Crow's Eye smirked, offering not a word in his defense.
Joffrey leaned back in his seat, casually tapping the solid wood armrest with his left hand. "None of your crimes shall be forgotten. The trial begins now."
Silence filled the great hall like a shroud.
The man who had stepped forward looked about awkwardly, then hurriedly retreated into the ranks, seeking to hide behind the crowd.
Joffrey chuckled with dark amusement. "Euron Crow's Eye, at Pyke you spoke with insolence, daring to defy your rightful king. For this, I sentence you to have your tongue cut and vocal cords slit—to be silent and still, never again to cause harm with words."
Without a tongue, a man might still produce simple sounds and even regain some ability to communicate through long training.
But without vocal cords, even the most meaningless grunts would prove difficult to produce, rendering the victim utterly voiceless.
All eyes turned toward Crow's Eye.
The wretch remained "silent" still. Small wonder he had not opened his mouth to speak!
Joffrey continued with judicial coldness. "Even disregarding the sins you committed across the Iron Islands, and Fair Isle, and upon the vast seas beyond—the maidens you have violated number beyond counting. Therefore, I sentence you to castration."
Thump!
Two guards immediately forced Crow's Eye to his knees.
One drew forth a red-hot dagger that glowed like captured fire.
The other seized the chains binding the prisoner's body and yanked with brutal force. The iron links tore away Crow's Eye's clothes and smallclothes in a single motion.
"Ah!" The ladies turned away their faces, unwilling to witness this sordid scene directly—torn between morbid curiosity and revulsion at the horrific punishment about to unfold.
Most noble officers showed surprise, deep frowns of disgust, or secret terror at what they were witnessing.
Mia did not look away for even a heartbeat. Her eyes remained fixed upon the naked, ridiculous figure of Crow's Eye, eagerly anticipating the spectacle to come.
Under the weight of countless stares, feeling the blade's burning heat, Crow's Eye's eyes showed obvious panic for the first time.
He struggled violently on instinct.
Yet the outcome was inevitable. Two burly men held down the weakened prisoner while the red-hot blade drew closer and closer...
Sizzzzz~~~
Crow's Eye's entire body went rigid! His eyes bulged crimson and wide!
He opened his mouth in a desperate scream, yet within lay only an empty passage, transforming his agonized cries into silent nothingness!
Slash! The man wielding the blade made a swift, final cut.
Phew~~ A heavy sigh arose throughout the hall—relief that the ordeal was finished, shock at witnessing such bloodshed, satisfaction of morbid curiosity finally appeased...
The two guards released their grip upon the new-made eunuch.
Crow's Eye immediately curled into a trembling ball, his entire form shaking as sweat seeped from every pore, turning his body into a glistening, sodden mass.
Surprisingly little blood stained him in that moment.
When the sudden lightness struck his lower body, the soldier responsible sent forth gentle energy to stanch the bleeding and begin restoration.
Crow's Eye even felt signs of regrowth beginning there!
But then the soldier stopped his healing.
Stopped!
I am no longer a man? A eunuch for all time?
Crow's Eye understood this was Joffrey's most vicious cruelty—to create despair by dangling hope before him, only to snatch it away again!
Joffrey! One day you will regret allowing me to live!
You desire my secrets?
Very well. I shall give them to you slowly, until the next game begins. And when that time comes, I too shall mercifully spare your life and grant you far longer entertainment.
And the Drowned God!
That lying Drowned God! Your prophecies deserve to be cast into filthy, stinking, maggot-filled cesspools!
Whatever plans you harbor, I, Euron "Crow's Eye" Greyjoy, will surely ruin them all!
The Iron Islands shall never again know a Drowned Man!
One day, all Ironborn will forget your very existence! None will believe in you, false god!
Crow's Eye's burning resentment was plain for all to see.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The sound of barking came from behind. Crow's Eye's thoughts turned slightly, and his face immediately grew dark with suspicion.
Thwack~
Something fell to the stone floor with a wet sound—something soft, like flesh.
Crow's Eye turned around slowly, stiffly, dreading what he might discover.
Woof!
A great hound bared its fangs at him fiercely, its left forepaw pressing down protectively upon half a fleshy pillar and a round piece of meat, guarding its savory meal with obvious relish.
Scarlet blood and viscous white matter coated the beast's ferocious canine teeth.
Crow's Eye ceased all movement, simply closing his eyelids weakly like a deflated bladder.
"We are not yet finished," Joffrey reminded with false kindness.
"During the last Greyjoy rebellion, the Iron Throne granted you and the Iron Islands royal pardon. Yet how did you repay such mercy?"
Joffrey's voice turned to ice. "You incited the kraken to launch another rebellion, spreading hatred like plague, destroying innocent towns, and poisoning the people of the Seven Kingdoms! Tell me yourself—what punishment do such crimes deserve?"
Crow's Eye stared at Joffrey in silent defiance.
"Oh, of course," Joffrey smiled with cold amusement. "I had forgotten—you can no longer speak. Then I shall decide for you."
Joffrey signaled to the two guards.
"Sever the limbs to demonstrate abandonment of killing and warfare. Remove the eyes to show you shall no longer covet others' lands."
Both guards approached Crow's Eye simultaneously, one from before and one behind.
The soldier in front still wielded that same dagger. Though no longer red-hot, the remaining traces and warmth upon the blade made Crow's Eye reluctant to see it again, much less feel its touch upon his eyes.
Yet blades and steel know no mercy.
The only dignity Crow's Eye could maintain was to remain as calm as possible, preserving what remained of his pride. Though such things had likely perished with the sound of barking dogs.
Crow's Eye squeezed his eyes shut tight. Still he could feel the distinct difference between two kinds of darkness.
The soldier's movements proved swift and sure. Before pain could fully register, Crow's Eye felt only as if curtains had been drawn for night's sleep—sudden blackness, and the world transformed to nothingness.
Then, along with intense, needle-sharp, burning agony, came clear and bleak understanding: his eyes had been taken.
There was no time for grief or rage.
Cold wind from behind reached Crow's Eye through his skin—four dull impacts, as if he had been struck by heavy fists.
He collapsed to the stone floor.
The healing soldier sent forth energy once more—warm and gentle, yet presenting cold, hard boundaries. His body now ended at the shoulder blades and the roots of his thighs.
His limbs were gone entire!
The sticky, rough ground reeked of dust and blood. Crow's Eye attempted to raise himself upright, but found it impossible.
Most bitter irony—he could still hear every word.
"You brought ruin to House Farman and ravaged Fair Isle in acts of inhuman cruelty! You are sentenced to permanent confinement with a three-month cycle: one month in the water dungeon, immersed in ice water; one month in the stone dungeon, unable to move; one month in the mud dungeon, buried in filth and earth!"
Crow's Eye heard the crowd's low exclamations of shock.
Yes! Wake yourselves and recognize what manner of madness your monarch truly harbors!
"Finally, Euron Crow's Eye—you truly enjoyed hearing the wails and pleas of the innocent, did you not? How could I bear to deny you such pleasure?"
Crow's Eye heard footsteps approaching from the front.
"Therefore, I deprive you of your hearing as well."
Bang! Bang!
Two needles pierced through his ear passages, yet the sound struck Crow's Eye like the most violent thunderstorm imaginable!
Then...
There was no sound at all.