A Game of Thrones-Chapter 36

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Daenerys IV
A Game of Thrones chapter
AGameOfThrones.jpg
POV Daenerys
Page 321 (US bantam HC) US HC (Other versions)
Chapter chronology (All)
Daenerys VIII
Eddard IX  ← Daenerys IV →  Bran V

Daenerys V

The khalasar enters Vaes Dothrak. Daenerys has had cloths made for Viserys, and invites him to sup with her to give him the cloths. He becomes angry, and grabs her. She hits him hard with a belt and tells him to leave.

Synopsis

The khalasar enters Vaes Dothrak under the Mother of Mountains along the GodsWay. They pass under a gate of two gigantic bronze rearing stallions whose hooves meet a hundred feet up. Vaes Dothrak appears to have no walls, no buildings, and no people. All that Daenerys can see are ancient monuments that the Dothraki had sacked over the centuries in the grass on either side of the GodsWay.

After the incident with his sister, Viserys had to walk. Afterward the Dothraki had named him the “Sore Foot King.” Viserys did not realize that he has been shamed when he accepted a ride is a ride in cart from Khal Drogo, which gave him another name, the “Cart King.” Daenerys had begged Ser Jorah not to tell him the truth. It is only after much pleading that Daenerys had convinced Drogo to allow him to ride again. Now Viserys is telling Dany that all the Dothaki savages can do is steal things better men have built and kill, which is all he needs them for. He goes on to say the Dothaki cannot speak the language of civilized men, and then states how he is tired of waiting for Drogo to give him his army. Ser Jorah tells Viserys that Drogo will honor his promise in his own time. Fortunately there are few of the Dotharki can understand the common tongue. After Viserys leaves, Ser Jorah tells her that the Dotharki are not mechants and do not trade: considers Daenerys a gift and would eventually give a gift in return, whereas Viserys considers it a trade.

Ser Jorah does not believe that Viserys could win the Seven Kingdom, but somebody stronger could. He tells how when he first came to this land he saw the Dothraki as half naked wild barbarians and felt that a thousand good knights could put a hundred times as many Dothraki to flight. Now he is not so sure; they are better riders, their bows outrange the bows of the Seven Kingdoms, and they are mounted, and there are so many. The 40,000 that Drogo commands is the same number of men Rhaegar brought to the Trident, and only a tenth were knights. When Rhaegar fell many fled the field; such a rabble would not last long when confronted by 40,000 Dothraki screamers. However, the Dothraki have no patience for siegecraft, and if the armies of Westeros stayed behind their castle walls they could hold out forever. However, Robert Baratheon could be fool enough to give them battle, but the others around him are not: Stannis Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, and Eddard Stark. She asks if he hates Eddard Stark because of the way he pronounces the name. He tells her that he took from him everything he loved for a few poachers and his precious honor.

They arrive at the city, which is the largest and smallest she has ever seen; it sprawls ancient, arrogant and empty. The buildings are all different, and Ser Jorah tells her that they are built by slaves and the slaves built in the fashion they were familiar. He further tells her that the only permanent residents are the dosh khaleen; the crones of all the khals who have come before and their servants, but is large enough to house all the khalasar. It is prophesized that that will happen so it has to be large enough.


When they halt near the eastern market and dismount with each rider giving up all his weapons to a waiting slave; in Vaes Dothrak, no man may carry steel or spill blood. The palace of Khal Drogo is a massive feasting hall of roughhewn logs that made a wall 40 feet tall with a roof of silk surrounded by horse yards and hundreds of earthen houses.

Daenerys is met by one of Khal Drogo bloodriders, Cohollo, who tells her that Drogo must ascend to the Mother of Mountains that night to sacrifice for his safe return. A khal’s three Bloodriders are a Khal’s brothers, and, in some khalasars, the khal’s bloodriders share everything with the khal except the khal’s horses. Dany is happy that Drogo is not so traditional since some of Drogo’s bloodriders scare her. Bloodriders are bound to their karl for life and death so when the Khal dies they die also, except if they have to avenge the death of the karl. Daenerys wished her father were guarded by such men; in the Kingsguard the Kingslayer had murdered her father, and Ser Barristan Selmy had gone over to the userper. She tells Cohollo “to tell my sun and stars that I dream of him and wait anxious for his return.”

Daenerys, who is tiring easily as her child grows, is looking forward to a night of rest. She is lead to one of the hollow hills that had been prepared for her. She decides to give her brother his gifts tonight: she orders , and orders Doreah to invite him to sup with her, and Irri to go to the market to buy meat, anything but horse meat since Viserys hates horse meat. Daenerys intends to give Viserys gifts of clothes that would make the Dothraki respect him, and as an apology for his recent treatment, hoping he would forgive her for shaming him. Viserys arrives dragging Doreah by the arm, furious that she would send Doreah with commands; no one commands a dragon. She attempts to console him and then shows him the cloths she had made for him. He calls them Dothraki rags, and states that next she will want to braid his hair. She tells him that he has no right to a braid having won no victories. He grabs her, hurting her. The first thing her hand touches is the belt she was going to give him, and swung it with all her strength and it hits him in his face. Daenerys tells him to leave and pray that Drago does not hear of this. Viserys leaves in anger, telling her that when he comes into his kingdom she will regret this day, and calling her a slut.

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References and Notes