A/N: Apologies for the slight delay. I was able to witness my friend Longclaw 1-6 get married and it was such a joyous occasion. And in a middle of career crossroads, the result of too much thinking hahaha.

Varys stood by stoically as he was put in the middle of the discussion circle, with Malaquo Maegyr being the most enthusiastic.

"You are supposed to be the famed Master of Whisperers during the reign of the Mad King and even during the boy king!" Malaquo was able to shout and be understood despite having no teeth. "You are supposed to be the great courtier that knew how to prepare for every eventuality. You should have planned this for years. But the events of the last few days have shown that your reputation was not deserved, for you made many promises and you have not upheld any of them!"

Even since the battle in the Yunkai outskirts, their situation had become more precarious. The slavers and the Volantene tigers had suffered a serious setback. Despite the Golden Company and the Volantene fleet still being capable of a major battle, their enemies had taken the initiative and they had not win a victory that would break them.

"I have to agree with the good Maegyr here." Even Jon Connington took the chance to criticize Varys without consequence, which he suspected he wanted to do but could not until the time was right. "Not only have you failed to anticipate the arrival of these Yi-Tish soldiers and how they were able to turn the situation here in the Slavers' Bay around in favor of Daenerys Targaryen and her nephew, you have also failed to maintain control over Rhaenys Targaryen, the woman that you were supposed to maintain control over and who was supposed to be tied to King Aegon here."

Varys' nephew looked at him with disdain, which was what everyone needed to see to understand that Varys finally stood alone and would no longer be in control. He tried to look to his nephew for help, but he did not give it.

"In light of these events, I suggest that we no longer employ Varys in all future strategy discussions, for he has clearly shown to be incapable of winning in a war. Anyone can survive in peace, but wartime is what separates the chaff from the wheat, and Varys is clearly chaff," Harry Strickland also turned on Varys.

"No, no," his nephew shook his head. "He was able to make the foundations of our success prior to the arrival of my treacherous aunt, so it will not be wise for me to remove him for mistakes that are recent. That is, if he promises to not repeat them in the future."

Varys sighed in relief, thankful that his nephew was not that cold to him.

"I understand that you might feel some thankfulness to Varys because he saved your sister," Jon Connington turned his face to him while giving Varys a cross look. "But in moments such as this, we have to remove those who have failed us."

"Whatever failures that Varys is responsible for, you too carry the burden," his nephew responded. "Or have you forgotten that you also were in command of the troops that were so soundly defeated near Yunkai?"

Jon Connington gulped before he nodded slowly in acceptance.

"But I must remind you all, that blaming others while we must focus all of our energies on fighting is counterproductive," his nephew reminded them. "And while you bring up valid points, Malaquo, I would have expected a warrior like yourself to put aside the politician in you. We do have more battles to fight."

The old Volantene tiger narrowed his eyes at his nephew. "Are you trying to give orders to me, boy?"

Varys grounded his teeth. No one speaks to Sarra's son like that, were his thoughts. Of course, he could never say that aloud.

"Malaquo, you are speaking to the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon Targaryen," Jon Connington also came to his defense. "You will speak to him with the respect that is demanded of his position, which in this case is higher than yours."

"He might have claim to a crown, but the Targaryens have not and will never rule over me," Malaquo bit back. "And the way I see it, he has not done shit!" Varys felt his anger boil inside of him while Jon Connington's fists rounded, the latter of which only amused the old tiger. "Oh, you want to fight me?"

"I would gladly put you in your place," the former lord of Griffin's Roost growled.

"And what can you do to me? The way I see it, you do not have long to live with the greyscale almost consuming your arm and I am not confident in your ability to punch me," Malaquo sneered. "But I invited you to try your luck with me, if you dare."

Harry Strickland stepped in between them. "Perhaps we can save our energies to fighting the enemy rather than fighting each other."

Malaquo laughed. "You, a sellsword, trying to tell me what to do? I might be old, but I killed younger men like yourself with peach-like faces when your grandsire was born. How about you stand back and let your betters solve their problems on their own?"

Varys' nephew stood up and joined Harry Strickland. "There will be no fighting here, Malaquo. You would do well to remember who is the more potent of the Valyrian race among us here."

"Oh, we are going to discuss that?" Malaquo was even more offended by that notion. "You and your ancestors might have ridden dragons, but you proved unable to hold your crowns while my ancestors have ruled uninterrupted ever since the Doom. Your blood might have potency, but potency is useless when compared to which one is the more proven. And not only that, until you emerged, I never heard about you nor did I care much for who you were, even now. You are under the impression that I will take orders from you because you claim a kingship, but you are just another boy used for the greatness of others."

Instinctively, Varys' nephew punched Malaquo's face, causing the old tiger to stumble backwards while Jon Connington held him back. Varys was also tempted to go near his nephew but saw that he was not hurt. As for Malaquo, he regained his posture while he chuckled in amusement.

"Just as I thought," Malaquo rubbed the bruise next to his lips. "A boy with a temper tantrum." With that, he showed his back to him. "I have had enough of this. I will fight my own way." With that, the old tiger tried to storm out of the discussion circle and go to his subordinate commanders.

"I would advise against that, Malaquo," Varys spoke.

"I have nothing to say to you, eunuch. Asides from your obvious failures, you have not shown another reason to support your king. Yes, we are united in the interest of keeping the slaves in chains, but your king has proven that he cannot control his temper. Why would anyone want to keep following him if they knew just what how much in control he really is regarding his emotions?"

"Are you sure that you want to fight alone?"

