The peace

The peace between Meereen and Yunkai, sealed by Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq, was a treaty born of exhaustion and necessity rather than genuine reconciliation. It represented a temporary suspension of hostilities, not a resolution of the fundamental antagonisms that had driven the region into war. The agreement allowed Yunkai to continue its slave trade unmolested, established a slave market within sight of Meereen's walls, and required the reopening of the fighting pits—a concession that Daenerys had long resisted. In return, the Yunkai'i promised to respect the freedom of the former slaves Daenerys had liberated and to withdraw their armies. The peace was, from its inception, a structure built on sand, with each side viewing it as a strategic pause rather than a permanent settlement.

The Terms and Their Immediate Consequences

The peace accords required Meereen to pay an indemnity in gold and gemstones to Yunkai and its allies, to permit Yunkai to resume slaving, and to allow the rebuilding of Astapor as a slave city. Daenerys agreed to these terms, but the Yunkai'i, mistrustful of her promises, demanded further proof of her commitment. They insisted on the wedding and the coronation of Hizdahr as king, and they required hostages—including Daario Naharis, Jhogo, Hero, and Admiral Groleo—as surety for the safety of the Yunkish envoys who entered Meereen to sign the peace. The reopening of the fighting pits, which Daenerys had closed upon taking the city, was a central demand, and she ultimately yielded, allowing the pits to resume their bloody spectacles. The peace also stipulated that the Yunkish armies would remain encamped outside Meereen until the dragons were destroyed, a condition that made the truce contingent on an act Daenerys could not and would not perform.

The Undermining of the Peace

The peace was immediately undermined by the actions of both sides. The Yunkai'i, far from withdrawing, reinforced their siege lines and brought in additional sellsword companies. They established a slave market just south of the Skahazadhan, a deliberate provocation that mocked Daenerys's authority. Within Meereen, the Sons of the Harpy resumed their campaign of assassination, targeting freedmen and shavepates, and the pale mare—a deadly bloody flux—spread through the city and the besieging camps, killing indiscriminately. The peace did nothing to address the deep-seated hatred between the former slaves and the former masters, nor did it resolve the economic collapse that followed the abolition of slavery. The city's trade had dried up, its storehouses were dwindling, and the Astapori refugees who fled the destruction of their city were left to die outside Meereen's walls, a constant reminder of the cost of Daenerys's earlier victories.

The Collapse of the Peace

The fragile peace shattered at Daznak's Pit, where Daenerys's dragon Drogon descended during the games, killing and burning indiscriminately. In the chaos, Daenerys mounted the dragon and flew away, leaving Meereen without its queen. The Yunkai'i, seizing the opportunity, murdered the hostage Admiral Groleo and sent his head to King Hizdahr, demanding the destruction of the remaining dragons. Hizdahr's authority collapsed, and Ser Barristan Selmy, acting as the queen's Hand, arrested the king on suspicion of poisoning Daenerys and conspiring with the Sons of the Harpy. The peace was effectively dead, replaced by a renewed state of war, with the Yunkish armies preparing to assault the city and the freedmen and Unsullied bracing for a final, desperate battle. The peace had bought time, but it had not bought peace; it had only postponed the inevitable confrontation, and in doing so, it had weakened Meereen's position, leaving it isolated, diseased, and leaderless.