A/N; Special thanks to the folks on for making this possible. Let's go. I hope you enjoy it.
The journey to Valyria was a long arduous quest. We spent close to two weeks simply sailing from Astapor to the Gulf of grief. The map I procured in Bravos was a worthwhile investment as it ensured we didn't get lost as we went on our journey.
As we sailed through the open sea, I had nothing to do so spent my days training with my newly acquired army. I sparred with a few of them each day and I appreciated how dangerous they were. One-on-one, none of them posed anything resembling a threat. When they got to work together, they became opponents I couldn't hold back against. Their teamwork was deadly.
This didn't stop me from regularly engaging in four-on-one spars. I needed to challenge myself and keep my skills sharp. I spent whatever time I didn't spend training, getting to know the unsullied. It wasn't possible for me to form personal relationships with all of them. One of the first things I'd done after granting them freedom was grant them leave to choose new names.
Of course, this backfired in that almost all of them chose names that started or ended with the word 'Grey'. They seemed to believe I had some affinity for the word since my name was Greyjoy. The fact that I sailed on a ship called Grey wind didn't help. It also had Grey sails and to think of it, my clothes all seemed to be the colour grey.
I guessed they had a point. I spoke to Greybeard, the first mate of the ship. He was the one with the most sailing experience and he was a riot to interact with. He took to his freedom the best. Making constant jokes with me at every moment. I wasn't surprised to find out that the 'good masters' had 'recruited' him into the unsullied at the age of 12. I understood why the masters would want someone like him though. He was a giant of a man. Taller than me even. I was at least 6 feet 5 inches tall and he dwarfed me. He was also a devil to fight against. I avoided fighting against him in handicap situations. He was good. Strong, and skilled at using his strength.
Today, our topic of discussion was my future plans after Valyria. "So, you're telling me that you plan on using the gold and dragons from Valyria to launch a conquest of the stepstones." His skepticism was clear in his voice. I'd been trying to get him to see the genius in my plan for two days now.
"You don't even have any idea how to hatch dragons or even if you will be able to control them" he sounded exhausted.
"I wouldn't say no idea. I have a few hunches and feelings"
"So you have no idea then. Let's assume you succeeded in hatching dragons. How do you expect to conquer a whole chain of Islands with three ships"
"Obviously, I wouldn't attempt to conquer anything with three ships. I have friends in high places in Bravos you know? I'll buy a fleet from the Bravosi and hire the golden company to sail the ships. We'd have a mighty force, strong enough to contest with even the most stubborn of pirate captains. "
"Didn't you say that the Sea lord would be pissed off at you for using his gold to buy slaves?" He seemed confused at that.
"I freed you, didn't I? I'll tell him I did good with his gold, something he should be proud of me for" I explained to him smugly.
"And how do you plan on proving that?" He asked like he was talking to a toddler. Fuck. I understood his point. There was no way to actually prove that the Unsullied on my ships were actually freemen and not slaves. Sometimes, I even found myself doubting that fact. Convincing a skeptical sea lord would be close to impossible.
That realization forced me to reconsider my plans. Relying on the Bravosi would be a lost cause, I mean, I could still try but the sea lord would be highly against me. His daughter had been sold into slavery, so he developed a deep hatred for the practice. If his power wasn't so held back by other factions within the city, I'm sure Bravos would have gone to war with the rest of the continent to stop the practice.
He was an easy-going, logical man but any mention of slavery could send him into a rage worthy of the mad king himself. He hated it with a passion beyond comprehension. I tried to understand it but I could not relate to his pain so his anger felt excessive.
That didn't change the fact that he felt the anger though. If I walked into Bravos with my slave army, he'd kill me and be done with it. You didn't reason with mad men and the Sealord was definitely a mad man when slavery was involved.
I had no idea what to do at this point and as I walked back to my quarters deep in thought. I tried my best to ignore Greybeard's laughter that followed me.
POV CHANGE- Eddard Stark
"What do you mean gone?" I asked in a confused tone. I didn't understand the message that Jory and Rodrik pulled me out of bed to deliver. Theon Greyjoy? Gone?
"He's gone my lord. Some of his things are missing and a horse is gone from the stables. One of the night sentries also said he saw a figure ride out of the castle at night". Rodrik seemed to support Jory's ridiculous jape. How could Theon Greyjoy escape from the castle?
"This is no matter to jape about" I warned them irritably. Jory was young but Rodrik should know better. I paused at that. Rodrik did know better. This couldn't be a joke. My ward had truly left.
I ignored Rodrik's protests and walked into my chambers to dress for the day. I allowed Cat to remain asleep. There was no need to bother her with this.
I walked out again and signalled Rodrik and Jory to follow me. "Have you questioned everyone? Did anyone see or hear anything strange? Could he have been abducted?" I asked my questions in quick succession while we walked to the boy's rooms.
"We've spoken to most of the household, and no one heard anything. If he was abducted, he would have struggled and someone would have heard something."
"You said most of the household. Who haven't you questioned?"
"Ric is missing, we haven't been able to find him and Stones, Greyjoy's personal servant."
"Why haven't you questioned this stones?" I ask in shock.
"We waited for you, my lord. So you could question him yourself?"
"Well, I'm here. Bring him in"
They brought the boy in and I was shocked to see the face that stared back at me. I felt like I was in the room with my brother a few years before his death. This child was Brandon's spitting image. The hair, the nose, the eyes. It was all Brandon. I remembered hearing that Brandon's indiscretions with the maids had become legendary. But to think that an issue would have come from those dalliances and that such an issue would be here. In my castle. Under my own nose.
I stopped thinking about Theon Greyjoy at that moment. If he had successfully escaped then good for him. I'd send the word out to the northern houses and to Robert. He'd be back in no time. A more pressing issue was this boy that could very well be your nephew.
"Stones, was it? Tell me, do you know who your father was?" I had to be casual with my questioning so as to not give too much away. He might have been my nephew but he didn't know that. Advertising that fact would cause a lot of complications in the household.
"No, I never met him, my lord. Some say he was a guard in the castle" He replied in a voice that somehow even managed to remind me of Brandon. It shocked me how no one had noticed the resemblance in the boy.
He had no idea who his father was. I released him to leave and told Rodrik to direct his questioning. I then instructed Jory to tell Luwin to spread the word about Theon's escape. He needed to warn the castles on the way to Moat Cailin. I had no idea how he planned on getting to the iron islands from the north, but he would need to go south first.
Once that was over and done with, I stood up and walked towards the one person in the castle guaranteed to have the answers I needed- Old Nan
A/N; How's it looking?
