Torture
Edmure POV
I was swinging from right to left, from front to back, as my hands were bound by chains hanging from the ceiling. If I were swinging any harder, I would be sick. Even now, I feel lightheaded. I didn't know for how long I was in such a state. There was no light. Sometimes someone would come to feed me before I started starving.
The cabin inside was damp, and I could smell the moldy air. The only sound I would hear was the rats scurrying beneath me, chains clanging, and the wooden sealing creaking under my weight. There were no other sounds. The guard outside the cabin was dead silent. The people who were bringing me food did so in silence, not uttering a word.
These conditions would break anyone, but I knew it was just the beginning of my torture. I didn't know what they wanted. My cooperation? My secrets? I tried to think of a reason why I was still alive. After all, they tried to kill me time and time again before, so why now are they keeping me alive? What changed?
As I was thinking of the possibilities of my survival, the doors to the cabin opened. A man with black hair, pale skin, one covered eye, and one smiling eye came through the doors. His blue lips curved into a smile, seeing me hanging in front of him. His one blue eye looked playfully at me as if I was a toy for him to play with.
"What should I do?" The man asked, lightly patting my cheek. "You and your friend put our spymaster into a coma. It is even hard for the warlocks to heal him."
"My bad," I laughed. My voice was raspy from thirst. "Sorry I couldn't put you next to him."
"You will miss your laughter first," Euron Greyjoy said.
I didn't understand what he meant as he turned and lit the candles around the room. It illuminated the cabin, showing the many bloodstains and cracked wood. Then there was a table with various tools. Whips, pliers, knives, and buckets could be seen. I wondered what he would want to know from me that can't be found out by their spymaster.
"I will make sure not to break your body, so don't worry too much. After all, I will need it."
"Do your worst," I said. "I killed your brothers. I will kill you too."
"Yes, I should thank you for making my work easier," Euron replied. "They did their job in getting attention from the rest of the kingdoms. Even if it was for a short while, it was enough for my spymaster to establish his network."
"Even with me as your hostage, you won't be able to do anything," I told him. "The golden company with you only will last a few months in the Seven Kingdoms."
"That will be enough," He said. "After all, they are not my men, so it will be even better if they all die."
"So, you will use them to take over the Iron Islands?" I tried to pry into this plan. "Even if you succeed, the Iron Islands will fall again."
"Not before I burn the rest of the Kingdoms," He said. "Don't worry. You will play a role in it too. I will make you even if you don't want to do it."
I didn't have time to question him anymore as he went to the table. My mind ran through many scenarios of what his plan could be. He was a madman, and words about burning the kingdoms stuck with me. Even if I believed he would be stopped, I didn't want to give him a chance to wreak chaos in my lands.
…
The whip cracked in the air before hitting my back. Blood splattered to the walls as I screamed in pain. I have lost consciousness a couple of times, but he would wake me by pouring cold water over me every time. It was salt water, so it burned my wounds. My throat was sore from screaming in pain, and I still didn't know what he wanted.
"Hmm, it should be enough for today," Euron wrapped the whip and put it back on the table. "I will send some warlocks to look after your wounds."
I didn't have the strength or will to reply. My breathing was hard and heavy. Blood dripped from my back to the wet ground. The warlocks came soon enough. They had pale white skin and pale blue lips. They put something cold and slimy on my back, making my wounds even more painful. At least the blood stopped dripping.
…
When Euron returned, I stared at him, waiting to see what he would do. I wanted to know why he did this to me and his goal. Yet part of me thought I was nothing but a plaything for him to play with until it broke and was thrown away. His one blue eye was always playful when he looked at me. Today he wasn't alone.
"Bring him down," Two men took me off the chains and lay me on the floor. "I can't kill you, as you will be a good present for someone. But don't worry. Nobody will care if I play with you a bit."
A cloth was put over my face as two men held me down. Then water was poured over my head. The water forced me to gag, I tried to struggle, but it was no use. They held me tightly and poured water on my face intermittently. Every time I felt like I was going to die from the lack of air, they would stop and lift the cloth to let me breathe and then repeat the action.
"It is enough for today," Euron said after what felt like an eternity.
They lifted my tired and sore body from the floor and put me back on the chains. I stared at them as they left me. I knew they would return tomorrow. Euron didn't ask me anything. I still had no idea what he wanted. I was starting to feel afraid of the unknown.
