[Daenerys POV]
Hizdahr hurriedly entered the hall with a look of fury that was strange for the usually persuasive, reserved noble. Daenerys knew full well what he would have to say about the Meereen's recent happenings.
"Hundreds of Meereen's nobility slaughtered like cattle in their homes, women, children, anyone related to the masters of old!"
"Not just anyone. Only those guilty for pursuing their cowardly rebellion and the fools who rose to defend them." Dorian countered, shaking his head. "If we made no distinction between innocent and guilty, you'd be right along with them."
"And who are you to decide who is guilty and innocent? Just a cutthroat, heartless sellsword-"
"The people you defend are no better." Dorian smiled, although she felt that it struck a nerve. "Surely we're talking about the same masters who treated their slaves worse than 'cattle', as you say, and threw a tantrum when they lost that power by slaughtering the free people of Meereen indiscriminately. Did they stop at just the men? Hmm, you should know the answer to that."
"..." Hizdahr clenched his fist. "Two wrongs does not make a right-"
"And the rebellious children you speak of, what would they grow up to be other than vengeful creatures, continuing this war in their predecessor's place. It was no more than a necessary evil for a brighter, prosperous future."
"Your Radiance, surely you..."
"What's done is done," Daenerys said with a coldness. "The results of the deed speak for itself. The Sons of the Harpy have faded to dust, and Meereen can finally breathe again, united under a common cause. If all you have are denouncements regarding this, then I'm afraid you're only wasting your time."
"So... you agree with him." Hizdahr's eyes were full of fire. "You're no queen; you're a butcher-"
"Let's not run our mouths too loose and get ourselves executed, hmm?" Dorian stepped forward. "Run along now; we have more important court sessions in line."
The Unsullied guards dragged him away, leaving Daenerys to her thoughts. Years ago, she had thought that doing the right thing was so simple... yet, the more she experienced, the more she realised that her old thinking was further and further from the truth.
Doing the right, moral thing, was the hardest of all... it was something she always aimed for during her reign, yet it gave her nothing but resistance. A war she had no way of fighting because her moral stance denied her strength.
Now, to achieve the greater good, she had bloodied her hands further.
Was it the right thing to do?
She wanted to believe it was.
...
"You seem to be asking for quite a number of private conversations lately." Daenerys remarked, sitting opposite to Dorian.
In such a short time, he had risen to the advisor she relied on most. He was the hand that dealt with the Sons of the Harpy, her greatest thorn, which no one else was capable of… and continued aiding with Meereen's prosperity in other ways thereafter. His talents seemed to know no end. Though, she had grown a little cautious of this overreliance, for she had been betrayed several times before.
It seemed to be too good to be true. He explained his intentions before - yet were they his true agenda? Was there something else he desired, which he hid under that devious grin?
"Why not - being alone with a beautiful woman is always a pleasure." Dorian grinned slightly, shrugging his shoulders.
"... That is not your true reason, however."
"Do I sense disappointment?" Dorian chuckled. "Oh, I'm only jesting with you, Your Grace. I understand my place in this world better than anyone else - unlike that blue-dyed monstrosity."
"You mean Daario?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It must hurt him to know I do everything he does but better. It's rather amusing, if anything." Dorian smiled, shaking his head. "The YiTish do have a fitting saying for this; 'One mountain cannot contain two tigers'. Though, comparing that man to such a mighty creature is far too much praise. He simply likes to pretend to be one."
The two definitely had their disagreements,
"I'm not one to bully my lessers, Your Grace, yet if that man ever gets drunk enough to believe he can take out his jealousy on me… don't be surprised to find him in some ditch the next morning. Fair warning, no?"
"It almost sounds like you wish it happened," Daenerys remarked.
"Ego, envy and pride are such terrible things that tend to get in the way of cooperation, unfortunately." Dorian shrugged. "I don't have much care for him, yet should he think he can draw his decorated blades against me, it will be the last time he'll ever have the pleasure of doing so."
"... He has been rather... restless lately, that is true." Daenerys admitted.
