A Dragon's Flame

Chapter Forty-Eight

I take a step back and bow deeply.

"I'm sorry Khaleesi. I beg your forgiveness."

She motions for me to rise, refusing to look me in my eyes. "Promise you will not do something like that again, not without my command."

"I promise."

We get back on our horses and head further into town. Daenerys refuses to look at me. I can't stand her being angry with me, and the pride from my victory quickly slips away.

Inside the village is worse, but every time we come across other women being raped, Daenerys claims her. She sends Ser Jorah and the men to go rescue them, and I stay by her on our horses.

Eventually, we come to some sort of temple, when we enter, Khal Drogo is sitting on a throne, a pile of heads beside him, arguing with a Dothraki rider.

The Khal turns towards his wife. "Moon of my life. Mago says you have taken his spoils." He gestures to the man he was speaking to a moment before. "A daughter of a lamb man, who was his to mount. Tell me the truth of this."

She steps toward her husband. "It's true, my sun and stars. I have claimed many daughters this day, so they cannot be mounted."

He sighs deeply, but he doesn't look at her without love. "This is the way of war. These women are slaves now to do with as we please."

I grind my teeth together, but I hold my tongue. I'm sick of everyone saying this is the way. It shouldn't be.

Daenerys pleads with him, her voice soft. "It pleases me to keep them safe. If your riders would mount them, they should take them as wives and be gentle."

The man called Mago spits. "Does the horse mate with the lamb?"

Daenerys turns toward him, expression dark, eyes like fire. "The dragon feeds on horse and lamb alike."

Mago places his hand on the hilt of his weapon and I place a ready hand on Dragons Claw. "You are a foreigner. You do not command me."

Her voice grows louder. "I am Khaleesi. I do command you." I shudder.

The Khal chuckles. "See how fierce she grows? That is my son inside her, the stallion that will mount the world. Filling her with his fire." He motions Mago away. "I will hear no more. Mago, find somewhere else to stick your cock."

Mago spits at the Khal's feet and draws his curved blade. "A Khal who takes orders from a foreign whore is no Khal."

I look at the Khal who stands, his expression is murderous, Mago will not live much longer.

Khal Drogo walks calmly, slowly stepping toward Mago. "I will not have your body burned. I will not give you that honour."

Mago holds up his sword to stop him, the blade cuts into the Khal's skin, but he doesn't seem to care. He smiles. Daenerys grabs onto my arm, and I take her hand. Khal Drogo continues, "The beetles will feed on your eyes. The worms will crawl through your lungs."

Mago swings his sword at him, but Drogo ducks away easily. He draws the two daggers at his belt and continues, louder now. "The rain will fall on your rotting skin..." Khal Drogo drops his weapons. "Until nothing is left of you but bones!"

Mago keeps attacking, and the Khal dodges every attack with ease.

"First you have to kill me!" Mago screams.

Khal Drogo grabs Mago's sword, disarms him and slashes his throat open. He grabs Mago's throat, crushes it and pulls out his tongue. He shows Mago's tongue to the crowd, walks back to his chair and throws Mago's tongue on a pile of rotting flesh. Dany runs to him.

She kneels in front of him. "My sun and stars is wounded."

He barely looks at the wound. "A scratch, moon of my life."

Daenerys turns toward us. "Where are the healers?"

Drogo shrugs. "This is the bite of a fly."

One of the women Daenerys rescued steps forward. She an older woman, with long hair styled in dreads. "I can help the great rider with his cut."

Qotho snarls at the woman. "The Khal needs no help from slaves who lie with sheep."

Dany glares at him. "She is mine let her speak."

The woman bows deeply. "Thank you, silver lady." She speaks the common tongue very well.

"Who are you?" Dany asks.

"I am named Mirri Maz Duur.
I was the Godswife of this Temple."

Qotho spits at the woman's feet. "She's a witch."

Mirri ignores him and continues to talk to Daenerys. "My mother was Godswife here before me.
She taught me how to make healing smokes and ointments.
All men are of one flock, so my people believe. The Great Shepherd sent me to Earth to heal his..."

Qotho slaps her. "Too many words. A witch's words poison the ears."

The woman touches her face lightly but doesn't seem too bothered by it. "Lamb or lion, his wound must be washed and sewn or it will fester."

Dany turns back toward her husband. "Let her clean your wound, my sun and stars. It makes me hurt to see you hurt."

Khal Drogo looks at the woman in deep thought. But he nods and she approaches him and looks at his wound carefully, Daenerys steps to the side.

Eventually, the woman deals with the Khal's wound and gives Daenerys specific directions to take care of it.

The day feels short, Daenerys constantly worries and cares for her wounded husband. She has a dozen or more new slave girls now, all of them traumatized.

I find Ser Jorah drinking by himself at one of the fires that night.

I plop down beside him without a word. He passes me the cup of fermented mares milk, a favourite of the Dothraki. Usually, just the smell of the drink makes me feel ill. But I take the cup and down the contents in a few swallows. It burns.

He takes the cup back and sighs.

"Tomorrow at sunrise. We will begin your training."