AN: This chapter has two side stories, neither of which is meant to be canon. I've already posted these elsewhere and now I've decided to post them on this site too.
The first is an alternate ending to the first chapter. It was my original idea until I decided for an ending which reveals less information.
Here, the strange winged woman was standing next to a struggling Viserion, her purple blade piercing the dragon through the neck.
There were shouts of outrage from some of Barristan's men, though these died down when they saw what Barristan was also seeing.
Rhaegal, the green-scaled dragon, was gone. In the place where Rhaegal had been was a nude woman, lying face-down. She was quite clearly not human, having green wings in place of arms, and green-scaled legs that ended in sharp claws. A long green tail extended out from her lower back. Her hair resembled strands of polished bronze.
Green and… bronze? It can't be…
"G-Get away from the dragon!" one of the Mother's Men called out nervously.
The blue-haired woman looked up. Barristan now saw that even her eyebrows and eyelashes were the same shade of pale blue. This suggested that it was not the result of hair dye but was her natural colouration.
He also saw that this woman had a surpassing beauty, with silky hair, smooth skin and elegant features. It was only marred by a strange purple heart tattooed on her right cheek.
He noticed that, in addition to her bat-like wings, this woman had a long black tail which widened at the tip.
Finally, he took in the details of her clothing. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt, blue leggings similar to a man's, and black socks.
"…You must have questions," the woman said, in somewhat clumsy High Valyrian. "Wait a short time. This will soon be done."
Viserion lifted its massive head and roared weakly. The woman visibly put more effort into her sword, forcing the pale dragon back down.
"…Ser Barristan, your orders?" Grey Worm asked quietly.
"I… I am just as lost as all of you," Barristan admitted.
It should have been a simple situation. The dragons were treasured by Queen Daenerys, outright referred to as her children. For any of Daenerys' subjects, if they saw someone trying to kill a dragon, they ought to do everything in their power to stop it. And yet…
Barristan looked back at the woman lying in the crater where Rhaegal had been. He quickly looked away again—he was a knight, not some common lech.
Rhaegal is no longer here… but that woman is there… that woman with wings and scales and…
Impossible. It's inconceivable. But a dragon could hardly disappear into nothing in a matter of minutes!
Then Barristan heard gasps from around him. He turned his gaze back in the direction of Viserion.
Barristan's sword slipped from his fingers.
Viserion was shrinking before his eyes. The great beast had previously had a torso like an ox's, combined with a head on a long neck, massive wings, sturdy legs and a long tail that made its silhouette even larger. All of that size was melting away rapidly.
As Viserion shrunk, scales disappeared from areas of its body, being replaced by areas of smooth skin. Golden-blonde hair began growing from the head, which was becoming shorter and more rounded. The head wasn't the only part that was changing shape; Barristan saw the shoulders become narrower faster than the hips, and the chest swelling up—
He averted his eyes. He quickly noticed that many of his troops weren't doing the same.
I… the proper thing to do would be to make them look away… yet we still know next to nothing about the situation…
Barristan felt a tap on his shoulder. Grey Worm had just touched him using the shaft of his spear, to get his attention.
The blue-haired woman was now stepping away from… from Viserion. The latter had now been replaced by another naked woman, though still with cream-coloured wings and scales and tail.
"What… What have you done?" Barristan asked in High Valyrian. He remembered his sword was still on the ground, but he was in no mood to pick it up.
"I was… attacked. I fought back," the blue-haired woman said. She lowered her strange purple sword and it disappeared into thin air, eliciting several gasps from Barristan's troops. "The ones who sent… no, brought me here, they said your dragons were 'mindless beasts that bring only death'. I thought they lied, but then these two—" she gestured at the transformed Rhaegal and Viserion, "—attacked. So, I fought back."
"And how did that… lead to the dragons becoming like this?" Barristan asked.
The woman frowned slightly. "That… a difficult thing to explain. I must say, I did not know any of this language until before night—until last night. But, to attempt to explain—"
"Mother! Are you okay!?"