"More so irritating, like a fly." Dorian chuckled before looking more serious. "I know you are young, Your Grace, and with youth comes a sense of... freedom, lack of responsibility. A desire to do what your heart tells you to, to seek excitement. You still want to be a girl and explore these things. But, believe me, this Daario is not a tenth as charming as you make him out to be in your mind."
"You are a queen, a duty that you have chosen to burden yourself with. Why choose a lowly sellsword who only lives for himself? He is as I used to be... which, from personal experience, does not make for a loyal lover."
"And your King would be better?" Daenerys knew what he was getting at.
"He would be ideal, of course," Dorian laughed. "You can sleep with whomever you wish, Your Grace, but know that people talk, and deeds such as this make men judge you differently. There is little nobility in a queen who sleeps with men so far beneath her. Even worse, you do not gain anything from it other than momentary pleasure."
"You are a dragon and a queen; I am certain that these thoughts have surfaced in your mind before."
He was right, of course. She had always known that Daario was not the kind of man to marry...
"When duty and love were not in line, he stormed away to chase the latter, did he not?" Daenerys questioned, looking at Dorian's single eye. He would certainly know more than Barristan as he had been by his side longer. "Your dutiful King."
"He was no King then... nor a prince, at heart. He was just a little bastard boy-knight who wanted to live his life without anyone dictating it for him. Alas, misfortune, or perhaps fortune, struck and took it away from him. Such is this world..." Dorian did not smile, nor grin. His eye reflected a sombre light. "From the storm that drowned that boy in grief, a King had been born."
"And would he have made a different choice if the same happened once more?"
"... Most definitely." Dorian nodded. "Regardless, there is an important matter I wish to discuss... or rather, inform you of."
"Go on." Daenerys narrowed her eyes slightly, having a drink of wine.
"That dragon egg I 'swindled' from Volantis, well, I gained it from a contract... a contract to kill you."
"Pfft."
Daenerys spat out her drink, almost choking on it, while Dorian chuckled.
"Looks like I almost succeeded."
"... You're jesting." Daenerys composed herself, putting away the goblet.
He would've tried it long ago if that was his goal. Nor would he admit to it...
"Well, the contract is real, but I never had any intentions of killing you. It was but a sweet lie to take what I wanted and be on my way."
"How did you manage to fool them?" Daenerys raised an eyebrow.
"There are few gifts as great as a tongue of gold." He made a sly smile. "Now, the ruling class of Volantis truly do want you dead, more than anyone in the known world. They will wait for some time, believing that I'm simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to assassinate you... but, once that time is up, they will bring every ship, every sword, spear, archer, horse... everything they can rally. Your existence threatens their own livelihoods; you are their great nemesis."
"Volantis, Yunkai, who else?"
"New Ghis, Qarth, Tolos, Elyria, Mantarys and all the sellsword companies they can get their hands on. There's even some talks of a Dothraki horde." Dorian had a sip of wine. "It's as if they rallied this entire part of the world against you. It would be a nigh impossible battle to win if not for one truth..."
"Their armies consist of mostly slaves?"
Dorian smiled at her answer.
"Quite so."
With the imminent arrival of several invading forces, Meereen was arming itself for a defence. Dorian, the one responsible for the task, had begun training the brazen beasts while recruiting many freedmen into the city watch who'd gladly give their lives to Daenerys' cause. Attempting to avoid a fight between her subjects, she sent Daario away to scout the approaching Yunkai force... only for him to end up in a brawl against Dorian.
Daario was found dead in some ditch.
~
[Edric's POV]
In the days that followed Brienne's awakening, I focused on setting the foundations of her future growth. The more she knew, the greater her growth would be.
"Magic is like a mix of a skill and muscle; the more you use and polish it, the stronger and more effective it becomes," I instructed, stroking my chin. "It seems like your ability revolved around enhancing your physical prowess. With the speed you used against me, you'd be able to cut through anyone in an instant."
"And... how do I use this ability, Your Grace?" Brienne questioned.
"In my experience, you have to desire a result... and will it into reality. At first, you might not show much outside of a dire situation, but don't let that discourage you."
