𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕓𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕠𝕠 ; (ℂ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕚 𝕩 𝕆ℂ🐺🦁)

𝟚𝟜 - 𝔽𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤

𝕋𝕙𝕖 man standing before Cersei's throne was homely, with the demeanor of what would be an imposing pirate were he not so obviously much more full of himself than could possibly be warranted by his accomplishments. He had announced himself as Lord Euron Greyjoy - Theon's uncle. The memory of my father's ward seemed to come from a lifetime ago, the place and people I had once called home felt disconnected from the person I was now. I stood alone in the gallery surrounding the throne room, this was a private reception, but Cersei had made an exception for me - she wanted me present at all her meetings. "The moment I was chosen Lord of the Iron Islands, they turned on me." Euron laughed, only adding to his haughty appearance. "Their own uncle. They stole my best ships and ran. Sailed them right across the world and gave them to the dragon queen, so she could bring her armies here to attack you." He pointed at Cersei, who watched him with cold indifference. Were we not in such dire need of allies, she would have never received this arrogant captain in the first place. But this wasn't the first we were hearing of Daenerys Targaryen's alleged return to Westeros with three full-grown dragons and an army of Dothraki and Unsullied at her back, and those allegations seemed pretty much indisputable now. So we needed allies before she snatched them all up like she already had Tyrion, Olenna, Theon and his sister and, though I tried hard to forget it, even my own siblings. Because if those dragons came for us, the Old Gods and the new themselves would not be able to help us... I understood that, and so did Cersei. She had been thrown into the first bloom of a war with the beginning of her regency, the seeds of which had been sown over a long time by the incompetent kings who came before her, both crowned and self-declared. Euron spoke on. "It's nothing compared to the treason you suffered at the hands of a family member, from what I hear. But still, it bothers me." He spread his arms wide and grinned. Cersei shifted uneasily, looking equal parts annoyed and disconcerted by this strange man. Said man began pacing, as if standing still for too long would leave him rooted in place. A lifetime on a ship gave you such habits, I supposed. "Murdering them would make me feel a lot better. And since it appears that all our treasonous family members are fighting for the same side, I thought we rightful monarchs could murder them together." I could see right through what he was doing. He was trying to flatter her, validating her claim so she would back his cause. The issue was that Cersei, for all the cunning she possessed, was rather susceptible to flattery, and I did not trust this pirate one bit. Declare himself a lord as he might, in his heart he was nothing but a ruthless opportunist. The only context in which I had ever heard his name was when he had been pillaging coastal villages, stealing their belongings, killing the men and raping the women. That had told me all I needed to know. 

Euron made to walk up the steps to the throne, but Gregor Clegane stepped in his way, heavy armor clinking. From Cersei's side, Jaime cut in, "You're not a rightful monarch though, are you?" Euron smiled tensely and retreated as Jaime went on. "The Greyjoys rebelled against the throne for the right to be monarchs, but as I recall, you were... soundly defeated. Come to mention it, weren't you the one who started that rebellion by sailing to Casterly Rock and burning the Lannister fleet?" Cersei smiled at her brother contently. She enjoyed seeing the man humbled as much as I did. "You certainly caught us there. Very smart move on your part." The fool actually had the nerve to grin proudly and bow, as if this was a genuine compliment. "Of course, we all made it to the Iron Islands anyway. I was there." "I remember very well", Euron replied, still acting as if he owned the room and this was just a friendly conversation between old companions. "I saw you. I heard so much talk - the best in the world, no one can stop him. I didn't believe it, to be honest. But I must say, when you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down-" His voice dropped to a whisper, like he was letting Jaime in on a secret. "-it was glorious. Like a dance." "The people I was cutting down were your own kin", Jaime countered, visibly alienated. "Place was getting crowded", Euron jested nonchalantly. I supressed a shiver. How could he joke about his family's death so coldly? The ghosts of mine still haunted me, though less frequently than they used to. "I enjoyed watching it. I truly did." This man was a monster. "And I enjoyed killing Greyjoys", Jaime simply said, clearly fed up with this conversation too. The threat hung in the air, but of course Euron went on unbothered. "A good thing for me. If you hadn't crushed us, I wouldn't have gone into exile. And if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the greatest captain on the fourteen seas." Cersei had been watching their exchange and finally spoke up again. "You're not the most humble." She sounded mildly amused, but knowing her, it was more to hide her annoyance at this unnecessarily long recollection. "You're not humble", Euron said probingly, looking as though he was studying a fascinating bug he had found. Cersei tilted her head with a false smile that seemed to say that he had exactly one chance to amend this slight. And amend he did, smooth bastard that he was. "You're the queen of a great nation. You don't care about the Iron Islands, they are nothing but rocks and bird shit and a lot of unattractive people." He scoffed. "The Iron Fleet, on the other hand... that's something else entirely." So that was what he was offering us. Talk about getting to the point, I thought wryly. But what would be the price?