Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Drowned

It was not until his limbs were numb from the freezing salt water that Aeron Greyjoy struggled back to the beach and pulled on his robes. Today, he fled weakly from the Crow's Eye again... The waves washed away again and again, as if repeatedly reminding him that the former him was dead.I was drowned by the sea and reborn from the sea, and it was more powerful.Mortals cannot frighten him any more than evil can strike him down, not even the bones of the soul.The sound of doors opening...the screeching of rusted chains... The salt-soaked robes were stiff, torn in many places, and hadn't been washed in two weeks.The wool clings to his wet chest, soaking up the salt water in the chest hair, and he fills his water bag, swings it over his shoulder, and strides away.

A drowned man returning from his relief bumped into him in the dark. "Wet hair." The other party murmured an apology.Aeron placed a hand on the Drowned Man's head, bestowed his blessing, and moved on.The terrain rises, gentle at first, then steeply, and by the time the short weeds rub your toes, the beach is forgotten.He climbed slowly, listening to the sound of the waves.The sea never tires, and I must always be awake. On the mountain, forty-four huge stone ribs emerged from the ground, like huge white tree trunks.Seeing them, Aeron's heart beat faster.Naga is the first sea dragon in the world, the most powerful creature born in the sea. It feeds on sea monsters and sea beasts, and can swallow the whole island when it is angry. Turn its bones into fossils, so that future ironmen will always remember the deeds of the first king.The naga's ribs became the beams and pillars of Gray King's hall, and its mouth served as his throne.Here he ruled for a thousand and seven years, Aeron recalled, marrying a mermaid and fighting against the Storm God.He ruled not only the seas, but the rocky lands as well.He wears robes woven of seagrass, and the teeth of the naga are his towering pale crown.

It's a pity that this is already the past of the Era of Dawn. The warriors at that time were unstoppable across the world.The Gray King kept Naga's fire, so that his halls were always warm.The walls of the hall were hung with tapestry of silvery seaweed, and warriors gathered to feast upon the bounty of the sea at great tables shaped like starfish, and their seats were of mother-of-pearl.Gone are the days of glory.How insignificant the iron people are now, and their lives have become short. After the death of the Gray Sea King, the God of Storms couldn't wait to extinguish the Naga's fire. The traitors stole the seats and tapestry, and the roof and walls gradually decayed. The bones of the Naga, eternally commemorating the Ironborn's past glory.

It is time to end this, time to start again, Aeron Greyjoy thought. Nine broad steps led to the top of the Stone Mountain, beyond which lay the Howling Hills of Old Wyk, and beyond, the cruel Black Mountains.Aeron paused for a long time where the door used to stand, pulled out the cork of the water bag, took a mouthful of salt water, and then turned to face the sea.We come from the sea, and we will return to the sea.Even here, he could still clearly hear the tireless rumble of the waves, and still clearly feel the power of the gods under the sea.And Aeron fell to his knees involuntarily.O great spirit, you sent your people to me, he prayed, you let them leave the halls and huts, leave the castles and fortresses, and come to the bones of the naga, representatives of every fishing village and every valley get together.Please give them wisdom again, so that they can choose a true king; please give them strength again, so that they can repel false tyrants.And so he prayed all night, and with the gods, Aeron Greyjoy needs no sleep, as the waves do, and as fish breed in the sea.

The breeze blows away the dark clouds, and the dawn secretly illuminates the world.The dark sky was the gray-white of slate, the dark sea was the gray-green of moss, and across the bay the dark hills of Great Wyk were tinted blue-green with so many pawn pines.The world was colored, and a hundred different banners began to unfurl, and Aeron saw the silver fish of Botley, and the blood moon of Winch, and the dark green woods of Oakwood; But all over the mountains and plains, the most dazzling thing is the golden sea monster.The slave laborers and salt concubines started their activities. They re-lit the charcoal basin, cleaned the fish, and prepared breakfast for the captain and leaders.When the dawn light hit the rocky beach, the Ironmen all woke up, lifted the sealskin blankets, and clamored for today's first horn of ale.Have a good drink, Aeron thought, today, we will fulfill the promise of the gods.

