-Chapter 73-
-POV Ronnet Connington-
Raymund said nothing as all eyes turned to him, waiting for his explanations.
"Have you lost your tongue, little brother?" I asked, looking at him, slightly mocking, because I knew he harbored a small inferiority complex that I had created unintentionally by being... me.
'I tried to unlock his potential by giving him responsibilities, but now that I'm king, it will never be resolved, because now everyone who isn't a king is my inferior,' I thought, looking at my brother.
"I am the lord of my lands, I no longer owe you any account, we are allies, I am no longer your servant," Raymund said, raising his chin slightly.
'He's grown a beard,' I noticed, a slight smile on my face, amused by my brother's reaction.
"You're married, you're now the lord of your own kingdom. Very well, how should I call you, Guardian of the Trident or perhaps King of the Trident?" I said with a mocking smile.
"Ronnet," said Alynne, trying to tell me to calm down and not go too far.
'What a joke,' I thought.
"Oh no, why wouldn't I call you King Raymund Tully? You're just like Cersei, you damn traitor," I said with a slight laugh, amused by his behavior, which didn't have the same effect on him, as he stood up abruptly and slammed his fist on the table.
I stopped laughing, and Raymund said, "I waited for an apology from you."
"An apology? And why on earth should I apologize to you?" I said, smiling, but not laughing.
"I did everything you wanted all my life, I sacrificed everything for you, but you broke our trust by sending me into the lion's den," he said, growing angrier at my condescending response.
I frowned and burst out laughing, amused by his reaction, while saying:
"Wait, you just said two huge pieces of nonsense, and I don't even know where to start. You sacrificed everything for me? The lion's den? Do you hear yourself? YOU ARE MY DAMN CREATION, HAHAHAHA."
I laughed for a long time before saying, "Everything you have today, you owe it to me, EVERYTHING."
We stared at each other intensely, and then I added:
"You know I wouldn't hurt you physically, that's why you're so confident. Cersei was confident too, but ask her now how she feels about me offering her daughter as a fiancée to Trystan Martell in exchange for an alliance with Dorne."
"I'm not Cersei," he said, gritting his teeth.
"No, indeed you're not… So, you want to leave? Then go ahead, leave. The doors are wide open. No one will lock you in against your will, and no one will mistreat you. You're free to go, my dear little brother," I said, gesturing toward the door.
"I don't want to leave," he said, calming down slightly.
"All I want is the recognition I deserve as your ally, respect… that's all I ask," he said, sitting down.
"Don't sit down, because you don't deserve my recognition as an ally, let alone my respect for your betrayal. All you are and will ever be in my eyes is my little brother and a traitor, nothing more, nothing less," I said, raising a hand to keep him from sitting.
Shocked that I didn't respond to his ultimatum as he expected, he said, as if it was enough to push me into a corner:
"I am the Guardian of the Trident…"
"So, that's the title you gave yourself," I said, pretending to take note, which deeply irritated him, but he continued, saying, "Without my armies, you can't defend yourself against all those who want your head. Once the Tyrells and Lannisters defeat Euron Greyjoy, which will happen faster without me by your side, you'll be destroyed by their alliance."
I nodded and then said, "I don't know if your memory is failing you or something, but I seem to recall mentioning a certain alliance between me and Prince Doran."
"Why would he ally with you instead of the Lannisters? Let me remind you, his brother is still in the capital," Raymund said, as if stating the obvious that even a four-year-old could understand.
I smiled, shaking my head, unsure of how to respond to my brother, and then finally said with a small sigh:
"You see, in the future, it's moments like this that will make you realize that without me, you are absolutely nothing… I evacuated Oberyn and all the Dornish from the capital almost a month ago, you fool."
Alynne spoke to cool Raymund's heated mind: "Ronnet secured the alliance before sending you to the front, but only he and Prince Doran knew about it."
"And you, apparently," Raymund said, hurt at being kept in the dark.
"Not for long," Alynne said, trying to comfort Raymund.
"Even with them, you'll still need me," Raymund said, still obstinate.
I rolled my eyes and said, "You're putting the cart before the horse, Raymund. You come here threatening me with what? 2,000 men?"
"I recruited 5,000 more," he said defensively.
"Oh, excuse me, so you have 2,000 well-trained soldiers by our standards who are probably waiting for their pay, and 5,000 farmers equipped with pitchforks. Wow, what a powerful ally you are! How do you plan to defend yourself against your own vassals without even being able to maintain your army, fed, paid, and trained? Because obviously, you won't get any more resources from me. I hope you're aware of that?"
"I've learned well from you, I'll manage," he said.
"Very well then, go ahead, the door is right there," I said, sure he wouldn't dare step through that door.