Queen of the Iron Islands Chapter 8
"Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected."
Sun Tzu
Euron Greyjoy is charged with murdering his brother Balon and conspiring to murder Ila. Faced with irrefutable evidence, Euron takes extreme drastic measures to secure his claim to the Seastone Chair. All recognisable ASOIAF characters, locations, and concepts rightfully belong to George R.R. Martin and HBO. This is just an alternate history fan fiction story. As always, feel free to read and review.
Ila's POV: Nagga's Hill
It was late morning by the time Ila had arrived at the foot of Nagga's hill. On the crown of the hill, four-and-forty giant stone ribs rose from the earth like the trunks of great pale trees. According to Ironborn legend, these stony structures were the ribs of the great sea dragon Nagga. At her prime, she had devoured krakens and leviathans and drowned entire islands in her wrath. The Grey King had slain her following an epic battle and the Drowned God had transformed her bones into stone so that the Ironborn would always remember the valour of their first king.
Ila listened deeply as Aeron chronicled the history of the hill.
"Nagga's hill is not the sad, bare rock that you see here today," explained the Damphair "Thousands of years ago, long before the Wall was built and the dragons came to the Green Lands, this hall had been a great longhall. Nagga's ribs served as the beams and pillars of the Grey King's hall. His jaws had been his throne. The hall was also warmed constantly by Nagga's living fire, which the Grey King made his thrall. There used to walls with tapestries woven from silver seaweed most pleasing to the eyes. There used to be a great table shaped like a great starfish which the Grey King's warriors feasted upon, while seated on thrones carved from mother-of-pearl. Those were the glory days of our people."
"What happened to the Grey King's longhall," asked Ila curiously.
"After the Grey King died, men strayed from the Old Way," continued Aeron "As punishment, the Drowned God threw the people to the mercy of the Storm God. The Storm God drowned Nagga's fire, the chairs and tapestries were stolen, and the roof and walls rotted away. Even the sea swallowed the Grey King's throne of fangs. Now, all that remains are those great bones that you see. Men today are smaller and shorter than the great heroes of old. Only we, the Drowned Priests, have kept the people true to the Old Way."
"And that's why we reave and pillage other lands," added Asha "To carve our names in sword, fire, and song."
"Don't the other people get sick of you raiding their lands, homes, and making us thralls," asked Ila
"We cannot go against the Drowned God's commands," replied Aeron "This has been our way of life for thousands upon thousands of years. We are a people distinct from the First Men, Andals, and the Rhoynar. We came from a land beyond the Sunset Sea."
"Well, Uncle Rodrik might beg to differ," interjected Asha
"If I were you, my sweet niece," replied Aeron sternly "I would take the Reader's words with a pinch of salt. He has delved his head into too many books. He's developed too much of a fondness for the Green Lands."
Before they could continue their conversation, cries and trumpets could be heard in the distance.
"Behold, Euron, the King of the Iron Islands and the North," shouted a herald
Ila turned and saw the assembled crowds parting to make way for a man in rich robes and armour. She recognised the Crow's Eye's familiar pirate's patch and lock black hair and neat beard. He wore a long set of red robes over a steel breastplate, which had been taken from a Lannister knight during his attack on the Lannister fleet. He was surrounded by a great company of supporters.
Euron's arrival generated a mixture of responses from the assembled Ironborn. Some cheered the so-called King while others denounced him as a kingslayer and kinslayer. The crowd seemed to be evenly split between Euron's supporters and opponents. The crowd was arranged in a concentric semicircle around the sacred hill which reflected the various classes of Ironborn society. Respectable Ironborn men – the nobility, oarsmen, steersmen, sailmakers, shipwrights, warriors, fishermen – had congregated around the base of the knoll. The common men along with the women, children, and thralls were concentrated at the rim of the semi-circle.
Ila waited with Asha's guards while Asha and her two uncles strode down to receive Euron. Ila watched as the conversation unfolded.
"I, as your King, have come to clear my name," boomed Euron "These accusations are false. All you have are the words of two untrustworthy rogues who have murdered my brother, and my jealous, scheming relatives. I deny them firmly with every bone and muscle in my body."
"You are no king yet," retorted Aeron "The Captains have not elected their new king. Nor have you been crowned with the driftwood crowd."
"These are only formalities," replied Euron defiantly "You do not have the balls to seize me. I am surrounded by my loyal companions. The crowd is evenly divided between my supporters and opponents. You would not dare spill anymore Ironborn blood."
"Oh no, we won't, brother," responded Victarion gruffly "That's why we have convened a trial to test the strength of the allegations levelled against you. I trust that you would want to clear your name."
"I do," said Euron in a softer but still firm tone. "Now, can we get on with this unpleasant business so that I can get back to my work of leading the Iron Isles."
"Well, that's why we summoned you here," replied Aeron "To separate truth from falsehood. To test whether you are worthy to site on the Seastone Chair."
Everyone, including Euron's supporters, murmured in agreement.
