Tainted // Tyrion Lannister

76. Fault

 'My fault?' Tyrion asked. They were being attacked. They were being fired upon with great balls of fire.

'You had to open your big mouth! a little man had to open his big mouth' Grey went on, they marched through the pyramid, yelling out of anger and due to the noise of their impending doom.

'Who's to say they're not mad at you and your people!' Tyrion accused. Tilly pointed a finger at Tyrion laughing and Mabel couldn't help but chuckle. 'you are supposed to be on my side.' Tyrion side kissing her cheek. But suddenly Danny emerged from outside, In the midst of the fighting and chaos.

++

'Despite appearances, I think you'll find the city's on the rise." Tyrion said dryly as another fireball hit the pyramid causing the room to shake, Tilly let out a scream in Mabels arms as she took a step away from the crumbling pyramid walls. "Perhaps we should take shelter." Tyrion suggested as another ball shook the room. Another deathening scream right in Mabel's ear.

'It's okay love its okay.' Mabel coed.

"The city's on the rise"?" Daenerys repeated flatly, her face inexpressive.

"Meereen is strong. Commerce has returned to the markets, the people are behind you." Tyrion added, but flinched as another loud boom was heard to object his words, little tears ran down tillys cheeks.

'I'm so sorry love, mama is going to keep you safe, I promise.' Mabel assured her, holding her to her chest a protective hand over her head as Tilly shed silent tears into mabels chest.

"Well, not all the people, of course. No ruler who ever lived had the support of all the people, but the rebirth of Meereen is the cause of this violence." Tyrion said. Danny's expression did not change.

"The Masters cannot let Meereen succeed because if Meereen succeeds, a city without slavery is a city without Masters. It proves that no one needs a master." Mabel reminded her. Danny nodded in agreement.

"Good. Shall we begin?"

"Do we have a plan?" Tyrion asked.

"I will crucify the Masters, I will set their fleets afire, kill every last one of their soldiers and return their cities to the dirt. That is my plan." Danny said confidently walking towards them, her voice emotionless. "You don't approve." Danny asked Tyrion seeing his face pinch.

'I mean that one way.' Mabel said stiffly. 'but is that the kind of queen you want to be?" Mabel added and Danny stared at her a moment longer, Tyrion hesitated before speaking.

"You once told us you knew what your father was. Did you know what his plans for Kings Landing when Lannister troops were at his gates? Probably not. Well he told my brother and Jamie told me. He had cashes of wildfire hidden under the Red Keep, the Guild Hall, the Sept of Balor, all the major thoroughfares. He would have burned every one of his citizens, the loyal ones and the traitors. Every man, woman and child. That's why Jamie killed him." Tyrion told them.

"This is entirely different!" Danny shot back.

"You're talking about destroying cities. It's not entirely different." Mabel pointed out. Danny looked at her silently, and mabel clamped her mouth shut.

"I'd like to suggest an alternate approach." Tyrion offered, but just then the balcony doors of the council chamber exploded by an oncoming bombardment from the Masters. Mabel shielded Tilly from any flying debris.

'You alright?" Tyrion questioned looking Mabel over.

'You alright?" Mabel questioned Tilly and she nodded tears still in her eyes a deep frown set on her face.

++

Tyrion convinced Danny and instead met the masters in person to discuss their terms of surrender. Danny decided to go with Tyrion's plan and called for the Masters to meet.

"Once before I offered you peace. If you had not been so arrogant, you could have returned to your homeland with a fleet of ships. Instead, you will flee Slavers Bay on foot like the beggar Queen you are." One of the Masters said.

"We are here to discuss terms of surrender, not to trade insults."

"The terms are simple; you and your fallen friends will abandon the Great Pyramid and the city of Meereen. The Unsullied that you stole from Kraznys mo Nakloz will remain to be sold again to the highest bidder. The translator you stole from Kraznys mo Nakloz will remain to be sold again to the highest bidder. The dragons beneath the Great Pyramid will be slaughtered." Yezzan told Danny, who smiled slightly.

"We obviously didn't communicate clearly. We're here to discuss your surrender, not mine." She said. The Masters smirked though they thought themselves still in charge.

"I imagine it's difficult, adjusting to the new reality. Your reign is over." The Master said as Drogon flew over head.

"My reign has just begun." Danny told them just as a roar was heard and Drogon flew up over them, the Masters and their soldiers cowered at the sight as Drogon landed beside his mother and let her climb atop before taking flight again. They all watched as Danny flew over Meereen as she was soon joined by her two other dragons as they burst out of the Pyramid. They watched as the dragons began to set fire to the Master's ships. Grey Worm stepped forward and spoke to the soldiers in Valyrian.

"You men have a choice," he said as the Unsullied stood, shields and weapons at the ready, "To fight and die for masters who would never fight and die for you, or go home to your families." He told them. None of them hesitated and threw down their swords and spears, they ran off as quickly as they could.

"Thank you for the armada, our Queen sure does love ships." tyrion told the Masters who stood in disbelief. "Now, last time we spoke we made a pact. You violated that pact, you declared war upon us, though our Queen has a forgiving nature, this cannot be forgiven." Tyrion told the Masters who looked at them in fear. "Our Queen insists that one of you must die as punishment for your crimes." Tyrion went on as the masters stared at the dragon fire. "It always seems a bit abstract, doesn't it? Other people dying." The Masters looked between each other and pushed Yezzan forward.

"Him. He should die." One of the Masters said.

"Yes, him." The other Master agreed.

"He's not one of us. He's an outsider, lowborn. He does not speak for us." The Master said. Tyrion looked to Grey Worm to do the deed. Yezzan fell to his knees as he pleaded for his life. Grey Worm said nothing, but pulled out his dagger and slit both Master's throats standing instead. Tyrion walked up to the shaken man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell your people what happened here. Tell them you lived by the grace of Her Majesty. When they come forward with notions of retribution or ideas of returning the slave cities to their "former glory". Remind them what happened when Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons came to Meereen." Tyrion told him, and patted Yezzan on his shoulder.

'How did it go?" Mabel questioned when Tyrion got back.

"I think we got the message through.' Tyrion told her.

'The pyramid stopped shaking.' Mabel noted. 'that's a good sign.'

'Yes, a very good sign.' Tyrion agreed.

'where is the queen?'

'Burning bridges.' Tyrion told her simply.