Several weeks later, Daenerys leads the remnants of her khalasar across the barren deserts of the Red Waste, hoping to find shelter, food and water in the far lands of the east. She tries to feed her newborn dragons, but they refuse the raw meat she offers. The mare Khal Drogo gave her as a wedding gift dies of exhaustion and Daenerys decides to send her three bloodriders, Rakharo, Aggo and Kovarro, with their remaining horses to explore in three separate directions, knowing that they are her last hope. She then stares at a red comet in the sky above whom, unbeknownst to her, some people believe it signifies the return of dragons into the world.

Some days later, Daenerys and her khalasar lie exhausted in the heat, their water dwindling as they wait for the return of her bloodriders. Rakharo's horse returns riderless and Ser Jorah discovers his head and severed braid in the mare’s saddlebag. He surmises that Rakharo was caught and killed by a rival khalasar. Irri is devastated by the death and believes the mutilation will prevent Rakharo from entering the Night Lands. Daenerys promises Irri that they will hold a funeral for Rakharo and burn his body, allowing him to join his ancestors in the Night Lands.

On the return of her other bloodrider Kovarro, Daenerys receives word that the city of Qarth is nearby, and they are willing to receive the "Mother of Dragons." Ser Jorah cautions that the desert surrounding Qarth is known as the "Garden of Bones," as those who are turned away by Qarth perish outside the city walls due to exposure and thirst.

Daenerys and her khalasar eventually reach the city of Qarth. Upon arrival, The Thirteen, a group of wealthy nobles and merchant princes and the leaders of Qarth, emerge to greet her, guarded by a group of shielded spearmen. One of the Thirteen, the Spice King, speaks for the group. They request that the "Mother of Dragons" present her children, but Daenerys insists that her people be fed and sheltered before she reveals her dragons. The Thirteen decide to turn Daenerys' group away as Daenerys swears vengeance on Qarth, with "fire and blood," should they not comply. Jorah seems to find these threats rather reckless, but one of the Thirteen,  Xaro Xhoan Daxos, chooses to vouch for Daenerys through Sumai, a blood oath by which a Qartheen may vouch for a visitor. Daenerys and her khalasar are let into Qarth.

Some time after settling into their host Xaro’s manse inside the walls of Qarth, Daenerys instructs Drogon to breathe fire on the meat by saying “Dracarys,” the High Valyrian word for dragon fire. Also in front of Doreah, Drogon does as Daenerys commands, charring the meat. Drogon is able to feed himself from now on. Doreah then informs Daenerys that the dress on her bed was made especially for her as a gift from Xaro. Daenerys recalls the gift of dragon eggs she received from Illyrio Mopatis, adding that the last time a rich man gave her a gown it was because he intended to sell her into marriage with Khal Drogo. She then instucts Doreah to seduce some of the Qartheen close to Xaro in order to obtain more information.

Xaro later hosts a reception for Daenerys in his gardens when Pyat Pree approaches to welcome her on behalf of the Warlocks of Qarth. He reaches for her hand and offers a demonstration of their power. He gives her a green jewel and asks her to look deeply into it. He says that she might see herself within its many facets. An identical copy of Pyat Pree seemingly then appears from nowhere across the garden. It speaks with his voice, saying that you might see yourself more than once. The first Pyat Pree invites her to visit the House of the Undying before both forms leave the reception. Daenerys asks Xaro what the House of the Undying is, but he dismisses Pyat Pree, stating that the House of the Undying is the dusty library of the warlocks.

