Chapter 14: 13-The Greatest Queen Ever
Acknowledgements: This chapter was edited by Cataclysmic Moon. I also want to thank my beta-reader nicknm for helping me bounce ideas around.
A.N: More, I must have moreeeee! *grasps greedily at your powerstones*
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Jaime Lannister, outside of the walls of Harrenhal
They had twenty-one thousand men from the Westerlands and five thousand more from the Riverlands. The Riverlords' loyalty was shaky at best, but all of them had given hostages that were now tightly secured in Casterly Rock, so they had no choice but to send men to fight this Aegon Targaryen.
He would have three thousand more, but someone had killed every single person in the Twins. Now the position of Lord of the Crossing was open and every single Frey with men to his name was rushing there to claim the seat. Jaime always knew that the dastardly weasels were more trouble than they were worth.
The pretender had camped two miles south of their position. He had over forty thousand men. Ten from the Golden Company, accompanied by a dozen elephants. Fifteen from Dorne, five thousand squeezed out from the Stormlands, and ten thousand from the Crownlands. During the war of the five kings, the lords of the crownlands were always late and simply avoided battle. Now that there was a Targaryen, they quickly rallied behind him. Aegon chose to go for the Riverlands instead of the Westerlands, and Jaime was forced to intercept him, lest they lose all the Riverlords.
Jaime was greatly outnumbered, and he did not think to fight a decisive battle here. He would bloody the enemy, and force them to leave a sizable force to siege or take Harrenhal. House Lannister controlled all of the Riverlands, and Jaime intended to make Aegon bleed hard for every keep.
Was he truly Rhaegar's son? Jaime had seen the dead babe with a smashed head himself. He had greatly regretted not fulfilling his promise and protecting the prince's children back then. But now, this man was calling himself Aegon and had taken over Storm's End and most of the Stormlands with the might of the Golden Company. With Dorne and the Crownlands at his back, Aegon posed a serious threat to Tommen, especially since House Tyrell had withdrawn all their support after the burning of King's Landing.
When he heard about the destruction of the capital by wildfire, he was completely stunned. Cersei claimed that Aegon was responsible for the deed, but Jaime knew better. Only one person was crazy enough to plant caches of the vile substance all over King's Landing, and twenty years ago he had personally ended his life. He never regretted killing the Mad King, nor all of his pet pyromancers. Nobody knew where all the caches were hidden, but Jaime had told himself that wildfire would weaken with time. Sadly, it seemed that he had been mistaken once again. And this mistake had cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Now, the capital was a cursed ruin enveloped by sickly green mist. Jaime had sent a party to scout inside. As soon as the first man entered the fog, he dropped dead to the ground, and his flesh melted off in mere minutes. From the accounts of the scouts, the foul mist remained unaffected by wind or rain and did not disperse with time either. Cersei and Tommen were beyond lucky to get out of King's Landing alive.
Jaime felt...numb at this revelation, but it didn't matter anymore. His deeds were what had started this whole mess. Who would have thought that cuckolding Robert Baratheon by fucking his twin sister would come back to bite him in the ass? By now, millions were probably dead due to the War of the Five Kings. Every single one of those kings was dead now, but three new ones rose in their stead, all because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Had Cersei given Robert one trueborn son, maybe things could have been different…
Without the Iron Throne, would the Seven Kingdoms even stay united anymore? Would Westeros follow a King ruling from Casterly Rock? The destruction of King's Landing had hit House Lannister badly in terms of allies. After the death of Mace and Margaery Tyrell, and all the other Reach Lords present in the capital, Highgarden had withdrawn their support fully.
It didn't matter. Jaime would fight. It was the only thing he was good at in any way. And there was no other choice; Tommen was his son, after all. Now, he had to beat Aegon Targaryen, otherwise, only death awaited his family. Tywin Lannister's cruelty had irrevocably set House Targaryen and Martell against them. Now that Aegon and Dorne had taken the field, they would not rest until House Lannister was eradicated root and stem.
The pretender had asked for a parley. So Jaime, Addam Marbrand, Jonos Bracken, and an escort of a dozen men at arms rode out to meet them in the field between the two armies.
Across them, three men with a small party of guards came. He clearly saw the heraldry-the three-headed red dragon of House Targaryen, the white and red griffin of House Connington, and the red sun of House Martell. Jaime critically looked at the man claiming to be Aegon Targaryen.
