Wright: "Daenerys, this is the first conversation between House Baratheon and House Targaryen after the war. We have a lot to discuss."
Since Wright had sought her out for a conversation, it was clear he wasn't planning to kill her—at least not immediately. Daenerys' temper flared, and she placed her hands on her hips, saying, "What is there to talk about?"
Both were speaking in the Common Tongue of Westeros. As Daenerys' voice grew louder, Wright cast a soundproofing spell.
Daenerys wasn't too surprised by the magic. Nowadays, many people knew a trick or two: "Even if you know magic, if it weren't for Robert, you, the fourth son of House Baratheon, would only be fit to lick my toes!"
Wright glanced down at her toes peeking out from her sandals. They were indeed pale and cute, but Wright wasn't interested. He looked back up at her: "So you win allies with your toes?"
"My Kingdom was stolen by you. In the eyes of House Baratheon, I'm surrounded by the weak and the sick, and I'm just an exiled princess. I have no money, no land, yet with just a few words, I can make them pledge their loyalty to me. That proves that in their eyes, House Targaryen is the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms! I know what you're thinking! That I use my beauty to seduce men? Ridiculous. I've only had two men in my life: a lover before my marriage and my current husband. And Robert the Usurper—how many women has he had?"
"There are many rumors about Robert," Wright said, feeling the need to defend his brother.
Daenerys spat out: "He has several publicly acknowledged bastards. Robert is a beast, a lecher who defies the faith of the Seven!"
As a king, Robert's actions were indeed debauched. Wright decided to change the subject: "Let's not talk about Robert. Daenerys, do you know why House Targaryen was overthrown?"
Daenerys raised her voice, shouting: "My father, Aerys Targaryen II, was childhood friends with your father and Tywin. The three of them supported each other and ruled the realm together! Everything changed after your father and mother died. From that moment, your brothers Robert and Stannis harbored hatred for my father and began plotting to kill him!"
"Where did you hear all this?" Wright wasn't surprised.
Daenerys pointed at Wright: "Your brother Robert—you can't deny that he was friends with my brother Prince Rhaegar when they were young, can you?"
Wright: "I met Rhaegar when I was young at Storm's End. He had a beautiful singing voice."
Daenerys: "No! It was Robert. He's the most cunning of all! He spent years getting close to Rhaegar just to extract information about dragons from our family!"
"What the hell!" Wright cursed aloud, unsure whether to be angry or amused. Robert was being insulted, but this was the first time anyone had accused him of being scheming!
Daenerys raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it true? Otherwise, where did you get your dragon, Lord Wright?"
"Go on. I'm curious to hear how you see House Baratheon," Wright said, not refuting her for now.
Daenerys: "He obtained information about dragons in the ruins of Valyria, and since you're a mage, he left that knowledge to you! Later, when my father fell ill, Robert saw his chance to usurp the throne and, together with his foster father and brothers, started the war!"
Wright: "Is this the history you were taught as a child? Do you know your father was called the 'Mad King'? How many nobles did he kill without reason?"
Daenerys lifted her chin, speaking in a disdainful tone: "A few hundred? A few thousand? It's all just slander your House Baratheon made up to justify your actions! Robert killed countless people himself, but he pinned all the blame on my father. That's the most despicable thing about him. One day, the Seven will punish him!"
Behind Daenerys stood a group of nobles who had remained loyal to House Targaryen and were forced into exile. They had spent years filling her head with hatred. Wright had no intention of correcting her views; her beliefs were irrelevant to him.
Wright: "Do you regret making me reveal my face today?"
"Very much! I regret that my dragons aren't here to burn you to ashes!" Daenerys said fiercely.
"You're quite fierce for a little girl! Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?" Wright said calmly.
Daenerys pointed at Wright's face: "Don't think I don't know—you want my dragons! You'll never get them!"
Wright brushed her hand aside, then grabbed her under her arms and lifted her off the stone chair.