Suddenly, the woman looked down at her own left wrist. This was adorned with a silver bracelet with numerous small gemstones set around its circumference. The strange voice had seemingly originated from here.
More sorcery? Barristan wondered. I heard some tales in my childhood, witches communicating from afar through the voices of ravens, instead of being limited to messages carried by ravens…
She lifted the bracelet to her mouth and began speaking to it in quick words. Barristan recognised not a single syllable of these words—they were unlike the Common Tongue, High Valyrian, Ghiscari, Dothraki, every single language he'd ever heard. But he could understand the woman was deeply worried. It was apparent both in her tone and in her expression.
"Just stay where you are," the blue-haired woman said. She looked up at Barristan's group again. "To explain… I and three more were summoned here, by sorcerers in the army camp." She gestured around at the burning tents and trampled corpses that marked what had once been said camp. "We did not understand each other's languages at first. After some talking, I understood what they wanted."
Barristan tensed. In his youth, he'd heard stories of sorcerers who called upon supernatural beings—ghosts, demons, Others. For most of his life, he'd dismissed such stories, for swords and axes were far more real, and far more dangerous than superstition and ritual. Yet after coming to Essos, he'd seen dragons born through a genuine work of magic… and at this moment, he was faced with a clearly inhuman being.
The armies outside Meereen were a threat I'd been dreading night after night, just like all who stand with me now… and she drove them away in a matter of minutes. Barristan looked at a group of fleeing soldiers in the distance, so far away that they could be mistaken for insects. For what purpose? The old stories often had sorcerers being betrayed by the same wicked beings they summoned… but why would she do so immediately? And so thoroughly?
"A lord came to the tent, an old man," the woman continued. "He explained, he was leader of an allied army, here to fight a 'tyrant queen with dragons that prey on children'."
That made several of Barristan's soldiers exclaim "That's a lie!" and "How dare he!?" Barristan himself could only remain silent. He still remembered the charred bones that one grieving farmer had brought in.
"Two dragons had just broken free, so he wanted my aid in slaying them," the woman continued. "For that, he would pay any tribute I desired: gold, jewels, animal sacrifices, or human sacrifices."
Many of Barristan's soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, albeit with shaking hands.
"…And you did not accept that offer?" Barristan asked cautiously.
The woman's expression hardened. "I do not accept human sacrifices. And that was not all. The lord said he—his army—was also here because this tyrant queen was trying to ban slavery. Called this a foolish crime, said it was disturbing the peace of the world."
"Peace," Barristan snorted. "Aye, perhaps there was peace before my queen came. A peace where slavers routinely took children from their parents, trained them into complete obedience, and sold them off like livestock."
"I did not understand all of those words," the woman said, "but I agree. That is why I turned against those who summoned me."
Barristan nodded. "I understand. Then I must ask another question: just what have you done to Rhaegal and Viserion—the two dragons here?"
"That is… not easy to explain," the woman said. "Please wait, I will show you…"
The woman approached Viserion and knelt down. Around Barristan, the Mother's Men and Brazen Beasts shifted awkwardly, while the Unsullied remained as wary as always.
The woman shook Viserion gently by the shoulder. Viserion began stirring, and soon she—a concept that still bewildered Barristan—looked up.
"Do you understand me?" the woman asked.
The next moment was too fast for Barristan to follow. He only saw Viserion and the strange woman struggling, the former's wings locked with the latter's hands.
"You!" Viserion snarled in a shockingly human voice. "Won't let you hurt Mother's nest!"
"A—A dragon speaking!?" Barristan exclaimed. He was far from the only one, with many of his companions being even less coherent. And her words… did she just mix High Valyrian, Dothraki and the Common Tongue?
"Tell her to calm down!" the strange woman demanded, Viserion's teeth snapping inches away from her neck.
"V-Viserion!" Barristan called out. "Stop! She is not an enemy!"
