CHAPTER 9:
VALUES
If there was one thing Daenerys Targaryen was spectacularly unsuited for, it was girl talk. So being caught with Ginny, Luna and Hermione was a bit odd for her, though she supposed it was better than dealing with some of the more vapid girls she had encountered in the Gryffindor dorms, like Lavender Brown. It was still something that caused her to have, as Hermione put it, a 'deer in the headlights' look.
Still, Ginny, having heard something from Luna, frowned, changing the subject from boys they liked and the latest gossip to something darker. "So, the Iron Throne's made up of hundreds of swords, all melted together by dragonfire? Wouldn't it be uncomfortable?"
"Actually," Hermione said, "the book I got claims that this was Aegon the Conqueror's lesson to his heirs, to not to sit on the throne carelessly, and thus to rule with care."
"It didn't stick," Luna said blithely. "Mummy showed me a sketch she made of the Iron Throne. It looks impressive, but uncomfortable. I'd suggest getting a good cushion first before you think of taking the Iron Throne back from the Baratheons."
Dany sighed quietly. "I think a cushion is the least of my concerns, Luna."
"Of course it is," Ginny said. "I may not be a princess or a noble…but I'm pretty sure you'd need an army to take back a throne."
"Magister Mopatis, when he first received us, claimed that many of the common people wished for our return," Dany said. "I asked Ser Jorah about this, and he said that the common people wish for rain for their crops, and peace. But he did say that there are those loyal to my House. But you are right, Ginny. The truth is, I don't know how I would start getting back the Iron Throne. I could start with Harry, true, as a dragon is worth many men, but…Harry is a friend, and I do not wish for him to get hurt for my own gain. And dragons are far from invincible. Meraxes, the mount of Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wife Rhaenys, was felled by a bolt from a Dornish Scorpion."
"A scorpion? They must've been as big as an Acromantula!" Ginny hissed in horror.
"She means a type of ballistae, like a large crossbow," Hermione explained, before she returned her gaze to Dany. "And I'm glad you're worried about hurting Harry."
"Harry was my first friend, and for most of my life, my only friend," Dany said. "To throw that away in exchange for a throne…better not to do so. But how else can I do so? Do I recruit sellswords, what you would call mercenaries? If so, where do I find the coin? Or do I marry myself off to someone for an army, like my brother may have intended? I already know that British society has a different perspective on marrying age, but I know of girls who have been married off the moment they start bleeding."
"It sometimes happens in Magical Britain," Ginny said quietly. "It's not often spoken of, and it's been rare for decades, but there are betrothal contracts at times when girls our age are married to men twice or three times our age."
"And it used to happen centuries ago," Hermione said. "But Dany, you don't have to marry for political power. In fact, why do you want to go back?"
"I'm not sure I know. Reclaiming the Iron Throne has been all that mattered to my brother, and it left an indelible mark on me, Hermione," Dany said. "It may not be the all-consuming obsession that it was with my brother, so great it devoured his love for me, but I still share it. A dream I shared with him, perhaps. But Dumbledore asked me why I wanted the Iron Throne. I'm still not sure. Duty? Birthright? Revenge for my House? Or maybe it's just a desire to go home. Is there a good reason?"
"Perhaps there isn't one," Luna said. "Duty is probably the best reason, to be a stewardess of the people, only without the cute uniform they have for airlines. But if you have the chance between duty and your personal happiness, what would you take?"
"What sort of question is that?" Ginny asked.
"Even if it was duty…would the people accept me?" Dany said. "They'd remember my father's cruelty, and of how my brother plunged Westeros into war with his abduction of Lyanna Stark. Even the Usurper's drunkenness and debauchery must seem desirable by comparison. How many bodies would I leave on the path to the Iron Throne?"
After a moment, Ginny said, "Let's change the subject…"
Jorah was staring at Harry after he related his own tale, elsewhere in the Great Hall. "You said that you killed a Basilisk, a massive snake that can kill on eye contact, with a sword?"
"Yeah. It was pretty stupid in hindsight, given how I got the fang in my arm," Harry said. He had gotten to talking to Jorah about their respective pasts. While he wasn't happy about Jorah selling off people to slavers, poachers or not, he found himself mollified a little when Jorah revealed the reason: his rather expensive wife Lynesse Hightower, who, after they fled to Essos, ended up leaving him for a merchant-lord that she became a concubine of.
"I'll say. While thirteen is young to wield a sword, it's not uncommon, especially in the North," Jorah said. "But to wield it against such a monster…you were lucky. Still, I can't fault your valour. Lord Stark would certainly like you, and so would Robert Baratheon, though for somewhat different reasons."
"Why is that?"
"If there's one thing Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon share, it's a love of valour and bravery," Jorah said. "Stark would praise you for your desire to help Ginny, no matter what, and Robert…well, he'd praise you for your balls in slaying the beast. Still, while you are a wizard, I think you should learn to use a sword."
"Why?"
"Whether Daenerys decides to stay here with you, or you return with her to Westeros, I do not know," Jorah said. "I've been reading with her about the weapons of this world. We've discussed this, and we've decided that we can't bring anything back that we can't replace ourselves. Most guns, for example, require small parts that Westeros is not yet ready to create. We don't even know about gunpowder, and I worry that if we bring such things there, we will cause even greater bloodshed than before." The older man shuddered. "The things I read about the two World Wars, of killing becoming so clinical and…mechanized, I think the term is. In any case, you have your magic, and your dragon form. But using a sword means you also have another means of protecting Daenerys. If I knew enough about Braavosi Water-Dancing, I would teach that to the pair of you."
"Water-Dancing?"
