Chapter Size: 1400 Words.]
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"Father, you need an excellent heir, someone who knows how to fight, continue the family line, and lead the family towards prosperity and strength," Theon said bluntly. He also knew that Balon, before him, was an ambitious man but extremely self-assured.
In the original drama, Yara had already explained that the Balon's method of operating inland was flawed, and that was indeed the case. The greatest advantage of an archipelago is its isolation from the mainland.
The Ironborn excel at naval warfare, but their numbers are few, and they are completely incapable of defending any territory if they venture inland.
"Yara is very capable. She could be my heir, but you are nothing but a Lannister dog now, and you are unworthy of being my heir!"
Theon replied, "Talking too much won't help. Being better isn't just about words. Right now, the North is probably gathering its lords to prepare to march south. How about we compare who performs better?"
Yara raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Theon to be so confident, but she wasn't afraid.
Balon looked at Theon for a moment and then nodded. "Then it's settled."
Yara then instructed her servant to arrange a room for Theon, and the five hundred Iron guards that Theon had brought were positioned not far from the Pyke Fortress.
That night, Theon freed Apollo from the wooden crate, gave him a few instructions, and let him fly out the window under the cover of darkness.
Theon felt no attachment to Balon. In the original drama, Balon himself is a cold-blooded, arrogant, and ambitious man. The only person who cares about Theon is Yara.
Yara had even gathered a group of elite soldiers to rescue Theon, but by then, Theon had been tortured to the point of unconsciousness and didn't dare attempt an escape.
Although Apollo was a young dragon, he was different from Drogon in his youth.
Following Theon's instructions, Apollo reached a window. It was pitch dark inside, with only the flickering light of the fire in the hearth.
But Apollo could clearly see Balon in bed. Apollo silently approached Balon's side and bit his neck fiercely. The dragon's hot breath instantly scorched the Balon's throat.
Then, he set the wooden bed on fire with a breath of dragonfire and quickly fled the scene of the crime.
Soon, the fire spread and was discovered by the patrolling guards.
"There's a fire! Put it out!"
Various loud shouts broke the silence of the long night. After the fire was hastily extinguished, the guards found Balon's charred body in the room.
Yara looked at the burned remains of her father and immediately suspected Theon. He had just returned for one day, and her father was burned alive. Could there be a more coincidental occurrence?
But then the guards reported that no one had entered Pyke Castle that night. At the same time, Lord Balon always locked the door from the inside, and Theon hadn't left his room.
It was even more impossible for someone to fly over ten meters and kill Balon through the window!
After calming down, Yara realized that Theon couldn't have killed Balon. It seemed the only possibility was that the room had caught fire, and her father died in the flames before he could escape.
At that moment, Theon finally arrived: "What happened? Was there a fire?"
After understanding the situation, Theon's eyes suddenly turned red, and he knelt, crying so intensely that anyone who heard him would be heartbroken, and anyone who saw it would cry.
Then, Theon requested to personally carry out his father's funeral as Balon's son.
Although Yara and her allies were unhappy, there was nothing they could do. After all, Theon's identity was clear, he was Balon's only son.
After all, Yara was a woman, and although Yara was recognized by everyone, Balon had never publicly declared her as his sole heir.
So now that Balon had suddenly died, according to the rules and laws, Theon was the sole heir unless Yara secretly killed him!
This situation was similar to Robert's sudden death. Joffrey naturally became first in line to the throne, not to mention that Theon was his biological son.
Three days later, Theon personally paid a thousand gold dragons to carry out a funeral for Balon and posthumously named him King of the Iron Islands. This innovative and sincere gesture won the approval of some people.
Along with some smaller families that were at odds with Yara, they all reached an agreement and decided to support Theon. Although their overall strength was not as great as the opponent's, with the addition of 500 Iron guards and the 50,000 gold coins brought by Theon, the difference wasn't significant.
After the funeral, Yara took the nobles who supported her to meet with Theon, who was occupying Pyke Fortress. The day after Balon's death, Theon stationed 500 guards near the fortress under the pretense of stabilizing the unrest.
"Theon, Westeros now has four kings. This is our chance. In this competition, the one who gains the most in seven days will win. Each side must help the other become the King of the Iron Islands. How do you fare?" Yara said to Theon.
Theon seemed confused. "What competition? Sister, our father just died a few days ago. Are you really thinking of taking his place already?"
Theon's words immediately changed Yara's expression, and even some of the nobles who had just arrived looked at Yara in a different light.
At that moment, a lesser noble who was protecting Theon immediately stepped forward and said, "Lord Balon just passed away, and you, a woman, are already coveting Lord Balon's position? Now I suspect that Lord Balon's death has something to do with you."
"Furthermore, it was well known that Lord Theon had voluntarily become a hostage to protect the Greyjoy family. Now that he had escaped danger with his own wisdom, he wished to return immediately to the Iron Islands to visit his father."
"Who would have imagined that he would lose the loved one he had thought about day and night right after meeting her for just one day? And now you are forcing him to compete with you and fight for the title of King of the Iron Islands?"
"I believe Lord Theon is the legitimate and most qualified successor to the throne of the King of the Iron Islands!"
These words naturally came from Theon. On the other hand, many of Yara's nobles began to waver and distanced themselves slightly from Yara's group.
The prototype of the Iron Man is a Viking pirate. The ever-proud Ironborn Girl, Yara, had never heard such repugnant words before and, for a moment, she could not refute them.
Because even though much of what Theon's men said was simply changing perspectives, it generally made sense and was completely accurate.
Theon looked at Yara, who didn't know how to respond, and secretly smiled. Some words could only be spoken by subordinates. If he said them himself, he would likely face moral condemnation.
For example, the King of the Iron Islands should be elected, but those words shouldn't be said by the candidates themselves.
Theon clapped his hands to silence the crowd, and everyone fell quiet, turning to look at him.
"Yesterday, I dreamed of my father. The Drowned God took me to see him. My father told me that the responsibility of rebuilding the family would fall on my shoulders in the future. I was terrified!"
"I was worried because I wasn't doing well, so my father gave me armor, a gift of iron and salt!"
"The dead never die!"
Several lesser nobles supporting Theon shouted angrily: "The dead never die!"
"The dead never die!"
"The dead never die!"
More and more people followed suit, but one voice interrupted them: "You said you saw your father and that he gave you the gift of iron and salt. Show it to us. If it's true, you are the King of the Iron Islands, brother!"
Yara skillfully shifted the topic to the armor, the so-called gift of iron and salt. Since armor given by the Drowned God should not be an ordinary item, if Theon couldn't present it, it would prove he was a liar!
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