"In case you have not noticed, the only reason why you have a force to be feared is because of me. Without my ships and my troops, you will not last one week and the dragon riders that oppose us will make quick work of you all, like they did with the Ghiscari thousands of years ago," Malaquo shot a condescending stare to the slave masters, all of whom had Ghiscari heritage but could only speak the language of their conquerors. "I can fight against Daenerys Targaryen and even your king's sister for a long time, and with just me to worry about, I have nothing to fear."

"Then perhaps you would not mind if I stop sharing my reports with you?" Varys suggested.

"Your information has not proven useful, especially given the setbacks we have faced. So, yes, I do not need your reports anymore."

"Then… you would not be interested in the amount of unrest going on in Volantis."

That stopped Malaquo in his tracks. "What do you mean by unrest?"

Varys decided to show his hand by pulling out a parchment that was sent by someone sympathetic from Volantis, who he met while he made the stop there on the way to Tollos. "Well… it appears that the absence of yourself and the rest of your troops has emboldened the elephants to sabotage the tiger party from power in Volantis. Does the name Jaenyra Vhassar mean anything to you?"

Malaquo's eyes glinted. "Jaenyra? That troublesome bitch?"

"Troublesome she is," Varys admitted. "She has been organizing with the red temple to instigate the slaves into believing that whatever Daenerys Targaryen promised to the ones here, they can have it also. And OUR lack of progress has been noticed, which only lends credence to the belief that things will change with the victory of the dragon riders."

Malaquo snatched the parchment from Varys' fingers, which he crumpled upon seeing the contents. "Then… I shall return to Volantis and exact my vengeance of the Vhassars, starting with Jaenyra."

"That will not be a good choice, Malaquo," Jon Connington joined in. "The way out of the Slavers' Bay has been cut off by the Yi-Tish ships aligned with the Daenerys Targaryen and her nephew and Astapor is in the hands of the enemy. If you want to return home, we have to win here once and for all."

Harry Strickland nodded his head in agreement. "We still have a sizable force under our command. We have come this far, so let us go a little further."

Malaquo breathed out angrily, obviously not liking that his plans to fight independently had to be stopped. "What is it that we should do then?"

Harry Strickland was quick to offer his advice. "Just as they took the initiative against us, we should strike back, and hard."

Malaquo blinked, as realization dawned on him. "You mean… we attack Meereen in full force?"

"Indeed," Harry Strickland confirmed. "We have the ships currently cutting Meereen off and we have the men we need to storm the city. No more strategy and no more waiting around. Just attack them in full force. Make them overwhelmed and have them expend their last bit of weaponry and strength until we ground them down. Only then will we able able to win."

Varys, at this point, decided to accept that strategy. The clashes in the Slavers' Bay have gone on for too long in his mind and he wanted to put an end to the stalemate that was slowly shifting in the favor of Daenerys Targaryen, her nephew, and Rhaenys Targaryen. We outnumber them and we have the advantage, so no more waiting.

Malaquo smiled. "About time. Just go in full force, like a hammer. But what about the dragons?"

"We just have to get close enough to their own troops so that they will not be able to hurt us without killing their own troops," Jon Connington answered. "We have the superiority in numbers while they have to conserve theirs, so we just have to throw men into the fray as much as we can because we can afford to."

Varys' nephew nodded his assent. "Then it is settled. On the morrow, we march to Meereen with all that we have. And the ships will land their crews alongside ours as we assault that city's defenses. After we have broken through, all we need to do is to eliminate all vestiges of resistance and drive my treacherous aunt and sister along with the false dragon out of Slaver's Bay, never to return."

The rest of the leaders agreed and Varys was left alone with his nephew. But instead of being smug, his nephew simply pushed past him, reminding him that he was no longer taking his advice.

Sarra, allow us to win. That way, he will listen to me again, Varys reached out to his dead sister, as he had no other recourse left.


Rhaenys lied on her side as she held the wine cup in her hand and her elbow propped her head up. She was watching as her brother Daeron spoke to Arya in the Yi-Tish tongue known as guanhua, which she asked them to speak. Daenerys could understand it and speak it well enough, but she said that she still struggled with writing and reading the characters since the stroke arrangements were still too complex.

Rhaenys herself knew many tongues, a consequence of Varys making sure that she had a well-rounded education. Besides the common tongue of Westeros, she knew how to speak the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities with a Lysene accent, High Valyrian, the Ghiscari tongue, and some Dothraki since there were Dothraki people in Lys who traveled there. But she never knew about the languages and cultures of the Land of a Thousand Cities, which she began to understand had its own flair and richness to them. And with different tongues came different ways of thinking, as the Yi-Tish peoples had a different understanding of the world.

"Daeron." Rhaenys was not used to calling him by his northern name, although she reckoned that it would be a while before she did. "I do not mean to interrupt, but what are you talking about right now?"

Daeron glanced at Arya before he answered. "We are just talking about a principle that we both learned from a book authored by a great general many centuries ago. The book specifically talks about strategy and how to fight wars."

Robb, who was also there, was surprised as Rhaenys. "There is actually a book for that?"

Daenerys sipped her wine before smiling. "You would be surprised at what all of us have learned while enjoying the hospitality of the Yi-Tish."

Having been witness to the capabilities of the Yi-Tish soldiers who had journeyed with Daenerys and Daeron, Rhaenys was convinced at their capabilities in warfare. "I am sure that whatever those people have written about war should be heeded very carefully. But do tell us. What is it exactly you two are talking about?"

"We are talking about a specific passage in the book that deals with the type of ground that a battle is fought on."

"Specifically?" Rhaenys wanted to know more.

"There is one passage that stands out among the rest." Daeron allowed Arya to do the honors. "'Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve. Officers and men alike will put forth their uttermost strength. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for it, they will fight hard. Thus, without waiting to be marshaled, without waiting to be asked, they will do your will; without restrictions, they will be faithful; without giving orders, they can be trusted.'"

