[Chapter Size: 1600 Words.]
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A silver light streaked across the night sky as Theon stood at the window, gazing toward the harbor, now dark and flickering in the rain.
He sighed. After this night, the difficulty of construction would surely increase.
Many refugee homes had already collapsed under the downpour, but fortunately, the winds remained mild despite the heavy rain.
Theon's rule over the Riverlands had lasted nearly three months.
By now, the riverlands were largely stabilized, and the construction of Seagard's harbor was nearly complete.
A total of ninety thousand refugees were about to be dismissed, and a solution had to be found for their resettlement.
Closing his territorial plans, Theon recalled that during his governance he had eliminated many nobles and confiscated vast amounts of land.
His plan was to divide these ninety thousand refugees into villages between Riverrun and Seagard Port. The future development of Seagard would surely demand a great deal of manpower and resources.
At the same time, construction of the seven great cities in the Riverlands had only just begun. For convenience, Theon named them after the seven colors of the rivers.
During this period, Theon generously knighted many of his soldiers, granting lands to those who had distinguished themselves in battle.
As his earliest followers, these knights strongly supported his new policies.
The grain tax was suddenly reduced to forty percent, while many miscellaneous levies were abolished altogether. For a time, Theon won the hearts of countless people.
The realm was nearing the end of the Long Summer, with Westeros's population at its peak, between twenty-five and thirty million. The Riverlands, as fertile plains, had once supported three million people before the war.
The War of the Five Kings, which raged for more than a year, had cost at least half a million lives.
Only Theon's intervention had brought an early peace, ending the war a year or two sooner and sparing further bloodshed.
A torrential rain lasted through the night. By morning, Theon immediately ordered the newly created administrative office to prepare soup for those whose homes had collapsed.
Theon's instinct for infrastructure ran deep. He wished to transform the Riverlands overnight into the realm he envisioned.
But beginnings are always the hardest. The Riverlands lay in ruins, and Theon had neither gold nor grain.
A cook cannot make rice without rice. Thus, Theon now waited for Tom Beale's return.
Tom's voyage to Essos and back required two or three months, and he was expected to return within days.
The Riverlands could harvest wheat three times a year. Thanks to the Long Summer, autumn and winter were almost absent, leaving only spring and summer.
The next wheat harvest was still two months away. If they could endure until then, the food crisis would ease.
But the coming two months would be the hardest. Because of the war, the last harvest had either been plundered or left to rot in the fields.
…
The Red Keep
Since Sansa had married Tyrion, Joffrey's humiliations had lessened somewhat. Yet whenever he encountered Sansa and Tyrion together, he never failed to find some excuse to humiliate them.
Joffrey, ever deserving of the title of greatest tyrant, once shouted angrily at Tywin during a royal council meeting before the Red Wedding:
"My father won the real war, while you cower in your castle, too afraid to march!"
This incident deepened the rift between Joffrey and the Lannisters, while at the same time giving the Tyrells hope.
"Do not be afraid, child. What sort of man do you think our king is?" Olenna asked, holding Sansa's hand.
Sansa hesitated, then whispered with a trembling voice: "A monster."
Olenna's eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. She saw that Sansa was a simple, honest noblewoman, incapable of lying.
Rumors in King's Landing only confirmed it.
Yet Olenna trusted her granddaughter. Margaery was even more beautiful than Olenna had once been and, under her grandmother's guidance, skilled at manipulation and intrigue.
If that failed, another path would have to be taken.
Originally, Littlefinger had planned to spirit Sansa away, but his scheme was uncovered by Varys. The Spider then persuaded the Queen of Thorns, who arranged for Loras to draw near Sansa with the intent of marriage.
But once Littlefinger discovered this, he immediately informed Tywin. Tywin was displeased. If the North allied with the Reach, then the West, the Riverlands, the Vale, and the Crownlands between them would be imperiled.
Thus, Cersei was forced to marry Loras, while Sansa was wed to Tyrion.
Though House Tyrell could raise an army of 120,000, it was still not enough to match Tywin's 60,000 elite troops, especially given the cunning methods of the Lion.
Tywin required the lords of the Westerlands to assemble their men for regular training, which made their armies far more disciplined and effective than those of other regions.
