𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 113: 𝕿𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘.
-[Song credits: Poor Mans Poison - Hell's Comin' With Me (Lyrics)]
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The conversation ended shortly afterward. The prisoner barely managed to utter a few more incoherent words before remaining trembling against the wall of the cell, still clutching the flask between his hands and speaking to an empty corner.
Euron watched him in silence for a few seconds. He had already gotten everything he could out of him, so he drove his knife into his throat.
The man barely had time to react. He let out a wet, strangled sound before slowly collapsing onto the stone floor, spilling blood among the puddles of dirty water covering the cell, while his body still twitched weakly before finally becoming motionless.
Euron wiped the blade against the corpse's bandages and left the dungeons without wasting any time. He knew it would not take long for the dead guards to be discovered, and he had no intention of staying in Harlaw any longer.
Shortly afterward, he was already sailing away from the island aboard the Silence, hidden beneath the darkness of night as the rocky shores disappeared behind him.
And yet he kept thinking about the prisoner's words.
"He summoned lightning… like God."
It made his blood boil, not because he doubted the story, but precisely because of the opposite. The man had been completely terrified. Euron had seen madness before, far too many times, and knew how to recognize when someone was inventing stories to make sense of something they did not understand, but that prisoner had not exaggerated or invented anything.
He had spoken those words as if he were describing something absolute, not a fearsome warrior, not a sorcerer.
God.
Euron slowly tightened his fingers around the ship's railing as he stared into the darkness of the sea. It was almost a personal insult. For years, he had pursued forbidden knowledge and ancient magic with a single objective in mind: Ascend, surpass men, become something more.
Because only he was willing to go all the way. While other men were content with crowns, thrones, or armies, Euron had crossed cursed seas, sacrificed men, and sought secrets that would have destroyed the mind of anyone with less willpower than him. There was no other man in the world capable of going so far. He was the only one with the vision necessary to rise above men and rule them all.
But now a foreigner from the eastern plains seemed to have achieved before him what he had always considered his by right.
Even so, he was not defeated. Not yet.
He still had his sorcery, he still had the dragon horn. And, more importantly, he still understood something that most of the Impaler's enemies would never understand.
All power had limits, every chain could be broken, dragons could die, gods could bleed, and, of course, Vlad Drakul could too.
But there was a problem. Pyke had been destroyed along with all the men who could still have followed the Greyjoys. Vlad had razed their home and destroyed the only base of power Euron could have used to gather an army.
He could not simply sail east and attack impulsively; even Euron was not that stupid. Even if he managed to breach their walls or survive their dragons, he would surely die before he could even get close to Vlad.
He needed something else, something capable of giving him a chance to strike back.
He remained silent for several minutes before finally opening the ancient Valyrian book resting beside his belongings. Its pages were worn, dark, and covered in strange symbols that very few living men would have been capable of reading.
Euron slowly turned several pages until he stopped at an illustration that occupied almost the entire yellowed parchment.
The creature depicted on the parchment had a vaguely humanoid shape, although its proportions were wrong. Its body seemed covered in wet, scaly skin, while its head resembled that of a fish more than a man's. Its round eyes, completely asymmetrical and bulging, protruded slightly from its face, while its disproportionately wide mouth revealed several rows of thin, irregular teeth.
Its limbs ended in long, webbed hands with curved claws.
Even though it was only an illustration, there was something deeply unnatural about that thing.
Euron smiled when he saw the image of the creature and the extremely cruel ritual required to create it.
—Fine… —he whispered with a cruel smile as he looked at his crew of mutilated men—I'll do it myself
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[Lannisport, the Drunken Lion Tavern]
The atmosphere inside the Drunken Lion remained lively and noisy. The tables were practically full, and the air was heavy with the smell of beer and hot food. Sailors, merchants, and soldiers shared mugs amid laughter, while several serving girls moved through the room carrying trays between groups of increasingly drunk men.
In one corner, two soldiers who had just finished their patrols were arguing over who had won more coins playing dice, while one of the serving girls laughed as she leaned against the table beside them. Not far away, another slapped away the brazen hand of a sailor who had tried to touch more than he should, provoking the laughter of half the table.
Rodrik was still leaning against the bar with obvious interest after asking Vlad to play something, while several nearby patrons were already beginning to pay attention to the supposed bard.
Daenerys turned her face slightly toward Vlad, watching him with curiosity. Until now, she had assumed that the whole thing with the lute was nothing more than part of the disguise, but the ease with which he held it was beginning to make her suspicious.
And she found that unexpectedly interesting.
Because in all the years she had spent by his side, she had never seen him show the slightest interest in music.
