Outside the slave city of Yunkai, the Second Sons, a professional mercenary company, guard the walls from intruders. As typical of sellswords, the Second Sons are a rowdy, rough-and-tumble private army who fight for coin and the highest bidder. The dragon queen who recently liberated a neighboring slave city, Daenerys Targaryen, organizes a meeting with the Second Sons captains Mero and Prendahl na Ghezn, as well as Prendahl's underling Daario Naharis. Mero insults Daenerys by likening her to a whore and inappropriately touches her advisor Missandei. Daenerys hopes to convince them to break their contract with Yunkai and fight for her instead, however, Prendahl and Mero refuse Daenerys' offer of an alliance, pointing out they will not get their rewards until she reclaims the Iron Throne in Westeros. In response, Daenerys replies that she had no army a fortnight ago and that she had no dragons a year before that. Daenerys gives them two days to make up their mind and sends them away, with Daario smiling over his back at her as they depart. Back at their own camp, Daario, Mero and Prendahl discuss the situation, with Mero and Prendahl deciding to assassinate Daenerys. At Mero's behest, a whore hands out random coins from Braavos, Volantis and Meereen. Daario draws the Braavosi coin that indicates he is the one to do the deed. His only response is "valar morghulis," meaning "all men must die."

Later that evening, Daenerys takes a bath and is surprised to learn that her advisor Missandei speaks no fewer than nineteen languages. In response, Missandei comments that this shouldn't be that odd since it only took Daenerys a year to gain a reasonable grasp of the Dothraki language. The khaleesi bristles at the idea she speaks only “reasonable” Dothraki and switches to the language to teach Missandei a lesson, only to have her pronunciation corrected. As Daenerys shuts her eyes and soaks in the bath, she is suddenly interrupted by Missandei gasping. When Dany opens her eyes, she witnesses an Unsullied soldier holding a knife to Missandei's throat, who advises both women not to scream. The soldier removes his helmet, revealing himself as the mercenary Daario Naharis. The Second Son confesses that his captains Mero and Prendahl want to kill Daenerys, however, Daario did not side with them as they found themselves having a "philosophical disagreement" over her beauty. Instead, Daario beheaded both Mero and Prendahl, as he then opens his heavy satchel and spills out their severed heads to the floor in front of the dragon queen. Daario then kneels and swears fealty to Daenerys, offering his sword, his life, and his heart, as she gains a new ally in her conquest: the new captain of the Second Sons.

Some time later, outside the walls of Yunkai, Daenerys and her commanders plan an attack on the city. Her newest captain, Daario, suggests a plan using a lightly defended back gate, a small group can infiltrate the city and open the main gates for the rest of the army to invade. Though Ser Jorah Mormont is skeptical of both the plan and Daario's loyalty, Daenerys is convinced to try it when she asks her Unsullied commander Grey Worm if he trusts Daario. Upon being encouraged to speak his mind, he says that he does. Daario also touches her on her hand, flirting for her favor to him. As the captains depart, Ser Barristan Selmy asks to go along, but Jorah reminds him that a Queensguard's place is at the queen's side. That evening, Daario, Grey Worm, and Jorah sneak into the city and fight their way through the slave soldiers guarding Yunkai. There are far more soldiers than Daario anticipated, much to Jorah's irritation, but it seems that the three are evenly matched - barely. A few hours later, an impatient Daenerys paces in her tent, alongside Missandei and Ser Barristan. Grey Worm and Jorah finally enter, covered in dust and gore but grinning widely: Yunkai is defeated. Daenerys is elated, but asks after Daario, who is still absent following the victory. After a suspenseful pause by Jorah, Daario strides into the room, drenched in blood and kneels before the dragon queen. He presents Yunkai's torn flag with the face of the Wise Masters on it, and triumphantly informs that the city is hers.