Robb listened closely, expressed with his undivided attention, as did Rhaenys.

"So… I imagine that the passage is advocating for whoever is leading troops to put them in places where they have to fight no matter what?" Robb guessed.

Arya shook her head. "That is a common misunderstanding, Robb. Leaders should not intentionally put their troops at risk, because that is just stupidity at work. But war is filled with unexpected circumstances and what this passage is saying is that if an army is found in a position where they face overwhelming odds, it is the responsibility of the leader to ensure that they fight. Make them see that there can be no retreat, no trying to negotiate, and only one chance of survival by fighting forward."

Rhaenys found that reasoning intriguing. But she did have one question. "If such a circumstance arises… is it not the leader's fault that the army was put in that position in the first place?"

Daeron and Arya looked at each other, confounded. Then, Daeron spoke. "Well… the first sentence of the book tells that war is a matter of life and death, with the key of those words being that war should only be pursued if it is absolutely necessary."

"By that, you mean to say that if possible, war should not be pursued at all?" Rhaenys asked.

Daeron and Arya shook their head collectively.

Robb had more to ask. "If that is the case, then when does war become acceptable to pursue?"

"I am not sure how to say this, because it is a complicated text and Sam is busy with more important matters than translating books into the common tongue," Daeron answered. "But the beginning of the text begins with this: 'War is governed by five constant factors: The Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, and Method and discipline.
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.
The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.
By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.'"

Robb shook his head. "I do not understand."

Rhaenys had to be impressed with Robb Stark, for he knew when to admit his shortcomings.

"For a leader to be successful in war, all five factors have to be taken into account and he must have the advantage," Arya explained. "If even one factor is not on his side, then he is doomed to lose."

"Perhaps we should turn this into something… easier to understand," Daeron suggested. "Robb, may I talk about how you conducted your campaign as King in the North?" He nodded, but very slowly. "All right. So, when you led the northmen against the Lannisters, you had all five factors on your side in the beginning. Everyone in the North saw the execution of our father as unjust, the northerners marched in favorable weather and terrain, no one disputed your abilities as a commander, and you knew how to control the men under you. But over time, you lost these factors. You were spending too much time in the riverlands, which allowed the ironborn to take Winterfell. The weather and the terrain was slowly not going in your favor, and you started to lose the respect you gained as a leader. All of those factors combined served to also undermine you, which… you know what I am saying."

Robb sighed, but part of manhood was learning how to accept hard truths and he had learned to accept that when Yohn Royce told him why he lost. "Maybe I did not have one of the factors on my side after all. I did not have the Moral Law as an advantage, because I was never able to satisfy the Karstarks and the Boltons, both of whom saw weakness on my part and both pushed it until they saw that I was no longer in control. As for the Freys, the same applies to them because my mother made promises that ultimately could not be kept." He laughed bitterly. "Now that I think about it, none of the northern houses were willing to follow me into danger and that ultimately did me in."

Arya walked over to Robb and squeezed his hand. "But you still survived, Robb, and that has to count for something. And when we do return, we will not have the same problems regarding unmotivated men fighting for us because we will exact our vengeance on those that wronged us."

Rhaenys raised her hand, surprising Daeron. "You do not need to raise your hand, sister."

"I have another question to ask, which relates to the passage we just discussed." She found the whole discussion stimulating, while finding the depths of Daeron's untapped intellect very attractive. Not even Varys' instructors made me talk like this. "Going to putting troops on ground where they have to fight, do you think that applies to us at this moment?"

"Absolutely," Daeron quickly answered. "We came too far and sacrificed too much to give up now, but the enemy also believes this. But due to the differences in our situations, we are going to triumph."

"And why is that?"

Daenerys decided to make her voice heard. "Because we, along with the ones fighting for us, have all of the reasons they need to succeed. If we fail, everything that has been accomplished will be undermined and the freedmen will see themselves returned to slavery. As for us three dragons… we will be destroyed and the false dragon that dares to parade himself as Aegon will be able to push his claim on the throne. There is no greater insult to our family and we must defeat him. We must win here, or we will see our family destroyed again."

Daeron sat next to Daenerys and put his arm over her shoulder, while she leaned her head against his chest. "The book aside, all of us are driven for the simple reason of surviving. I survived, and I was able to find our aunt and marry her." He kissed the top of her head, causing her to smile and kiss his jawline.

"I survived and not only was I able to find my nephew and your brother, I was able to find you," Daenerys grabbed her hand and squeezed it tenderly.

"I was able to survive and become the woman that I always wanted to be, and more," Arya added.

Robb let out a chuckle, which surprised Rhaenys and the others since that was the first time that he smiled genuinely and by himself. "I guess I survived and then I was able to reunite with not only my dear sister, but the man who is my brother, always." Both Daeron and Robb looked at each other gratefully.

Rhaenys was thinking about why she survived. There were many instances where she questioned why only she got out and not her father, her grandmother, her mother, or her real brother. But as they were now on the topic of why each of them survived, there was only one thing that made sense to her.

"I am not sure why I survived," Rhaenys expressed. "But I… am glad that I did. If I did not, I would not have seen you, Daeron, or you, Aunt Daenerys. And I would not have such fine people such as Lord Robb here or Lady Arya. Not to mention the people who have managed to hold Meereen together for so long. I guess… this is what happiness looks like, and I want more of it."

Daeron, Daenerys, Robb, and Arya raised their cups in response, which Rhaenys reciprocated. "To happiness," he and Daenerys cheered.

"To happiness," Rhaenys, Robb, and Arya repeated before they drunk their wine.

