Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or Game of Thrones characters seen, mentioned or used.
A month has passed since Daenerys Targaryen had been sold to Khal Drogo.
In that month, Dany's had to learn how to 'properly' ride a horse in a manner the Dothraki considered acceptable, learn their primitive language that sounded like a choking horse in the Targaryen's opinion, and become accustom to their food. Sadly, the latter largely consisted of horse, dog, rabbit and whatever kind of animal the Dothraki hunt or thinks would be good eating. The first time Dany tried to eat horse, she found herself feeling unwell for two days and could barely ride her horse comfortably without feeling like she'd throw up again.
The smell of cooked horse hadn't helped matters much either, and the 'horse milk' they had left Dany wishing for muddied water from a dirty puddle in one of the many alleys of the Free Cities. How the Dothraki have managed to survive for so long on such a diet Dany couldn't begin to fathom, and came to conclude that the Horse Lords must've made some sort of bargain with a god in the past to make it so.
"Do you know what's being prepared for tonight?" Dany asked as she was tended to by her 'handmaidens' in her and Drogo's tent, the interior lit with over a dozen candles.
After a day of riding under the brutal sun, Dany was tired, covered in sweat, sore, hungry enough to risk another attempt at horse flesh, and in need of a much needed bath to wash away the smell of horse, dirt, and sweat. The sweat soaked horse hair leggings and leather had been removed not long after Dany retreated to the tent for the night and replaced with a sheer blanket, where the Dothraki found one Dany had no idea. Her hair, which had grown tangled and dirty from the hours of riding through the countryside of Essos, was being cleaned and brushed by Irri while legs and feet were tended to by Jhiqui with a cloth and water.
"Venison I believe, Khaleesi." Doreah answered as she tended Dany's stone eggs, gently washing them with a cloth before placing them back into the chest that housed them during the Horde's journey to Vaes Dothrak "Some of the hunters had found a heard of deer grazing and rode them down and killed many. Khal Drogo is throwing a great feast now to celebrate."
"Enough to feed the whole Khalasar?" Dany asked before wincing as Irri tried to untangle a small knot of her hair just above her left ear.
"Sorry..." Irri whispered when she noticed Dany's reaction to her efforts to straighten out and clean her Khaleesi's hair.
"It's fine." Dany responded, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths as Irri continued to untangle the knots that had formed.
She longed for the handmaidens that Illyrio had selected for her when she and her brother still lived in Pentos, women who had years of experience in tending to a woman's hair rather then a Dothraki who looked like she could barely tend to her own. Perhaps she'll start teaching Irri and even Jhiqui how to be proper handmaidens, if for nothing else, she won't feel like she's being tended to by a couple of monkeys that smell of horse. Doreah was... adequate, but her main duties were to instruct Dany how to lay with a man and keep her husband happy with the things the former pleasure slave taught her.
Something that she doubted will matter much to Drogo, who seemed fine with just fucking her like a beast and leaving her after he filled her with his seed.
'Thank the gods for Moon Tea.' Dany thought with a mental sigh before she noticed Doreah was still tending to the chest that housed the three Dragon eggs within.
"Do you think these were actually laid by dragons, Khaleesi?" Doreah asked as she held the largest of the three eggs, the black and red one, freshly cleaned, and examined it closely with a look of wonder on her face.
"I don't know." Dany said as she watched Doreah with a tired, but amused grin "At the very least, they were made to look like them. They probably belonged to a Valyrian of some importance at one point, or were intended for one."
"Perhaps they hail from your house, when they still resided in Valyria?" Doreah suggested with a hopeful grin.
"Perhaps." Dany shrugged before she hissed in pain when Jhiqui pressed down too hard on a sore on her heel.
"I'm sorry, Khaleesi." Jhiqui whispered in apology.
"It's... it's fine." Dany said with a huff, doing her best to keep her anger in check "Please, be more gentle in the future."
Yes, a firm teaching in how to be a proper handmaiden was due for both the Dothraki women.
Returning her attention back to Doreah, Dany watched as the young woman set the large black egg back and retrieved it's pale, cream colored brother.
"Why are they different, do you think?" Doreah asked curiously as she ran her hand across the egg's smooth surface "The black one feels like I'm holding coal and rock, but this one feels like a large pearl."
