( ACT II; the age of the dragon. )
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chapter 9: infiltration of yunkai.

DAARIO Naharis, Vaegon's newly but reluctantly appointed captain, volunteered to lead the attack on the city. After killing his own superiors and swearing fealty to Daenerys in a quick interaction the night before, Vaegon had chosen to allow him station among his inner circle for the time being despite his weariness from a brief discussion with Daenerys about the situation. He hadn't sworn fealty to him, but her. The sellsword had killed his superiors for what he assumed was for his sister as well, and not him. He'd have a hard time finding himself trusting the man at any degree.

The infiltration of the city would be carried out via a lightly defended back gate, Daario explained to Vaegon and the other advisors, where the team would enter the city and open the main gates to allow the full invasion of the combined Unsullied and Second Sons forces to enter the city.

Jorah had voiced his opinion of the matter on their way to the receiving tent, where they'd gathered to assess the plan. The knight was worried the lieutenant was merely there as an assassin by the Yunkish after the unpleasant visit with the city's herald, with Vaegon having similar suspicions.

Vaegon was skeptical of the plan as well, to say the least, as much as he was of the sellsword whom would be leading it. If Daario's loyalties were so easily shifted for something such as the beauty of Daenerys, what could he do to Vaegon? He'd been sure to be cautious of anyone he considered trusting, but Daario had somehow forced his way into Vaegon's service. Making sure to be cautious, the king was ready for any outcome, be it victory or betrayal.

Turning his violet eyes to his Unsullied commander, the only one that had yet to voice an opinion, the Targaryen asked, "What do you think, Grey Worm?" The king shot the sellsword a look, brow raised. "Do you trust it?"

The Unsullied commander remained quiet and stoic as he usually did while Vaegon waited for him to answer his question.

"I do, Your Grace," the commander replied. Though his reply was short and to the point, Grey Worm's input was more than enough Vaegon, as the eunuch was his most trusted advisor second to Jorah.

Upon the conclusion of the brief, Vaegon crossed his arms as an excited grin spread on his face. "And if you decide to betray me, I'll have your throat slit in an instance," he promised the sellsword somewhat jokingly. "Are we all prepped to leave within the hour?" He asked looking to Jorah, Selmy, Grey Worm and Daario. Seeing their expressions of confusion, he cocked a brow and looked between them all.

"Your Grace, forgive me, but you were not planning to join the infiltration team, were you?" Selmy asked the king as respectfully as he could.

Vaegon, confused, let out an airy laugh. "We'll of course. Why wouldn't I?" He watched as the three advisors and his commander gave each other looks until Jorah spoke up for all of them.

"Your Grace, if something happened to you during the infiltration, everything you have done to work towards the throne would be for naught," the Mormont told him with a slight frown.

"Far too risky," Selmy agreed. "Even with a well organized team, your importance and safety is paramount. I will be here with you while we wait, Your Grace."

Scoffing and shooting the sellsword a glare, Vaegon said, "I'm no coward. Why would I not fight alongside my own men? I won't see others die while I stay in the comfort of my tent."

"Perhaps we would be having a different conversation given your dragons were fully grown," Daario told the king. "Your safety cannot be risked. Monarchs do not lead their armies into battle. That's what generals are for."

As much as Vaegon wanted to argue with the mercenary, the reasoning was far too relevant for him to overrule their demands. The truth wasn't easy to swallow considering his blossoming distaste for Daario, but he conceded to the wishes of his original advisors.

"Very well," the king muttered. "See to it gets done then." Without another word, Vaegon left the tent in search of a spear and a practice partner he wished to take out some of his anger on.

VAEGON knew his training with a spear would come quite in handy, especially when he'd decided to sneak from the camp and through the city walls against the wishes of his advisors and Daenerys. Using stealth as he manuvered through the tight alleyways of the chaos consumed common areas of Yunkai, he figured the gods had to be looking down on him after he'd managed to stumble on the infiltration team cornered in an awkward alleyway.

Jorah was struggling to fend off two slave soldiers with one good arm, his other visibly injured by the massive blood stain that had blossomed on his sleeve. Daario and Grey Worm managed to work together in the effort to compensate for Jorah's wound, yet the two skilled warriors were visibly growing tired the longer they fended off the unrelentless Yunkish soldiers.

With the use of his spear, Vaegon launched the weapon from the dark, his deadly accuracy landing the spearhead into the back of the nearest of the distracted Yunkish soldiers in an effort to relieve his overwhelmed comrades. Running from his cover and ripping the spear from the body, he turned to face more opponents.

As the others that were arriving began pouring into the alleyway, Vaegon deflected a blow with his spear as he pulled it from the body before jutting forward and plummeting the blade into the neck of the adversary. Another came, and with the same bloodied spear, Vaegon spun around and sliced the soldiers belly clean before an agony filled scream bounced around the alley as entrails plopped into the dirt with a wet sound.

Vaegon worked his way through five more of the soldiers before he managed to reach the ones his tired infiltration team were facing. Slamming his spear through the back of the head of the adversary Daario was facing, he yanked the weapon back and allowed the body to fall to the ground.

Heart pounding and breath ragged, Vaegon turned his violet eyes from the fallen body and toward the sellsword, who's face was covered in grime and the blood that had splattered all over him. The king merely looked Daario up and down with a slight sneer before drawing his attention to Jorah and Grey Worm.

