Chapter 7
Before the Battle of the Vaes
"I told you already Daario, my mind is made" "I have told you time and time again" It was dawn. The red glowing sun, just beginning to peak out from beyond the horizon. Daario and Eskaar were sitting on a stack of wooden crates on a small dock which Daario's men were unloading supplies from a boat, both of the men looking out to sea. The gentle breeze blowing soothingly across Eskaar's bald head. "What do you think you are going to find out there?" said Daario annoyed "There is nothing out in Westeros that I haven't already told you" Eskaar looked away from Darrio and picked at a crack in the box upon which he sat. Daario carried on "It was ruled by a fat greedy king who took it from the house Targaryen...There are no dragons, no issues you need to concern yourself with, that was the only reason that the silver haired man wanted the Khal's army. To retake that shithole from him" Daario threw a piece of wood into the sea, sighing with frustration. "Look...I can tell you are a good man, I'm just trying to save you some time" Daario shrugged he shoulders and smiled, then he jumped off the crate "I am Daario Naharis, I always have a choice...Eskaar son of cow shit has one too".
Eskaar looked out once more to the sea, smelling the salty air and feeling the spray of the waves. Maybe Daario was right. What would he really find by going to the West. Eventually Eskaar turned to Daario, who was chatting with a few of his men. "You are right, friend" Daario seemed taken aback "Seriously" he said "After all that arguing you are not going?" "no, I will return home to my brother" said Eskaar "I have discovered all that I need to know and now that the Khal's army will no doubt be returning, I must go aid my people" Daario smiled and put a hand on Eskaar's shoulder "I wish you good travels, Eskaar son of cold tit.." Eskaar laughed and put a hand on Daario's shoulder too "Safe travels Daario, I have a feeling we will meet again" Eskaar walked toward the exit door of the small dock but Daario called out "Hey take this" Daario threw the dagger with the provocative looking woman to him. Eskaar caught it with one hand and looked at it shining in the dawning sun. "Keep it" said Eskaar throwing it back. "However I will say this to you Daario Naharis, Dragons are powerful loyal beasts, Make friends with one while you can because you will never have a better companion" Eskaar vanished behind the door.
The Dothraki survivors, were on their knees. The harsh midday sun beating down on their necks as they knelt before Riuk on a small weathered grassy hill overlooking a massive gorge, beyond which in the distance stood the settlement of Vaes Dothrak. Drakon warriors, stood behind each prisoner with a fistful of hair and lethal looking daggers pressed hard to each throat. Riuk paced in front of them, walking with a slow rhythm with Zafna standing a few feet away, arms crossed in front of her respectfully. "Here before me" Riuk spoke as he picked up a small flat pebble and began twisting it over with his hands "Are perhaps the unluckiest horse fuckers on this side on the continent" He continued "Are any of you fucking animals able to speak our language" There was a short silence broken by one Dothraki man on the left who whispered "I speak... little...". A bead of sweat ran down his face and Riuk smiled coldly, kneeling down to his level, the small pebble still in his hand. "Then maybe you can tell me why you interrupt my marriage? why you slaughter my people? Why you killed my father!" He struck the Dothraki, pelting the pebble as hard as he could into his face. The small stone struck the Dothraki straight in the eye and he yelled in pain. "WHY!" shouted Riuk, kicking the next one hard in the throat who fell backwards coughing and gurgling. Riuk then came to the last one and looked straight into his eyes. Only a few inches away Riuk could see every scar, every imperfection on the Dothraki's face. "Why?" he whispered.
