Chapter 72 Chapter 71 Daenerys
Under the persimmon trees in the Terrace Gardens, she ate breakfast and watched dragons chase each other around the top of the Great Pyramid, where the tall bronze harpies that once stood were now obeying orders.There were twenty other smaller pyramids in Meereen, but they were not even half as tall as this one.From here she could look down on the whole city: the narrow winding alleys and the broad brick avenues, the temples and barns, the shanties and palaces, the brothels and bathhouses, the gardens and fountains, and the ringed red brick stands of the Colosseum. .Beyond the walls lay the ash-like sea, the winding Skahazadhan, dry brown hills, burnt orchards, and scorched fields.In this high garden, Dany felt like a god, dwelling on the top of the sacred mountain.
Are all gods this lonely? Some must be.Missandei had told her about the God of Harmony, the god worshiped by the 'peaceful people' of Naath; according to the little script, he was the only true God, eternal in the past and future, who created the moon and the stars, The earth and all the creatures that live in it.Poor god of harmony.Dany sympathized with him.It must be terrible to be alone forever, served only by so-called butterfly fairies, who you can create or destroy at any time.There were at least seven gods in Westeros, though Viserys told her that some monks said they were just different aspects of the same god, seven planes of the same crystal.That's so confusing.It is said that the red robe monks believe in two gods, but these two gods are in eternal struggle.Dany didn't like it even more.She didn't want to be in an eternal struggle.
Missandei served duck eggs and dog intestines, plus half a glass of liqueur mixed with lime juice.Honey attracts flies, but a scented candle keeps them away.She found that at such a height, the flies were less of a nuisance than in other parts of the city, which was another place she liked about the pyramids. "I've got to do something about the flies," Dany said. "Does Nas have a lot of flies, Missandei?"
"Nas has a lot of butterflies," the little clerk replied in Common Tongue, "and some more wine?"
"No. I have to go to court soon." Dany fell in love with Missandei.Although Xiaowenshu with big golden eyes is young, he is very wise.She is also very brave.Only in this way can we survive in the harsh environment.She hopes to see the fabled Nas Island one day.Missandei says "people of peace" make music instead of war.They don't kill, not even animals; they only eat melons and fruits, not flesh and blood.Butterfly elves serving the god of harmony guard the island against foreign enemies.Countless conquerors sailed to Nas in an attempt to bring blood and fire, but they all died of illness.However, when the slave ship came to hijack them, the Butterfly Fairy did not help them. "One day I will take you home, Missandei," Dany promised.If I make the same promise to Jorah, will he betray me? "I swear."
"The villain is willing to stay by your side, Your Majesty. Nas will live forever, and your kindness to me is as great as a mountain."
"You are good to me too." Dany took the girl's hand. "Come on, help me change my clothes."
Jiki and Missandei bathed her, and Erie laid out her clothes.Today she wore a purple embroidered robe, a silver sash, and a crown of three-headed dragons from the Tourmaline Brotherhood in Qarth, and silver sandals with heels so high that she feared she might fall.When she was dressed, Missandei offered a silver mirror so she could see what she looked like.Dany stared at herself silently.Is this the face of the conqueror? She still thinks it is the face of a little girl.
No one has called her Daenerys the Conqueror yet, but maybe in the future.Aegon the Conqueror won Westeros with a three-headed dragon, and she took Meereen in less than a day with a pack of gutter rats and a stake.Poor Glory.She knew he was still grieving over his ship.If ships can collide, why can't they ram doors? Thinking of this, she ordered the captains to bring the ship to shore and unmast it as a battering ram.The free folk swarming up disassembled the hull to make awnings, turtle shields, catapults and ladders.The mercenaries gave each battering ram a vulgar name, and the mainmast of the Meraxes—formerly the Joker—had smashed through the east gate.They called it "Josuo's lifeblood."The fierce battle was brutal and bloody, which lasted for most of the day and into the night.Just before the wood was about to break, the iron figurehead of the "Melaxes", a smiling face of a clown, crashed into the city gate.
