Khaleesi to Mhysa: A Daenerys Re-read

Lala · July 16, 2013

07/26 Edit

DogLover

and

Le Cygne

have kindly agreed to co-host this reread with me! We will be updating this thread with

one chapter a week

, which we hope will provide sufficient time for discussion and for everyone to catch up with the reread progression. The focus of this thread will be to provide participants with a broad analysis of Daenerys as a character and her character arc on a chapter by chapter basis. Certain themes and aspects of Dany's story may be highlighted due to our own individual interests and opinions on her character~

Chapters will take the format of a recap - analysis setup, giving participants a clean summary of the chapter we are focusing on followed by an analysis of that chapter.

A princess living in exile and the last known Targaryen, Daenerys Stormborn begins her journey as a timid young girl obedient to the wishes of her brother, Viserys, and their financial supporter, Illyrio. Her story traces her transformation from exiled princess to Khaleesi to the Mother of Dragons and Mhysa and one of the most controversial characters in ASoIaF. Is Dany a hero or a villain? Is she a ruler or a conqueror? Is she Mother or Dragon? Is she crazy :leaving: ? Or is she a visionary? Or is she simply "but a young girl" looking for a long-lost home?

Feel free to add your voice to our discussion as we try to examine Dany with fresh eyes and critically reread her story from the very beginning.

I. Recap + Analysis

We first meet Dany as a guest in the home of Illyrio as she's preparing for the party at which she will be introduced to Khal Drogo.

Her brother held the gown up for her inspection. “This is beauty. Touch it. Go on. Caress the fabric.”
Dany touched it. The cloth was so smooth that it seemed to run through her fingers like water. She could not remember ever wearing anything so soft. It frightened her. She pulled her hand away. “Is it really mine?”
“A gift from the Magister Illyrio,” Viserys said, smiling. Her brother was in a high mood tonight. “The color will bring out the violet in your eyes. And you shall have gold as well, and jewels of all sorts. Illyrio has promised. Tonight you must look like a princess.”
A princess, Dany thought. She had forgotten what that was like. Perhaps she had never really known. “Why does he give us so much?” she asked. “What does he want from us?” For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister’s house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free city of Pentos.

Viserys brings her the gift of a gown from Illyrio, telling Dany that "tonight [she] must look like a princess." This comment causes Dany to muse on what it means to be a princess, reflecting that she "had forgotten what that was like" and that "perhaps she had never really known." This reveals two things about Dany's life so far: (1) that she has lived in relative poverty - it has been a long time since she has been able to look like a "princess" & (2) that Dany does not know what it means to be royalty. The second point bears closer analysis. What does it mean to be royal? Insight can be gained from considering the behavior of the other royalty of Westeros - Cersei, Joffrey, Arianne, Robert, etc. - and what is said about them by those who know them and are ruled by them. Particularly helpful in this consideration is the conversation between Catelyn and Ned after Robert asks Ned to take the position of Hand of the King:

“I will refuse him,” Ned said as he turned back to her. His eyes were haunted, his voice thick with doubt.
Catelyn sat up in the bed. “You cannot. You must not.”
“My duties are here in the north. I have no wish to be Robert’s Hand.”
“He will not understand that. He is a king now, and kings are not like other men. If you refuse to serve him, he will wonder why, and sooner or later he will begin to suspect that you oppose him. Can’t you see the danger that would put us in?”
Ned shook his head, refusing to believe. “Robert would never harm me or any of mine. We were closer than brothers. He loves me. If I refuse him, he will roar and curse and bluster, and in a week we will laugh about it together. I know the man!”
“You knew the man,” she said. “The king is a stranger to you.” Catelyn remembered the direwolf dead in the snow, the broken antler lodged deep in her throat. She had to make him see. “Pride is everything to a king, my lord. Robert came all this way to see you, to bring you these great honors, you cannot throw them back in his face.”

Royalty expects to be obeyed and served - there is essentially a sense of entitlement in the behavior of royalty (particularly hereditary royalty) in which the why of whether or not a man will serve them is unimportant, royalty is simply concerned with the if - you either serve or you do not serve, and if you do not serve, you must oppose them. This is a sentiment that is glaringly absent in Dany at the beginning of the series - she does not remember what it is like to be a princess - she does not expect to be served and is very obviously concerned with why people like Illyrio will do things for her. She knows that "such gifts seldom come without their price" rather than expecting them as her due as a royal princess.

There is a sharp contrast between Dany and her brother - they are essentially foils to each other. Whereas Viserys, despite everything he has been through, still believes that service from Illyrio is his due, as the "King" of the 7K, Dany has a much more practical standpoint - seeing Illyrio's relationship with her and her brother as the relationship of a merchant with his wares. But Dany knows better than to contradict her brother with her realism - calling to mind Sansa's lessons in "lies and Arbor gold" under the tutelage of LF.

Magister Illyrio was a dealer in spices, gemstones, dragonbone, and other, less savory things. He had friends in all of the Nine Free Cities, it was said, and even beyond, in Vaes Dothrak and the fabled lands beside the Jade Sea. It was also said that he’d never had a friend he wouldn’t cheerfully sell for the right price. Dany listened to the talk in the streets, and she heard these things, but she knew better than to question her brother when he wove his webs of dream. His anger was a terrible thing when roused. Viserys called it “waking the dragon.”

At some points, Dany's realism can almost border on LF/Tyrion-esque cynicism. When Illyrio's servants enter to help her prepare for the party, she reflects that although they are not called slaves, they are still, for all intents and purposes, slaves.

They were slaves, a gift from one of the magister’s many Dothraki friends. There was no slavery in the free city of Pentos. Nonetheless, they were slaves.

This leads into Dany's reflections on her own position - and how she feels more like a slave who is being bought and sold than a princess (who should have some agency over her own life).

Last of all came the collar, a heavy golden tore emblazoned with ancient Valyrian glyphs.
“Now you look all a princess,” the girl said breathlessly when they were done. Dany glanced at her image in the silvered looking glass that Illyrio had so thoughtfully provided. A princess, she thought, but she remembered what the girl had said, how Khal Drogo was so rich even his slaves wore golden collars. She felt a sudden chill, and gooseflesh pimpled her bare arms.

Right before, when Dany is bathing, we are told that she likes the heat of scalding hot water, because it makes her feel clean - this is, interestingly enough, followed by Dany feeling "a sudden chill" when she realizes that while she is called a "princess," she is, in reality, a "slave." The contrast between heat and cold can be inferred to represent the contrast between truth and lies - Dany likes the heat, because she prefers to confront the "clean" truth, so when she realizes that she is complicit in a lie (even to herself), she feels a "chill."

This is further brought home by the description of Viserys as he is waiting for her:

Her brother was waiting in the cool of the entry hall, seated on the edge of the pool, his hand trailing in the water.

Unlike Dany, Viserys has shown an explicit preference for the lie - or the "cool of the entry hall" - he happily accepts the fictions that Illyrio feeds him throughout the chapter: that the 7K will rise for him as the "rightful king," that he is the chief of Khal Drogo's guests, so on.

This juxtaposition between Dany and her brother is also echoed in Tyrion's advice to Jon during the banquet at WF:

“Let me give you some counsel, bastard,” Lannister said. “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”

Unlike Viserys, Dany has the courage and honesty to know what she is (just another asset in Illyrio's business deals) and what she is not (a princess).

After Viserys leaves, Dany stares out of her window at the children playing outside. Her thoughts at this point provide valuable insight into what Dany longs for:

When he was gone, Dany went to her window and looked out wistfully on the waters of the bay. The square brick towers of Pentos were black silhouettes outlined against the setting sun. Dany could hear the singing of the red priests as they lit their night fires and the shouts of ragged children playing games beyond the walls of the estate. For a moment she wished she could be out there with them, barefoot and breathless and dressed in tatters, with no past and no future and no feast to attend at Khal Drogo’s manse.

