Daenerys woke up with a gasp from another one of her dreams. It has been a recurring theme ever since she made the sacrifice to regain her ability to have children again. Most of the times she dreamed about her nephew and the waves he was making in the North. Sometimes she would see strange creatures of ice shrouded in darkness cutting a bloody swath through every living creature they came across on their march. She wanted nothing more than to climb over Drogon and fly to Westeros to be by his side but the people here held her back. She promised the people of Mereen freedom and she would see to it that her subjects would not be dragged back into slavery. The same was true for Astapor and Yunkai.

This determination to right the wrongs that she had done had led her to march the Dothraki all the way to Mereen in seven days. They were already camped on the outskirts of a small forest not too far away from the city. She had sent some scouts ahead to observe what was going on outside the city. She knew there was an army camped outside but she wanted the numbers and she wanted to know whether an attack had already happened. Chief among the scouts was Daario Naharis and she had insisted that he go rather than stay in the camp if only to avoid his advances. After her apparent ability to have children she was afraid of taking any man to her bed. Quaithe had said that she would have a family in Westeros and she feared that having a relationship here in Essos will somehow destroy her chances in Westeros. She had underestimated magic once and her son paid the price for it. While Quaithe spoke clearly that Dany would have a family in Westeros it could also be interpreted that she would never have one in Essos. So she thought that by accidentally getting pregnant in this continent would affect her chances in Westeros which was on hindsight a load of crap but magic was unpredictable. Witches always speak in double meanings and she was afraid either way especially when she found out one night that her immunity to fire was absent. Before Quaithe's treatment, Dany could walk through a blazing inferno and would only feel a small warmth. But now she could only withstand the flames for a few minutes after which her skin would be burnt. She was no longer the Unburnt and that fact was really eating her up.

For so long she had believed herself to be a dragon—a dragon that was set free from the yoke of her brother Viserys. Her immunity to the flames was the reason that she believed herself to be special and now that ability was lost to her. It was really a blow to her confidence and if it wasn't for Drogon then she would have seriously lost her wits. Then the constant dreams about her nephew was also a contributing factor to her recent lack of confidence. The ease at which her nephew dealt with his enemies frankly spooked her and was a blow to her pride. While she had taken cities and made her enemies suffer her nephew had turned his enemies into his strongest supporters. She had seen the way he dealt with the Umbers and Karstarks. It was truly brilliant and at the same time dealt a massive blow to the Boltons. Even now her nephew was playing the Boltons by amassing a huge gathering of Wildlings at Last Hearth. While the Boltons would expect an attack from the north her nephew was to the east. All his movements were carefully planned and meticulously executed with foresight that she wished she had.

Watching her nephew plan the attack on the Boltons had made her think about her own strategy. While taking control of the Dothraki Khalasar was a smart move she should have truly pointed them at a better target—Volantis. She didn't truly need the entire Khalasar to travel with her to Mereen as Drogon alone could lay waste to an army. She should have used the Dothraki to attack Volantis while she took Mereen. That way she could have easily swooped in on Volantis right after Mereen but now because of her decision, the war between Volantis and Mereen will drag on. She couldn't really afford that to happen as that would delay her trip to Westeros. The only way she could see the war to an end was by making a deal with the army camped outside the gates of Mereen. But the question was how would she go about it in the first place? She can't just go and ask whoever that was leading the army to join with her on the fly. She needed advice and she knew just who to turn to.

Dany opened the flaps of her tent startling the guards. It was early in the morning and first light had yet to kiss the land but her guards were very alert. She turned to Vorno who she had chosen to be her blood rider from this Khalasar.

"Summon Jorah Mormont. Tell him that his Khaleesi needs advice."

"Yes, Khaleesi." Vorno placed his fist on his chest and went about to bring Ser Jorah.

A few minutes later Ser Jorah was by her side but he kept his distance from her because of his affliction. Her sworn knight had to be isolated at the far end of the camp so as to ensure the Greyscale won't spread among the Khalassar.

"My Queen, how may I serve?" Ser Jorah asked as he took his position beside her.

"I am in need of your advise Ser Jorah. I would like to leave for Westeros as quickly as possible but I have three cities to pacify and Volantis must be taught a lesson. The only way forward to end the war as quickly as possible is by ensuring the army outside Mereen to fight for me. How do I do that?"

"The armies of Free Cities are Sellswords, your grace. They fight for the riches that are promised to them. If they must come to your side their employer must be dead or they should come to realise they are fighting a losing battle and with your dragon you can make them realize the hopelessness of standing against you." Ser Jorah gave his council but Dany just shook her head.

