A Game of Thrones and Gacha 33 (Patreon)

The council was missing only one name. Sansa. Apparently, she was in the process of picking some handmaidens and other assistants for herself, to make sure she could actually start doing things in the name of the North rather than moving around like a guest.

Rohar approved, especially since there was no need for her presence in the current meeting. Admittedly, there was not even a need for a meeting at all.

The council meeting went predictably. Daenerys was angry when she learned her generosity and mercy had been spat on twice, once by keeping slaves, and once by trying to organize a rebellion with the support of Meereen and Volantis.

Predictably, the only response was to organize a careful, city-wide search to discover other possible caches; something that was mostly arranged by Daario and Grey Worm, as they were the ones who were commanding the necessary numbers while also having the necessary familiarity.

Rohar considered volunteering for the task, as his reward for getting rid of that filth was a tool to discover more of them.

[Raphael Ambrosius Costeau]

{Uncommon Trait: Disco Elysium - Listen to your inner detective, your deductive reasoning and ability to read cues have increased, you are basically a detective already! Albeit with none of the training of a real detective.}

He always had an eye for detail, but his newest trait overcharged it, allowing him to catch even the smallest discrepancies much more easily.

For example, when Jorah suggested that the Unsullied and the Second Son should put together mixed teams to prevent sellswords from stealing stuff, Daario tried to look angry and defensive, but he caught eight different signs of his genuine relief. Clearly, he knew his men couldn’t be trusted with such a task, but also as their leader, he couldn’t just call his men opportunistic two-bit thieves.

“Maybe I can assist as well. I’m quite good—“ he started, only to be interrupted. It would have been annoying if it wasn’t for the identity of the interrupter.

More importantly, her reason.

“You can’t. I have another task for you,” Daenerys declared. Daario smirked, Jorah brooded, and the others just didn’t react.

“As you wish, my Queen,” Rohar just said, as spending private time with her was certainly better than searching the city street by street. He could always do his own search afterwards.

After the plans were complete, the council chamber emptied of everyone, even Missandei who went to help Sansa with her hiring, though Jorah dragged his feet quite a bit, his crush on Daenerys obvious to everyone.

Unfortunately for him, Daenerys enjoyed something more direct than merely pining. Even if he wasn’t there, Daario would have succeeded long before Jorah.

Daenerys stood up angrily, her fingers drumming a restless rhythm on the arm of her chair. Rohar moved with her without waiting for her order. She walked furiously, the white silk of her dress whispering against the marble.

Rohar stood next to her as they watched Yunkai from the window. The sun slowly rose to paint the pyramids and walls in golden hues. Below, the city stirred with uneasy life, even newly freedmen unsettled with the soldiers canvassing the streets.

He could understand where they were coming from. Armed soldiers made a scary sight for people who knew they could be killed with no consequence.

"Ungrateful monsters," Daenerys hissed, squeezing her hand until her knuckles whitened. "I let them go. I didn’t even take all their riches they got by selling people. I gave them mercy, and they spat on it. Slaves hidden in cellars like wine casks. Rebellion brewing already with them reaching Meereen and Volantis. Do they think I won't burn it all down?"

Rohar placed a hand on her lower back, thumb tracing a soothing circle. He didn’t like how quickly she jumped from showing mercy to burning all of them. Especially since while he could see that she was angry, she wasn’t furious.

It was more like she was moving to the next option, as if no one had taught her that there were moves between showing mercy and killing all —

He paused, realization hitting him. No one really did, right? The nuggets he had learned about her late brother painted him as someone close to Aerys, meaning killing would be the first option he would go for in every possibility. Then, Daenerys had been married to Khal Drago.

About him, Rohar knew absolutely nothing, but as a general rule, Dothraki Khals were not famous for measured approaches and nuanced management. Killing was their first, second, and third option, followed by retreating to kill another day.

Ser Barristan likely tried … but Rohar wasn’t sure how much it helped. He was not exactly a man of nuance. He had viewed the world from an idealized knightly understanding of mercy. Then, there was his default habit of following the orders of a monarch, even the stupid ones.