The Trial
About half an hour later, the trial of Euron Greyjoy went underway. Aeron had appointed a panel of five judges consisting Lord Rodrik the Reader, Lord Gylbert Farwynd of the Lonely Light, Lord Erik Ironmaker, Lord Dunstan Drumm of Old Wyk, and Aeron Greyjoy. The five judges sat on oak chairs at the crown of Nagga's hill around a makeshift wooden table. The defendant Euron stood to the left of the judges while the witnesses stood to their right.
Gylbert was a tall, lean man with a lantern-shaped jaw and eyes that constantly changed colours. There were rumours that the Farwynds of the Lonely Light, a remote island eight days to the north-west of Great Wyk, were skinchangers who could take the form of seals, walruses, and spotted whales. Amidst the row of strangers, Ila recognized Lord Rodrik's short, neatly groomed beard. Erik Ironmaker, who boasted of being a great warrior, had a long white beard and look like a giant sack of potatoes. He was so fat and old that he had to be carried on a wooden sedan chair. Dunstan was an old man who carried a Valyrian sword called the Red Rain. Finally, Ila recognised the Damphair's waist-long beard and well-worn woollen garments.
Ila watched the court proceedings with the Iron Captain Victarion and Harmund Pyke, one of Asha's men, at the knoll of the hill. Harmund was the mixed-blooded son of Olaf, a minor Ironborn lord and his Summer Islander saltwife. While Victarion outranked his niece Asha, he had chosen not to present the case against Euron since he was not good with words. He was a fearsome warrior and skilled swordsman but was a poor speaker. In the end, he allowed Asha to take his place since she was clever and witty with her tongue.
The first two witnesses to speak were the two "bad men" Germund Botley and Lucas Codd. Stripped of their rich clothing and armour, the two men were dressed in rough linen clothes. Germund spent about half an hour telling the story of how he had met Euron and the Faceless Man at Lys. In return for bringing the assassin back to Pyke, Euron had offered to make the Lord of Arbor in the Reach once the Ironborn had conquered it. Next, Lucas recounted how Germund had bribed him into bringing the assassin into Balon's household in return for a beautiful diamond-studded Lyseni jacket and a new salt-wife from the Summer Islands.
Asha was the third to take the witness stand. She present four items to corroborate Germund and Lucas's testimonies: the corpse of the Faceless Man, the left-handed sword, and the Botley belt buckle. As Asha testified, she held Codd's belt in her right hand and the Botley buckle in her left.
"These two men Germund and Lucas did help the assassin to kill Lord Balon," said Asha sternly "They tried to kill Ila once at Pyke. But, they did not hire the assassin to kill her the second time, on Old Wyk. No, it was this man standing right beside me."
Asha pointed the left-handed sword at Euron, who tried to maintain a poker face. After Asha had finished testifying, Euron took the stand to answer the three witnesses. Even when cornered, he was still a charming orator.
"Thank you, now these three witnesses have testified that I ordered the killing of Lord Balon Greyjoy, my dear brother," said Euron "All that they have are the words of two self-admitted traitors and some circumstantial evidence. They claim that I accepted their gifts – the left-handed sword and the Botley belt – in return for me showering them with titles and lands once we have conquered Westeros. Those are barefaced lies. Why would I have need of a left-handed sword and a belt? I fight with my right hand and I have more than enough belts."
Euron raised the flap of his cloak to reveal three belts under his breastplate. He also had two belts across his armour.
"So, I say that these men are liars," shouted Euron fiercely "They are trying to weasel their way out of their punishment by shifting the blame to me. I have killed men in the heat of battle and forced myself onto countless women. But, I am not a murderer. No am I a kinslayer and a Kingslayer. Those two men hired the assassin to kill Balon, my brother. They then hired the same assassin with that belt and sword to kill the Wildling girl called Ila so that she could not tell the tale. My jealous brothers and niece are trying to keep me from my rightful place on the throne. Don't listen to their lies."
Euron's supporters in the crowd below cheered. It seemed that Euron would be walking out of court a free man. But Asha had one final trick up her sleeve.
"Yes, Uncle," replied Asha sassily "It would seem right now that my case is like the foolish man who built his house on the sand. I do have one final witness. Jaya, you may come up now."
Harmund Pyke turned to escort an ebony-skinned woman up Nagga's hill. Her skin was several shades darker than Harmund's mud-coloured hue but they shared the same woolly hair. Later, Ila learnt that Jaya had come from the Summer Isles like Harmund's mother. There was a deathly silence within the crowd. Ila saw that Euron's face had turned a pale white hue in shock.
"Who is this witness here," thundered Erik Ironmaker
"This is Jaya, one of Euron's saltwives," said Asha firmly "She was present when Euron hired the Faceless Man to murder Ila."
Asha then whispered something to Jaya and the Summer Isles woman stood up and addressed the judges.
