[Meereen — Locations]
Daenerys returns to her Unsullied army to resume the march to Meereen . She notices Grey Worm and Daario Naharis are absent and sets out to find them after being told they are "gambling." Daario explains they are deciding on which of them will ride up front with her in the vanguard. Frustrated, Daenerys states that the honor goes to Jorah and Barristan as they did not keep her waiting all morning. She orders the two men to ride at the back with the livestock. She also adds that the last man holding his sword shall find a new queen to fight for. Both Daario and Grey Worm instantly drop their swords.
On the road to Meereen, Daenerys speaks with Missandei, who tells her queen that Meereen would be wise to fear her approach. Daario meets them on the cliffside, and Daenerys expresses her annoyance when he shows her flowers he has picked. He reveals that the flowers represent a portrait of the landscape, and serve various purposes, chiefly that knowing her surroundings is important to her strategy.
The marching army halts and Daenerys goes to the forefront, discovering a slave child nailed to a cross. The child is dead, her hand pointing the way to Meereen, and Jorah tells Daenerys there is one for each mile to the last of the great slave cities, 163 in total. Ser Barristan offers to have outriders go ahead and bury them, but Daenerys refuses, ordering that each of them is buried, and their collars removed, but not before she has looked upon each and every face.
Daenerys and her army eventually arrive at the gates of Meereen as she begins her siege. She is faced with a champions' duel where a riding knight of Meereen challenges her to choose a champion that will fight for her. Daario Naharis, commander of the Second Sons and the most expendable member of Daenerys's entourage, volunteers to be her champion. Once Naharis quickly dispatches the Meereen champion, Daenerys begins her siege of the city by speaking to the gathered slaves and then catapulting the broken chains of those she has freed across the city walls, demonstrating her previous successes. As the slaves examine the broken chains, the Great Masters looks on, perhaps in fear.
She sends her Unsullied, led by Grey Worm, to sneak into Meereen and start a slave revolt inside the city. The plan is successful, the slaves rise up against their masters, kill some of them and open the gates to Daenerys. She enters the city as a liberator and the freedmen of Meereen celebrate her arrival by shouting "Mhysa" and throwing their old slaves' collars at her feet. She then has 163 Great Masters killed similarly to how they had murdered the slave children on the road to Meereen, and despite Ser Barristan's council to answer their injustice with mercy, she claims she is "answering injustice with justice." The Great Harpy of Meereen at the apex of the Great Pyramid of Meereen is covered with a great Targaryen banner, as Daenerys looks down on the newly liberated city.
Some weeks later, Daenerys is irritated to discover Daario in her private quarters. The mercenary tries to give her flowers, but the queen demands to know what he wants. Daario asks to be allowed to indulge in his only two talents: killing men and loving women. Daenerys counters that the Second Sons are assigned to patrol Meereen and keep the peace, and there are plenty of women in the city that Daario can pursue. Daario says that police work doesn't do the trick and that the only woman he wants isn't interested.
Jorah enters the throne room in Meereen. In an audience before her, a seething Daenerys demands an explanation, and Jorah says it is a plot by Tywin Lannister to divide them. Daenerys counters that the pardon was signed the year they met. Asking him whether he claims the pardon was forged, Jorah admits that it was not. He soon confesses to giving Varys information on Daenerys's activities in Essos . Daenerys angrily says that Jorah revealing her pregnancy by Khal Drogo to them led to her near-poisoning at the hands of a wine merchant . Jorah protests that his actions stopped her from being poisoned, but Daenerys retorts this was only because he knew it might be coming. Jorah begs for her forgiveness, but Daenerys rebuffs him, saying he betrayed her, selling her secrets to the man she holds responsible for the death of her family. She spares his life, however, and gives him a day to leave Meereen. She warns that if he is seen in the city after that, his head will be thrown into Slaver's Bay. Jorah is last seen leaving Meereen on a horse.
