The Dragon and the Hawke 8

Bathing was something that Dany thoroughly enjoyed. The feel of the water washing away a day's worth of stress, covering her in a smooth embrace as she leaned her head back and relaxed. She even liked the company, listening to Missandei told her her life's story one snippet at a time.

"You know nineteen languages?" Dany asks her friend as Missandei runs her sponge over her neck, "I can't imagine knowing nineteen languages."

"It is not so difficult," Missandei notes modestly, "After all, you yourself learnt Dothraki relatively well in only a few short months."

Dany nods, and leans her head forwards as the sponge rubs up and down the back of her neck, and moans to herself, not even realizing that she was speaking aloud, "Oh, if Marian had not lain claim, I would do so now…"

The sponge stops moving, and Dany opens her eyes, blinking, "I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yes," Missandei tells her, moving back to the soap basin.

Dany turns to look at her friend, "I, sorry, I am making your job more difficult than it has to be."

"It is fine, your grace," Missandei tells her, "You are not the first to find me enticing, but I know, that like with Marian, you would not force me."

Dany's eyes widen, "Never!"

Missandei smiles at her gently and starts back at her task, "I do not mind the affection from your Mage, I wish that she would stop, on occasion, but I am flattered."

"Yes, she certainly staked her claim, didn't she?"

Both women turn their attention to the new presence in their tent, both jumping in fright. Standing at the tent flap is an unsullied soldier, but Dany sees that at his hips are blades that are not traditionally held by her soldiers. She flicks her eyes up to the man's help, and sees that he is removing it.

Daario Naharis smiles at her as the helmet is dropped to the floor, and he bows his head, "Your grace."

Dany leans back in her tub, glaring at Daario, "I take it you are here with the response from the Second Sons on my generous offer?"

"I am," Daario nods, smiling again. He reaches over to the table that had been set for Dany's evening snack and takes one of the goblets of wine and sips, "My captains and I disagreed on several things in regards to you, of course."

"And what did you disagree on?"

"You beauty," he tells her, flashing her a charming smile

Dany rolls her eyes, and presses on, used to the more charming behaviors of Marian and does not let herself feel more than flattered by Daario's complement, "And what else?"

"On whether or not we should kill you," Daario tells her honestly

Dany stands from her tub, waving a hand for Missandei to get her a robe, and steps out of the tub. She dons the robe and ties it as she asks, "And what was decided?"

"They wished for me to kill you," Daario tells her, "I wished not to, and so they drew their swords. I drew mine in return."

"And at the end of it?"

Daario pulls a bag off his shoulder and drops it to the ground, from the bag rolls the heads of Mero and Prendahl. The mercenary then drops to one knee and draws his sword. Laying it on his knee, he looks up at Dany and tells her, "The Second Sons are yours, my queen."

Dany smiles, happy to have avoided a serious battle, but then Missandei asks, "Where did you procure your armor?"

The queen looks to her friend, and narrows her eyes when they return to Daario. The man raises an easy hand and tells her, "The Second Sons have had to infiltrate the ranks of the Unsullied before, we have many spare types of armor for just such an occasion."

Dany nods, satisfied, then waves her hand for him to stand. Turning to Missandei she tells her, "Summon Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan, they should be told of our new allies immediately."

Missandei nods and exits the tent, leaving Daario and Dany alone. The two eye each other for a moment, until Dany asks, "so what was your opinion on my beauty?"

Morning came with the rising sun, and across the camp, Rhaegal wakes and slaps Marian with his tail to wake her. The mage gives a squawk of surprise and falls off a rock she had managed to fall asleep against staring at a camp fire.

Hopping up, Marian looks at her dragon companion, who is giving her a dark look. Patting him on the head she tells him, "Alright, go wake your brothers, I'll find your breakfast."

Rhaegal snorts in agreement and flaps his wings, taking off towards where his brothers have nested. Marian watches him fly off, then takes a slower pace after him, grabbing the barrel of horse meat that had been prepared for them and levitating it in front of her. Once she reaches the dragons, Drogon and Viserion only just pulling their heads off the ground to look at their brother with irritation, she whistles to get their attention and sets the barrel on fire before setting it in front of them, "Breakfast is served!"

