Drogon dropped from the clouds with a roar, landing hard enough to send dust flying. Daenerys slid off his back, her silver hair snapping in the wind.
She looked at the three men waiting for her. Jorah in his armor, Grey Worm standing straight as a spear, Rakharo leaning on his saddle.
"Well then," Daenerys said, her eyes on the distant walls of Meereen. "Let's get this done with."
…
War of Mareen II
Daenerys sat on a rough wooden bench beside a spread-out map. The night air was still, broken only by the sound of a few Dothraki guards standing watch around the camp. Rakharo stood to her left, arms crossed, his face unreadable. Jorah stood across from her, leaning forward on the table. Greyworm stood silently near the edge of the firelight, helmet tucked under one arm.
"Any word on sellswords?" Daenerys asked.
Rakharo shook his head. "None. Their walls hold, but there are no banners of sellswords. No Gold Company, no Second Sons, nothing."
Jorah nodded in agreement. "They trust their walls, Khaleesi. Meereen has the tallest in Slaver's Bay. I doubt they'd spend gold on swords for hire when they think stone will hold."
Daenerys let out a slow breath. "Good. One less problem to deal with." She tapped her fingers on the table. "Show me the map."
Rakharo unrolled the parchment. It was rough, drawn by scouts over the past two days, but it showed the city, the river running to the sea on the eastern side, the main gates, and the stretch of mountains flanking the west and south.
Jorah placed one calloused finger on the western gate. "The main gate faces the plains. It's the largest, built for trade caravans. That will be their strongest point. But it is also where they'll expect us first."
"They should," Daenerys said. "Because we'll give them a reason to."
Rakharo raised an eyebrow. "Decoy?"
She nodded. "I want twenty thousand riders here at dawn." She tapped the west gate on the map. "They'll come fast, all banners shown. The city will wake to twenty thousand hooves shaking the ground. Every eye on those walls will look west."
Jorah studied her face for a moment, then gave a small approving nod. "A strong show of force. They will think the full attack comes from there."
"It won't," Daenerys said. Her finger slid to the east side, tracing the river down to the harbor. "Their fleet is here. Their supplies, their escape routes, everything leaving Meereen by water starts here. When their eyes are on the west gate, Drogon and I will come from the sea."
Rakharo leaned over the map. "You want the port burned."
"Not exactly the port. But every ship that has the capability to fight back is under the control of the masters. The port will be very important for the future of the city. Once we take the city, I will need it to continue to maintain the supply line between the three cities of the Slaver's Bay. But their ships can burn. It will be a waste of resources. But we don't have any other choice if I want none of them to escape. Daenerys said. "During the raid, no one will sail out. I want the harbor closed before they know what's happening."
Greyworm spoke for the first time. His voice was flat, precise. "Unsullied can take the port once it burns. Hold it. No ships will return even if they try to rebuild."
Daenerys nodded. "Exactly. Once the fleet is gone, Drogon and I fly here…" her finger slid back to the west gate… "and we burn it from the inside. The Dothraki waiting outside will ride through before the smoke clears."
Rakharo smiled faintly. "The masters will panic."
"They should," Daenerys said. "But there are rules. Same as Yunkai. The first wave will capture. They will not kill unless it's a master on the streets."
Jorah frowned slightly. "They may disguise themselves. Once they notice that our soldiers are particularly targeting the masters then they will definitely try to survive by any means necessary. They will throw on rags. Pretend to be slaves."
Greyworm shook his head once. "We will know them. Slaves walk differently. Masters eat well. Speak well. Hands are soft. Skin is clean. Even in rags, they show themselves."
Daenerys looked between them. "Then there's no problem. Every master we find dies. Every soldier who fights dies. The rest live."
She leaned back slightly, eyes on the map. "Unsullied take the Great Pyramid. Free the slaves inside. Chain the masters. All of them."
Jorah's finger traced the alleys inside the city walls. "These streets are narrow. The Dothraki won't ride well through all of them. They'll control the main roads fast, but some masters may run through side streets. We should block the eastern alleys before the attack begins. Cut off anyone trying to reach the river."
Greyworm nodded. "Unsullied can hold alleys. No one will escape."
Daenerys studied the map. "Do it. I want the city sealed. No one in, no one out."
For a moment, the only sound was the fire crackling.
Then Jorah spoke, his tone more formal than the rest. "Khaleesi, Meereen is built for siege. High walls, narrow gates, stores inside to last months. But you are not giving them months. A single day, a single strike. This will definitely break them harder than any siege."
"That's the point," Daenerys said simply.
Rakharo pointed to the northern edge of the map. "There's an Eastern gate here. Small. Used by hunters and traders. If any masters run, they will run here into the hills."
Daenerys marked it with a small X. "Put riders there before dawn. No one leaves."
Greyworm added, "Southern gate too. Small road to the farms. We will block it."
"Do it," Daenerys said.
Jorah's eyes moved across the map again. "The west gate will be the hardest fight. It's built for defense. High towers on both sides, kill-zones along the approach. Once you burn it, they may still block the streets with carts, rubble, anything to slow the riders."
"Then Drogon will burn them too," Daenerys said. Her tone was flat, certain. "Nothing slows us once we're inside."
Rakharo rested one hand on the map. "What of the masters' families? In Yunkai, you allow them to live as long as they don't rebel. Here?"
Daenerys' eyes were cold. "Adults will die. As long as you make sure that they are indeed masters, you are allowed to kill them. The same goes to the unsullied.
Greyworm, revise part of that plan. You don't need to capture them. Once your soldiers get into the pyramids, kill the masters. I don't care if the entire pyramid turns blood red because of it. Show no mercy. I have shown my reasoning and benevolence in the other two cities. But showing it here would be like spitting at the children who were killed by those cruel masters just to scare me. But remember, children under twelve will live. You will capture them. But you will not kill them. They will have no names, no legacy. Just orphans. The Ghiscari line ends here."
No one argued.
Jorah cleared his throat after a moment. "Timing, Khaleesi. The riders to the west gate must move before dawn if they're to be seen at first light. Your attack on the harbor must come as the sun rises behind you. The fire will blind the eastern walls."
Daenerys nodded once. "Half a day to prepare. We strike at dawn."
Greyworm spoke again, his voice even. "Unsullied will move through the night. Take positions at alleys, southern roads, and Eastern gates. When the west gate falls, no one escapes."
Rakharo tapped the map near the hills west of the city. "Most of my riders will stay hidden here until the gate burns. When it opens, they ride straight through."
Daenerys looked over the map one last time. Every road, every gate, every wall marked. "Good. Make sure the men understand: fast and clean. No drunken chaos, no wasting time. This ends in one day."
Jorah gave a small bow of his head. "It will be done, Khaleesi."
Daenerys stood. "Then go. Prepare them. At dawn, Meereen will fall."
One by one they left the table, Rakharo into the darkness, Greyworm toward the waiting Unsullied, Jorah after giving her a long, steady look.
Daenerys stayed by the map a moment longer, the firelight flickering over the lines and marks that would decide the city's fate. Then she turned away. The meeting was over.
…
Next chapter: War of Mareen III
AN: You can read 65+ advanced chapters and an additional side story of this story on my p@treon AnimefanfictionIND at just 5$.
You can get access to the advanced chapters of all my other fanfictions at just 7$.
2 additional chapters for 100 power stones.