Qarth, 299 AC

Arthur

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"Why did you name her Boadicea?" Missandei asked as she watched Arthur brush his horse.

"I asked Dutch for a name, and he gave one." said Arthur. It took some time for the girl to realize she's not a slave anymore, and after that, she had started trying to get more familiar with him. Not that he minded.

Missandei was abducted from Naath, an island far south favored by slaver scum, and was reluctant to share any more of her story. Arthur couldn't even begin to imagine what the ten-year-old had been through.

"How's the queen treating you, child?" he asked.

"Her Grace has been kind." she replied. "This one-I mostly tend to her letters and style her hair." The girl had a habit of addressing herself in a demeaning way- words like 'this one' or 'worthless' were thrown around freely, no doubt a practice encouraged by her former owners.

"That's good." he saw John, Charles and Rakharo approaching. "Get on the horse."

Dutch and Hosea had surprised everyone with their grand plan the other day. From trying to scam the rich, it had turned into capturing the city and making Daenerys an actual queen. Arthur was half-tempted to call it madness. It was not something that a group of cowboys and bandits could achieve back home, but then again, it was different now. The more he thought about it, the more it started to make sense. With their guns, they could kill any swordsman.

Daenerys had information that was valuable for this mission. The nobles had revealed in her meeting that the slaves of this city not owned by the highborn were housed in a special district near the Great Bazaar. The plan was to arm the slaves with knives and other blades and letting them loose in the city. While the more experienced slaves might have loyalties to their owners, the newly enslaved would only have anger and a thirst for revenge.

For three days, they had planned- purchasing knives discreetly, scouting the district, observing the routine of guards and most importantly, finding the best time to strike. After the sun went down, the city slaves went back in their prisons, while the guards visited brothels and the merchants had their dinner. They would strike then, and when they had reached the slaves, they would proclaim Daenerys as their savior and begin the assault. It was similar to the heists they had planned before, but on a much bigger scale with more risks and rewards. Dutch had jokingly dubbed the city as 'the second Troy', whatever it meant. He wanted chaos. That was his specialty.

Arthur had his doubts because they were outlaws, not an army, but Dutch told him to have faith, for they were doing God's work by liberating the city. The Khaleesi had ordered them not to harm any innocent, as for the slavers, they could do as they pleased. For the first time in years, he felt that his life had some meaning, because he would be killing people for a good cause, something he never imagined himself to be doing. Perhaps this was a way to repent for a life of crime.

So here they were. Night was upon them, and their work was about to begin. Though Arthur didn't want to, they had to take Missandei along to talk with the slaves. The girl was highly intelligent despite her age, having memorized Dutch's long message by heart and knew what it was like being enslaved, which would make their potential allies sympathetic to their cause. Daenerys had wanted to come in her place but was dissuaded by Mormont. If she died, their cause would be lost. Missandei had come willingly, eager to get her revenge, though Arthur would take extra care to protect her.

Prince Daxos had been slipped a potion called 'nightshade' into his wine by Daenerys, so he was fast asleep in his chambers. Mormont, Jhogo and a few Dothraki would guard the queen, who would come out when the action ended. The gang had polished their guns well and would be using them for the first time in days. It took effort to keep the plan a secret- everything, ranging from bribes to threats to the servants were made. The plan could only work if they had an element of surprise.

"This is it everyone, we have one chance to do this right. It must be quick." Dutch addressed their group as they assembled. The gang was there, along with Rakharo and his men. "When the sun rises, this city of sin will only have free men and women. It is the will of God, and the command of the Mother of Dragons. Let's take this city!"

The group gave a low call of approval before they mounted their horses. There was no turning back now. Twenty men and a girl, wearing hooded robes, rode out of the palace.

"Will the plan work?" asked John.

"Every plan is a good plan if it is executed properly." Hosea answered. "Of course it'll work."

"Relax Marston." said Arthur, "You have guns and they don't."

"What are guns?" asked Missandei. The group laughed.

"You'll know soon enough girl."

The ride to the district was short. They sent their men in groups of four to avoid the attention of guards, and they assembled in an abandoned space near the slave-holding district. A few minutes were spent getting their equipment ready, after which they started walking towards the main building. Arthur was carrying a revolver, a shotgun and a repeater, along with a few sticks of dynamite left from the Armadillo job. He noticed Charles carrying a Dothraki curved sword.

"Gone native, have you?"

Charles smiled. "We'll need to get used to them soon. The bullets won't last forever."

