Chapitre 21: Chapter 21 Sansa, Daenerys.
Sansa
A month after leaving Qarth, the fleet arrived at Astapor, where Daenerys intended to buy an army of Unsullied, who were slave soldiers, trained from childhood only to obey their masters and be the most disciplined and obedient army that could exist, or so Jorah Mormont claimed, who had advised Daenerys to go to Astapor and buy her own army.
Sansa did not agree with this advice and felt outraged by the proposal, but Robb had told her that if Daenerys didn't ask for her opinion on a matter, she should stay quiet. Upon arriving in Astapor, and while Daenerys negotiated for her army of slaves, it was extremely difficult for Sansa to do so, because the slave owners kept saying one atrocity after another; Sansa could only leave Arya on the ship and grit her teeth, as the city itself was detestable to her.
Sansa was determined to return to the Seven Kingdoms as soon as they re-embarked, but things took an unexpected turn when, after finishing the purchase of the slaves, Daenerys freed them and then asked them to be her army, sending them to kill all the slavers in the city.
Sansa watched as the Unsullied army advanced through the entire city and how Daenerys took all their possessions and freed the slaves. Sansa was horrified by the bloodshed, but a sense of satisfaction had taken hold of her heart upon seeing the final results of her aunt Daenerys's actions.
Arya, who had been a captive, while trying to strike her guards, reunited with the dragons when they returned to the ships. To deceive the slavers, Daenerys had offered to sell them a dragon, and the slavers succumbed to their own greed, but neither Arya nor Sansa knew anything about this plan, and Arya wanted to escape to rescue the dragon and flee, so Sansa ordered her to be locked up.
After the battle in the city, Daenerys gathered her key advisors, and she also invited her, so Sansa attended.
Daenerys had taken the largest room on the ship that brought them as her meeting room.
The guests were Ser Jorah Mormont, who seemed pleased that his counsel had been useful, but Daenerys still looked at him with suspicion for his betrayal, Ser Barristan Selmy, who had decided to swear his loyalty to Daenerys, and she named him as the captain of her Kingsguard, and finally the three bloodriders: Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo.
Among her aunt Daenerys's advisors had been the captain of the ships sent by the magister Illyrio, but upon learning of his betrayal, Danny had taken him prisoner, and his ships and crew were taken by her.
Sansa approached the table and sat beside Ser Barristan. Her aunt Daenerys nodded upon seeing the people at the table.
"After taking the city, I have appointed a council of wise and free men to govern in place of the slavers, however, many of the people in this city still insist on following me. I want to hear your opinions on this," her aunt Daenerys said, looking first at Ser Jorah, who was the reason they were there.
"My queen, there are too many mouths to feed; they have already been liberated, they cannot demand more from you," Ser Jorah said.
"Khaleesi, they are sheep, they will not serve in war," said Aggo, and Jhogo and Rakharo nodded in agreement. Her aunt looked at her.
"Aunt Daenerys, a kingdom only needs warriors in times of war, and it is these people who can produce food, tools, and build cities; they are the most valuable you can obtain in this city, you should encourage more of them to follow you," Sansa said.
Robb was always complaining about the low population of the North and said it couldn't grow that way. He had given them many lessons on the matter, and Sansa thought he was right.
The Dothraki riders looked at her disdainfully, and Ser Jorah frowned.
"We don't have food to feed them," said Ser Jorah, looking at Sansa suspiciously, apparently believing she was trying to sabotage them.
"We have plenty of food," Sansa retorted, because her brother had sent ten loaded ships, and they had looted more in the city.
"That food is for the troops and will not last more than a year," countered Ser Jorah. Her aunt Daenerys looked at her.
"Robb has sent more ships; he has business to propose to our aunt Daenerys," Sansa said.
"My queen, it is not advisable to incur debts," Ser Jorah said quickly.
"Aunt Daenerys, the Braavosi are now the strongest free city in terms of economy and also in terms of war, because they decided to be trading partners with Robb," said Sansa, looking at Ser Jorah coldly. Her aunt Daenerys pondered.
"Sansa, would you like to take charge of the people who decide to follow us?" her aunt Daenerys asked. Sansa nodded quickly.
"It would be an honor," Sansa said. "Aunt, you can follow my recommendation and ask all the people who want to follow us to do so," Sansa said, and Ser Jorah looked at her disapprovingly.
