I'm back! Expect a new chapter in a couple of days, as always.

Big thanks to my wonderful beta, darkwolf76!

Finally, we've got some action going on. I plan to explore this story with a few POV changes, so it should be fun! Soon enough, we'll be in Westeros. And what will happen then? Who knows? :)

Let me know what you think! Please, if you feel it, show this story some love. Follow, Favorite and Review! If you have any suggestions, send them my way!

I hope you like it! Enjoy! :)


"Negotiations!" I seethe, glaring him down. "Negotiations are our best bet, that's what you told me! I was foolish enough to believe you!"

"Milani, they did agree-"

"And they have broken that agreement, which is something I warned you might happen!" I snap in response. Now is not the time for him to try to act reasonable. "I told you not to trust them, not with ease. You already offered them too much and look at us now!" I shout, and it is as if they could hear me; the moment I open my arms, a loud bang carries through the Pyramid. The ground didn't shake too much, so I imagine that they had only managed to hit the ground nearby, not the actual Pyramid, I think with relief.

"I can do better," Tyrion tells me, panic clearly visible in his eyes. "If I just talk to them again, I'll be-"

"Talk to them again?" I laugh in disbelief. "What are you going to do? What, are you going to walk outside and take a little stroll through a bloody battlefield?" I yell. I don't have to step foot outside to know that we are confined to this Pyramid. We are surrounded, with no hope for victory, no hope for escape. We have failed our queen. I have failed my best friend.

"You are not the only one that rules in her place." He warns me.

"Neither are you! There are four of us on the small council, and two did not want negotiations. Only one did and one stupidly gave in. Giving in to your foolish idea is the worst thing I have ever done," I say. I will never stop blaming myself for this. I was the one who convinced Grey Worm and Missandei that we should follow his lead. If I had only stopped him, which was in my power, we wouldn't be under attack. "You have lost your say, my lord. We did it your way and now we might lose Meereen and die. We are no longer doing things your way and don't you dare try to stop me!"

He doesn't. As I march down the halls, he follows me. I want to shout at him to stay away, but I can't do that. He is still a part of the Small Council, even if he is the fool who brought us into this mess in the first place. As much as I want to send him away, I can't do that. As much as I hate to admit, I might still need him.

I don't trust my instincts, even after Dany always told me, time and time again, that I should. As she would say, even if I ended up making mistakes, I would have at least make a judgement I truly believed in. I should have listened to her. I felt it in my bones; I had known it was a bad idea to negotiate with them. Men who trade human beings like cattle… it should not come as a surprise that they do not stick to the deal they made.

But no. I am a stupid little woman with no military experience, a nobody. Everything I know, I learned from Dany and even she has made horrible mistakes in the past. I hadn't thought that I had it in me. No, I had believed Tyrion Lannister to be far more experienced and qualified to do this in her stead. I had thought that he knew what he was talking about, that he knew how to deal with men like the Masters. I put my faith in his hands. No, I put all of our faiths in his hands. I was the only one who could have stopped him and I didn't do it. Why? Because I am a bloody fool, that's why. I let my own insecurities put us into this position. If I had only a little bit of faith in myself, a little bit of faith in Dany's judgement about me, I would have fought for my stance. If I had stood my ground, if I had insisted that we do it my way, our way, we would not be in this position.

She will kill me for this. If I live long enough to see her again, that is.

"Milani, what are you going to do now?" Tyrion asks as he is running behind me, trying to catch up. I didn't take into consideration that he is a dwarf. I may be of average height for a woman my age, but my steps are much larger than his. I didn't care enough to slow down. He didn't deserve my consideration right now.

"I'm going to speak to Grey Worm." I tell him, knowing that I should still inform him of our actions. As the commander of the Unsullied, I can only hope that Grey Worm has an idea on how to deal with this.

"What are you going to do then?" He asks.

"I don't know, I still have to speak to him," I roll my eyes. "I imagine we will do the exact opposite of what you might suggest."

