What is dead may never die (Chapter 63) (Patreon)

A fire in the blood

Theon POV

The city was dirtier than I thought. On the surface, it was a great city, as big as King’s Landing. Yet it didn’t have the smell of shit anywhere, or maybe my senses were dull, but the dirt on the streets didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the chains, the leases. The absence of freedom bothered me immensely. It made me sick.

Yet it reminded me of what I truly wanted: freedom. I was immersed in being a king and getting revenge on Jalabhar, and I forgot what I wished for the most. It didn’t mean I would abandon everything, but I felt better remembering that something was beyond those things—something to strive for after all the battles were won.

“I am coming with you,” Oberyn ruin my melancholy.

“You are not. Daenerys invited me to talk with her, not you.”

“I am sure she will gladly meet with me,” Oberyn hit the ship’s deck with his spear.

“I will ask her, just for you,” I replied. “No need to thank me.”

“You can’t hold me here,” He pointed his spear at me. “I shouldn’t have trusted you from the beginning.”

“Why shouldn’t you?” I asked, not bothered by the spearhead. “It was you who wanted to find her. It was you who needed me. Not the other way around.”

“Was that your plan all along?” The spearhead got closer to me. “Answer me!”

“No,” I replied, gripping the spearhead with my hand and letting blood flow along the shaft. “But I never really plan anything.”

Before Oberyn could say anything, the spear burst into flames. He yelled out and dropped it from his hands. I caught and swirled it around, pointing the flaming spearhead at Oberyn. The Greycloaks didn’t move an inch, not afraid for their king, yet a few younger ones looked at me, impressed. Oberyn’s daughters and men looked nervous, yet they didn’t move.

“Will you keep your word?” Oberyn asked.

“What words?” I asked back to him. “I promised to help you find Daenerys Targaryen, and I already did my part.”

“So, the proposal for Arianne was a lie?”

“She is a beautiful and wonderful woman?” I answered and threw the burning spear overboard into the water. “Yet I am still young, and dedicating my life to a single woman is too much for me. I am sure you agree with me, and of right now, Daenerys offers me more, and she is pleasant to the eyes. I am sure you will agree once you meet her.”

Oberyn grunted but didn’t fight a losing battle and returned to the cabin. I looked at him and noticed Quentyn looking at me, not with eyes of fear but admiration? I didn't know what the boy thought about me, nor did I care. Now, I had to prepare to meet the Mother of Dragons. From the moment I laid my eyes on her, she interested me. Was it the fire in my blood that attacked her to me? I didn’t know.

…

An old man that seemed familiar met me by the dock. He let me to the ship. He didn’t speak a word and didn’t even look at me. I left my two Greycloaks behind as I climbed on the ship’s deck. The old man with white hair and beard and staff let me into a cabin where Daenerys Targaryen was sitting, and three dragons the size of a dog lay.

“Theon Greyjoy, I presume?” Daenerys asked as the old man closed the doors behind me.

“I am. Daenerys Targaryen, I presume?”

“So, you did recognize me?”

“Your silky silver hair and beautiful violet eyes gave its way,” I replied. “And your wizard confirmed it.”

“Wizard?”

“Old man with white hair and long white beard walking with staff, whom could it be if not a wizard?”

“Hehe. He does look like a wizard,” Daenerys giggled in agreement. “Why not sit down, don’t worry, my children won’t eat you.”

“Cute children you have. Who is the father?” I laughed loudly at Daenerys expression. “I see you prepared wine and food for me.”

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I prepared many meals and various wines.”

“So thoughtful of you,” I replied, looking at various fish and meat dishes. “I will surely find something I will like, but can you begin why I am here.”

“Why are you here?” Daenerys asked. “For Unsullied? To sell slaves? Or for me?”

“To find you,” I replied truthfully.

“Why?”

“So, I can look at you,” I answered. “And I like what I see.”

“You flatter me,” Daenerys didn’t blush nor avert her eyes from mine.

A silence filled the cabin as I was lost for words. She was everything I wasn’t expecting. I thought she would be just a girl, but the way she spoke, her eyes not wavering, and her voice not breaking, made me reevaluate her. She had a certain charm around her. She was beautiful, but so were Alysanne and Arianne, so it wasn’t her beauty that attracted me, but something within her eyes.

As I contemplated what to say, a white dragon flew on the table, surprising even Daenerys. The dragon turned his head and looked at me with curious golden eyes. I took a fish from one plate and let it eat it from my hand, it my fingers, and drew some drops of blood. Tasting it, the white dragon shot a bolt of pale gold fire.

“Viserion,” Daenerys yelled out as the table caught on fire.

“No need to worry,” I said with my bare hand, covering the fire until it was gone.

“How?” Daenerys asked, looking at my hand, which was fine touching fire, a dragonfire.