The morning following their victory, Daario stands alongside Daenerys and her commanders, as well as the Unsullied army, as they wait outside the walls of Yunkai for the city's slaves to appear. Daenerys frets that the Yunkish slaves, who were treated more favorably than Astapor's slaves, might have grown to like their chains and will not welcome freedom. Finally, the gates open and the freedmen pour out. Missandei begins to tell them of how Daenerys “the Unburnt” freed them, but Daenerys interrupts and asserts that it is the slaves' own choice to reach for their freedom. After a moment, one of the freedmen stretches his hand towards Daenerys and calls out "mhysa.” After a moment, another follows suit, then another and another until the entire crowd is chanting "mhysa." Bewildered, Daenerys turns to Missandei, who reveals that the word means "mother" in the Old Ghiscari language. When the slaves advance on Daenerys, the Unsullied step into formation, but the queen tells them to stand down. Telling her dragons to fly, Daenerys steps out of the protection of the Unsullied and into the crowd, who carry on their chanting. Daario witnesses Daenerys being embraced by the former slaves, having now succeeded in liberating the second city in Slaver’s Bay.

Some time after liberating Yunkai, Daenerys resumes her march towards the greatest of the slave cities, Meereen. She notices Daario and Grey Worm are absent and sets out with Missandei to find them after being told they are "gambling”. They find the two men sitting face-to-face holding their weapons in front of them, contesting their endurance since midnight. Daario explains that they are deciding on which of them will ride up front with her in the vanguard. Frustrated, Daenerys states that the honor goes to Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan as they did not keep her waiting all morning, adding that the last man holding his sword shall find a new queen to fight for. Missandei is amused when Daenerys threatens to expel the winner of the contest from her army. Both Daario and Grey Worm instantly drop their swords. Grey Worm's gaze lingers on Missandei, which Daario takes as a sign that he is interested in her, and points out that this problematic given Grey Worm's eunuch status. Grey Worm tells Daario that he is not a smart man for saying such things. Later, on the road to Meereen, Daario slips away from his post to discuss "strategy" with Daenerys; he gives her flowers under the guise of a lesson in the botany of Slaver's Bay, in which he points out that Daenerys must know the land she is to rule. When the marching army halts, they discover 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, one-hundred and sixty-three in total. She orders that each child is buried, and their collars removed, but not before she has looked upon each and every face.

Days later, the army eventually arrive outside of the gates of Meereen, as Dany begins her next siege. Upon their arrival, the city’s chosen champion barrels out of the gates on horseback and insults the new arrivals by literally pissing on his territory in plain sight. Daenerys is then faced with a “champions' duel,” where the riding knight of Meereen challenges her to choose a champion that will fight for her. Grey Worm asks to kill the city's champion for Daenerys, but the queen declines as she is unwilling to risk her army's official commander. Daario then volunteers, but declines the use of a horse, noting that they aren't as intelligent as humans. He quickly dispatches the Meereen champion by throwing his dagger into the eye of the charging horse. After the Meereenese fire a volley of arrows in a symbol of displeasure, Daario urinates on the nearest one in a symbol of defiance. Daenerys speaks to the slaves who are all gathered along the walls of the gate along with their masters. She then commands the Unsullied to catapult barrels over the city walls that are filled with broken chains of those she has freed along her journey to Meereen, demonstrating her previous successes. As the slaves examine the broken chains with curiosity and excitement, the Great Masters look on in fear.

Some time later, Grey Worm is then summoned to begin the Siege of Meereen as he and a few Unsullied then visit a slave pen where a number of slaves are discussing whether or not to rise against the Great Masters. One of the young slaves, Mossador, is already trying to convince them to fight, but the older slaves argue that their masters have squashed every previous rebellion. Grey Worm asserts that only they can free themselves, then presenting the slaves with weapons. The uprising is a resounding success. With the city hers, Daenerys enters through the gates as a liberator of Meereen, celebrated by freedmen throwing their old slaves' collars at her feet. Daenerys then orders the crucifixion of 163 of the masters in retaliation for the 163 slave children crucified on the road to Meereen. Ser Barristan advises her against it, saying that sometimes it is best to answer injustice with mercy. Daenerys shows her Targaryen blood by firmly declaring that she will "answer injustice with justice." The cries of the crucified Great Masters reach Dany's ears atop the Great Pyramid, where the city's emblem, the golden harpy of Ghis, has been draped in the banner of House Targaryen. Now, she has liberated all three cities of Slaver's Bay.