"Milani," he tries to speak to me again as I walk into the hall where Grey Worm, Missandei and some of the Unsullied are waiting for us. "I was wrong, I admit it."

Too little too late. "That changes nothing."

"The Unsullied could-"

"No more talking from you," Grey Worm speaks up before I had a chance to. "You talking got into us this."

"And I have acknowledged that," Tyrion defends himself. "I'm trying to-"

"You're trying to tell me what the army should do. You do not know what the army should do."

"Alright," Tyrion sighs and this time, he accepts his defeat. Grey Worm and I are both angry and we did not hold back. Unlike us, Missandei did hold back her anger, but I could see the way her eyes narrowed as she watches him. It should have been the three of us. If we hadn't given in, if I hadn't insisted that we should give in, we would not be in this situation now. "What should the army do?"

"We not go to the beach," Grey Worm tells us, frowning. "If we go to the beach, the Masters will take the Pyramid. The Pyramid is the only place in the city we can defend. We stay here."

I am proud beyond words. He is an Unsullied. I knew he was brave and a great warrior, but I have also watched him coming to terms with his new role and purpose. He had been chosen by his own comrades to be Dany's commander and he is now a part of a Queen's Small Council. That is a big step for a soldier who did not speak unless spoken to not that long ago. I feel proud watching him now, speaking up, standing behind his opinions.

"And then?" Tyrion asks.

"We wait for them to come to us."

I do not like the sound of that, but I would much rather have the Unsullied here, where they stand a chance, ready to fight than out there, leaving the Pyramid unprotected and marching into certain death.

"I understand why we should do that," I say, looking at Grey Worm now. He is the military man here; he is the only one that needs to hear me out. "And we will do that, but is there a way to help those people? We cannot just sit here and wait for them to come to us while they kill all the people that are not hiding away."

"If we do that, we lose the Pyramid," he shakes his head. "Did you see outside?"

As a matter of fact, I did not. As soon as I realize that, I walk out onto the balcony.

Smoke and ash fill the air. I can barely see, between the smoke and the darkness of the night. The only light comes from the fire they are throwing at us. I watch on, numb, as they launch another fire ball and manage to hit the Pyramid. The ground does not shake, but it doesn't have to. Seeing this was bad enough; I do not need the ground to shake to realize it. It looks like a battlefield, or what I imagined a battlefield would look like, but it is really the scene of a massacre. I… I have never been more afraid in my life. Standing here, looking at the mess below, taking in all the chaos and destruction… I don't see how we can win.

As I walk back inside, I see a look of understanding on both Missandei and Grey Worm's faces. It is all different when you actually see it. And that is the problem. Seeing it only made me feel worse about all the innocent people left outside to die, Dany's people. People that she freed and who swore allegiance to her because they believed she would provide them peace, only for them to be slaughtered. First by the hands of the Sons of the Harpy, and now by the hands of the Masters. They have been dying because she would not back down. And because of that, now we will not want to back down. We even tried to compromise with the Masters to stop those deaths, yet they are still dying. If this does not stop, it is only a matter of time before the people turn their backs on her. If she ever returns. If they live long enough to do that.

"Grey Worm, we must think of something," I plead with him, desperate to find a solution. "We can't just let them all die. That is not what the Queen would do." If I am here to speak as someone who knows what she would do, then I'm going to do it. I know she would have listened to Tyrion if she was in our position. I know it and I suppose that is exactly why I listened to him. If that ended up being a mistake, like it did, I know Dany wouldn't just sit calmly while innocent people were being murdered.

"We don't have a choice." He tells me.

"We can't just leave them outside like that, unprotected!" I snap. I'm not angry at him, not nearly as much as I am angry at Tyrion. Grey Worm didn't do anything wrong. "We have to think of something!"