Dany wanted to lead the troops herself, but the officers thought it was madness, even for a man.Her officers never approved of anything she did.She had to stay behind, in long mail and on a silver horse.However, she could hear the sound of the city falling half a league away, and the defiant cries of the defenders turned into cries of fear in an instant.At that moment her dragons roared in unison, filling the night with fire.She knew the slaves were revolting.My gutter rat gnawed off their chains.
After the last resistance was crushed by the Unsullied, the looting followed, of course, when Dany entered the city.Dead bodies piled high before the broken gates, and it took the free folk nearly an hour to clear the way for her silver horse. "Yosuo's lifeblood" and the wooden tortoise shield covered with horse hide used to protect it were abandoned inside the door.She rode over ruins and broken windows, through brick streets where gutters were clogged with stiff, swollen corpses.Jubilant slaves raised their bloody hands and chanted "mother" as she passed.
In the square before the Great Pyramid, the people of Meereen huddled together in despair.In the morning light, the great masters don't look like they are stalwart.Stripped of their jewelry and fringed tokas, they appear humble, the old with shrunken scrotums and mottled skin, the young with ridiculous hair.Their women are either fat and weak, or as thin as old bamboo poles, with tear stains on their faces. "I want your chiefs," Dany bade them, "hand them over, and forgive them."
"How much?" asked an old woman sobbing, "How many people does it take before you will forgive us?"
"One hundred and sixty-three," she answered.
She nailed them to stakes that circled the square, pointing at each other at those next to them.When she gave the order, her heart was full of blazing and violent rage, and she felt that she was a dragon of vengeance.But afterwards, when she passed the dying living people on the pillar, heard their groans, and smelled the stench of intestines and flesh...
Dany frowned, and put down the silver mirror.This is justice.Yes.I do it for my kids.
The audience room is on the lower floor, with high ceilings and purple marble walls, full of echoes.Although solemn here, it is extremely gloomy.The original throne, carved from gilded wood into a delicate and fierce harpy.After staring at it for a long time, she ordered it to be chopped into firewood. "I will not sit on the harpy's lap," she announced.In its place was a simple bench of ebony, practical but the Meereenans would not consider fit for a queen's dignity.
The bloodriders were waiting for her.Silver bells tinkled in their oiled braids, and they wore the gold and silver jewels of the dead.Meereen is rich beyond imagination, and even the sellswords are content - at least for the time being.Across the room, Gray Worm wore the plain uniform of the Unsullied, his spiked bronze helmet tucked under his arm.She could count on them at least—or hoped so—plus Brown Ben Plumm, stout Brown Ben with gray hair and a weather-beaten face, whom her dragons loved dearly.And Daario, who is shining gold next to him.Daario, Ben Plumm, Gray Worm, Irri, Jhiqui, Missandei... Dany watched them, wondering which one would betray her next.
The dragon has three heads.There are still two people in the world I can trust--if I can find them.When the time comes, I will no longer be alone.The three of us stand against the world, just Aegon and his sisters.
"Is the city really as calm as it appears?" Dany asked.
"Indeed, my lord," replied Brown ben Plumm.
She is very happy.Like all fallen cities, Meereen was savagely sacked, but once the city was completely taken over, Dany decided to stop the violence.She decreed that murderers would be hanged, robbers would lose a hand, and rapers would have their penis cut off.Now, eight murderers hung on the walls, and the Unsullied sent vats of bloody limbs and limp red worms.At last Meereen regained his composure.But how long?
A fly buzzed around her head, and Dany waved it away angrily, but it came back right away. "There are too many flies in the city."
Ben Plumm laughed. "Yes, there were flies in my ale this morning. I swallowed one."
"Flies are the revenge of the dead." Daario smiled and stroked the middle beard. "Dead bodies give birth to maggots, and maggots give birth to flies."
"Then we have to deal with the corpse quickly, starting from the square below. Gray Worm, are you willing to take charge?"
"The queen ordered, and the villain obeyed."
"Bring a sack and a shovel, Bug," suggested Brown Ben. "Those guys are rotten, falling off the posts in bits and pieces, crawling over..."
"He knows. I know too." Dany thought of the terror she had felt in the punishment square in Astapor.I created equally strong horrors, but they deserved it.Brutal justice is justice.
"Your Majesty," said Missandei, "the Ghisians bury their revered dead in crypts under their homes. It would be a good deed if you boiled the bones and returned them to their loved ones."
