[Chapter Size: 1300 Words.]
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Before the dawn of the following day, Cersei sent someone to inform Theon to leave immediately. There were many people in King's Landing, and she didn't want Ned Stark to find out.
Theon had the same thought, so he hurriedly left King's Landing with a carriage of golden dragons and five hundred golden cloaks.
This time, they would spend a week crossing the Westerlands, racing back from Ironman's Bay to Pyke.
Three days later, Theon was far from King's Landing and had entered the Westerlands. Cersei hadn't sent any troops to pursue him, indicating she was very satisfied with the contents of the letter.
It's also possible that Ned Stark had already asked Cersei for some time to return to the Westerlands, so she wasn't worried at all.
Along the way, Theon brainwashed the golden cloaks, making them discard their yellow robes and dress in simple, common clothes. Theon couldn't afford to buy leather armor for them.
Theon called them the Iron Guard and spent half an hour each day practicing military posture. In this stance, he would attack them, calling them the lowest scum among the golden cloaks.
"But if you follow me, even a punk can become a knight!"
After many stops and starts, they finally boarded the ship to the Iron Islands. There were forty ships in total, heading towards the Iron Islands.
On the largest ship, Theon was the only one aboard. He was thrilled to see a dragon egg and a box of wheat seeds in front of him.
These two things were the key to his victory in the war!
Theon tapped the dragon egg, and the 30-centimeter egg immediately cracked open.
Snap!
A small, red-gold claw extended, and Theon's face filled with excitement as he saw the scene. The four-legged Smaug!
Theon was sure it was a front paw, almost certainly the original form of Smaug, not the newer version of the dragon from the films.
With an extra pair of claws, its fighting power would definitely be greater than that of a wyvern. Additionally, the forelimbs of Drogon's three dragons were just large bone spurs, meaning they could only attack with their hind claws when fighting in the air.
As the small dragon crawled out, a golden and red, four-legged dragon appeared before Theon.
A pair of golden pupils in the little head looked at Theon curiously, and a strange mental wave appeared in Theon's brain.
"I'm hungry!"
Theon stared at the young dragon in awe. This feeling was just too magical!
"If you're hungry, eat the eggshells!" Theon said to the little dragon. After all, this wasn't the setting of a novel, right?
"Don't eat the eggshells, eat the meat!"
Ah, Theon clumsily found a cow's leg in the cooking area.
When the young dragon saw the cow's leg, it immediately jumped for joy. It didn't need to roast the meat before eating it, like Daenerys' dragon did.
Watching the young dragon happily feast, Theon narrowed his eyes into slits. "Let's call him Apollo, the sun in the long night, the sun god!"
Of course, Theon wouldn't name him Smaug, it sounded too ugly.
Apollo looked at Theon and then went back to his meal, probably agreeing with the name.
…
One day later, the fleet approached the Iron Islands.
At this point, about a thousand people were waiting at the docks. After all, forty ships could carry between seven hundred and eight hundred people, or even more than a thousand.
The sudden appearance of such a large fleet would undoubtedly attract attention in Pyke.
The Iron Islands consist of 31 small islands, including seven main ones.
Among them, Pyke Island is the base of House Greyjoy, with the largest port in the Iron Islands, which is also the great port in front of Theon.
Theon asked for Apollo to stay alone in the cabin for now.
After the ship docked, Theon was the first to disembark, followed by five hundred Iron Guards who quickly disembarked and formed a line. The training Theon had undergone in recent days barely made these golden-cloaked men resemble common soldiers.
The leader of the opposing team was a fierce-looking woman, somewhat similar to her appearance in the original drama, though more delicate.
She looked like a general, if you ignored the fact that her clothes seemed very poor.
Seeing the young man who resembled her father when he was young, the Ironborn Maiden, Yara, asked in surprise, "Theon?"
"My dear sister, I never thought you'd recognize me. I'm flattered," Theon replied with a confident smile.
Yara was so surprised that she couldn't find the words. "Why did Stark let you return?"
"I'm very capable. The Wolf's den is no place for me. This is where I belong!" Theon said, his smile unwavering.
As for his confidence, one of the reasons was that he had unexpectedly called upon the armor again the night before and was surprised to find that the enhancement brought by the armor had grown stronger. In three months, it had doubled, and now it had doubled again!
Secondly, these were the Iron Islands, and he was the only man in House Greyjoy. In this place, where family and blood are valued, this was the best weapon, even if it was his first time back to the Iron Islands in many years.
Looking at her brother, who appeared in good spirits in front of her, and at the well-armed guards behind him, Yara had a confused expression and didn't know what to say.
In the original drama, Theon had been deceived by Yara until he met their father, Balon, at Pyke. After Yara entered, Theon had even been scolding her for coming in.
"Sister, take me to Fort Pike. I'm back, and I'm not leaving!"
Watching the unmistakable ambition in Theon's eyes, Yara couldn't help but wonder if the Lord of the North, Stark, was truly as gentle, honest, and old-fashioned as the rumors claimed.
As for that arrogant expression, it was rare for the Ironborn to be so truly arrogant.
"Come with me, and I'll take you to see my father."
The group soon arrived at Fort Pyke.
Looking at the fort before him, Theon felt it wasn't bad. The Iron Islands were separated from Westeros by the Ironman's Bay. With the continent about to be consumed by war, the Iron Islands obviously held more strategic advantages.
The only disadvantage might be that resources weren't abundant. In fact, the soil of Howl's Falls Island was quite good. Combined with the soil fertilizer and wheat seeds from Theon, it would surely become a small granary.
With the addition of Great Wyke Island, rich in iron, there would be no shortage of food or weapons. All they'd need to do was steal a few blacksmiths.
Upon entering the castle hall, an old man with white hair sat near the fireplace holding a letter. "You arrived very quickly. Cersei's letter just reached my hands."
Theon walked over to the old man and found a bench to sit on. "Father, I'm back. You no longer need to worry about the heir to the Iron Islands."
Balon stood up and tossed the envelope into the fire. "I won't leave my family to a Stark, nor to a wild dog alongside a lion."
"It seems that Cersei mentioned some conditions in the letter. Is Robert dead?"
Balon looked at Theon and said, "Yes, he was killed by a boar. How funny! He deserved it, he deserved it!"
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