But there they were. Vlad gave her a confident, teasing smile that made the last Targaryen princess's knees tremble slightly beneath the table. It was exactly the kind of smile that made her want to forget about the rest of the world and drag him straight to their chambers.
Unfortunately for her, the audience was expecting a song, and Vlad was not the sort of man who disappointed.
So he took the lute and stood before walking toward the small makeshift platform situated along one side of the tavern, where several musicians were still playing enthusiastically thanks to the generous tips.
Some of them gave him curious looks when he approached, although none seemed particularly bothered by sharing the space, because, after all, any excuse was good enough to prolong the music and keep the customers drinking.
Obviously, this caught the attention of practically everyone present.
Vlad's appearance, even wrapped in the enchantment of the pendant he shared with Daenerys, was still quite striking, as his handsome face was accompanied by straight black hair tied in a ponytail that only accentuated his features even further.
It was worth mentioning that the terrifying lord of the vampires had already won half the audience over simply because of his appearance, especially several of the serving girls.
Daenerys watched with amusement as her husband settled onto the stool and tuned the lute before speaking in that theatrical, gentle tone so characteristic of him.
—I have traveled through several parts of the known world —he said with a smile as the first notes of a soft melody came from the instrument—. I have seen many situations that could inspire a thousand songs, but today I will sing only three for you.
The first notes came slowly and softly, blending with the noise of the tavern as Vlad moved his fingers skillfully over the strings. The melody was accompanied by his soft baritone voice, singing the story of a man from the Vale and a revenge.
[They all laughed as he turned around slow
They said: You ain't welcome round here anymore
You just might as well go
He wiped the blood from his face as he slowly came to his knees
He said I'll be back when you least expect it
And hell's coming with me
Hell's coming with me]
At first, several continued talking among themselves, but little by little the melody began to gain rhythm and strength, forcing more than one person to turn their face toward the small platform as Vlad increased the cadence of his voice and the lute.
[There is a hill at the bottom of the valley
Where all the poor souls go when they die
And if you listen real close, you can hear em' like a ghost
Saying you're never gonna make it out alive
There is a town at the bottom of that hill
They got a secret that they keep like a slave
They got a black magic preacher, we'd do well to let him teach her
You'll be heading up that hill to the grave.]
The sound of the lute became faster and livelier, accompanied by an easy-to-follow rhythm even for the drunkest patrons. Some began banging their mugs against the tables, others kept the beat with their hands, and before long several bursts of laughter could be heard when one of the musicians on the platform ended up joining the song.
Daenerys stared at her husband with wide eyes as his strong fingers moved effortlessly over the strings of the instrument, while his hair, darkened by magic, flowed through the air to the rhythm of the music.
To be honest, she had expected to have to make certain concessions when she married Vlad.
Lovers? Probably, although she had always assumed she would simply have to kill them as soon as she discovered them, so eventually he would run out of women to cheat on her with. Fortunately, Vlad was faithful to the core.
The urge to kill anyone who irritated him? Of course, but Vlad was actually quite reasonable.
Violent impulses and an unhealthy obsession with battle, along with certain homicidal tendencies? That was standard in Westeros, although she had also discovered that Vlad could redirect much of all that energy toward considerably more pleasurable activities, which made up for it.
But never, ever in her entire life, had she imagined that she would end up watching the terrifying Lord Impaler sing like a lovesick poet in the middle of a tavern, and the worst part was that she did not even know what to think about it.
No, that was a lie. She knew exactly what to think.
She loved it.
At one point between verses, Vlad looked directly at her and winked with an arrogant and shamelessly attractive smile, clearly teasing her for not having believed in his abilities, but Daenerys could not even form a coherent thought.
When Vlad winked at her, the last Targaryen princess would swear by all the gods that she felt the urge to let out a high-pitched, shrill cry of excitement. Fortunately for her dignity, she managed to restrain herself.
Vlad let out a deep laugh that almost seemed to blend with the melody itself as his fingers continued moving rapidly across the lute's strings.
The song began to gain even more rhythm and strength, becoming faster and livelier as Vlad's voice easily rose above the noise of the tavern. The melody continued building little by little, making it clear that the true climax was still to come.
[There was a drifter passing through that little valley
See he had promised he was coming back to town
They didn't know him by his face, or by the blade around his waist
But he come back to burn that town to the ground]
The tone of his voice changed shortly afterward, adopting a deeper and rougher tone when he reached certain parts of the story, bringing the character to life while continuing to play with complete naturalness.
