"Oh, Your Grace, Ser Gregor Clegane was a brave warrior. What a pity," the eunuch's face showed practiced sadness.
Cersei didn't care whether the dog lived or died—she wanted the dwarf dead.
The gods in heaven were blind to let the bastard who took away her son go free.
Cersei swore in her heart that the damned dwarf must die.
"Please allow me to retire. The little birds have brought new tidings. I'd best inform the Hand immediately," Varys said.
"What news?" Cersei asked, feigning disinterest.
Varys looked hesitant for a moment, then said, "News from across the Narrow Sea. Dragonstone has been captured by the Ironborn."
"Khaleesi, you are too kind." The knight watched her save a slave girl, though this defied Dothraki custom. Those who shed their blood for Khal Drogo deserved these rewards.
"Place her over there," Dany ordered her bloodrider.
"You need them to fight for you," Jorah couldn't help but remind her. "If you want horses to run, you must let them graze. If you take away even their spoils—"
"I am the blood of the dragon and mother of the horse that mounts the world," Dany interrupted.
Jorah Mormont wisely fell silent.
They rode on for a while longer.
"Khaleesi, a letter from Magister Illyrio. He will visit Khal Drogo soon and bring the covenant of Pentos."
The fat magister who had given Dany three dragon eggs at her wedding—she supposed she should thank him for arranging her marriage to Drogo.
"Pentos has a large fleet. With their aid, we can cross the Narrow Sea more easily," the knight continued.
The Ironborn had brought enough ships, now anchored in the harbor of Tyrosh's Weeping Tower, but their longships were ill-suited for transporting horses.
The Ironborn sought to reclaim all lands they had ruled before Aegon's Conquest—the Riverlands and much of the western coast, and of course the North.
Dany had agreed only to return the lands of their ancestors.
Ser Jorah reminded her that the Ironborn were greedy. If she agreed to all their demands, they would certainly ask for more. Moreover, if she wished to rule Westeros, she could not do without the support of the noble houses of the Seven Kingdoms. Many had fought for House Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion.
Khal Drogo's khalasar was camped in the vast grasslands near the Free City. Dany's small khalasar was followed by many slaves, both men and women.
"Khaleesi, look there," her handmaid Irri suddenly pointed.
Thick black smoke rose into the pale sky, like an ink stain on white cloth.
"Fire," cried the knight.
"Let's go," Dany commanded.
Jorah moved to stop her. "Khaleesi, this is not our concern."
"I am Khaleesi, and I decide what concerns us." She ordered her bloodriders to follow, spurring her silver mare forward.
The knight watched the Targaryen princess and thought to himself: "She grows more Dothraki by the day."
Remembering the timid girl he'd first met, he shook his head slightly. But she is still just a child, after all.
More than a dozen tents had erupted in flames.
Dany quickly ordered her bloodriders to help extinguish the fire. The mounted warriors hesitated—such work was for slaves and servants.
"Khaleesi, the slaves will be here soon," Jhogo, one of her bloodriders, said.
"Follow my orders," Khaleesi commanded firmly.
The scene was chaos. Slaves smothered the spreading flames with sand and soil, doused them with water, and cleared the grassy areas surrounding the blaze.
"Khaleesi!" A voice suddenly shouted from nearby.
Dany turned her head as an arrow whistled toward her.
The knight quickly pulled her aside, letting the arrow pass her ear.
"Ah!" The arrow struck her handmaid Irri, who fell from her horse.
Dany cried out, "My child, my child!"
Viserion was strapped to Irri's back.
Sudden panic spread among the slaves. They screamed and fled. Several Dothraki warriors rode toward the fleeing figures as Ser Jorah drew his sword.
The bloodshed continued for some time, but thankfully Viserion was unharmed, though frightened and wailing loudly.
Irri's situation was dire. The arrowhead was smeared with poison.
"This is manticore venom, Khaleesi," the herb woman told her.
The manticore had a shell like jade, a curved and barbed tail, and an unsettling human face—both deadly and malevolent. Manticores made hissing sounds and could disguise themselves as beetles. Their poisonous stings killed instantly, the venom racing straight to the heart.
Manticore venom was highly prized by alchemists and maesters alike.
"Help her," Khaleesi pleaded.
"Khaleesi, you need not trouble yourself over a slave," her handmaid Jhiqui said.
Neither the herb woman nor the eunuch could do anything about this poison.
Dany thought of Mirri Maz Duur, the witch. She might have known a way.
But she was already dead, having suffered a terrible end one night. Countless strange shadows had surrounded her. She had wailed until dawn. By the time Dany saw her, Mirri Maz Duur was already a withered corpse.
The mounted warriors who had pursued the assassins returned with three bodies.
"Khaleesi, they tried to cause chaos among the slaves before escaping," her Dothraki guard Aggo reported.
The knight dismounted, walked to the bodies of the three assassins, and slowly crouched beside them.
"Iron Knight, what are you doing?" Aggo frowned, watching Jorah. The knight had killed all these men himself.
Jorah reached out to examine the bodies. "I'm determining who wants to harm Khaleesi."
"They appear to be from Myr, Khaleesi." He lifted their clothing, revealing copper scales beneath. He shook his head. "No, they are Rhoynar. I met many knights from Dorne when I competed in tournaments in the Seven Kingdoms. Their armor featured copper scales like these."
The knight stood up with certainty. "These are assassins from Westeros, Khaleesi."
"They tried to hurt my children. Who gave the order?" This time Dany did not weep but asked with fury.
The knight shook his head. "I cannot say for certain, Khaleesi. But according to Illyrio's letter, the usurper's daughter, Myrcella Baratheon, was sent to Dorne."
"Dorne?"
"Princess Elia, sister to the Prince of Dorne, married your brother Rhaegar and bore him two children. But she and her children were murdered by the Mountain," Ser Jorah explained.
Dany looked at the three bodies and whispered, "Why?"