It is significant that Dany, the young exile princess who has lived in relative poverty for most of her life, does not long for riches or power or the restoration of her dynasty - what she longs for is to be like one of the "ragged children" outside, "barefoot and breathless ... with no past and no future." In essence, Dany longs for freedom, but freedom from what? The "walls of the estate" may be metaphorical representations of the what Dany perceives is limiting her from truly being free. We know that the "ragged children" are "beyond the wall of the estate." What do they have (or have not) that differentiates them from Dany then? The key is in the phrase "no past and no future" - Dany feels walled in by her royal blood and the Targaryen name (her past) - like her brother, she must feel at least some measure of the burden of restoring their family dynasty (her future). It is significant that, at this point, if she could choose, there is a good possibility that Dany would choose a life that she can truly live for herself, albeit in poverty, over the theoretical wealth and power that she can gain with her Targaryen name.

Her brother had a simpler name. “Our land,” he called it. The words were like a prayer with him. If he said them enough, the gods were sure to hear. “Ours by blood right, taken from us by treachery, but ours still, ours forever. You do not steal from the dragon, oh, no. The dragon remembers.”
And perhaps the dragon did remember, but Dany could not. She had never seen this land her brother said was theirs, this realm beyond the narrow sea
...
Yet sometimes Dany would picture the way it had been, so often had her brother told her the stories. The midnight flight to Dragonstone, moonlight shimmering on the ship’s black sails. Her brother Rhaegar battling the Usurper in the bloody waters of the Trident and dying for the woman he loved. The sack of King’s Landing by the ones Viserys called the Usurper’s dogs, the lords Lannister and Stark. Princess Elia of Dorne pleading for mercy as Rhaegar’s heir was ripped from her breast and murdered before her eyes. The polished skulls of the last dragons staring down sightlessly from the walls of the throne room while the Kingslayer opened Father’s throat with a golden sword.

It is significant that what Dany "remembers" of the 7K is deeply rooted in the tragedy of her family: the flight to Dragonstone, the death of Rhaegar, the sack of KL, the murder of Elia and her children, the dead dragons, and the murder of King Aerys. Whereas Viserys' quest to reclaim the 7K is at least partly rooted in the memories of how "good life was" when the Targaryens still ruled from the IT, Dany's investment in the restoration of the Targaryen dynasty is largely founded in the wrongs that were done to her family. It is quite clear that for Dany, the 7K is correlated with the emotion of pain, rather than ambition, pride, or longing.

The place that Dany does remember with longing and a sensation of "missing home" is the big house in Braavos, where she was cared for by Ser Willem, "a great bear of a man," a knight loyal to her family (interesting to note that Ser Jorah is also described as a "bear" and that a bear is the Mormont family sigil - perhaps in Ser Jorah, Dany is looking for traces of her lost foster-father).

That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever.

This house effectively represents Dany's lost childhood - it is the last (and only) place where she felt protected and secure. There is an interesting parallel with Sansa in that "a lemon tree" figures significantly in Dany's memories of childhood and that "lemon cakes" are, in turn, a representation of Sansa's lost innocence. This story of how the servants had stolen the remaining money at the death of Ser Willem sets the stage for Dany's inability to "take things for granted." Unlike the Stark children, she is unable to remember a time (beyond the brief childhood in the house with the red door) in which she had been able to feel safe or have a sense of permanence. When the "red door closed behind them forever," the door of childhood and innocence was also symbolically closed to Dany.

During their wandering, Viserys and Dany had been forced to sell all of their remaining treasures - including their mother's crown. This is interesting since a crown can be seen as representative of royalty's pride and right to rule - while Viserys is the one to sell the pride and right to rule, he refuses to acknowledge what he has done.

“We will have it all back someday, sweet sister,” he would promise her. Sometimes his hands shook when he talked about it. “The jewels and the silks, Dragonstone and King’s Landing, the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, all they have taken from us, we will have it back.” Viserys lived for that day. All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known.

Besides reinforcing the connection between Dany's childhood and innocence with the "big house with the red door," this also implies the disparity between what Viserys and Dany view as the "cost" of RR. Viserys believes that they were robbed of "the jewels and silks, Dragonstone and King's Landing, the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms," but in Dany's eyes, what was truly "taken" from her by RR is her childhood - her right to live a life free from fear and the burden of her family's legacy.

Lala · July 16, 2013

As Dany, Illyrio, and Viserys prepare to leave for the banquet, we are given a description of Illyrio through Dany's eyes.

“Regal,” Magister Illyrio said, stepping through an archway. He moved with surprising delicacy for such a massive man. Beneath loose garments of flame-colored silk, rolls of fat jiggled as he walked. Gemstones glittered on every finger, and his man had oiled his forked yellow beard until it shone like real gold. “May the Lord of Light shower you with blessings on this most fortunate day, Princess Daenerys,” the magister said as he took her hand. He bowed his head, showing a thin glimpse of crooked yellow teeth through the gold of his beard. “She is a vision, Your Grace, a vision,” he told her brother. “Drogo will be enraptured.”

There is a clear atmosphere of distrust in Dany's perception of Illyrio - she notices that although he is a "massive man," he moves with "surprising delicacy," meaning that his size/figure belies his ability to move, or "act." And when he bows before her, a traditional sign of respect or subservience, she sees a "glimpse of crooked yellow teeth through the gold of his beard." Teeth are usually indicative of hunger and a predatory nature, or a wish to consume/take ownership of something - that Illyrio's teeth are "crooked" and "yellow" shows that his wish is not straightforward, or presented in an honest manner. His teeth are hidden by the gold of his beard - Illyrio masks his true intentions and predatory nature beneath his "gold" or the "wealth" he showers on the young royal exiles. But this is not real gold, only a "forked yellow beard" that has been oiled "until it shone like real gold." It is evident, therefore, that Illyrio is false - not just his promises and gifts, but also his intentions are not to be trusted.

In fact, Dany explicitly states her mistrust for Illyrio further into the chapter:

Dany had no agents, no way of knowing what anyone was doing or thinking across the narrow sea, but she mistrusted Illyrio’s sweet words as she mistrusted everything about Illyrio.

The interactions between Dany and Illyrio serve to emphasize how perceptive Dany is, and her unique ability to be engaged solely by the present - as opposed to being blinded by the past and future she feels constrained/imprisoned by.

Dany could smell the stench of Illyrio’s pallid flesh through his heavy perfumes.
Her brother, sprawled out on his pillows beside her, never noticed. His mind was away across the narrow sea.

“That would be most fitting,” Magister Illyrio said. Dany saw the smallest hint of a smile playing around his full lips, but her brother did not notice.

In both instances, Dany is very aware of Illyrio and his falsehood - she can "smell the stench" of his true intentions even through the "heavy perfume" of the compliments and subterfuge he uses to cover them, and she observes the "hint of a smile" as he responds to her brother's delusions. It is interesting to note that Viserys is blind to these signs because, in the first case, he is too busy imagining the future - reconquering Westeros with his Dothraki screamers - and in the second case, he is too busy reliving the past - replaying the Battle of the Trident.

Consistent with this characteristic is Dany's observation, upon arriving at Khal Drogo's manse, that the slave who helps her down from the palanquin is wearing a collar of bronze, not gold.

The palanquin slowed and stopped. The curtains were thrown back, and a slave offered a hand to help Daenerys out. His collar, she noted, was ordinary bronze.

Recall that she was told earlier by one of Illyrio's servants that

Drogo is so rich that even his slaves wear golden collars. A hundred thousand men ride in his khalasar, and
his palace in Vaes Dothrak has two hundred rooms and doors of solid silver.

Besides demonstrating that Dany has a fantastic memory and attention to detail, this scene shows the reader that Dany does not take what anyone says at face value - "words are wind" - and is always willing to examine a situation and reach her own conclusions. She is more than capable of thinking for herself.

Not only is Dany capable of sensing falsehood in others, she is also able to hide her own thoughts/intentions. When they are approached by an Unsullied guard, both Dany and Viserys are startled.