Following the reception, Daenerys walks with Xaro around his manse when he enquires how long she’s known that her advisor Jorah Mormont has been in love with her. Daenerys insists that Jorah is her advisor and friend, and is not in love with her. Xaro asserts, however, that he can almost always tell what men want. Daenerys wonders if he has the same skill with women and he ruefully says that women are much more complicated. He asks what Daenerys wants and she states her ambition to cross the Narrow Sea and take back the Iron Throne. Xaro then brings Dany beneath his mansion to a locked vault, informing that the only thing that opens the door is the key that he wears around his neck. Daenerys wonders what is inside and he only laughs enigmatically. She wonders if he plans to give her all of his wealth and what she must do for it. He says that she can have half and that she only needs to marry him. She laughs at the unromantic proposal and he says that he has married once for love but lost his wife. Xaro informs her that he came from nothing but has the wealth to fulfill her ambitions, adding that their children will be princes and princesses. Xaro apprises that he has more ambition than she realized and tells her that the time is right to inform her of the death of King Robert Baratheon.

That evening, Daenerys returns to her bed chamber and seeks the counsel of Ser Jorah. He warns against attempting to take the Iron Throne with a bought army and accepting the reports of Xaro at face value given their brief association. Daenerys urges that they must strike now or spend the rest of their lives rotting away at the edge of the world. Jorah insists that rich men always expect a return on their investment and will believe that they own Daenerys if she takes their ships and soldiers. Daenerys warns him not to speak to her like a child as Jorah asserts that he only wants to see Daenerys on the Iron Throne. She asks why as he then describes how he sees her. He says that, although she denies it, she has a gentle heart and he believes she would be a great ruler. Jorah adds that he sometimes looks at her and cannot believe she is real. His honest admission of his feelings creates an awkward atmosphere. Daenerys asks for his counsel as her adviser and he says that she should find her own way back with a single ship and can win the allies that she needs in Westeros. She wonders how she will find a ship and he answers that he will find it for her saying that it will be a good ship with an honest captain.

After days gone by, Daenerys paces in a courtyard of the Spice King’s mansion. He descends the stairs and loudly greets Daenerys as the mother of dragons. Daenerys thanks him for being a gracious host and directs the discussion to her purpose by saying that she wants the use of his ships to reach Westeros. He sarcastically says that he needs his ships to move spices from port to port and that he applies logic to his business investments and sees her as a poor proposition because she lacks an army or support in Westeros. He says that he admires her passion but trusts in logic. He dismisses her as a little princess and she asserts her heritage and vows to take what is hers. He says that she might but not with his ships. Afterwards, Xaro and Daenerys walk through the gardens of his home. Xaro tells her that he came to Qarth with nothing and worked hand to mouth on the docks before attaining his fortune. He asks her if she believes the path from poverty to wealth is always pure and honorable. He says that he has done things righteous men would condemn but has no regrets. He opens the door to a courtyard and Daenerys steps through to discover four of his guards dead on the ground. Xaro calls for his men to bar the gates and sound the alarm. Daenerys rushes to her apartments and Kovarro draws his arakh as he follows her. After passing two dead Dothrakis on her steps she enters her room to find her dragons gone and Irri dead on the floor. She calls out for her dragons. Somewhere else in Qarth, a hooded figure carries a large cloth-covered box on their back and up the stairs towards a stone tower. As the thief climbs the stairs, the dragons inside the box cry out for their mother.

Some time after her dragons have been stolen, Xaro Xhoan Daxos informs Daenerys of his distress at breaking his promise to protect her, fearing that his word will be publicly seen as worthless. He tells her that he’s arranged a meeting with The Thirteen, insisting that one of them is either responsible or will have information on how who stole her dragons. Later that day, Ser Jorah returns to Qarth to find the news of Daenerys’ missing dragons and Irri’s death. Jorah then asks about Doreah as Daenerys informs that they haven’t been able to find her and assumes that she is also dead. Jorah laments not being with her, asserting that his place is by her side and that he should not have left her alone with the Qartheen, who are not to be trusted. A distressed Daenerys orders Jorah to help find her dragons. Afterwards, Xaro hosts a council of the Thirteen inside his home as Daenerys stands before him and the rest of the Thirteen, who sit behind a long curved table. Daenerys, in the company of her bloodrider Kovarro, pleads with the council to find her dragons. The warlock Pyat Pree then quickly confesses to stealing the dragons and declares this his accomplice Xaro is the new King of Qarth. Xaro admits that he secretly entered into an alliance with Pyat Pree to become king and has been working against Daenerys all along. Doubles of the warlock then magically appear behind the other members of the Thirteen and slit their each of their throats, leaving only himself and Xaro standing. Pyat Pree urges Daenerys to find her dragons at the House of the Undying as she flees from the murderous scene with Jorah and Kovarro.

