The Dragon and the Hawke 23
It took a week for the fate that befell the Sons of the Harpy that were caught to reach every corner of Meereen. The story spread quickly, that the Thunder God hated the slavers of Meereen so greatly that she would destroy their souls if they went against the Queen and her divine quest was the most popular story that was told.
Marian would never realize it, but everything she did seemed to make her legend all the more powerful. She would never see them, but shrines and churches would be devoted to her for years to come. The only thing she would notice would be a strange increase in power that she felt as the years would go on.
Belief is a powerful tool, and when there was only one being as connected to the collective consciousness of humanity as Marian was, the belief in her power would transfer to her real power. The fade was a realm of dreams, of fantasy, and so fiction could often become fact. Marian Hawke may have started as a mage when she joined Daenerys Targaryen on her quest to free Slavers Bay, but by the end of the conquest, she was a god as much as any being ever was.
But the subject of Marian Hawke's divinity wasn't what was on the table, what was on the table was what to do with the single Son of a Harpy that had given up his fellows. Grasso zo Jorros was a coward, a cad, and a fat, lazy little man who had never done a day of hard work in his entire life. He had begged for his life, agreed to a small cell with no windows and a single hot meal a day in order to save what little life he had left.
This did not please two of the new members of Dany's council. Mossador was a former Slave, and had been elected to the council by the collective voice of the former slave population. Hizdahr zo Loraq was just the opposite, a former master who was reviled by the other masters because of moderate political view. Dany had chosen him quite sneakily, having the Masters chose who they did not wish to be their representative and then choosing that man all the same.
That they bought it made Marian laugh for five straight minutes right in their faces after they had been told who would be speaking for them. But the failings of lazy assholes who used to run the city were not the topic of conversation.
"He must be treated as the others were!" Mossador declared, again. the man banged his fist against the table with fury at the thought that even one man who would dare stand against the queen and her new paradise would live.
"The queen has already given her word that he will live the remainder of his life in a cell," Hizdahr reminds the man for the fifth time, "To kill him would be to bring doubt upon all of her decisions up until this moment!"
"You are saying that the queen cannot change her mind?" Mossador challanges
"I am saying that if she does so, the masters will be convinced that there is no salvaging their lives in her new empire and they will flock to rebellion, casting doubt on her power as a quarter of her population sparks into open rebellion," Hizdahr informs the man
"And would you be among that quarter?" Dany asks, an eyebrow raising
"No, your grace," Hizdahr tells her, his eyes turning to her with the measured pace of a man who had been trained from birth to live in the air of politics and did not want to give anything away, "I am not so foolish as to think the masters would survive any attempt at insurrection. Especially with her holiness and your children."
He points to Marian, who smiles slightly at the compliment, but it is brittle. The mage did not like that she was thought of divinely, which was half the reason she would never end up learning the extent of her religious influence.
The discussion went in circles, as it had done for days now. Mossador would beg for Grasso's death, and Hisdahr would beg for his life, and all the while Dany did not agree or disagree with either. This had been suggested to her by Barristan, who had been privy to seeing Tywin Lannister rule, as well as Robert Baratheon.
He had told her how each had led their men; one had been a soldier who loved to fight, and his men followed him for it, while the other had been a general, and his men feared him too much to go against anything he said. Barristan had told her that he had always thought that the best way to rule should be some form of middle ground between the two.
So that was what Dany was trying. She was trying to let her council talk, decide things, and only when she was certain she did not agree with their decision would she intervene. Thus far, her chosen method had proven effective, especially with Mossador and Hizdahr on the council. Both men were from the city, knew how it ran, from different points of view. They would bicker, fight, and disagree on almost everything; but those things that they did agree on seemed to be the best ideas that any of her council had come up with.
One of the first of these decisions had been the idea to change the armor for the Unsullied. Mossador had confided that while he and his fellow free men were grateful for their presence and felt a kinship with them, they did not reassure them. The Unsullied had been a slave army, and a powerful one, before Dany had freed them; and more than anything it was a symbol of the old order, the slave order. As a result, he had made the suggestion that they be changed from the Unsullied to the Drakes, or something similar.
Hizdahr had agreed with the former slave, though his reasons were more pragmatic and less emotional. He cited that the armor that the Unsullied wore was weak leather, made for a cheap and replaceable soldier. If Dany wished to keep her army whole, she would invest in better garment for them. Not to mention the fact that creating a new market for forging and fitting armor for the Unsullied would create a large pool of jobs for many of the homeless of Meereen.
Dany had smiled, agreed, and told them to work on a design for Grey Worm's approval. It was decisions like that, that gave her the strength to listen to the two bicker about one man who would never again see the light of day. They were smart enough to keep the argument about the man out of other business though. Never did they bring up Grasso before anything else, always saving the discussion about him for the end of Council meetings.
It had become very routine by the fifth day, and as the pair got into the heat of their argument, Dany finally told them, "Enough."
Both men immediately stop their argument and turn to her, "I will not have Grasso zo Jorros executed."
Before Mossador can voice the objection he clearly wishes to, she raises a hand and tells him, "Grasso is another example that I am setting. He will spend the rest of his days in his cell. He will never see the sun, never know a woman, and never be free. This is as much a death sentence as what Marian did in the Market. It will only take longer."
Mossador, who admittedly hadn't thought of that, nods, mollified. Hizdahr on the other hand looks slightly sick, but before he can raise his own objections, Marian tells him, "Grasso zo Jorros and his ilk plotted my demise and the re-enslavement of the free people of Meereen. He deserves far worse than the mercy I have given him, but I have given it, and he will suffer it. Unless you would have me kill him to spare him this pain?"
Hizdahr shakes his head, "No, your grace."
"I did not think so," Dany nods, "You both may go."
Mossador and Hizdahr nod, stand, and exit, leaving Marian, Missandei, Daario, and Barristan.
The old knight is the first to speak, "Well worded, your grace."
Dany nods, a slight smile playing on her lips as she stands and moves to the balcony, "What has Grasso told us?"
"The Sons of the Harpy are far from dead," Daario tells her, following and leaning against a beam, "He tells that there are many lower masters in the city who do not like the change, and wish to see the old system restored. They take gold from investors, and pay others to join them. He told me he believes that there could be hundreds of them, by now."
"How does he know all this?" Barristan asks
"He claims that his father is one of the men who started the Harpies," Daario tells him, rubbing his beard, "And that his father told his mistress to impress her, and the mistress told him to impress him."
"Why would the mistress be talking to both the father and the son?" Dany asks
Marian snorts at her friend's naivete, and rolls her eyes, "Cause they're both boinking her."
"Ah," Dany nods, then shakes her head at the strange behaviors of the rich and turns around, leaning against the balcony railing, "So, we have more than a hundred Harpies to worry about, and we have no way of finding them."
"Oh I didn't say that," Daario tells her with a smile, "Grasso was able to point me in the direction of the goldsmiths who make the masks. I've got some of my men in plain clothes watching the shops and writing down names."
"Impressive," Barristan nods, the younger man finally starting to grow on him.
Daario nods in thanks, then continues, "He has also named six safe houses, and much like the goldsmiths, I have men watching them."
"Plus, if all else fails, we have the dragons," Marian points out, then she points an accusatory finger at Dany, "Speaking of, you need to visit your boys soon."
"I do," Dany agrees, rolling her shoulders and sighing, "Unfortunately, we have something of a rebellion to deal with."
"Well once you've got a few Harpies come to the arena," Marian suggests, "I'm sure the boys would love the chance to snack.
Dany snorts, but nods, "I'll be sure to do that."