The Dragon and the Naathi.

[Yunkai 299 AC 5th day of 9th moon]

As the folk around the docks stopped to gaze upon the majesty of fire-made flesh, it was not their jumbled emotions of fear and awe that she focused on but the terror in its purest form that wafted from the Captain's very soul. Green eyes trembled as the fire-kissed pirate watched the three dragons circle her ship, and Daenerys tried her best to resist the smirk from creeping across her face.

Drogon, the biggest and burliest of her sons, perched roughly on the dragon figurehead of the ship before unleashing a torrent of black flame with swirls of red upward, narrowly missing the sails. Daenerys fought the urge to roll her eyes at the dramatics but couldn't stop the snort of amusement that left her as Drogon beat his wings proudly.

Viserion, slim and swift and nimble as you please, tucked his wings and dove, spreading them moments before hitting the ship; he wrapped his serpentine form around the mast, his tail looping thrice, flicking back and forth as his bronze eyes peered down curiously at the assembled group.

Rhaegal, stout and sturdy, surprised even Daenerys as he landed heavily betwixt her and the Captain and their men. The cleverest (and laziest) of her sons' thick jowls shook as he roared at the red-headed woman before lying on his paunch with his head raised and staring at her with keen golden eyes. Dany watched with wry amusement as the Captain backed up against the pole she had been sitting on earlier.

He leaned into her side when she stepped closer to Rhaegal, almost demanding attention. So she touched his head, her fingers running along the smooth green scales, and Dany couldn't stop the smile from coming to her lips as the dragon let out a contented trill. They were getting bigger; Dany knew that, but she knew not what caused the sudden growth spurts.

Rhaegal was as big as an overly fat bull with a smooth, rounded tail, thick shoulders, and scarcely any spikes protruding from his body. Dany looked at Drogon. Her bonded was the size of a small elephant, but that one's growth she put to him eating actual elephants and not some other, more magical pretence. His long tail was perfect for his slender but muscular form and ended with three jagged black spikes as sharp as his talons. Finally, Dany looked to the smallest but by far the swiftest of her sons and took in his brilliance. She'd never say which of her sons was the most breathtaking to her aloud, but in her heart, it would always be Viserion, with his slender, serpentine form that made him seem more significant than even Drogon but in truth, was the smallest of the three, and his colouring of creme and gold that gave him a regal appearance, to his curious nature... she definitely loved them all equally... definitely.

Rhaegal was lazy to a fault, but that never stopped him from being the first one to arrive for feeding, nor did it stop him from keeping his other, more raucous brothers from crossing certain boundaries — pinching from the shepherds' flocks or the farmers' cattle or being too rough and rugged, in Drogon's case, or too curious in Viserion's. Rhaegal was the older brother, in a sense, and Dany was grateful for the help in tempering the other two's more difficult personalities.

Rhaegal's yawn brought her from her thoughts, and Daenerys realised she'd been silent for far too long. His lips peeled back as he spread his jaw widely, stings of salvia linking rows of razor-sharp black teeth that could tear through even the toughest of leather, and Dany heard the breath go out of the Captain as he snapped his maw shut. It must have been as loud as a canon for the frightened woman.

The corners of her lips twisted slightly upwards, and her eyes narrowed a little, a sardonic look, but one she found felt quite comfortable on her face. Daenerys took a deep breath and locked eyes with the Captain's trembling green ones. "Welcome to Yunkai, Captain," she said. "I hope you don't have any... questionable contraband on your ship."

"Q-Questionable, My Lady-"

"Her Grace is a Queen, Pirate. You will do well to remember that," Ser Jorah said, and Daenerys glanced at him, shrugged, and dragged her eyes back to the Captain.

Drogon let out a series of rumbles that sounded like a laugh, and the Captain seemed to remember that there was another dragon only a few ways away from where she stood, just above her head; she flinched, her hands shaking as she gulped. "Sorry, Yer Grace; I didn't mean to offend."

"You didn't," Dany said. "Yunkai no longer practices slavery, nor does she purchase humans." She eyed the Captain for another moment, looked up at Viserion, and saw his nostrils flare, but he showed no hostility. "Well, aren't you lucky, Captain? So say, why don't you join me for luncheon, and we could discuss some... opportunities for you and your crew?"

