Part XVIII - Daenerys
"Thank you, Your Grace." The merchant bowed, turned, and left the chamber.
Dany sighed; holding court was very tedious work on a good day, and lately things had been rather crazy. Yunkai and Astapor had been chafing under her rule from Mereen of late, and widespread piracy had devastated all sea trade in the world. "Send the next one in."
After a few moments, Rakharo and three Unsullied marched into the hall, dragging behind them a man with large ears, dressed in dark-colored rags and cursing in the Common Tongue. "We attacked one of the pirate ships as it landed - the
Mormont, she was called; they got away, but we were able to seize this one for questioning, khaleesi."
"Thank you, Rakharo. Unchain him, and let me speak with him." When they had done so, she asked him, "You speak the Common Tongue; where are you from?"
The man looked at her. "I am from nowhere and from everywhere."
"What is your name?"
"I have gone by many names, although some call me Jozef."
At that Dany was losing her patience. "Do not play games with me, Jozef, or whatever your name is. Do you wish to confess your crimes?"
"I speak the truth, Your Grace, and only the truth - I committed no crime, nor have any of my brothers. If anything, Your Grace, it is you who has committed the true crime?"
At that, Rakharo growled, but Dany silenced him. "You should speak carefully, for I have the power both to kill you and to set you free." To Dany's surprise, the man merely laughed.
"Death would be a gift, Your Grace. Yes, you are the criminal - you claim to be the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and yet you sit here in Mereen while your kingdom faces the greatest threat it has ever faced. Winter is coming, the Starks have warned for years; well, Winter is here, Jon says, and nobody seems to want to do a damn thing about it. You want to kill me? So long as you burn my body afterwards, feel free - so long as you remember my words."
He had some nerve, being taken prisoner, chastising her as if she were a little girl, and then basically asking for death. But still, as she sent him to the dungeons, the truth of his words rang in her ears. Truth is, it had been almost two years since she had even thought about crossing the Narrow Sea to retake her kingdom; the possibility of uniting the Free Cities had come up more recently than that. The matter was still on her mind when the next supplicant came in, bringing with him a small girl covered in dirt, with short, choppy hair. Ser Barristan gasped.
"Your Grace, do not listen to this man; send him away immediately," the elderly knight said.
The man laughed. "It is good to see you too, Ser Barristan; I had a feeling we would meet again." He turned to Dany. "Your Grace, the reputation of your beauty has spread far and wide, and none in the world come half as beautiful as it - all but you, for words cannot even describe how beautiful you are."
Flattering, Dany thought, but something she had not heard infrequently, especially from those who wanted something from her. "I thank you, sir, but do not have time for your flatteries. Speak your name and your purpose."
The man smiled. "They are not flatteries when they are the truth, Your Grace, but I understand your concern. My name is Petyr Baelish, Master of Coin for King Joffrey, and I am here to help you."
Immediately Dany realized why Barristan did not trust this man. "You are one of the Usurper's dogs then? Why should I trust you?"
"I am no one's man but my own; true, once I served the Lannisters, but I have no more use for them, and they mistrust me. And I bring news that will help you win the Iron Throne."
Despite herself, Dany's interest was piqued. "Go on."
"Have you heard that your nephew Aegon still lives, and is now in Griffin's Roost with the Golden Company, intent on overthrowing Joffrey?" Dany did not answer, as although she had heard some rumor, she had given it no credence. "I suppose not, then, as it is a fairly new development, and many think him a false Targaryen. Well, I can assure you, he truly is your brother's son, and he has made great strides already in retaking your true seat, and has already won Dorne to his side. But once the Lannisters can reunite their other bannermen, his army will be crushed like a gnat."
"So you're saying that any chance of a return home is doomed then?"
At that, Baelish shook his head. "No, Your Grace, far from it. Before coming here, I made a stop in Braavos, where I met with the Iron Bank. They have agreed in principle to support your family's claim to the Iron Throne with enough money to buy hosts of sellswords, on one single condition: that you and your nephew marry, as befitting of her royal Targaryen lineage." Dany did not answer, so he continued. "I have already been in contact with Aegon, and he has not only agreed to the match, but was actively seeking it, and is willing to rule not as King with his Queen as a Consort, but to rule together as King and Queen, two minds, two rulers, speaking with one voice."
Dany looked at Barristan and Jorah, looking for their guidance. "Seems like a fair offer, Your Grace," Barristan said at long last. "It will perhaps allow us to continue our rule over Slaver's Bay, as a fallback in case this move fails, and if we succeed, we will be in an excellent position to unite the Free Cities as your Dothraki subjects have long desired."
With his support, Dany said to Baelish, " Very well, then; I accept this proposal. Now, may I ask, who is the girl?"
Petyr smiled. "The Northern lords will be an interesting case, Your Grace, since they have a strong desire for independence and are currently under occupation by the wildlings from beyond the Wall. Right now, the Lannisters hold one of Ned Stark's daughters, Sansa Stark, as a prisoner, and it is her captivity that ensures their loyalty. And when I was in Braavos, the gods saw fit to give me a gift for you, to keep the Northern lords at bay when you complete your conquest." He gestured to the girl. "Say hello to Sansa's sister, Arya Stark."
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Did I not say this was about to get interesting? For reference's sake, by the way, Dany does *not* count as one of the Nine Kings, as she and Aegon constitute one monarchy IMO (since they are married, after all), so we're still waiting on 2 kings.
About Jaime's death...storywise, all I will say is that I left things intentionally ambiguous - while I have a timeline in my head to keep things straight, I'm intentionally leaving some things unclear....such as, who is Jozef? Anyways, I will give some details about Jaime's ingame death - for starters, it was not against Meera Reed, but a randomly generated hedge knight who happened to end up in the dungeons of the Kingsguard, demanded a trial by combat, and killed Jaime. Since his death would have a huge impact, I decided to write it into the story as more prominent.
The Seven Kings:
1. Joffrey Baratheon, King on the Iron Throne
2. Stannis Baratheon, Lord of the Stormlands (captured)
3. Renly Baratheon, Lord of the Stormlands (deceased)
4. Robb Stark, King in the North and of the Trident (deceased). Succeeded by Eddard Stark, Son of Robb Stark (infant)...in-game, merely claimants
5. Balon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Isles (invading the North)
6. Mance Rayder, The Free Folk King in the North (holds the North and Beyond-the-Wall)
7. Aegon Targaryen, King in Griffin's Roost
Other important lords:
1. Mace Tyrell, Lord of the Reach.
2. Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne
3. Harrold Hardying, Lord of the Vale
4. Oberyn Martell, Lord of Plankytown
5. Petyr Baelish, Master of Coin
6. Bran Stark, Lord Regent of the North