"But using Drogon will kill all of them I want their services to free Astapor and Yunkai. Dead men will not be useful for me."

"Not if you use Drogon in a specific way."

"What do you mean?" asked Daenerys glancing at the knight curiously.

"What would be the most precious things for an army that is preparing to siege a city?" Ser Jorah asked instead of giving her a direct answer.

"They must have men, food and weapons."

"Yes, they need all of that. But for a siege to have any sort of success especially against a city like Mereen then they must have siege weapons. Without that their efforts are wasted. Take away their ability to harm the city itself and the Sellsword captains will come to you."

Dany thought about the knight's advise and found it to her liking.

"Thank you Ser Jorah."

"Happy to help, your grace."

Tyrion nursed a headache and it was not one that was easily dispatched. Two jugs of wine had yet to cure his headache so he pretty much knew that he will have to just bear it for the rest of the day. Once again he was stuck inside a city that was about to undergo a siege. This was his second siege and this time he didn't have Podrick or Bronn by his side. While he was relatively safe inside the Great Pyramid surrounded by four thousand Unsullied he didn't believe that would last. All of this could have been avoided had he managed to convince the Tattered Prince to switch sides. Sadly he failed but he managed to at least buy two more days for Ser Barristan. Tyrion didn't think two days would make much of a difference but it was better than nothing.

Before venturing into the command tent of the Tattered Prince Ser Barristan had warned him not to put too much hope in succeeding to secure a truce. While he had listened to the advice of the old knight failure still left a bitter taste in his mouth. The information Varys provided was spot on and the Tattered Prince indeed desired Pentos. The only problem was that the guy was not that much worried about the son of a Pentosi Magister sitting on the Iron Throne. From there on the negotiations went downhill.

"The Narrow Sea sits between Pentos and Westeros. Tell me dwarf, in the long history of Westeros how many kings have waged war upon Free Cities of Essos?" the Tattered Prince asked with an amused smile.

"Well, there was the instance where Prince Daemon Targaryen lay waste to the fleets of the Triarchy." said Tyrion

"Yes, which happened only because of a dragon and let's be honest here Westeros is a pile of rubble right now. Even if the Blackfyre boy somehow manages to win the throne it will be nigh impossible to hold it. The boy will be looking over his shoulder for the remainder of his supposed reign and Pentos will be the last adventure he would want. If anything I can probably make a better deal with this Blackfyre boy. So my answers will be a resounding no dwarf. I will attack this city in two days. If you surrender then you will be given safe passage to your homeland. If the city gates remain closed to me then I will forcibly breach the city gates and take your head. That is my offer."

After that Tyrion had secluded himself inside the Pyramid as per Ser Barristan's orders. A side effect of having experienced battle commanders is that he didn't have to do much of anything. That's why he was drinking as much wine as he could possibly can while keeping an eye out from the Great Pyramid towards the walls of the city.

"How many cups have you had my friend?" Varys asked as he stood next to Tyrion.

"I never kept count."

"You should put a hold on to the cup. You will need your wits soon enough."

"Why? We are not going anywhere. We are trapped inside this giant pyramid and wait for the enemy to come and kill us."

"You have such low confidence on Ser Barristan. You have survived greater odds in Westeros."

"I seem to have caught a strong bout of bad luck ever since our queen has left the city." said Tyrion not at all pleased with the series of disasters that followed to this day on his watch.

"Don't blame yourself, my friend. Sometimes you win some and lose some. There is still a chance that Ser Barristan would break the host of Windblown." said Varys trying to lift the spirit.

"I wouldn't be…." Tyrion paused as a horn blew from the south side of the city. Once more the horn blew which keyed them on that an enemy has been spotted. The bells began to ring all across the south-west part of the city.

"That was from the south….the sea!" Varys exclaimed and together they ran around the corridor until they found a window with a view of the sea.

Tyrion quickly dragged a chair by the window and climbed himself over unsteadily. He was just about to fall but Varys quickly steadied him. As his eyes took in the scene before him he gulped nervously. The usually vacant sea of Mereen was now filled with ships as far as his eyes could see. Rows and rows of ships stretched across the sea and he knew they were not here for a friendly visit. The siege just took a bleak turn and he wished for some miracle to happen.