Jaime struggled to remember Rhaegar's face; time had washed the details away from his memory. But Aegon had the right colouring – valyrian silver hair and purple eyes, high cheekbones, and a sharp jaw. With Jon Connington and House Martell in support, few would doubt his authenticity, real or not.
"I do wonder if you're truly Rhaegar's son. Why didn't the eunuch swap your sister too? Was she not important enough?" Jaime said, earning himself a hostile glare from Aegon.
The griffin lord placed a gloved hand on Aegon's shoulder to calm him down and came forward to speak. Jaime noticed the hand-shaped brooch on Connington's breast.
"It did not occur in his mind that a girl that posed little threat and could easily be used as hostage would be murdered so brutally, Kingslayer," Jon Connington answered evenly.
He was not wrong. Little Rhaenys could have been used as a hostage or even wife to Robert's heir, cementing the legitimacy of his rule further. Robert, however, would rather eat his own beard than even entertain such an idea. Not to mention that Tywin Lannister had been slighted a few times too many by the Mad King, and women and children paid the price for it in the end.
"Well, you asked for a parlay. Here we are," Jaime spoke, unwilling to entertain the direction that the conversation was going.
"We're here to offer you terms," Jon replied with a gruff voice. "Tommen Waters will forswear the crown and join the Night's Watch. You, Kingslayer, will be given the choice between the Black and the block for your crimes, and Cersei Lannister will join the Silent Sisters. The Crown's debt to House Lannister will be forgiven and they will also pay every other debt incurred by the Iron Throne. Casterly Rock will go to whichever Lannister is next in line, and the lords from the Westerlands and the Riverlands will bend the knee and swear fealty to Aegon VI of House Targaryen."
Jaime couldn't help but burst out in laughter.
"What is so funny, Kingslayer? These are generous terms for an oathbreaker like you," Aegon scowled.
"Truly generous. But few would trust the word of a Targaryen now, especially after Aerys. Suppose I lay down my arms and surrender. I doubt that Tommen and I would ever reach the Night's Watch alive, and Cersei would have an accident and slip somewhere, breaking her neck," Jaime replied sarcastically. "And how are you so certain of your victory, boy? Tomorrow, you might be a head shorter. Even if we lose here, Casterly Rock has never been conquered."
"So was Storm's End, but now we hold it," Aegon retorted sharply. Next to him, Connington sighed.
Jaime focused on the man with House Martell's livery, ignoring the other two completely. He was swarthy like most dornishmen, but he was old. His beard and hair were nearly white from age, but his black eyes were still sharp.
"I have a question for you, Ser...?"
"Ser Manfrey Martell. Ask away, Lannister," the old man replied with a scratchy voice.
"What happened to my niece, Myrcella?" Jaime asked. He hadn't seen his daughter since he went to war. When he returned to the capital, she had already been shipped to Dorne by Tyrion.
"We sent her back to King's Landing to visit her brother as the queen regent demanded, of course," the man replied with a smile.
"But King's Landing is in ruins, and she never arrived in the Red Keep," Jaime countered.
"Aye, well, the ship that escorted her did reach the capital. Only, soon after she disembarked, wildfire engulfed King's Landing, and that was the last time she was seen," the Martel shrugged.
Jaime felt like something punched him in the gut. Did he kill his daughter with his stupidity? Thousands could die, but they wouldn't be as important to him as Myrcella was. Did the old Martell speak the truth? He tried to calm down, but the dornishman had a sincere expression on his face, so he couldn't help but believe him.
Unwilling to stay any further and continue the meaningless parlay, Jaime turned around and rode back to his men, fighting the twisting sensation in his stomach.
Daenerys Targaryen
She had always loved the sea. The expanse of water in every direction always made her feel free and unburdened. Daenerys remembered the first time she sailed. Viserys had taken her to Myr, fleeing from Braavos after the death of Willem Darry. She had loved all the songs the sailor sang, and how carefree they had looked, at least in her young eyes. Ever since then, deep inside, she had yearned for that same freedom that sailing brought. At some point, she had even imagined herself as a pirate queen, hunting the Usurper's ships in the Narrow Seas.
The ship she was sailing on was rocking gently on the azure waters of the Summer Sea. Daenerys was barely affected by the waves, but the same could not be said for the others. Near the edge of the ship, Grey Worm was sitting, face green. He was looking ready to puke any moment, despite travelling by ship for half a moon already. Missandei was next to him, looking concerned.
