Chapter 35; Springing a trap

Characters of the chapter

Calm Ben Hassrath operative

Daenerys Targaryen, The Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, Queen of the of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men of the South, Queen of the South Kingdom of the Twin kingdoms and Protector of the Realm

Dart Ben Hassrath operative

Iledia Agent of the Inquisition, mage advisor in matters of the arcane in the court of Queen Daenerys

Tallis Ben Hassrath operative

Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen to Queen Daenerys

Tallis walked the streets, wrapped in a cloak with the hood raised. Not the most subtle disguise, but she could not let the locals notice her ears. In this city that would catch attention for sure, and attention could invite hunters. This way she could at least pass as a short and slim human. Much of the time these tasks of scouting were left to Dart and Calm, but those two were resting now, so this time belonged to her. Besides, it was probably better that the same faces weren't lurking around the same restricted area too often.

It had been a long, difficult trek getting this far. They had made it to the Iron Islands, slipping past the patrols of their enemy without incident. But on arrival the agent they were to meet had been nowhere to be found. A few cautious inquiries had revealed that the said agent had somehow been discovered and slain. As for the powder, they had discovered it had indeed been on the Iron Islands, but had been transferred to the mainland already. They had been too late to stop it. The dreadnought had been on site, but as per their orders they could not stop to deal with it. Instead they went after their main prize. Fortunately the ship carrying them had still been there to transport them to the continent, so their chase could continue.

By the time they had made it to Winterfell they had learned that the Gaatlock had already been sent onwards again. They had set off in pursuit at once, and what had followed was a tricky journey in a wintery landscape, deep within the land of their enemy. They had had an approximate knowledge of where the convoy was going but had failed to catch up to it. None of them knew exactly how they were doing it, but their opponents seemed to consistently stay ahead of them, no matter how fast her team tried to move. The terrain had of course been less than ideal, deep snow slowing even their fastest pace into a crawl. And since there were very few travelers on the road this time of the year, at her insistence they had stayed some distance to the side of the road, slowing them further. It had gotten a little bit easier once they had gotten past the Neck and into the South, but still they had been unable to catch up with the convoy. So they had journeyed onwards, living off the land as they went, avoiding all contacts with local people.

The chase had finally led them here, a city of a million inhabitants, the capital of the South Kingdom. Several more days had passed before they could find the location where the Gaatlock was being kept. The past several days had passed figuring out the security measures around the place, figuring out their plan.

Unfortunately for them they looked to be the only Ben Hassrath in the city. They had sought to contact other cells to receive their aid, but their searches had come up empty. She found that rather odd actually. They had not encountered any of the others on the way here either. For reasons of security her team was rarely kept informed of what other teams were doing unless it directly related to their mission. And those here in Westeros were most likely scattered all over the place to ensure the Gaatlock could be intercepted no matter where the Bas might think to send it. Even so, she would have expected to see at least a few other Ben Hassrath here. This was the heartland of their enemy, their capital. Why would the Qun not want to have eyes and ears in this place? Especially since it was a very likely the powder would be sent here. But whatever the reason, it was what it was. Unless others showed up it was up to the three of them to ensure the powder was destroyed.

Once more she found herself wishing that Hammer was here. His aid would have been more than welcome right now, even though smuggling him into the city unnoticed would have been a considerable challenge.

She continued her walk, stopping on occasion, taking note of the number of guards around and where they were positioned before continuing onwards before anyone could notice her watching. Her eyes also lingered on the building where they believed the powder had been stored. She really didn't like how many other buildings were close by. Several were bunched right next to this one, the walls of other houses nearly touching this one. And it was the same with other building everywhere she looked. It was a crowded area near the docks, a mix of warehouses and residences. Wood and tile for the most part it looked to be. Like most Bas cities, King`s Landing had not been built by an orderly planning process aside from the major public buildings and the biggest streets. Instead the city had slowly grown in place over the centuries, resulting in a messy labyrinth of narrow alleyways and structures, barely constrained but the city's walls.