Some time after fleeing the massacre of The Thirteen, Daenerys, Ser Jorah and Kovarro take refuge in a disused courtyard within the city walls of Qarth. Jorah reports finding a suitable ship with a good captain and informs her that it is sailing for the city of Astapor the following day. He insists they cannot stay any longer. Daenerys refuses to leave without her dragons, referring to them as her children. Jorah says that dragons can never be children but adds that he would never abandon her. He asserts that he is sworn to protect and serve her. She tells him to do so by taking her to the House of the Undying. Jorah warns against doing what Pyat Pree wants, fearing a trap adding that the warlocks magic is strong. Daenerys reminds him of her own magic; hatching the dragons by stepping into Drogo’s funeral pyre set ablaze. Jorah says that he will remember until his last breath, even after forgetting his mother’s face. Daenerys caresses his cheek and reminds him that she cannot have children of her own, she believes that the dragons are the only children she will ever have. She asks him to take her to them.

Daenerys arrives at House of the Undying and is magically separated from Jorah and Kovarro once she has disappeared from their line of sight around the corner of the curving tower. Jorah yells her name to no avail and is flummoxed as they cannot locate an entry-way into the structure. Daenerys finds herself in a pitch-black cavernous tunnel with a flaming torch that she removes from the wall. As she hears the cries of her dragons she leads herself up a flight of stairs that eventually lead to an empty circular room with several doors. She chooses one at random and opens the door to find the first presentation of Pyat’s illusions. She enters King’s Landing throne room in ruins and covered in snow. As she’s never been to King’s Landing before her whereabouts in this vision is unrecognized until she lays eyes on the Iron Throne. She steadily walks closer to it in awe and curiosity. As she leans in to touch the throne with her hand a dragon cry brings her back to reality as she continues her search through another door. The second door chosen presents a snowy blizzard as she walks outside the gates of the Wall in the North of Westeros. After a short trek through the blizzard she stumbles upon a tent. Inside she finds Drogo holding what would have been her infant son Rhaego. In a daze she spends a few moments to cherish the sight of her lover and son. Her and Drogo question whose dream they are in as they tenderly embrace. Even though Daenerys is aware of this being an illusion she lingers in the moment a bit longer before silently exiting the tent. As she returns to the room with the doors for a second time, she finds her three dragons chained to a pedestal in front of her. Pyat Pree suddenly appears and explains that she and her brood are the sources of his restored magic. Daenerys is also suddenly chained to the walls by Pyat's magic. However, the young queen is unconcerned and simply regards Pree with a cool, almost lazy gaze. She calmly utters a single word: "Dracarys". After a few attempts, all three dragons unleash their fiery breath, and Pyat Pree is incinerated within seconds. Now that Xaro has revealed his betrayal, Daenerys returns to his manse and confronts him in his bedroom, only to find her missing handmaiden and confidante Doreah lying in bed with him. As Doreah is caught off-guard she gives a flimsy excuse for her own betrayal that Daenerys ignores as she takes Xaro’s vault key from him. She is then surprised to find the vault empty but observes that this proves something can easily come from nothing. On her orders, Doreah and Xaro are locked into the empty vault to starve to death, their pleas cut off by the closing door. Daenerys salvages enough riches from Xaro's household to buy a ship. Before leaving the city, Jorah commands the Dothraki to seize Xaro's gold and jewels while Daenerys triumphantly witnesses with her three dragons.

