Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the all the reviews and the kind words, your support only makes me want to write this story faster! I'm glad most of you are enjoying the story so far and I hope you like the little twist that I've come up with in this chapter. Be sure to let me know what you think :)

Chapter 26: Obstacles

Swallowing a groan, Maliya squinted and blinked rapidly in the bright light. She sat up and rotated the pins and needles out of her right arm with a wince and a frown. When did she even fall asleep? Looking around, her eyes fell on Meraxes who let out a yawn to match hers, looking as sleepy as she still felt. "Seven hells, Dacey, I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to fall asleep," Maliya apologized, looking over at the other woman, who was keeping watch.

"No need to apologize, Your Grace," Dacey replied easily. "With everything that you've been going through recently, it's bound to take a toll on your body. It's no wonder that you're so tired lately."

"I don't have time to be tired," Maliya frowned, feeling incredibly annoyed with herself. She forced herself to sit up further, angrily rubbing the heels of her palms over her eyes until she saw bright spots. "We've already lingered here for too long making that contraption for Meraxes." They both glanced over at the small crate contraption that Daemon designed and had built in town. "We're going to have to keep her fed and happy before putting her in there, she's going to hate it."

Dacey's gaze was understanding. "It feels wrong to even think about putting a dragon in a cage," she said, her tone gentling. "But we've talked through all our options. There's no way to smuggle her on a ship without some way to conceal her. Thankfully both Meraxes and the cage are small enough for us to carry and we can just throw a cloak over it."

Maliya nodded, looking down and lying a hand on Meraxes' side as she leisurely stretched. "How long has Daemon been gone for? Do you think he's had any luck today?"

"I hope so," Dacey said, glancing over her shoulder to where Daemon disappeared to an hour or two ago. "Saltpans isn't the biggest trading port, but it's been three days now and different ships are coming and going everyday." Dacey patted the bag next to her. "We can cook the rest of the chicken as soon Daemon comes back and gives us the all clear. Then you can feed it to Meraxes before we board the ship."

"Actually, I was thinking about that," Maliya said slowly, glancing up at Dacey speculatively. "How would you feel if I asked you to feed her?"

Dacey's eyes widened drastically and Maliya didn't miss the flicker of fear in her eyes as they flickered to the white dragon. "Me? Feed her? Why? Shouldn't you do it?"

"I've had Meraxes for less than a fortnight and she's already been hostile anytime any one has tried to approach me," Maliya answered, shifting as she voiced something that had been worrying her for a while now. "I don't want her to be aggressive with people I consider friends and family. We're going to be spending a lot of time in close quarters and I want her to be comfortable around both you and Daemon. It might take some time, but I figure the best way to get her to like you is if you both are giving her something that she needs and wants, which is food."

Dacey glanced at the dragon warily again but before she could answer, a figure in a cloak stepped out from between the trees. She swiftly stood, her sword half out of its sheath before Daemon lowered his hood, his hands raised and a satisfied grin on his face. "I'm guessing from the look on your face that you've finally had some success?" Maliya asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I did," Daemon confirmed, his grin growing as Dacey shoved her sword back in its sheath with an annoyed look and sat back down. "After days of haggling and looking at ships with absolutely disgusting conditions, I finally found one that suits our needs. As close to what we need as I'm going to be able to find, anyway."

"What does that mean?" Maliya asked with a frown.

"Saltpans isn't one of Westeros' main trading ports and according to the captains that I've spoken to, word is spreading that most of Westeros has dissolved into war, which means thst most of the people who could afford to buy such luxuries as Myrish lace are now spending their coins on this war," Daemon explained, collapsing next to the both of them with a sigh. "We would be waiting here forever trying to find a ship that would take us directly to Astapor, but I think I've found the next best thing. There's a small ship that's headed to Myr. The captain says there are several trading cogs and carracks that travel to the other Free Cities as well as Slaver's Bay."

"So we can take this ship to Myr, then take another ship to Astapor," Dacey concluded, nodding slowly.

"It looks like our only choice," Daemon told them, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Especially if we want to travel to Astapor by sea instead of over land."

"Traveling by land is too risky with Meraxes," Maliya pointed out again. "We don't know the type of people we're going to come across."

"Right, plus traveling by land will most likely take longer," Daemon agreed. "The only problem is this is going to cost us. We'll have to pay for a cabin on the ships plus extra to leave us alone and keep their mouths shut about anything they may see or hear. Prince Oberyn brought money for us like I asked, but even still it's going to cost us a lot. I don't know how much we'll have left by the time we reach Astapor."

"We already left Shadow close to the Northern army's camp so that they will find him, and both Daemon and I sold our horses since neither of us have any special attachment to them and we won't need them any longer," Dacey offered. "That should give us some extra spending money."

"And I already volunteered to help out around the ship during the journey to help pay for our passage across the sea," Daemon volunteered, a certain light in his blue eyes. "I don't have much experience with it, but I'm sort of looking forward to all of this. Ships, the open sea, a new adventure… it's all sort of exciting, isn't it?"

Dacey rolled her eyes but Maliya couldn't help quirk a small smile. "Part of me is excited about the prospect of finding part of a family that I never got the chance to know, another part is scared of leaving and the last part is worried that we're not even going to make it there," Maliya confessed, picking at a loose thread of the worn down dress she was wearing.

"We'll make it there," Daemon told her confidently, sending her one of his trademark brilliant smiles. "I promise."

"Thanks," Maliya murmured, feeling slightly choked up as she looked between the two of them. "I know how much both of you are giving up by coming with me and I want you to know how much I appreciate it." She glanced over at Daemon again. "When do we leave?"

"Before the sun rises."

"Alright," Maliya nodded, pushing her sentimental feelings to the side and focusing on the task at hand. "Let's go over the plan one more time." She missed the look of exasperation that passed between Dacey and Daemon. "Westeros and the rest of the world believe that Queen Maliya Stark is dead, so I'm going to have to pick yet another new name. So until we reach my aunt, until we can determine if she'll help us or if she has the Targaryen madness or not, my name is Lusia. My father was Dornish but I never knew him. My mother is from the Riverlands where she worked in a small bread shop. She passed away a couple moons ago and I'm traveling to find my older brother who left several years ago." She pointed to Daemon. "You are my childhood friend who agreed to accompany me and Dacey, we met you along the way and you're looking to leave Westeros because of the war. Keeping it simple will raise the least amount of suspicion, but it's best not to tell anyone anything."

"Your Grace – "

Maliya raised a hand and cut Dacey off. "No more 'Your Grace,' Dacey, I'm not your queen anymore."

Dacey gave her a look. "Robb Stark is my King and you are his wife, which makes you my Queen. I understand that we can't acknowledge you as such in front of others, but it doesn't change the fact that we are traveling to a foreign land with different languages, cultures and customs. We're still going to keep you safe and protect you with our lives."

"Again, I appreciate it," Maliya responded with a smile. "We just need to be careful around others. Which reminds me, I'm going to need a weapon since I left my sword at the inn. Daemon, would you have an extra dagger I could borrow? If memory serves you carry half a dozen hidden on your person at all times."

"I'm flattered that you remember," Daemon grinned, winking at her before proceding to pull daggers and knives from seemingly every crevice of his body. He pulled two smaller knives from his boots and two daggers from his sword belt before his eyes lit up. "Oh, I have something that would work for you." He stood, hurrying over to his bag before rummaging through it. "It's a bit cumbersome with the sword belt so I haven't been wearing it, but it will be easier for you."