"What?" Grey Wind asks. "You want to ride dragon? Or you want me to ride dragon?" he asks me, knowing all too well that Dany is the only one that can do that. Viserion or Rhaegal would not let me near them, let alone on their backs. It doesn't work that way.

"I don't know what we should do!" I yell. "You are the commander of an army, not me. But as a part of the Queen's Small Council I can't sit here, comfortable and protected while innocent people are being killed in the streets, just because they are free! I can't! We need to think of something! "

"Perhaps some Unsullied should venture outside after all?" Missandei suggests.

"I would send them to their deaths if I made them go out." Grey Worm shakes his head.

"We might all die anyway," I mumble. Tyrion, Missandei and Grey Worm look at me in surprise. "What? They have more troops and resources than we do. You think we will live to see another day? Another day, perhaps. More than one, I doubt it. If they keep it up this way, they will get to the Pyramid. When they come in, they will murder us all in vengeance."

"They paid to fight," Grey Worm shakes his head again. "We fight to live. We fight for our Queen."

"And your Queen isn't here!" I stop and take a deep breath to calm myself. I don't want to continue this as a shouting match. "How are the four of us supposed to rule in her stead if we can't agree on a single damned thing? How are we supposed to rule when they are going to kill us?"

The ground shakes again; this time, it's not only the ground. I look around, wide eyed, listening to the sounds on top of us. We were at the very top of the Pyramid, at the highest level, a level they should be unable to reach. Until now. We all listen as we hear someone walking. Footsteps on the balcony.

Everyone grabs a weapon; I grab a knife, watching as Grey Worm and the other Unsullied that are in the room with us get into formation. Missandei looks at me, holding a blade herself and I nod my head in response. Despite our inexperience, if we have to defend ourselves, we can and will do it. And if someone is going to kill me, I'll make sure that I do not go down without a fight. Gripping the blade in my hand, I watch as one of the Unsullied opens the door and walks out, spear at the ready.

My eyes go wide as the Unsullied pulls back and kneels. I watch in shock as Dany marches into the room, looking around at each of us. She does not look happy.

But she is alive. And in one piece. As much as I can see through my blurry eyes, she at least appears healthy.

Despite knowing better, I find myself running to her, crying like a babe.


"Should I steal us some melons from the kitchens?" I giggle.

"If you can, yes," Dany encourages me. "Just be careful not to get caught."

"Dany, when am I ever caught?" I wink as I close the door behind me, ignoring her laughter. Pentos nights are warm enough for me to walk barefoot, without feeling cold. People walk bare foot and wear light dresses in Pentos. If I could, I would have us stay here forever.

But I know we can't. Where her brother goes, Dany follows. And I follow her. As much as I would like to call Pentos my home for good, I know that will not happen.

"Going somewhere?" a voice startles me. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I turn around and realize that it is only Viserys. I start laughing.

"You scared me to death, Your Grace."

"No, that would be such a shame," he smiles at me. "And I told you before, Milani. Call me by my name."

"You shouldn't sneak around like this, Viserys," I smile at him. "You might interrupt someone while they're trying to sneak around."

"What are you doing out of your bed this late at night?"

"I couldn't sleep and neither could your sister," I explain. "What about you? Sleepless nights?"

"Well, yes. I thought I would find a way to keep myself entertained." He comments.

"You can always join us," I suggest, even if I didn't know for sure if Dany wishes to be in the company of her brother. She loves him very much, but they don't always get along well. I'm not sure if today is one of their good days or one of their bad days. "I was just going down the kitchens to get us some food."

"I had another form of entertainment in mind, but thank you for the invitation," he smiles at me. "In fact…" he tells me as he starts walking towards me. "That other form of entertainment I had in mind… I think you would suffice." He tells me, his face so close to mine our noses almost touched.

"Viserys, I don't think you should-" he stops me by putting his finger over my mouth.

