The sounds of thunder filled the air as a black beast drifted through the air, the people of Vaes Dothrak running for cover when the black dragon let out a roar.
It was not the size of the stories they've heard about, but it was still twice the size of the Dothraki's horses, a beautiful white-gold dragon and a breathtaking emerald-green dragon following closely behind it.
The three dragons did nothing more than circle the city's skies, letting roars out occasionally before they turned. Those brave enough to hop onto their horses raced after them.
Charging out of the city's gates, tens of thousands of Dothraki screamers raced across the desert plains, kicking up dust as they followed the dragons only to be met by a small army of Unsullied.
"Since when do these dickless bastards use dragons?" Some of the Dothraki screamers whispered to each other, the few khals at the front of the group staring down Daenerys.
The woman in question looked back as she sat on a horse behind her army. At the same moment, Drogon touched down in front of the Unsullied army, the Dothraki growing wary as Visenya and Rhaenys cut off their exit point.
"You must believe yourselves strong to race out to face three dragons," Daenerys spoke up, the Dothraki surprised at hearing their tongue before the khal with the longest braid and a thick beard replied first.
"They fetch a high price."
"They are also very hungry, considering that we have been travelling through the lower section of the Dothraki sea for the past month," She replied as she raised a hand and archers rose from the dunes behind her, the khal grimacing as he saw all of them already having their arrows notched.
"I was not surprised at the fact that you Dothraki just charged towards your enemies like fools," Daenerys spoke, smirking as she saw of them sneering at her. "However, I must admit that I expected more."
At her words, the Dothraki glared as the khal in front of them replied with a frown, "Are you mocking our tradition, foreign queen?"
"Why would I, Daenerys Stormborn, khaleesi and widow to Khal Drogo, insult the very traditions he taught me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, a wave of whispers echoing in the crowd as the khals at the front looked stunned at her words.
"You were wife to Khal Drogo?"
"Indeed, I was."
"Then, you must join the Dosh Khaleen in Vaes Dothrak," one of the other khals replied, Daenerys raising an eyebrow as she turned to Irri, one of her Dothraki hand-maidens.
"It is the place where the widows of fallen khals are left to grow old, khaleesi."
"Then no. I am not one to chain myself down to one location."
"You speak our language yet you refuse to uphold our traditions?" one of the khals asked with a sneer. "To be expected from a Westerosi bi-"
"BE CAREFUL OF YOUR NEXT WORDS," Drogon growled out, the Dothraki freezing at hearing the dragon speak before Rhaenys and Visenya growled as well.
"Be calm, my children," Daenerys spoke with a smile, Drogon letting out a huff of smoke as Visenya and Rhaenys calmed down.
"Have care for how you speak in front of my children. They care very little for those that disrespect their mother," Daenerys spoke with a smile as she rode forward, the Unsullied parting and letting her pass.
The woman came to a stop beside Drogon, rubbing the side of his neck as she stared the Dothraki down.
"Your khals would have me chained in Vaes Dothrak," Daenerys said, her voice calm and turning to the riders, "But tell me, what is a khaleesi without her khal? What is a khalasar without strength?"
The khals exchanged glances while her words struck the Dothraki all of them not sure if they should be insulted or intrigued.
"I am the blood of the Dragon," Daenerys began, Drogon watching as his mother continued her speech. My Sun-And-Stars, Khal Drogo, was the Great Khal. He broke armies, burned cities and promised to take the Iron Chair across the poison sea! That dream did not die with him!"
'Now, they're listening,' Drogon thought to himself, watching as they all pulled at their horses and kept steady.
"His blood rides with me still," Daenerys continued, a smile on her face as she spread her arms wide, "And the fire of the world rides at my back!"
"Then prove it," the oldest khal spoke up, his braid long and streaked with silver. "Ride the black beastas Drogo rode his stallion. Show us that you are not smoke and lies."
"Gladly," the Queen replied, climbing off of her horse and letting Missandei take the reins as she climbed onto Drogon's back with practised ease.
Drogon growled as he rose to his full height, shaking his head before taking off with just a few flaps of his hands. The Dothraki were amazed as the woman and dragon soared into the air, Daenerys enjoying the wind in her hair before Drogon soared up.
With a roar, the dragon slowly flipped over, Daenerys unable to help her laughter as Drogon turned and flew back to the ground. Just a few feet above it though, he flared out his wings and let the two of them hover towards the ground.
When they finally landed, she took a moment to catch her breath, running her fingers through her hair to smooth it out before looking at the stunned Dothraki with a smile.
"Now, will you ride with me, Dothraki, to obtain the Iron Chair across the poisoned sea?" she asked, the khals looking at each other before the oldest one climbed off of his horse.
