Xaro's Palace

Daenerys lets out a long-held sigh as the cool water of the green marble bath envelops her body and soul. She feels ready to drift off to sleep as the scent of rose and other flower petals wash over her. In the water, small golden fish flit about and eat away at her calluses, like a tiny massage all over her body. And with a soft breeze flowing through the open balcony, she feels truly at peace.

When Xaro offered his home for all of Daenerys' khalasar and horses, she thought the man was full of empty promises. At least that was the case until they saw the palace. It's a massive colourful complex, larger than a market town with more rooms than she could count. So large in fact that the entirety of her khalasar can be put into the palace's East wing with rooms to spare. With fresh food, cold water, and gentle air, Qarth is almost heaven.

Almost.

"A towel worthy of your beauty, oh Queen of Dragons," says a boy in High Valyrian as he places the cloth onto the side of the bath. The servants here, at least from what she can see, are all slaves. Boy slaves with scant few girls here and there. And they're not even fully clothed, Dany notes for the boy only wears sandals and sheer silk around his waist, though there's body paint as well.

It's a sharp reminder that no matter how comfortable this place is, Qarth is not her home. They own slaves here, but not in Westeros. The Qartheen politeness only extends to the free man, and even then it remains suspect.

"May I ask your name?"

"This one has no name, oh Queen of Dragons," the boy bows with a soft smile.

"But if you are to be around me, then there must be a name I can call you." She looks around her lavish room, trying to come up with a fitting name for the boy, and her eye settles on a floating flower petal. "Is the name Rose fine with you?"

The boy gasps and tears flow from his eyes, surprising Dany. "Any name coming from your lips is a gift greater than jewels, oh Queen of Dragons! I shall treasure it as I serve you, oh Queen of Graces."

"…Thank you. And if you would so kindly turn around, I'll be getting out of the bath."

"As you wish."

Still feeling apprehensive changing with a stranger in her room, she moves behind a standing table to dry herself and put on the clothes gifted by Xaro: golden sandals in the shape of serpents and a traditional Qartheen dress with one breast bared, accentuated by rubies cut into the shape of flowers. It feels nothing like the leather and fibres of Dothrakii wear, far softer and… Comfortable. "I can't stay here," she whispers to herself. "The Iron Throne is waiting for me."

And yet the most she has seen of Westeros is a fuzzy haze at the horizon during her stay in Pentos. But Jorah knows of my Kingdom, and Viserys…

…

"Is everything alright, your grace?" Rose asks with the slightest hint of worry.

"I'm fine. Just, reminiscing," she chuckles, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Her brother, the one who often told her wondrous stories of Rhaegar, the one who fed her in the slums of Pentos… The one who sold me for a promise. The one who beat me in front of my husband. For better or for worse, he's dead. The dragon has three heads, and I'm the last. A lone Targaryen is a terrible thing. "Rose, may I ask what you know of the Kingdoms of Westeros?"

"I must apologise for my ineptitude, oh Queen of Westeros, for I know nought of your land. Mayhaps I bring you a book to-"

"There's no need for that, Rose, thank you." All she knows of Westeros now is what the warlock Seiga have told her: "A terrible war has broken out and Westeros is on the brink. North killing West killing East killing South, at least that's what the crows told me~" To be so jovial in recounting the loss of lives… I see why Prince Miko detests her. "Can you lead me the way to Prince Miko's quarters? I wish to see my dragons."

"Certainly, your grace."

The two walk down the quiet halls of Xaro's palace, with Dany occasionally stopping to admire the mosaic murals on the walls. One of which is of a great red dragon torn asunder by lightning, such a vivid image that she wonders if the mason was there to witness it. Viserys once told me that Dragonstone and the Red Keep are the finest castles in the whole world, that nothing can beat their magnificence. But what of this palace then? What is a merchant's home to a King's castle? Does the Red Keep have fish gardens with captive peacocks and jewelled snakes?

The sound of footsteps echo from a nearby hallway and her bloodrider Aggo comes into view, messily chewing on some orange slices. He turns to her and drops the fruit, shocked perhaps from her dress, her presence, or both. "Khaleesi," he kneels before her, "I am honoured to see you in good health."