He implores her that the young who can adapt rejoice in her new world, but for those too old to change, there is only fear and squalor. Nor, he says, is he alone: there are many supplicants waiting outside lining up to make similar requests. Daenerys is crestfallen and says she did not liberate the slaves of Meereen only to preside over the very injustice she sought to destroy, but surprisingly relents and admits that freedom means making one's own choices. Therefore she allowed Fennesz to enter into a labor contract with Mighdal, but lasting no more than one year. He earnestly thanks her and leaves. The next supplicant then enters, a shepherd carrying a bundle in his arms. The shepherd timidly approaches and states that he is unable to speak in the common tongue and requires Missandei to translate. Distraught, he tells Daenerys that the "winged shadow" came, placing the bundle on the ground and opening it to reveal charred bones - of a human child . Daenerys's largest dragon, the pitch-black Drogon, has roasted the man's three-year-old daughter Zalla until this is all that was left of her.
Horrified, Daenerys meets with Missandei and Grey Worm in private to discuss the details of Zalla's death and how to deal with the growing threat the dragons are posing to the people of Meereen. Grey Worm reports that Drogon was last seen flying over the Black Cliffs three days ago, but he can no longer be found. Realizing that she can no longer control her dragons, Daenerys tells them to head with her to the catacombs under the city. Later, she leads her remaining two dragons, Rhaegal and Viserion, into the catacombs, where they are distracted by sheep carcasses. As they are feeding, Daenerys personally locks huge iron collars around their necks, which are secured by heavy chains. She weeps as she does so, as it is symbolically reducing her remaining "children" to chained-up slaves themselves. Daenerys wordlessly leaves and closes the huge stone door to the catacombs behind her as her dragons grow distressed and pathetically call after her when they attempt to follow and realize they are chained in place.
Following the removal of the golden harpy from the top of the Great Pyramid and the subsequent murder of White Rat , Daenerys is furious. She orders that he be buried with full honors in the Temple of the Graces as a statement to the Sons of the Harpy , and orders that the Unsullied patrol the streets of Meereen. She later receives Hizdahr zo Loraq's report on the situation in Yunkai. Daenerys is pleased that the Wise Masters will share their rule with the former slaves but refuses to support Hizdahr's concession of allowing the fighting pits to reopen.
Later, Mossador goes against Daenerys's order and executes the man, angering Daenerys. She decides to sentence Mossador to death, stating that killing the Son of the Harpy broke the law. A crowd gathers to witness Mossador's execution and Daenerys tells the crowd that when she conquered Meereen she promised freedom and justice, but one cannot exist without the other. Daenerys is escorted away by the Unsullied when riots break out between the freedmen and the masters.
Daenerys retreats to her pyramid where she wants to spend time alone. She steps out onto her balcony and finds Drogon atop the Great Pyramid. Daenerys is happy to see him and tries reaching out for him, which she hadn't done since the start of her reign over Meereen, but he flies away. Daenerys is left heartbroken as she gazes at Drogon from the distance.
Daenerys looks down at the streets below from her royal apartment in the Great Pyramid. Ser Barristan arrives and shares a story of how he and Rhaegar used to leave the Red Keep and mingle with the common people on the streets. Daenerys then learns the truth that Rhaegar never loved killing as Viserys once told her before, but that he loved singing and was great at it. Barristan soon tells her that one time he and Rhaegar spent the money Rhaegar earned at a minstrel to get horribly drunk and Daenerys laughs. Daario arrives telling her that Hizdahr is in the throne room awaiting her. Daenerys asks Barristan if he’ll be joining them, but Daario assures her that he has her well protected, despite claiming she could easily defend herself against Hizdahr. Daenerys then gives Barristan the day off, cheerfully telling him to make some music in the city below. In the throne room, Daenerys hears Hizdahr plead again to reopen the fighting pits of Meereen, but she refuses. Hizdahr rationally argues that the fighting pits provide a great spectacle that has always been enjoyed by both the masters and slaves, and is one of the few things that can bring the city together. Daenerys does not interrupt him this time as he continues to offer his proposal.
