Disclaimer: I own nothing beside my crazy mind and my computer… and sometimes it's more them owning me…
Notes: thanks for the few reviews you gave me. I'd like more but I'm not gonna go "Dracarys" on your asses for them... Bye :)
When they arrived at the tent, Missandei stopped Daenerys from entering her tent first. Years of training taught her that a slave was to enter an empty room, in this case an empty tent, first in case an assassin would be hiding. The slave would die first or could give the alert. Missandei didn't know that Dany had her bloodriders, the blood of her blood, to protect her.
"What are you doing?" asked Dany, surprised at the soft hand holding a tight grip on her wrist. There wasn't any anger or superiority in Dany's voice, she was just chocked at the touch. No one ever dares touching her anymore. Not spontaneously. She almost forgot how it felt.
"Khaleesi, there might be assassins in that tent, waiting for you in the dark to rip your throat. My life is yours and I'll be happy to die protecting you. Your Grace must not walk into an empty tent first." Dany could see she was actually terrified. The eyes cannot lie. The Mother of Dragons was touched by the gesture.
"Everything is fine, Missandei. My bloodriders already checked my tent. And my life is not worth more than yours." she said softly as she took the little scribe's wrist in her hand and guided her to the tent, taking the lead and pulling the golden skinned woman inside with her.
"See? Nothing to be afraid of." Dany whispered as she turned around to face Missandei, taking both her hands in hers to calm her down. The former slave nodded quietly with a shy smile. She was in the Khaleesi's private tent. At first, she didn't notice but then it hit her. She expected gold and treasures, she expected luxury. But it was so simple: a dothraki bed made of pelts of animals Missandei couldn't even name and a tub already full of a water hot enough to let you see the steam dying in the warm air of the evening.
"It's time to take that hideous thing off of your neck now" said Dany as she slided her hands along Missandei's arms all the way up to her shoulders to finally reach the back of her neck. Doing so, her face got closer to Missandei's. So close, both women stopped breathing for a second and got lost into each other's eyes.
It was Missandei who got the courage to take the first kiss off of Dany's lips. As soon as she realized what she did, she fell on her knees begging and pleading for her life. She realized that she had no right to assault the Mother of Dragons of the sort and she could have her head cut for such an impulsive action.
Dany, still shocked by the kiss she happily received but barely felt, took a second to notice Missandei's begging. When she did, she kneeled down in front of the scribe and lifted her chin.
"Look at me" but Missandei was lost in her litany "LOOK AT ME" Dany said firmer and louder. It was effective enough to shake the golden skinned woman out of her prayers. She looked horrified, tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes already blood red and puffy.
There could have been a thousand words Dany could have said. But none could replace an act, thought Daenerys. So she kissed Missandei back.
Dany's lips remembered Drogo's, they were strong, usually dry and sometimes harsh. Missandei's lips were so soft, so light, so tender it felt like a dream. But this was real. Even if this was wrong, if felt so right. And it made both women sigh in happiness.
Daenerys's hands found their way to Missandei's neck once again but instead of trying to unlock her iron collar, her fingers got lost in the messy hair of the young woman. It probably gave Missandei the courage to reciprocate and she delicately put her hands on Dany's hips.
As the kiss deepened and grew passionate, their grips tightened and they pulled each other closer. The Khaleesi's hands left the tangled hair, encountered the forgotten collar and fell on Missandei's hips.
"I want that off of you. Now." she said breathlessly, resting her forehead on Missandei's. The former slave nodded and turned in Daenerys embrace.
Before she left Kraznys to go back to her camp with Missandei, the Good Master gave her a small key, ridiculously small. But it felt so heavy in Dany's hand. So that's how much a life weighs, thought Dany as she looked upon the iron key on her palm. The thought of thousands of slaves in Astapor crossed her mind and she felt dizzy. She couldn't go on her journey knowing that when she would be leaving, she would have freed "only" 8000 slaves. Knowing that the Good Masters would still be holding little heavy keys like this one in their pockets. Knowing that children would be sold, forced away from their mother's breast, to become bed slaves or Unsullied. Knowing that and leaving with her army was impossible. Her plan was already in action. It had been since the moment she first met Kraznys. Since the moment she walked down the Walk of Punishment. Since she saw how Missandei was treated.
It wasn't Dany's place to take off the collar. It was a symbolic action Missandei had to do for herself. To fully acknowledge her freedom. So instead of pushing the key into the keyhole, with one hand Dany extended one of Missandei's and with the other she softly put the little key in it.
"This key. It's your freedom. It's only right that you take it back from the one who bought you last." Daenerys whispered in her ear. She felt Missandei's body tense and then relax. She clenched the key in her hand.
"I am sorry I had to buy you like this. It's... I hated it. But knowing you were there with that man... leaving you there... I hated that so much more. I want you to know that I-" Missandei turned suddenly and put a single finger on Dany's lips.
"Thank you. Even if you had bought me to be your slave, that would have been a better life than the one I had with Kraznys. You saved me. The things he did to me... You gave me back my life." she opened her hand and looked silently at the small key. "And I choose freely to give it to you. To help you in your quest. To...to die for you if it means protecting you." she raised her hand to her neck and, while never breaking eye contact with Dany, she found the keyhole in the collar. The clic accompanying the opening of the collar made both women gasp and then smile.
"Let me take care of you. Let me be your servant tonight. Please." Dany whispered as she once again rested her forehead on Missandei's.
"Your Grace, I can't. You are the Khaleesi-" she was silenced by Dany's lips on hers.
"Dany. Tonight I am Dany. Let the Khaleesi take the night off. She needs a rest. Dany has been shut down for too long." pleaded the silver woman.
Missandei seemed to consider her request. Then she took a step back and let go of the collar she was still holding for it was part of her clothing. The weight of the iron brought the linen all the way down her body and fell with a thud on the rug.
"You are beautiful" was all dany could breath out as she looked over Missandei's naked body. There were scars, some more marked than others. Some from a whip, some from brand. Missandei suddenly felt very self aware and tried to cover herself. Seeing her discomfort, Dany untied her cape and put it on her shoulders. Without any more words, the Mother of Dragons led the golden eyed woman to the tub.
"Is it good for you? It has been prepared for me and well... nothing can burn me and I like my baths really hot. I can order cold water to be added." Missandei tested the temperature.
"It's perfect to wash away the slave and give birth to a free woman. May I?" she gestured Dany's dress.
"Y-yes of course" stuttered Dany.