"Rise Aggo, I'm glad to see you clean as well." As the older man stands, she notes that his clothing has changed from the one in the Red Waste. No more is it the thick leather breeches but a linen one decorated with jewels. His chest is also fully covered for once, and the soft smell of scented oils waft from his body. A Dothrakii will only wear these when in cities, at least that's what my knight told me. "Have you seen Prince Miko?"

"I saw her taking the dragons to the… Poison waters," the Dothrakii scrunches up his nose before spitting on the clean marble floor. A glare from Daenerys makes the man realise his mistake and wipe the spit away with his shoe. "I apologise, khaleesi."

"The servants here are slaves, I do not wish to make their lives harder." She offers a glance at Rose, whose expression stays smiling throughout the interaction, and asks him a question: "I hear from Xaro that this palace has a beach. May I go there?"

"Oh Queen of Dragons, every room and every trinket of this palace is yours. I shall show you the way."

As Aggo escorts Dany to the beach, the boy goes on to tell stories told in the murals in High Valyrian. As the bloodrider doesn't understand the language, he simply keeps an eye out with a hand on his arakh. Hearing Rose recite them with such emotion and candour gives Dany a dreadful feeling. How much did he suffer to do all of this? "Before I came to Qarth, what were you doing, Rose?"

"I serve my master, the merchant prince Xaro Xhoan Daxos, with my heart and body," the boy says with glee.

Aggo chuckles darkly next to her. "Lhazareen," is all he says. Daenerys understands what he means.

The sound of waves and the smell of salt beckons her to walk faster. Her ever fierce Aggo looks pale, more than the time Saki tried to burn his braids. But knowing the importance to be by her side, he keeps on walking with a forced swagger.

Then they set foot on the sandy beach. She had seen the blue sky so many times in the Red Waste, but this one is far more welcoming. Palm fronds dapple the sun as she walks closer to the water's edge where her handmaidens are playing. Well, Doreah is playing while the others cower, she giggles, watching as the Lyseni girl splash the scared Dothrakii with sea water, laughing all the while.

Aggo walks on the sand with shaky steps, and turns to shock when Dany walks into the ankle-deep water. "Waves, they drag you under, it is known. The poison water has no bottom."

"But this one has," Dany smiles, lifting out her sand-covered foot. "And where it is deep, we use wooden horses to traverse." Off to the side, she's surprised at seeing Saki and Tojiko leaping about in the sand, occasionally splashing at the water's edge and burning a poor crab here and there. Where's Futo? "Where's Prince Miko?"

Rose scans the shore before pointing to a broken tower in the middle of the water. There, seated on the rocky edge, is a very familiar gold and purple shape. "The Prince of Dragons," the boy explains, "can take flight like the beasts of legends, oh Queen of Dragons! I saw her beauty grace the sky with her golden colours. May this lower one see you fly as well?" His eyes sparkle with childish expectation, perhaps not unlike her every time Viserys told tales of her family.

We'll see. Dany cups her hands around her mouth and shouts: "Prince Miko! What are you doing there!?"

"Fishing!" she screams back. "Wanna try!?"

"No boat!" Dany laughs, gesturing at the beach.

Acknowledging this, the Prince leaps off the rock outcropping and flies at speed towards her before landing with a cape flourish. The white dragon at her shoulder screeches in delight. "A pleasure to see you at the beach, Queen Daenerys. Care to join my fishing?" She offers her hand, small golden lights floating around her wrist.

A bit of heat rises to her cheeks. "You mean to take flight?"

"There's no boat, your grace, lest you chance to swim?" the Prince jests.

"I'd like to stay dry after a bath, my Prince. Though…" Flying. I'll be… Flying. Other than the Sorcerer Prince here, who else in the world has had a chance to fly? She turns to Aggo who looks at her in horror; horses can't swim the poison waters and even less so gallop through the clouds. But dragons can. "If you promise to be gentle."

"What am I if not a gentle Prince," she smiles, grabbing Dany's hand and pulling her into a sudden embrace. The Prince's smooth skin is cool to the touch. "To make sure you don't fall, your grace," the Prince's voice so close to her ear it causes a delightful shiver in Dany. "After all, you're still far from being an alchemist, aren't you?"

"If those were my only troubles…"

"Khaleesi…" Aggo pleads, and even the handmaidens are watching her.

"I trust her Aggo, so don't worry."

"And a bit of advice: close your eyes if you're scared." Futo screeches in agreement.

