[ARYA walks through the door with a tray of oysters. The Brothel Keeper stops her, but a Prostitute asks him otherwise. The Brothel Keeper gestures a nod for ARYA to go on. She walks to the Prostitute and the man she's with. ARYA begins cutting an oyster open for the woman, while the man with her pays ARYA a silver for them. The man places a silver on her tray in exchange for the oysters. ARYA turns and sees TRANT'S men being taken to a back room. ARYA enters the room and peers through a divider to see a prostitute posing for MERYN. The Kingsguard refuses her. More Prostitutes are brought in and MERYN denies them all, calling them 'too old'. The people in the room share uneasy glances as they realize what he's asking for.]
As do the people in the viewing hall.
"Fucking disgusting" Catelyn spat.
"It would explain why he was so eager to hit Sansa" Margaery muttered in equal disgust.
Tyrion and Jaime though were disgusted and enraged for completely different reasons.
"He guards Myrcella" Tyrion spat in disgust. They had been keeping a predator like him so close to the girl all this time…
"Not any more" Jaime whispered in fury.
"Are you okay?" Joanna asked her granddaughter, the worry on her face apparent.
"Yes," Myrcella looked at her a little confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Joanna just smiled and rubbed her gently on the back. Good… the man had not done anything to her…
[One of TRANT'S men crosses to the other side of the divider and confronts ARYA.]
"Fresh? Come on, the lads are hungry."
[The man drags her into the room.]
"Nothing better for your cock stand than fresh oysters."
[MERYN stares at ARYA.]
Arya shifted in her seat in discomfort. The gaze made her feel… dirty somehow. She knew she shouldn't but it did…
Robb's arm around her shoulder calmed her some and she leaned into him.
[The head prostitute brings in a child, which MERYN approves.]
The people made sounds of disgust.
[The head prostitute hands MERYN an hourglass. He hands it back.]
"I'll tell you when we're done."
"Do you think he'd touched the Princess?" Elia whispered to Oberyn.
The Red Viper eyed the girl before shaking his head.
"She does not look it, no reactions whatsoever… Though I don't doubt he's touched himself thinking about her."
Elia smacked him on the arm for that comment.
[DORNE; PALACE]
[DORAN is addressing ELLARIA with AREO standing guard next to the three Sand Snakes. ELLARIA kneels and kisses his ring, crying. NYMERIA and OBARA look disgusted, TYENE'S face reveals less.]
"Good, she's finally seeing reason" Elia muttered.
But Oberyn was not so sure. He knew his paramour well… she had something planned. He only hoped that it was not something absolutely stupid.
[DORNE; JAIME'S ROOM]
[JAIME is writing a letter in his former cell that is now unlocked. ELLARIA enters.]
"You write like a 7 year old."
"I'm writing with my left hand!" Jaime huffed.
"Your handwriting is shit with your right hand as well" Tyrion pointed out snickering.
Jaime cuffed his brother with a roll of his eyes.
"Your maester kindly agreed to copy it over for me."
"He didn't try to make you pay? Then maybe he's changed. The Queen will be thrilled to know you'll be bringing her daughter home. You love her very much, don't you?"
"Of course, she's my niece."
"I wasn't talking about her."
[JAIME looks up from his writing at ELLARIA.]
"Don't make it so obvious to your enemies" Tyrion rolled his eyes.
"If she is saying it, she already knows. No point in playing coy now" Jaime explained with a sigh.
"You think I disapprove. Why? Because people disapprove of that sort of thing where you are from? They disapproved of Oberyn and me where you are from. Here, no one blinked an eye. 100 years ago, no one would have blinked an eye at you if you had been named Targaryen. It's always changing, who we're supposed to love and who we're not. The only thing that stays the same is that we want who we want."
[ELLARIA pauses, taking walks around the room.]
"I know your daughter had no part in the terrible thing that happened to the man I loved. Perhaps even you were innocent of that."
Now he knew she was plotting something. Why else would she try to get Jaime's guard down like that? It was one of the things Oberyn loved about her, how she would squirm her way in like a snake and when people least expected it she would strike.
Oberyn feared how the woman he loved would strike.
[STANNIS' CAMP; SHIREEN'S TENT]
[SHIREEN plays with her stag figurine next to a fire and on top of her book. STANNIS enters the tent.]
"Father. Aren't you cold?"
"No. What are you reading?"
"The Dance of Dragons."
"What's it about?"
"It's the story of the fight between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon for control of the Seven Kingdoms. Both of them thought they belonged on the Iron Throne. When people started declaring for one of them or the other, their fight divided the kingdom in two. Brothers fought brothers. Dragons fought dragons. By the time it was over, thousands were dead. And it was a disaster for the Targaryens as well. They never truly recovered."
