Raiden's Storm (ASOIAF)

"What dream would that be?"

"A dream where no man, woman or child is ever enslaved. A dream without war and needless bloodshed. A dream of a unified world - under one banner!" The man pointed right at her. "That is a dream only a single King and Queen can realise… together, side by side."

"... A unified world?" She questioned. "Did Edric send for you?"

It sounded beyond any sort of possibility, for not even the Valyrian Freehold had reigned over all of the Known World… not even close.

"Of course, though his intentions were slightly different. He came to realise that Barristan's talents were wasted in this place and sent me to make amends. As a matter of fact, I do have this letter…" He took it from under his cloak, waving it. "You may wish to read it, Ser."

"That is the royal seal…" Ser Barristan had observed.

"Mhm." The sellsword smiled. "And the King's words, no less."

Daenerys looked at Barristan and nodded, watching as he walked closer to receive the letter. He returned to his position by her side and read the letter afterwards.

"It seems to be his writing... yet this cannot be true." Ser Barristan denied, shaking his head. "It must be forged. I wouldn't put it above you doing such a thing."

"And if it isn't? Your excuse for disobeying your King would be… 'I didn't trust the sellsword who has been by your side for years, even before me'? Will you allow your misconception of my nature blind you into going against your sacred oaths that you treasure so dearly?"

"And if it were forged, I would have been fooled by an already untrustworthy man." Barristan countered.

"If it were forged, Ser, you'd be going back to your King's side… where you should be… with a dragon egg of endless value. I scarcely doubt Edric would be dissatisfied either way. If anything, you're doing him a disservice by not trusting me."

It seemed like it was not the first of their disagreements, Daenerys observed. Even if it was, they must have had an underlying disapproval of each other. They had seemed opposite sides of the same coin, if the sellsword were truly loyal…

"A dragon egg?" Daenerys questioned.

"Oh, don't get greedy now, Mother of Dragons. That one is for my King." The sellsword chuckled. "Lost in time, from before the demise of the Valyrian Freehold. The 'Old Blood' of Volantis had laid claim to it, but I swindled it away."

Ser Barristan looked conflicted. No doubt, he wished to return to the side of the King he praises so often... yet knew that the man delivering the letter couldn't be trusted. After a look of thought, he seemed to make his decision.

"I cannot leave on these terms. My mission is still largely incomplete." Ser Barristan turned to Daenerys. "I was commanded to obey her as I would him... and shield her. As things stand, she is in a vulnerable position and, only her word can send me away. I'm sure His Grace would agree with this decision."

He looked dissapointed by the knight's decision.

"Don't look surprised when you are punished for disobeying his orders. I won't waste my time if you can't see reason." The man turned to her as well. "Where do you stand with Edric? Do you consider him your enemy? Now, or in the future?"

"..." She took time to consider this and found her answer less cut and dry than it would've been before. "Neither enemy nor ally. As of now, my eyes are set on Meereen and righting the wrongs of my actions. I wish for Meereen to prosper... and regain my dragons. As things stand, my only enemies are the Sons of the Harpy and the Golden Company for their deceit."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." He remarked, grinning slightly before bending the knee and taking upon a more stern expression. "Allow me, Dorian, to pledge my loyalty to you for a year. A year, and I will remove the thorn at your side, the so-called Sons of the Harpy. One son at a time, if I must."

"How can I trust you?"

She had been betrayed far too many times to be quick to trust a 'helping hand'.

"I was sold into slavery in my youth, trained to fight and kill. I fought and fought over and over again, wherever my masters deemed fitting, winning my 'freedom' by impressing another. Yet, I continued fighting... only for someone else. Only after carving a path of blood, was I truly free - yet my entire life had been built upon fighting. I continued doing the only thing I knew how to do, except I chose to do it for myself only thereafter."

He spoke with true sincerity, a kind of sincerity that was hard to question.

"You can't trust me, truly. I've served my own means all my life... whether it was gold, love, fame, freedom or survival. Yet, there's only so much a man can accomplish living for himself. For the first time in my life, I've put myself under a greater purpose." He lowered his head. "One day, Edric Storm will stand at the summit of this world. Where the dragonlords looked like gods and had their dragons, Edric... his power will be that of a god's, surpassing any man who came before him. It will be his hand that leads this world into an age of chaos or salvation."

"Now, who better to stand by his side other than the miraculous Mother of Dragons, who chose to use her power to do what was right. Of course... not all went as greatly as you had wished, but the intention behind it was pure. Together, you can change everything."

"To see that new world realised... I'll do everything in my power. You can trust me in that. I don't wish for anyone to be scarred as I was."

She recalled his desire to remain faithful to his betrothal.

"Even if he disproves?"

"He'll come around to doing the right thing." Dorian chuckled. "After all, who do you think taught him politics?"

"... I will think on it."

After a discussion, a small number were for Dorian, whereas others were firmly against him. She soon realised that it was in Meereen's fighting pits that he had earned his freedom, still remembered as a fighter who hadn't lost a single contest by Meereen's nobility. The most disapproving was Daario, for reasons Daenerys didn't even have to guess. Ser Barristan remained distrusting, yet he admitted that Dorian was a man of great ability.

"If anyone can remove the scourge that is the Sons of the Harpy, it would be him." It looked hard for him to admit. "He had caught the sly Littlefinger and has served as His Grace's shadow for some time. Though I would not trust him, it is true that he has only acted in His Grace's favour and contributed greatly to his cause. The same... could be true for you as well."

It was a gamble, but one she found herself strangely confident in after thinking over it.

...

"Thank you for accepting me into your service."

