The depths of deception

The depths of deception

Theon POV

The marketplace was bustling with people as I walked around it. Wherever I looked, people were buying or selling things to each other. Everything besides weapons could be found in this place, from various trinkets to clothes to food. I looked carefully around, trying to hear a rumor or two. Even though my Valyrian wasn't perfect, it was enough to understand most people's words.

"What are we even looking at?" Anguy asked, walking next to me.

"Prices," I said and pointed at vegetable and fruit stalls. "I need to see how much common people spend to know if the economy of Meereen is going down or up."

I couldn't say I knew the right price for food or clothes, but it didn't seem too high from how people bought them. Still, I noticed how heated some people would negotiate for a lower price, but nothing out of the ordinary. And the mood around these people was light, so I could proudly say that the city is running stably, at least for now.

"Hmm, what that?" Thoros asked as we found ourselves by one of the many stalls.

"Hello, my lords," The merchant spoke in heavily accented Westerosi. "May I interest you with some of the treasures from the faraway land of Yi Ti?"

"Yi-Ti?" Anguy asked back.

"It is an empire bordering Jade Sea," I answered, remembering reading about it in that famous book written by Lomas Longstrider. "It is far east. East of Qarth and the bone Mountains."

"Yes, very far away land," The merchant added. "I bring treasures from the golden cities."

"What is this?" Thoros asked, pointing at the tablet with something akin to a ladle.

"This one is called South Pointing Fish," The merchant held the ladle up before letting it fall freely. "It is used for fortune telling. Even the emperors of Yi Ti used them to build their palaces. It uses metal called lodestone. The spoon's handle will always turn south, no matter how you place it."

"Parley tricks," Thoros replied, trying it out himself.

"Hmm, interesting," I took a more extended look, and I felt like something clicked in my mind. I understood what it could be. "How many of them do you have?"

"Theon?" Thoros looked at me like I was a fool who got tricked by a scammer.

"I will buy all of them."

The merchant looked overjoyed, explaining how it was used to tell if the place had good fortune. I didn't listen much to his ramblings as I played with it. I was happy to pay for it no matter the price, for I knew it would strengthen my fleet tremendously. The merchant had eight of them, so I gave one to Anguy and told him to look for more and buy every single one he found.

…

"What are you playing with?"

"With something interesting. It came from Yi Ti. Look, see the ladle? It always turns to south, that is, if there are no metals around it."

"Two murders happened tonight, and you are playing with a toy?"

"It isn't a toy. It is a weapon," I turned to Daenerys, who was seething with frustration. "Using it, my ships could navigate through storms and mists. With this, we will never be lost."

"Xaro and Hizdahr were found brutally killed this morning," Daenerys ignored me. "With dozens of stab wounds and harpy painted by their blood near their bodies."

"I know," I replied.

"How?"

"I killed them."

"What?"

"Well, not me. My men killed them," I corrected myself.

Dany looked like she wanted to hit me, but instead, she poured some wine for herself. Her dragons were playing on the balcony. They barely fit in there, and in a couple of months, they couldn't get inside the room anymore. I have already planned to build a place for her dragons to stay, somewhere close to her but a bit away from people.

"Why?" Daenerys asked as she gulped down the wine to calm down.

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill them? Why didn't you discuss it with me? And why didn't you tell me afterward?"

"Because they were getting in our way," I answered her first question before continuing. "I didn't tell you about it because I wanted your expression to be a genuine surprise when you heard of it. If you didn't know about it, it would be hard for anyone to suspect it was your doing. And most people think I only move on your command, so they wouldn't suspect me either."

"Some Great Masters said it was the work of Sons of the Harpy. Others denied it wholeheartedly, claiming it was common murder."

"The people who can't accept that it was the work of the Sons of the Harpy are the people we need to kill," I said, still playing with the so-called toy.

"Will you start explaining yourself or continue playing riddles with me?"

"You smart enough to realize it," I replied. "But I will give you a clue. All my actions were to destabilize the unity of the Great Masters. With the one hundred and sixty-three executions after we took the city and now with this, the great masters won't be able to trust each other."

"They will doubt each other and not be able to work together," Daenerys finished my words.

"Soon, Asha will come with a fleet to bring us to Westeros. We need to finish establishing our rule here. Then, we can focus on Westeros."

"I will speak with Prince Oberyn. I will have him infiltrate and mingle with the Great Masters to find those we can trust," Dany said, not being mad at me anymore. "I received word from Astapor. Alysanne Leford is doing a good job, but there were signs of Yunkai moving to attack the city."

It was expected that Yunkai would plot against us. But I wasn't willing to lose Astapor or Meereen. These cities will be great for my trade empire later on. Having fleets stationed in Essos will bring a lot of benefits to me. I would have a direct way to trade with Essos that no one else would have in Westeros. If I work it correctly, Greyjoys will be the wealthiest house in Westeros after five or ten years.