Dany scoffs. "I have the blood of dragons, Prince Miko. Flying is in my natuuuaaAAAAA!" In the blink of an eye, she's in the air and screaming, the beach receding beneath her. The roiling waves crash far below and she can even see the tops of the palace, but she cares more about hugging the Prince for dear life. "By the Gods by the dragons this is-"

"And here we are!" The flight comes to a sudden stop and she feels the solid ground beneath her feet. But with her legs trembling like a newborn foal, she holds onto the Prince for a while longer before letting go. "Should have closed your eyes, everyone's first flight is always too much of a thrill."

Dany sits down on a broken pillar, calming her rapidly beating heart as she looks back at the beach. She sees Doreah waving her hands and Dany waves back. "I-I flew."

"Yep."

"…Will I be able to learn this?"

"Maybe," the Prince shrugs. "Flight is a strange magic full of trials and errors; what works for me may not work for you. Ah, and before I forget…" The Prince drapes her cape over Dany, the scent from it making the poor Queen's heart race again. "Can't let the sun burn your skin again."

"Thanks," she pulls the cape close before standing back up. Indeed, this place looks to be a remnant from the palace; it even has the signature mosaics set into the floor. Nearby is a chest where Futo is feasting on some fish, always the gluttonous dragon. "May I watch you fish? I fear I'll make a fool out of myself if I were to try it."

"Of course, your grace." The Prince lifts a large fishing rod nearly thrice as tall as she, banded with silver and gold. Must be Xaro's gift for her, or something she requested. Placing a jittery crab at its hook, she swings the rod wide and the bait flies far to the Summer Sea. "Futo, my wife not the dragon, said that fishing teaches one patience and patience is a virtue," the Prince explains with a chuckle as she sits at the tower's edge. "She never took her own words to heart, that one. Always pulling the hook in far too early… But she taught me how to fish, and that's only a small part of the love she showed me," she sighs, leaning back and enjoying the salty breeze. "This fishing rod will make a fine gift for her."

To say that Dany doesn't feel a pang of jealousy from hearing the story would be a lie. Feeling daring, she sits next to the Prince and leans her head on the woman's shoulder. The Prince's only response is to cock an eyebrow and smile. It is… Relaxing to be by her side. She watches the calm waves caress the broken tower and black birds flying in the sky. They can see much from up there, she reckons. How long will it be until I can fly on my dragons' back? Before or after I reach Westeros? "Prince Miko?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you remember the warlock's words?"

The Prince's shoulders stiffen in response. "Clearly. However, I must put doubts to the claims she made of your Kingdom."

"I don't want to trust blindly, my Prince. That's why I sent Jorah to question the people at port himself. She's right, my Kingdom's at war. Houses die and new ones are born, like the House Stormcrow at port."

"Civil war, huh…" The woman taps the fishing rod, deep in thought. "We'll have the advantage then. Unity means a strong resistance, but discord? If we play correctly, there may not be a need for a direct invasion," a sharp smile appears on her face, just like that time in Vaes Tolorro. "Pitting them against each other would be a fine method for there are ways to keep their conflict eternal. Fighting roosters do not see the tiger."

"But the last thing I want is to be Queen of ashes. Aegon and his sisters forged Westeros into one, and I mean to rule it intact. Magister Illyrio told me that people await the Targaryen return, that several strong Houses pledge support for my claim. I intend to ally them, not wipe them out!"

The Prince meets Daenerys' concern with an amused expression. "You won't, that I promise," her voice comes out laced with sweet poison. "You're not the only royalty whose father left them with a ruin. I'm well versed in politics and religion and human nature, your grace, and I know how to unify a broken Kingdom. Your lands, your cultures, your peoples may be different, but some things transcend them all. War, death, damnation, greed…" her smile grows wider. "You want peace, but peace is never peaceful, your grace. A paradox for scholars like me to ponder but for a ruler like you to enact, and no doubt it would be an arduous task. But nothing's impossible," she shrugs.

"I… See…" Sometimes, Daenerys forgets that this elaborate woman is an actual Prince, not a charlatan nor a simple sorcerer. Though, I wouldn't call any of her magic simple. "Perhaps you should stay as my advisor for a while longer, then. A Queen needs her Hand, and I've yet to make my Small Council."

"Though I'm delighted by your offer, I much prefer to be on the throne," the Prince laughs, though it sounds more like a threat to Daenerys. "A joke, so don't look so angry."

