17 Chapter 15

Over the course of the next two days, Caspian and Daenerys went over their plan for the taking of the city. Drogon would act as the catalyst and the moment the Unsullied belonged to her, he would set a fire on Kraznys robes and have the Unsullied kill the slavers and the rest of the city.

Once Astapor was secure, they could begin to set up camp inside the city and begin to change it for the better. Caspian was glad that he had a plan again. After so much time spent being driven by sheer will and sheer hate, being able to take his mind off of those things was a bit of a relief.

Having someone to look after again helped with that and when he wasn't with Daenerys planning their taking of Astapor, he was with either Orin or his dragons.

Naelarion, Edrion, Veneys and Zergyx was growing rapidly in the week that they had hatched and Caspian knew he would need to tell Daenerys of them soon enough. He had seen all of her dragons and though they were much larger than his, they were still young and still rather impetuous, not always following orders.

But the former prince was also able to see that the Targaryen had a deep connection with her dragons. He didn't know the story behind how she had gotten them and he hadn't asked but he was curious.

Fire and blood was something that was required for dragons to be hatched and he wondered what trials she might have gone through in order to get them.

He was looking forward to forming the same bonds with his dragons as they grew and had already formed a special one with Naelarion and Edrion. They knew his voice explicitly when he spoke to him and would come to him when he called. Veneys whom he had fondly nicknamed the Red Queen, had a tendency to be very curious and Zergyx was just into everything. The small purple dragon never ceased to make Caspian laugh and smile, which was something he hadn't done genuinely in what felt like a very long time.

It was nice to be able to do that again.

Only one thing worried him however.

When he did tell Daenerys about them as he was certain he was going to have to, it would be a make or break moment. Whether she accepted the beasts or not would ensure whether he stayed with her or left.

Caspian had lain awake a few times that week thinking about what he would do if she didn't take the knowledge that he too had dragons well. He didn't plan on telling her he had the beasts until after Astapor had been taken. It would be easier that way because if his plan to take the city worked it would prove to her that she could trust him and she might be more receptive to the knowledge then.

He also knew when he told her, he needed to get her away from her servants and the ever hovering Jorah Mormont. If she didn't have any of her other servants with them, there would be no orders she could give to either take the dragons from him or do anything else of that ilk.

He was still part Lannister and something he remembered from his Uncle Tyrion was to always have a plan and contingencies.

If she was alone when he unveiled the dragons to her, Caspian had a feeling he would have a much easier time convincing her what an asset seven dragons could be rather than the fact that he had hidden them from her. The reason for his reticence was that he still didn't completely trust her. Different as they both were, their families had too much history to be ignored.

It wasn't wasted on Caspian that his ancestor Orys Baratheon had been the bastard half-brother of Aegon Targaryen and that their families had been inextricably linked ever since. It was an ironic twist of fate that a Baratheon had waged war on a Targaryen six and ten years earlier and now the last children of those two families were joining forces.

My father must be rolling over in his grave right now.

The night before they were to go before Kraznys again and Daenerys was to see the Unsullied once more, the two sixteen year old were standing on board the deck of Daenerys ship looking up at the stars and talking quietly. It was exceedingly quiet in this area of the bay and night and now that their two ships had been docked rather close together, it made each sound seem all the louder.

Caspian could hear the water lapping at the hull of the boat from the side of the deck where they were standing. He could see the lights of the city in the distance along with the firelight reflecting off of the golden harpies that lined the city walls.

Gods those things are ugly, he thought to himself. If we are successful in taking this city, those have to be the first things to go.

Daenerys hadn't said much since the day had begun. They had spent most of it aboard the ship going over their plans.

Seeing as how he was her honorary Hand for the moment, Caspian had been a little surprised when she didn't want Ser Jorah or Ser Barristan about to see what she intended to do.

He had wanted to question her about it and when he did, she had admitted that she was still very young and one of the things she hated most was when people second guessed or underestimated her. Her guards and companions wouldn't mean to, but her age worked against her at times.

Caspian had a feeling it had been a long time since she had spoken to someone her own age. He knew because he had the same situation. The last person he had had an honest conversation with that was around his age of life had been Sansa Stark.

And the time he had helped the Starks escape seemed like a lifetime ago. He still wondered about them sometimes. He couldn't imagine that they had stuck around after both of his uncles had died.

He wouldn't have blamed them if they had decided to return to the north. Lord Stark had made him a promise to try and put him on the throne and with him presumed dead along with his uncles, there wasn't really anyone left to fight for anymore. Hopefully they hadn't lost too many people in the fight and had returned home. But he wasn't foolish enough to think that there was surety that any of them had survived.

War was war and just because a man possessed honor it didn't mean that they would make it through the battle alive.

In fact he was still surprised he was alive at all. Going through a shipwreck and then facing down bloodthirsty sailors along with killing off an assassin-warlock were all things that had never happened to him before he had stepped outside of his sheltered life at the capital.

Nothing Ser Barristan would have taught him would have trained him for this, and yet life didn't ask him to be prepared, it just came at him and expected him to do something about it.

