Robert nodded and followed her back. Walking so close to her side, he became aware of how puny she felt without her dragons. Not just her short and slender stature, but even the air around her didn't feel imposing.
Perhaps to others, she appeared grand. But to him, even with her dragons, she seemed small. Petty and desperate. Dreaming of a throne that her family rightfully lost after their insane actions. Her hatred for Robert Baratheon was personal, not righteous. While Robert's Rebellion was righteous.
"I…" Daenerys hesitated mid-step, her pale, sleeveless arms drawn close as her fingers tangled together. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. "It's not often I meet someone from Westeros. I needed a moment alone."
Robert frowned and faced her, halting. The sudden change of air was palpable; her expressions that always hinted at confidence and ruthlessness had gone softer.
What is she planning now? Thinks she'll snare me by playing the helpless maid?
"Aye, ain't every day ye see a soft-bellied Westerosi waddlin' about in Essos." Robert entertained her crassly.
Daenerys chuckled and leaned back against the nearest wall, looking up at his tall frame, his face. "Do you ever think about going home?"
"Home? Bah!" Robert snorted. "Westeros? Full of prancing lords and simpering ladies, all sniffin' each other's arses and suckin' each other's knobs. I like it here—free, wild. Back there, some ponce in silk'd try to make me kneel. Sod that. I bow to no piss-dribblin' lordling."
That was a hint, and by the looks of Daenerys' raised brows, she understood it.
"I will make you a lord when I take my throne. Not just any lord, but one with power, with gold—a Lord Paramount."
"Aye, then I'll be servin' ye, ain't I? More like a bloomin' servant, I reckon. Ain't no freedom in that, eh?"
Seeing her words failing, Daenerys sipped in a deep breath and gave a rather suggestive expression. Her lips pursed, eyes innocent, her legs squeezed together, her arms crossed under her bosom, revealing a trace of cleavage.
"So you'll fight here your whole life? I have closed the fighting pits."
"Nah, not really. I'll be off somewhere else. Gotta find some poor sod that can actually put me in the dirt. Yer dragon tried, pissed itself, and failed. Now I'm wonderin' if there's a single bastard out there with the stones to finish the job." Robert remained unshaken by her royal charm. Her purple eyes did stir something up in his loins, however.
Daenerys nodded in the end and stood up straight again. "In that case, might I have you in my service? Astapor and Yunkai are lost to me, and I see no man but you fit to reclaim them. You will have your payment—gold, as much as you can carry."
"Hah! Gold?! I wipe me arse with finer coin than ye'll ever see! Got vaults of the stuff rottin' away in Braavos—more'n enough fer ten lifetimes of debauchery!" Robert heartily chuckled and began walking slowly, ensuring she followed him behind. "Nah, I don't think ye got the guts to sway me. I'm off come dawn—best o' luck to yer?"
Let's see if you'll stoop that low.
Frowning, only Daenerys's gulp came as a response. Soon enough, they were out, and she watched Robert simply walk away, returning to his private chamber.
Left behind, Daenerys sighed and looked at Ser Jorah first, and then Daario.
"Can you two defeat him?"
"I'd rather bash my head on a boulder and hope it'll break." Daario jokingly answered.
"He's the finest warrior I have ever seen, Khaleesi," Ser Jorah replied. "I see no man ever standing in his way."
Daenerys nodded, agreeing with their evaluation.
"Then we must have him."
####
Westeros,
Stannis was having a hard time already, and now things had turned for the worse.
Seated in his solar, he stared at the missive sent by one of the spies that reached Varys in time. The words were simple and short, yet more than effective. Tywin was preparing to raise a large army. It was confirmed by the merchants who sold supplies at Lannisport.
"It's not Tywin or the Ironborn that surprise me," Stannis muttered, his gaze steady upon Lady Olenna Tyrell, his guest. "It's Dorne. That they would stand beside Tywin Lannister—I would have sooner believed the sun might rise in the west. They hated the man."
"Oh, the Iron Throne does have a way of making foes into friends and friends into corpses, doesn't it? But here we are. Your brother is gone, and the game goes on. So tell me, Lord Stannis, what move will you make next?"
Stannis regarded the old woman with cold scrutiny. "The Queen of Thorns knows well that my brother is not lost—only doing what must be done. He will return, and he will honor the promise."
"Oh, he's adrift in the far seas, is he? Last seen in Volantis, you say? Well, miracles or not, he's still made of flesh and bone." Olenna adjusted her posture, her tone turning crisp. "Perhaps it's time you stopped chasing ghosts and turned to your duties. Wars do not wait for lost men, and neither should you."
Frowning, Stannis' voice turned colder. "You're asking me to betray my brother?"
"I'm asking you to use that sharp mind of yours and see what's in front of you. The throne is empty, you're his heir, and three kingdoms are sharpening their knives. And what do you have? My house, hanging by a thread of a promise that's all but snapped." Olenna didn't waste more time and rose to her feet. "You're a capable man. Younger than your brother—and suitable enough for my granddaughter's hand."
"I have a wife and a daughter."
"For now." Olenna waved a hand as if brushing the matter aside like a bit of lint. "Think carefully, Lord Stannis. Promises must be kept, compromises must be struck. Ghosts can't be brought back, but there's still plenty left to salvage."
Stannis also stood up in cold fury. But he held his words back from inflicting any more damage.
"I'm taking my granddaughter back to Highgarden, Lord Stannis. Send a word when you've made up your mind. Until then, the Crown is none of House Tyrell's concern."
A little taken aback by Olenna's direct threat, Stannis chose not to say anything. He let the old woman leave and waited for Melisandre to enter his solar.
"She swore to withdraw her support if I don't seize the throne and take her granddaughter to wife," Stannis plainly informed the Red Priestess. "Tell me, is Robert truly alive and well?"
Melisandre nodded carefully and looked towards the hearth in the chamber. "He lives, strong and unbowed, across the Narrow Sea. But his path is not yet complete."
"What good is that? The realm believes Robert is dead."
"Trust in the Lord's will. Stand beside your brother, and let not your faith waver. Doubt now, and Robert's wrath shall be absolute." Melisandre's voice was steady, unshaken. "Pay no mind to the Tyrells—they reek of desperation. They stand to lose everything, yet grasp still for more."
Frowning, Stannis looked at her face. "What do you mean?"
"The young rose blooms… a seed stirs in her womb."
That was it.
In an instant, all of Olenna's direct threats started to make sense.
####
Robert was serious when he said he was going to leave Meereen the next day. He'd seen enough of Daenerys and no longer deemed her or her dragons a threat. Her state of mind wasn't good enough to take on the full might of the Seven Kingdoms, let alone him.
Personally, she had nothing to offer but her charisma and the fear of her dragons. The Unsullied were anything but mere soldiers who could be killed.
"I'll head east, to Yunkai and Astapor. Plenty of chances to grow stronger there," Robert grumbled, his mind set on gaining more power. "Maybe I'll send a damn messenger to King's Landing once I'm clear of this mess."
Knock! Knock!
It was night, so he lay in his bed shirtless, sprawled and ready to fall asleep. He glanced up at the door and grumbled.
"Who is it?"
Instead of a response, the doors simply opened.
Don't stoop that low, girl.
Robert exhaled at the sight of Daenerys walking in. She wore just a simple, loose gown on her short and slender frame, her skin glowing ashen as her hair, her face full of confidence. She wore nothing on her feet as she closed the door behind her and walked closer to his bed, her eyes never leaving his face.
"If there's something left to discuss, we'll sort it out when the sun's up." Robert gave her a last chance to turn around and leave.
______________________
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