Yes, the sea was encouraging him and responding to him. As the wind grew longer, the waves became more majestic, and the droplets scattered on the long boat like goose feathers.The Drowned God awoke, Aeron thought, and the god's praise came from the bottom of the sea.I am with you today, my mightiest and most faithful servant, said the voice that the ungodly shall never sit on the Seastone Seat. His drowned men found him under Naga's ribs, standing erect and firm, his long black hair dancing wildly in the wind. "Is it time?" Ruth asked.Aeron nodded briefly, "It's time, let's call."

So the Drowned men walked down the hill, striking each other with driftwood sticks.More and more people joined in, and the sound of knocking resounded across the beach. The knocking was uniform and breathtaking, like hundreds of big trees fighting each other.The bronze drum was beating, boom-boom-boom-boom-boom, boom-boom-boom-boom-boom.The trumpets sounded, one after another.Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. The ironmen left the bonfire and gathered towards the bones in the Gray King's hall. Among them were oarsmen, helmsmen, sail men, shipwrights, warriors with axes, fishermen with nets, slave laborers and salt wives.Those who were assimilated by the green land brought maesters, singers and knights.The civilians formed a semicircle at the bottom of the hill, followed by slaves, children, and women. Only the captain and the leader had the right to go up the hill.Jolly Siegfried Stonetree, Ardric the Serious, Ser Haras Harlaw the Knight, and Chief Baelor Blacktysh in his sable cloak Beside Chief Stonehouse in tattered sealskin.His brother Victarion was taller than all—except Adric—and he wore no helm but full armor, with a golden kraken cloak billowing in the wind.Who dares to doubt?Who can doubt?He is the real king.

Damphair opened his bony hands, and let the bronze drums and warhorns fall to rest, and the drowned men lowered their clubs, and no one spoke.In the world, there is only the roar of the waves, which is a cry that no mortal can stop. "We came from the sea, and we will return to the sea." Aeron deliberately lowered his voice so that everyone could pay attention, "The angry storm god rolled Balon out of the castle and killed him, and now he is on the waves feasting in the watery palace of the Drowned God." He lifted his eyes to the sky. "Baron is dead! The Iron King is dead!"

"The Iron King is dead!" cried the Drowned in unison. "The dead never die, they will rise again, stronger!" he reminded everyone, "King Balon, my eldest brother, gave his life to restore the ancient road. Everything he owns is paid for by himself. Come. He is Balon the brave, Balon the blessed, Balon the twice crowned, who won us back the favor of liberty and the Drowned God! But Balon is dead... we need new iron King, sit on the Seastone Seat and continue Baron's career!" "A new king will rise!" the Drowned responded, "A new king will rise!"

"He will rise, he will," said Aeron's voice like the rumbling of the waves, "but who is he? Who will take Balon's burden? Who will rule this holy isle? He is among us." Is it?" The pastor stretched his hands to the extreme, "Who will be our king?" A seagull called in the sky, and the silent crowd stirred as if awakened from sleep.Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, checking other people's plans.The Crow's Eye had been impatient since he was a child, Aeron Damphair told himself, maybe he would be the first to stand up--if so, things would be much easier, the captain and the leaders had come all the way to join the battle. Feast, they will never leave the table after eating the first course.They will taste one, bite that, judge the taste, and finally bet on the one that suits their taste best.