"My name is Jaya, the daughter of Hassan the fisherman," said Jaya in a clarion clear voice "I am the salt-wife of Euron and the mother of his son Faruk and his late daughter Nissa. Euron plucked me from village eleven years ago and I have faithfully served him with my body."
Jaya went on to describe how Euron had hired the Faceless Man a second time to kill Ila in order to kill the sole person who witness Lord Balon's death. The Faceless Man had initially refused to kill the Wildling girl because the Many-Faced God had not decreed that it was her time to die. However, Euron persisted and the Faceless Man set a high price: one of his own daughters. While such a request would have turned off many fathers, Euron did not hesitate to order Jaya to bring his own daughter. Using his sword, the Crow's Eye had then pierced his daughter through the heart, killing her instantly. Jaya had wept and pleaded with her husband but he ignored her. He claimed that her children were worthless because they were the offspring of a salt-wife. As Jaya ended her testimony, she broke down into tears. Asha comforted her.
Euron seemed speechless and tried to hide his head during her testimony. Jaya's testimony succeeded in swaying the judges and many of Euron's own supporters. Several people in the assembled crowd began chanting for Euron to step down or to be executed. Rodrik Harlaw then spoke.
"Thank you Jaya for your testimony," he said, as Asha led the woman away "We now have a credible witness who can prove with her own eyes that Euron conspired with the Drowned Man to murder our late King Balon Greyjoy the Ninth of his name since the Grey King."
He then turned to speak to Euron.
"Euron," he said fiercely "Do you have anything to say in your defence."
"Ah yes," sighed the Crow's Eye "I did order the Faceless Man to murder my brother, the King."
There were gasps of horror and cries of outrage from the crowd. Several of Victarion and Asha's supporters cheered.
"But it was for the good of these fair isles," continued Euron "My brother was wasting your lives and resources trying to conquer the cold, barren North. If he were as worthy as the kings of old, he would have seized the opportunity to attack the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and the Reach. The lords of the Green Lands are squabbling among themselves. True, I hired the Faceless Man to kill my brother. I also hired Germund and Lucas to sneak the assassin into Pyke. And it's true that I hired the assassin to kill that Wildling thrall-girl. But I did it for the good of you, my people. I did it to save the Iron Islands from being dragged into a pointless war in the frozen North. Why waste all our men and resources fighting the Northmen when we could be pillaging the wide fields of the Riverlands and the Reach and sacking the treasure-houses of the Lannisters."
"Seize him," ordered Aeron fiercely. Several armed men rushed up the hill to seize the Crow's Eye. But the Crow's Eye had one final trick up his sleeve. He unsheathed his sword. It was an ornate sword of Valyrian steel.
"This is Nagga the Devourer," roared the usurper "I did not come here willingly to shed the blood of my fellow Ironborn. But you leave me no choice. Followers to me!"
The Crow's Eye raised his shining Valyrian sword with his right hand. At that signal, mayhem broke out among the crowd. Out of nowhere, a horde of savage-looking mongrels and mutes descended on the assembled crowd with hammers, axes, and swords. The cries and screams of women, children, and men filled the skies of Nagga's hill. Suddenly, pandemonium broke out among the crowd. Several men immediately donned black hoods and golden bangles, and drew their swords and daggers. They began stabbing and hacking those around them.
Several more of Euron's foreign minions emerged from behind the hill and began attacking the judges. Dunstan's skull was smashed open by a bare-chested brute with a long braid. Ila saw Gylbert's throat being slit from behind and Erik Ironmaker being stabbed to death by two lean sallow-skinned warriors with bald, pointed heads. Aeron was wrestling with a brindled skinned savage. Asha was aiding her uncle Rodrik against a masked assailant. Out of nowhere, a masked assassin charged at Ila but Victarion smashed his head open with his sword. The great armoured warrior then grabbed Ila with his great big hands.
"Come, let's get the hell out of here before Euron calls down his sorcerers," shouted the Iron Captain.
Endnotes
This chapter sets the stage for the climax of Asha and company's showdown with the Crow's Eye. For months, I toyed with the idea of having Euron demand a trial by combat and sparring off with Victarion. However, this climax seemed very much like a rehash of the Mountain fighting Oberyn Martell. So, I decided to have Euron borrow a page from another Ironborn King called Urron Greyiron, who gathered his men and killed all his rivals at a kingsmoot held following the death of his predecessor Urragon IV. That's how House Greyiron came to rule the Iron Islands for the next millennium until the arrival of the Andals. This kingsmoot is gonna end violently with some characters "killed off." Readers will notice some echoes of the arena battle from Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 9: A Dance with Dragons.
Astute readers will notice that peoples from Essos and Sothoryos make cameo appearances in this chapter: Dothraki, Jogos Nhai, and Sothoryi Brindled Men. It's no surprise since Euron's travelled all over the world and gathered a diverse multi-ethnic crew. I wanted to stress how interconnected the World of Ice and Fire is. What's good about A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones is that they have characters from a diverse mixture of races. Harmund Pyke from one of my earlier fanfics also appears in this chapter.