Chapter 48 Chapter 47 Daenerys

Khal Drogo set the bloody heart before her, its steam steaming in the cold of the night.His hands were red to the elbows.Behind him, his bloodrider, stone knives in hand, knelt on one knee in the sand next to the dead horse.The high walls of pink and white torches flickered around the pit, and the orange flames reflected the blood of the horses into pitch black. Dany stroked her swollen belly.Sweat condensed on the surface of her skin and flowed down her forehead.She could feel the old crones of Vaes Dothrak looking at her, their eyes gleaming black like polished flint, all over their wrinkled faces.She can't back down, she can't be afraid. "I am the descendant of the real dragon," she told herself while cupping the horse's heart in both hands.Then she raised the horse's heart to her mouth, and bit down on the tough raw meat with all her might.

Warm blood overflowed her mouth and flowed down her chin.The taste almost made her sick, but she fought back to chew and swallow.The Dothraki believe that a horse's heart can make a son strong, agile, and fearless, but a mother must eat the whole heart.If she chokes on blood, or spits out flesh, it is an ominous sign: the fetus may be miscarried, or congenitally sick, deformed, or even give birth to a daughter. For this ceremony, her maids had helped her make elaborate preparations.For the past two months, Dani has been eating bowls of half-clotted blood to get used to the smell of blood, even though she has been unwell with nausea.Irri gave her slices of horsemeat to chew until her cheeks ached.She also went without food for a whole day before the ceremony, hoping that hunger would help her swallow the raw meat.

The Wild Steed's heart was all strong muscle, and Dany had to tear it with her teeth, chewing slowly before she could swallow.In the holy city of Ves Dothrak under the shadow of the Mother of God, knives are strictly prohibited, so she can only use her teeth and nails to tear the horse's heart.Her stomach was churning, but she gritted her teeth and endured the horse blood splashed on her face from time to time. Khal Drogo stood high and watched her eat, his face as stern as a bronze shield.He had long black braids that shone with oil, gold rings in his moustache, bells in his braids, and a heavy belt of gold medals around his waist, but his chest was bare.Whenever she felt that her strength was getting weaker, she would look up at him, and then continue to gnash her teeth, chew and swallow.In the end, she seemed to catch a glimpse of some kind of steely pride in his almond-shaped black pupils, but she couldn't be sure.No matter what Kayo's mood is, he rarely shows up.

it's finally over.She swallowed the last piece of horse meat, her cheeks and fingers were already numb.Only then did she dare to turn her eyes back to the group of old women, the crones of the Dosh Kalim. "Karaka, Dosley, Mu'anha!" She said in her most standard Dothraki, meaning: The prince rides a horse inside me!For many days, she and the maid Ji Qi practiced this sentence repeatedly. The oldest of the crones, a stooped, bony old woman with one black eye, held her hands high. "Karaka, Dosley!" she snapped, meaning: The prince is riding! "He's on a horse!" answered the other woman. "Lack! Rack! Rack!" They announced in unison: it's a boy, it's a boy, it's a strong boy.

The bell rang like a sudden bronze song.The bugle blasted a long low note, and the old women began to chant.Beneath their painted leather vests, their shriveled breasts dangled back and forth, glistening with oily sweat.The eunuch who was in charge of serving them threw bundles of hay into the big bronze brazier, which immediately emitted a strong fragrance of grass, and the smoke rushed straight towards the moon and stars in the sky.In the eyes of the Dothraki, the stars are a group of mighty horses with fire as their body, running the night sky. As the smoke rose and the chants faded, the old crone closed her one eye and glanced into the future.Then there was utter silence, and Dany heard distant birds chirping, torches hissing, and the lake lapping softly.The Dothraki watched her with eyes black as night, waiting for the prophecy.

Khal Drogo put his hand around Dany's arm, and she could feel his tension in the strength of his fingers.Stronger than Khal Drogo, and also terrified when the dosh khalin read the future through the smoke.Behind her, her maid was even more restless. At last the crone opened her one eye and raised her arms. "I saw his face and heard the thunder of his hooves," she announced in a thin, trembling voice. "His hooves sound like thunder!" Several old women responded in unison. "His horse is swift as the wind, and the khalasar behind him cover the land beyond number, and the arakh in his hand is as sharp as pampas grass. The prince will be as fierce as the storm, and his enemies will tremble before him, An enemy's wife shall mourn and weep blood and mourn. The bells in his hair sing of his coming, and the "milkmen" who dwell in their stone tents fear his name." The old woman trembled and looked at Dany as if terrified. . "The prince rides a horse, and he shall be the steed that rides the world!"

