A War of Fate and Prophecy

Chapter Six

The Red Waste was well named. The sand and terrible heat seemed to stretch on forever.  Alyssays did not mind the heat of the day or even the cold of the night so much, it was how the sand seemed to never end.

Worse still was watching their small Khalasar suffer, because while Alyssays and Daenerys didn't mind the heat, everyone else was not so lucky.  Only Alyssays visions leading them to small water supplies hidden across the vast dessert had kept their little band from succumbing to thirst already. Of just as much concern was the worry over how to care for four baby dragons.

Currently Viserion and Rhaegal were resting in the wooden cage that had been built to transport the dragons. Drogon and Daegar were clinging to the aremsof their respective Targaryen's arms as the two princesses tried to tempt them into eating. Drogon refused to take the piece of horse meat from Dany's hand and Alyssays would swear that if Daegar were capable of turning her little dragon nose up she would be.  

"What did your brother say about them, Khaleesi?" Doreah asked. 

"He said they ate meat." Dany tells the maid.

"He didn't tell you what kind of meat?" She queried. 

"Our brother didn't know anything about dragons. He never saw one alive." Alyssays pointed out. 

"He didn't know anything about anything." Dany reminded them.

"I'd give almost anything for a library right now. There has to be information somewhere!" Alyssays complains.

Drogo screeches angrily at his mother. He has proven by far the most temperamental and willful of the hatchlings.  Viserion and Rhaegal are far gentler and more malleable.  Daegar was the most affectionate, her preferred spot either curled in Alyssays arms or with one of her brothers. 

They carefully put the dragons back in the cage to rest with the other two and are just relocking the cage when there is a commotion from the front of the line. Another horse has collapsed! As they rush forward Alyssays can see the heaving side of the beautiful white mare where she has collapsed! Dany runs to Silver's side and tries to soothe the horse as she takes her last breaths.  

"She was Drogo's first gift to me." Dany whispers.

"I remember." Ser Jorah remarks from behind them.

"I promised to protect them. Promised them their enemies would die screaming. How do I make starvation scream?" Dany asked with tears and fury in her eyes.

"A trick I never learned, I'm afraid." The knight tells Dany.

She looks around the seemingly endless desert. "Does it ever end?"

"This is farther east than I've ever been." Jorah admits. "But, yes, Khaleesi, everything ends, even the red waste."

"And you're sure there's no other way?" Aly asks.

"If we go south to the land of the Lazarheen, the Lamb Men will kill us and take your dragons. If we go west to the Dothraki Sea, the first Khalasar we meet will kill us and take your dragons." He tells the two. 

"No one will take the dragons." Dany insists. 

"They are too weak to fight, as are your people. You must be their strength."

She looks up at Jorah and then across to Aly. "As you both are mine."

"And you are ours." Ally reminds her sister. 

Dany stands and calls out to several of the remaining guards. "Rakharo, Aggo, Kavarro."  The three run up and Dany tells them. "Take the remaining horses. You will ride East, you Southeast, and you go Northeast."