"Sansa, what would you have done if I hadn't liberated the Unsullied and these people?" Daenerys asked.
"We would have left; the North will have no dealings with slavers," Sansa said sincerely. Daenerys smiled and looked at Ser Barristan.
"Ser Barristan, what do you think of this?" her aunt Daenerys asked Ser Barristan.
"Your Majesty, the slavers deserved no other fate. As for the people, if they will be under your responsibility, we need to organize a guard and camp rules," Ser Barristan cautioned.
"Aunt Daenerys, I would like to take care of all these things," Sansa said, not trusting that the bloodriders could assist her, and Ser Jorah Mormont was not someone she trusted, besides holding a grudge against her.
"Your Majesty…" her aunt Daenerys looked at Ser Jorah with a serious expression; everyone there knew what she was going to say, that she could not leave so many people in his hands, as an army could be formed.
…
The rest of the meeting discussed how many resources would be at Sansa's disposal to feed and maintain the masses of freed slaves.
Daenerys followed Sansa's advice, encouraging all who wanted to follow her to become part of her group and servants, with full freedom to leave at any time if they so chose. However, as long as they followed her, they had to obey her laws and camp rules.
Sansa wasted no time and used the Northerners accompanying her to create a guard, including freedmen who would serve as translators. Daenerys collaborated by assigning a freed girl named Missandei, skilled in languages. Sansa had started her study with her, and, along with Ser Wendel, began organizing the freedmen according to the classes given by Robb and what she had learned herself about how Robb administered the war-torn territories.
Sansa put Dacey in charge of the guard and Arya, Ser Wendel as her right hand, the Karstark brothers in charge of supplies and money, and other noble children in reserve until the census was completed, dividing and assigning them to various tasks. These were the divisions of labor, while at its simplest, everyone was grouped by family.
Sansa put those who could work to work and ensured food and a future for those who could not, such as blacksmiths or artisans, whose work required tools.
What proved most useful were scholars like Missandei, whom she had teaching classes, as, according to her brother, they would soon need many people who could read and write. Although conditions did not afford them many opportunities, most of the day they were on the move, as the ships were not enough to carry an army of Unsullied and thousands of freedmen.
…
Daenerys marched everyone through the desert until they reached a city called Yunkai, ruled by slavers. Daenerys decided to attack it and liberate its slaves.
When the city was besieged by the Unsullied army, the Yunkai did not dare to confront them, despite having several groups of mercenaries and some supposed armies of slaves among their ranks.
When besieged, the Yunkai offered to negotiate and requested to speak with Daenerys. Sansa, as part of her advisors, attended the negotiation, where Arya was also present, but she was only interested in the dragons, and her advice for dealing with the slavers was to cut off all their heads, as that was the law of the Seven Kingdoms.
Daenerys ignored her and received the Yunkai, listening to their offer of gold and rejecting them. After several threats, the captains of the mercenary companies also offered to negotiate.
One of them was a wild man, with great muscles and colorful beard, which gave Sansa shivers. She noticed how Daenerys's eyes gleamed as she looked at the mercenary, who was a savage without any education, more akin to the Dothraki than to a knight like Ser Barristan.
Sansa's suspicions were confirmed when the mercenary returned to the tent to offer the heads of his comrades to Daenerys and join them, betraying the Yunkai.
Sansa was scandalized, but Daenerys only smiled at the insinuations of the wild man, and it was evident that she liked him. Sansa felt a chill noticing a certain resemblance of herself in this aspect with Cersei Lannister.
Sansa was even more surprised when, after the negotiations, Daenerys ordered the attack on the city, although she had told the Yunkai that she would not attack until the next day.
Sansa could only blink, watching as the city fell within a couple of hours due to the betrayal of Daario and the surprise attack of her aunt Daenerys.
…
"They should have attacked at once, those mercenaries are not to be trusted," Arya said as the Unsullied army controlled the city and captured its leaders.
Sansa's group, which did not participate in the battle, watched everything from the camp outside the city.
"Arya, even though they are slavers, it is always better to negotiate before battle," Sansa said with a sigh. Her sister remained a wild one.
…
"Aunt Daenerys, I'm afraid I cannot agree with your decision this time," Sansa said. She was in the small meeting her aunt was holding with her advisors in her tent-hall.