As they neared the building, the guards watching it turned towards them, hands on their swords.

"The moment of truth." said Hosea. He signaled the group to stay back as he went to the guards. The archers on the top hadn't drawn their arrows yet. It was the time to strike.

"Good evening…gentlemen." he said in broken Valyrian, taught by Mormont. Then, he pulled out his revolver and the revolution began.

Before they could figure out what hit them, the four guards on the gate dropped dead. The loud bang sent the people outside running in fear, even some Dothraki of their group were shook by the moment but recovered. The archers had been distracted and Arthur finished them off with his repeater. They removed their robes to reveal an arsenal of weapons and stormed the gate. All the guards inside were finished off by the charging Dothraki and gunfire, leaving a large trail of blood. Arthur looked at Missandei only to find out she wasn't afraid, but rather fascinated by this display.

"We have taken the building, but they will be back so let's do this quickly!" yelled Dutch as he rushed inside. Four men followed with bags carrying their weapons. The guards inside surrendered without a fight and revealed the quarters where slaves were held. It was two stories down.

Carrying torches, they followed a staircase that led down to the slaves, and the smell was horrible. They had no proper sewers, so the all the waste just had to sit there until disposed of. Arthur wondered if the black slaves were also kept in conditions like these in the old days. When they reached their destination, they saw almost a hundred slaves locked up behind bars in different compartments. The guards foolishly tried to attack them, only to be cut down by Rakharo.

"The guards are like sheep." he laughingly said in his language which Missandei translated.

The slaves looked at them with fear, no doubt intimidated by the Dothraki. It was understandable, for some of them had been captured by them. Charles blew up the locks of their cages as they watched in even more fear of their weapons.

"Fear not, friends. We mean you no harm." Missandei began speaking in a new language.

"You! Girl! You were with us on the ship." a woman called out. "You serve the Dothraki now?"

The tension was starting to build up. Missandei continued, unfazed.

"I serve Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons." The crowd began murmuring upon hearing the part. "She is chosen by the gods to liberate you from your suffering."

They opened the gates and the slaves made way. The bags containing knives were laid out, revealing their contents.

"The Queen offers you the opportunity to take your freedom, for you greatly outnumber the soldiers and masters. We will free more of our chained brothers and sisters on the way and join forces with them."

"How can we trust the Dothraki? Or your strange sorcerers?" a man asked angrily.

"We are all on the same side in this war, and we fight for freedom." Missandei replied passionately. "We must destroy the masters and purge this evil city. The gods are with us, so wield these weapons and liberate yourselves. We will descend upon the masters like a force of nature-" the slaves were thrilled with her words "-and root them out of their homes to face judgement. They will answer for their crimes and your suffering and will be punished accordingly. That is the will of the gods. Brothers and sisters, take these weapons and let us conquer this city. When the morning comes, we will all be free, or we will die trying!"

The people let out a loud war cry as they took the blades. The mission had been a success and now they had more than a hundred soldiers. Full of rage, the newly liberated slaves stormed out of the building and into the streets. The gang mounted their horses and led them. "Hold on tightly girl." said Arthur to Missandei as they rode off. Carnage and chaos was to be expected.

By now, their army had taken up torches and were burning the bazaar and the homes of the merchants. Some guards were overwhelmed by the sight of a hundred blood-thirsty slaves and ran away, while the others who stayed were cut down. Arthur watched Missandei's former owner getting mauled to death and it was satisfying to say the least.

"Heads up Arthur!" said John as he shot a guard attacking a slave. "The law has arrived." A battalion of mounted soldiers could be seen arriving fast. They had their swords drawn, ready to attack.

"Let's give them a proper welcoming party!" laughed Dutch. Arthur understood what he meant. He pulled out a dynamite stick and threw it towards the horsemen. Dutch aimed his gun at the stick and shot when it was near the target.

A loud explosion blew most of the guards apart. The ones who escaped the blast were thrown down by their terrified horses. The slaves who were at first reluctant to attack them were now flooding the stragglers and stabbing them left and right, with Charles and John assisting.

"It's glorious!" said Dutch. "The judgement of God is upon them." By now, many buildings had been burnt and the soldiers pushed back. As their army went further into the city, they entered houses and liberated more slaves. From a hundred, they doubled and then tripled their size in under an hour. Whatever resistance they encountered was crushed by gunfire, but they were careful enough to preserve their bullets. Charles used his curved sword on horseback, putting four horsemen down on the ground.

"Won't there be reinforcements?" asked Charles.

