Vaes Tolorro, 299 AC

Daenerys

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Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal consumed the chunks of meat from Dany's hands, after cooking them with their small flames. They were growing larger and flying higher every day.

Valyrian dragonlords had named their dragons after gods, but she chose to name hers after her family. Drogo was a strong and ruthless man, but his love and respect had turned Dany into a Khaleesi, a Queen. Rhaegar was the brother she never knew, the one who died valiantly on the battlefield defending their rightful throne. Viserys was cruel, weak and foolish, but he was still her brother and, in the past, had truly loved her. His namesake would become what he could have been. Targaryens had not hatched dragons since the Dance, which was why the later generations never learned how to care for one. Dany remembered Viserys saying that only dragons and men eat cooked meat, and that was the end of all her knowledge in the matter.

While her dragons, her children prospered, her Khalasar was on the verge of starvation. Shortly after their arrival in Vaes Tolorro, the city of bones, they had discovered a few wells of clean water and a hidden fruit garden, but it was not enough to provide for everyone. So, the day before, she decided to send her bloodriders Aggo, Jhogo and Rakharo in different directions to find help, commanding that they will not harm anyone who might offer it. Now they all had to wait. As she looked at her children, she remembered the pyre of Drogo that led to their birth. The life of the murderous witch had paid for theirs, and as she sat in the flames, hearing the eggs crack, her mind was flooded with a vision.

She saw a land where men wore strange clothes and wielded strange weapons that rained fire on their enemies. It was a land of large cities that lit up brightly in the night, where huge black carts released black smoke as they moved without horses and ships that moved without sails or oars. It was a magical sight, impossible to believe. But what caught her attention was the face of a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, ones that looked directly at her before the vision ended and the red comet, the shierak qiya appeared in the sky. She had thought a lot about that vision, even confided in Ser Jorah, and though her mind kept searching for answers, she found none. No land in the known world had marvels like those. Not the Seven Kingdoms, not the Free Cities and not even the Valyrian Freehold in its glory days.

"Khaleesi, Rakharo has returned." Ser Jorah said as he entered the building. That surprised Dany, for the riders only departed yesterday. Shortly, the man himself appeared.

"Blood of my blood, have you forgotten something here?" she asked in Dothraki. The man gave her a smile.

"I do not return empty handed Khaleesi." Rakharo said. "After only a night of riding, I found five strange men. Four are Andals and one is a Summer Islander."

"Andals in this wasteland?" it was Jorah. "Where did they come from?"

"They talked of a land I do not know. I think they are fools, even dress like them." Rakharo chuckled. "But they have food. Not too much but enough to feed us until Aggo or Jhogo return with help."

"Are they dangerous?" Dany asked.

"No. They have no armor, sword or arakh. Only some hunting knives and strange metal clubs that cannot even kill animals. They are rough but look more like merchants."

Strange weapons?

"Very well, I shall meet with them." she said. Accompanied by Ser Jorah and Rakharo, Dany stepped out of the building and went to the plaza where the guests were waiting. When she finally had a look at the men, words could not express the shock she felt. Her bloodrider had mentioned that they dressed like fools, but Dany knew better for she had seen those same garments in her vision, the ones donned by men from that strange world. Their horses were fine, especially a white stallion that reminded her of Silver. At first, she was curious, but now they had her complete attention. Would these men have the answer to her questions, she thought.

Rakharo claimed to have brought five men, but she only saw four. Three Andals and a Summer Islander. They were tall and well-built, though one of them looked much older than the rest. Her eyes searched for the fifth man and soon enough, she found him kneeling next to a woman and her child, giving them something to eat. As he stood up and faced her, Dany's eyes widened. It was the man in her vision.

Could this be a message from the gods?

Without letting her emotions overwhelm her, she stood up straight and faced the group, who for some reason, were equally shocked.

"I, Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea and Mother of Dragons, welcome you to Vaes Tolorro." she announced.

After a moment of silence, the leader of the group came forward. He had black hair with a mustache and looked like a man past his thirtieth name day. "Your Majesty, it is an honor. My name is Dutch van der Linde." he bowed, using an address Dany did not recognize. "This gentleman here-" he pointed at Rakharo "-told us that your people require food. We have plenty of it and are willing to share."

He made a gesture to the men at his side, who removed the saddlebags from their horses and presented them in front of her. They were full of various containers of a peculiar design, but the smell coming from them was certainly of food. Dany was pleased at this sudden turn in their fortunes.

"We only request that you provide us refuge in this harsh place."

"My Khalasar is in your debt, Dutch Vanderlind." she said, and her words were true. "You shall have a place among us for as long as you desire. Please, follow me into my hall and we will discuss further matters." The men were escorted inside the building and sat down on makeshift chairs. Dany had already thought of the questions she would ask of them, and she was ready to receive answers that would sound strange.

