Chapter 4

“All in a good day’s work, I suppose,” Missandei greeted her Queen, Daenerys Targaryen, as she returned from burning the Iron Fleet near King’s Landing, tempted as she was to go further and burn the Red Keep.

“Is that any way to greet your Queen now, my dear friend?” Dany teased Missandei, both of them knowing that she didn’t actually object when in private like this.

“Did you bag the whole lot, my Queen? Burn them all?” Missandei inquired of Dany, who smiled in response.

“All charred and black with soot, every last one of those ships. They will not bar the way for us anymore. This will also make it difficult for Cersei to pay off her debt to the Iron Bank of Braavos and to hire the Golden Company for her needs. Not to mention that it will mean that Yara could recapture the Iron Islands more easily, if she happened to break free of Euron or Cersei, whoever held her. In any case, it means that we can sail freely wherever we need around Westeros without worrying about the Ironborn. This plan is working a lot better than Tyrion’s last one, I can see. Davos and the others tend to sharpen his wits a bit more,” Dany smiled as she considered more of the significance of her rather single-handed naval victory.

“Thanks to your dragons, my Queen, we now have a much weaker enemy indeed, especially with Jon Snow and the North as our allies,” Missandei observed as they walked out to watch attendants treat Viserion’s wounds.

“Sad that he has been wounded, but, yes, the dragons were vital, necessary to this last triumph. When Cersei learns that her ships are now burning wrecks, she will feel more cornered than ever and hopefully do something rash that hurts her cause even more. As for Jon Snow, he’s not just an ally now, Missandei. He’s your King as well as mine. Just as I am now his Queen. Without having to bend the knee except to each other, I have gained the North for myself and he has acquired the rest of Westeros for himself. Houses Stark and Targaryen shall be one and the same,” Dany reminded her closest friend, the interpreter who had followed her ever since that day in Astapor.

“The Dragon and the Direwolf together, sigils of two houses joined as one. Imagine the banners for that dynasty, the greatest in the history of Westeros. You have now thrown down the gauntlet to Cersei, and while she’s delayed you with a couple of defeats, you’ve won a decisive victory at sea now and another one on the road back from Highgarden. If Greyworm really does retake the Stormlands, especially Storm’s End, Cersei will begin to feel the noose closing tighter around her neck. Why they don’t love Targaryens, they’re no fonder of Lannisters, from what I’ve been told before,” Missandei demonstrated that she had very much paid attention, if quietly, while others spoke so much ... it was a slave’s habit, true, but she had put it to good use.

“And now the rains weep o’er their halls and not a soul to hear,” Dany recited the verse from the Rains of Castamere.

“A song for Lannisters, soon to be their fate. Not lacking in irony there. I do not wish to presume anything, for fear of becoming reckless and cocky again, tempting the Gods, but it is looking much better now, isn’t it, my Queen? Between the raid on that loot train in the Reach, this new alliance with the North that unites all of Westeros, and now this, the burning of the Iron Fleet, well, you understand my meaning. Things are much better than they appeared not long ago,” Missandei reassured her Queen, pleased to see an upturn in events.

“This is precisely when things are most dangerous, though, my old friend. That’s where we were not long ago, all sure that things would go perfectly, and then we suffered two cataclysmic defeats in a short space of time. This makes it very difficult to relax, at least until we’ve sealed Cersei’s fate, her doom at last. One thing that I know is true, though. Olenna Tyrell got one thing right. I’m a dragon. I must be a dragon,” Daenerys cautioned her close friend now.

“There is ... how do I put this delicately, another matter that greatly concerns me. I ... love Greyworm, you know this, just as you love our King, Jon Snow. However, he obviously cannot seed me. I would wish to have someone ... sire a son or daughter on me. I just do not know anyone who would do that for us and still accept that it can be nothing more than that. I would marry Greyworm if possible, but I cannot conceive by him. I would have to be sure that he knew that it would never be a threat to him and me. To do that ... he must be a married man, happily so,” Missandei broached the subject that regularly put a lump in her throat of late.

“I know one, but I have to be sure that his honor does not transcend his love for me. Also, he is someone who fears bastardy, so a marriage between you and Greyworm would be absolutely crucial. If necessary, I’ll fix the laws so that you can wed a eunuch and have it acknowledged, if Jon consents. I believe that he will, as it will let him out of a very difficult spot. You understand what this means, though. He’ll need to ... couple with you as many times as it takes to catch, which may take a while. I am barren, so this is perhaps the best answer for him, too,” Dany encouraged Missandei’s plan, well aware that she had Jon Snow in mind.

“It would be an honor, to conceive by my King with my Queen’s assent. This works for both of us. The only trouble is that I want more than one child, and each of them to have the same father. You can understand why and what this would mean for your husband, the King,” Missandei bit her lower lip as she awaited Dany’s reaction.

“It sounds as if it’s only the men, and yes, I count Greyworm as a man, of course, who will need to be convinced of this. We women are of like mind on this matter, Missandei. Greyworm can perhaps be made to see the sense of it, as much as it might hurt his pride that he cannot sire children on you. He was already aware of his limitations, after all. He’s always known that this something like this could be an issue, I think. Besides, with Jon as the new King, it’s an honor, as you say.

“As for Jon, it will be thornier in the sense of his honor. Stark men, and he is one in all but name, evidently prize their own very narrow, rigid code of honor. It has benefits, to be sure, such as when Ned Stark refused to countenance my murder. It also has drawbacks, such as here. We must convince him that this is the honorable path to take, not to deny Greyworm and you a child that you both wish to raise. I can only imagine that Greyworm wishes to be a father, after all. Best of all, this is the only way for Jon to pass down his seed without making any bastards,” Dany reassured Missandei, surprising herself with her enthusiasm for the idea.

“You truly are a great friend. I do not know if you would do this for other women, but you are doing it for Greyworm and me. You have my heartfelt thanks in this, my Queen. I just hope that you are right about the King. To have a hero and a king put his seed in my belly, my womb, me a former slave raised so high by the good luck of being companion and interpreter to the Breaker of Chains ... it truly would be an honor. I just dare not count upon it yet. I would be afraid to set my heart on it, only to have my hopes dashed in this,” Missandei put her arms around Dany with real gratitude now.

“Yes, well, it’s all moot unless he comes back alive, and Greyworm, too, at that. Do me a favor, my dear Missandei. If something happens to our men ... marry Ser Jorah. Mind you, this assumes that he will live, too. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t, but I wish to see him take a bride, no matter how much he resists it. I don’t much care what Daario does if he lives, but Ser Jorah is another matter entirely. I owe him so much, the good far excelling and exceeding his early crime against me now. I want him to find a wife, a better one, who will treat him better than I have. Someone, either you or another woman ... he needs and deserves love or at least companionship. The very kind of love that I could never give him,” Dany fretted over the fates of the men in their lives.