Chapter 137: Jaqo's Fear
After arriving in Meereen, although she knew the Dothraki Sea wasn't far away, she had never gone back. She hadn't expected that today Drogon would take her there.
The cool wind rushing past at high altitude felt refreshing. Thinking about her upcoming campaign to Westeros, Daenerys felt more at ease than ever before.
Drogon didn't fly fast. He knew she enjoyed riding on his back and soaring through the sky, but as a queen, she had too many affairs to handle and rarely had the time.
So he took this chance to let her enjoy it a little longer.
Slaver's Bay had just stabilized, Ghis had submitted, Euron's fifty-thousand-strong force had been defeated, and soon they would march on Westeros.
Since coming to Slaver's Bay, Daenerys had never felt this relaxed. The excitement she felt now was like the first time she rode Drogon.
She shouted freely from his back, releasing the tension she had held in for so long, enjoying the thrill of flight.
After more than half an hour, as they neared the grasslands, the scent of fresh grass drifted up even at high altitude.
Drogon gradually descended. Soon, they were flying low over the plains. Instead of landing, he skimmed across the grass, carrying Daenerys in a low glide.
Before long, they spotted a small khalasar migrating across the steppe.
Seeing Drogon's massive form, the moving Dothraki group stopped to stare.
"There's someone on the dragon's back!" a young Dothraki man shouted.
"There really is!" a woman confirmed.
"It looks like a woman… how could the Dragon God allow a woman to ride on its back?"
More and more people noticed Daenerys.
Drogon ignored them and continued deeper into the grasslands.
As they flew, looking at the familiar plains and the Dothraki people below, Daenerys's thoughts drifted back to her days among them.
Drogon circled the grasslands once before heading toward the far end—toward Vaes Dothrak, the only city of the Dothraki.
The sacred city, home to the lake known as the "Womb of the World" and the Mother of Mountains.
It was also where the dosh khaleen lived—the widows of the khals. Back then, Daenerys had almost been sent there.
Unwilling to spend the rest of her life in that place, she had led her small khalasar across the Red Waste, searching for a way back to Westeros.
Looking down at the city—without walls, marked only by the twin bronze stallions forming the horse gate and a scattering of simple structures—Daenerys didn't understand why Drogon had brought her here.
During the flight, she had heard more than once the Dothraki calling Drogon the "Dragon God." She hadn't expected him to be so revered across the grasslands.
Vaes Dothrak was simple, yet vast—large enough to hold every khalasar on the plains without crowding.
And today, for some reason, half the city was already filled with Dothraki.
As they drew closer, Drogon noticed something else.
In an area filled with earthen huts and wooden stalls—like a marketplace—not only Dothraki were present, but also merchants from many lands.
Only then did he realize—it must be a major trading day.
His timing couldn't have been better.
From afar, both Dothraki and traders saw a dark shape approaching.
Those familiar with Drogon quickly realized—the black dragon they revered as a god had arrived.
At first, they thought he was just passing through. Every time before, he would eat roasted meat and leave, never staying long, and never entering Vaes Dothrak itself.
But as the massive shadow grew larger, the people in the market realized—
He was landing.
They quickly scattered toward the edges, clearing an open space.
As Drogon descended, they finally noticed—
There was a figure on his back.
After landing, Drogon lowered himself to the ground. Daenerys understood—he wanted her to dismount.
Surrounded by Dothraki and foreign merchants, she felt no fear.
Fighting was forbidden within the sacred city.
And even if it weren't—
With Drogon beside her, there was nothing to worry about.
[Your army has arrived.]
Just as she was wondering why Drogon had landed here, she finally heard his voice in her mind—but she didn't quite understand what he meant.
"You are Khal Drogo's khaleesi?"
No sooner had Daenerys stepped down from the staircase formed by Drogon's wing than a somewhat familiar voice called out.
"Jhaqo?" She recognized him at once.
He had once been one of Drogo's bloodriders, helping manage the largest khalasar on the grasslands. After Drogo's death, he had abandoned Daenerys, taking many of Drogo's former warriors to form his own khalasar.
"You… why are you on the back of the Dragon God?"
Drogon's strength and presence had long spread across the Dothraki Sea. After his transformation, both his appearance and aura had changed dramatically.
Some of the more devout had even claimed to feel guidance from the Dragon God, and more and more Dothraki had begun to worship him—some even more fervently than the Mother of Mountains.
Jhaqo couldn't understand how a discarded khaleesi could be riding on the back of such a being.
"He is my dragon. Of course I can ride him."
Seeing the shock on Jhaqo's face—the same man who had once looked down on her, even tried to kill her khalasar—Daenerys reached out and stroked the smooth, gleaming scales along Drogon's neck, her voice carrying a hint of pride.
"Then… those rumors are true?"
After leaving Drogo's khalasar, Jhaqo had heard stories—that Daenerys had burned Drogo's body, killed the witch Mirri Maz Duur, walked into the flames herself… and hatched dragons.
At the time, he and the other khals had scoffed at it. Dragons had been gone for over a century—how could that woman possibly bring them back?
But when Drogon began appearing across the grasslands, the rumor resurfaced in their minds.
Even so, they refused to believe it.
Back then, after learning of Drogo's death, they had searched everywhere for Daenerys and her khalasar—but found nothing.
If they had found her, they would have sent her to the dosh khaleen, to live out her days among the crones. And if she refused—
They would have killed her.
How could they accept that the black dragon of the grasslands was hatched by her?
They all knew how they had treated her.
If the rumors were true, would Daenerys, now with a dragon, really let them go?
Watching even a powerful khal like Jhaqo show such reverence toward Drogon, Daenerys gradually understood what Drogon had meant.
"I don't know what rumors you're talking about," she said calmly. "But tell me, Khal Jhaqo… do you still intend to send me to the dosh khaleen?"