[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Pessoa Thrid POV
Westeros, 295 AC.
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Jon was seated again in his chair as he awaited Lord Tywin's approach upon his arrival at the port, while his sons and brother waited with Jon in the tent where they had negotiated. The ships were finishing off loading the last shipments they had traded and purchased.
Tywin approached with a few guards, while he had gestured for them to stop and proceed alone. "But my lord..." the guard murmured, not wanting him to go forward.
"My kin are right there; there is no need for you to fear for my life," Tywin said and moved forward, with only Jon and Arya in front of the other Lannisters.
Jon noted how confident the man was in his gaze, as if he owned the place—not that it was a lie, but Jon saw a man with the demeanor of a capable general.
'He certainly is as the stories told, yet still, a man filled with atrocities to gain more power,' Jon thought. After all, today he has his daughter as queen and grandchildren as heirs to the Iron Throne, he is the richest house in the Seven Kingdoms and the most feared as well. So, he couldn't help but admit that despite all the evil he had done, he still rose.
He finally approached as everyone waited, but his first action was to look at his son who had disembarked with the Articans. "How are you?" he asked.
Jaime seemed to hold much respect for his father and nodded. "I'm fine, they treated me better than I thought," Jaime spoke.
Tywin nodded and looked at his brother, Kevan, who nodded back at him. His gaze passed over Tyrion without bothering to look at him, as if his dwarf son was unworthy of his respect or as if Tyrion held no importance to him.
This was something both Jon and even Arya noticed, but kept those thoughts to themselves, while Tywin finally looked at them, passing by Arya and fixating firmly on Jon. Analyzing him with deep eyes.
Jon was not shaken by that look, merely staring back with equal intensity almost flaunting a smile. This man wanted to intimidate him there; what is this man compared to the atrocities of the north, what is the look of a man who claims to be a lion to the fierce gaze of Eragon or even the cold stare of a White Walker? Jon was used to dealing with mystical creatures, this was just a man who holds political power in the Seven Kingdoms, perhaps even more than the king, but still, just a man.
"You are the boy who ascended beyond the Wall and is traveling through the kingdoms with your fleet..." he said.
"You could say that, and you are the man who rules these lands," Jon replied calmly, as the place seemed to tense up with a heavy atmosphere.
Tyrion looked at Jaime, raising an eyebrow while the latter had a hesitant look, which made Tyrion wonder what Jaime had heard from the Artican for him to look that way when the same boy is standing up to his father.
Kevan stayed silent while all the other soldiers and even common folk from Lannisport kept their gaze on that tent. Tywin finally seemed to slightly move his lips at this moment after staring at Jon for a few seconds.
"Jon Artica, isn't it? I've heard a lot about you in recent moons," Tywin said calmly approaching before sitting in the main chair opposite Jon.
"I don't know if they are good or bad things," Jon said with a calm tone.
"Many bad, I must say, which should not surprise you, but I've also heard good things. You have interesting products, closing large trade deals between Dorne and the Reach, I've heard you're an excellent negotiator, secured a spot for a port construction in Dorne, and gained lands from Renly Baratheon, all in just a few moons, which is impressive. Especially for someone like you who started from the bottom," Tywin didn't intend to mock Jon about his bastardy; he was genuinely intrigued by this young man in front of him, whether enemy who kidnapped his son or not, he had to acknowledge that in the opponent.
"I try my best, though it was Renly Baratheon who sought that," Jon began.
"He wanted a Valyrian steel sword... I can understand... It's a shame you only have one..." Tywin said before looking towards the Articans. "However... your unique metal is quite interesting... are you also trading it?" he asked.
"My eldenmetal is not officially for sale, but I have certainly made some exceptions, with a recommendation for Redwyne and other nobles in the Reach," Jon spoke.
"That's great, because I want to buy a sword from you," Tywin said. He might have asked for armor too, but knew it would take as long as it did for the nobles in the Reach, and he knew he wouldn't have the opportunity for that.
"A sword... that doesn't seem to be a problem..." Jon commented.