The Captain's eyes travelled to the nearest of her crew, a big, burly, bearded man equal in size to Ser Jorah, before they shot back and stared at Rhaegal, who had started shaking his neck, no doubt eager to go back to his lair under the pyramid. "Opportunities, yeh say?" the Captain asked. "And what might yeh have in mind, Yer Grace?"

Daenerys smiled. "I gave you my name, My Lady; it's only fair you tell me yours before we move on to business."

The Captain gulped as Viserion let out a sudden screech before unwrapping himself from the mast and taking off into the sky once more to circle the docks. "K-Kasta. Kasta Perzys, Captain of the Shadowfire."

"Green flame?" Daenerys said, her nose scrunching. And despite herself, the Captain gave a shaky smile in response.

[Yunkai 299 AC 30th day of the 9th moon]

The sun was setting over Yunkai as Dany sat on the ledge of the terrace; the Nine Voyages by Maester Mathis opened across her thighs. Her eyes narrowed and slit, and she watched as Kasta leaned against the rim of the crow's nest, staring at Yunkai as Shadowfire sailed off. Then, finally, she sighed, shook her head, and resumed reading.

Missandei brushed her hair from behind, trying to get the knots out from a long, stressful meeting with the former Wise Masters of Yunkai. They'd discussed much and more about what, now that Dany had abolished slavery in the city would bring in money.

"Agriculture," she'd told them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Outside these walls, you have land that stretches on for miles. All of it is empty and ready for husbandry; of course, aqueducts would need to be built, as well as canals, pipes, and reservoirs... It is quite a costly endeavour, but I've no doubt you will be gracious in your donations to seeing our great city prosper."

They'd indeed been gracious, even if they had no choice. Earlier that month, Dany had sent an envoy to Qohor, one of Hadvar's apprentices who knew the city and who to speak to when it came to such things; the boy had left almost a fortnight ago, and Dany prayed that when he returned, he did so with people capable of building Yunkai from the ground up, for that was what the city was in desperate need of.

They needed sewers, wells, homing, and much more. How a city, even one as shitty as Yunkai, survived for so many years without the essential utilities was shocking to Dany. But, then again, the Master had never needed to care much for things like that, so it wasn't all that surprising either. It would cost a fortune to see the city righted, and lucky for her, Masters had been greedy buggers since before Valyria fell.

Their coffers were filled with gold, jewels, and other precious things—fine armour, finer weapons, and even a few Valyrian steel items that Dany commandeered. Still, she knew that Meereen would likely be from where Dany ruled, but that didn't mean she wanted the other two of her cities to be neglected. After all, that was the main reason behind the original Dany losing control of Slaver's Bay, wasn't it? Leaving things to sort themselves out, the naive little girl.

'What did I expect to happen? They'd just be okay with being taken, abandoned, and told to obey me just because I "liberated" them? Or did I think just because of the dragons, they'd fall in line and follow me without question?' Her musings were cut short when her book was snatched from her grasp; Dany started, yelped in surprise, and looked over her shoulder.

"I was reading that," Dany said as Missandei closed the book over a strand of red silk before putting it on the marble table.

"Yes, Your Grace," Missandei said, turning to her and crossing her arms over her chest, "of course, Your Grace."

"Is that 'tone' I'm hearing from you, Missy?" Dany asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She turned around, her legs facing Missandei as she sat on the ledge. "Because it sounded a lot like tone."

"You were thinking again," Missandei said, closing the distance. Dany saw the concern in her friend's molten-golden eyes then and sighed. "You were thinking about those thoughts you don't want to tell me about," she continued softly, almost shyly.

"It's nothing you must worry about, Missandei," Dany reassured. She'd only sound as mad as her father if she started telling people that she had the mind of a man from another world inside her head.

"Still, I worry," Missandei said fiercely. "You are my Queen and my... friend, Dany. My very first." Missandei took Dany's hands, looked down at them, and chewed her lip. It was a good thing, too, because had she been looking at Dany's face, she would have seen the sad glimmer in her eyes.

'Did I just get Queen-zoned AND friend-zoned at the same time?!' Dany thought, bewildered, swallowing her breath as she watched her friend's face in the orange light of the setting sun. 'That hurt more than when I got shot... Maybe it was just because of how much I tease her-'

Rejection.