Daenerys is devastated upon learning of Ser Barristan's untimely death at the hands of the Sons of the Harpy, having lost another one of her most trusted advisers, and grieves over his corpse in the throne room. Upon the suggestion of Daario, Daenerys decides to round up each of the leaders of Meereen's noble families, including Hizdahr zo Loraq.
Bringing the eight of them down to the catacombs where Viserion and Rhaegal reside, Daenerys, with the enforcement of the Unsullied, forces the leaders forwards towards the dragons until one of them is burned alive and then brutally torn apart. Drawn into Daenerys's debate between mercy and revenge, Missandei advises her queen to trust the decision that she alone sees. Taking this advice, Daenerys approaches Hizdahr in his cell, admitting her mistake of refusing to open the fighting pits. Daenerys, in order to secure her bondage with the noble people of Meereen, decides to wed herself to Hizdahr, although she makes it clear that she will be the one in control.
Daenerys has both Tyrion and Jorah brought before her inside the Great Pyramid. Though she had doubts about the Lannister's claimed identity, she lets him try and talk her out of executing Jorah. On Tyrion's advice, she spares Jorah's life and banishes him from Meereen again (he counseled that she should not kill those devoted to her, but also that Jorah could not be present should she ever claim Westeros).
Later, over wine, Daenerys and Tyrion speak about their families and past. Daenerys is still thinking about executing Tyrion, mostly as revenge against the Lannisters for betraying her family, but decides not to when she sees Tyrion's indifference to death. Tyrion warns her that the noble families of Westeros are too busy fighting the game of thrones or exhausted to help her reclaim the Iron Throne, and suggests that she consolidate her power in Meereen and build a new kingdom for herself. Daenerys says she'll only stay in Meereen long enough to stabilize the situation and likens Westeros's game of thrones to a spinning wheel, with the Great Houses as spokes. Tyrion dismisses her idealism, noting that others have tried to stop the wheel, but Daenerys firmly declares that she intends to break the wheel, not just stop it. She then informs Tyrion that she will take him on as an advisor, but confiscates his wine – she needs him to communicate in complete sentences.
Now a prisoner of the khalasar , Daenerys is brought before their leader, Khal Moro , enduring remarks about her appearance from her captors. Out of jealousy, Moro's wives suggest killing Daenerys, though he repeatedly ignores them. Daenerys reveals her identity, but Moro laughs off her titles, saying she is nothing more than his bed slave. Daenerys refuses, revealing herself as the widow of Khal Drogo. As it is forbidden for a khal to sleep with a widowed khaleesi , Moro has a change of heart, cuts her free and promises no one will touch her. A grateful Daenerys promises to reward him with more horses if she is returned to Meereen, but Moro informs her that she will be escorted to the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen in Vaes Dothrak, a home for other widowed khaleesi .
As Meereen is being besieged by a fleet of the Masters' ships, Daenerys finally returns to the city, arriving at the Great Pyramid's balcony on Drogon. She is originally mistaken to be a threat from above by Tyrion, Missandei and Grey Worm, but her identity is revealed when several Unsullied discover her on the balcony adjacent to the council room.
After Daario leaves, Daenerys goes to see Tyrion, who tries his best to console her. Daenerys thanks him, but admits that she's not upset about Daario: rather, she was frightened that she was able to easily dismiss someone who loves her unconditionally. Tyrion says that Daario wasn't the first man to love Daenerys, and won't be the last. Daenerys then turns the topic to Tyrion's rule of Meereen in her absence. He responds that he gave up on believing in himself or in anyone and anything else, but that he believes in her. Touched, Daenerys gives Tyrion a pin she had made for him: the brooch of the Hand of the Queen. Tyrion, struck with emotion, proceeds to kneel in front of her.
