"A trader from Quarth told me that Dragons come from the moon." Doreah told Daenerys as she rubbed ointment on Daenerys' blistered hands.
Somewhere in the distance the enchanting sounds of Sansa's harp enveloped the camp. Daenerys didn't know how Sansa did it, Daenerys could barely hold a dragon's egg after a day's ride, yet Sansa's hands were nimble and strong, her fingers plucking the strings with skill. The music was haunting and enchanting. The notes rose and fell, Daenerys was drifting again, she let her attention return to Doreah. "The moon?"
Doreah nodded and smiled, seemingly pleased to have her attention. "He told me the moon was an egg, Khaleesi," the Lysene girl replied. "Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. That is why dragons breathe flame. One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return."
The two Dothraki girls giggled and laughed, Sansa's harp played, and a ray of sun, from a gap in the tent's skins, kissed the dragon eggs. "You are foolish," Irri said. "Moon is no egg. Moon is goddess. It is known."
"It is known," Jhiqui agreed.
Doreah seemed angry at the Dothraki girls teasing. "Moon is egg." Doreah insisted.
"Moon is no egg, Khaleesi, moon is goddess, wife of sun, it is known." Irri insisted, sending Doreah a dirty look.
"Enough." Daenerys decleared. "Irri, Jhiqui, leave us, I wish to hear what Doreah has to say."
Jhiqui left the tent first, Irri gave Doreah a jealous look, as if she were a spurned lover, then turned soft eyes to Daenerys. "I will see to your supper, Khaleesi." She bowed low then left the tent. As the tent flap opened the harp's song seemed louder and the music stirred something deep within Daenerys. Perhaps… perhaps she would make matching flower crowns for Sansa and herself again tomorrow?
~~/~~
Doreah had been bought from a pleasure house, and she had spent the last hour giving Daenerys instructions on how to make Drogo be more gentle with her. Daenerys laid down again and Doreah straddled her, it was all too intimate and Daenerys struggled to look Doreah in the eyes… but then, that was the point.
Doreah stroked her face. "Try again, Khaleesi, if you wish to make Khal Drogo love you, first you must conquer him. Make him look you in the eyes, not take you from behind like a broodmare." Doreah dropped a gentle kiss on Daenerys' lips. "Make him want to kiss you…" Doreah began to rock her hips and Daenerys mimicked her. "Good, move with him, then when…"
Suddenly Daenerys flipped them, she caught Doreah's wrists and raised them above her head, pinning her. "Then when he least expects it, take control?" She asked, a smile playing over her lips.
"Yes Khaleesi, very good… should we practice the kissing?" Doreah asked with a glint of mischief in her eyes, she began to rock under Daenerys suggestively.
Daenerys smirked and hovered her lips above Doreah's, just out of reach, suddenly the tent flap opened.
"Khaleesi I have your… supper." Irri said as she caught sight of the two of them. She quickly put the food and drink down and fled the tent.
Startled, Daenerys pulled away from Doreah and sat up, still straddling her.
"She thinks she is in love with you." Doreah commented sadly. "She is not, but she thinks she is."
"I should…" Daenerys didn't know what she should do.
"You are Khaleesi, you do not run after the whims of slaves." Doreah advised. "Do not make yourself look weak, let it go. But give her some kindness tomorrow, I will leave you to eat."
Daenerys looked at the tray, there was enough food for three or four people, Irri had likely assumed that they would all eat together. She shook her head. "No, go fetch Irri and Jhiqui, we will eat together, as we always do."
Doreah smiled and raised an eyebrow at Daenerys. "That will require you getting off of me, Khaleesi."
Daenerys felt a blush spread over her cheeks as she dismounted from Doreah, she only hoped that what they had been practicing would help with Drogo. The other hand maidens were called back and they sat and ate together, although Irri was quieter than usual. When the hand maidens left her all she could do was hope, and wait for Drogo to come. She picked up one of the dragon eggs and held it, surprised at the warmth of it, it was almost hot! 'The sun has warmed it, it is black and keeps the heat.' She told herself, but the green one felt hot as well, and even the bronze one. She hesitated for a moment then put all three eggs in the brazier, she lay on her sleeping mats and watched them, eventually she drifted off to sleep.
Drogo was already trying to mount her when she woke. "No." She whispered, he grabbed her hair and she said the word again, more firmly this time. "No." She tried to turn under him but he was too heavy. "Not like this." Her eyes moved to the eggs, still in the embers of the fire, and somehow she found the strength to turn under him, so that she was facing him.
She pushed herself upwards and touched his face, as Doreah had shown her, the smell of fermented mere's milk was strong on his breath… he seemed to accept the position, as he moved she tried to move with him, but he was so much heavier than Doreah… all she could do was lay still and try to find her moment, she knew that if she tried to flip them and failed it would be bad… She waited until he was almost done, then she placed her foot firmly on the mat and flipped them… his eyes widened in surprise and suddenly she was riding him, instead of him riding her, she held his gaze as she finished him, and afterwards her lips claimed his, and his claimed hers back in return. This was good, things would get better now, they had to.
~~/~~
One of the meres had gone into foal, causing the Khalasar to stop in the early afternoon. Jhiqui said that they would be stopped for at least a day. Daenerys had decided to take a long bath, the copper, a wedding gift, had been brought from the wagons and placed over a low fire, water brought from the nearby stream. Irri had climbed into the copper behind her to scrub her back and wash her hair, Doreah cleaned her nails while Jhiqui saw to their horses, somewhere in the distance Sansa's harp could be heard.
