Chapter 128: Let’s Play a Ga
Dreadfort Castle
POV of Doric Bolton
"So... you’re finally here, Tyrion Lannister," Doric said as he lounged on his chair across the Lannister dwarf. "You’re a long way from King’s Landing, Tyrion. Pray tell, what are you doing in my domain?"
Tyrion gulped. "I... I heard that you recently completed the glass house project and have an abundance of glass in your domain. I was wondering if you’ll be willing to sell more of it to House Lannister."
"You ca all the way here to buy glass?" He asked skeptically. "Are you sure Tywin didn’t want to know more about my lands, and he sent you because you were the most expendable Lannister in his eyes?"
Tyrion’s eyes went wide for a mont before he shook his head and chuckled weakly. "I suppose this whole endeavor was destined to fail from the start. Although I have not yet learned more about you, I have already learned a great deal about your land. Are you just going to let
get away like this?"
"Oh... Do I seem to like the sort to hold you as a hostage, Tyrion? Wouldn’t that be
simply playing in your father’s hands and giving him a chance to force the King into pressuring
for my knowledge of glassmaking?"
"Perhaps. But I won’t say I know what sort of person you are." Tyrion said. "Not after you won the spar with Varko. The greatest swordsman in the seven kingdoms, when there have never been any words about you being a swordsman at all. The Chosen One of the Old Gods. The Miracle Maker. The one as rich as the Lannisters. And so many more rumors. But none about your sword prowess. Tell , Lord Bolton. How did you get so good at swordplay when my own brother wasn’t half as good at your age?"
"That would be telling, wouldn’t it?"
"Yes. I suppose it would." Tyrion admitted. "But then again, you’re not really just a swordsman, are you? I admit that I’m not much of a swordsman myself- I prefer my books to swords- but even an untrained person can tell that you’re not a simple swordsman. You’re a master... also very strong, fast, and have almost inhumane reflexes. So would even use the term... monstrous."
He smiled at the man in front of him. "Oh, you’re good. I had known not to underestimate you but you’re still very good. Would you like to work for , Tyrion? I could definitely use soone as talented as you."
Tyrion frowned at his proposition. "I’m... honored by your offer, but you must understand that I am the heir of the Casterly Rock, so I can’t just drop my obligations to go work for other lords. No matter how kind they are to ."
"Heir of Casterly Rock?" He chuckled at that while feeling the anger rise in Tyrion’s heart. "Oh... I’ve not heard a better joke in a long ti, Tyrion. Please don’t take this the wrong way because I do like you, my little friend. But your chance of inheriting Casterly Rock is almost as likely as Jon Snow inheriting Winterfell. It is possible. If all the other Starks die, then I suppose Jon Snow might beco the next lord of Winterfell due to his being Lord Stark’s son. But it is very unlikely."
"Unlikely as it may be," Tyrion said, restraining his anger. "I would rather push my luck to get what I deserve than work under soone I don’t know or don’t care about."
"Hmm... How about this then?" He said. Things were getting more interesting. Tyrion may have been short in terms of height, but when it ca to intelligence and self-confidence, he was certainly ahead of many people he knew. "You tell
one thing I want to know, and I’ll tell you one thing that you want to know."
At this point, Doric wanted to see if he could lure Tyrion to his side. But to do that, he needed to find his breaking point, a great weakness or an unrelenting desire. Otherwise, it was almost impossible for Tyrion to drop everything and join his ranks.
Tyrion’s eyes sharpened at that. "You’re just going to tell
your secrets in exchange for mine? Why? What do you get out of this?"
"Well... that’s for you to figure out, my clever friend. Isn’t it? And since I proposed this ga, I get to start. I hope you won’t mind."
"Well... there’s really not much to know about little old . In fact, I’m almost flattered that you want to give away your secrets for mine. But go ahead..."
"Very well then. The first question I want to ask is... Why do you hate your father so much, Tyrion?"
He knew from previous encounters with the Lannisters that Tyrion hated his father, Tywin. Frankly, considering how Tywin treated Tyrion despite being his son and heir, it could be seen as normal for Tyrion to hate his father.
Although Tyrion tried to suppress it and not show it, Doric knew from the fire of hatred in Tyrion’s eyes that this was no ordinary hatred. There was a reason behind this hatred, and if Doric was a little lucky, he could use it to recruit Tyrion to his ranks.
Even if he couldn’t use this information to recruit Tyrion to his side, at worst, he would have another trump card that could be used against the Lannisters in the future.
And Lannisters and Doric weren’t on good terms right now. The Lannisters had been trying to plant their spies in his lands for so ti, and they even wanted to steal the glass masters from him. The spy network he had set up was quite effective all over Westeros and the western part of Essos, and it did not take long for such news to reach his ears.
And when all their efforts were insufficient, they chose to use a more direct thod and sent Tyrion to their lands as an envoy.
That is why Doric did not hesitate to use Legilincy on Tyrion. He preferred not to use mind-reading on his family, relatives, friends, allies, or even those with whom he had a neutral relationship; however, this did not apply to his enemies or those who were on the opposite side of him.
As for the possibility of Tyrion joining their ranks in the future, that was just a possibility, and if it ca to pass, he would think of sothing to make up for Tyrion.
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Ch.129: Unpleasant Facts
Ch.130: A Favor for a Favor
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