Game of Thrones: Knight's Honor-Chapter 330: Taking the Blame

Lynd left the ice cave and climbed onto the lava dragon. As he gave the order for Neltharion to take off, he couldn't help but glance back, a trace of sorrow in his eyes. He knew that from now on, it would be hard to trust Willas again.

Even though Willas had explained a lot earlier, he had also deliberately hidden just as much. When Lynd asked about the true purpose behind destroying the Black Stone that could imprison gods, Willas had avoided the question, steering the conversation toward the Ancient Survivor instead.

And then there was the fact that he had been concealing the full extent of what he, the Ancient Survivor, and the Three-Eyed Crow were actually plotting, right from the beginning.

But those weren't the real reasons Lynd had come to see Willas as untrustworthy. After all, he had kept things from Willas too—like the experiments in the Black Cave—so he could understand Willas hiding a few things in return.

What truly convinced Lynd that Willas could no longer be trusted was the way Willas operated—he no longer had any limits. He was becoming more and more like the Three-Eyed Crow, willing to use anyone, sacrifice anyone, so long as it served his ends.

If Lynd kept trusting him the way he used to, it would only be a matter of time before Willas used him again—threw him into danger just to deal with the White Walkers. Even if their goals aligned, Lynd wasn't about to become someone else's pawn.

He didn't know what Willas's full plan was, so for now, he could only stick to his own. Whether or not their paths would clash—that would be a problem for the future.

While he remained wary of the White Walkers and dreaded the long night and endless winter to come, and although he was willing to join the fight against them, it all had to be on the condition that he and those close to him were safe. He wasn't selfless enough to throw his life away for the greater good.

With that in mind, Lynd changed course and flew toward Bear Island. Since he could no longer rely on Willas, some of his plans needed adjustment. Dacey was currently in the Riverlands and couldn't manage Bear Island, so Lynd had to go there himself to meet with the acting lord, Maege Mormont, and hand over the details of the revised plans.

He also needed to stop by the Iron Islands to meet with Asha and the others, to ask them to stop looking for Euron and focus all ships and resources on Beyond the Wall.

It took Lynd over ten days to adjust his previous plans on Bear Island and Pyke, and he didn't leave until everything was in place, with nothing overlooked.

During that time, he also sent news of the situation in Asshai to the Miracle Fleet and Miracle Guild via raven, asking them to try and locate ships familiar with the Asshai route to scout for information. However, he didn't order the Miracle Fleet to force a mission toward Asshai. They were to stick to the original plan—steady and cautious—with no risky ventures into the Jade Sea or the Bleeding Sea in the east.

...

Lynd had just returned to Summerhall and hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly when Jon, who had been waiting in the council chamber, rushed in with a freshly delivered intelligence report from King's Landing.

"If it's that urgent, just tell me—what happened?" Lynd didn't even glance at the report and went straight to asking Jon.

"Winterfell has fallen," Jon said in a low voice.

Lynd froze for a second, then quickly came to a conclusion. "Was it Theon Greyjoy?"

"You already knew?" Jon looked at him in surprise, as if he had misunderstood something. "Is that why you were on the Iron Islands recently? Are you planning to move against the North?"

"What do you mean 'move against the North'? What are you talking about?" Lynd frowned, clearly irritated. "I was on the Iron Islands for entirely different reasons. I didn't even know Theon Greyjoy attacked the North and took Winterfell."

"Then how did you guess it was Theon so accurately?" Jon clearly didn't buy it, and there was a note of frustration in his voice. "My lord, if you're planning something this major, at least give your lieutenants a heads-up. Otherwise, when we receive a report like this—"

"Shut up! I said I'm not planning to attack the North, and Theon Greyjoy's actions have nothing to do with me." Lynd cut him off, then quickly asked, "Where did Theon get the manpower to launch an attack on the North?"

Jon didn't respond right away. He just looked at Lynd with a strange expression.