"…I remember a promise you made to me underneath a peach tree."

"And I, Toyosatomimi no Miko, shall uphold it. But I can't stay by your side forever, your grace. I have a mansion to look after, disciples to teach, and wives to hug. Once you're seated on that very uncomfortable sounding throne, I shall take my leave. But," she tugs at the fishing rod, "that is far in the future, and like the seasons it is ever-changing. Who knows, perhaps my time with you will stretch on. Only time will tell, and I much prefer to live in the moment."

"The moment, huh…" Though the sun is still high, she can see the faint glimmer of the moon in the horizon. "Right now, it's not even assured that we'll have ships. Lady Seiga promised us men and swords, and I want to see if she'll make true on her offer."

"I fear she will fulfil her offer for her definition of 'men' and 'swords' differ to most," the Prince frowns as she pulls in her catch of a small fish. Throwing it back, the gluttonous Futo burns and gulps it up. "Having her by your side is not without risks, your grace."

"The same can be said about you," Dany smirks.

"You've heard too much of your old knight's complaints."

"Says the Prince who claims a thousand years in life," Dany jests, causing the two to laugh. "But still, my knight is sharp with many things, and I'm not blind. There's a lot of similarities between you and Lady Seiga: your dress sense, your speech, the fact that you've learnt magic under her…"

"Geh, her wickedness must have rubbed off on me," the Prince grumbles, wiping her hand on the mossy rocks. "We have a long history, though it's not one I tell to many people."

"Care to tell me then?" Dany asks sweetly. "You've seen my ghosts and heard my anguish, it's only fair that I hear yours as well. So?"

The Prince doesn't look at her, instead staring out contemplatively at the sea. As soft winds play with her hair, she lifts off her earmuffs with one hand. She's listening to me, Dany realises, her heart quickening its pace. What can the woman hear right now beneath the sound of waves and wind? How much can she peer into the Queen's heart? The Prince sighs; in tiredness or disappointment, Dany does not know. But whatever it is, she puts them back on before telling the story. "You already know that she's the one who taught me alchemy and hermitage."

"And I take it that she's also one of your…"

"Wives? No. Our relationship was much more… Illicit, shall we say. If knowledge had spread at the time, it could have doomed my years of planning. Seiga taught me in cheating death and… Cheating. She was as lovely as one can be," the Prince smiles, "and maybe still is. But no flowers stay in bloom forever.

"I started to notice… Odd things. Whenever she was around, Futo and Tojiko would fall into arguments and quarrels. It started small, but each time it escalated with more shouting and more fighting until-" the Prince stops herself, and Dany can see the broken floor she's gripping crack underneath her fingers. Gone is the overflowing confidence and haughtiness, and something else takes its place. Something more angry, more sad, more… Vulnerable. Taking a deep breath, she continues. "So I asked Seiga if she's the cause of all this and for what reason did she want to hurt Tojiko and Futo. With her usual smile that always melt my heart, she gave me an answer. And for once in my life, I would have preferred a lie.

"I distanced myself from her, yet whatever I do she knows how to make holes out of it." The Prince drums her fingers against the fishing rod, now lying flat beside her. "Maybe this is my punishment for defying the Gods, to forever be accosted by that vexing hermit," she lets out scornful laughter, wiping at the tears in her eyes. "Ah, life truly is sinful…"

Dany is frozen, not at all expecting such a terrible ghost to reveal itself. A feeling of guilt washes over her; she was the one who kept insisting on bringing the warlock into the fold. But she reasserts herself: I'm the Queen and she's my advisor. Her woes are not mine to carry. Yet when she looks at the Prince's pained expression… "Maybe it's best that I reconsider her involvement."

"No, there's no need for that, your grace. After all, I've made my promise, haven't I? What kind of Prince would I be if I were to break it?" Prince Miko smiles, the usual sunny confidence returning to her face. Or is it just the setting sun? "Seiga… Can be dealt with in many ways. Our time together taught me much of her, so I know she'll never leave you well and truly alone. Might as well have her benefit us, then."

"My Prince… Do you still love her?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, that I do." She holds her hand out to Dany. "But that's the past, and the present says it's time for supper. Care to return with me?"

Xaro's Palace

Xaro promised a meeting. Xaro promised a feast. He fulfilled all of this and so much more.

