Chapter Twenty-Four
**Daenerys Targaryen's POV**
Dany was getting nervous.
Hermione had been right when she said the Iron Bank had been funding much of the slave trade, as before them now was the Golden Company personal army of the Iron Bank as the Iron bank was said to only use them as Mercenaries, standing between Meereen and the freedom of its people.
Hermione had been gone for a little over two days now and promised to be back on the third day by sunrise, which was in just a few hours. Both armies were in the process of forming up and getting ready for a charge that Dany really wished didn't need to take place. She wished Hermione was there now even thought she knew Hermione would not fight in the battle if she didn't have to. She didn't believe that the people should start relying on her magic to solve all of their problems. She also knew the Hermione would also not allow so many of the people she had grown close to die. At this moment Dany really wished Hermione would just stuff that rule for once and destroy the enemy army, she knew for a fact she could.
But of course, there was a plan, there was always a plan. To Dany's annoyance Hermione had failed to elaborate, on what that plan would be before disappearing, which was frustrating to no end. She had only taken Lady Stark and Rakharo along with her to talk to someone, someone she claimed was important. Winky had asked Hermione to talk to this "someone important" and Hermione had agreed, letting Dany know she might be back with friends. As annoyed as she was, Dany hoped she would be back with a lot of friends and soon, if things did not go well.
The last few hours flew by as Dany's anxiety was starting to get worse by the second. Her army was outnumbered, not horribly, and with the dragons' help they might be able to pull off a win. Dany still refused this idea she didn't want to use the dragons as she felt, and was backed up by everyone around her, that the dragons were still too small and to fragile for large scale battles so she needed to keep them contained for the meantime.
For the moment Robb was riding with her as well as Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan, to meet the leadership of the Golden Company before any battle could commence, she was just unsure how much time she needed to stall for, She trusted Hermione with everything seeing as the two were practically sisters, but she prayed for once for Hermione to hear her and show up soon.
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**Young Griff's POV**
Young Griff as everyone called him was curious, to say the very least.
From the stories of the fat man, as some had come to call Lord Varys, the Targaryen madness didn't seem to skip the siblings. But the recent actions of this new self-proclaimed Queen, had showed something else entirely. First she had awakened three dragons from petrified eggs. Some would say a miracle in of itself. Then the Gods themselves had seen fit and had sent one of their daughters to aid her in the form of a Fallen Star. The evil warlocks of Qarth to there dismay had a long history of clearing orphans from the streets if the rumors were to be believed, had been hunted down and extinguished to the last by the Star Witch herself as some had come to call her.
Griff knew who he truly was and why he had been raised, he had asked once Lord Varys directly as a child, and been rewarded with the truth. He knew he was truly a Blackfyre and he was supposed to follow the fat man's plan, and for the most part he even agreed with the plan. But he had been interested enough to see this for himself, Jon, ever faithful to his judgment, the father Young Griff had always known, had taken the job of riding out to fight or negotiate for Meereen so that Young Griff could get a measure of this Young Queen. To see with his own eyes if she was worth following or if the fat mans plan was better. While Lord Varys truly wished to aid the small folk he changed his plans to easily, and frequently. With the news of A Star falling from the heavens to aid this queen...
Could this Queen truly bring about miracles? He was skeptical, as he had seen his share of false miracles before, but he would keep an open mind and decide after all the facts were in.
He saw no person in the ranks of this Dragon Queen that looked like the Fallen Star as described by the whispers. He saw the dragons, and while impressive they were only the size of a horse at the moment and couldn't possibly defeat the dozen war elephants in their ranks along with the archers positioned close by, the dragons would die quickly if this Queen was foolish enough to use them directly. Seeing as they were lashed to the ground, he could tell she was at least not stupid.
Her army had no cavalry or long spearmen to defend against a charge, they did however have an impressive array of archers, making up slightly for the fewer then 10000 unsullied.
Griff knew just how deadly and dangerous the Unsullied were, and he knew if he gave them the battlefield of their choice he would lose. That was why the army had been arranged to maximize long to mid-range engagement, as well as present a hard-hitting front that left the Unsullied no room to work. The Golden Company was not built for defense, but with an almost unbeatable offense who needed to guard things well when you can just destroy the enemy with one charge. The War elephants leading a charge, even against a cavalry charge would slaughter everything in its path, the much larger animals would scatter and plowing right through the ranks of men, like a sleek ship through the sea.
Young Griff was hardly paying attention to the conversation between Jon and this Dragon Queen. He was watching her reactions as Jon laid out how she stood no real chance of victory and was just about to offer her the terms they had discussed, about his marriage to her for the army, when a loud—
*BWWWWWOOOOOOOMMMMMMM.* The sound reverberating deep into bones of every soul for miles.