"I cannot say." Dany said with a slightly embarrassed grin "Perhaps their maker simply thought making three dragon eggs from three different materials would look better than them all being made of the same thing."
"I hope he was generously paid for it." Doreah said as she brought the egg up to her head and pressed her ear against it, as if to listen for what was inside.
"What are you doing?" Dany asked with a giggle.
"I'm seeing if it's awake inside." Doreah pouted before she sighed and shook her head and placed the egg back in the chest and brought out the emerald green one.
Dany shook her head in tired amusement "They aren't real eggs Doreah. Even if they were, whatever was inside of them had died and turned to stone long ago."
Doreah hummed as she examined the green colored egg for a few moments, her eyes trailing the bronze furnished flakes scattered across it's surface in a bizarre pattern she couldn't quite understand. The egg felt like it was made of glass in a way, or the brightly colored gems that Viserys would allow her to wear on nights he felt like making her seem and look like a proper lady at court rather then the whore she's been since her first bleeding. Doreah's smile dimmed a little as she gently settled the green and bronzed colored egg back into the chest and adjusted several of the blankets around it. While they may be just stones, they should still be treated with a bit of respect, if nothing else, to honor the eggs of which these great beasts they were modeled after.
Irri and Jhiqui continued to attend to Dany's hair and blisters while Doreah set about preparing a simple white nightgown for her to wear. Once her hair was cleaned and her blisters tended to, Dany signaled for Doreah to help her dress and prepare for the evening before a sudden commotion from outside drew the four women's attention to the tent entrance.
Frowning, Irri approached the flap while Dany spared a glance towards Jhiqui and quested her as to what was being said outside.
"Someone is trying to gain a audience with you, Khaleesi." the Dothraki woman whispered as Irri stepped outside and quickly closed the tent flap behind her, preventing Dany from seeing what was going on.
"Well she's preparing for sleep. Have Irri tell whoever it is to return in the morning." Doreah huffed as she tied the last laces on the back of Dany's gown.
Jhiqui nodded and quickly made her way towards the ten flap before Irri suddenly slipped back through with a look of exasperation on her face.
"Who is it?" Dany asked, curious as to who wished to speak with her at this hour.
"It's the cur-" Irri began before she stopped herself before continuing "Your, friend, Khaleesi. The one called Peter-"
"Send him in." Dany said, casuing Doreah and Jhiqui to glance at her for a moment, the latter in confusion while the former seemed amused.
"Hmm, perhaps sleep can wait a little longer." Doreah teased as Jhiqui stepped forward, unsure.
"Khaleesi, it is growing late and Khal Drogo will return soon, perhaps you can speak with hi-" the Dothraki woman began before a single, silent glare from Dany stopped her.
"I'm speaking with him, now." Dany said in a quiet, but firm voice before turning towards Irri and smiling "Send him in, please."
Irri bowed her head and quickly turned to open the flap and gestured for the riders outside to allow Peter in.
"A pity you aren't wearing more appropriate attire, Khaleesi. Something to show more of what he desires." Doreah whispered with a knowing grin on her face as she, a now blushing Dany and Jhiqui took their seats, followed shortly by Irri as Peter stepped into the tent.
Dany noticed he was still rather pale looking, but still seemed to be in good health. He hasn't appeared to have lost any weight like she feared he would by now, or appear exhausted in any shape or form, but still, there was something... off, about her friend.
"Dany, you're not going to believe what I've discovered!" Peter said almost breathlessly, his entire body was practically shaking with excitement.
"It's nice to see you as well, Peter." Dany teased with a laugh, casuing Peter to blush, which was now even more prominent given how pale his face was.
"Uh- sorry." Peter winced.
"What is it?" Dany asked with a grin, amused and curious as to what her beloved friend wanted to tell or show her that had him in such a fine mood.
Peter looked around for a moment, likely to find a seat, but soon realized that all of the ones in the tent were either occupied by Dany, or her handmaidens. Realizing this, he simply shrugged and sat down on the ground and brought up his arm, pulling back the sleeve of his tunic to show his pale skin. Dany couldn't help but frown at just how pale Peter still was, nor how prominent the black of his veins were. Doreah's face drained of color as she stared at Peter's arm, likely remembering what happened in Illyrio's dungeon while Irri and Jhiqui looked put off by the state of Peter's arm.
"What is wrong with his arm? Is he sick?" Jhiqui whispered to Irri in Dothraki.
