The Redfish (Edmure SI) chapter 84 (Patreon)

Angering the Redfish

Edmure POV

With Daenerys’ support, moving inside the Great Pyramid became easier. Not minding the Unsullied, I could leave any time I wanted. I observed the roads that Euron took most of the time, and sometimes, I would watch him from the shadows as he walked through the city. He never was alone, never unarmed.

Getting into his ship would be impossible. His silent crew seemed never to rest, ever watchful. And I noticed quite a few golden company men around the harbor. I didn’t dare to come closer to inspect as I didn’t blend in with the city’s populace with my face fully covered in cloth, only my mouth and one eye visible.

For what it was worth, at least I wasn’t alone in this. Daenerys, even not knowing it, agreed with me that Euron and his lot were suspicious and could not be left alone. Even though I wouldn’t say I liked Daario much, it was better for him to work with me than against me. I had enough enemies as it was.

Making sure nobody noticed me snooping around Euron, I returned to the Great Pyramid. On the way, I was surprised to see a group of men approaching the Great Pyramid. Looking closely, I identified the Tattered Prince. He came sooner than I expected. It had only been a week since I arrived by ship, so I thought it would take another week for the Tattered Prince to come, but I was wrong.

I was glad he arrived. If Daenerys accepts him, she will have thousands more men, and so will I have someone to rely upon. As much as Tyrion and Asha helped me, they weren’t very trustworthy, and I had to keep an eye on them if I didn’t want to be backstabbed. They had all the right to think I wouldn’t hold my word as it wouldn’t benefit me.

On the other hand, the Tattered Prince’s goal was clear, and achieving it would only help me in a long turn. So, as long as the Tattered Prince believed I could help him achieve his goal, we did not need to betray each other. It definitely wouldn’t get us any benefits and only would hinder us.

…

I didn’t attend the court and instead rested in my room. It was a hot day, and I had been wandering around the city since dawn. I knew I would have more chances to watch Aegon and Euron at night, so I rested to be on top condition for now. I was adamant about it, as I felt that if I faced Euron, I would need to be my best.

I heard the door knock as I rested in the cool shadow of my chambers, hiding from the scorching sun. I expected to find Missandei behind them, as I always did, but instead, Asha awaited me. I let her into my chambers, ensuring the dagger on my belt was still there. I refused to let my guard down.

“Euron was in the court today,” Asha began. “He was next to the boy.”

“And?” I asked.

“The boy demanded to see the dragons,” My eye narrowed. “When he was refused, I saw Euron whispering something to the boy’s ear.”

“And you rushed to me to tell this?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful you want to help me this much, but this isn’t worth interrupting my rest.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t, but I overheard Euron saying there is another way to take the dragons.”

“Were these his exact words?” I asked.

“I was next to him, so I know what I heard,” Asha said. “It didn’t help that afterward, he came to me and asked to find a way to the dungeons where the dragons were kept. He didn’t whisper, and I swear others heard it.”

“He wants to isolate you from Daenerys and push you to the corner,” I replied. “That way, you might have no choice but to join him and will have to accept his deal.”

“I gathered that much,” Asha agreed. “From the start, I met him. He reminded me of you. Trying to manipulate me. At least you were honest with it and didn’t look at me like I was nothing but a means to an end goal.”

“You will be a family when you marry Robb,” I said.

“I never agreed to it,” Asha replied.

“What?” I couldn’t understand her words, wasn’t that why she agreed to help me?

“Don’t think I don’t know what you are planning,” Asha said. “I marry Robb Stark, and I will always be a puppet for the likes of you to control the Iron Islands. I will not be anyone’s puppet, no matter what.”

There was steel in her words. I could understand not wanting to be manipulated and doing something you didn’t want to be, but she had to realize that her family lost two rebellions they started. No lord would trust them; nobody feared them after being crushed twice. She had no leverage to hold any power or influence.

“Then what will you do?” I asked.

“Ha,” Asha laughed. “You think you hold all the power in the world, but you are not the King.”

“And? Some might say I hold more power than the King.”

“Maybe you do, but there is a person who has dragons,” Asha replied. “She holds more power than you and your king combined. I will have my home back if I help and gain her trust. If she doesn’t like your bastard King, dragons will beat any of your armies, and if she does, she will hold more power than your king, and she will only need to ask for the seat of the Seastone throne.”

“You are playing a dangerous game,” I replied, surprised she could do something like this. “Then why are you still here with me?”

“Because you need me while she doesn’t, at least for now,” Asha replied. “But that will change, and having two most powerful people indebted to me will only help me. And I find the way Euron does things is not what I want.”

“Is Euron still with Aegon?” I asked.

“He left with the boy, so he should be,” Asha said. “The boy did look angry, though.”

Saying her piece, Asha left. I was left to think about what she said. I shouldn’t have forgotten how people acted in this world. I was no different. Everyone played their games for power. Asha’s method wasn’t new, nor did it matter in the long turn. But one thing she said stuck with me: Daenerys held the most power in the world if she used her dragons.

