Strange Language by Bridgh (General Audiences)

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Fandom: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
Characters: Missandei, Daenerys
Length: 3500 words
Author on LJ: wordsofastory
Author Website: Fic Masterlist

Why this must be read: One of the things I love about ASOIAF is the wealth of minor characters with interesting stories to tell, and this story really taps into that, breathing beautiful depth and complexity to Missandei, the translator slave girl thrown in to complete the sale when Daenerys bought Unsullied in Astapor. I love how Bridgh draws on the themes of how we first meet Missandei – through Dany’s pretense that she can’t understand High Valyrian – and weaves it into the story to give Missandei a voice of her own.

It was harder to learn to be free than it had been to learn to be a slave. The rules were less clear. Languages, once her protection, escaped her, and she found herself using the wrong words; it was easier to say this one than to say I, easier to remember master than queen. Missandei felt lost inside herself. She grew to dread having free time, for it left her aimless and empty; she dreamed of falling and falling, until she ached to hit the ground. She had told Daenerys that she had nowhere else to go, but she knew that did not mean she had a place here.

Strange Language