Following their exit from Qarth, Daenerys' ship, Balerion, sails towards the city of Astapor in Slaver's Bay. During their journey, Daenerys' dragons have now grown to the size of small dogs. While these dragons are now capable of hunting fish for themselves, they are still not large enough to be used as weapons of war to invade Westeros. Thus, Daenerys needs an army. Astapor has built an army called the Unsullied, an elite group of warrior-eunuchs who are regarded as some of the finest soldiers in the world. Daenerys, however, knows that being  soldiers who were born into slavery would become problematic in Westeros, where slavery is outlawed. However, Jorah convinces Daenerys that she has no choice but to settle for this solution since she has no other means of acquiring an army in Essos. Daenerys considers expanding her small Dothraki khalasar, most of whom have become seasick since the Dothraki have never traveled on ships before. However, Jorah explains that the Dothraki follow “strength above all.” He adds that a larger Dothraki khalasar will only join her once she’s proven to be in a stronger position.

Upon arriving in Astapor, Daenerys meets with Master Kraznys mo Nakloz, one of the slave-owning merchants of the city. Kraznys takes her and Jorah to the barracks to meet a detachment of Unsullied soldiers, which he has left standing for a day and a night without food or water as proof of their hardiness. Kraznys communicates with Daenerys through his slave girl and translator Missandei, who interprets his Low Valyrian into the common tongue of Westeros. Since Kraznys does not know that Daenerys understands Valyrian, he frequently insults her, though Missandei respectfully changes his translation to avoid insulting Daenerys. Throughout the tour, Kraznys explains that the Unsullied were trained for battle from the age of five and that only one in four recruits survive the training. He also demonstrates that the Unsullied do not fear pain or death by slicing off the nipple of one soldier, much to Daenerys' disgust. This soldier not only shows no sign of pain but even thanks his slave master for the opportunity to serve him. Daenerys also learns that the Unsullied are trained not to show mercy or weakness by killing a newborn slave child in front of its mother at the end of their training. While Daenerys is outraged by this, she still asks Kraznys how many Unsullied are available to her. She is told that there are eight thousand soldiers for sale and that she has until the next day to make a decision as there are other buyers interested.

En route back to their ship, Daenerys ponders what kind of person she will be to take ownership of eight thousand slave-soldiers who have killed eight thousand babies between them. Ser Jorah recommends that Daenerys purchase the Unsullied, arguing that under her command, these slave soldiers will have a far better quality of life serving her than they would under Kraznys and his ilk. Daenerys is then distracted by a young girl that follows her and Jorah. However, neither of them noticed a hooded man, armed with a dagger, also following them. The child offers Daenerys a gift, a wooden ball that she rolls to her and gestures for her to open it. Before Daenerys can open the ball, the cloaked stranger knocks it out of her hand. In response, Jorah grabs the stranger, and in their struggle knocks Daenerys to the ground. The ball then cracks in half, releasing a manticore that was hidden inside. Before the venemous, scorpion-like creature can harm Daenerys with its lethal sting, the stranger kills it with his dagger. Meanwhile, the little girl hisses in a reptilian manner and uses magic to escape, confirming the suspicion that the Warlocks of Qarth are still after Daenerys and her dragons. The cloaked stranger is revealed to be Ser Barristan Selmy, who quickly identifies himself as one of her father's Kingsguard. He begs her forgiveness for failing House Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion and in return for his wrongs, he offers to serve in her Queensguard, which Daenerys accepts.