Then, Ser Barristan entered their private room. "Your Graces, my lord, and my lady," he addressed them all. "It is time."

They all looked at each other knowingly. While they took the moment to unwind and appreciate each other's company, they also knew that their troops were getting ready and messages were being sent to and from Prince Kaijin's ships. With the enemy closing in from both land and sea, the next day or so would be very busy and they had to put in their all if they wished to win and survive.

"We shall win," Rhaenys finally said before they all had one more drink of the wine before they all went to dress in their armor and weapons in order to lead the ones who put their trust in them.


Robb watched as the men prepared to repel the onslaught from the tigers, slavers, and all of the others who had sided with them. He had already unsheathed Ice, but he restrained himself after seeing the example set by Minoru Lim and Prince Kaijin. He and uncle Benjen, like Jon, were cut from the same cloth in that they preferred to lead troops from the front. However, considering the circumstances that face them and they were about to be overwhelmed if they were not careful enough, Robb was not going to take any more chances. The men need to see that their commander is alive and well, but I will only fight if the time calls.

In the short day before they were attacked, the dragon riders and the leaders saw that their enemies would not be so patient or cautious this time. When it came to bets, their enemies were going all in and they were going to not be restrained.

"This is perfect actually," Lim said. "They are going to concentrate all of their forces, including their elite forces, onto one fixed location. That would take away any advantage they would have if they fought an open battle. I hear that the Golden Company utilizes elephants and they can be quite difficult to deal with regarding normal cavalry."

"You have no idea," the captain of the Company of the Rose replied.

"But elephants will not be very useful against walls, so we have the geography going for us," Lim pointed out. "Now, it comes to being able to distribute our resources evenly so that when they assault on all sides, we will be able to plug all holes that might form and hold them long enough to become exhausted."

"Agreed," Benjen nodded. "Even a large army like that procured by Malaquo Maegyr is not invulnerable to natural forces, and they will be vulnerable if they attempt to storm Meereen all at once. But we can agree that they are getting desperate. The only question to answer is what is making them so?"

"I believe that I can answer that," the Yi-Tish red priestess stepped forward. "I have received word from my brethren at the Red Temple that they are about to stage a slave rebellion in Volantis, and the elephants are facilitating that."

"The elephants are willing to risk open conflict with the tigers?" Tyrion was aware of how the politics among the Old Blood in Volantis worked.

"There is no better chance than now, especially with Malaquo taking most of the tigers' able troops with him on a war that is so far away from his power base," the priestess answered. "Malaquo might be a good commander and a competent politician, but the past few years have done much damage to his ability to see the larger picture. He is not the same man who led the tigers to prominence all those years ago."

"So… our chances of winning have increased even though we are outnumbered because we will allow the enemy to attack us?" Daario was having a hard time wrapping his head around that.

"Exactly, even though it might not seem like that," Rhaenys answered. "It is all about putting men on ground where they cannot run and they have to fight."

Robb chuckled, remembering what Jon and Arya were talking about regarding the book written by that general all those centuries ago. "This is what must happen if we want to win, Daario. I would have expected a warrior of your stature to be eager of this sort of engagement."

"Do not get me wrong, wolf lord. I am eager to fight in the next big fight as any other man. But there are risks that have to be considered and I want to be able to survive to the next day."

"You will," Arya told him. "We all will. We just need to make sure that once they assault us, they will not be able to escape."

"Explain that, to all of us," Daario stated while gesturing his hands to the others.

"Well… we just need for them to put everything they have against us. Keep them focused on trying to assault us while we can get them and their ships pinned so that we can go for the kill."

"And how do you expect to accomplish that?"

"With dragons, of course," Jon answered with confidence.

"And we have already been in communication with Prince Kaijin, who is ready to strike at the enemy fleet with all of his ships. Just as the enemy will attack us with all they have, we should oblige them," Daenerys added.

Robb looked at the torches that were gathered in front and around Meereen's walls. He would be lying to himself if he denied that everyone was afraid, but after remembering what Theon said before his turn to treachery, being afraid was a sign of wisdom since he knew that they had to win.

"Everything ready?" Robb turned to Lim. In the time that he took to know Uncle Benjen's trusted lieutenant, he found him one of the most dependable and competent tacticians and leaders he ever met. He also knew how to speak the common tongue very well, which made matters all the easier for them both.

"Everything is set, Lord Robb," Minoru Lim answered. "We are merely waiting for the enemy to make the first move."

As soon as they finished talking, they saw slavers and the tigers ready their catapults and trebuchets, being filled with stone shot and fireballs. The plan was to allow the enemy to let off a few volleys. Meanwhile, they would save their cannons for when they would close enough, for they had to maximize the damage done to the enemy. And they would save the cannons for Kaijin, since he was the most proven of them in all when it came to how effective they were.

"It is time," Lim nodded.

"Indeed. Get the men to cover."

"Very good." Minoru Lim shouted orders in guanhua, as most of the foot and the gunners of the Jade Company were inside the city while the cavalry and the Jogos Nhai were outside of the city, staying hidden until the last possible moment. As soon as they saw the situation unfold as they would expect, they would be brought to be bear.

The enormous bombardment commenced. The defenders, as Robb instructed, took cover on the walls. The slavers' war engines executed one of the largest bombardments that he had been through. As he took cover, he could see the slaver infantry, with their ladders and archers, move forward, slowly, and then at a run.

"Nock! And loose!" The archers on the walls let their arrows fly, hurtling towards and killing hundreds in a few volleys.

"Fire!" The Jade Company gunners found their marks true, turning the scene below the walls into a slaughter.

But the enemy's siege engines continued to hurl their rocks and fireballs while the slaver army screamed and their drums beat.