Under the Qun this kind of tightly packed construction would never be permitted. Too much of a fire hazard. One knocked over candle could start a conflagration that would consume the entire city. And she had not seen quarters set aside for extinguishing crews anywhere in the city. She supposed the City Watch and volunteers would do what they could if it came to that. But that was hardly a replacement for dedicated firefighters, with proper resources and training. And Gaatlock would always be stored in a fortified warehouse well away from other buildings, so even if the powder somehow caught fire and detonated, the damage to anything else nearby would be minimized.

And here she was, planning on blowing up a building, potentially causing the very chain reaction she thought this city so unprepared to face. Who knows how many deaths this coming attack would end up causing? She would be lying if she said that the notion didn't bother her. But she had given her word to see this through. If she didn't, how many more would be lost in Bas wars empowered by this weapon? That was what she kept telling herself. She just hoped it wouldn't get as bad as it sounded like it might get.

Eventually she turned around and headed to the poorer part of town. After many twists, turns and narrow alleyways she arrived at a dingy abandoned building they had chosen as their residence while here.

She stopped long enough to be seen from the second floor window, then proceeded to the door. After a few moments Dart opened the locks, permitting her in and together they climbed the stairs to the second floor. Calm was there already, wrapped in blankets and snoring softly in one of the corners.

"So, any changes?" Dart asked as he returned to his watch post by the window.

"Nope. All the guards posts are the same ones that they were on the prior times. Patrol routes are pretty much the same too. And I can't tell if there are safety measures aside from guards. If the bas have any notion we're here I haven't seen any signs of it." Tallis said.

"I don't think much is going to change. And if no other of our agents have found us by now I don't think it's reasonable to waste any more time hoping they might suddenly show up. There isn't any reason for delay. I say we make our move." She added.

"Tonight?" He asked.

"Tonight." She confirmed.

"I'll get myself ready to act then." He said.

"No need to rush. It's morning yet. Get some sleep. I'll finish this watch." She told him.

She had already gotten her own sleep during the night, so she let the others rest. Calm woke up of her own accord close to midday, and Dart was roused some hours later so all of them would have the time needed to prepare for the mission. As night fell they left their house one by one so as to not draw attention, and headed for their target.

As these agents were moving out, elsewhere Iledia's dream was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of Bran.

"You must rouse yourself! And make haste to the Gaatlock storage!" He warned her.

"Why? Is it under attack?" She asked, slightly bewildered.

"Shortly. You must make haste if you wish to intervene. Now go!" He said.

Bran's command made her snap awake, instantly sure this had not been some bizarre dream, but a genuine warning. Still in her nightclothes she went to the door of her room.

"Run to alert our response unit. The Gaatlock storage is in danger." She told one of the two guards standing watch on the other side. Used to her orders, the guard left without further question. She herself went to hastily dress herself and retrieve her staff. As soon as she was ready she left her room and took off running towards the city and the warehouse, the second guard in tow.

Tallis meanwhile cautiously peered around the corner at a band of guards standing near the doors, torches and weapons in their hands.

"We need to get these guys out of our way. Can't stop to fight them. Would take too long and cause too much noise. We'd have half the city up our asses in no time." She whispered.

"Dart and I can distract them. We draw them away, then you sneak in, find the powder and set it to blow, like we planned." Calm said.

"…Ok. But be very careful. I don't need long. Minutes. And try to lure them as far away from the warehouse as you can. We don't know how much of the powder might be stored in here exactly, but they stole enough for the needs of a dreadnought. That could be enough to take out the whole block. I only dare to set the cord for a minute or two. That's not a lot of time. So don't be nearby when it goes off." Tallis replied.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Big explosion are hazardous for your health. We will look after ourselves, don't worry. Right now I think it's better if your attention is focused on yourself. After all, odds are you'll be closer to the blast than we will be. And before that you need to ensure you get that far. Everything depends on that." Calm said.

