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[Pre-ADwD Spoilers] Daenerys 3 - Spoilers for ADWD


Jon Targaryen

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The chapter opens with Dany dreaming of Daario. The dream is sexual -- there are images of groping, kissing, etc. In the dream, they are man and wife, leading a simple existence. Irri wakes her.

Missandei is crying. Dany ushers away Grey Worm and Reznak. The Sons of the Harpy struck again in the night, leaving nine dead. They were keeping the Queen's peace on the bricks of Mereen when they were attacked. Missandei's brother, Mossador, was among them. Dany takes the news hard. She is scared.

The harpist, Rylona Rhee was murdered after the Sons cut off her fingers. Dany fondly remembers her music. Two of the nine were poisoned at a wine shop where they would customarily stop during the night for a drink. The owners are in custody. Dany instructs Grey Worm to question them "sweetly" at first, then sharply if necessary, repeating Grey Worm's words.

Dany is furious. She instructs Grey Worm to do "whatever necessary," including "sharply" interrogating the wineseller's daughters. She tells Grey Worm that she wants names. She then instructs him to pull the Unsullied off the watch and to make them her personal guard only. The Mereenese will protect Mereen, she says. Dany has Grey Worm form a new guard, made up of the shavepates and the freedmen. When he asks how she will finance such a guard, Dany commands that a tax be exacted on each pyramid for each murder committed by the Unsullied. Grey Worm does not like the idea, but Dany insists that the Sons of the Harpy be made to fear her.

Dany returns to her quarters with Missandei and takes her into her bed. Dany comforts the girl, telling her stories of her early days running from the Usurper with Viserys and how difficult it was for her protectors to protect her. Dany tells Missandei that she now understands the frustration, and refers to herself as the Mother of Dragons. Missandei corrects her, saying that she is Mother to All. They drift off to sleep.

Dany has a restless sleep with thoughts of King's Landing that quickly turn back to darker visions of Slaver's Bay. She wakes and opts for a cool bath to calm her. She thinks about the thirteen ships that Xaro offered her to leave for Westeros and ponders the logistics of using that fleet to sail West. She thinks of the Dragons, wondering how she will take them with her. Her thoughts end on Drogon, the winged shadow. Then, her moment of reflection is interrupted. She hears something.

A woman in a wooden mask painted in a dark red lacquer stands beneath a tree. It is Quaithe. Dany demands to know how she passed the guards. Quaithe tells her that she came another way and that if Dany calls out, her guards will swear to her that Quaithe is not present.

Quaithe tells Dany "The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare. After her will come the others [no caps]. Crow and kraken, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Remember the undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal."

Dany thinks this seneschal is Reznak. She demands that Quaithe cease speaking in riddles. Quaithe tells her that she wants to show her the way, after which Dany repeats the path "go north to go south, etc." Quaithe bids that Dany remember who she is. Dany thinks about being the blood of the dragon, the three mounts, the three betrayals. She is interrupted by Missandei. Quaithe is gone.

Over breakfast, Dany reveals Xaro's offer of thirteen galleys to Dany for her to leave Mereen and travel to Westeros. The Dothraki believe that thirteen is unlucky (and too few), but Dany says that it is enough to take them to Westeros. Irri and Jhiqui don't like the idea of crossing the poisoned sea with horses.

Reznak arrives and Dany instantly mistrusts him. She thinks about Quaithe's warning and wonders whether she ever trusted him.

Dany goes to her royal seat and listens to the day's petitions, which are much fewer (see Daenerys II summary for why this is the case), but one of the petitions is dire. Yunkai has laid seige to Astapor. Lord Ghael begs Dany to fly South with her strength. She refuses. He continues, saying that King Cleon is continuing what she began, destroying the vile slavers. Dany knows that she cannot hold Mereen without the Unsullied, but will not admit as much in open court. Ghael pleads with Dany to bring her army and her dragons. Dany thinks that her dragons are more likely to burn the city than save it. She refuses again. Ghael tells Dany that she brought them death rather than freedom. He spits in her face and is repaid by Strong Belwas. He slams Ghael's face into the stone floor and drags him away, trailing blood and teeth.

Hizdahr comes to Dany after a number of other petitions, pleading with Dany for the seventh time to reopen the fighting pits (clearly, they are no longer opened in Dany II... more to come). He links the seventh plea to her seven gods, hoping that it will have some significance. Hizdahr also brings seven companions, gladiators from the pits, to speak and plead with her for the reopening. Dany doesn't want to listen, but then thinks that a Queen must hear her subjects. Dany sees more and more that many that she freed do not want to be free, as they had better lives as slaves (like the champions that accompany Hizdahr).

