Three moons ago
"My Queen..." Kinvara had said to her in a pleading voice.
"Yes?" Dany answered, distracted as she dangled a morsel of raw meat in the air and let the two dragon hatchlings snap at it. One in particular had jumped, almost biting Dany's hands off.
"Jorahndal, down," she warned to the green and white dragon who cooed at her in response. "Now," she threw the meat in to the air and said the words. "Dracarys!"
Small flickering flames came out of the small dragons but none hit the meat and it just fell--raw--on top of the head of the white and brown one, Barriston. She watched, chuckling as the two dragons fought for the single meat.
Dany can't help herself but coo at them and kneeled down giving Barriston a meat of his own after being beaten by his greedy brother. Dany reminisced back when Rhaegal and Viserion was fighting over food and then Drogon would come and snatch the food they were fighting with and eat it for himself. Dany chuckled then sighed. Those were the good times. Back when Ser Barristan and Jorah was still with her. And Missandei. The first Missandei. Thinking of the past made her think of Drogon and her other children. Aeryk was in the garden with her. Dany looked at the dark blue dragon whose huge body was curled around his tree, which was a great olive, snoring away. Irrina left a minute earlier after she had fed her, she was probably playing with her other siblings: Nissa Nissa--Missandei's mount, Rhaeko, Aegor, Willem, Neferion and Drogon--who had grown three times over the last sixteen years--somewhere.
Her children.
When she had three, she had lost two, now she had ten dragons, twelve if the last two dragon eggs hatched. Seven were the dragon eggs she managed to collect over the years in Essos. Four were given to her in Asshai by the mysterious woman she met in Qarth named Quaithe, who, apparently had been waiting for her there for years. The other three eggs, her daughter...found somewhere. Dany wasn't even sure where her daughter get the eggs. She just came home one day after playing with the other children outside the Pyramid--which she was not allowed to do--and showed Dany a sack with three dragon eggs. Missandei was only four back then, so Dany did not get any useful information from her, only a name: Ro-ro or something. Dany remembered how enraged she was at Daario to the point she threatened him to be fed to Drogon. Apparently it was he who sneaked Missandei out of the Pyramid to play and he justified his mistake by saying he took pity at her daughter seeing how lonely she was and he was with her the entire time she was outside, except when her daughter goes missing for a minute or two only for him to find her standing in an alleyway, alone and with the said sack of dragon eggs. For many years Dany questioned her daughter about that incident, but she does not seem to remember anything.
Then another surprise happened just a year ago. One or two of her children gave birth to five eggs. She and Missandei were still in heated argument who among the dragons had given birth. Missandei insisted it was Drogon, which made Dany scoff, Drogon was a male. She still thinks it was Irrina or Nissa Nissa who gave birth since they were the only female dragons she had but Missandei rolled her eyes and lectured her, her own mother, that she should read more of Septon Barth's books.
Dany cannot help but be a little apprehensive about how fast and...easier it was to hatch dragon eggs than before. She does not even needed to burn a witch, sacrifice a child or a husband for that matter to bring the dragons out of their shell. She just lay them near her, her daughter, or with the other dragons, and they hatched. Kinvara had explained the phenomenon to her in a very simple way. She told Dany to imagine a really huge wagon whose wheels were stuck in a mud. Dany was the one who pushed the wagon, with some "minor" sacrifices, say, some fingers had been broken in the hope of moving it by the inch and some "horses" was used to pull as well but died in the process, but still, the wagon moved a little with their help. When the wagon started to budge away from the mud it was stuck in, its movement was unstoppable. The wheels kept on rolling over and over and the wagon started to move forward. Kinvara said that Dany had awakened the magic of Old Valyria when her first three dragons hatched, now it was easy for all magic to stir as well. The dragons and her ability to burn were proof to that. The magic in the world lives once more, for better or for worse.
And now, a vision of a place that resembles Dragonstone had been plaguing the Red Priestess.
"My Queen," Kinvara called for her once more, urgency and a hint of impatience in her voice.
Dany sighed and then turned to the Red Priestess.
"Yes, Kinvara. I've heard you the first time," she replied then turn her attention back to her two hatchlings.
"My Queen, are you not the least worried? The Lord of Light had shown me Dragonstone twice now. In a single day. Surely, it means something."
"Worried? Why would I be?" Dany asked with a small smirk.