Around the deck, there were a dozen Dothraki, not faring much better than Grey Worm. Seeing them made her remember the previous moons.
After burning all the Khals in Vaes Dothrak, most of their Khalasars had ridden off, eager to fight and determine who would rule next. Only a few thousand listened to her impassioned speech and even fewer decided to follow her. Then, she reunited with Drogon and managed to fly in time to break the second Siege of Mereen. It was good that she flew ahead of the Dothraki, as her city was in dire straits. Most freedmen were simply idle and expecting someone to just take care of them. But when the food was scarce and hunger came, they began rioting on the streets.
In the city, she had another surprise – Tyrion Lannister, who had somehow joined her court. He had fled Westeros after murdering his father. Daenerys did not trust him very much, but Tyrion proved himself a capable administrator as he had managed to help Barristan Selmy hold things together until she arrived, if barely.
The dwarf explained that removing slavery when the whole region developed on it for five thousand years would backlash. And he turned out to be right. When she finally returned, things were not going well at all. Most of the former slaves didn't even know how to live on their own, and few were willing to learn how to run a trade.
Nobody wanted to work the land for food, as it was a thankless job, and most of the freedmen expected everything to suddenly become better and easier when it wouldn't. Those who owned the land wanted someone else to work it, and the pay they were offering did not attract workers. A good portion of those she freed decided to simply sell themselves back into slavery because they were treated well or simply did not want to be responsible for their own lives. For every three former slaves, one would sell back into servitude voluntarily. She had allowed it, of course, but only after she got her cut of each sale.
Daenerys started to suspect that her cause in Slaver's Bay was doomed, simply because some slaves did not even want to be free. Now the dragons were grown, she had seven thousand Unsullied, a thousand Dothraki, enough gold to spare, and able and important men from Westeros in her retinue. Last, but not least, her name now had weight because of her deeds. Daenerys Targaryen was no longer just a girl to be sold off. She really tried to help those poor souls, but realised that one couldn't help those who did not want it.
Physically breaking the shackles did little when the chains in the mind stood strong. All of her advisors were inclined to return to Westeros and work to regain the Iron Throne than to fight an endless war in Slaver's Bay. And she now knew that they were right, but they had no ships to sail to Westeros. By the lords of the dwarf, eradicating slavery was a noble dream, but it would be a long and thorny battle that would take decades, if not centuries to realise; time that she did not have. Then, Yara and Theon Greyjoy had sailed in with a sizable fleet, offering to ferry her army to Westeros and help regain her rightful place on the Iron Throne in exchange for help against their uncle Euron. Now, the last obstacle stopping her from going west to claim her birthright was gone.
With Tyrion's help, a deal was made with the ghiscari nobility. Mereen would remain free. It would be governed by a council of freedmen, and the sellswords would stay behind and train a militia and a city guard. In the rest of Slaver's Bay, the masters would give the option of slaves to buy their freedom with hard work after a period of time. The dwarf even managed to convince the slavers to pay three hundred thousand golden yunkish marks in exchange for leaving Slaver's Bay immediately and never returning.
With a fleet to sail to Westeros and an agreement reached with the ghiscari, Daenerys did not waste time and immediately set off for Dragonstone with most of her forces. Three thousand Unsullied had perished trying to restore order during the long siege and food riots in Mereen. Most of them had not been fully trained, but she still felt regretful. The Unsullied were all unquestionably loyal, and Daenerys heavily felt any loss they sustained. This was one of the main reasons that she agreed to leave. After all that she did for those men and women, they repaid her good graces with treachery and foolishness.
All that the Greyjoy fleet could carry was her Unsullied, the thousand Dothraki horsemen who followed her from Vaes Dothrak, and the crew of the fleet itself. She would have taken all the trained freedmen militia from Mereen, but there was simply no more space on the ships, nor did she trust them very much. The Dothraki horses barely managed to fit on the ships as it was.
The eunuch Varys had tried convincing her to join forces with "Aegon Targaryen", who was supposedly her nephew, born of Rhaegar and Elia. Daenerys did not trust the eunuch and had great doubts about this supposed Aegon. Was he the mummer's dragon? Did that mean he was fake, or the real deal, but hidden by deception? It was also truly convenient that someone was claiming to be the rightful Targaryen heir just when she had grown dragons. Where was this Aegon when Daenerys and her brother were barely surviving as beggars in the Free Cities?