Euron probably thought of that too, for he stood silent among the mutes and half-breeds with folded arms.Only the sound of the wind and the waves answered Aeron's call. "The ironborn must have their own king," the priest repeated after a long silence, "and I ask again: who shall be our king?" "Me." came the answer from below. "Gilbert! King Gilbert!" came a chaotic cry.The captains cleared the way for the claimant and his assistants, and they walked up the hill, under Naga's ribs, and stood beside Aeron. The candidate for king was tall, thin, with a haggard face and a clean-shaven protruding chin.His three assistants stood at the bottom of the two steps, holding his sword, shield and banner respectively. Their faces and figures were so similar to his that Aeron thought they were father and son.One of them unfurled the flag, and the coat of arms on the flag was a huge black long boat chasing the sunset. "I'm Gilbert Farwin, Lord of Lone Light." The candidate for the king introduced himself to the Kingshooting Council. Aeron knew something about the Farwin family. Their territory included the coast of the extreme west of Great Wyk and the scattered islands in the open sea. remote.Eight days' sail northwest from Old Wake, past seal and sea lion dens and endless gray oceans, to finally get there.The Farwin family is also very strange among the Ironborn. Some people say that they are skinchangers, ungodly monsters, who can change into sea lions, walruses, and even the wolf in the ocean—the spotted whale. Gilbert began to speak, and he spoke of a land of miracles across the sea of ​​the setting sun, where there was no winter, where there was plenty and abundance, and where death was not threatened. "Let me be king, and I will take you to visit miracles." He called out loudly, "Let us build ten thousand longships like Nymeria and follow the sunset. In that land of hope, every man All are kings, and every woman is a queen." His eyes, Aeron thought, were blue and grey, shifting like the sea.These are the eyes of a madman, the priest decided, the eyes of a demented man.His vision is undoubtedly a trap used by the Storm God to lure the Ironborn.He had his acolytes present gifts to the Kingsmoot, including sealskins, walrus ivory, whalebone armbands, and bronze warhorns.The captains looked at it, turned their heads away one after another, and let the inferiors pick and choose.After the dementia performed his rites, his assistants shouted his name, so that only members of the Farwin family answered, and even a few of their own were silent.Soon, the cry of "Gilbert! King Gilbert!" died away.Seagulls overhead screeched and landed on Naga's ribs, and the leader of Lone Lampkeep walked down the hill alone. Aeron Damphair stepped forward again. "I ask again: who will be our king?" "Me!" a deep voice roared, and the crowd parted again. The applicant sat in a finely carved driftwood sedan chair and was carried up the mountain by his grandchildren.He was a very tall man, about twenty stone in weight, about ninety years old, and wrapped in a white bear's skin.His hair was snow-white, and his thick beard was like a blanket, covering from his cheeks to his thighs, blending with the hair of his legs.Although his grandchildren are also all strong, it is still difficult to carry him up the steep stone steps.They put him down before the Gray King's hall, and three of them stopped behind him to serve as assistants. Sixty years ago, this guy might have done the job, Aeron thought, but he's too old now. "Yes, it's me!" the man yelled as he sat down, his voice matching his body. "Why not me? Who better than me? Tell the blind guys I'm 'Cast Iron Airy the 'Justice,' Airy the Anvilbreaker! Tomor, take my hammer!" An assistant held the hammer aloft, monstrously massive, wrapped in old leather With a handle, the steel ax was as big as a loaf of bread. "I don't know how many hands have been smashed to a pulp with this ax of mine." Allie shouted. "Go ask the thieves! I don't know how many heads have been smashed with my anvil. Ask the widows! I can tell you The battle story of my life, but I am only eighty-eight years old this year, and there are more stories waiting for me to write! If age represents wisdom, then no one is wiser than me; if physique represents strength, then no one Man is stronger than I am! Don't you want a king with an heir? My children and grandchildren are endless! Yes, King Airi, listen, how sweet it is, how sweet it is, shout it with me! Airi! 