One of the siege towers came close to the walls, archers shooting from its platform, with the defenders and the gunners returning volleys. It had already caught fire in two or three places. But the ladders ran alongside the tower. Ceramic casings filled with the black powder and stones were thrown at them and at the tower once they were close enough.

"Draw swords!" Robb shouted as he readied Ice and Lim unsheathed his own.

The defenders wait, as the archers and the gunners continue to hurl their projectiles at the enemy. The first siege tower comes within ten feet of the wall and as a great rap descended upon the ramparts, hundreds of slavers charge forward into garrison. They are staved off, Robb at the center.

While he swung his way through and cut many men with Ice, he caught an arrow through the left wrist.

Clutching his wrist, Robb was able to backhand one of the attackers with his elbow while smashing Ice on top of another with his back turned. What resulted was the result of Valyrian steel making quick work of flesh and bone, something that Robb had not noticed before. But he kept his focus as he continued the fight.

Seeing more of the towers come close to the walls, then came the time for their next tactic.

"Now!" Robb shouted.

From a tower to the side, two grapnels are thrown. They catch onto the towers and are hand-tightened, before Robb waved his arm. The two lines ran to a derrick which held up a stone the size of a small cottage. The lines were cut and the weight of the stone jerks the siege towers to pieces. Debris, burning beams, knock slaver ladders and the ones who were still on them off the walls. The wreckage collapsed back on the infantry tightly packed behind the tower, killing scores.

It was an ancient tactic that they had rediscovered while going through the ancient wars between the Valyrians and the Rhoynish, with the Rhoynish able to do damage with that tactic until they were overwhelmed by dragonfire. Now, they suffer great casualties.

Eventually, the enemy recovered, no doubt the slave masters barking orders, and they got new ladders up. Robb and Minoru Lim were as quick as they were, readying their swords for another brawl on the walls. But as a commander, he could not spend too much time, not while he had other tasks to handle.

Robb, moving through smoke that had formed and killing his way through with Ice, waved his arm, and ceramic casings were flung straight down into the infantry. As hundreds of slavers felt the force of explosives tear through them, arches and gunners who were not engaged in close combat flung their arrows and fired their shots, slaughtering scores of the slavers.

Robb then looked over the walls and saw slavers in the thousands mass with ladders beneath another part of the wall.

Having expected them to try another mass charge, Robb signaled for the men to release the wooden trays. There were great wooden trays running the length of the wall, which only needed to be released by a hammer unlocking the chained mechanism. Large stones fell upon them, smashing thousands of tightly-massed slavers. As another wave attempted to press forward over the smashed men, more ceramic casings were thrown at them, igniting men as well as turning the wooden trays on the ground into splinters that killed dozens more.

Finding a lull in the fighting, Robb got out his Myrish eye and saw more slavers advance in the distance. But as they attempted to try to circle the city's walls, scores fell into concealed killing pits of sharpened stakes. Minoru Lim recommended that they use those pits as another layer of defense, having learned from the jungles of Yi-Ti. In another field, this would be cheating. But what the hells.

In another part of the field around Meereen, archers released flaming arrows into a ground of pitch. An area of about an acre had been covered with pitch and straw and dirt, and it went up like one would see dragonfire, fierce enough to drive defenders back from the walls. A large part of the slaver army had now been incinerated, but they were not ready to give up yet.

Robb and Lim then nodded to each other as they went down on the walls and rallied the city's reserves. They had to keep the enemy attacking and trying to take Meereen, but how they were going to do that involved great risk.

Robb blew the horn, the signal for the main gate to be opened.

"Either this is the craziest thing ever done, or we just doomed ourselves," Lim noted.

"There is only one way to find out."

Seeing the main gate opened, the slavers turned around and braved the gunshots and the arrows flying into them while slaver archers fired a volley of arrows and their infantry charged. Robb guessed that in their minds, the main gate opening was their chance to take Meereen at this rush and finally win, and the city garrison had just handed Meereen over on a silver platter.

But to their rude surprise, they found themselves surrounded by spears, guns, and archers who had turned around the walls. They still charged, but they are hacked down, man after man, by the heavily armed defenders. Robb and Lim could only watch as ceramic casings, arrows, and spears were not enough to dissuade their attackers from stopping.

Anytime now, Robb thought to the dragons, who had not yet revealed themselves.


Kaijin went through more of the dispatches, which were coming in constantly as soon as first blood was drawn at Meereen's walls. He had to work under pressure to ensure that the ships and the marines would be ready for battle and he had to time his attacks precisely, since one moment off was enough to unravel to entire battle design. Nothing that I have not encountered before.

Kaijin was made aware of what he was supposed to do. He was slightly outnumbered by the tiger fleet, the difference being only one hundred at most, but if they moved fast enough, they would be able to catch them and obtain a superior tactical position. He already knew that his ships outgunned the Volantene ones and they would be hesitant to take the initiative against him, not after what they heard at New Ghis.

Kaijin first had to drop the cavalry off on the shores north of Meereen without alerting the enemy, which comprised of all of the Jade Company's horsemen and the Jogos Nhai. They would be responsible for exploiting any exposed flanks and cutting them down while the enemy was preoccupied with swarming Meereen. That meant that he would have to engage the enemy with fewer ships, which would not be a problem as long as they kept their distance.

Against the dying light of the day, Kaijin sailed with the main force of his ships while the vanguard moved to cut off the bay to Meereen and thus all escape for the tigers' ships. He could already hear their guns firing and their rockets flying, no doubt causing the first ships to sink.

"Faster!" Kaijin knew that the vanguard would be outnumbered and the time they took to reload their weapons would be enough for the enemy to board and overwhelm them.