Widows will still curse me. "That's it." Dany greeted Daario, "How many people asked to see this morning?"
"Two people have asked to bathe in your favor."
Daario had re-dyed his three-pronged beard and curls a rich dark purple to match the new wardrobe he had won in Meereen.It made his eyes look almost purple too, like a lost Valyrian. "They arrived last night on the galley merchant Indigo Star, which came from Qarth."
It's a slave ship.Dany frowned. "Who are they?"
"The captain of the Indigo Star and a man who calls himself a representative of Astapor."
"I will see the envoy first."
The visitor had a fair complexion, a pointed face like a mink, and strings of heavy pearls and gold threads hung around his neck. "Master!" he cried, "my name is Gale. I bring the King of Astapor, Great Cleon, greetings to the Mother of Dragons."
Dany was taken aback. "I leave the council to rule Astapor. It is led by a doctor, a scholar, and a priest."
"Master, those cunning rascals have betrayed your trust. They planned to restore the power of the good lords and put the people in chains. Fortunately, their plans were foiled. The great Klesubaru exposed their plots and cut them down with the butcher's knife head of Astapor, the grateful people of Astapor crowned him for his valor."
"Honorable Gael," Missandei asked in the authentic Astapor dialect, "is this Cleon the same as the Cleon who once belonged to Grazdan mo Ulho?"
Her tone was frank and generous, but the question she asked clearly disturbed the envoy. "It's the same man," he admitted, "a great man."
Missandei leaned closer to Dany. "He used to be the butcher in Grazdan's kitchen," the girl whispered in her ear. "It is said that the slaughter of pigs is the number one in Astapor."
I gave Astapor a butcher king.Dany was very unhappy, but she couldn't show it in front of the envoy. "May King Cleon be wise and virtuous. What does he want from me?"
Gail rubbed his mouth. "Maybe we should talk in private, Your Majesty?"
"There are no secrets between me and my officers."
"As you command. Great Cleon bids me declare his allegiance to the Mother of Dragons. Your enemies are his enemies, and above all the lords of Yunkai. He proposes an alliance between Astapor and Meereen, Against Yunkai."
"I swore that if they freed the slaves, there would be no harm to Autumn," Dany said.
"These Yunkai'i dogs cannot be trusted, master, they plot against you at all times. They raise new troops and drill outside the walls; they build warships and send envoys to the west, to the islands of New Ghis and the Free Cities of Varan Teth, to forge alliances and hire mercenaries; they even sent swift riders deep into Vaes Dothraki in an attempt to bring in a khalasar. Great Kryon let me assure you, fear not. Astapor does not Will forget you, will not abandon you. To prove his sincerity, the great Cleon proposes a marriage to secure the covenant."
"Marriage? With me?"
Gale smiled, his teeth brown and rotting. "Great Cleon will give you many strong sons."
Dany was speechless, but little Missandei helped her out, "Did his eldest wife bear him a son?"
The envoy looked at her unhappily. "Great Cleon's eldest wife bore him three daughters, and two younger wives are pregnant. But don't worry, if the Mother of Dragons agrees to marry, he will destroy them all."
"He is noble," said Dany. "I will consider everything you say, my lord." She ordered Gale to be given rooms in the lower pyramid.
All victories are reduced to dross in my hands, she thought. No matter what I do, there will only be death and terror.What happened in Astapor will soon spread. At that time, tens of thousands of newly freed Meereen slaves will undoubtedly make up their minds to follow her westward. Not much better.Even if every barn in the city was emptied and Meereen starved, she would not be able to feed so many! The road was long and harsh, full of dangers unknown, Ser Jorah had warned her.He had warned her many... he... no, I don't think of Jorah Mormont.Let him wait. "Take the merchant captain," she announced.Maybe he has good news.
As a result, the wish came to nothing.The captain of the Indigo Star was a Qarthite, and when asked how Astapor was doing, he wept unceasingly. "The whole city is weeping blood. Unburied corpses rot in the streets, every pyramid is an armed barracks, there is neither food nor slaves in the bazaars. And poor children! The Butcher King's men Bandits take the sons of every nobleman in Astapor to trade in for the creation of new Unsullied, though training is still years away."