'Anvilbreaker' Airi! King Airi!" His grandchildren hurried after him, and his sons came out with chests on their shoulders and dumped presents at the bottom of the stone steps: countless silver, copper, and iron coins, armlets, collars, daggers, and throwing axes.A handful of captains picked up some of the finest cargo and joined in the shouting. The shout was suddenly interrupted by a woman's voice. "Ai Li!" The crowd stepped aside.She put one foot on the bottom step, "Ailey, stand up." There was a moment of silence.The cold wind was blowing, the stormy waves were beating the shore, and people were whispering in each other's ears. "Forge Iron" Allie glared at Asha Greyjoy viciously, "Damn it, little sister, what did you just say?" "I tell you to stand up, Allie," she answered loudly, "if you stand up, I'll join the others; as long as you stand up, I'll be true to you. Don't you want the crown?" ?Okay, please stand up and accept it." The Crow's Eye laughed in the crowd, while Airi glared at him.The big man clenched the handles of the driftwood sedan chair with both hands, his face flushed red, and then purple again, his whole body exerted force and trembled endlessly.Aeron saw a thick vein popping out of his neck, and in the blink of an eye he seemed about to stand up, only to lose his strength and fall back onto the mat with a groan.The crowd roared with laughter, Euron laughing the most.The big man, dejected and old, was carried down by his grandchildren. "Who shall rule the Ironborn," cried Aeron Damphair. "Who shall be our king?" People looked at each other again.Some looked at Euron, some glanced at Victarion, and a few looked at Asha.The green and white waves jolted the long boat, and the seagulls uttered hoarse and lonely screams again. "Make a request, Victarion," Merlin called, "end this farce." "I know it," growled Victarion. very good.The longer you wait, the better your odds.Aeron thought with relief. Then came the leader Zhuogu, another old man, but younger than Airi.He strode up the hill with the Red Rain Sword at his back, the famous Valyrian steel sword forged before the Doomsday.His three assistants are also prominent, including his two sons, Dennis and Donna, both of whom are high-ranking warriors in the Iron Islands. Standing among them is the "unsmiling" Adric, the name The giant's arm was as thick as a tree trunk - with his support, Zhuogu's speech increased a lot. "Why does the king have to be born in the sea monster family?" Zhuogu started with this, "What right does Pike Island have to rule everyone? Great Wake Island is the largest island, Harlow Island is the richest, and the old The Isle of Wake is most sacred. After the Blackheart King's line was consumed by dragonfire, we ironmen elected Vickon Greyjoy to be our leader, but remember... we chose him to be High King, not King!" His incitement was convincing, and Aeron immediately heard a shout of approval, and then Old Drogo began to review the glorious history of the family.He spoke of Dale the Terrible, Rory the Predator, and a hundred sons of "Father" Gormond' Drog.He draws the Red Rain Sword, and tells how "cunning" Thelma Drodrum won the heirloom from a knight in armor with wit and a stick.He spoke of ancient fleets and long-forgotten wars of eight hundred years ago, and the Ironborn grew excited.He spouted his speech without stopping for a moment, yet when his assistants opened the chest, the captains were disappointed to discover the stinginess of the Droggu family.Bronze will never buy a crown, Damphair thought, and the game was decided, and the cry of "Drum! Drum! King Dunstan!" quickly died away. Aeron's stomach cramped, and he felt the waves stronger than before.It was time, he decided, time for Victarion to ask. "Who will be our king?" the priest appealed again, but this time his black eyes were fixed on his brother who was huddled in the crowd. "Collen Greyjoy had nine sons, one He is the strongest, he is brave and fearless." Victarion met his eyes and nodded.The captains stepped aside in awe as he mounted the steps. "Brother, please bless me." After climbing to the top, he said while kneeling on the ground and lowering his head.Aeron opened the waterskin and poured a stream of seawater on Victarion's forehead. "The dead don't die," said the pastor. "It will rise again, and stronger," Victarion replied. When Victarion rose, his assistants were lined up beneath him: Raff the Cripple, Raff the Red, Stonehouse the Red, Newt the Barber, all fierce.Stonehouse hoisted the banner of House Greyjoy: a golden sea monster embroidered on a banner as jet-black as the midnight sea.Seeing this flag, the captain and the leaders couldn't help calling out the name of the commander of the Iron Fleet. Victarion waited for the cries to stop for a while, before speaking, "You all know me, if you want sweet words, please listen to others. I don't have a singer's voice, I only have a battle ax and this!" He waved to the crowd. He raised his steel-armored giant