Rethinking Romance: Love Stories of ASOIAF

[DogLover]

Interesting observations, A Free Shadow and The Weirwoods Eyes. Weasel certain drives home the horrors of war--those Riverland chapters are so chilling. I don't think Arya will turn into a cold-blooded killer (she can never truly be "no one"), and have always thought Sandor would play a role in helping Arya find inner-peace and forgiveness since she's following a similar path as the Hound. But the notion of Gendry playing a role is very appealing. However, Arya's choice to save Jaqen, Biter, and Rorge, when Gendry told her he'd rather save the donkeys, benefitted Arya, but took a psychological toll on Gendry in that he had to witness firsthand the savagery and brutality of Biter and Rorge, so Gendry needs healing as much as Arya does. Maybe they'll help each other.

[DogLover]

It's been a while since our last romance, but we're finally ready to move on to the next one. RhaenysBalerion is our next guest contributor. She's one of our favorite Khal Drogo defenders on the forum and we're so appreciative that she took the time to make this contribution.

Like GRRM, we consider Dany and Drogo a love story and the purpose of this thread is to appreciate the writing of that story. Therefore, we ask that the discussion not devolve into a rape debate. Please start another thread to discuss that.

[RhaenysBee]

Thank you for the introduction!

As DogLover pointed out as well - none of these articles touch on the rape or Stockholm Syndrome issues. There'll be three of them, the first one in two parts, in consideration of length. As I'm not a native speaker, I ask you to bear with any spelling/grammar mistakes, though I did my best to eliminate them :)

Chapter by chapter analysis of the relationship of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo Part I

A plot recap including the analysis of the romantic relationship of Drogo and Daenerys. The article does not touch on Ser Jorah/Daenerys or Daenerys’s relationship to Viserys.

CHAPTER 1

The very first scene that introduces the reader to Daenerys Targaryen is set in the palace of Magister Illyrio where Daenerys is being prepared for the feast in Khal Drogo’s manse. During the process, she reflects on her past, her relationship with Viserys and on her feelings about the upcoming feast. After a palanquin ride to the khal’s manse, Daenerys awaits meeting her future husband. Daenerys has a chance to glimpse at Drogo and get a first impression of him, but the chapter ends before the khal actually walks up to her and how the two meet for the first time is never revealed.

As a result of this, for most of the chapter Daenerys is left to rely on the information Viserys, Illyrio and the slave girl bathing her provide her concerning Khal Drogo.

„Khal Drogo has a thousand horses, tonight he looks for a different sort of mount.”
„Khal Drogo has never lost a fight.”

Viserys’s information focuses on the power of Drogo’s along with sexual references to what the khal might and might not do with Daenerys once the two are wedded.

„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.”
„There was more like that, so much more, what a handsome man the khal was, so tall and fierce, fearless in battle, the best rider ever to mount a horse, a demon archer.”

The information the slave girl who bathes Daenerys gives can be divided into two parts. What is quoted of her words proves to be wrong on all statements. Drogo’s khalasar counts only forty thousand riders, as we are confirmed by Illyrio, Viserys and Wiki of Ice and Fire. Chapters later Daenerys sees for herself, Vaes Dothrak is not a city of stone and palaces and later this chapter, Daenerys also confirms that the slave admitting them to the Pentos manse of Drogo’s wears a bronze collar. She does acknowledge a parallel, though, when seeing her reflection in the mirror after she was given a golden collar to accesorize her for the feast and gets the impression she’s to be but another slave of Drogo’s. However, when seeing the khal for the first time, Daenerys reflects on the slave girl not being far wrong about Drogo’s appearance.

With the rather negative feelings and preconceptions about Drogo, Daenerys’s first impression of the khal is somewhat positive, however.

„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.”

She finds Drogo both younger and better looking than expected. As Viserys draws her attention to Khal Drogo’s braid, Daenerys’s observation continues as objective and neutral.

„Drogo’s braid was black as midnight and heavy with scented oil, hung with tiny bells that rang softly as he moved. It swung well past his belt, below even his buttocks, the end of it brushing against against the back of his thighs.”