This time, her aunt Daenerys was seated on her pillow throne with them in front. Added to her small council was Grey Worm, the commander of the Unsullied, Daario Naharis, captain of the Stormcrows, after betraying the Yunkai and his own comrades, and Brown Ben Plumm, captain of the Second Sons, an elderly tall man who took command of the mercenary company after their former leader, known as the Titan's Bastard, escaped in the midst of battle upon seeing that all was lost with the betrayal of the Stormcrows. Ben Plumm simply struck a deal with Daenerys to follow her.
Sansa had no opinion on it; mercenaries had no honor, they only offered their swords to the highest bidder, whoever had the best chance of winning and paying more, as her father always said.
"Khaleesi, the girl is right, enemies should be killed," Rakharo said, and Sansa grimaced, as that hadn't been her exact advice, although the idea was the same, so she let it pass for now.
Her aunt Daenerys looked at her other advisors, who were Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan and Grey Worm. Ser Jorah was on probation and did not object to anything, unless it was to reprimand Sansa, although this time he said nothing, as he agreed; they were leaving an army behind, as Daenerys intended to leave Yunkai without damage, only liberating the slaves with whatever they could carry.
Her aunt Daenerys asked no more and pondered for a few seconds. Sansa looked at the mercenary Daario.
The mercenary did not comment and only smiled at the queen while caressing the pommels of his swords, which were carved in the shape of naked women and seemed to be made of gold or coated with gold.
In Sansa's opinion, his attitude was scandalous, disgusting, and lascivious, but her aunt Daenerys looked him up and down, and it was evident that she was not seeking an opinion, although her expression was serene.
"Sansa, this city was taken without much resistance, and the crimes of its rulers are not equal to the slavers of Astapor; it will suffice to free their slaves," said her aunt Daenerys, making it clear that she had no idea about ruling or leading anything.
If Sansa were not there, her advisors would not dare say anything either, because she generally ignored the bravado of her bloodriders, whose advice was always to kill everything. They were three useless mouths according to Sansa's opinion…
Sansa sighed inwardly; the more she traveled with these savages, the more she felt that her own thoughts were becoming increasingly violent and irate. But the things she had seen in Astapor, besides making her vomit for a day, left her with a feeling of anger that still hadn't left her, and nothing she saw around her served to calm her, only to confirm the things her brother Robb said and prove him right.
Until now, they had lived apart from the real world; it was not just King's Landing, the rest of the world was even crueler. The little girl, Missandei, who accompanied Sansa, was a heartbreaking proof of that.
Sansa sighed and looked at her aunt, seated on her throne of pillows. Usually, she had her dragons by her side, but in this meeting there was no one to impress, and the dragons were with their nanny, which worried Sansa, was Arya. She could only pray that her sister didn't end up singed by a dragon.
Arya was too crazy; Sansa only felt chills at the sight of dragons; reptiles never appealed to her, especially if they were giants. At most, she wanted to see them from afar or in paintings.
"Aunt Daenerys, the atrocities committed by the Yunkai would have them beheaded in any part of the Seven Kingdoms, but we are not in the Seven Kingdoms, and you have your own laws. However, this has nothing to do with laws; it has to do with our own safety.
"If we march leaving Yunkai intact, this battle would only serve the purpose of leaving an enemy at our backs. An enemy who has gold to hire all the mercenaries in those lands and also has food to sustain them. What we are doing is looking at a group of armed people, slapping them all in the face, robbing them of some money, and leaving them behind us. It is impossible for this to be something convenient for us; they will start plotting as soon as we turn our backs.
"For this reason, we must take everything we can from them: gold, weapons, furniture, even people. Leaving them behind in these conditions will not prevent them from pursuing us later, but it will not be easy for them to do so, and we will also be more prepared," Sansa explained in detail.
"Khaleesi, the dead cannot raise armies," Rakharo advised again.
Daenerys looked at the rest of her advisors, but none objected. Those from Essos advised sweeping the city and putting everyone to the sword, as they did in Astapor, and those from the Seven Kingdoms advised taking everything and burning the rest, although they could leave the people alive. Her aunt Daenerys corrected their order and ordered to loot everything they could carry.
…
"Sansa, it seems that today I was on the verge of making a grave mistake," said her aunt Daenerys, while the Unsullied army watched over as Sansa's looting army evaluated everything they could take.