And now here he was.

Caspian glanced sideways at Daenerys who was eyeing the stars above their heads with some interest.

"You seem lost in thought your grace," he observed and she turned to look at him, a speculating expression in her violet eyes.

"I suppose I am," she replied. "There is always something more to consider about this life that's been chosen."

Caspian shrugged. "A ruler's work is never truly complete and I do recall one of my uncle's telling me that if you are exhausted but the people that serve you are happy, than your task is complete."

Dany looked at him with interest. "Who imparted that wisdom to you?"

He gave her a wry smile. "My uncle Tyrion Lannister. I remember being somewhat perplexed when he said that to me given all of the things my grandfather told me about power. But one of the things that has stuck with me is the knowledge that most of what places a man in power…is other people. The Lannisters were once kings and what got them to that position was not only their wits but also the fact that there were other people around them. The fact that they had other people around them led my ancestors to bending the knee to Aegon Targaryen. It was other people that elevated Orys Baratheon to his position of power. Our ancestors ironically helped each other. And so I've never forgotten that one of the greatest lessons in power is to respect those who are around you for most of the time they are responsible for placing you where you are."

Dany looked rather intrigued. "I suppose I've never thought about it that way before. My older brother spoke for so long about how he and I were the only two people that could be depended on and that it would be us against the rest of the world as most of the ones who were sworn to defend us were traitors. But it was not until I married that I realized how wrong he was. People do matter and sometimes they do matter more than family."

Her voice had turned rather sad and Caspian threw her a curious look. They had been so far talking only in terms of strategy and how they would be able to take the city. Any mention of their pasts or their families had been stalwartly avoided because they still didn't know each other well enough for that.

Caspian didn't mind. He would have been concerned if after only one week of knowing each other they had decided to convey their deepest secrets. As that was not something he intended to do until he knew this young woman well enough that he felt he could trust her.

He was keeping some rather large secrets right now and he had a feeling she was too. There may be a time coming where it was right to share them but certainly not now.

Caspian was also a little curious about the fact that she had brought up her family herself. He had a feeling she was starting to become a bit more comfortable with him as he was with her or else she wouldn't have brought it up.

The relationship between their families was a bit of a sore spot for his father had been the one that had been responsible for beginning the rebellion that had toppled the Targaryens from power so they didn't talk about it.

"There are few things that matter more than family," he said rather quietly. "They are few, but there are some."

She looked at him curiously. "Now I find myself wondering what your thoughts are."

Caspian gave her another wry smile. "I find my thoughts are both occupied by the past and the future and each one is tussling for control in my head."

She hummed slightly in agreement. "Well then perhaps I should ask a simpler question. The little boy who seems to be stuck to your side constantly. Where did you find him?"

Caspian wanted to breathe a sigh of relief as that was a far easier thing to speak of than the past.

"Orin I came upon almost by accident," he began. "After my shipwreck, I spent a few weeks in a cave along the edge of the Gulf of Grief simply trying to survive. As a prince who had gone from living in palaces and never having to struggle it was a bit of a shock. If I believed in the gods I would say they had a hand in my survival but perhaps I will simply render the accomplishment to the use of wits instead. During that time I began to look around for any other assets that might prove useful in getting me to civilization. It was then that I discovered a small cavern at the back of the cave I had been living on the edge of and in it, there were the weapons and coins from ages past. I do not know how long they had been there, but I wasted no time in taking them, along with a dagger and beginning my flight for freedom.

"I suppose it was a certain amount of luck that allowed my wooden raft to cross paths with that of a merchant ship. Thankfully I had the coins which allowed me to buy my passage towards Astapor. Orin happened to be one of the slaves aboard the ship." said Caspian.

"And you developed a rapport with him?" the queen asked.

"Indeed, he was the one who warned me that some of the sailors were planning to kill me once we had landed in the city and it was due to that warning that I was able to survive. When I was attacked by some of them, he was able to help me sweep them overboard with the boom of the mast. I would be dead otherwise."

"He seems a sweet boy," Daenerys mused. "I can't help but wonder at his story. He's so young to be a slave."

"Unfortunately there is no age restriction on cruelty and greed you grace," Caspian said grimly. "I think you and I know that better than most."

His thoughts drifted then to Edric, his little brother who had been robbed of his life before he had had a chance to live and his hands tightened on the railing of the ship. He had been doing that a lot lately in an effort to contain his anger. There had been no one to see him during the weeks he had been shipwrecked and so there was a certain amount of restraint that he had let go of. But now that he was back among civilization and serving a queen no less, it was something he needed to control.

It was hard though.

There had been times in the last few days when he had awoken, awash in sweat from nightmares of being too late to save his brother and holding Edric's little body in his arms, weeping over it. The image of the little boy staring up at him with lifeless eyes would never be something that Caspian was able to forget.

He didn't know if he would have dreams about it for the rest of his life but for the moment, the emotions of what had happened no more than two moons ago were still too real and too raw to talk about.