Besides, Dragonstone cannot walk nor run. It stays in one place, why would she care? If she wanted, she can go there now and storm the castle with dragon fyre.
Kinvara looks aghast at what she heard.
"Your Grace, did Dragonstone mean nothing to you?"
Dany closed her eyes at that. For all Kinvara's respect towards her, she really knows how to use the words that would provoke her temper.
Dany stood up and faced the priestess.
"Nothing? Oh, it means everything to me," she almost growled.
How many times did she dreamt on riding Drogon and rousing all her children then flying towards her family's ancestral seat and burn those soldiers, those traitors' pawns to ashes? To burn every single wolf banner she knew the Broken King had put at her castle. She could have turned not only Dragonstone but all of Westeros in to the seven hells their septons kept on preaching about when she found out that the Starks were the one who was sending assassins to her daughter. But no, she had a better idea, one that will not paint her as the Mad Queen nor the Mother of Monsters. A plan to avoid the spilling of blood from her people and at the same time make the people of Westeros see who the real monsters are. The monsters who will hoard the food, the wine, everything, while the small folk starved, and she was right. The pigs who dressed themselves with fine clothing had indeed kept everything for themselves whilst the people, their people who worked for the food, who tilled the soil, whom they had sworn to protect begs them for food. Funny how the nobles of Westeros can treat their very own people that way but when a foreign bitch hurts the dirty peasants and killed them, they would retaliate. How many small folk had died over the years when the nobles played their game of thrones? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? More than she ever killed, that's for sure. Dany was aware of what she did, how unforgiveable it was, how unspeakable even to her standards, but she was no fool to take the blame entirely to herself. How many sleepless nights did she endure thinking of what could have happened if she just followed her instincts and not let herself be chained by another man's decisions? How many lives she could have saved or spared if only she embraced who she really was much earlier like the old Lady Olenna had advised? Then, when she finally accepted her true self, it was far too late. It was not Dany who embraced her Dragon blood, it was the Dragon that was inside her that embraced her, burning everything away just to forget everything that had been taken from her, the rejection, the loneliness and the self-guilt she felt on what had been done to her friend. Her sweet Missandei whom she loved so much that she named her daughter after her, disregarding other Targaryen names including her mother's.
Dany knew her sins and paid for it, but the people who wanted her child dead, who betrayed her, then stole from her were never punished. Three short years was all she had to retaliate, she had made them all suffer until one man came, a merchant turned smuggler who begged for her mercy. Which she gave, opening the ports of Essos once more. Only to the merchants. Three years wasn't enough vengeance for her though, but she had to make do of what had been done, after all it was the small folk that suffered the most. Still, Dany knew the Lords and Ladies had felt her wrath, how many of them had sent gifts of some kind behind the back of their Broken King? Dany gave it all back untouched making sure the Broken King knew of these transactions. She was actually surprised the cripple did nothing but send messages to the Lords as well. A warning, or so Kinvara said.
Now, the Storm was brewing once more, but unlike before, she knew better. She would not make the same mistakes she did sixteen years ago. She had learned so much in her brief stay in Westeros. One was to never commit herself to people who will not do the same for her. She had learned as well from a wine-loving bitch to wait for the Storm and let those who lived in the North defend the North. Dany smirked, let the red-headed Queen and her crippled brother defend their lands. That was what they wanted after all, to rule, then they will rule and must suffer the consequences of the crown. She did, and now she was stronger, she was not saying wiser, but she knew more than she did.
She felt calmer now as she looked at Kinvara.
"I changed my mind, I'm worried. Tell me everything you saw and what you think was the reason behind these visions."
Surely that must mean something and was connected to the coming war in some way.
She turned to her Unsullied soldiers who had the two hatchlings' cage. She wanted to carry her dragon babes herself inside her Great Pyramid to her chambers, but they had gotten so big that one of them barely fit in her arms anymore. She kneeled and took Jorahndal first and tried her best not to drop him as she lifted him. He was so heavy now, but not that much that she wouldn't be able to lift him and walk a few distance. She put him in his cage and as Dany did, the hatchling whimpered at her. That caused Dany to smile sadly. Her Jorahndal was very much similar to Ser Jorah, both wanted to be with her at all times. As she turned around to pick Barriston she noticed he was already there behind her. It seems that he followed her when she walked. Like a very good son, she does not need to pick him up, he just went to his own cage voluntarily. A good white knight indeed.