"I will see to it," I told Daenerys as she gave me the messages Alysanne sent us.

Everything worked smoothly so far, even if it was a bit slow. I shall continue getting rid of the Great Masters that would pose the most danger to us while also planning a way to get rid of Yunkai and their pointless struggle against us. Then, we will have complete control of Dragon's Bay. With the trade to Westeros that I possess, the cities will flourish in time. Then I will leave all the small things to Asha and Dany and piss off to the Summer Islands.

…

Daenerys announced that she would hold a memorial event for the Xaro and Hizdahr in the Fighting Pits and attend them, too. She quickly worked to establish better relations with the Great Masters that supported her. In contrast, I worked in shadows, ready to kill those who were plotting against us and putting the blame on the others.

"This is going a bit far, even for my taste," Oberyn said as he looked through the information I gave him.

"I think Uncle Doran would agree with this course of action," Tyene Sand replied.

"We are only repaying the favor," I said. "Grazdan zo Galare is head of all those who oppose the Queen. So, we need to dispose of him. And it so happens that he is a cousin of Green Grace. If Qarth were to take revenge for the murder of Xaro, Grazdan would be a perfect target for them."

"Fine," Oberyn agreed. "I will plan his downfall. I will have someone to pretend to be one of the sorrowful men. I will try to protect him and get injured in the process so no one would suspect me. It's just going too fast. The changes within the court are progressing to the level that it is impossible to predict what others are thinking or plotting. I am worried that someone in power will feel pressured to do something reckless."

"I don't care," I replied. "Let them do as they wish. As long as we get complete and absolute control over Meereen, I don't care who or how many we need to kill. The sooner we are done here, the sooner we can take our fight to Westeros and burn the Lannisters to ash."

"I already said fine. No need to push it any further. Still, I need time to prepare for it, so don't bother me for now," Oberyn grumbled angrily as he left our meeting room.

I knew he was angry because he didn't have a chance to get close to Dany as he planned. And from the way he looked at me, I suspect that Oberyn has already found out about my relationship with Dany. So, it isn't a surprise that he is frustrated. Once we return to Westeros, he will have no choice but to report to his brother that he failed.

But even Doran Martell should be satisfied to gain access to the Dragon's Bay. There was no way I could stop him from interfering with these cities if he supported Daenerys, and neither do I want to stop him. With the help of the Martells, especially with their contacts, Slaver Bay will flourish in no time. There was no need to be petty with people who, in the long term, would help my house prosper.

"I apologize for my father, King Theon," Nymeria suddenly said as silence descended upon the room. "He already has a lot of work by contacting some of his old friends in Essos. Now, he is too overwhelmed with the chaos you want to cause in the court."

"Aye, and keeping an eye on everyone who approaches the Queen doesn't lessen his duties," I said, as Nymeria should know that I wouldn't care for such excuses.

"For someone trying to get into my cousin's bed, you seem close to the Queen. Father is only concerned for his niece's feelings," Nymeria replied with a coy smile. "But he is wrong. You are already promised to one woman. You wouldn't go chasing another one, King Theon."

"Promised?" I asked, looking at her eyes. "Nobody has to promise me anything, girl. I take what I want when I want. I am only trying to work with your family because it benefits both of us. But I don't need you. It would be best if you reminded your father and uncle occasionally, for they might forget it. Your family needs me, not the other way around."

There was no need to be so harsh with my words, but they should know my true personality. The way they talked to me could only be taken as trying to threaten me. Oberyn and his daughters might think they are worth a shit, but to me, they are the only means to my end goal. If they try to overreach, I will have no problem disregarding them.

…

The small meeting was in session before the next event in Fighting Pits. Quentyn reported Meereen's finances, which weren't good but stable. There was still enough food for people, and fields were attended to grow more. Ser Harras Harlaw should return at any moment with his news of Braavos. If they support us, the city will be fine.

Xaro's corpse and ships were returned to Qarth with information on what happened. Once they respond to that, I will have Oberyn move Grazdan. Then, only the Temple of the Graces will be left strong enough to oppose us. And even though I knew that it would be hard to touch them, they couldn't do much against us either.

I made sure that religion played a minimal effect on politics. It helped that my people thought of me as a god, so in exchange for not letting my men influence the people of Meereen, they agreed not to force their ideals upon us. Still, I found that dealing with the Green Grace was troublesome. She seemed to genuinely care for the people of Meereen, even if she was from a noble family.

Daenerys' rule now seemed to solidify, especially when she took children from noble families to be her cupbearers, pages to Ser Barristan and Jorah. Even I would get pages from the noble families if I didn't refuse profusely. I already had too many things to care about. I didn't need kids running around me. Now, all that is left is waiting and hoping no storm will hit us.

A.N. Sorry I couldn't post earlier. I got some kind of nasty virus that is wrecking my body. Every day, I feel like I am finally getting better. I spend in bed after taking enough pills not to feel anything.

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