At his orders, the captain of Kaijin's ship ordered the crew to bring out their oars and row, adding speed to the fleet.

Then, the main force came within sight of Meereen's bay. Through the spyglass, Kaijin could see that the vanguard and the ships that ferried both the Company of the Rose and the Wolf Pack to the city were heavily engaged. While the vanguard were able to keep their distance by firing off their weapons, the other ships did not have such armaments and thus had to resort to close combat. He could hear the steel clanging and the men shouting.

"Attack speed!"

The rowers went at a faster pace, no doubt realizing that they were about to get into contact with the enemy ships.

"Should we open fire, Highness?" The captain was eager to unleash his volleys.

"Not yet." Kaijin was tempted to do so as well, but he knew that the damage would not be maximized until the main force was in position.

The vanguard was firing its weapons while sailing towards the northern end of the bay. Once they were close enough, they would drop anchor and become gun carriages on the water. When that happened, Kaijin would only have a few moments before the enemy would try to board them.

He did not have to wait long, for he saw the leading ship of the vanguard raise the yellow flag, which indicated that he had reached the northern shore.

"Bring our ships to show full broadside. And ready the rockets."

"Yes, Highness!"

Surveying the sight on his starboard, Kaijin saw that the vanguard had done considerable damage to the tiger fleet. Many ships were sinking and others were on fire, but he had to close the circle on them since they could still force their way through.

Suddenly, Kaijin and the crew on his ship had to take cover, as enemy arrows were landing on the deck.

"Protect yourselves!" Kaijin shouted.

A few unlucky sailors were felled by flaming arrows, but the ships pressed onwards.

Upon seeing that his ships were completely lined up and that some of the tiger vessels had begun to wheel around to try to board the vessels cutting them off, Kaijin raised his hand. "Open fire!"

Hundreds of iron projectiles were unleashed, going some distance through the air before going back down and colliding into the wooden decks of the tigers' vessels. More were sunk with their hulls punctured while many more were damaged.

Kaijin then saw the rockets being lit. Seeing their trails of smoke through the sky was a mesmerizing sight, until they hit their mark and exploded. Some other rockets were exploding in the air to bring light onto the darkening areas of the battle, allowing the gunners to keep track of their marks.

Once the volleys were fired on the starboard side, the rowers moved the ship to the port side, where loaded cannons were ready to be used and start the process all over again. It was a tactic to ensure that there was continuous rate of fire onto the enemy, as the key to their success was to avoid boarding parties. Of course, the marines and the sailors would be ready should the enemy managed to come close enough, but success was maximized if close combat on the seas could be avoided.

Seeing that the encirclement was complete, Kaijin knew that the next part had to happen. He had one of the rockets loaded and lit, the explosion in the air resulting in a green burst.

Dragon roars broke through the night, as Daeron knew what the green rocket meant. Meleys, Drogon, and Rhaegal all descended upon the tiger fleet as they were bathed in dragonfire.

Kaijin almost felt sorry for the crews on the tigers' ships, as they did not expect to be so utterly burned and turned into crisp. However, they had the misfortune of being on the wrong side and he was not going to complain about being on the safe side of the dragons.

Closely observing the carnage left behind by the dragons and hearing their wings flap, he saw the flames dance on the water and the ships breaking apart while he heard the crews scream in pain. Putting aside pity, he knew that he had to mop up. Nodding to the captain, he had the red flag raised. "Forward!"

The vanguard ships raised anchor while they and Kaijin's ships sailed forward, pushing through the burning wreckages.

"What do we do about the survivors?" the captain asked, seeing men pleading for help.

"What about them?" Kaijin asked, pitiless.

"The ones who are not burned will drown."

"That is not our problem."

The captain nodded his head slowly, remembering the prince who had it in him to be a leader during battle.

One of the vessels that remained afloat, or rather dozens, were not resisting when they saw the Yi-Tish junks sail past the fires. He saw the captains and the crews, their eyes exhausted and afraid.

"Should we take prisoners?" the captain asked.

"They will surrender on their own. Our task is to simply kill and sink those who continue futile resistance."

Soon after, Kaijin's ship made it to the dock, with him being the first to disembark and the captain and the crew following him. He was met by Benjen Stark, who was bloodied, obviously from the fighting on the walls.

"Have we beaten back the enemy, Lord Benjen?" Kaijin asked him.

"Not yet. But the cavalry has struck and the enemy infantry is breaking. My nephew is about to charge out of the gates and finish them off, help the horsemen."

"By all means, join them," Kaijin said. "I shall help keep the city in order. My men need rest."

Benjen gave him one nod and turned around while Kaijin signaled for the other vessels to sail forward. Alongside them were the captured ships and prisoners, which Kaijin proceeded to sort through.

"Sailors and soldiers here!" the captain pointed to one area. "Officers here!"

Kaijin then saw the dragons land, with Daeron, Daenerys, and Rhaenys approaching them. Daeron was wearing his armor, which combined Yi-Tish warrior traditions and Westeros leathers. Rhaenys was wearning a mixture of metal plates covered with light Dornish cloths, no doubt homage to her other half. For Daenerys, she wore hardened leather and had two knives strapped to her waist.

Kaijin bowed his head in respect. "Your Highnesses."

"You must be Prince Kaijin." Rhaenys approached him, extending her hand. "So nice to finally meet you."

Kaijin kissed her proffered hand. "Nice to meet you as well, Princess Rhaenys. I have heard much about you."

"You are not much older than us," Rhaenys told him.

"No."

"You have not seen twenty-five name-days and they made you a general?"

"From what I know of you, we are about the same age and you survived such a terrible event. Time does not care for achievements, right?"

Rhaenys moved her head to and fro. "I guess not." She then surprised him by giving him a smile. "It appears that I have much to learn from you."