"It's a form of swordplay that relies more on agility and evasion. Not that the knights back home wouldn't move, but…then again, there is the Dothraki style of fighting. I would have to modify it so it uses a sword instead of their arakhs. That's a kind of sickle-sword they use for horseback combat. Very lethal, very deadly. But on foot, they use them equally well, and because they don't wear armour, they learn to be agile. They find the concept of armour amusing, thinking it slows them down."
"They sound charming," Harry remarked.
"To those who gain their respect like I did, they are honourable and loyal. However, it is not easy to gain that respect. And they love nothing more than to rape, pillage and burn all in their path. Khal Drogo may be one of the better horselords, but he would think nothing of despoiling a village and carting off their inhabitants. And before you ask how I could live with being with them…you may have had a hard life compared to some, but you haven't had as hard a life as many others. You'd be surprised at what some people would live with. Think of the Kingsguard, being forced to watch as Aerys tortured and killed people, often by burning them alive. The world seems so simple when you're young."
Harry just shot Jorah a glare. "Maybe…but if we go back to your world, we're not looking for their help."
"And what, get sellswords? Or get armies loyal to the Targaryen cause in Westeros? Harry, the Dothraki may pillage, rape, and kill…but they don't dress it up in the surcoat of chivalry. So-called knights are rarely as honourable as the tales claim. The Mountain is a prime example. He is little more than a brute and a beast. He may be the worst, but there are many who think little of emulating the Dothraki and claiming to be civilised. And that's what you should remember, Harry. If you go back to our world with Daenerys, you will see blood and mud and men shitting themselves as they die. If you act as her dragon, her mount, you will be roasting them alive. Can you stand to do that? Perhaps re-enacting the Field of Fire? Killing hundreds, thousands of men with flames?"
Harry was struck by the enormity of the question. He was in fact struck dumb for a time, until he finally realised he knew the answer. "I'd kill for her. I'd kill those who threaten her life. But…that many people?"
Jorah put a hand on the wizard's shoulder. "Aye. Not a very good thought, is it? Life is considered cheap, but I at least try to look a man in the eye before I kill them. You're young, Harry, old enough to have taken a life back home, true, but still…young. So is Daenerys. She doesn't understand what taking a life means…and if she ever thought of the reality of what she may have to do to win back her throne…"
Harry nodded. It was one thing to consider the deaths of those who had wronged her. Of Robert Baratheon for killing her brother Rhaegar, of Jaime Lannister for stabbing Aerys literally in the back (though Harry thought Jaime should've been given a medal), of Tywin Lannister and his pet brute Gregor Clegane, for the demise of Elia Martell and her children.
But what of men whose only crime was to be on the losing side? What of the masses of soldiers who came to fight for their homes…only to be immolated?
"Harry…I don't doubt your valour," Jorah said gently. "But I also want you to realise that, if you do go back with her…you may end up killing many people. Even if she decides to forsake her claim, how many people in Westeros would want to see her dead? Too many."
"So we stay here," Harry said. "Britain shouldn't be too bad once Voldemort's dealt with."
"Maybe…but do you think Daenerys will be truly content here?" Jorah asked quietly.
A good question. And Harry was certain he already knew the answer…
In the Gryffindor Common Room, later that night, Harry and Dany sat together in front of the fire. They spoke of what they had discussed, and Dany felt perturbed. "I knew that it would mean war to gain back the Iron Throne," she said quietly. "But I never thought of it like that. Of those serving under their lords to be human…not just enemies."
"You come from a world where life is cheap," Harry said. "Dany…I'm not sure I could burn those people like Balerion did at the Field of Fire. I'll gladly kill anyone who directly threatens your life, but…"
Dany nodded. His words hurt her to a degree. She guessed it was her pride as a Targaryen, and as a Valyrian dragon-rider, one who'd expect absolute obedience, especially from her dragons. But at the same time, she understood. She had seen suffering as she and her brother lived sometimes in squalor. She had even seen someone dear to her die in front of her eyes: Ser Willem Darry. Probably the closest thing she had to a father.
And there was one very important factor: Harry was her friend, not her serf. He had given her comfort and reassurance when nobody else would. True, she had thought him imaginary and vice versa, but the comfort was real. And he said he would kill to protect her. That was worth more than any vows on honour.
"Harry," she said. "Let us think of that later. The more pressing concern is to have you ready for the First Task. As my friend and partner, it behoves me to assure your continued wellbeing. The tuition with Professor Lupin and Hermione helps, but I think we need to work on your trump card." She fixed him with her violet gaze, and said, "We need you to work on your dragon form. We have a little over a week to get you ready. Let us hope that is enough time…"
CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:
Okay, that was probably more talking than I intended for the chapter, but I wanted to get some things out of the way. This chapter was meant to be a reality check for Dany and Harry. Both are young people, and don't realise the true horror of war. Dany probably accepted, in an abstract way, that getting the Iron Throne back would mean the deaths of many people. But thinking of the reality, she is not sure what this means. Plus, to her, Harry is a friend, not a weapon or a beast of burden. While she views the dragons as children in canon, Harry is a friend, and a possible lover. Well, certainly a lover, given the pairing tags.
Review-answering time! DZ2: I know, right? While I enjoyed his turns as Rogue Riderhood and Walder Frey (admittedly, I haven't watched past the second season of Game of Thrones yet), not to mention Cohen the Barbarian, it was his portrayal of William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time that really touched me. He certainly had the mannerisms down.
Sean Malloy-1: Whatever happens between them, it'll end up with them waking up the next morning in bed with a number of beautiful women, and the Westeros equivalent of a traffic cone. And a massive hangover.
No numbered annotations this time.