What surprised Dany most was that she wasn't surprised.She thought of Eroye, the Lazarin girl she had tried to protect, of what had happened to her.It will be the same for Meereen when I set off, she thought.The slaves of the Colosseum, trained to kill with nothing but aggressiveness and tyranny in their minds, now consider themselves masters of a city over which the lives and fortunes of men and women are governed.Two gladiators were among the eight hanged.Nothing to do, she told herself. "What do you want, Captain?"
"Slaves," he said, "my hold is full of ivory and ambergris and zebra hides and other good things. I would barter them for slaves to sell in Lys and Volantis."
"We have no slaves," Dany said.
"Your Majesty?" Daario stepped forward. "The river is full of Meereenese begging to sell themselves to the Qartheite. They are more numerous than flies."
Dany was shocked, "They want to be slaves?"
"Applications are from good, well-spoken families, my dear queen, and such slaves are worth a fortune. In the Free Cities they will be teachers, clerks, bed slaves, even doctors and priests. They will sleep in soft beds, Eat good food and live in big mansions. Here they have lost everything and are surrounded by fear and poverty."
"I see." Perhaps it wasn't surprising that this happened after Astapor's story came out.Dany considered for a moment. "Anyone who sells himself voluntarily is allowed. Including women." She held up a hand. "But they can't sell their children, and men can't sell their wives."
"In Astapor, when slaves change hands, the city-state takes a tithe," Missandei told her.
"So do we," Dany decided.War requires not only soldiers, but also money. "Gold, silver, and ivory are charged in tithes, but Meereen needs no saffron or lilac or zebra hide."
"As you bid, Queen of Glory," said Daario, "my Stormcrows will collect your tithe." Dany knew that at least half of the money would be lost if the Stormcrows were to collect it. .But the Second Sons were equally corrupt, and the Unsullied were clean but uneducated. "Keep a record," she ordered, "by one of the free folk who can read, write, and arithmetic."
The captain of the Indigo Star bowed and resigned when he was done.Dany shifted restlessly in the ebony chair.She was afraid of what came next, but she knew she had put it off for too long.Yunkai and Astapor, the threat of war, the request for a marriage, and above all westward... I need my knights.I need their swords, and even more their advice.Yet the thought of seeing Jorah Mormont goodbye felt like swallowing a spoonful of flies: angry, disturbed, sick.She could almost feel them buzzing around in her belly.I am of the blood of a true dragon, so I must be strong.Facing them, my eyes were filled with fire, not tears. "Tell Belwas to bring up my knights," Dany ordered hastily, lest she change her mind, "my fine knights."
Strong Belwas, panting up the stairs, led them through the door, clutching a knight in each plump hand.Ser Barristan held his head high, but Ser Jorah's eyes were on the marble floor.One proud, one guilty.The old man looked ten years younger when he shaved off his white beard; but her big bald bear seemed older than it really was.They stopped at the seats.Strong Belwas stepped back, arms folded across his scarred chest.
Ser Jorah cleared his throat. "The Khaleesi..."
She missed his voice so much, yet had to be stern. "Quiet. I'll tell you when it's time to speak." She stood up.
"When I sent you to the sewers, I secretly hoped that would be the last time we would see each other. Drowning in the filth of slave traders was a fitting end for liars. I thought the gods would deal with you, but you came back .My gallant knight of Westeros, an informer, a chameleon. My brother will hang you both." Viserys—surely.She wondered what Rhaegar would do. "I admit, you helped me win this city..."
Ser Jorah tightened his lips. "We have won this city for you. We gutter rats."
"Quiet," she repeated...even though he was telling the truth.When Yoso's ram and other battering rams slammed into the gates, and the archers fired rockets at the top of the city, she sent two hundred men to set fire to the docks along the river under cover of darkness—but all this was a pretense ——While the fire boat attracted the attention of the defenders on the city wall, a group of crazy volunteers swam to the drain of the sewer and broke open a rusted iron fence.And so Ser Jorah, Ser Barristan, Strong Belwas, and twenty other brave fools stalked through the brown water and down the brick passage.It was a mixed army of sellswords, Unsullied, and free folk, as long as Dany had no family... no sense of smell.