"We have time for that." He turned to Daeron and Daenerys. "Glad all three of you came when you did. I was wondering that I would have to use up all of my arrows and shot and be stuck with the tiresome task of cleaning the mess."

"Oh, you think so little of us?" Daenerys jested. "Well, out of consideration, we were going to allow the cavalry to finish up."

Daeron clasped Kaijin's forearm. "We have much work to do. Now, we have to find and capture the false dragon and expose him for what he really is."

"That might be difficult. I will have to get back on my ships and sail to Yunkai as soon as possible."

"Can you do that?"

Kaijin shook his head. "My crews and captains are tired and we have sailing nonstop and fighting. We need rest."

Daeron glanced at Daenerys and Rhaenys. "Then…. We fly out to him."

"Why not?" Daenerys agreed. "We destroyed most of his ships and we have routed his army. The only way out for him now is to prove that he is of dragon's blood. If he is not… he burns."

"I know he will fail," Rhaenys spat. "The moment he goes near a dragon, he will be turned to ash. Viserion will not allow him to ride him."

"Well, Your Highnesses, I will leave you three to it. I shall look after the city and ensure that my crews get their rest."

"You do that." Daeron, Daenerys, and Rhaenys got back up on their dragons and flew southwards while Kaijin marched with the marines, sailors, and the prisoners into the city. He was met by Grey Worm, who was covered in blood and soot, and Ser Barristan Selmy, both of whom he recognized from the physical descriptions provided by Daenerys.

"It is good to meet you, Grey Worm," Kaijin addressed him while speaking High Valyrian.

The Unsullied commander looked momentarily surprised before he shook his hand. "Likewise, Prince Kaijin. It is rare to meet a Yi-Tish royal this side of the Bone Mountains."

Kaijin nodded before he turned to Ser Barristan. "Ser Barristan, or should I say old master?"

"Old master?" he asked curiously.

"For men your age to retain physical prowess, that is what we call you. Elders deserve respect in my homeland."

Ser Barristan was flattered and shook his hand tightly. "I am sure we have to much talk about, over some wine."

"Lead the way, good ser."


The Hound rode with the Jade Company's cavalry and the Jogos Nhai as they waited for the signal to strike against the main slaver force assaulting Meereen. He had his sword, his three pistols, and his main tanegashima that he modified himself to fire scattershot instead of single shot.

After the cavalry were taken back onto the ships once none of the enemy were making any efforts to retake Astapor, Prince Kaijin was able to exploit the tigers concentrating their ships to surround Meereen to slip the cavalry through and then land them north of Meereen. From there, they rode to the west and from the looks of it, the slavers and the tigers were too busy on trying to take Meereen that they were blind to everywhere else.

Sandor and the rest of the cavalry, which also included the Jogos Nhai that accompanied Daeron to Yin, Yongpo, waited patiently while they saw the fighting take place in Meereen. They were to wait at the eastern end of the Kyzai Pass, which offered excellent concealment. And their chances of escaping detection had been increased since the enemy were focused on attacking from the south and the east of the city, not paying attention to the north and west.

Whoever is running this army is not very good at showing awareness to their surroundings, Sandor thought. He did not consider himself a commander, but even he knew that keeping awareness of everything around him was common sense.

"Hey, dog," Yongpo called out to him. By this point, Sandor had grown used to the Jogos Nhai taking his name quite literally. "You think you can handle yourself in a horse charge?"

"I have been through worse," he answered gruffly.

"Do not get me wrong. I know that you can handle yourself as a footman, but I have not seen you on a horse before."

"I know how to ride a horse." Sandor pointed to himself as the both of them sat in saddles.

"Can you also shoot from horseback?"

Now that was something that the Hound had not tried before. He could say that he was good at shooting his pistols and tanegashima, but he had not fired them while riding a horse. "No."

"No matter," Yongpo shrugged. "You can use that large gun on your back. Wise decision, considering the spread it can shoot."

Sandor had modified his gun so that the muzzle assumed a conical shape, which was to maximize the shot. He had taken what he had seen from hunters in the northern reaches of Yi-Ti and pushed it further. "The only problem is that I have to reload every time that I fire, but I rather take these rather than be like a nancy and use a bow."

Yongpo nodded in agreement. "I cannot argue with you over there. I myself do not see myself using bows."

"I figured," Sandor said sarcastically as he eyed the huge blade tied to the Jogos Nhai's back.

"And yet, you do not see a problem with firing guns."

"The difference between using a bow and using my guns is that I can feel the power behind them. Bows are too quiet and the arrows are too clean, while I can see the damage with the shot and see blood splatter and the bones shatter. Just like when I use a sword."

"My type of fighter," Yongpo remarked, causing Sandor to groan at his attempt to find common ground with him.

"Remind me again. How do you know how to speak the common tongue of Westeros?"

"You think you are the first white devil that I met in my life?" Sandor might not have shown it, but he began to like being called a "white devil." "Lots of them traveled on the roads in the north of the empire and that is how I know how to speak it. Of course, if you ask me to read or write, I will not able to."

"Hmmm," Sandor let out. He did not consider himself a book person as well, even though his lowlife father made him learn to read and write.

In the distance, they saw dragonfire unleash from the skies, the screams of their enemies being heard even from that distance.

"The signal," Yongpo said as he got his big blade off of his back.

Sandor readied his tanegashima and checked his pistols before he unsheathed his sword. "Whenever you are ready."

Yongpo nodded to the nearest Jogos Nhai, who drew back on his bow and released an arrow. Unlike other arrows, this one had a head which made a distinct sound when traveling through the air. The pitch of the sound was high enough so that the rest of the cavalry could hear.