Maliya reached out to take the leather belt from him, a thoughtful look on her face as she examined it. Realizing what she was looking at, she looked up at Daemon with wide eyes. "Is this – "

He nodded, already guessing her question, his grin widening. "One of Nym's designs. She's a fucking genius with concealed weaponry." Standing, Maliya moved her cloak to the side and pulled the leather belt around her waist to see how it fit. "It buckles around the side so that it isn't obvious to others," he instructed as she tightened the straps.

It was perfect, of course, Nymeria's designs always were. It didn't exactly fit with her ragged dress, but the belt was plain enough to not be too noticeable. Her fingers traced the leather, both hands reaching around to where two small daggers were sheathed at the small of her back. As long as she had her cloak on or was wearing a loose fitting dress, the daggers were hidden and nobody would know that she was armed. "This is exactly what I need. Would it be alright if I borrowed this?"

"You can have it," he shrugged easily. "It's no use to anybody just sitting in my bag."

"Thanks Daemon," she grinned, pulling out the daggers and twirling them between her fingers, practicing sheathing and unsheathing them. "What do you think?" Maliya asked softly, bending down to hold one out to Meraxes. The white dragon leisurely stretched her neck out, sniffing the metal for a second. "Not that interesting to you, is it," Maliya murmured with an affectionate smile as she snorted lightly and began wandering around their small camp.

"So, Lusia," Dacey said, pausing, her eyes trailing over Maliya's hair with a slight grimace. "Before we leave, would you mind if I fixed your hair?" She asked, pulling out her dagger and held it up. "It looks like you hacked at it with a sword."

Maliya's hand jumped to her hair, fingering the messy, uneven edges self consciously. "I did hack at it with a sword," she mumbled, giving her a speculative look. "Do you even know what you're doing?"

Dacey's eyebrow slowly rose. "Honestly, could I make it look any worse?"

Maliya frowned for a second, thinking, before shrugging and giving in. "I suppose not." Dacey gave her a triumphant smile before moving to sit behind her and getting to work. It didn't take too long to even out the strands of her hair and Maliya was pleased with the reflection that she saw in the blade of Dacey's dagger.

There was very little conversation as the night wore on. Most of the time was spent being entertained by every small thing that Meraxes did. It was a miracle that dragons even existed, let alone that she had a perfect one right in front of her. So many questions ran through her mind, questions that she hoped she would be able to ask her aunt.

How fast does a dragon grow? When will she be able to fly or breathe fire? How much does a dragon eat as it gets bigger? When will I be able ride her?

That was what she has been looking forward to the most. Flying. She couldn't help but remember her dream or vision with the blonde haired woman and the other dragons, that feeling of complete exhilaration and a sense of belonging. Even the thought of it was addicting.

When they woke up early the next morning, they risked a small fire in order to cook the rest of the chicken. Maliya helped an extremely nervous Dacey give most of her portion to Meraxes, feeding her more than her usual amount until the dragon was lazily blinking and yawning. She didn't put up much of a protest when Maliya slowly put her in the small cage, just promptly fell asleep.

Daemon carefully slung the cage over his shoulder and onto his back and Maliya helped drape a small blanket over it so Meraxes wasn't visible. "Are you ready?" Dacey asked solemnly, looking between the two of them.

Maliya kicked dirt over the dwindling flames to put them out before bending down to pick up her own bag, which only contained a spare dress and underclothes and the poison from Tyene. She touched the daggers hidden at the small of her back beneath her cloak for comfort before she took a deep breath and nodded.

Maliya could see the beginnings of the suns rays peeking out over the horizon as they made their way through the still slumbering town of Saltpans. She pulled the hood of her cloak up as they drew near the harbor, where only a handful of ships were bobbing gently in the waters. None of the ships were very large or even very clean looking. "The smaller cog on the end is the one we're looking for," Daemon said over his shoulder, pointing as they walked down the dock. "Captain's name is Morsh. I paid enough to secure us a cabin on the ship, but it's not going to be very large and all three of us are going to have to share it."

"That's alright," Maliya responded, waving away his concerns. Her attention was soley focused on the ship and the open sea in front of them. Nervous flutters were gathering in her stomach at the thought of their voyage ahead. They climbed onboard the ship that was apparently called The Adventure, and a dirty looking man with a large stomach and a scraggly black beard came up to greet them. He gruffly introduced himself as the captain, but Maliya was only half-listening as he and Daemon spoke and the owed money changed hands.

"This way," Captain Morsh grunted, his beady eyes greedily counting the money in the small bag Daemon had given him. Morsh led them down the steps below deck and Maliya crinkled her nose at the smell that wafted off him. "Crew arrives soon, we push off in an hour. You'll be staying in here," he told them once they reached the lower decks and threw open a door.

They entered the room and looked around, taking in the hammocks hanging from the ceiling and the buckets lined up against the walls. Maliya jumped and Dacey let out a loud curse as the largest rat she had ever seen gave a loud squeak and ran between their legs out of the room. "This room is dark and damp," she said loudly, sending a glare at the captain. "And what is that smell?"

"Rats get onboard when we make port," the captain shrugged unconcernedly. "We transported some chickens and shit a while back and never got the smell out. Pretty boy 'ere says you need passage to Myr, but if my ship is not to your liking - "

"It's fine," Maliya interjected, sending Dacey a quick look. "Thank you."

Morsh grunted, not caring in the slightest. "Be upstairs when the crew gets 'ere," he ordered Daemon as he brushed past him. He stopped in the doorway and turned back, his beady eyes finding both Maliya and Dacey, a creepy grin crossing his face. "The men aren't used to 'aving women on board." His smile grew, showing his crooked, yellowing teeth. "If I were you, I'd stay out of sight."

"So how long will it take to reach Myr?" Dacey asked Daemon once the captain left, crossing her arms and sending him a hard look. The disgust was evident in her voice and written over every inch of her face.

"It should only take a fortnight or two. I know it's not ideal, but it was the only thing I could find on such short notice," Daemon explained, the hint of an apology in his voice as he walked further into the room and gently set Meraxes' crate on the floor. "We're lucky we found anything at all."

"It's fine, Daemon," Maliya assured him, setting her bag next to one of the hammocks and gingerly sitting down to test it out. "It's disgusting and it smells terrible but it shouldn't be for that long. We just have to mind our own business, stay out of trouble and we will reach Myr soon." Maliya tried her best to remain positive and upbeat even though she disliked this as much as Dacey did. There was no light, it was dank and the thought of being stuck down there for days at a time was enough to make her queasy. This whole journey had been her idea, though, she wasn't allowed to whine or complain. "Everything is going to be alright," she murmured, rising from the hammock and moving toward Meraxes. She crouched down, pulling the blanket off it and peering down at her dragon, who blinked up at her sleepily. "It has to be."

Maliya's knuckles gripped the railing tightly as she leaned over the side and was violently sick, heaving until there was nothing left. Groaning slightly, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, brushing her hair back with the other and closing her eyes. "I have two feet on dry land. Why does it feel like I'm still on a ship in the middle of the ocean?" she moaned, the back of her hand coming up to cover her mouth, swallowing hard as the bile rose in her throat once more.