Dany noticed that her brother’s hand was clenched tightly around the hilt of his borrowed sword. He looked almost as frightened as she felt.

However, it is Viserys who displays his fear for all to see and Dany (who is supposed to be the meek one!) who is able to hide it - Viserys "looks" frightened, whereas Dany only "feels" frightened.

It is necessary to keep in mind, however, that whether or not Dany exhibits her fear, that she is still afraid. The passage about the other guests at the party jumped out at me as an interesting illustration of her fear:

Many were Dothraki horselords, big men with red-brown skin, their drooping mustachios bound in metal rings, their black hair oiled and braided and hung with bells. Yet among them moved bravos and sellswords from Pentos and Myr and Tyrosh, a red priest even fatter than Illyrio, hairy men from the Port of Ibben, and lords from the Summer Isles with skin as black as ebony. Daenerys looked at them all in wonder... and realized, with a sudden start of fear, that she was the only woman there.

Why is the realization that she is the only woman a source of fear for Dany? This is most likely rooted in the traditional role of men in ASoIaF as the aggressors - men are the ones who fight wars, pillage, and rape - Robert the Usurper is a man, Viserys is a man, Illyrio is a man. At this point in the series, Dany still fundamentally views herself as a victim, her thoughts are consistently colored with sensations of powerlessness - wishing to be one of the children playing outside, reflections on how she is little different from a slave - and the discovery that she is the lone victim in a room of aggressors must be frightening for her.

This prey-predator dynamic is emphasized by Dany's perception of Khal Drogo when she meets him for the first time:

Khal Drogo was a head taller than the tallest man in the room, yet somehow light on his feet, as graceful as the panther in Illyrio’s menagerie. He was younger than she’d thought, no more than thirty. His skin was the color of polished copper, his thick mustachios bound with gold and bronze rings.

Dany immediately connects Drogo's appearance with that of a panther, a predatory cat. Interestingly, she specifically compares him to a panther in Illyrio's menagerie, as if Khal Drogo is simply one of a collection of predators that Illyrio has at his behest. This is probably not far off the truth. If Dany had failed to please Khal Drogo, it is very likely that Illyrio would have arranged some other "suitable" match with another member of his "menagerie."

By contrast, it is apparent that Ser Jorah does not frighten Dany. Rather, he appears to be a source of non-threatening, neutral interest that serves to draw Dany out of her initial apprehension at finding herself alone in a room filled with men.

The last name caught Daenerys. “A knight?”
“No less.” Illyrio smiled through his beard. “Anointed with the seven oils by the High Septon himself.”
“What is he doing here?” she blurted.
“The Usurper wanted his head,” Illyrio told them. “Some trifling affront. He sold some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver instead of giving them to the Night’s Watch. Absurd law. A man should be able to do as he likes with his own chattel.”
“I shall wish to speak with Ser Jorah before the night is done,” her brother said. Dany found herself looking at the knight curiously. He was an older man, past forty and balding, but still strong and fit. Instead of silks and cottons, he wore wool and leather. His tunic was a dark green, embroidered with the likeness of a black bear standing on two legs.
She was still looking at this strange man from the homeland she had never known when Magister Illyrio placed a moist hand on her bare shoulder. “Over there, sweet princess,” he whispered, “there is the khal himself.”

Why doesn't Ser Jorah frighten Dany? This is probably at least partially rooted in Dany's curiosity overriding her fear - she is intrigued by why a knight of the 7K would be in Pentos, and she examines him almost as if he is a souvenir of her "homeland."

Ser Jorah also takes the position of a foil, or mental alternative for Dany, to Illyrio - Illyrio is an obese man with a beard, dressed in "flame-colored silks" - Ser Jorah is balding, but still strong and fit, wearing wool and leather and a dark green tunic. Where Illyrio embodies softness, luxury, and falsehood with his red silks and golden beard, Jorah seems to represent honesty and simplicity - a balding man has an uncovered head, indicative of having little or nothing to hide. The colors of the clothing also build up the contrast between the two men. Illyrio is wearing "flame-colored" silks - fire can be warm and give light, but it can also burn and destroy, it is something that is fundamentally fickle and dangerous - much like the gifts that Illyrio offers. In contrast, dark green is the color of forests, specifically the type of forest to grow in cold, northern climates (emphasized by the bear embroidered on the tunic) - forests are constant, unmoving, and slow to change.

Yet it is Illyrio who draws Dany's attention away from Ser Jorah to focus it on the "future" that Illyrio and Viserys have chosen for her - pointing her towards Khal Drogo. No matter how much Dany wishes, she does not truly have a choice and can only allow herself to be directed by Illyrio along the path that he has set for her.

This ties back into Dany's wish that she could be free of her past and her future - she does not have a choice because she is Daenerys Targaryen, an exiled princess with the burden of the restoration of her dynasty on her shoulders. When she pleads with Viserys to call off the marriage, her brother harshly reminds her of this burden that they share.

“I don’t want to be his queen,” she heard herself say in a small, thin voice. “Please, please, Viserys, I don’t want to, I want to go home.”
“Home?” He kept his voice low, but she could hear the fury in his tone. “How are we to go home, sweet sister? They took our home from us!” He drew her into the shadows, out of sight, his fingers digging into her skin. “How are we to go home?” he repeated, meaning King’s Landing, and Dragonstone, and all the realm they had lost.
Dany had only meant their rooms in Illyrio’s estate, no true home surely, though all they had, but her brother did not want to hear that. There was no home there for him. Even the big house with the red door had not been home for him. His fingers dug hard into her arm, demanding an answer. “I don’t know,” she said at last, her voice breaking. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I do,” he said sharply. “We go home with an army, sweet sister. With Khal Drogo’s army, that is how we go home. And if you must wed him and bed him for that, you will.” He smiled at her. “I’d let his whole khalasar fuck you if need be, sweet sister, all forty thousand men, and their horses too if that was what it took to get my army. Be grateful it is only Drogo. In time you may even learn to like him. Now dry your eyes. Illyrio is bringing him over, and he will not see you crying.”
Dany turned and saw that it was true. Magister Illyrio, all smiles and bows, was escorting Khal Drogo over to where they stood. She brushed away unfallen tears with the back of her hand.
“Smile,” Viserys whispered nervously, his hand failing to the hilt of his sword. “And stand up straight. Let him see that you have breasts. Gods know, you have little enough as is.”
Daenerys smiled, and stood up straight.

At the close of the chapter we see Dany acting as she is expected to - submitting her personal desires (or in this case, desire nots) to the dictates of her responsibility to her past (her overthrown family) and future (the restoration of the Targaryen dynasty). But it is also clear that she does not simply blindly obey what she is told she must do for the restoration of her dynasty - a characteristic, which will, most likely, become an important part of her growth from an exiled princess who is sold for an army to Mhysa, the Mother of Dragons and Breaker of Bonds.

~

Feel free to agree, disagree, add your own thoughts and observations on this chapter~ Please don't jump ahead (brief references to future events are ok) since that would defeat the purpose of a reread thread.

SeanF · July 16, 2013

It's not clear to me what, exactly, were Illyrio's plans for Viserys and Dany. We'll see that Aegon (if genuine) is the Targaryen he is most heavily invested in. He must have been in touch with Doran, as the latter was expecting Viserys to return from Vaes Dothrak with a Khalasar and wed Arianne in secret. But, that would surely have set up a conflict with Aegon (it's hard to imagine Viserys taking kindly to being relegated to Crown Prince). Illyrio tells Tyrion that he expected Dany to die among the Dothraki, but what purpose would her death have served? And, if she did die, surely the Dothraki would lose any interest in invading Westeros. And then, he continues to provide her with assistance, when she goes to Qarth.

She's right to be suspicious of Illyrio, but he may actually be a true friend of hers, or at any rate, someone who sees assisting her as serving other ends of his. Even today, you get multi-millionaires who shell out huge amounts of money on political causes that they support. Illyrio may be one such.