After making sure the little dragons are secured on their cages, Dany turned around and walked down the path that would take her outside the gardens and in to the training grounds. She felt Kinvara following behind her and the Unsullied lining up beside them.
"Well?" she asked the Red Priestess without turning.
Kinvara sighed rather uncomfortably. Dany lifted her brows at that.
"I cannot presume to analyze the messages the Lord of Light wanted to convey on me, Your Grace."
If Kinvara did not sound so disappointed on herself Dany would have mocked her in some way.
Dany sighed and started to think for herself.
Dragonstone. When the crippled garrisoned it six years ago, this R'hllor never sent a single vision. Dany could have prevented the Starks on getting the island of her ancestors if he had given a warning. Even Missandei who just came back from conquering Qarth offered to take her mother's birthplace back, promising victory. Or maybe they can't? Dany contemplated what would have happened if she did attacked Dragonstone or her daughter did. It dawned to Dany that that would unite all the kingdoms of Westeros against her. They may have got Dragonstone back but the Lords may wage war against Essos who are not as united back then as it was now. There was even a great possibility of her or her daughter dying. That begs the question, why now? Why show this vision of Dragonstone? What was the difference from now to six years ago?
Dany gasped and she stopped walking as she finally realized the message.
"Kinvara?" her voice sounds odd even to her ears. She sounds hopeful and dazed. Which she was. She started walking once more rather slowly as she was still thinking deep.
"My Queen?" Kinvara replied with a hint of concern in her voice.
"The Broken King, did he knew already about the Storm?"
It took Kinvara a few seconds before replying.
"The last time I checked with our...informant, the King had yet to know, your Grace."
Dany nodded as she walked much faster. Dragonstone and its mines. Of course, he would want it, all of it, to save their worthless lives from his mistake. Dany did not know what to feel. She felt...angry? No, that was not it, she felt...used. After all these years, House Stark would want to rely on her House again? No. No more. After all they did, after all the knifes they hired to kill her daughter. She finally saw it, a window of opportunity.
"I need to see my daughter," she said more to herself than to the Red Priestess, who answered anyway.
"She was on the training grounds with her Captains, my Queen."
Dany nodded, her mind somewhere else, to the pool of possibilities of what the vision would entail.
When they reached the training grounds where some of her daughter's soldiers practiced she started looking for her daughter's tell-tale knee-length, dark silver curls. She was not there. As she stood there the huge dark man--the Summer Islander--one of her daughter's captains saw her.
"Dragonspawns!"
The man she believed was called Arly--a very sweet name for a man his size--shouted in a full voice and all the soldiers dropped their swords, bows and spears and ran to their positions then faced her with their back straight and their hands on their backs.
Dany was impressed as always. For her daughter's lack of discipline and carefree manner, her soldiers were very...assiduous.
Dany lifted her hand and smiled at the soldiers.
"Thank you, but do continue your training my dear soldiers."
"Yes, Your Grace!" The soldiers shouted once more before resuming their training. Except Arly who approached her.
"Your Grace," the man said in his huge gravely voice.
"Captain," she nodded at the man. "Do you happen to know where my daughter is?"
Arly flashed a toothy smile at the mention of Missandei before answering her.
"The General was with us earlier, your Grace," the man said, his voice rang with respect. "She was training the new recruits but she excused herself to visit the smithy about an hour ago, saying that she should try making valyrian steel shields."
Dany can't help the shaking of her head.
Her daughter: a princess, warrior, dragonrider, general, and the only smith in the known world that can turn a normal steel in to a spell forged one. For now. Her daughter was hard pressed on teaching some smiths she befriended from Qohor--who knew how to recast valyrian steel--about the lost arts of spell forging. Gods forbid, even her daughter had forced her to learn as well, but Dany barely hammered the metal three times and her arms hurts like hell already, so, she gave up. Gods only knows how her daughter managed to pound the hammer three times much less a thousand.
She sighed, thinking of her daughter made her worry. How many hats must her daughter wear to keep herself satisfied?
"Thank you, Captain I--"
"She's no longer there, your Grace." A voice coming from her far right said.
Dany watched as the beautiful blonde friend of her daughter approached her. Veena was a former slave from Volantis, saved by her daughter when she conquered the city. Now, she was one of the Captains of her daughter's Dragonspawns.
"My Queen," the Captain bowed to her.