"The dance of dragons? Why is that a dance?"
"You sound like a Maester, asking so many questions you know the answer to" Renly chuckled.
At no response, he leaned forward to look at Stannis. The man looked stoic as ever… but there was fear in his eyes. A surprise to Renly considering how he'd never seen fear in his brother.
What was he afraid of?
"That's just what they call it. I think it's poetic."
"If you had to choose between Rhaenyra and Aegon, who would you have chosen?"
"I wouldn't have chosen either. It's all the choosing sides that made things so horrible."
"Sometimes a person has to choose. Sometimes the world forces his hand. If a man knows what he is and remains true to himself, the choice is not a choice at all. He must fulfil his destiny and become who he is meant to be. However much he may hate it."
"Gods" Stannis muttered in horror. He was going to do it… he was going to do it… HE WAS GOING TO DO IT!
"Father?" Shireen asked softly.
Stannis shook his head and looked at his feet.
"It's alright, father."
"You don't even know what I'm talking about."
"It doesn't matter. I want to help you. Is there any way I can help?"
"Yes, there is."
"Good, I want to. I'm the Princess Shireen of House Baratheon and I'm your daughter."
[They hug.]
"Forgive me."
"Stannis… don't you dare" Robert growled.
Stannis did not answer. What could he say? That nothing was stopping him from burning his only child, that he'd grown so desperate that he was about to do something heinous and disgusting.
"What do you mean?" Shireen looked at her uncle.
Robert's face softened, and he looked away with a shake of his head.
Shireen frowned.
[STANNIS' CAMP]
[SHIREEN is flanked by guards as she walks towards a pyre, clutching the stag DAVOS gave her. When she arrives at the pyre MELISANDRE steps to the front.]
"Gods… please don't tell me" Catelyn gasped in horror.
"Where's my father? I want to see my father."
"It will all be over soon, Princess."
[The men drag her to the pyre and tie her up.]
"Where's my father? No, you can't do this, Father where are you?!"
Shireen stiffened. No… no no no! They couldn't do this, wouldn't do this. Her father would save her. He's always protected her, loved her. He'd stop them.
[STANNIS watches on from the crowd.]
Shireen's resolve… crumbled.
"Let me see my father! Where are you, please?!"
"Stand before her you coward" Renly roared in anger. "Look her in the eyes while you condemn her to burn! Your daughter! Look her in the eyes!"
"The year is now, my Lord. For you we offer up this girl, that you may cleanse her with your fire and that its light may lead our way."
"If we don't act then we'll all starve here all of us, but if we make this sacrifice…"
"Accept this token of our faith, my lord, and lead us from the darkness. Lord of Light show us the way!"
"Mother, please mother! Mother, please mother!"
[SELYSE falters and turns to STANNIS]
"Please stop."
The images stopped and slowly faded to black.
Shireen was shaking, her head lowered and her arms wrapped around herself.
Stannis reached out for her, only for his hand to be slapped away. The looks of terror, anger and betrayal were a slap in the face.
"You promised you'd never let it happen to me" she hissed out, her words breaking away as she dissolved into sobs and tears.
A flash of light and the serpentine woman stood behind the girl, her hand running through Shireen's dark hair. The girl turned and hugged the woman tightly. The woman picked her up and whispered comforting words to her.
"Continue" Her orders were cold and without room for argument, her cold serpentine eyes fixed on Stannis. She walked away, passing through the doors that led to the sleeping quarters.
Stannis moved to follow, stopped by Robert with a firm grip on his shoulder.
"She is my daughter!" the man hissed.
"A daughter you burned at the pyre" Renly threw back angrily.
The fight was knocked out of Stannis.
"Give her time to calm" Robert grunted, forcing Stannis to sit back down.
The vision started once more, but Stannis paid it no attention. He burned his child… he burnt his daughter…
How could he have done something so heinous?
[MEEREEN; FIGHTING PIT]
[DAENERYS sits next to MISSANDEI at the top of the pit, with an open seat between her and TYRION at the end, and DAARIO standing behind them. HIZDAHR takes the open seat.]
"Where have you been?"
"Just making sure everything's in order."
"Something's going to go bad here" Theon muttered. "I can feel it. And that man is somehow involved in it."
Yara frowned, but even she had a bad feeling.
[The Vision pans through the fighting pit to reveal it is covered with House Targaryen sigils. An announcer steps to the middle of the pit and waves his arm to silence the crowd. The Announcer raises his hands to start the 'games' and the crowd begins to roar. Cut to DAENERYS' box - she and MISSANDEI look disgusted, and DAARIO looks impressed. Two gladiators enter the pit. They kneel and utter the words 'I fight and die for your glory, oh glorious queen' before standing in waiting before her. The crowd is silent.]