After a few days settling into life in Meereen, Daario is in Dany’s quarters when they learn of King Joffrey Baratheon's death in King’s Landing, as well as his younger brother Tommen Baratheon's coronation. Daenerys is then irritated to learn that Daario has captured Meereen's navy without her explicit orders to do so, but mulls over the possibility of setting sail for  Westeros and taking the capital city with her eight-thousand Unsullied and two-thousand Second Sons. Ser Barristan is optimistic about their chances, believing that old Westerosi families will flock to their cause once Daenerys crosses the Narrow Sea, swelling their numbers.  Ser Jorah is less enthusiastic: while ten-thousand troops should be enough to take the Westerosi capital from its exhausted defenders, there's still the rest of the continent to worry about. Her advisors then reveal more troubling news: the Wise Masters have bounced back and re-enslaved every freed man in Yunkai, and although Astapor remains free, the council Daenerys installed has been deposed by a butcher named Cleon. Daenerys dismisses everyone except Jorah and muses that her plans are in shambles. She laments that if she cannot keep order in three cities, she has no hope of controlling seven kingdoms. Daenerys is therefore resolved to remain in  Meereen and "do what queens do," by ruling.

Some time 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: “war and 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 insists that policing the city doesn't do the trick and very unsubtly states that the only woman he wants isn't interested. Nonetheless, Daario confirms that he is sworn to her and that he will continue boring patrol work if that is what the queen wants, and only asks that she occasionally allow him to do what he is actually good at. In response, Daenerys orders him to take off his clothes. The following morning, as Daario leaves, Jorah enters and observes that he is earlier than most, but “later than some.” Daenerys brushes off his disapproval of Daario and says that she is sending the Second Sons to retake Yunkai. To ensure that slavery is truly dead in that city, Daario is under orders to kill every slave master he encounters. However, after Jorah explains his protest in this action, Daenerys instructs him to inform Daario that his orders are now to accompany Hizdahr zo Loraq to Yunkai so that he can give the masters a choice: “they can live in her new world, or die in their old one.”

Several weeks later, the Unsullied army topple the large golden harpy from the top of the Great Pyramid in Meereen to show the Meereenese people they are under Targaryen rule now and their old traditions are no longer in practice. After the removal, one of the Unsullied soldiers named White Rat is seen walking into a brothel and pays a prostitute named Vala to lie with him and provide comfort, in lieu of sexual conduct, due to his castration. When White Rat lies in bed with Vala, with his eyes closed, his throat is suddenly slashed by a member of the Sons of the Harpy, an insurgency group operating in Meereen who oppose Daenerys’ new reign. Vala rises from her bed and stands beside the Harpy, indicating her involvement, as they watch the soldier bleed out. Afterwards, Grey Worm presents to Daenerys the murderer's mask that was left behind at the scene. Ser Barristan assures her that conquerors are always met with resistance, as former Meereeneese slave Mossador reminds her that the Harpies do not see the freed slaves as people. Daenerys then orders Grey Worm to find those responsible.

Following this, Daario returns to Meereen with the Second Sons and Hizdahr zo Loraq from their successful mission in Yunkai. He is present within in the Great Pyramid when Hizdahr suggests to Daenerys that she should reopen the fighting pits. Daario notices Daenerys initial frustration with Hizdahr, brandishing his knife while he speaks, which amuses the dragon queen. Unexpectedly, Daenerys refuses to reopen the fighting pits, even in retrospect of the prospect of freedmen competing rather than slaves. Later that evening, Daario convinces Daenerys to reconsider, as his youth fighting in the pits gave him the fighting skills necessary for him to join the Second Sons and become the warrior he is today. He then adds that he is the only one who will give her honest council. Then upon hearing that her missing dragon Drogon flew away and hasn't been seen in weeks, Daario muses on the irony of a dragon queen with no dragons. Following their conversation, Daenerys attempts to visit her two other dragons, Viserion and Rhaegal, who are imprisoned in the catacombs beneath the Great Pyramid. When Daario was away in Yunkai, she had locked them underground in order to prevent them from killing innocents or fleeing, both of which Drogon has done. When she approaches them, they attempt to attack her, forcing her to briskly escape the room in panic.