Despite her perceived confidence and ruthlessness, Daenerys has displayed surprisingly tender emotion and at times can appear quite vulnerable, at least in private. Her fondness for children has been shown multiple times, and when Drogon incinerated the young daughter of a shepherd in Meereen, she was visibly disturbed, which led to her locking Rhaegal and Viserion in the catacombs to prevent further atrocities. When attempting to quell the opposition to her rule in Meereen, she finds herself at a loss and desperately asks Missandei for her input, not trying to hide her frazzled state. After rescuing Jon and company from a wight attack - and losing Viserion in the process - she doesn't try to hide her tears. In the same interaction, when Jon declares his loyalty to her and says that the other Northern lords will come to see her as he does, she says in a rather small voice "I hope I deserve it", showing a sense of doubt that had rarely been displayed before.
It is debatable whether Daenerys was a highly skilled battle commander. She did win some impressive victories, especially her swift conquest of Slaver's Bay and the Siege of Meereen, but each time she had a vast (and unexpected) advantage in numbers, as well as the support of her three dragons. Thus, her victories had more to do with overwhelming the enemy than brilliant tactical leadership. On the other hand, knowing that she was inexperienced in the art of warfare, Daenerys took care to surround herself with experienced and capable warriors who could advise her and help coordinate her battles. She also had a clear sense of strategy, if not specific tactics; she knew how to win battles in such a way to leave herself in the strongest position possible, and avoided engagements that would result in heavy casualties, in order to conserve and protect the troops at her disposal. Daenerys certainly knew how to put her dragons to decisive effect in battle; her use of Drogon at the fall of Astapor and the Battle of the Goldroad ended both battles almost before they started.
Initially, Daenerys did not exhibit the " Targaryen madness " that plagued many of her ancestors, including her father and, to a lesser extent, her brother Viserys. Like most Targaryens, she could be ruthless to her perceived enemies, but while Viserys was cruel and demanding to his servants and even his benefactors, Daenerys reciprocated the loyalty of those who followed her with gratitude and compassion, especially towards her inner circle of friends and her dragons. On the other hand, insanity was often a late-onset condition in the Targaryens, and it didn't always manifest in obvious ways: One could argue that certain of Daenerys's actions, such as her crucifixion of 163 slave masters in Meereen and her burning the men of House Tarly with dragonfire, were telltale signs of Targaryen madness, but even these are not as simple as they appear: In the former case, she felt she was avenging the deaths of 163 innocent slave children that the masters had crucified in order to intimidate her, thus there was a well-intentioned, if brutal, motive behind the act. In the latter case, the men of House Tarly were in open rebellion against her and had refused her offer of bending the knee, thus making the distinction different from inflicting punishment for its own sake.
As Jorah and Tyrion continue their journey to Meereen, and following Jorah's violent reaction to a previous conversation, Tyrion tries to civilize their relationship and asks where they are. As Jorah stands up to look at the foggy ruins on the horizon, Tyrion deduces that they are going to pass through the remains of Old Valyria, a shorter route to Meereen and one which pirates will avoid because of Valyria's reputation. Tyrion is apprehensive, but still excited to see the ruins of what was once the greatest civilization in the world. As they catch glimpses of domes, towers and aqueducts, Tyrion recites a poem about the Doom of Valyria, with Jorah joining in at the end. Suddenly, through the fog, they see Drogon fly into view. Although he had been hearing about the dragons for some time, Tyrion is still awed to see one in person - though the beast does not notice them.
They are suddenly attacked by Stone Men , men whose greyscale infection has reached its pinnacle and transformed them into feral monsters. During the fight, Tyrion falls overboard and dragged under by a stone man, but he is rescued by Jorah and they make it to a beach, where Tyrion regains consciousness. Jorah finally frees Tyrion from his binds and notices that none of the stone men managed to touch him. Tyrion thanks Jorah for saving his life, and they decide to seek out a fishing village to acquire another boat, or walk the rest of the way to Meereen. Jorah tells Tyrion to get some rest as he goes for firewood, but unbeknownst to Tyrion, Jorah has been infected with greyscale.
