A fateful meeting

(Daenerys Targaryen POV)

I was conceived during the last month of the Usurper's Rebellion, the war which ended House Targaryen's reign over the Seven Kingdoms, our reign. Shortly after that, Mother was sent with the young Viserys to our family's ancestral seat of Dragonstone to escape the rebel army marching towards King's Landing.

I was born nine months after their flight, while a great storm raged above Dragonstone, sinking what remained of the Targaryen fleet. For this reason, I am known as "Daenerys Stormborn". Mother died in labour, but not before naming me.

The war had been lost shortly after Mother had fled the city, after which Robert I Baratheon had claimed the Iron Throne, our throne. With Father, my eldest brother Rhaegar, and Rhaegar's young children Rhaenys and Aegon dead, I and brother Viserys are the only known living Targaryen heirs. 

The Usurper's brother built a new royal fleet in preparation for an assault on Dragonstone. With the Targaryen fleet destroyed by the storm during which I had been born, the garrison at Dragonstone was prepared to sell us Targaryen children to Robert. However, before they could act on this plan, Ser Willem Darry and several other loyal retainers took us from the nursery. They smuggled us into exile, sailing to the Braavosian coast.

Brother and I lived in Braavos in a house with a red door, where I had my own room and a lemon tree underneath my window. I loved to look at the tree every day and watch it grow slowly. It was a good time, thinking back to it now and I wish we could go back there ... I miss Mother.

Willem was old and sickly, but I remember that he always treated me kindly. When I was five name days old, Ser Willem fell sick and slowly died, leaving us all alone. After his death, the servants he had hired stole all they could, leaving us with nothing to help us. As we were forced out, I wept. I was so sad that day. I had lost almost everything in this life. I want to go home, I want to see Mother again and go home ...

.

We left Braavos and wandered the Free Cities for years. We visited nearly all the Free Cities, including Myr, Tyrosh, Qohor, Volantis, and Lys. At first, we were welcomed but after a while, no one wanted to have anything to do with us. We had to sell all we had which hurt a lot. 

When we had to sell Mother's crown ... it was too much for Viserys. He has gotten much more rude with me. He sometimes hits me for things I say and threatens that I will wake the dragon. 

Right now, Brother is hosting the Golden Company with the last bit of money we managed to acquire from Mother's crown. I tried to ask Viserys not to do that, but he didn't listen. He says that the Golden Company are loyal to the Dragons and since we are the last dragons, they will help us. I have read about the Golden Company. I try to read as much as I can, but Viserys doesn't allow me to buy books anymore. 

The Golden Company is a company of sellswords founded by Ser Aegor Rivers, a Great Bastard known as "Bittersteel". The current captain-general is Ser Myles Toyne.

The Golden Company is considered the Free Cities' finest and most powerful company, with some considering them the most honourable. Despite the notorious unreliability of sellswords, the Golden Company is reputed to have never broken a contract. Their motto is "Our word is good as gold", while their war cry, "Beneath the gold, the bitter steel", pays homage to their founder.

The reason Brother thinks they will help us has to do with the founder of the Golden Company. Ser Aegor Rivers founded it, called "Bittersteel", a legitimized bastard of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Aegor had fled Westeros with the younger sons of Daemon I Blackfyre at the end of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. We Targaryens have had three fights against the Blackfyres and yet, Viserys believes that they will help us because there are no more Blackfyres left. But it doesn't look like it. 

.

I am sitting next to Viserys, trying to not be seen at all as he talks with the leaders of the Golden Company. 

"So I ask you to help us in regaining the Iron Throne. I can promise you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams should we make it. Using your resources there is nothing we can do. 20'000 men together with your beasts will assure our victory no doubt. So will you help me regain the Iron Throne and with it the 7 Kingdoms?"

Viserys has been talking to the men for the entire meal and so far they haven't said anything, just listened. I don't think this is a good sign. They look uninterested and are only stuffing their faces with the food we paid for them. 

"So tell me if I got that right. You want us to pack all of our belongings, all our men and animals, buy ships to carry all of us and then sail to Westeros with you. Then you want us to fight a war against a more or less united Westeros and all of their forces, retake the Iron Throne so that you may sit on it and all of that for a 'reward'?? Is that about right?", Ser Myles Toyne says sarcastically. 

"You're delusional, Hahahahaahah"

"Hahahahahahahahah" "Hahahahahahaha" "Hehehehehehehe" "Hohohohoho"

Every other man starts to laugh at my brother for his idea. I look at Viserys and see the shame and anger on his face. The dragon will surely wake soon. But before he can answer, one of the men stands up and approaches us. He walks forward until he stands directly in front of me. I look up timidly, trying to appear as small as possible.

