The Dragon and the Hawke 11
Dragons were an unruly lot. If born in good health, they never truly stop growing until the day they die, and this can lead to a very interesting state of mind. For Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal, being bigger than any other creature meant that they were more powerful than any other creature, and that they did not have to answer to any other creature.
This included their Mother and the human dragon Marian. Both were powerful in their own right, but there was no way that they could be as powerful as a dragon. The trio of fire breathers were by the size of small houses by the time their Mother began her march on Meereen. This in turn led to some differentiating opinions about the state of their diet.
The dragons liked big animals; horses, cows, humans, etc; but their mother had to limit them in what they could eat. Eventually, they could take no more, and so one night they flew far from the war party in search of new meat to feast on. What they managed to find, was a fat cow.
The trio gorged themselves on the cooked beef and delicious entrails of the cow, ignoring the cowering farmer for the time being as they took all that they could. Eventually, they were full, and they returned to camp. They were careful to remain silent as they glided into camp, for though they felt they were more powerful than the human dragon and their Mother, they did not want to upset either.
They were unfortunate in that they had not left as quietly as they had returned, and so both Mother and Marian were waiting for them in their nest. Both human women did not look happy, though Mother looked unsure as to how to deal with their willful disobedience. Thus she left punishing them to Marian, and looked sad to have to do it.
What lessons Marian decided the dragons needed to learn were only talked about in hushed whispers after that night. The dragons, though, were far more demure and calm than they had been before. The former slaves of Yunkai thought the Queen's Consort mage had lain with the dragons to stave off their rage, and as this rumor spread to the mage's ears there were several hours of uncontrollable laughter.
Finally, Marian admitted to pelting the dragons with snowballs for twelve hours while telling them how disappointed she was in them. When Dany had looked at her like she was insane, Marian also told her that there was some mind magic involved, but that she shouldn't worry about it.
With the problems that came with unruly dragons swiftly nipped in the bud by a mad woman, the march was started again in earnest. Before the departure, Marian was careful to threaten swift and terrible death to each and every former slave master of Yunkai before they set out, so that they could leave with clear conscience and knowledge that they were secure on their rearguard.
A week of marching in, and a new day dawned like any other, only without Daario Naharis or Grey Worm. Dany, as she stands at the head of the army, turns to Ser Barristan and asks, "Where is Daario Naharis? And Grey Worm?"
"Gambling, your grace," Barristan tells her with amusement
"Gambling?" She blinks
He, Jorah, and Missandei nod at her, and she sets her jaw. With a huff, she sets off towards the back of her army. She passes her Unsullied, and smiles politely at all of the camp followers who had chosen to leave Yunkai and follow her. Then she came upon the pair.
Grey Worm and Daario Naharis are sitting facing each other with their hands extended. Laying on their palms are their swords, and Marian is sitting between and behind them, staring at the display. Dany slowly blinks, dissipating some of her anger, and asks, "How long have they been at it?"
"Since midnight, your grace," Missandei tells her
Marian, looking up, blinks, "Really? Wow, I just got here like five minutes ago and I'm feeling tired just looking at them!"
Daario snorts in amusement and notes, "Ser Worm is stronger than he looks, but I can begin to see his arms beginning to shake."
Marian furrows her brow and leans down, not able to see the same shake that Daario is she looks at him with a frown before looking back at Grey Worm. Dany, meanwhile, sighs and asks, "What's the prize then, for winning this stupid contest?"
"The honor of riding by your side on the way to Meereen," Daario tells her with a charming smile.
Dany is not charmed, though, and grinds out, "That honor, belongs to Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan, as neither of them kept me waiting this morning."
She flashes a smile at Daario's crestfallen face, then looks at their blades and tells them, "You both will ride in the back, to protect the livestock."
She turns to leave, but notices that there is no sign of them dropping their swords and turns back, "The last man holding his sword will have to find himself a new queen."
In an instant, both swords are dropped, and Marian snorts in amusement before jumping up and skipping after Dany and Missandei. The advisor is the one to ask her, "Where were you this morning?"
"Ah, just making sure the boys were actually listening to me," Marian tells her, a rueful smile on her face, "They have to be the most unruly kids I have ever had to deal with!"
"You've dealt with children often?" Missandei asks
"Not really," Marian shakes her head, then her smile warps into a more nostalgic one, "Unless you count Merrill, she was innocent enough to be ten kids all on her own."
"Another friend from your days as Champion?" Missandei asks
Marian nods, "Elf girl, loved wandering the city, got lost all the time. I miss her like a little sister."