It's also interesting to compare how perceptive Dany is in the free cities, with how out of her depth she will be in Mereen.

SeanF · July 16, 2013

"Royalty expects to be obeyed and served - there is essentially a sense of entitlement in the behavior of royalty (particularly hereditary royalty) in which the why of whether or not a man will serve them is unimportant, royalty is simply concerned with the if - you either serve or you do not serve, and if you do not serve, you must oppose them. This is a sentiment that is glaringly absent in Dany at the beginning of the series - she does not remember what it is like to be a princess - she does not expect to be served ..."

That's correct at that point, but it will be interesting to observe how Daenerys develops that sense of entitlement (which is shared by almost all upper class characters in the series) as the story progresses.

Blisscraft · July 16, 2013

You refered to Dany viewing herself as a "victim." Dany is not a "victim," and she does not see herself that way. She rightly knows she is a commodity. She is chattel. She is used in trade. She is not "a person." She even wears a "torc" which is a collar, like the other slaves. This is perhaps why she longs to be outside the walls with the children "with no past and no future." The distinction between victim and slave is important, but subtle. A victim suffers injury, physical, as well as emotional. Yet, for a victim, redress of the injury may be possible through law or family action. A slave may suffer injury in the same way as a victim, however, a slave has no recourse for such. A slave must abide and accept that there is no recourse for injury. Dany must abide and accept her fate as a commodity, a slave, to be traded for Khal Drogo's services to her brother or face her brother's wrath.

"

A couple of other interesting facts from this first chapter: first, Illyrio is a worshipper of the Lord of Light. Dany hears the red priests singing as the evening approaches. Finally, there is a "fat" red priest at Khal Drogo's manse. This may play out later in some way in Dany's story. Certainly, the red priests become part of Stannis's attempt to attain the IT as well as the "fat" red priest, Thoros, who revives Cat. Also, the first appearance of an Unsullied which does become extremely important to Dany's story. The longing to be with the "ragged children. . . barefoot, breathless, and dressed in tatters." This becomes Dany at the end of ADwD. She, like the little children here will be barefoot, breathless and dressed in tatters. The bear association begins here, as well. Dany thinks about William Darry as a "great grey bear of a man, half blind roaring." Mormont is wearing his sigil the black bear standing its two hind legs when Dany first sees him. Viserys refers to himself as the "last dragon." The fact that he omits Dany as a "dragon" seems not only intentional, but also a sign of her lack of standing and value as a potential heir and ruler.

Lala · July 16, 2013

It's not clear to me what, exactly, were Illyrio's plans for Viserys and Dany. We'll see that Aegon (if genuine) is the Targaryen he is most heavily invested in. He must have been in touch with Doran, as the latter was expecting Viserys to return from Vaes Dothrak with a Khalasar and wed Arianne in secret. But, that would surely have set up a conflict with Aegon (it's hard to imagine Viserys taking kindly to being relegated to Crown Prince). Illyrio tells Tyrion that he expected Dany to die among the Dothraki, but what purpose would her death have served? And, if she did die, surely the Dothraki would lose any interest in invading Westeros. And then, he continues to provide her with assistance, when she goes to Qarth.
She's right to be suspicious of Illyrio, but he may actually be a true friend of hers, or at any rate, someone who sees assisting her as serving other ends of his. Even today, you get multi-millionaires who shell out huge amounts of money on political causes that they support. Illyrio may be one such.
It's also interesting to compare how perceptive Dany is in the free cities, with how out of her depth she will be in Mereen.

It doesn't appear that Dany questions that Illyrio's interests are aligned with hers and those of Viserys (at least at this point in time) - in fact, I rather think that she knows that his interests are aligned because she is aware that if they were not, he would not be supporting and helping them. The crux of the matter is that his interest in her and her brother is not selfless, the way the care of Ser Willem was - if we believe that Dany is at least partially motivated (even if it is only subconsciously) by a wish to return to the big house with the red door and the lemon tree, we can infer that her character is constantly searching for a "replacement" to Ser Willem - disinterested, almost unconditional care and unswerving loyalty. This makes sense, not only in her personal experiences with betrayal (the servants stealing from her and Viserys and turning them out of the house once Ser Willem died), but also in the context of her family history - the fall of the Targaryen dynasty is inextricably linked with betrayal - King Aerys' murder at the hands of his own Kingsguard, Tywin's betrayal and sack of KL, Pycelle's false counsel. Whether Illyrio is actively aiding Dany is irrelevant - his motivations for doing so are what matter.

This relates to Dany's experiences in Mereen - I don't want to delve too deeply into this until I re-reread those chapters in their proper chronological order - but I think it is fair to note that it isn't so much Dany's ability to observe and perceive that has changed so much as the quantity and diversity of the people around her. With so many people who want to serve her or claim to serve her because of her position of power, it naturally becomes harder and more bewildering to distinguish friend from foe and truth from falsehood. As this chapter shows us, it is not in Dany's natural instinct to take things for granted - to jump ahead of myself for a little longer, her experiences with MMD do little to reinforce her remaining ability to trust, and must have further pushed her towards this pre-existing inclination (or, rather, disinclination). The knowledge that she cannot trust most of the people advising her is at least complicit in why Dany falls into a pattern of gridlock in Mereen, unable to move forward or retreat.

You refered to Dany viewing herself as a "victim." Dany is not a "victim," and she does not see herself that way. She rightly knows she is a commodity. She is chattel. She is used in trade. She is not "a person." She even wears a "torc" which is a collar, like the other slaves. This is perhaps why she longs to be outside the walls with the children "with no past and no future." The distinction between victim and slave is important, but subtle. A victim suffers injury, physical, as well as emotional. Yet, for a victim, redress of the injury may be possible through law or family action. A slave may suffer injury in the same way as a victim, however, a slave has no recourse for such. A slave must abide and accept that there is no recourse for injury. Dany must abide and accept her fate as a commodity, a slave, to be traded for Khal Drogo's services to her brother or face her brother's wrath.
"
A couple of other interesting facts from this first chapter: first, Illyrio is a worshipper of the Lord of Light. Dany hears the red priests singing as the evening approaches. Finally, there is a "fat" red priest at Khal Drogo's manse. This may play out later in some way in Dany's story. Certainly, the red priests become part of Stannis's attempt to attain the IT as well as the "fat" red priest, Thoros, who revives Cat. Also, the first appearance of an Unsullied which does become extremely important to Dany's story. The longing to be with the "ragged children. . . barefoot, breathless, and dressed in tatters." This becomes Dany at the end of ADwD. She, like the little children here will be barefoot, breathless and dressed in tatters. The bear association begins here, as well. Dany thinks about William Darry as a "great grey bear of a man, half blind roaring." Mormont is wearing his sigil the black bear standing its two hind legs when Dany first sees him. Viserys refers to himself as the "last dragon." The fact that he omits Dany as a "dragon" seems not only intentional, but also a sign of her lack of standing and value as a potential heir and ruler.

I stand corrected =) The distinction you made between "slave" and "victim" was very well-made and is definitely important to a reread of this chapter. In my mind, I had used "victim" and "prey" interchangeably - in the context I had in mind, slave also works (and it is definitely a much better description of Dany's overall perception of herself), but I wanted a term which would express Dany's position as the sole available target of aggression in what she perceives as a room full of aggressors - her description of the party almost sounds like how a deer would feel if it were to be invited to a party attended by lions.

The connection you made between Dany's wish to be like the ragged children outside of the estate walls and her position at the end of ADwD is very interesting - perhaps her liberation from her past/future is through accepting it, but refusing to be ruled by it, rather than running away from her identity as the last dragon. I suppose we'll see as we move towards the later chapters!

Finally, I really like the last point you made about Viserys referring to himself as the "last dragon." I hadn't caught that in my analysis and it does speak volumes about his dismissive attitude towards Dany and how he sees her as just another cyvasse piece on the board (more parallels to Sansa and her initial lack of agency)

Blisscraft · July 17, 2013

Thank you. One of the things about Dany as a "slave" rather than victim, which I ought to have included but didn't, is that she was born into this position as younger sibling and female. The fact that she was born during a violent storm suggests that she may have a future which challenges the present patriarchal system in Westeros, as well as the rest of the world she inhabits.