The following day, Daenerys, accompanied by Jorah and Barristan, walks along a sea wall known as the "Walk of Punishment". Here, any slave who shows insubordination is strapped to a cross and left to die out in public, as a warning to all other slaves. When Daenerys asks for water to give to a condemned man, Jorah reminds her that this man has been sentenced to death. Nonetheless, Daenerys offers condemned man water, but he refuses to drink, saying that he just wants to die. Jorah tells her that if she wants to win the Iron Throne, she must take it, "That will mean blood on your hands before the thing is done," but Daenerys responds, "The blood of my enemies. Not the blood of innocents." Daenerys then continues her negotiations with Kraznys over her planned purchase of the Unsullied. During the meeting, Daenerys announces that she would take all 8,000 Unsullied soldiers, including those in training. Kraznys initially dismisses her offer and instead offers to sell her one hundred soldiers. Daenerys then offers to sell him one of her dragons. In the end, Daenerys reaches an agreement with Kraznys to sell her biggest dragon, Drogon, for all of the Unsullied soldiers. Jorah and Selmy object to this deal on the grounds that her dragons are key to winning the Iron Throne. However, Daenerys appears to brush away their concerns and accepts the transaction, and also takes Missandei as a token of faith. Upon leaving the meeting, she scolds Jorah and Selmy for criticizing her decision in public. Daenerys also asks Missandei for her name and whether she has any living family, but Missandei responds that she does not. Daenerys warns her that she was heading to war, she may be killed and fall sick and die. In response, Missandei recites the Valyrian aphorism: "Valar morghulis," which translated into the common tongue as "all men must die". Daenerys then realizes that Missandei actually knows High Valyrian, and also adds that "but we are not men."

On the day of the exchange, the slave masters and Kraznys, along with the eight-thousand Unsullied warriors, meet with Daenerys to complete the deal. Daenerys hands the chained Drogon to Kraznys, who is hostile towards his slave master. Kraznys then gives her the golden whip, the symbol of ownership over the Unsullied. After finalizing the transaction, Daenerys tests her new powers by ordering the Unsullied, in Valyrian, to march forward and then halt. This shocks everyone including Jorah and Barristan, who did not know that she spoke Valyrian. Kraznys then complains that Drogon did not obey his command, to which Daenerys angrily retorts that Drogon does not obey him because he is not a slave. Kraznys is both stunned to learn she speaks fluent Valyrian and horrified to realize Daenerys understood his derogatory comments and insults about her the entire time, merely feigning ignorance to lull the Astapori into a false sense of security. She then orders the Unsullied to kill all of the slave masters but to harm no innocent people. When a panicking Kraznys desperately shouts for someone to kill her, Daenerys orders Drogon to burn Kraznys alive. With the Unsullied under her command, Daenerys sacks Astapor with little resistance. Shortly after the surprise attack on the city, Daenerys addresses all of her newly-acquired Unsullied warriors, insisting them of their freedom. She gives them the option of leaving unharmed or fighting under her command as free men. At first, the Unsullied remain quiet, not knowing what to do with their newfound freedom. However, one Unsullied soldier begins to beat his spear against the ground, signifying his allegiance to her. The rest of the Unsullied then follow suit shortly thereafter. Daenerys rides triumphantly out of the smoking wreck of Astapor, and drops the slave-master's whip on the ground. The Unsullied trample the whip under their feet as they march past. She rides out with her eight thousand strong army of Unsullied marching in formation, as her three dragons soar above them. For the first time in generations, a Targaryen has begun to conquer again, starting with the Liberation of Slaver's Bay.

During their journey towards Yunkai, the next great city of Slaver's Bay, Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan discuss knighthood as well as the late King Robert Baratheon. Meanwhile, Daenerys orders the Unsullied to elect a commander from their own ranks. The officers ultimately choose Grey Worm who, like all Unsullied, was given the name of a type of vermin. When Daenerys instructs the Unsullied to go back to their own names or pick new ones they like, Grey Worm elects to keep his, as it was the name he had when “Daenerys Stormborn” set him free. Daenerys is deeply moved by this sentiment.