Sansa observed everything alongside Daenerys, who was only accompanied by Ser Barristan and a group of a hundred Unsullied guarding her tent and not letting anyone approach, although it was not necessary, because all the freedmen were under Sansa's control, and anyone who left the camps without permission would be interrogated by the guard she herself had set up.
Now, the city was being plundered by her scholars, who would know what things were worth plundering, and an army of people who would carry those things. To the storerooms, Sansa sent cooks and artisans. She did not lack hands to take everything of value in the city; they would then decide how much food was appropriate to leave so that the Yunkai did not starve, but only so they would not starve, as sheep and any other livestock would be plundered.
"Aunt Daenerys, once again we have very different opinions," Sansa said with a smile. She shook her head when Daenerys looked at her without understanding. "Aunt Daenerys, if you had listened to me, thought I was right, and still let the Yunkai go, that would have been a mistake, but you haven't done that. Nor do I believe you would, because since I've known you, I know that your arrogance is not above your reason.
"However, there has been a mistake, but it is the mistake of your advisors. Although none of them agreed with your decision and saw the disaster it would be later, as you had already pronounced on the matter, none of them dared to speak, even knowing that there would be serious consequences later. So, they have made a grave mistake, as they are there to inform you of everything even if you have already made a decision.
"If you refuse to listen to advice, then they should be silent, and the error would be on you, but again, I don't believe that would have been the case," Sansa concluded.
A king needed advisors, not flatterers, especially if he was someone who was never prepared to rule, like her aunt Daenerys.
Daenerys thought for a few seconds, but didn't say anything about it.
"Sansa, I know you won't bend the knee to me, but what do you think of me as a queen?" her aunt Daenerys asked.
Sansa smiled again, because that was the logical next question. She was asking if, in Sansa's opinion, she was qualified to be a queen.
"Aunt Daenerys, you have great charisma, a great army, and three dragons, intelligence, cunning, you lack neither will nor reason. You only lack knowledge and experience, but that is something easy to obtain and only depends on time. So, in my opinion, you are the best queen prospect I have seen," Sansa said sincerely.
…
Daenerys
"So the problem is my advisors," Daenerys said. It was evident that her niece didn't like any of her advisors, although from what she had said, Daenerys had realized that they had indeed failed to advise her, although she disagreed that it was not her fault, after all, she was the one who gave a definitive sentence to leave the city of Yunkai unlooted because she was euphoric about her victory, and believed that freeing the slaves was all that mattered.
Sansa thought, while looking at the city.
"Not entirely, Aunt Daenerys. However, all your current advisors could be considered commanders, whether mercenaries or knights. None of them have experience in diplomacy or governance; proof of this is that even I, who have only been studying how to rule for a few months, can see all the flaws in their advice on the subject.
"Aunt Daenerys, you urgently need a qualified hand," Sansa said.
Once again, Sansa was right. Daenerys had many military commanders; they could cover every viewpoint, whether as mercenaries or nobles. However, none of them had held an administrative position. There was her treacherous bear, but according to what he himself had said, his rule was a disaster. She did not have an appropriate advisor in administrative matters.
"Your brother Robb has a proposal for me," Daenerys said, grimacing in her mind; her nephew was not to be trusted.
In the few months she had known him, Daenerys had learned that her nephew always offered help at the right moment, or in other words, waited for people to understand that they had a need to offer his help, as was the case now. He was a merchant who went through the desert, offering water only to those who were thirsty, and to those who weren't, he waited until they were thirsty; thus the favor would be greater. Daenerys didn't quite like that. It wasn't that it was wrong, but it didn't feel right.
"King Stannis has exiled the Lannisters, but my brother Robb has given them gold to keep them united. He has also sent them to you; among them is Tyrion Lannister, the new head of his house, and Kevan Lannister, the right hand of the late Tywin Lannister. They have ample experience in politics, business, and government," Sansa explained. Daenerys gritted her teeth.
"Tywin Lannister ordered the death of my family, and it was a Lannister who murdered my father," Daenerys said, but Sansa put on a sad smile.
"Aunt Daenerys, it was King Aerys who ordered the death of my grandfather and my uncle Brandon," Sansa said with a sigh. Daenerys tensed. "Aunt Daenerys, my brother says that Tywin Lannister was a beast, and everything I've heard about him confirms it. His grandson, Joffrey, was a monster; his daughter Cersei was mad and a murderer, and the kingslayer pushed my little brother Bran from a tower, crippling his legs. They are the worst people I have ever known, but Tyrion Lannister is not one of them. Although from what I've heard from my brother, he doesn't lack his father's cruelty, he still has a heart. Before, when the monster Joffrey beat me, he intervened and tried to keep him away from me.