Days later, Daario leads Grey Worm to a house where the alleged murderer of White Rat is hiding. He informs Grey Worm that his Second Sons overhear things that the Unsullied do not because they blend in with the local population. Daario is also able to deduce where a member of the Sons of the Harpy was hiding because he also understands fear, while the Unsullied do not. With this, Daario indicates his men's effectiveness by stabbing his dagger through a false wall and injuring the Harpy who is hiding behind it. Back at the Great Pyramid, Daenerys and her council debate executing the Harpy, but the debate devolves into a shouting match between Mossador and Hizdahr zo Loraq. Daenerys thanks her advisors for their council and dismisses them, but Ser Barristan asks her for a word in private about her father, "the Mad King" Aerys Targaryen. Daenerys initially scoffs at Barristan for reminding her of what she considers her enemies' lies. However, Barristan also reminds Daenerys of his past service in her father's Kingsguard and insists that her enemies did not lie. He tells Daenerys about how King Aerys set entire towns and castles ablaze, murdered sons in front of their fathers, and burned men alive with wildfire. All of this led to a rebellion that killed every Targaryen save for her and her now-deceased brother Viserys. Daenerys assures Barristan that she is not like her father. Barristan agrees, but he still warns her that the Mad King gave his enemies the justice he thought they deserved, and each time it made him feel powerful and right until the very end. Daenerys promises not to have the Harpy executed without a fair trial.

Feeling pressure from the other former slaves, however, Mossador goes against Daenerys' order and executes the Harpy, angering the dragon queen. She decides to sentence Mossador to death, stating that killing the Harpy broke the law. Following his sentencing, a large crowd gathers outside to witness Mossador's execution. Daenerys tells the crowd that when she conquered Meereen she promised freedom and justice, but one cannot exist without the other. Daenerys then has Mossador brought out in chains before the crowd, and warns all Meereenese citizens that freed slave or Great Master, not to pervert the course of justice. Mossador pleads for forgiveness as scores of citizens beg for his release, but instead she has Daario cut off his head. Daenerys is then quickly escorted away when riots break out between the freedmen and the masters. Later that evening, Daenerys stands on her balcony looking out into the night sky when the missing Drogon suddenly lands on top of the pyramid above her, now the size of a small house. Daenerys is elated and tries reaching out for him, which she hasn't done for some time now. Drogon sniffs her outstretched hand, and while he doesn't attack her, he instead flies away, leaving his mother once again. Daenerys is left heartbroken as she gazes at Drogon soaring into the distance.

Some time later, Daenerys looks down at the streets from her balcony as Ser Barristan arrives and shares a story of how he and her oldest brother Rhaegar Targaryen used to leave the Red Keep to mingle with the common people on the streets of King’s Landing. Daenerys then learns the truth that Rhaegar never loved killing, despite what her other brother Viserys led her to believe. Daario then arrives, informing her that Hizdahr is in the audience chamber awaiting her. In the throne room, Daario stands beside Daenerys when she 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. During their meeting, the Sons of the Harpy mount a series of large-scale attacks in the streets which results in the deaths of several Unsullied and Second Sons. During the attack, Grey Worm kills many of his attackers until he is the last Unsullied left alive. He is seriously injured and almost killed but is saved by Ser Barristan’s intervention of the fight, who had been walking around the streets when the Harpies began their attack. Barristan skillfully outmaneuvers several Harpies, but is overwhelmed. Before the last Harpy can cut Barristan's throat, Grey Worm manages to kill them, before he himself collapses from his wounds next to the dying knight.

Days later, Missandei watches over the wounded Grey Worm, who is still unconscious from his wounds sustained fighting against the Sons of the Harpy. Meanwhile, in the throne room, Daenerys and Daario hold a wake for the deceased Ser Barristan. Hizdahr enters to extend his condolences as Daario suggests pulling back around the pyramid to use it as a base from which to eradicate the Harpies. Daenerys instead opts for rounding up the leaders of each great family, including Hizdahr himself. The leaders are then brought to the catacombs where her two dragons are still chained up. The Unsullied push the leaders slowly towards them, as Daenerys then nods to Daario to push one of the leaders further forward. A stream of fire coming from Rhaegal sets the man aflame before he is torn apart and eaten by both dragons. Daenerys touches Hizdahr's back, as if to push him forward, but she then states not to overfeed the dragons, letting the rest of the men be led away. After conversing with Missandei about the matter, Daenerys then visits the imprisoned Hizdahr, who begs for his life. She tells him she has decided to reopen the fighting pits, but only for free men. She also says that she will marry the head of an ancient family of Meereen to forge a bond with the people of the city, and that she luckily has one of them on his knees already. She leaves a confused Hizdahr to ponder his survival and new marriage arrangement.

