The siblings Theon Greyjoy and Asha Greyjoy had reported once on the situation of the Purple Fleet before the siege of Tyrosh. After that, they seemed to have disappeared, and there was no further news about them.
Finally, on the day after Robert and the others left, Wright received a long letter from the cousins, Andrew Estermont, who brought it to him.
Now, only two and a half people knew what the Greyjoys were up to in Tyrosh—Wright himself, his intelligence officer, cousin Andrew Estermont, and the half-person, Allard Seaworth, who had sent the Greyjoys out to sea.
Wright took them to the "Eye of Wright" lighthouse, which was spacious inside. The lower floors had winding stairs, a winch that went straight to the top, and several stories of lofts. Wright's personal guard and some officers from the city's defense were temporarily staying in the lofts. The top floor was permanently occupied by three lighthouse keepers who were responsible for maintaining the eternal flame at the lighthouse's peak.
At the bonfire station, Wright activated a silence spell so that Andrew Estermont could report in detail about the Greyjoys.
Andrew Estermont, holding a bag of oranges, handed one to Wright and peeled one for himself:
"This letter came from Volantis. The head of the intelligence division under Trairch Dofas Pennymion came to Tyrosh as well. Even Triarch Dofas doesn't know about the contents of this letter. The intelligence chief personally delivered it to me."
"That intelligence chief did a good job. Did you reward him?"
"Of course! I even gave him double the bounty, and I told him to help the Greyjoys more in the future."
Wright held the orange but didn't eat it. It was originally bought by Namelia from Dorne, and there were a bunch of them in his room, which Andrew often took when there was nothing else to do.
Wright carefully examined the letter's writing and the date on the letterhead. The handwriting was clearly Theon's. The top left corner of the letter had a strange image of a woman, resembling a child's doodle—this was one of their agreed-upon codes. The picture would appear in different places on the letter, depending on when it was sent. If the image was in the wrong place, it meant they were in danger, and it was a cover for false information. If it matched, then it was true intelligence.
"They had quite a perilous journey!" Wright smiled. The letter was long, as a lot of time had passed, and there were many things to report.
The information began in Pentos, during the war on the Stepstones. The locals and merchants in Pentos harbored great hostility toward Westerlanders. After discussing, Asha and Theon intentionally drank heavily in a tavern and caused a scene, provoking a group of patrons. They boasted about the Greyjoy family's history of killing and stealing swords, quickly defeating their opponents.
The next day, the governor of Pentos invited them to his estate and asked about the Stepstones war. They played the part of reckless, fearless characters, revealing what they could and spinning stories about things they shouldn't mention, eventually earning a bounty from the governor.
The siblings continued to frequent taverns, and a few days later, news of them being the highest bounty fugitives in the Seven Kingdoms reached Pentos. Various groups sought them out, hoping to recruit them—mercenary bands especially favored fugitives from the Seven Kingdoms, as their higher bounties gave them higher status within the groups.
After considering the offers, they declined joining any of the groups but accepted temporary hires as assassins.
The laws of the Seven Kingdoms were worthless in Essos, where they were just common folk. Generally, no one would pursue them for the bounty, as there were too many fugitives. Being a bounty hunter would break the rules and lead to isolation and attacks.
In the following days, Theon nearly died in a conflict. A group tried to steal his Valyrian steel sword. In the middle of the night, they sneaked into his room at an inn, but Asha, ever vigilant, discovered the attackers. After the two killed six enemies, they managed to escape, though Theon was wounded with six sword strikes.
Fortunately, they knew a little of Wright's teachings on treating external injuries. Asha used strong alcohol to disinfect the wounds before stitching him up. The two rode westward, passing through volantis to one of the nine great trading city-states, Norvos.
There, they encountered members of the Golden Company, many of whom were fugitives from the Seven Kingdoms. Due to the Greyjoy rebellion and their fugitive status for murder and theft, they quickly blended in but did not join the Golden Company.
Upon reading this part of the letter, Andrew said, "I can only say they were quite lucky to have found the right direction. Most of the rumors about you came from the Golden Company."
Wright replied, "The Golden Company and I had a direct conflict. They lost a lot of people, but mercenaries should have long seen through life and death. They'd risk their lives for money, so they shouldn't hold such grudges. There must be someone behind them."
Andrew chewed noisily, "Keep reading the letter. The siblings did well."
The Golden Company was skilled at direct military combat but not at assassination or theft. After Asha and Theon were hired, they helped the Golden Company resolve a few matters. Their cooperation was smooth, and they gained a lot of useful information.
Theon highlighted a few key individuals in his letter. First, Ronald Connington and his son, theRed Ronnet. Ronald was a relative of former Hand Jon Connington, whom Robert had killed, stripping their house of all lands, titles, and wealth. The hatred between them was irreconcilable.
Second, the Golden Company's intelligence officer, Lysono Maar, a man who looked like a woman and was rumored to be promiscuous with men, thus gaining a lot of information.
Third, the Golden Company's leader, Harry Strickland, who was not particularly intelligent but held deep hatred for the Baratheon family, though the specific reason was unclear. He was the one who ordered the Golden Company to spread rumors about Wright.
The most important person was a young man named Young Griff. In their conversations with Golden Company members, Asha and Theon learned that Young Griff was being groomed as the next leader. He was highly educated, kind-hearted, and skilled in military strategy. Many members of the Golden Company had already publicly pledged their support to him. If he were an enemy, he would be a serious threat.
Originally, Asha and Theon thought of him as a potential future problem. But one day, they saw Golden Company members moving a covered cage onto a wagon. Theon asked a few of them what it was, and Asha secretly snuck around back and lifted the cloth. Inside the cage was a small green dragon.
When the Golden Company members saw the dragon exposed, they didn't mind, knowing that Theon and Asha were wanted criminals from the Seven Kingdoms. Many people already knew this secret, thinking they had bought the dragon from Daenerys. Some merchants had even offered high prices to buy it. The Golden Company members introduced the dragon, named Rhaegal. It had emerald and bronze-colored scales and was chained like an eagle, kept in a cage at night. Young Griff would feed it cooked meat, and the dragon would climb on him.
The rest of the letter described how the Golden Company raised dragons, but Wright scoffed at it. The key point, however, was the dragon's name. "Andrew! Is this dragon really the one that was with Daenerys?"
Andrew Estermont replied, "Personally, I think the Golden Company spread false information! When Daenerys' dragon eggs hatched, the Golden Company's base was on the outskirts of Pentos. So Daenerys never had three dragons from the start—she only had two. One of them is in Young Griff's hands."
Wright asked, "When Rhaegar Targaryen's son and daughter, Rhaenys and Aegon, died, who handled their bodies? Where were their bodies placed?"
Andrew Estermont spat out his orange, "That was over ten years ago! I was just a kid back then. How would I know?"
Wright replied, "It seems you're going to have to visit King's Landing. This matter must be investigated! Feeding meat to a dragon is fine, but dragons aren't creatures that just anyone can approach."