At least, that's what Dany assumed she said, she was still learning how to speak the guttural tongue of the horse lords.
"Okay, see this?" Peter said as he held up his arm and pointed to the array of black veins that seemed to start at the base of his wrist and travel up the underside of his arm until they seemed to fade away into the arm at where it bent.
"Yes." Dany nodded.
"Okay, so I was sitting in my tent earlier and all of a sudden, my wrist started to feel itchy and I thought I felt something wet on it. So I decided to see what it was." Peter said as he pointed to his wrist "When I looked, I saw that there seemed to be a hole, or a cut, something, right at where my wrist ended and my palm begins. I also saw that that wetness I was feeling was in fact real. Some of whatever that black stuff is was leaking out through that hole or whatever it was that formed on my wrist."
Peter scooted closer to Dany and held his wrist up for her to better see what eh was talking about. Personally, she saw noting, though she did notice that his veins seemed the darkest just before his palm and seemed to converge there.
Before Dany could say anything else, Peter pulled back and looked down at his wrist with a thoughtful look on his face "At first I thought I was bleeding or something, so I tried to look for whatever cut I had and when I pressed down on my wrist, this happened!"
Peter then turned and raised his arm and Dany saw as he curled his middle and ring fingers in and pressed down on his palm, just before his wrist. For a moment, nothing happened, then suddenly the veins on Peters arm seemed to darken before-
TWIP!
"SHIT!" Doreah yelped as she jumped up from her seat and away from Peter, knocking into Irri and causing her to tumble out of her seat while Jhiqui's eyes widened and her face paled.
Dany stared at Peter, or rather his wrist, slack jawed, as a single black... line of some sort, had shot out from his wrist and struck the side of her and Drogo's tent. The line, rope, whatever it was, looked to be made of the same black material she remembered Illyrio's dungeon being covered in, only now it wasn't some sort of bulging mass. It had a glossy looking appearance, and now that she was looking at it properly, seemed more akin to a vine then something as simple as a rope.
Peter meanwhile, was beaming with excitement "Pretty amazing, right?"
"It's... it's something." Dany said, unsure how she should feel about what she witnessed.
On the one hand, it was indeed amazing... on the other, it only reminded her that something was wrong with her friend. It didn't seem like magic to her, the more she looked at it, the more she thought about it, but rather... a curse. As if some dark power had taken root in her beloved and was now slowly changing him, turning him into something that could no longer be simply called human. The man that gave this... power, affliction, whatever it was, to Peter didn't strike Dany as some benevolent being, so why would this be any better?
"I'm still trying to figure this whole thing out, like how and where this stuff is coming from." Peter said as he looked down at his arm with a thoughtful look on his face "I think it starts in my chest? I don't know to be honest, but when I pressed down on the base of my palm like that, I felt this... well I felt this weird tightening in my chest, then this feeling of something moving through my arm and then... it comes out."
"Does this... thing, come out of your other arm as well?" Dany asked as she glanced at Peter's other limb.
"It does." Peter nodded as he shook the arm in question with a grin "Same feeling and everything. Tried to see if anything came out of my legs, nothing."
"Well, that is a relief." Dany said with a soft chuckle "I think it'd be rather inconvenient to be shooting out whatever that stuff is every time you took a step."
Peter nodded in agreement before he suddenly remembered something and snapped his fingers "Oh, that reminds me!"
Dany and her handmaidens watched with curiosity as Peter crawled over to take one of the candles surrounding the three eggs in Dany's chest and quickly made his way over to where the black material still stuck to the side of the tent was and held the flame just under that inky black mass. Dany was about to ask what Peter was doing before she saw the material react to the flame underneath it, seemingly shivering before it quickly caught fire and began to burn with a hiss that sounded far too... animalistic, to her liking.
"Found out that only fire seems to really get rid of this stuff." Peter revealed as he watched the black, tar like mass burn with an unreadable look on his pale face "Seems to absorb water without any issue, and trying to tear it off whatever it's stuck to is more trouble than it's worth. It's pretty sticky I found out."
"How long have you been experimenting with this?" Doreah asked, doing her best to not wince at the loud hissing sound the inky mass made as it was burnt to a crisp.
"Since this morning and after we stopped for the night. Wanted to be sure of what I found out before I brought it you to see." Peter shrugged as he pulled the candle back as the now charred lump fell to the ground and quickly stomped on it, reducing it to ashes.