Some weeks later, inside her chambers in the Great Pyramid, Daenerys and Daario discuss her impending marriage arrangement to the slaver’s son Hizdahr zo Loraq. Daario alternatively suggests that she marries him instead of Loraq, but Daenerys rejects this idea stating that she cannot simply do what she likes without regard for the city. Daario then ironically points out that she is the only person in Meereen that isn’t free. He then advises Daenerys that on the day the fighting pits are re-opened, she should gather all of the masters in Meereen, Yunkai and Astapor and slaughter them. Daenerys is reluctant to do so, as she believes it will give her the reputation of a butcher, to which Daario replies that "all rulers are either butchers or meat." Following this, during Daario’s absence, Ser Jorah returns to Meereen with a new ally: Tyrion Lannister, the uncle of the reigning king in Westeros, Tommen Baratheon. Tyrion himself states that he is an enemy to the Lannisters as well, ultimately convincing Daenerys that she needs his advice, as she lacks both political experience and practical knowledge of Westeros. She then takes him on as a new advisor in hopes to benefit her impending conquest.

Days later, Daario sits in the royal box at Daznak's Pit alongside Daenerys, Missandei, and the new advisor Tyrion, as they await the start of the Great Games. Hizdahr zo Loraq arrives late, claiming to have been putting the final touches on the arrangements for the fight. Daario verbally spars with Hizdahr for much of the first match, drawing Daenerys' attention from the spectacle in front of her. As the fight is about to commence her attention returns to the arena when Ser Jorah, who never left the city after all, gives the traditional dedication to her. The grand melee begins with six fighters, with Jorah pairing up against a Norvosi long-axe fighter. The Norvosi is able to land several blows against Jorah, eventually knocking him to the ground, however Jorah is able to bring out his dagger and eventually bury it in the Norvosi's chest after a brief melee. Jorah then finds himself hopelessly outmatched by a Braavosi water dancer and suffers many cuts from his opponent's rapier. During the fight, a Meerenese pit fighter is able to lance his opponent in the chest. The water dancer eventually knocks Jorah to the ground, and is about to deliver a killing blow, but fails to notice the pit fighter who kills him from behind. Jorah then battles the pit fighter and kills him and is the last fighter standing. Jorah stares for a few moments at Daenerys, then suddenly grabs and hurls a spear at the royal box – embedding itself in a Son of the Harpy who was sneaking up behind Daario. The Sons of the Harpy then reveal themselves on every level of the arena and begin slaughtering slave masters and freedmen alike. Hizdahr is also brutally slaughtered in front of Daenerys, as Ser Jorah and Daario quickly evacuate her from the royal box, while Tyrion rescues Missandei. Finding the exits blocked, the group makes a stand in the center of the pit with remainder of the Unsullied defenders. Seeing they are hopelessly outnumbered, Daenerys takes Missandei's hand and closes her eyes, ready to face her death. At that moment, however, a loud, draconic screech pierces the air, as Drogon descends upon the arena, flying out of a giant burst of flames. Once Drogon lands in Daznak’s Pit, many of the Sons of the Harpy scatter in terror as he bites, crushes and mercilessly burns the nearest ones to death. The Harpies then rally enough to attack Drogon with spears, embedding them in the dragon's tough hide. When Daenerys is able reach Drogon, she hastily makes an effort to remove the spears, prompting Drogon to turn on her with a huge roar. He stops short of attacking her but then eventually drops his aggression. Trying to get Drogon out of range, Daenerys climbs on top of his back and bids him to fly. As Drogon takes flight with Daenerys, she has become the first dragonrider in over a century. With the Harpies now retreating from the arena, Daario, Missandei, Jorah and Tyrion look on in astonishment as Drogon soars away from the city with his dragon queen.