SeanF · July 17, 2013

Thank you. One of the things about Dany as a "slave" rather than victim, which I ought to have included but didn't, is that she was born into this position as younger sibling and female. The fact that she was born during a violent storm suggests that she may have a future which challenges the present patriarchal system in Westeros, as well as the rest of the world she inhabits.

Dany's status is far lower than that of a royal, or aristocratic woman, of Westeros. She's the last commodity that Viserys possesses. Viserys probably isn't far from the truth when he tells her he'd happily see her gang-raped if that's what would it took to get an army.

Blisscraft · July 17, 2013

Indeed. He also refers to her as a "mount." Nothing like a little "brotherly love." :pimp:

Queen Elsa · July 17, 2013

Dany doesn’t have many lines in this chapter. She mainly observes people and their actions and remembers things Viserys have told her and memories from her past. Juz wanna comment on some quotes I find interesting (I hope me English not so bad):

Dany touched it. The cloth was so smooth that it seemed to run through her fingers like water. She could not remember ever wearing anything so soft. It frightened her.

There’s nothing so scary about ever wearing or owning such a beautiful gown. But why Dany is frightened? She could not remember ever wearing a beautiful gown before - does she think it’s all just a dream? The gown will make her a true princess (probably just like Cinderella). What if she suddenly wakes up? The princess will go back as a ragged-looking maiden being abused by her wicked brother once again.. surely. But since the gown is from Illyrio and she’s suspicious about his motives, wearing the gown means she’s good as sold and ready for shipment – off she goes to a life unknown to her. That’s frightening.

For nigh on half a year, they had lived in the magister’s house, eating his food, pampered by his servants. Dany was thirteen, old enough to know that such gifts seldom come without their price, here in the free cities of Pentos.

So Dany and Viserys are just newbies in Illyrio’s mansion. Not sure if they’ve been there before, or it’s their first time there. Dany said they were welcome to the homes and tables of the magisters and archons and merchant princes at first, but doors closed so long the Usurper sit on the throne and after them. Hmm.. did King Bobby really pursue on hunting them or it was only after he learned Dany preggy of a horselord prince? “I should have had them both killed years ago, when it was easy to get at them, but Jon was as bad as you. More fool I, I listened to him.” (King Bob to Ned). Who told those magisters and archons and merchants princes to close their doors to the last Targaryens then? Ahem.. Illyrio? “He had friends in all of the Nine Free Cities, it was said, and even beyond, in Vaes Dothrak and the fabled lands beside the Jade Sea.

Okay back to the quote. The last two Targaryens were fed and pampered by Illyrio and then after, send them to the dothraki to die (maybe). It’s like a piggery owner feeding the soon-to-be hams until they’re fat and sated before sending them to the slaughterhouse. A feast after the big sale?

She had always assumed that she would wed Viserys when she came of age. For centuries the Targaryens had married brother to sister, since Aegon the Conqueror had taken his sisters to bride. The line must be kept pure, Viserys had told her a thousand times; theirs was the kingsblood, the golden blood of old Valyria, the blood of the dragon……….Yet now Viserys schemed to sell her to a stranger, a barbarian.

Okay, Viserys must have told Daenerys that he’s going to marry her one day so their baby will be a pure Targaryen from head to toe (no questions will be asked). What changed Viserys mind now? Varys/Illyrio’s scheme? Illyrio must have convinced the desperate wannabe king of Westeros that he needed an army to take back what was his by blood right. Can’t do it by begging though, so best way to do that is wed Dany to someone who owns a big army in exchange of an army. Dany is young however, only thirteen. Yeah right, but better wed her now to someone else before Viserys (who has the hots for his pretty little sister) will get a Targaryen baby on her – another Targaryen for the throne, Yay! Bad news for any Targaryen pretender if that happens.

…”They do, don’t they?”
“They are your people, and they love you well,” Magister Illyrio said amiably. “In holdfasts all across the realm, men lift secret toasts to your health while women sew dragon banners and hide them against the day of your return from across the water.” He gave a massive shrug. “Or so my agents tell me.”

Magister Illyrio’s words were honey. “Many important men will be at the feast tonight. Such men have enemies. The khal must protect his guests, yourself chief among them, Your Grace. No doubt the Usurper would pay well for your head.”
“Oh, yes,” Viserys said darkly. “He has tried, Illyrio, I promise you that. His hired knives follow us everywhere.

These words from Illyrio are obviously not truuuue! Why is he feeding false information on Viserys? Is he trying to drive Viserys mad until he become as mad as his father? Varys informed Aerys of every whisper and rumor against the king too – he grew increasingly fearful and paranoid leading him to distrust many people because of that (whether Varys reports were all true or not, the king turned even more batshit crazy). When Viserys said he’ll kill the Usurper and the Kingslayer himself, Illyrio replied, “That would be most fitting,” but Dany notice a hint of smile playing on his full lips. He’s obviously lying. About the Usurper hired knives, who sent those? Not King Bobby. Or, who whispered that report to Viserys’ ear so they’ll move to another city again? Illyrio’s many spies or friends, maybe? Those hired knives thingy most likely are false ‘coz Dany never seen one. “The Usurper’s hired knives were close behind them, he insisted, though Dany had never seen one.”

Thanks Lala for this re-read discussion. Finally, a Dany thread worthwhile to read. :cheers:

SeanF · July 17, 2013

What's so creepy is that so many people see 12/13 year old Dany as a desirable sex object; Viserys tried to rape her, on the night before her wedding; Illyrio contemplated taking her as his mistress, before getting a lookalike prostitute; Drogo desires her. And, she's described as being both small and slender for her age, so she looks even younger than that. I do wonder if she was sexually abused, prior to this point.

Lala · July 18, 2013

Thank you. One of the things about Dany as a "slave" rather than victim, which I ought to have included but didn't, is that she was born into this position as younger sibling and female. The fact that she was born during a violent storm suggests that she may have a future which challenges the present patriarchal system in Westeros, as well as the rest of the world she inhabits.

This is something I would dearly love to see. It is also the reason why I have always been in favor of a DanyxIT pairing - I am intrigued and excited by the possibility of the 7K being ruled by someone who effectively comes from "outside" of their traditional feudal/chivalrous society and social norms.

Dany's status is far lower than that of a royal, or aristocratic woman, of Westeros. She's the last commodity that Viserys possesses. Viserys probably isn't far from the truth when he tells her he'd happily see her gang-raped if that's what would it took to get an army.

Agreed! That conversation was all kinds of uncomfortable to read.

Dany doesn’t have many lines in this chapter. She mainly observes people and their actions and remembers things Viserys have told her and memories from her past. Juz wanna comment on some quotes I find interesting (I hope me English not so bad):
There’s nothing so scary about ever wearing or owning such a beautiful gown. But why Dany is frightened? She could not remember ever wearing a beautiful gown before - does she think it’s all just a dream? The gown will make her a true princess (probably just like Cinderella). What if she suddenly wakes up? The princess will go back as a ragged-looking maiden being abused by her wicked brother once again.. surely. But since the gown is from Illyrio and she’s suspicious about his motives, wearing the gown means she’s good as sold and ready for shipment – off she goes to a life unknown to her. That’s frightening.

Thank you~ I'm glad you're enjoying the thread and thank you for your input! I like the connection you made between Dany wearing the gown from Illyrio and a product that is wrapped and ready to be transferred to its purchaser - this scene where Dany is being dressed and groomed by the servants does have undertones of how a beautiful slave or a well-bred horse would be prepared for the auction block.

