Chapter Text
DANY I.
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“Have you tried appealing for asylum?”
Her hands were clenched on her lap, tightly, so they wouldn’t shake. Everyone that knew her secret was a potential threat, but she had to find help somehow. Even scheduling a free, thirty-minute consultation was a blow to her pride.
“Asylum won’t work,” Daenerys said in a small voice, “officially, my brother was killed in a car accident, but I know it was them. They’re trying to get to me. I could have been in the car with him, and they probably thought I was too. I knew I had to leave.”
Her immigration lawyer nodded and leaned forward to make a note of it. She was not much older than her, with a beautiful dark complexion and an accent. Dany was sure that she had once been an immigrant as well.
“Do you know who it is that is terrorizing you? If you can find a way to prosecute them with your local government-“
“I’m an attorney too,” Dany reminded her in a stern voice. She had considered all of this hundreds of times before leaving. “As I’ve said before, there is more than one leader to the Stallion cartel. The ones I put behind bars were important, yes, but they weren’t the only ones. My government isn’t offering me any protection from them. We don’t have some big witness protection program, everyone that’s ever helped tear down the Stallion cartel has be threatened, but they don’t all die. They can’t hold everybody’s hand, including me. But I know that if I go back there, they’ll find me.”
A strange look crossed her lawyer's face. Dany did not like being pitied, but she needed empathy more than ever. Suddenly, living in the streets with her brother as a child seemed safer than her current state.
“Is defense your only trade?” Ms. Naath asked, “Do you have any other certifications?”
Dany’s heart sank. “I studied law. I’ve been an attorney for years. I have a degree and experience.”
“Not here. Ours laws are not the same as in your country. Your degree is considered useless by any firm, unless go back to law school here, but they will not admit you as you are. I’m afraid that after overstaying your vacation Visa, you won’t be eligible for a student one.”
She was useless. Daenerys thought back to the dozens of clients she had helped, and the criminals she had helped put behind bars. None of it could help her now. Part of her wanted to cry, but she had a strange, hysterical urge to laugh. Her throat was beginning to tighten, but she managed to keep tears at bay.
“I have money,” Dany said suddenly, “Money from work. Money from inheritance. It won’t last me forever, but I can live on my own-“
The woman shook her hair, “Ms. Targaryen, you will not last here long without a job. And you cannot get a job without a work permit, not legally anyhow. Not unless you’re a resident or a citizen or you have a work visa. Do you have another trade?”
Dany hesitated, “I can speak multiple languages."
That caught her interest, “How many?”
“Three.”
“Fluently?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certified to translate?”
“I could be.” A law degree was not enough to be a lawyer in a foreign country, but it was enough to get a certification. That filled her with hope.
“Yes,” she agreed with a small smile, “That could work. But you will still need a work permit.”
Her hope withered. “Would a certificate be enough to get me a work visa?”
Dany knew the answer before her lawyer said it, but it felt like another knife in her heart. She looked down to the ring on her hand, and a wild thought occurred to her that she might be able to sell it if she ran out of food. No, she thought angrily. She could not sell her mother’s ring.
“So what are my options?”
“You can try to apply to asylum once more and wait, though they might not take kindly to you overstaying your temporary vacation Visa. Be mindful that it could put you at risk of deportation. You can try to find a sponsor for a work Visa, but it will not be easy. or you could-“
“Isn’t there a way to buy my way in?” she asked, sounding more desperate than she would have liked, “I will do anything to get away from there. I cannot go back. ”
“There is one other way.”
Daenerys was told what she already knew, but could not even consider it. She looked down at her lap and took in a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. A year ago, she had felt successful and strong, when had she become so pathetic? Her lawyer stood up abruptly and poured a cup of water, coming around her desk to hand it to her. Dany muttered her thanks and gulped it down slowly, sniffling and refusing to cry.
“Do you have any family here? Someone that might claim you?”
Another gulp before answering. “My brother was my last family. There is no one for me here.”
That made her frown, “No friends here?”
“No.” She fixed a smile on her face and gathered her things, “Thank you for your help. I will contact you if I make any drastic choices.”
“Are you staying at a hotel?” The concern in her voice took Dany off guard.
“I am.”
Brown eyes stared at blue, thinking silently until she made a decision.
“I have a way I can help you,” she said after a while, “But I can't give you this as legal advice. In any case, I have more clients after you. I get out in two hours, if you’re willing to wait for me outside, we can get some coffee.”
This woman was Godsend. “I can wait.”
It was more than two hours, but Daenerys did not care. She was glad to have a book in her purse as clients emptied out of the waiting room one by one, until eventually, she was all alone. Ms. Naath walked out of her office looking so different that she was hardly recognizable. She had untucked her blouse from the office skirt and taken off her blazer. Her heels were replaced by flats, but the biggest change was the bouncy curls that sprung out of her bun, making her look younger. It occurred to Dany that they might be the same age, after all.
“My hair is deemed unprofessional by some,” she said with a sad smile, “But I was getting a headache.”
“It’s very pretty. Bosses can be stupid.”
For the first time that evening, they grinned at each other. “You can call me Missandei.”
Missandei did not have the nicest car in the world, but it felt comforting to be in a vehicle that wasn’t a bus after months of public transit. She moved a stack of papers and another set of shoes away from the passengers seat. There was a keychain of colorful butterflies hanging from the rear view mirror, and a bag of ethnic candies inside the cupholder.
“Sorry for the mess.” she buckled on her seatbelt and held up the bag to her, “would you like a dulce candy?”
“Thanks,” she said, looking suspiciously at the milky cube in transparent wrapping paper.
“One of my client brings them,” she explained, “They’re like a mix of caramel and milk, I can’t really explain it, really. But I like them.”
“Oh.” Dany put it inside her purse and nodded politely. “This is a good song."
That made her smile and turn up the volume, “Sade. She’s great.”
They listened to it until pulling up to the nearest cafe, where Daenerys insisted on paying for both of their coffees. They settled in a far corner and talked in quiet voices. She didn't want to be overheard, but even that made her feel like an outlaw. She was.
“I know what it’s like” Missandei began, “to do everything you’re supposed to do and still be terrified. It took me years to become a legal citizen as well, but my situation is not like yours.”
Dany couldn’t stifle her curiosity, “did you get a student Visa?”
“I lived in this country my entire childhood illegally as well, except I had no choice. You see, I was victim of child trafficking.”
A chill ran down her spine. She looked down to her hands and groped for words, “I-I had no idea, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Missandei took her hands and gripped them tightly, “I know the Stallion cartel has contributed it’s fair share to that business. I can’t say for sure who it was that initially stole me from my home, but I know they have investments in that business. They’re not like you and me, they're vile people, and anyone that has helped stop them is a friend of mine.”
Dany squeezed her hands in return and whispered, “I don’t regret it, you know. Even if I had known where it would put me, I don’t regret putting those bastards in their place."
“You’re brave,” she said, “And too young to have your future ruined. You seem smart and good, I’d like to help you. You must know I don’t do this for everyone, and I have a lot of clients. But if you’re willing to do anything to stay here, I might have some options.”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Okay.” Missandei pulled back her hands and took out her phone, “Then there is someone I’d like you to meet.”