Regardless, she would meet him and discern the truth, one way or the other. But that would be far from her only challenge. What would she do with the houses that rebelled against her father?
"What has you worked up so much, Your Grace?" An elderly voice snapped her out of her musing.
She turned around to see Barristan Selmy, the man who she came to think of as a second father. He was kind and willing to give his advice when asked. Barristan had proven himself unquestionably loyal to her multiple times, and Daenerys had rewarded him with the post of the Hand.
"Just thinking about everything that will happen when we arrive in Westeros. I'll need allies, but I don't know if I can trust this...Aegon, nor do I think I can gather any help from those traitors that rebelled against my father."
"Permission to speak frankly?"
"This is why I appointed you as Hand, because you were loyal and truthful, Ser."
He stood silent in thought for a moment, then looked around before whispering, "Maybe this conversation is best done in private, my Queen?"
She raised her eyebrow at this but granted him the request. They slowly headed towards her private cabin, as Ser Barristan had been wounded in Mereen and could only walk with the help of a cane.
"You can speak freely now, Ser Barristan."
He winced as he sat on the makeshift bed. Despite the healers' best efforts, he couldn't regain full use of his right leg. He'd never be able to fight again, which was maybe for the best. Ser Barristan was old, and was better serving as her advisor, as she had plenty of men to fight for her already.
"You called the Lords Paramounts traitors, my Queen. Is there a reason for that?"
"Well, they rebelled against their rightful King. Does that not make them traitors?"
At her question, Barristan looked quite tired, all his years visible on the lines of his old face.
"Pardon me, Your Grace. What do you know of the Rebellion?" he asked in a low voice.
"Robert Baratheon was a greedy man and wanted the throne. His friends joined him in rebellion. It's what my brother has always told me since I was nought but a babe myself," Daenerys replied. She was going to elaborate further but the severe look on Ser Barristan's face stopped her.
"Your brother was a young child himself at the time. What truly happened is not as simple as that," Barristan explained. She paused in thought. Was her brother wrong? Viserys had always been a bit mad, and the old knight was right, her brother was indeed very young when it had happened. She barely remembered details of her childhood, and her brother wouldn't be any different.
"Still, they rebelled against their-"
"Please, Your Grace," Barristan interrupted her softly and raised his hand, "Let me tell you the whole story, I was there myself. Would you like the long or the short version?"
"We have nothing to do and at least a week of sailing left, so there is plenty of time for the long version," she replied with an interest. Now that she thought about it, she never really knew the full tale. It would be prudent if she heard it before she landed on Dragonstone.
She grabbed a flagon of honeywine and offered a second one to Ser Barristan, who surprisingly accepted. This was the first time Daenerys had ever seen him touch alcohol.
"There is a reason that your father was named the Mad King," the old knight began slowly and drank from the flask.
"I'm aware, although I have to admit that I do not know the extent of it," she shrugged. Then it hit her, if anyone could tell her about her father, it was the man before her. Ser Barristan had been through all of it, as a member of the kingsguard.
"When King Aerys came into power after the death of his father Jaehaerys, he had great ambition and he wished to be the greatest king ever known. Aerys appointed capable young men in positions of power, chief of which was his dear friend, Tywin Lannister, who became Hand of the King."
Daenerys blinked in surprise. She had never heard that her father had been friends with Tywin Lannister. How did their relationship between them deteriorate to the point where the Lord of Casterly Rock became mortal enemies with his King?
"Soon, however, it turned out that Aerys had little interest in ruling and left that to his advisors. Thankfully, Tywin Lannister was an exceptional administrator and the realm prospered. But the King lusted after the wife of his Hand, Joanna Lannister, and made indecent remarks about her more than once. Queen Rhaella bore no love for Aerys, nor did he treat her well. With time your mother began to loathe him."
This was the first time she heard this. Viserys had always told her the story of how their parents loved each other greatly. It seemed that little of what she heard as a child from her brother was true. Barristan took another sip and continued, "Queen Rhaella had many miscarriages or stillbirths over the years. And any living babe died within a few months. The King slowly grew suspicious of everyone. When he heard someone praise Lord Tywin and imply that the Hand was running the kingdom instead of the king, Aerys had that Lord's tongue removed. He became envious of Tywin, who was greatly respected at the time. With the queen's inability to produce a healthy living babe, the King became increasingly violent, suspicious, and erratic. Tywin continued serving faithfully, but the friendship between the two had grown cold. When your brother Viserys was born, there were kingsguard posted around his crib day and night. Aerys even had a food taster drink from the breast of the prince's wetnurse, lest her nipples were smeared with poison."