[First there was fire
Then there was smoke
Then that preacher man was hangin' by a rope
Then they all fell to their knees and begged that drifter
Begged him please, as he raised his fist before he spoke]
The reaction was immediate. Several people began following the rhythm by banging on the tables again, while others simply watched Vlad, completely immersed in the performance. Even some of the musicians seemed to have completely forgotten to keep playing, too focused on the song.
[I am the righteous hand of the God's
And I am the devil that you forgot
And I told you one day you will see, that I'll be back I guarantee
And that hell's coming, hell's coming
Hell, hell's coming with me]
Then Vlad finally reached the highest point of the chorus and strummed the strings of the lute hard, causing the sound to resonate throughout the tavern before finishing the song with one final, sharp and powerful chord.
The entire tavern erupted in cheers and the pounding of mugs against tables, clearly delighted not only with the song, but also with the story behind it.
Even several of the musicians seemed convinced that the song would earn them a few extra tips the next time they decided to play it. After all, there were no copyrights in Westeros.
As for Vlad, he remained on the small platform receiving the applause with a relaxed and carefree calmness that he rarely showed in public. He smiled slightly while resting the lute against one of his legs, almost as if all that attention did not affect him in the slightest.
Daenerys, for her part, was completely stunned.
She really did not know how to react to that. Her first thought had been that, from that moment on, Vlad would have to sing to her every night if he wanted to sleep in the same bed as her again. She even considered pretending to be angry that he had hidden such a talent from her for so long.
But she could not contain herself.
By all the gods, she really tried.
However, seeing him standing there in the middle of the platform, so attractive, so relaxed and smiling, so different from the serious man constantly burdened with responsibilities that the rest of the world knew, Daenerys completely lost control of her impulses.
She suddenly stood up and quickly made her way between the tables before climbing onto the platform and throwing herself directly at him to plant a huge kiss on his lips in front of the entire tavern.
It was worth mentioning that, at the sight of this, the entire tavern erupted into even louder laughter, whistles, and cheers. For a few seconds, it seemed more like a festival than a simple tavern.
But Daenerys barely heard them.
Even if someone had shouted directly into her ear, she doubted she would have been capable of paying attention. All she could do was look into Vlad's eyes as she slowly pulled away from his lips, still feeling his breath against hers.
And whether it was because she still had no control over herself whenever Vlad was involved or because of the sincere and absolute love she felt for him, the words escaped her mouth before she could even think about them.
—Marry me —she blurted out, still pressed against him.
Vlad let out a small laugh as he gave her an amused, teasing look.
—I'm sorry, my lady, but I already have a wife waiting for me at home —he replied, holding back a smile.
Daenerys immediately understood the game and narrowed her eyes slightly, feigning indignation while still keeping her hands resting on his shoulders.
—And what does that foolish wife of yours have that makes you choose her over me? —she asked with false offense.
Vlad simply raised one hand and gently brushed several strands of hair away from her face before caressing her cheek with his thumb.
—She is the most beautiful woman in the world —he replied, looking directly into her eyes— and not only on the outside. I am quite sure she is beautiful on the inside as well, and that she will know how to forgive me for having hidden this little secret from her.
Vlad's smile widened as he slowly slid his hand along Daenerys's cheek.
Obviously, he would have enjoyed entertaining her with songs, but he could not afford to have his image associated with "a poet prince"; it was the price of having such a terrifying reputation.
—Besides, she will surely understand that, although I enjoy singing for her, I am no musician, just a good performer —he added in a soft, amused tone.
Daenerys stared at him, completely stunned by the shamelessness with which he was capable of saying such things without losing his composure.
But in the end, all she could do was smile before kissing him on the lips again, letting the noise, laughter, and shouts of the tavern simply fade away around them.
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Good afternoon, everyone.
Sorry for the delay in publishing. I just got back from my sister's wedding and only arrived back in the city today.
What can I say about this chapter? As I mentioned, it's an interlude. Thanks to the person who pointed out that word to me, because they were right: I should have called these kinds of chapters that. It's simply a small slice-of-life moment to continue developing Vlad and Daenerys's relationship and make it even more endearing.
At the beginning of the chapter, we also get to see a little of Euron Greyjoy and the threat, whether big or small, that he will represent in the near future.
Not much else to say. As I mentioned, this chapter is a small slowdown in the pace. Next comes the Winterfell arc, followed by the masquerade ball arc. I also have several conspiracies planned, and Cersei will be even more of an idiot in the future. You'll see.
Little by little, we'll move toward what I hope to accomplish with the unification of Westeros. I have a pretty interesting concept for what I want to do, and the time to develop it will come.
See you next week. Enjoy the chapter.