Seeing Jon's look, a sinking feeling crept into Lynd's chest. "Don't tell me his men were Ironborn from the Iron Islands?"

Jon nodded. "Not just Ironborn—a lot of them. Over five thousand men and more than a hundred longships."

"So many?" Lynd was stunned. He picked up the intelligence report he'd just set down and read it carefully. His expression darkened as he went through it.

According to the report, the men following Theon were all Drowned God believers—devout followers of the Old Way. They were the group most resistant to Asha's rule over the Iron Islands.

When Asha took control of the Iron Islands, she changed the Ironborn's customs. Instead of raiding to gain wealth, she pushed them toward trade. While this brought real benefits to the Iron Islands, many still resented the change. They longed for the old days of unrestrained raiding, but under Asha's strong leadership, they had no opportunity to resist.

In addition, Asha had introduced the faith of the Storm God into the Iron Islands to help consolidate her rule, setting it in direct opposition to the Drowned God faith. With the privileges that came along with conversion—and given that the Storm God faith also held significance for sailors and captains—many Ironborn ended up converting.

This sparked deep resentment among the devout followers of the Drowned God, who launched multiple assassination attempts against Asha. But she used those attacks to trace and root out their secret organization, wiping it out completely. The few who escaped went into deep hiding, afraid to show themselves again.

It wasn't until Theon Greyjoy reappeared that these rebellious elements in the Iron Islands saw a chance. They rallied around him, naming him their leader, and gathered all the ships and men they could muster to launch a surprise attack on the North. It was a move both to escape Asha's control and to seize the opportunity to plunder the North for profit. As for Theon Greyjoy—far from being a real leader, he was more likely an unwitting pawn in their plan.

As for Asha, it was likely all part of a long-laid plan. On the surface, it appeared she had been betrayed by her own brother and had suffered serious losses in men and ships. But in reality, the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed. In fact, she had gained significantly. For instance, she could now use the betrayal as a legitimate excuse to confiscate lands from certain individuals, and she could take the opportunity to purge the remaining opposition within the Iron Islands, finally achieving total control.

Lynd didn't have any issue with Asha doing what she did. What really upset him was that she hadn't told him about any of it—especially when he was on the Iron Islands himself at the time.

The day Theon led his rebellion and attacked the North was the same day Lynd left the Wall. By the time he had wrapped up his affairs on Bear Island and reached the Iron Islands, several days had already passed. At that point, Theon should've already landed on the northern coast. And knowing Asha's nature, she would never have let him out of her sight—she definitely knew Theon was attacking the North.

Yet Lynd had stayed at the Kraken's Castle for almost ten days, and throughout that time, no soldier or servant so much as mentioned the incident. Clearly, Asha had instructed her people to keep it from him. That, more than anything, made Lynd feel betrayed.

Still, after calming down, he glanced again at the intelligence report in his hand and asked Jon, "Where did this report come from?"

Jon thought for a moment and said, "I believe it came from Asha's side."

"That woman," Lynd said with a faint smile. "Alright, I'm aware of the situation. You can go now. Send word to the Iron Islands—Asha Greyjoy is to be confined in the Storm God's temple for three months. During that time, Baelor will handle all official matters."

Jon blinked in surprise. Now he was certain Lynd hadn't orchestrated Theon's attack on Winterfell. Otherwise, he would never have punished Asha this harshly. Considering Asha's personality, forcing her to spend three months living like a temple sister—dull, isolated, and restrained—was probably worse than death for her.

Jon didn't try to plead on Asha's behalf. Instead, after a brief pause, he asked, "Now that Theon's taken Winterfell, should we take any action?"

"What kind of action are you thinking of?" Lynd asked in return.

Jon hesitated, then said, "Maybe issue a public statement declaring that Theon's occupation of Winterfell has nothing to do with us?"

"How many people do you think would believe that?" Lynd countered.

Jon didn't reply—because he knew the answer was likely none.