"Viserion, do you recognise us!?" Grey Worm shouted.
Viserion turned her head around. Now that he had a direct look at her face, Barristan was astounded. It was currently smeared with mud and twisted in hostility, but she had a face that many a princess or noblewoman would envy.
"Mother's… other children?" Viserion murmured. "Wait… when'd you all grow bigger?" She paused and looked down at herself. "What happened to me!?"
Barristan tried to find the right words to say. Since he'd never even imagined such a situation could occur, it occupied him until the moment he heard another feminine groan.
"Rhaegal?" Grey Worm said, now looking in a different direction. "Rhaegal, do you understand what this one is saying?"
While internally praising Grey Worm for his quick thinking, Barristan turned around and said, "Rhaegal, do you recognise us? We are… servants of your mother."
The green dragon was now rising up to a standing position and facing Barristan's group. Barristan was both thankful for that, as it prevented her from rejoining the fight, and deeply discomforted by it, as it exposed sights that a woman should not be exposing.
"Mother's…?" Rhaegal said. Her voice was slightly deeper than Viserion's. She moved her wings around unsteadily, much like a waking human might wave around their arms. "That's right… you're always around her…"
"Forget about that, help me!" Viserion shouted. "This monster is still here!"
Rhaegal turned and her lips curled into a growl. She was clearly ready to pounce.
Barristan had had enough of remaining on the sidelines. While shouting "Wait!", he ran forth and grabbed Rhaegal by a green-scaled shoulder.
In the next instant, Barristan was flat on his back with a tremendous pain in his chest.
I… I didn't even see the strike…
Rhaegal appeared in view above Barristan. There was clear surprise on her face.
"Why'd you try to stop me? Aren't you on Mother's side?"
Barristan forced his lips to move. "Rhaegal…"
"Rhaegal, Viserion, please listen," Grey Worm said from outside of Barristan's view. "The… strange being here does not seem to be our enemy. She attacked the enemies who were gathered outside our city, outside… your mother's nest."
"Grr… but she… she was…" Viserion said. "You, what do you want? Are you an enemy?"
"I want to go home, along with my daughters," the blue-haired woman replied. She sounded more like a long-suffering mother dealing with mischievous children than someone threatened by dragons. "I am not your enemy."
Barristan heard Viserion growl for a moment, then heard her step away.
She believed her… just with that? Does she not understand the concept of lying…?
"Why are we like this now?" Rhaegal asked, no longer looking at Barristan. "Small and smooth and soft, soft like humans?"
"I can answer that, as long as you don't attack again…"
Then Barristan heard footsteps approaching him. Two sets of arms lifted him back to his feet, and despite being as gentle as possible, he felt agony shoot through his body. He let out a shameful groan.
"Ser Barristan!" said Tumco Lho, a youth from the Basilisk Islands and one of Barristan's squires.
"I-I'm in no mortal danger," Barristan insisted. "I should recover… after some rest…"
Now that he was upright again, Barristan looked at the dragons and the strange woman again, being careful to keep his gaze at eye-level. His helpers didn't seem to be quite so careful, judging from how their arms were shaking unsteadily.
"It… It's your fault for touching me suddenly," Rhaegal said defensively.
Barristan found that he actually agreed with that. Recklessly touching a dragon was a fool's act.
"If you are hurt, I can… help you," the blue-haired woman said. "May I?"
Barristan still knew little about this stranger. One part of him was suspicious of any offer coming from a supernatural creature. The rest of him knew that this stranger had defeated a massive army followed by two dragons, so his consent was hardly necessary. If she wanted to force the matter, she could.
"May I ask… what you wish to do…?"
The blue-haired woman held up one hand and her purple sword appeared again. Barristan's men tensed, while the two dragons looked ready to attack again.
Yet the woman simply brought the sword to her own face and sliced one cheek. And while the others gasped in confusion, she brought her free hand to her cheek. A soft white light emanated from her hand. The blood oozing from her cheek flowed back in through the cut, which then shrunk down into nothing. After a few seconds, there was only smooth skin once more.