Okay, Viserys must have told Daenerys that he’s going to marry her one day so their baby will be a pure Targaryen from head to toe (no questions will be asked). What changed Viserys mind now? Varys/Illyrio’s scheme? Illyrio must have convinced the desperate wannabe king of Westeros that he needed an army to take back what was his by blood right. Can’t do it by begging though, so best way to do that is wed Dany to someone who owns a big army in exchange of an army. Dany is young however, only thirteen. Yeah right, but better wed her now to someone else before Viserys (who has the hots for his pretty little sister) will get a Targaryen baby on her – another Targaryen for the throne, Yay! Bad news for any Targaryen pretender if that happens.

I'm not as certain of Illyrio's motivations as you are, but that is certainly a possibility. Though in Viserys giving up Dany for the sake of an army, there is a sense of poetic symbolism - he is "selling" his intended bride for the sake of an army. For a man to sell his wife, he must essentially have no more pride. Added to the traditional Targaryen royal marriages of brother to sister, this can be seen as Viserys symbolically selling his identity as a dragon. There are also parallels to the early Stannis chapters in this "marriage contract," so to speak

“Must the rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms beg for help from widow women and usurpers?” a woman’s voice asked sharply.
Maester Cressen turned ‘ and bowed his head. “My lady,” he said, chagrined that he had not heard her enter.
Lord Stannis scowled. “I do not beg. Of anyone. Mind you remember that, woman.”
“I am pleased to hear it, my lord.” Lady Selyse was as tall as her husband, thin of body and thin of face, with prominent ears, a sharp nose, and the faintest hint of a mustache on her upper lip. She plucked it daily and cursed it regularly, yet it never failed to return. Her eyes were pale, her mouth stern, her voice a whip. She cracked it now. “Lady Arryn owes you her allegiance, as do the Starks, your brother Renly, and all the rest. You are their one true king. It would not be fitting to plead and bargain with them for what is rightfully yours by the grace of god.”

By bargaining and trading with the Dothraki, Viserys himself is acting in a manner that brings question to his legitimacy as the ruler of the 7K.

Note: I'm working on the next chapter~ hopefully it'll be finished and up by tomorrow (I'm really excited about it!) Length-wise I will try to be more concise since the first post turned out to be way longer than I had intended it to be.

Queen Elsa · July 18, 2013

By bargaining and trading with the Dothraki, Viserys himself is acting in a manner that brings question to his legitimacy as the ruler of the 7K.

Good point. I also believe Illyrio did the bargaining and trading with the Dothraki for his own benefit. Viserys doesn't speak their foreign language so Illyrio took care of everything (and it's hard to know what really went on his negotiation with Khal Drogo). In chapter 2, we learned that Illyrio had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling [Dany] to Khal Drogo while poor Viserys received no army.

Note: I'm working on the next chapter~ hopefully it'll be finished and up by tomorrow (I'm really excited about it!) Length-wise I will try to be more concise since the first post turned out to be way longer than I had intended it to be.

We'll be waiting..

WingedMan · July 21, 2013

Good point. I also believe Illyrio did the bargaining and trading with the Dothraki for his own benefit. Viserys doesn't speak their foreign language so Illyrio took care of everything (and it's hard to know what really went on his negotiation with Khal Drogo). In chapter 2, we learned that Illyrio had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling [Dany] to Khal Drogo while poor Viserys received no army.

This makes sense. Viserys really gets an empty hand from this deal. Illyrio profited greatly and Viserys just really got a little more hope for future.

As for who told magisters etc. to close their doors to the last Targaryens, possibilities include Doran Martell and Sealord of Braavos.

It seems that "knives after them" were only Viserys' paranoia, but could his paranoia also be based on the fact, that at some point, their support was withdrawn from them for some unknown reason?

Illyrio (&Varys) didn't support Dany & Viserys for years. We are told that they haven't been guests at Illyrio's for long, only six months. We don't know whether Illyrio (&Varys) supported them right before RR.

Sealord stopped helping them at some point. They were in Braavos and we later find out about the secret marriage pact (of which Illyrio and Varys are unaware of). We don't know whether it was the current (now sick and soon to be replaced..) Sealord that oversaw the marriage deal between Martells and Darry or a previous one. If he's the same one, there's some reason for him to stop the support.

It's possible that Sealord was replaced when they were in Braavos and the new Sealord didn't wish to support them. And also, wielding a lot of influence, makes known for others in Free Cities that help for Targaryens is not appreciated. I believe we have no reason to assume that different Sealords hold same views on issues.

Doran Martell supported Targaryen exiles in the beginning (the marriage pact proves it). But, at some point, support was not available any more. It almost seems like Doran Martell gave up hope with Viserys at some point - he clearly has friends in Free Cities but as far as we know, he didn't provide support for Viserys and Dany after they fleed Braavos.

Also, looking forward the next chapters :read:

WingedMan · July 21, 2013

I have to add some thoughts on Dany since they were left out from my post above. Their fleeing from Braavos and the house she perceived as safe, a home, is probably a major factor in her (later) realization that there's no unconditional support for their, or at this point only Viserys', cause.

She's started to question Viserys' view on the "knives after them" but doesn't yet question Targaryens' status in the eyes of Westerosi noble families - she seems to hold on to Viserys' view of Westeros at this point or at least she's not actively thinking about it yet to question it. Dany is not yet invested in the restoration of the Targaryen dynasty, it seems. She's interested in finding a home, a place for herself.

In terms of identity, I agree that she's very discerning when analyzing societal norms (and her position) with parallels slaves/servants or slaves/commodity.

SeanF · July 21, 2013

Viserys was always part of Doran's plan.

I don't think Dany and Viserys were ever destitute, even if their position was sometimes humiliating. I do think that Doran and Illyrio were in touch - even if their plans were different.

Lala · July 21, 2013

Viserys was always part of Doran's plan.
I don't think Dany and Viserys were ever destitute, even if their position was sometimes humiliating. I do think that Doran and Illyrio were in touch - even if their plans were different.

It actually seems to be implied from the text that they were in a fairly difficult financial position, if not actually impoverished. Remember, Viserys had to sell their mother's crown at one point in order to provide food for them, which isn't an heirloom they would have parted with unless in their absolute need.

Also the next chapter is coming~ I've just been lazy sorry ^^;

SeanF · July 23, 2013

It actually seems to be implied from the text that they were in a fairly difficult financial position, if not actually impoverished. Remember, Viserys had to sell their mother's crown at one point in order to provide food for them, which isn't an heirloom they would have parted with unless in their absolute need.
Also the next chapter is coming~ I've just been lazy sorry ^^;

I'd like to know more of their backstory. Impoverishment for Viserys might mean something different to impoverishment for the rest of us. Viserys is likely pretty spendthrift.

Lala · July 23, 2013

I'm sorry this has been so delayed, I admit I've been procrastinating.

II. Recap

Chapter II of the AGoT Daenerys POV walks the reader through Dany's wedding to Khal Drogo.

Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beyond the walls of Pentos, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky.

The entire khalasar arrives outside of Pentos for the Khal's wedding and Khal Drogo joins them, giving over his Pentos mansion to Dany, Illyrio, and Viserys. It is revealed that the presence of the Dothraki is making the people of Pentos fearful.

“My fellow magisters; have doubled the size of the city guard,” Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo’s. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding.
“Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,” Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since.
Magister Illyrio laughed lightly through his forked beard, but Viserys did not so much as smile. “He can have her tomorrow, if he likes,” her brother said. He glanced over at Dany, and she lowered her eyes. “So long as he pays the price.”

We also learn that Ser Jorah has offered his sword to Viserys - an unusual gesture considering that Viserys has no army (all he has at this point is the promise of one) and no means by which to provide for the exiled knight independent of Illyrio (recall Cat's vows to Brienne: "And I vow that you shall always have a place by my hearth and meat and mead at my table." The conversation turns to Dany's marriage and Viserys comments that Khal Drogo "can have her tomorrow ... so long as he pays the price."

As Dany listens to their conversation, she reflects that all of the dragons are dead, and then recalls her dream from the night before - the first evidence we have of Dany having "dragon dreams"

Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She
stumbled and fell. “You woke the dragon,” he screamed as he kicked her. “You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.” Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid...

