The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Part 39: The grace of the Empress

The dungeon was pitch black. Doneo Naerys had been locked in the same cell as the Imperial Military Governor was previously in. The magister wondered what the Empire had in mind for him. Should he be publicly executed here in Myr or first put on display to the mob in Volantis?

While Doneo, who was sitting on the floor and chained to the wall, brooded, the cell door opened with a squeak. Although there were only a few torches burning in the corridor outside, that was enough to blind him. Doneo had recently had his daily bowl of porridge and his water jug, so he wondered why someone was coming again. Was he called for his execution?

The brightness increased further as a torch was placed in a holder on the cell wall. Doneo narrowed his eyes, but he thought he saw three people, two tall and wide, one small and petite.

"Doneo Naerys, I assume?", asked a young woman with a cultivated voice.

"I..." Doneo coughed. "I'm afraid you have an advantage over me."

"Oh yes, right", said the visitor after a short pause. "Your eyes haven't adjusted to the brightness yet." The woman took a few steps towards him. "Then allow me to introduce myself: I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House of Targaryen, the first of my name, the unburned and risen, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Khaleesi of the Dothraki sea, queen of the Bay of Dragons and patroness of Lhazar, Ghiscar and Qarth, First Citizen of Volantis and Empress of the New Valyrian Empire."

"An impressive collection of titles", Doneo muttered. Meanwhile his eyes had recovered enough that he could see more details. Empress Daenerys wore a black, uniform-like robe and on the right breast a three-headed dragon made of silver. Her braided hair also shimmered silver. Violet eyes looked at him from a face too beautiful to fit a mortal woman.

Behind her stood two armed men in lamellar armor, who could only be members of the Imperial Guard.

"Is not it?", Daenerys replied ironically. "Maybe a few more will be added when the war is over."

"We'll see ... what about Aeran Sanel?"

The Empress raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"My deputy. He has white hair, if that helps."

Daenerys' corner of her mouth twisted into an imperceptible smile. "Oh he. Don't worry, he's safely in another cell. But you were the leader of the rebellion, not Aeran. That's why I came to you instead of him."

"Well ... Your Imperial Majesty. I would like to note that this was not a 'rebellion'. The people of Myr are not indebted to you, nor are Tyrosh and Lys. We only offered resistance against a foreign occupying power."

The Empress looked at him intently. "I'm just remembering something someone once said to me: 'Aegon did not conquer Westeros because it was his right, but because he could.' Still, the Lords of Westeros ultimately accepted him as their king, even those stubborn Starks."

"But not the Martells from Dorne", corrected Doneo. "They successfully resisted."

"Your resistance here in Myr was unsuccessful", replied the Empress. "And in thirty years, maybe sooner, the inhabitants of this city will be citizens of the Empire through and through."

"If you don't lose the war."

"The Alliance taught us a lesson at Pentos and Tyrosh, that's true, but make no mistake: the power of the Empire is far from broken. We have a strong economy, almost limitless resources, and a huge population. The longer this war goes on, the stronger the Empire will be compared to its opponents." Daenerys smiled at him. "So I wouldn't bet my money on an Alliance win. Better come to terms with Myr becoming part of the Empire."

Doneo made a face. "Then what is all your talk of freedom worth? In the end you are just a conqueror who doesn't care whether the conquered want to be your subjects or not."

"In any case, the former slaves of Myr welcomed the Empire with open arms", countered the silver-haired woman. "And I intend not only to end slavery, but also to end the endless wars between the Free Cities. Four hundred years have passed since the fall of Old Valyria, and all along you have been fighting one another. When all Free Cities - except Braavos - belong to the Empire, peace will finally return to Essos."

"What kind of peace would that be", said Doneo bitterly, "if we had to eke out our existence under foreign rule, deprived of our self-determination?"

"You will have the same rights as the citizens of Volantis or Meereen", replied Daenerys. "You will be able to vote for members of the Imperial Parliament and benefit from duty-free trade in the Empire. And as I said, you will live in peace."

"In King's Landing you showed everyone what you mean by peace."

The Empress sighed. "King's Landing was a mistake."

Doneo gave a short laugh. "A mistake, yes? I don't think I'll feel comfortable under a ruler who makes such 'mistakes'. Well, what do you want from me anyway?"

"Promise me that from now on you will do nothing more against the Empire and I will set you free. Your friend as well, provided he makes the same promise. Of course we will keep an eye on you."

"What if I refuse?", asked the magister. "Will you then let your dragon burn me alive?"

"No. I will not continue on this path. If you stay stubborn, I'll just leave you in this cell."

"Like you left Xaro Xhoan Daxos in his safe?"

Daenerys raised an eyebrow. "You know about it?"

"Xaro Xhoan Daxos had many business partners in the Free Cities. After all, he was the richest man in Qarth. Word has gotten around about his fate."

"Did you also know that his wealth was just a lie? After he murdered some of my followers and stole my dragon chicks, I forced him to open his treasury ... and it was empty. So I locked him and one of my servants there who betrayed me to him." The Empress chuckled. "When I returned to Qarth to punish the warlocks for killing me, I heard that no one had dared to get the remains from the vault until now. The Qartheen are superstitious. They are afraid of ghosts."

"It doesn't sound like regret", Doneo grumbled.

"I regret more things than you can even imagine. But that's not one of them." She looked at him invitingly. "Well, Magister. What do you think of my offer? Think carefully about it. I won't let you die of thirst and suffocate like Daxos if you refuse, but you might never see the light of day again."

Doeneo thought about it while the Empress waited patiently. Bending over to her was an almost unbearable thought. But it wouldn't do anyone any good if they stayed locked up here. Especially not his family. Eventually he decided to swallow his pride.

"All right, Your Imperial Majesty", Doneo said. "I will stop fighting you ... but I will not support the Empire anyway."

Daenerys nodded. "I don't expect that from you either. So I have your word?"

The master nodded back silently. He felt unclean. He did the only sensible thing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was betraying his own principles.

"Excellent", said the Empress, stepping back and summoning the jailer. Doneo's chains were loosened and he was escorted outside. As he passed Daenerys, she nodded goodbye. And although she barely reached the Magister's shoulders, he still had the impression that he had to look up at her.