Game of Thrones: Of Lions and Roses
Chapter 19 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.
Daenerys
Daenerys sighed as she exited the throne room; she had come from another session of speaking to foreign traders who had come into the port. Many of them she had to turn away and only the presence of all those on her side, who were armed, deterred any violence.
'I would have thought word would have spread by now.' She thought to herself. 'I have made it quite clear after all, that I have abolished the slavery here; there will be no more slaves.'
Yet despite this, some of the merchants that came to her, still sought to buy slaves and were angered when she refused them. She shook her head; it had been three days since the attempted assassination, since she had passed sentence on the men who had attacked her.
Since then there had been no further murders; but Dany wanted to be sure all was well; so she had sent some of her people into the city to blend in and find out what they could, find out what wasn't being said to her.
Many of them had returned and all they could reveal was that the Sons of the Harpy had gone quiet, with no explanation. Instead it seemed there were signs of trouble, without any known source, in Yunkai and Astapor.
She shook her head; she'd have to deal with that soon; before it got worse. To that end she had sent Ser Barristan, Grey Worm and many others to maintain a presence in both cities and investigate matters. She had some strong suspicions about this incident, especially since it started shortly after a trading ship from Westeros arrived in the bay.
While she needed more information before deciding on her course of action regarding Yunkai and Astapor, she also had to consider her future options here in Meereen. She heard footsteps and turned, she smiled when she saw it was Daario, who was one of those she had sent to ascertain the mood of the city.
"Your Grace." He greeted her with a bow.
She smiled warmly and replied. "Daario, always a pleasure; please, tell me what you've found?"
Daario straightened and up and revealed. "I am afraid I could find nothing on the Sons of the Harpy. However; I've noticed that aside from them, the main discontent of the citizens comes from frustration…Many wish for you to re-open the fighting pits."
Dany glared at that; shocked at even the suggestion of such an idea.
"I had them closed for a reason." She reminded him.
"And look what happened because of that." He said gently. "If they had this way to quell their frustrations, there would be so many getting riled up. That way, the Sons of the Harpy would be easier to find, unable to hide amongst other disgruntled citizens."
Dany sighed; she had to admit he had a point. Uncertain however, on what to do, she calmly informed Daario she would give the matter some thought and left it at that.
Dany stood hesitantly at the edge of the cave; watching as her dragons fought each other over food. She cringed at the sound of their roaring and screeching; almost jumping when Drogon let loose a blast of fire.
She bit her lip. 'This isn't good, they're getting worse…But we don't have the means to help them. If we let them out of here, the damage they would cause to so many.'
It hurt to keep them caged like this; but Dany knew, right now, she had no other choice. She came here every day, hoping to see signs of improvement; instead, all she saw was the opposite. Her dragons were becoming more vicious and temperamental by the day.
'I just don't understand it; everything seemed fine until that point. I know it's in a dragon's nature to be dangerous, but this is…surely this isn't normal even for a dragon.' She wondered to herself.
Not wanting to see this anymore, she turned and left, walking as quickly as she could. Even as she walked however, she could not escape it; the scene she saw plagued her. In the end, she turned her mind to other matters, hoping to clear her thoughts. She considered Daario's talk of re-opening the fighting pits.
'It is a possibility; he is right. I just need to implement a few…rules.' She considered. 'I will definitely only permit volunteers; nobody can be forced into this.'
She continued to ponder this until Missandei found her and told her she was needed in the throne room.
She entered the throne room; already she could hear the talking and buzzing speculation amongst those already gathered. She headed up to the throne and turned to Daario who stood nearby.
"What has happened?" She asked; her curiosity nearly overwhelming her.
He shrugged. "From what I could gather, someone wishes to meet with you; something about joining your army."
Dany nodded slowly. "I see, very well then, I will see this person."
She sat down on the throne and waited as the figure entered. The person who entered was a rather extravagantly dressed woman, clad in red, her hair was brilliant red too; she wore a ruby adorned necklace and many other items of jewellery. She was smiling as she approached and bowed to Dany.
"Welcome." Dany greeted her warmly. "May I ask your purpose here, good lady?"
The woman rose and smiled wider. "Indeed, Your Grace, I understand you are seeking those who would aid you in your endeavours…Those who would advise and help you?"
Dany nodded slowly. "That is true; I trust you have something to offer in that regard?"
"Yes; I do; I would offer myself as a new advisor for you." The woman replied.
Something about her struck Dany, something to do with her confidence, whatever the reason, Dany felt it would be foolish to refuse.
"Very well then, I am glad to accept, what is your name?" She replied at last.
The woman smiled and introduced herself. "My name, Your Grace, is…Melisandre."
End of chapter, the last Dany chapter of this story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.