Raymun Darry lowered his voice and leaned forward slightly. "Right now, the septons of the Faith are arguing fiercely over you."
He glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"One side says that you spread the Faith of the Seven by the sword and brought the Ironborn back to the true faith, following the example of the Andal kings who crossed the Narrow Sea. There's precedent for it."
"The other side says you violated the virtue of mercy and slaughtered too many."
Raymun Darry studied Suleiman's face, but saw only calm, as though he were listening to some amusing story that had nothing to do with him.
He had no choice but to bring up something he considered more serious. "Many lords are also talking, saying that you slaughtered noble captives from the Iron Islands and cut short the bloodlines of countless noble families that had endured for thousands of years.
"They believe you should be punished for it, not rewarded."
At last, a mocking smile tugged at the corner of Suleiman's mouth, though he said nothing.
So this was what they meant by the rabbit dying and the fox grieving.
In Westeros, wiping out a great house's bloodline entirely through war or political strife was exceedingly rare. It violated nearly every unspoken rule shared among the nobility.
Tywin Lannister had wiped out House Reyne of Castamere and House Tarbeck of Tarbeck Hall, and was still criticized for it to this day. After the Defiance of Duskendale, Mad King Aerys had also used cruel methods to eradicate House Darklyn.
Both acts had left their perpetrators with infamy that was difficult to wash away.
Suleiman's treatment of them, as though they were chickens and dogs, was undoubtedly a reminder to every great lord that neither their status nor their