Edric was gone, he had been stolen and now that he had a moment to truly think about it and not have to worry about planning a battle or surviving a shipwreck or fighting off bloodthirsty sailors, it was beginning to hit him again.

Losing his uncles was a low blow as well and the nature of their deaths and truly not knowing how they had been brought about was a shock and an agonizing twisting in his gut for Caspian. He wanted vengeance and he wanted retribution for all that he had lost. Perhaps the dragons that he had been given were a way of compensating for all of that.

"That is very true," the queen said. "Grief and cruelty touch all, and it does not matter how old you are. But perhaps what we are about to do will right some of the wrong that has been done."

Caspian nodded. "I hope so."

They lapsed into silence once more and for a moment, all the queen and the prince did was gaze up at the stars, content with the quiet and the soft breezes across the bay as well as the lapping of the water against the hull of the ship.

The moon was very bright overhead and the whole atmosphere was one of calm for all of Daenerys servants were asleep aboard the ship, including Orin who was asleep below the deck of the merchant ship Caspian had come to Astapor in.

The dragons were locked away below as well and were most likely sleeping or eating but for the moment, Naelarion, Edrion, Zergyx and Veneys were the furthest thing from Caspian's mind.

"There was something I had been wishing to ask you," Daenerys said suddenly and Caspian turned back to the beautiful queen. "And that is?"

"The sword you wore on your back the first time we met and which you are wearing now," she began. "Where did you find it? I've never seen something like it before."

Caspian smirked wryly, before reaching behind his left shoulder and unsheathing the blade from the scabbard.

It was the only thing he still had left when he had been shipwrecked and the only piece of Westeros he still had. But even in the sheer light of the moon, he could see that it looked no different than the day he had found it beneath the keep of Storm's End what seemed like a lifetime ago.

The sapphire in the pommel gleamed with an unearthly lightning and the short jagged edges of the blade seemed to shimmer in an iridescent manner as if water had been poured on them. The flat of the blade seemed even more silver in the light and Caspian recalled that this was the first time he had seen it look so…new. As if it was forge only yesterday.

"I can't recall every seeing a weapon of such a make before," Daenerys replied, her eyes roaming over it with curiosity and interest. "The edges of all of the great swords I have seen have been flat with a fine tuned edge. But this one is far different."

"I discovered it while I was searching beneath the caves of Storm's End long ago," Caspian explained. "I can only conclude that it was made at a time in which using a blade to rip and tear was necessary. Perhaps a more uncivilized time."

"With edges like this, this sword can catch the blade of another man and twist it so you are able to take it from him," the dragon queen said. "It is a very deadly piece when placed in the right hands. Have you given it a name?"

Caspian nodded. "I have called it StormBreaker."

She gave him an odd sort of smile. "A play on your origin of StormLands, I don't suppose that is surprising at all."

He smirked at her. "Well, there are some things that I will need to be predictable about I suppose."

"Tell me something Caspian," Daenerys said as their conversation continued. "What was it like growing up in the capital? I have never been in a political system before and my only exposure to it was the information I received from my brother, information that I can conclude now was more than biased."

The prince went silent for a moment. "Well the first thing you should know your grace is that all involved in the great game are roped into a complicated dance that they all must play whether they want to or not. The queen was often fond of saying that, when you play the game of thrones you either win or you die…there is no other option."

Daenerys blinked. "That sounds rather ominous but I do there is a grain of truth in there. My brother tried playing the game and when the price of it was me, my husband killed him. I can see the effects of wanting a throne are still felt here all these miles away from the capital."

Now it was Caspian's turn to blink. She had never said much about her past and this was as close as she had come to talking about her family.

A part of him was dying to ask questions but since they had pretty much skirted around the entirety of his family history, he didn't really have room to talk.

She turned to him then as if pulling herself from a memory. "Now what else do I need to know?"

He pursed his lips. "There are several men on the small council, who if they are there when you make a return, you should be wary of. They are Lord Varys and Lord Petyr Baelish. They are both men possessing silver tongues and brilliant intelligence. Lord Varys is the spymaster as I am certain your brother has told you but Lord Baelish came from nothing and has more ambition in his littlest finger and viciousness than most men know. He knows how to play the game and has done it very well. I have no proof of this but I have heard whispers that some of his mismanagement of the royal treasury he has been squirreling away for himself and has been hidden in offshore accounts in banks in Essos."

And then he blinked…stopping.

Daenerys frowned at him. "What is it?"

"The whispers I heard, both from the spymaster and others suggested that Baelish himself has been squirreling away money for years from the royal treasury. My late father may have been an oaf but there is no possible way that his former Hand Jon Arryn would have allowed him to spend as much as the crown was in debt for. I sat on the small council for three years just listening to some of the men talk and with the amount of businesses that Baelish had running in the city coupled with the fact that he was the Master of Coin it would not be the furthest leap to come to the conclusion that some of the money he took for himself, invested it perhaps and then came away with a profit."

At this point, Caspian was beyond irritated. His will most likely be another name that I need to add to my list.