"Right. I got it." Tallis said, then took a deep breath. "Let's get started. See you on the other side."

"Sure thing." Dart said.

"See you. We'll meet outside the city afterwards, like we planned." Calm echoed.

With that the two left her side and headed to the back alleyways close by. She remained where she was, watching the guards, waiting for her friends to act.

A few moments passed in relative silence, the low chatting of the guards and other sounds of the night the only things to be heard. Then without warning an arrow flew through the air, going through the eye of one of the guards, who fell without even screaming. Dart came into view then, slaying two more guards with throwing knives, followed by a third felled by a stab to the chest. Then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he turned tail and ran back the way he had come. The guards chased after him, shouting their alerts. Tallis might have expected a few of them to stay behind and guard the warehouse, but to her surprise none did, too eager to chase after the enemy they saw to spare a thought on the possibility of a deception. That was certainly an encouraging sign. Now that she didn't need to cut through opposition of her own, she could be done much more quickly.

She waited for a few moments more, then ran to the doors. The main doors were barred by a wooden beam far too heavy for her to lift. But there was a smaller door built into the main ones. That door was locked as well, but fortunately with a lock that could be opened from the outside. That would not be an obstacle for her.

At the door she briefly stopped to listen for noises coming from the other side of the door. In all their observations of this building none of them had noticed guards on the inside the warehouse, though small groups had entered for brief periods daily, most likely to check on the powder. The lock on the outside of the door also supported the notion of there not being guards on the inside. But she would still rather be cautious than risk taking a spear to the gut. As she listened she became aware of the sounds of fighting emanating from some distance away. In the back of her mind she hoped that her friends were doing ok. She trusted their skill but also knew they could be facing a lot of enemies. But the best thing she could do for them right now was to hurry. Once the powder detonated surely it would create enough of a ruckus for her teammates to shake off any pursuit, then find their way out of the city once things calmed down. So she sought to keep her focus on her task.

From behind the door she heard nothing, so she took out her tools and set to work on the lock. For several anxious moments the sturdy lock kept resisting her efforts. Then a satisfying click could be heard, and she entered quickly. But in her haste she failed to notice a faint, blue rune that glowed at her feet for a second.

It was dark inside the warehouse, the only light coming in from a hatch in the ceiling. That at least the Bas had done right. No fire or stray sparks had been permitted inside, especially without anyone present. Not that it would do the Westerosi much good now that she was here.

The barrels were in plain sight as they were, stacked on top of each other in the middle of the room. She walked to them and opened one up, checking the contents. She was relieved to find the Gaatlock inside as expected. Part of her had been worried this might have been a bogus stash all along, a trap to lure them in. But it was here.

She took a length of string from her belt, placing one end into the barrel. Then she began to unwind it. She measured the length in her mind, trying to decide how long she would need to get a safe distance away. She finally settled on around minute and a half. It would be a close call, but any longer risked someone unexpected coming along and having a chance to intervene. With the string at the proper length she cut it, hoping she had not messed up her measurements.

Just as she was about to set fire to the string she suddenly stopped. She closed her eyes, tensing up visibly. Her hands trembling. Her mind lingered on what this simple action was going to do. She could picture the explosion. The aftermath of fires spreading throughout the city, robbing peoples of their homes… and their lives. The pain and misery that would be sown all around… all the families mourning over lost members… because of her.

Up until now she had been trying to put these thoughts out of her mind. Trying to empty her head and simply do as she was told. A weapon performing its designed function, nothing more. When that was insufficient she tried to focus on whatever positives she could find. The lives that would be saved in the long run instead of the lives lost in the immediate. But the thing about long term gains… was just that. They were far away, and less than certain. Here and now was what was the sure thing, the *what mattered*.

The Qunari should have known better than to give her this task. No part of her really wanted to do this. This had never been her. From her first days in the Ben Hassrath her main failing had been was that she let her emotions get in the way of things. She always let things get personal, her feelings making her deviate from her objectives, unable to harden her heart and focus solely on her mission. More than once her missions had been brought close to failure because of that. That was the way it had been then… and that was the way it was now.