They are not only brave, but also lucky.It had been a month since the last rain, so the sewage in the sewers was only thigh high.They wrapped the torches in tarpaulins to keep them lit.Some of the free folk were taken aback by the size of the rat, until Strong Belwas caught one and bit it in two.Another was slain by a great white lizard, which leaped out of the dark water, grabbed the man's leg, and dragged him down, but the next time the water was rippling, Ser Jorah slew the man with his sword. brute.They turned in the wrong direction several times, but as soon as they were on the ground, Strong Belwas led them straight to the nearest arena, caught the guards there by surprise, and cut the chains of the slaves.Within an hour, half the gladiators in Meereen were fighting.
"You helped me win this city," she repeated firmly. "You have all served me well in the past. Ser Barristan rescued me from the Titan's Bastard and thwarted the plot of the Regretful Guest in Qarth; and you, Ser Jorah, in Wes The Dothraki found the Poisoner, and you saved me from Drogo's bloodriders when my sun and star died." Too many to put her to death, too many to count. "Yet you lied, deceived me, betrayed me." She turned first to Ser Barristan. "You protected my father for many years and fought alongside my brother on the Trident, and then you betrayed Prince Viserys in exile and bowed to the usurper. Why? I want the truth."
"The truth is not always flattering. Robert was a... fine knight... He was just and valiant... He spared not only me, but many lives... Prince Viserys was only a boy, and It will be many years before it is fit to reign, and... forgive me, Your Majesty, you want the truth... Your brother Viserys, in his childhood, has shown himself to be his father's son, unlike Rhaegar. "
"Father's son?" Dany frowned. "What's the meaning?"
The old knight didn't blink. "In Westeros, your father was called the 'Mad King.' Nobody told you?"
"Viserys said." The Mad King. "So the usurper calls him, the usurper and his lackeys." Mad King. "That's a lie."
"If you close your eyes and listen," Ser Barristan whispered, "why seek the truth?" He hesitated. "I explained before that the false name was used to keep the Lannisters from knowing, and that was only part of the reason. Your Majesty, More importantly, before I swear allegiance to you, I want to observe for a while to make sure you are not..."
"...my father's daughter?" I'm not my father's daughter, so who is it?
"... madness incarnate," he continued. "Fortunately, I didn't find any flaws."
"Flaw?" Dany raged.
"I am not a maester, and I do not cite history, my lord. My life is by sword, not by books. But every child in the Seven Kingdoms knows that the Targaryens have always been on the verge of madness. Your father was not the first Exception. King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin, and that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin into the air, and the world watches with bated breath as it falls."
Jaehaerys.The old man knew my grandfather.Thinking of this, hesitation arises spontaneously.After all, she knew most of Westeros from her brother, and a little from Ser Jorah.And Ser Barristan may have forgotten more than the two of them combined.Only this man understands my origins. "So I'm a coin in the hand of some god, eh, sir?"
"No," answered Ser Barristan, "you are the true Lord of Westeros. If you think me worthy of a sword, I will be your loyal knight forever and ever; if not, I am content Serve Strong Belwas, and be his squire."
"What if I decide you're only good enough to be my jester?" Dany asked sarcastically. "Or the cook?"
"It would be my great honor, Your Majesty," said Selmy, calmly and dignifiedly, "that I bake apples, cook beef as well as anyone else, and have roasted ducks over a campfire. I hope you like a duck fat, with its charred skin and Bloody bones."
The words made her smile. "I would rather be a madman to eat such good food. Ben Plumm, give Ser Barristan your sword."
But Whitebeard didn't accept it. "I threw my sword at Joffrey's feet, and never touched another. Only from my queen would I wear a sword again."
"As you wish." Dany took the weapon from Brown Ben, holding it hilt forward.The old man took it respectfully. "Now, on your knees," she commanded, "swear your allegiance to me."
He knelt down on one knee, laid the long sword across her feet, and recited the oath.Dany barely heard what he had to say.He was the easy one, she thought, the other was the hard one.When Ser Barristan had taken his oath, she turned to Jorah Mormont. "Your turn, ser. I want the truth."
