The brown leather curtain of the yurt was lifted, releasing a peculiar blend of laurel perfume and the acrid stench of urine. A pregnant woman emerged, supported by two young Dothraki women.
Daenerys froze at the sight.
This was no typical Dothraki garb. The woman wore a sheer lace dress from Myr, its pale yellow hue enhancing her fair complexion. Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her eyes were a misty shade of violet.
For a moment, Daenerys nearly mistook her for a Targaryen, were it not for her memory's sharp reminder.
Before his death, Jon Arryn had uttered the cryptic phrase, "The seed is strong," alluding to Robert Baratheon's tragic history of infidelity. Members of the same bloodline often shared striking physical traits: the Baratheon's black hair, the Tully's auburn locks, the Lannister's golden manes, and the Targaryen's near-transparent silver-gold hair.
In truth, silver hair and violet eyes were hallmarks of Valyrian ancestry. Since the Doom of Valyria over 400 years ago, the once-mighty dragonlords had scattered across Essos, their unique features spreading along with them.
Encountering a silver-haired, violet-eyed woman in Khal Drogo's khalasar wasn't entirely surprising.
"So, this is the Khaleesi," the woman said.
Unlike the petite and slender Daenerys, this silver-haired woman had a large frame, a full bust, and wide hips. Her square-shaped face was equally substantial—a classic example of a robust Westerner.
She was also older than Daenerys, likely nearing thirty.
The woman's gaze was unsettling, a strange mix of mockery, pity, envy, pride, and malice that made Daenerys uncomfortable. Frowning, she asked, "Are you Lady Lilith? Jhaqo's wife?"
Lilith arched an eyebrow, her smile half-amused, half-contemptuous. "Perhaps it won't be long before I, too, am called Khaleesi."
When a Khal dies, his khalasar chooses a new leader. The new Khal's wife would become the Khaleesi.
In Dothraki culture, however, Khaleesi weren't particularly revered. Across the grasslands, dozens—if not hundreds—of widowed Khaleesi's resided in Vaes Dothrak, the sacred city of the dosh khaleen.
Just days earlier, Khal Drogo had sent warriors to escort two Khaleesi to Vaes Dothrak. They were widows of Ogo and his son, whom Drogo had slain.
Daenerys's bloodriders weren't quick-witted enough to detect the malice hidden in Lilith's Valyrian words, which most Dothraki couldn't fully comprehend. Otherwise, they might have whipped her or shot an arrow through her pregnant belly.
Ser Jorah Mormont, however, noticed. His gaze turned sharp as he spoke coldly, "I've never heard of Jhaqo taking a wife. Even Khal Drogo had many women, but only Daenerys Targaryen holds the title of Khaleesi."
He emphasized "Targaryen," underscoring the significance of her lineage.
Lilith's expression darkened. Whatever thoughts crossed her mind made her tremble with rage, her thick lips pressed into a bitter, tight line.
After a moment, she struggled to speak in broken Dothraki, "Khaleesi, are you once again defying the great traditions of the Dothraki and stealing another warrior's spoils?"
Previously, the original Daenerys had shown both kindness and courage by saving captive women from being mistreated by the Dothraki. However, the rescued women rarely showed gratitude, and the warriors, deprived of their "spoils," deeply resented her.
Such acts of defiance were a grave violation of Dothraki traditions.
"It's just a goose," Daenerys said curtly, unfastening a silver medallion from her waist. She tossed it to the ground. "You cannot refuse a Khaleesi's gift. Consider it a token of goodwill."
The white goose, which had escaped from the camp's corpulent cook, had been shot through its long neck by Quaro. The arrow pierced deeply into the ground, leaving the bird flailing weakly. Its snow-white feathers, now stained red, fluttered helplessly as it let out pitiful cries.
Daenerys pointed at the white goose on the ground."It's mine now," she declared.
The Dothraki had no concept of marriage, and financial systems? Forget it—they didn't even use currency.
Without money as a universal equivalent or trade medium, the Dothraki acquired what they needed either by plundering or through gifts from other peoples and city-states. And when a khalasar of 100,000 warriors loomed over a city, no one in Essos dared refuse their "gifts."
Though the Dothraki raided the continent extensively, they did possess precious metals like gold, silver, and copper. However, they didn't use them as currency. Instead, they crafted these metals into medallions, which they strung together as belts. These belts were a form of wealth, exchanged in the crude bartering system the Dothraki practiced—just as Daenerys was doing now, offering a medallion in return for the goose.
For instance, Daenerys herself was once a "gift." Her brother Viserys, with the assistance of Illyrio Mopatis, the Magister of Pentos, gave her to Khal Drogo, the most powerful Khal on the Dothraki Sea, as a token.
(The Dothraki Sea refers to the vast grasslands in eastern Essos, resembling waves of the ocean when winds ripple through the tall summer grasses. It's the birthplace of the fierce and nomadic Dothraki people.)
Strictly speaking, Daenerys had been sold to Khal Drogo like a slave.
In accordance with Dothraki tradition, a Khal who received a gift was obligated to reciprocate with an equivalent present. For Viserys, this meant either 10,000 Dothraki warriors or Khal Drogo leading his khalasar across the Narrow Sea to conquer Westeros and restore House Targaryen to the throne.