Dacey rubbed a comforting hand on her back, looking sympathetic. "I grew up on an island, I've seen this many times. When you've been out at sea for a while it takes a day or two to get used to the sensation of being back on land again."

"A day or two?" Maliya repeated, dismayed. She carefully opened her eyes again, steadying herself against the railing as the ground kept rocking before turning to Dacey. "Daemon said he found two possible ships for us. What did he call them again?"

"There's two merchant trading ships, either a carrack or a swan ship. Come on, walking should help," Dacey said gently, picking up Meraxes cage and putting it over her shoulder. "Both are bigger than the ship we came here on, which is better for long voyages," she continued as they walked along the water front. "It might also be better for your stomach, you probably won't feel the rocking of the waves as much."

"And how long do you think it will take to get there?" Maliya asked casually, looking around. It was unfortunate that they couldn't stay in Myr longer than a day. It really was quite beautiful and interesting here. The view looking out at the Sea of Myrth from the docks was breathtaking with the sun glinting off the waters. Different temples and shrines lined the streets along with the shops, and people were talking and shouting loudly in a language that sounded a bit like Valyrian. The only thing Maliya would never be able to get used to was the amount of slaves she saw. They were all collared and branded and they were everywhere.

"A full moon, possibly two." Maliya bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from groaning again. She was so tired of getting sick at least once a day. Apparently, her stomach and ships didn't get along well. Dacey sent her a sideways glance. "I'm assuming you've never been on a ship before?"

An almost forgotten memory surfaced to the front of her mind, sobering her mood even further. "I have, actually, during the Usurper's war. The man who smuggled me out of King's Landing took me to Dorne by ship. I don't remember much – just the smell of the ocean and an overwhelming sense of fear."

"How old were you?" Dacey asked quietly.

"Three. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I don't remember more." She paused, a familiar head of sandy brown hair catching her eye. "Look, there's Daemon," she said, waving to catch his attention and attempting a smile when he headed in their direction, a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Here, I got you this," he said once he reached them, handing her half a loaf of bread. "It should help settle your stomach. The Seven knows you haven't been able to keep anything down since we boarded The Adventure."

"Thanks," she murmured gratefully, taking a few bites and saying a quick prayer that she would be able to keep this down. She put the bread in her bag in case she grew hungry later.

"I also bought some dried meat as well as some spare clothes. I don't know about the two of you, but I'd like to burn the ones that I wore on that ship. Think Mera will be able to help us out with that soon?" He asked, patting the crate gently.

Maliya shot him an annoyed look. "You are not calling my fearsome dragon 'Mera,' Daemon. Call her that again and I'll shave your head in your sleep," she snapped, crossing her arms.

Dacey's eyebrows shot up in surprise at her tone, but Daemon gave her a scandalized look, both hands immediately raising in the air. "I'll do anything you want, just don't touch my hair," he pleaded teasingly, the corner of his lips twitching. Maliya rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips, her annoyance evaporating just as quickly as it appeared.

"It's probably for the best that Meraxes can't breathe fire yet," Dacey told them, lowering her voice as a small group of people walked by. "She's been cagey and irritated lately and if she could breathe fire, she'd probably set the ship aflame."

"Can you blame her?" Maliya asked, understanding a lot of Meraxes' irritation. "She was just stuck in the same small room with nothing but cooked fish for every meal. It must be incredibly hard for a dragon to be trapped without a view of the sky, even if she can't fly yet." A small noise came from the direction of the crate along with the sound of claws scrabbling against wood. "She's getting restless. We need to let her out before she draws too much attention to us."

"We will shortly. This next ship is infinitely better," Dameon promised, patting her shoulder reassuringly. He gestured for them to follow him as he explained what he'd found. "I've chosen to go with the swan ship for a few reasons. The captain and his crew were open and friendly. Most of them are from the Summer Isles, so they've been traveling from city to city trading goods. The ship itself seemed clean and it's definitely the type of ship made for long voyages. They are also protected by a handful of archers in case they are attacked."

"It sounds almost too good to be true," Dacey commented lightly.

"Ignore her, Daemon," Maliya said, sending her a quick warning glance. Both of them were very different people from very different places and they ended up bickering often. "It sounds great."

"It's quite perfect actually," Daemon corrected, smirking slightly at Dacey. "The crew could use an extra man, so I volunteered to help out again. This ship is just very different than the other, but the basics should be pretty much the same. The Moonrunner is a three-masted ship, though, so hopefully the crew will be more willing to teach me."

"I envy your ability to so easily and fluidly move from one situation to the next, Daemon," Maliya sighed, looping her arm with his. "I must say it's one of your best qualities."

"One of many," he boasted with a grin, blue eyes twinkling. "Come on, this is us."

Maliya shaded her eyes with one hand as she tilted her head back to take in the ship. It was at least double the size of The Adventure, with half a dozen large, white sails and a figurehead of some type of large bird that she didn't recognize. "Ah, Daemon!" They all looked up to see a large, ebony skinned man standing near the rail, a grin on his face as he waved. "Come on up!" Daemon waved back before leading the way up the ramp and on to the ship. The man's smile was bright against his skin as he clasped Daemon's forearm in greeting. "Welcome aboard The Moonrunner," he said, turning to her and Dacey. "My name is Captain Tabo Zhoxa and we are very pleased to have you join us on our journey."

"We're very grateful for your generosity," Dacey smiled. "Not all captains would have been so accommodating. My name is Dacey and this is Lusia."

"It's nice to meet you," Maliya greeted, attempting to smile as well. A bone deep fatigue had settled over her and suddenly all she wanted to do was crawl into a bed and sleep. She looked around at all the ropes and complicated rigging, at the men hustling about, shouting and getting the ship ready for departure as she looked for something to say. "Your ship is beautiful."

"She is, isn't she?" Captain Tabo said proudly, patting the wooden rail. "I've had her almost ten years now. Come on, I'll give you a tour."

Both Dacey and Maliya smiled and nodded every time the captain turned around and looked at them with a wide smile on his face, looking to see if they were impressed with all the different parts of the ship. He spoke loudly, gesturing with his hands as he talked, pausing every so often to introduce them to some of his crew. Maliya figured that Dacey knew a fair bit more about ships than her, but Daemon was hanging onto every word that the captain said with the most serious expression she had ever seen on his face.

"Are you alright, Yo - Lusia?" Dacey asked her, concern on her face as Maliya started to lag behind. "You look a bit pale."

"Yes, of course," Maliya answered, quickly trying to reassure her. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she smiled up at the taller woman. "I'm just feeling a little tired, that's all. No, Dacey, really I'm – "

Too late. "Captain Tabo?" Dacey spoke up, moving over to him as she interrupted him and Daemon. "I'm sorry, would you be able to show us to where we will be staying? We're quite tired from our journey and we'd like to be able to put our things down."

"Yes, yes, my apologies! Listen to me, blathering on," he chuckled, gesturing them towards the stairs leading below deck. "Daemon told me about the conditions on the last ship you were on. Just despicable! I can't promise that you won't see an occasional rat or two, but if my ship isn't in better condition than the last one you were on, I give you persmission to toss me overboard."

"I don't think that will be necessary," Dacey chuckled, looking around with her eyebrows raised. "We'd be hard pressed to find a better ship than this one."

