Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 123: Second Siege of Meereen

—At Meereen—

Daenerys flew on Drogon's back watching the besiegement of Meereen already taking place below her. Off the coast, ships belonging to the Slavers Alliance armada consisting of both the reconquered Astapor and Yunkai were bombarding the city with their trebuchets; volleys of flaming projectiles soared over the beach and into the city. She watched from above in anger at the sight of terrified civilians running for their lives.

"Ilagon. (Descend)," she tells her dragon.

Drogon screeches and flies downward onto the roof of the Great Pyramid, allowing Daenerys to dismount safely as the beast hid behind one of the nearby pyramids—waiting for its prey to come to it. On the ground, many Unsullied and Golden Company mercenaries were evacuating the citizenry as the Second Sons scrambled with the Meereenese City Guard. Connington was among the first to see Daenerys right away.

"About time you came back, child," he exclaimed. "The Great Masters have already begun laying siege to the city, all while our men—"

Daenerys held her hand up. "Now is not the time to argue, Lord Connington," she replied unfazed. She is not the same woman who flew away from Daznak's Pit on the back of a dragon.

"Meereen is strong. The city's primary rebirth has been the cause of the violence we've all witnessed even before the heroic revolutionary Saqnizza Dhardu led the revolt against the Masters—"

BOOooooooooooooooomm!

It was a close one, though neither Connington nor Daenerys flinched. Connington watches how the Dragon Queen carries herself and looks at him, regarding her as someone who's coming into her own.

"We cannot let the Masters win because they know Meereen is thriving on its own, economically and politically. If Meereen succeeds as a city without slavery, without Masters—"

BOOooooooooooooooomm!

"—then it proves no one needs a Master. Shall we begin?"

Connington raised an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked. "You have a plan in mind?" he pressed.

Daenerys nodded. "I will crucify the Masters. I will set their fleet afire, kill every last one of their soldiers and return their cities to the dirt. Well, that's what I'd normally say had I not had more time to think about the kind of ruler I want to be; to not be like the kind of ruler my father was once."

"So I suggest we take an alternative approach. But what happens next depends on you, Lord Connington. Come. It's time we take the fight to them."

A blast from one of the flaming projectiles hit the balcony and explodes inward, sending shards of wood flying everywhere. Outside, smoke and fire and debris flies in through the window. Connington, Grey Worm, Daario, Jorah and an assembly of Unsullied accompanied Daenerys to an elevated plateau outside of the city with good views of both Slavers Bay and the Meereenese skyline. They stand across from the three Masters, Yeezan zo Qaggaz, Razdal mo Eraz and Belicho Paenymion accompanied with a dozen of bodyguards.

Razdal smiles. "Once before I offered you peace. If you had not been so arrogant, you could have returned to your homeland with a fleet of ships. Instead, you will flee Slavers Bay on foot like the Beggar Queen you are."

Connington scoffed. "We're here to discuss terms of surrender, not trade insults – no matter how amusing it sounds."

"The terms are simple," Yezzan stated, arms crossed. "You and your foreign friends will abandon the Great Pyramid and the city of Meereen. The Unsullied you stole from Kraznys mo Nakloz will remain to be sold again to the highest bidder." He glances at Missandei. "The translator you stole from Kraznys mo Nakloz will remain to be sold again to the highest bidder. The dragons beneath the Great Pyramid will be slaughtered."