"We might be inclined to think about it ... if you have us have a go at this pretty flower though ... How old is she anyway?", the man asks. I start to shiver on my entire body when I hear his words and look to Viserys begging him to do something. Not to sell me away or let them ... 

"She is one and ten name days but she hasn't bled yet. It would be useless. I would allow it, if there were assurances.", I hear my brother say those words and almost start crying. The fear grips my heart as the man comes closer. 

"Eh, that's old enough for me. Only needs a hole anyway.", he says and grabs my arm. 

Tears run down my face as I look at the man's eyes. He licks his lips and my whole body shakes ... 

"Get your hands off the girl, Tolligar.", another voice is heard. The laughing stops and the man looks to the back where a man is sitting wearing a coat. He has something in his mouth that smokes for some reason. I have never seen something like that. Suddenly he opens his eyes and our eyes meet. They ... are red ...

"Revenant. What is it to you, huh?! I took an interest in this one and will have my fun tonight, I don't care about your reputation or skills.", Tolligar who is still holding on to my arm says. 

"I said ... get your hand off the girl. Before I cut it off.", the man says and stands up slowly. He is not afraid of them. There are so many other men from the Golden Company inside the tent, but he walks like he fears nothing. 

"Leave it Tolligar. Better to back out now.", another says to the man holding my arm. 

"F*ck that! I won't bend to this idiot any longer! You all might piss your pants when you hear the rumours but I won't have it! He is nothing but a lying pi-"

*SHING*

Everything happens so fast that I don't understand what is going on. I only hear a slashing sound and then feel the missing resistance from my arm. I also see the red colour of blood and then hear the loud scream of Tolligar, the man who was holding on to me. 

"AAAAHHHHHHH!! F******CK!", he screams. 

The other men stand up quickly and a few unsheath their swords. 

"Go ahead, use them. Let's see what you can do.", the strange voice of the man says. I didn't even notice him move and suddenly he was standing right next to me. 

"Who do you think you are?! We allowed you to dine with us out of professional courtesy. No matter what you can do, that will not be tolerated!", one of the captains says. All eyes are on the stranger and on the Captain-general Ser Myles Toyne. 

"So what's it going to be, eh Myles? Are we going to tussle?"

"You went too far this time. There's nothing I can do. We have to punish such actions. I'm sorry Rev.", Ser Myles Toyne says and also unsheathes his sword. 

"Don't be. It was always meant to be this way.", the stranger replies. 

.

The men are looking at each other without moving. That is until one of the captains moves. 

"Aaaah!", he shouts and slashes at the stranger with his sword. 

The man moves his upper body back a bit, dodging the attack. He then jumps into action and with a blade in hand, pierces the other sellsword through his chest. Blood falls from the man's mouth and chest as the others jump into action as well. 

I admit that I want to close my eyes in fright, but something captivates me. I move backwards in fear of getting involved and Viserys does too. The fight turns very bloody. 

The other captains and the Captain-general start to fight together, while the 'Revenant' is on his own. But unlike what I believe, he is in no way inferior to them. He is fighting using a strange sword and an axe. He cuts off their arms and causes their intestines to spill out while the wounds he suffers don't seem to matter much or even slow him down. 

"Aaahh", a shout escapes my lips as I watch one of the men impale him from the back. 

"That's my favourite coat.", is all he says though. 

Unlike what I expected, he is still not dead. He grabs hold of the blade sticking out of his chest and pulls it forward, impaling himself further and pulling the man holding the sword towards him. 

He moves his left hand to the back and grabs the man by his head. Three other Golden Company captains are still alive as well as the Captain-general Ser Myles Toyne. Ser Toyne and the others also stab the Revenant shocking me even more. But that doesn't change anything. The Revenant who has one of them in his clutches squeezes tightly and breaks the neck of the man. 

Finally, I had seen enough and closed my eyes. I hide in the corner and hold my ears closed. I can still hear grunting and the screams of men this way, but I try not to think about it too much. I am not sure how long this continues, but after a while, the sounds stop and I dare to look up. 

All around the large tent lie dead bodies of the captains. Only two men are still alive. The Revenant and one captain of the Golden Company. 

"Y-you do know that this will have consequences, right?", the captain says.

"Whatever. I am ready to go at it any time. But why lose men needlessly? Go about your way and I'll do the same.", the Revenant says calmly. He takes a small box out of his coat and burns it. It is one of those sticks he had in his mouth before. The stick burns and smoke comes out of his mouth. 

"Now ... you two might want to get out of here.", the Revenant says and stands up to leave. 

"Wait!", I say without noticing it and he stops walking.

"...Please ... could you ... help us?", I ask.