108 No interest

No interest

Theon POV

Daenerys wasn't particularly happy. But she did seem relieved after all the noisy people finally left. Now, only Asha, Dany, and I were left alone. Daenerys showed interest in my sister as I introduced them to each other. But Dany didn't have time for pleasantries; while I was gone, Meereen became hectic. And I thought it only happened when I was around.

"What is this about marriage?" Dany finally asked. "Didn't we agree to wait? You were supposed to get rid of all the opposition to me and return to the Iron Islands for all of it. But now that's impossible, and it isn't like I can disagree with you."

"Plans change," I replied, and Dany was surprised to see me being serious for once. "Unexpected things happened, and I needed to adapt."

"What happened?" Daenerys asked in concern, seeing that I wasn't joking around.

"Euron happened," Asha replied as she was still getting used to Dany's and mine relationship. "He is our uncle and infamous man throughout the known world. He was exiled from the Iron Islands four years ago. But unexpectedly, he returned, telling everyone that he had sailed to Valyria. Telling tall tales and giving everyone generous gifts."

"Valyria? But no one has ever sailed there and returned," Dany said, doubt clear in her tone.

"This time, it might be true," I responded with a sigh. "He proved it to others by gifting me a set of full-plated Valyrian steel armor. So much Valyrian steel could buy one a massive fleet. No one in recent history ever possessed that much amount of it. But he just gifted it to me. Of course, I haven't worn it as the blood of your ancestors probably curses it. I have been through too much to trust something so old and coming from such a place as Valyria."

"Sounds like he is quite amazing," Dany said, not understanding what we meant.

"Think about it," I replied, as Dany didn't know anything about that man. "Why would he come back now? Why would such a man, who by all rights has an incredible reputation for having gold and other treasure that he could use to buy himself a fleet, become one of my subjects?"

"Still, if he wanted to harm you, why not join Stannis or the Lannisters?" Dany asked.

"Because he wants you, your grace," Asha explained. "Or, more precisely, he wants your dragons. I don't know what his true goals are, but whatever he wants to do, he first will want to take as much power as he can. And what is more powerful than your dragons?"

"Maybe you both are overreacting," Dany said but didn't continue with her thought after seeing our faces. "But if he is dangerous to us, can't you get rid of him?"

"He is our kin," I sighed again. "Kinslaying is looked down on even in the Iron Islands. And he did gain favorability with my men. So, it won't be easy to do anything to him until he makes his move, as I could cause people to doubt my leadership and decision-making. Even if some see me as a god reborn, I can't do anything without a good reason."

In truth, I didn't know how well my godhood translated into the loyalty of my people. I did have a great reputation, and no matter what I did, the majority would always be loyal to me. But the minority that I didn't know of could be a greater danger to me and my plans than Stannis or the Lannisters could ever be. I couldn't afford infighting now, not until Dany sat on the Iron Throne and the world belonged to us.

At that point, I didn't really care how much infighting happened between me and my men. They would have outlived their usefulness, and if they think that they can go against me, I will have all the leisure to show how wrong they would be. And it would be Asha's and Dany's problem anyway since I didn't want to rule the world. It sounded so boring. I just wanted to have it.

"As much as I don't like it, Theon is right," Asha said. "Euron is an Ironborn and a Greyjoy. It was our father who exiled him, and it isn't a secret how bad our father was at making decisions. All we can do now is try to keep him in check and look out for his movement."

"I will not interfere in your family matters, but I will make sure to be careful around him," Dany replied. "I don't care how you deal with him. But if he crosses my path, I will not hesitate to throw him to my dragons. But I guess, that would cause other trouble for me. I need to gain your men's loyalty, too, and harming their own wouldn't help it. And you both are right. The reputation of having a kinslayer among my most trustworthy people, especially my husband, would give our enemies enough to rally people against us."

I almost got hard from the look she threw at me. Her eyes were ablaze and cold simultaneously. She knew what weight our actions carried but still understood that they might be forced to do something either way. Asha nodded in approval, too. Showing that she agreed with Dany's words. All in all, it seemed that the first meeting had gone well. Hopefully, they get along well and work together even better.

"Anyway, I have some things to take care of," I stood and prepared to leave. "Asha will tell you everything you need to know. And I will listen to what happened with Volantis later."

And just like that, I left them. Dany didn't even have a chance to stop me, and she wouldn't have been able to do it. I have to clear something up with a certain person before I can think about other problems and how to deal with them. It would be so unlike me if I didn't deal with what was in front of me first.

…

The Temple of the Graces was a shining star of Meereen. But as adorned in gold, it was from the outside; it was even more from the inside. Precious metals lost their luster after I saw so much of them, which is why it didn't impress me. Still, there is no mistaking that the Temple of the Graces is well-received in Meereen and has to get many gifts from people to afford all of this.

Yet, Green Grace's solar was too simple compared to the rest of the building. I at least expected her table to be made of some rare wood and the floor to be made of marble. But, no, it was as simple as it gets. Stone walls, stone floors, and even chairs were simply made of wood. She probably didn't receive too many quests, or she refused to accept their gifts to adorn her solar.

