After the catastrophe in Qarth, Dany's group was closer than ever. They began to wonder why they were even going to another city at all.
"If you really want Westeros, I think we've proven we have more than enough power to take it," said Shouta.
"Perhaps," said Jorah. "However, if Dany is to be taken seriously, she will need to cross the sea with more of an army."
"But there are six dragons here!" Shouta said. "Let's go!"
"The babies just learned to hunt," said Kanna. "No, we're not putting them into battle."
"We don't want to go full dragon in a foreign country. Yeah, it might put her on the throne, but we'd be literally the only thing between her and the rest of them. Jorah is right. She needs an army," said Tohru.
"Astapor is one of the great slave cities in Essos," said Jorah. "They specialize in soldier slaves called the Unsullied, who show no fear in battle. An army of Unsullied is said to be unbeatable."
"That sounds promising," said Shouta.
"Wait," said Dany. "I thought slavery was illegal in Westeros. How can I take Westeros with a slave army? The people would never respect me."
"Psh," said Kanna. "I wouldn't respect you! We learned about slavery in Japanese school. It was barbaric! And, given what I've seen in this world, I'd imagine it's ten times worse here. Jorah, what the hell are you thinking? No, please, no slaves."
"I...I don't like it either, but Dany doesn't have much of a choice," said Jorah.
Dany sighed. "Lucoa, what do you think?"
"Where I come from, slavery was a part of life," said Lucoa. "Just because they are slaves doesn't mean we must treat them as such."
"Hm," said Dany. "Okay. Let's just see what it's all about."
Astapor was, at first sight, beautiful. It was all built of a red brick, and stepped pyramids rose above the city. When they entered the city, though, they found that it bore an unpleasant smell, and the wind blew red dust everywhere.
They met a bald man with pale skin and sharp, dark features. A brown-skinned girl followed him. Shouta looked her up and down and gave her a nod. She averted her eyes.
"Hello," said Missandei. "Are you Daenerys Targaryen?"
"Yes, hello," said Dany.
"My name is Missandei. I will be translating for Kraznys mo Nakloz," she said.
"Oh, okay," said Dany. "Hello. This is Ser Jorah Mormont of Westeros, and Ser Tohru, Kanna, Lucoa, and Shouta of the Dragon Warriors."
"I've never heard of the Dragon Warriors," said Kraznys. "But welcome to Astapor." Missandei translated, although Dany and the dragons could understand his language as well.
"They are my own, pledged to fight for House Targaryen," Dany explained.
"I see," said Kraznys. "I understand you are interested in purchasing some Unsullied warriors?"
"Yes," said Dany.
"Please, follow me," said Kraznys. "You will not be disappointed."
Disappointed was indeed not the word to describe their feelings. Disgusted, definitely. Tohru and Kanna actually excused themselves from the tour and went to explore the city together.
"She won't do it," said Tohru, examining the food options in the market.
"Can we kill that guy? Please?" Kanna asked.
"If he threatens her, definitely," said Tohru. "But we can't just go around killing everyone we come across that we don't like."
"Why not? Everyone else does," said Kanna.
"Because we're better than that, Kanna," said Tohru. "We're better than all of this. And I still believe we've aligned ourselves with the best people."
"Jorah's been acting so funny since Qarth," said Kanna.
"Oh no, this again," Tohru said.
"What happened in the House of the Undying?" Kanna asked.
"Well," said Tohru, "we all had different visions. I'm not sure that they really meant anything. They were like dreams. Some were good, some were bad, and some were just bizarre, like mine with Fafnir."
"Yet you were in a house of magic. You really think those visions meant nothing?"
"Well, that's just the thing about visions. You're not really sure what they mean until after the vision comes true," said Tohru. "I'm sure whatever Jorah saw that's bugging him, it'll wear off eventually. Maybe he's just bothered by the fact that we're in this awful slave city."
