A/N: No sex this chapter despite the funny number. But that doesn't mean someone doesn't get FUCKED lol.
-x-X-x-
The Baratheon King sought to add insult to injury. Euron had felt the moment that the Kraken died to the depths of his soul. The connection between him and the creature facilitated by the Horn he'd scavenged from Old Valyria had snapped and left him gasping for air. He'd barely been able to give the orders for the thralls and mongrels who crewed the Silence to turn the damn boat around and make for Pyke at full speed.
However, feeling it was one thing. Seeing? Seeing was something else entirely. He'd watched as the Baratheon King, somehow hovering unassisted in midair, tossed the Kraken's carcass. Everyone had seen it, obviously. But what Euron hadn't realized was just where Axel Baratheon had thrown his Kraken. Not until he got back to the Iron Islands anyways.
There, impaled on the tallest, somewhat pointed tower of Castle Pyke… was the Kraken's carcass. Axel had thrown it in such a way that the massive beast had come down and been skewered like a normal squid upon a fishing spear atop the castle tower, leaving House Greyjoy's symbol to adorn their seat like some cruel mockery of everything they believed in, everything they held dear.
To make things even worse, it was obvious that Axel had let them go too. Or rather, let him go. The Baratheon King had destroyed more than half of the Ironborn Fleet. With how fast he'd been moving, he could have easily run down Euron's ship as well, but he hadn't. Axel had allowed Euron and the rest of his forces to run back here so they could see what he'd done, to truly demoralize them.
"My King… what do we do now? What is the Drowned God's Will?"
Euron doesn't even bother looking over at Damphair. Victarion was gone, dead and drowned with his ship. But of course Damphair still lived, the Priest of the Drowned God having been waiting here on Pyke for them to return victorious.
They hadn't, obviously… and yet, Aeron Greyjoy still believed that Euron had a plan. He still believed that the Drowned God would see them all to victory. It was enough to make Euron want to fucking spit blood.
He watches on as the Ironborn that remain struggle to prepare for the oncoming fleet. The armies of Westeros are at their doorstep, the one place they never should have been able to reach. Their ships can be seen from one end of the horizon to the other and they get closer and closer with each passing second.
"Euron, we-urk!"
It's enough to make him see red and his pathetic little brother isn't helping things with his whining. And so Euron gives into his impulses, draws his sword from his belt, and turns to sink it into his last living brother's gut. Aeron's eyes are wide with disbelief as he chokes on his own blood, seemingly shocked that Euron would do such a thing.
He's not sure why his younger brother is so surprised though. After all, he'd killed Balon too hadn't he? He was already a kinslayer anyways. Not that it mattered anymore. None of it mattered anymore.
Kicking Damphair back off of his sword, Euron wipes the Valyrian Steel Blade clean on the dying man's robes and turns back to watching the enemy approach. He lets out a shuddering breath before looking down to the ocean between him and the ships.
"Well?! You're the one who wanted me to kill the bastard! You're the one who stole my life from me, just to turn me into your attack dog! What now, O' Drowned One?! What now He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves?! Your Kraken is dead! Shall you summon more?"
He pauses briefly before snarling when he receives no response.
"WELL?! I'M WAITING!"
But… nothing. Not a single thing. Except for the tug in his chest. The Kraken's connection might be gone, but the Drowned God's connection is not. Euron could flee and under normal circumstances he would have by this point… but if he does, he knows his fate. The moment that he steps foot on a boat without the express intention of trying to kill Axel Baratheon, the Drowned God will sink his ship and drag him back down to the watery depths one final time.
It wasn't fair… it wasn't fucking FAIR! All his plans, all his ambitions… reduced to this. He could have braved Valyria without the Drowned God's favor. He could have conquered the Iron Islands without needing a single ounce of that bastard god's power. He could have done so much more! But no. This was what he got. Euron Greyjoy had been turned into nothing but a plaything for a god… and he hadn't even been given the tools he needed to succeed at his task.
"Useless! Fucking USELESS PIECE OF SHIT GOD!"