"And have you noticed anything else in your... experimenting?" Dany inquired.
"Aside from what I just showed you? No." Peter shook his head as he went and returned the candle to where he got it from and took his seat back in front of the four women "Still trying to figure out what else about me is different aside from the fact that I can now shoot these weird, black ropes or vines or whatever from my hands and can probably wrestle a horse to the ground."
"You haven't tried that yet, have you?" Dany asked with a giggle at the thought.
It would be very Peter for him to try and wrestle a horse to see if he could now.
"No, but mainly because all the horses seem to be afraid of me." Peter sighed with disappointment "And not just them, but the dogs, mules, donkeys', oxen, all of them react the same. I so much as get within ten feet of some of them, and they panic and act like I'm a lion trying to eat them or something."
"I saw you walking beside the Lady Silver yesterday." Doreah spoke suddenly with a frown laced with suspicion "Her horse didn't seem to mind how close you were."
Danny had to hold back a scowl at hearing this while Peter explained how and why it was the Valyrian woman's mount could walk so close to him so calmly.
"It's the bag she has tied around it's mouth and nose. It's full of food and I think she said the bag was laced with things to distract it's sense of smell. If it didn't have that bag, it's probably be running for the hills with her on it." Peter joked.
"Well, if she ever starts to bother you, you can always rip that bag off the horse and see if it happens." Dany sniffed, casuing Peter to look at her with a frown.
"Ummm, okay?" he said, confused as to Dany's seemingly sudden animosity towards the other woman.
From his brief talks with the exiled Westerosi, Ser Jorah, she and Dany seemed to have hit it off during her wedding and spent most of it talking with one another.
'Wonder what's changed?' Peter thought before he mentally shrugged.
If something happened, they're certain Dany will tell them.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Peter said as he slapped the ground next to him and quickly climbed to his feet while looking around the tent for something to use for his next demonstration.
"Are you looking for something?" Dany asked, noticing Peter's gaze darting around her and Drogo's tent.
"Is there anything sturdy that you or your husband won't need or miss if it's broken?" Peter asked.
Dany stared at Peter with puzzlement before she looked towards one of the chests gifted to her on her wedding that contained various encrusted cups, chalices, and silverware. She doubted she'll ever use most of it, and given the rough lifestyle of the Dothraki, she'll be surprised if half of it will still be in good condition by the time they reach Vaes Dothrak.
With a slight nod towards the chests, Peter quickly walked over and opened the chest and retrieved a silver cup from it's contents.
"This will do." Peter said after a quick inspection of the cup before he held it out towards Doreah to take.
"Thank you?" Doreah said with confusion as she accepted the cup while Peter stepped back and turned away from them.
"Okay, throw it at me." he said.
"Why do you want her to throw it at you?" Dany inquired.
"You'll see." Peter teased, his back still turned to him "Trust me."
Doreah looked to Dany for a moment before she turned and threw the cup towards the back of Peter's head.
Daenerys Targaryen watched and waited with baited breath for the cup to hit the back of Peter's head, but no sound of the cup hitting him came. There was no yelp of pain, no curse for his foolishness escaping his lips, instead, he silently tilted his body to the side just enough for the cup to fly pass his head. Dany's eyes, and that of her handmaidens and Doreah, all widened as Peter shot an arm out towards the cup, and a single black line was loose from his wrist and snagged the silver cup out of the air before it could hit the ground and yanked it back into his hand.
"Ta-dah!" Peter said with a grin as he turned on his heel and held the silver cup up for the four women to see.
"That was... impressive." Dany said as she stared at the cup Doreah threw at him.
Peter hadn't turned his head once, and far as Dany could see, there wasn't any way he'd be able to see when Doreah threw the cup, or where it was aimed at.
"And to prove to you that wasn't a fluke..." Peter said as he set the cup down and went to retrieve more items from the chest he got it from earlier "I want you all to throw more things at me. Don't tell me what it is or when your throwing it. Just do it, hard and as fast as you can."
"Peter, this isn't necessary." Dany reasoned as the chest was set before her and her handmaidens.
"It's fine, really. Nothing you throw at me will hit me." Peter assured her as he stepped back and turned away from them again.
