Driving the Octopus to Swallow the Small Fish... Theon stood proudly at the bow of the ship, gazing with pride at the castle standing tall on Pyke Island, as if he were a victorious general returning home.
Since the age of ten, he had never returned to Pyke Island, the seat of House Greyjoy. Smelling the sea breeze that was both strange and familiar, Theon's thoughts drifted back to the past.
Back then, after Robert took the iron throne, his father Balon believed the strength of the Iron Islands was enough to declare independence. He sent troops to raid Lannisport and set a great fire there, briefly gaining the upper hand.
But he didn't expect the North and the West to join forces and send an army, quickly suppressing the Greyjoy rebellion with overwhelming force. Theon's two older brothers died in the war, and he was sent to the North as a hostage, leaving only his sister Asha by Balon's side.
After this battle, the nobles of Westeros all believed they had broken the spine of this self-proclaimed King of the Iron Islands.
However... sniffing his nose, Theon puffed out his chest proudly, revealing the snow-white and silver-gray Direwolf on his chest.
This time, he was returning to the Iron Islands as the most trusted messenger of House Stark; he would surely receive the highest level of treatment.
As long as he could facilitate the Alliance between Stark and Greyjoy, as the greatest contributor, he just needed to suck up to Robb a bit, and the other would likely truly let him return to the Iron Islands to inherit the title of Lord of Pyke.
After docking, he grabbed his luggage and stepped off the ship, ignoring the longing looks of the boatmen who had received their tips. Stepping onto his homeland once again, Theon was filled with emotion.
As a hostage and ward of the Starks, the living allowance he received each month wasn't much, and most of it was used to help the fallen women of the North.
Coming to the Iron Islands this time, although Robb gave him twenty gold dragons for expenses, Theon was still accustomed to "living frugally."
"Please let me serve you, noble lord."
Seemingly not noticing his empty pockets, the moment he stepped onto the soil of the Iron Islands, a tall and burly man eagerly approached and took the suitcase from his hand without a word.
"No need, I can do it myself."
Although he quite enjoyed Reese's attentiveness, Theon was unwilling to pay. To save Face, he could only lift his head proudly and shout with feigned ease:
"As a nobleman, I am different from those who only know how to rely on servants. I like to do things within my power personally."
"What a poser..."
Watching the eloquent Theon speechlessly, Reese grumbled inwardly, but he still reached out enthusiastically with an eager smile on his Face:
"Look at what you're saying, it's my honor to serve a noble guest from the North, my lord."
"Even without any reward, I would be very happy to serve you."
Hearing that the other didn't want a reward, Theon immediately handed over the suitcase naturally. He thought to himself that the Ironborn had indeed been scared by the North; as soon as they saw the sigil on his chest, they couldn't wait to flatter him.
But he still said arrogantly:
"Then I shall reluctantly give you this opportunity."
"You should know that in Winterfell, so many squires were fighting to be by my side, and I rejected them all!"
"Yes, yes, yes, you are right, my lord!"
Reese flattered him wildly, but his eyes glanced at Theon's empty surroundings—not a single servant in sight. He thought this guy must not be doing well in the North.
He deliberately looked at him with admiration for a while, then suddenly a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes as he asked tentatively:
"Master Theon? Is it you?"
"You recognize me?"
Without any concealment, Theon openly admitted his identity. After all, he came as the envoy of the North this time.
He just didn't expect to be recognized immediately after being away from home for so many years. It seemed this guy's discernment was much better than that boatman's.
"It's me, Reese, Rees Pyke, Master Theon!"
Reese shouted loudly on purpose, attracting the attention of many Ironborn at the harbor. He acted as if he were frantic, with a look of wild joy on his Face, as he kept shouting:
"Hey, you blind fellows, Master Theon is back!"
"The dawn has come for the Iron Islands!"
Hearing his shouts, under the confused gazes of others, the sailors of Old Shag's fleet immediately surrounded Theon and Reese completely.
With white hair and red eyes, Old Shag shed tears of joy. His Face was covered in deep wrinkles as he hugged Theon tightly, despite Theon's slightly disgusted look.
"Oh, Master Theon, you're finally back!"
"Please, save the Ironborn of Lannisport!"
Frowning, Theon awkwardly watched him wipe tears and snot all over the high-end silk robe he had spent five gold dragons on. He cast a confused look at Reese, clearly not remembering who this guy was.
"Don't you remember me? I used to be your squire, Master."
Meeting Theon's confused gaze, Reese quickly stepped forward to pull Old Shag off, giving the old man a look that suggested he was overacting. Then, with a sob in his voice, he explained to Theon:
"You have no idea. Since your father, King Balon, was defeated by the Starks, his health has been declining day by day. And your sister is just a woman; she can't hold the banner of the Iron Islands at all."
"Although we commoners at the bottom all love House Greyjoy, the situation has changed. Now Pyke Island has fallen into the clutches of House Botley!"