"Throwing a tantrum now, are you? So this is all you're capable of, Wright! House Baratheon is full of brutes!" Daenerys didn't struggle, letting Wright lift her, but he soon set her back down.
"Come with me to the slave quarters," Wright said, turning and walking away.
Daenerys didn't move: "Are you planning to force yourself on me? Forget it! Even if I were to bear your child, I'd kill it with my own hands the moment it was born!"
"Not every man is interested in your scrawny figure, Daenerys!" Wright was genuinely annoyed, his tone sharp.
Daenerys, realizing that her life might be temporarily safe but that provoking Wright would do her no good—and might even earn her a beating—quietly followed him.
The two arrived at the slaves' quarters, descending a stone staircase into the basement. This was the food preparation area for a large kitchen, with the stoves located in a smaller room on the upper level.
Inside, many slaves were hard at work. When they saw Daenerys enter, they immediately stopped what they were doing, stood up, and bowed their heads, not daring to look at her.
"Why have you brought me here?"
Wright walked to the far end of the kitchen and pointed to a pile of fresh meat: "Look at this."
"It's just sausage-making. Sheep intestines, fresh meat—I know about these things. Although they are my slaves, they eat well." The slaves' food and kitchen were separate from their masters', and she never ate any of it. Daenerys approached, inspecting it with pride. Daenerys breathed in the fresh air: "This is a flaw of Meereen's slave system. If I were in power, I would abolish slavery!"
"You think I brought you here to make you feel guilty? Do you still believe you'll have a chance to rule Meereen?" Wright stared into her purple eyes.
"Then why?" Daenerys, being much shorter, had to look up at Wright without the stone chair to stand on.
"I know many of the people you killed. I just wanted you to pay your respects."
Then Wright said viciously:
"I want your two dragons, and your nephew's dragon as well. After that, I'll kill both of you and send your heads back to King's Landing for the reward!"
Daenerys' breathing grew rapid, fear spreading through her heart, her face showing a look of terror.
She had been so haughty earlier, but now that her psychological defenses were shattered, she would be easier to control.
"At dawn tomorrow, you'll come with me back to Meereen! Don't think about running—you won't escape. Call for your reinforcements if you want; I'll kill as many as come!"
Daenerys stood frozen, staring at Wright in shock.
"Robert has known you were alive for a long time. He couldn't bring himself to send assassins after you, but since you want to restore the old dynasty, you'll have to pay the price!"
With that, Wright turned and left.
Daenerys' face crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wept in distress.
That night, messengers on horseback and ravens carrying letters had been leaving the manor nonstop since the previous evening.
Early the next morning, amidst a crowd of bewildered onlookers, Wright stood in the center of the training ground, his greatsword wrapped in white cloth strapped to his back.
Before long, Daenerys emerged with four handmaidens, all dressed in plain white robes, no longer adorned in finery.
"Wright, can I bring my four handmaidens?"
Wright looked at the three tall women and one shorter one: "Do they have names?"
Daenerys, no longer defiant, spoke softly: "Irri, Jhiqui, Doreah, and Missandei."
Three Dothraki women and the youngest, Missandei. Wright vaguely remembered them, though he wasn't sure how they'd ended up with Daenerys. Still, four women couldn't cause much trouble.
"Fine. Let's go."
Slaves brought over six white horses. The five women mounted, while Wright remained standing.
With a purple summoning spell, the skeletal horse Arvak appeared once more. Ignoring the shocked gazes around him, Wright led the women on horseback toward Meereen.
As soon as Daenerys left, the wine manor erupted into chaos. Soldiers began arming themselves and packing their belongings, preparing to depart. Theon and Asha were to lead them around Meereen to the south.
The Dothraki camped outside the manor were stunned by Wright's skeletal horse. Many of them remembered something and immediately reported it to their khals.
"That's the bastard! The one riding the skeletal horse killed my bloodrider at Ny Sar! Wright Baratheon!" Khal Jummo remembered.