Dany still looked unsure about this while Doreah reached into the chest and pulled out a small plate engraved with pearls along it's edge. Before the young Targaryen could say anything, Doreah threw it towards Peter's back, only for the man to lean backwards until his torso was facing upwards and almost parallel with the ground and had the place sail over him before shooting back up and snagging it out of the air before it could hit the ground with that strange black rope of his.
For the next few minutes, Dany watched as Doreah, and eventually Irri and Jhiqui, reached into the chest to retrieve something to throw at Peter, only for him to dodge it and catch the item before it hit the ground. At one point, Doreah and Irri both threw a quartet of spoons at him and Peter, balanced on on foot, twisted and turned most of his body at odd angles that caused the Targaryen to flinch. She was quite certain a person's spine wasn't supposed to bend in such ways, nor could they perfectly maneuver their body in such a way while balanced on one foot.
"How... how do you do this? To move without seeing it? Without hearing it?" Jhiqui said with disbelief.
"Honestly no idea, but it's great!" Peter exclaimed with glee as he tossed the spoons thrown at him on to the small pile of valuables thrown thus far "I just... I just know when something is about to hit me and my body just... it just moves."
That alarmed Dany, somewhat "Your body, it moves... on it's own?"
At this, Peter frowned and made a low humming sound as he tired to think of an appropriate answer "I mean... kinda, I think. Like, it feels like I'm not moving on my own, but I am. Like if someone threw cold water on you, you flinch or jump, it's sorta like that I think. Like if I actually think about it, I can not move if I want to, but who wants to let something hit them?"
"How did you come to learn about this..." Dany trailed off as she tried to think of the proper way to describe this ability to dodge without seeing "Avoidance of yours?"
"This morning, when the horde was first setting out." Peter said with a shrug as he sat back down in front of the women "After my tent had been packed and we started to move out, I guess a slave didn't do something he was supposed to and a nearby Dothraki rider noticed and got upset with him. He yelled at the slave, no idea what he said, the slave decided to run and the rider I guess decided running after him wasn't worth it, so he decided to start shooting at him with a bow he had."
Dany's breathed hitched at this while her handmaidens looked worried.
Peter frowned as he recalled the events that unfolded earlier that day "I guess the rider wanted to play with the slave, or he was a terrible shot, because the first two arrows he fired missed the slave. One hit the side of a donkey, poor guy, and the other would've hit me-" Peter raised his right hand and reached across his chest to pat the back of his left shoulder "-right here had I not suddenly just... turned and caught the arrow."
"Someone shot at you?!" Dany's eyes widened in shock before they quickly narrowed and cooled with a burning rage.
"Technically, nooo." Peter laughed nervously as he let his arm fall "But it's fine! No one was hurt, well except the slave, the rider got him with the third arrow, right in the neck it looked like and I guess he was just left there."
At the very least, Peter hadn't bothered to say what was done with the dead man's body, he was too busy at the time staring at the arrow he suddenly caught.
"All the same, you could've been hurt or even died because of some fool's recklessness." Dany growled before she turned to Jhiqui "Find whoever did this and bring him to me. He will answer for nearly hurting my friend."
"Khaleesi-" Irri began before she flinched as the growing rage within Dany's eyes snapped to her's.
"What?" she demanded with a hiss.
"I-It's... you don't... you cannot pass judgement on one of the Dothraki." Irri muttered weakly.
"Am I not the Khaleesi of this Khalasar's? Is my husband not the Khal?" Dany huffed in outrage.
"You are, Khaleesi, but among the Dothraki, a Khaleesi's power only has as much weight as the Khal will allow." Jhiqui spoke up in attempt to draw away her Khaleesi's ire from Irri "And even then, it will never be equal to that of the Khal's, or even his Bloodriders or Kos."
"Perhaps you can speak to your husband when he returns, Khaleesi." Doreah suggested.
Dany eyed her for a moment before she closed her eyes and reluctantly nodded and turned her gaze back to Peter "Can you describe the man who was shooting these arrows? Did you happen to hear a name called out by any others present? Anything that I can use so that my husband can find him?"
"W-W-Well I-I, I wasn't really paying attention all that much once I caught the arrow." Peter said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously "I was kinda in shock at the fact I caught a arrow shot at me with my bare hands-"
Suddenly a perfectly clear image of the grey haired Dothraki shooting the arrow appeared in his mind, the way the man leaned slightly to the side as he raised his bow, how he tilted it slightly as he aimed down towards the running slave as he passed Peter. How the rising sun in the East was shining off a small silver bell that was tied to what looked like a dark braid that hung from the left side of the man's jaw, while the braid on the right looked to be longer and filled with many gray hairs.
