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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. ]

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Hell if I know. I mean, probably. Pretty sure the Queen wouldn't lie to me.

But seriously you haven't even seen my spire, which is pretty much the most awesome place in this world. If this stuff impresses you well... [Laughing right now.]

You get the bigger speech yet? About what happens if we lose? [From the way she speaks, Jason guesses that she is someone with some authority and power in her world. "My people" says as much. That she cares about them is a good thing, but he wants to make sure she knows all of it.

Also, the fact that she cares impresses him to some degree. He's always slightly on edge about someone who comes from power and privilege, but she seems to be awed by what's around her.

Then again, he could be wrong. "My people" could mean something else. He realizes, after mentally offering her his sympathy, that it could be that.

Which means it's time to figure it out.]

Edited (sorry for the edits, slight word change.) 2015-06-05 05:18 (UTC)

[When Lumina appears on the locket, she has an imp of her own perched on her shoulder, his face painted pink and black.]

Aw, don't chase the imps away. They're great friends if you let them be.

[She was kind of biased, though. Mostly they were awful little monsters.]

And nobody really knows about the time thing between her and everywhere else, so you're prooooooobably not gonna get a definitive answer.

[ She's testy at these scant details. ] If I wished to hear more uncertainties, I would ask the imps.

[ -- And yet, he's laughing, this man. The cheery sound is strange enough to shake some of her carefully-concealed fury. ]

Perhaps, but I have seen many spires. [ Challengingly: ] Perhaps I will find yours lacking.

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.

[ This one would be of an age with her, it seems--or near enough to make no matter.

For a moment, she studies him. And then she demands: ] A worse fate than thousands dead or re-enslaved? A crueler fate than one hundred and sixty-three children left to die alone in the sun? A more monstrous fate than eight thousand slain innocents and strangled dogs? [ Her nostrils flare. ] It is true that I am only a young girl and know little of the ways of war, but it seems to me that these threats to my people's safety are no small matter.

[ And then, just as sharply as it appeared, the fury begins to ebb from her eyes. Her face softens, albeit with effort. ] I have spoken you unjustly. Even without my dragons, I have a dragon's temper, it seems. [ SORRY, JASON. She knows he didn't deserve her ire. ]

[ 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.

There are few assurances in life, in this world or any others. Are you so certain of their safety in your own world?

[It would be kind to tell her there's no point in sending away the potential spies when using the monarchs' network anyway. But unfortunately, it's hard to do that without sounding like you have something to hide from the monarchs yourself, and Saralegui is playing the good Unseelie for the moment.]

I don't think there's any real proof anyone can give about the time issue. It's a concern for everyone, but with no way back and more present concerns to worry about here, most just settle for that answer and hope for the best.

[A sympathetic smile, which after a moment slides into a more curious look.]

...You look a bit young to have children.

[Some start young, true. And adoption is a legitimate and respectable thing in some countries. And you can never really tell ages with the people brought here anyway.

But still, it bears asking.]

[ She hasn't yet forgiven the imps for taking her away from her quarters atop the Great Pyramid, even if she knows they are only messengers. ]

Perhaps when I have forgiven the imps for treating me ill, I will treat them more gently. It seems they have a thirst for my wine, and enjoy being scratched behind the ears.

[ Her face softens somewhat at this. Her dragons favor being scratched in much the same place. ]

I see. [ The answer is delivered calmly, but inwardly, a cold, hard fury settles into her belly. ] Thank you for your honesty, all the same. What is your name, my lady?

[ She has never seen such a man, for all her travels. His appearance gives her pause, though she has the grace not to show her surprise. ]

I am their queen, and none can give the same protection in my place. [ She explains--no, protests, as though her presence there is unquestionably a better option. ] I am mother to the last three dragons in the world, and I command an army of ten thousand Unsullied soldiers. I am certain I prefer those odds to what is left, if I am truly gone from Meereen.

[ She likes the odds better where her dragons' safety is concerned, too. She can feel the fear beginning to gnaw at her again. There are too many in the world who would do them harm, and Rhaegal and Viserion are only the sizes of dogs still. ]

[ All black eyes, pale skin; as Daenerys speaks, four black-finned fish appear on the camera, swimming through midair around him. He is man-shaped but not human, has not been for some time, and he is used to surprise and pauses. ]

Queens can be manipulated. Armies can be killed. Kingdoms rise and fall as the tides do.

In this world or your own, whether time passes or not, they are not safe. You are not safe. Death comes for all, mortal and god alike.

[ The Outsider pauses here, reaching out to idly stroke along the scales of one of the fish that swims around him. ]

But in this world, it is the fate of all worlds that is to be decided. Should you want their safety, worry about the world you are in, the war that has called you to arms.

[ That draws a bitter laugh from her. ] That is defeat, by some other name.

