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[ The locket reveals the face of a young woman--some would say a girl--peering into it. Her hair gleams silver-gold in the candlelight, her eyes an unusual purple color. In the background, an imp peers over her shoulder, its claws clinging to her bared skin. ]

There is magic in the Free Cities and Qarth alike, yet I have seen nothing half so convincing as Allaidh Darach. It is ... [ She hesitates; what to call the place that's imprisoned you against your will? ] ... intricate work, truly. Were I settled into my kingdom, my children fierce and grown, perhaps I would not mind it so much, calling Caer Scima home.

[ For a fraction of an instant, she looks sad. Did Drogon sense her as she faded into this world? ]

But lush pillows will not shield my freedmen from those who would send them back to the shackles, no more than peach tarts will keep famine away from my gates. [ The imp shakes a foul little fist at the locket in punctuation, as though its fellows didn't help to abduct her only four nights ago. Dany turns and fixes it with a measured look. ]

Leave me now. I want no spies.

[ It hesitates, but something in her voice convinces it. Muttering, it releases her shoulder and shrinks away as though scolded. Dany waits impatiently for two more of the creatures to leave her presence, some private struggle raging beneath. Then, at last, she exhales in a sigh. ]

Yet time is not so easily disrupted, I have learned. Tell me, was I spoken true? [ It's phrased as something of a demand, but there's a very clear plea beneath it. The queen is there, but so, too, is the girl. And the girl is frightened, fearing for her people and her dragons alike. ] Will my people notice I have left them, or will all be as it was? How may I be assured of their safety?

[ Restless fingers pluck at the fringe of the cushion in her lap. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A lot of those imps are actually allied to me so........

[That's not really all that reassuring.]

Yeah well which of those had open air gardens with free roaming animals? Or chocobos. I've got a veritable shitton of chocobos.

[ Even judging by this one conversation, no. No, it isn't.

She sits back, studying him. She's still bemused by his manner, but something in it reminds her of the sellswords she met in Yunkai, though this man seems far less threatening. In fact, he seems to bear her no ill will at all, and strangely, the thought of such banter calms her. ] There are intricate palaces in Volantis. The Triarchs boast such gardens, resplendent with red and orange blooms, and each seeks to outdo his rival. It is said half the wells in the city are drained by the elaborate fountains in these gardens.

[ Her voice grows wistful; she remembers it well, though she was only a child when she saw the city last. ] In the streets, they ride white elephants. There are zorses and elephants, manticores and monkeys. My brother insisted there were tigers, though I have only seen one, and he did not roam. [ He had been ill, Viserys had said, but Dany had only thought him sad, locked away behind the bars.

She pauses. ] I have heard of no ... chocobos. You must tell me what they are, so that I may ruin these for you, too. [ Is that a note of teasing in her voice? Perhaps. ]

Not going to lie, a pet tiger would be awesome. But I've got something even better right now. A pet ocelot. Yeah, that's right. The cutest wild cat is totally my pal. I call him Babou.

[That was already his name when Archer came along but shhh.]

Ruin the chocobos though? I'm thinking that you'd make them hotter. Ridiculously hot. You could ride Darth Wark and I don't think my pants could handle the pressure of that sight.

[ Whom does she have to thank for her ability to (partially) keep up with this man? Who knows, truly. ]

Darth Wark. [ She repeats this doubtfully. ] I see. Some family name, perhaps? [ This time, it's not a jape. Dany's heard far too many names in far too many languages in her lifetime to discount a chocobo named Darth Wark. ]

Ah. [ She was puzzled initially, but now with what she assumes is talk of his raiment, she thinks she understands. There are few men she's met who don't speak of their members, and she's well-accustomed to such sentiments. Still, she smiles, unfazed. ] I have looked upon neither ocelots nor chocobos. Perhaps I shall pay this spire a visit, though it will pale in comparison to what I have seen.

[ This man, baffling though he is, has done her mood a great service. ] If you truly own such a spire, then you must have some title. What is your name?

Edited 2015-06-05 09:15 (UTC)

No, it's just Darth W-

-does no one around here watch Star Wars? [So ignorant of other worlds and cultures, even though he's been here for a very long time.]

Never mind. It's Archer. Baron Sterling Archer.

[ It's clear from the politely bemused look she gives him that she thinks he may be mad. ]

However magnificent they sound, I have seen no star wars, Baron Archer. It may be that my realm will see dragon wars, if my enemies do not yield as they should. [ This is, of course, delivered with the utmost nonchalance. ]

I have many titles, but I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. [ She smiles, well aware of the syllabic discrepancy between his name and her own. Not reciting the rest of them is a small mercy. ] You are no subject of mine, but you may call me khaleesi, if it please you.

No, it's a movie. You could literally, right now, go down to the theater and watch it. But I would pay to watch dragons.

[Which he probably has. For movies, not the real thing.]

Uh, right. That sounds pretty....Middle-Eastern to me. Do they even have female leaders because last I checked, they didn't.

Would you? [ She looks amused. He cannot possibly know true dragons, if that is his sentiment. ] It would be wiser to pay not to see one. [ But just wait and see if anyone she conquers ever listens to this. Spoiler alert: They don't. ]

It is in the East, but there is no ... Middle-East. [ Only ends and borders. ] A Khaleesi is queen to the Dothraki, the horselords in my realm. They are fierce conquerors of the Great Grass Sea, and all who would keep their gods and their lives flee before a Dothraki approach.

[ So, they bring imminent doom. Just, you know, Dothraki things. ]

Edited 2015-06-09 10:43 (UTC)

Right. So....mongols, got it. Are we talking Genghis Khan or Kublai Khan, this is a pretty important distinction.

[Again, asking questions that she wouldn't know the answer to.]

The whole Golden Horde thing was pretty much M1A1 Abrams of their day.

Edited 2015-06-09 18:08 (UTC)

[ She lifts an eyebrow, thinking for a moment that she heard "mongrels". ]

Is there a khan who would plunder and burn cities who do not give him gifts?

[ Dany embraced the Dothraki culture, but that didn't mean she liked many of its aspects. ]

My lord husband, Drogo, was Khal to forty thousand riders. He favored tradition; I do not.

[ No, she just burns cities to the ground for not releasing their slaves. Much better, obviously. ]

Yeah, that was totally his shtick. He'd do this thing where he would surround cities and then put up a white tent. If they surrendered then, it would be cool. The next night, he'd put up a red tent. If they gave up then, all the soldiers would be killed but the city wouldn't be destroyed. That third night though...hahaha, oh man. That third night, he'd put up a black tent and that meant the city was completely screwed.

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