As he did, the older screamers in the horde did the same, all falling to a knee as the khal thumped his fist against his chest. Not longer after, the khals began to kneel, tens of thousands following their leads as the Dothraki all dropped to one knee.
Drogon gave a ghost of a smirk as he rose high, letting out a deafening roar that made heaven and earth tremble while Daenerys stood with a calm smile.
"Rise," she spoke, the Dothraki lifting their heads to stare at her in reverence.
"I am not here to take your freedom, Dothraki!" she began, making them blink in confusion. "No, I am here to give it shape and meaning beyond this sea of grass! You have spent your lives chasing wind and glory, but now! I shall give you both!
Across the poisoned sea, the lords there cower in their stone huts and they tremble behind their armies, but I do not! Why? Because I have you all at my back!"
Her words made the Dothraki whisper and she smiled before continuing. "What need do I have to fear from such cowardly lords when I have the bravest riders in the world?! Or am I wrong?!"
"NO!"
"What need would I have to fear from stone huts when the thunderous hooves of your horses can bring them crumbling down?!" she exclaimed, the Dothraki letting out roars as she continued.
"My Sun-And-Stars promised that I would sit upon the Iron Chair! Now, I wish to ensure that his dream does not die! Let us show those dung-eaters that we care little for their armies!
Show them that the brave riders and heralds to the Great Stallion do not fear their weapons for you are the true Horselords of the World!"
"KHALEESI! KHALEESI! KHALEESI!"
'...She really has a way with words,' Drogon thought to himself, watching as his mother admired the Dothraki cheering before the oldest of the khals spoke up.
"Khaleesi, before we can continue to the poison sea, we must first take care of the khalasar that will block our journey."
"Whose?"
"Khal Pono," Those words brought a face to mind, Daenerys hiding her sneer as she remembered the man with the scar along his neck down to his chest.
He was the first to declare himself khal after her Drogo had fell ill and last she heard of him, he was supposed to be near Volantis with ten thousand riders.
"Why do I need to worry of Pono?"
"He is said to have thirty thousand riders in his khalasar, khaleesi," One of the younger khals spoke up and she narrowed her eyes before turning to Drogon.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?"
"They were the ones to abandon Drogo. Go and show them what it means to abandon my Sun-and-Stars, to abandon me."
"WILL YOU BE SAFE?" Drogon asked, glancing at the Dothraki riders as Daenerys smiled.
"I have your sisters to help me. Go."
"VERY WELL. IF I RETURN AND YOU ARE GONE, IT DOES NOT MATTER TO ME WHERE YOU RUN TO. THE ENTIRETY OF ESSOS WILL BE LITTLE MORE THAN A BURNING WASTELAND," he declared, staring for longer than needed at the Dothraki riders.
"Where is Pono?" Daenerys asked, deciding to spare them the intense gaze as the older khal cleared his throat.
"He is travelling from Volantis to Qohor."
"Qohor, my son. Go,"
"WILL DO," Drogon replied as he turned, his slow steps making the ground tremble as he flared out his wings and rose up into the air.
"VISENYA, RHAENYS! LOOK AFTER MOTHER! I WON'T BE LONG!" Drogon roared as he took off, each flap taking him higher and higher until the people below looked no bigger than an ant.
"Now," Daenerys began, turning back to the Dothraki with a smile, "let me meet this Dosh Khaleen."
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The air trembled as I flew through the sky, each flap sending out a slight shockwave. Below, the vast Dothraki stretched out in all directions, but I was focused on one direction thanks to the Aura Whisper shout.
I have been using periodically as I flew in the direction Mother had pointed, only having picked up a few auras just a few moments ago.
It was not long before thousands joined those and I wondered if these were Pono and his khalasar. As I got closer, though, I felt a burst of excitement when I saw the smoke clouds, staring down at the large khalasar riding below me.
I knew that they saw me since I cast a large winged shadow, watching as they began to scatter before I tucked my wings in briefly.
Tilting my body, I found myself diving towards the ground and a sharp angle, narrowing my eyes as I scanned through the khalasar. I ignored the slaves and those on the outskirts, instead focusing closely on the group that were still riding together.
They were at least a couple hundred people and the moment they saw, I smirked as they did their best to scatter. Unfortunately for them, I had no intent of letting a single person survive.
'Look at me, the ruthless dragon going on a rampage. Oh, how I've changed. ...Oh, well. Time to feast.'
"STRUN BAH QO!" Storm Call had clouds gathering above before rain poured down, thunder rumbling above and making the horses scatter.
It was too late though as lightning rained down moments later, hundreds of bolts lighting up the area and burning everything they touched to a crisp.
Along with that, the rain made the ground unstable, humans and horses tripping over their own feet by the dozens before I noticed Pono finally.