A frustrated snarl slipped from between his lips and Daenerys looked at him closely. "This bothers you a good deal."

"It does," Caspian confirmed. "The crown was in over its head in debt to the Iron Bank and to the Lannisters which was something my grandfather exploited. My father hated my maternal side of the family but he kept spending all of their money and the moment my father died, the vultures swooped in to take control. Baelish has far more ambition than I think most men conceived of and if my father had known what he was truly capable of than perhaps he might not have been on the small council."

"So your advice to me when we return to King's Landing would be?" Dany asked.

"Execute him immediately," Caspian said grimly. "He's too dangerous to remain alive and every part of that man is corrupt. He is also a man who is far more capable of holding a grudge than those around him think. It would probably be better if he didn't even have a trial. He knows how to bribe people and to do it well. I would start by freezing all of his assets and perhaps that is something we would be able to accomplish here if he has squirreled some of it away. If we remove his resources we can back him into a corner and force his hand. This goes beyond my own personal vendetta against Baelish because if the man wants the crown he will take it and thus then your reign should you choose to return would never be truly secure."

Daenerys seemed to be thinking rather hard on what he was saying. "But surely a man with his knowledge would be beneficial for the realm at least in some aspects."

Caspian turned to her so she was forced to look into his blue eyes. "Your grace I say this respect but with honesty as well. Baelish will never serve you. He may make his vows and say the words but he will seek to undermine your power from the inside. It may take years to do it but in the end, he will see it done and the effects will be disastrous. The man has knowledge of some of the most dangerous secrets in Westeros, things about the Lannisters, things about the Baratheons that even I do not know and you can guarantee that if he were to be given his life upon your return, he would seek to destroy you. You asked for my opinion regarding who and what to be wary of upon your return and how the game is played. This is my answer."

The young queen was quiet for a moment. "Very well. Then perhaps as soon as Astapor is within our grasp, we should see about freezing whatever assets he may have in the Iron Bank in Braavos."

Caspian nodded. His mind was already running wild with ideas. His uncle barring a miracle was still the Hand of the King and at the moment did not know that he was alive. It wouldn't be as if he could simply walk into the Iron Bank and lay claim to Baelish's assets.

But his uncle Tyrion could.

Perhaps it was time he write to his uncle and see exactly what he could do about making alliances.

If Daenerys wished to make a return, she was going to need allies in Westeros as well as here and if he could convince his uncle to fight for them, well then his grandfather his mother and his bastard half brother would be taken care of in one fell swoop.

That would save everyone a good deal of time.

"You look speculative Caspian," Daenerys noted.

He chuckled and ran a hand through his dark curls. "I am considering many plans your grace. If you want that Iron Throne you are going to need allies and right now our list of them is somewhat short. That is something that you will need to think on if you wish to make a return."

She nodded. "Indeed. But isn't that why you said I would need good people around me who's goals are the same as mine?"

There was some sardonic irony in his smile. "I did."

"Good, than you and I can start by taking Astapor tomorrow. After that…well after that we can see about bringing Westeros to heel."

The following morning, Caspian rose early. While some might have been apprehensive about the taking of this city he was feeling strangely energized. It felt good to throw himself back into something that was more up his alley.

Strategy was something that he liked and being able to utilize that part of his brain again was an enormous relief. He ensured that his dragons were fed and decided he would leave them on the ship with Orin who had become rather attached to the small creatures.

Naelarion, Veneys, Zergyx and Edrion all deferred to Caspian but there was a sort of healing the prince could see that the creatures brought to the little boy. He smiled a lot more when he was around them now and Caspian could almost see him beginning to come out of his shell.

Being around the small boy had been healing for Caspian as well because he was still wrestling with feelings of enormous guilt for failing to save Edric when his half-brother had needed him most. Orin without knowing it had helped him assuage some of that guilt just by being around him.

The ache around his heart was still raw, but healing somewhat. Edric had died over two moons ago so it would be impossible to be over his sadness especially now that his two uncles were gone as well and half of the storm lords had been wiped out.

It would take some time to heel but Caspian knew he had a whole host of vengeance to rain down upon the heads of both his mother, his brother, Baelish and all the rest that had stolen from him and his family.

There had never been a time when his house words felt more appropriate.

StormBreaker was sheathed on his back and as he watched the sun rise over the bay he couldn't help but feel like a new era was coming, one where he would have his revenge.

"You have risen early your grace," the familiar voice of Ser Barristan said from behind him.

Caspian turned to the old knight. "Readying myself for the day Ser. There is a lot to do."

"Aye there is." The former Lord Commander joined the former prince as they looked over the deck of the ship and stared out across the water.

Caspian had taken the liberty of getting himself some new clothes so he was no dressed in the rags he had come to Astapor in and was attired in more comfortable looking breeches and a dark blue long sleeved tunic with billowing sleeves that was belted at the waist with a leather belt.

He was beginning to feel more like himself again and despite how far he was from Westeros, it was good to see a familiar face.

"You seem to be adjusting well," Barristan observed and Caspian gave him a wry smile.