Sandor and Yongpo led them to a slow pace, gradually gaining speed so that they would move as one.

"At the double quick!" Suddenly, the pace became a gallop, with Sandor bouncing up and down on the saddle as he struggled to maintain the grip on his sword and the reins of his horse.

Against the light of the dragonfire that was consuming the enemy fleet, the chaos of the enemy army as they were still preoccupied with trying to take Meereen was evident. Even Sandor knew that intentionally opening the main gate so that they would continue to pour men in the hopes of breaking through was very risky, but in this case, the risks were outweighed by the potential of a crush.

Some of the slavers saw the threat of the cavalry quickly enough and attempted to form a rearguard, but it was too little and too late since they most of their comrades were still focused on breaking through the main gate.

"Ahhh!" Yongpo shouted as the others aimed their spears and readied their bows and guns just before they clashed headlong in the enemy mass.

Before they did, Sandor was able to get one shot off of his tanegashima, the scatter shot and the close distance being enough to kill three men at a time. Slinging it back around since he would not have time to reload it, he got out his first pistol and shot one in the head while he began to slash away with his sword.

The momentum gained from the charge was enough to throw practically all of the enemy's rearguard and those close behind backwards, especially since their backs were exposed and none of them expected an attack from the rear. While Yongpo kicked and cut away all of those close to him, Sandor was busy shooting and slashing at those who tried to unhorse him.

Once his first pistol used its shot, he got out his second pistol and fired at someone's back, blood squirting out while he decapitated another. He would save his third pistol only when he would need it, so he kept it tucked away while he continued to fight with his sword.

Seeing a large group of pikemen trying to force their way through in an attempt to stall the cavalry, Sandor got out one of his ceramic casings, lit it, and threw it at them. The explosion was not as spectacular as he wanted, but it did kill some of them, evidenced from how quickly they dropped their pikes.

However, the second time he tried to light a ceramic casing, someone tried to run him through with a pike, causing his horse to go backwards and him dropping it. He tried to get away from the casing as quickly as he could, but it exploded, killing the pikemen but also injuring his horse and causing him to fall onto the ground.

Quickly getting himself back up, he found a pike on the ground that was snapped in half. Picking up the part that had the steel head on it, he stabbed a slaver in the back while swinging diagonally at someone trying to charge him. Running his hand along the wooden shaft, he pulled out the pike's half and used the shaft as a club to strike another slaver in the face. Using the shaft to hold him from behind, he got up his sword to his neck and pulled both it and the shaft back, cutting the man's neck.

He heard someone trying to charge him from behind, causing him to club him in chest and the force putting him on the ground before he got the sword to finish him off with a stab from above. Sandor then used his shoulder to force his way through four men as they were busy trying to unhorse Yongpo, making all of them fall to the ground and thus enabling him to kill two of them before they got back up.

But suddenly, Sandor found himself almost getting his head chopped off by a man who had blue hair and red eyebrows. The Hound was able to recognize the sigil on his surcoat, which belonged to the ones who occupied Griffin's Roost, but he shrugged that aside and focused on killing him. Despite being evidently past the prime of his life, this blue-haired man swung his sword like a master and even Sandor was having a hard time parrying them. He tried to use the half of the pike he picked up to club him, but the blue-haired man was able to catch it and force it out of his hand.

The blue-haired man made Sandor go on the defensive, as he was struggling to keep himself getting cut. None of the tactics he used were working on him, such as using the pommel as a blunt weapon or trying to cut across his legs, for he jumped. The blue-haired man then used his cloak to distract him by swinging it across his face, but Sandor anticipated that he would do that and he was able to duck.

Finding his opening, Sandor dropped his sword and wrestled him to the ground, landing a few punches across his face and then his arm. At the last one, he cried out in pain, allowing the Houng more time to try to punch him into submission. But the blue-haired man recovered by kicking him in the balls, allowing him to push the Hound off of him.

Remembering his last pistol, he got it out and cocked it. Just before the blue-haired man got his sword back in his hand, the Hound aimed it at his chest and fired, the shot piercing his armor and stopping him in his track. The blue-haired man froze before he dropped to his knees and the sword fell out of his hands, his other hand clutching his chest while blood came out of his mouth.

Not taking the time to talk, the Hound simply walked up to him, grabbed his jaw, and snapped his neck, a sickening crack that could be heard. Ignoring the enemy army cracking and routing, he turned the body on its back and found out why he cried out in pain when he struck it. Greyscale, he discovered.

Yongpo rode up to him. "Are you all right?"

The Hound nodded. "I feel that I know this man, but I do not remember."

"Do not concern yourself. We have won a great victory today."

Sandor surveyed the dead around him and could not help but smile. Thousands of their enemies were dead, hundreds of their ships were on fire, and the three dragons were flying about, all of them roaring in triumph.

All the Hound could do was sit down, unscrew his wineskin, and try to drink. But before he could, Yongpo snatched it from his hands. "It is rude to not share a drink after a great fight. Cheers." Squirting it in his mouth, he handed it back to Sandor.

"Cheers," Sandor grumbled before he took a breath and relaxed himself.

A/N: Varys is very much unraveling here. And now, even his own nephew is not listening to him.

Rhaenys enjoys a small moment, where she also learns something valuable alongside getting to know her family more.

The whole battle was based on the second Arab siege of Constantinople, which was such a pivotal clash, although opening the main gate to keep the enemy focused was inspired by the Black Panther in Infinity War. Robb fully redeems himself as a commander, Kaijin shows why he is a leader and admiral, and the Hound is dressed with pistols and the GoT's version of the blunderbuss while he helps to wipe out the slavers like the Bulgars with the Arabs.

Hope you enjoyed!