Chapter 5

Meereen

Elena Tailor

She slept well that night and groaned when Daenerys shook her awake. "Why in the seven hells do you have to wake up so early?"Elena asked her grumpily. "I have to see the petitioners."Daenerys told her with a slight frown.

"Are you kidding me?! Can't these people just deal with their own problems?"Elena asked in incredulous. "I am their queen Elena,therefore,I must listen to their problems and give them justice if I can. If I cannot do this for the people here then how will I be able to help all the people in the Seven Kingdoms?"Daenerys told her. "These Meereenesses are lucky that I'm not their queen."Elena said then rolled off the bed.

Daenerys giggled.

"Do you have a tunic?"she asked Daenerys. "Yeah,just push the tokars to the side and the tunics are behind them."Daenerys told her. She pushed the tokars and found three tunics. The last one looked like the biggest one so she took it and put it on. It fit just right. "We should get going."Daenerys said.

Elena huffed as they left her chambers and walked down to the bottom of the pyramids to find her council already there. Skahaz mo Kandaq of the Shaven head and the commander of the Brazen Beast,Daenerys' city watch. He was tall with a beetled brow,oily skin,a big nose with blackheads and small eyes. He was also a blunt and brutal man,one that was good to have at your side in battle.

Elena had grown a healthy relationship with him as well as respect for him.

Reznak mo Reznak,her seneschal. He was a small and damp man,smelled as if he bathed in perfume and often gave her a headache. Grey Worm,a eunuch and commander of Daenerys' eunuch infantry called the Unsullied. When Daenerys had told her about the way the Unsullied were trained unlike most who would listen in revulsion,she listened with great admiration and they earned her utmost respect. Her three bloodriders and two knights.

"Good morning your Grace,Elena"they all said bowing to Daenerys. "Good morning gentlemen."Daenerys said to them. "Morning."Elena said to them. She took her place at the bottom of the marble stairs as Daenerys' scribe,Missandei,announced her. "All kneel for Daenerys StormBorn,the Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and First Men,Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea,Breaker of Shackles and Mother of Dragons." They all kneel before her.

Elena only then noticed how full the hall was and quickly regretted her decision to go back in Daenerys' service.

This is going to be a very long day.

Daenerys Targaryen

"Arise."she ordered as she sat on her bench. They all rose to their feet like one giant wave.

Custom demanded that she started with an Astapori,a former slave called Lord Ghael. He had a mouth of brown rotten teeth and the pointed yellow face of a weasel. "Cleon the Great sends these jewels as a token of his love for your Magnificence." He said as he gave them to her. There were rubies,emeralds,a gold necklace and a silver ring. "King Cleon is most generous. You may thank him for me for his lovely gifts."Daenerys told him.

If he thinks he can win my hand by giving me jewels he must be an utter fool.

"King Cleon will be pleased. His Grace bids me to say that he stands ready to defend the Mother of Dragons from all her foes."said Lord Ghael. If he says one thing about marrying King Cleon,I might make my dragons burn him Daenerys thought. But for once he made no mention of marriage.

Instead he said,"The time has come for Astapor and Meereen to put down the reign of the Wise Masters of Yunkai,who are sworn foes to freed slaves. Great Cleon bids me to tell you that he and his army shall march soon."

He will get Astapor slaughtered if he tries to fight the Yunkai'i. "I am only a young girl and know little of the ways of war,"she told Lor Ghael. "But we have heard that Astapor is starving. Let King Cleon feed his people before he leads them out to battle." She made a gesture of dismissal and Ghael withdrew.

"Your Grace,"promted Reznak mo Reznak. "Will you hear the noble Hizdahr zo Loraq?" Can this one never admit defeat? She nodded and Hizdahr strolled in.

He was a tall man,slender with flawless amber skin and wings of wiry red-black hair sprouting from his temple. He bowed before her. No matter how many times he asked for the same thing Daenerys had to remember that she needed this man. Hizdahr was a wealthy merchant with lots of men in Meereen and more across the sea. It was even said that he wielded some influence in New Ghis where the Yunkai'i were trying to stir up enmity against her.

If I grant him his petition,he'll only get richer.

She had closed the fighting pits and the value of pit shared had plummeted. "Your Radiance will know the reason I am here."Hizdahr said. "You wish for me to reopen the fighting pits. How many times have I refused you?" "Six times,your Grace."Hizdahr told her. "However that is not the reason I came to you today." Feeling a little bit victorious,Dang asked sweetly,"Have you finally realized that I won't say yes to you?"

He smiled.