Maliya had to hide an amused and tired smile as pride shone through the captain's eyes at the compliment. With her tall, willowy figure, rich, chestnut brown hair and hazel green eyes, Dacey Mormont was a striking woman and she knew how to use that to her advantage when necessary. Maliya may not have known Dacey too well before this journey, but she learned that it was hard not to like her. She was smart, a good fighter and she was loyal to Robb and by extension, Maliya.

She really couldn't have found two better people to accompany her on this journey.

"Daemon mentioned that this is a merchant ship. What do you trade?" Maliya asked, trying to make conversation as they reached the lower deck.

"Lots of things," Captain Tabo answered, spreading his arms wide. "The Summer Islands are rich in emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. We have nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, many different types of wood and exotic fruits and wines. We are well known for our goldenheart wood, which make the best bows in the world and only grows on our islands of Jhala and Omboru."

"Where else do you trade?" Daemon asked curiously.

"We trade in many different places. Myr, Kings Landing, Oldtown, Braavos and Qarth, mostly." Maliya's ears perked up at the mention of Qarth, though she tried her best not to let it reflect on her face. That was where her uncle had received reports of her aunt's latest whereabouts, before she had her dream or vision about Astapor. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he had heard any recent rumors of three dragons, but she stopped herself at the last minute, figuring that would draw too much attention as a first impression. She didn't want anyone feeling suspicious or asking questions.

They passed several cargo spaces used to hold their trading goods, most of which were stored in large crates and boxes. The captain stopped at the end of the corridor. "This is where you'll be staying," he told them, gesturing into a room that was small, but cleaner than the last one they stayed in. He allowed them to file in ahead of them before continuing. "We eat three meals a day. Our day starts early, we break our fast as the sun rises, then another meal midday and another as the sun sets. We're making a stop at Lys to retock our supplies and to trade some of our goods then we make our way to Qarth. Is there anything else that you need?" He asked, looking between the three of them.

"I think we have everything that we need, thank you," Daemon said graciously, reaching out to shake the captain's hand again. "I'll be up shortly to help you all set off."

Another smile split Captain Tabo's face as he nodded, closing the cabin door behind him and leaving them alone. "Here, put her down," Maliya murmured, helping Dacey take the crate off her shoulder and carefully place her on the floor. She took the blanket off, and unlatched the crate door. "There you go."

Meraxes eagerly left the confines of the crate, stretching out her neck and flapping her wings. All of them were watching her curiously inspect her new surroundings with smiles on their faces. "She really doesn't like that crate," Dacey commented lightly. "If dragons could smile, she would be smiling right now."

"She's actually been behaving far better than I could have hoped for," Maliya told them, wearily going over to one of the hanging hammocks, putting down her bag and sitting down with a relieved sigh. Her eyes followed Meraxes as she walked around, sniffing and checking out the room. "As long as we keep her well fed, she's been pretty quiet. I'm not sure how these people would react if they learned she existed."

"I'll go up to help the crew and ask around to see if they have any meat or fish," Daemon volunteered.

"Thank you," Maliya said gratefully as Daemon put his bag down on another hammock. "That would be a big help. It's probably just about time for Meraxes to eat again." He nodded and left.

The small white dragon picked her head up at the sound of her voice, her golden eyes landing on her. She let out a small cry before making her way toward Maliya, climbing up her leg before settling in her lap and curling herself up comfortably. Maliya smiled down at her, running a careful finger down her spine, taking care of the small spikes.

"Looks like she knows her name," Dacey said gently. She came over to them, moving steadily so as not to startle Meraxes. The dragon picked her head up as Dacey crouched in front of them. Glancing quickly up at Maliya, Dacey slowly reached her hand out towards Meraxes, freezing instantly as Meraxes stood up in a flash, her golden eyes narrowed. Maliya watched the pair of them, holding her breath and ready to intervene at a moment's notice. Meraxes didn't let out an angry hiss like she normally would. She held perfectly still for a long moment as if preparing herself to strike, but instead she decisively moved her head forward, allowing Dacey to touch her.

Dacey let out a noise that sounded like a mixture between a gasp and a chuckle, grinning excitedly as she looked up at Maliya. "Did you see that?" She asked breathlessly as Meraxes curled back up once more, completely unconcerned with what was happening. "Seven hells, I just touched a dragon! I mean sure, the dragon is about the size of a kitten, but how many people can say they've done that?"

"Not many," Maliya answered, tilting her head to the side with a tired smile. "It'll be a great story to tell your grandchildren."

Dacey snorted and rolled her eyes. "First I'd have to find myself a man in order for that to happen," she joked, glancing over at Maliya when she didn't laugh or react in any way. "Are you sure you're alright?" Dacey asked, a concerned frown tugging at her lips as her green eyes searched Maliya's face. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Maliya said again, putting a reassuring hand on Dacey's shoulder. "I'm just tired, that's all, I think I need some sleep."

"Alright," Dacey nodded slowly, still looking at her as if she might keel over at any moment. "Well, you get some sleep and I'll take watch and make sure no one comes in here."

"Thanks Dacey," Maliya murmured, picking up Meraxes and shifting in the hammock until she was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling with her dragon snuggled against her chest, radiating a comforting warmth. Her eyelids immediately felt heavy, the exhaustion overtaking her as her body relaxed. "I only need a couple minutes," she mumbled incoherently as the world faded and she drifted off to sleep.

Maliya headed up the stairs, her right hand moving along the wall for balance, silently thanking Dacey for volunteering to watch over Meraxes while the dragon slept. She paused for a moment when she reached the top, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, savoring the feeling of the sun shining on her face and the wind blowing strands of hair across her face. "Hello, Lusia. We haven't seen you up here in a couple days. How are you feeling?"

Maliya opened her eyes and saw Jantara, the captain's daughter, standing in front of her. "Morning, Jantara." She gave the older girl a genuine smile. Jantara was taller than her, with an athletic build and strong, muscled arms, which was due to years of using a goldenheart bow. She was one of five of the red archers on the ship and she cut an intimidating figure. Her skin was as dark as her father's and her black hair was long, layered with small braids and brightly colored feathers. "I'm feeling better, I think. Enough to come up and get some fresh air, anyway. Where are we?" She asked, looking out at sea as they walked around the edge of the ship and spotting several islands in the distance.

"Right now we're sailing through the Stepstones," Jantara told her, greeting some of the working men as they passed. "It's not the safest of paths, but there's no other way."

"Is that why you're wearing your bow?" Maliya asked, nodding toward the bow and arrow strung across her back.

"Yes. The Stepstones are home to numerous pirate dens. Don't worry," Jantara added, catching the worried look on Maliya's face and smiling confidently. "The pirates are aware that the swan ships come from the Summer Isles and that they're well guarded. They know that we're not an easy target and they know better than to attack our ships. In my opinion it's the storms we have to be wary of."

"Lusia!" Both women turned to see Daemon approaching them. Working on this ship definitely seemed to suit him. His skin was tanned and his hair lighter from working in the sun. He had ripped the sleeves off his shirt, exposing his muscled arms, which Maliya could see Jantara eyeing appreciatively as he stopped in front of them, his ever present smile on his face. "I brought you some dried, slightly stale biscuits. It was either that or tasteless, runny oatmeal."

"Thanks." Maliya took the bisuits from him, smiling up at him and meeting his blue eyes. Blue eyes that twinkled and shone in the sunlight, but blue eyes that were a lighter shade than the ones that she had come to know and love. A pang of longing swept through her and she dropped her gaze, taking a bite of the biscuit to hide the sadness in her expression.

