BREAKER OF CHAINS | Daenerys Targaryen

4.

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CHAPTER FOUR
~ A Choice ~

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In the many years that he had been a slave, Jaenys had never found himself so reluctant to follow the orders of his Masters than he did at this moment in time. He couldn't tell if his newfound defiance appeared when the mother of dragons arrived, or whether he had finally reached his limit, but it terrified him. For as long as he could remember, Jaenys had been brought up to carry out the demands and wishes of the Masters without question or hesitation, and the thought of doing the opposite of that was something that Jaenys had never experienced before.

But as he followed quietly behind the mother of dragons and her advisor, remaining out of sight and blending in with the slaves around him, he found that his instincts were telling him to do the opposite and help the mother of dragons.

Keeping enough distance between them so he wouldn't get caught, but enough that he could see them, Jaenys listened intensively to their conversation, hoping that they wouldn't say anything compromising that he'd have to report back to Kraznys. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

He truly believed that Daenerys Targaryen was the woman that this cured land needed to grow and prosper; she was tough, and yet, she was incredibly kind and caring. She was the perfect mix of tough love that Westeros needed - she was the perfect Queen.

While he was focused on the two, Jaenys didn't notice a brown-cloaked figure following closely behind them. His cloak billowed behind him as he walked and his large hood obscured his features. If Jaenys had been paying attention, he would have intercepted him, demanding what he wanted, but alas, he was too focused on Daenerys and Jorah to see.

"Eight thousand dead babies," Daenerys sighs in disgust.

"Unsullied are a means to an end."

"Once I own them, these men-"

"-they're not men. Not anymore." Jorah replies quickly.

"Once I own an army of slaves, what will I be?"

"Do you think these slaves will have better lives serving Kraznys and men like him, or serving you?"

Daenerys doesn't respond to her adviser's question, for her attention is captured by a young female child slave on the dock, watching her whilst playing with a ball. As soon as Daenerys lays eyes on her, Jaenys can see her heart drop at the sight of the young slave girl. Ignoring Jorah completely, Daenerys follows the little girl.

It was here that Jaenys first noticed the hooded figure following them. At first, he was confused because no other slave had been ordered to follow the two visitors around Astapor, but after a few seconds, he realised something was wrong. And so he followed closely behind the hooded figure, not letting it out of his sight.

Further down the dock, the mother of dragons and Jorah continued their discussion, "you'll be fair to them. You won't mutilate them to make a point."

Again, Daenerys didn't respond. Her attention was focused on the young slave who was running and hiding beside them, "we won't order them to murder babies, you'll see they're properly fed, sheltered. A great injustice has been done to them," he continued.

The young girl led them to a large open space where she stopped a few metres in front of both of them, "closing your eyes will not undo it," Jorah finished, receiving. no sign that Daenerys was even listening to him.

The young girl rolled her ball to Daenerys who didn't hesitate to pick it up, and when she signalled Daenerys to open it, she obliged, smiling as she did so.

It was at this point where Jaenys noticed the knife in the hooded figure's hand. The whole scene that was unfolding in front of him made his heart warm and fuzzy, but as soon as he saw the dagger, he only had one thing in his mind - protect Daenerys.

If Kraznys saw what he was about to do, he would have been whipped non-stop for hours on end, but Jaenys didn't care. All he wanted to do was help the woman who seemed to care about him and his kind more than anyone. He had to help her.

As Daenerys opened the ball, the hooded figure pushed her down to the ground while Jonah grabbed him from behind. Jaenys ran as fast as he could down towards the mother of dragons. No one noticed that from inside the ball, a scorpion-looking creature emerged, ready to strike down Daenerys.

Without thinking about the consequences that he would have to endure, Jaenys reached for the blade he held in his belt and stabbed the small creature. He turned round to see the girl run away towards the water, he followed with the hooded figure close behind him. When they got to the edge of the water, the girl disappeared - no splash, no evidence that she was even there.

Daenerys got up off of the dusty ground with the help of Jorah and looked around to see the little girl on the wall above them, "the warlocks," she said as she turned to Jaenys and the mysterious cloaked figure.

"I owe you two my life."

"The honour is mine, my Queen." The mysterious cloaked figure said as he removed his hood to reveal an elderly man with white hair and a beard to match. Jaenys couldn't help but feel like he knew this man from somewhere; he felt familiar in an odd sort of way that confused Jaenys.

Jorah stepped forward, eying the man cautiously, "do you know him?" Daenerys asked.

"I know him as one of the greatest fighters the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen and as the Lord Commander of Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard."

"King Robert is dead. I've been searching for you Daenerys Stormborn to ask your forgiveness. I was sworn to protect your family. I failed him," he said as he got down onto one knee and looked Daenerys straight in the eyes, "I am Barristan Selmy, Kingsguard to your father. Allow me to join your Queensguard and I will not fail you again."

An awkward silence came over them as everyone processed what Barristan had said. The look in Daenerys' eye spoke a million words as she looked at him. She nodded towards the elderly gentleman, leaving a large smile of relief and gratitude on his lips, before turning to Jaenys, "and what can I do for my second saviour?"

"All I ask for, my Queen, is to help you. Allow me to join you. I don't know much about the outside world, but I can fight and protect you."

A soft smile made its way on to Daenerys' lips, "your willing to disobey your Masters to help me? What is your name?"

"My name is Jaenys Nohnereon and I am willing to disobey the Master for anyone who cares about us as much as you do."

At the mention of his name, Ser Barristans' head whipped around and stared intently at the man in front of him; his eyes were wide with shock and sadness as he looked at the scars that covered his body and the dark circles underneath his eyes.

Jaenys didn't think too much about the behaviour of the old man next to him and was more focused on the intense beauty of Daenerys. He was overjoyed that she agreed to his help, and now, for the first time in years, Jaenys felt like he had a purpose. He felt like he was doing the right thing to help those around him and he couldn't be happier.

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Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter is finally here.

It's a bit bleh but it's the best I could do at the moment.

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