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Her brother, sprawled out on his pillows beside her, never noticed His mind ay across the narrow sea "We won’t need his whole khalasar," Viserys said His fingers toyed with the hilt of his borrowed blade, though Dany knew he had never used a sword in earnest "Ten thousand, that would be enough, I could sweep the Seven Kingdoms with ten thousand Dothraki screa Tyrell, Redwyne, Darry, Greyjoy, they have no more love for the Usurper than I do The Dornishe Elia and her children And the s" He looked at Illyrio anxiously "They do, don’t they?"

"They are your people, and they love you well," Magister Illyrio said amiably "In holdfasts all across the realon banners and hide theave a ents tellwhat anyone was doing or thinking across the narrow sea, but she mistrusted Illyrio’s sords as sheeagerly, however "I shall kill the Usurper myself," he promised, who had never killed anyone, "as he killed slayer, for what he did to ister Illyrio said Dany saw the s around his full lips, but her brother did not notice Nodding, he pushed back a curtain and stared off into the night, and Dany kneas fighting the Battle of the Trident once again

The nine-towered h brick walls overgroith pale ivy It had been given to the khal by the isters of Pentos, Illyrio told theenerous with the horselords "It is not that we fear these barbarians," Illyrio would explain with a sainst a million Dothraki, or so the red priests promiseyet why take chances, when their friendship coate, the curtains pulled roughly back by one of the house guards He had the copper skin and dark almond eyes of a Dothraki, but his face was hairless and he wore the spiked bronze cap of the Unsullied He looked the to hiuardsates

Dany noticed that her brother’s hand was clenched tightly around the hilt of his borroord He looked alhtened as she felt "Insolent eunuch," Viserys muttered as the palanquin lurched up toward the ister Illyrio’s words were honey "Many iht Such uests, yourself chief a them, Your Grace No doubt the Usurper would pay well for your head"

"Oh, yes," Viserys said darkly "He has tried, Illyrio, I promise you that His hired knives follow us everywhere I aon, and he will not sleep easy while I live"

The palanquin slowed and stopped The curtains were thrown back, and a slave offered a hand to help Daenerys out His collar, she noted, was ordinary bronze Her brother followed, one hand still clenched hard around his sword hilt It took two strong ister Illyrio back on his feet

Inside the manse, the air was heavy with the scent of spices, pinchfire and sweet lemon and cinnamon They were escorted across the entry hall, where a lass depicted the Doo the walls Beneath an arch of twining stone leaves, a eunuch sang their coaryen, the Third of his Na of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the SevenKingdoms and Protector of the Realonstone His honorable host, Illyrio Mopatis, Magister of the Free City of Pentos"

They stepped past the eunuch into a pillared courtyard overgrown in pale ivy Moonlight painted the leaves in shades of bone and silver as the guests drifted as, their black hair oiled and braided and hung with bells Yet a them moved bravos and sellswords from Pentos and Myr and Tyrosh, a red priest even fatter than Illyrio, hairy men from the Port of Ibben, and lords from the Summer Isles with skin as black as ebony Daenerys looked at them all in wonderand realized, with a sudden start of fear, that she was the only woman there

Illyrio whispered to theo’s bloodriders, there," he said "By the pillar is Khal Moro, with his son Rhogoro The reen beard is brother to the Archon of Tyrosh, and the man behind hiht Daenerys "A knight?"

"No less" Illyrio sh his beard "Anointed with the seven oils by the High Septon hi here?" she blurted

"The Usurper wanted his head," Illyrio told the affront He sold so theht’s Watch Absurd law A man should be able to do as he likes with his own chattel"

"I shall wish to speak with Ser Jorah before the night is done," her brother said Dany found herself looking at the knight curiously He was an olderand fit Instead of silks and cottons, he ool and leather His tunic was a dark green, e on two legs

She was still looking at this strange ister Illyrio placed a moist hand on her bare shoulder "Over there, sweet princess," he whispered, "there is the khal himself"

Dany wanted to run and hide, but her brother was looking at her, and if she displeased hion Anxiously, she turned and looked at the ht was done

The slave girl had not been far wrong, she thought Khal Drogo was a head taller than the tallest raceful as the panther in Illyrio’s ht, no more than thirty His skin was the color of polished copper, his thick s

"I ister Illyrio said "Wait here I shall bring him to you"

Her brother took her by the ar so hard that they hurt "Do you see his braid, sweet sister?"

Drogo’s braid was black aswith tiny bells that rang softly as hewell past his belt, below even his buttocks, the end of it brushing against the back of his thighs

"You see how long it is?" Viserys said "When Dothraki are defeated in corace, so the world will know their shaonlord coain, and you will be his queen"

Dany looked at Khal Drogo His face was hard and cruel, his eyes as cold and dark as onyx Her brother hurt her sohten her the way this htened her "I don’t want to be his queen," she heard herself say in a small, thin voice "Please, please, Viserys, I don’t want to, I want to go home"

"Home?" He kept his voice low, but she could hear the fury in his tone "How are we to go home, sweet sister? They took our hoht, his fingers digging into her skin "How are we to go hoonstone, and all the realm they had lost

Dany had only meant their rooh all they had, but her brother did not want to hear that There was no ho house with the red door had not been ho an answer "I don’t know"she said at last, her voice breaking Tears welled in her eyes

"I do," he said sharply "We go hoo’s aro home And if you must wed him and bed him for that, you will" He smiled at her "I’d let his whole khalasar fuck you if need be, sweet sister, all forty thousand et o In time you may even learn to like hi hi"

Dany turned and saw that it was true Magister Illyrio, all so over to where they stood She brushed away unfallen tears with the back of her hand

"S to the hilt of his sword "And stand up straight Let hih as is"

Daenerys sht