"I have the ability to… hmm, a word I have not yet learned," the woman said. "I can make it so that… someone who is hurt is no longer hurt?"
"…If you can do such a thing, then I would appreciate your assistance," Barristan said.
"Wait, Arstan!" Rhaegal cut in. "She doesn't smell right!"
Barristan was momentarily confused by this use of his old pseudonym. Then he remembered that he hadn't spent much time around the dragons recently. And for much of the time he'd been near them, he'd been calling himself "Arstan Whitebeard".
"Thank you for your concern, Rhaegal," Barristan said. "But this is a risk… I am willing to take."
The woman held out her hand towards Barristan. He'd been expecting her to approach him, but she simply sent out a fist-sized orb of white light that landed on his chest. Barristan felt a faint warmth spreading out from the point of contact, and his pain faded away.
"Ser Barristan?" Tumco said nervously. "How do you feel?"
"…Far better than I did a moment ago. If you'll kindly release me…"
Barristan's helpers slowly let go of his arms. He stood on his own two feet once more and without any effort, to his amazement.
"On my honour as a knight, thank you," Barristan said, lowering his head slightly. "Now, moving on to other matters…" He turned towards his men and forced himself to keep a level voice. "Fetch some clothing for Rhaegal and Viserion."
Barristan's men, with the exception of the Unsullied, shifted about uneasily. Many of them kept trying to look at the dragons without appearing as if they were doing so.
"Hey, we don't need your weak clothes!" Viserion protested. "Our scales are strong enough!"
The two dragons had far fewer scales now, but Barristan decided to hold his tongue about that. "True, but… your mother wears clothing, do you remember? Would you like to follow her example?"
The two dragons exchanged uncertain glances. This was at least an improvement compared to before.
"Fine… but where is Mother?" Rhaegal asked. "Where is Drogo? Haven't seen them ever since she made us go into that cave."
"Why did we have to go in there!?" Viserion demanded. "We didn't even have room to fly in there!"
Barristan felt the arrows of guilt. Locking up the dragons had been the right idea at the time, based on their growing danger and Drogon's… horrific act. But now that they were human-like in shape and capable of speech, he felt as horrified as if two young women had been locked up in total darkness for six months.
"Your mother flew away on Drogon," Grey Worm explained. "We are currently looking for her."
"Looking for her? You're right here!" Rhaegal said in a huff.
"Others… of your mother's servants… are looking for them," Barristan said.
"Grr… at least Mother is safe with Drogon," Viserion said. She spread out her wings, showing they spanned a width twice as great as her own height. "Then let's just fly out and find them!"
Barristan had considerable doubts over how safe his queen was with the most savage of the dragons, like everyone in Meereen—barring those who were certain the queen was dead. He supposed the situation looked different to other dragons.
"Please… try not to do that, for now," Barristan said, holding up his hands in a conciliatory manner. "You've just undergone a great change, you need time to adjust. And in that time, you should consider wearing clothing."
"It would be difficult to find fitting clothing, with their shapes," Grey Worm pointed out calmly.
"Yes… I suppose so," Barristan said. Even so, his sensibilities refused to just let two naked women walk around, even if they themselves didn't care. "Then fetch some large pieces of fabric from the destroyed tents."
A few soldiers ran off and, after doing some cutting with their weapons, returned with the requested fabric. They kept sneaking glances at the dragons still, so Barristan cleared his throat as a warning.
Barristan took one rectangle of canvas, big enough to serve as a blanket, and held it out. "Rhaegal, I am about to wrap this around your body. Please… do your best to keep it from slipping off."
"This is pointless," Rhaegal complained. Even so, she didn't stop Barristan from draping it over her shoulders, then tying two corners together in front—being careful not to touch her body in the process.
Barristan did the same with Viserion, who began fidgeting incessantly.