Tyrion openly questions Jorah's motives, and when Jorah claims that he came to believe in Daenerys when he saw her emerge from the fire unharmed with the dragon hatchlings, Tyrion is convinced, but still expresses doubt as to whether or not Daenerys will be a good ruler, given that her family was known for succumbing to madness due to their compound inbreeding, particularly her father, whom many still call the Mad King. However, they are spotted and captured by slavers bound for Volantis. The lead slaver, Malko , deems Tyrion as useless and orders his throat cut and his penis removed to be sold to a cock merchant (as he believes dwarf cocks bring good luck). Tyrion, however, convinces them to do it when they have reached the cock merchant, buying himself some time, and when Malko mentions that Daenerys has re-opened the fighting pits in Meereen, Tyrion successfully convinces Malko to take them to Meereen in order to put Jorah, who is a renowned Westerosi fighter, in the fighting pits and make them rich.
Both Tyrion and Jorah are brought before Daenerys inside the Great Pyramid of Meereen . Daenerys initially advocates executing Tyrion as revenge against the Lannisters for betraying her family, but Tyrion points out that he killed his mother in childbirth and shot his father in the heart before fleeing. She asks him advice on what to do with Jorah. Tyrion persuades her to spare him, but suggests banishing him again, since he did effectively betray her trust.
Later, while having wine, Tyrion and Daenerys agree that they both had cruel fathers, and Tyrion promises to explain why he killed Tywin someday, should she decide to spare him. Tyrion admits that though he believes Daenerys is no better than her father, he admits that he traveled to Meereen because Varys convinced him that she may very well be the best monarch for the Seven Kingdoms. He believes that Varys was correct in his assessment, and notes that Varys is the only person he can trust, aside from his brother Jaime. The mention of Jaime, who killed her father, prompts Daenerys to suggest executing Tyrion, but Tyrion reacts with indifference, claiming that he was ready to drink himself to death in Pentos and still welcomes death if Daenerys prefers it, given the rate of how his own life had become as of late. Daenerys ultimately decides not to kill or banish Tyrion, but to take him as an advisor on how to reclaim the Iron Throne. Tyrion suggests that Daenerys stay in Meereen, as she may do more good in Essos than in Westeros. Daenerys assures Tyrion that she will stay in Meereen to ensure there is no more slavery but states that Essos is not her home. Tyrion counters that no one will support her in Westeros, but Daenerys somewhat idealistically declares that the common people will support her. Tyrion generously assumes that this will happen (which it generally doesn't), but then he reminds Daenerys that Meereen has been in a state of chaos without the combined support of the Great Masters and the smallfolk, and extends this to Westeros and its Great Houses . He notes that Houses Targaryen and Stark are effectively dead or scattered due to the combined actions of their "two terrible fathers." Neither House Lannister nor House Baratheon of Dragonstone will ever support her claim in light of their histories with the Targaryens. Tyrion says that leaves House Tyrell , who originally sided with the Crown in Robert's Rebellion and might be willing to help her due to Cersei's recent schemes against them, but that it still isn't enough. Daenerys stubbornly likens the Great Houses, including her own House Targaryen, to spokes on a wheel: one on top of the others, and on and on, crushing the commoners beneath them in their struggle for supremacy. Tyrion sarcastically warns that others have dreamt of stopping the wheel, but Daenerys clarifies that she isn't planning to stop the wheel, she intends to break it.
In the aftermath, Tyrion sits in the throne room with Daario and Jorah. Grey Worm recovers and Missandei introduces him to Tyrion. Tyrion concludes that since Drogon flew North, he and Daario must head in that direction if they are to find Daenerys, getting into an argument with Jorah over his status as a Lannister and Jorah having betrayed and been exiled twice by Daenerys. Daario breaks up the argument, convincing Tyrion to trust Jorah and allow him to come, since he did save Daenerys in the fighting pit, but at the same time questions Tyrion's skills in tracking and combat and deeming him unfit to join in such a dangerous mission. Instead, Daario advises Tyrion to stay in Meereen and rule on Daenerys's behalf, knowing of his political skills from his time as Hand of the King, with Grey Worm enforcing Tyrion's rule with the Unsullied and Missandei as interpreter, wishing him luck on keeping the city together.
