The Witch Queen of Essos
Wanda: (ducks under a dragon who then dive bombs the fake Manderin and drags him off screaming the whole way) Tyene! Why are they out and about? I thought you said you had this taken care of!
Tyene: (leaning against the wall, utterly unconcerned) Did I? Oh dear.
Wanda: (indigently) Don't leave me like this! I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones.
Chapter 4: The Sacking of Meereen
Ginny and Sirius had learned the art of magic in war in their previous lives. And in those moments they had been facing equals, other witches and wizards who could cast protection spells and heal themselves within the day.
The soldiers of Meereen had no such luxuries, and Ginny fell upon them like a wave crashing against the shore, destroying everything in her path.
The destruction of the wall caused the men to freeze like deer trapped in a hunter's crosshairs. Such a feat hadn't been seen since the time of dragons, and all the dragons were gone. As such, when Ginny stepped through the rubble and cast an overcharged banishing charm, their ranks were effectively shattered, men flung in every direction as a semi circle was cut through the middle of their lines.
Rhaegar and Sirius followed through immediately, the Golden Company at their heels. With a roar they fell upon the disorganized and stunned defenders, cutting down all who stood in their way.
Sirius, seeing as Ginny had already gone ahead, took a moment to cast some protection charms around the men assisting him in retrieving his daughter.
Looking up, he noticed that one of the towers in the center of the city was already on fire.
Assuming Ginny was responsible, Sirius began to use Incendio as well to bring down crossbow users on the wall.
As for Ginny herself...
She took on the second half of the army. The reinforcements coming from the further walls. The Golden Company was distracted by the main forces, so she took them on alone.
Ginny had begun experimenting mixing magic and swordplay once she had mastered the basics of the latter. She quickly discovered that Godric Gryffindor had always meant for his sword to act as a conduit for magic, as her blows often became more devastating. More interestingly was that she could channel magic through the blade itself. It was an unorthodox style compared to the wand wielding she was familiar with from her first lifetime, but in terms of raw power it surpassed that kind of warfare.
Ginny gestured twice with her sword as the knights rushed towards her. Immediately flames leapt out, white and purple, and engulfed the first line in its merciless embrace. Their armor melted in a flash, flesh burned and bones were reduced to dust. It was a horrifying display.
But Ginny was not prepared to release anyone who had threatened her redemption after failing to protect her first sons. Much less monsters who took their kin and treated them like filth.
She blinded her enemies with light and disarmed them with a thought before hacking and slashing her way through the crowd. At Rhaegar's urging she wore lightweight but reliable armor; using a shield charm would have impeding her ability to fight. Those who didn't die in flames were drowned in the water she called after finishing a sect of warriors, to prevent bystanders from dying along with them.
Ginny blasted her way through stone walls and makeshift barricades as she scanned every block that might reveal Dany's location. Where would she have been taken!? She wondered furiously.
She reached the center of the city after thirty minutes of violent conflict. Everyone had either thrown their lot in with the soldiers or fled to the safety of their houses except for a few young slaves. They were supposed to be sold that evening and were still chained to the fountain.
When the red haired witch approached them and broke the chains holding them, one of the girl asked with desperate hope, "Are you the witch Daenerys said would rescue us?"
"You've seen Daenerys?" Ginny demanded.
One of the other girls nodded. "She was sold to one of the lords. They took her and this other girl, Emily, back to the castle; we don't know where but she should still be there." She pointed up at the castle's inner keep. Ginny's stomach lurched when she saw one of the towers aflame. "She said that you would come and save her, and us too."
"Yes." Ginny said firmly, casting a shielding charm around the girls. "Stay right in this spot," She told them, "and you'll be safe from all harm. Wait for me to return and I promise you freedom and more."
With that, she apparated to the balcony and opened the door. There were still some soldiers inside the castle, but most of them dropped their blades and fled for their lives after she flung the first few aside with a few levitation charms.
Her sword soaked in blood, Ginny made her way to towards the tower only to come skidding to a halt at what was there to greet her.
The smell of burnt flesh was omnipresent, drifting down from upstairs. A young girl with Sirius's face and eyes – this must be his daughter, Emily – was staring into the fire, and it took her a moment to realize what she was staring at.
A naked, silver haired girl stepped out of the blaze, shaking and trembling but completely unharmed – there wasn't a single burn on her pale skin. Even her hair remained untouched. Clinging to her shoulders, her head and her feet were six small creatures, chirping and stretching out delicate looking wings, were creatures that Ginny recognized from Charlie Weasley's stories but had been told had died out years ago.
Daenerys opened her eyes, dazed and bewildered. The dragons, the first dragons in years, chirped loudly in concert when Ginny and Emily came into their focus.
"Auntie Ginny." Dany whispered in relief, before coughing roughly and falling to her knees much to the distress of the tiny dragons at her ankles. Ginny immediately dropped her sword and hurried to the girl's side.
The dragons gave an aggressive growl when the unknown woman came close to their hatcher, their mother, unsure if she was friend of foe. The red haired woman gazed guardedly at them for a moment before carefully stretching out one hand and gently stroked Dany's silver hair.
The dragon nearest to her – the one who would eventually come to be named Balerion, after Aegon the Conqourer's famous mount – eyed her with suspicion and nipped at her fingers. But when Ginny gently cast a spell to clear out Dany's lungs, his two shoulder-bound siblings walked over and let out a purring noise, recognizing her attempts to help their mother.