"I'm willing to pay whatever it takes, you know my house, right?" he said.
"Yes, I know that money isn't a problem for you..." Jon nodded.
"Then give me a price, but I wouldn't like to negotiate with a child," he said with a tone of demand, this man would never accept negotiating with Arya, it was an offense to who he was. He didn't even look at Arya who didn't like that, but Jon said nothing, understanding his point of view.
Jon sighed before speaking. "100,000 gold coins and I'll deliver you an Eldenmetal sword, you're the first person to acquire this metal south of the Neck," he said, after all, he had given it to his father years ago.
"Alright. Kevan, I want you to bring that money immediately," Tywin said as his brother nodded and left them.
"I am also interested in your products... it's a pity you didn't bring them," Tywin said.
"You know that our business isn't viable at this time..." Jon said before looking at Jaime, the Articans had kidnapped Tywin's eldest son, doing business with the Articans would be a disgrace for the Lannisters.
Jon also knew that this man would do everything to disrupt business in the other kingdoms, not that it mattered now, after all, Tywin still didn't know what happened in Oldtown, because if he did, the conversation between them would be different.
"Our king was a bit hasty in deciding that my son could fight an entire fleet alone," Tywin spoke with a tone of disapproval, while Jaime seemed a bit embarrassed.
"I can't blame him for losing, but certainly your son knows how to fight," Jon spoke, and Jaime wasn't sure if Jon was really complimenting him or just mocking him.
Tywin just nodded, and Kevan finally returned with the gold, "Well, it seems that it is here, I believe our business is done here, Lord Tywin Lannister?" Jon asked, beginning to stand up.
"We are done here, King Artican," Tywin said at the end, also standing up.
"In this box are 100,000 gold dragons," Kevan informed while his men brought in a crate.
"That's good, I'll have my men put it on the ship, let's start heading back north," Jon said, and the Lannisters nodded as Jon began to walk away without anything too formal. Arya followed him as they entered the main ship, with some of them beginning to raise the anchors.
Jon kept his last look at the city, while finally the last load of iron entered their ships, commanding them to leave. "Jon..." Arya approached at this moment.
"Yes?" Jon looked at the girl.
"Do you think they will attack us before we return to the fleet?" Arya asked, as Jon smiled at her question.
"Maybe not here at the port... but yes... Tywin Lannister has prepared for us, so let's give him a good response," Jon spoke with a small smile.
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Meanwhile, in the largest structure in Lannisport, where Kevan lived with his family, Tywin drank a wine watching the ships disappearing on the horizon.
"That was quite quick... and you treated him so kindly," a voice emerged behind him as Tyrion appeared with another glass of drink.
"You are too foolish to understand," Tywin mocked and looked at his other son there also staring at the sea. "Tell me, what have you learned about the Articans?" he asked, since he hadn't had the opportunity before, while he thought for a bit.
"They are quite an organized group, though they seem mostly a bunch of ruffians, especially those they call from the dwarf race, always shouting at each other all the time," Jaime began.
"Really? I didn't get a chance to meet any of them... But I heard they broke the nose of 3 Lannister guards just because they made a joke. Are they really that aggressive?" Tyrion asked curiously. After all, he had to stay at the negotiation, and leaving wasn't an option.
"You have no idea... they can be more talkative than you..." Jaime replied.
"Enough with those details. I want to know what interests me," Tywin quickly requested with a stern tone.
"If you want to know... They are an extremely powerful group... their soldiers have armor that is lighter than common steel, much lighter and yet of higher quality... You can imagine what it's like to face such a group, while they get much, much less tired than an ordinary man... I fought against some and asked many of them, especially their royal guards who were on the ship... they are so strong that they could challenge the late Arthur Dayne... and there are 50 of them," Jaime said with a somber tone, while Kevan, who was in the room with Tyrion, raised their eyebrows at their brother's confession.
"..." Tywin was thoughtful while not speaking for a while. "Then we need to get those armors..." he finally said.
"I doubt you can... their fleet is huge," Jaime said, doubting that any force in Westeros could handle that group.