An excellent bodyguard, but as an advisor…

Johar, Daario, Grey Worm… All of them saw problems in a simple way, kill or ignore. Sansa was too concerned with her own issues. Missandei might have a better understanding, but she idealized Daenerys too much to even think of changing her mind. But then, maybe not. Missandei was smart and learned, but her expertise was languages, not ruling.

Rohar hit by a nasty realization. He was the only one who could help Daenerys develop a more nuanced perspective toward ruling.

It was an important task, one that he would have embraced even if he didn’t like Daenerys. No one wanted a woman who could command dragons to treat every problem with only two options.

He decided that it was the best time to start. He put his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging to dissipate the worst of her anger. "It’s the challenge of being a ruler, my Queen, especially the kind that you are trying to be.”

“What kind of queen do you think I’m trying to be?” she asked, her voice terse, but Rohar was too familiar to mistake that for anything else. She wanted to ask for help, but she was under the impression that it wasn’t allowed.

“A protector and a guide,” he whispered. “You want to protect them from pain, and you want to see them grow and prosper. Not like the Wise Masters that only want to rule to satisfy their rotten desires. Not like the dead usurper who only cared throne as a seat, more interested in killing himself slowly by drinking. Not even your father Aerys who only cared about potential threats to his rule, consumed by his own paranoia —“

“Don’t talk about my family like that,” Daenerys warned, making him glad that he had already started relaxing her. Otherwise, it would have been even worse.

“I can keep my mouth shut if that’s what you want, my Queen. You know I’m loyal to you. Just give me the order, and I’ll never mention it. But, I don’t think trying to idealize the dead is the best way, not when you’re trying to find your way. The first thing you need to do is to look for the truth.”

She stayed silent. “It’s hard,” she said. “I grew up with the tales of our brave family betrayed and cast out, and now I’m learning my father was a paranoid monster. What if I become the same —“

He reached out and gently kissed her, her eyes widening in shock, but he pulled back before she could start responding. “My beautiful Queen. You won’t be the same kind of monster. Not unless you want to be.”

“Do you think I would want that!” she gasped.

He started massaging her again. “Sometimes, it’s easier to let anger take over. You can already imagine how good it would feel if you ordered the execution of every single person that ever owned a slave. Revenge, vindication, power… But, you showed them mercy, even though it’s hard. Even though you knew that some of them would spit on it, thinking you weak. That’s the real strength, my Queen.”

She whirled on him, eyes flashing. "Mercy? What a joke. I've shown mercy, and look where it got us. Astapor is already bubbling with problems, Yunkai a viper's nest that didn’t wait even a day before trying to stab me in the back. Meereen already sending threats executing all their child slaves if I dare to march on them…" Her breath came faster, chest rising and falling, anger and despair mixing.

He could have distracted her easily, but he decided to push. “You have become overconfident, my Queen,” he said. “You think that by invading cities and freeing slaves, your job has been finished, and you can move on.”

“I’m doing good—“ she started, but he interrupted her with another kiss.

“You are, but you have to realize you have just started. Tell me. What will you do once you invade Meereen. Would you march on Volantis, then Pentos. Would you return to Westeros to take over your family legacy the moment you have an army and abandon the people you saved to their fate?”

“I have freed them—“

“And, the moment you leave, taking the Unsullied with you, other cities will hire sellsword companies and move their slave legions, and enslave everyone, probably killing a large portion to turn them into a lesson.”

As he spoke, he could see her wilting, shock hitting her hard. He could see that if he had slapped her, she wouldn’t have reacted this badly.

He decided to interrupt her by kissing her again, but unlike the other kisses, it was aggressive, domineering. He could see that it was what she needed. He took a step to the side, squeezing her between his body and the wall, and kissed her until her panic dissipated, leaving its place to desire.

Then, he pulled back.

“What?” she muttered.

“Feeling better, my Queen,” he said, giving her his best smile.

“Well, it helped,” she said, trying to sound as if she were in control. “Thank you for listening to my rant.”

