Daenerys now had almost nothing, and those who followed her gained nothing from her, yet she had not wronged them.
She had also secretly vowed that when she escaped her current predicament, she would surely give them generous rewards so as not to fail their loyalty, but she didn't expect a traitor to appear by her side so soon.
"Who bought you? Speak, and I will let you die more quickly."
"Khal Drogo, Lord Zaro is as wealthy as a nation..."
Doreah, who was skilled in bed, did not have the professional ethics to keep secrets for her employer.
"Khal Drogo, what happened?" Jorah walked in panting, scanning the messy courtyard and asking urgently.
"It's Zaro." Daenerys's face was grim.
"It really is him," Jorah murmured in a low voice.
"How did you guess it was him?" Daenerys was somewhat puzzled; Zaro had not shown any desire for the dragons.
"I only heard today that Qarth has a strange custom. On the wedding day, the wife has the right to demand a token from the husband, anything at all, and in return, the wife must also agree to give the husband one thing, whatever the husband wants, he must be given."
Daenerys hadn't expected that Zaro didn't want her person, but rather her dragons. No wonder his eyes didn't show that kind of desire when he looked at her yesterday.
"What do we do now?" Jorah looked at Daenerys.
"Have you found a ship?" Daenerys wanted to leave Qarth right now. She wasn't welcome here, and people were constantly eyeing her dragons. Even someone as polite on the surface as Zaro had begun to try and take them openly; she didn't know how many others would do the same.
This time they had Drogon and the others, but they were small after all. If more enemies came, even her little dragons would find it hard to cope, and they wouldn't be as lucky as today.
Hearing Daenerys's question, Jorah replied with some guilt: "I haven't found one yet, but I've heard some news about Westeros."
Hearing that Jorah hadn't found a ship yet, Daenerys couldn't help but be disappointed. She wanted to leave Qarth now more than ever, a feeling that even outweighed the news from Westeros.
"How is Westeros now?" she asked anyway.
"Eddard was beheaded, he..."
"Eddard was killed? Didn't you say the new king wouldn't kill him?"
Upon hearing that Eddard had indeed been killed, Daenerys immediately questioned Jorah. He had been so confident in his analysis that the new king wouldn't kill Eddard, yet he was killed only a few days later.
Drogon's prophecies were coming true one by one. After several shocks, Daenerys's nerves had toughened, and she was no longer as panicked as at the beginning.
This was also thanks to Drogon's performance today. It was he who led Rhaegal and Viserion to burn the Qarthians who tried to steal the dragons. If Drogon hadn't discovered it a step ahead, Rhaegal and the others might have been pinned down by spears and captured before they could even take flight.
Drogon could save them once, but could he save them a second or third time? So this was why Drogon wanted to train them? Only if they were strong themselves would they escape death.
She would have to supervise their training even more strictly in the future, Daenerys resolved in her heart.
Hearing Daenerys's questioning, Jorah had no rebuttal. He hadn't expected that King Joffrey would still behead Eddard under such circumstances.
"Go on." Seeing that Jorah didn't defend himself, Daenerys also knew that his analysis that day had been reasonable. As for why the new king killed Eddard, perhaps they had a personal grudge; with her political mind, Daenerys could only think of this possibility.
"After Eddard was beheaded, his eldest son Robb marched his troops toward King's Landing but was blocked by Tywin. Tyrion Lannister, Tyrion, took over as Hand of the King. King Robert's brother Renly was assassinated, and his other brother Stannis is preparing to attack King's Landing."
"Isn't Tyrion a dwarf? How could he become Hand of the King?" Daenerys was puzzled.
[Tyrion Lannister is no ordinary dwarf; he truly has the bearing of a Hand of the King.] Drogon, listening to the news of Westeros, replied in his heart.
Drogon even knows about Tyrion Lannister? He seems to understand him very well. Daenerys was slightly surprised. Could Drogon really be the reincarnation of the black dragon "The Black Dread" Balerion? And possess the ability of foresight?
Two successful prophecies made Daenerys trust Drogon even more, and her thoughts began to wander.
"I don't know much about Tyrion," Jorah admitted frankly.
[This is the importance of intelligence. If only The Spider Varys could come.] Drogon missed Varys a little.
Who is Varys? Hearing Drogon's thoughts, Daenerys had new questions. She still lacked news about Westeros and King's Landing; most of her previous information came from her brother Viserion's repeated nagging.
"How should we deal with Doreah?" Having understood the general situation, Jorah asked Daenerys.
"Gather everyone." She hated betrayal most, and even for a personal maid, she would show no mercy.
"Khal Drogo, please forgive me this once, I promise there will never be a next time." Hearing that she could not escape death in the end, Doreah pleaded with Daenerys while weeping.
Daenerys no longer paid her any attention and turned her head to look at the distant blue sky, her expression firm and resolute.
When the Dothraki had all gathered in the courtyard, Daenerys ignored Doreah's wailing and signaled Rakharo to carry out the execution. Rakharo had no mercy and cleanly cut off Doreah's head.
The Dothraki already viewed life and death lightly—a wedding wasn't considered proper if a few people didn't die—and they likewise hated betrayal.
[What a charming head.] Drogon sighed with regret in his heart.
Daenerys: "..."
Looking at the rolling head, Jorah's heart couldn't help but twitch slightly.
"Mother of Dragons! When will you go to The House of the Undying?" A sudden voice came from the doorway.
The newcomer had no hair or eyebrows, sunken eye sockets, gray eyes, and blue lips. He was one of the Thirteen Drogon had seen outside the gates of Qarth.
"Sorcerer Pyat Pree!" Jorah muttered to himself. At the welcome party Zaro held for Daenerys, Pyat had already invited her to The House of the Undying. He hadn't expected him to come in person today.
Daenerys glanced at Jorah before saying, "Lord Pyat, I have been busy lately and truly have no time to visit your residence. I will certainly visit when I am free."
At the welcome party, Daenerys had seen Pyat's eeriness, which reminded her of the maegi Mirri who had killed her husband and son. For people like this, she preferred to keep a respectful distance.
"But The Immortal has waited too long, and as a servant, I feel deeply uneasy about this," Pyat said expressionlessly.
"The Immortal?" Daenerys heard of this for the first time.
"He is my lord."
"Please tell The Immortal that I will certainly visit in the near future," Daenerys continued to decline.
"You are making it very difficult for me." After Pyat finished speaking, he tilted his head...