Like the palace it is in, the feast is unlike anything Dany has ever seen. She once thought the meals at Illyrio Mopatis' manse and her own wedding were extravagant, but this is truly something else. Though there are less than one hundred guests in the palace's main hall, one can't guess that by looking at the meals: roasted swordfish with sea cucumber stuffing, great squids stretching more than a table's length, an entire camel cooked from the inside-out, and even a dolphin. "Did they kill a whole menagerie for this?" she whispers.

"No animals here are worth more than a dragon," says Ser Jorah, giving a piece of grilled dolphin to Tojiko who's perched on Dany's shoulder. "They've come here to see a creature thought long gone, your grace. We must keep ears open lest their politeness trick us."

Though her khalasar were not invited, the merchant prince saw for them to be well-fed with similar feasts in their rooms. Here, only Ser Jorah and the Crown Prince attend to her. Well, Rose is here as well. She glances at the black-haired boy by her side, dressed like all the other slaves flitting about this room and attending to guests' needs. "Another man bears you gifts, your grace," says the boy, slinking behind her. "A member of the Thirteen."

"Oh Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of Dragons, I am humbled by your presence," says a large pale man in High Valyrian, lapis set into his ears. Tojiko hisses at him but he pays them no heed. "Please accept my gift, oh beautiful Queen, for I am Xahan Saha Ves of the Thirteen. Qarth has been graced by your presence."

He looks at Tojiko when talking to me. "Thank you, Xahan. I shall keep your name in my heart." She opens the gilded box and takes out the silver and onyx necklace inside. A beautiful piece, just like all the others. Clasping it around her neck, she gives the empty box for Rose to put the rest of her gifts: scrolls from Old Valyria, patterned silks of golden threads, live hooded snakes and masquerade monkeys, a horn carved from a massive sea snail, and so much more. The only ones she has put on herself is the necklace and an ornate dragon crown with three heads and jewels for eyes. That was gifted by a member of the Tourmaline Brotherhood. "I look forward to talking with you again, Xahan."

"Thank you, oh Dragon Queen. Xaro and I know each other well," he bows his head before returning to the tables, followed by a gaggle of slaves.

"I have no use for these things," she tugs at the necklace, more like a collar than jewels. "How many ships will this be worth?"

"I do not know, your grace, but I fear it's taboo to do so here," Ser Jorah whispers. "From what I've seen, gift-giving is important to the Qartheen. Selling them may bring their ire onto us. Perhaps today Xaro shall gift you with ships."

"He already gave his gifts, or did you not see my knights?" she hisses, remembering the insult from yesterday. Xaro gifted her a thousand knights in ornate armours inlaid with precious jewels and gold. They would have been exquisite gifts if they weren't the size of her pinky. "Xaro thinks of me as a little girl, not Queen of Westeros. He promised me ships, but I fear they'll fit in the palm of my hand," she sighs in disappointment. "At least there's one prince who can keep their promise."

She can hear her knight's armour rustle beside her as she drinks from her cup of watered-down wine. "Yes, that one. But may I ask why she is here, your grace? I'm sure I'm enough of a protection."

Daenerys watches the Prince talking and laughing away with two finely decorated merchants, no doubt in her mind members of the Thirteen. "She knows sorceries to hear people's hearts, Jorah. And if it helps us in knowing who we can trust, I shall take advantage of it."

"Is that so…" Her knight's face is not at all happy, perhaps in doubt about the claim of her magic. Even after you saw her heal me and fly. "And what will she bring, I wonder?"

"You can ask her yourself."

The Crown Prince breaks off from her talk and approaches Daenerys side. "Evening, your grace," the Prince greets her with the usual flourish, the two dragons at her shoulders chewing on some meat. "I see that your beauty has amassed great gifts."

"Yet none of them is what I need," she grumbles. "Did you hear anything of interest, Prince Miko?"

"Of course. Ah, but," she glances over her shoulders, "maybe it's best to move from the crowd if that is alright. I'm not the only one with ears."

"Rose, please take care of any arriving gifts."

"Of course your grace!"

The three move their conversation onto the palace's terrace overlooking the crashing waves of the beach. Underneath the full moon and the shierak qiya, she feels freer than inside the feast. The two dragons climb onto a nearby statue of a naked warrior while the Prince recounts her observation. "Seems that they desire the dragons."