Euron rages, slamming his fist into the stone before him, cursing at the top of his lungs until he has no air left to waste on such things. And then he stands there, panting for breath and watching on as Axel Baratheon's fleets approach the Isle of Pyke.
They arrive within the hour, unloading onto the beaches. The men of Westeros come flooding out, roaring at the top of their lungs and charging forward for glory and honor and bloodshed. Euron watches on dispassionately as Ironborn die left and right. He's never truly cared about his people. He's never truly cared for anyone but himself.
Axel Baratheon, of course, takes the field almost immediately, turning what was already a lopsided battle into a truly one-sided slaughter. What few Defensive Scorpions they have in place on Pyke are targeted first by the flying King, who rips them apart with his bare hands and a savage grin, allowing for his forces to advance up the beach and make quick work of the Ironborn down there all the faster.
Soon enough, the Castle itself is under siege… but that too lasts mere moments before Axel notices that his men have made it to the gate. At which point, he blasts it open with brute force, clearing the way for them to continue on.
Only then, as the shouts and screams of fighting fill Castle Pyke below Euron's feet, does the Baratheon King float up to him where he stands on the battlements. The Kraken's corpse looms over both of their heads as Axel looks up and smiles at the sight of the damn thing drooped upon Euron's Castle.
"Did you like my gift?"
Euron twitches, backing up a few paces to put room between them as Axel comes in for a landing on the castle's stone ramparts. He holds his sword at his side, still coated in the blood of his little brother. The Baratheon King barely spares a glance towards Damphair's lifeless body though, even as he draws his own sword from his waist.
"… The Drowned God was right to fear you. You are no man, Axel Baratheon. You're something else entirely."
That catches the King of Westeros off guard, though Euron knows there's no way to make use of the opening. For a moment, Axel looks surprised… then, his eyebrow quirks up mockingly.
"Oh? Is this where you tell me that the Drowned God made you do all of this? That you were merely following your deity's commandments all this time? The Drowned Priest dead at your feet makes it a little hard to believe that if I'm being honest. Seems to me that you've had a bit of a falling out, even."
Euron growls at being mocked by the younger man.
"Believe what you will! It is the truth! I was halfway across the world when the Drowned God sunk my ship and pulled me into the depths! He forced this pact upon me. A pact that had one, singular goal… your death!"
That causes Axel to narrow his eyes thoughtfully. Euron just lets out a bark of mirthless laughter and shakes his head.
"For a so-called god, he's just so… weak. Even with our pact, he can't strike me down here for speaking my mind. He had to guide me to the horn in the Ruins of Old Valyria that allowed me to connect and command the Kraken. He calls himself a god, demands worship and submission… but in the end, he's just so… impotent."
The Baratheon King looks nonplused by this conversation. Perhaps he expected Euron to curse HIM, rather than cursing his would be god. But Euron… Euron had never been much of a believer. In fact…
"One day, I hope you kill him. I hope you find a way to wherever it is that a squirming worm like him hides and you slaughter him like you did the Kraken. Even if these are to be my final moments, I will take solace in that hope. Because he's not going to stop coming after you, Axel Baratheon. None of them are."
That gets the King's attention. His gaze sharpens as he frowns more severely.
"They? Who is they?"
Euron laughs again, even as he takes his sword in both hands, holding it out before him, ready to fight.
"The gods, you slow bastard! You are the Champion of the Seven! They have laid claim to you, made you their own, and are using you to spread their Will! Did you truly think the others would just… let something like you continue to exist? Do you think the Drowned God is the only deity moving against you even now?! No… oh no, no. This might be the end for me… but it's only the beginning for you."
Axel stares for another long moment before lifting his own sword wordlessly. Rather than launch himself forward, however, he pauses.
"Just one more questions before we begin. That armor you're wearing… is that Valyrian Steel?"
Euron looks down at his armor, black scale mail with glyphs and arcane symbols somewhat covering up the all too familiar dark grey ripple patterns of the Valyrian Steel it's made of. After a moment, he nods, taking a bit of pride in it as he holds his head high.
