Upon hearing Ashley's words, Cal felt indignation rising inside her. She was not to be traded like cattle. Somewhere she heard Sir Michael yell, but it had taken her only moments to grab Ashley's blade from her side and charge at the Khal.

It had taken even less time for two of the Dothraki soldiers to knock her out. Right before she blacked out though, Calico felt a sharp sting along the side of her brow and something warm dripped into her eye. Then, it was dark.

She awoke back in the same tent she had found herself in when she first arrived. Only this time, her hands were tied behind her with rough leather straps.

If the situation hadn't been so dire, she would have joked that the bondage was very much to her liking.

A Dothraki horse rider entered the tent. He looked surprised to see her there, but upon seeing her bonds, a malicious smile spread across his face.

He took a step towards her, but fortunately Ashley appeared before he could get any closer.

"Vos! Me tikh Khaleesi," she shouted and slapped the back of the man's head. She pushed him out of the tent before looking down and glowering at Cal.

"Fine mess you've made of this," she said. Cal laughed. "I didn't even get a hit in," She said.

"No, you didn't," said Ashley pointedly. "You're lucky that scar on your brow bone isn't any bigger."

Cal remembered the stinging sensation now. "Mind untying me?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," replied Ashley. "Kahl's strict orders to keep you subdued until you've calmed down. You're lucky he didn't kill you on the spot."

Cal sighed. "Why didn't he?" she asked. "Surely, he could find another prisoner to marry him."

"The Dothraki admire courage and violence. You've only attracted him more with your little stunt," replied Ashley.

She made herself tall and lowered her voice to mimic the Kahl. "Look at how fierce she is. There is fire inside her."

"Great," Calico huffed. A thought struck her. "Where is Sir Michael?" she asked. "He's fine," Ashley responded. "Would you like to go and see him?"

Cal nodded, and Ashley helped her to her feet.

Outside of the tent, she saw him. He was tied to a pole near the center of camp. He was covered in dirt, and his face was badly cut and bruised. Cal felt a pang of guilt as she approached him. He was obviously punished for her impulsivity.

As she approached, he looked up at her. Cal could see one of his eyes was almost completely swollen shut.

"Cal," he said. "You're okay."

"I wish I could say the same for you," she replied.

He managed a weak laugh. "I've had worse," he said.

She leaned in close enough to smell the sweat caked on his skin. In as low of a voice as she could manage, she whispered, "Don't worry. I'm going to get us out of here."

Sir Michael smiled wearily back at her. "I know this is pointless to say, but please don't do anything too reckless."

Before she could respond, Cal noticed Sir Michael's eyes widen just enough to let her know that she should look behind her.

She spun around quickly and immediately crashed into a large, hard surface. As she began to fall, she remembered her hands were still tied behind her back. She braced herself for the inevitable impact of the ground. But the wall she had run into wrapped his arms around her waist and placed her right-side up.

Of course it's the Kahl, Cal thought bitterly.

He stepped back from her and turned to Ashley. "Kisha gwe asshekh," he ordered before walking away. Cal looked at the blonde girl.

"What did he say?"

"He said we leave today."

"Leave?" Cal asked frantically. She followed the girl towards the edge of camp, abandoning a bewildered Sir Michael. "Where are you going?"

Ashley laughed. "You mean where are 'we' going. You are going to marry the Khal, Calico Crocuta. The Dothraki take what they want."

Cal thought she sensed an edge of bitterness in the woman's voice, but it was so faint she couldn't be sure if she imagined it. She wondered how the tall blonde had come to Essos, and how she became a member of the tribe.

Before she had a chance to inquire, strong hands were lifting her onto a large chestnut draught horse. She turned in the saddle to see men and women quickly packing up tents and gathering belongings. Two men were forcing Sir Michael to his feet. They tied his hands together with a long piece of rope and pulled him over to Cal. One of the men attached the rope to the back of her saddle. It was clear he would be forced to walk. She gave him an apologetic look, and mere moments later the khalasar began moving.

They were heading northwest to Vaes Dothrak, the only true city of the Dothraki people. Ashley was filling her in on the details while they rode. Once there, she and the Khal would marry.

Cal felt her stomach drop. It wasn't that she had anything against the khal per say, if circumstances were different she might have found him very attractive. The problem was she had never considered herself the marrying type.

After her father had died, it had just been her and Sir Michael. She had learned to take care of herself, and the red-headed beauty didn't intend for that to change so soon.

She looked back at Sir Michael. He looked tired, but had been holding up pretty well. "When I am Khaleesi," Calico asked Ashley. "Will I be able to guarantee his safety?"

"Unless the Khal says otherwise, when you are Khaleesi, you can guarantee anything," replied Ashley.

Cal quite liked the sound of that.

Calico could see the entrance to Vaes Dothrak from afar. It was marked by two gigantic bronze stallions. The statues' hooves met a hundred feet above the roadway to form a pointed arch.

Beyond them rose a great purple mountain. It's rocky peaks looked to scrape the blue sky above it.

There were no gates or walls around Vaes Dothrak. The city itself was expansive with broad, windswept streets paved in grass and mud. Past the gate there was carved stone pavilions, manses of woven grass, wooden towers, stepped pyramids and log halls.

The khalasar stopped in a large courtyard area, and everyone began dismounting. Ashley hopped off her mare and walked around to Cal to help her down. Cal's wrists had been rubbed raw by the leather. Noticing her discomfort, Ashley began slowly untying the binding.

"You're letting me go?" Cal asked.

