Chapter 3
Sanctuary's End
The screams of pain went through Eskaar's head like a hive of angry bees. He gazed in shock as the molten gold cascaded down the sides of the young mans face. "I've never seen such barbarity" said the scout behind Eskaar "Is this truly how the Dothraki are now?" said the second equally shocked "Quiet!" Eskaar snapped quickly as he continued looking from the small concealed niche. He watched, as the man fell like a rag doll to the floor looking straight at him with blank eyes. The man shuddered, then lay very still, dead. Eskaar then directed his attention at who he assumed was the new Khaleesi. Her long white blond hair and pale skin were indeed as beautiful as he had been told. Eskaar wiped his forehead, then faced the two scouts. "Okay, the way I see it, this could go one of two ways" the scouts tensed "The first" Eskaar continued "The Khal returns to Vaes Dothrak, as he and his army have no further need to venture to the west, if this is the case we are in trouble, our people are not prepared for this kind of barbaric nature and we must be prepared if they attack" there was a short pause broken by one of the scouts speaking up "Then I will journey back, tell our people of the danger?" Eskaar crouched down and frowned in thought "the second is that the Khaleesi, might persuade Drogo to carry on with his skirmish" he said this more to himself rather than the scouts who crouched to his level wearing a puzzled expression.
"So do we journey back home and warn the Drakon?" said the scout nearest Eskaar who grimaced in frustration and turned back to Drogo "this is a difficult situation" he spoke gravely "If we wait until they leave, it may be too late to prepare the Drakon, if we go to warn the Drakon now it may be in vain" "Do we really want our people to be caught unaware?" said the other scout equally as grave standing and looking out to the Dothraki people beyond "Look at these filthy animals, fucking in view of everyone, killing people with molten gold! Worse they still have our dragon eggs they stole seventeen years ago!" he directed his attention back to Eskaar "My lord, we cannot let these savages back to Vaes Dothrak without preparing our people first, for the brutality of what is coming!" Eskaar stood to face the scout "You are right Bokuo, we must prepare our people, Run, quickly and may the lord of light bless each step" Bokuo bowed his head then instantly, he vanished into the dense thicket, leaving a small sandy dust cloud in his wake "As for you Killig, you remain here, if the Khal takes his army back then make with all haste back to our mountain, if he journeys west then keep with them until they reach the sea" Eskaar, his conscience now clear now knew he had to do "What of you, my lord" asked Killig, Flexing his tattooed arms.
"I am going to the west" Killig gasped "My lord you can't! our people need you, this was not part of our mission, besides there is a chance you.." "Listen to me!" Eskaar interrupted angrily "There must be a reason that that king wanted to take an army to the west, I am going to find out why" Killig looked perplexed but nodded respectfully "I will do as you say" he said "Good" Eskaar breathed in deeply then he too vanished into the wilds. The terrain was alien and Eskaar keep twisting his ankle and grimacing in pain. However he knew that he needed to see these lands of the west, if the Drakon were to get any kind of clarity on what was happening beyond the world of their mountain ranges he knew he needed to do this, for the good of all.
Riuk sat on the balcony overlooking his chambers, regarding the tiny specks of the Drakon people, hundreds of feet below him. The cool night air gently caressed and soothed the small sunburn on the back of his neck. There was a knock at the door. "Enter" he said loudly still not moving from his perch. "My lord? It was a woman's voice and in turning, Riuk saw the dark tanned, tatted young face of his betrothed Freya. "When I heard you had faced a Dothraki I was so afraid!" Riuk smiled at her tenderness and climbed off of his balcony "I am fine" he smiled and began walking toward her. She was quite beautiful, with bright red tattoos of her clan, going down the left side of her face and spiralling down and around her bare back. Riuk hadn't yet seen her whole body, but was sure she had more under her clothes. He was within kissing distance but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. Her light brown eyes searching his own, frowning. "What is it?" Riuk asked "What is it?" she repeated sarcastically "My betrothed fucks some hunter born bitch and that same, betrothed, asks me what is it!"
Riuk's heart sank "You know it wasn't love" he said looking into her face. She walked away turning her back on him and Riuk noticed an additional tattoo on the back of her neck "I think it matters little whether it was with love or without!" she snapped "I have known Lala since we were children, we grew up together, we played together and we both learned to speak Westerosi together" Freya spun round and folded her arms "and Im not good enough is the it! I can't speak Westerosi...I can't hunt or fight or do anything she can!" "That isn't true at all.. and you know it!" said Riuk hotly "For fuck sake Freya I survived a Dothraki attack today!" As he continued Riuk noticed tears in Freya's eyes. A feeling of guilt washed over him and came to rest in the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry Freya" he said walking over to his bedside and leaning on the stone basin "We have just known each other a long time and we trust each other" He looked at her ashamed, it obviously showed on his face because her expression lightened and became softer. She sighed deeply and a tear rolled down her cheek "When your father and mine matched us last year, I was so happy" she said, going over to him and giving a small smile, tears still clinging to her lashes "Riuk.. He with blue eyes, heir to the Ember Throne and Freya the accident daughter of Warlord Hydra" Riuk reached out and held her hand.