The Dothraki said nothing but stared back blankly. Riuk snorted and spat in his face. The Dothraki did not flinch. "This one first" said Riuk and made a gesture to the guards who lifted the Dothraki up onto his feet and walked him over to a wooden contraption overlooking the gorge. The Drakon guards, then bent the Dothraki forwards and tied his arms and legs longways across the contraption with the Dothraki's backside facing upwards, his long hair falling to the ground. Riuk then made another gesture and two more guards picked up a long wooden pole with extremely sharp points carved at both ends. They began to approach the Dothraki. The man seemed to realise what was about to happen and his face turned white. He began to struggle ferociously against the bonds but to no avail. The Drakon men holding the pole stopped just behind him. Riuk walked forward and patted the man on his head kneeling down. "When our scout came back...and informed us you laughed as you ruthlessly murdered a man with molten gold. I didn't believe him until now" The guards which had tied the Dothraki to the contraption ripped off the mans bottom half, exposing his trembling bare flesh. "until you ruthlessly slit my friends throat, murdered my people...and murder my father by caving in his fucking skull. I did not believe that a people like you could be so barbaric" The man looked up at Riuk, his face contorted with fear and alarm and he started shrieking in Dothraki. "gag him" Riuk said, and a guard yanked back the mans hair and tied a cloth around his open mouth stifling the shouting. "I guess I should thank you" Riuk continued "We need to be just as ruthless as you if we are to win the battle ahead of us...Lord of light find you" with that, Riuk patted the Dothraki's head once more and nodded at the Drakon holding the pole. The pole entered the man with a vicious jerk forward, Riuk stood back and watched as the man thrashed about like a madman blood spurting everywhere. The Dothraki's muffled screams of pain and agony made the other Dothraki turn their heads away.
"NO!" shouted Riuk "They will watch this!" The Drakon grabbed their heads and twisted them round to face the man, whose thrashing was slowly getting weaker. Further and further the sharp pole was forced into the Dothraki's behind and a sickly looking bulge formed in the mans lower back, blood was pouring down relentlessly forming a large pool onto the contraption. A few seconds later, a Drakon guard grabbed the mans head and forced it backwards. The end of the pole now stained a dark scarlet hue then suddenly burst out of the mouth, blood gurgling and gushing out. The Dothraki's eyes rolled upwards into his head, the bloodshot whites of his eyes showing an ugly vision of grotesque agony, and then he stopped thrashing, arms limp and gently swinging down by his sides, The Dothraki was dead. "Strip the body and put it on display at the gorge entrance to Vaes Dothrak" said Riuk smiling "Do the same with the others...Zafna follow me I need your council" Riuk began walking back down the grassy slope a small stream of blood running down next to him.
"My king, if you wish my council you must hear this" said Zafna her skeleton painted face looking inquisitively toward him. "Such a barbaric practice has not been performed by our people in over one hundred years...this will have consequences not just for you but for our people... your father.." Riuk cut over her, continuing to walk and looking out to the mountain ranges beyond the gorge "My father used to tell me of stories" he said "Brave kings making tough decisions to benefit the many" He looked at Zafna sternly "Never again presume to council me on what I already know...I ask your council on something else" Riuk pointed at Vaes Dothrak "What do you think will happen when the Dothraki discover, that three of the men they sent to attack us appear at the entrance of the gorge, Stripped naked with poles up their arses and out their mouths?" Zafna blinked surprised "I think you already know the answer to that my king" Riuk wagged a finger at her and smiled "Exactly" he said "They will send whatever warriors they have left to assault our mountain...To do so they need to pass through this gorge" Zafna walked a few paces forward and sighed "How many Dothraki are in the settlement of Vaes Dothrak?" "As far as we know around fifteen thousand" said Riuk clapping his hands together "With our army of fifty thousand strong will will lay waste to the army the Khal in charge, sends into the gorge and then our army will proceed to completely sack the settlement" Riuk opened his arms wide and looked up at the sky breathing in deeply. "Come let us ride back to the mountain and prepare" he said walking toward a hill "Xana!" roared Riuk cupping his hands to his mouth. The sound carried across the grass which swayed gently. Then silence. Suddenly from behind the hill, an enormous column of fire erupted from behind it and out from behind the hill came Xana, bursting upward into the sky, with her black leathery wings stretched wide open. The huge dragon landed with a heavy thud before Riuk. She lifted her massive head down and Riuk smiled, touching the scaly side of her head affectionately, placing his forehead on hers "we will make them pay sister, we will make them pay" Xana relinquished Riuk's touch, lifted up her enormous neck and bellowed out her fury, spewing orange flames as she did so. Her roar echoing through the gorge and into Vaes Dothrak where the Dothraki stood motionless in their tracks staring up at 'The Silent Mountains'.