The Dothraki either bathed in the rivers, or scrubbed themselves with sand, so Daenerys knew that the copper was something of a luxury, they had been traveling for moons and Daenerys realised with shame that she had never offered her brother, or Sansa, use of it once. Sansa had brought three dresses with her and slowly they were all becoming ruined, it was worse for Viserys, he had only the clothes that he had worn to the wedding feast, and the borrowed sword that Illyrio had lent him, he didn't really even know how to use it. Occasionally Daenerys overheard members of the Khalasar mocking him. Once she was out of the copper, and it had been drained, she sent Jhiqui to offer the use of it to him.
Irri and Doreah rubbed her down with oils and made her skin beautiful and sweet for Drogo, everything was for Drogo, he was gentler with her now… thanks to what Doreah was teaching her… Sweet Sansa still kept asking her to come eat with the Khalasar, the girl seemed scared of them, but Sansa didn't understand. Daenerys was Khaleesi, she needed to be perfect for her Khal, and after a day's ride that took hours of work to scrub her clean and make her skin soft… she could not afford to allow callouses to build up, or any other imperfections, so every day her hand maidens helped her recover from the days ride, making her skin soft and supple so that she would please her Khal.
Sansa's harp was like a sweet intoxication, Daenerys found herself drifting on the music again as her hand maidens dressed her… suddenly she was on the wings of a dragon, flying high across the sky, she rose and fell with the music, swooping and diving… then suddenly she was the dragon, the skies were hers, she opened her mouth and breathed fire… power and grief escaped her… but why the grief? What had she lost to become a dragon?
Doreah suddenly cupped Daenerys' breast, drawing her away from the music, Daenerys looked at Doreah in surprise. Doreah let go of the breast slowly. "You are pregnant, Khaleesi." She whispered.
Daenerys' jaw dropped in shock, pregnant… she was pregnant? "Are you sure?" She whispered, almost not daring to hope. Doreah nodded and Daenerys smiled. This would make Drogo happy, it had to! But that night, when he came to the tent reeking of fermented mere's milk, she did not tell him.
~~/~~
Another foaling had brought the Khalasar to a halt, every healthy foal was a cause for celebration, the mare had gone into foal early in the day and many of the Khalasar had gathered around to witness the birth, Daenerys had decided to join them. Sansa sat on a rock, playing her harp softly as the mare struggled in labour. Khal Drogo was there, and many of his Ko's, when he saw her he walked towards her.
"Athdavrazar!" He exclaimed as she arrived. She didn't understand the word but he seemed happy for her to be there, he pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her, he rested his chin on her head and watched as a new horse slowly joined the Khalasar.
All through the mare's labour Sansa's fingers never faltered, once the foal was walking, and drinking from its mother, Sansa stopped playing. Daenerys slipped from Drogo's embrace and took Sansa's hand, leading her away to the tents.
"Khaleesi," Sansa said gently. "You seem happy."
Daenerys nodded and smiled, pulling Sansa into her tent, then she turned to face Sansa and placed Sansa's hand on her stomach. "I have reason to be." She replied with a smile.
Sansa's eyes widened in surprise as she grasped Daenerys' meaning. "You're pregnant?!" Daenerys nodded and Sansa hugged her. "Khal Drogo must be so happy!" Sansa exclaimed.
Daenerys bit her lip. "I haven't told him yet." She admitted.
Sansa shook her head. "No, you have to tell him! This is a good thing, you should not keep this from him."
Daenerys nodded, they spent half of the afternoon sitting and talking. Daenerys let Sansa hold the dragon eggs and was reassured when Sansa was surprised by how warm they were. They talked about what it would mean if Daenerys could hatch the eggs, about the baby that Daenerys was carrying, hopefully a son, and about the children that Sansa hopped to one day give Viserys. As evening drew close Sansa convinced Daenerys to join the Khalasar for the feast. Sansa held her harp in her left hand and Daenerys' hand in her right hand. The drinking and feasting had already began when they arrived and Daenerys was surprised by how nervous she felt. Yet Khal Drogo stood at the sight of her and walked towards her.
Khal Drogo took Daenerys' hand and led her to the head of the feast. Daenerys kept hold of Sansa's hand and drew her up with them, as Daenerys looked around there was no sign of Viserys or Ser Jorah. They sat and ate, after a while Sansa picked up her harp and began to play.
Not long after Sansa had started playing Viserys stormed angrily into the feast area, Ser Jorah behind him, and franticly trying to calm him down. Viserys seemed drunk however, and would not listen to Ser Jorah's warnings. He finally stopped in front of Sansa.
"Stop playing! You are not their entertainer!" He demanded in Valyrian. Sansa immediately obeyed.
"Ammemat!" Khal Drogo commanded, Sansa looked afraid.
"Give me the harp." Viserys demanded, again in Valyrian, he never spoke to Sansa in common. Sansa nodded and obeyed. "Now stand up, you are mine, not his." Again Sansa obeyed.
"Nevasolat," Khal Drogo demanded. "Ammemat!"
"What is he saying?!" Viserys demanded of Ser Jorah.
Ser Jorah looked nervous. "He… he is asking her to sit down and play, your grace."
"No," Irri interjected. "A Khal does not ask, he is commanding it."
Daenerys was scared, they'd done it now, they'd woken the dragon. She watched as Viserys threw the harp on the ground and stomped on it, breaking it. Sansa gasped at the action and he struck her.
"She is not yours, she is mine!" He yelled at Khal Drogo before starting to pull Sansa out of the feasting area.
Ser Jorah gave Daenerys an apologetic look then followed after as Irri lent in close and translated his words to Khal Drogo. Drogo stood in rage, but one of his bloodriders said something to him, he spat, then sat again. The feast continued, yet Daenerys could not take her eyes from the broken harp… she hoped her brother didn't hurt Sansa too badly.
~~/~~