In other words, Drogo was expected to crown Viserys as king.
However, the Dothraki had a peculiar custom: while they were bound to return a gift, the timing and nature of the reciprocation were entirely up to them.
Viserys, more impatient than Murong Fu from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, grew increasingly agitated. As Daenerys's pregnancy progressed and her belly swelled, the child nearly ready to be born, Drogo still hadn't sent any warriors or made any moves to help reclaim the throne.
Like a relentless debt collector, Viserys resorted to extreme measures to provoke Drogo.
He harassed Drogo in ways reminiscent of modern debt-enforcement tactics—sans oil splashes and prank calls. He vandalized property, threatened violence against Drogo's family, and even hurled insults outside his home.
The A Song of Ice and Fire world lacked paint and phones, but Viserys managed to replicate these behaviors remarkably well.
He went so far as to assault and humiliate Daenerys, publicly berating her and accusing Drogo of breaking his promise and "freeloading" off his sister. Since Viserys didn't speak Dothraki, he shouted his insults in the Common Tongue, which Drogo couldn't understand. Out of respect for Daenerys as Khaleesi, no one translated for Drogo.
Minor transgressions, like attempting to sell Daenerys's dragon eggs, weren't even worth mentioning. When Daenerys heard about it, she almost willingly handed over her three precious eggs to him.
The final straw came when Viserys entered a sacred Dothraki gathering hall—akin to a "Hall of White Tiger" tribunal—armed. At the time, Drogo was feasting with several other Khals. In front of the entire assembly, Viserys pointed his sword at Daenerys's swollen belly and threatened, "Help me reclaim my throne, or I'll kill your wife and unborn child."
Unfortunately for Viserys, he had the audacity of a loan shark but lacked the backing of a gang. Drogo, no pushover debtor, adhered to Dothraki customs, where nomadic tribes roamed the Dothraki Sea and returned annually to Vaes Dothrak to consult the dosh khaleen—priestesses who interpreted the omens for the coming year.
Viserys's hubris led to his downfall. Drogo unstrung his belt of golden medallions, melted them into molten gold, and poured the searing liquid over Viserys's head.
"You wanted a crown?" Drogo said. "Here's your golden crown."
Viserys's skull nearly melted under the burning gold—a gruesome and fitting end.
This brutal episode underscored the savage and unyielding nature of Dothraki gift-giving and trade. Faced with Daenerys's silver medallion, Lilith had no choice but to accept it. The white goose now belonged to Daenerys.
Before leaving Jako's khalasar, Daenerys reined in her young silver mare, placing her right hand on her hip. She turned to the seething Lilith and said, "You've been with Drogo's khalasar for some time now, haven't you? Since you've brought up tradition, you should know better—there's no such thing as a Khaleesi who cannot ride a horse, even if she's pregnant."
With that, she urged her silver mare forward, riding away with the rhythmic clatter of hooves fading into the distance.
In the Dothraki culture, everyone owned a horse and was required to know how to ride. When Daenerys became Drogo's Khaleesi, her first priority wasn't learning the Dothraki language but adapting to life on horseback.
While the vast khalasar had wagons, they weren't meant for ordinary people, much less for the elite. In Dothraki society, wagons were reserved for eunuchs, the disabled, the pregnant, and the elderly or very young.
Even after nearly ten months of pregnancy, Daenerys continued to ride. Drogo, despite suffering from an infected wound and the effects of dark sorcery, rode instinctively, barely conscious. The higher one's status, the more essential it was to remain on horseback.
The first time Daenerys saw the Dothraki Sea, she was captivated by the vast grasslands that undulated like ocean waves. She ordered her khalasar to stop and rest. This infuriated Viserys, who couldn't tolerate "being given orders." As an unwanted hanger-on under Daenerys's nominal protection, his "official status" was tied to her khalasar. Enraged, he succumbed to his so-called Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon—a term he often used to describe his own fury—and attempted to beat his sister, as he had done countless times before.
(Note: The "Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon" refers to Viserys's delusion of being the true dragon. He often invoked this term when angry. A beggar prince from a fallen dynasty, his only outlet for frustration was his younger sister, Daenerys, who had long served as his scapegoat and punching bag.)
Though Daenerys had been sold to Drogo like a commodity, she quickly earned her own khalasar after their marriage. Her bloodriders, including Aggo, would never allow their Khaleesi to be beaten.
That time, Daenerys stripped Viserys of his right to ride. When he returned to the khalasar on foot, the Dothraki mocked him mercilessly, giving him the derisive nickname Rhaemar Khal—the "Sorefoot King."
The following day, Khal Drogo suggested that Viserys ride in a wagon. Overjoyed, Viserys mistook this for an apology on Drogo's part for Daenerys's "disrespect."
That was when Viserys earned his second humiliating nickname: Rhaqat Khal—the "Cart King."
Such incidents illustrated the profound disdain for those who couldn't ride in the khalasar.
As Lilith lay sprawled in the dirt, staring at the silver medallion, her gaze shifted to Daenerys, who rode off triumphantly on her silver mare. Lilith's thick lips nearly bled as she bit down in frustration.
"Before the khalasar breaks camp tomorrow, prepare me a horse!" she snarled, spitting her command at a nearby slave girl. "I want a mare just like that wretched woman's—a silver one!"
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