"With all this, I don't mean to say that the Lannisters are innocent, for the only innocents in this story were their murdered nephews. But Tywin Lannister is dead, your father is dead, mine is too, and to end all this, we must move forward with what we now have. Everyone has blood on their hands, and no one is innocent," Sansa concluded.
What she meant was that if she wanted justice, it could only be applied by killing everyone in the Seven Kingdoms. She also made it clear that the Targaryens…
Daenerys sighed. She had been talking with Sansa, Ser Wendel, and Dacey Mormont. Her words were confirmed by Ser Barristan, and so far, nothing Sansa said was false. Daenerys was even reconsidering returning to the Seven Kingdoms; the Iron Throne had always been something Viserys wanted; she only wanted to live in peace, but she was never free to do so, being dragged around against her will, no more than a slave, like the people she had freed.
What Daenerys truly wanted was to free all those who, like her, were prey to others, forced to crawl, to live, and to die according to the will of others. Now she had to leave this behind to go and wage war on a continent where few wanted her and no one needed her. She had to reclaim her family's heritage because if she ignored it, she would be ignoring all of them. Her brother, children, father, mother, all murdered and dead in the worst conditions.
Daenerys shook her head; she still couldn't make a decision.
"I cannot make a decision about it right now," Daenerys said, and Sansa nodded. Unlike the people around her, Sansa wanted nothing from her, and she would let her make her own decisions without intervening, although she would not hesitate to leave if Daenerys did something she considered unforgivable, like when she bought the Unsullied army.
Little Sansa had looked grim, and the friendly smile had vanished from her face, only returning when Daenerys freed the Unsullied and ordered them to attack Astapor. In fact, now she could also see admiration in her niece.
Daenerys looked at the city of Yunkai and then retired to her tent, where she found Arya Stark training her dragons in combat techniques with a whip, or in this case, their tails.
Daenerys could only blink; she didn't understand how the girl got along so well with the dragons, as they were almost indifferent to everyone and obeyed no one. If it was because of magic, Sansa also possessed it, and the dragons looked at her with indifference.
"Arya, you don't need to try so hard," Daenerys said with a smile, because she was too enthusiastic, and Daenerys feared that one of the dragons might hurt her one of these days. Arya looked at her and gritted her teeth.
Daenerys sighed inwardly. When she sent the Unsullied to ravage Astapor, Arya, who had been growling disapproval at her, looked at her as if she were her knight in shining armor, but now she had not done the same with Yunkai, and she was giving her the evil eye again. The girl wanted her to send the Unsullied to kill all the slavers.
"Arya, this place is not the Seven Kingdoms, and it has its own laws and customs. Owning slaves is wrong, but I cannot order to behead everyone for that. This is not Astapor either, and here slaves are not created like the Unsullied," Daenerys explained, but Arya didn't seem pleased. Daenerys thought of using another approach.
"Arya," Daenerys said, approaching and stroking Drogon's head, "In the recent war of the Seven Kingdoms, the Lannisters fought the Starks, but your brother only exiled them and even sent them to this place, giving them money and making them his business partners. Arya, revenge only breeds hatred, and if we want peace, some things must be… forgiven," said Daenerys. She still didn't agree with Sansa's proposed forgiveness.
Arya spat furiously to the side, making Daenerys flinch.
"Tywin Lannister is dead. Queen Cersei is dead, Joffrey is dead, and the kingslayer is on the Wall. They are all guilty, all dead or condemned. What did the other Lannisters do to deserve death? They are not slavers. But the Yunkai are slavers. I have seen what they did to their slaves.
"Once, Joffrey lied, and Queen Cersei killed one of my friends for it. I wanted to kill her, but Father told me that for the sake of peace, they should continue to live. Then Queen Cersei and Joffrey killed my father, Jory, the steward, and even septa Mordane. They never spoke of peace," Arya retorted.
Daenerys could only blink, and she didn't know what to reply, but Ser Barristan stepped forward and made a semblance of a bow.
"Lady Arya," Ser Barristan said, and Arya looked at him with clenched teeth.
