Within the Great Hall, cups clinked and mingled.
In a trance, it felt as if they had truly returned to yesterday's lively feast.
The large doors had been reopened.
Slaves from Pyke served pickled fish and roasted meat, filling every wine cup.
Nearly two hundred captains and chieftains sat back at the long tables. The number was still considerable, just not as crowded as yesterday.
The Finger Dance performance was also canceled, but melodious music filled the entire Great Hall.
The music wasn't played by musicians from Pyke, but emanated from a Gemstone. Needless to say, it was that magical power again.
It was fortunate that the sound of the music served as a cover, making the guests' restraint less obvious.
But the music also stirred everyone's thoughts.
When the melody of "Blood Cup" came from the Gemstone, the Ironborn were all surprised and doubtful. This was a ballad praising the ancient Ironborn reavers.
What did King Joffrey mean by this?
The captains looked into the depths. The King sat high upon the Seastone Chair, accompanied by Victarion the Guardian and Asha the Duke.
The King wore a smile.
However, after "Blood Cup", came the lingering and somber "The Rains of Castamere".
The captains couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.
The Lannister Lion of Casterly Rock and the Squid of the Iron Islands could be called sworn enemies.
Longships had raided Lannisport more than once, and the Lion had played "The Rains of Castamere" several times in succession, severely damaging the Iron Islands.
The King is also half a Golden Lion, the captains realized once again.
Then came "Misty Morning".
Some captains knew the background of the song. It spoke of a Mother who came to the battlefield after a bloody fight in the early morning, searching for her son, her only son.
The sorrowful voice of a mature woman sang:
"Oh, have you seen my son, good Ser?
His hair is brown like autumn leaves.
He promised me he'd return one day,
Our home is on Wendwater Town street.
..."
The captains looked around.
The corpses and blood in the Great Hall had disappeared, as if they had never been there.
Whose sons were those familiar dead men?
The living knew them, and even knew their Mothers.
But they were dead.
Dead by Swords and steam, dead in the tentacles of the Kraken, dead at the hands of the Ironborn.
The Drowned God will be angry, right?
But when? How does that compare to the power in the King's hands?
After that was "The Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone", a song praising The Seven of the Green Lands.
Following closely was the similar "Song of The Seven":
"The Father's face is stern and strong, judging wrong and upholding justice,
...
The Seven Gods created us, always listening to our prayers,
Close your Eyes, no more troubles, The Gods watch over you, little child.
..."
How soft and powerless the lyrics were. How could they inspire awe?
But.
Did The Seven give the King that power?
The captains all looked at Lord Baler Blacktyde of Blacktyde.
Since King Balon's failed coronation nine years ago, the Septs of The Seven on the Iron Islands had almost completely vanished, and he was the only Lord who believed in The Seven.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the Blacktyde Family were all spared.
What enviable good fortune.
The captains couldn't help but wonder if they should convert to The Seven of the Green Lands to gain King Joffrey's trust and revitalize their families.
After that, it was "Dance of the Dragons".
A suite composed of many narrative poems, describing the civil war of House Targaryen, from which countless glorious battles were born.
The captains seemed to relive the ancient years of Fire and blood.
At that time, the Iron Islands were led by King Dalton Greyjoy, the "Red Kraken". He led his Longships to sack the entire Lannisport, capturing a large number of women, burning it to the ground, and then conquering Fair Isle.
For two full years, the Ironborn were able to reave the coasts of the Westerlands at will.
If the "Red Kraken" hadn't had his throat slit by a whore, perhaps the Lion would never have landed on the Iron Islands, inflicting such a brutal retaliation on the Ironborn.
If not for...
But what if? The fact was that the Iron Islands suffered retaliation. Thousands of people were killed and starved, and Longships were burned in the Port.
It was even worse now.
King Balon had gathered almost all the captains of the Iron Islands, a full four or five hundred people, which meant four or five hundred Longships.
But in just half a day, more than half of the Longships lost their masters.
At the same time.
The captains, either in fear or excitement, discovered:
The captains of Pyke, Harlaw, and Blacktyde were almost completely unharmed. But the captains of Old Wyk, Great Wyk, Oak Island, and Saltcliffe had suffered heavy casualties!
The fearful captains realized they were becoming Fish Struggling on Shore.
The excited captains smelled something delicious.
But whether they could eat the fish depended on King Joffrey's intentions.
After all, they still hadn't taken a single step out of the Great Hall, and those monsters wearing Six-Pointed Stars were guarding the main entrance and the King's side.
Moreover, the King wasn't even in his true form, and the number of those monsters was in the tens of thousands.
Could they eat the fish?
The captains chewed on the fish, gulping down the fine wine, but it was like swallowing white wax and air, completely tasteless.
Undercurrents surged, and hearts were strange.
After a long time, the lengthy "Dance of the Dragons" finally ended, followed by "A Thousand and One Eyes". The meaningless song slightly calmed the captains, making them ponder its meaning.
Why was this song played?
"How many Eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? The riddle goes - a thousand, and one more."
"Bloodraven" Brynden Rivers.
Someone remembered the message brought by the Raven. The beast that killed King Robert seemed to be a puppet controlled by Bloodraven. Was this song the King's signal for revenge?
Someone focused on the phrase "A Thousand and One Eyes" itself.
Bloodraven was known for his Witchcraft of prying into secrets.
And King Joffrey's power was definitely far beyond Bloodraven's Witchcraft and Magic, perhaps many times more than Bloodraven's "Eyes".
So, this song was a warning, warning us to submit wholeheartedly, that the King is watching?
Recalling the timing and words of King Joffrey's appearance, those with a mind for it immediately believed this speculation and lowered their heads in fear and trepidation, unwilling to show any further attitude.
Finally, there was an unfamiliar tune.
Melodious, light, suddenly heavy, intense, surging, like the sea turning from calm to furious.
When the music ended, the storm subsided.
King Joffrey raised his wine cup. In one breath, the Great Hall quieted down from near to far.
"Gentlemen." Joffrey smiled faintly.
King's Landing Port had reached a conclusion.
Crow's Eye Euron did not reveal his Kraken in King's Landing Port, only taking the Silence and a few other Longships that were willing to follow.
Joffrey was a little surprised, but this was better.
The empty Longships could be used to appease hearts and also to divide the connections between the families of the Iron Islands.
"Euron has left with the Silence, but his Kraken is no longer able to destroy, and the Longships in King's Landing Port are safe and sound."
The word Longship firmly hooked the hearts of all the captains.
"All Longships will be incorporated into the Sunset Sea Fleet and under the Guardian. But to sail a ship, you cannot be without a Captain. Therefore,"
Joffrey paused slightly, and the captains' hearts immediately stopped.
"Ownerless Longships are ownerless property. The captains present here can all go and appease the crew and select a Captain. This is limited to today and tomorrow."
"To the rebirth of the Iron Islands, a toast."
Joffrey raised his cup and sipped.
Some sighed in relief, others' faces flushed red, instantly approving of the generous golden-haired King.
"Long live Your Majesty!!"
Everyone drank the last drop of wine at the bottom of their cups, and the real Feast began
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