Warrior Princess | Game of Thrones

twenty

We stand in front of the queen in what seems to be her own throne room.

"Your Grace," Jorah says, "I want to say..."

"You will not speak."

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" she asks Tyrion and me.

"If only I were otherwise," Tyrion says

"If you are Tyrion Lannister and Scarlett Baratheon, why shouldn't I kill you to pay your family back for what it did to mine?"

"I assure you, your grace killing us would only make our families happy," I say.

"You want revenge against our family? I killed my mother, Joanna Lannister on the day I was born. I killed my father, Twyin Lannister with a bolt to the heart. I am the greatest Lannister killer of our time."

"So I should welcome you into my service because you murdered members of your own family?"

"Into your service? Your grace, we have only just met. It's too soon to know if you deserve my service."

"If you'd rather return to the fighting pits, just say the word."

"When I was young," I say, "Tyrion told me a story about a baby born during the worst storm in living memory. She had no wealth, no lands, no army, only a name and a handful of supporters most of whom probably thought they could use that name to benefit themselves. They kept her alive moving her from place to place, often hours ahead of the men who'd been sent to kill her. She was eventually sold off to some warlord on the edge of the world and that appeared to be that. Then, a few years later, the most well-informed person I knew told me that this girl without wealth, lands, or armies had somehow acquired all three in a very short span of time, alone of with beautiful dragons. He thought she was our best, last chance to build a better world. We thought you were worth meeting at the very least."

"And why are you worth meeting? Why should I spend my time listening to you two?"

"Because you cannot build a better world on your own," Tyrion says, "You have no one at your side who understands that land you want to rule."

"The strengths and weaknesses of the houses that will either join or opposes you," I say.

"I will have a very large army. And very large dragons."

"Killing and politics aren't always the same thing," says Tyrion, "When I served as Hand of the King I did quite well with that latter, considering the king in question preferred torturing animals to leading his people. I could do an even better job advising a ruler worth the name. If that is indeed what you are."

"So you want to advise me? Very well," she looks at me, "And you. What would you like to do?"

"Let me protect you, your grace. I know you have two very large armies but neither of them knows the lands you want to fight a war one. I've fought battles on that land before. Let me help led your armies."

"Very well, you will be by my side protecting me at all times," she looks at Tyrion, "Since you want to advise me, what would you have me do with him?" she asks talking about Jorah, "I swore I would kill him if he ever returned."

"I know."

"Why should the people trust a queen who can't keep her promises?"

"Whomever Ser Jorah was when he started informing on you, he is no longer that man. I can't remember ever seeing a sane man as devoted to anything as he is to serve you. He claims he would kill for you and die for you and nothing I have witnessed gives me a reason to doubt him. And yet he did betray you," Tyrion walks closer to her, "Did he have an opportunity to confess his betrayal?"