"He... he..." Peter struggled to find the words to best describe the image in his head "He looked older than a lot of the other riders. Grey hair, long braid that reached his lower back, and his beard was fashioned into two braids, one side longer than the other, the shorter side had a small silver bell tied to it."
He doesn't remembering turning to look at the man as he fired the arrow, hell he didn't even realize there was a slave running past him until the thin looking man dressed in rags shoved him aside.
Dany meanwhile turned her attention to her two Dothraki handmaidens after hearing the description of the Dothrai rider "Do you know who he's speaking of?"
"I... I think I do, Khaleesi." Jhiqui muttered with a small nod "He is Kut-"
"I don't care for his name, I just need to know you'll be able to find him when I send you to bring him to my husband so he may be dealt with." Dany explained.
"Yes, Khaleesi." Jhiqui bowed.
"When will the Khal return?" Doreah said as she glanced at Irri.
"Not until later in the night, he is feasting with his Bloodriders. He will be too tired to do anything until the sun rises." Irri revealed.
"Then He'll be brought here in the morning." Dany said through gritted teeth, frustrated that the savage that nearly hurt her friend won't be dealt with until later. Suddenly raised her hand and waved it "Leave me, I wish to retire for the night."
Irri and Jhiqui rose and bowed to Dany while Doreah slid to her feet and went to help Peter up and escort him out of the tent before Dany stopped them.
"Peter, stay, please." she asked, casuing Peter to stop as he was in the midst of climbing to his feet.
"Uhh, okay?" he said, clearly confused while Irri and Jhiqui looked at the Khaleesi with shock.
"But Khaleesi-" Irri began before Doreah cut her off.
"Our Khaleesi told us to leave, must she repeat herself?" Doreah asked as she glanced at the two Dothraki woman before her "Or would you prefer I have some of the men outside drag you out for defying her?"
Irri and Jhiqui both paled at this before they bowed and muttered their apologies before they all but fled from the tent. Doreah glanced back at Dany and winked at her with a knowing grin "If you need anything Khaleesi, I shall be right outside, speaking to some of the riders."
And to watch for Khal Drogo and warn you of his approach, went unsaid.
"Thank you, Doreah." Dany smiled at her friend.
Doreah bowed before she exited the tent, leaving Dany and Peter alone for the time being.
"What was that about?" Peter asked once the three women were gone.
"Oh, it was nothing." Dany said with a reassuring smile "Irri and Jhiqui are just... they are Dothraki, they are strangers to our ways, and that of a more civilized people. My hope is they will learn in time."
"Well, considering I saw a rider kill another for the right to spend the night with a slave woman yesterday, that might take a while." Peter stated with a blank face.
"Baby steps." Dany admitted with a small chuckle.
"More like getting the baby to crawl first." Peter sighed as he looked around Dany's tent "Hmm, you know, I thought you and your husband's tent would be... nicer. I mean it's bigger than mine, but aside from that, doesn't look any different. Aside from your chests of jewels, dresses and Gods knows what else."
Dany giggled at this "You didn't think I'd forsake all the comforts of the civilized world, did you?"
"After a month among these people, I half expected you to start neighing like a horse and munching on a apple." Peter teased.
"If they had my favorite apples, I might." Dany grinned before she shook her head in mock sadness "Sadly, they only seem to have grass and hey for their mounts. Fruit seem to be a luxury they only partake in when attacking villages or cities."
"Heh, and don't even get me started on the smell." Peter snickered as he waved a hand in front of his face "I've slept in stables that smelled better than most of these people."
"Agreed..." Dany said as she briefly glanced at her and Drogo's 'bed' with a unreadable look on her face before it brightened as she turned back to Peter "I just realized this is the first time we've spoken in over a month. Have you been settling in well? Aside from that stupid savage shooting arrows at everyone."
"Ehh, could be worse all things considered." Peters shrugged "At least I have a tent to sleep in. Lot of your slaves just kinda sleep outside or under the wagons you have."
