What is dead may never die (Chapter 93) (Patreon)

Poison to my liking

Theon POV

It was tiresome to attend the court. Every time, it was the same. The slavers would try to outshine the former slaves. But no, it was even worse, as even the slavers couldn’t agree with each other. If one thing were said, three others would argue with it. It was an endless shouting contest, and nothing would be accomplished.

The talk of economics turns into talks of war. Just mentioning taxes creates dozens of groups that argue with each other. One group agrees with Daenerys, another pushes their agenda, and the rest tries to deny them because they don’t like them. I couldn’t understand why Daenerys even held these courts anymore. They accomplished nothing, and every decision would be made with a small council.

“King Theon,” I was awakened from daydreaming by Green Grace. “Would you accompany this old lady? I have become too exhausted staying in this place.”

“Of course,” I eagerly agreed as I would take even the hand of the devil to escape this madness.

“How kind of you. Would you mind having tea before I leave for the Grace Temple?”

“Of course not,” I replied as I got an excuse for Dany why I wouldn’t return to the court today.

As I led the Green Grace through the Great Pyramid to have tea with her, I dismissed the Greycloaks as they were about to follow me. I didn’t need an escort when I was with the Green Grace. It would be embarrassing if people thought I was afraid of this old lady. And I didn’t want the Green Grace to make fun of me.

Once we entered the guest hall, I asked all the servants to leave except for one girl. I told her to bring us tea. While the servant girl did that, I sat down with the Green Grace. I have escaped from the dogs tearing each other into the tiger's den. But I would rather face the tiger than tolerate dogs barking at each other and accomplishing nothing.

“Should we wait for the tea?” I asked. “Or will you tell me what you wanted to talk about?”

“You have met my cousin, Grazhar zo Galare, haven’t you?” The Green Grace asked.

“I am sure I did, but I don’t remember him well.”

“Then why did you kill him?”

“Kill him?” I asked back.

“He was found dead this morning, stab wounds with Harpy painted near his corpse by his blood.”

“Another case of the Sons of the Harpy attacking innocent people.”

“I have warned you to stop this senseless bloodshed, King Theon,” The Green Grace said. “You have accomplished what you wanted. Now it is time to unite, not divide.”

“How noble,” I replied. “Your words would mean a lot if you didn’t threaten me before. For you see, I don’t take it lightly to threats.”

“It was no threat, King Theon,” Green Grace said. “It was a kind warning. I have no ill intentions for you or Queen Daenerys. But the murders must stop; this time, it wasn’t such another Great Master. It was my family that have died.”

“Oh, now I remember, Ghazhar zo Galare. He came into the court once,” I replied with a smirk. “He came to complain to Daenerys that he deserved compensation for two girls who opened a shop and used the skills they learned while serving him to earn their livelihoods. He told us how the girls would be nothing without him, yet when asked of their names, do you know what he said?”

“He didn’t know the girls' names,” The Green Grace answered. “I know what kind of man Ghazhar was, but it still doesn’t mean he had to die.”

“He didn’t know the girls’s names,” I said. “Yet he knew the shop they opened. Do you wish to know how many times the Unsullied had to stop some catspaw from killing the girls or wrecking their shop? I give you a hint: it is more times than you can imagine. Or should I tell you about the people he tried to gather to his side to oppose the Queen? He deserved to die, even if he was your family. Every single one of them deserved to die.”

At that moment, the servant girl returned with two cups of tea and put them down before us. I drank my cup down before taking the cup from in front of the Green Grace and doing the same. I didn’t wish to sit with her until she finished her tea, so I did it for her. I didn’t care what cards she wanted to play. I didn’t care.

“My apologies, I was thirsty, and the tea tasted excellent today.”

“No worries, before I leave, I will have tea with Queen Daenerys,” The Green Grace replied. “After all, it would be such a shame to miss out on such an excellent tea.”

She would be mistaken if she thought she could complain to Dany and get her desired answer. Even if Daenerys disagreed with my actions, she wouldn’t show it to others. And if she had something to say, she would say it to me, not to someone like Green Grace. Only those who thought of betraying someone would be afraid of betrayal.

…

Something was wrong. Even when my knuckles got bloody and her face turned black and blue, she wouldn’t answer my questions. It was more difficult to lift my arms. It has been a long time since I felt like this. At least I don’t remember feeling this pathetic. I didn’t feel pain or tired, but my body felt like I was tied to iron balls and drowning.

“Who sent you?” I asked again, lifting her face. “Did you think we wouldn’t know you started working only three days ago? Did you think we wouldn't know that the previous servant girl disappeared before you took over her duties?”

