(Daenerys Targaryen POV)
I was conceived during the last month of the Usurper's Rebellion, the war which ended House Targaryen's reign over the Seven Kingdoms, our reign. Shortly after that, Mother was sent with the young Viserys to our family's ancestral seat of Dragonstone to escape the rebel army marching towards King's Landing.
I was born nine months after their flight, while a great storm raged above Dragonstone, sinking what remained of the Targaryen fleet. For this reason, I am known as "Daenerys Stormborn". Mother died in labour, but not before naming me.
The war had been lost shortly after Mother had fled the city, after which Robert I Baratheon had claimed the Iron Throne, our throne. With Father, my eldest brother Rhaegar, and Rhaegar's young children Rhaenys and Aegon dead, I and brother Viserys are the only known living Targaryen heirs.
The Usurper's brother built a new royal fleet in preparation for an assault on Dragonstone. With the Targaryen fleet destroyed by the storm during which I had been born, the garrison at Dragonstone was prepared to sell us Targaryen children to Robert. However, before they could act on this plan, Ser Willem Darry and several other loyal retainers took us from the nursery. They smuggled us into exile, sailing to the Braavosian coast.
Brother and I lived in Braavos in a house with a red door, where I had my own room and a lemon tree underneath my window. I loved to look at the tree every day and watch it grow slowly. It was a good time, thinking back to it now, and I wish we could go back there ... I miss Mother.
Willem was old and sickly, but I remember that he always treated me kindly. When I was five name days old, Ser Willem fell sick and slowly died, leaving us all alone. After his death, the servants he had hired stole all they could, leaving us with nothing to help us. As we were forced out, I wept. I was so sad that day. I had lost almost everything in this life. I want to go home; I want to see Mother again and go home ...
.
We left Braavos and wandered the Free Cities for years. We visited nearly all the Free Cities, including Myr, Tyrosh, Qohor, Volantis, and Lys. At first, we were welcomed, but after a while, no one wanted to have anything to do with us. We had to sell all we had, which hurt a lot.
When we had to sell Mother's crown ... it was too much for Viserys. He has gotten much more rude with me. He sometimes hits me for things I say and threatens that I will wake the dragon.
Right now, Brother was hosting the Golden Company with the last bit of money we had managed to acquire from Mother's crown. I tried to ask Viserys not to do that, but he didn't listen. He said that the Golden Company were loyal to the Dragons, and since we were the last dragons, they would help us. I had read about the Golden Company. I tried to read as much as I could, but Viserys wouldn't let me buy books anymore.
The Golden Company was a company of sellswords founded by Ser Aegor Rivers, a Great Bastard known as "Bittersteel". The captain-general at the time was Ser Myles Toyne.
The Golden Company was considered the Free Cities' finest and most powerful company, with some considering them the most honourable. Despite the notorious unreliability of sellswords, the Golden Company was reputed to have never broken a contract. Their motto was "Our word is good as gold", while their war cry, "Beneath the gold, the bitter steel", paid homage to their founder.
The reason Brother thought they would help us had to do with the founder of the Golden Company. Ser Aegor Rivers founded it, called "Bittersteel", a legitimised bastard of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Aegor had fled Westeros with the younger sons of Daemon I Blackfyre at the end of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. We Targaryens had had three fights against the Blackfyres, and yet, Viserys believed that they would help us because there were no more Blackfyres left. But it didn't look like it. I was sitting next to Viserys, trying not to be seen at all as he talked with the leaders of the Golden Company.
"So I ask you to help us in regaining the Iron Throne. I can promise you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams should we make it. Using your resources, there is nothing we can do. 20'000 men together with your beasts will assure our victory, no doubt. So will you help me regain the Iron Throne and with it the 7 Kingdoms?"
Viserys had been talking to the men for the entire meal, and so far they hadn't said anything, just listened. I didn't think this was a good sign. They looked uninterested and were just stuffing their faces with the food we had paid for.
"So tell me if I got that right. You want us to pack all of our belongings, all our men and animals, buy ships to carry all of us and then sail to Westeros with you. Then you want us to fight a war against a more or less united Westeros and all their forces, retake the Iron Throne so you can sit on it, and all of that for a 'reward'?? Is that about right?" Ser Myles Toyne said sarcastically.
"You're delusional, Hahahahaahah"
"Hahahahahahahahah" "Hahahahahahaha" "Hehehehehehehe" "Hohohohoho"
Every other man started to laugh at my brother for his idea. I looked at Viserys and saw the shame and anger on his face. The dragon would surely wake soon. But before he could answer, one of the men stood up and approached us. He walked forward until he stood directly in front of me. I looked up timidly, trying to appear as small as possible.