"We caught them with their pants down, son." Hosea replied. "The city will fall."

Leading the attack, the gang next went to the houses of the nobles, the dirtiest of all the sinners. Rakharo and his Dothraki were having the time of their lives, killing every soldier in their way, but sparing the innocent men and women as per their queen's orders. Some of the guards even joined their side. That made sense, because for some a guard was only one step above a slave. They led their horses through a barricade, blowing it up with another stick of dynamite, after which the way was completely clear.

"He says they will be the first Dothraki to conquer Qarth." Charles translated Rakharo's words.

With all their protectors dead or switching sides, the nobles fell quickly. The group watched as the slaves dragged the men and women out into the open. Their property was raided, stripped of all valuables and then put to the torch. Arthur watched the scene with interest, noting that conquering a city was very different than what one would read in a history book. The smell of blood filled the air, as hundreds of corpses lie on the ground. The mighty were finally brought low.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a familiar face approaching.

"By the gods, your plan worked better than I expected!" said an awestruck Daenerys. She was accompanied by Mormont, her dragons and the rest of her people, the women included.

"We aim to please, Your Majesty." Dutch bowed. Their army had started taking notice of her dragons and stopped whatever they were doing to stare in disbelief.

"The remaining soldiers have been called to protect the Thirteen. We managed to escape before they could capture us. A few died in the fighting." said Mormont.

"Then that's where we'll go." said Arthur and they made their way to the palaces. The liberated slaves showed no signs of exhaustion and followed them, their ranks having increased even more. It appeared that they had underestimated the number of slaves in this city.

Upon reaching the district, they found that the gates had been shut and archers were posted on the walls, but the gang made quick work of them with their rifles. The people still weren't comfortable with the loud bangs of the guns that brought them their freedom, but didn't voice their complaints. Only one thing was left now.

"I, Queen Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, have conquered your city. Surrender and I will show you mercy." the queen announced, with the slaves cheering.

"You are no queen, but an honorless whore." said a voice from the inside. "We invited your savages into our great city, and this is how you repay our kindness? With sorcery and savagery?"

If she took an insult to that comment, she didn't show it. "You invited me so you could take my dragons. I am no fool, and Qarth is not the greatest city that ever was or ever will be. It is a place of sin and slavery, and I intend to put an end to both."

"Such is the way of the world, whore." the man laughed. "Your family too had delusions of grandeur and they are all dead-"

"I have heard enough." she replied and then spoke in Valyrian. "To all the warriors inside, your new queen will be generous and merciful if you join her and bring her the princes! You have lost the fight, but you need not lose your lives as well! If you refuse, we will destroy this gate with our weapons and kill everyone inside!"

There was no reply for a few minutes before they heard screaming voices inside. Arthur readied himself for combat, but then the gates opened. All the guards came out, throwing their weapons to the ground. A few of them carried the princes with the exception of Daxos who was probably still asleep.

Boy, he got a surprise waiting for him.

"We are at your service, Your Grace." a man who looked like their captain said as he bent his knee. Daenerys acknowledged him. Two guards brought a fat man as he shrieked annoyingly.

"This one insulted you, my queen." the captain said. "He is the head of the Spicer's Guild."

"I do not take kindly to insults, My Lord." Daenerys said as he looked down on him. The man was now wetting his pants.

"F-Forgive me, Mother of Dragons!." he replied, crying.

"How many slaves does he own, captain?"

"He owns many young pleasure slaves in the city's brothels."

You're in trouble boy. Arthur realized that had he not rescued Missandei, she might have fallen into the hands of this filthy man.

"Mister Morgan, would you like to carry out the queen's justice?" she looked at Arthur.

"Gladly, Khaleesi."

He walked towards the piss-stained slaver, who was now on his knees begging for mercy. He would have none. Arthur put his shotgun to the man's face, and it blew into smithereens. The slaves cheered and all their captives were terrified by the sight. After the commotion ended, Missandei came forward and addressed the crowd.

"Long live Queen Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons and the Queen of Qarth!"

The people let out a deafening roar, shouting her name over and over again as the three dragons took flight and gave them a show. The young girl they had found in the desert days ago had now become a queen, and very much looked the part as she waved to her new people.

"We have found our purpose, friends." said Dutch to the gang as he saw the sight. "Are you ready to go all the way?"

"Yes." they all replied.

The night had been long, and they had lost many good people in the fight. By the time it was over, the sun came up. Every man and woman in Qarth was now free.

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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.