The knight snorts. "Even a child knows that. Merchants are not Lords. These people sell spices and men for treasures, and there's no greater treasure than a dragon."

Tojiko screeches in agreement before leaping off Daenerys to join their siblings. "They will never have them. What else?"

"An interesting information regarding our host Xaro, though it is more of a confirmation than anything. He's gay," the prince laughs, much to the confusion of Ser Jorah and Dany.

"Everyone in this city dresses flamboyantly, Prince. The men set jewels into their own faces and cry on command, or have you been blind for the past few days?"

"I do not mean that kind of gay, knight. I mean gay, like me," she reiterates.

"While I will say that your cape and hairstyle is a bit extravagant, not that it doesn't fit you, I wouldn't go so far to compare it to the merchant prince's jewels," says Dany, still not understanding how a merchant's clothing style will help her.

"No, I mean- Gods, do you guys not know? Xaro likes men the same way I like women."

"…I see what you mean. No wonder all those slaves I see are boys," Jorah sneers in disgust. "I merely thought it odd for a man to surround himself as such, but to think it's that…"

Wait, doesn't that mean- Dany turns to see Rose receive a gift assigned for her. Standing this far away with that smile and round face, he looks scarcely older than…

"I fear so, your grace," the Prince interrupts her thoughts with a grim look. "His desires were… Apparent whenever certain slaves approach him. That and-"

"I don't want to hear anymore," Dany cuts her off, sparing a pitiful look for Rose. "Just… Gods, tell me anything else."

"I have other things of note, but I doubt it'll give you levity," a dark grin crosses her face. "I listened to their desires regarding you, your grace. None that I've listened to hold you up as an actual Queen; at most, a lucky girl with dragons at her side."

"They gift me with toys and paper soldiers to play with. Do they not know I'm a widow and khaleesi of my khalasar?" Dany rolls her eyes, but she notices that the Prince doesn't seem too angry at the insults. "You think me as a child."

"It's hard to think otherwise when…" The Prince raises her hand to the top of Dany's bald head showing their difference in height.

"Just because you're here doesn't mean you can insult her, Prince," Ser Jorah growls, stepping in between the two.

"I'm simply stating a fact, Ser. You balding knight. You whose age is written in wrinkles," she prods his breastplate with her wooden piece before Jorah slaps her hand away. "Some of us here needs to be reminded that our Queen is… How old are you again, your grace?"

"I'm-"

"She's fourteen," Ser Jorah answers for her.

"See? You know it yourself!" the Prince laughs much to Dany's growing frustration. "So why do I hear familiar mutterings in your heart? Is it the Qartheen dress? Or did my warnings before she awoke not quench your desires?"

The knight's face grows red and he grits his teeth. "You better watch your tongue or I'll-"

"ENOUGH!" Daenerys exclaims, pinching the bridge of her nose. Even the dragons are struck by her anger. "I will not have you two bickering in the middle of a feast. In front of POSSIBLE ALLIES."

"I must apologise, your grace. It was my mistake to think that Ser Jorah would be receptive of helpful advice."

The knight scoffs. "Helpful? The words out of your mouth are neither true nor-"

"What did I just say!?" Dany speaks in a hushed tone, careful not to attract those deceitful merchants' attention. "I need you two to be far apart if I'm supposed to have a proper discussion." Without much thought, she turns to her knight. "Ser Jorah, mind guarding my gifts? I'm sure Rose would appreciate a helping hand."

The knight makes a choked sound before nodding his head. "As you will it, my Queen." But before leaving, he gives a terrible glare towards the Prince who simply smiles and waves. If looks could kill.

With him away, Dany lets out a long sigh and leans against the statue. Sensing her distress, Tojiko climbs down and curls up around her neck. "Prince, please mend your relations with Ser Jorah. This is getting too much."

"I always try, your grace. But the man distrusts me from the very beginning," she shrugs. "And he has his own problems, many of which he keeps secret from you."

Dany traces her fingers along Tojiko's neck, soothing her anger. Even the dragon's playful nipping is welcome. "Then mind telling them to me? You seem to know it, and perhaps I can help. He's one of my closest advisors." And the other is you.

"I think it's best to hear it from his lips, your grace, lest you and he see it as misconstrued words," Prince Miko smiles, leaning against a bench and bathing in the moonlight. But a dark cloud passing overhead darkens the open terrace. "He's a knight of many desires, some honourable and some less. Unlike you, not much good for a Taoist."