"Veena," Dany nodded in response and smiled at the fair woman in front of her. "Where is your nuisance of a General?"
Veena grinned at that, enhancing the three deep circular scars on her left cheek where Dany knew the woman's tear drop tattoos were used to be branded.
"At the kitchens, Your Grace," Veena's smirk turned even more mischievous as she saw the horror on Dany's face.
Another thing of her daughter's many persona, a cook. Or to be more accurate, a poisoner based on her recent recipes or as Dany like to describe it...experiments.
"She had a surprise for you, Your Grace and I hope you are not hungry," Veena said barely restraining her laughter by biting her lower lip.
Dany only nodded at the woman before thanking her. She then continued her walk towards the entrance of her pyramid.
"I thought we are going to the kitchens, my Queen?" Kinvara asked too innocently as she saw Dany climbing the stairs towards her chamber.
Dany choose not to reply as she continued walking.
"You worry too much, my Queen."
"You will worry if you're the one eating."
Dany felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered the last meal her daughter had made for her. Dany had eaten worse things; she had eaten a raw horse heart, sausages made of puppies, and more unusual delicacies but the pie her daughter had made was on par with the horse heart. For one, she was both forced to eat it and second she was watched as well as she tried to finish it. At that moment, Missandei really acted like a dosh khaleen, only merciful by a small pinch.
Dany finally reached her solar. The two Unsullied sentries made way for her and opened her door.
She only felt relieved as she sat on her couch and relaxed there as she watched her other Unsullied bring inside her dragons. Dany thanked them as they left and it was only her and Kinvara in the room, who was satisfied just to stand in the corner near the unlit brazier.
Dany stood up from her couch and went to the cages. She peeked inside and saw both of the hatchlings were sleeping. Dany was planning to let them out but she does not have the heart to disturb her dragon babes' sleep so she let them. She walked back to her seat but she decided not to rest, she went to her balcony instead and watched the little blots of people below. Ships by the hundreds were at the docks and their merchants are putting some olive products to their cargoes. It was harvesting season for olives and their supplies had exceeded her expected counts. That caused the price for olive related products to decrease greatly in price at Dragon's Bay. Dany decided then that they needed to sell the products to every ports of Essos and selected ports of Westeros if the farmers wanted to earn the deserved amount of money they had spent in taking care of the said trees. There are some merchants from the Free Cities at the ports today, taking advantage of the price decrease, but Dany made sure that they would not abuse the low price too much. There are some Westerosi merchants down at the ports as well, willing to trade with whatever it was Westeros trades with the winter still upon them. Then again, they were ignorant of what was going on their own realm. Six years of spring? Surely their maesters had a very boring explanation of what was happening to their lands, any explanation, just not the fact that magic was at play on their faulty seasons.
Daario and Grey Worm was down there somewhere by her orders, accompanied by some Second Sons and Unsullied, making sure that the foreign merchants traded fairly for the products and also to make sure no spies managed to slip inside Meereen. She just managed to root out all the informants of that Braavosi fool they call Master of Whisperers and she did not want to deal with more rats that would babble her and her daughter's every move to the Broken King and his dwarf of a Hand.
Tyrion.
She felt her temper rise in remembering the Imp. She inhaled through her flaring nostrils and try to control her emotions. After all this years, Tyrion's betrayal still stings, but that was that, a sting, a minor annoyance. She no longer felt the impulse to kill him or hurt him...slightly, but she knew she was getting there.
"He's been hurt enough, your Grace. Forgive him, I did, and what had been done to me by him and his family were far more worse than what has been done to you."
The weak voice of the woman came back to her. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the pungent smell coming from the woman's wounds or the vision of her ravaged body.
Yes, if only Tyrion knew, he would wish Dany had killed him instead.
Her thoughts came back to Dragonstone. Would it be safe if they did it now? How can she make sure she and her daughter would survive once they've retaken it? And at what cause? Daario? Grey Worm? One of her dragons? Her daughter? Was she assuming too much on this Lord of Light's message? And if not, how would she proceed in taking Dragonstone without the Broken King knowing?
"Mother!" Her daughter's voice almost made her jump from where she was standing.
She turned around and she was there standing with her black breeches and knee length boots, her swordbelt with knifes and the short sword on her hip, she was wearing her sleeveless leather tunic that was cut low in the back to free her leathery wings and to prevent the spikes that ran on her spine to rip the cloth off.