[ Dany has never liked the taste of defeat. In fact, she's always found some new way to avoid it--but it seems here, she may have no choice. Here, she will have to fight new battles, a new war. In her young life, she's become a khaleesi, a mother of dragons, a conqueror, and a queen. Is another adaptation truly so different?

If I look back, I am lost.

Saralegui's query draws her out of her thoughts. ]

I am not so young. For all that I have seen and learned, I feel old. [ She smiles faintly. ] I have wedded a khal of the Great Grass Sea and carried his son inside me. [ And lost them both, all the same. ] But you speak of my dragons, I think. I have three.

[ There is love in her eyes, but the pride, too, is unmistakable. ] They are all that remain in the world, I am told. Once, dragons roamed the skies of Valyria freely, but they were all killed, by treachery or otherwise. I brought them forth from stone in my lord husband's funeral pyre, and I have been their mother since that night.

Edited 2015-06-05 08:26 (UTC)

[It's probably also kinder not to immediately shut her down with the whole "I have no idea what a khal or the Great Grass Sea is" bit. Saralegui just smiles, ever polite and composed.]

Ah. I suppose I can't blame you for worrying over them, then. Dragons are endangered where I come from, but I'm fairly sure there are still more than just three left.

[The whole "brought forth from stone in a funeral pyre" thing is also perplexing, but it wouldn't do to barrage the newbies with a million potentially uncomfortable questions when they still have so many questions of their own.]

[ 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)

( Oh how she can empathize with this girl. Truly, at first glance they are cut from similar cloth. Royal, obviously, from the way she talked about her people. Young, and with eyes which have seen too much loss. Had Elizabeth not gone through something similar in nature and scope, she would never have caught it. That brief flash in her eyes, for the most fleeting of moments.

But as it is, it is like beholding herself in a mirror. For their shared dignity and so that she, herself need not weaken herself before the eyes of all the Unseelie, she locks the conversation ahead of time. At least they might speak freely. )

I asked the very same question upon my arrival, and was told that time does not continue to pass while we are gone. I left behind my mother and four sisters, all that remain of my family. My people, conquered.

Only ruin and death await me at home. There is a great appeal in making this land one's home. But for you.. you say you have children?

( She is very fortunate. Elizabeth thinks this, assuming she refers to human children. ) You may at least be rest-assured that for them, it is as though you have not left. For time, so far as we know, truly does not continue to pass while we remain ensconced here.

[ These do draw a reaction from her, and she watches the fish swim in astonishment. ]

I understand well that death comes. [ Her tone is flat. ] I have supped too much on it to claim otherwise. But imminence may be manipulated, and I-- [ She hesitates. ] --I cannot simply accept that I have abandoned those I have saved. It is the duty of a queen to protect those she is able to protect, and to mourn those she could have saved, yet did not.

[ His counsel inspires a long, hard silence--as well it should. Dany believes in gods and magic both, but it's difficult to fathom what's being asked of her. She is the last dragon, the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros--and yet she's being asked to save much more than that. ]

You mean to say if I do not fight, my world--and these other worlds, all--will be destroyed? [ Disbelief is plain across her features. ] At what price? [ For there is always a price, she's beginning to think. Always some cost she cannot see. ] What must I sacrifice to win survival for my people?

[ Only death may pay for life. She must not forget. ]

[ There is kindness in this girl's words, Dany thinks. She is comforting, reasoned. For a moment, she wants to tell her all. My father is slain, she thinks. My brother, fallen. I am all that is left. I am the last, the last. In the end, what holds her back from confessing her loneliness is the memory of her bear knight, her banished betrayer, walking as though defeated out of her audience chamber.

Once for blood and once for gold and once for love. Is this girl another betrayer? Perhaps Dany is absolved of such prophecies while she is here, but the past is too raw, too fresh. ]

I have three. [ Betrayer though she may be, perhaps she could also be a friend. Suddenly, Dany wants to weep. ] I had a son within me, once, but my dragons and my freedmen are my children now. I have been strong for my dragons as a mother must be, fed them at my breast and toasted their meat on a brazier, yet they grow bigger and bolder.

[ The blood of the dragon does not weep. So she does not. ]

A dragon is no sweet babe, you see. [ She smiles, sadly. ] They are all that remains, and when men do not seek to steal them, they speak of having them killed. [ Perhaps she'll always feel a chill at the notion. ] Yet they are mine, all. Mine to grow and mine to ride, and one day, I shall take them across the Narrow Sea, and reunite my royal father's kingdom--but not as yet. I have found there are cruelties I must punish, justice I must mete out, before that day comes.

[ She wants to believe this girl has suffered betrayal, too. She wants to believe it badly, though not because she wishes her ill. ] Your words are kind-- [ She pauses, unused to giving someone else the same title as her own. ] --Your Grace. I have heard no counsel half so comforting in this place.