"I must say, so have you. I did not think that you would have left Kings Landing to serve the Targaryens once more."

Barristan nodded grimly. "I am a knight your grace. I am not someone who will be put out to pasture on the whim of a boy king. I will serve until I die and Queen Daenerys was the ruler that would have had me."

Caspian raised an eyebrow at him. "I see. There was no honor in serving a family who had none of it themselves."

"I did not mean – "

"It's alright," Caspian said waving him off. "There is no need for an apology Ser. I am well aware that I am a product of one of the most treacherous unions to ever have been made. That does not sit well with me either. But I do not have a choice to have both Lannister and Baratheon blood. But there is something else I would ask you."

"And that is your grace?"

"You fought for Prince Rhaegar in the rebellion and were injured at the Trident, so my father sent his personal maester to you."

"He did."

"Why then you not decide to go and serve the remaining Targaryens if that was where your allegiance truly lay after the battle had ended and it was clear that my father would take the throne?"

Again, Caspian caught a flash of unease from the knight before it disappeared. "At the time your grace I did not know that the Targaryens were still living as the king was dead, the prince I had served was dead and no one knew the current whereabouts of Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys."

Caspian nodded. He wanted to ask more questions but at the same time, he also wasn't sure he wanted the answers to them.

If Barristan had had some inkling of knowing he was alive, the former prince wondered if he would have come to find him instead of going to the Targaryens. But at the same time he didn't want to ask that because he didn't want to know what the answer would be.

Thankfully he was saved from having to ask that question when Barristan turned to him with one of his own. "Have you further considered the option of being Queen Daenerys' Hand your grace?"

"I have," Caspian replied. "It is an interesting option. What else is there for me after all? My uncles have died in pursuit of the throne my half-brother is dead as is my father and those storm lords who were not killed in the battle do not have the strength to rise up against the rest of the kingdom. I do not know what has become of the north, whether Lord Eddard lives or dies or what became of his family."

Ser Barristan gave him a strange look. "It was you who freed them wasn't it?"

Deciding that there would be no further point in hiding the truth seeing as how it really didn't matter anymore, Caspian nodded. "Aye, it was me."

Barristan stared at him for a long time. "I always wondered how it was that a man could escape from the Black Cells along with another Stark who was practically in the other end of the keep. In order for someone to do that they would need to know the keep inside and out."

Caspian chuckled. "I imagine that my brother might have thought that it was Lord Varys who had something to do with it. Given how the man posits himself as a great champion of serving the realm, imprisoning Lord Stark and his daughters would lead to a war which was the opposite of what he usually likes. And speaking of the Starks…what news is there of them?"

Barristan sighed. "Truly I know not. They and their army were still several days ride from the capital when I was 'dismissed', I got on a boat and left for Essos straight away. I knew if you were not on the throne your grace, I did not wish to support Lord Stannis or Lord Renly."

Caspian nodded. It was hard to feel offended on behalf of his uncles as they both had had their flaws. Renly had had no idea of what it took to rule a country and used his popularity to gain the admiration of the people. Meanwhile Stannis had a much better idea of what to do but he was not well liked and having fled the capital after the death of Jon Arryn, he had put himself in a position of disadvantage because of his geographical location.

No matter, the former prince thought bitterly to himself. They are both dead now and neither one of them will have the throne. Instead, a Targaryen will sit upon it aided by a Baratheon. My, what a sense of irony the gods have.

He opened his mouth to say more when a shadow caught his eye and he turned around to find Queen Daenerys standing there. She was dressed in her primary blue and had a deep blue cloak about her shoulders and tall brown boots. Her pale hair was pulled back and braided so it was out of her face and the expression in her violet eyes was fierce.

She almost looked ready for battle. A chainmail and sword, Caspian thought Visenya Targaryen herself seemed to have come to living.

Caspian couldn't help but admire her. She was a stunning woman and seemed driven by an intense desire to be different than her ancestors and perhaps be the best that she could be. He knew vengeance was still driving him but at the same time, perhaps when he did heal from all the loss he had suffered he would be able to focus on building himself as a person.

"Is it time then your grace?" he asked.

"It is Caspian," she said quietly. "I intend to get my army today."

Kraznys mo Nakloz, Caspian decided was by far the greediest, egotistical, narcissistic, insulting, arrogant, cruel and sadistic bastard that Caspian had ever met.

And he wasn't even fluent in High Valyrian dialect of Astapor.

He caught common phrases of what the man was saying and how insulting he was to Daenerys under the guise of his own language because he thought she couldn't understand him and his hand itched towards the hilt of StormBreaker that was strapped to his back.

The man had seemed rather surprised and somewhat suspicious to see another companion in the form of a young man with the Targaryen, but when Daenerys explained to the translator that this was Caspian Storm, one of her advisors, the man soon brushed it off.

Caspian had ensured to put on a cloak as well and pull it halfway over his head so it cast his face into shadow. He doubted anyone here would recognize him but at the same time, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He had walked side by side with Daenerys as Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan had walked behind them, looking at the ranks of the Unsullied.