Dorian sat down at her table as instructed. The room was well-secured by a number of Unsullied, who eyed him very closely. She watched him casually pour some wine and drink, seeing the resemblance in mannerisms between Dorian and Edric.

"Unfortunately, I have made a promise to marry Hizdahr if he can give Meereen ninety days of peace-"

"Mhm." Dorian didn't look amused. "While being wed would certainly be ideal in strengthening the alliance, you needn't marry Edric specifically."

"You seemed to suggest such a thing."

"Mayhaps a little. Ultimately, all that matters is that you work together for the greater good. Now... my main concern with this marriage is the factors behind it. You intend to marry someone because he promised that he would be able to cease the murders committed by the Sons of the Harpy... and has carried out this promise. Does something sound off about this to you?"

"My advisors do believe it suspicious," Daenerys admitted, nodding slightly. "But I do not believe he has a hand in their deeds... merely, the Sons of the Harpy are in favour of me marrying a respected noble of Meereen."

"And what dragon weds someone beneath them?" Dorian questioned with a sharp tone. Before she could retort, he continued. "Aegon the Conqueror had been offered such marriages before. Argillac Durrandon had offered his daughter as a third wife, and Sharra Arryn had offered herself only if her son were his heir."

"What you plan to do is far worse than either of those. You're bending to the desires of your enemies. Do you think it will get better after you show your weakness and do as they seek? How naive..."

It was strange for a subject to openly insult her without a care in the world. Yet... his blunt and honest nature was a breath of fresh air. Normally, she wouldn't tolerate it, yet, given recent events, felt it was all too true. She had been too naive to believe that the Golden Company would return empty-handed. She had been no less naive to see the betrayals by Mirri Maz Duur, Pytat Pree and Jorah Mormont before that.

Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal... why would Hizdahr be any different? She had been so desperate for peace that she wanted to believe in him...

"Go on." Daenerys poured some wine for herself, eyeing the sellsword. "What do you predict would happen if I went through with it?"

"Hahaha." Dorian laughed. "Awful things, my Queen. Once you give them a hand, they will seek an arm and a leg. I predict they'd ask you to reopen their beloved fighting pits... for 'free men'! They won't say where these free men came from, but rest assured, they'd be no better than slaves. They'll continue seeking compromise after compromise... until..."

He drew his dagger and made an imaginary slash across his neck, grinning afterwards and pointing the weapon at her.

"They kill you."

He suddenly stood up from his seat.

"Then all the floodgates will open and everything you've ever done for Meereen will be undone." His single eye stared at her as he leaned against the table. "Do you want that to happen?"

"... Of course not."

"Then tell Hizdahr that he has no business wedding a dragon."

"And then what?" Daenerys questioned. "The killings will continue..."

"The Sons of the Harpy are the masters who seek the ways of old, and you are their very nemesis. When they come for war, you cannot win unless you reply in kind with Fire and Blood... until none remain. You must fight. There are no compromises."

"They are not so simple to fight. They work in the shadows, and their identities are unknown until they don the mask."

"Surely you've realised that they are Meereenese nobles... I've heard you had quite an number of their family members as hostages. Why not use them to deter the killings?"

"That was my intention, but they continued... and I couldn't bring myself to have them executed."

"And you gave your word that you'd execute them if the killings continued, yes?"

"... Yes."

"You're answering your own questions, Daenerys. The truth is you're too soft." Dorian sighed, shaking his head. "How are the Sons of Harpy to take you seriously? You made such a threat and went back on it, making the hostages meaningless... you may as well have returned them home!"

His laughter echoed across the dining hall.

"Is your tone similar when you speak with Edric?"

"When he does something stupid, I do make fun of him, yes," Dorian chuckled. "Think of it like this: your refusal to kill a few hostages leads to the killing of many more innocents. The means are not the best, of course, but the ends are worthwhile. I strongly doubt it will cease their activities entirely, but it will deter them..."

"And for how long?" She questioned.

"Long enough for me to investigate the leading hands of these sons of the Harpy. Do you agree?"

"..." She hesitated for a moment. She had been too gentle for too long... now she stood with no dragons, less Unsullied and countless innocent corpses. He was entirely right. If she continued to be a pushover, they would treat her like one. "If the killings continue... yes. The hostages will pay the price."

"Good. Now, I have some questions... did anyone endorse Hizdahr to you before these ninety days?"

"There were some... but the main influence was the Green Grace, Galazza Galare. She suggested him specifically if I wanted to achieve my desired peace."

"How curious." He grinned, his eyes lighting up before he turned around and began pacing from one end of the room to the other. "How very curious. That is a name I do know."

"... You fought in Meereen's fighting pits, didn't you?"

"I suppose you were informed." Dorian nodded. "Aye, I did. I know all these deep-rooted slaver families like the back of my hand... even after all these years. Nevermind me, this woman... she endorsed Hizdahr?"

"Yes..."

"She is a figure who is well-connected with the masters and holds great influence over them. They treasure her wisdom and position as their high priestess. Old as dirt, seemingly kind and peaceful yet a cunning, deceitful snake all the same. I scarcely doubt her nature has changed at all."

"That can't be true." Daenerys' eyes widened in denial. "Are you suggesting that she..."

"In places of intrigue, the first language is lies," Dorian spoke in a lecturing tone. "It's always the ones you expect least... she might very well be the hand pulling all the strings. The Harpy."

"You can't make such an accusation without undeniable proof." She didn't want it to be true, yet it became less and less of a surprise as the moment passed.

He finished his cup of wine and smiled.

"I'll discover enough proof for a thousand death sentences, don't you worry."