While Daenerys and Barristan are confident that they can conquer Yunkai since that city only bred sex slaves, Jorah expresses his concerns that the city's defenders will not fight them on the battlefield but will rather strengthen their position behind the walls and utilize guerrilla tactics against her army. He also views the Yunkai campaign as a distraction from their main goal of taking Westeros. Daenerys is, however, adamant on freeing the slaves of Yunkai, who number in the hundreds of thousands. She orders Grey Worm to send a messenger to the city, and inform Yunkai's slaver rulers that they must either surrender or suffer the same fate as Astapor. Daenerys then holds an audience with the Yunkish herald, Razdal mo Eraz, who is one of the ruling "Wise Masters" of Yunkai. Razdal attempts to discourage her from attacking his city by claiming that numerous armies throughout history had tried and failed to conquer it. However, Daenerys is undaunted and comments that a hard-fought battle will give her Unsullied much-needed practice. Razdal then attempts to bribe her by providing her with the gold and ships needed to transport her army to Westeros. In exchange, Daenerys will have to leave Yunkai in peace. In response, Daenerys makes a counter-offer: she will spare the lives of Razdal and the slave-masters if every slave in Yunkai are set free, and given food, clothing and property in payment for their services. She threatens to show no mercy if Yunkai rejects her offer. Razdal is offended by her demands and when threatens to use Yunkai's "powerful friends" to destroy her, Dany’s dragons make threatening gestures toward him. When Razdal protests that he had been promised safe conduct, Daenerys responds that her dragons made no such promise and they take offense to him threatening their mother. Razdal is also unable to reclaim the chests of gold he had brought with him. Following his departure, Daenerys orders her knights to find out more about Yunkai's "powerful friends" before she decided to attack the city.

Some time later, they eventually discover that these "powerful friends" are the Second Sons, a professional mercenary company. As typical of sellswords, the Second Sons are a rowdy, rough-and-tumble private army who fight for coin and the highest bidder. While there are only 2,000 of them, the Second Sons are armored and mounted, enough to cause trouble for the Unsullied. Daenerys tells Ser Barristan to organize a meeting with the Second Sons' captains, saying that men who fight for gold "can't afford to lose to a girl.” Daenerys later meets with Captain Mero, a Braavosi who is also known as “the Titan's Bastard,” and Captain Prendahl na Ghezn, a Ghiscari. Prendahl's underling Daario Naharis is also in attendance. During the proceedings, Mero insults Daenerys by likening her to a whore and touches Missandei inappropriately. Prendahl and Mero refuse Daenerys's offer of an alliance, pointing out they will not get their rewards until she reclaims the Iron Throne. In response, Daenerys replies that she had no army a fortnight ago and that she had no dragons a year ago. 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. After the sellswords leave, Daenerys instructs Ser Barristan to kill Captain Mero first if they have to fight with them. Barristan replies that he would be glad to do so.

Later that evening, Daenerys takes a bath and is surprised to learn that 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 Dothraki. 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 before her and swears fealty to Daenerys, as she gains a new ally in her conquest: the new captain of the Second Sons.

Outside the walls of Yunkai, Daenerys and her commanders plan an attack on the city. Her newest captain, Daario Naharis, 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 Jorah Mormont is skeptical of both the plan and Daario's loyalty, Daenerys is convinced to try it when she asks Grey Worm if he trusts Daario. Upon being encouraged to speak his mind, he says he does. Daario also touches her on her hand, flirting for her favor to him. As the captains depart, Ser Barristan asks to go along, but Jorah reminds him that a Queensguard's place is at the Queen's side, regardless of his pride. That night Ser Jorah, Daario, and Grey Worm 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, asking Barristan how long a sacking of a city usually takes. Jorah and Grey Worm 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 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, Daenerys and her advisors wait outside the walls of Yunkai for the city's slaves to appear. Daenerys frets that the Yunkish slaves, who are better treated than Astapor's 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 says that it is the slaves' own choice to reach or 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. Daenerys is embraced by the former slaves, offering a glimmer of hope in an increasingly darker and hopeless world.

Some time after liberating Yunkai, Daenerys sits near the sea with her three dragons, each one now about the size of a small horse. Daenerys strokes Drogon's head, while Rhaegal and Viserion fight over a dead lamb. When Drogon later joins the fight, Daenerys tries to calm him down, and without warning, he snaps at her with a hiss as a warning to not interfere. Drogon then roars and goes to contest the kill. Drogon snarls a warning at his mother. The act of her own children threatening her, and that they are outgrowing her influence and ability to control them, leaves Daenerys visibly shaken. Ser Jorah Mormont approaches and tells her that dragons can never be tamed, not even by their mother.