Yet, in the end, what choice did she have, having come so far? Too much would be betrayed if she walked away from this. Her friends would be the foremost among these things. And that she would not permit.

"Forgive me…" She whispered. With that sparks flew and the string was ignited, the flame beginning to travel towards the barrel.

She stood and turned around at once, about to run to the exit as fast as she could. But in that same instant someone else rushed in through the door, startling her. Tallis got a brief glimpse of a woman with a staff. "No!" She heard the other woman shout.

Then… water?

Tallis did not even have time to draw her weapons. The water slammed into her like a brick wall, knocking her off her feet. The barrels were drenched, the flame she had lit extinguished at once. The water however did not stop there, instead changing course, lifting her into the air. It twisted and turned, until she was trapped inside a swirling, roiling ball of liquid. She fought as hard as she could to get out of the bubble, but the currents were far too strong. It didn't help that the water was ice cold, crushing her lungs, making her movements sluggish and slow. The few times she got close to the edge the surface simply moved away from her, keeping her trapped within. She could just make out the outline of the mage, motioning to control the waters.

The elf's strength was waning by the moment, her lungs burning for lack of air. Not matter how she tried she could not get out. And eventually she could not hold it in any longer. Reflexively she breathed in, her lungs filling with water. With that her struggling slowed, then stopped as she felt herself slip into, cold, cold darkness.

As soon as Iledia saw the elf had stopped moving she released her spell. The ball of water crashed to the ground, soaking every surface even more than it already had been. Iledia got her share of it too, but did her best to ignore it.

The elf lay on the ground, unmoving, unbreathing. There was probably a flicker of life still left in her, but unassisted it would go out soon enough. Iledia considered calling up another spell, giving the other woman a clean death. But then she had another idea.

She knelt next to the elf, motioning with her hand. Water began spilling out of the other woman's mouth, voiding her lungs from it. Fairly soon she drew a raspy breath, though she remained unconscious. Next Iledia picked up the elf's daggers and threw them to the far side of the room. She had just finished when one of her people walked in through the door. She recognized him as the second guard that had been watching over her door earlier.

"My Lady. We lost track of you. Figured this was a good place to start looking for you." He said.

"A good guess. After all, what were we protecting of not this? Makes sense for someone to keep an eye on it while others are away." She complimented.

"The powder is secure. We are alright for now." She said then, standing up. "How did matters go on your end?"

The agent cleared his throat. "Our troops engaged two more Ben Hassrath just outside. Both have now been dealt with. A little over a dozen casualties for our side in addition to the ones just outside the door.

We are now conducting a sweep of the surrounding area to see if any more are around, searching the streets and buildings."

"That many losses for our side?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The enemy agents were very skilled, and knew what they were doing. Even with the support of the local guards we had some trouble pinning them down. Thank goodness you had arranged for such a sizable reserve. Without those numbers who knows what might have happened. Thankfully the casualties were mostly of the Westerosi, and only one or two of our own."

The guard's eyes turned to the unconscious elf. "Though it seems like we might have been making a mistake all along. The other two were just a distraction for this one?"

"Apparently so. I'll need to have a word with the Westerosi soldiers. They should not have allowed themselves to be lured away from their post, even if they were attacked. This was far too close because of that. If I had gotten here a few moments later we might have had a disaster on our hands. Though since everything turned out alright in the end I think I can let them off with a stern lecture." She said.

"It was a good thing you had a hunch to come here instead of following us into battle. Could have turned out a lot differently if not for that. Luck was with us on that." The agent said.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "No hunches or luck involved. Not this time. I had wards set up to alert me if there was an intrusion. And… let's just say I was tipped off this attack was going to happen a short time before it did."

"I see. I assume that particular source is not the typical variety. No need to tell me what it was. Not my business to know. Still, that explains why you suddenly rushed to give warning straight out of bed. We owe you thanks for your caution. And to the diligence of one who warned you." He said.