"Your Grace!" Jorah exclaimed, visibly angered and concerned at the same time while he clutched his wounded arm and sword. "You shouldn't be here, this is far too dangerous!"

Vaegon had relished the chance to expel his anger, for all that pain and suffering he'd dealt with in the past two years. He liked to think he was the "dragon" that Viserys always said he was but never could.

"You know I have made the effort to learn the spear," Vaegon retorted as he wiped away a sheen of sweat from his forehead, the speak lifting up with his other hand. "I shall use these skills in my conquest." He looked to Grey Worm then. "Shall we take this city, then?"

Grey Worm allowed a small smirk to appear on his tired face. "On your lead, Your Grace."

♜

RAINA watched as the Targaryen princess paced back and forth in the receiving tent, where the Stark had been formally introduced to her by Barristan after the infiltration team had departed. She'd opted to be quiet once they'd been informed the king was nowhere to be found, as the princess soon fell into a state of panic, but the knight made assurances that he likely disobeyed their demands he stay safe. What little idle chat they'd exchanged had subsided fairly quickly once Daenerys had received word of the king's absence.

Sitting on a cushioned seat, Raina felt the air buzzing with tension. The princess was radiating anxiety.

"How long does the sacking of a city take?" The princess asked Barristan, arms crossed as she paced.

"It depends on many factors, Your Grace," Barristan told her. "His Grace is well trained to defend himself if it is any comfort to you. Grey Worm has seen to that as well as have I."

"Maybe so, but he likely decided to join them on a whim against our wishes," she muttered. "Idiot. He's jeopardizing everything!"

Raina's brow furrowed. "I understand he is the king, but is he not well versed in swordplay? Perhaps a shield?"

She'd seen his muscly toned forearms and strong, broad back when she'd met him at her arrival the night previous. He was a tall man, a wall of muscle that had caused her ears to burn and her heart to work a little harder when she'd caught his violet gaze. She'd been an utter liar if she ever said the Targaryen king was not an attractive man, quite an upgrade to the Stark woman that had only ever known a fat drunkard and a psychotic boy king.

"He favors a spear as of late, m'lady," the knight spoke for the princess. "His Grace has very unconventional ways for a king, but he manages well enough and is a just man."

Raina thought of him again, but this time she imagined him on the iron throne, powerful, just and a maidens dream. Oh, what an improvement to the Realm he would be! She relished on the thought of Joffrey's head on a spike, yet part of her hoped Vaegon would allow one of his dragons to eat him whole. If they were large enough by the time they reached King's Landing.

"He seems capable enough, though I have yet to see his skills," Raina remarked. "I've always considered learning some self defense myself, but I feel it would be improper."

"You should learn," Daenerys stated as her attention drew away from Vaegon's a sense for the first time. "I choose to not train myself because I have an army and a dragon that would die for me. You do not. It would be wise to protect yourself."

Raina thought on Stryder, her beloved direwolf that was somewhere very, very far away with her brother in the north. Her heart ached anytime she tried to think of them for gods knew how long it would be before she would see him again.

Commotion outside the tent draws everyone's attention toward the entrance. Raina watched as Selmy and Daenerys share a glance before the old knight stepped forward to check. Suddenly, Vaegon appeared, bursting past the flaps as he entered tent.

He was grimy, covered in what Raina hoped was not his blood, his normally clean, silver hair covered in a layer of dust that made him look like a different person. Though looking disheveled, the king had a gleam in his eyes as he rested his spear on the ground.

"Yunkai is ours," the king stated with a grin. Clutched in his other hand was a Yunkish flag, somewhat mangled and dirty. When his violet eyes met Raina's, her heart fluttered.

"You left without telling anyone," Daenerys snapped. "You could've been killed!"

Raina watched the way he looked to Daenerys, the slightest hints of what she guessed was pain or grief clouding his expression. Part of her had seen that look before, when she'd seen the way her father looked at Catelyn. Suspicions of the two practicing the Targaryen custom of intermarriage crossed her mind, spurring a bout of displeasure that she had no true right to feel.

The sellsword, the knight and the Unsullied commander Raina had been told about entered the tent moments later, all covered in grime and sweat in the same way Vaegon was.

Much to her surprise, the sellsword gave her a wink and a smile before directing his attention back to the king.

"His Grace proved his prowess in battle, princess," Daario said in an effort to quell Daenerys' anger. "A formidable opponent he is. I wouldn't want to find myself on the deadly end of his spear."

Daenerys didn't seem convinced, but the sellswords assurances seemed to help. She looked to Vaegon, whom still held a glimmer of liveliness in his eyes.

"So the city has fallen, then?" She asked her brother. "That was far quicker than I had expected."

"That's two down," Vaegon grinned. "One more to go."

Raina wondered just how long it would take for them to take the next city he spoke of. Robb was in desperate help in Westeros, but he'd claimed he could hold off the Lannister forces long enough for her to gain the Targaryen effort. She'd been their guest but two days, yet her worry of the war raging back home made her anxious. Vaegon had already claimed he wouldn't be able to provide the help she needed, but part of her hoped he may change his mind. Or perhaps conquer these slave cities quicker.

Vaegon tossed the flag into the blazing brazier near him, embers billowing up as the flames began consuming the fabric.