Daenerys then returns to her Unsullied army to resume the march towards the greatest of the slave cities, Meereen. She notices Grey Worm and Daario Naharis are absent and sets out to find them after being told they are "gambling”. She finds the two men sitting face-to-face holding their weapons in front of them; they have been 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. She orders both men to ride at the back with the livestock, then adding that the last man holding his sword shall find a new queen to fight for. Both Daario and Grey Worm instantly drop their swords.

Some time later, 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, one-hundred and sixty-three 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.

Some days later, Daenerys and her army eventually arrive outside of the gates of Meereen as she begins her next siege. As they approach Daenerys is in full view of the Great Pyramid, a visible reminder of where the larger wealth and population lies within Slaver’s Bay. As the final city Daenerys intends to liberate, there lives three slaves for each free man. 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, Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan all volunteer to stand as her champion. She refuses all three of them, however, as they are too valuable to her. Daario Naharis, commander of the Second Sons and the most expendable member of Daenerys' entourage, volunteers to be her champion in their place. Once Daario quickly dispatches the Meereen champion by throwing his dagger into the eye of the charging horse, Daenerys then begins her siege of the city. She speaks to the slaves who are all gathered along the walls of the gate along with their masters. Daenerys 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, Daenerys interrupts Missandei teaching Grey Worm how to speak the common tongue and asks how the lessons are going. She then commands Grey Worm and several Unsullied to infiltrate Meereen disguised as slaves in order to convince them to rise against their masters. As commanded, Grey Worm and a few Unsullied 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 named Mossador is already trying to convince his fellow men in chains to fight, but the older slaves argue they have no means to oppose their Masters, who have squashed every previous slave 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 and the freedmen of Meereen celebrate her arrival by shouting "mhysa" and 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 her new headquarters atop the Great Pyramid, Daenerys learns of King Joffrey Baratheon's death in King’s Landing, as well as his brother Tommen's coronation. She is irritated to learn that Daario Naharis has captured Meereen's navy without her explicit orders to do so, but mulls over the possibility of setting sail for Westeros and taking King's Landing with her 8,000  Unsullied and 2,000 Second Sons. 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. Jorah is less enthusiastic: while 10,000 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 but Jorah and muses that her plans are in shambles. He reminds her that she is the last Targaryen and the Mother of Dragons, but Dany says she needs to be more than that. She laments that if she cannot keep order in three cities, she has no hope of controlling seven kingdoms. She is therefore resolved to remain in Meereen and "do what queens do" by ruling.

Some time after, on a sunny day outside of Meereen, a goat herder and his son are peacefully tending the goats on a hill while the son throws rocks to pass the time. Suddenly, Drogon  appears and burns the field and kills a flock of goats while taking one with him. The goat herder travels to Meereen to visit the queen and lays the charred remains of his flock before Daenerys, hoping to not anger her. Daenerys apologizes about Drogon's actions and promises to pay back three times the worth of his flock. After he departs, Hizdahr zo Loraq presents his petition: the right to bury his father's remains in the Temple of the Graces, as he was one of the Meereenese Great Masters crucified on Daenerys' orders. She counters that he was one of the masters that crucified the children. Loraq reveals that his father actually spoke out against their crucifixions and was overruled, but later was killed due to Daenerys' judgment anyway. Somewhat mollified, Daenerys allows him to bury his father and as he leaves, Missandei informs her that she still has 200 more supplicants waiting.

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 Wise Master the Second Sons encounter. Jorah protests, warning her that good and evil exists on both sides of every conflict, and that he wouldn't be advising her today if Eddard Stark had done to him what she is about to do to the Wise Masters. After considering this, Daenerys instructs Jorah to tell Daario that she has changed her mind: his orders are now to accompany Hizdahr zo Loraq to Yunkai so that he can give the Wise Masters a choice: “they can live in her new world, or die in their old one.” As Jorah leaves, Daenerys says to tell Daario that it was Jorah who changed her mind.