In the meeting chamber, the emissaries are revealed to be Tyrion's former slave master Yezzan zo Qaggaz , the Yunkai'i Wise Master Razdal mo Eraz , and the Volantene representative Belicho Paenymion . Yezzan remarks at how Tyrion, a dwarf slave, has quickly climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid. The slave-trading cities offer to give Daenerys and her allies a large amount of money and ships if they leave Slaver's Bay . When Missandei defends Dany's actions in liberating slaves, Razdal contends that slavery has existed in the region for centuries. After hearing their offer and reminding them there are other ways to make money, Tyrion proposes a counter-offer. While Meereen would remain a free city, he offers to give the other cities of Slaver's Bay a seven-year time limit to phase out slavery and compensate all slave owners. However, they must end all support for the Sons of the Harpy, regardless of their denial of it. He then cautions them that they will not get a better offer. At the meeting's conclusion, Tyrion gives them a trio of prostitutes and time to consider his offer.
Tyrion and his entourage are later confronted by a group of former slaves in the Meereen throne room. A freedman demands to know when Daenerys will return, while another is appalled at the idea of Tyrion negotiating with slave traders. Tyrion insists he is doing his best to rule the city in her absence while they wait. Instead, the freedmen refuse to listen to the foreign dwarf and look to Grey Worm and Missandei for reassurance. Despite their misgivings, they both publicly back Tyrion in front of the freedmen.
In the Great Pyramid, Tyrion wishes to celebrate with Missandei and Grey Worm for the resurgence of Meereen and to honor their queen. Their celebration is cut short when a large fleet of slaver ships lay siege to the city. As the slavers continue to bombard Meereen, Tyrion allows Grey Worm to assume command. Grey Worm proposes that the Unsullied must not go to the beach, preferring to wait until the slavers enter the Great Pyramid. At that moment, they hear movement on the roof. When they go to investigate, they discover that Daenerys has returned on her dragon Drogon .
The following day, Tyrion explains the events in Meereen during her absence to Daenerys. Despite the fact that they are under siege by the Masters' fleet, he believes that his success in bringing about a resurgence of a slaveless Meereen is the reason for their attack, because the Masters could not let such an example succeed for fear that their slaves could rise up. Daenerys declares that she will destroy the Masters' armies, kill them all, and destroy their cities. Tyrion disapproves and explains the similarities between this plan and the one her father had for King's Landing when the Lannisters were at his door. Instead, he proposes a different solution.
In preparation for the invasion of Westeros and entering its politics, Tyrion advises Daenerys to end her relationship with Daario and leave him Meereen with the rest of the Second Sons , which she does. Tyrion attempts to console her on her loss of the relationship but admits he is not good at consoling. She agrees but she says she is more bothered that it was so easy for her to let Daario go than by the actual loss of the relationship. Tyrion tells her that Daario is not the only man she ever loved and definitely will not be the last. He also implies that she already has the needed mind set for the terrifying game she is about to play with the lords of Westeros.
Upon returning to the beach, Tyrion spots two Gold Cloaks near Davos's boat, and is spotted in return. Before the guards can arrest him, however, Davos's companion quickly dispatches them. After Tyrion is introduced to Gendry, the three make their escape. Tyrion later reunites with Jorah Mormont, his former traveling companion, and reminisces over their journey to Meereen, after which Tyrion gives Jorah the coin used to pay for him by Yezzan, hoping it will bring him luck for the wight hunt .
The ship is badly damaged in a storm. After floating for days, the passengers are captured by slave traders. Tyrion and Penny are sold to Yezzan zo Qaggaz (who is vastly different from his series counterpart) in his tent in the siege camp outside Meereen; Tyrion saves Jorah from being sold for the fighting pits by persuading the mean overseer of Yezzan's slaves to buy him too, claiming that Jorah participates the show which Tyrion and Penny play. Soon Tyrion impresses Yezzan by through his skill at Cyvasse, a popular board game.