The girl didn’t reply. It was just my luck to have two assassins who were girls. Some might think I enjoyed hurting women if someone saw me like this. Worse, both of them got through our security, and I needed to invest more people and time into researching people who entered the Great Pyramid. There are bound to be more assassins.

“Your Grace, please wait,” I heard Anguy behind me.

“It is fine, Anguy,” I said. “I am done with her. Tell Oberyn he can try his luck.”

“Theon,” Dany looked at me furiously as he passed through Anguy. “Why didn’t you inform me of Ghazhar’s murder?”

“Because Oberyn didn’t inform me,” I replied and held her gaze. “Let’s go. I will need Oberyn’s help anyway to discuss it with him.”

“You should have discussed it with me, to begin with,” Dany said as we turned to leave the dungeons. “You took actions into your hands once again. I didn’t even have anything to tell the Green Grace when she came to me.”

“Good, that means she knows that you didn’t know it,” I replied as I stepped on the stairs and had to lean on the wall, as I almost fell. “She will have no reason to hate you, and you can agree with her.”

“It doesn’t matter what she thinks about me.”

“It does,” I told her as my vision got blurry. “But what matters even more is that she and those by her side will hate me and me alone.”

“And why it matters?”

“Because when they ask you to do something to me, you can agree,” I felt like the world around me was twisting. “When you need to make a sacrifice to placate the remaining Great Masters, you can sacrifice me.”

“Sacrifice?”

“Exile me. The day will come when they realize that I was the one who played them, then they will demand my head, and you will compromise with them because of my great accomplishments in the coming wars. You will agree to exile me from Meereen.”

“And it wouldn’t matter because you would be leaving either way,” Daenerys replied. “Everyone would get what they wanted and put the past behind them.”

“Exactly.”

“Did you think I would thank you?” Dany gripped my arm and pushed me to the wall. “Theon? Why are you burning so much?”

She was quick to realize that something was wrong with me as she easily was able to push me and hold me to the wall. I had no strength to fight back. Dany quickly backed away from me, and her anger was replaced by worry. It was needless. Even if the poison the servant girl gave me worked on me, Thoros would still revive me, even if I told him not to do so.

I wouldn’t even be angry with him this time because it was my fault. I should have seen it coming. The assassin got me good, and I couldn’t see it before it was too late. Well, there was no way I would have known the tea was poisoned as it tasted like water. But the servant girl shouldn’t have gotten so close to me. The assassin shouldn’t have had a chance to do this to me.

“Theon? Answer me!”

“Poison,” It was hard to speak. The poison spread faster, or maybe it already got to my heart.

“The woman in the Dungeons?” Dany put the dots together. “What do you need me to do?”

“Bring me to Oberyn,” I replied as my legs gave up. I couldn’t control my body anymore.

I could feel the world around me shut down. I couldn’t hear anything, and I couldn’t see anything. It was a weird sensation, as I could still think, and my mind worked, but everything else was shut down. Every function of my body ceased to work. I didn’t know what was happening, but I wasn’t afraid; I felt relaxed for the first time in who knows how long.

Time didn’t seem to exist wherever I was. Probably in my mind, sealed apart from the rest of the world. Was this death? And there goes my thinking that poison wouldn’t work on me as alcohol doesn’t affect me. It was too far-fetched. After all, I still possessed a human body. So, if poison were to kill a human, it still would work on me.

Then, suddenly, the world around me came back. The light and noise clashed with me all of a sudden. It wasn’t painful, but it was shocking. It indeed surprised me as I tried to defend myself by pure reflex. But I stopped as soon as I realized I wasn’t in danger. I was in the water. In the bath, more specifically, submerged under the water, only my head poking out. A thick and wet cloth was on my forehead.

“You awake,” I turned to see one of Oberyn’s daughters, Tyene, standing by my side. “But I wouldn’t get up just yet. Your body was burning to an unnatural degree. Anyone else would have already died, but it seemed like you were only put to sleep.”

“What poison it was?” I asked.

“Tears of Lys,” Tyene replied. ”One portion is enough to kill even the toughest people. Yet you drank two portions. Are you even a human anymore?”

“From how you look at my cock, I would say you wouldn’t care if I was human,” I replied.

“It isn’t about how big it is, but how you use it,” Tyene said, not even a bit bashful.

“I sure that what your father tells himself,” I replied, only to receive bucket into my head.

“Your reflexes still don’t seem to be on the par,” Tyene said as she turned to leave. “But it seems you are fine. I will inform the others.”

Well, it seems that even if poison could affect me, it couldn’t kill me. I looked at the steaming water; the only explanation I thought of was that the fire in my blood burned the poison. Still, it probably took a lot of me, so it shut down. Yet, I didn’t mind it. It felt weird initially, but I think I got to the closest thing to sleeping. And I like it. I should ask Oberyn to provide me with more Tears of Lys.