"Are there no biscuits for me?" Jantara asked Daemon with a teasing smile on her face.

"Jantara, my sweet, all you had to do was ask. You know that I'm helpless to resist you," he replied smoothly, eyes alight as he looked at her. Maliya looked between the pair of them, neither or which seemed to realize she was still standing there. Her eyebrows slowly raised as she practically felt the attraction between them.

"Daemon!" One of the other members of the crew called, waving him over to help with the sails. Daemon winked at Jantara and smiled at Maliya before jogging off.

"What is the relationship between you and Daemon?" Jantara asked delicately, her eyes still on his retreating back. When Maliya looked up at her quizzically, she elaborated. "He takes care of you, makes sure you're eating. Are the two of you together? Do you make love?"

Maliya nearly choked on her biscuit. "No," she croaked, her eyes watering slightly. "No, we don't make love." She couldn't help her amused smile at the thought and the words itself. "Daemon is like a brother to me, we grew up in the same village."

"I'm going to make love to him," Jantara announced decisively, nodding her head once. "Tonight."

Maliya didn't think her eyebrows could rise any higher, but they did. She had no idea how to respond to that bold statement. "I'm sure he would enjoy that," she said awkwardly, her voice rising at the end and making it sound more like a question.

"Yes, he would, I'm really very good." Jantara glanced at Maliya's uncomfortable expression and her smile only widened. "It is amusing to me that you Westerosi are so ashamed by something so natural. On the Summer Isles, it is second nature to breathing. We make love to celebrate life and we make love to celebrate the dead."

"Can you tell me more about your home?" Maliya asked curiously as they started walking around the deck again. "It sounds like an interesting place." They hit an unusually large wave and Maliya's stomach lifted and dropped along with the ship. She swallowed harshly against the nausea, hurriedly lifting a biscuit and taking a bite in the hopes that it would settle her stomach.

"It is a beautiful place," Jantara amended, her eyes holding a faraway look in them as she spoke. "About fifty islands make up the Summer Isles, but three of them are the largest and the most important. Jhala is the largest island, and Walano has the most people. It's where Tall Trees Town is located, the religious heart of all of the Summer Isles. Then there's Koj, where all of our Swan Ships are built."

"Fifty islands," Maliya murmured in amazement, tucking hair behind her ear to stop it from blowing in her face. "How do you rule fifty islands? Do you have a king?"

"The islands are split between several princes and princesses."

Maliya thought of the war ravaged, torn apart state of Westeros with four kings fighting for control of one throne and frowned. "That must be difficult to have so many different rulers."

"Not at all," Jantara shrugged easily. "The Summer Isles are a peaceful place, mostly untouched by the wars you Westerosi are so fond of. If there is a war, a day and time is chosen by a priest. The two disagreeing parties meet at the battlefield armed with spears and slings. Such fights rarely last more than a day. The survivors on the side that loses are exiled and those who are victorious gain what they leave behind."

Maliya stared up at her in disbelief. "That's it? That's not a war, Jantara, it sounds more like a tournament melee!" She thought back to the burned down houses and destroyed crops that she saw while passing through the Riverlands. "That's - that's incredible! No innocent people would have to get hurt or die…" she trailed off, her eyes wide as her mind raced. "More places should follow your example."

"The world would be much safer if they did," Jantara agreed quietly.

"Seven hells, Jantara was not joking when she said we should be wary of these storms," Maliya moaned, huddled against the wall with a bucket clutched tightly in her arms. She braced herself against the nausea as the ship rolled once more, making the hammocks swing wildly. Dacey threw out a hand against the wall to balance herself and Meraxes flapped her wings in agitation, letting out a displeased screech.

"At least the sound of the thunder and the waves crashing against the ship will cover the sounds that Meraxes is making," Dacey said in a loud voice, trying to look on the bright side.

"Do you think Daemon is alright?" Maliya gasped, her entire body tensing as the ship headed straight up and then down another wave. "What if he gets swept overboard?"

"Daemon will be fine," Dacey assured her with a slight roll of her eyes. "Haven't you heard him talking about all the different kinds of sails, and masts and rigging? He's probably beside himself with excitement up there."

"What if our ship gets blown off course?" Maliya asked fretfully. Once she started thinking of these scary situations, she found that she couldn't stop and her anxiety only grew. "What if we get shipwrecked at sea or stranded on an island? Then all this – faking my death, telling Robb I was still alive, trying to find my aunt – all of it would be for nothing, Dacey, and I don't think I could live with that! If we're even still alive at the end of this, which – " she froze, grimacing as another large wave tossed the ship around. "- may not be likely at this point."

"We are not going to die," Dacey told her firmly, pointing a finger in her direction with her eyebrows raised. "It's not going to happen, I won't allow it."

Maliya let out an exasperated, unamused laugh. "You can't control everything! You can't possibly – " A wave crashed into the ship, bigger than the ones before. It sent the ship lurching sideways and then there was the terrible sound of wood breaking apart as they hit something. Maliya slid across the floor, Meraxes went screeching past, claws scrabbling for purchase and Dacey, who had been standing, stumbled and slammed into the opposite wall.

When the ship righted itself again, Maliya hunched over the bucket still clutched in her arms, emptying the contents of her stomach. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when she was finished and looked around, wincing at the digusting taste. Meraxes was ruffling her wings in displeasure, her eyes narrowed but looking relatively unharmed. Dacey, on the other hand, was still hunched against the wall with her head bent down and her hair covering her face.

"Meraxes," she murmured, holding a hand out to the white dragon and feeling slightly reassured when she stepped into her hand, climbing up her arm and moving to perch on her shoulder. "Dacey?" Maliya called, putting her bucket to the side and carefully moving into kneeling position. "Dacey, are you alright?"

Dacey straightened slightly, shaking the hair back from her face. Pain was etched on every inch of her face and her teeth were clenched as she panted heavily. "Dislocated my shoulder," she grunted, her left arm hanging unnaturally in front of her body, her right hand clutching it protectively. "I'm gunna – I'm going to need to you to… fix it."

"Fix it?" Maliya repeated, bewildered, shaking her head. "I don't know how to do that. Once the storm passes, I'm sure someone from the crew will know how to help – "

"It feels like there are a thousand swords in my shoulder," Dacey told her loudly, looking over at her with agony in her green eyes as she moved to the center of the room. "And the longer we wait, the worse it gets. It's happened to me before, I know what needs to be done."

Maliya was still shaking her head, her eyes wide. "Dacey, please, I don't – "

"I need you, Maliya," Dacey pleaded, stifling a cry as she carefully laid down on her back. "I need you to do this. Please."

Maliya swallowed, her eyes bouncing from Dacey to the door of their cabin as if she were expecting someone to come in and help them. "Alright," she whispered finally, hesitantly nodding. She shuffled closer to Dacey's left side, taking a deep breath and trying not to be sick again at the sight of the shoulder bone popping out beneath the skin. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Take my hand and move it until it's pointed towards you," she instructed, and Maliya gently moved her arm until it was ninety degrees away from her body. "You're going to pull my arm while slowly moving it upwards above my head," she panted. "It will probably help to put your feet against my body for leverage."