Dany and Drogo's wedding lasts for an entire day and Martin gives an indepth description of the ceremony as well as the seating arrangements:

Viserys was seated just below her, splendid in a new black wool tunic with a scarlet dragon on the chest. Illyrio and Ser Jorah sat beside him. Theirs was a place of high honor, just below the khal’s own bloodriders, but Dany could see the anger in her brother’s lilac eyes. He did not like sitting beneath her, and he fumed when the slaves offered each dish first to the khal and his bride, and served him from the portions they refused.

As the Khal's bride and new Khaleesi, Dany's status is above that of Viserys and she is seated accordingly, much to Viserys' chagrin. However, Dany feels isolated by this arrangement because none of the people around her spoke the Common Tongue. She feels the urge to cry, but stifles it because she remembers that Viserys has told her to smile. Instead, Dany attempts to comfort herself by reminding herself of who she is:

So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror.

As the wedding proceeds, the Dothraki begin to have sex and fight, which Illyrio has warned Dany was a tradition of Dothraki marriages.

The sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky when she saw her first man die. Drums were beating as some of the women danced for the khal. Drogo watched without expression, but his eyes followed their movements, and from time to time he would toss down a bronze medallion for the women to fight over.
The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen.

Two men grab the same woman and fight over her, one of them kills the other and the dead body is removed by the servants. By the end of the wedding, at least twelve men have died.

Watching all of this unfold, Dany becomes increasingly fearful:

As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask.

Before the consummation of the wedding, Dany is presented with her bride-gifts, the Dothraki version of "wedding gifts":

Viserys gives her 3 maids: Irri, Jhiqui, and Doreah. Each of these maids double as a "tutor" - Irri for riding, Jhiqui for the Dothraki language, and Doreah for sex. Dany notes that the maids had cost Viserys "nothing" and that they were paid for by Illyrio
Ser Jorah gives Dany a "small stack of old books" which are histories and songs of the 7K, written in the Common Tongue
Illyrio gives Dany a chest filled with fine velvet and damask nesting three Dragon's Eggs from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai which "the eons have turned to stone." Dany reflects that Illyrio has made enough from her marriage that he can afford to be lavish.
The bloodriders offer Dany the traditional weapons: a leather whip with a silver handle, an arakh chased in gold, and a double-curved dragonbone bow
From the other Dothraki, Dany receives "slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice."

Finally, Dany receives her gift from Khal Drogo - a beautiful mare which Dany later names her "silver."

And last of all, Khal Drogo brought forth his own bride gift to her. An expectant hush rippled out from the center of the camp as he left her side, growing until it had swallowed the whole
khalasar. When he returned, the dense press of Dothraki gift-givers parted before him, and he led the horse to her.
She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke.
Hesitantly she reached out and stroked the horse’s neck, ran her fingers through the silver of her mane. Khal Drogo said something in Dothraki and Magister Illyrio translated. “Silver for the silver of your hair, the khal says.”
“She’s beautiful,” Dany murmured.
“She is the pride of the khalasar, “ Illyrio said. “Custom decrees that the khaleesi must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the khal “

This is the first time that Khal Drogo directly speaks to Dany, remarking on her silver hair and noting that he chose the silver because its main matched Dany's hair.

When Khal Drogo lifts Dany onto her horse, she is initially uncertain about what to do - neither Illyrio nor Viserys had told her about this step in the ceremony. It is Ser Jorah who explains the situation to her:

It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. “Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.”

As Dany rides her silver for the first time, she experiences an exhilarating moment of release from fear. She asks Illyrio to tell Khal Drogo that he has "given her the wind."

And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever.
The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head.
The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.
When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time.

At this point, Drogo asks his bloodriders to bring him his horse and Viserys threatens Dany that if she does not "please him [Drogo]" she will see "the dragon awaken as it never has before." This causes Dany's fear to return to her. As she follows Drogo on the traditional ride, she continuously reminds herself that she is "the blood of the dragon" and that "dragons are not afraid."

When the horses stop and Drogo lifts Dany from her saddle, she finally loses her self-control and begins to cry. Drogo wipes her tears away and says "No" the only word in the Common Tongue he knows. He then comforts her by stroking her hair and murmuring in Dothraki. Dany reflects that there is "warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man." Drogo goes on to seat Dany on a rock besides the stream and sits cross-legged on the ground facing her so that their faces are of a height. Together, they undo his braid.

Drogo then goes on to undress Dany and make comforting, gentle love to her, which is described in detail. After he draws Dany into his lap and before he takes her maidenhood, he asks her if she is ready:

He stopped then, and drew her down onto his lap. Dany was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest. He cupped her face in his huge hands and looked into his eyes. “No?” he said, and she knew it was a question.
She took his hand and moved it down to the wetness between her thighs. “Yes,” she whispered as she put his finger inside her.

Lala · July 23, 2013

II. Analysis

One of the overarching themes of this chapter is fear, specifically Dany's intimate knowledge and relationship with it. The idea is immediately brought to the forefront of readers' minds by Martin when the chapter opens by saying:

Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beyond the walls of Pentos, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky.

It can be inferred that, since the "barbaric splendor" is because Drogo is a Dothraki Khal, then the "fear" is Dany's contribution to the marriage ceremony - it is the defining quality of Dany's existence so far.

Interestingly enough, Dany's wedding to Khal Drogo is also the cause of fear in other characters - not only is the news that she is marrying a Dothraki Khal potentially unsettling to concerned individuals across the sea in Westeros, the preparation for the wedding is a cause for consternation in the free city of Pentos. In a conversation prior to the wedding, Illyrio, Viserys, and Ser Jorah reflect on the discomfort of the people of Pentos with the "Dothraki horde" camped on their doorsteps:

Drogo had called his khalasar to attend him and they had come, forty thousand Dothraki warriors and uncounted numbers of women, children, and slaves. Outside the city walls they camped with their vast herds, raising palaces of woven grass, eating everything in sight, and making the good folk of Pentos more anxious with every passing day.
“My fellow magisters; have doubled the size of the city guard,” Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo’s. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding.
“Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,” Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since.

Remember what Illyrio mentions in the previous chapter about how the red priests swear that Rh'llor will hold the walls of Pentos against any number of Dothraki invaders. Now we know how much faith the magisters of Pentos truly have in those promises. It is also interesting to note that in her POV, Dany explicitly refers to her engagement to Drogo as "the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo."

As the conversation continues, Viserys again refers to himself as "the dragon," telling Ser Jorah that "dragon does not beg." When she hears this, Dany reflects that "there are no more dragons." The reader can see that Dany is already making a conscious distinction between Viserys - the Beggar King who sells his sister and bride to a Dothraki horselord for the promise of an army - and true dragons. However, she does not dare to speak the thought aloud for fear of Viserys' anger. This conversation leads into the description of Dany's first documented "dragon dream" and the first time in which she exhibits the prophetic powers of the Targaryens.

Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. “You woke the dragon,” he screamed as he kicked her. “You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.” Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid...

It is interesting to note that this dream, or revelation of her Targaryen heritage, is colored by the emotion of fear. It begins with Viserys attacking her, telling her that she "woke the dragon" three times, a symbolic number in Dany's character arc. Dany is naked, usually a sign of feelings of vulnerability in the dreamer, and her body is thick and ungainly, her thighs slick with blood. As if in answer to Dany's "whimper" there is "a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire." This description has strong resemblance to the description of pregnancy and childbirth - her body is "thick and ungainly" the way a pregnant woman's would be, and her thighs are "slick with blood" as they would be in childbirth. The "hideous ripping sound" is reminiscent of the sound of a child being born or "ripped from the womb." Afterwards, when Dany looks again, Viserys is gone, replaced by "columns of flame and in the midst of them was the dragon." When the dragon's eyes and Dany's meet, she wakes up from the dream, filled with fear.