"They are not in the fleet at this moment..." Tywin said confidently, and Jaime immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Are you mad? Do you want Lannisport to have the same fate as Oldtown?!" Jaime exploded. Westeros had made a mistake by letting that fleet sail along the coast without assembling any force, now they can destroy and plunder any port, even one of the main cities fell to this group.
Tyrion was shocked, looking at his brother as if he had grown another head on his neck, while Kevan frowned, as Jaime yelled at his father and called him mad.
Despite the surprise and anger he felt from his son, Tywin assessed the situation and decided to inquire before giving any sermon to Jaime. "What happened in Oldtown?" he asked.
"You don't know?!" Jaime seemed shocked looking from his father to his brother and uncle in the room.
"No... what happened in Oldtown?" Tyrion asked cautiously.
"Why am I surprised... I should have known about this..." Jaime was never very intelligent, perhaps not as much as his father and brother, so he believed they had already received the news, but seemed to forget the fact that Jon Artica controls animals.
"Listen... of all the Articans, Jon Artica is the most dangerous! He didn't just defeat me, as if he was dealing with a child... but the rumors... that he can control animals... it's true," he admitted leaving his relatives looking at each other and Jaime continued. "I saw him make all my men be thrown off by their own horses, he knocked down dozens of men in just a moment," Jaime said as if recalling a horrific memory.
"That can't be true..." Kevan spoke totally skeptical.
"Listen, Oldtown was plundered more than a week ago, tell me how you don't know this?!" Jaime exclaimed.
"What? Plundered?! You can't be serious..." Tyrion exclaimed.
Jaime saw even his father raise an eyebrow moving from his stoic face to something a general who realized his enemy was outperforming on the battlefield would have. "I don't know the details... I just heard on the ship while they were talking... but the citadel along with the Hightowers wanted to set up something for Jon Artica... This resulted in a massacre... I don't know who died, but I heard that important people were slaughtered by the Artican king himself..." Jaime continued speaking as the Lannisters seemed frozen listening to that.
"After the massacre, the city was invaded, I just saw more than 120 of the fleet's ships going to the city, hours later returning with ships loaded with gold and mainly books, which they stole from the citadel..." Jaime spoke and looked at his father. "The proof that Jon Artica controls the animals is that he probably cut off all communication from the kingdom... father," Jaime said.
While Tyrion was still shocked to hear this, Kevan looked at his brother with a furrowed brow. Tywin seemed thoughtful as his gaze fell to the sea, having sent 30 ships to approach the Articans and bring Jon Artica and Arya Stark as his hostages for the rest of the troops.
"I think I made a mistake..." Tywin commented. "Kevan, I want you to gather all the soldiers you can from all the nearby men... we might suffer an attack soon. Take your family to Casterly Rock, it will be safer there." Tywin was quick and rational in any situation, so he had to deal with the consequences of a counterattack from the fleet if he failed, even though he already had 10,000 men in the city... however, Jaime's information was grim, he was frustrated, not imagining he could face someone like this in his life.
Meanwhile, green fire was already burning in the middle of the sea, while debris was scattered all over the place. There were 30 ships, and 29 had been destroyed at this moment, Jon had long anticipated this while listening to all of Tywin's orders, and instead of letting the ships attack his, he himself launched the attack quickly and destroyed them, with the exception of one.
Now, Jon was on the ship with the flag of one of the Lannister vassals, while looking forward on the deck with curiosity. There were bodies everywhere, killed by blades.
"Look at him, he looks like a rabid animal!" shouted a dwarf, simply jumping back and dodging a huge sword.
"Hey, you idiot, do you want to die? It's still a blade!" another spoke mockingly while that dwarf took a risk against the only enemy man there.
"We're just dealing with a rabid animal, there's nothing to worry about," the same dwarf mocked while responding to his companion.
Other men circled the deck dodging the weapon trying to hit them, this weapon continued hitting anyone there, until an eldenmetal sword struck against it, emitting a sound through the place. "But I must say, this guy is very strong," spoke an Artican man, mockingly, as his opponent tried to force him back, but he still held firm, despite not having an easy time facing that blade as he showed.