And just as Lynd and Jon had suspected, when Theon Greyjoy launched his attack on the North and took Winterfell, the first thing everyone thought was that Lynd had used the Iron Islands to interfere in the ongoing chaos behind the scenes.

After all, Lynd had been on the Iron Islands at the time Theon led the Ironborn invasion of the North. And many people were aware that, although Theon had been sent to Winterfell as a hostage, Lord Eddard Stark had treated him like a son. He received the same upbringing as Robb—studying, sparring, sharing everything. The two had grown up like brothers. Under normal circumstances, Theon would never betray Robb.

But if something abnormal had happened—like pressure from Lynd—then the situation would be different. Only someone like Lynd could push Theon to forsake brotherhood and stab Robb in the back. After all, there were very few people in the world who could withstand pressure from Lynd, and Theon Greyjoy certainly wasn't one of them.

Even more telling was the fact that Theon had led over five thousand Ironborn in the attack on Winterfell. Everyone knew Asha Greyjoy ran the Iron Islands like a fortress. Without her approval, there was no way such a large force could have sailed out—let alone made it to the North. Most believed they would've been intercepted by the kraken Dagon Harlaw long before that. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

So, to the outside world, it seemed obvious: Theon's occupation of Winterfell had been orchestrated by Lynd.

And because of that, the ongoing war abruptly came to a standstill, like someone had hit pause. Everyone's attention shifted to Summerhall, to Lynd himself—waiting to see what he would do next.

Although the ancient noble houses of the Seven Kingdoms looked down on Lynd's origins, they had no choice but to admit that his power had reached a level far beyond their grasp. Whether it was the army under his command or the dragons he possessed, either alone could sweep across all of Westeros.

When Lynd publicly declared that he would not intervene in the civil war engulfing the continent, nobles already embroiled in the conflict—and those still waiting for the right moment to jump in—breathed a collective sigh of relief. They all understood: if Lynd entered the fray personally, no alliance, no matter how broad, would stand a chance. The game of thrones would be over before it even began.

But Theon Greyjoy's sudden move had led everyone to believe that Lynd was now preparing to act. So they waited anxiously for his next move before deciding their own—whether to submit or resist.

Still, not everyone was convinced Theon's seizure of Winterfell was Lynd's doing. After all, it was common knowledge that Lynd had a strong relationship with House Stark. Robb Stark carried at his side one of Lynd's famed half-blades from his rise to prominence. Sansa Stark was currently residing in Summerhall and reportedly assisting Jon Bulwer in handling internal affairs. It had even been Lynd himself who recovered Eddard Stark's body from King's Landing and personally escorted it back to Winterfell for burial. With ties that close, it seemed unthinkable that Lynd would orchestrate an attack on Winterfell.

It wasn't until word from the Iron Islands spread inland that everyone finally relaxed.

Asha Greyjoy had been stripped of all authority by one of Lynd's direct orders and confined to the Storm God's temple. All of her duties had been transferred to Baelor Blacktyde. It became clear that Theon's attack on Winterfell was entirely a rogue act by Asha and Theon—likely a personal vendetta for Lord Eddard's campaign against Pyke all those years ago.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, awe toward Lynd only deepened across the Seven Kingdoms. A single rumor was enough to bring a war to a standstill. One order, and the ruler of the Iron Islands was stripped of power and locked away without protest. The sheer obedience shown by the Ironborn spoke volumes about the degree of control Lynd held.

And this was over a territory not even under his direct command—just one of his peripheral spheres of influence. If that level of authority extended to the Iron Islands, then the control he must wield over his actual holdings—like Summerhall and the Disputed Lands—was something the rest of the Seven Kingdoms could scarcely begin to comprehend.

...

But just as the chaos caused by Theon was settling down, a new incident seized everyone's attention and shifted it back to Storm's End—Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End and the Iron Throne's most favored contender, had been assassinated on the eve of his wedding.