40:Daenerys

Daenerys

When the Dothraki had stared to shoot arrows at Drogon he had unleashed a current of flames upon the Dothraki warriors. A dozen of horses and Dothraki warriors had been devoured by the hot flames, their screams echoing in her ears. This spectacle had repeated itself over and over again, but when another hundred thousand of men had appeared, Dany had raised her hands and had commanded Drogon to leave. Arrows certainly couldn't kill a dragon, but he had already suffered enough through the spears of the Brazen Beasts, his right wing still tattered and sometimes bleeding.

Drogon will come back for me anyway. I know it. I just need to buy myself a bit of time.

"I know you," the Dothraki scout that had discovered Drogon shouted at her. He was a relatively young man, but his braid was long and littered with numerous bells. They rang softly as he climbed from his horse, his dark eyes searching her face. "You are Khal Drogo's Khaleesi."

Dany nodded her head and brushed the grime from her lips. The food had helped her to regain her strength, but her feet felt still wobbly. Her mind was also torn on what to say. If she denied the obvious truth they would rape her and if she told them the truth they would drag her to the Dosh Khaleen.

The second choice seemed much more pleasant. From the Dosh Khaleen she could flee and it would keep her far away from Khal Jhaqo. He had always hated her, but even a Khal was not allowed to touch a Dosh Khaleen. Such was the law of the Dothraki.

"That I am," she confirmed in Dothraki and straightened herself. She tried to appear queenly, but that was hard when her clothes were tattered and her face covered in grime. "Do I know you?"

"I am Haquo," the young man explained and lowered his head in reverence. "I am ko to Khal Jhaqo. When you were still Khal Drogo's Khaleesi I was only a common warrior. Have you come to return to your place among the Dosh Khaleen?"

"I have," she confirmed and forced a smile over her lips. "I have. I have realized my folly and wish to repent."

The young man seemed to approve of her actions and shifted his attention to one of the older bloodriders.

"You heard the Khaleesi," Haquo said. "She has need of a horse. She is coming with us."

"The foreign whore shall have a horse," a familiar and cruel voice added. It was Mago, who had joined Jhaqo not long after Drogo had dropped from his horse. He was no friend of her and the savage curling on his lips unsettled her. "But Khal Jhaqo will want to question her."

"I shall be honored," Dany replied and cast a quick glance at the sky. The sun was bright and hot, but Drogon was nowhere to be seen. Yet, she believed to feel his presence. He would follow her. She was sure about it.

Not long after, one of the younger bloodriders yielded his stead to her, though she doubted he was pleased about that. Dothraki were as close with their horses as the dragonlords of old were with their dragons. A dragon only chose one rider and a Dothraki usually took his horse to the grave.

It made her long for her Silver, but it was better than to walk on foot.

"Your stallion abandoned you," Mago scoffed with distain as he rode behind her, his hand brushing over his curved blade. It was a warning. "We scared the beast."

He is a dragon, she wanted to correct him, but that would make her situation only worse. He was only waiting for a provocation. Thus, she decided to play along.

"I have not yet properly mounted him," she explained and averted her gaze. Haquo was watching her as well, but more with an expression of worry than dislike.

"And now you never will," Mago added. "A Dosh Khaleen has no use for stallions."

"Leave her be," he warned Mago. "Or Drogo's ghost will come to curse you."

"Drogo is a pile of ash and died because she allowed the witch to attend to him," Mago grumbled accusingly, his dark eyes as black as the night. "He could have been the Khal of Khals, but you had to break our traditions and allowed the witch to kill him. Then, you even sacrificed his son. If I had a say in this, I would plough your field until you bleed to death, but I am only a ko and no Khal. Mayhaps Khal Jhaqo will know what to do with you. I certainly would enjoy hearing you scream."

Dany shuddered and clenched her teeth in defiance. Mago had been the cruelest among Drogo's bloodriders. He had raped and murdered the girl she had tried to save. He was a monster.

"Khal Jhaqo would not dare to touch her," Haquo added. "You know what they say about fucking a Dosh Khaleen. Your cock will wither away. I doubt the Khal would risk such a fate."

Mago scoffed. "You are even more superstitious than Jhaqo's Khaleesi. "

Then, he galloped away to join the head of the column of riders.

Dany sighed in relief, but she knew that was only the beginning of a dangerous journey.

At midday, they arrived at the camp, beneath a hill. In the distance she could see the glimmer of a silver stream, but otherwise not much more than the swaying grass of the Dothraki Sea.

Everywhere she looked riders had gathered around steaming cookfires on which they were roasting meat and other delicacies she had missed. It made her suddenly crave for fermented milk and honey.