…
How many times has it happened now? I didn't know. I lost count long ago. He did as he said. He didn't break my body. Yet it felt like my mind would be broken at any moment now. They had whipped me, drowned me, ripped my fingernails with pliers, and cut me. I didn't know what else they could do.
Every day was a nightmare. I didn't know when I was awake or asleep. I could move my body, but it was so heavy that it took a lot for me only to lift my head. Sometimes I would leave my head hanging down, as the only time I would raise it was when he would come. Today was no different.
"You know, I don't like how you stare at me with your bright blue eyes," Euron said. He went to the table. I saw him taking a torch and then lighting it up. After that, he drew a sword, my sword. "This Valyrian sword doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the Ironborn."
He held the sword above the flames of the torch. I watched as the sword's tip slowly heated up. It turned slightly red, then Euron smiled at me and walked up. His blue eye was more playful than ever. He laughed when he put the hot Valyrian sword to my left eye. The heat burned my skin before melting my left eye. When he pulled the sword away, there were skin pieces on it.
"That's better. Now we can look at the same eye level," Euron's smile was devilish as he looked at my eye as I passed out from the pain. "It is enough for today."
…
I never begged. Even if I cried and screamed in pain, I never begged for mercy. But it only got worse. Everything was hurting. It was hard to breathe. I couldn't sleep, and I was starving and exhausted. The swinging made my mind spin, the damp cold forced me to shiver, and the mold sickened me.
"Is this it, Edmure?" I turned to the voice in the darkness.
"Patrek," A man formed where I was looking. He looked like my friend.
"It has been some time."
"You are dead," I knew he wasn't real.
"If you don't do anything, you will die too."
"There is nothing I can do," I said. "I have no weapon to fight with, nowhere to run. I am done for."
"The Redfish I know would fight with his teeth if he must," Patrek said. "He would rather die by his own choice than anyone else. Can't you feel the swinging? The storm is raging outside."
It was true that I was swinging more violently than usual. I could hear thunder and waves hitting the ship.
"Can't you hear the creaking of the wood above you?"
I looked up. The wooden plank the chain was hanging from was creaking intensely. Patrek nodded at me.
"If you put your mind to it, you can do it. You are the Redfish. How can you let some Kraken do as he wishes with you?"
I didn't need more encouragement as I lifted my body using the chains. It hurt, but I was consumed by rage and somehow managed to lift my legs and set my feet on the ceiling. I pulled the chain with all my strength, hoping to break them from the wooden plank. The plan creaked, and the whole plank broke off the ceiling, bringing me down to the floor. I almost fainted as I landed on my back but managed to hold on.
"You need to get up, the guard would have heard you, and he will come to check on you. Use the plank as a spear and crush his neck."
I did as Patrek had said and stood up, taking the plank and holding it as a spear. When the doors opened and the guard entered, I rushed at him and pressed one end at his neck. I pushed him to the wall and pushed the plank with all my strength until I heard the neck being crushed. I felt like I was about to collapse from my exhaustion.
"You can't, not now," Patrek said. "You need to climb up. The storm will keep them preoccupied. Use it to escape."
I climbed the stairs one by one, barely lifting my feet. They felt so heavy and unresponsive that I could barely walk. The chains clanged rhythmically as I climbed up. Nobody stopped me as there was no one. The ship was silent as ever, but with each step, I could hear more clearly the wind and the waves.
When I pushed the doors to the deck, I found the crew working hard, trying to grasp the ship back to its control. I stepped forward and then quickly pushed myself to the railing. I drove away those who wanted to stand in front of me. Now, below me were the raging waves from the sea, and behind me was him.
"You still had enough strength to pull something like this?" He sounded more amused than furious. "You did great. I don't think there is anyone like you who could have done it. But even so, it changes nothing. Look around you."
I looked, and they looked back at me. The crew was looking at me in silence and with hollow eyes. I shivered in fear.
"It is enough for today."
Instead of answering, I jumped over the board into the cold sea. As waves consumed me, I could only hold on to the wooden plank. I knew my survivability was low, but it was better than enduring endless torture from a man whose goal I didn't know. I only hoped for a quick death and sweet rest.
A.N. As always, If you want more, up to five advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852