"We can live in the countryside and raise our child together."

The words echoed in Euron's head. Raise our child together. Our child. Our child. He took a shuddering breath. Dimly, he heard Cersei's voice answering, but he couldn't understand her words. All he could hear was Jaime's damning accusation. Our child. Euron wished he could doubt the truth of Jaime's words, but they were clear as crystal and sharp as dragonglass. How could I have missed it? I knew they were fucking!

He couldn't see or think. Faintly, Cersei's commands filtered through the fog in his head. "Take my brother alive, but kill the other two!" Still lost in his whirling thoughts, he mechanically followed the Mountain toward Jaime, Brienne, and Podrick, standing before Cersei with their swords raised. And still he didn't blink or wonder as the Hound rushed into the room, or as the queensguard leaped into a flurry of swords and clanking armor.

It was only when Podrick came charging at him that he finally raised his ornamented axe, barely in time to block the first strike.

As he fought automatically, his wisps of thought joined together. Our child. He remembered those same words upon Cersei's silver tongue. "One day our child shall rule them all," she had said, holding his face in her hands. Warm joy had flowed through his body, followed by an aching concern that filled him from throat to gut. He would do anything to protect Cersei and their child. He would fight Danaerys and her dragons, the army of the North, the whole of Westeros, for their child.

Anger flooded in him, an incoherent rage crowding out all sadness. I'm going to kill that fucking cunt! Whirling away from Podrick, he scanned the room for Cersei. She was nowhere to be seen. He sprinted for the door and into the hall with Podrick on his heels. She wasn't in the hall.

I'm going to die here, he realized. Far away from home, my line dying out, my people bleeding in her streets. His fighting spirit sputtered out. He gave a last huge swing of his axe and knocked Podrick's sword aside. "FUCK HER!" Euron screamed, then jumped back, out of striking range. "I surrender!" He yelled with his arms up, left hand open and flat, right hand holding his axe up harmlessly.

"You. . . what?" Podrick stuttered in surprise, but quickly recovered. He pointed his sword at Euron's throat and ordered, "Drop your weapon!"

"Listen to my conditions." Euron panted, breathing hard. "Escort me to Danaerys. Protect me from her forces. I'll order my ships to withdraw."

"Why?" Podrick narrowed his eyes. "Is this a trick?"

"No!" Euron said quickly. "I will not die here, fighting for her." He grimaced as he spat the word out. "I will not spill the blood of my people to protect her brother's bastard growing in her belly."

A dawning recognition filled Podrick's expression before returning to stony suspicion. "Why should I trust you?" He asked warily.

"The ships will listen to me. The Golden Company will listen. They'll retreat if I command it. It will save the lives of your people and mine." Euron thought, then added, "You can march me out with your sword at my throat."

"Or your soldiers will kill me the second I walk out with you." Podrick said.

"Then you can quickly cut my throat. You'll die, and I'll die too." He swallowed, then opened his right fist, letting his axe fall to the ground. "That's not worse than what you expected today. You can save your army and the people of the Keep."

Podrick regarded him for a long moment. Then he said, "Fine. Let me tie you up, then we'll go."

Euron waited while Podrick tied his wrists tightly together, then he marched out of the keep. He yelled for his commanders to stop the fighting. Word spread through the Golden Company, and the fighting quieted around them. He was led to a small tent, Podrick's sword still at his back, Drogon curled outside. Danaerys demanded assurance that the Iron Fleet would not return for a surprise ambush. Euron offered to send his soldiers and ships ahead while he remained in captivity, to set sail after the rest of his forces returned to the Iron Islands.

"Your dragon will be safe," Euron urged Danaerys.

Danaerys agreed to allow his forces to withdraw, but demanded that Euron be given to Yara as a prisoner. Then, Jon Snow gave his word no harm would come to him in captivity. "I will make Yara swear it," he promised. "Theon died bravely fighting for the living. Perhaps you can redeem yourself as well."

They led Euron away in chains. His shoulders sagged, and his face was grim, but a lightness stirred within him.

He was going home.

****** JBJBJBJBJBJB ******

Author's Notes:

This chapter underwent a huge revision. I originally had it written from Podrick's POV, with a plot of Podrick dueling and killing Euron. I know lots of people were hoping Euron would die, myself included. He's so smarmy, scummy, and vulgar, just a generally horrible human.

But then I saw the scene where Cersei tells him she's pregnant. In that moment he looked truly joyful, and his expression and movements were tender. Suddenly I was feeling bad for him, so I couldn't kill him. Sorry!

Weirdly though, I think Euron's POV makes the scene deeper, in a way. My original Podrick's POV was feeling pretty similar to Brienne's. They generally have the same perspective about the sequence of events. They would interpret Cersei's and Jaime's words in largely the same way. They would have the same worry about being outnumbered and the same relief at the Hound's appearance. It would basically have been the same chapter with different battle details. Euron's POV allowed this chapter have a totally different emotional heart, and I'm pretty happy with that.

Sorry I used the word "cunt". It sounds like a word Euron would use, because he's a scumbag. I don't believe in calling people that.