Daenerys, who thought he could help her, felt like crying; this girl got angry when called lady, and Ser Barristan did nothing but start a conversation with her calling her lady.
"Lady Arya," Ser Barristan repeated without flinching, "I also believe that justice should apply to the guilty and not their families, but in this case, I think your majesty has made the right decision. In this continent, slavery is the norm, and if we want to set an example, we must be tolerant, or we will only be foreigners coming to impose our will."
"For all this, Your Majesty cannot impose your own justice. However, this does not mean that the Yunkai don't see us as their enemies, and as soon as we leave here, they may try to pursue us, but Lady Arya doesn't have to worry about Your Majesty, for she is aware of it and will always be prepared to face threats," Ser Barristan pronounced, pointing to the Unsullied guarding their tent.
Arya followed the gesture and looked at the army of five hundred Unsullied guarding the tent. Arya frowned and then looked back at her, biting her lip.
"Don't die!" Arya said, lowering her head and hurrying away. As she walked off, she angrily ran her hand over her face.
Daenerys could only blink and look at Ser Barristan.
"Your Majesty, there are people who, the more diplomatic you are with them, the less you'll understand them," Ser Barristan explained. "It's also somewhat difficult to notice their appreciation; I suppose Your Majesty's situation has reminded her of her own father," he added.
Daenerys nodded and entered her tent. The dragons followed her, and Danny sat on her throne, embracing her pillows. Ser Barristan stayed outside watching the entrance.
Daenerys understood her niece, not for her way of acting, but for her own feelings. According to what they themselves had told her, her life had no worries or suffering until her father was named Hand of the King and killed. Both saw this happening, and according to Sansa, after ordering her father's death, her then-fiance, Prince Joffrey, took her to see his head. Daenerys had also heard whispers about Arya; she had to kill another child to escape the Red Keep.
Daenerys remembered her own past in Braavos, where she lived in a red house with servants and her brother Viserys, who by that time had not lost his mind. Those were her only happy memories. She never cared about anything else; if someone had ever asked her what she wanted, she would have said to return to the red house, for after the knight who took care of them there died, the servants stole everything, and they had to run away, and her life was never happy again, ending up being sold like a broodmare, to fulfill the ambitions and purposes of others.
In her journey, Daenerys had seen everything and lost her son and the husband she had come to love. All her happiness, all her innocence, all her peace had been lost, and even now, she didn't feel safe, because she knew she couldn't trust anyone. The betrayal of her Traitor Bear was proof of that.
For all this, the Daenerys she once was, no longer existed, and she was able to order the death of others without disturbing her dreams. To achieve her goals, she would also force her way through, and those who opposed would be forcibly removed if necessary. She would never trust anyone again in the way she once could, and every time someone spoke, she always looked for details and a possible scam in their words.
Daenerys still doubted whether her Traitor Bear deserved a second chance and still hadn't decided whether to let him stay by her side; she even hoped he would die in some battle. She could no longer trust his words.
Daenerys thought that Sansa Stark also didn't seem capable of giving second chances. She was sure that if she had left the Unsullied as slaves, Sansa would have left without even saying goodbye to her.
Arya was more radical; she aimed her sword without hesitation, and Daenerys was sure she would wield it without a second thought, and it wouldn't be to cause a wound or immobilize her opponent; when the girl got angry, Daenerys felt the threat of violence in every one of her words. They had also lost their innocence and that world of happiness and carelessness that their protectors once created for them.
Daenerys stroked Drogon's scales and, without realizing it, fell asleep.
Sansa
The next day, Sansa presented her aunt Daenerys with the results of her efforts in the city of Yunkai, where they obtained more scholars and skilled labor than in Astapor, tons of gold, silver, and jewels stored by the Yunkish in their mansions, minerals, tools, weapons, salt, spices, fabrics, and, above all, grain.
Sansa left nothing behind, and with the help of some servants whom her scholars briefed on the labor conditions Sansa offered, and they decided to leave their servitude behind for better job prospects and legality, so their plunderers obtained extra information about hiding places and treasures.
"Sansa, good job. The city has also received no damage, and its inhabitants are safe," praised her aunt Daenerys.
"My workers were just doing their job, and Your Majesty's Unsullied are soldiers, not plunderers," said Sansa.