"Do you need anything?" Dany asked with a worried look on her face "Admittedly the Dothraki don't have much, but I can see to helping you be more comfortable as we travel to Vaes Dothrak. I can see about getting you better furs for your bed."
Peter shook his head at this "I'll be fine, I think."
Really, the only thing he's been bothered with so far is that damn sun. At night, he felt wonderful, his feet and legs weren't sore from all the walking and no one has tried to give him any real trouble. The food could be better, but considering he once had to eat literal rats just to survive, he wasn't gonna complain too much, and the mare's milk wasn't so bad after a while.
"Well if you do need anything, don't hesitate to tell me and I'll do what I can." Dany said as she slid down from her seat and sat down next to Peter and reached out to place her hand on top of his.
"That's... good to know." Peter said as he eyed Dany warily before he gently slid his hand out from underneath the Targaryen's, only to sign as Dany grabbed it and took it into both of her's.
"Don't, please." Dany whispered sadly.
"Dany, I don't think this is such a good idea." Peter sighed "Especially after what happened the last time."
If getting beaten, thrown into a cell and infected with some kind of black tar after being bitten by some strange man was a result of Viserys catching him with Dany, her own brother, he didn't want to find out what would happen to him should her HUSBAND see them like this. It'll probably end with both him AND Daenerys killed or worse, and probably Viserys too since he is Dany's brother and Drogo might feel he was involved somehow.
That, or because Viserys will say something that will set the Khal off.
"This time, we won't be caught." Dany said as she nodded towards the closed tent flap "Doreah will let me know if Drogo's approaching. We don't have to go far, not with the time he's away unknown to us, but perhaps we can at least-"
"No." Peter shook his head as he tried to take his hand out from Dany's again before she suddenly climbed on to his lap and straddled him.
"I am tired of being told what I can and can't have, Peter." Dany said quietly as she cupped his face.
At this, Peter's eyes narrowed as he felt a spike of anger "And I tired of getting beaten or worse again-"
Dany cut him off by pressing her lips to Peter's.
...
'Gods take these savages to the darkest pits and leave them to rot.' Silver Sablinova thought with barely veiled disgust as she watched several Dothraki men and women, rutting like animals before a great bonfire.
Some of Drogo's men had stumbled across a heard of deer and were able to bring back a great many for the Khalasar to feast on for the evening, along with a great score of other meats that the Horde acquired in their previous raids and trade with the merchants of Pentos. Normally Silver would be dining in the part of the massive camp occupied by her men, but Khal Drogo had invited her potential future husband, Viserys Targaryen, and the last living member of House Sablinova wished to see how the brothers by law interacted. For the most part, Drogo seemed more interested in drinking and speaking with his Bloodriders and watch the antics of his savage people while Viserys spent most of the time speaking with the former Knight from Westeros, Ser Jorah. What they spoke of, she had no idea, there wasn't a spot close enough for her to listen in on, and even if she was, the sheer amount of these horse fuckers wandering about would make it difficult to stay close.
Thus, Silver was forced to sit across from them all, on the other side of the great bonfire set up, and watched as these savages lived up to their savagery. Be it fucking like unapologetic animals in heat, fighting with one another over some slight, or feasting like pigs.
'Thanks the Gods I decided to dress more practically. If I had wore one of my dresses and these beats got their filthy food or drink on it...' Silver thought with a grimace as she reached up to brush some cooked venison off her shoulder as a drunken Dothraki stumbled past her, carrying a large chunk of cooked meat to pass around to his fellow savages.
Seeing as she won't be able to properly converse with Viserys tonight, she saw no reason to stay here and have her being sullied by these savages. Quickly climbing to her feet, Silver pushed her way through the crowd and away from the great bonfire, intent on retreating to her tent for the evening, perhaps find some worthwhile company to entertain her for an hour or two, and a strong drink to help prepare for tomorrow.
She passed numerous tents, wagons, tethered beats of burden, horses, and slaves the Dothraki didn't trust to not run away the first chance they got. Personally Silver never saw what the appeal was for slaves. Many tended to be uneducated, smelled, and lacked any real loyalty, something she has used to great affect in the past to defeat her enemies or keep up to date on the movements of her rivals.
The most they'll ever amount to in her eyes was either fodder or chinks in her enemies armor and defenses.