In the aftermath of the attack on the city and Daenerys’ disappearance, Daario sits in the throne room with Tyrion and Jorah. Missandei then enters with a wounded Grey Worm, who is finally on his feet after the previous Harpy attack. With Daenerys’ disappearance on Drogon since the Great Games, her council is unsure of how they should continue. However, Tyrion concludes that since Drogon flew her north, they must head in that direction if they are to find her. When Jorah assumes his leadership in finding Daenerys, Tyrion argues with him about his betrayal, though it is Daario who asserts that they are not to make any judgments without Daenerys first, as Jorah has saved her life and could feel differently about him now. Grey Worm volunteers to look for Daenerys, but is asked to remain in the city, as he is the only one who can lead the Unsullied in keeping the peace. Daario then firmly advises that Tyrion is to stay in Meereen and rule on Daenerys' behalf, the only one with political experiences, while Grey Worm will enforce this with the Unsullied army and Missandei as his interpreter and advisor. Before departing with Jorah, Daario wishes the trio luck in keeping the city together.

Some time after Daenerys’ disappearance from Meereen, Daario and Ser Jorah Mormont continue to ride on horseback along the cliffs that follow Drogon's trail into the Dothraki Sea. Jorah stops to inspect for any leads to Daenerys’ whereabouts as they come upon the charred bones of a ram, assuming Drogon could have been the only thing to melt a ram’s horn. Daario gains confidence as they presume to still be on the correct trail. As they continue to ride, they ponder over Dany’s disappearance when Daario brings up Jorah’s one-sided affection for the dragon queen. Daario then gets him to admit that he is in love with Daenerys. They both express the intrigue of what the world would be like once she’s finished conquering Westeros. While Daario then rides ahead, Jorah examines a spreading greyscale infection on his arm in order to determine how long he has left to live. The pair eventually discover a large circle of hoof prints in the grass, where Jorah eventually finds Daenerys' pearl ring in the middle of it. This leads them to realize a horde of Dothraki khalasar on horseback has taken her captive.

Some weeks later, Daario and Jorah approach the outskirts of Vaes Dothrak and discard their weapons, as Jorah recalls that drawing a blade in the city is considered a sacrilege. Just as Daario is about to hand over his dagger, he notices the greyscale infection on Jorah's wrist, who assures Daario that it didn't touch him and that he is aware of the consequences it brings. Daario and Jorah then sneak in to the city during the night, where they quickly run into two Dothraki men who see through Jorah's claims to be a wine merchant. A fight pursues and Jorah is nearly undone, but Daario saves him at the last minute with the dagger that he had lied about leaving behind. As a precaution, Daario smashes the Dothraki’s skull in with a rock to disguise his use of the weapon. Later that evening, Daenerys and a Lhazareen girl named Ornela are out for a walk, and are interrupted by Daario and Jorah, who quickly take Ornela hostage. Daenerys is not surprised to see them on the assumption that the pair would have left Meereen in order to locate her. However, she cancels Jorah and Daario’s plans for escape as they have a slim chance of leaving Vaes Dothrak. She informs the pair that she has a plan of her own. Daenerys then asks Ornela if she is willing to help them, as the girl reluctantly agrees. Afterwards, Daenerys confronts the khal leaders and burns them down from the inside of their temple. As the flames climb higher, the Dothraki gather outside in confusion. Eventually, the doors collapse and Dany emerges, her clothes burnt off her body but otherwise untouched by the flames. Awed, horrified and fearful in equal measure, the crowd of hundreds bow to Daenerys almost immediately. Ser Jorah and Daario move to the front of the crowd and bow as well. While Jorah has seen this once before, the normally unflappable Daario is utterly awestruck.