"Friends, before we begin, I would like to know your names and how I should address you." she said. "Are you knights, noblemen or merchants?" The men gave an uneasy look but eventually introduced themselves. The older man was called Hosea Matthews, the youngest of the group was John Marston and the Summer Islander was Charles Smith. They spelled their names as they sounded slightly foreign to Dany and Jorah. But what really surprised her was the name of the man in her vision, which was Arthur Morgan.

Arthur, just like Ser Arthur Dayne, the knight who fought and died for my brother.

"As for our titles, I'm afraid we have none Your Majesty. We are citizens of the United States of America, a land where kings and lords do not exist. You can address us using the word mister." Dutch concluded.

"I have never heard of a realm with that name. Have you, Ser Jorah?" she asked.

"No, Khaleesi." he replied. "Are you certain that you are not lying to us, mister?" Jorah's tone was serious.

"God as my witness, I have spoken nothing but the truth." Dutch said. "Speaking of places, might I inquire where we are?"

"What game is this? How could you not know where you are?" Jorah accused.

With every word, the conversation only seemed to confirm Dany's suspicions. It could not be coincidence that she received a vision of a strange land, and a few days later men bearing the signs of that land showed up at her door. Was America the name of that land? She decided to ask different questions.

"Peace, Ser Jorah. We shall not accuse the men who saved us of lying." she commanded. "I hope you have not taken offence, friends."

"Not at all, Your Majesty." said Hosea. "Though the question remains."

"You are in the land of Essos, in the barren desert called the Red Waste, east of the Dothraki Grass Sea. Do those words mean anything to you?"

The men pondered over this new information. "No, Your Majesty, they do not." Arthur spoke up. Dany was now more convinced of her thoughts regarding the strangers and planned to gain even more information from them.

"Tell me, Mister Morgan. Did Rakharo mention dragons to you when you were in his company?"

"He did, but I figured he meant something else." Arthur replied.

"And why did you come to that conclusion?"

"Because a dragon does not exist. It is a fairy tale animal." he replied matter-of-factly, even letting out a small chuckle.

He says they do not exist, not that they are gone from the world.

"Have you not heard of Valyrians, or even the Targaryens?" she asked the group.

"No, we have not, Your Majesty." Dutch said. "You mentioned that you are a Targ-Targaryen, but that is all."

I was right.

"Doreah, Irri, bring me my children." she said to her handmaidens in Dothraki. They obeyed without question and brought three small cages. The men were looking at them closely, unaware of what was to come. Dany smirked before opening the locks.

Out came her dragons, now bigger than cats with wingspans thrice as long. The five men jumped from their seats and stared at them wide-eyed, and no words came out of their mouths. Her children flew up and down, making screeching sounds out of excitement. Dany took a piece of meat as Drogon sat on her shoulder.

"Dracarys."

A small jet of flame burnt it black before Drogon snatched it. He went back to his brothers.

"Sweet mother of God!" John yelled, rubbing his eyes. "Holy shit!"

"Do you still doubt it, misters?" she laughed and turned to the group.

Dutch and Hosea had their jaws dropped, while Charles, who remained unusually silent throughout their conversation, had a look of equal parts wonder and fear. Arthur was not faring any better either. The only ones who stayed calm were Dany's companions.

"It's a miracle. A goddamn miracle." Dutch started laughing hysterically.

"A miracle indeed. Sorry I ever doubted you, old friend." Hosea joined in. "That goes for you too Arthur." It took a while before the two men regained their composure and took a seat. The dragons were still in the room, clutching their mother.

"I believe we have much to discuss." Arthur began.

"That we do." she said, addressing the group. "Now, tell me who you are."

Dutch began. "After what I have seen today, and the generosity you have shown us, Your Majesty, I will not lie to you. We are rebels."

"Rebels?" she asked. "But you said that your land does not have lords and kings."

"That is indeed true." he said. "Our nation was built on the principles of freedom and liberty, where every man can be his own master and not live under the mercy of people in power. But somewhere along the way, we lost this spirit and purpose entirely. In the name of expanding our borders, we began enslaving people to do our bidding, and stealing land that rightfully belonged to others. My companions and I were against this system of power, which is why our entire lives have been spent resisting it."

Dany was impressed by the man's words. He spoke like a confident leader and had the mind of a scholar. "As I have said before, we do not know about this land of yours. How did you come here?"

"An act of God." Dutch replied. Dany trembled at the way he spoke those words but did not show it. "We were on the run from people who meant us harm. A rebel's life is never safe after all. So, amid a sandstorm, we took shelter in a small cabin to escape our pursuers. That is when things started to get strange."

"The cabin was filled with food, the same food which we now brought with us. Upon further searching, we came across a strange white tree with a face carved on it." said Hosea. It got the attention of Ser Jorah.

"You mean a weirwood tree?" he asked. "That is a symbol of the Old Gods."

Arthur came forward and pulled a book out of his satchel. He showed Jorah a drawing of the tree and the knight confirmed. "It is a weirwood!"