Looking at her daughter always made her feel like she was staring at a mirror. A lot of people that had seen her and her daughter always mentioned how alike they are. Peas in a pod as the saying goes. But Dany begs to differ. Her daughter was a magical, mystical, and a wilder version of her and far more beautiful than she ever was at the age of five and ten.
Missandei almost always had a smile on her face, making the people around her at ease despite the fact that she had spikes running down her spine, scales covering almost the whole of her back and huge wings growing between her shoulder blades. How many foes had mistaken that innocent and pretty smile for a weakness and died? Her eyes are expressive as well and some would say, unsettling with its multi-colored irises. Her eyes were dark purple around the edges then lighter turning to gray near at her dark pupils. Unusual and unique and also sad to look upon for Dany. There were his eyes on Missandei's, sharing it with her. He was also there on her daughter's knee-length curly, unruly hair. When her daughter's hair was supposed to be silver-blonde like a true Targaryen, it was instead mixed with a dark color making the curly strands resemble the silvery-ash shade of valyrian steel. Ironic, seeing him on her daughter, sharing her daughter's appearance when he did nothing but refuse her when she offered him everything, to share with him everything she ever had. At first, Dany felt apprehensive when she found out that she was carrying his child. She feared that her loath for the father might be passed down to their daughter. But now, looking at her daughter's sweet, smiling face, how can she ever think that? Even by a passing? There are times that it would fascinate her, of how she can look at her daughter with love, care and devotion even if she annoys her constantly. Unconditional love, Kinvara had told her.
Missandei frowned at her when she did not respond to her, then her lips lifted in her mischievous smirk.
"Come Mother, I've made you lunch."
Dany sighed deeply. And yes, even if her daughter always made her the test subject of her experiments. A mother's love is indeed a mysterious thing.
"Fine," Dany said and the answering smile of her daughter almost made her day. Almost, if it wasn't for the tray she was carrying that she had set on the crowded table.
Her daughter piled all the parchments in one go, without bothering to look what was signed already or opened and put it at one of the chair. Dany had to sort that out all over again after this.
"Kinvara, I had made some for you as well," Missandei said still showing her dazzling smile.
Dany watched the Red Priestess who was standing across the room, faltered.
"Ah, my dear Princess--" Kinvara started to make her excuses but Dany had cut her off.
"It's fine Missandei, Kinvara probably doesn't want to eat with us," she said making her voice a little bit sad as she sat at the head of the table.
Missandei's smile disappeared as she looked at Kinvara with big pitiful eyes. The Red Priestess forced a smile as she walked to the table and sat as well at Dany's left side.
Missandei opened the cover of the tray and then pulled a stool and sat at her right. Dany actually felt her heart beating a tad faster than normal and then Dany saw what it was.
Missandei served the plate of roasted quail with seared tomatoes in front of them. Kinvara and Dany shared a brief surprised look at each other before turning back at their plates.
"Well, it took me a while to perfect this, but I finally did," Missandei said as she took her knife and fork and started slicing a good portion of the quail.
Dany can't help but to crane her head to look at Missandei's plate and there it was, something unusual that wasn't supposed to be included in such a normal food.
"Oh, there's something inside," Kinvara remarked rather amused.
Dany looked at Kinvara who just started slicing her quail open on the belly.
"Mother? You are not eating?"
Dany looked at her daughter and she was actually eating, which was a first. Normally her daughter would urge her to take the first bite or most of the time ten bites before eating the food she concoct herself.
"Mmmm," Kinvara hummed in appreciation as she ate as well.
Well, it looked rather normal.
Dany take a deep breath as she take a piece from the quail. The skin was crisp as she sliced from it, her cut had opened the belly of the quail and she saw it was mashed potatoes that was inside. Dany was impressed, despite herself. Very ingenious and very like her daughter. She speared the slice of meat and a portion of the filling as well and shoved it in her mouth.
Dany was impressed earlier. Now she was in shock. It was good. It was really potatoes and something else. She took a fork full and eat once more. It was cheese and something peppery and garlicky. Minced sausages and her favourite kind of sausages at that. This was good. They did not talk as they ate which was good since she was having a great time on this meal.
As they finished their lunch they washed it down with a hearty, sweet mulled wine.
"That was good," Dany said as she wipe her mouth with a napkin.