The big man's neck turned red, whether it was anger or shame, she didn't know. "I've tried to tell you the truth, and I've said it dozens of times. I've told you that there's something else wrong with Astan, and I've warned you that Xaro and Baiya Puli cannot be trusted. I've warned you—"
"You warned me about everyone but yourself." His arrogance angered her.He should be humble.He should beg my forgiveness. "You say you can trust no one but Jorah Mormont...and you've been a spy for the octopus all along!"
"I'm no one's spy. Yes, I took the eunuch's money, learned the code, wrote a few letters, that's all—"
"That's all? You spy on me and betray me!"
"At one point..." he reluctantly said, "I washed my hands and quit."
"When? When did you quit?"
"I wrote a report in Qarth, but—"
"Qarth?" Dany had wished it had been much earlier. "What did you write in Qarth? That you were mine now, and never join their plots again?" Ser Jorah couldn't meet her eyes. "When Khal Drogo died, you asked me to go with you to Yidi and the Jade Sea. Did you mean it, or Robert's?"
"That's for your protection," he insisted, "to keep you away from them. I know what kind of vipers they are..."
"Viper? What are you then, ser?" A terrible thought came to mind. "You tell them I'm pregnant with Drogo's child..."
"Kalixi..."
"Don't try to deny it, ser," Ser Barristan pointed out sharply. "I was present when the eunuch brought the news to the Court, and Robert ordered the death of Your Majesty and her child. You are the source, sir, and it has even been said that Maybe it's up to you to do it yourself and ask for forgiveness."
"A lie." Ser Jorah scowled. "I will never... Daenerys, I am the one stopping you from drinking the poisoned wine."
"That's right, but how do you know there's poison in the wine?"
"I...I just suspect...the caravan brought a letter from Varys warning me of possible assassination attempts. He wants me to watch you, yes, and keep you safe." He dropped to his knees. "If I don't snitch, someone else will. You know that."
"I know you betrayed me." She stroked her belly, where her son Rego was stillborn. "I know a poisoner tried to poison my son because of you. I know that."
"No...no..." He shook his head, "I don't want to...forgive me. You have to forgive me."
"Must?" Too late.He should have begged for forgiveness in the first place.Now she couldn't forgive him as she had planned.Remember dragging the liquor-monger behind the silver horse until there was no bone left, and shouldn't the man who brought him to appear the same? But this is Jorah, my brave bear, my right-hand man who never disappoints me.I would be dead without him, but... "I can't forgive you," she said, "I can't."
"You forgive the old man..."
"He lied to me by name, and you betrayed my secrets to the man who killed my father and stole my brother's throne."
"I protect you. I fight and kill for you."
You kiss me, she thought, you betrayed me.
"I went down the gutter like a mouse, just for you."
Maybe it would have been better if you had died there.Dany said nothing.There is nothing to say.
"Daenerys," he said, "I love you."
correct.You are destined to experience three betrayals.Once for blood, once for money, and once for love. "The gods don't do things without purpose. You didn't die in battle, which means they have a place for you. But I don't need you, don't want you to stay with me. You are banished, ser, go back to your master in King's Landing Take a pardon—if you can. Or go to Astapor, the Butcher King needs knights."
"No," he held out his hand to her, "Daenerys, please, listen to me..."
She slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me again, or call me by name. Before dawn, pack up your things and leave this city. If I find you still in Meereen after dawn, let Strong Belvor Slip your head off. I will, no doubt about it." She turned her back on him, her skirts swirling.I can't look at his face. "Take the liar away," she ordered.I can't cry, I must not.If I cry, I will forgive him.Strong Belwas grabbed Ser Jorah's arm and dragged him out.Dany glanced back and saw the knight staggering and slowing like a drunken madman.She turned her gaze, and didn't sit back in the ebony chair until she heard the door close.He also left.My father and mother, my brothers, Ser William Darry, my sun and stars, my stillborn son, even Ser Jorah...
"Your Majesty has a good heart," Daario said in a guttural voice through his deep purple beard, "but this guy is more dangerous than Oznak and Melo put together." He stroked the saber sword with his strong hands handles resting on the pair of prodigal gold women. "You need not speak, my Bright Light. Just a little nod, and your Daario will bring back his ugly head."
