eachdraidh | VIDEO ( UNSEELIE LOCKED );

[ 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

[ He is undeniably comely, and though his smile is boyish, she finds herself charmed all the same. Charmed, and willing to speak more privately with someone who doesn't seem as though he would do her harm. ]

A talking bird, for true? [ She repeats this, amused. ] Not one that simply repeats the phrases it has learned? I do not believe you.

[ The news that she may have (temporarily) evaded those who would see her killed to extinguish the Targaryen line soothes her, somewhat--though now, it seems she's in a pit of snakes who would see her killed all the same. ] You are kind to offer me such news, truly. Knowledge of those I may meet is no small matter. [ Her tone is conversational still, but now there's some harder edge to it: a prepared steel, concealed beneath the politeness. Many wouldn't be friend to her, and without guards or dragons, she can't afford to be foolish. ] Mine is a brutal realm, and even assassinations of children are rewarded with gold and titles alike.

Tell me how your slavery ended. Was it with words, or with battle? [ She thinks she can guess at the answer. Where there is slavery, there is power, and those who would refuse to give it up. ]

Nope, a real conversation. [ Johnny forgets the bird's name, but he's sure he'll recollect it eventually, but that amusement is short-lived, because he winces at the mention of children being assassinated and rewarded for it, of all things. ]

Giving people gold and titles for killing children? What the hell? [ He can't help the grimace and the incredulity laced with disgust, because in what kind of world is that, that these perpetrators wouldn't be immediately thrown in jail? [ He senses her seriousness, her displeasure, the edge that belies her young age, and he decides to choose his words carefully. ]

Well, it ended with the bloodiest civil war in American history. More than half a million people died. [ It's not a fun story to tell, but he knows that she's probably more than prepared for this. ]

You're still fighting for yours, right?

[ She hardens. ] It is hell, indeed. I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the trueborn heir to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The Usurper and his dogs who stole the throne butchered my royal brother's little son Aegon and daughter Rhaenys, and his good and gentle wife. There is no honor in those who would swear him allegiance.

[ Perhaps now, she's ensured he'll come to her first. She flinches at the number he gives her, and prays that her enemies will not command so many. ]

I have given my people their freedom, but I don't deny that there are many who would seek to drive them back into chains. The flesh trade persists elsewhere in the world, beyond my reach in Meereen, and it may be that the slavers I have spared will seek aid elsewhere.

VIDEO ( UNSEELIE LOCKED );

video (private);

video (private);

video (private);