(2-in-1)

*

A man wearing a dog's head mask walked in with two short axes in his hands.

Both hatchets are shiny.

This is the toy of the Iron Folk Finger Dance.

Theon Greyjoy hadn't played a finger dance in a decade.

The Iron People of the Iron Islands have been playing finger dancing since childhood.

Men are most enthusiastic about finger dancing at banquets – such as weddings or festivals to the gods.

Whoever is afraid to catch the axe that flies will lose.

There are many young lads whose fingers have been cut off by the whirling axe, and the wounds become infected, and they die.

But the Iron Folk still enjoy it.

Theon professed to know Joffrey, and he didn't believe that Joffrey would be able to perform a good finger dance in a short period of time, unless something happened to him that caused him to change his temperament.

Looking at Joffrey's still swaggering expression, it was as if nothing had happened to him.

However, when Joffrey walked to the middle of the hall again with his axe in hand, Theon saw that he had a problem with his legs and feet.

Lame.

A little lameness that is not noticeable.

Just now, when he first saw Joffrey walk in, Theon was so shocked, and in the shadow of the light, Theon didn't notice this.

During the Battle of the West, Joffrey was abducted by two of his Kingsguards, Marin Tran and Mandon Moore, on a pirate watchpost and sold for two copper coins.

When the pirate sentry asked Joffrey to please him with his mouth, Joffrey drew the short knife from the sentry's waist and stabbed the pirate sentry to death, and the small pirate sentry ship drifted with the tide in the sea of the setting sun......

*

"Theon, look at it!" Joffrey tossed two short axes in his hand, one up and down, to see how he took the axe, it was indeed specially practiced.

The lights in the hall weren't bright, and the light of the blazing stove made the hall warm.

But Theon's heart was cold.

"I haven't practiced finger dancing in 10 years. Theon said.

"But you're the Iron Min. Joffrey laughed, a cruel glint in his eyes, and with a wave of his hand, a short axe spun and flew towards Theon.

Theon's archery skills are superb, and he has developed a sharp gaze, but no matter how sharp his eyes are, it takes courage to grasp the spinning axe with his bare hands.

Theon isn't stupid!

He didn't reach for the axe when it spun and flew in front of him.

He dodged away.

Joffrey burst out laughing out loud and unusual. He was very excited, and a little too excited. His eyes sparkled as the axe swirled out, like the bloodthirsty eyes of a shadow lynx that preyed on in the night.

This made Theon feel that Joffrey was a little nervous.

What did His Majesty Joffrey, who had been hunted by ships from the West, go about at sea, how did he get to the Iron Islands, and how did he become the guest of honor of King Baron?

Since Joffrey is here, and King Baron calls him His Majesty, does the Lannisters of the Westlands know this?

Theon wasn't sure.

He had a lot of questions in his mind, and he knew that things were more complicated than he could have imagined.

"You've gotten out of the way, Theon. Balon said coldly. This reminded Theon of the black rocks outside the castle in the midst of the storm: hard, silent, cold and unforgiving.

"I haven't practiced finger dancing in ten years, and that's not fair! Besides, I'm not as stupid as you think, Lord Balon. Theon said jerkyly.

"And what are you capable of?" said Baron, "and your courage aside. ”

"When I was ten years old, I failed to defeat the combined forces of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark, and was taken hostage by Eddard Stark. This is an unpardonable sin committed by a ten-year-old child. Ten years later, the child grew up as a hostage in Eddard Stark's parents, which is an unforgivable sin. I've done everything wrong, King Balon, and I'm guilty. Theon raised his head, "I'm still a bastard, a fake ironman who doesn't dare to play finger dances. If this is the sin you want me to confess, I will confess it all now, Lord Balon. You're happy to single-handedly destroy your heir, your only son, and you've done that, congratulations. ”

Baron's face twitched.

"Lord Balon, do you want me to kill him?" said Joffrey, his tongue sticking out and licking his lips like a beast licking the blood that remained on its lips after eating its flesh.

"Your Majesty, he is not worth your hands. Baron said.

Baron's eyes couldn't hide the pain of being slandered by Theon.

Sometimes, words hurt more than a sword!

Theon is a master at this, and he is conceited, speaking with pleasure in hurting people, and developing a vitriolic and ruthless style.

"You also know that you are a hostage, not the adopted son of the Eddard Stark family. ”

"I've always known that. Theon's heart was furious, and he was afraid of King Balon's gaze, but he still looked at his father, King Balon.