Daenerys couldn't help but snort, but Barristan looked dead serious. He gulped a mouthful of wine and continued,
"After your brother's birth, Tywin threw a tourney in his honour. There he proposed a betrothal between Cersei and Rheagar. Aerys declined, fearing Tywin's power and did so in an extremely insulting way. After this day, the king always oft decided to do the opposite of what Tywin proposed, regardless of the consequences. This is how Aerys ended up imprisoned in Duskendale over a city charter, despite the Hand's wise advice to not go in person."
The more Daenerys listened, the more she felt chilled inside. The picture that Barristan painted was extremely vivid, and she could start guessing why her father was called the Mad King.
"Duskendale was quickly put under siege by the Hand, and Tywin but did not dare to storm the walls because Lord Darklyn had promised to kill the king if they acted. In half a year, no resolution was reached, and we did not know if Aerys was still alive, so the Hand finally decided to attack. I proposed to go and try to save the king by myself, dead or alive, before the assault. Where a whole army would be easily noticed, a single man would not be. Tywin gave me a day."
Barristan stopped with a sigh. His gaze was far away and he took a big swig from his flask, before continuing,
"It was the greatest moment of my service as a kingsguard. I sneaked inside the dungeons and saved the King against all odds, but he was not the same man as before. He endured all kinds of cruelties during his captivity, and whatever little had remained of his sanity was shattered. All of House Darklyn was put to the sword, and not even the women and the children were spared. Aerys then saw shadows of treason everywhere, and they could only be purged by fire. Even small offences like stealing food from the kitchens could get someone burned to death. Growing even more distrustful of Tywin, the King sent his cousin, Steffon Baratheon, to the Free Cities. He was tasked with finding a bride with Valyrian blood for your brother, Rhaegar. Steffon and his wife returned unsuccessfully and even died in a fierce storm just before he got home."
"Did the death of his father drive the Usurper to seek the crown?" Daenerys couldn't help but ask.
"No. Robert saw his parents' ship sink himself, but he cared little for any crowns. Aerys never did offer any condolences for the death of his cousin Steffon either, which indirectly insulted another Great Lord. Without a valyrian bride from the Essos, the king chose to marry Rhaegar to Elia Martell, who was a descendant of your namesake Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aegon the Unworthy.
Aerys grew more and more volatile as time passed and even refused to leave the Red Keep. Even his firstborn, Rhaegar, disliked him. If the rumours were true, the crown prince began plotting to dethrone his father. He organised a grand tourney in Harrenhal, inviting all the Great Lords of the realm."
Ser Barristan's voice became scratchy from all the talking. He wet his throat with another gulp of wine.
"Whatever plans Rhaegar had for the tourney were thwarted, as Aerys had left the Red Keep for the first time in years and attended the tourney in person. There, the King inducted Jaime Lannister into the kingsguard, which left the old lion with a malformed dwarf for an heir. Tywin could not take the insult of Aerys stealing his golden son, finally resigned from the position of Hand, and returned to Casterly Rock. Rhaegar then made his first blunder. After winning the joust, he did not crown his lady wife who bore him two children as Queen of Love and Beauty. The crown prince gave that honour to Lyanna Stark instead, who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon."
"Was Lyanna truly such a beauty to drive my brother to spurn his wife, Ser?" Daenerys asked softly. She had heard the tales about Lyanna, how she had seduced her eldest brother like a common whore, but given that Viserys was the origin of that tale, doubts had formed in her mind.
"Lyanna Stark was barely four and ten name days and looked a bit boyish. She was not ugly by any standard, but there were easily a dozen more beautiful maidens present, including Elia Martell," Barristan said dryly. "I do not know what possessed the Prince to crown his cousin's betrothed, but it was a great insult to House Baratheon and House Stark. But even then, it was nothing more than a scandal. However, a few moons later, when Lyanna was travelling around the Riverlands, her guards were killed and she was spirited away by the crown prince. There were many tales of what happened, but the dead guards could not be disputed, and all witnesses agreed that the prince did take her. When her eldest brother was on the way to his wedding in Riverrun and he heard of this, he and his friends changed their route to King's Landing. Brandon was young and brash, and when he rode in the Keep he shouted for Rhaegar to come out and die, not knowing that the crown prince was not even there."
