Chapter 12 – Euron – Cowards

What a wonderful day, Euron thought as he left the Iron Bank in Braavos in triumph. The Lannister money – or better the idea of the Lannister money – together with his personal threats had convinced the stoic bankers in a heartbeat, and now another 10,000 soldiers from the Golden Company would soon be shipped to King's Landing in order to protect the Queen and win the War.

Euron liked Braavos, he had spent many wonderful years in the city a decade ago and therefore knew the best brothels, playhouses, and taverns. The people in Essos were freer than those in Westeros and he loved the lawlessness. He could do whatever he wanted, and no one would come after him. It felt like home.

But there was one person the whole town feared and whenever this person entered a room or went over the market place, all thieves left their stolen goods and all rapists ran away and all people stared in awe, trying to be the possibly best citizens. It was clear to Euron that this person – an old black man – had a tremendous amount of power over the whole city. The question was why?

So Euron had asked different persons throughout the city: a whore, a beggar, a vendor, a mother with a small child, a rich shop owner. They all had told him the same: in the House of Black and White, there were people who had the ability to kill anyone at any time without anyone even noticing it. There were wild guesses how these people did it – from being invisible over a God's power till blood magic – but finally, someone could give him an interesting answer. A wise old man, now blind, who sat on a bench near the harbour, listening to the world around him without ever interacting, told him of a well filled with poisonous water.

"How do you know?" Euron had asked.

The man had laughed. "I used to be one of them."

Poisonous water. A poison that killed instantly but without leaving any traces. This sounded like a perfect opportunity, so Euron made his way to the famous House of Black and White.

It could be easily spotted, the second largest building after the Iron Bank and directly at the harbour. As the name said one half of it was painted in black, the other in white.

Euron, a few men behind him, entered the huge building without knocking and without fear. Whatever would be inside these walls could not bring him down. He had his trusted sword Red Rain with him and it was made of Valyrian steel, as well as his famous axe.

The first room inside was an enormous, dark atrium, only lit with a few fire bowls. Some people stood around, apparently praying towards the different god statues. Euron recognised the Lord of Light, the Seven, and of course the Drowned God. He had never been a very religious person, so the statues meant nothing to him, not even his own god.

In the middle of the room was indeed a well of at least three metres diameter and incorporated into the ground. In front of it stood a man with long brown hair (one strip of hair was white), wearing a beige cowl. He looked like he was in charge, so Euron stepped towards him as if he owned the place himself. He wanted to show this strange man as soon as possible who really had the power.

"You work here?" he asked without a greeting, grinning at the man arrogantly.

"A man has dedicated his life to the Many-faced God," he replied stoically. "He does what the Many-faced God commands."

"So you work here?" Euron pressed.

The man cracked an amused smile. "Yes, a man works here."

"Very good," Euron rubbed his hands together. "I'd like to take some of that poisonous water with me." He indicated towards the well. "Do you have a barrel I can use?"

The man arched an eyebrow. "The water is not yours to take," he spoke calmly.

Euron's smile faltered and he made an angry step towards the man. "You misunderstand me. That was not a request. I'm taking the water with me." He heard his men behind him unsheathe their swords and liked the dramatic effect of this threat.

The man didn't look afraid at all and it pissed Euron off a lot. "A man does not fear Death," he continued to explain in his calm voice. " But," he added when Euron gripped his own sword, "a man has still some things to fulfil before the Many-faced God wants his end." He stepped aside, so the way to the well was free.

Euron didn't wait long, but pointed at a bucked nearby, saying to his men: "Fill it."

The men didn't seem to like this idea at all. They looked at each other with scared faces, waiting for someone else to do the deed.

"Cowards," Euron spat, grabbed the bucket and filled it with the water from the well – he would punish them later for this un-Ironborn behaviour! He paid attention that he didn't get the fluid on his hands and when a drop splashed on his finger accidentally, he wiped it away at his trousers at once.

After the bucket was filled, Euron stood again and smirked at the strange man. "Thank you for your cooperation," he said and mocked a bow.

The man inclined his head and prophesised: "This water will be your downfall."