He wasn't nearly as big as Drogo, having more of a burly build compared to the late khal's muscular build, but the Dothraki khal didn't look bothered by me as he held his hand out to the side.
I narrowed my eyes as one of the riders came closer, unfurling some kind of trumpet that the man lifted to his mouth with a grin.
The next moment, he blew into it and I blinked as drowsiness flushed over my mind.
'Wha-what...the hell is that?' the thought flashed in my mind as I flared my wings out, catching myself as I dropped to the ground on my feet.
All around me, I could hear the screamers, but my body didn't want to move at all as I kept hearing the trumpet over the chaos.
"GOL...HAH DOV! STOP!" I gasped as the Bend Will shout took effect, everyone pausing as deep breaths filled my lungs.
"LOK VAH KOOR!" Clear Skies made the storm from Storm Call fade away, leaving me standing in the middle of a Dothraki horde that were all frozen in place.
"STAY STILL," I ordered as I walked through the crowd, uncaring for the people I pushed away as I stopped in front of Pono.
Reaching one wing forward, I smacked the trumpet from his hand, picking it up with one foot before flapping my wings. Going until I hovered in the air, I swooped forward and grabbed Pono with the other foot.
"FOLLOW ME!" I roared as I took off to the skies, carrying Pono and his horse in one hand and the strange trumpet in the other with his khalasar following closely after.
Time to figure out just what the hell this thing is.
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"It could control you?" Mother asked with a frown as she sat atop Rhaenys, Visenya and I hovering beside our sister as I nodded.
"YES. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING WANTED TO FORCE ME TO CALM DOWN."
"How did you fight off the effects?"
"BY STOPPING HIM FROM BLOWING IT," I replied, Mother nodding at that as she turned the trumpet in hand. Below, those still loyal to Pono were being 'taken care of' while the rest that wanted to join were educated on the new rules of the Dothraki.
Essentially, it's the same rules that everyone else in Mother's army followed: You don't steal from your fellow soldier, you don't bring harm to your fellow soldier and if an enemy surrenders or innocents wants to get away, you capture them.
Everything else was fair game, which I was a bit worried about given that there were still so many things to worry about, but I decided to just let her worry about it.
"Well, the others have inspected Pono and from what they've gathered, the horn burned him severely on the inside and left large blisters on his lips. That means that not just anyone can use it, but at the same time, it's far too dangerous to be left alone."
'I'm not sure, but didn't Euron have something vaguely similar? I know that the books ended with Euron winning the kingsmoot, but he did say that he had something to tame the dragons?' I thought as I looked at the horn, narrowing my eyes as I focused on it.
With no distractions, I could feel the oppressive aura exuding from the horn and turned my head to Mother as she looked at me.
"Destroy it," she spoke as she tossed it high and I took a deep breath before blowing out a pillar of reddish-black flames upwards.
I didn't stop until I saw the horn turning to ash in between the flames, cutting them off with a hiss while watching the ashes drift down.
"Well done. For now, we shall go an-" My jaw snapped shut as I felt a stabbing pain in my abdomen, letting out a pained growl and cutting Mother off.
"Drogon! What's the matter?!" I tried to reply, but every bit of my body felt burning hot as I forced myself to drift down, my concerned sisters and mother following closely as we touched down.
The second we did, Mother was off of Rhaenys and in front of me, holding my face with a concerned look as I dug my talons into the ground.
'What the fuck is happening today?! And what smells so good?!' I thought as I looked around, closing my eyes and taking a deep whiff before turning to the direction that I could smell the scent coming from.
As I opened my eyes, though, Rhaenys stared as I drew closer, pressing my snout against her neck before taking another deep breath.
"WHY DO YOU SMELL SO SWEET, SISTER?"
"What do you mean 'smell so sweet'?" she asked, making me frown before I turned my head to Visenya. The she-dragon just looked at me as I did the same, a growl escaping my lips as the scent coming from her was much more potent than the one from Rhaenys.
"Do they smell eerily sweet, Drogon, like the pieces of sweetcake I used to give you three?" Mother asked and I turned to see the knowing look in her eyes.
"THEY DO. WHAT IS THIS?"
"We talked about it, remember?" she said and I blinked slowly as I tried to recall. Moments later, giggles escaped her lips as my eyes widened.
"YOU...YOU MEAN...?"
"I do. Welcome to your first heat cycle, son."
A/N: A bit filler and some bonding moments as well as elements to show that the dragons are not all-powerful.
Just kidding, this is more to curb Drogon's ego and make him wary.
Also, mating is slowly but surely encroaching. Can't wait until I have to write that. Yay~
Anyway, sorry for the late upload, but I wanted to make sure this one was good before I uploaded it.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!