Thousands of heads turned at once.
More and more horn blasts followed, each one shaking the air, the sound punctuated by what sounded like the very Gods of elephants roaring out its displeasure at the world, the sound carrying so far it could probably be heard in Volantis.
Just on the horizon, enormous figures started taking shape within the background of the rising sun. Large shapes, getting larger by the second. The ground began shaking at the approach of the rhythmic staccato of the heavy beasts approach, a low steady tremor felt through the soles of every boot on that field.
*Giants, Riding Giant Mammoths.*
At least forty of them, bearing down toward the front of the Dragon Queen's army.
Even the discipline of the Unsullied could not entirely contain the sound that moved through the ranks at the sight. The joining of the Unsullied as they slammed there spear ends down on the ground in rhythm of the slow heavy footsteps approaching. The line of Giants on mammoths came to a stop at the front of the Dragon Queen's army, and one giant dismounted slowly. One could see why he was careful about it, as a young woman was sitting on his shoulder, hardly holding on, smiling the whole time. She had a golden glow around her that was steadily retreating back into her skin with each passing second.
"Lord Connington," the young Queen said, her voice carrying easily across the space between them, a very happy smile now on her face, "I feel as though we may have to reprise your offer of surrender."
Young Griff couldn't help but agree with this new assessment.
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**Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg's POV**
*(Three Days Prior)*
The King of the Giants was on edge, for important things needed to be decided soon.
The Star Witch had kept her promise to come and see them, as the tiny floppy-eared one who shone with power had said she would. The Giants of this world had a close connection with magic and nature, and they had seen with their own eyes what this Star Witch really was. Far stronger indeed than the tiny floppy-eared one had even described. The Giants took their time to discuss what they wanted and needed, with each other before she arrived. The problem was and some feared what she would ask for in return, but they would be hopeful.
The survival of the last Giants in existence was at stake after all.
The very few surviving children were currently hidden from the world. The Giants currently awake were the only ones left to help combat the evil that had survived all this time, with the hope that one day the last of their children might be born into a world where they could grow without fear of death at every turn, until then they would slumber. They had bargained the last of their old ones, the last of the story tellers, the last of the warriors, into aiding in the defense of the planet however they could in one last final attempt.
The King knew Giants were not smart like the small people. That was why whenever they fought alongside the small people they only followed those with a good heart. Giants might not be smart, but they could tell if a person was good or not. Some Giants might not care and would attack anyone, but Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg knew his clan was full of honorable Giants, and by working with the small people he had helped keep his people alive as long as he had, what other clan was left but his after all.
Meeting the Star Witch had brought his people something that had been missing hope and happiness.
When the Star Witch first showed up, ice around her melted away and life grew where she walked, plus she had shown good manners and brought a gift of magic, a large lantern that would stay lit for one hundred years and never blow out. This gift pleased everyone greatly as the nights were getting longer once again. Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg prepared himself to speak to the pretty little Star Witch that positively radiated absurd amounts of magic, more than he had felt in a very long time.
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**Hermione's POV**
The meeting with the Giants had been slow going of course.
Giants took their time deciding what to say and didn't speak often. These Giants seemed far more intelligent than the Giants she had worked with when she helped Hagrid and his half-brother with their relocation, and the language was remarkably similar with only slight deviations, Hermione made a careful mental note of this.
She also learned that the Giants had been keeping their King Mance away from the meeting while they discussed what was offered and what was needed, which told her a great deal about how seriously they were taking this.
In the end Hermione agreed to aid the Giants in relocating and to help Mance save as many as he could from a threat she couldn't fully translate from the Giants, though she filed it carefully away for later.
Creating the Port Keys for that many large beings and transporting them had worn Hermione out to the bone. Her magic was depleted, and the recent issue she had been quietly working in secret had started nagging at her again. Luckily she had finally figured out a way to slow that particular problem down as she touched the pendant tucked away, but it was yet another thing added to the growing list of things to accomplish before she could take a break.
Her hand rested on her chest as she gathered herself after the transport, taking a slow deep breaths as she centered herself, drawing more magic into herself to find an acceptable balance.
She supposed that as far as entrances went, hers was at least an eight out of ten for timing, if nothing else, as she sat on Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg's shoulder and watched the response The citizens of Meereen were gobsmacked of course, Dany's army was of course in awe and Golden Company below, she was not entirely sure but she believed she saw a few of the war elephants wet themselves at there approach. What truly made it memorable was and the fact Giants once again after thousands of years, roamed freely among men.