Ultimately, it was another reason to stop Euron from getting the dragons. I knew he had that horn, even if I didn’t know how it was used. I needed to get it before Euron could be used, and from what Asha reported, Euron wasn’t waiting long to use it. Once he manages to find his way to the dragons, it will be too late.

He had to keep a better watch on Aegon. I suspect Euron would use Aegon to get close to the dragons or even let him use the horn. Once Aegon did his job, he would be killed. Without thinking much about it, I took the rope from under my bed, tied it carefully to hold my weight, and climbed out of my window.

Aegon stayed in a chamber on the lower floor. I was lucky that his chambers were on the same side as his own. Covered in a sand-colored cloak, I climbed down, blending in with the walls. Sliding down the wall of the Great Pyramid, I soon reach the floor where Aegon’s chambers were. Being careful not to make much of a sound, I neared the window.

“Tyrion said we will have to wait till Hizdahr zo Lorag keeps his promise to stop the sons of the Harpy from killing Daenerys men before we can get to the dragons,” I heard Aegon’s voice.

“If that merchant keeps his word, will you let Daenerys marry him?” Euron asked. “If she does, all our work will be lost.”

“We can’t do nothing but wait,” Aegon replied.

“The longer we wait, the more Daenerys’ power grows. She doesn’t need us,” Euron’s voice was calm. “She doesn’t trust us, nor does she believe your origins. No, she refuses to believe it.”

“Then I need to prove of lineage,” Aegon’s voice was erratic. I could hear fear and anger in it. “But she won’t let me.”

“In the end, she is just a girl, who doesn’t understand what kind of power she holds,” Euron said. “She is trying to please those slavers when you, with one dragon, could destroy them once and for all.”

“But I don’t have the dragon,” Aegon yelled out. “She won’t let me have one.”

“Then we have to take it.”

“And what if the dragons don’t accept me?” Aegon’s voice was filled with fear.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I almost could hear Euron smile. “I been in Valyria, and I found a horn. With little help from some warlocks, I learned that your ancestors used the horn to tame the dragons. If you use it, the dragons will be yours.”

“But before that, I need Daenerys to let me near the dragons,” Aegon complained.

“We can’t wait for long,” Euron replied. “Soon, the bastard king will have all of the Seven Kingdoms under his thumb. We won’t have a place to land if we wait longer.”

“And whose fault it was?” Aegon’s voice once again raised the volume. “You supposed to bring Edmure Tully to us so we could use him as a hostage. Varys used all his resources to find and pinpoint where he would be. And your job was to snatch him, yet to blunder it all when he escaped.”

“It was my mistake,” Euron didn’t raise his voice. He still sounded calm and collected. “But I am ever your loyal subject. And even if I made a mistake, with Edmure Tully dead, there is a power void in Riverlands and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. His children are too young to lead. We need to use this opportunity.”

“What do you suggest?”

“If Daenerys doesn’t let us go to the dragons, we will force our way,” Euron’s reply was cold. “On the wedding day of Daenerys and that merchant, the guard will be distracted, and we can use it to sneak our men to the Great Pyramid. We use force if she refuses to listen to us after the wedding.”

“She is my aunt,” Aegon sounded uncertain.

“And yet she still gathers more power and men to hold you back,” Euron said. “She will only acknowledge you when you show the power you wield. For now, she thinks you are a boy and nothing else. Trust me. She is waiting for you to prove your worth. That’s why she didn’t kick us out of the city.”

“The Hazdahr keeps his word. The wedding will be in two months,” Aegon seemed to have gained confidence. “No, we will move sooner. We smuggle our men into the city first and pretend to be sons of a harpy, killing Daenerys men.”

“You are right. We can distract Daenerys with the murders, and then we take the dragons,” Euron agreed readily.

“She will have no choice but to acknowledge me,” Aegon laughed. “Then she will fall to her knees and beg me to marry her. She is just a woman who doesn’t even know how to use the power he was gifted. She doesn’t deserve the dragons.”

“But you do, my king.”

“Yes, I do,” I could hear Aegon crackling in his self-confidence. “I will have the dragons and her on her knees ready to serve me. Then we will take the Seven Kingdoms from these usurpers. Starting with the Riverlands, I will kill Edmure’s family first, then take Arianne Martel for myself, then Dorne will serve me.”

“Yes,” Euron agreed. “You will have the Seven Kingdoms knelling to you.”

My rage was piling up. I considered crashing through the slightly open window and killing them, but I knew I had a slight chance of succeeding. Even if my arms weren’t tired from holding the rope, I only had a dagger. I knew that Golden Company men were guarding the chambers behind the doors.

If I couldn’t kill them fast, they would hear me and rush to the chambers. I couldn’t lose my life here. Euron and even Aegon were trained in martial arts, so it would be hard to kill them. With the Golden Company close by, I would be killed. So, even when rage burned in my heart, I swallowed it and climbed back to my chambers.

It was good that I decided to act and spy on Aegon while he was with Euron. Now, I know their plan. With it, Daenerys will trust me thoroughly, and then I will convince her to kill them. With her men, I will hunt down Aegon and Euron no matter what. I will make them pay to even think about harming my home and family.