“Let’s say I have so fire in my blood,” I smiled. “Now, should we continue our conversation?”

“You won’t tell me how you did that, will you?”

“I already gave you the answer. It is up to you to understand it.”

“So be it. I will let it slide for now,” Daenerys said. “Tell me what you think about the Unsullied.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Their upbringing, don’t you think it is too cruel?”

“Cruel and unnecessary.”

“How so?”

“To make a good soldier, you don’t need to torture him from the moment he is born,” I said. “It was done not to make them strong but to entertain the masters.”

“Entertain?” Daenerys looked horrified.

“Indeed, the masters took delight watching them survive whatever they threw at the Unsullied. It takes a sick and twisted man to make children do something that Kraznys described, and those kinds of people do even more horrible things for their entertainment in the future with a new batch of children. The Good Masters, as they call themselves, don’t care about how many survive and grow to be strong. They only seek entertainment in their torture.”

“And you are still willing to buy them?” Daenerys asked, closing her eyes to gather her emotions.

“They are not soldiers, but broken men, that don’t know how to live,” I replied. “It would be beneficial to use them, but I would feel dirty. And I am not even a good man. Some might even say I am cruel. I rather kill the Unsullied and free them from their tortured lives.”

“I can see why some might call you cruel,” Daenerys commented. “Come tomorrow to the plaza with your men. I show what I will do.”

“Color me intrigued,” I said with a smile. “I will come and watch as your fire will blaze the plaza, but now I should go, it is late, and it would be improper to be in the same chamber with the fair lady at night.”

As I stood up, I noticed that Daenerys looked surprised at my words, even shocked, if I may say so myself. I didn’t know what words made her make such an expression, nor did I care, so I left. The old man stood by the doors but didn’t lead me out of the ship. I went alone and met with two bored Greycloaks who joined me on the walk back to my ship.

…

Before I could recollect my thoughts, I was met with Oberyn and Quentyn once I set foot on the deck of my ship. The Greycloaks were close, keeping an eye on them. It looked like Oberyn calmed down, and Quentyn stood silently as always. I motioned them to join me in my cabin for a drink or two of wine.

My mood has improved, too, after meeting Daenerys. I felt lighter and could almost taste the salt in the air. It weirded me out. I have not tasted anything for so long that it could be nothing but an imagination of mine. I sat by the table as two Martells sat across me. Lifting a bottle of wine, I poured some for them and some for myself.

In silence, we drank. I felt the sweet liquid burn my tongue a bit. Yet another sensation, I must have imagined. After drinking a cup, I gave the rest of the bottle to my Greycloaks and bid them to leave us alone. Oberyn didn’t say anything. He would have to wait for eternity if he wanted me to apologize for tricking him.

“How was she?” Quentyn spoke first, the first time he talked to me.

“More than a boy like you can manage,” I replied, turning to Oberyn. “She is no girl, even if she looks young. Her eyes hardened, and her will was strong.”

“Will you keep me further from meeting her?” Oberyn asked.

“Tomorrow, we will go to see her,” I said. “But you will not speak to her yet; she wants to show something, and we will watch. If you try to approach her, I will have dragged back to the ship.”

“We will do as you say,” Quentyn replied before Oberyn could say anything. “But afterward, we would not like you to hold us locked away.”

“Daring, aren’t you, boy?” I asked, smiling a bit. “I will do as I wish, but I don’t see any need to keep you from her much longer. You can try to charm her heart as much as you want, but I don’t think you will have much luck.”

“We shall see,” Oberyn replied.

“We shall,” I agreed. “Now, if that’s all, you must excuse me. I want to rest.”

Oberyn and Quentyn left, and I went to bed, closing my eyes before opening mine. Looking down, I saw the deck of my ship as I was hanging on the mast. I climbed down, crossed the bridge connecting my ship to the dock, and dashed to the city. I had a whole night to explore it, from one street to another.

But there was a purpose for me moving around the city as a squirrel. I was looking for mansions and palaces. Even big houses didn’t leave my sight. I didn’t know what Daenerys planned to do to win the Unsullied she seemed to want, but I knew what I would do to the city. And especially to the Good Masters.

What kind of Ironborn would I be if I didn’t try to ransack the city of their gold and valuables? If Daenerys gets her Unsullied, I will buy the rest and then take back the gold with some interest. After all, who was left to protect them apart from the Unsullied? They were making the city such a perfect target for me.

I knew I would never be welcomed to any Slaversbay cities or other free cities, but I didn’t care much. Just thinking about the bloodshed, and the loot, got the fire in my blood heated. With the riches I get from the city, I would be a prime customer for the Iron Bank. I could make many deals; from there, it should be smooth sailing. Well, I will have to see it tomorrow. For now, let’s look for the juiciest targets in the city.