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The man bounded to his feet "That? Dornish swill It is not worthy of a princess I have a dry red froive you a cask"
Khal Drogo’s visits to the Free Cities had given hiood wine, and Dany knew that such a noble vintage would please him "You honor me, ser," she murmured sweetly
"The honor is ed about in the back of his stall and produced a srapes "The Redwyne sigil," he said, pointing, "for the Arbor There is no finer drink"
"Khal Drogo and I will share it together Aggo, take this back to my litter, if you’d be so kind" The wineseller beamed as the Dothraki hefted the cask
She did not realize that Ser Jorah had returned until she heard the knight say, "No" His voice was strange, brusque "Aggo, put down that cask"
Aggo looked at Dany She gave a hesitant nod "Ser Jorah, is so?"
"I have a thirst Open it, wineseller"
The merchant frowned "The wine is for the khaleesi, not for the likes of you, ser"
Ser Jorah moved closer to the stall "If you don’t open it, I’ll crack it open with your head" He carried no weapons here in the sacred city, save his hands--yet his hands were enough, big, hard, dangerous, his knuckles covered with coarse dark hairs The wineseller hesitated afrom the cask
"Pour," Ser Jorah co warriors of Dany’s khas arrayed the with their dark, almond-shaped eyes
"It would be a cri it breathe" The wineseller had not put his hao reached for the whip coiled at his belt, but Dany stopped hiht touch on the ar to watch
The lance "As the princess commands" He had to set aside his ha cups, pouring so deftly he did not spill a drop
Ser Jorah lifted a cup and sniffed at the wine, frowning
"Sweet, isn’t it?" the wineseller said, s "Can you smell the fruit, ser? The perfume of the Arbor Taste it, my lord, and tell me it isn’t the finest, richest wine that’s ever touched your tongue"
Ser Jorah offered him the cup "You taste it first"
"Me?" The e, my lord And it’s a poor wine merchant who drinks up his oares" His smile was amiable, yet she could see the sheen of sweat on his brow
"You will drink," Dany said, cold as ice "Empty the cup, or I will tell them to hold you dohile Ser Jorah pours the whole cask down your throat"
The wineseller shrugged, reached for the cupand grabbed the cask instead, flinging it at her with both hands Ser Jorah bulled into her, knocking her out of the way The cask bounced off his shoulder and sround Dany stu her hands out to break her falland Doreah caught her by the ars and not her belly
The trader vaulted over the stall, darting between Aggo and Rakharo Quaro reached for an arakh that was not there as the blond man slammed hio’s whip, saw the leather lick out and coil around the wineseller’s leg The man sprawled face first in the dirt
A dozen caravan guards had co With them was the master himself, Merchant Captain Byan Votyris, a di blue mustachio that swept up to his ears He see spoken "Take this one away to await the pleasure of the khal," he couards hauled the wineseller to his feet "His goods I gift to you as well, Princess," the ret, that one of "
Doreah and Jhiqui helped Dany back to her feet The poisoned as leaking from the broken cask into the dirt "How did you know?" she asked Ser Jorah, tre "How?"
"I did not know, Khaleesi, not until the ister Illyrio’s letter, I feared" His dark eyes swept over the faces of the strangers in the market "Come Best not to talk of it here"
Dany was near tears as they carried her back The taste in her mouth was one she had known before: fear For years she had lived in terror of Viserys, afraid of waking the dragon This was even worse It was not just for herself that she feared now, but for her baby He ht, for he moved restlessly inside her Dany stroked the swell of her belly gently, wishing she could reach hion, little one," she whispered as her litter swayed along, curtains drawn tight "You are the blood of the dragon, and the dragon does not fear"
Under the hollow hummock of earth that was her home in Vaes Dothrak, Dany ordered them to leave her--all but Ser Jorah "Tell me," she commanded as she lowered herself onto her cushions "Was it the Usurper?"
"Yes" The knight drew out a folded parchister Illyrio Robert Baratheon offers lands and lordships for your death, or your brother’s"
"My brother?" Her sob was half a laugh "He does not know yet, does he? The Usurper owes Drogo a lordship" This tied herself protectively "And me, you said Only rim
"No He cannot have my son" She would not weep, she decided She would not shiver with fear The Usurper has woken the dragon now, she told herselfand her eyes went to the dragon’s eggs resting in their nest of dark velvet The shifting la old swa
Was it e wisdom buried in her blood? Dany could not have said She heard her own voice saying, "Ser Jorah, light the brazier"
"Khaleesi?" The knight looked at her strangely "It is so hot Are you certain?"
She had never been so certain "Yes II have a chill Light the brazier"
He bowed "As you command"
When the coals were afire, Dany sent Ser Jorah from her She had to be alone to do what she must do This is madness, she told herself as she lifted the black-and-scarlet egg from the velvet It will only crack and burn, and it’s so beautiful, Ser Jorah will call me a fool if I ruin it, and yet, and yet
Cradling the egg with both hands, she carried it to the fire and pushed it down alow as they drank the heat Flaues Dany placed the other two eggs beside the black one in the fire As she stepped back from the brazier, the breath trembled in her throat
She watched until the coals had turned to ashes Drifting sparks floated up and out of the ss And that was all
Your brother Rhaegar was the last dragon, Ser Jorah had said Dany gazed at her eggs sadly What had she expected? A thousand thousand years ago they had been alive, but now they were only pretty rocks They could notflesh, not dead stone
The brazier was cold again by the ti a packhorse behind hi across its back Above, the stars were co down off his stallion and showed her the scars on his leg where the hrakkar had raked his "I shall make you a cloak of its skin, moon of my life," he swore
When Dany told hihter stopped, and Khal Drogo grew very quiet
"This poisoner was the first," Ser Jorah Mormont warned him, "but he will not be the last Men will risk o was silent for a time Finally he said, "This seller of poisons ran from the moon of o, Jorah the Andal, to each of you I say, choose any horse you wish from my herds, and it is yours Any horse save ift to the ift to you for what you did
"And to Rhaego son of Drogo, the stallion ill ive this iron chair his do" His voice rose, and he lifted his fist to the sky "I will take my khalasar west to where the world ends, and ride the wooden horses across the black salt water as no khal has done before I will kill the men in the iron suits and tear down their stone houses I will rape their woods back to Vaes Dothrak to bon beneath the Mother of Mountains This I vow, I, Drogo son of Bharbo This I swear before the Mother of Mountains, as the stars look down in witness"
His khalasar left Vaes Dothrak two days later, striking south and west across the plains Khal Drogo led thereat red stallion, with Daenerys beside him on her silver The wineseller hurried behind them, naked, on foot, chained at throat and wrists His chains were fastened to the halter of Dany’s silver As she rode, he ran after her, barefoot and stu as he kept up