“It was not a rant, my Queen. It was an understandable reaction. You’re trying to find your way as a ruler.”

She sighed. “How are you so calm? You grew without anyone to teach you. Yet, whenever there’s a problem, you just solve it. Maybe you should be the king instead…”

“Oh, my Queen. Proposing marriage already, how forward,” he teased, enjoying her sudden blush. “But, to answer your question, I had one thing you never had.”

Her expression flashed between anger and confusion. “What’s that!” she said, her tone warning him to be careful.

“Time,” he answered. She gasped. Whatever the answer she had been expecting to get angry prematurely, it was not it. “I grew up without expectations, practically invisible. It allowed me to watch people and understand how the world works. Not just the orders, but how it cascades down. I have lived in the Red Keep, and saw so-called King Joffrey do his best to destroy his kingdom while Tyrion tried to keep it together.”

While he talked, he let his hands find her hips, pulling her close to him, realizing that a little domination helped to drive the point further. Though, he was surprised just how well she was reacting to his touch.

“What else,” she whispered, almost moaning.

“I have examined the evidence of how Littlefinger robbed the kingdom blind to enrich himself millions of gold dragons while the usurper drank himself to an early grave, too stupid to even realize how badly he had been robbed. I have watched from afar while Tywin worked hard to destroy any hope of Lannister survival in the long term while thinking that he is protecting his family legacy, all the while alienating his only child that could follow him successfully. So, believe me when I say there’s one mistake you’re making. One that can destroy you.”

“What’s that?”

“Believing that things are simple. Very few things in life are simple, and breaking a social structure is not simple.”

“Forbidding slavery is simple,” she responded, trying to argue, but he could see that she had already lost her anger, leaving its place to confusion.

“It is when you are trying to change traditions that go back thousands of years, fight other cities that want you to fail because you’re threatening them as well, and build your own nascent power at the same time. Especially since you really have no idea what you are going to replace them with?”

“I … I know how to replace. They will be free—“ she started.

He silenced her again, this time by squeezing her ass. She was reacting well to mixing sexual with serious, and he certainly didn’t have any problem with it.

“What does it mean. Will they be like wildlings, free to roam, kill, and murder? Will they be like dothraki, robbing and killing others and believing it to be fair. Maybe you want to use the same system as the Seven Kingdoms and turn the slaves into smallfolk, still beholden to their lord, sent to die by the thousands because two lord decided to have a pissing match.”

Daenerys shivered. “Can’t everyone stay the same, just … without slavery.”

He shook his head. “It cannot. Not here. There’s a reason that this place is called Slaver’s Bay. Everything requires slavery to work. You can’t just change it, leave everything else the same, and hope everything stays the same.”

She looked thoughtful, but Rohar could see that he was fighting against a lifetime of warped perspectives and nonsense about fate, destiny, and duty. Such things worked when the heir was taking an established kingdom from their father, but not when she started from scratch.

“Your words make sense, but how would I know that you’re right?”

“Depends,” he said.

“Depends on what?” she said.

“On how much you trust me not to stab you in the back,” he said.

That put her smile back on, and she reached, cupping his hardness. “I can’t say I trust you completely. I’m certainly afraid of turning my back. You already pulled your dagger.”

He smirked, recognizing the invitation. He pulled back slightly and flipped her, and she ended up pressing against the wall. He spanked her ass softly. “Naughty Queen,” he whispered.

She shivered. “Fine. I trust you not to stab me in the back. If you wanted to kill me, you could have easily done it and escaped.”

He wanted to explain that there were many ways of stabbing her in the back, but it would be counterproductive. So, he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he removed his pants and slid inside, her wetness wrapping around him. “You mentioned that Astapor is already struggling. Give me full control of Astapor, just for a year. And, see what could be done as long as you put the proper care.”

It was a daring proposal to make, demanding a part of her nascent kingdom, especially while fucking her against the wall. He only dared because his Leadership skill and his Teaching skill created a devastating combination for any ruler.

Especially when his enemy was a bunch of arrogant merchants who thought sending sellswords blindly was the height of strategic mastery.