Dany thinks that the winners are right, and that their lives will be good, but then asks about the fate of the losers. Barsena replies that "all men must die... all women, too." Dany thanks them for their counsel and dismisses them. She contemplates some more "woe is me" about being the Mother of Dragons. Dany instructs Reznak to assemble all her commanders in the armory.

Dany briefs the commanders about the Yunkai situation, saying that she wants to intervene because after Yunkai crushes Astapor, the next stop will be Mereen. Her Unsullied and Shavepates chime in with a number of different strategies for dealing with the Yunkai'i. Dany thinks that Ser Jorah Mormont would have known exactly what to do and is sad that he betrayed her and isn't present.

One of her commanders suggests that the Yunkai sellswords will not have been paid near enough to face dragons. Dany complains that the dragons aren't nearly large enough to take into war. Mollono suggests that the mere sight of the dragons may be enough, should they follow. Dany wonders if they will, indeed, follow, or whether they will lay havoc to the land and her army. Dany thinks again of Hazzea, the girl that Drogon killed earlier (she thinks of Hazzea quite a bit in the new chapters). Dany ponders the irony of the Mother of Dragons needing protection from her children.

Barristan Selmy returns from inspecting Xaro's galleys. One is so worm-ridden that it cannot leave port, but the others, short of a few problems, are ready to sail. Selmy encourages Dany to use them to sail to Westeros. This makes Dany think of how she is a stranger in the Eastern lands and how Westeros will welcome her when she returns home, filing in behind her banners. Reznak tells Dany that this means Yunkai will take Mereen and rape its daughters and maiden wives. Skahaz Shavepate slaps his sword, saying that he would kill his family before seeing them fall to such a fate. This hurts Dany.

They argue, telling Dany to set sail and leave the Unsullied. Someone tells her to leave the dragons. She silences them. She decides that she cannot take Xaro's fleet and that Westeros must wait. Barristan tries to sway her by saying that the people will cheer for "Prince Rhaegar's sister" and this makes Dany smile. But she insists that the Seven Kingdoms will be there when she arrives, no matter when that is. She sends for Xaro to give him the news that she will refuse his gift.

Xaro comes bearing an old, large map. He unrolls it before Dany. She knows the map is old because Valyria is not surrounded by the smoking sea and it is "not yet an island" (is this new information about the Doom, perhaps?). Xaro puts an arm around her and shows Dany how she lost her way by coming to Mereen and promises that his fleet will help bring her back where she belongs, to Westeros.

Dany refuses him. Asks him to lend her the ships for another use. Xaro, with tears in his eyes, tells Dany that he sees that she is now playing Queen with dreams of conquest and dragons. He tells her that she has no idea the effect of her actions and that she does not know many of the enemies she has already made. He tells her that her dragons, while small, were once a wonder, but were now becoming a great danger. He tells her that they will not be allowed to grow large enough to breed, nor will she. He adds that he should have slain her in Qarth. This makes Dany angry. She tells him she does not respond kindly to threats. Xaro ensures her that it is not a threat, but a promise. She tells him to begone from Mereen or he will find out whether his mummer's tears will move Viserion and Rhaegal.

The next morning, Xaro's ship was gone, but the thirteen gifted galleys remained. An envoy of Xaro's approaches Dany and lays a pillow at her feet. Atop the pillow is a bloody glove. "It means war," Dany thinks.

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"The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare. After her will come the others [no caps]. Crow and kraken, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Remember the undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal."

Lion and Griffin -- Tyrion and Young Griff

Sun's Son -- the Martell

Mummer's Dragon -- Auran Waters?

Kraken -- Euron?

Crow -- Marwynn?

Pale Mare -- ???

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More likely:

Crow and Kraken; Euron and Victarion

Lion and Griffin: Tyrion and Griff/Young Griff

Sun's son and Mummer's Dragon: Quentyn Martell and someone from the Golden Company

The perfumed seneschal?

Reznak, Illyrio or Varys.

Pale Mare: Some sort of reference to a Dothrake who is forthcoming IMO.

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More likely:

Crow and Kraken; Euron and Victarion

Lion and Griffin: Tyrion and Griff/Young Griff

Sun's son and Mummer's Dragon: Quentyn Martell and someone from the Golden Company

The perfumed seneschal?

Reznak, Illyrio or Varys.

Pale Mare: Some sort of reference to a Dothrake who is forthcoming IMO.

"Crow" is what the black brothers are called. Its more likely to be a black brother, perhaps (should i risk getting flamed?) Jon Snow.