"On the tree, two words were carved." said Arthur. "Valar Dohaeris. They mean anything to you?"

Dany had not expected to hear those words. "It is a phrase in the Valyrian tongue. It means- All men must serve." she explained. Arthur thought something for a moment before speaking. "When I touched the face, I had a vision. I saw you stepping into a pyre." he replied.

It truly is a sign from the Gods.

"Ser Jorah, do you recall what I told you just after the birth of my children?"

"You talked of a strange land and a strange man you saw in a vision, wearing strange garments and looking into your eyes." The knight answered.

"Mister Morgan is the man I saw." she declared. Ser Jorah's eyes widened as he looked at Arthur.

The rebels talked about what happened to them after their encounter with the weirwood tree. They were spirited away from their land and magically brought into the wasteland, with nothing but the shierak qiya to guide them. The entire situation had to be the work of the gods. What else could it be?

"I know it is impossible to believe our tale, Your Majesty, but just like you showed us your dragons, allow us to show something from our world." With that, Dutch opened his own satchel and handed a few strange pieces of parchment to Dany and Jorah. The others did the same.

"By the gods, this looks so real, as if she was right in front us!" exclaimed Ser Jorah while looking at the portrait of a young woman. He was right, no painter could ever replicate the image shown on the paper. Dany looked at her own portraits. One showed Dutch, Hosea and Arthur together. Others showed John and Charles posing alongside strange contraptions. As she looked closer, her jaw dropped. They were the machines that she had seen in her visions, the black cart that released smoke and a ship that moved without sails. The shock made her drop the portraits to the ground.

While everyone looked at her, worried, Dany's mind was flooding with thoughts. All kinds of emotions filled her, and the events that had transpired in the last few days had begun to reveal their meaning. The gods are with me, she thought. This cannot be a mere coincidence. She was just a daughter, a third child of a king, meant to be married for the gain of her family, but destiny had put the Usurper to the throne and cast her out of her home. After so much suffering, she had given up hope, and now it had been rekindled. Dany had brought dragons back into the world, and now she was joined by travelers from a different world. How could it not be the work of the gods themselves?

Calming herself, she stood up, her dragons on her side.

"Misters, the things that I have witnessed today have made me think. You are five men from a different world, who have found yourselves in ours. Under different circumstances, such a tale would be dismissed as a mummer's farce, but all evidence confirms that it is the truth."

Dutch spoke up. "My thoughts exactly, Your Majesty. We were meant to meet each other. It is fate."

"Dragons were gone from this world for centuries before I brought them back. My children are testament to the will of the gods, and I am convinced that your arrival here is also their doing. I believe that I am destined for a purpose, and so are you." she said.

"What is that purpose?" asked Dutch.

"My family ruled over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros." Seeing Dutch's confusion, she realized he did not know. "My apologies. Ser Jorah and I will teach you all there is to know about this world."

"That is appreciated. Please, continue."

"My family's throne was usurped by a tyrant, a man who lusts for power and does not shy away from killing innocents." She talked about the Targaryen dynasty and the Usurper's Rebellion. Some details, like the killing of her brother Rhaegar's children disgusted the men, along with the fact that the Usurper also tried to have her killed as a child. When she finished, Arthur spoke up.

"This is all too much to take in, Your Majesty, but we are not an army. Besides, we need to find a way to get back to our home." he said.

"Arthur, I don't think we are getting back, ever." Dutch said. "God brought us here, and He intends to keep us here."

"You can't expect us to abandon everything!" John inserted. "We don't belong here Dutch! What about Grimshaw?"

"It is tough son, but you know it as well as I do, so don't try to deny it. We are never returning."

Before John could get aggressive, Charles held him back and spoke. "What good did that place ever do to us? My mother was taken from me when I was a child, and if I hadn't run away, I would've ended up dead when the army came for our tribe." Dany was saddened to hear his tale, one that was in a way similar to her own. The wounds of the man's past had never healed. "This place is new, and we can make our own path here. You need to understand, John."

"Maybe we can get back someday, son." Hosea comforted John. "Have faith. For now, let's do what God intended us to do."

Arthur thought for a moment before turning towards her, his eyes looking straight into her, just like the vision. "We will follow you around, Khaleesi." he said. "If that is what we're meant to do, we'll do it. But I trust you have a plan?"

"My plan is to take care of my people first. If I cannot protect them, then I cannot be a Queen." she replied confidently. "I sent three of my bloodriders in search of cities or people. Rakharo returned with you, the other two have yet to come back. When they return with good tidings, we will begin planning for the future."

"Understood. The folks out there are hungry. Perhaps we can start by cooking them a decent meal." he said.

"That is much appreciated Mister Morgan." she smiled. Arthur returned it.

Things are starting to get better.

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Notes: Please do leave a review on any chapter you read, even if it's criticism. It will make the story better in future.