"Ride on the steeds of the world!", the people echoed, until the night was filled with their cries. The one-eyed crone looked at Dany. "What is the name of the steed that rides the world?" She rose to answer. "We'll call him Rhaego." She said the word Jiki had taught her beforehand.There was a deafening shout from the Dothraki crowd, and she subconsciously reached out to protect the swollen belly below her chest. "Rego," they screamed, "Rego, Rego, Rego!" The name still rang in her ears as Khal Drogo led her out of the pit.His bloodriders followed behind.The huge team walked on the avenue of the gods.It is a wide and green road that runs through the heart of Vaes Dothrak, from the Horse Gate to the foot of the Mount.At the head of the procession were the crones of the Dosh Kalim, with eunuchs and slaves who waited on them.Some of them are leaning on long carved crutches, struggling to swing their old and trembling feet; some are strutting like horse kings.These old women were once the Khaleesi, and when their husbands died and the new khal rode at the head of the mounted warriors, and the new khalishi rode beside him, they were sent here to rule The vast Dothraki kingdom.Even the most powerful khal has to obey the wisdom and authority of the dosh khalin.Even so, Dany shuddered at the thought that someday she would be sent here, whether she wanted to or not, to be one of them.

Others followed the Wise Woman: Khal Ogo and his son Fogo Karaka, Khal Kyumo and his wives, the chief members of Drogo's khalasar, Dany's handmaidens, Khal's valets, and others people.The solemn rhythm of bells and drums accompanied them on the road of the gods.Statues of heroes and gods stolen from races long extinct stood silent in the darkness beside the road.The slaves ran briskly on the grass on both sides of the procession, holding torches in their hands.Illuminated by the flickering flames, the majestic statue seemed to come to life. "What do you mean, the name Rhaegal?" Khal Drogo asked in Mandarin of the Seven Kingdoms as they walked.Usually if he is free, she will teach him a few words.Drogo was a quick learner when he paid attention, but his accent was so thick, so barbaric, that neither Ser Jorah nor Viserys could understand him.

"My sun and star, my brother Rhaegar was a mighty warrior," she told him. "He died before I was born. Ser Jorah says he was the last of the true dragons." Khal Drogo looked down at her, his face like a mask of red copper, but she caught a glimpse of a smile under his long black beard drawn down by a golden ring. "It's a good name, Than Shwe... Wife Rith, the moon of my life," he said. They rode past a still, reed-covered lake, flat as mirror, which the Dothraki called "the Womb of the World."Ji Qi told her: tens of millions of years ago, the first man in the world appeared from the depths of the lake riding the world's first horse.

The procession waited on the shore of the green grass, while Dany took off her dirty clothes and laid them on the ground. Naked, she stepped cautiously into the water.Irri said the lake was bottomless, but Dany felt the soft mud squeezed between her toes as she pushed aside the tall reeds.The moon floats on the calm black water, shattering and reuniting with the ripples she stirs.The chill climbed up her thighs and kissed her lower body, and goose bumps immediately appeared on her fair skin.The horse blood on her hands and mouth had already dried up. She stretched out her hands to hold the holy water and poured it on her head, washing herself and the fetus in her body under the eyes of Kayo and everyone.She heard the old women of the Dosh Kaling whispering, and wondered what they were talking about.