"We might be inclined to think about it ... if you have us have a go at this pretty flower though ... How old is she anyway?" the man asked. I started to shiver all over when I heard his words and looked to Viserys, begging him to do something. Not to sell me away or let them ...
"She is one and ten name days, but she hasn't bled yet. It would be useless. I would allow it, if there were assurances," I heard my brother say those words and almost started crying.
Fear gripped my heart as the man came closer.
"Eh, that's old enough for me. Only needs a hole anyway," he said and grabbed my arm.
Tears ran down my face as I looked at the man's eyes. He licked his lips and my whole body shook ...
"Get your hands off the girl, Tolligar," another voice was heard.
The laughing stopped, and the man looked to the back where a man was sitting wearing a coat. He had something in his mouth that smoked for some reason. I had never seen something like that. Suddenly he opened his eyes and our eyes met. They ... were red ...
"Revenant. What is it to you, huh?! I took an interest in this one and will have my fun tonight; I don't care about your reputation or skills," Tolligar, who was still holding on to my arm, said.
"I said ... get your hand off the girl. Before I cut it off," the man said and stood up slowly.
He was not afraid of them. There were so many other men from the Golden Company inside the tent, but he walked like he feared nothing.
"Leave it, Tolligar. Better to back out now," another said to the man holding my arm.
"F*ck that! I won't bend to this idiot any longer! You all might piss your pants when you hear the rumours, but I won't have it! He is nothing but a lying pi--"
*SHING*
Everything happened so fast that I didn't understand what was going on. I only heard a slashing sound, then felt the missing resistance in my arm. I also saw the red colour of blood and then heard the loud scream of Tolligar, the man who was holding on to me.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!! F******CK!" he screamed.
The other men stood up quickly, and a few unsheathed their swords.
"Go ahead, use them. Let's see what you can do," the strange voice of the man said.
I didn't even notice him move, and suddenly he was standing right next to me.
"Who do you think you are?! We allowed you to dine with us as a matter of professional courtesy. No matter what you can do, that will not be tolerated!" one of the captains said.
All eyes were on the stranger and on Captain-General Ser Myles Toyne.
"So what's it going to be, eh Myles? Are we going to tussle?"
"You went too far this time. There's nothing I can do. We have to punish such actions. I'm sorry, Rev," Ser Myles Toyne said and also unsheathed his sword.
"Don't be. It was always meant to be this way," the stranger replied.
The men were looking at each other without moving. That was until one of the captains moved.
"Aaaah!" he shouted and slashed at the stranger with his sword.
The man moved his upper body back a bit, dodging the attack. He then jumped into action and, with a blade in hand, pierced the other sellsword through his chest. Blood fell from the man's mouth and chest as the others jumped into action as well.
I admitted that I wanted to close my eyes in fright, but something captivated me. I moved backwards in fear of getting involved, and Viserys did too. The fight turned very bloody.
The other captains and the Captain-general started to fight together, while the 'Revenant' was on his own. But unlike what I believed, he was in no way inferior to them. He fought using a strange sword and an axe. He cut off their arms and caused their intestines to spill out, while the wounds he suffered didn't seem to matter much or even slow him down.
"Aaahh", a shout escaped my lips as I watched one of the men impale him from the back.
"That's my favourite coat.", was all he said, though.
Unlike what I expected, he was still not dead. He grabbed hold of the blade sticking out of his chest and pulled it forward, impaling himself further and pulling the man holding the sword towards him.
He moved his left hand to the back and grabbed the man by his head. Three other Golden Company captains were still alive, as well as the Captain-general Ser Myles Toyne. Ser Toyne and the others also stabbed the Revenant, shocking me even more. But that didn't change anything. The Revenant, who had one of them in his clutches, squeezed tightly and broke the neck of the man.
Finally, I had seen enough and closed my eyes. I hid in the corner and held my ears closed. I could still hear grunting and the screams of men this way, but I tried not to think about it too much. I was not sure how long this continued, but after a while, the sounds stopped, and I dared to look up.
All around the large tent lay the dead bodies of the captains. Only two men were still alive. The Revenant and one captain of the Golden Company.
"Y-you do know that this will have consequences, right?" the captain said.
"Whatever. I am ready to go at it any time. But why lose men needlessly? Go about your way, and I'll do the same," the Revenant said calmly.
He took a small box out of his coat and burned it. It was one of those sticks he had in his mouth before. The stick burned, and smoke came out of his mouth.
"Now ... you two might want to get out of here," the Revenant said and stood up to leave.
"Wait!" I said without noticing it, and he stopped walking.
"...Please ... could you ... help us?" I asked.