"It is very unpleasant," Kanna agreed. "I'm sure we can get an army for Dany some other way."
With that, two strong hands pushed Kanna and Tohru into an alley. They both drew their swords and clashed with their attacker. The man wore a dark cloak like a monk. The hood fell, revealing him to be rather old with tidy white hair and a white beard.
"How do you know Daenerys Targaryen?" he demanded.
"We are her Dragon Warriors," said Tohru. "We suggest you move along if you want to live."
"I suggest if you want her to live, you don't blab up and down the streets about her!" the man said, putting his sword down. "Daenerys has more enemies than she realizes."
"Who are you?" asked Kanna.
"Apologies," said the man. "My name is Ser Barristan Selmy. I was a knight loyal to House Targaryen in Westeros."
"Oh," said Tohru. "What are you doing here?"
"The King knows that Daenerys means to come back to claim her throne," said Barristan. "The surviving warlocks of Qarth will also seek revenge. Assassins lurk around every corner for the Princess."
"Oh, geez," said Kanna.
"And how do we know you're not one of them?" asked Tohru.
"The new young King of Westeros is a menace," said Barristan. "He dismissed me on grounds of my being too old. I have served multiple Kings of Westeros out of duty. Now that I'm freed of my duty, I'd like to serve a ruler I can actually believe in. I believe Dany may be that ruler. But, if at any time you feel I am not who I profess, you may strike me down as you see fit, erm, I'm sorry, did you say your name?"
"Ser Tohru," said Tohru. "And this is Ser Kanna."
Barristan cocked his head slightly at the honorific "Ser" being applied to two women, but he didn't question it. He was in Essos, and female knights were not unheard of. There was Brienne of Tarth, after all. "Would you be so kind as to direct me to the Princess?"
Tohru and Kanna nodded. They made a point to keep their hands on the hilts of their arahks as they lead him back towards where Kraznys was giving Dany a tour of his Unsullied.
They found her, Jorah, Lucoa and Shouta near the front of the marketplace. Dany was talking to a small child. The child handed Dany a wooden ball.
"Oh, no," said Barristan. And, in a flash, the old man rushed to Dany's side and knocked the ball out of her hand. The ball cracked open, and a large scorpion-type creature came out of it. Barristan stabbed it with his dagger.
The child poofed away in a puff of smoke.
"What the fuck?" Shouta said.
"Indeed," said Ser Barristan. He knelt before Dany. "Daenerys Targaryen, I was a member of your father's Kingsguard. Having been forced to retire from my position in Westeros, with no love lost between myself and the new joke of a King, I have sought you here in Essos to support your campaign. May I please be a member of your Queensguard?"
Dany looked at everyone in shock.
"Seems legit to me," said Tohru with a shrug.
"Queensguard," Shouta repeated. "Is that what we're calling ourselves now?"
"It is a strange Queensguard, but I think he is right," said Jorah. "It is the same as a Bloodrider, but as Westeros is our goal, we should adopt the Westerosi term."
"Ummm...yes," said Dany. "The more the merrier! Tohru, Kanna, where did you find him?"
"He found us," said Kanna.
"They weren't hard to find," said Barristan. "They were talking about you in public. Something that is very dangerous, as you can see."
"How did you know that kid was a trap?" Shouta asked.
"I didn't," said Barristan. "I simply trust no one and no thing."
Shouta nodded. "Respect."
The next day, Dany requested everyone come with her to make a deal with Kraznys.
"You mean we're going to kill him, right?" Kanna asked.
"We're negotiating, that's all," said Dany.
So they stood beside Dany as she asked Kraznys if she could purchase all 8,000 Unsullied soldiers, including those who were in training.
"Impossible," said Kraznys. "I can sell you 100. That's probably still more than you could afford. As for those in training, it would tarnish our reputation to sell unprepared soldiers."
"What if I give you a dragon?" asked Dany.