When she came back from the lake, trembling and dripping, Doria the maid hurriedly brought her the painted muslin robe, but Khal Drogo waved her away.He looked approvingly at her swollen breasts and the round curve of her belly.Dany could see his life, held tight in his horsehide trousers, beneath the heavy belt of gold medals.She stepped forward to untie his trouser belt, and the burly Kao held her hips, lifting her up into the air like a child, and the bells in his hair rang softly. Dany put her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face against his neck.He penetrated into her body three times, and everything became hazy. "Riding the steed of the world," Drogo whispered hoarsely.His hands still smelled of horse blood.At the moment of orgasm, he bit her throat hard.When he hugged her away, his body fluid filled her body and slowly flowed down from the inner thigh.It was then that Doria was able to wrap her in perfumed muslin gowns, and Irri put soft slippers on her. Khal Drogo fastened his belt, and at a word the horses were led to the lake.Koholo helped Khaleesi mount the silver horse, and Drogo kicked his spurs, and he galloped down the Way of the Gods under the light of the moon and the stars.Dany drove the silver horse, and followed leisurely. The silk curtains atop Khal Drogo's palace were drawn back tonight, and the moonlight followed them inside.In the three stone braziers, the flames leaped high, ten feet above the ground.The air smells of roasted meat and fermented curdled mare's milk.When they entered the hall, the hall was already full of voices, rubbing shoulders.The cushions were filled with people of lower status who were not entitled to the ceremony.All eyes were on Dany as she rode through the archway and up the raised aisle.The Dothraki talked about her belly and her breasts, applauding the little life inside her.She couldn't quite understand what they were saying, but one sentence was crystal clear: "Riding the horse of the world", and thousands of people shouted in unison. The sound of drums and horns resounded through the night sky, and the low tables were covered with dishes. Plums, candied dates, and pomegranates were piled high on the plates, as well as large pieces of meat, and scantily clad women danced and shuttled among them.Many were already drunk with kumiss, but Dany knew there would be no bloodshed tonight, for in the holy city neither sword nor fighting was strictly forbidden. Khal Drogo dismounted and sat on the high stool.When they arrived in Vaes Dothraki, Khal Gummo and Khal Ogo were also in the city with their khalasar, so they were placed in places of honor to Drogo's left and right.Three of the khal's bloodriders sat below them, and below them sat the four wives of khal jommo. Daenerys climbed off the silver horse and handed the reins to a slave.She searched the crowd for her brother while Doria and Irri laid out cushions for her.Even in the crowded hall, Viserys was easy to spot, white, silver-haired, and in rags, but today she was nowhere to be found. Her eyes swept over the dining table crowded with people by the wall, and those people with braids shorter than their life roots were sitting on tattered and flat cushions, surrounding the low table.But every face she saw as far as she could see had dark eyes and bronzed skin.In the middle of the hall, by the middle brazier, she caught a glimpse of Ser Jorah Mormont.Although that position is not considered high status, it is at least respected.The Dothraki respect knights for their skill with the sword.Dany sent Jiki to bring him to her table.Mormont came at once, and knelt before her. "Khaleesi," he said, "I am at your service." She patted the cushions stuffed with horsehide beside her. "Sit down and talk to me." "It is my great honor." The knight sat cross-legged on the cushion.A slave knelt before him and presented a wooden tray full of ripe figs.Ser Jorah picked one up, and bit it in half. "Where is my brother?" Dany asked. "He should be here. He should be at the party." "I met His Majesty this morning," he told her. "He said he was going to the market west of the city to find wine." "Wine?" Dany said suspiciously.Viserys could not stand the fermented mare's milk that the Dothraki were accustomed to drink, she knew, and so he went to the market place to buy wine.Lately he had been mingling more often with caravans from east and west, and he seemed to prefer their company to her company. "That's right," Ser Jorah confirmed. "He intends to hire some mercenaries from the caravan guard to serve as his bodyguard." A maid placed a blood pie in front of him, and he ate it with both hands. "Is this okay?" she asked, "He has no money to pay his salary, what if someone betrays him?" Caravan guards never care about honor, and the usurper far away in King's Landing will definitely pay a big reward for his brother head. "You should follow him to protect him. You are his sworn knight." We are in Vaes Dothraki," he reminded her, "where no one is allowed to bear arms, and no bloodshed will be tolerated. " "But people still lost