-Chapter 132-
-POV Grazdan Zo Galare-
"What just happened?" I exclaimed as I looked at Garth Flowers, that miserable bastard at the beck and call of the Westerosii king.
The latter turned to me with a bored look and said in a tone that sent chills down my spine, "If you bark like that again in my presence, Grazdan, I'll ensure you meet the same end as your uncle. Do I make myself clear?"
'Did this Westerosi bastard really think he could treat me like this when I was the head of the Galare family, the most influential family in all of Meereen?' I thought, raging.
I rose, containing my anger, and said, "The mere fact that you dare to call me a dog, me, Grazdan Zo Galare, head of the most powerful family in Meereen, is enough to..."
"To what, Grazdan? To have me killed, tortured by your jailers? To see my corpse cut into a thousand pieces and fed to your dogs? Is that truly what you think, Grazdan?" he said, his voice soft, devoid of any emotion.
With each question he posed, he advanced calmly towards me, a slight smirk on his face, not a scornful smile, no, a smile filled with pity for me.
"You sadden me, Grazdan," he said, patting my shoulder.
"You became my slave the moment I killed your uncle to make you head of the Galare family," he said, passing by me to pour himself a glass of water, while serving me a glass of wine.
Once we were both served, he continued his monologue, "Honestly, I would have thought you more intelligent than this, Grazdan. The only reason my master hasn't attacked the slaver cities is because he is a man of peace..."
'A man of peace, my ass! The tales of his massacres and cruelty have reached us even here in Meereen,' I thought inwardly.
"... But nevertheless, if you were to change that by attacking the humble servant of his majesty King Aegon VI, which is me, you might actually, no, you would find yourself, along with all the members of your beloved family, atop the walls of this city, your heads mounted on pikes."
Upon hearing the threats of this Westerosi dog, I felt a sudden urge to have him decapitated, but I restrained myself. But he continued, "Ah, but I forgot. I assumed you had the support of all the families of Meereen to declare war, which is completely false. In fact, my dear Grazdan, it turns out you don't even have the full support of your own family."
I widened my eyes, and before I could contradict him, he said:
"And even if you did, all the mercenary companies in Meereen are under contract with Volantis and the Iron Throne, not with the families of Meereen. If a dispute were to arise between you, my dear Grazdan, and my sovereign, whom do you think Volantis would choose to follow? In fact, no, the real question is, if a dispute were to arise between you and me, how long would it take before the nobles of Meereen decide to sacrifice you?"
A sense of dread rose within me almost instantly, and I said softly, trembling, "You are a demon."
I didn't know why I was trembling; perhaps it was because of the fear I felt or the anger I harbored, but one thing was certain: I was in the palm of his hand, and if I deviated even slightly from the path he set for me, he would reserve the same fate for me as he did for my uncle.
He chuckled softly, then said, "Unfortunately for you, my dear Grazdan, you made a pact with this demon."
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-POV MC-
After my victory over the Bolton traitors, I had to quickly decide what to do with the families, lands, and soldiers of the traitors.
I didn't want to kill them all like in the Iron Islands, as I already had very little popularity, and killing tens of thousands of soldiers for nothing, besides being a waste, was foolish.
Given that I took the lands of the Northeast from House Stark and entrusted them to House Bolton, the lands now rightfully belonged to me, as I reclaimed them from the traitors.
What bothered me, however, was that the Manderlys, as well as some minor vassals of the Boltons, did not betray the Crown, and the Dustins and Ryswells were on Stark lands.
I could easily reclaim them, but being too much of a politician in the North could also backfire, as most Northerners don't like nonsense and prefer things to be straightforward.
This is also one of the reasons why traitors and schemers like Roose Bolton are very poorly regarded there.
After three days locked in my room pondering the best solution, I had weighed the pros and cons enough to make my final decree.
---
-POV 3rd-
The Northern lords were gathered in the main hall of the castle by order of the king, and shortly thereafter, soldiers of the Night's Watch arrived to secure the hall and block all exits.
The already dark atmosphere became even more tense as the king, accompanied by his Kingsguard Ser Balon Swann, entered the Great Hall.
His Kingsguard, in his usual dark armor and wearing his long white cloak of the Kingsguard, stood behind him, a hand on the hilt of his sword, daring anyone to harm his liege, while the latter sat on the main seat.
"Sit down," said the king, indicating the seats and tables arranged in the Great Hall to accommodate all present.
"It's been three days since you've been waiting, so I won't waste your time. As you all know, the kingdom has been severely affected by the attack of the dogs in the service of House Blackfyre, now definitively extinguished thanks to the bravery of the men and women of the North who remained loyal to their king until the end," said the king.
Several lords who had lost loved ones nodded, even the young Lady of Bear Island, Dacey Mormont, agreed with the king's words, which she found difficult to appreciate.
"Before I announce my decisions, I would like to hear your complaints or requests. It's only fair that I reward men and women of such great bravery as yours."