'Or not!' Dany thought, her heart doing flips. 'Gods Old and New, calm the fuck down, Daenerys; it's not your first rodeo!'

"I worry you do not trust me enough to tell me the woes of your heart, My Queen," Missadnei finally said, lifting her head to look into Dany's eyes. There was so much insecurity in her eyes that it made Dany sad. "I fear I'm not as good at being a friend as you expected..."

"Are you japing with me?" Dany questioned. "I trust you more than you know, Missadnei, and I cherish our friendship with all my heart."

She was rewarded a small, shy smile for that, and Dany dropped off the ledge and squeezed Missandei's hands tightly before leading her inside and sitting them down on the couch. They talked for a long time, Dany hoping to relieve Missandei of some, if not all, of her doubts, and by the time the moon had reached the highest point in the sky, the two of them were laughing as they mocked Daario's latest scheme at getting into Dany's pants. Dany held her knees to her chest as Missandei leaned on her shoulder, rubbing her thumb over Dany's knuckles.

"I've bothered you enough, My Queen," Missandei said, going to stand up. But she froze as Dany didn't let go of her hand, turning to look down at her as Dany fiddled with her fingers, not meeting her eye. "My Queen?"

"I don't want you to go... I didn't notice how lonely it is up here," Dany murmured, biting her inner cheek. "Stay a while longer, Missy."

"If that is what you wish, My Queen-"

"Not for Daenerys Targaryen, not for your Queen," Dany said, shaking her head and clutching Missandei's hand. "For Dany... For me... Please?"

"Okay, Dany," came Missy's reply.

[Yunkai 299 AC 3rd day of the 10th moon]

Today was a special day. Why? Because today the children of Yunkai would be attending their very first reading lessons! Among the thousands that came with Daenerys from Astapor, a large portion of those had been scribes and translators, so she'd set them to work the moment she'd decided that education would play a big part in her rule. It would be the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities being taught alongside the Common Tongue of Westeros for now. Then, as the children grow older, they'd move on to other, more beneficial subjects.

Daenerys opened her eyes, the warm sunlight on her face a welcome feeling, and sipped from her goblet of wine as she watched the scribes circling the children, helping them whenever possible. She saw the little girl again, focusing so hard on her parchment that Dany didn't believe she noticed her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth, and laughed a little as Rakharo cursed when he made a mistake.

"It's hard, I know," she told him. "But I'd have you able to read and write so that when the time comes, you can write me private letters."

"My hands are made for killing, Khaleesi," he argued. "Not this!"

"Rakharo, if you don't do this, then only I will be able," Jhogo smirked, no doubt liking the idea of being better than his senior at something other than the whip. "Then only I will write for the Khaleesi."

"..." The older of her bloodriders growled and angrily started trying to get his letters right again. She laughed loudly at the exchange and rolled her eyes as Jhiqui patted her lover's arm, giving him a thumbs-up and telling him he was doing well.

"Ser Barristan," she called after deciding she'd observed enough. "Do you care for another lesson, a sharper one, perhaps?"

"Very well, Your Grace," the old knight said with a bow, and Daenerys rose to her feet, and Missandei followed shortly after whispering something to one of the scribes and pointing to the girl from earlier. The man smiled and bowed slightly as Missandei left him there.

[Yunkai that same day]

Ser Barristan drew the blunted sword from the rack and crossed the yard before turning to face Daenerys. She went to the spear, but the knight stopped her, and Dany shrank. "Your Grace," he said, his tone almost amused. "Today is for the sword."

"Are you sure?" She said. Since Dany started her training, she'd never gotten a grip on swordsmanship; the spear was where her talents lay, and the bow and arrow more so. "You are old, Ser; you could have missed a few days and not noticed."

"No," he said, and Dany saw the tiny curl of his lips. "I'm certain today is for swordwork, Your Grace."

"Ser Barristan is right, My Queen," Grey Worm said in his rough accent. She'd been teaching him and his commanders the Common Tongue, and she was proud to say most of them picked it up quite quickly. But she didn't appreciate his input right now. "Today, the sword. Tomorrow, the spear. And the next day, Jhogo helps with the whip."

"Others take you..." Dany cursed under her breath. "Very well. The sword it shall be... Let's try... this one today. Maybe the bastard blade will fit my hand better?" She pulled the blunted sword from the rack and gave it several practice swings. "Lighter than I thought, but it feels clumsy."