fist, while Newt the Barber held his battle-axe, which was a dark and solid piece of steel. "As a brother, I am faithful," continued Victarion. "When Balon married, he sent me to the Harlaws' house. One exception. When Balon first wore his crown, I was the one who sailed into Lannisport and scorched the lion's tail. And this time, when the Young Wolf howled to flee home, it was I who was sent to flay him I have only one thing to say: what I can give you will be more than what Baron can give!" The assistants shouted: "Victarion! Victarion! King Victarion!" His men opened the chests in the middle of the steps: silver, gold, gems, countless stolen treasures, waterfalls. Like pouring down.Captains and chiefs swarmed up, fighting and shouting, "Victarion! Victarion! King Victarion!" Aeron looked to the Crow's Eye.Is he making the move now?Or sit back and watch the election fail?Oakwood of Oak Isle whispered something in Euron's ear. But it was not Euron who stopped the shouting, but the damned girl.She put two fingers into her mouth, and the sharp whistle pierced the noise like a steel knife cutting cheese. "Uncle! Uncle!" She bent down to pick up a gorgeous gold headband, and ran up the steps bouncing.Newt grabbed her arm, and for a moment Aeron only hoped that his brother's assistant would hurry up and finish the stupid girl, but Asha quickly broke free from the "barber" and said something to Red Raff The other party backed away slowly.The cheers stopped when she pushed her uncle's assistants to the top.After all, she was Balon Greyjoy's own daughter, and people were eager to hear what she had to say. "Thank you for coming to my queen's meeting with such a rich gift, Uncle," she told Victarion, "but you don't need to cover up so tightly. I solemnly promise you that I will never hurt you." Someone Laughing, Asha turned to the leaders, "Don't laugh, of all the people here, no one is braver than my uncle, no one is stronger than him, and no one is more fierce than him. He can count as much as you Ten, as I have seen... and, when it comes time to count to twenty, he throws his boots away." More people laughed. "It's a pity, it's a pity that he has no children, and several wives have died. The Crow's Eye is his elder brother, and he is more qualified than him..." "That's right!" shouted the Red Oarsman from below. "Yes, but I am more qualified." Asha put the headband on her head confidently, and the gold reflected the black hair. "Baron's brother must come after Balon's son!" "Balon's sons are dead," cried Laffer the Lame, "and you are but Balon's little girl!" "Girl?" Asha reached into her jacket. "Oh! Look? What's this? Some people haven't seen it since they were weaned?" Everyone laughed again. "The king has bad nipples. That's it? Laffer, listen to me, I'm a woman...but not an old crone, I'm not like you! Lime Laffer...why don't you just call him Laffer the Whisperer?" The dagger, "I am a mother, and this is my suckling baby!" She held the dagger high. "Come forward, my assistants." They pushed aside Victarion's three assistants, and lined up on the steps below her: Cole the Maiden, Tristephine Pottery, and Hulk the Knight. Ser Russ Harlow - his side sword "Nightfall" is as legendary as Dunstan Drog's Red Rain Sword. "My uncle said that you all know him, and likewise, you all know me—" "I still want to make out with you!" Someone shouted. "Go home and kiss your wife!" Asha yelled back, "Uncle said he can give you more than my father. Very good, but what is that? Some people say that it is wealth and glory, And freedom, how wonderful. But think about it, is that what he brought us?... Don't forget the hordes of widows, and if you don't believe me, go and hear the story of Lord Blacktyce. Any of you How many homes have been burned by Robert's army? How many of you have had your daughters bullied and raped? Burning towns and crumbling castles, that's what my father brought to you, what he brought to you is failure ! And my uncle will bring more failures! Only me, I will not go this way." "What are you going to bring us?" asked Lucas Cauder, "teaching everyone to knit?" "That's right! Lucas, I will weave a kingdom for everyone." She threw the dagger alternately with both hands, "We should learn from the Young Wolf Lord, he won every battle...but lost his own country. " "A kraken is not like a wolf-cub," objected Victarion. "Whether it is a longship or a sea-monster, a kraken will never let go of its prey." "What are we holding on to, Uncle? The North? What is that, hundreds of miles, thousands of miles, far away from the waves of the sea? We have captured Moat Calim, Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square, and even Seven Winterfell, how can we show them off?" She waved