Khal Moro sharpened his arakh with a stone: "So he's the one you've been searching for all these years!"
Khal Jummo shouted to the soldiers around him: "I will avenge my loyal bloodrider!"
A Dothraki soldier chimed in: "It seems Daenerys is with him!"
Several khals had wanted to ride Daenerys, to have her bear their descendants and ride dragons. Now that she was gone, they were furious.
"Once we pass the valley ahead, there are three roads to Meereen. Each of us will take one," Khal Jummo said, his mind already scheming.
Khal Moro, on the other hand, went straight to his beloved horse, patted its back, grabbed its mane, and leaped onto it, galloping out of the valley. His warriors followed, howling as they rode.
The wine manor was located west of Meereen, and there was a stretch of Valyrian road leading to the city. Wright led the five women slowly along it.
Every step Avark took was heavy, its hooves clattering against the road. The skeletal horse seemed to enjoy the smooth, solid surface, but the girls behind it felt uneasy, their discomfort growing with every step.
As they approached the outskirts of Meereen, the Valyrian road ran alongside the coastline of Slaver's Bay. In the distance, the golden top of the Great Pyramid of Meereen glinted in the sunlight.
Suddenly, a cloud of dust appeared behind them, accompanied by the thunderous sound of hooves. Wright stopped and looked back. A large group of Dothraki, at least a thousand strong, was rapidly approaching.
Khal Jummo hadn't been able to pursue Wright immediately because his khalasar was large. Aside from those camped near the wine manor, many more were scattered throughout the valleys. Gathering his forces had taken some time.
An even larger portion of Khal Jummo's khalasar was still camped in the Dothraki Sea, but he believed the forces he had now were enough to deal with a single magician without dragons.
Khal Jummo raised his arakh and pointed it at Wright, shouting to his men: "Capture those five women alive! Kill the foreign man!"
"Oooohhhh~~~"
The Dothraki riders, as if drugged, let out wild, frenzied cries.
Daenerys, seeing these Dothraki, felt a glimmer of hope.
"You five, stay back," Wright said, preparing to dismount. But the Dothraki suddenly stopped and retreated.
"What's happening to them?" Missandei asked, both excited and nervous about the impending conflict. This was their hope for rescue, but now the Dothraki had halted.
Daenerys adjusted her headscarf: "I don't know. The dust kicked up by the horses is too thick. I can't see."
"Let's go. If they want a fight, they'll get one. I don't have the patience to wait for them," Wright said, urging his horse forward. The women had no choice but to follow.
They kept glancing back, hoping for a great hero to come and save them from Wright's clutches.
Thunderous hooves
The sound of hooves grew louder as more Dothraki appeared.
"Oooohhhh~~~"
Countless riders burst out of the dust, waving their arakhs and shouting as they charged toward Wright and the women.
At the forefront rode a man of extraordinary size and strength. His long, dark beard and braided hair streamed behind him in the wind, the braid nearly as long as his horse's tail. The small bells tied to his braid glittered in the sunlight.
"It's Khal Drogo! He's come to save me!" Daenerys' eyes shone with hope.
These Dothraki were truly annoying. Pillaging was their way of life, and Wright had ignored them for the sake of the Disputed Lands. But now that they had come to him, Wright was seriously considering wiping them out.
Wright preferred fighting on foot. He dismounted, unwrapped the cloth from Bloodskaal's Blade, and gripped the greatsword in his hands.
"Daenerys, I suggest you get farther away. Don't let the Dothraki rescue you only for you to die by my magic."
The women didn't respond, urging their horses toward Meereen and leaving Wright alone to face thousands of Dothraki riders.
The Dothraki were armed not only with arakhs but also bows. Being surrounded and shot at would be more insulting than damaging, so Wright needed to limit their mobility. He headed for the sandy beach by the sea.
"Look, the foreign man is trying to run! Haha!" The Dothraki on horseback grew even more excited.