With the dragons happily feasting on their meal, Marian set off to the command tent to break her own fast. She skipped through the camp, waving at the few unsullied who she had managed to get to know as more than the faceless soldiers of Dany's army. She also said hello to a few of the Dothraki she had managed to become friends with. All in all she entered the command tent in high spirits.

She stopped right at the entrance and blinked at the extra face at the command table, "Aren't you with the Second Sons?"

Daario Naharis turns to her, and smile, "Indeed, Lady Hawke, and now the Second Sons serve the Queen."

Marian blinks, frowns, then looks sidelong at Grey Worm and asks, "I missed something, didn't I?"

The stoic soldier nods, his grasp of the common tongue having grown considerably over the past month and change weeks. He was not well versed enough to speak it, but he could understand it well enough. Marian smiles at him in thanks, and he gives her one of his rare smiles in return.

"So!" Marian claps her hands, "What exactly have I missed?"

"Daario has slain Mero and Prendahl na Ghenz to take control of the Second Sons," Dany tells her, "And he has sworn them to me."

"You killed Mero?" Marian pouts at Daario

"It was that or let him do the same to me," the mercenary shrugs.

"Ah! That's alright then!" Marian smiles, and sidles around him and looks down at the map on the war table, "So what are we talking about?"

"How I will gift Yunkai to the Queen to prove my loyalty," Daario tells her.

"Woah, you're getting her a city?" Marian whistles, "My last girlfriend just named her pirate ship after me!"

Daario raises an eyebrow, and turns to look at Dany with a smug expression on his face. The Queen merely gives him the same small smile that she has since the evening before before looking back down at the map, "So… here?"

Daario takes her hand and moves it a few inches to the left, "Here."

"Here what?" Marian asks

"A back entrance to the city," Daario turns to her, then to the other men at the table, "My men use it when they enter the city to visit the pleasure houses."

"Your men, but not you?" Jorah raises an eyebrow

"I have no use for slaves," Daario tells him, and looks down at Dany as he adds, "A man cannot make love to property."

"I can't fit an army through a backdoor," Dany raises an eyebrow at him

"Not what I had in mind," Daario says, walking back around the table to pat Marian, Jorah, and then the table, "I will take a small team to the door, gain access. The guards know me, they'll let me in. Once I am in, I will call the rest of the team, we will enter, and open the main gates of the city from within to allow your army to march in."

"Or you could be leading me, Hawke, and Grey Worm into a trap," Jorah growls out.

"Why would I do this?" Daario asks, "I do what you say, and there is still an army outside these walls. I do what you say, and I anger the two most dangerous women alive. I have no interest in doing so."

Jorah frowns, then turns to Grey Worm, "What do you think?"

Grey worm furrows his brow, clearly confused. Dany then tells him something in his native tongue, and he nods. He looks Daario up and down, narrows his eyes, then looks back at his queen and nods, giving his accent. Marian just gives a thumbs up in agreement.

Jorah nods and starts to leave the tent, "We best prepare, then."

"Ser Jorah," Barristan stops him before he is fully out the door, "You could use an extra sword."

"You are the Queensguard, Barristan," Jorah tells him, "Your place is by the Queen's side."

Barristan nods, unhappy but accepting.

Grey Worm, Jorah, and Daario exit the tent to prepare for the evening festivities. Marian, on the other hand, slides up next to the queen and asks, "So… you gonna do the nasty with him?"

Dany blinks and turns to Marian, "What?"

"He's giving you that look that says 'I have rocked many worlds, I wish to rock yours'" Marian tells her, "Plus, he's setting the price of banging you at conquering a city."

"Perhaps," Dany shrugs, "Nothing can come of it, but I am the queen, who is to say I may not indulge?"

"That's the spirit!" Marian gives her friend a hug and tells her, "Ah, it's nice to see I'm having such a good influence on you!"

"I wouldn't call it good exactly," Dany tells her friend with a roll of her eyes

"Ooh, scathing," Marian chuckles, then she lets go of the Mother of Dragons and tells her, "Anyway, I gotta go get my staff! People to kill, fires to start, cities to loot and all that!"