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What is dead may never die (Chapter 92)
🕑 Added 2023-10-16 12:57:50 +0000 UTCYou're Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead
Theon POV
I looked as my Valyrian Steel dagger spun on top of a smooth table. Rocky filled his cheeks with grapes, sitting on my shoulder. I kept my focus as I returned to watching the dagger spin, but once it stopped, I looked at myself from within the birdcage. Finally, after so long, I could warg into this stupid seagull.
It would help me tremendously in the future, but for now, I returned to my own body. The bird looked around his birdcage, all confused, and started to scream again. Without all my work connecting to it, I would have thrown him with the birdcage through the window. I could only hope it would be as helpful to warrant all the work.
“Theon,” Anguy entered my room in a hurry. “The Queen wishes to see you.”
“Lead the way,” I took the dagger from the table and was ready to stand up.
“There is no need for you to go anywhere, King Theon,” Daenerys entered the room. “You were missed in the courtroom.”
“I am sure I wasn’t needed,” I replied, motioning for Anguy to leave us alone.
“Yes, as I have to clean up the mess left behind you,” Daenerys said. “There are no two Great Masters who would agree with each other anymore. The court has become a shouting contest. Everyone acted like children or worse, animals tearing at each other throats.”
“That's good,” I replied as Rocky ran over to the table into the bowl with the grapes. “It means our plan worked splendidly.”
“Too splendidly,” Daenerys had a frown. “I can’t have them so unfocused and uncooperative.”
“Hmm?” Now I had full attention on Daenerys. “What would you wish to do, Your Grace?”
“Yunkai,” Daenerys said. “I want you to paint the city as the worst thing in human history. I want a pretext to force all the Great Masters and Meereen on them.”
“Rumors will spread about how they take children from their parents and force them into pleasure houses, girls and boys alike. How the prettier ones are forced to breed with the Wise Masters, it wouldn’t be a lie,” I replied. “But if you ask me, Dany, you should stop looking for a reason. You should take what is before you. You have the means to do it; trust me, nobody gives a shit about a reason.”
I knew that some might try to paint Daenerys in darker colors if she did so, but in the end, it wouldn’t matter much. We were already in war. It felt more like Dany was looking for a reason not to fight. In the way, she probably was. I don’t think she likes fighting that much, but she should know that Yunkai would only be torn to our side if they were left alone.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If I acted like that, I would be no better than a Lannister or any other tyrant,” Dany replied. “I only want to do what I must to support my people.”
“If you say so,” I said. “I will prepare everything, and when Ser Harras Harlaw returns from Braavos, we will make our move.”
“Good,” Dany nodded. “What were you doing all day? I didn’t see you in the court nor anywhere else.”
“I was thinking,” I replied.
“Thinking about what?”
“Nothing.”
“You were thinking about nothing?” Dany asked. “Isn’t that just a fancy way of saying you were doing nothing?”
“I did something,” I turned to the birdcage. “But I also thought about nothing. Doing so helps me focus on what is before me. Not something in the past or future, but now, here.”
“I know what happened to you, but I hope it didn’t mess your head much,” Dany didn’t seem to believe me.
“Oh, it probably did, but who knows?” I replied with a smile. “Maybe I was messed up, to begin with.”
“When do you think your sister will arrive?” Daenerys changed the subject. “Yunkai is amassing men as we speak. The longer we wait, the worse it will be for us.”
“She on the way,” I said. “But if she doesn’t come by the time Ser Harras returns, we will strike Yunkai without her.”
“Do we need Braavos that much?” Daenerys asked. “I don’t see how much of help they could be.”
“We don’t need gold or men,” I answered. “We need recognition. If Braavos recognizes the Dragon’s Bay, the other free cities have no choice but to do the same. And those who don’t recognize us will be a perfect target for us. New Ghis, Volantis, Myr, Tyrosh, and even Pentos. We could create a new empire, Dany.”
“I think your ambitions are running wild,” Dany said. “We already have countless enemies. I have lived a life hunted. I don’t want it anymore. I won’t be surrounded by guards and looking behind my shoulder. I don’t want to eat a meal and think it might be my last.”
“You're nobody till somebody wants you dead, Dany,” I said. “But I understand it would be too much for now, and we still have Westeros to think about. That's why I like to think of nothing. It seems that is the only way for my mind not to go wild with ambition.”
“Why have half of the world when you can have it all,” Dany said. “I understand you better than you think, Theon. But that thought scares me as much as it excites me. I do not want to be lost in power lust and lose the sight before me.”
I smiled. I didn’t know this side of Dany. But living under someone else’s influence for your whole life can make even the meekest people thirst for control. Not everyone wants to be under someone’s feet; the surest way to make it happen is to have the whole world under your feet. But the question is if the price we would have to pay for it is worth it for the world.