Caspian had to admit that it was rather impressive the army Astapor had managed to build. There was an army of eight thousand trained Unsullied that were ready for battle and then several thousands more who were still in the process of being trained.

Given the rather gruesome and bizarrely sadistic practices that the masters engaged in to make certain that the Unsullied were in top physical condition, Caspian was morbidly impressed at how much these slaves had endured.

He was also certainly appalled as such techniques in order to breed an army would never have been employed in Westeros. But then again as his small uncle was so fond of telling him, if he wanted justice he would need to get it for himself.

And hopefully that was what they would do here today.

He kept one eye on Daenerys and one eye on Kraznys as bits of what the man was saying would filter through. Thankfully the man had a translator to explain all of what was being said as he only understood bits and pieces.

Daenerys had informed her that she had until this very day to make a decision about whether or not she wished to buy the Unsullied. He had wanted her to hurry for there were many other buyers interested.

The tour finally ended with the four of them, Jorah, Daenerys, Barristan and Caspian in the courtyard of Kraznys, a place covered over with chains as if they were looking up from the bottom of a fish bowl. The banners and symbols of the harpy were all over the room and the floor on which they were standing before the master was smooth hard orange colored stone.

Caspian glanced up at the Dothraki who were peering through the chains above their heads looking down on the scene from above as their Khaleesi came to a decision about what she was to do.

"All of them."

Caspian turned back to the scene before him as the Targaryen and Kraznys negotiated.

The translator turned once more to Daenerys. "Did this one's ears mishear your grace?"

"They did not," Daenerys continued. "I want to buy them all.

The translator turned to Kraznys and relayed the information. The man replied in what appeared to be an egotistical manner and Caspian caught something along the lines of him not thinking that Daenerys could afford them.

He wanted to smirk, but he controlled himself.

This was followed by some rather vulgar commentary about her body which had Caspian's fingers twitching to strange the man for his lack of a respect for the woman, or any woman in general. He thought that even the beautiful translator the man employed must have been on the receiving end of the man's wandering hands.

She should ask for her as well, he thought to himself.

"There are eight thousand Unsullied in Astapor," the translator went on. "Is this what you mean by all?"

"Yes," Daenerys said calmly. "All eight thousand and the ones still in training as well."

The translator turned back to her master to relay the information and as soon as she was finished, the man sitting beside Kraznys leaned over to speak as well.

His words Caspian managed to catch. If they fail on the battlefield, they will shame Astapor.

"Master Grezin says that they cannot sell half trained boys," the woman replied. "If they fail on the battlefield they will bring shame on all of Astapor."

"I will have them all or take none," Daenerys replied. "Many will fall in battle and I will need the boys to pick up the swords they drop."

The man's next words came and Caspian felt his hand literally reach back towards the hilt of StormBreaker.

"The slut cannot pay for them all."

A muscle jerked in Caspian's cheek and he steadied himself and out of the corner of his eye looked at Daenerys who appeared to be as calm and serene as she had been on the ship that morning.

It wouldn't surprise me if she is able to understand every word they are saying. She is a Targaryen after all. High Valyrian is something that might be second nature to her.

"Master Kraznys said that you cannot afford this. Your ship will buy you one hundred Unsullied," the translator said and then paused as the man said something else that had to do with the Khaleesi's figure. "Because Master Kraznys is generous."

As irritated as Caspian was at the man's vulgarity, he could not help but he a little impressed by the translator who seemed to be doing all of the diplomatic things she could even though the woman she was addressing couldn't understand what Kraznys was saying anyway.

At least he didn't think she could understand him.

"The gold and spices you have left are worth another one hundred. The Dothraki you have with you are not worth what they cost to feed but Master Kraznys will give you three Unsullied for all of them."

At this both Caspian and Daenerys looked up at the ledge above their heads where some of the Dothraki were watching them.

The prince was glad he had left Orin on the ship to care for the dragons as there was no way he would be giving the little boy to this man.

"Master Kraznys asks how you propose to pay for the remaining seven thousand seven hundred and ninety seven."

Caspian glanced then at Daenerys, knowing this was the moment when her trump card was played.

He privately wondered how Kraznys would react.

He was not disappointed.

Once she had finished looking at her servants that had come with her through the Red Waste to Qarth, the last dragon looked back at the master. "I have dragons…I'll give you one."

The eyes of the translator went wide before she turned back to the master and told him what had been said.

Caspian could clearly see the gleam in Kraznys eyes and the slanting of his eyebrows as he took in what she had said.

It seemed Ser Barristan was in enough shock to prompt him to step forward. "You will win the throne with dragons not slaves your grace.

"Khaleesi, please," Ser Jorah said.

While Daenerys was giving her advisor a rather hard look, Caspian locked eyes with Ser Barristan and gave his head a tiny jerk, indicating that the Lord Commander should step back. Understanding came into Barristan's eyes then and he took a step back then.

Daenerys then turned to Caspian and beckoned him forward so the two walked over to stand in front of the platform where Kraznys was sitting.

