“I have returned with information, my queen.” Ethan said. His eyes scanned the room he’d just found himself in.

Rich, as was to be expected of a queen’s palace. But much of it seemed more for show than anything else. Fine furs covered every inch of ground, and the furniture was laden with gold. Silverware was polished to a gleam, yet a knock on some cups revealed that they were half rotten wood. A fitting analogy for Dany’s rule, he supposed.

The queen herself was reclining on a couch, stuck halfway between lazy and regal. Her face was set in a perpetual frown, but the lazy chewing and puffed cheeks made it hard to take her seriously. So he waited instead. She tapped a plate absently, and a servant found her some wine. She downed it all in one gulp before realizing how she looked, and sat up straight.

“Yes?” Almost like a teenage girl speaking to a friend. Ethan made a note to fix that later.

“I believe I have found the sons of the harpy, your grace.”

Daenarys shot up from her couch. “How?” She demanded.

“Luck, gold, and a good measure of trickery.” Ethan took a seat from across her. The silk fluttered as he sat. Rich and fine, more suited for cloth than some fabric. Extravegenence? Or poor taste? Ethan couldn’t be too sure. He pulled out the envelope. “An invitation to one of their meetings.”

Daenarys tore it open, staring at the parchment. She blinked, read it again, and then stared at him blankly. Her lips flattened into a line. “Is this a jest, Master Ming?”

“I do not find it funny to make jests of murderers. We may laugh once they are dead.” His hands grasped the handle of a goblet. Too warm to be silver. Painted wood, then.

“This is a brothel.”

“Oh?”

“Are you quite sure this was not a gift of the master’s, Master Ming?”

“I would not think so.” Ethan said. “He had a mind to convince you that slaving is not such a crime after all, and wanted my help with the affair. He then gave me this.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And how shall he convince me?”

“With matters they shall discuss at this place, I would imagine.”

“Treason.”

“He called it a possibility.” Ethan took a sip on the wine before setting the goblet down. His frown was a tad hard to hide. So strong it was hard to swallow and so iced it hurt his teeth. Expensive, no doubt. Although how anyone could enjoy such a drink he had no clue.

Daenerys took in a breath. “He wants to put a collar back on my neck.”

“All of them, I would imagine. The slavers have much to gain from their trade opening again. An observant man might note that they are counting on it.”

Dany’s lip trembled. “I’ve spared their lives. What more do they want?”

Ethan shrugged. “Wealth, power, revenge. They are not happy, your grace, not that they were happy before. But I feel like I must leave you some advice.It is recommended that a ruler should have their men well treated or crushed utterly, for a man may avenge himself of lighter injuries. It is thus imperative that when punishment is inflicted, it is done to a degree that the ruler shall not fear retribution.”

Daenarys raised an eyebrow. “Advice from Maegor the Cruel?”

“A famed counselor, his works would go on to influence countless kings.”

She did not even attempt to hide her frown. “A heartless man.”

“Perhaps. Though it is difficult to find how his thinking is unsound. The slavers of Meereen will not sit idle, your grace. You have not taken their lives, but they have wealth and power still. Only you stand between them and even greater power. If you shall not make way for them, they will do everything in their power to see to your removal. Zolors Dhazak shall not be the first or the last.”

Daenarys stood up now. “If they dare move against me, they shall have fire and blood. The dragon shall not be stolen from.”

“They have moved, and shall continue moving, your grace.”

“Some.”

“Most.” Ethan countered. “It is in their direct interest to do so, your grace, and you have not made an example of those who tried.”

Daenarys stiffened. “I have hung men for murder.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Thugs paid for with slaver’s coin. Killing them will only cure the symptoms, not the cause.”

“What will you suggest then? Kill them all?”

He paused long enough to let her know that he had considered it. “Perhaps it would benefit your rule, although you seem to desire a more peaceful resolution.”

“They will obey me.” She said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself. “They may have some more gold, if that makes them happy.”

“Gold to avoid war. A benevolent decision.”

Daenerys smiled at the praise.

“In the Byzantine empire, the Emperor’s trusted minister Chrysaphuis recommended something very similar. Gold was readily available, and wars were expensive. So when barbarians appeared he would pay them to leave. It worked, for a time.”

Her smile turned into a frown quickly.

“But the barbarians were not satisfied, and every year they demanded more. One year the emperor could bear their demands no more, and declared war. But he found to his sorrow that the barbarians had used his gold to create an army stronger than his own, and he was captured on the battlefield. For a fortune he was bargained free, but it beggared his realm. It was left to decades of humiliation, rape and pillage. Such is the price of appeasement. It was only many generations later that a new emperor took up the crown, and took the fight to the barbarians. No tribute was paid thereafter, and the pillaging no longer occurred.”