"Welcome to my humble abode," The Green Grace said elegantly and dignifiedly, making me want to believe that she still had a heart of gold. "I rarely receive quests so hastily, so I have to apologize if I can't offer you a deserving welcome."

"I can see how unsure and afraid you are," I replied, taking a seat before her, staring at her shaking eyes. "You know why I am here. You know that I can kill you and burn his temple to ashes."

"You won't," The Green Grace said. "You would make too many unnecessary enemies."

"I can't understand. Why do you want me to listen to you?" I asked as I took out the Valyrian steel dagger from my belt. "When you don't have anything of worth to say to me anymore."

"How did you find out?" She was afraid now and couldn't hide it anymore.

"You see, I thought it was Yunkai, but after asking a few questions and doing some investigation, I couldn't find anything that would lead to the assassination attempt on me," I replied. My tone was as cold and dry as a Northern wind. "So, of course, it had to be Volantis. But then I thought, what if it wasn't Volantis? What if it was you? It would make sense how easily the girl came to serve in the Great Pyramid. How did she get the poison and find an opportunity to use the said position?"

She wasn't afraid that I found out the truth. She was afraid of what I was going to do next. She no longer looked so elegant and dangerous to me anymore. She was the same as the others. There was no gold heart in her. I didn't even care why she did it. Did the others pressure her? Was it greed? Was it fear? Or was it revenge? It didn't matter, as her actions put her together with the rest. She no longer had the high ground.

"What will you do?" She asked, her voice was shaking.

"Nothing," I replied calmly, and that seemed to scare her even more. "I am not interested in you or your goals. Do whatever you want. I have no interest in you anymore. You are nothing to me."

"You kill as you wish," She said as I was about to leave. "The man in the harbor, he was from New Ghis. He came to see you for negotiations. He was the brother of one of the commanders of the Iron Legions. Now there is no chance for peace with them because you so wantonly killed him. Should I be thankful for you killing that Red Hand and bringing justice to one of my girls? Should I be thankful that you showed mercy to me now? You are a monster. A murderer that sees no bounds."

"I am," I agreed. "But at least I don't lie to myself. I am the worst of the worst scum in this world. And you are no different from me."

There was no dignity nor elegance left on her face as I left. Her façade was broken, and that was enough for me. She no longer had any higher ground to speak against me or Daenerys, and she knew it. The Temple of the Graces was utterly defeated. That's why she tried to kill herself with me. She couldn't live with a thought of what she had become.

…

I couldn't concentrate as Prince Frog reported on Meereen's economic situation, as I tried to remember his name. It stuck in my head, on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't remember it. At this point, it became a challenge I wanted to overcome more than anything else. And it wasn't like I was interested in anything Prince Frog said to keep my mind off it.

"Daario and Prince Oberyn are continuing to patrol the lands around Meereen, while Grey Worm is leading the five Thousand Unsullied further on to catch all Slavers and the Dothraki," Jorah then began his report. "The damage was minimal, but the Dothraki had retreated safely with their captures. Daario says that they are heading to Volantis."

"They think we would be too preoccupied with the Red Priests to handle their aggression," Dany said. "Speaking off, the Green Grace and the Temple of the Graces have backed off, and as long as the Red Priests don't interfere with them, they will not interfere with the Red Priests. But Priest Vogarro was vocal about his treatment and wants an apology."

"Who?" I asked.

"The man you knocked down before proposing to me," Dany replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh him, who cares about him? Let's talk about what matters," I replied, dismissing the topic. "Should we attack New Ghis or Volantis first? While New Ghis is on the island, which could give us a lot of advantages in the future, Volantis will know that they are the next target and will prepare better for us. So, striking them now would be quite a surprise for them."

"Didn't you hear about our situation?" Jorah asked, getting angry. "We are running low on food. As it is now, we won't last until the next harvest. The Dothraki not only kidnapped farmers and their families but also burned our fields. We need more than Yunkai's and Astapor's support for this city to survive. We can't allocate any resources to war right now."

So that is what Prince Frog was talking about. I guess Jorah isn't wrong, then. The Ironborn eat a lot, and they didn't bring any grain with them. It would be troublesome indeed to wage prolonged war with a shortage of food. And New Ghis and Volantis won't take chances with me anymore. Too bad the dragons aren't big enough yet to be of any use.

"Your grace," A guard outside the room knocked on the door. "A message arrived. Ser Harras Harlaw and his fleet have returned."

"Oh, finally, I was beginning to forget about him," I said as I quickly stood. "I will send Asha to bring him to us."

It seemed that all my forces had come back to me. I had a grand fleet and an army. Now, I only needed to wait for an opportunity to take over a new target. Volantis was getting a bit cheeky, and New Ghis would not back off either. And even though I didn't necessarily need Volantis, the island that New Ghis was on was in a strategic position that would be too useful in the future to leave it to the others.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852. And if you have any requests for stories, I will only take them on my pa treon.