their lives," she said. "Jiqi told me that some merchants hired strong eunuchs to strangle thieves with silk ribbons. This way, killing without blood will not anger the gods in the sky." .” "Then pray that your brother is wise enough not to take the sheep by hand." Ser Jorah wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and leaned closer to the table, "He wanted to steal your dragon egg, but I warned him: if he dared to touch it, I'll cut off his hand." For a moment Dany was too shocked to speak. "My egg... but it's mine. It was a wedding present from Magister Illyrio. Why would Viserys... it's just a few stones..." "Your Highness, according to what you say, rubies, diamonds, and fire opals are just stones... and dragon eggs are much rarer. For these few stones, those businessmen who drink with him don't even need their lives. Three eggs, and Viserys can hire as many sellswords as he wants." Daenerys hadn't thought of this layer, she hadn't thought of it at all. "Then... these eggs should be given to him. He doesn't need to steal them, just tell me. He is my brother... and my real king." "He is your brother," Ser Jorah agreed. "You don't understand, sir," she said, "my mother died in childbirth when I was born, and my father and brother Rhaegar died earlier. If it hadn't been for Viserys, I wouldn't even know their names. Now at home He's the only one left, he's the only one left. He's my only family." "That was a thing of the past," Ser Jorah said. "It is different now, Khaleesi. You are of the Dothraki now, and you bear in your belly the steed that rides the world." Fill him with sour, lumpy fermented mare's milk. Dany waved her away.She was uncomfortable just smelling it, and she didn't want to spit out the horse meat she had just swallowed. "What does that mean?" she asked. "What does this fine horse represent? Everyone calls me that name, but I don't understand." "Son, this steed is the king promised in the ancient prophecy, the khal of the khals. He will unify the Dothraki people and form a huge khalasar, with a territory as far as the end of the world, and all human beings in the world will be under his command , so it was said in the prophecy." "Oh," Dany whispered.She reached out to smooth the robe over her stomach. "I named him Rhaego." "The name will send chills down the usurper." Suddenly Doria tugged at her elbow. "Kalixi," the maid whispered anxiously, "your brother..." Dany looked across the roofless hall, and she saw him striding toward her.From the staggering step, she knew at once that Viserys had found his wine... and something that was barely courageous. He was dressed in bright red silk, stained with sweat and dust, and his cloak and gloves were black velvet, faded by the sun.His boots were cracked, his silver hair was tangled and messy, and a leather-covered long sword was slung across his waist.The Dothraki stared at his sword as he entered, and Dany heard curses and threats and angry words rising from all around her.The drums were beating in disorder, and the music gradually stopped. Her heart was full of fear. "Go," she ordered Ser Jorah. "Stop him and bring him here. Tell him if he wants the dragon's egg, I'll give it to him." The knight stood up swiftly. "Where's my sister?" Viserys yelled, drunkenly. "I'm coming to her wedding feast. How dare you start before I do? No one starts before the king. She's in the Where? The little bitch can't hide from the real dragon." He stopped by the largest brazier and looked around at the Dothraki faces.There were five thousand people in the hall, but few knew the common language.Even so, just by looking at him, anyone can tell that he is drunk. Ser Jorah walked quickly to his side, whispered something in his ear, and reached out to help him.Viserys wrenched free. "Take your hands away! No one is allowed to touch the real dragon without permission." Dany glanced uneasily at the high seat.Khal Drogo was saying something to the khals on both sides, Khal Jummo laughed when he heard it, and Khal Ogo laughed loudly. The laugh made Viserys look up. "Khal Drogo," he said gruffly, in a polite tone. "I have come to the supper." He staggered away from Ser Jorah to sit on the high bench with the three khals. Khal Drogo stood up, spat out a Dothraki phrase too fast for Dany to catch, and pointed. "Khal Drogo says your seat is not up there," Ser Jorah translated to his brother. "Khal says your seat is there." Viserys glanced at where the khal was pointing.It was a dark corner at the end of the hall, out of sight, and the people who sat there could not have been lower: little boys who had never seen blood, old men with stiff bones and blind eyes, and the mentally retarded and crippled. .They are far from the dishes, and farther from the glory. "That's not a place for a king," my brother declared loudly. "Yes," Khal Drogo replied, in the Common Tongue that Dany had taught him, "a seat for King Soreleg." He clapped his hands hard. "Come on! Get a carriage for Raja Tekao!" Five thousand Dothraki laughed in unison.Ser Jorah stood beside Viserys and yelled into his