[ She wants to repay the favor, when she is able. ] I would know your name.

( Betrayal is something she has experienced at many turns in her life. Never, ever would she dream of doing so to another. Her family lies in ashes; her father succumbed to a fever, the boys each murdered and hidden abroad respectively. Her birthright, her name and standing in life have all been stripped from her. As well as perhaps any good reputation she'd had. In the end, she would be forced to marry the greatest betrayer she personally knew were she to return home. No. never would she seek out to ruin and harm another life in such a fashion.

The empathy in her gaze remains, because it is only intensifying with each moment that passes by. She keeps her features gentle, knowing that while this girl wears a mask which appears hard and honed like steel, she is probably just as frightened as she is, herself. )

Oh, my lady. ( The sorrow which mixes with the gentleness in her is genuine. If this woman is within the walls of Caer Scima, she wishes to embrace her. ) My deepest condolences for your loss. I have no doubt that you are a wonderful mother to them. I am glad for it.

( As Daenerys continues to speak of dragons, Elizabeth's eyes nearly well with tears. ) I know, sadly. There was one here, more than a year past. Just a child. Bred to spread rot throughout the land. She was killed. ( Closing her eyes, she releases a shaking breath. ) Keep yours safe, however you must. Their lives are precious.

( Elizabeth blinks at the use of the title, not having heard it from anyone who was not from England and passing familiar with her history before. ) As yours are, Your Grace. We have much in common. Should I return home, I shall either have to take my father's vacant throne for myself or marry my brothers' murderer. I must believe that time does not pass there for my own sanity's sake. It does my sisters no good if I go mad here. And like with you and your children.

( Finally, she finds her smile returning. ) Elizabeth. Elizabeth Plantagenet. At home, I am a princess of England. And what might yours be?

And to look for those vipers who would keep her from both.

[ Her words remind him all too well of the late Empress Jessamine, in his own world; her dream dead with her, her daughter knowing pain and fear and death at the hands of both those who betrayed them and those who would have protected her. ]

If you fight, they may still be destroyed. It is only if the goal of the Unseelie court is reached, if enough shards are gathered to cast back the Void, that they will not.

We fight Fate and Cycles, now. And for those who would let both win... well. Their shards can be obtained through their deaths.

[ His hand drops from the fish, and one of them cheekily lets her tail brush across his cheek. ]

[ Win or lose the war of the gem, Harry knows that he will not return home again, but he doesn't want to dash that hope quite so quickly for others. ]

I want to say this is a good place, but that's not quite right either. This is a necessary place and whether or not your people miss you, they need you here. The Void comes and the End of all Things too, and that'll take your people just as surely famine or chains.

[ It is worth noting that Harry has been here for some time and his appearance has changed over the years: half his face is covered over in old scar tissue, surrounding a false eye made of red amber. ]

Your kingdom?

[There didn't seem to be much in the way of nobility here - perhaps ones who have earned titles in this world, but not ones who were and always have been royalty.]

If time will remain as it was, it could prove advantageous. Years, potentially, to think on strategy and management.

[ it's a bit like déjà vu, in a sense, but it's easy enough to shake off. there's a pair of bright green eyes that are looking at her, as if he's trying to place her. ]

Time and space are an interesting subject when you're at the end of the world.

[ he's talking to her he's talking to her he's talking to her he's talking to her. don't fanboy, Loki. he may be just a tad more animated than normal, here. ]

Erm, well, here's the thing, they don't really move the same way and there's entirely no way to tell. I've done this before, it gets a little ... disorienting. [ finger waggle. ]

Regardless, this end-of-the-world type place is of great import, if they haven't already stressed the whole ordeal enough.

[ mother of dragons, meet mother of monsters. ]

[That she cares about all those that she's listed off impresses him further. Jason listens patiently while she goes on, and then he leans toward his set up locket and says simply:]

Yeah, way worse. Be angry all you want. We need more anger.

[The words come smoothly before he goes on. Jason almost feels like he should adopt a fancier way of speaking, but it wouldn't do. Plus, he has his own way with words.]

Right now, you have an enemy that stands against all of that: the Seelie monarchy. They believe in a cycle of life and death that has gone on many times over. This cycle destroys everyone's worlds so they can hit an instant reset. They have led many people to die, and this war we've been dragged to? It's happened again and again. We're meant to ... believe that by stopping the cycle, we're stopping life. But that's bullshit. There are catches, ways to change things. We're working on it.

But the simplest way is to fight them. We're fighting to make it so that every single person we've left behind can keep living. We're their representatives. Me ... I'm a nobody, no one who really matters. It took me a while to see why I was here. [He breathes out slowly.]

You, on the other hand ... you sound exactly like what we need. What they need standing for them.

So, up for this rather weighty task of keeping your world from ending?

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