Viserys then tells her about what an uncut braid symbolises among the Dothraki and compares Drogo to Aegon the Dragonlord. Daenerys looks at Drogo again and get’s the first negative impression.

„His face was hard and cruel, his eyes cold and dark as onyx. Her brother hurt her sometimes when she woke the dragon, but he did not frighten her the way this man frightened her.”

Beforehand her fear and reluctance in relation with the affair were inner thoughts and feelings. Right then, however, Daenerys verbally expresses that she does not want to wed Drogo, which infuriates her brother and results in him reducing Daenerys to tears as he tells her he would let the whole khalasar… have a sexual intercourse with her to get his army. Even though it was a third look at Drogo that frightened her, it is important to notice how her impression of Drogo went from positive through neutral to negative as Viserys spoke more and more.

CHAPTER 2

„Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beond 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.”

So we start off the second Daenerys chapter, which summerizes the events before the wedding ceremony in retrospect including the well-known dragon-dream. The chapter follows on with the description of the Dothraki fashion wedding reception provides us with further information to understand the Dothraki customs, to build up Daenerys’s integration with the Dothraki and last, but not least, to describe Drogo more.

All the while fear and angst cuts deeper and deeper into Daenerys with every passing hour as she observes the alien culture and the stranger she just wedded. “Her brother had told her to smile, and so she smiled until her face ached and the tears came unbidden to her eyes. She did her best to hide them, knowing how angry Viserys would be if he saw her crying, terrified of how Khal Drogo might react.”

Significant to notice in the quote above that while she knows exactly how angry Viserys will be (“Her brother hurt her sometimes when she woke the dragon […].”), she does not know how Drogo will react and thus is afraid of the unknown. Fear of the unknown, as natural a phenomenon it is, commonly appears on the palette of Daenerys’s feelings during the process of her settling in with the Dothraki („[…] afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous […] Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars […].) and preparing for her wedding night. Even though “She’s a maid on the eve of her wedding. A few tears are to be expected.” (Catelyn Stark, A Strom of Swords), Daenerys’s young age and arranged marriage into a different culture, along with the lack of a common language with her husband all add up to more angst about the upcoming night.

While Daenerys experiences anxiety throughout the entire wedding, Drogo seems to be enjoying their rather fortunate (blessed by a dozen deaths) union:

“Khal Drogo shouted commands and jests down to his bloodriders, and laughed at their replies, but he scarcely glanced at Dany beside him. They had no common language.”
“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 hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask.”

Most quotes on Drogo agree on something that Daenerys explicitly states in a later chapter “The khal’s face did not often betray the thoughts within.”, that is, Daenerys anticipates to be the wife of a poker faced, alcoholic giant who doesn’t share her language and enjoys watching people die and mate. Before we judge him though, we must remind ourselves of Jorah Mormont’s words on how the Dothraki “do not understand sin and shame as we do.”

With the feast coming to an end, the time for bridegifts arrives; most important of all, the three dragon’s eggs from magister Illyrio and the silver filly from Khal Drogo. After Drogo seats her into the saddle, Daenerys heeds Ser Jorah’s advice to ride.

“For the first time in hours she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever.” Daenerys’s fear is gone as she rides the silver horse, so much it turns into its very opposite as she leaps a firepit: dare. (“A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly hear head.”)

Important to notice: it was Khal Drogo’s gift, the silver horse that made her fear fade away, and it was fire that filled her with daring. Daenerys reflects on the ride as: “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” (Shall be discussed in another article to more detail.) When Ser Jorah translates, “Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time.”

As we have seen in the first chapter, it is Viserys again who brings back her fear of the wedding night that is to come (“The fear came back to her then, with her brother’s words.”). After the feast, Daenerys and Khal Drogo ride off to consummate their marriage. As they dismount, Daenerys fails to hold back her tears and finally learns how Khal Drogo will react: “Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression. “No,” he said. He lifted his hand and rubbed away the tears roughly with a callused thumb.”

