Euron's Generosity
Victarion held a large bow and drew it taut with ease.
His gaze was equally sharp, flashing with a cold light capable of piercing flesh.
As a Greyjoy, Victarion was somewhat unconventional.
Most of the Ironborn warriors were sailors who fought on ships without armor to avoid drowning.
But he was not afraid, so even when fighting at sea, he wore heavy armor. Victarion was already strong, and with the armor on, his indomitable spirit made him almost invincible in boarding battles between pirates.
An arrow shot out and hit the bullseye, but Victarion suddenly turned around because his arrow was still on the bowstring.
He turned around and saw Euron with a woman who had appeared out of nowhere. Euron was looking at him with a smile, appearing very kind.
Euron was driven away because he took his Salt Wife.
To uphold his dignity, Victarion killed Euron's Salt Wife not long after. Over the years, Victarion no longer harbored such hatred for Euron.
But since his woman had been taken from him, he felt his dignity had been insulted, so he still didn't give Euron a friendly look.
"Ah, my brother, the strongest sea monster in the House Greyjoy!"
"Is there something you need?" Victarion's tone revealed undisguised indifference and distance.
"Victarion, Victarion," Euron sighed and continued, "I've regretted my reckless actions all these years. I know you hate me, and I don't expect you to forgive me. I just hope you can give me a chance to make amends."
"No need," Victarion said coldly. "Let bygones be bygones."
Victarion did not want to accept any compensation from Euron, nor did he want to have anything to do with him.
"This is the woman I got from Slaver's Bay." Euron to himself, pulling the woman next to him by the elbow and pushing her in front of Victarion.
Victarion looked at the woman; her skin was light brown, and her brown eyes looked exceptionally docile.
Euron seemed to have taken the time to dress her up, making sure she was dressed lightly despite the cold weather to accentuate her curves.
Euron knew what his younger brother liked: he liked women who were cold on the outside but warm on the inside, preferably with some martial arts skills.
He knew that that arrow had been enough to attract Victarion's attention.
"She comes from Slaver's Bay, Yunkai. You may have heard of Yunkai; this city-state is famous for its bed slaves. Not only is she a good archer, but she is also proficient in the nine arts of lovemaking. Every woman who comes from Yunkai is a master in bed," Euron said with a bit of self-praise.
The so-called art of spring weeping is, of course, related to going to bed.
"No need, I don't think I'm worthy of it."
She's still a virgin.
Just as Victarion was about to turn around, Euron's words made him stiffen, and he immediately became interested in the woman.
Perhaps because of his past betrayal, Victarion places particular importance on the issue of chastity.
"How could she be both a master in bed and a virgin?" Victarion thought to himself, though he didn't say it aloud, Euron had already noticed his doubts.
Seeing that his foolish younger brother had taken the bait, Euron laughed and said, "Why don't you try it yourself and see?"
Victarion still didn't accept, but his eyes kept lingering on the woman.
Before he could finish looking, Euron said, "Victarion, I hope to go with you on this expedition to Winterfell."
"With me?" Victarion's attitude softened noticeably.
"Yes, a mere bed slave can't mend our relationship. I want to fight alongside you."
"Winterfell is no small castle. Have you figured out how to attack it?"
"Of course, I'll be your striker then!" Euron said with a smile, looking very happy.
Seeing that he did not refuse, Euron turned to the woman and said, "From now on, he is your master. Do you understand?"
The woman nodded, her movements docile yet stiff.
"What's your name?" Victarion asked.
The woman looked at him but didn't say anything.
"She's mute, she can't speak," Euron said. "From today onwards, she can only serve you, she won't be able to know anyone else. She belongs entirely to you, I promise."
Euron pushed the woman next to Victarion, and she obediently stood beside Victarion.
Perhaps because of this woman, Victarion was no longer so averse to Euron, and so he talked to him about attacking Winterfell.
After Balon temporarily accepted Euron to stay, he and the others devised a plan to attack Winterfell.
The Westerlands had just been plundered, the Reach was protected by Redwyne Fleet, and was currently under martial law because of Euron's previous attempt to abduct Alerie.
The only suitable target is the North.
"I hear Robb is leading a large army north to defend against the Wildlings. This is our chance. All we need to do is breach Winterfell and take their families. Not only will the Stark at Winterfell be deterred from making any rash moves, but even Jon will have to think twice about the consequences of invading the Iron Islands," Euron said excitedly.
His plan was inspired by the Lannister.