Ashley snorted. "Absolutely, not. But we're too far way from any other city for you to make a run for it, and you're surrounded by the khalasar. If you try and escape, you'd barely reach the gate before you'd be killed." She paused. "Although, we really shouldn't underestimate you. You did make it through the Red Waste." She eyed Cal cynically before going to untie Sir Michael, who immediately collapsed from exhaustion.

Before Cal could go and help him up, Ashley had grabbed her arm and was leading her away. "Where are we going?" Cal asked.

"The Khal wants to speak with you."

"I don't bloody care what the Khal wants," said Cal, but her protest was ignored.

Ashley led her up the steps of a large pyramid. Inside, the Khal sat on a stone bench.

Ashley pushed her forward, and Cal approached the intimidating man.

"Zheana," he began. "Anha nesa ha kashi tih mahrazhis afichak ha virzeth graddakh, ki yeri ha

anna."

"Beautiful," Ashley translated. "I knew when my men saved you from the Red Waste, you would be mine."

"Yeri hatif ven disse yeri oakah. Ven tih khaleesi, anha vazhak yeri rhaesheser."

"Your beauty is matched only by your spirit. As my queen, I will give you the world," finished Ashley.

Cal studied the khal. His bulging muscles were taut under his tanned skin. The flecks of gold in his eyes practically glowed under the dancing flames of the torches. They were kind eyes, tender even. They hinted at the possibility of a warm heart under the tough exterior.

Calico shook her head slowly. "No," she said. Her voice was firm but soft.

Kahl Qhono nodded to Ashley as if he understood, and the girl grabbed Cal's arm. She began to lead her out of the room.

"That's it," Cal whispered. "He's letting me go?"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid," she said. "I told you the Dothraki take what they want."

Calico had spent the night tossing and turning, thinking about today. Although at first she had been resistant to the idea, she knew things could be worse. After all, when she was banished from Qarth, she hadn't really had a plan. She was just trying to make it through the desert alive. She had no family or money. Most likely she would have been killed by the Dothraki or captured and sold near Slaver's Bay. If not, she would have lived a poor life as a beggar or worse. Now, she had the opportunity to be queen to 30,000 Dothraki, some of the fiercest warriors in the world. Perhaps this was her destiny after all.

That morning, three Dothraki women came to prep her for the wedding.

They ran a hot bath for her and added sweet-smelling perfumes and oils. One woman gathered the sides of her straight hair into an elaborate braid, leaving the rest down and natural.

The dress was grey-blue like her eyes, and made of a cloth so thin and sheer it reminded Cal of fragile tissue. It left little to the imagination, highlighting her every curve. The shoulder straps were fastened with golden pins that spread out like branches.

When they brought out coal paint to darken her eyes, Calico insisted they use a light hand. She had seen the Dothraki war paint, and voluntary or not, it was her wedding day. She didn't want to look like one of those half-dead warlocks from the House of the Undying.

When she was deemed presentable, the ladies led her out into a large pavilion overlooking the clear blue lake the Dothraki called the "Womb of the World."

Across from her were great stone steps and at the top sat Khal Qhono. Ashley stood at the bottom with Sir Michael to her right. He was looking solemn, but upon seeing the determination on Cal's face, his look softened.

She was not afraid.

Qhono stood and spoke. His voice bellowed loudly across the pavilion, so all of his people could hear.

"Ki jini anha astak asqoy hatif Maisi Krazaaji kash shieraki vitihiri asavvasoon, kash qoy qoyi thira disse, nevakhi vekha ha maan gwe."

Ashley called out after him, "I swear before the mother of mountains as the stars look down in witness, as long as the blood of my blood lives, there is a place for you here."

Cal breathed deeply and tried to remember the phrase Ashley had instructed her to repeat.

"Me azhasavva vezhofoon," she said. It was supposed to mean, "It's a blessing from the great stallion," but she had butchered it she was sure. She made a mental note that learning Dothraki would be the first thing she did as Khaleesi.

Ashley then gestured for her to walk up the stairs to take her place next to the Khal. When she was seated, the festivities began.

Slaves brought out dish after dish of food, and drums began to play. The women gathered into the pavilion to dance in a way Cal had never seen before. Their moves were primal. To her, it looked as if their whole bodies were spasming. To her shock, warriors would come up and mate with them freely as the whole khalasar looked on. Soon this passion would bring men to blows, and Calico began to lose count of the deaths.

She snuck a glance at Qhono. He was smiling, seemingly enjoying the violence and chaos, nothing like the gentle man she had seen the night before. It was odd to think that this was now her husband.

She smirked. In Qarth she had always told people that she would never settle down in a conventional marriage.

Well, nobody would call this wedding conventional, she thought.

Towards the end of the ceremony, gifts were presented to the couple. Each of Qhono's bloodriders presented her with newly forged weapons. Ashley had instructed her to politely decline these gifts, as they would then go to her husband. Some of the merchants from across Essos had brought sweet wines, jewelry and books in an attempt to stay in the horde's good graces. Her favorite gift though, came from Sir Michael.

It was a dagger made of Valyrian steel. It's hilt was made of dragonbone and was encrusted with rubies and gold. She recognized it immediately as one which had belonged to her father. Her eyes teared up. She looked at him and mouthed a silent, "Thank you." He nodded and squeezed her hand gently. Somehow having him here gave her more courage.

Qhono stood, and the drums and dancing stopped. He looked at Cal and extended a hand. Cal knew what happened next. It was time for the bedding ceremony.