Chapter 16: The Calm before the Storm.

460 9 5
                                    

The march to Meereen was progressing faster thanks to the Republic Transports that Anakin had brought with him. And Daenerys was riding inside the lead AT-TE with Anakin and Ahsoka and the others.

"We're making great time. At this speed we'll be in Meereen in about... a couple hours." Anakin announced.

"Thank you again, General Skywalker." Daenerys thanked. "Without you, I would not have been able to take these cities so swiftly."

"I guess if you really wanted to, you could thank the Separatists." Anakin joked. "If it wasn't for them, I never would've arrived in Essos."

"We never would've arrived in Essos." Ahsoka corrected.

"You know what I meant, Ahsoka." Anakin shot back.

Daenerys chuckled under her breath. She liked it when Anakin and Ahsoka went between banter like that. It was entertaining. But there was something else on her mind. Something she needed to say. She owed a lot to the Republic, but for how much longer. What happens after Meereen? "So General. After you fight the Separatists here. What will you do?" Daenerys asked.

Anakin thought about it for a second. "Oh, I guess we'll head back for Westeros." He answered. "We've still got to fight and apprehend Grievous."

"But would it not be simpler to kill Grievous?" Daenerys asked puzzled.

Anakin shrugged. "It would. But the Chancellor would rather he stand before trial and answer for all the crimes he committed. Justice at its finest." 

"Justice can have different definitions. I've watched kings who served their versions of justice." Barristan commented. And that was all he did. Watch.

"Hopefully, we'll see each other again in Westeros, when I am Queen and take the Iron Throne. After I finish with my army in Essos." Daenerys said.

That's what got Anakin thinking again. He was seriously hoping to avoid any entanglements with Daenerys and Robb Stark for the Iron Throne. But it was coming to that. And soon. But that was when another thought came into his mind. "Queen, can I ask you something?" He asked.

Daenerys nodded.

"When you eventually go to Westeros, what happens to Essos?" Anakin asked.

"What do you mean?" Daenerys asked caught off-guard.

"I'm just saying, when you go to Westeros... that means leaving Essos. What do you think will happen when you leave?" Anakin clarified.

Daenerys thought hard about that. "I guess, Essos will rule themselves." She suggested.

"I don't think the people will be able to rule themselves without someone to guide them. Right now, you're that guide. And if you leave, what happens to them?" Anakin was making Daenerys think. When Daenerys set off with Jorah to gather her army after Khal Drogo died, she never thought about all the repercussions of what would happen when she was gone. But she looked at Anakin.

"I will sail for Westeros and I will free the people and rule." Daenerys declared.

But that answer wasn't satisfactory enough for the Jedi. "And free them from what? Tyranny? Slavery? I didn't see slavery when I was in Westeros. And once you free Westeros, I have a hunch that the slave masters will come back and take their revenge. And look at what happens to Essos. It's back to square one. And you saw all those people who love you. They called you mother in Yunkai. What happens to them when their mother leaves?" Anakin asked.

Daenerys looked down. "I... never thought of it like that." She admitted. She was a hero to the people of Essos. Loved and Admired. How would they feel about her if she leaved. Was it worth it to leave a people that loved her to go to another people, and things go back to the way they were. 

Chaos. A Star Wars/Game of Thrones Crossover.Where stories live. Discover now