Days later, Daenerys is in her chambers with Missandei. The two are talking about Grey Worm and how Missandei caught him gazing while she was bathing naked downstream with some of the other women. Daenerys asks whether Missandei thinks he was spying on her. When Missandei doesn’t assume so, Daenerys mentions that the Dothraki have no taboos against nudity or public fornication. Of course, Missandei is not Dothraki, but Daenerys says it doesn't matter, as Grey Worm isn't interested in her - none of the Unsullied desire women as their castration and training has led them to lack most desires. Missandei insists he was interested, surprisingly to both of them. Daenerys inquires whether, when a slave is castrated, the masters take "all of it" - both the "pillar" and the "stones." Missandei says she doesn't know, to which Daenerys asks if she's ever wondered. Thoughtful, Missandei confirms that she has.

Later, as Ser Barristan watches the Unsullied take the bodies of the crucified masters down, a young boy approaches him, giving him a scroll bearing the seal of the Hand of the King. He reads its contents slowly in consternation. He then confronts Ser Jorah as the document is an old royal pardon signed by the late King Robert Baratheon. Barristan surmises Jorah spied on Daenerys in exchange for the pardon. Jorah begs to speak with her privately, but Barristan tells him that he will never be alone with her again. In an audience before her, a seething Daenerys demands for Jorah to explain as he then insists that it is a ploy by Tywin Lannister to divide them. She then counters that the pardon was signed the year they met. Asking Jorah whether he claims the pardon was forged, Jorah admits that it was not, then confessing to share information on her activities in Essos. Daenerys angrily recounts the near-poisoning at the hands of a wine merchant, which she can now understand was as result of Jorah informing King Robert of her pregnancy. Jorah protests that his actions stopped her from being poisoned, however, Daenerys retorts this was only because he knew it might be coming. He then 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. However, Daenerys spares his life and gives him a day to leave the city. She warns that if he is seen in Meereen after that, his head will be thrown into Slaver's Bay. A distraught Jorah is last seen riding away from the city gates on horseback. That evening, on her balcony, Daenerys tells Missandei that she is never to betray her.

Some weeks later, Queen Daenerys sits in her throne room where she is receiving the day’s supplicants. An old man named Fennesz approaches the throne, first speaking in High Valyrian but then revealing that he also knows the common tongue. Fennesz explains that he was not one of the slaves who toiled away at manual labor, but a well-educated teacher and servant to Master Mighdal who was well-treated and loved by Mighdal’s children. Mighdal and Fennesz agreed that he must leave rather than face reprisals. He adds that he’s visited these refugee centers and they are not very safe as the young prey on the old, harassing and robbing them. He has come to Daenerys to ask permission to sell himself back to Mighdal. Daenerys is crestfallen and says she did not liberate the slaves of Meereen only to preside over the very injustice she sought to destroy. She surprisingly relents, however, and admits that freedom means making one's own choices. She allows Fennesz to enter into a labor contract with Mighdal but lasting no more than one year. The next supplicant then enters, a shepherd carrying a bundle in his arms. The shepherd timidly approaches, distraught, and 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 Drogon has roasted the man's three-year-old daughter until this is all that was left of her.

Horrified, Daenerys later meets with Missandei and Grey Worm in her chambers to discuss how to deal with the growing threat her 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.

Afterwards, arriving at the catacombs, Daenerys leads Rhaegal and Viserion inside, where they are distracted by sheep carcasses. As they are feeding, Daenerys herself 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 slavery themselves. Daenerys wordlessly leaves and closes the huge stone door to the catacombs behind her as her dragons grow distressed. They call out to her when they attempt to follow and realize they are chained in place. Before the rolling door closes, Daenerys cries as she looks back at her anguished dragons.