"With that done, I have a question for you," the blue-haired woman said. "My daughters are a short distance from her. Can you promise safety for them, while we talk about what has happened?"
Barristan briefly glanced towards the ice dome he'd spotted earlier, the one surrounded by bisected corpses.
"I swear on my oath as a knight, you and your daughters will be safe in Meereen," Barristan said solemnly.
The woman nodded, spread her wings and took flight. Many of Barristan's men gasped in awe as she disappeared into the distance.
"Still don't trust her," Viserion growled. "Something like her shouldn't… shouldn't be around."
Barristan felt amusement at these words. The dragon sounded like a petulant child who'd come across a problem she couldn't solve.
But how is it that she and Rhaegal can speak, even in this awkward manner? Is it just because of this… magic that gave them human-like shapes? Or did they already have this knowledge but lacked the anatomy to speak?
And they have both become women… were they originally female as dragons? Or was that also something that changed today?
Furthermore, how should we interact with them now? It's now possible to converse with them… but it's already apparent that they still think like dragons, in various ways…
In the distance, Barristan noticed the ice dome disintegrating into diamond dust. There were three female figures huddled together within. They and the blue-haired woman rushed together into a group embrace.
After about fifteen seconds, during which they were presumably talking, they stood up and began walking towards Barristan's group. This allowed Barristan to see them in more and more detail with each step.
Two certainly looked like the blue-haired woman's daughters, having similar horns, wings and tail. One had golden-blonde hair, the other had blue similar to their mother.
Then there was a being who had no resemblance to the others—in fact, she didn't appear human in any way. If Barristan had to describe it, she was a human-sized flower bud crawling around on mobile roots that grew out from its base. Yet this hadn't been the case when the ice dome had first disintegrated; then, Barristan had glimpsed a green womanly figure, one that was now concealed within the petals of the flower bud.
Eventually, they came to a stop in front of Barristan's group, many of whom had gaping mouths.
AN: Now for the other side story. I got the idea for this from a reader over on Questionable Questing.
Cersei watched Qyburn enter the room without a hint of noise. He looked just like a harmless old man, but she knew quite well that he was far more dangerous... and far more useful.
"Qyburn. What have you brought me today?"
"A new work of sorcery," Qyburn said with a bow. "While my specialty is life and death, lately I've also been repairing a magical object that an old colleague of mine gave me. Oh, if Marwyn could see this now..."
"I care not for history, only for what benefits this can bring."
Qyburn coughed and brought out a spherical object. "My apologies. Then here it is."
Cersei peered at the object. It was the size of a grapefruit and composed of a translucent substance, akin to glass yet with... fog constantly swirling inside.
Before she could ask what it was, Qyburn said, "Your Grace, is there anyone you would like to observe at this very moment?"
"At this moment? Well, the Tyrell girl, I suppose, but how-what is this!?"
The fog within the translucent sphere cleared to show an unfamiliar but well-furnished room. Sitting inside was a familiar brown-haired girl.
"Margaery Tyrell!?" Cersei exclaimed.
"As I said, it is a work of sorcery," Qyburn said with a pleased smile. "You need only think of the person you wish to observe, and this crystal ball will show him or her to you. But, I should note, there are limits. I've found it only works on targets similar to the observer. Is there anyone else you would like to observe?"
Cersei felt giddy. A tool like this was unimaginably useful, even with this limitation. No one would ever be able to bring her down again, she'd see their schemes and easily foil them.
Who should I choose? The Tyrell is in custody at the moment, no particular threat... Someone else who is similar to me...
Cersei recalled the prophecy from long ago, the one about a younger and more beautiful queen. Margaery couldn't be the one: her beauty paled in comparison to Cersei's, and she also was no longer a threat. But there were rumours of another queen across the sea...
She is Rhaegar's sister... if she has even a fraction of his dazzling beauty... and, moreover, she has the motive to overthrow me...
"Show me Daenerys Targaryen," Cersei commanded.