The Queensguard sharply inhaled. They looked at each other in panic. Surely she didn't mean to sell a dragon? She referred to them as her own children!
"Sure," said Kraznys. "This is a deal I could make. But I would require your biggest one."
"Done," said Dany.
Jorah spoke. "Princess...what are you doing?"
"You realize the only way your ancestors conquered Westeros was through use of dragons, right?" Barristan added.
"Oh, we should probably tell him about us, shouldn't we?" Tohru whispered to Kanna.
Kanna looked like she was about to cry. "She can't do this! After all of the work I've put into the babies! They will never forgive her! I won't forgive her!"
"Shhh!" Tohru scolded. "I agree it is strange, but I feel there is something else going on here."
Dany took Missandei as insurance for the purchase. The deal was set for tomorrow. After Kraznys's group had left, Dany asked Kanna to please go prepare Drogon.
"No," said Kanna. "Absolutely not."
"Kanna, we don't have a choice," said Dany.
"Of course we do! We have lots of choices! This isn't like you, Dany. I..." And then Kanna had an idea. "I might not agree with you, but, I will comply."
"Th...thanks," said Dany.
That night, when Kanna was alone with the baby dragons, she created a portal. She had a general idea of where she was going, but the dragon she sought preferred to be alone and was thus difficult to find.
She'd smuggled some of the cookies that Tohru had made earlier with her. Standing on the banks of a Japanese lagoon, she started to toss them in. The water began to bubble.
"Yes," Kanna whispered. "Come on!" She dumped the rest out at once, closer to the banks. A large reptilian head poked halfway out of the water, with a swirly horn between the eyes. Kanna locked eyes with her. The creature spat crummy water at Kanna and dipped back under the water. "Oh no you don't!" Kanna said, gripping the horn and being dragged under with her. The creature's body was long like an eel. "Elma!" Kanna said underwater.
Elma's eyes widened. She turned to human form, and they returned to the surface. The two women sat in their wet clothes as waves crashed into them. "Why are you here?" Elma asked. "I thought you and your friends went back to where you belong."
"Well," said Kanna, "we went somewhere else." Elma rolled her eyes. "Elma, I'm sorry we left you hear. It wasn't fair. But I've come to make it right. I can take you out of here and into our new world."
"No," said Elma. "I don't want to go anywhere else. This lake is my home now."
"But this new world we're in...we're not just 'hanging around fucking,' as you used to say," said Kanna.
"Oh, really?" Elma asked.
"No, we're trying to help someone. A princess. She's lost her way. Right now, she's about to do something terrible," said Kanna.
"What do you want from me?" asked Elma.
"I want you to come with me and pretend to be sold to this terrible man-"
"NO!" Elma shouted.
"Wait, just listen," said Kanna.
"I will not be a prostitute for you, Kanna Kamui!"
"Oh, ew, no, that's not what I meant at all," said Kanna. "Look, Elma, there are dragons in this world."
Elma's face softened. "Dragons?"
"Yes," said Kanna. "I'll show you, if you come with me. They're very young, and they don't have magic. I'm the only one who can communicate with them."
"That's interesting," said Elma.
"Will you come?" Kanna asked. "The city we're in is right by the ocean. You'd feel right at home."
"It would be nice to be around my own kind again," said Elma. "Okay. I'll go."
Kanna created another portal, and they went through it. They were back on the ship, and there was a commotion coming from Astapor. "What? It was dark when I left here. Oh, dang, there must be a time difference! Excuse me, Elma, I need to go figure out what's going on."
Elma was staring at the other two dragons. "Yeah, sure," she said.
Kanna ran off the ship and into Astapor, where Unsullied soldiers were killing what seemed like everyone in the city. A man was on fire in the center of the town plaza. She found Jorah. "What is going on?!"
Jorah hugged her. "Kanna, we thought you'd gone!"
"I did go, but I came back," said Kanna. "What happened here?"
