had prepared so much for wouldn’t even come to fruition. And then, with the sellswords in employment with Yunkai, they will come flocking to us smelling the gold. Then, when we go after Volantis, we will have more than enough resources to take on them.
“Everything seems to be going well.” Oberyn came in soon after to see me. “The ships look in good condition and ready to sail at any moment.”
“Have you come to question my plan, too?”
“No,” Oberyn shook his head. “I don’t believe you would do anything without making a plan, whatever it is. And it doesn’t matter if you fail. It will allow me to present Daenerys that Dorne is better suited to be her ally.”
“Unbowed, unbent, unbroken,” I recited house Martell words. “But also unchanged.”
“What does that should mean?” Prince Oberyn asked, and I could tell he would draw his spear if he weren’t satisfied with the answer.
“It means you are too stubborn and too proud of yourselves,” I replied. “You think your family belongs on the Iron Throne because that is how it should have been. You can’t let it go. The idea that you have lost, that house Martell has lost, is just too much for you to accept. You still want the Iron Throne, and you still want to take revenge for what was done to your family, but you aren’t willing to risk anything for it. At least your brother isn’t willing.”
“You think you have figured us out?” Oberyn asked, forcing a smile.
“There's nothing to figure out,” I replied, trying to force myself not to smirk. “You like everyone else. You want everything but aren’t willing to lose anything.”
“We lost enough!” Oberyn was trying his best to keep his cool.
“If you haven’t won yet, you still haven’t lost enough,” I replied. “You could have taken advantage of the war and pushed yourselves to the Iron Throne. Or you could have sent your fleet to Daenerys and supported her rather than waiting for me and only having a few hundred men to help her. Half measures only give you half the results, Oberyn. That's why when I sit on the Iron Throne beside Daenerys Targaryen, I don’t want you to blame me because you only have yourself to blame for losing.”
“I hope for good winds,” Oberyn said as he turned away. “May they bring you to hell.”
“Even if they did, I would still find my way out.”
After Yunkai, I have no reason to keep my relationship with Daenerys a secret. And even though Oberyn had more than suspected of us, he still clung to hope that he had a chance. But it is time to put the house Martell in their place, too. They are already too involved with us to deny their support. And they should know that only Daenerys and I will be their allies.
No matter how much they plan and scheming, as long as they don’t have any allies, they won’t achieve their revenge. It was their fault for being too cautious and not betting everything they had for their goals. So, they better not try anything foolish now and ruin my plans. Otherwise, I will not stop until they have lost everything.
…
“You know the plan,” I said as my captains listened. “Once we deliver our gifts to them, you will sail away. Do not try anything, and sail until the Yunkai is only a speck on the horizon. The rest of you know what you need to do?”
Seeing my men nod, I glance at my Greycloaks and the ten hand-picked men coming with me. Just as I expected, the moment they saw our ships, they closed all their gates and gathered their men to the walls. The previously crumbling walls were now replaced and supported. It seemed like they had expected us. So, unlike previous times when they bared their men outside the walls, they were now inside.
They probably knew that we would find out about their preparation and would come to face them once again. But they didn’t expect countless carts filled with gold and other expensive gifts waiting at their main gate. And the giant dragon statue made of wood at the end of the row of the carts. It was before them to take as a peace offer. They only needed to open the gates to take it.