Later, Qyburn leads Cersei to the dragon skulls beneath the Red Keep. He tells Cersei that his spies have reported that one of Daenerys' dragons was wounded by a spear at Meereen, showing that the dragons are not invincible. Qyburn then displays a ballista and reassures her that they can hurt dragons. Cersei tests the ballista on the nearby skull of Balerion the Black Dread (the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror) and is pleased when the bolt pierces through the massive, hard skull.
In the television series, Theon escapes the North, returns home and travels to Meereen, implying that in the books, he will not be killed by Stannis and may very well escape captivity along with Asha, possibly around the same time as Stannis's possible coming death in the books, though it remains to be seen, as Theon's role in the series has been merged with Victarion's from the novels.
Although he feigned support for her assassination while serving under King Robert Baratheon , Varys's true loyalties were eventually revealed to be to Daenerys Targaryen (though she herself is initially unaware of this), as he believed her rule would be the best way to preserve peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms . He and Tyrion travelled to Meereen , and despite being separated in Volantis , the two eventually joined Daenerys's Small Council, ruling in her name following her disappearance. Shortly before the second siege of Meereen , Varys returned to Westeros , rallying House Tyrell of the Reach and the Sand Snakes of Dorne for Daenerys's cause against House Lannister .
After the Harpy ambush at the Great Pit of Daznak and Daenerys' flight on Drogon , Varys surprises Tyrion by nonchalantly walking up to him on the walls of Meereen. He teases Tyrion about "abandoning" him in Volantis but fortunately, his little birds , who sing in the east as well as the west, told him about Tyrion arriving in Meereen and finding favor with Daenerys. With Meereen on the brink of civil war, Varys reminds Tyrion that he is the only person in Meereen with experience in governing a city where everyone wants to kill each other. Tyrion smiles and tells Varys that he needs him and his spies if Daenerys' reign over Meereen is to survive. He admits that he missed Varys's presence and counsel, to which Varys cheerfully replies, "Oh, I know."
Prince Oberyn trained at the Citadel in his youth, in order to become a maester . Although he ultimately grew bored and abandoned his studies, he managed to forge several links in a maester's chain, and became well versed in the use of poisons in the process. When he was sixteen, an older nobleman caught Oberyn in bed with his mistress and wife, and challenged Oberyn to a duel to first blood. Oberyn won the duel, and several days later the man died from festering wounds, likely because Oberyn had poisoned his blade. Oberyn also traveled to Essos in his youth. For a time, he served in the mercenary company known as the Second Sons . He once went to the city of Astapor and saw the Unsullied there, whom he later remarked were impressive on the battlefield, but less so in the bedroom. He lived in Essos for a total of five years. It is implied that Oberyn fought duels in the infamous fighting pits of Meereen , as he mentions to Tyrion that he learned some of his combat techniques "during his years in the fighting pits."
Meereen is the northernmost and greatest of the three great city-states of Slaver's Bay , north of Yunkai and Astapor . It is located at the mouth of the Skahazadhan River, which flows from its origins in Lhazar through the mountains separating Meereen and the rest of Slaver's Bay from the Red Waste . The Dothraki Sea lies to the north, beyond the river. The wealthiest residents live in pyramids.
Like the other major cities of Slaver's Bay , Meereen was founded as a colony of the old Ghiscari Empire , which was later conquered by the Valyrian Freehold when it destroyed the Ghiscari Empire 5,000 years ago. Just like the Free Cities to the west, after the Doom of Valyria (four hundred years before the War of the Five Kings ) the local slaver-cities reasserted their independence.