The crystal ball switched to showing a completely different scene. It showed a bedraggled girl in yellowish rags, though with unmistakeable silver hair and purple eyes.
For a few minutes, Cersei watched the girl roaming a grassy plain in search of food.
"This is the famous dragon queen?" Cersei scoffed. "Did she lose her position? Then she is no threat either..."
"Wait, Your Grace. She's noticed something."
In the crystall ball, Daenerys' face turned to face something above her. Shock bloomed on her face.
Then two women came into view, and Cersei jumped to her feet.
"What are they!?"
Neither was human. The two newcomers had horns, wings, tails... it was like the fairy tales of Cersei's childhood had come to life.
"What are they saying now!?" Cersei demanded.
"My apologies, Your Grace, but the crystall ball shows only images, not sound."
Cersei watched a silent conversation. One of the nonhumans, the one with green scales, was very pleased to meet Daenerys, hugging her tightly. Daenerys looked confused yet also pleased.
Are they... the rumoured dragons? But how is that possible? I've seen their skulls here in the Red Keep, they are-were monstrous beasts...
The conversation lasted for almost ten minutes, during which Cersei never looked away from the crystal ball. She eventually saw the three women turn their bodies quickly.
The next moments were something Cersei would never be able to forget.
A black dragon, a monster straight from the myths, black flames streaming from its jaws, burst into view. Then one of the nonhumans, the one with blue hair, flew towards it. There was a chaotic struggle, one Cersei only caught glimpses of.
Then the dragon was altered, shrunken into a new form. The nonhuman's purple sword was pulled out from its back.
"How... what just happened?" Cersei gasped.
"Transformation of this sort... I've only heard tales about it," Qyburn said. "I sorely wish I could witness this in person, perhaps take a few samples..."
Even after transformation, the black dragon didn't submit. It-she leaped up from the ground and resumed attacking the blue-haired nonhuman.
The black dragon was then thrown back, landing roughly on the ground a second later. Cersei saw that the blue-haired creature had an arm outstretched.
How did that happen!? It... she looks to be as large as my oaf of a former husband, and she was thrown using... pure strength!?
While sighing in apparent annoyance, the blue-haired creature made her sword disappear into thin air.
The battle, if it could even be called that, continued for a few more moments. Cersei's eyes weren't able to follow most of the fast-paced action.
She did, however, see the black dragon feign death at one point. But her opponent didn't fall for the ruse. There was a blur of motion, then Cersei saw the black dragon doubled over-judging from how she was covering her groin with her wings, she'd just taken a hard blow to that area.
She also saw the ending of the fight: the black dragon being knocked backwards through the air, while several of her teeth flew in other directions. They all landed on the ground soon after.
Is this all some... bizarre dream? A mummer's performance created from my imagination alone? But why would I ever dream of such... absurd things?
She saw the blue-haired creature walk up to the dragon. It seemed like she was asking if the latter wanted to continue. And based on how the dragon was now cowering on the ground, it seemed the response wasn't positive.
Soon after that, the Targaryen girl and the green dragon came running up.
"...Qyburn," Cersei said. "You claim to know something of... of sorcery."
"...I do, Your Grace. And to answer the question in your mind: no, I do not understand just what we have seen."
Cersei breathed in and out several times. She couldn't afford to give in to panic. She had to remain composed. Only then would she be able to regain her former power, the power she deserved.
She looked carefully at everything shown in the crystal ball. She noticed craters and large areas of burned grass. Some of those, she recalled, had formed after the black dragon had been shrunken.
From this, it seems the dragon is still as strong as Clegane, even after being reduced to the weak form of a woman... And the one who defeated her, she seems to have comparable strength. Combine this with the capabilities of flight, fiery breath and... She recalled how that purple sword had appeared and then disappeared. Potentially far more.
Such strength is on the Targaryen girl's side...
"Qyburn."
"Yes, Your Grace?"
"What would be the cost... to hire one of the Faceless Men?"