"Aye. It is."
Axel… smiles.
"My thanks then. I think it'll look better on me than it does on you."
Then, the Baratheon King moves. Euron tries to bring up his sword to block, but it's no use. One moment he's lifting his arms, the next moment he has no arms. Or rather… he has no body. Euron has heard stories that men live on briefly after being decapitated. Unfortunately, he gets to experience this firsthand as his head is shorn from his shoulders, no doubt to keep his armor fully intact and undamaged.
His line of sight is nothing but sky for a moment before his head lands on the deck and he winds up rolling to a stop right next to his dead brother's face. Euron only has to stare into Aeron's sightless eyes for a moment before Axel Baratheon's fingers curl in his black hair, however.
"For some reason, I thought you would be stronger. The Drowned God claimed you, didn't he? If I'm the Champion of the Seven and you're supposed to be his Champion, where is your power? Where is your personal strength? Well… no matter. He can have you back now. And if he is actually down there… feel free to tell him I really will come for him next if he keeps coming after me and mine."
Wait, what? Euron's last moments of consciousness are of being whipped through the air as Axel flings him across the sky and into the sea. And then he hits the waves and knows nothing at all.
Except that's not quite true. The bastard… the bastard has sent him to his god, to the god who has laid claim on Euron's soul. When next his eyes open, its to a familiar darkness as the depths of the Drowned God's domains surround him.
Only, this time he's not here to be persuaded into a pact. This time, he's here as a failure… a dead man, claimed by whatever manner of creature He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves truly is.
Euron tries to scream. He most definitely tries.
-x-X-x-
Axel whistles quietly to himself as he watches Euron's head fly off into the distance before hitting the water. Then, he glances up at the massive Kraken Corpse still half-draped over Castle Pyke and grins. That grin only widens when he looks down at Euron's decapitated corpse, clad in Valyrian Steel Armor.
But then the grin fades and Axel finds himself reflecting on the Greyjoy's last words. They had been both illuminating and frustrating in equal measure, ultimately. Actually, Euron Greyjoy had left him with more questions than answers. All of this… was because the Drowned God wanted him dead? Because the Seven had claimed him as their Champion?
But had they been the ones to bless him and protect him all his life or not? Had they empowered him or were they simply taking advantage of his strength and his faith? More than that though… the Seven were on his side, supposedly. But what about other gods? Would they really come after him like Euron claimed?
… The Old Gods hadn't yet, as far as he could tell. The North, where most of their remaining worshippers resided, had been nothing but steadfast and loyal. And Axel couldn't possibly imagine someone like Lord Stark being capable of subterfuge.
If the Old Gods did whisper anything in his ear about Axel being an abomination to put down, the man would have said something outright rather than plotting against him in the shadows. Yet, Axel didn't think either possibility was really happening.
On the other hand… Varys DID mention something about Daenerys Targaryen being accompanied by a Red Priestess, didn't he? And also something about her teaching the Targaryen Princess blood and fire magic that allowed her to hatch dragons by sacrificing her own brother.
Hm… could that be something? Or was he simply jumping at shadows?
At that thought, Axel shakes his head, clearing it and letting out a laugh. Here he was, completely victorious… and he was letting a dead man's final words get to him. In the end, Euron Greyjoy had just been a mad man who thought his Pet Kraken would allow him to conquer all of Westeros. Nothing more.
It really was as simple as that, wasn't it? And… Euron had been wrong too. Dead wrong, heh. Looking up again to the Kraken's corpse and then back down over the parapets to where Pyke is being casually conquered in good order, Axel grins once more.
The rest of the Iron Islands would fall within days to be sure. And then Axel would finally have to decide just how he was going to handle this collection of worthless fucking rocks.
But that's perfectly fine. The time for hiding and hesitation is over. From now on, Axel Baratheon is not going to pretend to be anything less than what he truly is. Not anymore.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Euron dies screaming. Axel gets a new set of armor. And like he told Asha, the fighting was easy. It's what comes next that will be harder~
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