"They're waiting for you. Clap your hands."
"What's there to clap about… death games…" Daenerys muttered to herself darkly. Her stomach was churning dangerously just at the sight of it.
[DAENERYS looks down at the two men. After a moment, and with a look of disgust on her face, she claps her hands. The crowd roars and they start fighting. After some parries, the Quick man slices at the Strong man's neck.]
"That one, the smaller man, no question, that's where you should put your money."
"I'm not putting my money anywhere."
"Kings and queens never bet on the games. Perhaps you should go find someone who does."
"People used to bet against me when I fought in the pits."
[DAARIO looks at HIZDAHR]
"He would have bet against me. Common novice mistake."
"I have spent much of my life in Meereen, and in my experience, larger men do triumph over smaller men, far more often than not."
"What do you think? Who's winning?" Tyrion whispered to his brother.
"Daario isn't wrong. Being underestimated gives you a clear advantage… but that quick one will not survive. His knees shake after every dodge, he will die soon" Jaime explained grimly. He may have fought in battle and had seen his fair share of deaths, but this was not to his taste.
"Whenever I got into the pit against a beast like that one, the crowd saw me, all skin and bone back then, then they saw a pile of angry muscles ready to murder me. They couldn't get their money out fast enough. But the pile of angry muscles never had any muscles here"
[He puts a dagger to his neck]
"or here"
[he puts the dagger to HIZDAHR'S neck]
"And the big men were always too slow to stop my dagger from going where their muscles weren't. Yes, whenever I saw a beast like that one, standing across from me making his beast faces, I knew I could rest easy."
"That's because he has talent. This one does not" Oberyn said stoically.
[The Strong man decapitates the Quick man with one quick stroke. HIZDAHR smiles and DAARIO looks turns away angrily.]
"That was insulting" Arya snickered. She turned to Bran, only to see him peeking back. "Hey! The show is in front of you."
Bran jumped before turning around to face her with a frown.
"She'll be okay… she's not alone," the girl said kindly.
Bran nods, his eyes sad and lips pursed.
[The Pit Workers carry the decapitated head out of the pit, leaving a trail of blood behind.]
"That is greatness?"
"That is a vital part of the great city of Meereen. Which has existed long before you arrived and will remain standing long after we have returned to the dirt."
"My father would have liked you."
"Legacy" Tyrion clicked his tongue. A very important topic of discussion for his father.
"One day your great city will return to the dirt as well."
"At your command?"
"If need be."
"I don't know if threatening someone so openly is a good idea" Jon frowned.
"He's sat with me and my people. I should be safe" Daenerys argued.
"And you are surrounded by men who might harbour ill intent towards you. You're not as safe as you say" Jon countered.
"I suppose…"
"How many people will die to make this happen?"
"If it comes to that they would have died for a good reason."
[HIZDAHR looks at pit]
"Those men think they're dying for a good reason."
"Someone else's reason."
"And your men dying for you is a good reason?" Gendry asked.
"Isn't it normal? For men to die in wars they fight for their Kings and Queens."
"But is it a good reason?" Gendry asked. "Is it a good reason to take men from their families? To take a father from his wife and children or a son from his mother? And what happens once they die for you? Are you compensating their families for it? Are you able to give them comfort and solace? The normal set-up by you and your family and every other King and Queen to have ever ruled does nothing for the soldiers that fight for them. Lords and their families would be remembered because of their status. What about the lesser people? Who remembers them? Who listens to the cries of their family? Check up on them and make sure that they are doing good without the ones they've lost. What good is there for people like us?"
Daenerys could only stare at the boy, her philosophy itself being challenged. She wanted to fight for the people, liberate the slaves and bring death to the masters. But at what cost? The death of the masters she'd happily do over and over again… but what about the men she'd lose in this conflict? And the men lost fighting against her? What of them? Their families?
Why was her good and the good of the people not aligned?
It could be aligned, surely it could.
She would need to think about it.
For now… she smiles at Gendry and thanks him for his perspective.
Gendry (thoroughly unaware of her thoughts) rolled his eyes and scoffed. Typical noble…
"...or a Westerosi Knight?!"
[Crowd jeers. DAENERYS stares at JORAH. They both hold back emotion. DAENERYS claps. JORAH nods. They begin fighting, with DAENERYS' eyes following JORAH. He takes a blow to the mouth, is knocked down and starts bleeding. He gets up, has his sword knocked away, and pulls out a dagger. He wrestles with the man trying to choke him, throws him off, and then stabs him in the chest. He pulls the dagger out, looking at DAENERYS, throws it away, and picks up his longsword.]
"He looks away too much" Oberyn clicked his tongue in distaste. A better fighter and Jorah Mormont would have been dead.
