Jorah was not penniless, but he was as poor as a church mouse. When he met the siblings Viserys and Daenerys, he directly revealed his identity. He hoped that Viserys would allow him to follow and help him restore his title when he "reconquered Westeros." However, after Jorah finished speaking, Viserys looked at him without saying a word, making Jorah feel as though he were naked in front of him. He replayed his words in his mind, convinced he had said nothing wrong.
Jorah knelt there for a long time, waiting for Viserys's response. Finally, Viserys spoke, but his first words were directed at Daenerys.
"Dany, do you think this person is a good person or a bad person?"
Seeing Viserys ask, Daenerys looked at the burly Jorah. His strong body and neck, thicker than the average person's, made him seem untrustworthy.
"He should be... a good person?"
"A good person? Hmph!"
Hearing Viserys's sneer, Jorah felt a chill down his spine, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He felt Viserys's hand clamp down on his shoulder, causing him to shudder involuntarily. As Viserys's grip tightened, Jorah was even more shocked. 'This guy's got a lot of strength!'
Realizing the danger, Jorah felt his hairline recede a few more inches and reflexively reached for the hilt of his sword. But Viserys's entire arm exerted force, making Jorah feel as if a carriage were pressing down on him, rendering him immobile.
'Is he going to... kill me?'
"Preparing to draw your sword in front of me?!" Viserys sneered, ripping the sword from Jorah's waist. The leather strap tore off with a loud thud.
Realizing that Viserys might kill him, Jorah struggled, but the boy's strength made him feel like prey being bitten by a wild animal.
"Don't move, or I'll really kill you!"
Hearing this, Jorah could only try to suppress his urge to resist. His chest rose and fell like a bellows, completely exposing him. He looked up at Viserys with his black eyes.
Viserys let go of his hand and walked around Jorah, talking.
"Jorah Mormont, banished by Robert the Usurper for human trafficking. Then his wife ran off with someone else, and he joined the sellswords in Essos and sold slaves. Am I right?"
Jorah had omitted the shameful part about his wife being given away as a concubine for the sake of his own reputation, but Viserys knew all about it.
"Dany, if you were this guy, would it be easier to work for the Usurper Robert and assassinate us, or help us take back the Iron Throne?"
"Of course, it would be easier to assassinate us."
At this point, Daenerys realized that this seemingly honest and simple-minded man was actually quite cunning. She responded coldly.
Seeing his intentions exposed, Jorah looked at Viserys in horror. Viserys placed one hand on Jorah's head, pressing his palm directly against his bald scalp.
Then, almost face to face, Viserys said, "You're a bold one, Mormont, to think of taking advantage of my sister and me." After saying this, he pushed Jorah's head hard, knocking him to the ground.
"No! It's not true! I really want to follow the Prince!" Jorah knew he was no match for Viserys and could only beg for mercy. The only thing he could rely on now was that Viserys had no concrete evidence. He didn't want anything now; he just wanted to live.
"Isn't that right, Kyla?"
Hearing this name, Jorah felt his heart contract violently, and his mind went blank. It wasn't until Kyla walked in and looked at him expressionlessly that he seemed to realize something, and his hope finally died.
"I don't need to introduce myself, do I?" she said.
"How? How could that be?" Jorah muttered, unable to accept it.
"But don't worry, I won't kill you for now." Viserys sat back down in his chair. "I gave Kyla two chances. Now she not only follows me, but she's also Dany's bodyguard. You have the same chance."
Jorah jumped to his feet, grabbing at the lifeline. "I'll follow you! I'll follow you! I swear it by the gods!"
Viserys looked at him impassively. Jorah's tone was much more sincere than when he first arrived. After a moment, Viserys told Jorah about Cersei's affair with Jaime, then took a handful of gold coins from his breast and threw them on the ground.
"Use your own methods to let as many people as possible know that the children of the usurper Robert are all bastards of Queen Cersei and Kingsguard Jaime. I'm leaving Braavos in two days. Meet me at the port of Old Clothes. Of course, you can always run away. Go ahead and try."
Looking at the gold coins on the ground, Jorah knew he had no choice but to go down this path. If he publicly slandered the royal family, he would be breaking with the Iron Throne. It would be like cutting off his own path. He already knew that Viserys was a guest of House Zalyne. He guessed that as soon as he left, someone would be watching him.
"Very well, Prince."
"Go, and I look forward to hearing good news from you."
For some reason, Jorah saw a smile on Viserys' face, but it made his heart tremble. As Jorah left, Dany asked with concern, "Brother, do you really want him to follow us?"
Viserys turned to look at Dany and said seriously, "Dany, remember, there is no such thing as eternal loyalty in this world, only eternal interests. Now we want to return to Westeros, and so does Jorah Mormont. Our interests are the same, so we can use him without any worries."
He stood up and continued, "On the contrary, when Tywin led his army to attack King's Landing, the interests of my father's Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, and the Targaryens clashed, and he became a Kingslayer. My father's Kingsguard, the Sealord's First Swords, and the Dothraki Khal's Bloodriders are all the same. They all use interests to exchange for loyalty."
Viserys lifted the veil of the world's artificial, warm, and affectionate appearance for Dany, directly exposing its most ruthless side, which greatly shocked Dany's immature heart. The most important reason why Viserys chose to keep Jorah was that he had been on the continent of Essos for so many years that he could be a guide for them. The second reason was that Viserys really didn't have many people he could use. This guy had a certain amount of martial arts and warfare talent, and it would be helpful to have him around. And because of his plan with Roth, it would be more appropriate to have a skilled hand around at that time.