The master's eyes flickered over Caspian and the look the prince was wearing must have been a dangerous one for he immediately turned back to Daenerys.

"Three dragon," the master said.

"One," the blonde replied.

"Two!"

"One."

The master sat back, obviously not liking the game of hard ball that was being played. Caspian turned to look at Daenerys and found her looking back at him. They didn't say anything to each other but that had been part of the plan in the first place. If Caspian said or did anything that would prompt her or encourage her or detract from her in any way, their advantage would have been lost.

The master conferred amongst each other and then leaned toward her again, speaking in High Valyrian.

"They want the biggest one," the translator said.

"Done."

"Done," Kraznys repeated, obviously understanding that word in the common tongue.

Daenerys turned to leave but Caspian paused before turning back to the translator. "I would like to take you as well…now. You'll be Master Kraznys gift of generosity. A token of a bargain well struck."

The translator turned to her master and told him Caspian's reply. The master leaned forward slightly, but Caspian did the same, having no trouble meeting his eyes.

Finally Kraznys smiled and jerked his head towards the girl to go with them. She nodded and immediately descended the stairs so she might leave by another door to wait for them.

Caspian and Daenerys left first and the two knights followed them.

The moment they were outside the doors of the atrium with them closed behind her, Ser Jorah began to speak. "Khaleesi, a dragon is worth more than any army."

"Aegon Targaryen proved that your grace," Ser Barristan added.

Caspian who was walking beside her stopped when Daenerys turned back to the two knights and the look on her face showed she was displeased. "You're both here to advise me. I value your advice but if you ever question me in front of strangers again…you will be advising someone else. Is that understood?"

Caspian averted his eyes from the conversation and beckoned to Kraznys former translator to come forward as she was waiting for them in the doorway.

"Do you have a name?" he asked her as they continued to walk.

Daenerys was on the right, Caspian was on the left and the former slave was on his left.

"This one's name is Missandei my lord," she said quietly, her hands folded in front of her.

"Do you have a family?" Caspian asked. "A mother and father you would return to if you had the chance?"

"No my lord," she said. "No family living."

"You belong to us now," Daenerys said suddenly. "It is your duty to tell us the truth."

Caspian was a little surprised that he had been included in that statement but if he was going to serve as Daenerys' Hand, he would have almost as much power as she would.

So he supposed it sort of made sense. He might be able to command troops as she could.

"Yes your grace, lying is a great offense," Missandei said. "Many of those on the walk of punishment have been taken there for less."

Daenerys snorted. "I offered water to one of the slaves on the walk of punishment, do you know what he said? Let me die."

"There are no masters in the grave your grace, my lord," Missandei said.

"Is it true what Master Kraznys says about the Unsullied?" Caspian said. "About their obedience?"

"All questions have been taken from them," Missandei replied. "They obey, that is all. Once they are yours, they are yours. They will fall on their swords if you command it."

"And what about you?" Daenerys asked. "You know that I am taking you to war. You may go hungry, you may fall sick…you may be killed."

"Valar Morghulis," Missandei replied simply and Caspian smirked.

"Yes," he said. "All men must die. But we will not be among them."

He didn't see the small smile on Missandei's face.

It was a rather strange procession that made their way out to the front of the main building of the city where all of the Unsullied had been gathered.

In that time, Missandei had changed clothes so that she was now attired in white and blue at Daenerys command with Caspian walking beside her.

Kraznys was already there and when he began to speak, Missandei began to translate. "The master says they are untested. He says you would be wise to blood them early. There are many small cities between there and here, cities ripe for sacking. Should you take captives, the master will buy the healthy ones for a good price."

Caspian paused for a moment to take in the scores of Unsullied who had been lined neatly into columns of what appeared to be five hundred. There was a sea of black armor before them and they looked incredibly intimidating.

It seemed to go back for miles to the front gates of the city and Caspian wondered at the type of damage one could do with such an army.

How on earth are we going to find ships to transport them all to Westeros? He wondered. I suppose that will be my first task as the new Hand.

He was pretty sure he was going to accept the position as Daenerys Hand. It just made the most sense after all. His feelings toward sitting on a throne had become decidedly mixed since the death of his uncles and brother but being a Hand would give him almost as much power as a ruler would and also allow him a bit of freedom at the same time.

Behind him, Daenerys, her guard and Missandei came some of her Dothraki servants who were carrying the thatched cart which held one of her dragons that she had gone back to the ship to get while Kraznys was assembling the Unsullied.

"And who knows," Missandei continued on translating. "In ten years some of the boys you send them may be Unsullied in their own time. So all shall prosper from this."

At this point, Daenerys and Caspian had come level with Kraznys. They both looked at him for a moment before the cart behind the queen had been set down which prompted Daenerys to turn back.

Jorah and Ser Barristan stood on the opposite side of the aisle and Kraznys stood at the top. Caspian caught Barristan's eye and gave him a level look as if he were trying to convey that this was all part of the plan.

Daenerys carefully lowered the lid of the crate and with a sharp hissing sound, Drogon was revealed.

