The Nightmare in Her Dreams

Chapter 1

"It's everything all right, your Grace?" Missandei's sweet voice asked from behind her. It was morning and Missandei was helping her get ready for the day ahead, braiding her hair as usual and Daenerys couldn't stop looking at her from her mirror, making sure she was really there, safe and sound.

She could still perfectly see her friend's execution in her dreams. Every time she would think about it, blind rage and despair would fill her entire being and it would always take long minutes for her to snap out of it.

She wanted to rain fire and blood on Cersei and King's Landing but she knew that that way led to madness. She wouldn't succumb to it, not this time. She would make things right.

"Yes, Missandei. I'm all right. I'm just happy to know you're by my side."

"Always, your Grace."

Yes, always. She would make sure of it. Missandei won't die this time. Nor will her children. Nor will Jorah.

"I thank you for your advice, Lord Tyrion, but Daario is not simply my lover, he's also the commander of the Second Sons. While I will end our relationship, I will not leave him and the Second Sons behind. I need every man I have to win the war."

Daenerys observed Tyrion carefully. He looked disappointed, obviously thinking he was right and that she was making a mistake, but he didn't try to change her mind further.

"Of course, my Queen." Tyrion said, bowing his head in acquiescence. They were alone in her solar, just like the first time the two of them had a real conversation when she first met him.

The ships would be ready to set sail in a few days' time, her men filling them to the brim with the food they would need for the winter.

"Now, tell me my lord, Lord Varys was able to gain an alliance with the Reach and Dorne, isn't that right?"

Tyrion nodded. "Yes, your Grace. Lady Olenna Tyrell and..." he grimaced a little before uttering "Ellaria Sand, who now rules Dorne after killing Prince Doran and his son and heir."

"You don't approve of this alliance." Daenerys said, aware of the fact that Ellaria Sand was responsible for the death of Tyrion's niece.

"I simply believe that a woman who kills her own Prince shouldn't get to rule Dorne, that's all. Moreover, she killed my innocent niece in cold blood just to get back at Cersei."

"I understand your concerns, but we can't allow ourselves to be picky. Ellaria Sand hates Cersei and we'll use this to have Dorne on our side. I know she deserves to be punished for her crimes, that it would be the honorable thing to do, but she already bent the knee to me, recognizing me as her queen. She already promised the Dornish army in its entirety, I can't very well execute her after this, can I?"

Tyrion nodded again. "I understand your position, your Grace. It's the smart thing to do. If the situation didn't concern me so intimately, I would agree wholeheartedly."

"Good. Now, let's talk strategy. First things first, is Lady Olenna still in Sunspear?"

At Tyrion's nod, Daenerys said, "Good. We should send her a message to have the soldiers in the castle strip Highgarden of everything it contains – food, gold, everything of value – and the surrounding fields and farms of food as well and bring all of this to Sunspear. Also, Lady Olenna should stay in Sunspear and not return to Highgarden, she will be safe there. In the meantime, the Dornish army will join the Reach army in Highgarden and from there they will march towards King's Landing together. This needs to happen before we arrive, so that the Westerosi army will have already reached the capital by the time we land in Westeros."

"Do you plan on attacking full force?" Tyrion asked, fearfully looking at her.

"I plan on surrounding the city from all sides before Cersei has even the time to call in reinforcements."

Tyrion widened his eyes and nodded in approval. "So, you plan on using our fleet to surround King's Landing by sea."

"Yes and no." At Tyrion's confused look, Daenerys elaborated. "We'll split our fleet. The ships that contain the Unsullied and part of the Dothraki will land in Lannisport and take Casterly Rock. It will be a surprise attack, they won't expect it and they won't have the time to leave the castle or send the Lannister army anywhere else. However, if your brother somehow manages to leave the capital and reach Casterly Rock and the Lannister army somehow manages to leave the castle, they will try to attack Highgarden."

"Why Highgarden?"

"Cersei needs to feed the population and she has no food at the moment. And there's also the problem of the debt with the Iron Bank that she will want to solve. Attacking Highgarden would solve that. Except for the fact that, if they were to attack the castle, they will find it empty of anything of value. At that point, they could decide to return to Casterly Rock, but they will find the Unsullied and Dothraki waiting for them, or they could decide to go towards King's Landing to defend the capital. If that were to happen, I will get rid of them with my dragons before they even have the time to reach the capital."

Tyrion winced a little at the idea of Daenerys using her dragons on the Lannisters' army but nodded. "So where do you plan on landing your fleet?"

"In Sunspear, momentarily. Then we'll make our way directly to King's Landing."

"Why Sunspear? Why not Dragonstone? It's closer to the capital and Aegon I started his conquest of Westeros from there."

"I'm well aware of that, Lord Tyrion, but I'm not Aegon the Conqueror. I'm Daenerys Stormborn."

"Of course, your Grace."

"There's still the problem of Euron Greyjoy and his fleet. I made Yara a promise that I intend to keep but I can't sail to Pyke and back, it'll take too much time."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"If you were Euron Greyjoy and you had just found out that the alliance you intended to make with me is not happening because your niece beats you to it, what would you do?"

"Seek an alliance elsewhere." Tyrion said immediately and then, widening his eyes... "with another queen."

"Yes, so I imagine I won't have to sail to Pyke because Euron will be headed to King's Landing. And our fleet, my children and I will meet him on the way."

"You can't be thinking of following the fleet on the back of your dragons?"

"That's exactly what I plan on doing. If Euron attacks us, I'll be ready. If we manage to reach King's Landing, he will bring his fleet there as well and I'll get rid of him in Blackwater Bay. And before you say that is dangerous, that arrows could hit me, I'm aware of that. I'll simply wear an armor to protect myself."

Tyrion opened and closed his mouth a few times in surprise and then finally nodded. "It's a good plan. It could work."

"It has to work."

"What do you plan on doing once we actually reach King's Landing? Do you intend to unleash your dragons on the capital, because thousands of innocents people will die this way."

"I don't plan on being Queen of the Ashes, Tyrion. No, I won't use dragonfire except for bursting the gates open and let the army through. I can't. You warned me that there's still wildfire all over the capital, I can't risk it going off."

"Good." Tyrion said, relieved. "We should starve them out. The people will rebel against Cersei this way and the city will fall."

"How is starving more humane than killing them outright? No, Lord Tyrion, we won't do that. It'll take too much time anyway. No, my goal is the Red Keep. Once that is taken and Cersei is captured, the city will be ours."