Chapter 11 – Daenerys

I was wondering when we’d get back to Dany, and frankly dreading it too. The events of her last chapter were plenty disturbing, and I doubt this one will be anything different. Also, since it’s been an age since I last had a Dany POV chapter, let me try to remember some facts:

Dany and her loathsome brother Vissy are Targaryens, the rightful heirs to the Iron Throne — the kingship of Westeros — and now they’re living in a distant country and scrambling for aid in taking back Westeros. Rather, Vissy is doing the scrambling and scheming — I don’t think Dany could care less, but now he’s taken her to meet the Dothraki barbarian lord Khal Drogo, with the intent of marrying her to him and earning the use of his troops.

I think I’m up to speed . . .

[quote]Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beyond the walls of Pentos, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky.[/quote]

First sentence of the chapter. Wow, movin’ fast here.

I am reminded of a character I had forgotten from the last Dany chapter: Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled warrior from Westeros, although I can’t remember anything else about him. He’s pledged his blade to Vissy for some reason, and now he’s basically acting as his bodyguard.

Vissy is expecting the service of Khal Drogo’s army — his khalasar — but apparently Khal Drogo won’t be doing anything of the sort until after he’s taken Dany and presented her to some sort of Dothraki council in Vaes Dothrak, else there will be “bad omens.”

[quote]Viserys seethed with impatience. “I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father’s throne. How long must I wait?”[/quote]

Way back when I last read a chapter in this setting I had no context for anything, but now that I’ve spent some time in Westeros I can assign some names to synonyms. “The Usurper” must be King Robert. Anyway, Dany has a nightmare of her brother turning into a dragon, and then she’s brought out of her flashback into the present, with her marriage to Khal Drogo upon her.

The wedding seems to be going well, although Dany is obviously scared out of her mind. I get some description of the Dothraki that displays them much as I expected; like a less-civilized version of the Spartans:

[quote]The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits.[/quote]

Then, uh, mass orgies break out. Followed by brawling. And then death. And then more orgies. I think Dany will need a therapist after this wedding, to be honest.

[quote]Illyrio had told her that might happen. “The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.”

. . . “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed dull affair,” he had said. Her wedding must have been especially blessed; before the day was over, a dozen men had died.[/quote]

Like, seriously? This is hardcore and nice worldbuilding and all, but I’d prefer if we could get on with something more positive now.

[quote]As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask.[/quote]

Yeah, this is gonna suck. I’d like something positive to come out of this — even if it’s not strictly happy, just an event that advances the plot. Anything.

[quote]It was time for her bride gifts.

. . . Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. “It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,” he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart.[/quote]

Okay, that’s kind of endearing. I’ll take it. Vissy gifts her with three handmaidens, while Illyrio gives her a box of clothes and three large eggs.

[quote]”Dragon’s eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai,” said Magister Illyrio.[/quote]

Wait, really?

[quote]”The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.”[/quote]

Oh. Never mind. Still, this sentence probably confirms that there are, in fact, dragons in this series. (Unless they’re all extinct like fantasy dinosaurs. That would be a bummer.)

Dany also gets a few dozen gifts from the khalasar, until Khal Drogo himself gifts her with a magnificent Dothraki horse, which she is urged to ride. She’s worried about this, as she’s a pretty lame rider, but she has no real choice in the situation.

[quote]Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees.

And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was the first time ever.[/quote]

Simultaneously depressing and incredibly relieving. Good grief, I was starting to feel smothered by the oppressive atmosphere of this chapter, so I’m glad Dany has a few moments of happiness here. It turns out riding this horse is actually fun. I doubt these good vibes will last, though.

[quote]When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated the words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time.[/quote]

Whoa, okay, this is actually pretty kick-ass. Thank God. I am very, very glad that Dany and Drogo seem to be finding some common ground, since it gives me the smallest hope that her life among the Dothraki won’t be blood-and-orgies all the time. The wedding ends and Vissy delivers one last threat to his sister, demanding she debase herself for Drogo, which upsets her all over again, (ugh i swear vissy GO FALL DOWN A WELL and DIE) and then she rides with the Dothraki back to their camp.

[quote]She stood there helpless and trembling in her wedding silks while he secured the horses, and when he turned to look at her, she began to cry.

Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression.[/quote]

Oh crap, she shouldn’t have done that —

[quote]Drogo touched her hair lightly, sliding the silver-blond strands between his fingers and murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man.[/quote]

— aaaaaand he’s really a sweetheart. You have no idea how relieved I am right now. Also: awww how cute.

Well, okay, then it gets pretty erotic, I’ll admit. Not my favorite way to end a chapter. Then again, I was seriously expecting this to end in a gruesome rape scene, not gonna lie. (Which begs the question, why do I have such a low opinion of G.R.R.’s ethics? I think I should re-evaluate my expectations of him.)

Summary Time: Dany weds Khal Drogo, the barbarian king of the Dothraki, who Viserys hopes to form an alliance with and use to take Westeros back from King Robert. Dany receives a few potentially magical gifts — namely a set of ancient dragon eggs and her own personal Shadowfax — and then returns to the Dothraki camp with her new husband. While most of the Dothraki appear to be monsters who give women about as much care as they do dirt, Khal Drogo treats Dany with a level of respect bordering on the ridiculous.

Let me repeat: I am very glad that Drogo has turned out to be a really nice guy (as far as Dany’s concerned, anyway). But I hope G.R.R. explains a little just how Drogo came to be raised this way, because he’s clearly the exception to the norm. Earlier in the chapter the Dothraki males literally grab the closest females they can find and start screwing them. Why is Khal Drogo so different? I really hope he gets more characterization than this.

And you know what? I do expect this characterization will be fleshed out — I’m starting to develop an appreciation for G.R.R.’s talent as a writer. Based on what I’ve read so far, he seems to rely on emotional manipulation, but usually proceeds to back it up with character depth. I’m kind of interested to see where Dany and Drogo’s story goes.

With that said, I still vastly prefer the chapters set in Westeros: the setting is less harsh and grotesque, the characters more familiar and relatable, and the drama is more my style. Unless these Dany-set chapters follow a path I’m not expecting, I want to spend as little time here as possible.

See you next time and thanks for reading.

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EDIT: See Ian’s first drawing of Khal Drogo here.