This dream is certainly prophetic of how Dany would later "give birth" to dragons on Drogo's funeral pyre. A closer analysis reveals that Viserys' words could mean more than his habitual threat of "waking the dragon." It could literally mean that Dany has "woken the dragon" aka awakened the Targaryen heritage in her veins - her ability to have prophetic "dragon dreams." It is also important to note the important symbolism that the Targaryen words play in this dream: "her thighs were slick with blood" and there was "the crackling of some great fire." Yet when the dragon turns to meet Dany's eyes she is afraid - Dany is afraid of her Targaryen heritage and what it means - perhaps she is subconsciously aware of the insanity that runs in her blood? Or it may simply be an instinctive shrinking from the burden of the Targaryen legacy.

At the wedding, Dany is seated next to Drogo, above Viserys and the other guests, in her place as Khaleesi. However, instead of feeling honored or happy, she feels isolated and afraid. Dany is clearly uncomfortable next to her new husband - they share no language and she knows very little about him - she notes that she is afraid to cry because she is afraid of Drogo's reaction. Ironically, perhaps, she attempts to comfort herself by reminding herself of her identity:

So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror.

This is a consistent theme through a number of character arcs - many of the Stark children, Cersei, and even Tyrion use their house sigils as sources of comfort or direction in moments of uncertainty and distress, reminding themselves that they are "wolves" or "lions." However, unlike the other characters, Dany has demonstrated a fear of her heritage and a sense of rejection. Recall that in the previous chapter she wishes that she were one of the ragged children in the streets with "no past" and "no future." This scene then takes on a second interpretation: rather than deriving comfort from this reinforcement of her identity, Dany is trying to convince herself to accept it and face it.

As the wedding progresses, some of the Dothraki begin to have sex in the middle of the celebration.

The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen. “The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.”
Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman. She heard a shout, saw a shove, and in the blink of an eye the arakhs were out, long razor-sharp blades, half sword and half scythe. A dance of death began as the warriors circled and slashed, leaping toward each other, whirling the blades around their heads, shrieking insults at each clash. No one made a move to interfere.
It ended as quickly as it began. The arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow, one man missed a step, the other swung his blade in a flat arc. Steel bit into flesh just above the Dothraki’s waist, and opened him from backbone to belly button, spilling his entrails into the dust. As the loser died, the winner took hold of the nearest woman-not even the one they had been quarreling over-and had her there and then. Slaves carried off the body, and the dancing resumed.

It is interesting that Dany "looks away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening," yet no indication of fear is made while she watches one man kill another. On the one hand, it reveals that Dany is apprehensive about her wedding night - the idea of sex is frightening and uncomfortable to her - we can assume that she has been taught very little about it since there is never an older woman figure in her life. On the other hand, Dany's description of the fight that ensued seems to indicate that she was fascinated by the fight rather than frightened of it: "the arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow." This gives the impression that Dany is avidly following the movements of the fight, much as Sansa might watch a jousting match in KL. What does this tell us about Dany - the fact that she is frightened by the sight of sex, yet fascinated by the sight of blood? Is it simply that she is braver, and more capable of facing hard truths (like death) than she appears to be?

As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask.
I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself again.

Dany explicitly identifies three things that she is afraid of: (1) the Dothraki, because they are foreign and their customs frightening to her; (2) failing her brother and the consequences of doing so; (3) her wedding night.

Her fear of the Dothraki stems largely from their customs, which Dany finds brutal and uncomfortable - more importantly, the Dothraki live in a very "liberated" manner - they are open about blood, death, and sex, and they believe that all things of importance in a man's life must be done under the open sky. This is a very different way of life from that of Dany, who has been forced/conditioned to live at the mercy of others, while keeping her true feelings hidden.

Similarly, Dany is afraid of Drogo because he is a stranger to her. Remember that the only meaningful male relationship in Dany's life is her brother, who is far from a paragon of sibling love - there are even indications that Viserys has been sexually abusive (i.e. when he pinches her nipple in a painful manner or pinches her thigh). There is no reason for Dany to expect gentle or considerate treatment from a man who, from her point of view, has essentially "bought" her.

However, it is Khal Drogo who helps Dany forget her fear for the first time:

She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke.
Dany sat there uncertain for a moment. No one had told her about this part. “What should I do?” she asked Illyrio.
It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. “Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.”
Nervously Dany gathered the reins in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees.
And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever.
The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head.
The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.
When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time.

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful passages from Dany's POV. For the first time in her life, Dany "forgot to be afraid." Rather than being apprehensive at the loss of control when the horse moved "faster than she intended," Dany feels "excited." There is foreshadowing and a parallelism here. The silver is Dany's gift from Drogo, the symbol of her status as Khaleesi, and he compares the silver of the horse's mane to Dany's silver hair - we can, in fact, see the silver as a representation of Dany, or who she can be if she lets go of her fear. The fact that riding the silver is the first time in which Dany feels unafraid isn't a coincidence - it is through the Dothraki and her marriage to Drogo that Dany truly grows out of and overcomes her fear. There is also an interesting connection to the description of the silver as it leaps over the firepit (again, the symbolism of fire) - "The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings" - this description immediately calls to mine the image of a dragon, knowing Martin, this is unlikely to be a coincidence. Note the events leading up to this description: " As she turned to ride back, a firepit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head." It is after Dany completely lets go of her fear and acts in a "daring" manner that "the silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings." If the silver is seen as a representation of Dany, she becomes a dragon for an instant after she releases all of her fear.

However, this victory is short-lived. As Dany and Drogo prepare for the first ride and consummation of their marriage, Viserys reminds Dany of her "duty."

As the khal was saddling the horse, Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, “Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before.”
The fear came back to her then, with her brother’s words. She felt like a child once more, only thirteen and all alone, not ready for what was about to happen to her.

There is an important distinction to be made here - it is not the prospect of the consummation of her marriage that brings the fear back to Dany, but rather Viserys' words. By extension, if we view "fearlessness" as the prerequisite for becoming a "dragon," then Viserys can be seen as an anti-dragon. His words bring "fear" and are anathemic to the dragon identity. This supports Dany's perception that Viserys is no dragon.

This connection between dragons and fearlessness is supported in Dany's mantra as she follows Drogo on her silver:

“I am the blood of the dragon,” she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. “I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon.” The dragon was never afraid.

The dragon was never afraid.

Notes:

There is also an interesting symbolism/analysis in Ser Jorah's brief appearances in this POV:

his service to Viserys: as I briefly touched on in the recap, there was no real motivation for him to enter the service of Viserys who had no army, no financial resources, and no lands/home and was entirely dependent on Illyrio. In retrospect, with the knowledge that Jorah was informing on Dany and Viserys, this decision makes much more sense. It is typical of Viserys not to question Jorah's offer of his sword.
his gifts to Dany: Jorah gives Dany old books of Westerosi songs and stories written in the tongue of the 7K. In here we see an interesting juxtaposition between Jorah's gifts, Viserys' gifts, and Illyrio's gifts. While Jorah's gifts are a form of connection for Dany with the kingdom of her ancestors - reinforcing Jorah's symbolism as a representation of "home" to Dany (his sigil is a bear, he is described as bear-like, reminiscent of Dany's descriptions of her childhood protector, another symbol of "home") - Viserys' gifts are decidedly "here and now," they are meant to reinforce Dany's position as Khaleesi and Drogo's "property." The three slave girls each teach Dany a skill that is necessary for a Khaleesi: how to ride, how to speak Dothraki, and how to pleasure the khal. Finally, Illyrio's gift of 3 dragon eggs embody Dany's lineage and, as the readers now know, her future.
Ser Jorah is the one to answer Dany when she is unsure of what to do after Drogo gives her the silver. It is interesting that he is the one to provide her guidance and not Viserys or Illyrio - doubly so if you consider the significance and symbolism of that ride

Finally there still remains the scene of the consummation between Dany and Drogo to be analyzed. I didn't feel like I could do it justice, so I left it for another poster.

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