Daenerys winced. That definitely did not have a good ending. Barristan saw her expression and sadly nodded along.
"Aye, what he said was treason, but the words were simply spoken in anger and it was not intended as such. The situation could easily have been salvaged, but alas. As you can imagine, Aerys did not take that very well. He had most of the men killed and threw Brandon into the dungeons. The heir of the Vale, Elbert Arryn, Kyle Royce of Runestone, and Jeffory Mallister of Seaguard were among his killed companions. Then the king called their parents to come and answer for their crimes. Rickard Stark travelled south to King's Landing, and called for a trial by combat, expecting to fight a member of the kingsguard for the life of his son. Aerys agreed, and then for a short moment, we thought that his sanity had finally returned – until he announced that his champion was fire. All Lord Stark had to do to prove his son innocent was to not burn."
She couldn't help but feel her gut twisting in revulsion.
"If you don't want to hear the rest, I'll stop, Your Grace," the old knight offered weakly. Telling this story was taking a toll on him too. Barristan usually looked full of vigour despite his white hair, but now he looked rather feeble and old.
"No, Ser. I'd rather know what happened from someone who was there. Regardless of how much it pains me to hear it," Daenerys replied firmly. With a sigh, Barristan continued.
"Aerys had Lord Rickard suspended from the rafters above a fire built by his pyromancers. Brandon had a tyroshi strangling device around his neck, and a sword was placed just out of his reach. The king promised Brandon that he'd free his father if he reached the blade. The whole court watched as Lord Stark was cooked alive in his armour, and his heir strangled himself, trying to reach for the sword. Then Aerys asked Jon Arryn to bring him the heads of Robert Baratheon and Rickard's second son Eddard. They were both fostering for years at the Vale, and Lord Arryn never managed to produce a living son at that time. He loved both boys as his own. Not to mention that they supped at his table and were protected by guest rights, and killing them under his roof would be an affront to the gods. Aerys had already killed the Arryn heir in King's Landing for no reason. When the Mad King asked for heads of his wards, Jon Arryn did the only thing any sane man would do. He called his banners in rebellion and sent his foster sons home. The North just had their darling daughter abducted, their Lord Paramount burned alive in a sham trial, and their heir made watch and strangle himself. The northerners were out for blood. The kidnapping of his intended and the call for his death was also the last insult Robert Baratheon would take, and House Baratheon had always been known for their explosive temper."
After hearing the lengthy tale, Daenerys was deep in thought. If she wanted to reclaim the Iron Throne, she had to know more. More about history, more about the Houses and politics and even westerosi customs. She couldn't go blind as she did in Slaver's Bay. True, Westeros was conquered by three dragons and a few thousand men before, but Aegon had Rhaenys and Visenya at his side, while she was alone. But before the Conquest, there was also no bad blood between House Targaryen and other Houses. Despite his great love for wine, Tyrion Lannister was well educated. And she also had Archmaester Marwyn with her. He was knowledgeable on many more topics, other than the higher mysteries.
Daenerys originally did not trust the maester, as he had a hand in teaching the evil witch Mirri Maz Duur. Marwyn had simply shrugged and replied that he had never denied knowledge to anyone who looked for it. Between Ser Barristan, Tyrion Lannister, and Marwyn the mage, she had a veritable wealth of knowledge, experience, and information on many topics and she intended to make full use of it in the coming weeks. She would be the greatest queen the world has ever known.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Gladiusx
Gladiusx I always found it weird how all the Dothraki suddenly decided to even listen to a former Khaleesi that barely had any rights without her Khal present. Women had few to no rights in the Dothraki culture, and Daenerys did not have her dragon with her at the time to cow them into submission. Considering the general behaviour of the horse lords, most of them would simply ride out of Vaes Dothrak and start fighting for the leadership. Few would even consider following Daenerys, especially considering that most of the kos and bloodriders (the cream of the crop that would probably have the best chance to become the next leaders) were probably either relatives or close friends of their respective Khals. The same Khals that just got burned to death by this woman. So yeah, few would even stay to listen to Dany, and even fewer follow her. Not to mention that transporting a hundred thousand men and just as many horses via ships is very difficult and requires … at least two thousand ships that can transport a minimum of a hundred each. And the voyage from Mereen to Dragonstone is at least four thousand miles.
I update a chapter every Sunday.
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