her hand, and the crew of the Black Wind rushed forward with oak iron boxes on their shoulders. "Let me bring you the riches of the Stony Coast," said Asha when the first chest was opened.The pebbles were scattered and rolled like an avalanche, gray, black and white, all of which were smoothed by the tide. "Let me bring you the treasure of Deepwood Motte." The second chest was also opened.A bunch of pine cones gushed out, tumbling and bouncing into the crowd. "And finally, the gold of Winterfell." The third chest contained yellow turnips, round and hard, and as big as a man's head.They landed among the pebbles and pine cones, and Asha stabbed one with her dagger. "Hammoud Sharp," she called, "your son Harag died at Winterfell for that." She plucked a turnip from the tip of her knife and threw it at him. "You have other sons, if you still plan to exchange their lives for turnips, please call my uncle's name!" "If I call your name," Hammoud asked, "what do I get?" "Peace," said Asha. "Land. The fruits of victory. I will bring you Sea Dragon's Cape and the Stony Coast, the Black Soil and the Great Forest and enough stones for every boy to build a hall. We will also have the Northlanders... as friends, against Iron Throne. There are two paths before you: crown me, peace and victory; choose my uncle, more war and more defeat." She put away her dagger. "What do you want, Ironborn?" "Victory!" cried Rodrik the Bookman, putting his hands around his mouth. "Victory, Asha!" "Asha!" Chief Baelor Blacktysh responded. "Queen Asha!" Asha's crew shouted in unison: "Asha! Asha! Queen Asha!" They stamped their feet and yelled, their wet hair unbelievable.She will ruin her father's legacy!Tristephine Botley yelled her name, and there were many Harlow family members, Gubler family members, the red-faced Earl Merlin, and so many people that the priest could not believe... for a woman! But many remained silent or muttered to each other. "Peace not for cowards!" growled Laffer the Cripple.Red Ralph Stonehouse waved the Greyjoy banner. "Victarion! Victarion! Victarion!" People began jostling each other.Someone picked up a pine cone and threw it at Asha, and she dodged it, causing the makeshift crown to fall.For a moment, the pastor only felt that he was trapped in a huge anthill, with thousands of excited ants under his feet.The shouts of "Asha!" and "Victarion!" came like a great wave to and fro, and he felt that the murderous storm was about to swallow them all up.The storm god is among us, the priest thought, sowing discord and wrath. The horn pierced through the air, sounding like a sharp blade. The horns were loud and deadly, and the shrieks of urgency made the bones tremble.The trumpets drift in the damp sea breeze: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhho oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh? All eyes turned to the direction from which the trumpets came—one of Euron's half-breed bastards.This giant bald man wears countless gleaming armbands made of gold, emerald and black jade on his arms, and fierce birds are tattooed on his broad chest, and his sharp claws drip blood. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhho oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh? There was a black light on the curved horn, and it was taller than the man, so he had to hold it with both hands and play it.The horn was streaked with red gold and black iron, and the old Valyrian inscriptions carved on the stripes began to turn red as the trumpets sounded. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh. What a terrible sound, a cry full of pain and rage, threatening to burn the ears.Aeron Damphair covered his ears, and begged the Drowned God to raise a raging wave and smash the hideous horn to pieces, but the scream still echoed.This is the trumpet from hell, he opened his mouth to cry, but no one could hear.The cheek of the tattooed man swelled into a big ball, as if it was about to burst, and the muscles in his chest were twitching constantly, as if the bird was tearing flesh and blood, eager to spread its wings and fly.The inscription burned violently, every line and every word spewed out white flames.Echoes echoed and echoed, echoing endlessly, echoing through the Howling Hills behind, echoing among the mountains of Great Wyk across from Nagga's Cradle Bay, echoing echoing and echoing until it filled the whole wet world. Just when he thought the sound of the trumpet would never end, it stopped abruptly. The trumpeter was discouraged.He swayed and collapsed, and the pastor saw Oakwood of Oak Island rushing to help, and "Left Hand" Lucas Could took the curved black horn from him.A thin puff of smoke rose from the horn, and the mouth of the half-breed who played