Theon at a Loss

Theon wasn't quite used to the weather in the Pyke Islands; it was always gloomy and foggy. He also couldn't stand the temperature—it was damp and cold—and he felt his clothes smelled rather unpleasant.

He missed the weather in Winterfell; although it wasn't warm most of the time, the sun could warm you up nicely.

He missed the days when he and Robb would spar in the castle.

The two men, whether attacking or defending, engaged in a battle of absolute willpower within the narrow passageways of Winterfell's towers.

Moreover, I heard that Robb has been granted the title of prince, and his wife has given birth to twins for him.

Jon, this bastard son, even received the Stark surname and was engaged to a legitimate daughter of House Tyrell.

Theon felt he had fallen far behind, and he wanted to improve. Although he was now considered a prince because of Balon's kingship, this prince was far from what he had imagined.

In particular, when discussing certain matters, Balon tends to favor his sister Asha rather than himself, the male heir.

Suddenly, Theon saw a maester in a long robe in the castle looking hurried, holding a letter in his hand, who had found Euron.

"Bachelor of Belen."

Theon.

Belen was over forty, but he looked much older than his actual age. Theon thought it must be because the sea breeze from the Iron Islands carried salt grains, making him look "older".

Belen also has a bald patch on her forehead, which she has to grow her hair long to cover.

"Here is Your Highness Prince Shin."

"Hmm~ Your Highness!" Although he remained outwardly calm, Theon was actually quite pleased.

"Whose letter?"

"A letter from Jon Stark of Casterly Rock."

Theon's eyes widened as he snatched the letter from Belen's hand. His dark pupils dilated as he examined it several times, convinced that the letter was genuine.

"Jon, you bastard—" Theon muttered, never expecting that the bastard son he had used as a foil had grown up to this extent.

When Stannis appointed Jon as Lord of Casterly Rock while Tywin was still alive, he was hoping to make a fool of Jon.

But now he has conquered Casterly Rock, subjugated the Westerlands, and is about to marry Margaery, which Theon greatly envies.

Although he felt a little envious, he was mostly happy.

From Jon would rule the Westerlands, Robb Stark the North, and Jon Snow himself would rule the Iron Islands.

Jon has fortresses, Robb has armies, and they have their own fleets; they lack nothing.

Moreover, with this connection, he no longer needs to worry about his sister Asha competing with him for the position of heir.

Filled with joy and a desire to show off, Theon hurried toward Balon's residence. On the way, he encountered a blonde maid Theon gave her a hard pinch on the butt.

The blonde maid let out a soft whimper, trembling all over, which only made Theon happier.

When Theon entered Balon's room, a wave of intense heat hit him. Sitting by the fireplace were a man and a woman, an old man and a young man. The man, who was in his fifties, was Theon's father, Balon, whose gray hair hung down and swayed slightly with his movements, like the sails of a longship.

Another person whose features resemble Theon's is his sister Asha. Asha has dark brown hair, a face that is more pointed than Theon's, and her eyes always gleam with the sharpness of a predator. However, at this moment, Balon and Asha have unpleasant expressions on their faces, as if their conversation has been interrupted.

Having been a hostage in Winterfell for so many years, Theon had developed a knack for reading people's expressions. Realizing that his father and sister did not welcome him, he quickly put on a smiling face.

"Father, Asha, I have good news." Theon waved the letter in his hand.

"What? Your brothers from Winterfell are coming to see you?" Asha said with a sneer.

After spending this time together, Asha was very dissatisfied with her younger brother. He was almost twenty years old and hadn't even stolen a single boat, yet he paid women to sleep with him! He had completely disgraced Greyjoy.

So Asha always liked to tease him by referring to him as "the brothers of Winterfell".

Theon's face fell, and he didn't answer Asha's question. Because of his exposure to the culture of the continent, Theon always believed that he would eventually inherit Balon's position, and the key was how Balon viewed him.

Seeing that Balon was still looking at him, Theon adjusted his expression and said, "Father, it's Jon. He invited me to his wedding."

Theon excitedly handed the letter to Balon, completely unaware that Asha beside him was sneering as she turned to look at the flames in the fireplace.

Balon held the letter close to the fireplace, while Theon continued excitedly, "Now Robb rules the North, and Jon rules the Westerlands. We can use the iron ore from the Iron Islands to exchange for Jon's gold, and then use Jon's gold to buy grain from the Riverlands and timber from the North to build more and bigger ships! That way, our ships can go much farther—"

Theon was speaking with great enthusiasm, but suddenly, Balon casually tossed the letter into the fireplace.

"Theon, are you still my son?! Are you still a Greyjoy? Are you still an Ironborn?!" Balon demanded coldly, choking Theon's words.

"Father?" Theon stood there, puzzled and at a loss.

"My foolish brother," Asha turned to Theon, "Tell me, do you even have a shred of Ironborn left? Aside from sleeping with a few women in the Westerlands, what else have you done?"

"I—" Theon still didn't know how to answer.

"I think you've been in Winterfell too long; your thinking has become like those people from the Yellow and Green Lands!" Asha stood up and moved closer to Theon. Although she was half a head shorter than Theon, she made Theon feel like a wild beast was approaching him.