“No” being the first word Drogo speaks to her has a special meaning for Daenerys (and for motifs as well, as “No” is also the last word Drogo says in his life when dying in Daenerys’s arms). “Perhaps he had only that word, she thought, but it was one word more than she had known he had, and somehow it made her feel a little better.” One word and the intimacy of the situation finally tears down the language barrier as Daenerys starts decoding Drogo’s tones, gestures and touches and experiences his gentle side. (“Drogo touched her hair lightly […] murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man.”, “His fingers were deft and strangely tender.”)

Her fear returns when Drogo starts undressing her and tries to cover herself, but … ““No,” Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him.” When Daenerys repeats the word “No”, as in indicating that she does not want what was coming, “for a while nothing happened.” When Drogo does start touching her, “she could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her.” As good as Drogo proved to be at foreplay, we soon arrive at one of the two most significant moments of the Daenerys/Drogo wedding night, namely when Drogo poses a question “No?” and Daenerys replies “Yes.”

Beside the fact the Drogo explicitly asks for Daenerys’s consent to go through with the wedding night, another significant moment proves that he treats and considers Daenerys as his equal. Every time Khal Drogo is described throughout the book, GRRM points out how he towered over everybody (Jorah, Viserys, Illyrio, his bloodriders, etc). The same thing happens now as well. “Drogo towered over her, as he towered over everyone.” Then, however, Drogo sits Daenerys on top of a large rock, while he himself sits on the ground thus making “their faces finally at a height.” It is only Daenerys whose face is ever at a height with Khal Drogo’s.

CHAPTER 3

As all Daenerys chapters, the third chapter written in her POV is built up on the same structure. We are dropped into the middle of a scene, a retrospect detour follows up summarizing the events that led to the scene, after which the scene goes on and unfolds in linear timeline.

Daenerys is in the middle of the Dothraki scene enjoying a wonderful day as she bids the khalasar to halt and wait while she wanders into the green, alone. (“It’s so beautiful here.”, “The day was too perfect.”, “Dany rode fearlessly.”,“Dany felt at peace. She would not let Viserys spoil it.”, “All her life, Viserys had told her she was a princess, but not until she rode her silver had Daenerys Targaryen ever felt like one.”)

The last two of the quotes above and further reflection on the past days proves that Daenerys is getting tired of her brother’s presence and tendency to spoil her good moods with his complaints. Also, Daenerys’s moment of solitude in the Dothraki sea (“She was barefoot, with oiled hair, wearing Dothraki riding leathers and a painted vest given her as a bride gift.”) is a wish fulfilled from her first POV chapter („…she wished she could be out there with them, barefoot and breathless, dressed in tatters…”).

However, we are reminded that the road to this happy and peaceful moment was not straight and smooth. “At first it had not come easy.” Daenerys reflects on the horrors of getting used to riding from dusk to dawn every day, and instead of finally getting rest at night, attending Drogo’s man’s needs, a painful and unwelcome duty with tiredness, chaffed thighs, saddle sores on her bottom and lower parts.

“…by the third day Dany thought she was going to die. Saddle sores opened on her bottom, hideous and bloody. Her thighs were chafed raw, her hands blistered from the reins, the muscles of her legs and back so wracked with pain that she could scarcely sit.”
“Yet every night, some time before dawn, Drogo would come to her tent and wake her in the night to ride her as relentlessly as he rode his stallion. He always took her from behind, Dothraki fashion, for which Dany was grateful; that way her lord husband could not see the tears that wet her face, and she could use her pillow to muffle her cries of pain.”

This article is not going to discuss whether the sexual intercourses between Drogo and Daenerys during the time of her adjusting count as rape or not. So all I’d like to touch on are the description of pain in the text. The physical hurts caused by daily 8-10 hours of horse riding and the exhaustion from the physical strain Daenerys was not used to (anybody who rides a horse will know what it means) are the factors the text attributes the pain to. Daenerys doesn’t want Drogo to see her tears, and not because she’s afraid of his reaction (Drogo never showed any sign of aggression or dislike back during their wedding night when Daenerys wept). A plausible explanation might be a reoccurring thought of Daenerys’s from later chapters. When struggling with the horseheart, or opting for a palanquin ride to the market while Drogo is hunting, but sticking with riding while he’s around, Daenerys never likes the idea of seeming weak in everybody’s/her husband’s eyes.