Joffrey on the side had the short axe in his hand, as if he was ready to fly out and slash at Theon at any moment. Theon was armed with a dagger and a dagger, and as long as he didn't grab the whirling hatchet empty-handed, he was not afraid of Joffrey's flying axe.

Theon was secretly wary of Joffrey, and he could see that there was madness in the other man's eyes.

Is he a little crazy?

Theon's mind turned, silently.

Joffrey must have suffered unimaginably in order to practice superior finger dancing. No matter how strong the iron people are, they also pay tribute to those who are superb in finger dancing. Finger dancing is a perfect display of skill and courage, and is admired by the iron people.

On any of the islands of the Iron Islands, if you don't have any money, if you are down and penniless for some reason, it doesn't matter, as long as you walk into any tavern packed with Iron People and perform a masterful finger dance, the wine and food are free. Diners and bosses will welcome you warmly without paying a single copper. If you need travel expenses, the ironmen will make it up for you. From island to island, from place to place, a free boat ride is a given.

What kind of force forced a pampered guy like him to make a change? It must have been a force that threatened his life that made him change.

This guy is very scared of death, and Theon saw this when he was in Winterfell.

Fear of death, cruelty!

"You know you're a hostage, and you're holding a letter from the wolf lord asking me to attack Tyrell? Why can't Winterfell be surnamed Greyjoy if you don't take the nearest north? In the north, Stark was also ruled by the Ruth Burton family, and was almost wiped out, and if it weren't for the ancestral infighting of the Ruth Burton family, the northern realm would not be the Stark family now. Three hundred years ago, the continent of Westeros was not owned by the Targaryens, and thousands of years ago, this continent was not of the human race, but of the children of the forest. Theon, what is our family language?"

"Strength is better than hard work!"

"Look at history, which king did not take the world by strength? Whether it is the north or the west or the east, it is the one who has the power to take the world. The northern realm is pouring out of the nest this time, and the interior is empty, and we just happen to take the northern border. Are there any sisters of the wolf lord in Winterfell?"

"Lady Catelyn and Sansa will be returning to Winterfell. ”

"Grab them both, you marry Sansa, and you're the Lord of Winterfell. The North is our Greyjoy's. ”

"There's a Great Wall behind the north. Theon was moved, "What if the Great Wall sends legions to fight?"

"By the time the people of the Great Wall of Desperation come out, we have taken control of Carlin Bay and Winterfell, we can attack and retreat, and when Stannis I is dead, the West will be our ally. His Majesty Joffrey will return to the Iron Throne and issue an imperial decree to give us the Iron People the North, and the Iron Islands and the North will be our independent kingdom. ”

Theon heard that his father, Baron, and the Lannisters of the West, had already had their own plan for restoration.

"But the West and we are not enough to regain control of the Iron Throne and the North. ”

"We have more and stronger forces, the cake has been divided, just waiting for Stannis's head to land. Baron said dismissively.

Joffrey licked his lips, "Theon, when the time comes, I can make you the Kingsguard and let you wear white robes." If you dare to play finger dance with me. With his back to the light of the torch, Theon was thrilled to see Joffrey's eyes glowing like a cat's eye.

Theon was secretly on guard, this flying axe spun and flew over, and he was not small, and he might be cut in the neck.

"Tomorrow, Your Majesty!" Theon said.

There were shadows everywhere in the hall, and the light was not clear. If you give him some practice, he will naturally have the courage to take the axe. He didn't believe he was even inferior to Joffrey.

"Theon, you're the Iron Min. I only practiced with the wooden axe for three months and was able to play very well. I can slow it down a bit. Joffrey was eager to take the plunge.

Wooden axe practice?

Theon had heard of it for the first time.

The iron people are all short axe practice, real iron axes, but everyone is very slow at the beginning, and the axes thrown only turn twice.

Practice with an axe made of wood, which ensures that you don't cut off your fingers if you miss.

This is not an ironclad thing, but it is a good idea.

"After I practiced the wooden axe for three months, I switched to an iron axe, just with chain mail gloves. Joffrey said excitedly, "I'm not stupid, I'm not you ironmen. I wouldn't be stupid enough to pick up an axe empty-handed until I practiced my skills. You iron people are all practicing finger dancing empty-handed, and the screams when your fingers are cut off can't make the next person smarter, haha, a bunch of brainless iron seeds. ”

This was extremely disrespectful to Iron Min, and Theon looked at his father, Baron, who was rarely lifeless.