The term "Green Lands" is a derogatory term used by the people of the Iron Islands to refer to all people on the Westeros.

Upon hearing this, Theon suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had heard similar words somewhere before.

"If you want gold from the Westerlands, grain from the Riverlands, or timber from the North, the real solution is to pay with iron price! Your tone just now made me feel like you're no different from those merchants I plundered!" Asha said contemptuously.

The iron price " she mentioned actually meant the sharp edge of a sword, implying that she would just grab whatever she wanted.

"Do you still remember the teachings the Drowned God gave to the Ironborn, my brother?"

"Forced acquisition—forced acquisition is better than hard work."

"Ha, it seems it's not beyond redemption yet."

Asha sat back down by the fireplace. Balon occupied two-thirds of the space in front of the fireplace, Asha occupied one-third, and Theon had no place to sit.

Asha turned to Balon and said, "But Eddard's rise to power is just too fast."

"So what if we take Casterly Rock? The sea is so vast, and he has no ships. Even if he occupies the Westerlands, he can only wait for us to plunder him."

"Are we going to plunder Jon?" Theon felt deeply uneasy.

Balon added, "This Jon is indeed a ruthless character; at least you can tell from what he's done. His vision is beyond that of ordinary people."

Although Balon was ruthless, he knew how difficult it would be to conquer Casterly Rock; at least he never considered attacking Casterly Rock when he was raiding the Westerlands.

Unfortunately, the Citadel's letter only mentioned that Casterly Rock had changed hands, without explaining how Jon had specifically captured Casterly Rock, which left Balon extremely curious.

Seeing that his father Balon and sister Asha acknowledged Jon's strength, Theon breathed a slight sigh of relief. He tentatively asked, "Father, Jon invited me to his wedding. Should I still go?"

"Go by yourself," Balon said in a deep voice.

"Then I... I won't go," Theon quickly changed his mind.

"Good heavens, how could I have a son like you!" Balon said irritably. Asha, standing beside him, explained to Theon, "My little brother, if you want to go, go for it. If you can steal his bride, I think the whole Iron Islands will consider you a hero."

"Snatch—this—" Theon was choked speechless once again.

Jon could defeat a fully armed, heavily armored swordsman with just a stick, and he's even said to have personally slain the Mountain on the battlefield. He wouldn't dare lay a finger on Margaery.

"Nobody's telling you to actually rob it," Asha said, poking at the flames in the fireplace. "Go and learn about him; you might find it useful when we raid the Westerlands again."

"Alright, you can leave now." Balon waved his hand impatiently. "Your sister and I have something to discuss."

"Oh well."

Theon turned to leave the room when Asha's voice came from behind him again. "If you go, you might not come back."

Hearing Asha's words, Theon felt annoyed and turned around angrily, wanting to know whether he should go or not. He looked back and saw that Bajang still looked disgusted. Only Asha patiently explained, "Now there are only two kings left in Westeros, Father and Stannis. If you go, won't you be arrested?"

Asha's words were like a thunderbolt, leaving Theon stunned.

"But Jon — Jon wouldn't."

"Drink! Then go ahead." Asha said as if looking at a clown, then turned and started poking at the fireplace again with the iron hook.

The drifting sparks reminded Theon of the house he had set on fire in the Westerlands, a scene that had truly thrilled him.

"Alright, you can go now. My father and I have something to discuss."

"Oh," Theon replied listlessly.

He closed the door, and after taking only a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped.

"No! I am Father's only son!" Theon felt a sense of crisis at this thought.

In fact, he had several older brothers, but they all died in battle during Balon's last reign.

"I am a Greyjoy, not Stark!" A damp, cold sea breeze blew by, Theon felt much more awake.

He reflected on himself, hoping to regain the confidence and demeanor that a Ironborn should have.

But the thought of Jon and Robb made him feel powerless.

He might be able to hold his own against Robb in terms of brute force, but he was far inferior in military strategy. Right now, he couldn't even command more than a few warships; the only one he had was the Sea Bitch, given to him by Balon.

As for Jon, he was even less confident. Jon was a monster whose strength and strategy far surpassed that of ordinary people. He had no intention of plundering either the Westerlands or the North.

Catelyn was Riverlands, Margaery was Reach; at first glance, there seemed to be nothing left to plunder along the entire Sunset Sea coast.

Theon knew that if he couldn't lead the Ironborn in raids, they wouldn't acknowledge him.

Disturbed, Theon left Balon's room and returned to his own quarters.

Theon lay on the bed, tossing and turning as if several hedgehogs were hiding under him.

I need to find a woman.

Theon thought to himself that ever since the last raid on the Westerlands, the Iron Islands had no shortage of servants to do the work and women to relieve their pent-up desires.

Just as he got up, he saw a Raven standing in front of his window. The Raven was very big, at least bigger than any Raven Theon had ever seen. It was very uncomfortable to have such a large creature, almost two feet tall, invading his room.

He stood up to close the window, only to find that the Raven seemed to be observing him.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that this Raven had a single, red, and malevolent eye.

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