"Dany is taking Astapor with its own slaves," said Jorah. "She feels really bad she didn't tell you her plans. She wanted to surprise us."
Kanna rolled her eyes. "Great, I brought Elma here for nothing."
"Who's Elma?" asked Jorah.
Kanna took his hand. "Come on," she said. She lead him through the fray and back onto the ship. "I was going to play a little trick myself. I thought Dany really didn't think she had an alternative, so I was going to give her one." Jorah could tell where this was going. "Jorah, this is Elma," Kanna said, but there was no Elma, and the two dragons were off their chains.
"You brought another dragon here?" Jorah asked.
"Yes! Elma?! Rhaegal, where is Elma? That woman that was just..." Rhaegal cooed. "She left? Where'd she go?" Rhaegal looked down at the water and grumbled. "Oh, no!" Kanna cried. She looked over the edge of the ship into the ocean. "ELMA! ELMA! Jorah, do you have any sweets on you?"
"Sweets?"
"Elma likes sweets. Desserts. Food."
"Oh," said Jorah. "No, I can't say I do."
"Shoot. Why would she go off on her own? She doesn't even know the first thing about this world!" Viserion screeched. Kanna turned around and glared at him. "You did what? Oh, no, Viserion!" Kanna grabbed the chains and angrily bound him again.
"What's wrong now?"
"He called her fat," said Kanna.
"So she understands them too?" Jorah asked.
"She must," said Kanna. "Oh, gods, I've made such a mess! You won't tell Tohru and Lucoa, will you?"
"I...well...seeing as there's nothing we can do, I guess not," said Jorah.
Kanna found a bottle of wine and popped the cork. "Want some?"
"Sure," said Jorah. He sat beside her, and Rhaegal snuggled next to her on the other side. "So, how many other dragons are there?" asked Jorah.
"Lots," said Kanna, "in many parallel realms."
"Where do you come from?" asked Jorah.
"The same place Tohru came from. We just call it Dragonworld."
"Original," laughed Jorah.
"Well, it's actual name is-" She roared loudly. "But we call it Dragonworld when we're with humans."
"Ah, I see," said Jorah.
"So what about you?"
"Hm?"
"Well, I know you're from Westeros. But what's it actually like? And why are you here now?"
"Oh, well, that's not a very pleasant story."
"Not much in this world is pleasant, is it?"
"No, I suppose not," said Jorah. "Okay, you ought to know. My home is called Bear Island. It's nothing like Astapor. It's very cold and wooded. And I...well...I made some mistakes. I married a young woman who wanted more than Bear Island could offer. So, to make money, I did some things I'm not very proud of. And that got me exiled to Essos, where I joined a sellsword company over here until pledging myself to House Targaryen."
"Oh," said Kanna. "So you're married?!"
"No, no, not anymore," said Jorah. "She ran off with someone else. I'm sure she's very happy now."
"Oh," said Kanna sadly. "Do you still care for her?"
"Well, I destroyed my life for her," he said, taking a big pull from the bottle. "I imagine I would do it all again. It is one of my faults. At any rate, my tragic past lead me here to Dany. That has been the greatest blessing of my life."
"Right," Kanna said darkly. "You still love her?"
"Dany reminds me of my wife. Ex-wife. She too was a young woman way too good for me."
"Oh," said Kanna. "Well, you're surely the best man I've run into into in this world."
"Oh, stop," said Jorah. "You've not met merely enough. I am not a good man, Kanna."
"I don't care who you were in the past. What matters is who you are now," said Kanna.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you know what I was," said Jorah.
"I can't imagine you doing anything bad," said Kanna.
"I sold slaves, Kanna," said Jorah.
"Oh, shit," said Kanna.
They didn't get a chance to continue, because Tohru rushed onto the ship. "We're leaving," she said. "On foot. With all the Unsullied. Oh, man, what a day! Free the baby dragons! Team Targaryen for the win! WOOOHOOO!"