"Oh, I feel the same way about Mister Knight~"

The voice startles the two. Turning around, they see no other than the blue-haired warlock Seiga sitting in the empty air, her silk shawl floating about like sea jellies. A terrified-looking Rose pours a cup of wine for her. "My my, look at what the merchant prince did to your look," she coos, floating over to Daenerys. A touch from the warlock's hand sends goosebumps down her arm. "All dolled up in their clothes… I much prefer you in leather and grass, Queen dearie."

She slaps the hand away and the Prince comes to her left, face hardened in a neutral expression. "I didn't expect to see you here, Seiga. I thought warlocks were not invited."

The warlock puts a hand over her mouth. "My words… Crown Prince, you're finally talking to me~!" The woman goes in for a hug but with a cape flourish the Prince disappears and reappears to Daenerys' right. "Oh meanie," the warlock pouts, "and here I thought you've forgiven me."

"NEVER," she hisses before softening to resignation. "But as to aid her grace, I shall be extending my hand… To you."

"Ahh… Did you regret living in this palace, little Queen? It's far too big for anything and smells a bit queer," she giggles, the unnerving scent of death wafting from her- Wait, is that blood on her dress? "But the House of the Undying is always open for you and the Prince. It's the perfect size as well, though in dire need of a proper dusting."

"I shall visit you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow?" she gasps. "Well, aren't you hasty? But I won't blame you; Prince Miko here can be a bit hasty at times~" Seiga winks, causing the Prince to groan. "Ah yes, I forgot to ask. What do you think, Crown Prince? Does this dress look good one me?" She twirls around displaying the blue and gold-laced Qartheen dress, not unlike the one she wore in Vaes Tolorro.

"We're asking for your help, not-"

"And I won't help if you don't comment," the warlock grins. "I know where your eyes are staring, Prince~"

"…It looks beautiful."

"Hmm, lacks in enthusiasm, but I know it'll return," Seiga pats the Prince's cheeks, causing them to flush. "Now, I must go before-"

"Ah… The wicked warlock Seiga Kaku," a voice interrupts. Xaro and several eunuch guards approach them, the dragons hissing at their sight. "I did not remember extending an invitation to you."

"I was just passing by, Xaro, nothing nefarious~" she giggles. "Oh my, do I smell roasted dolphin?"

"Those sea beasts make fine meals. If you'd like, I can send a dozen to your house and fill your mouth with their exquisite taste. Or perhaps you prefer a swordfish to fill your belly? A fine meal to end the day, I hear."

"But the night's still early, merchant prince. I had in mind something more… Scaly. And spicy," the warlock licks her lips, making Dany shiver. Rose fills back her cup with shaky hands. "I think you offer something like that here, didn't you?"

"My slaves prepared spiced sea lizard, though I must confess to only having a few," his soft smile slowly curls up. "Acquiring such meals… Was hard. I'm reluctant to part with my favourite dish."

"Aww, not even a slice?" The warlock frowns, pointing at a table back inside the feast. "Surely you can spare a small plate for a hungry hermit."

Xaro looks at the table then back at her with such suspicion that Dany worries of he'll break that mask of his. But as quickly as he frowned it turns back to a sweet smile as if all those veiled threats never happened. "Of course, oh great warlock. We are not greedy as to let a poor woman starve. I shall have it sent in a box."

"Thank you, dearie." With the merchant prince and his eunuchs walking away, the warlock turns to Dany. "I'm sorry for that display, I'm feeling quite hungry today. The meal in the House of the Undying can't compare to the merchants."

"You have no need for food nor drinks, Seiga. Why don't you drink mist?"

"Oh Prince, you know I don't plan to live in boredom. Well, I still have work to do, so see you tomorrow, dearie~!" With a tap of her hairpin, a hole opens up on the floor and she falls through. And as soon it opens it closes again, leaving nothing amiss.

"…I guess she's officially with us now," Dany mutters, taking comfort in petting more of her dragons. These needy creatures are still far too small to pressure anyone with their presence. How much longer until they grow? One? Two? Five years? "Will you be coming with me tomorrow, my Prince?"

Prince Miko stands by her side, looking up at the full moon. "Wouldn't have it any other way, your grace."