Daenerys took the lead that led to a chain around the creature's neck and turned back. As the dragon was revealed and began to flap its wings, uttering its cries, there were gasps from the watching elite of Astapor who had gathered to see just who it was that would be purchasing all of the Unsullied that the city had to offer.

Daenerys calmly walked back up the ramp with Drogon on his chain lead to present him to Kraznys whose eyes gleamed at the sight of him like he had found the world's greatest treasure.

Daenerys didn't look to the right or to the left as she walked back, her eyes and her expression were curiously blank as she looked at Kraznys. She didn't even hesitate when she handed Drogon over.

Kraznys thrust out the whip of the golden harpy to her. Looking down at it, she paused before looking at him again. "Is it done then? They belong to me."

"It is done," Missandei said after relaying her question. "You hold the whip."

Kraznys said something else which Missandei didn't bother to translate but Caspian managed to catch it despite the man's thick accent. The bitch has her army.

Caspian bit down on the inside of his mouth in irritation eager to get on with the next phase of the plan so they might burn this maggot to cinders.

Daenerys eyed him for a moment before turning around and walking calmly back so she stood in front of the Unsullied. The masters walked up and down the aisles of them with their whips in hand knocking them back and forth against their knees

It must be a mental technique, Caspian thought to himself as he watched the Unsullied be absolutely still as the masters passed them. They have conditioned themselves to feel no pain and to move silently because it is either that or die.

He almost wanted to shudder when he thought that Orin might have been one of them had he stayed in Astapor.

The silence was then broken by Daenerys cry in High Valyrian. "Unsullied!"

Caspian was the only one who wasn't shocked, but the looks on Missandei's, Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan's faces were priceless.

The effects were instantaneous.

Immediately the Unsullied pulled their shields in towards themselves and stood at attention. Fortunately Kraznys was too preoccupied with Drogon who was proving testy to pay attention to what was going on.

"Forward march!" Daenerys called out, still speaking Valyrian and the Unsullied marched forward until she called for them to halt.

Caspian caught a tiny glimpse of the smirk on her face and knew he had to wait a moment longer before he could give one of his own.

Kraznys muttered something to Missandei to "tell the bitch her beast won't come," when all of a sudden Daenerys answered him herself.

"A dragon is not a slave," she said turning back to him and still speaking Valyrian.

Caspian smirked when he saw the look of unadulterated shock on Kraznys face. "You speak Valyrian?"

She smirked. "I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the blood of Old Valyria. Valyrian is my mother tongue."

Having nothing else to say, she turned back to her new army. "Unsullied! Slay the masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who holds a whip, but harm no child. Strike the chains off every slave you see!"

Immediately one of the Unsullied leapt out of line and skewered the master walking by him on his spear. The others were easily dispatched.

"I am your master!" Kraznys called out. "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!"

Daenerys turned back to him then, having obviously heard enough filth come from his mouth.

Caspian smirked before drawing StormBreaker and looked toward Kraznys making sure the man could see him before using his limited Valyrian. "You were."

"Dracarys."

At the command from Daenerys, Drogon opened his jaws and released a torrent of flames upon the master causing those closest to jump back.

Caspian immediately went to work on the approaching soldiers that were closer to him than the Unsullied and slew them with ease. He had been expecting the attack and they hadn't so he had the element of surprise on his side.

Drogon was flying overhead as the Unsullied got into formation and readied themselves to kill all of the masters in Astapor.

Caspian swung StormBreaker in an arc and cut one of the masters who came at him nearly in half. Blood went everywhere and coated his sword in a thin sheen of it.

His grin was somewhat malicious and it was only then with his blood singing in the heat of battle that Caspian realized something.

It was only in the midst of war that he truly felt like his father's son.

It took a few hours for all of the filth to be purged from the city.

Daenerys commissioned that the masters be brought to the front of the main building and placed in a pile where they might be burned so all of Astapor could see who was ruling it now.

And as soon as this task was complete, Drogon once more set the bodies ablaze.

The Unsullied had gone back to their formations, waiting for orders and as Caspian walked up to Daenerys, blood dripping off the end of his sword so they might watch as the smoke billowed into the air, he couldn't help feeling a little pleased.

"It seems you were right," she said as soon as they were standing side by side.

"I usually am," he said with a smirk and not looking at her when he said it. He could feel amusement and exasperation roll off of her and the two turned back to look at the eight thousand Unsullied that she now owned.

She was still holding on to the golden whip but wasn't really paying attention to it anymore.

"The city is ours," she said quietly as they stood there with Barristan, Jorah and Missandei standing off to the side and watching them.

"Aye, your grace it is."

She looked at him then. "Given the success we have had here, does this mean you are willing to be my Hand?"

Caspian looked into her violet eyes, searching for any form of malice or ill intent and didn't find it. He knew he still needed to tell her about his own dragons but he had come up with a plan for doing that and so there really was no further need to put her off.

And so he made a decision. "Yes your grace. I would be honored to be your Hand."

Her answering smile was all teeth. "Excellent. Because we have work to do."