Feeling incredibly nervous, Maliya did as she was told, grasping Dacey's hand between both of her own. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, pausing. "I don't want to hurt you – "

"Just do it." Dacey closed her closed her eyes in preparation of the pain, a muscle in her jaw twitching as she took several deep breaths in through her nose. "On the count of three. 1…2…" Maliya pulled as hard as she could, moving her arm upwards. She heard the popping noise even over the sound of Dacey's screams, both of which sent chills down Maliya's spine.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Maliya chanted, letting go of Dacey's hand and shifting to kneel over her, her hands hovering uselessly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm… fine," Dacey gasped, involuntary tears leaking out of her eyes and trailing into her hair. She took a few deep breaths, blinking the tears away before slowly sitting up, her arm still cradled to her chest. "I'm not in as much pain anymore. It'll be a few weeks before it's back to normal, but at least I can move it now." Maliya watched as Dacey took off her cloak with her right hand and tossed it to her. "Do me a favor and make a sling out of this, will you?"

"How often does this happen to you?" Maliya asked, still feeling shaken by the whole thing. She reached behind her and pulled out one of her daggers, cutting part of the cloak before ripping it the rest of the way.

"This will be the third time," Dacey muttered, wincing as Maliya placed her arm in the sling and tied it behind her neck. "I was ten when it happened the first time. I tripped, put my hand down to catch myself and the weight of my body popped it right out. Thanks," she smiled when Maliya finished and sat back, slipping the dagger back in its sheath. Dacey suddenly tilted her head to the side. "Does the ship seem calmer to you?"

"Maybe," Maliya murmured uncertainly, lifting a shoulder. "What do you think happened? Did we hit something?"

"Possibly," Dacey mused quietly, moving to her feet. She headed towards the door, speaking quickly over her shoulder. "Stay here with Meraxes. I'm going above deck to check on Daemon and to see if the ship was damaged by the storm. I'll be back shortly."

Dacey left the worried looking queen and her small dragon and jogged up the steps leading to the top deck. She was pelted with freezing rain as soon as the dark sky came into view and hastily swiped a hand over her eyes to clear her vision. She made to walk forward, to start to look for Daemon, but one of the crew members ran past, almost knocking her back down the stairs.

Cursing under her breath, Dacey steadied herself and looked around, taking in as much as she could as quickly as she could. It was absolute chaos. Crew members were running back and forth, trying to follow all the orders that Captain Tabo was shouting as he strode up and down the deck. "Daemon!" She yelled, jogging to catch up to him as he ran past her, snagging his elbow to stop him. "What's going on? What happened?"

Daemon was breathing heavily, his hair plastered to his forehead by the rain. "C'mere," he said lowly, pulling her to the side and out of the way of the other men. "Getting through the Stepstones is hard enough, but we had poor visibility with the storm. It pushed us off course and the ship hit some rocks, Dacey," he said urgently, gripping her good arm tightly. Her eyes widened at the implications and her mouth dropped open in shock and fear. "We're taking on water. Most of the crew is down there trying to fix it, but it doesn't look good." He glanced at her arm in a sling. "Are you alright? Lusia?"

"We're both fine. What are we supposed to do?" Dacey hissed frantically, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "We made a promise, Daemon, we cannot let her die – "

"And we won't," Daemon interrupted heatedly, eyes narrowed. "If they can't fix the ship or steer us to an island, then they have small rowboats that we could take. I'm sure they have an evacuation plan in case of a situation like this. We just need – "

"Ship!" Both Daemon and Dacey's heads snapped up. One of the crew members was leaning over the side of the crow's nest, shouting himself hoarse as he pointed at something behind them. "Captain! There's a ship coming up behind us!"

Dacey, Daemon and most of the crew whipped around, running towards the stern to see for themselves. It was difficult to see through the downpour, but when Dacey squinted her eyes, she could just make out another ship approaching in their direction. Something inside Dacey's chest eased slightly, some of the panic and anxiety lifting. There was another ship coming, which meant they wouldn't be sinking to the bottom of the sea and the queen would be safe.

"Dorrol, flip that flag around," Captain Tabo hollered, pointing up at the flag adorned with a flying tropical bird whipping around above them. "Bhanas, Janalal, Mollar, get below deck and see how much water we've taken on. Move the cargo if need be. Jantara!" The captain's daughter ran up to him as the other men rushed off to follow his orders. "Be ready, my daughter. Let's not forget where we are." Jantara nodded once with a determined expression and ran off, shouting her own set of orders.

Dacey watched the man called Dorrol pulling down the flag, unhooking it and flipping it so it was upside down before raising it high again. Daemon caught the slightly confused expression on her face and explained. "It's the universal sign for distress. It'll let the approaching ship know that we're in a spot of trouble." Something caught Daemon's attention of her shoulder and she turned to see what he was looking at. "That's Nakoros," he said in her ear. "He's the ship's carpenter, his job is to make sure the ship stays afloat."

They both fell silent as they watched the tall, skinny man speak with the captain. They couldn't hear him over the sound of the rain pouring down on them, but they got the gist of what he was saying from the way he was shaking his hands and gesticulating wildly. "I'm guessing he couldn't fix the damage," Dacey announced worriedly, pushing her sopping hair back from her face.

Daemon put a hand on her back and started leading her back towards the stairs. "You should head below deck and tell her what's happened. She'll need to prepare to – "

Shouts of alarm and fear were suddenly raised across the deck and Dacey's heart plummeted to her stomach, immediately and instinctively knowing that something was wrong. Everything seemed to move quickly after that, and for a moment her brain had trouble making sense of what was happening. When she looked to see what everyone was pointing at, she saw that the ship that had been following them was much closer than they realized, close enough to see people moving across the deck. Daemon swore loudly next to her and even though she had never seen one before, she knew what it was.

The other ship was raising their own flag, except that one was vastly different. This flag was pitch black, with a white skeleton in the center, it's toothy grin taunting them. In one hand, the skeleton was crushing a red heart that was dripping blood and in the other it was holding an hourglass.

"Pirates," Dacey breathed, a trickle of fear running through her.

"Not just any fucking pirates," Daemon swore, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "That flag was mentioned on both ships and in Myr. The skeleton represents death, obviously, but they say the heart dripping blood promises that death to be slow and painful and the hourglass is a warning to their prey that time is running out. This flag belongs to a pirate captain they call Red."

"Archers!" Jantara shouted as she ran forward, her bow in her hands and her quiver on her back. "To your positions!"

An arrow from the enemy ship came whizzing past them, missing Dacey by inches and lodging in the back of a crewmember running past, who fell with a strangled yell of pain. Dacey and Daemon pulled their swords free as two more of The Moonrunner's archers fell before they could even string their bows. She watched in horror as the pirate ship began to pull up alongside them, three of their crew shooting what looked like crossbows into the air, the grappling hooks catching onto the opposite railings. Other pirates were swinging from ropes on their ships and landing onto the deck of The Moonrunner. "Get below deck, now!" Daemon bellowed, putting a hand on her back and shoving her forward. "I'll join you as soon as I can!"

Adrenaline pumping through her body, Dacey crouched low to avoid any more arrows flying through the hair and ran down the stairs two at a time. Despite the impending danger of both the sinking ship and the pirates, her mind and body seemed to settle. She pushed everything else from her mind as she focused on the one reason she was on this journey in the first place – to protect the queen.