The Lannister once captured almost all the descendants of the nobles of the Iron Islands and threatened to kill two of them as a deterrent if they dared to approach Casterly Rock.
This tactic was quite effective, deterring the Iron Islands from invading for decades.
Euron then added, "Or Eddard Stark has two daughters; you could marry one of them as your rock wife, ha ha!"
"But what I'm worried about now is what if we can't take Winterfell, and the people of Winterfell ask Robb for help?" Victarion said, interrupting Euron's rambling thoughts.
Only women who are married through proper marriage can be considered as rock wife.
If he really slept with Stark daughter, at most it would be considered an insult, or he could treat her as Salt Wife. Forget about any marriage alliances; the Stark would never acknowledge it under any circumstances.
"Don't worry, I have a way to take Winterfell in the shortest amount of time. Besides, I've learned some tricks overseas that will prevent Winterfell's Raven from sending out a single feather," Euron said with great confidence.
Euron's Raven population has been replenished recently.
He was confident that he could sever Winterfell's connection with the outside world.
In fact, Euron learned a lot while in Highgarden because of the Dragon Egg he presented to Mace, such as how Jon conquered Golden Tooth.
Others might not understand, but at that time he had already realized that Jon might possess the same abilities as himself.
Seeing Euron's confidence, Victarion became more curious and looked forward to Euron's suggestion to fight alongside him.
The two brothers chatted for a few more minutes, and the atmosphere between them eased considerably.
Euron ran into a short, stern-faced man as he left Victarion's place.
"Ah, Sir Portley."
"Euron."
The short man was none other than Shavin Portley, a loyal subject of Greyjoy.
Shavin disliked Euron, so he only gave a cold response. These days, Euron was practically giving gifts everywhere, and it's said he gave Balon a magical oil lamp that could promote sleep and rest, and he was doing quite well in his interpersonal relationships.
Shavin was also involved, but he never approved of Euron.
Euron was neither angry nor did he try to get closer to him; he simply smiled and left.
Portley arrived at Victarion's courtyard and saw the woman who clearly did not belong to the Iron Islands.
Upon learning that Euron had given the gift to Victarion, he warned, "Victarion, be careful. All of Euron's gifts are laced with poison. I think you should get rid of this woman as soon as possible!"
"Okay, I understand. I'll be careful," Victarion said solemnly, touching his nose.
"For this attack on Winterfell, His Majesty will send thirty sailing ships, three hundred longships, and eight thousand Iron Islands warriors. I will be your second-in-command, and we will first attack Stony Shore— "
Longships were ships specifically built for plunder. They had a shallow draft, were fast, and were inexpensive to build. However, they were not suitable for long-distance voyages and were not resistant to storms and waves.
Almost every prominent family on the Iron Islands can produce a hundred longships.
However, the number of sailing ships was much smaller. Of the nearly ten families in the Iron Islands, there were probably only a hundred or so sailing ships that were presentable.
However, a hundred or so sailing warships, plus several hundred longships, could easily rival Redwyne Fleet at Arbor.
The ships deployed this time accounted for about one-third of the Iron Islands Fleet, and the manpower was one-fifth, but these eight thousand men were all elite troops.
After discussion, the lords of the Iron Islands all agreed that Winterfell was currently extremely weak and that they should send their sons and nephews there to gain some military merit.
The soldiers and sailors who would be paired with them would certainly not be rookies or weaklings.
"Hmm." Victarion nodded, then, seeing the mute woman beside him speak, said, "Euron will be going with us too."
"Victarion, is it because of this woman?" Upon learning of his decision, Shavin was furious.
He simply couldn't bring himself to like Euron.
"Let him give it a try; he said he'd be our vanguard."
"Do as you please, just play around with this woman and get rid of her quickly." Before leaving, Savin was still grumbling.
After he left, Victarion took a hot bath at the service of the mute woman.
Halfway through the bath, the mute woman jumped into Victarion's tub, and soon the room was filled with splashing water and the sounds of wet kisses.
After several passionate encounters, Victarion finally had time to observe the woman's eyes closely; they were dark red. The more Victarion looked at them, the more he liked them.
For the next period of time, this bed slave clung to him whenever she had the chance. Although she couldn't speak, her eyes seemed to understand everything.
Victarion couldn't help but tell her about his and Euron's childhood, and the woman was able to understand everything perfectly, which made Victarion even happier and more fond of her.
But how could he know that everything this woman experienced would be transmitted perfectly to another person's mind, and what kind of soul resided within her body?