Barristan barked orders to the men under his command left and right to secure the walls of Mereen. When he had learned the Tattered Prince had refused peace terms from Tyrion he was not surprised. Although, a small part of him hoped that there was still a chance for a negotiated peace especially when the Tattered Prince had agreed to a two-day truce for discussing the offer with his men. But right now as he listened to the bells ringing in the city and the news of a fleet fast approaching he berated himself for not seeing this sooner. He should not have taken stock of promises made by a Sellsword much less the captain of the Windblown.

If he squinted his eyes a little he could make out the siege engines behind the enemy lines. Soon the Trebuchets would be employed and the city would suffer numerous loses. The walls of Mereen may be sturdy and the many pyramids within the city may withstand such an assault but the are owned by wealthy masters. The common people lived in wooden cabins, alleys and huts. This attack will only bring death and destruction upon the former slaves which in turn would only embolden the former slave masters. The uneasy peace that himself, the Unsullied and the Red Priests had managed to bring the city would be shattered. There was only one option before him right now. He will have to take the three thousand men under his command to attack the Windblown. Of he was lucky he might be able to kill the Tattered Prince and inflict as much damage on the siege engines. Looking back at the brave men he was about to lead into the enemy's lair he wished he had more time to train the men.

He took notice when he was joined by Grey Worm atop the city wall in observing the enemy.

"You are going to ride out Ser Barristan?" asked Grey Worm picking each word carefully and Barristan noted that the Commander of the Unsullied had a marked improvement in the Common Tongue. Probably thanks to Lady Missandei, he thought.

"Yes. Many will undoubtedly die but we have to attack before the enemy has a chance to coordinate with the enemy fleet."

A look of understanding passed between Grey Worm and Barristan. Barristan could see that a hint of respect in the eyes of Grey Worm and they shook hands.

"We will guard the city for the Queen Ser Barristan." Grey Worm promised with a tight nod and Barristan was sure that the promise would be kept despite whatever that the future had in store for them. That put his mind at ease knowing that the Queen would still have loyal warriors when she returned.

A screech penetrated the tense air of the city making Barristan and Grey Worm look at each other confused. Another screech was heard and they both looked to the Great Pyramid fearing that Viserion was about to break out just as his brother did weeks ago. The last thing they needed was a wild dragon unleashed inside the city. Another screech was heard, this time louder but Barristan could not see the dragon. All of a sudden he felt the sun dim a little bit all around them and the screech was louder than ever. Everyone looked straight up and they could see high up in the clouds a dragon flew straight for the city. It was massive but the sun's glare made them avert their eyes from the dragon.

Everyone including Barristan became alarmed as the dragon swooped in too close to the walls of the city. In a flap of wings, the dragon easily pushed up and flew right over the wall straight for the enemy encamped outside the city. Every soldier on the wall pointed at the dragon with excitement and soon the men were chanting quite loudly. Dragon Queen! Dragon Queen! Dragon Queen!

Barristan quickly took a spyglass from one of the aides and took a peak. Sure enough, he could see the silver-haired rider. The black scales of the beast were irrefutable proof that the dragon was Drogon. His mind was elated to know that the Queen had returned unharmed and then he witnessed history in making. The dragon banked to the right and breathed fire upon the Windblown. There was fire everywhere and he thanked the Seven for keeping him alive to bear witness to a Targaryen ride a dragon off to war.

He followed the movement of the Queen as her dragon breathed fire upon the sellswords. He noted that the Queen was concentrating on the siege engines rather than the people itself. Even then there were quite a lot of them that was consumed by fire. He paid them no mind as they were enemies and followed his gaze on the Queen. Soon she flew away in the direction of the sea. A little while later he could see smoke rising out from the direction of the sea.

Fire and Blood were the words of House Targaryen and it was Fire and Blood that he was seeing. He had no shame in joining the jubilant shouts of his men as he watched everything happen. Once again he felt the thrill and excitement that he felt when he slew Maelys the Monstrous in single combat.

AN: I have pushed Cersei and the Tyrells to the next chapter. We will also see what Ramsay has in store in the next chapter. He can still do quite some damage as many will find out.

Xechu.s: Don't worry. We will see more from the giants.

MoreRational: The sack of Highgarden has not happened. Jon was speaking about taking Baelish's war chest.

GalodonPrime: Never saw the Originals so I don't know. Glad to know that you liked it though.

InfinityMask: Oh no. Baelish will be introduced but at a much larger gathering.

vyoom: True. The Northern lords will be really surprised but Baelish was a very capable swindler and money lender.

curt466: Glad to know you enjoyed the chapter. I can do longer chapters but it will take more time to update.