No one could be disrespectful to Iron Man in front of Baron, but Joffrey did.

Was Joffrey a pawn in his father's hands?

Or does the father just not have to deal with a fool?

His father looked forward to Stannis's murder, and then Joffrey inherited the Iron Throne as heir to the previous King Robert Baratheon, and recognized the Iron Islands as an independent kingdom, and the piece of cake given to his father Baron now appears to be the North.

Do they have killers by Stannis's side?

Theon couldn't figure it out, and he decided not to think about it anymore.

He's Greyjoy, not Stark.

It is true that the North is not the Stark's, just as Westeros is not the Targaryens, nor the Baratheons, nor the ancestors, nor the Andals, nor the sons of the forest, but the earth and the people, and those who have power take it.

"Your Majesty Joffrey, since finger dancing is a stupid game of stupid ironseeds, you still spend a lot of time practicing?" Theon shrugged his shoulders and said contemptuously. His expression was relaxed, but secretly but deeply guarded to prevent Joffrey from suddenly throwing the axe. It seems that the father does not care about his life or death, if he has already made Asha his heir.

I didn't go home for ten years, and the first meal I ate when I came home was with the slave maids......

Theon has a thousand tastes in his heart......

He believed that he had an arrow in his hand, and that the Iron Islands had no opponent.

Joffrey laughed, "I'm fine, play stupid games for fun." ”

"Are you afraid of being looked down upon by the Iron Breed, here, no one regards you as the real Majesty, I think the Iron People must think you are a clown. But who would think you're a clown if you have a good finger dance?" Theon snorted in his nostrils.

Sou!

The short axe in Joffrey's hand flew towards Theon, and the spinning blade of the axe flew in circles and towards Theon's face.

In a game of finger dancing, you have to grab the handle of the axe with your bare hands, which runs the risk of your fingers being cut off by the blade of the axe.

In order to be proficient, I have to practice thousands of times and temper it repeatedly. Practice until it's like magic, reach out and grab the handle of the axe, and win a deafening applause.

Men who can dance fingers will be respected by the Iron People anywhere in the Iron Islands.

This is not only a test of skill, but also absolute courage.

Every finger dance performance is always exciting and thrilling.

And it is a must-have program for any grand festival of the Iron People. Whoever wins each time becomes a hero with honor, while those who end up dodging are ridiculed. The tragedy of cutting off the fingers did not dampen the iron people's crazy love for finger dance.

Theon stared at the whirling giant axe, he didn't dodge this time, he stretched out his hand, holding a short knife in his hand, and slashed at the axe, and in the spark splash, the axe flew out diagonally, and with a bang, the axe blade slashed into the carpet on the ground, cutting through the carpet, leaving an axe mark on the rocky ground. The hatchet had an extremely brief condensation before it fell.

Joffrey laughed.

"King Balon, you are still strong, go and pay the iron money, marry another salt concubine, and have a son of courage. ”

"Your Majesty is right. King Balon was expressionless. In his tone, there was no respect for His Majesty Joffrey, but there was no sarcasm or sarcasm.

*

Theon couldn't sleep all night, and the howling of the sea breeze outside the window was like a ghost horn, sharp and high-pitched, and it continued all night. Below the castle, the clatter of waves crashing against the reef, accompanied by the roar of distant waves.

Theon had no sleep.

When he returned after ten years away from home, the housing, the food, the servants, the housekeepers, and the guards were all unfamiliar, and he was very unaccustomed to them. But everything seems to have changed, the castle, the gates, the beach and reef where I played as a child, the fireplace and the sea, are still the same as I remember them.

Everything was like a dream.

The scene of his father, Baron, throwing Theon's secret letter back into the fireplace and burning it to ashes is intertwined with the scene when Robb Stark lets him leave Winterfell late at night.

At dawn, Theon finally fell asleep in a daze. Suddenly, he was awakened by an extremely dangerous aura—the short sword that had been in his hand stabbed out before he could open his eyes, and he looked at Joffrey's nervous and excited eyes from last night, and he had been wary of whether the other party would suddenly and inexplicably come to kill him—but the other party gently and deftly let go of his sword, a body with the breath of the sea tide pressed down on his body, and a crescent moon knife pressed against his throat - the blade was sharp, cold and piercing......