Daenerys gave a soft coo of delight after taking a few calming breaths. "Come here..." She whispered to one of them. The dragon chirped as she stroked its head with trembling fingers. "Aren't...aren't they beautiful?"
"...Yes, Dany." Ginny murmured. Once she was sure Dany had no injury for her to tend to, she turned her attention to Emily. "Emily Blackstone?"
"That's me." The girl said, sitting upright.
"I'm an old friend of your father." Ginny told her, pulling her cloak out of her charmed hand bag and gently sweeping it over Dany's shoulders. Two of her dragons gleefully dove into the pockets, causing both girls to giggle. One of their siblings didn't share their enthusiasm, scrambling to the outside so they could once again perch on their mother's shoulders and head. "Stay next to me and I'll bring you out to him, alright? There's a Golden Company force lead by Rhaegar outside – they're here to liberate the city."
Emily grinned in relief and walked out to by her side. She gave her arm to Dany while avoiding the still snippy dragons to help her on her way down.
The slaves who had been freed during the Golden Company's rampage had gathered in town square. When Dany and her family emerged from the keep, one of the girls pointed and cheered her name. The other former slaves took up the chant.
When Rhaegar and Sirius joined them, the Targaryen patriarch gave a stunned gasp when he saw the dragons on his child sister's shoulder.
After a moment of stunned silence, he knelt before Daenerys and whispered in reverence, "Blood of my Blood...Mother of Dragons."
**The Next Day**
Once the Golden Company had taken control of Maureen, Ginny returned to the house in Pentos to bring Lyanna and the rest of the Targaryen children to join them. Sirius preformed a similar jump to bring over his wife, Missandei, a former slave girl who Sirius had rescued.
When Sirius had first fallen through the veil, he had experienced the same reduced age as Ginny – he had been there for eleven years by now. He had been captured by slavers as well, though he used his magic to escape in short order.
He had to fight to carve out a life for himself in this harsh place; it was a year before he met Missandei at a slave trade. He rescued her and they fell in love over time as they rebuilt a life for themselves, though Sirius asserted that she saved him once and more.
Missandei gave him new reasons to live, helped him pull himself out of the death seeking slump he had fallen into during that fifth year of Harry's.
Lillian Targaryen squealed when she saw one of the six dragons, immediately falling to her knees and scooping one up ignoring her mother's warnings. However, the dragon didn't bite her. In fact, it – she – was rather content to be held in the smallest girl's hands.
"They're so beautiful, Dany." She said, beaming up at her sister-aunt. "Can I have this one? Please?"
Daenerys chuckled in response. Three of the dragons were sticking loyally to her side, having clearly imprinted on her and her alone. "She likes you Lily." She said, using the family nickname for the youngest dragon. "Of course. What are you calling her?"
"Rhaenyra." Lillian declared. Her dragon chirped in apparent contentment, nuzzling her thumbs.
Viserys gave his sister a tight hug, muttering in Valyrian of how grateful he was that she as unhurt. Rhaenys echoed the sentiment along with Aegon and Jon, before turning their attention to the family's new pets.
"This one is Balerion." Dany said, gesturing to the apparent alpha male of the brood, who was still reclining on her head. "This is Viserion." She gestured to the one on her right, named after the first king of that name. "And this is Quicksilver."
The dragon on her left barked at the sound of his name, licking Jon's arm when he stepped closer. The boy jerked in surprise before laughing and stretching out his hand so the baby could crawl up his arm and bury its head in his messy mop of black hair.
Aegon knelt to gaze at one of the remaining two dragons who were rolling about on the bed next to where Dany and Emily were sitting. "How about this one?"
"He doesn't have a name yet. Neither does she. They didn't seem to like any of our suggestions." Emily offered.
Aegon smiled slightly at the boy. "Proud, are you? How about my father? How about Rhaegal?" When the dragon didn't throw a fit in response, he took that as a victory.
Rhaenys christened the last one Visenya. Dragons would grow quickly, but for now they were fairly benign kits. The combine efforts of the children would ensure their loyalty and devotion to the family for as long as they and their children lived.
**In the keep, at the same time**
"I think the former slaves have made their opinion on who they want for their new leader." Rhaegar said, gazing out the window.
Ginny listened for a moment, blinking. Sure enough, a soft chant of 'witch queen! Witch queen! Witch Queen!' rose from the ground level.
"I didn't come here with plans to conquer." She said, both surprised and somewhat uncertain.
"Ginny," Lyanna bit her lip before saying, "perhaps it should have been."
"What? Why?"
"Before we came here, these people were condemned to torment until their deaths. Now they are free and happy. And no one in Meereen would have given their 'property' up unless you had forced them too."
Ginny glanced back at Lyanna, her lips parting slightly. A thought rang through her head, one that had crossed her mind several times while living in Pentos. There are people suffering here... ...people I have the power to save.
"Perhaps it will be." She agreed quietly.
End Chapter
So, yay! Dragons! And three more than expected, too! I know some of you must be eager to see what happens once the kids grow up and return to Westeros, and I promise that will come in time...but first, Ginny is going to get herself a Kingdom with a little help from her new friends. Next up, the city where Lyanna and Rhaegar will pick up some Unsullied along the way of sacking houses and freeing slaves.
Read and Review please!