the horn was covered with blood and blisters. The bird on his chest was also weeping blood. Euron Greyjoy came slowly up the hill, every eye on him.The seagulls overhead screamed again and again.An ungodly man would never sit on the Seastone Seat, Aeron believed, but he must allow his brother to speak. The priest uttered a silent prayer. Asha's assistants backed away slowly, as did Victarion's men.The priest stepped back and placed a palm on the cold, rough stone of Naga's ribs.The Crow's Eye stood at the top of the steps, at the door of the Gray King's hall, watching the captain and the chiefs with that smiling eye, and Aeron could feel his other eye, the hidden eye. "Ironborn," said Euron Greyjoy, "you have all heard my trumpet, and now hear my speech. I am Balon's brother, of the sons who live at Coron's knee I am Brother. The blood of King Viken and the 'Old Kraken' runs in my veins, and I have sailed farther than any of my predecessors. Only one living Kraken has never tasted failure, Only one never bent his knee, only one Asshai who went to the shadowlands, and witnessed unimaginable wonders and horrors..." "Go back out there if you like shadows that much," yelled the pink-cheeked "virgin" Cole, who stood firmly behind Asha. The Crow's Eye ignored him. "My brother will finish Balon's conquest, and take all the North. My dear niece will bring peace and pine cones." A smile played on his blue lips. "Asha wants to enjoy victory and avoid defeat. Victarion wants to rule a true kingdom, and disdains a few barren acres. But from me, you can have both." "Crow's Eye, this is the nickname you gave me. Well said, whose eyes can be sharper than the crows? Whenever the battle is over, there will always be hundreds of crows rushing to the corpses Unveil the feast. It is the gift of ravens to seek death, and I see all Westeros doomed! Those who will follow me will rejoice in their doom!" "We are born ironborn, we are ancient overlords. Our decree has been unimpeded wherever the sound of the waves can be heard. My brother has given you contentment in the cold and dreary north, and my niece has given you less... But I will bring you Lannisport, Highgarden, the Arbor, Oldtown, the Riverlands and the Reach, the Kingswood and the Rainforest, Dorne and the Far Lands, the Moon Mountains and the Vale, Tarth and Stone I promise we will have all of Westeros." He glanced at the priest. "To the glory of our Drowned God, no doubt." For a while, even Aeron was dazed by his impassioned declaration.On the day when the red comet appeared in the sky, the pastor had the same dream.Let sword and fire come upon the world, sweep the green lands, destroy the seven in their temples, and pull down the white trees of the northmen... "The Crow's Eye," cried Asha, "have you lost all your sanity in Asshai? If we can't keep the North - and we can't - why should we take the Seven Kingdoms?" "Why not? Someone has done it in the same position before. Didn't Balon teach his daughter how to fight? Victarion, it seems my brother's daughter doesn't know Aegon the Conqueror." "Aegon?" Victarion wrapped his arms around the breastplate. "What have the conquerors got to do with us?" "I have fought as hard as you, Crow's Eye," said Asha. "Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros through the might of the dragon." "So can we," promised Euron Greyjoy. "I found the horn you heard in the pyrotechnic ruins of Valyria, where no living man but I dared to set foot. Experience heard its sound and felt its power. It was the Dragon's Horn, with ancient talismans inscribed in streaks forged of fiery gold and Valyrian steel. The same horns blown by the dragonlords of old , until the end comes. Through it, ironborn, I can make the dragons obey my call." Asha let out a long laugh. "A horn that makes the goat obey the call might be more useful, Crow's Eye. There are no more dragons." "You're wrong again, little sister. There are three more dragons, and I know where they are. Surely this is worthy of a driftwood crown." "Euron!" cried Lucas Could the Left Hand. "Euron! The Crow's Eye! Euron!" cried the Red Oarsman. The mute crew and half-breeds of the Serenity opened Euron's chest, presenting the captain and chiefs with a rich gift.Hosso Harlaw, hands full of gold, was the first to call out Euron's name, followed by Gerold Gubler, and Ari the Anvilbreaker... "Euron! Euron! Euron! ’ The cry continued to spread, to intensify, and finally to growl. "Euron! Euron! The Crow's Eye! King Euron!" The voice was like thunder, shaking the hills of Naga like a storm-god rolling dark clouds. "Euron! Euron! Euron! Euron! Euron! Euron! Euron! Euron!" Even priests can be confused.即使先知也会恐惧。湿发伊伦遍寻内心，拥抱他的神灵，却只发现一片静寂。上千个嗓门在高呼哥哥的名字，而他听到的只是生锈铁门链的尖叫。