"For the fighting pits yes but not for this."he said. "And what is that?"Daenerys asked him. "I wish to have your hand in marriage."he told her. A shocked silence filled the hall quicker than a whip. Daenerys narrowed her eyes,aware of Elena watching her. "And why do you wish for my hand in marriage?"Daenerys asked him. "Other than the fact that you're beautiful beyond words?"Hizdahr said with a small smile. "Well,I wish to help you." "Help me?"Daenerys said. "It is well known that after the Wise Masters burned the crops and took most of the wealth in Meereen that your Grace has very little coin and that most of the Yunkai'i are planning to overthrow your rule. By marrying me I can give you a grand amount of coin to buy food and can even convince the sellsword captains to stop waging war against you."

Daenerys knew that everything that Hizdahr said was true. She only had five companies working for her,who's loyalties she still didn't know,and weren't enough to confront the Yunkai'i head on.

She knew though what game Hizdahr was playing at.

If she agreed to marry him and he did what she needed him to do,he would ask her for something in return. He's asking for the same thing in a different approach. Daenerys would be lying if she said that having Hizdahr take care of her problems wouldn't be a load off her. He's determined,I'll give him that much she thought. But I will not have the fighting pits reopened.

"I am sorry but my answer is no."Daenerys told him. "I thank you for hearing my offer."Hizdahr said,bowing low. Not,however,before she saw the flash of annoyance and anger in his eyes. "Your Magnificence,"said Reznak,regarding his list. "Would you wish to hear the lady Zo Pahl?" "Send her in."Daenerys said knowing how this was going to go.

Lady Zo Pahl had been the wife of Oznak Zo Pahl,a hero of the city and killed by Strong Belwas in single combat and father when he wanted to protect the city. She came in. She was small,had pale oily skin,long brown hair with brown eyes. Lady zo Pahl's face was still and cold but when she looked at her,her eyes blazed with fury. "Your Grace,"she spat not bowing. "I have come for my weight of gold in slaves and the death of the one who killed my husband ."

"I will not give you any gold for the slaves I freed. Now will I kill a valuable fighter for a man who would've died regardless "Daenerys told her. "Queen praises Strong Belwas too highly. Strong Belwas is flattered."Strong Belwas laughed. Lady zo Pahl' scowl deepened. "When you came and ruined our city,you proclaimed to give us justice. I ask you now where is my justice? I know you are too poor to pay me fifty coins much less the weight of slaves but even a savage like you can give the order to kill that stupid,useless sack of flesh. I say this for all to hear: You are no more fit to be a queen than a slave."

Daenerys opened her mouth to say something but never did as Elena moved faster than she ever did and backhanded Lady zo Pahl.

She fell onto the floor.

Strong Belwas was to pull Elena away but she stopped him. Elena leaned closer to the woman. "Listen here you cunt,"she told her,her voice cold and low but still loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "This queen is gracious enough to let you live because if you had talked to me like that,I would've tear you limb from limb. So you will bow,apologize and be respect. If I ever hear you being disrespectful to her Grace...you better pray to all the gods you know."

She pulled back and Daenerys could see how pale and afraid Lady zo Pahl was. She got up. "I apologize for my disrespect towards you,your Grace."she said meekly. "Your apology is accepted."Daenerys told her. She bowed low then turned and hurriedly left.

Strong Belwas and Skahaz mo Kandaq laugh loudly.

"I think we won't have to deal with Lady zo Pahl anytime soon."Ser Barristan said with a small smile. Daenerys couldn't help but laugh. "It seems having you in my service will make things so much easier."Daenerys said to her. Elena chuckled then chuckle. "I live to serve your Grace."she said. Daenerys smiled then asked Reznak for the next petitioner. It was an old,small man with wrinkled skin and short white wispy hair. By the way he was dressed and spoke,Daenerys guessed he was a common folk. "Your Grace."He greeted bowing his head low.

She gestured for him to begin.

"My son Sindo was going to come here to join the ranks of your Grace's warriors. Two days after his departure,I received a note telling me that my son was going to die for serving the dragon queen. It even told me where the body would soon be. So I went to the place and...I-I found my bo-boy's body laying in a pool of blood."The man broke down,sobbing and repeating his son's name.

Daenerys wanted dearly to comfort the broken man,for she knew what it was to lose family,but she needed answers answered. "Do you still know where the body is?"she asked. "I had some of the patrolling Unsullied to carry him here."the man choked out.

As if on cue,four Unsullied came in the hall bearing the dead boy on their shoulders. The boy was small,too small for his age,skinny,dark skinned,short blond hair. His face was covered in dried blood from a wound slashed from his forehead to his chin and his stomach was cut open with no intestines in it. Daenerys' stomach felt like it was doing flips but she forced herself to look at the body.

"Did you see anything at the place to give us a hint on who did this?"Ser Barristan asked him. The man nodded. "I don't know if this means anything but there was something drawn in blood where he was found dead. It looked like a harpy." When he said that,Daenerys' insides turned to ice.

The sons of the Harpy.

Author's note: I know it's been a while since I posted a chapter for this story but I have a lot to do and haven't had the time to post much. Hope this chapter makes up for it.