Chapter 138: An Unexpected Discovery
Daenerys would never forget the pressure Jhaqo and the others had once put on her—or the hardship of crossing the Red Waste.
Hearing her words, Jhaqo fell silent.
The Dothraki respected strength. Daenerys herself might not be his match, but her mount could easily wipe out his entire khalasar.
To the Dothraki, a mount was part of one's strength.
A khal shared everything with his bloodriders—like brothers. Aside from his horse, nothing was off-limits, not even his women. That alone showed how important a mount was to them.
Of course, Khal Drogo had never followed that custom.
The black dragon was Daenerys's mount—and also the Dragon God revered across the grasslands. Jhaqo didn't dare show her any disrespect. He stepped aside and said nothing more.
"You are the Queen of Meereen?"
A fair-skinned, slightly overweight middle-aged merchant stepped forward from the crowd, his face full of excitement.
"I am." Daenerys smiled faintly, already guessing he was one of the pale men from Qarth.
"My name is Yolanda. I come from Qarth. I was planning to visit Meereen after leaving the Dothraki Sea to see you and your dragon—but I never expected to meet you here!" he said eagerly.
[Guess that makes him one of our fans.]
Drogon's thought made little sense to Daenerys, but she simply smiled.
"Meereen welcomes you."
Yolanda nodded excitedly and retreated into the crowd.
Looking at the growing number of onlookers, Daenerys stepped once more onto Drogon's wing and climbed onto his back. Standing tall, she raised her voice.
"I am the khaleesi of Khal Drogo, leader of the greatest khalasar on the grasslands—the Unburnt… Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!"
"I have Drogon—the Dragon God—and two other dragons, a powerful army, and nearly a thousand ships. I will soon cross the poison water to conquer Westeros and claim the Iron Throne!"
"So tell me—who among you will follow me and the Dragon God across the sea, to conquer a new land?"
After speaking, she looked expectantly at the surrounding Dothraki.
Drogon: [...]
He hadn't expected her to actually call him the Dragon God just to rally them.
At first, the Dothraki in the market hadn't known who she was when they saw a woman riding on Drogon's back. But after hearing her introduction, they realized—
She was the khaleesi of Khal Drogo.
The leader of a khalasar that once numbered a hundred thousand.
They didn't fully understand her other titles, but one thing alone was enough to shock them—
She could ride the Dragon God they worshipped.
They had witnessed Drogon's strength more than once—thanks to his occasional displays—and after his transformation, his presence had become even more overwhelming.
Hearing that Daenerys intended to lead them to Westeros, the warlike Dothraki were naturally tempted. They loved battle, loved plunder, and would gladly follow a being like the Dragon God.
But when they heard about crossing the poison water—
They hesitated.
To the Dothraki, any water their horses could not drink was poison.
And the sea… was the deadliest poison of all.
There had once been brave Dothraki screamers who boarded ships sailing across the "poison water"—and nearly vomited themselves to death. They would rather die in battle than suffer like that.
Snort!
A sharp snort snapped the hesitant Dothraki back to their senses.
"I am willing to follow the khaleesi across the poison water and conquer the lands beyond!"
Jhaqo, who had still been wavering, hurriedly declared his allegiance after being startled by Drogon's snort.
He might be fearless in battle—but that didn't mean he wanted to be burned to ash.
He had personally witnessed how terrifying Drogon's flames had become after growing forelimbs. Before that, the fire could at most char a man black—but after the transformation, even a strong horse would be reduced to scattered, burnt bones.
Jhaqo's declaration immediately stirred the other khals.
They had long heard, in the Free Cities, that the lands beyond the poison water were rich and ripe for plunder. They had always wanted to go—but the sea had stopped them.
Now, with the Dragon God leading the khaleesi of Khal Drogo, offering to take them across…
Though they still had their doubts, with Jhaqo taking the lead, the other khals quickly voiced their willingness to follow Daenerys.
"Those who wish to go to the new land—come to Meereen. I will be waiting for you there!" Daenerys said, clearly pleased.
She knew exactly how formidable Dothraki screamers were. Each one was an excellent cavalry warrior. With their support, she would do far more than merely "secure a foothold," as Tyrion had put it.
After speaking, she stepped down from Drogon's back but didn't leave immediately. Instead, she began strolling through the market.
After all, she had once been the khaleesi of the greatest khalasar on the grasslands—half a Dothraki herself. Having come to the sacred city, she wasn't about to leave right away.
Drogon wanted to follow, but in his full size it was inconvenient, and shrinking down would undermine his "Dragon God" image. So he stayed in the air, circling above her.
The market in Vaes Dothrak was a vast open space enclosed by packed earth walls. Most of the sellers were merchants from across the world.
Aside from a few from Westeros, most came from the Nine Free Cities, along with traders from Qarth like Yolanda—and even some from the distant Shadow Lands of Asshai.
They sold local specialties—many rare items, and even rare animals.
After walking through the market, Daenerys arrived at a road paved with bluestone, lined with grass.
Wooden racks along the roadside displayed all kinds of strange objects—wood carvings, bronze pieces, and odd trinkets of unknown materials.
Though she hadn't stayed long in Vaes Dothrak before, she was familiar with it. She told Drogon this road was called the Godsway.
Most of the items here had been plundered by the Dothraki from temples and ruins of foreign gods.
Their shapes were bizarre—like noble sigils. Some were carvings of real animals, others depictions of imagined totems or monstrous figures.
Daenerys browsed as she walked, occasionally stopping at a stall.
Hovering above her, Drogon grew a little bored.
It reminded him of shopping with a girlfriend in his previous life. He only hoped she would finish soon so they could leave Vaes Dothrak and end this trip.
"Hm?"
Just as his patience began to wear thin, Drogon's eyes suddenly narrowed. He turned his head, scanning the surroundings.
A moment ago, he had sensed something unusual.
The aura felt familiar… yet slightly different.
Finding nothing at first glance, he focused again.
He was certain now—it wasn't his imagination.
The source was below.
Lowering his altitude, his gaze slowly locked onto a crude wooden rack beneath him.