ear, but the shouting in the hall was deafening, and Dany could not hear him.Viserys yelled back, and the two wrestled until Mormont knocked Viserys whole to the ground. Brother drew his sword. In the light of the fire, the blade flashed a terrifying red light. "Go away!" Viserys hissed.Ser Jorah fell back, and his brother staggered to his feet, sword above his head.That sword was specially lent to him by Magister Illyrio to make him look like a king.On all sides the Dothraki were howling at him, screaming vicious curses. Dany let out a wordless exclamation.Brother may not know the consequences of drawing the sword here, but she knows it all too well. Hearing her voice, Viserys turned his head, and saw her at last. "So she's here." He said with a smile.He approached her step by step, wielding his sword indiscriminately, as if he wanted to break out of the encirclement among the chaotic army, but no one blocked his way. "Your sword...you really mustn't do this," she begged him. "Please, Viserys. It's forbidden. Put your sword away and sit with me. There's nothing to eat and drink here." Yes... Do you want a dragon egg? I can give it to you, but please put down the sword first." "Do as she says, fool," growled Ser Jorah, "or you'll have us all dead." Viserys laughed loudly. "They can't do us. They can't bleed in the Holy City...but I can." He pointed the tip of the sword between Daenerys' breasts, sliding slowly, following the curve of her swollen belly. "I want only what is mine," he told her, "I want only the crown he promised me. He bought you and didn't pay for you. Tell him to keep his word or I'll take you and the dragon eggs back. He You can keep his seed, and I will cut off that wild seed and give it to him." The point of the sword pierced through the silk clothing, and lightly poked her navel.She found Viserys sobbing, and the man who had been her brother was crying and laughing now. It seemed that far away, the maid Jiqi was also weeping in fear, crying that she dared not translate, because Kaa would tie her to her horse and drag her all the way up the Mount of Our Lady.She put her arms around the girl. "Don't be afraid," she said, "let me tell him." She wondered if she knew enough words, but when she finished and Khal Drogo uttered a few rude sentences in Dothraki, she knew he understood.The sun of her life steps down from her perch. "What did he say?" The man who had been her brother asked with a frown. The hall was silent, except for the soft tinkle of a bell in Khal Drogo's hair as he walked.His bloodriders followed, like three bronzed shadows.Daenerys felt cold all over. "He said that you will have a golden crown so exquisite that anyone who looks at it will tremble." Viserys smiled and put down his sword.In the future, the thing that will make her sad the most, and make her heartbreak the most... is the way he smiles. "That's all I want," he said, "and that's what he promised me." When the sun of her life came to her, Dany put her arms around his waist.The khal uttered a word, and his bloodriders swooped forward.Ke Suo grabbed the hands of the man who had been her brother, and Hargo snapped his wrist cleanly with a twist of his giant palm.Cohollo snatched the sword from his limp hand.Even now, Viserys still didn't understand. "No," he cried, "you must not touch me, I am the dragon, the dragon, and I want my crown!" Khal Drogo undid his belt.The belt consisted entirely of ornately carved medals of solid gold, each as big as a man's hand.He yelled an order, and the cooking slave immediately pulled a heavy iron pot from the stove, poured the hot soup on the ground, and put the pot back in the stove.Drogo tossed the belt into the cauldron and watched impassively as the medallion burned red and lost its shape.In his pupils as black as onyx, she saw dancing flames.A slave offered a pair of thick horsehair gloves, which he put on quietly without looking at the man. Only then did Viserys begin his high-pitched, wordless screams like a coward about to face death.He kicked and writhed, whimpered like a dog, and cried like a child, but the Dothraki held him tight.Ser Jorah moved up to Dany and put his hand on her shoulder. "Your Highness, please turn your head, I beg you." "No." She hugged her swollen belly with both hands, subconsciously protecting the threatened child. Viserys looked at her at last. "Sister, please... Dany, tell them... let them... good sister..." When the gold, half melted, was beginning to boil, Drogo reached into the flames and grabbed the pot. "The crown!" he growled, "here, the crown for the carriage king!" and poured it on the head of the man who had been her brother. When the ferocious iron helmet covered Viserys Targaryen's face, the sound he made could only be described as horrific.His feet kicked frantically on the muddy ground a few times, gradually slowing down and stopping.Nuggets of semi-liquid gold dripped down his chest, his scarlet silk sizzled and smoked...but he didn't shed a drop of blood. He is not a dragon, Dany thought, unexpectedly calm, for dragons are not afraid of fire.