"Shhh," he whisper; his tone is a warning of itself. "I have always wondered what you've got under that dress, Milani. I have had a peek or two, but never close enough." he tells me. As he is walking closer to me, I pull back, backing directly into the wall. He laughs as he puts his hands on each side of my head, pinning me. There is barely any space left between our bodies and I feel panic rising in my chest.

"Viserys, please don't do this," I shake my head, thinking how I must sound like an idiot. As if a future King would ever make advances? What am I thinking?! Of course he's not! He is just playing with me! But if he is playing with me, why is he playing with one of the straps that kept my dress in place. "Viserys, please." I say, calming myself down, knowing that I am not in a position to cause a scene.

"Oh, please," he chuckles, pulling the strap down, revealing my breast. "You like the idea of it as much as I do. And I truly like the idea of it," he admits, looking down at my chest. I am ready to push him away, but he beat me to it. His lips connect to my neck. Ignoring the panic that I felt raging inside me, I try to focus on how lucky I am that he did not kiss me on the lips. And that honor will never go to him. Never. I would rather die. Knowing that I could very well pay for this with my head, I push him away from me, watching as he staggers backwards as I pull my dress back up.

"I begged you," I tell him, silencing the part of my mind that was telling me that I was speaking to a rightful King of some faraway land. A King or not, he should know what refusal means. "I am not a whore and you are well aware of that. Do not treat me like one." I warn him.

"Do you know that striking your King is considered treason?" he growls at me.

"I did not strike you. I pushed you away from me. And you are not my King. I was born in a foreign land and I live in a foreign land. Until you have a crown on your head, you are no King of mine."

"How dare you speak to me like that?" he yells.

"How dare you force yourself on me?" I ask in a level tone, trying hard not to yell back at him. As much as I hate it, he still has more power than I do. I can't yell at him, but I can push him away if he tries again.

"You are nothing," he tells me, staring me directly into eyes. "Nothing, Milani. Nothing."

"You are right," I nod my head, ignoring the hurt that started rising in me, caused by his words. "I am nothing. And I belong to no one. Not to you, not to anyone. Do not touch me like this again, Viserys. It will be better for the both of us if we pretend as if this never happened."

I do not wait for his response, knowing that it is not something I needed to hear. I turn around and walk away, changing the direction I was going in. instead of going to the kitchen, I walk to Dany's chambers, which I never should have left to begin with.

"What happened?" Dany asks me as I close the door behind me. "Did someone catch you?"

"No," I reassure her, forcing a smile on my face. "They just locked the doors. I returned before someone could see me."


I was not surprised when she said she wished to speak to me, as soon as we informed her of what has been happening since she fled. Missandei, Tyrion Lannister, Grey Worm and I were speaking over each other, each trying to explain it from their point of view. As soon as she managed to understand what has happened, she said she wanted to speak to me in private.

So, I told her everything. Every little thing that has happened, from the moment Ser Jorah and Daario ran to her rescue until the moment Drogon landed on the top of the Pyramid.

She was silent, which was not a surprise. She allowed me to finish my story and then, she stayed silent some more. And with each passing moment, the guilt I felt inside of me kept growing.

"I tried," I finally speak up, feeling the need to defend myself. "We all did. Tyrion Lannister, he… his decision was stupid, just as it was stupid of me to allow him to follow it through. It was very stupid, but he had no ill intentions. I might be angry at him, but I know he did not envision this as a possible outcome. We all tried, Dany. We tried and we failed. None of us were ready for it."

Usually, when I speak to her, it doesn't feel as if I am speaking to a Queen. At all times, it feels as if I am talking to my friend, to my sister. Now, more than ever, I know I am speaking to a Queen.

"When the morning comes, Daario Naharis will lead all of the Dothraki into Meereen," she tells me. "Every Khalasar that was in Vaes Dothrak will be riding behind him."

"Dothraki?" I ask in surprise. "Where did you find the Dothraki?"