Following the liberation of the slave population of Yunkai , Daenerys Targaryen and her army march towards Meereen. As a warning, the Great Masters crucify 163 slave children along the road towards the city. However, she marches on and arrives at the gates, so the Great Masters send forth a champion to challenge her best fighter in single combat. Daario Naharis swiftly dispatches the champion and Daenerys flings the broken slave-collars from the slaves she has freed at Astapor and Yunkai over the city-walls as a message to the slaves therein. D​uring the night, the Unsullied commander Grey Worm sneaks into Meereen through the sewers, disguised as a slave, to arm the slaves and incite them to revolt against their Masters. In the following revolt many Masters are mobbed in the streets and the victorious slaves open the gates for Daenerys . Her first act is retribution for the dead slave-children: 163 Great Masters are crucified along the streets of Meereen, while Daenerys takes residence in the Great Pyramid.
Following the disappearance of Daenerys, Jorah and Daenerys's entourage meet in her throne room to discuss what to do next. Following a tense discussion, it is agreed that Jorah and Daario will depart on horseback to rescue Daenerys. Meanwhile, Tyrion will run Meereen in Daenerys's absence with the help of Missandei and Grey Worm. Shortly after, Tyrion is met by his friend Varys , who offers his help and the services of his Little birds to Tyrion.
The disappearance of Daenerys has led to a breakdown of Meereen's society and economy. While walking through the streets of Meereen, Varys and Tyrion encounter a woman and her baby, whom they donate some coins. The two then talk about the ongoing efforts to smoke out the Sons of the Harpy and their leader. Varys claims that his spies are all over the city and that they will soon bring him this information. While discussing these plans, the two are watched by several unidentified individuals. Shortly later, Varys and Tyrion witness a crowd fleeing the harbor and quickly learn that Meereen's fleet has been set ablaze.
At the Great Pyramid of Meereen , Varys strikes a deal with the prostitute Vala , who is aligned with the Sons of the Harpy . In return for sending Vala and her son to Pentos , she reveals that Astapor , Yunkai , and the Free City of Volantis are secretly supporting the Harpies. Tyrion then proposes using his little birds network to open contact with the leaders of these slave-trading cities. Emissaries from Astapor, Yunkai, and Pentos meet with Tyrion and his entourage. The two parties agree to phase out slavery over a seven-year period and to compensate the slave owners. Tyrion's diplomacy generates criticism from the former slaves of Meereen. While disagreeing with Tyrion, Grey Worm and Missandei publicly support his policy of negotiations to maintain a semblance of unity.
To convince the Meereenese that everything has been done with Daenerys's blessing, Tyrion invites Kinvara , the High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis , to negotiate spreading the work of Daenerys's achievements. Kinvara agrees to support Tyrion's plan since she believes that Daenerys is the Prince That Was Promised . However, Varys is more skeptical due to his distrust of magical practitioners. As agreed, the red priestesses begin preaching in the streets of Meereen that Daenerys had been sent by the Lord of Light to end slavery. Varys discreetly leaves for an unspecified special mission. Despite Tyrion's peace treaty, Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis send a fleet to attack Meereen and reclaim their property. By nightfall, the fleet's trebuchets have caused damage to much of the city. Shortly later, Daenerys returns on the back of her dragon Drogon .
The naval bombardment of Meereen causes extensive damage to the city. Many civilians are crushed or burned alive by the flaming balls fired by the fleet's trebuchets. The Sons of the Harpy also begin killing slaves and other civilians. In the morning, Daenerys and her entourage parley with Razdal mo Eraz , Belicho Paenymion , and Yezzan zo Qaggaz ; the representatives from Yunkai, Volantis, and Astapor that Tyrion had earlier negotiated a pact with. In return for granting Daenerys and Tyrion safe passage, the slave masters demand the return of Missandei, the Unsullied, and the slaughter of Daenerys's dragons.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Meereen is the largest city on Slaver's Bay, bigger than Yunkai and Astapor combined. It is located at least 163 miles north-east of Yunkai. It is the center and lynchpin of the world's slave trade, and a regular stop on the routes from the Free Cities to the Jade Sea . When the Dothraki raid Lhazar, they sometimes herd their prisoners downriver to be taken as slaves in Meereen. Sandstone mountains separate Lhazar from Meereen's hinterland, but the two are linked by the Khazai Pass, through which the Skahazadhan flows.