At the same time, the West was rich in gold mines, ensuring that its weapons were the finest among the Seven Kingdoms.
Joffrey's wedding was scheduled for mid-November. Three months before the event, invitations had already been sent to the castles of the great lords of Westeros.
Among them, naturally, was the new player in the game, Theon Greyjoy.
Holding the invitation in his hand, Theon turned to the two women playing cyvasse and said:
"The king is to be wed. Pack your things, to attend the wedding!"
That same morning, the harbor was alive with crowds beginning their day's labor.
In the Administrative Office, Theon instructed Maester to oversee Seagard's management and to recruit as many maesters as possible.
Theon himself departed for King's Landing with Myrcella and Selena, escorted by a cavalry of one hundred men.
With time to spare, the journey took half a month. When he arrived, the capital had not yet shaken off the shadow of war.
Refugees filled the streets, still struggling to survive, and none knew what had become of the old High Septon.
News of Theon's arrival quickly spread among the nobles of the city. Naturally, the first to learn of it was Varys, master of whispers. Hearing his little birds' report, Varys sighed. Theon seemed a changed man since the former king had visited House Stark.
Men like this, Varys thought, seemed able to foresee the turning of the tide, and profit from it. Such men were always the most dangerous, like the former Master of Coin, Littlefinger, who thrived in chaos.
Theon's first act in the capital was to take Myrcella to see her mother, Cersei Lannister.
Though his followers often addressed him as Your Majesty, outwardly Theon still bore the title of Lord of the Riverlands and the Iron Islands.
Myrcella was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing her mother again.
Before they could knock, Cersei herself opened the door. She too was delighted to see her daughter.
Then her eyes fixed on Theon.
"You should be visiting your king. Do you think you may simply walk into my chambers?"
Theon glanced around her room with a mocking smile, then turned and left without a word.
On his way to the throne room, Theon happened to see a man with a severed hand. With a sudden realization, he stepped forward.
"Jaime?"
Jaime Lannister turned and saw Theon smiling at him.
"You are Theon Greyjoy? The Shapeshifting Squid?" Jaime asked curiously.
"???"
Confusion spread across Theon's face. The Shapeshifting Squid? Gods, who gave me that name?
Seeing his bewilderment, Jaime explained:
"That is what the Crown's lords call you. They say you carried off all the food from King's Landing, and that is why the city nearly fell."
Theon gave him a blank look.
"Perhaps I should have let Stannis march in. He might have offered me high office instead of branding me a thief."
Jaime laughed and shook his head.
"My brother spoke of you. He said you were skilled with a blade. If I still had my right hand, I would gladly test myself against you."
He lifted his golden stump with a wry smile.
"The strength of a warrior lies in his spirit, not in his hand," Theon said, patting Jaime on the shoulder before moving on.
Jaime stood stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, raising his golden hand as though in salute.
When Theon reached the throne room, Joffrey sat upon the Iron Throne, listless and bored.
"Your Grace, how fare you today?" Theon asked.
Joffrey lifted his eyelids to see who dared speak so casually. But when his eyes fell on Theon Greyjoy, his surprise was plain.
"Lord Theon, you have come for my wedding?"
"Of course. How could I miss Your Grace's wedding?" Theon replied with a smile.
He drew a square box from his cloak.
"Your Grace, a gift for you."
Joffrey reached for the box, but Theon pulled it back.
"A wedding gift, Your Grace, is to be opened on the wedding day."
Everyone in the hall wiped cold sweat from their brows. No one dared speak to Joffrey in such a manner. His cruelty was infamous.
Yet Joffrey was not angered. Instead, he leaned forward and asked:
"Have you any tales of interest? Tell me one."
Theon gestured with his hand, and the two withdrew to Joffrey's chambers.
In the days that followed, Theon often boasted to Joffrey and told him strange tales from Middle-earth.
Meanwhile, the world's magical tide was rising at a staggering pace, its intensity growing beyond reason.
The most obvious sign came from his armor. It absorbed golden ions from the air to strengthen its defenses, allowing Theon to feel the magic in the atmosphere swelling constantly.
No doubt, the sorcerers in the Shadow Lands were rejoicing in madness.
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