"I see you haven't done the honors yet." He continued, having noted how the elf was still breathing. "I can cut her throat if you're not in the mood to do it." He said, drawing his knife.

"No, no. I prefer her alive for the moment. I might have better uses for her." Iledia said, holding up her hand.

"Better uses? My Lady with respect that seems extremely unlikely. This is one of the Ben Hassrath. You know what they are like." He said.

"I know. And I admit it's not terribly likely she will cooperate with us. But even so I'd like to give this a try before we write her off. Even if my idea doesn't go anywhere there are uses that aren't dependent of her cooperation. We shouldn't throw anything away before we have made full use of it." She said.

"If we take her in we risk her escaping. I she does she could do a lot more harm than she has so far. Are you quite sure this is a risk you are willing to take?" He pointed out.

"Yes. I think the potential gains are worth it. And I assume full responsibility for that choice. But you do make a good point. We will take precautions." She said.

"Please search her." She commanded then.

"Right. If you're sure of this then… whoa." The agent said before suddenly stopping. For just then he noticed the elf beginning to stir. Moments later her eyes opened.

The agent drew his weapon while Iledia called fire into her hand. But after a few seconds she extinguished the flame again.

"At ease. I don't think this one is in any condition to fight us at the moment." She said calmly. Indeed, the elf simply lay there, staring at the both of them and shivering, her lips blue from the cold.

"Have her searched and tie her up. Then we'll have her put under lock and key." She repeated her command.

"I'll be right here, don't worry. If she makes one move against you, she dies." She added when her guard hesitated. The guard nodded and got to work.

By the time the elf was searched and tied up the Queen's soldiers had shown up as well and Iledia turned her over to their care, instructing them to keep her alive. She did her best to emphasize how dangerous Ben Hassrath were, even when seemingly secured like this. She would have preferred to send a few of her people along to make sure there was not trouble, but she did not think she could spare any at the moment. So she took her own guard and returned to the other tasks that still needed attending to today. She gave an appropriate lecture to the guards that had allowed themselves to be drawn away from guarding the warehouse, then ordered the guards doubled for tonight. Then she joined the others in sweeping nearby areas for other Ben Hassrath. Ultimately a pointless effort, since no others turned up. All they got for their trouble on that front was a bunch of angry locals that were upset that their homes were suddenly searched in the middle of the night. After it became clear their investigation was serving no useful purpose she ordered an end to it. Instead she had her agents posted on the streets around the warehouse, to add to the defenses guarding the powder. As a final touch she returned to the warehouse and placed additional wards on the buildings door and walls.

Convinced that the immediate situation had been resolved and that she had done all she could to tighten security, she returned to her room to catch some more sleep before dawn, intending to resume dealing with the matter in the morning. What she had in mind next would require the Queen's cooperation, after all.

As soon as she had woken up and was ready to begin her day she sought Daenerys out, to report last night's incident to them. Once again she found her with Lord Tyrion in the Small Council chamber, going over a report the Dornish Prince had made regarding the crown's current financial situation. She politely interrupted that discussion and began to explain the most recent developments to them. To her surprise she discovered she was somewhat late in doing so.

"Yes… my own soldiers spoke of this to me a short while ago." Daenerys said. "They tell me you conducted yourself extremely well while leading the effort to counter that attack. You have my thanks. And well done also on taking a prisoner. She was safely delivered into a cell right here in the Red Keep and I've ordered an interrogation to take place."

"Wait, what? You have?" Iledia asked, caught by surprise. Then she sighed. "I suppose I should have anticipated you might wish to. And I do applaud taking initiative in general. But I would rather that you had not done this without talking to me first. I would have told you not to bother with it. You're not going to get anything from her."

"No? Why not?" Daenerys asked.

"Because this is a Ben Hassrath we are talking about. They aren't just anybody. Among other things they are trained to resist interrogation. She is more likely to bite off her own tongue that provide you any useful information. The only thing likely to result from this is my prisoner beaten to a pulp." Iledia explained.

