Brian, Dany, Sansa, and Arya were gathered around a table in Winterfell's dining room. Dany had spread the map out on the table for the Starks to view. She pointed to the large S emblazoned at the very top. "See? I imagine this shows where the first Sister lies."
Sansa examined the spot Dany had indicated. "In a place called Dragon's Mouth," she mused. "That sounds ominous."
"What's so ominous about a dragon's mouth?" Dany said icily.
"Anyway," Brian broke in hurriedly, "Daenerys and I plan to travel to this place, whatever it is, seek out the Sister, an' try to destroy it."
"Yes, we'll leave at first light tomorrow," said Dany. "We wouldn't dream of being a strain upon your hospitality any longer than we need to."
Suddenly Arya piped up, "I wanna come with you!"
Dany was taken aback. "You want to come with us?"
"Sure, why not? If there's some monster poisoning Westeros, I wanna help destroy it too. I'm pretty good with a sword, if I say so myself. I think I could be a real asset on this quest."
"Well, that's fine by me," Brian said. "I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get."
Dany rose from her seat and grabbed hold of Brian's arm. "Brian? A word?" she hissed in his ear.
Uneasily, Brian stood up too, and he and Dany stepped out into the hallway. "What's up?" he asked.
"Well, it would have been nice if you'd consulted me before inviting Arya Stark to come along with us," Dany said.
"What's the matter?" said Brian. "Don't you like Arya?"
"She doesn't like me. And neither does her sister. I can tell. They act outwardly polite, but every other sentence they say to me is a backhanded insult. If Arya accompanies us, I'll wager one of us will end up killing the other before we even reach Dragon's Mouth."
Brian tried to pacify her. "Sansa and Arya just don't know you as well as I do, that's all. But if Arya goes with us on this journey, maybe you and she could get to know each other better, and become friends. You're both badass warriors, so I don't see why you wouldn't end up liking each other. And then maybe Arya could convince Sansa to like you better, too."
"Small chance of that," Dany said. "You're a guy, so you don't understand. When women meet each other, they can usually tell right away whether they're going to like each other or not." She fell silent for a moment. Then she went on: "Brian, I wanted this trip to be just you and me. You're the only person I've ever felt fully at ease around. When you have to act like a queen all the time, you don't feel like a human being. But when I'm alone with you, that's the only time I feel like I can truly be myself. When I'm around my subjects, I feel like I have to act all proper and regal or they won't take me seriously. And if Arya Stark comes with us, I'll be even more on edge than I was in King's Landing, because I'll have to worry about getting a blade slipped between my ribs every second."
"She wouldn't do that," Brian declared.
"No, you're right. From what I hear, she prefers to slit people's throats!"
"I don't think she'll slit your throat," said Brian. "I think you can trust her."
"I have a hard time trusting people," Dany said.
"Well, look," Brian said. "Arya and Sansa are friends of mine. They've helped me out of a tight spot a time or two in the past. And Meg is good friends with them too. You trust Meg, right?"
"Course I do!" said Dany. "I wouldn't have made her the commander of my Queensguard if I didn't!"
Brian gave her a winning smile. "And do you trust me?"
Dany took his paw in her hand. "With all my heart."
"Well, if you trust us, and we trust the Starks, don't you think you ought to trust the Starks, too?"
Dany considered this. "Perhaps…"
There was another silence. At last Dany said, "Very well. I will allow Arya to join us. I hope I don't end up regretting this."