Missandei grinned at her with her cheeks pink from the compliment.
"Told you, I'll make it up to you over that salt beef pie fiasco."
Dany chuckled as she takes a sip once more of her wine.
As Dany looked at her daughter she remembered that they would have something to discuss. Dany almost hated herself from breaking this affectionate moment with her child, but she must.
"Kinvara," she turned to the Red Priestess who was smirking slightly probably from Dany's mistaken trepidation over the food earlier.
"Your Grace?" the Red Priestess replied with that smug smile still on her face.
"I would like to speak to my daughter in private."
Kinvara bowed to her and stood up.
"As you wish, your Grace."
When Kinvara had left the room Dany turned to her daughter who was fidgeting on her stool.
"Am...I in trouble?" Missandei asked slowly, discomfort written all over her pretty face.
Dany chuckled as she shakes her head.
"No, I think you are not." Dany replied
Missandei puffed her cheeks and released an air from her mouth, clearly relieved and in a very unlady like manner.
"Kinvara saw Dragonstone in the flames," Dany said watching her daughter's expression.
That caught Missandei's full attention as she turned her head towards Dany, eyes shining from curiosity and excitement.
Dany told her everything and what she thought was the vision was for.
"So, cousin Three Eyes was still devastatingly ignorant of their predicament?" Missandei asked after a few second of pause when Dany was done talking.
"But not for long," Dany replied.
They grew quiet once more for a time until Missandei breaks it with a scoff.
"What are you thinking?"
Missandei was playing with the bones on her plate and continued to do so for a moment before looking at her, her face was uncharacteristically serious.
"What I am thinking at this moment or what I have been thinking for some years now?" Missandei tilted her head slightly her purple-grey eyes looking directly at her seemingly burrowing it right through her skull.
Dany felt uncomfortable. She realized at that moment what it felt like to be stared at in that way. She really is my daughter.
"Both," Dany smiled.
Missandei chewed at her bottom lip before she propped her elbows to the table and clasped her hands together.
"When they had taken Dragonstone from us I proposed to take it, remember Mother?"
Dany's smile was wiped off of her face.
"Yes. Yes, I do."
That was the time when Missandei just got home from her war in Qarth. Ten, so young, and too many blood was in her daughter's hands already. But she was a Dragon, the blood of Aegon the Conqueror ran thick within her more than it was with Dany. Her daughter was so wroth more than she was when her cousins "stole" Dragonstone and wanted to go there herself. She refused her, for the fear of losing her, even then Dany had felt the time was not right. Nonetheless, Dany regrets that back then. She wanted to fly to Dragonstone herself, so much that it aches.
"I resented you then, I thought that you had grown craven. But as I take city after city, island after island, I finally understood. You had saved me from myself, from my arrogance."
Dany wanted to say something but she indeed asked her daughter what she was thinking, it would be rude to interrupt her now. And yes, she knew her daughter had thought badly of her and it hurts Dany more than anything, to be avoided by her daughter, but Missandei was not a spiteful child. A few days and she was already back to the way she was, although Dany knew the thoughts were still there on her daughter's mind.
"You asked me what I think?" Missandei looked at her now, coldness was there in her eyes.
"Missandei, I--" Dany stopped herself, she did not even knew what she was about say.
But Missandei seemed not to hear her as she dropped her gaze back to her plate. An uncomfortable silence surrounded them. This was not how she envisioned her daughter's reaction would be. She was expecting anger, excitement but not this...coldness.
"They are stealing from us," Missandei said, almost a whisper. "They've been stealing from us for so long and I can't...can't...no more." She continued with a shake of her head.
"They stole your kingdom," Missandei looked at her intensely then. "They stole your title, they stole our family."
Dany knew what her daughter was pertaining when she said 'family' and she was not sure what to feel.
"He...made a choice..." Dany said not wanting to say the name for fearing all the weakness it will bring her once she so much as utter it. "No one forced him, no one stole him--"
Missandei turned her body on her direction and gave her a sad smile.
"Yes, and that was even more painful isn't it?"
Dany felt a huge lump on her throat. He made a choice and that was not her. She, who offered him everything, who had done everything for him, fight his war with him damn the consequences, who saved his life more than once, who loved him, him, who was her only family. She was shunned, treated like a pariah, betrayed and what did he do to save the woman he owed his life? Nothing. He stabbed her in the heart for the mistake she had done, a mistake she was not supposed to be alone to shoulder. Dany inhaled shakily.