"Who's going to face him?" another man asked the group.
"Let me deal with him," spoke a dwarf with a hammer on his back.
"No," Jon's voice emerged as everyone looked at him. "I will handle him myself," he said, drawing Darksister.
Who stood there before him was none other than Tywin Lannister's hound, the Mountain, who had been sent with the 30 ships to deal with the Articans. But it seems that the feared Gregor Clegane, had been reduced to minor entertainment for his enemies.
Jon looked at that creature who had committed atrocities by order of Tywin Lannister, such as murdering Rhaenys' brother and even abusing her mother before killing her, something brutal.
Jon thought about killing him quickly, but that would be too easy. So, he wanted to handle the man while the men of Artica watched, a bit surprised, as their king emitted a glint of malice in his eyes approaching the enemy.
The Mountain saw Jon and growled, as he moved towards him with his sword, he approached him running, and quickly moved forward, trying to cut Jon in half.
Jon was quick to move his weapon, and despite his sword being a needle compared to the Mountain's sword, he struck against it, holding it while the metals clashed. Jon smiled at this and easily lifted it, while pushing Tywin's hound back, surprising him a bit.
He again advanced against the Artican king and a fight quickly began. While the Mountain, in the next few minutes, started receiving cuts, with Jon easily piercing his armor with the Valyrian steel blade.
At one moment, Jon kicked him after throwing his sword away, with the Mountain falling on the ship's deck. He quickly tried to stand up, but then felt a severe pain in his lower body. Everyone was surprised when Jon simply plunged the sword between his legs, piercing the armor with blood spraying from that spot.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The man began to scream and Jon didn't care, continuing to drive his sword.
"You like to rape, don't you? Let's see how you handle this for the rest of your life," Jon commented calmly, while not caring to see the man screaming almost like an animal, trying to pull his sword out of him.
Satisfied with that, Jon withdrew the blood-soaked blade. He had just castrated the man, but he wasn't just satisfied with that, and he stabbed the sword into the ground as he looked at one of the men.
"Give me a knife," he ordered sternly, prompting an Artican to quickly hand the blade to their king, who did not appear to be in a good mood. Jon took the weapon and approached the man still writhing in pain and went up to his head, removing his helmet with his own hands.
Gregor Clegane, seeing this, tried to attack the boy he hated more than anything at that moment, lunging at Jon who caught his hand.
"You're trying to take my head...? Think you can handle it?" Jon mocked, as he moved the Mountain's arms, before grabbing the other eldenmetal sword at his waist and driving it through the armor into the arm muscle, pinning it to the wooden floor.
The man tried to pull the sword out in desperation from the pain he was feeling, but received a punch from Jon in his face, breaking his nose and stunning the man for a moment. Jon took advantage of this moment and all the Articans watched as their king began to forcibly open the man's mouth, taking the knife and making him scream as he ripped out his tongue, with blood spraying everywhere.
"No dick and no tongue, that's how you're going to stay, and..." Jon mocked as he went back to the sword before twisting it in the man's arm, causing even more damage. "Maybe with another arm amputated," Jon finished.
It's very likely that Gregor Clegane never felt so much pain in his life, he even tried to scream spraying blood, but only made a sound similar to an animal.
The Articans were somewhat surprised by the aggressiveness of their king, but Jon just sighed and looked at them. "I want you to stop his bleeding, don't let him die, and get this ship back to Lannisport. I want Tywin to see his hound, that I can be even more cruel than the lion when I want to, and I don't need men to do it for me."
"Are we not going to attack Lannisport, my king?" someone asked, and Jon shook his head.
"We don't have time for that. We just dealt with a bunch of mosquitoes. There's no reason to destroy a city for that. So let's leave. After all, if I waste my time on every city that attacks me from here to Artica, it would take years to get back," Jon spoke, as he was well aware of the forces forming on the sea at that moment to face him. He didn't have time to deal with it at the moment. Perhaps in the future, as he had an impression that he would return here one day.
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