Euron laughed. "I'm the King of the Ironborn – water runs through my veins!" He turned to his men and nodded to the bucket. "Carry it," he ordered but again the men were too afraid to move. "What's wrong with you?" Euron demanded. "Just be careful and nothing will happen."

Still, the men didn't move, looking at each other, the bucket, and Euron.

"Or do I need to kill you myself for disobeying an order?!" Euron roared angrily.

The men shook their heads and at last one of them brought himself to do it and took the damn thing in one hand, staring at it as if the water would jump at him at any moment.

Euron rolled his eyes and left the House of Black and White without looking back and without closing the door behind him.

All the way back to the fleet, Euron whistled in delight, already thinking whom he could kill and then how to kill his enemies best. Maybe he could test it on Yara? No harm there. But then again, he thought, that she was more valuable to him alive, more fun.

When they reached the fleet, they ascended the main ship, the biggest and most graceful of them all, Euron's personal ship – the Silence. His crew members looked at the bucket he brought with him; it looked like ordinary water to them, he could see it in their confused but curious faces.

"What's that?" one brave man finally dared to ask.

Euron used this opportunity for a little speech. "This, my friends, is our future. It is our way to glory and land. This water is poisonous. Whoever drinks from it, will die. It smells like nothing, tastes like nothing, and leaves no traces behind. I could murder you all at tonight's dinner and no one would know it was me." He laughed at his own joke but he laughed alone. He looked around.

The Ironborn, who were normally as cruel in their jokes as him, only stared at the water in fright.

"What's the matter with you?" Euron demanded to know. He did not understand when his steel men had become such cowards. "This is the key to our future successes! We can kill whomever we want, whenever we want. And no one'll know it was us!"

The crew members exchanged glances, all timid. At last, someone announced: "We are Ironborn. Water is our home. We cannot allow evil water on our ship."

Euron sighed. Such superstitious people… "You have nothing to fear from me," he assured them in his best imitation of a friend. "I only meant it as a joke. Why would I kill my loyal men?"

But the men still looked wary. "I say we throw the bucket into the sea," someone – Hery, Euron recognised, his second in command – yelled. "And be rid with this diabolic water once and for all! The Drowned God is our God and not this foreign imposter where this water comes from!"

The men started to nod in agreement.

"We are Ironborn!" Hery went on. "If we kill someone, we throw our swords into their guts until they are dead."

"Yes!" the men shouted.

"And not with poison – a woman's weapon, by the way!"

Now all crew members were on Hery's side, cursing the wicked water, so Euron knew he had to act quickly. With a few long strides, he stood in front of his second in command and grabbed his throat. The man was a bit taller than him but his neck was thin and so it was easy to choke him with one hand.

The crew members fell silent at once.

"I am the captain of this ship," Euron reminded them in a dangerous voice, "the captain of this entire fleet. I am the King of the Ironborn, and no one questions me or my actions. Is that understood?"

Hery nodded frantically, panic in his eyes.

"Give me the water," Euron demanded and pointed to the bucket.

The man, who had carried it, brought it to him swiftly, bowing in submissiveness.

Euron took it without fear, while still holding Hery in his other hand. "I want everyone to watch closely to what happens to people who question me," he roared loudly. Slowly he raised the bucket over Hery's head.

The former brave man now froze in fear and whimpered his apologies, but Euron didn't care. He poured a few drops of the water into the man's mouth and watched him swallow with glee. Finally, he let go of him, put the bucket back on the floor, and watched his second in command die, without pain and without a fight. He himself was rather disappointed with this poison – it killed too fast and not nearly gruesome enough. Nothing like the Long Farewell, for instance.

The crew gasped quietly but Euron knew they were frightened enough not to ever question him again.

When Hery's body stopped moving and his open eyes watched the sky deadly, Euron left the deck without another word and went inside his cabin.

There he found his lovely niece tied to a chair. Smiling he went to her and grinned even more when she started to struggle. "Well, my dear, I've finally got time for you again." He gently laid his hand on her cheek and found it wet.

He sighed in contentment. What a wonderful day, Euron thought as Yara's muffled screams went through the whole ship.