A point comes then, at which Daenerys feels she can’t go on any longer, however, as it happened before her wedding, she finds strength in a well-known dream again. “She would kill herself rather than go on, she decided one night. Yet when she slept that night, she dreamt the dragon dream again.” When she woke up, “She felt strong and new and fierce. And the next day she did not seem to hurt quite so much”.

Important to notice that this is the second time that the dragon-dream gives her strength when her faith and willpower and courage concerning her marriage to Drogo is leaving her. After that night

“…each day was easier than the one before it. Her legs grew stronger; her blisters burst and her hands grew callused; her soft skin toughened, supple as leather.”
“As the riding became less an ordeal, Dany began to notice the beauties of the land around her.”

All quotes above give further description on the struggles with horse-riding and prove that the main struggle of Daenerys’s had been the physical pain of learning to ride and getting used to it. And so “She began to find pleasure even in her nights, and if she still cried out when Drogo took her, it was not always in pain.”

With the flashback over, Daenerys is back in the Dothraki sea where Viserys confronts her for commanding him. This is the first time Daenerys defies him, free in a place where she feels home, with enough authority to do so as khaleesi of the Dothraki, self-confident among people who respect and love her, in a home she never had before, as Jorah Mormont points out (“I pray for home too,” she told him, believing it. / “Look around you then, Khaleesi.”).

That night Daenerys listens to a story about dragons from Doreah (shall be discussed further) who then gives her a lesson on “the womanly arts of love”. Daenerys waited up Khal Drogo and led him out into the moonlight (for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky) where they made love in front of the whole khalasar and conceived a son. “His were the only eyes that mattered, and when she mounted him, she saw something there that she had never seen before.”

While we have no information on in whatever position Daenerys lost her virginity on their wedding night, it is confirmed that during the settling-in era, Drogo always took her “from behind, Dothraki fashion” and that night was the first time Daenerys stepped out of the traditional Dotharki woman role for taking control during their intercourse by being on top. The moment is symbolic, as from this point on, Daenerys is in full control of her relationship with Drogo.

CHAPTER 4

The khalasar arrives at Vaes Dothrak. We learn about the stolen statues, the mother of mountains, the dosh khaleen and all the customs related to Vaes Dothrak. The chapter focuses on Daenerys discussing the chances of Dothraki invasion of Westeros and on her relationship with Viserys. Daenerys and Drogo get little role in this chapter.

After the ominous confrontation in the Dothraki sea and Viserys having to return to the khalasar on foot, he acquires his Dothraki nicknames, Sorefoot King and Khal Rhaggat (after Drogo offers him a place in a cart among the old and weak). Ready to make peace with her brother, Daenerys convinces Drogo to let him rejoin them at the head of the khalasar. “It had taken much pleading and all the pillow tricks Doreah had taught her before Dany had been able to make Drogo relent […].” The quote makes it clear that a certain Queen Regent would be proud of Daenerys and was evidentially right about tears not being a woman’s only weapon to get what she wants.

Once in Vaes Dothark, one of Drogo’s bloodriders tells Daenerys that Drogo wanted to let her know he would be climbing the Mother of Mountains that night. A small scene as it is, it shows that Drogo has taken up the habit of informing Daenerys about his ongoings. To prove that the two of them are in a happy relationship by this time, Daenerys replies: ““Tell my sun-and-stars that I dream of him and wait anxious for his return,” she replied, thankful.” Even though she cares for Drogo, Daenerys points out that a good night of sleep shall come as a pleasant novelty, since, well into her pregnancy already, she tired more easily. (“Her pregnancy only seemed to have inflamed Drogo’s desire for her for, and of late his embraces left her exhausted.”)