Then Marian's eyes mist over, and her smile fades into a frown. Sensing the change in emotion, Dany turns back to look at her friend while Missandei gently gives her a hug. Marian shakes her head, "Sorry, bad memories."
Dany gives her friend a pat on her free side as they walk through the army. After a minute, Missandei and Marian split and all three start to talk about lighter subjects. As they mount their horses, the subject turns to each girls' love life.
"I'm telling you, he's got total I wanna bone you vibes!" Marian tells Missandei
"Who?" She asks
"Grey Worm!" Marian tells her
"I thought you wanted to, as you put it, 'Bone her,'" Dany asks
"Oh, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Marian waves her hand, "But I've accepted that it ain't gonna happen, so I'm gonna try and help my friend get laid."
"He is Unsullied," Missandei points out with a sigh.
"So?"
"It means he is a eunuch," Ser Jorah pipes up, a few yards back, and looking decidedly uncomfortable
"Oh… what's that mean?"
"He's had his balls removed," He tells her
Marian blinks, then asks, "Did they take the dick?"
"I don't know," Jorah begins to ride slower, so as to not get caught up in any more of Marian's strange conversation topics.
Turning back to Missandei, Marian shrugs, "Well, if he's out, I'm still available."
Missandei rolls her eyes and the subject dies.
Later in the day, the girls have descended from their horses so that they may rest and feed. Looking out over the bay, Dany asks Missandei, "Have you ever been to Meereen?"
"Several times, your grace, with Master Kraznys," Missandei tells her
"And?"
"They say a thousand slaves died hauling the great pyramid together."
"And now an army of former slaves marches to tear it down."
"Yeah!" Marian says happily, "Go team!"
Both of the other women turn to look at her, and she raises her hands, "Got it, inappropriate, sorry."
Dany shakes her head and turns back to Missandei, "Do you think the Great Masters will run?"
"If they're smart, your grace," Missandei tells her, which prompts Marian to snort at the idea of a slaver acting smart while under threat.
Her friends again give her a pair of looks, but the arrival of Daario preempts anything they have to say. Dany closes her eyes in frustration and tells him, "You were supposed to ride at the back of the train."
"Yes, my queen, I need to speak to you about something important," Daario tells her, then looks to Missandei and Marian, both of whom are looking at him curiously, "A matter of strategy."
Dany raises an eyebrow, and without having to say anything, her friends get the message. Marian hops to her feet and starts walking back to her horse, Missandei right behind her. Both mount up, and start making their way back to the head of the line.
"So, have you given me any more thought?" Marian asks after a few seconds of silence
"What do you mean?" Missandei asks carefully
"Well, have you give the chance of me and you, you know, romanticly, a thought?"
"Many times," Missandei tells her
"Really!?" Marian squeeks
"Indeed," Missandei nods, "And As with every time I think on the subject, I am unsure how to proceed."
"Do you want to give it a try?"
"Perhaps, should the queen not object."
"I don't see why she would?"
"One never knows."
"Okay, true enough."
They lapse into silence after that. Marian, for her part, is ecstatic at the little amount of progress she has made towards getting together with the beauty that is Missandei. The girl in question, smiles indulgently at the clear excitement on the mage's face.
The terrible truth is that both were happy, and then the army stopped its march. Looking at the lines of Unsullied, both girls frowned to each other, then rode more swiftly to the front. There they were met with a terrible sight.
A little girl had been strung up on a cross. Who knew how long she'd been up there, and the only thing that was clear was that it was meant as a message. Marian, for her part, slides off her horse and slowly walks up to the girl.
Dany and Daario find them like this, with her advisors staring at the dead girl while Marian silently sobbed as she worked to pull her down. Jorah swallows some bile and then tells the queen, "There's one at every mile marker from here to Meereen."
"How far are we to Meereen?" Dany asks as she watches Marian finish pulling the girl down.
"One Hundred and Sixty Three, your grace" Jorah tells her, shuddering
"I'll tell our men to ride ahead and bury them," Barristan tells her, a resigned horror making his usually smooth voice tremble, "You don't need to see this."
"You will do no such thing," Dany tells him, gulping back the tears that wish to fall as Marian uses her magic to create a hole in the mountain.
They all watch as Marian sets the girl in the hole. Before leaning back, the mage tears the collar from the girl's throat. Taking two steps back, she then swipes her hand to the side and the earth fills in the hole.
"I will see each and every one of their faces," Dany tells him.
"Dany," Marian speak up
"Yes?"
"I'm gonna be doing a lot of killing when we get to Meereen," The mage tells her
"I know," Dany nods, "I will be doing the same."