[JORAH squares off against a flashy fighter that just brutally stabbed another fighter through the back. He slices JORAH in the cheek. The other two fighters square off, with a heavily armoured fighter wielding a spear killing his opponent. The crowd cheers. JORAH'S opponent slices JORAH'S arm and then knocks him over, knocking his sword out of his hand. He holds his blade to JORAH'S throat. Both he and JORAH look to DAENERYS.]
"Stop him" Daenerys whispered. Jorah Mormont has been a good man to her, a real pillar for her. She couldn't lose him like this.
[The fighter holds his blade to JORAH'S throat. He is about to make a move when the other fighter comes over and stabs JORAH'S opponent in the back, killing him.]
"Lucky. He'd be dead ten times by now" Obery muttered.
Daenerys sighed in relief.
[JORAH gets up and faces the final opponent. JORAH matches the spearman, is knocked over, but catches the spear before it reaches his throat. He gets back up and the two face off again. JORAH spins, somersaults, and stabs him through the stomach, killing him. He looks up to DAENERYS. JORAH reaches for his opponent's spear. He picks it up and hurls it towards DAENERYS' seat.]
Daenerys stiffened. No.. it couldn't be…
[DAARIO rushes to protect DAENERYS and everyone else gets out of the way. It connects with a Son of the Harpy.]
Daenerys was still stiff but for all the different reasons. AN enemy had crept up on her without notice…
[Many audience members have put on Sons of the Harpy masks. The Sons of the Harpy start slitting the throats of former slaves and Unsullied in the crowd. Unsullied guards and DAARIO surround DAENERYS and MISSANDEI, fighting off the Harpys. HIZDAHR starts running towards Daenerys.]
"HIZDAHR: Your Grace, Your Grace, come with me! I know a way out! I know a way—"
[Two Sons of the Harpy come up on HIZDAHR from behind and stab him to death.]
"Guess he was not involved" Theon muttered.
[They run at DAENERYS. DAARIO takes one out, and JORAH comes up from the pit to take HIZDAHR'S spot and take out the other. He offers his hand to DAENERYS and she takes it. He leads her down to the pit with DAARIO and the Unsullied, leaving TYRION and MISSANDEI.]
"Don't leave me!" Tyrion hissed.
[A Harpy comes towards MISSANDEI. TYRION comes from behind, pulls him to his knees, and slits his throat. He leads her down to the pit.]
"Look at you, fighting your own battles" Jaime teased.
"I've been doing that all my life" Tyrion rolled his eyes. Though he was relieved that he was able to protect himself.
[Sons of the Harpy have begun to rush the pit. Unsullied fight them off as DAENERYS, DAARIO, and JORAH head towards a side exit. They run through the exit, but a door swings shut. A Son of the Harpy steps out and JORAH kills him. They rush towards the other side and join up with TYRION and MISSANDEI.]
"Surrounded and corralled… like animals" Elia muttered in worry. Had Daenerys been sitting beside her, she'd be holding the girl to make sure she was safe with her.
[JORAH, DAARIO, and the Unsullied form a ring around MISSANDEI, DAENERYS, and TYRION in the centre of the pit. Sons of the Harpy begin to rush from the other exit they are heading towards. They surround the ring, testing out the outer ring before they begin rushing. A few make it past the outer ring but are killed by DAARIO. MISSANDEI and DAENERYS join hands and DAENERYS closes her eyes. A roar is heard in the distance.]
"He's here" Daenerys sighed in relief, her whole form shaking. She'd thought she'd be dead… or worse… But Drogon was here, her dragon was here.
[DROGON appears, breathing fire and circling the pit. The Sons run away from DAENERYS to the edge of the pit. One charges at her and DROGON rips him apart. He breathes fire on 4-5 of them at a time before a spear hits his back. 2 more spears connect and he starts slowing down.]
"Shit" Rhaegar swore. Drogon was still young, his scales not yet fully developed. He could die from these things…
[DAENERYS walks towards the dragon and she takes a spear from his neck. He roars at her but then closes his mouth. She slowly reaches to touch his nose. More spears are thrown at him by Sons of the Harpy and he turns to them and roars. DAARIO continues to fight off every Harpy that comes near her. DAENERYS climbs onto DROGON'S back slowly.]
"You've not done this before!" Jon hissed in worry.
"I don't have a choice either" Daenerys muttered back.
Jon concedes that she has a point.
[DAENERYS whispers 'Valahd'. DROGON runs towards the Harpys, starts flapping and then takes off from the Pit. He flies past the Pyramid and into the sky as TYRION, JORAH, DAARIO, and MISSANDEI stare up at him.]
Rhaegar was so close to tears. Not only was his sister safe, but she'd finally ridden her dragon. She was a dragon rider… the first in almost three hundred years!