The following day, Daario, Daenerys, Jorah and the Dothraki horde begin their long journey back towards Meereen. Daenerys, while thankful of Jorah’s rescue, is unsure of what to do with him, having banished him twice now, only to see him defiantly return twice, saving her life both times. With this in mind, Daenerys claims that she can’t take him back but makes more of a point to say that she also can’t send him away, insinuating her ultimate gratitude towards him. As Jorah starts rolling up his sleeves he informs her that she must send him away, then revealing the greyscale infection spreading through his body. Jorah insists that this time, he needs to leave her for good and states his plan to take his own life long before the greyscale envelops him, as there is no known cure. Daario then witnesses Jorah’s confession in the fact that Tyrion Lannister was right about Jorah’s love for her. He declares that he will always love her and gives a sorrowful goodbye to his queen. Jorah then starts to leave, however, Daenerys tearfully commands him to find a cure and come back to her side, as she will need him when she conquers Westeros. Ser Jorah then departs while Daenerys and Daario lead the Dothraki horde back to Meereen.

Some weeks later, Daario is riding with Daenerys and her newly acquired khalasar of ten-thousand. She asks Daario how long it will take to get back to Meereen and inquires how many ships would be needed to carry her army across the Narrow Sea. Daario replies that it will take a week to get back, and at least 1,000 ships to take her new khalasar across the sea. He then goes on to tell Daenerys that she isn't a ruler but rather a conqueror instead, as her political rule in Meereen has proven. Pondering this, Daenerys tells the khalasar to halt as she rides on ahead on her white horse. After a while, Daario announces he will look for her, but is stopped by the distinctive shadow of a dragon passing overhead. Drogon then appears and slowly circles the khalasar before landing, revealing Daenerys on his back. Daenerys asks if the khalasar is willing to cross the Narrow Sea and defeat the armies of the Seven Kingdoms. When they shout their affirmation, Daenerys reminds them that every khal in history has selected three  bloodriders to ride at his side at the head of the  khalasar. Daenerys, however, is not a khal and does not have to abide by their rules. Therefore, she declares the entire khalasar her bloodriders and asks if they will give her the Seven Kingdoms, to a resounding confirmation.

The following week, with their arrival in Meereen, Daario and Daenerys return to a siege that has been in pursuit throughout the evening. Daenerys and Tyrion discuss their plan in dealing with the slaver’s fleet, as the pyramid is still being bombarded with flaming cannonballs. Tyrion sheepishly uses sarcasm to mask his embarrassment at his failed diplomacy, which Daenerys ignores. She insists on slaughtering their army but Tyrion suggests talking to the slave masters about terms of surrender. Daenerys declares her plans to "return their cities to the dirt" but Tyrion pleads for diplomacy, begging her not to become like her father. He asks to suggest a different approach. Daenerys and her entourage then meet with the slave masters representing Yunkai, Astapor and Volantis, who announce that they will allow Daenerys to leave the city, though her dragons will be slaughtered. Daenerys rejects their terms, informing them that they aren't meeting for her surrender, but for theirs. The masters are bewildered by Daenerys' unwavering confidence until Drogon lands beside her. She mounts her dragon and the two take flight, while Rhaegal and Viserion break free from the catacombs. With all three dragons finally reunited, Daenerys then orders her children to burn the slave masters' ships, tilting the negotiating table in her favor. As they decimate the slaver’s fleet, Grey Worm swiftly executes two of the masters but spares one in order to spread tidings of her power. Meanwhile, Daario leads the Dothraki khalasar to slaughter the remaining Sons of the Harpy, finally ending the threat of the masters and their Harpy allies once and for all.

Some days later, Daario reports to Daenerys that the fleet is nearly ready to leave for Westeros. He's eager to see how the Dothraki do on the open sea. Daenerys, however, informs Daario that he won't be joining them, which Daario interprets to mean that he will go on to seize Casterly Rock to cut off the House Lannister retreat. Daenerys clarifies that Daario is to stay in Meereen with the Second Sons, to keep the peace until the city can safely choose its own ruler. Furthermore, she cannot bring her lover to Westeros, as marriage is still her most valuable bargaining chip when considering new alliances. Daario begs her to take him, pointing out that kings have mistresses, and queens should be no different, but Daenerys stands firm. Daario realizes that Tyrion convinced her to leave him, but then admits that it is a good move politically. He muses that no woman can take her place, although Daenerys is sure he will have many more lovers. Daenerys assures Daario that she'll leave specific instructions for him to follow in governing Slaver’s Bay, now the newly-renamed Bay of Dragons.

*After her departure from Essos, follow Daenerys’ journey throughout the rest of the series.