…
It was still difficult to control the seagull I named Gully because I couldn’t think about his name for more than ten seconds. Flying was a different beast I had to learn. The first three times I tried, I would permanently lose control as the wind would blow me away, or I would fly too fast. I was lucky I hadn’t killed Gully in my tries, but I came close to it.
So, I was left walking the streets of Meereen on my two feet. Today, I sneaked out with Anguy and Thoros and were going to meet Bronn in one of the numerous taverns of the city. I could have waited for Bronn to return, but I felt that a stroll would distract from the mundane life in the Great Pyramid.
“I see him,” Anguy pointed at Bronn, who had a woman on each of his laps.
Their grey cloaks covered Thoros and Anguy, but I wore a basic tunic and pants with a belt that holstered my sword and dagger. Aside from my decorative silver and gold vambraces, I had no armor that protected my forearms. I don’t think anyone would think I was the infamous Undead King, just a well-off man with two guards following me.
“Sorry, ladies, my friends have arrived, so how about you both go to my room and take a bath and wait for me,” Bronn slapped the women's butts as they stood up and left. “Damn you, why have you come to find me?”
“Oh, did I ruin your fun?” I asked, taking a seat by his table.
“Interrupted it,” Bronn replied. “But you still could have waited for me in the Great Pyramid.”
“Aye, I could have, but I didn’t want to,” I said. “Besides, someone might get suspicious of you if you frequent the Great Pyramid too much. And I don’t think anyone here will recognize me if you don’t tell them.”
“I wouldn’t be sure about that,” Bronn replied. “I heard plenty of armed men talking about how great the reward for your head was. Seventy-five thousand gold dragons could buy you a lot of things.”
“Seventy-five thousand?” Thoros asked. “That's a lot of wine.”
“So, Lannister decided to up the reward,” Anguy said.
“People around here know you are close to the Queen. It only a matter of time when the Lannisters know, if they don’t know it already,” Bronn continued. “The price for your head would only increase. Hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, who knows how much the Lannisters are willing to pay.”
“They will pay nothing,” I stated. “At best, they will accuse the people who killed me as liars. At worst, they will kill them and be done with it.”
“Not many will think so,” Bronn said. “I could tell that many small sellsword companies gladly take the offer. And if the price increases, pirates from the Stepping Stones and sellswords from Disputed Lands would try to have your head.”
“Interesting.”
“Damn it, Theon,” Bronn looked frustrated at me for not caring. “It's only a question of time before a price is put on the people around you, so what so damn interesting about it?”
“Nothing,” I answered.
I was wondering if I could put a price on Tywin’s head. I had the gold, but I don’t think many would trust an Ironborn to keep his word. And I didn’t want to look weak among my men for hiring others to do the dirty job. But there were other ways I could exploit Lannister's bounty on me. I could make my men bring before Tywin to collect the bounty. It was one way to get close to him. But I shouldn’t let my mind wander that far away.
“I have another job for you,” I said. “I need you to pretend to be a well-traveled man. I want you to inform the good people of Meereen how horrible Yunkai has become. Selling little children to be sex slaves and doing other horrible things. Whatever your twisted mind can come up with. I want an outrage. I want the people of Meereen to ask the Queen to take swords against Yunkai. Can you do it, Bronn?”
“A tall order,” Bronn said. “But it should be feasible. I will start with brothels. I will tell girls how good they are compared to Yunkai, and from there, I will go to other establishments. I will try to convince you well-respected friends I made of it so my stories could get credibility.”
“You done well, Bronn,” I was satisfied with the answer. “Gold isn’t an issue, but you still should be careful, as no matter what shit you get into, you don’t want me to save you.”
“Don’t worry, this kind of work is up to alley,” Bronn said. “I can get out of any shit by myself.”
“Good to hear,” I replied. “You done so well that I give you one pass. If you need to run, surrender to one of the Unsullied or my men. I will come to you in the dungeons.”
“Aye, after weeks or months, you decide to remember me,” Bronn said. “I will be fine and get you your information.”
“So confident,” I smiled at Bronn.
“Have I let you down yet?” Bronn asked. “And before you answer, I have another thing to report.”
“Go on,” I motioned him.
“I heard a few merchants talking about how Qarth is pissed at Meereen, especially at particular Great Master, at Galare or something. The word on the street is that Qarth will try to demand blood for blood for Xaro’s death.”
“Oh, that's interesting,” I couldn’t stop grinning.
It would be perfect if Qarth put the Great Masters under tremendous pressure. When they feel most afraid and vulnerable, Dany will come to save them. She will stand to protect them and stand against Qarth for such unfair treatment. The Great Master will have no choice but to stand with Dany then. For if they didn’t, they would be on Qarth's side.
The perfect control when the people you control don’t even realize they are controlled. I will make them puppets to dance to our tune. Meereen and soon the Dragon’s Bay shall be entirely under our feet. And they will be glad to be, for we will provide safety for them. We will be their saviors. Everything was going according to plan.