"Let him go. The debt is paid. Let him go home." Dany seemed to see Jorah walking among gnarled oaks and tall pines, through flowering brambles and mossy ashes. Rock, through the cool stream flowing down the steep hillside.She seemed to see him enter a great wooden hall, where the dog slept by the fireplace, and the smoky air lingered with the rich smell of barbecue and honey. "This concludes the meeting," she told the officers.
With difficulty she resisted the urge to run all the way up the wide marble steps.Irri helped her take off her gown and put on comfortable clothes: loose wool trousers, a baggy felt tunic, and a painted Dothraki vest. "You're shaking, Khaleesi," the girl said as she knelt down to tie Dany's sandals.
"I'm cold," Dany lied, "bring me the book I read last night." She wanted to immerse herself in words, in other times, in other places.This thick leather book records the history and ballad legends of the Seven Kingdoms.To tell the truth, they were all children's stories, too simple and too magical to be true.All heroes are tall and handsome, and all traitors have wandering eyes.However, she likes this book very much. Last night, she saw the three princesses in the red tower. They were imprisoned by the king for being too beautiful.
When the maid brought the book, she could easily find the page she had read last, but to no avail.She found herself watching the same passage repeatedly, more than a dozen times.Ser Jorah gave me this book as a present on the day I married Khal Drogo.Daario is right, I should not have exiled him.I should either keep him or kill him.She plays queen, yet still feels like a frightened little girl at times.Viserys used to say I was a fool.Was he really mad? She closed the book.Ser Jorah can still be called back if he chooses, or Dario can be sent to kill him.
Dani chose to avoid it.She walked to the open-air platform, and Rego was sleeping by the pool basking in the sun, coiled into a green and bronze ball.Drogon perched atop the pyramid where the tall harpies had once stood.He spread his wings and roared when he spotted her.There was no sign of Viserion, but as she leaned against the low wall and scanned the horizon, she saw white wings flitting far above the river.He is hunting.They get bolder every day.Yet she still worried when they flew too far.Maybe one day, one of them won't come back, she thought.
"His Majesty?"
She turned, and saw Ser Barristan behind. "What else is there, ser? I forgive you and accept your services. Leave me alone."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. But... now that you know who I am..." the old man hesitated, "The Kingsguard guards the sovereign day and night, and our oath requires us not only to defend his life, but also to keep his secrets. Your father Along with his throne, his secrets should belong to you, I... I think you may have questions to ask."
Questions? She has hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of questions.Why can't I think of one now? "Is my father really crazy?" she said suddenly.Why this? "Viserys says the rumors of madness are a usurper's plot..."
"When Viserys was a boy, the queen protected him as best she could. Your father has always been a little crazy, I think. But he was also generous and charming, so people have forgotten his flaws." .The early days of his reign were full of promise...but as the years passed the flaws grew, until...'
Dany stopped him, "Do you think I want to hear this now?"
Ser Barristan thought for a moment. "Perhaps . . . not now."
"Not now." She agreed. "One day. One day you'll have to tell me everything, the good and the bad. Surely my father has something good to say?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, he and his predecessors have many deeds to commend. Your grandfather Jaehaerys and his brother, your great-grandfather Aegon, your mother . . . and Rhaegar, especially Rhaegar."
"I wish I knew him." Her voice was full of longing.
“我希望他能认识您，”老骑土道，“等您作好准备，我将把一切都告诉您。”
丹妮亲吻他的脸颊，让他离开。
当晚，侍女们送来羔羊肉、葡萄干色拉和酒糟胡萝卜，以及一片蘸满蜂蜜的热面包。但她什么也吃不下。雷加有没有过如此疲惫?她疑惑地想，征服者伊耿呢?