"House Botley is just a bunch of greedy fellows. They give no reward and make all our ships transport goods to Lannisport in the West for free, and they're all contraband!"
"Without income, our lives are getting worse every day, and even basic food supplies have become a big problem."
Reese wailed miserably. A six-foot-tall man was actually covered in tears; the scene was truly moving.
He took Old Shag's hand and brought him before Theon, revealing the scars on his body from being beaten by One-Eyed Jamy that hadn't yet healed. He said tearfully:
"Look at this poor old man. Just because he didn't follow their orders and went out to sea privately to get some goods for medicine, he was beaten like this by Germund of House Botley."
"How dare they!"
Seeing the tragic encounter of this amiable old man, Theon immediately questioned in a fit of rage:
"Is my father's army useless?"
"Alas... Master Theon."
Old Shag acted pitiful, reaching out a trembling hand to pat Theon's shoulder, but he touched the snot he had just shed.
Quietly wiping it on him, he took over from Reese and continued to wail:
"Your father is old. His spine was broken by Eddard Stark and Tywin Lannister. He lost his spirit long ago and has been bedridden for years."
"Although this news has been suppressed, secrets can't be kept forever. His army has almost all scattered and been absorbed by other lords."
"We Ironborn have lost our leader and can only struggle under the tyranny of House Botley. But when will these days ever end?"
As he spoke, Old Shag buried his head in Theon's chest, once again smearing snot and tears all over him.
"Don't worry, Old Shag!"
At this moment, Reese, who was nearby, raised his hands and shouted in a loud voice:
"Master Theon is back! He is the legitimate heir to the Iron Islands and will surely bring us justice!"
Hearing him say this, the surrounding extras also very professionally joined in with excited shouts:
"That's right, Old Shag!"
"House Botley will surely receive the punishment they deserve, and our lives will get better!"
"Yes, I believe in Master Theon! He is the only heir to the Iron Islands."
"Master Theon, we will follow you to House Botley right now and kill them to get justice for us!"
On the outskirts of the crowd, a group of Ironborn listened to the heroic words of Old Shag and the others, looking at each other in confusion, as if asking when House Botley had done so many wicked things.
"Wait... wait!"
Hearing everyone shouting at once, Theon was almost swept up by them. He hurriedly waved his hands in refusal:
"I just returned to Pyke Island and don't know the situation yet. At least let me go home first!"
"Don't wait, Master Theon!"
Seeing that this guy wasn't taking the bait, Reese picked him up without a word. The tall Theon was like a child in his arms, unable to struggle at all.
The burly Reese and two sailors hoisted Theon onto their shoulders and held him high above their heads, their loud voices echoing through the harbor:
"Master Theon is willing to bring us justice! Everyone, grab your weapons and let's go to Botley Castle, kill those nobles who prey on the Ironborn, and divide their property!"
"Kill Botley, divide the property!"
"Kill Botley, divide the property!"
Under Reese's call, a group of sailors who were already prepared picked up various weapons and surrounded Theon, surging toward Botley Castle like a tide.
Although the other Ironborn didn't know what was happening, they wouldn't miss a chance to gain something for nothing. Following their pirate philosophy, they didn't care about justice and joined the crusade with their weapons.
With the banner of Theon Greyjoy held high, the advantage was theirs!
It must be said that in the Iron Islands, the name Greyjoy was still very effective. As the crowd of onlookers grew, the team crusading against House Botley snowballed. Before long, it grew from fewer than a hundred people at the start to a scale of over a thousand.
The crowd marched grandly toward Botley Castle, all shouting the slogan "Kill Botley, divide the property."
And the mastermind behind all this, our "ghost of the bloodport," Lord Pyke, was lurking in the crowd at this moment, a successful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth... "This is bad, my lord!"
In Botley Castle, Sawane Botley, the head of Lannisport, was leisurely playing adult games with a maid in his room. Just at the critical moment, a guard kicked open the door and burst in, nearly scaring him into a permanent disability.
"fuck, what are you doing in here, you damn fellow? Get out!"
Sawane Botley, whose mood had been ruined, was very angry. He stood up without any concealment, shaking his ugly little thing as he scolded his senseless subordinate.
"Now is not the time for this, my lord. You must come out and see!"
The loyal guard was also panicked. He didn't care about status and grabbed the robe from the head of the bed to drape it over him, pulling Sawane toward the top of the castle.
Knowing the other must have something urgent, Sawane could only follow him up to the castle's terrace, grumbling all the way.
As soon as he stood up, he saw a massive crowd of Ironborn outside the city, armed with weapons and charging frantically toward the castle. There were so many people he couldn't even count them.
A few faster Ironborn had even reached the foot of the castle, taking down two guards in an instant before they could react.
Looking at the mob that had already become somewhat bloodthirsty, frantically shouting the slogan "Kill Botley, divide the property," even Sawane, who had experienced many battles, was stunned. He stared blankly at the scene before him, muttering:
"What the fuck is going on!"
Full collection Avilable at low subscription patreon (Obito_uchiha)