“Tempting—“ she started, but this time, she was interrupted by a gasp when he raised her up slightly, her legs dangling while he gave her a proper fucking. She clearly wanted it, but she wanted to deny it because it was not ‘Queenly’ in her mind.

Her moans told a different story. He pinned her in place with his body while he used his hands to pin her up.

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“I … I still need your help with my children,” she said, referring to her dragons.

“I can help you with both, don’t worry,” he said. “I’m a good rider, and we have some Dothraki horses. It’ll merely take a day to move between two cities if I take a fast ship or switch horses.”

“Do you really believe you can handle both?” she said between moans.

“Oh, Dany,” he whispered, more than happy to take the opportunity to get familiar with her … well, even more familiar than fucking her against the wall like a high-priced whore brought them close. “You shouldn’t underestimate me.”

“You’re pushing your luck,” she warned.

“Tell me you don’t like it, and I’ll stop, Dany,” he repeated, and she tightened around him. Seeing his arrogance was doing wonders, he played it further. “You should know that I’m the one man you should never underestimate. I had risen from nothing, survived making enemies of Tywin Lannister, Littlefinger, and Varys before escaping with the treasure they were fighting over. And, I can proudly say that I did that without betraying anyone that I cared about, or abandon my true principles.”

She moaned.

“Do you find that sexy, Dany?” he whispered. She moaned again. “Careful. If you tighten around me anymore, and I might explode. You would look amazing pregnant, but—“

Just like that, she froze.

He paused, letting her down. “What’s wrong?” he asked, watching her expression shift as if she were about to cry.

“I … I can’t get pregnant. Not anymore. I have been … cursed.”

“How do you know?”

“There was a witch … and …”

He stopped her with a kiss. “Doesn’t matter. Tell me something else. Do you want children?”

“I do, of course, but —“ she tried to say, but he kissed her again, switching to Healing Kiss ability, confident the warmth of healing would be mistaken for joy.

“That’s all I need to hear,” he whispered. “I’ll find you potions to heal you. Learn magic if I have to. I’ll even sail into the ruins of Valyria if needed. Dany, you’re too good to not have what you want…”

She whispered, starting to cry. “I won’t believe you. I can’t. What if…”

“Then don’t,” he said. “All you need to promise to take care of yourself reasonably well, and occasionally drink a bitter potion I bring,” he whispered as he pushed her against the wall, and started sliding inside her repeatedly, but much gentler, using the kiss to activate his Healing Kiss once more.

“And,” she whispered.

“The rest, we’re already doing,” he responded as he picked up speed, and spilled inside her, pushing the Fertility Calibration to the other end.

He expected to receive a notification, but he didn’t. Instead, he felt his seed fight against something dark and sticky. He kissed her again and again, ignoring the exhaustion, which probably was the curse, and he suspected he could only feel it thanks to a combination of Healing Kiss, Adept Conceptualization and Surging Magic Power.

He dragged her toward the nearest seat, took her onto his lap, and started lovemaking gently, pushing all his abilities to the limit. A sudden inspiration giving him a hint of understanding, similar to how Internal Energy triggered.

Healing Kiss, Kama Sutra, Massage, and Adept Conceptualization clicked together.

[Feat Achieved! Discover Eromancy

+1x Gold Skill Gacha ticket]

Even better, unlike Internal Energy, it wasn’t a fleeting realization. It was something … more. He moved with a renewed passion, all his dedicated … well, studying, clicked together to improve him rapidly. Suddenly, he had a way to channel the mystery called magic.

He used to dispel the curse covering her womb, spilling inside her once again.

[Feat Achieved! Progeny of Dragon

Reward: Dragon Rider]

Success, he thought, but seeing her lost in pleasure, her eyes glazed but her smile wide, he decided that staying with her would do no harm. He merely flipped their position, letting her on top. “Make love to me, Dany,” he whispered.

She made love just as he asked, her hopes and desires battling with a deep despair she fought, hoping but trying not to be, unaware that her curse was already gone.

It was incredible…