"I think you got the wrong picture. I didn't order torture. In fact I specifically ordered that not to happen. They are simply to ask her questions. A stern conversation more than likely, but that's it." Daenerys countered.

Iledia gave a dry chuckle. "And with respect, are you there now to enforce those orders?" She shook her head. "No. This is your enemy. As such you may have cared enough to give these commands, but not enough to check back if those orders are being followed. Likely your jail guards are aware of that as well. And as high moral standards as you might keep, you can't fully control the kind of people that might end up in your employ. Far too large a kingdom in your care for that to be a possibility."

"What I know of prisons the world over is that they attract some very nasty personalities. Prone to all sorts of abuses. Particularly when it comes to pretty enemy nationals that are likely to be executed anyway." She added.

Daenerys understood the meaning of that statement easily enough. "That, I assure you is not something that will be allowed to happen, no matter who might be in question. Not while I am Queen. Not unless those guards wish to be castrated for daring to. They know that is a rule I do enforce." She said, her voice dark.

"Well, then that is one less concern to worry about. But that will be a cold comfort is she is killed as a result of this interrogation. Though I suppose I would only have myself to blame in that case. If I wished to make sure she survived I should have assigned some of my own soldiers to watch over her. An oversight on my part. Oh well. I shall check on matters when I have time for it. If she is still alive, good. If not, then I suppose it could not be helped." Iledia said.

"I'm somewhat confused. If you believe we are not going get information out of this one, why did you bother to take her alive at all?" Tyrion commented.

"I'm glad you asked. Explaining that is why I'm here. You see… you remember me saying earlier that I'm still shorthanded on agent's heading into Essos?"

"Wait… are you quite serious!? You wish to take her on your mission!? An agent of our enemy?" Tyrion asked, shocked.

"I admit, spoken aloud like that it does not sound like the best of ideas. More like the exact opposite. But I figured that since we are already allowing a Faceless Man into the mission, adding a Ben Hassrath could not be that much worse, could it? There already exists the spell Kieran has developed, with which we can ensure obedience to the mission. Which brings me to another reason why I wish to have her alive for the time being. I have been meaning to find a subject to test the type of magic we intend to use, to make sure it will be safe for us. She will be an excellent candidate for that." She said.

"So you aren't actually concerned for her wellbeing at all. You just don't wish her to die before this experiment of yours had been carried out." Tyrion said dryly.

"There is some truth in that, though I still don't wish unneeded suffering on her. But she is our enemy, and if I had not thought of better uses for her she would be dead already. I could still be the case at a later time. But if she is to die I would have it happen in a manner most useful for us." She said.

"And if this spell of yours does go wrong and she dies of that?" He asked.

"Then that will be a setback. Not only because I will lose a potential recruit but also I and Kieran will need a new solution to ensure no one can betray the mission. But it will still be less of a sting than it would be with someone else." She said.

"Well, as bright ideas go this might be the one of your craziest yet." Daenerys quipped. "Besides that I'm afraid there is one other problem with what you have proposed. I have my own plans regarding this spy. I intend to put her on trial. Make a little show of it so my people can see our enemies receive the Queen's justice. Given her actions I think all of us here already know the verdict. After her sentencing it's the executioner's block for her. So she is not going to be around for this idea of yours. Not for long."

"I figured you might have planned something like that. But I was hoping you would reconsider. This is likely to be worth more to you than a show trial and lopping off her head." Iledia said.

"And… on a related note there is something else I would need of you. Should she agree to assist us I need you to give your word that she will be offered a formal pardon for her actions here. That if she returns from the mission she will be allowed to return to her own unharmed." She added.

"A pardon?" Daenerys repeated, utterly incredulous. "After she very nearly blew up an entire block of buildings? After her fellow spies killed several on our side, including some of your own. There is not telling how many might have died had she succeeded. I don't see how I could just… forgive her after all that. Why are you asking for this?"