He could see her frustration bubble to the surface now. “I am thinking.” She said. “That I have little use for men who can only criticize my decisions.”

Ethan smiled. “Why, of course. Such men are an annoyance, and of little use. It is suggestions that make advice worth hearing.”

“I am hearing none.”

“Allow me to provide one then.” Ethan stood up, and grabbed the queen’s goblet. “It seems to me that the dilemma is obvious. Your people are in poverty. The harpy thugs desire gold. The masters-” He picked up his own goblet, nearly full. ”They have gold. Plenty of it, in fact. Far more than they need.”

“The solution, then, seems equally obvious. We find the masters. We take their gold. And give it to those who need it.” As he spoke, he poured his own drink into the queen’s cup. “And behold! No money for the harpies. No starving men to take an uncharitable view towards your rule. Along with this, you shall find yourself with all the treasures of Meereen. What is there to complain about?” He slid the goblet over the table.

Dany’s expression changed. “You would have me rob the masters.”

“I will advise you, my queen, to expropriate their wealth. You have taken their slaves, have you not? Were they not also property of the masters? What is different here?”

“Slavery is a crime against the gods.”

“Why, and is profiting from it any different?” Ethan lowered his voice now. “A man slays my father and takes his gold. Am I robbing him now, by taking back what belongs to me? Your father’s throne was stolen by the usurper. Are you meant to bow to him when he approaches, and call him your grace?”

Dany bristled. “Of course not!”

“And pray, how is this any different? Whom are your citizens? Are they not the poor, the oppressed, the formerly enslaved? Who was it that worked the fields of Meereen? That rowed the sails of the galleys? Who was it that had their children sold into slavery, their lives made a nightmare come to life? Who suffered lashes, rapes, chains?” His voice was barely a whisper. “Was it not them?”

“Was it not them?” His voice rose suddenly, harshly, and Dany flinched back.

Ethan lowered his head. “I apologize, your grace. I forgot myself.”

Dany stared at him for a moment before realizing she was in control. “You are forgiven, Master Ming. But you will not raise your voice at your queen again.”

“Of course.”

There was a brief silence as Dany calmed down.

“Perhaps there is some truth to what you are saying.” Dany admitted. “But the masters will not stand for this. They will lie, cheat.”

“They already have. No need to worry. I have whisperers, and a few methods in mind. Give me one month, and I will have an estimate of their wealth. We will leave them silver so they do not starve, but no more. The masters shall stand for this if they are sensible, and if they would rather not they can kneel instead. Fire and blood.” Ethan met her gaze. “Fire and blood, to take back what is yours. What of your citizens, who are still suffering? Are you content to watch them starve?”

“Starve?” Dany’s voice grew hoarse for a moment.

“Yes. Starve. They were fed by their masters, before they were freed. Who do you imagine feeds them now?”

“They are free to find work for themselves.”

“For whom? The masters have the land, the animals, the bread. Or did you offer your citizens a farm and a herd of sheep to raise?” He couldn’t quite stop the jab from entering his voice.

“There are jobs in the city.”

“Aplenty for artisans, weavers, merchants and men of good education. All slaves in Slaver’s Bay have come for you, seeking freedom. And what freedom have they found! Did you know that they have taken to kidnapping children? Eyeless beggars line your streets, my queen, and they get none of what kind men give. I could tell you more. The whisperers are already roaming about, and they bring me news every day. Perhaps one man in every four cannot find a job. Many starve.”

“No. They-”

“They are starving, your grace. And scared. Do you doubt the truth of what my whisperers have said? Come yourself. I encourage you- beg you, my grace. Come to the slums with a small escort. Pretend to be a civilian, and see for yourself how badly the situation has gone. The masters use all their power to hide the truth from you, but they cannot cover your eyes if you are determined to see.”

“Are you saying that I am a bad ruler, Master Ming?” Dany’s voice rose.

“I am saying that the situation is far worse than the masters would like you to believe, and until you leave the walls of your palace you have no information you can trust.”

“I think that you are right.” She said, more coldly now. “I cannot trust everything I hear.”

“Suppose that I am lying. You may have me executed for treason. Suppose I do not. Is it not necessary that you see the truth of things for yourself? I trust that you will be fair in your judgment, my queen.”

“I will think about it. Until then, you are dismissed, Master Ming.” Her voice hardened. “Dismissed.”