"Did he tell you that?" he asked, shocked. Freya's smile seemed to brighten as Riuk's hand touched hers, but she sighed looking down at her feet "Twice...Both times in anger but I think he is right" Riuk sat on his bed and Freya followed, her hand still grasping to his. "that's not right" said Riuk frowning. "It is nothing" said Freya quickly "He was much stricter to my sisters, because.. well because I suppose he didn't have the son he wanted" Riuk let go of her hand and looked at the dragon shaped tattoo's on the back of his arms "My father always said the female dragon was more valued, they are bigger more powerful, but more than that they have a fierce passion for their children and their family...the father dragon does not, and doesn't usually care" he looked up into Freya's eyes "maybe the dragon people are too much like the dragons?" Freya stood up, filling a silver goblet of water then smiling girlishly "What would you like? I mean when we have children of our own" Riuk hesitated and tried to not look as taken aback as he felt "I haven't really thought about it".
Freya drank and then beamed at him "I'd like a daughter. A daughter with eyes as blue as yours" Riuk rolled his eyes and smiled "Everyone wants my eyes!" he said laying down onto his bed, feeling more relaxed "Riuk, your name means literally, blue eyes, and its because you are the only Drakon that lives, to have eyes of blue" Still beaming and flashing her white teeth she excitedly sat back down next to him, gripping his arm tight "I just thought. When you are king and sitting on the Throne of Embers? What will I be? Will I be a queen or something else?" Riuk shrugged and began to play with her long black hair. "I don't know, my mother died just after my Father was crowned, I didn't know her title" "Well I don't think I would mind either wa.." As Freya spoke, an explosion erupted from outside. The blast was loud and clear and made them both freeze in shock. Both of them stared out at Riuk's balcony and they ran out hurriedly, looking down at the specs below. The sound of shouting and clattering of weapons began to build louder and louder, then the door banged loudly and voice called "You're highness you are needed down at the entrance of the mountain, it is your hunter born friend!" "Lala!" he exclaimed. He looked at Freya, gripping a pillar in fear "stay here, don't worry ill be back soon!" he said and threw open the door rushing out.
The entrance of the mountain. Huge, majestic and powerful. With doors strong enough to withstand even the biggest armies. As the Drakon people moved aside for Riuk, still shrieking and yelling in panic. A few warriors began following Riuk, and he found what had caused the explosion. A Dothraki standing atop a wagon of what used to be oil. Shouting something in Dothraki at the Drakon people and to Shanok who stood alone in the middle of a half circle of people around the destroyed wagon. The Dothraki had obviously attempted to blow up the entrance by lighting a wagon of oil, but the mighty door looked almost completely the same. Riuk then caught sight of something that made his heart turn to ice. It was Lala. The Dothraki, with a knife at her throat with one hand and her short hair clasped tightly in the other. There was now no sound now, except the Dothraki's shouting in a language Riuk could not understand. Then the man stopped, gazing at the king. Riuk noticed behind Shanok was Lala's father, Azan, a huge man, powerfully built, his bald head wrinkling the tattoo upon it in stress, with a rough face contorted in a look of pure hatred. No doubt wishing for the opportunity to get his large fists around the Dothraki's throat. There was then a long Silence. Everyone seemed to hold there breath. Riuk then stepped forward, past a few bodies which he assumed had been injured from the explosion. Riuk emerged from the crowd into the clearing. Both the Dothraki and Lala looked at him. Her face beamed "Riuk, you took your time!" she shouted in Westerosi "I guess this is about earlier?" he asked trying to sound more confident that he felt "Silence Riuk!" Shouted Shanok also saying the word in Westerosi, he then began to speak in Dothraki to the man and after a few word exchanges Shanok looked at Riuk and asked again in Westerosi "The dead body you originally found? What do you know of this?" "Killed by another of his own kind.." Riuk began but Lala spoke up "I killed him".
Riuk simply looked at her, betrayed at her words. "It..It's not true" he said stuttering in shock. Lala grimaced in pain as the Dothraki yanked her hair back. She continued regardless "I'm sorry Riuk...it is, I only wanted the bastard's sword. He wouldn't trade me so I...killed him". Riuk began to talk back again but Shanok silenced him with a hand. Once again everyone held their breath. Waiting. Riuk's face began to change into a look of anger and he glared at the Dothraki. The Dothraki however stared back at Riuk then back to Lala. Finally he gave a small smirk at Riuk, then slit her throat. Time seemed to slow down, Azan's mouth slowly stretched into a vicious war cry and charged forward, the people around slowly began screaming and covering their faces, Shanok drawing his axe. Riuk just stared. Stared at Lala's now lifeless body tumble off the blackened cart and land on the stone ground beneath. The only sound Riuk could hear was the sound of his own breathing. His knees buckled and he slumped down, his friend, his hunting partner and his first real love. Now lay very still, a small pool of blood forming around her head still laying face down and lifeless. Finally Riuk looked round at the Dothraki who was now being tackled to the ground by Azan, repeatedly stabbing the Dothraki's chest and neck with a fierce looking knife, yelling out his grief at loosing his only daughter. Droplets of blood flying everywhere.
Two guards behind Riuk put a hands under his arms and dragged him effortlessly backwards away from the commotion. The last thing Riuk saw before the entrance of the mountain was sealed, was his father's face, his beard blowing gently in the wind and his face tattoo's glowing in the light of the embers from the destroyed wagon. He looked into Riuk's eyes and unspoken words sounded in his head. The words made tears stream down his face, and he abandoned himself to dark despair as the door closed shut with a mighty, metallic clunck.