Haquo and three others led her through the bustling camp. Children ran wild as they passed hundreds of tents and the smell of spice and horse was filling her nose. It was a familiar smell and brought back memories, some of them happy and others sad.

They stopped at a painted tent and Haquo informed her that this would be her sleeping place for the night.

The tent was not overly furnished. There was a carpet on the floor and an oil lamp. A young slave woman was also called upon to bring her fresh clothing, a simple green wool tunic which she fastened with a leather belt and a pair of leggings and sandals. She also wished for a brush, but that was too much to ask and the food they brought her was much more welcome. She devoured the bowl of fruits and sweet grass greedily, before emptying two bowls of fermented horse milk. Strangely, it helped her to settle her stomach and not long after she curled atop the carpet and was claimed by her exhaustion.

This time she dreamed of her dragons. They were screaming for her in their prison of darkness…

Barely a few hours later, she was woken by a rough pull on her shoulder.

It was Mago.

"Khal Jhaqo wishes for your company."

Dany swallowed hard, but didn't hesitate to follow . She was relieved to find Haquo among the men that had accompanied Mago.

She doubted he would help her escape, but he seemed very dedicated to the Dothraki laws and perhaps he had respected Drogo enough to consider taking her side if it came to the worst.

The Khal's tent had been erected on a hill. It was huge and made of horse leather. Inside it smelled of incense, oils, cinnamon and dried sweet grass. In the middle of the room stood a large iron jar in which a fire was burning in colors of orange, gold and red.

Around the fire sat twenty men. The Khal's bloodriders.

The Khal himself was seated atop a large wooden throne. His face was sharp, a big red scar running from his right ear all down to his chin and his long inky hair was neatly braided and decorated with bells of silver and gold.

His dark eyes flashed with recognition when his gaze fell upon her.

"So, it is true. Drogo's wayward Khaleesi has returned."

"I have come to join the Dosh Khaleen," she lied.

"A foreign whore like her shouldn't be sent to the Dosh Khaleen," Mago added coldly. "She does not respect our traditions. Khal Drogo was a fool to wed her. She only brought death and destruction over his khalasar. Give her to me and I will make quick work of her after I have enjoyed myself."

"That is not for you to decide," Khal Jhaqo grunted in displeasure. "She was a Khaleesi. The Dosh Khaleen approved of her…they called her son the Stallion that Mounts the World."

"Old hags that read in tea leaves," Mago scoffed. "Khal Drogo listened to them and look where it brought him. He thought he would conquer the world beyond the poisonous waters and died a humiliating death."

"I burned the witch for her crime," Dany countered, deciding to try a different approach . "And prophecies are a dangerous thing. My dead son was not the stallion, but I have a living and breathing dragon. Mayhaps by mounting him I can fulfil the prophecy. You could be part of this, the Dothraki could be part of this. I wish to retake my father's crown and have need of able warriors."

Khal Jhaqo laughed and rose to his feet, making his way towards her. "I thought you wanted to be a Dosh Khaleen? It seems your tongue is as silver as your hair. Ah, you are beautiful. I understand why Drogo wanted you in his bed, but your pretty silver cunt wasn't the only reason. You are of the blood of the dragonlords and Drogo always dreamed of greater things. He wanted to be the Khal of Khals, that would one day unite all khalasars as one. A worthy dream, but I have to agree with Mago…it was not worth it in the end, was it?"

Dany knew then that she couldn't expect any help from him, but she tried once more to convince him.

"My son died," she admitted. "I shouldn't have trusted the witch, but I meant well."

Then, she glared at Mago. "And that makes me not any less of a Khaleesi. There are still bloodriders that follow me. They are in Meereen and are well cared for. I reward my allies well. If you do not wish to cross the sea I could offer you something else. The Slaver Cities I have taken for my own, but they have need of protection, of men capable holding them against the slavers. Isn't that a tempting idea? Take the riches of the nobles and grow fat and old?"

Something had changed in Jhaqo's demeanor after she had said this.

"There is always a price. Name it?"

"You must give up slavery and pillaging. That is my price. In return your people will receive a place to prosper."

Khal Jhaqo started to laugh again and swept his gaze over the assembled bloodriders.

"Did you hear her? She wants me to become a chained dog. A dog. Is Jhaqo a chained dog?"

The bloodriders howled with laughter and Dany knew she had lost this struggle.

"You will go to the Dosh Khaleen," he informed her bluntly after the laughing had died down and threw a cold glance at Mago. "Touch her and I will cut off your cock. I hold no love for her, but Drogo was my equal. Disrespecting his widow means to disrespect the laws of our people."

Mago's dark eyes pierced into hers as he lowered his head.

"Of course, my Khal."