As Silver turned down a small 'road', and spied the Khal's tent ahead, she noticed something odd. The interior was still it, likely from the many candles the young Khaleesi was said to favor instead of the great bonfires the Horde held every other night it seemed. She also saw Daenerys's handmaiden, Doreah, standing outside of the tent, acting very much the discreet lookout she was ironically not supposed to appear as. Curious, Silver quickly slipped into the shadows of the various tents set up and used them to approach the Khal's tent.
The poor girl had no idea Silver was even there until she moved behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her flush against Silver's front, while another hand brought a knife up and pressed it into the side of the girl's chest. Doreah for her part didn't scream out in surprise, though Silver supposed she wouldn't be able to anyway given how tight her arm rested on her neck. The sharp prick of her knife may have also ensured the former please slave didn't make any unwise decisions.
"Quiet, or I'll snap your neck after I stick you." Silver whispered into the woman's ear, taking a moment to enjoy the sweet fragrance of her dark hair before she slowly moved them forward enough that they were in front of the flap.
Sparing a quick look around to make sure no one was present or noticed them, Silver turned and leaned in close enough to peer through the tent flap that was open just enough for her to see the tent's occupants inside.
She could see Daenerys, dressed in a simple nightgown hiked up to her hips and exposing her bare legs, straddling what appeared to be Peter, her arms wrapped around the young man's neck, their heads close and tilted at different angles. It didn't take a Grand Maester to see that the young Targaryen had finally succumbed to her desire for the young Parker boy and was now indulging as much as she could before her beast of a husband returned.
'Good girl.' Silver thought with a snort of amusement as she pulled back and returned her attention to the upset handmaiden. A part of her wondered who this Doreah woman was more upset about, her seeing her lady taking her first steps to having an intimate affair behind her husband's back, her lady for having the Parker lad to herself, or perhaps the Parker lad for having the Targaryen for himself.
Perhaps all three.
"Cease your fretting my dear, I'm not going to run to your lady's beast of a husband to tell him he's soon going to be cucked by a man half his size and nothing to his name except for the fact a girl with the blood of Old Valeryia running through her adores him." Silver stated as she released Doreah and stepped away from the tent flap and slowly inhaled before letting out a brief, sharp exhale "My head would be on a spike right next to theirs, after a fair bit of raping of course."
"What do you want?" Doreah demanded with a harsh whisper as she reached up to rub her neck.
"I want a lot of things." Silver shrugged as she gazed up at the nighttime sky and admired the stars for a moment before returning her gaze to the former pleasure slave "A powerful husband, a home, justice for the dishonor dealt to my family, great wealth."
Her alliance with the Targaryens' might at the very least, allow her to have three of those things.
'So long as neither ends up dead beforehand, Gods willing.' Silver thought as she continued to stare at Doreah with an unreadable expression.
The handmaiden tried her best to not crumble under the Sablinova's weighted gaze, but her cold piercing eyes would've left even vicious heathens from the far North frozen in fear.
"Tell the Khaleesi to look for me once we've set out tomorrow. There's a great many things we need to start discussing, that is, if she's intent on surviving long enough to see her family restored to the Iron Throne." Silver said as she turned to leave "And enjoy such things with a living lover such as the young lad in that tent with her."
Doreah's worried, almost fearful expression quickly turned angry at the implied threat "If you think you can threaten her or-"
"Drogo will be on his way back soon, best to get the boy out of there while you all have time." Silver cut her off with a dismissive wave as she began the trek to her own tent.
She had lots of planning to do, after all.
...
And done.
Next chapter, Newcomer...
answers to reviewers' questions or statements:
Zhorvak: Sonja yes, but it'll be a bit for her.
Jebest4781: It will not be easy, for any of them.
War Sage: We'll see a bit of Peter's experimentation in this chapter and the next several.
Anime007: Yes I know the games you're talking about.
Nomad98: X-23 and Wolverine, and Kingpin will not be in this.
gotham0101: I'm not touching that crap with a ten foot pole, even if it's to make it better.
ATB: The only Game that truly matters.
BrotherofaStudio: You have no idea.
Spiraling Fan 3128: Uh-oh, the flamer is mad for being called out and is now acting like a child. Utterly pathetic of you XD
badiullahmeri10: Red Sonja will appear, but it'll be later in the story compared to the previous one.
Slim A Lou Prime: Peter won't be Dany's yes man or blindly follow her plans. He'll have his own agenda at times that may run... counter, to what Dany is trying to do.