Iledia sighed. "At the moment we have no means to make her cooperate. She is dead with or without helping us. She surely knows that. I may be able to drive home the point that this Tevinter weapon is a threat to the Qunari as well. But I'm not convinced that alone will be enough. She might choose to refuse just to spite us and leave dealing with this mess to us. So I need something to sweeten the deal. If success means she will be made to return here, to be tried and executed anyway, she won't be sufficiently motivated. But if her freedom is a prize to be won through assisting us, it might just be enough of an incentive."

"I don't know…" Daenerys said hesitantly.

"At the end of the day for all her skill this spy is just one soldier. The worst damage she could have inflicted on us has already been prevented. By the time she will have a second opportunity it will be too late. Any potential threat the Qunari could pose to us will not be eliminated with her execution. There are others the Oxmen can send in her stead. So releasing her after the fact is unlikely to have a significant impact on the war with the Qunari. But having her on my mission could further help us deal with a very serious threat." Iledia continued.

"Of course this could all still prove to be just hypothetical talk. She might still end up saying no." She added. "All that I ask is that you hold off on your plan until I have had a chance to find out and to test my spell on her. And that you provide me with the thing to barter with her. If she still refuses then I will see what information I can extract from her and you can proceed with your plan afterwards."

"I thought you said we can't get anything out of her?" Tyrion asked.

"I said that *you* can't. I have better methods." She said.

Those words made Daenerys briefly narrow her eyes at her friend in puzzlement. There had been something decidedly… unsettling in the way Iledia had said that. Daenerys was reminded of their conversations about blood magic. She had not thought about the possibility before, but… could it be that her friend had dabbled in such magics? Certainly there was nothing else she though Iledia might be referring to.

"I hesitate to wonder what those methods of yours might be that you are so sure you can succeed where we could not." Tyrion said. He too sounded a little perturbed by Iledia's tone.

"That is wise. I recommend you continue to hesitate in the future as well. Better that way." Iledia said.

There was a lengthy silence as Daenerys considered. "Will you take personal responsibility for this spy's conduct while she is in your care?" She asked.

"Of course." Iledia said with a nod. "I will take charge of her until this mission is completed. Until that time I will not permit her to become a danger to any of us or our objectives. Is she manages to do something harmful I will answer for it. And naturally once she is released she will be escorted out of the lands in our control, by my agents."

"Then …I suppose there is no harm in letting you try this. And if she does this for us she will be offered the pardon you asked for. You have my word." Daenerys said. "But hold this conversation with her soon and return to me as soon as you have her answer. I was planning for this trial to be the last thing that needed my direct attention before my return to Winterfell. I'm willing to delay that for a little while, so in the event of a trial you have time to conduct your experiment first. But I want to know as soon as possible if that will be at all necessary. If there is not going to be a trial at all I shan't linger here."

"Naturally, Your Grace. I shall see to that as soon as I'm able, though as ever I have a lot of work to do on multiple fronts. I expect I'll have an answer for you by sometime tomorrow." Iledia said. "Oh, and uh, since I'm to take charge of her I'll have my people take over the job of guarding her if you don't mind. I'll be better able to secure her future usefulness that way." She added.

"Done. Your responsibility, your rules." Daenerys said.

Iledia gave a bow of her head and left.

"You know, I do like her as a person. Yet sometimes I'm concerned by her potential capabilities. How much can she do and how much is she willing to do? How much might she be holding back?" Daenerys said when she was gone.

"When she wants to, she does have an interesting ability to be both unnerving and polite as can be at the same time. It reminds me a little of my father." Tyrion replied.

"Well, for now let us return to Manfrey's letter. There is still work to be done today." She said. Then she chuckled. "I just realized, reading letters together like this, it reminds me of how matters used to be before this whole mess."

Tyrion considered, then smiled. "Yes, it does. A welcome reminder. Those days will come again, I'm sure."

"I hopes so Tyrion. I really do." She said.