"In Vaes Dothrak," she tells me with surprising composure, pausing to take a sip of wine. "When Drogon helped me escape the attack, he flew me all the way to the other side of Essos. They found me. When they tried to make me join the dosh khaleen, I showed them that fire cannot harm a dragon."

When she speaks of herself as a dragon… it still sends shivers down my spine. She is the last living Targaryan. She is the Mother of Dragons. I have seen what those dragons can do and I have seen what she can do with them, but whenever I hear her speak of herself as if she was a dragon, all I can think of is how Viserys said the same. That did not end well for him and I can't help being afraid that it will not end well for Dany either. After all, he never was the ideal role model. He would've become a mad tyrant had he lived to be king. I don't want Dany to turn into one.

"Daario and Ser Jorah found you? And they are coming tomorrow?"

"Daario is," she tells me. "Ser Jorah… I sent him away."

"Dany," I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. "Why did you do that? Did he not redeem himself?"

"He did," she agrees, "But if he is going to be by my side, I need him alive and well, not covered in grey scale." She tells me. I want to ask so many questions, but my questions can wait.

"With the Dothraki and the Unsullied, do we have enough to defeat the Masters?" I ask.

"You forgot to mention three dragons," she corrects me. It feels surreal, talking to her for as long as I do, without her offering a single smile in my direction. "We shall meet with them tomorrow morning. And then, I will burn them all."

For a moment, I think it is simply a joke. No smile appears, however, no laughter. She means it.

"You sound more and more like him, with each passing day," I tell her, instantly regretting it.

"Viserys was not a dragon." She says in a eerie tone, frowning down at me.

"No, he wasn't. But he liked fire. And from what you told me, so did your father."

"Do not use that against me, Milani," she warns me. "You know how difficult it has been for me to live with the legacy of being the Mad King's daughter."

"I am not using anything against you," I disagree, shaking my head frantically. "I would never do that. What I am saying is… people remember, Dany. Those people who you want to rule over? They remember your father. If they see a dragon lady with an affinity for fire…"

"I am not talking about Westeros. I am talking about saving Meereen."

"And word travels fast," I cut in. "If they find out that you burned an entire army…"

"What do you suggest then? I should allow them to do this? I should sit back and enjoy the view why they burn my city, my people?"

"That is not what I am suggesting!" I snap. "Damn it Dany, when did you become so impulsive?"

"Impulsive?" she asks, wide eyed.

"Yes, impulsive. The moment I disagree with you, you jump on me. You treat me as if I am trying to sabotage you on purpose, when all I've ever done is support you. And right now I'm trying to remind you of the kind of queen you have told me you have always wanted to be, of the person you are. Yes, I know that doing the right thing is not always successful. In fact, I am one of the reasons Meereen is under attack. I could have done better and I am sorry that I didn't, but I am not your enemy. I am your friend."

"This is not a game, Milani," she tells me, scowling. "This is life or death. Win or lose."

"I never thought it was a game. I understand how much is at stake. I might not be educated, or a ruler, or of noble birth, but I am no idiot Dany. I thought you knew that." I pause for a moment, and swallow hard, pushing away my petty hurts. "It doesn't matter anymore. You are here now. You can do this on your own. You have no use for me anymore."

I did not expect to be as angry as I am. In fact, I did not think anger was a possibility. I feel guilt for not doing my job well. I just didn't think I'd have the luxury to feel anger too. Seeing Dany act in such a way… I can't explain what is happening to me.

She never pointed it out, but I feel it all the same. I grew up knowing that I was a nobody. If I acted as her shadow for all these years, can I truly blame her for treating me as a shadow?

I am nothing, but I am still human. I make mistakes and yes, this time, I have made a horrible mistake. I'm not trying to wash away the guilt. I'll carry it with me for a long time. But Dany? This is not the Dany I know and love. This is not the Dany that left Meereen.

I don't know what happened in Vaes Dothrak, or on her way back to Meereen, but it changed her.

Or perhaps the dragon is finally woken.