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"Crow" is what the black brothers are called. Its more likely to be a black brother, perhaps (should i risk getting flamed?) Jon Snow.

Nah. More likely it will be Sam, with "Alleras", Lazy Leo and, maybe, "Pate", instead of Marwyn, who'll die of tuberculosis.

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Crow and Kraken: Euron and Victarion. Euron is the black sheep of House Greyjoy, and not a true kraken. And of course, he's called Crow's Eye. Victarion is straightforward.

Lion and Griffin: Tyrion and Jon Connington, also known as Griff.

Sun's son and Mummer's Dragon: Quentynn Martell is obvious. Mummer's dragon is tough, though- maybe Aurane Waters. He has Valyrian blood and a fleet.

The perfumed seneschal: Possibly Illyrio. But why should she beware this ally? Maybe he'll plot to take her dragons...

Pale Mare: IMO, the khal of a hostile Dothraki horde. "Pale mare" could refer to the horse he rides.

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What happened to the theory about the "pale mare" being the golden company based on some heraldric reference to Bittersteels coats of arms, or something like that?

I thought I saw a theory like that on the old board which I rather liked. What happened to it? Has it been disproven in some way?

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Bittersteels arms don't feature a pale mare (though they do feature a kind of horse).

That said, I suppose some sort of pale horse could still be used as an emblem for the Golden Company.

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heh, lucky Dag saved his reply from teh Ezboard thread: (revised it a lil bit)

The part about the glass candles is easy, it's general knowlege after affc.

To me, it seems that Quaithe isn't talking to Dany directly, but quoting an ashaian prophecy dealing with Dany's arrival in the land of the shadow:

Dany herself would be the pale mare in this case. It has already been pointed out that the "mare" sounds to be a reference to a dothraki woman. And since dothraki naturally have black hair and copper skin, what would be stranger than a white skinnned khaleesi with blonde hair?

in her tail, she brings Tyrion (Lion), Victarion (Kraken), Connington (Griffin), Quentin Martell (Sun's Son), a crow (black brother?) and the mummer's dragon: i agree that this probably is the fake aegon people have been talking about (Aurane Waters?), which would make Varys the most probable candidate for the mummer.

The part about the glass candles is easy, it's general knowlege after affc.

If we see the warning about the undying as the same kind of general prophecy (directed at asshai instead of dany), it sounds like a foreshadowing: that the same fate might befall asshai as it did the undying

The Perfumed Seneshal, if i'm right, would not be a thread to Dany but to asshai! I think this refers to Varys as well, rather than to Illyrio.

Hope you like it ;) Dag

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Bittersteels arms don't feature a pale mare (though they do feature a kind of horse).

Do you have a reference in the books (or the short stories) for Bittersteel's arms?

I think I was the one with the original possibility of a pale horse as Bittersteel's arms. I took it from a color-reversal of the Bracken arms, which (IIRC) featured a horse of some sort against some light-colored background. The details are fuzzy to me.

Under my theory, the Pale Mare would then be a female descendant of Bittersteel, with (leading?) the Golden Company.

Also, whence comes the idea of Aurane Waters as the Mummer's Dragon?

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Waters cannot be the Mummer's dragon, he's too old, he's 22, much too old to impersonate someone who's 16-17

i dont think he's goin to impersonate Aegon. but he will be the Mummer's Dragon IMO purely because he _looks_ like a targ. Mummers dragon doesnt mean that he will _pretend_ to be a targ, and it doesnt mean that they are a targ because otherwise they wouldnt be a _mummers_ dragon :tantrum: (i just wanted 2 use that smilie :blush: )

i think Water's will be the Mummer's Dragon because he isnt a targ but could be mistaken for one

i dont think that made sense :(

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I think the mummer's dragon has to be someone controlled by Varys, Varys being the mummer.

Jon, while that seems to be a possibility, I'm personally thinking that is it is a symbolic reference by Quiathe, rather than something to be taken literal. Ie, Quentyn Martell is not literally the Sun's son, but the son of the Martell prince, whose sigil is a speared sun. Ie, Tyrion's sigilis a lion and Griff's is a Griffin, but they are not literal. Ergo, I assume that Mummer's dragon isn't literal either.

Which means that I expect Mummer's dragon to refer to another party heading Dany's way (The Golden Company), also seems to be connected with Quentyn, not coincidentally the one who the Mummer's dragon is paired with in the prophecy. Mummer's dragon=not a real dragon, a pretender. Golden Company= founded and possibly still led by a Pretender Targaryen.

I could be proven wrong in the end of course.

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