Maliya leapt to her feet in surprise as the door to the cabin suddenly burst open. She rushed in, closing the door immediately behind her and it was then that Maliya's eyes fell on the sword in her hand. "What is it?" She asked quickly, her heart jumping into her throat. "What's happened?"

Dacey was drenched from head to toe, dripping water everywhere, her face pale but the expression on her face determined. "Pirates," she spat, causing Maliya's eyes to widen. "We're being attacked. We can't try and outrun them because the ship hit rocks and is currently sinking and there's no time to go for the rowboats because they're already boarding in force."

"Where's Daemon?" Maliya demanded, trying shove away her fear and dread and focus on one thing at a time.

"He's still above deck trying to help them hold them off." Dacey glanced over at Maliya, green eyes meeting brown. "Be ready, Your Grace. This isn't a war galley, it's a merchant ship. Besides Jantara and the rest of the archers, there aren't many skilled fighters on board."

"We can't – " Maliya broke off, glancing upwards as the sounds of screaming and shouting became audible through the rain. "We can't let them take Meraxes." At the sound of her name, the dragon perched on her shoulder shifted slightly. She was quiet now, and somehow seemed to sense that something was wrong. "They could take her, or kill her, and she's too small to defend herself – "

They heard loud, pounding steps approaching the door and Dacey threw herself at it, bracing her feet. A fist pounded against it from the other side. "It's me, it's Daemon!" They heard him yell. Dacey moved quickly, opening the door, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, yanking him inside and slamming it shut again.

Maliya's eyes trailed over the cut on his arm, the blood splattered on his shirt and dripping from his sword. "What's happening up there?" She asked, now unable to stop the trickle of fear from growing stronger.

Daemon shook his head, sending raindrops flying. "The ship's been taken." Everything froze for a moment and Maliya found she had a hard time breathing. It wasn't supposed to end like this. They weren't supposed to make it halfway only to get captured or killed by pirates. Had it been a mistake to leave Westeros?

Everything came rushing back again, and Maliya shook herself out of it, trying to focus. "What do we do?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"How many of them are there?" Dacey asked.

Daemon bent over, arms on his knees as he panted heavily, still trying to get his breath back. "Too many for us to take on by ourselves," he told them, glancing up. "These men knew what they were doing. A dozen of them came over in the first boarding wave and overwhelmed us nearly immediately. More of them are boarding now. They're going to do a sweep of the ship, take stock of their prize."

"So we take out as many as we can," Maliya proposed, looking between the two of them. A determination and a resignation filled her as they both nodded solemnly. Reaching up, she pulled Meraxes off her shoulder and went to the back of the cabin to set her on top of the crate. "I don't know how much of this you understand," Maliya murmured, crouching down in front of her. "Prepare to fight, Meraxes. Vīlībagon," she repeated in Valyrian, uncertain which language she would comprehend better; the language that she's been hearing them speak since she hatched or the language from Valyria, where dragons came from. Her little white dragon blinked her golden eyes at her, but otherwise gave no indication whether she understood or not.

"Here they come," Daemon warned with a heavy voice.

Taking a deep breath, Maliya turned to face the door, reaching behind her with hands and pulling out her daggers. Being unaccustomed to the weight and size of them, she wished more than anything that she had her sword with her.

She stood at the very back of the room in front of the crate, while Dacey and Daemon took up positions on either side of the closed door, standing as silently as possible with their swords raised. They waited with baited breath until the door opened and two men came stepped inside. Before they could focus and take stock of what they were looking at, Dacey and Daemon pounced. Daemon easily knocked one of the startled pirate's sword to the side and thrust his own through his chest while Dacey stepped out from behind the door, grabbing the other pirate's greasy hair with one hand and slicing her sword through his throat with ease.

Without saying a word to each other, Dacey closed the door again as Daemon moved the bodies to the side before taking up their positions again. They were able to execute that move once more before the pirates realized what was happening. Four men came barging in the room next, and from then on, there was no time to think. Maliya dodged, weaved, slashed and stabbed with her two daggers and was able to take down the first man, but she immediately knew that she wouldn't be able to keep this up. Any man with a sword had an immense advantage over her because his reach is longer than hers and because she had to work twice as hard to avoid the blade and inflict damage of her own.

A few more men came flooding into the already small room. Maliya, both daggers raised in front of her, slowly began to backpedal. Her eyes quickly flickered to where both Daemon and Dacey were fighting their own men, killing their opponents and falling back to stand before Maliya on either side. Five or six men fanned out around them, surrounding them, varying expressions of sneers and smirks on their faces.

They slowly began to advance and Maliya's heart seized with fear. Would whatever fate the pirates had in store for them be worse than the death they would experience if they kept fighting? If they attempted to fight, would Maliya lose either Dacey or Daemon in the struggle? She knew both of them were willing to die for her, but was she ready to have that on her conscience? It wasn't as if their deaths would ensure her escape or survival.

As if sensing her inner turmoil, Meraxes let out a high, piercing cry, pushing off the crate and wobbling slightly as she pumped her wings twice to leap her way up onto Maliya's shoulder. The pirates immediately froze with shock at the sight of the dragon, but Meraxes still dug her wing claws into Maliya's shoulder, snaking her head forward with narrowed golden eyes as she let out a loud, warning shriek.

The dragon was still young, so Maliya wouldn't necessarily have said the sound she emitted was intimidating, yet it still sent chills down her back and rendered the entire cabin silent. It was a sound that reminded everyone present that even though dragons haven't been seen for centuries, they were almost magical beings and grew to be incredibly powerful.

One of the pirates who was greedily staring at Meraxes tore his gaze away, striding to the door and calling for someone down the corridor. "Oi, Ash! You're gunna wanna come and see this!"

They heard footsteps approaching the cabin and Maliya automatically glared at whoever was about to come through the doorway. When she saw him though, her eyes widened infinitesimally, only her years of training under her father reminding her to hide what she was thinking.

The young man who entered was tall and lean. He had straight, shaggy silver gold hair that brushed his shoulders and fell into his eyes, which Maliya belatedly realized were a vibrant lilac color. A scar ran down his right eye, starting by his eyebrow and ending just below his eye. There was a piercing in one of his ears that looked like a tooth and there was part of a black claw visible on one shoulder beneath his shirt with a tail coiled down to his elbow on his other arm. She knew that the claw and tail belonged to a tattoo of a black dragon just as she knew that she had seen this man before.

She had dreamt of him just as she had dreamt of the harpy above Astapor's gate.

The man's purple gaze briefly flickered between the three of them before landing on the dragon perched on Maliya's shoulder. His eyes lit up, an eyebrow raising in disbelief and his mouth parted slightly. "A bloody dragon," he breathed in awe and wonder. He stared at Meraxes for a long moment, taking in every inch of her with an intensity that made Maliya bristle.

"Who are you?" She demanded in the silence, her own eyes narrowing. "What do you want?"

"Ah, you're from Westeros, are you?" The man mused upon hearing her speak, finally tearing his gaze from the dragon and looking at her. "I have a dozen questions about how it is that you have a dragon, but they're not for me to ask. My name is Asher. As for what I want…" he spread his hands to the side, shrugging a shoulder up and down as a smirk crossed his face. "We're pirates, love. We're here to take everything you have."

The pirates around him laughed and Asher's smirk only grew. "How much do you think we'll get for a real, live dragon?" One of them asked, actually licking his lips with greedy anticipation.