睡觉时，丹妮让伊丽陪床，这是自船上以来的第一次。当她的手指缠绕于侍女浓密的黑发，在颤抖中达到高潮时，她幻想抱着自己的是卓戈……只不过他的脸时不时变成达里奥。想要达里奥，说出来就行。她的腿和伊丽的腿纠结在一起。今天他的眼睛看上去几乎是紫色……
当晚，丹妮的梦十分黑暗，她醒来三次，带着隐约的惊怕。第三次之后，她再也无法入睡。月光透过倾斜的窗户倾泻而下，映得大理石地板一片银白。凉爽的轻风从门外的平台吹进来，伊丽在身边睡得很沉。她嘴唇微张，一颗暗棕色乳头依稀露在丝睡衣外。丹妮不禁感受到诱惑，但她想要的是卓戈，或许是达里奥，并非伊丽。侍女可爱迷人，技巧纯熟，但她的吻里只有职责的味道。
她站起身，留下伊丽在月光中沉睡。姬琪和弥桑黛睡在自己的床上。丹妮披上长袍，赤脚踏过大理石地板，走到外面的平台。空气很凉，但她喜欢青草在趾间的感觉，喜欢树叶低语互诉的声音。风吹起涟漪，在小浴池表面互相追逐，令月亮的倒影跳跃闪烁。
她倚在低矮的砖墙上俯瞰城市。弥林沉睡。也许是沉浸在美梦里，梦中有好日子。夜晚如黑色的地毯，覆盖街道，遮掩了尸体和从下水道上来享用尸体的灰老鼠，遮掩了群群烦人的苍蝇。远处的火炬闪烁着红黄光芒，那是她巡逻的哨兵，时不时，各处有泛着微光的油灯沿小巷摇摇晃晃地前进。也许其中一盏便是乔拉爵士，缓缓引马往城门而去。别了，大熊。别了，叛徒。
她是风暴降生丹妮莉丝、卡丽熙、不焚者、龙之母、维斯特洛七大王国的女王，她杀死巫魔，解放奴隶，然而全世界却无人可以信任。
“陛下?”弥桑黛裹着睡袍来到她身后，脚踩一双木拖鞋，“我醒来看到您不在。睡得不好吗?您在看什么?”
“我的城市，”丹妮道，“我在寻找一座红门的大宅。但夜里，所有门都是黑色。”
“红门?”弥桑黛很疑惑，“什么宅子?”
“没有这样的宅子。没什么。”丹妮握住小女孩的手。“永远不要对我撒谎，弥桑黛，永远不要背叛我。”
“我永远不会，”弥桑黛发誓，“看哪，黎明。”
地平线升至天顶，天空转为钴蓝，东方低矮的群山背后，一抹亮光浮现，淡淡的金和珍珠般的粉。丹妮挽起弥桑黛的手，两女并肩观看日出。灰色的砖块变成红黄橙绿蓝，斗技场猩红色的沙子耀得眼睛生疼，圣恩神庙的金色圆顶反射出强烈的辉芒，城墙上闪烁着青铜的星——那是旭日的光辉照到无垢者头盔的尖刺之上。平台花园里，若干苍蝇呆滞地飞舞。柿子树上的鸟儿开始鸣叫，一只，两只。丹妮昂头听它们唱歌，但很快，城市的声音就淹没了一切。
我的城市。
当天早上，她没有下到觐见室，而是传唤军官们来花园。“征服者伊耿带给维斯特洛火与血，但同时也给予他们和平、繁荣和公正。我带给奴隶湾的只有死亡和毁灭。我像卡奥，不像女王，一番毁坏掠夺后，就拍屁股走人。”
“这里没什么值得留恋。”布朗·本·普棱说。
“陛下，奴隶商人们是自取灭亡。”达里奥道。 ,
“您给弥林带来了自由。”弥桑黛指出。
“饥饿的自由?”丹妮尖锐地反问，“死亡的自由?我是龙?还是鹰身女妖?”我是疯子吗?我有缺陷吗?
“您是真龙，”巴利斯坦爵土肯定地说，“但弥林并非维斯特洛，陛下。”
“假如我连一座城市都无法管理，又怎能统治七大王国?”骑土无言以答。丹妮转身背对大家，再度凝望城市。“我的孩子们需要时间治疗和学习；我的龙需要时间成长试炼，以便早日高飞。我也一样。我不愿这座城市步上阿斯塔波的后尘，我不愿让渊凯的鹰身女妖重新奴役被我解放的人们。”她回身望向他们的脸。“我不会离开。”
“您想怎么做，卡丽熙?”拉卡洛问。
“留下来统治，”她说，“实实在在地当个女王。”