"They stole everything; your life, your future and even your birthplace. No...I would not allow this...I don't care about their dragonglass, but it is our dragonglass."
Missandei was angry now, she was seething every word from her gritted teeth.
"Mined in Dragonstone. Our seat! Our birthright! My birthright," Missandei pointed at herself in anger. Her daughter's face was all pink from the emotions she was feeling then she suddenly slumped her shoulders looking deflated.
Missandei never get angry for too long, even as a child. She was better at controlling the dragon's wrath than I am. Dany thought.
"No more. No more. I would not let my children live by the shadow of what was once ours. I wouldn't be able to face them when they ask me what the Painted Table looks like or what does the gorgoyles atop the parapets looks like or if the dragons in Dragonstone truly dragons only turned into stones. I wanted them to see, to touch, to feel OUR history, and not just by telling stories before they sleep. I wouldn't let them dream a place that was supposed to be theirs just like me. I don't want to live thinking it is fine to steal from a dragon."
Dany bit her lip to stop herself from crying. She never knew these was what her daughter was feeling whenever she asked her about their stolen land. Dany wanted to laugh bitterly, how can she ever deserve a child such as this? Here she was, angry over a few brittle glass while her daughter was thinking ahead, far ahead than her. She was thinking about the future of their House. Of their family.
Missandei turned to her then, eyes bright with such conviction.
"I don't care if you would stop me mother, but if they wanted our dragonglass then they can ask us for permission."
Dany can't help it anymore, a tear fell from her eye as she look at the greatness that was her child.
"What made you think I will stop you, my Princess of Dragonstone?"
Note:
I know some of you would ask about Dany's dragons and say how cliché it was to have all those dragons but let me remind you that before the Dance of Dragons (Rhaenyra and Aegon II's war) dragon eggs hatched pretty easy and that was even when the magic that lingers in their world where only dregs after the Doom. Back then they just lay the eggs in the babes crib and it would hatch. Some wouldn't, but back then that was unusual. Can you imagine how bizarre that is? In Dany's timeline she was considered "unusual" when she managed to hatch three dragon eggs but back at Rhaenyra's time, what they call unusual is a Targaryen who can't hatch a dragon egg. I mean, even the half-bloods, Rhaenyra's bastards (she swears they arent, but man, they don't look like a Targaryen or Velaryon with their brown hair and pudgy nose) can even hatch one! Dany managed to awaken that old magic and more.
So, where did Dany get those eggs when dragon eggs are rare?
Hint: Aegon V's dragon eggs in Summerhall did not go to waste.
I wanted to explore the idea that those seven eggs that caused Aegon the Unlikely's death had somehow managed to be in the hands of his descendants and not by the hands of a merchant or a sellsword or anyone that was not a Targaryen. It was like homecoming. If you wanted to know how the eggs ended up from Westeros to Essos, I will let your imagination do the job or let us all wait for GRRM to continue his Dunk and Egg series because the eggs' whereabouts were not mentioned in the books and Dany's eggs (Drogon, Viserion, Rhaegal) are 100% not from those seven (read Fire and Blood for more details), I will also not under any circumstances will make a fic about the adventures of dragon eggs.
Regarding Missandei, it took me a lot of contemplating to finally make her personality. Would she be fierce like Dany? Or would she be brooding like Jon? And then I decided, screw that, she would be a fusion of Arya and Dany. The pre-war Arya with all the mischief and fun, together with Dany's fierceness and intelligence. I also wanted her to be as unassuming as she can be despite the wings and her other deformities (scales, spikes), and when I say unassuming I wanted her to look pretty and sweet and someone that can be underestimated. I also wanted her to be fun, and can cause Dany to smile and feel warm because Dany deserves that. I wanted Missandei to be OP as hell too and what can I say? I am a fan of women who can multi-task. I wanted Missandei to be...human, more human than the normal royalties who doesn't even know how to peel a potato nor to treat people lower than them with respect. I wanted her to relate to the peasants like Egg does because just like him, she experienced living with them.
I never thought that this chapter would be longer than I expected (nor this note) I just like writing Dany's POV and since there was a lot to cover up, we will have Dany's POV as well in the next chapter but in the present setting. Would that cover their plan for Operation: Dragonstone? No, I want to hold on to my cards a while longer and...well, I like teasing you.