"So the stronger the will of a person, the greater their magic is?"
"Mhm. Training your magic means training your mind. If you're hesitant or lack resolve, then not much will come out of it. Kind of like fighting in general."
"Will it into reality..."
Once I had explained what I knew, I focused on Ser Loras and Ser Balon. I gave them both pep talks, yapping about how Loras was a prodigy and what-not whereas Balon was a great knight of duty. Though I did push them, I didn't get the same effect even after a further week of harsh training. Afterwards, I made them spar each other while I sought to further my blacksmithing.
The nights were more or less the same, swapping between resting, training under Raiden, scouting with Freedom and a bit of learning. The history of the Night's Watch was something I studied in greater detail, along with any ancient records of interest.
...
I soared through the haunted forest, noticing nothing unusual at first. Though, the further I flew the colder the world seemed. The once loud nearby ravens drew to a swift silence. This strange feeling... was not too foreign. In the distance, there was a small band of wildlings, some deserters of Mance's force or those who chose to remain...
They had made camp to make themselves warm and cook what little game they could catch.
"... What was that?" One of them, a woman, said - looking all around the forest.
A shadow crept in the darkness, edging closer and closer. Through my falcon's eyes, I could see glimpses of him. I didn't fly any closer... but it saw me, ignoring the wildlings completely. Its cold, blue eyes pierced through the darkness like a flashlight.
It was not just any old Other...
It was Him.
The wildlings froze in place while the Other continued advancing.
I could not move either, as if I were stuck in a state of sleep paralysis.
The Night King stopped right beneath the tree I was standing on, looking up.
"Edric Baratheon..."
An ancient, piercing voice resounded in my mind as if steel was grinding against it. Since I was a falcon, I couldn't respond, though....
"I hear your thoughts."
Do you now? Why don't you be a civilised human-sized icicle and return to wherever you came from?"
"You humour me." The Night King remained expressionless, his mouth covered as before. "You tell us to return after slaying seven of us - after passing your Wall. You believe us to be the aggressors when we have not touched your lands."
Let's not act all innocent. The purpose of your existence is the destruction of humanity, is it not?
"We were chained by purpose once, but that time has ended. We have our own will... and it begins with the fall of our frozen cage."
You still can't pass the Wall... eh?
"There will be no Wall to pass when we are finished." The Night King carried an air of confidence, stretching out a hand to me. "And you... will join us."
You guys seem like a very chill bunch, but I'm not all that interested.
"You act with confidence, but I see the fear in your eyes. The uncertainty. The unrest. The dread."
"..."
"Your end will be the same whether you run, hide or fight. Winter will envelop this world and everything within it. Save yourself the struggle... and come to us."
'Come to us...'
I lost control of Freedom, instinctively snapping away.
My mind returned to my body as a few drops of sweat left my forehead.
'Come to us...'
It was all I could hear in my mind.
Against my own will, I began to rise and walk from my bed. No, it was not against my will... for it had become my will. There was nothing more that I wanted than to step past the Wall and venture into the unknown. To join them...
"Break free." Raiden Shogun's voice was like a hammer to my mind. "You are a tool to no one, Edric."
Is this fucker controlling me?
Who... does he think he is?
My will... is my own.
My own...
"MY OWN!!!"
As rage ignited in my heart, lightning coursed through my body and soul, cleansing the cold rapidly. The voices died with it, leaving me to myself and an awkward silence. I took a deep breath, feeling liberated.
If he can move me to this degree, then to what extent can he possess others...?
That thought terrified me more than anything else.
While I'm here securing the wall...
What if his influence has long since passed it?
"Is everything alright, Your Grace?"
I heard Balon behind the door to my chamber.
"Uh..." I chuckled. "It's nothing, Ser. Don't worry about it."
"Alright then..."
Is he... gunning for the horn? Are his men already among my ranks? Are they in the Free Cities? In my Realm?
My mind raced with countless thoughts... doing nothing more than adding to my worries.
"Ugh..."
I shook my head.
Either I'm overthinking this... or the situation is even worse than I could've ever imagined.