-Chapter 77-
-POV MC-
"You've missed me, brother," I said, embracing Connor.
He smiled and replied with a teasing grin, "I was only gone for a moon."
"It was too long," I said in the same tone.
"So, I heard you're getting remarried," he mentioned, cutting to the heart of the matter.
My smile faded, and I said, "It's what everyone expects of me."
"And what do you want?"
"I wish she was here, but it's impossible, so I must move on."
"She would be proud, you know... actually, she was proud of you," Connor said.
"I know. So, how did your mission go?" I shifted the subject to avoid drowning in sorrow.
"It went well, unfortunately, Euron Greyjoy chose to go rogue," Connor said with a dark tone.
"It was to be expected," I admitted, somewhat disappointed in Euron's decision.
"Yes, it was," Connor, who hadn't held much hope for recruiting Euron, agreed.
I sighed and declared, "I'm sad he couldn't see the benefits of an alliance with me, but so be it. We're left with the last plan, to strike the Iron Islands with all our might."
"To bend or break them," Connor said.
"Hmm, it's really sad because I thought I could do great things with these pirates under my wing. Since they refuse to understand, so be it, may the dragon's fire carry them to purgatory," I stated with a determined and merciless air.
"I didn't just bring bad news," he mentioned.
"Besides the dragon egg, the Valyrian steel axe and armor, and the dragon-horn, I also managed to get my hands on four conjurers and a barrel of Shade of the Evening," Connor revealed.
I smiled, extremely pleased with this news, and asked, "How did they behave?"
"Quite well, they're eager to meet you, and your dragons, of course," Connor said.
"I bet they are, after what Daenerys did in Qarth," I mentioned, passing Connor a glass of wine.
"So, Arianne?" he teased with a smile.
"I was sure you'd choose Margaery," Connor said.
"Why her?" I asked, confused.
Connor gave me a look that said 'don't ask, you already know,' and I laughed, saying, "No, Margaery would have indeed made a very good queen, but rewarding the Tyrells' betrayal with a royal marriage would send the wrong signal to the other houses of the realm."
"Damn, I can't believe it was Bryan who finally won," he said.
"What do you mean, won?!" I bristled at his choice of words.
"That's not what I meant," he quickly realized he'd let slip information he should have kept to himself.
"You bastards bet on my marriage," I accused him, feigning disappointment.
"Well, maybe we did bet a little, but you have to understand, you were being difficult while the most beautiful women of the realm, from the wealthiest families, were throwing themselves at your feet," he confessed to using me as a betting object.
"How much did you bet?" I inquired.
"A hundred gold dragons," he said sadly, having lost a small fortune.
"You're assholes," I declared.
"I admit it," he said without any apparent remorse.
We fell silent before bursting into laughter, and then he said, "Shit, Tyrion will be thrilled to learn you're not marrying his sister. Personally, she was the one I feared most; she's so..."
"Don't finish that sentence. Cersei is beautiful, I grant you, but she's a poison that risks spreading if I give her the title of queen," I interjected.
"But that doesn't stop you from having fun," he pointed out.
"True, it doesn't stop me from having fun, but not yet. Once the second phase of our grand plan is completed, I can do what I want, when I want, with whom I want, and fulfill all my desires," I said, alluding to the grand plan we had developed together when I was still studying at the Citadel.
He nodded and then said, "Speaking of Tyrion, I heard he's fallen from grace."
I shook my head before responding, "I wouldn't say fallen from grace, but it's true that my esteem for him has been severely dented."
"Why? I thought you wanted to make him your right hand," Connor questioned.
"I really did, but Tyrion has an inferiority complex with his family that makes him easily influenced by his family's enemies," I said, annoyed by the question.
"Like the Martells," Connor noted, already aware of the entire story.
"Bryan told you?" I asked him.
"Yes, he told me everything," he admitted, already knowing the question.
"Do you think I went too far?" I pondered, as sometimes I simply didn't know when to stop and take the time to assess the impact of my decisions on those around me.
"No, you set the limits, but remember, you might definitively lose his loyalty after assigning his post to his father and legitimizing Cersei's children because that would mean he also lost Casterly Rock," Connor pointed out.
I nodded, hearing what he said, but remained firm in my decision because it wasn't my fault we'd gotten to this point: "He screwed up, and I couldn't let such an easily influenced element wander with the insignia of Hand of the King in my court. His father has more enemies and more experience; this kind of thing won't happen with him. And for Cersei's kids, I had to find something to appease her and her father, as well as all the Lannisters, once the announcement with Arianne was made. Nothing I did was meant to punish him; he's simply not suited for the task at the moment, and the way he's reacting proves it."
"How is he reacting?" Connor asked, likely already knowing what my reaction would be.
"Badly, in fact, very badly. He frequents Chataya's brothel every day, neglects his Master of Coin duties, and drinks from morning till night and from night till morning," I said, sighing in annoyance at Tyrion's childish and sulky behavior.
"What are you going to do?" he inquired, probably already knowing what my response would be.
"I don't know, but if he doesn't quickly take control of his life, I'll be forced to find a replacement for the position of Master of Coin at the Royal Council," I stated.
He nodded, and then, with a mischievous smile to lighten the solemn and heavy air to a more jovial theme, said, "Soon it'll be the Imperial Council. Can you believe you'll soon be able to declare yourself Emperor of Westeros?"
I glared at him because we weren't supposed to speak of this aloud, but still said, knowing that my rise was now inevitable, "This will change the established order of the past 300 years. We're going to change the course of history forever and, in doing so, elevate the entire unified continent of Westeros under the banner of the Dragon."
He raised his glass and said, "To the Empire."
I smiled and gently clinked our glasses together, repeating his words.
"For the Empire."