"A fortune!" Another one crooned enthusiastically.

Asher held up a hand and the others immediately fell silent. "The captain will have to decide what to do with the dragon. Now," he said, looking around at them again, his purple eyes triumphant. "This ship has been taken and we have you surrounded and outnumbered. Lay down your weapons and I can assure you no one will get hurt. Raise your weapons against us and you will die."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daemon lift his sword slightly and Dacey shift to the balls of her feet as if they were readying themselves to fight. Asher noticed this as well and his smirk grew, his fingers twitching to the sword strapped across his back. Maliya wasn't ready to die and she wasn't ready to see Dacey or Daemon die either. She didn't know how or when, but she knew they had a better chance or attempting to escape later than they did fighting their way off this ship. They would have to fight dozens of pirates first of all, and then after that where would they go?

It was harder to do than she thought, but she reluctantly released her grip on the daggers and let them clatter to the floor. Daemon followed her lead almost immediately but Dacey's head snapped around to stare at her in disbelief. Maliya said nothing, just gave her a long look, and eventually, with a resigned expression, Dacey followed suit and dropped her sword as well.

"Good choice," Asher nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "Gather their weapons and their things. Bind their hands and someone secure that dragon."

Two men started forward towards Maliya and Meraxes, eyes narrowed and hands outstretched, but before she could utter a protest, Meraxes let out an angry shriek, and attacked faster than Maliya would have thought possible. One men came away with a bit hand that he was cradling to his chest, blood dripping down his wrist as he howled and the other had a neat set of bloody scratches across his cheek.

"Wait!" Maliya exploded, throwing up her hands as more of the men started forward. "Wait, please." Her gaze moved to Asher who was obviously the man in charge here and she found herself pleading with him slightly, which she hated. But then again, she was learning there wasn't much she wouldn't do for her dragon. "We made a crate for her for when we travel. I'll put her in there for you as long as you promise me no harm will come to her."

Asher stared at her for a long moment, head tilted to the side and one side of his lips still infuriatingly lifted up in amusement. "You're not exactly in any position to be making demands, but yes, I will do my best to make sure your dragon is safe."

Realizing she wasn't going to get anything much better than that, Maliya looked up at Meraxes who was still staring at the pirates with furious golden eyes. "Back the fuck up," Maliya snapped angrily, throwing them her own fiery glare. Only when they took several steps back did she turn her back on the others in the room and step towards the crate. Reaching up, she pried a displeased dragon from her shoulder, resulting in several claw holes in her dress and a scratch on her shoulder. "It's alright," Maliya breathed soothingly, trying to calm herself so that Meraxes would feel calm. She ran two fingers down the small dragon's neck and between her wings. "We'll make it through this. We just have to wait for the right moment."

She wouldn't say that Meraxes relaxed completely but she did allow Maliya to put her into the crate and shut the door. As soon as she did so, the pirates converged on her, pushing her aside, one lifting the crate and the other wrenching her hands behind her back and tying her wrists together with a piece of rope. Maliya clenched her teeth together, determined not to make a sound at the rough treatment. When the man behind her spun her around again, she saw that Dacey and Daemon were similarily restrained, their weapons and belongings taken up by the rest of the pirates.

"Let's move!" Asher ordered. "Time to see the captain and show them our prize."

Maliya's captor shoved her forward, causing her to stumble into Daemon as they left the cabin. "Did you see his eyes?" Daemon hissed to her in what he probably thought was a quiet voice. "I thought nobody had purple eyes except the Targaryens – "

The man holding Daemon's arm laughed loudly. "Did you hear that, Ash?" He called to the silver haired man in front of them. "This idiot here thinks you're a Targaryen!"

Asher laughed along with him, throwing his head back. "Typical Westerosi, you all are so ignornant. For your information, I was born on Lys, where many people share the same hair and and eye color as I do. It's really not as uncommon as you might think." He paused before climbing the steps leading above deck and looked back at the three prisoners. "Now, when you meet the captain I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut until spoken to else you might find yourself missing a few appendages. Understood?" He waited until they all nodded in agreement. "Alright then. Let's go."

Maliya and the others were led up the steps and into the pouring rain, which drenched them almost immediately. Maliya's stomach lurched as her horrified gaze took in her surroundings. Several pirates were already bringing boxes of their spoils over wooden planks that they had tied between the two ships. Blood and rain drenched the deck of The Moonrunner, where it looked as if most of its crew were lying dead, arrows piercing their bodies or throats slashed open.

Jantara and several others were kneeling, bound and gagged with their own pirate captors standing above them and Captain Tabo was standing beside a large man wearing a hat, his red hair and beard worn long with several braids running throughout it. His unsmiling black eyes watched as Maliya, Dacey and Daemon were marched across the deck, their knees kicked out as they were forced to kneel across from Jantara and the others. "Is that all of them?" The large man asked in a gruff voice, looking at Asher.

"Yes, captain," Asher answered, the arrogance gone from his voice. "The ship is yours."

"Good. I want you all to see what happens when you try and fight Captain Hornigold." Making sure every eye was on him, the captain pulled his sword free, grabbed Captain Tabo's hair in one hand and rammed his sword through his throat with the other. Captain Tabo could do nothing else but widen his eyes in both surprise and pain, choking as the pirate captain pulled his sword free. Jantara let out a muffled shriek of horror and grief as his body collapsed to the deck with a sickening sound.

Both Dacey and Maliya involuntarily moved forward only to be yanked back roughly and Meraxes let out another defiant cry. The noise attracted the pirate captain's attention and his black eyes sought out the sound, his eyes landing on the dragon. A slow, evil smile spread across his face, one that sent a chill of fear down Maliya's spine. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Author's Note: I'm very excited by the new direction this story is taken! I want to hear from you – any thoughts or predictions about what's coming up in the next couple of chapters? What did you think about the addition of pirates to the story? **Asher in my story is not Asher Forrester. I don't play or follow the game and don't know who he is**

Next chapter: We learn more about the new pirate characters and see what they have in store for Meraxes and company. I haven't quite fleshed out an idea about how they escape so if you have any you want to share be my guest! A revelation is shared and a certain aunt might make an appearance as well :)

Guest 1 - Thanks for your review! I'm still fine tuning the conversations/reactions Maliya and Dany will have to each other - they both are very similar and yet very different to each other.

Guest 2 - Thanks for reviewing! I was holding my breath when writing it, lol, I hope you liked the outcome!

Reader - I'm so glad you liked the chapter, thank you for the kind words! I actually debated a lot about whether or not Robb should say "I love you" back. He loves her obviously, but I wanted to show that he hadn't forgiven her yet. I don't want Maliya to just get away with what she did, because she did something pretty terrible, which she's realizing. A few people said they hoped Maliya was pregnant - my lips are sealed on that one! I can tell you that she will not be having triplets at any point in the story haha that's too much for me! Possibly twins, we'll have to see. You're right, Frey is going to stick his nose right in there - I don't know how long Robb will be able to hold him off! Thanks for reviewing :)

Guest 3 - Thanks for reviewing, glad you love the story so far! Here's the next update!

Guest 4 - Unfortunately I've lost interest in my 100 story at the moment. I ended it pretty neatly after season 2, so we'll see if my muse picks it up again for season 3.

Guest 5 - Here's the update!