After the conquest of the city, Daenerys ordered the mercenaries to leave, leaving only the Unsullied behind. This made the mercenaries unhappy, as they were accustomed to looting the cities they took, taking slaves and abusing women and children alike.
"My queen, my men would have obtained twice what those Yunkish had," said Daario Naharis.
The wild mercenary had obtained a position on Daenerys's council, also known as Brown Ben Plumm.
Sansa disagreed; her aunt Daenerys didn't need more savages by her side; she needed scholars to teach her diplomacy and politics. Sansa looked at the savage coldly. Without Bran, Arya, and herself exploring the city by using rats and other vermin, they wouldn't have obtained even ten percent of what Sansa had plundered.
On the other hand, these barbarians had no idea about art and things of cultural value, so they would have destroyed or ignored many valuable works of famous craftsmen, which her scholars took.
"My men couldn't have done better, little princess; you are a flower of freshness and prosperity in this desert," praised Brown Ben Plumm.
Sansa frowned in her mind; that was a compliment with many flaws, but it was very similar to something that would be said in the Seven Kingdoms. Sansa nodded to accept the praise, as intention and good manners were something scarce among the barbarian court of her aunt "Daenerys.
"Captain Plumm, do you have any relatives who have lived in the Seven Kingdoms?" asked Sansa.
"Lady Sansa, my family is numerous, and my heritage extensive. My ancestry is part Braavosi, part Summer Islander, part Ibbenese, part Qohorik, part Dothraki, and part Dornish. I also have a drop of Targaryen blood, inheritance from an ancient member of House Plumm who married a dragon princess. It is said that the wedding took place in the reign of one Aegon Targaryen, although I don't remember exactly which of the five Aegons it was.
"My grandmother was half Ibbenese and half Qohorik. My knowledge of Westeros came from the stories my grandfather told me as a child, which in turn came from my grandfather, whose origin was from Westeros, although he was killed by a Dothraki before my birth," explained Brown Ben Plumm.
Captain Plumm seemed to have blood mixtures from all over the world, although from the tone of his dark skin and eyes, Sansa would swear that the old man was Dothraki, but it seemed that was only his closest ancestry. It could also be that he was shamelessly lying, although his knowledge supported him.
"Sansa, I haven't visited the camp since the battle, and I've heard they're busy. Let's do it now," said her aunt Daenerys, rising from the cushions she used as a throne.
Her aunt Daenerys was a spontaneous person, and although Ser Barristan tried to stop her, she left the tent to visit the freedmen's camp, led by Sansa.
The advisors followed her, along with Sansa and the dragons, escorted by five hundred Unsullied, as the freedmen numbered in the thousands, and security was important. Although her aunt disagreed, Sansa no longer trusted people, and the fact that they were former slaves liberated by her aunt made no difference to her. Their humble status meant nothing to her.
Sansa once believed in knights and princes, in honorable lords and elegant and kind ladies, but it was all a lie. Her father died because of it, she was tortured, she and her sister had seen Joffrey order their father's execution, and how the humble people, who were supposed to support the good rulers, applauded and cheered in support.
Sansa had learned that she could only trust her family because even the people who served her did so out of their own interests, so her trust in them had to take this into account as well.
As they left her aunt's tent, Ser Wendel Manderly was already waiting for her, along with the Karstark brothers and five knights. Sansa had left Dacey Mormont and her warriors with Arya.
Sansa led her aunt, her council, and her guards through the outer camp, where artisans supervised the construction of wagons to carry everything they had taken from the city, using the wood and tools they had also taken.
The people of the camp worked on the outskirts. This camp had been the work of Sansa and Ser Wendel, who had planned it in a circular shape, with ten wide main streets in the center and many latrines.
Daenerys looked at the work camp, but as soon as the freedmen learned of her presence there, hundreds of people crowded around her, and her aunt acquired a new name "Mysha," which according to Missandei meant Mother.
Author's Note 1: For the next chapter, we'll have a POV from Tyrion. Please note that these POVs of Daenerys and Sansa occur when Robb marches north, and Tyrion meets Daenerys. At the end of the POV, Tyrion has been sailing for over a month, and Robb's visit to King's Landing has not yet happened, and he is just returning to Winterfell.
Author's Note 2: I am closing plotlines and reaching the end. The Iron Islands, the Three-Eyed Raven, Robb, and Jon are still pending.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone