Wind and sea salt stung Aryan's face as his modest fleet made landfall at Astapor, the infamous red-brick city straddling Slaver's Bay. The rumors of dragons had reached Essos ahead of them, stirring both dread and dark curiosity. Beside Aryan, Daenerys stood tall and regal, her dragon now a visible—if still growing—symbol of House Targaryen's power. But their new legend needed teeth, not just wings, to survive the wars to come.
Eyes on the Unsullied
From the first step onto the sand, Aryan was focused: Astapor's Unsullied represented the greatest disciplined fighting force money could buy—implacable, loyal, and deadly. In the poppy-red shade of the city's slave market, he surveyed ranks of still, silent eunuch soldiers, their faces expressionless, their eyes haunted but bright.
Aryan's meta-knowledge whispered strategy: in the books, Daenerys had used wit and audacity to claim the Unsullied—and their freedom—with a single, sweeping gamble. But his timeline and presence had changed the game. Would the slavers be wary? Would they suspect treachery, forewarned by spreading dragon legends?
The Slavers' Bargain
Aryan and Daenerys, flanked by Marei and Ser Willem, were led to Kraznys mo Nakloz, Astapor's chief slaver. The man dripped contempt beneath his courtly trappings:
"You wish to buy the Unsullied? All or just a taste, silver prince?" he asked, voice thick with mockery.
Aryan kept his tone measured. "All. They will fight not as slaves, but as brothers in a new host. Your price?"
Kraznys listed the toll—mountains of gold, gems, even the dragon itself. The market gasped when Aryan said, "I will pay in gold, jewels, and—if you succeed—promise you the spoils of cities I conquer in the west." He let slip rumors of hidden Targaryen hoards, rare spices, and trading partnerships.
Behind the negotiation, Daenerys watched the Unsullied closely. "Their will is not broken—only caged," she whispered to Aryan. "Give them hope, and they will fight as free men."
Attempts and Obstacles
Kraznys was skeptical. He challenged Aryan's fortune and demanded proof of dragonfire. Aryan deftly sidestepped—letting Daenerys's dragon show off fire-breath sufficient to scorch a trader's cloak but not provoke outright panic. He displayed select jewels, letting Marei parade chests of coin and cut stones.
As negotiations stalled, Aryan quietly met with Missandei, a clever slave girl fluent in Valyrian and Common. She guided him through the customs and secret rules of Astapor, revealing hidden weaknesses in the slavers' control—how the Unsullied yearned not for gold, but for freedom and dignity.
Aryan formed his own gamble. With her as interpreter, he spread quiet word among the Unsullied captains: the Targaryen would not only buy them, but liberate them. Each man who chose true loyalty would have his freedom and the chance to become more than a weapon.
A New Bargain Struck
Faced with mounting pressure from his own side, Kraznys finally relented, anxious to receive Aryan's riches—and cautious about the rumors of dragonfire. He demanded double the agreed price if Aryan wanted every Unsullied in the city.
Aryan agreed with one condition: the transaction and exchange of ownership symbol must take place outside, before the assembled soldiers and their officers. The slavers, greedy and overconfident, accepted.
As crowds gathered in the sun-drenched plaza, coin chests exchanged hands and the golden whip—a symbol of ownership—passed to Aryan.
He stood before the Unsullied, voice strong: "You are not slaves. You are men of your own will. I offer you freedom and a choice: those who would fight for a new dawn, stand with me as free brothers. Those who wish to go may leave, with coin to start anew."
Shock rippled through the ranks. Then, slowly, spears thudded to the ground in salute, not submission. The Unsullied's officers saluted Daenerys, who stood radiant, her dragon perched on her shoulder.
Kraznys tried to protest, furious with the turn, but Aryan had already won their loyalty.
A Legend Grows
The scene was chaos: some slaves wept, others shouted prayers, and the people of Astapor—seeing the impossible—ran for cover or rushed to Aryan, begging him to buy or free loved ones. The legend of the dragon prince and the silver queen grew in a single, blinding moment.
Marei, grinning, whispered to Aryan, "This is not just an army. It's the beginning of a legend that will shake every throne."
Moving Forward
With over 8,000 Unsullied now sworn to his banner—and thousands more former slaves joining the march as freeborn followers—Aryan looked West, the fires of conquest rekindled in his heart.
He clasped Daenerys's hand, their vows silent but binding: not just to retake a throne, but to build a realm where even the broken and castaway could forge a new name under the dragon's wings.
The march of the Targaryens and their free soldiers began anew—the world's old song given voice by the price of freedom, courage, and the promise of fire.
End of Chapter 18