Ser Barristan observed her stance and movements carefully. "You're holding the sword too tightly, Your Grace," he observed. "Loosen your grip and let the blade do the work."

Dany tried to follow his instructions, but she felt awkward and uncoordinated. "Belgh, bloody swords," she grumbled. "But it does feel better than the longsword. That's some small victory."

"The sword should be an extension of your arm, Your Grace," he told her, moving in to strike slowly. Dany parried and stepped back. "You move as if you wield a spear, Your Grace. Distance is good, but often it is better to be near your enemy when wielding a sword." Dany nodded, her eyes slitting to see his movements a little clearer. Not that it helped much; Ser Barristan wasn't one of the greatest fighters in the world for no reason.

"That's horseshit!" She cursed, gaping at him. "How in Seven Hells are you moving so bloody quick?"

"Years and years of practice, Your Grace," he smiled and gave a riposte as clean as any Dany had ever seen.

Slowly, Dany began to feel more comfortable with the sword. Her swings became smoother and more fluid, and her footwork more graceful, or so Barristan told her. She could feel herself getting more into it and decided that the bastard sword was where she'd put most of her effort in.

For hours they practised until the sun began to set and the courtyard grew dark. Missandei had already prepared a bath, likely seeing Dany's exhaustion. And she was right about Dany being exhausted—her muscles ached, her clothes stuck to her body, and her hair had come undone more times than she dared to count.

"Thank you for being patient with me, Ser Grandfather," Dany said as they put away the swords.

"You're welcome, Your Grace," Barristan said, chuckling at the moniker.

As she returned to her chamber a while later, Dany saw Missandei sitting on the stone rim of the large round tub on the terrace overlooking the city, adding the last refreshers into the steaming water. 'The moon's a paid actor,' she thought as the moonlight illuminated Missandei's dusky skin and made her golden eyes sparkle. Shaking her head, Dany approached the bath and smiled when Missandei finally took notice of her.

"Just as you like it, My Queen," Missandei said, rising from the rim, grabbing Dany's hand, and making her sit. She removed Dany's boots, then moved to her tunic and slowly undid the straps.

"You know," Dany started, hoping her face wasn't too red. "One might think you're trying to seduce me, Missandei."

Missandei said nothing, only looked her deep in the eyes, smiled, and slid Dany's tunic off, leaving her in a soft, dark red cotton shirt. "I wouldn't ever dare," she said, making Dany stand again.

"Well, it feels like you are," Dany said, not minding being manhandled a little, or was she too tired to care? "Not saying I'm not flattered."

Missandei lifted Dany's shirt over her shoulders, and Dany shivered at the sudden chill in the air. Slender arms wrapped around her as Missandei went to undo the laces of Dany's britches, the thin fabric the only thing keeping them apart.

'Okay, I'm officially panicking,' Dany thought, swatting Missandei's hand lightly. "I can take over from here, Missandei; I'm not so tired as to struggle with pants."

Missandei's movements froze. "I apologise, My Queen," Missandei said, moving away from Dany, but the latter was too flustered to hear the disappointment in her tone.

Stipping bare, Dany sank into the water and sighed as the heat soothed her aching muscles. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm her rapid heartbeat. 'Gay panic is a bitch,' she thought. Then Dany heard something soft hit the floor but paid it no mind, but her eyes shot open, and she inhaled sharply as water rushed over the edge of the bath. The weight on her thighs didn't bother her at all. In fact, she liked it.

"H-Hello there," Dany said as she tried to keep her eyes on Missandei's gold ones and not let them wander down. "What might you be doing?"

Rejection.

Missandei kept her eyes on Dany's, her face flushed prettily in the moonlight. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dany didn't let her and crashed her lips against the Naathi's.

—————

Hi there, Alex here.

First, thank you to anyone still waiting for updates on my fics.

Second, I want to remind everyone that I write because I enjoy it, not because I want others to enjoy it, not that I'll say no to a few stones >:D

Anyway, please let me know if you have any ideas for the story's progression. Maybe I'll go with it, or perhaps I won't. It really depends on how I feel about it, as, like I said, I write for myself.

That's about it... Yeah. Alright!

BYE :D

-Alex.