With Drogo gone, Daenerys decides to make peace with her brother and invites him for supper to give him the gifts she had made for him. Viserys’s reaction however does not exceed even the lowest of her expectations. For the second time, Daenerys stands up for herself and hits back. “And pray that Khal Drogo does not hear of this, or he will cut open your belly and feed you your own entrails.” The quote leaves no doubt that the roles have turned and now it’s Khal Drogo keeping Daenerys safe from her brother, while in the first two chapters Daenerys had hoped it would be the other way around – only, unlike Drogo, Viserys had failed her in those hopes.

Losing her appetite and good mood for the night, Daenerys curls up in her bed and tries to find comfort, as she caresses her belly and speaks to her baby: “You are the dragon, the true dragon.” (And she is not far wrong, as we know.)

CHAPTER 5

In medias res, Daenerys is in the middle of devouring a stallion’s raw heart, for the Dothraki believe that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky that it’ll make her son strong. Eating a raw heart is not easy or pleasant, but Daenerys, as it has happened so far and will also happen is later chapters, does not want to look weak in anybody’s eye and is determined to keep the heart down. And, for the sake of surprise, she finds comfort in reminding herself of her dragonblood (“She must not flinch or look afraid. I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself…”).

In the meanwhile:
“Khal Drogo stood over her as she ate, his face as hard as a bronze shield.”
“…Dany thought she glimpsed a fierce pride in his dark, almond-shaped eyes, but she could not be sure. The khal’s face did not often betray the thoughts within.”

Aside from his vast khalasar, height and chiming bells, Khal Drogo is famous for is poker face too – but the ceremony in Vaes Dothrak and his child in Daenerys’s womb do seem to lure some emotions out of him. Especially when the dosh khaleen look into the future of his son. (“Khal Drogo laid his hand on Dany’s arm. She could feel the tension in his fingers. Even a khal as mighty as Drogo could know fear when the dosh khaleen peered into the smoke of the future.”) Drogo turned to Daenerys in his moment of insecurity, same as Daenerys had turned to him when she felt she couldn’t keep the horse heart down. (“She looked at him whenever she felt her strength failing; looked at him, and chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed.”) The parallel shows that the affection and trust is mutual, they both rely on each other when in need of emotional support.

When the dosh khaleen announce the bright future of their son, who will be the stallion who mounts the world, Drogo and Daenerys leave for the Womb of the World while Drogo comments on how much he likes the name Rhaego, and he does so in the common tongue. With not only Daenerys learning Dothraki, but Drogo letting her teach him the Common Tongue too, it’s clear they both work to be able to communicate even better which is important to both of them. It is even a sort of private language of the two, as “…his accent was so thick and barbarous that neither Ser Jorah, nor Viserys could understand a word he said”. The first part of the previous quote “Drogo was quick to learn when he put his mind to it […]” also gives a clue to the reader; Drogo did grow up in a barbarian culture, but that doesn’t mean he had no IQ. When Drogo looked at her in the end, “she thought she glimpsed a shadow of a smile.”

After Daenerys bathes in the lake and climbs out shivering, Drogo waves away Doreah hurrying to wrap Daenerys into silks aroused by the sight of his pregnant wife. Daenerys walks up to him and they unlace Drogo’s trousers so he can relieve his libido. “Then her huge khal took her by the hips and lifted her into the air, as he might lift a child.” Italic, bold and underlining to express how important it is to notice that Daenerys refers to Drogo as her khal.

During the celebration, Drogo talks with his bloodriders and other khals, while Daenerys enjoys the company of her handmaids and Ser Jorah before she notices the absence of her brother. When he appears, drawing his sword, Daenerys calls out to him in hope of stopping him from more folly (to use one of GRRM’s favorite words). Viserys stumbles up to her and points his sword at her bump as he threatens her: “He (Khal Drogo) can keep his bloody foal. I’ll cut the bastard out and leave it for him.”

From this moment on, after he threatened the life of her child, Daenerys only refers to Viserys as “this man who had once been her brother.” The threat also means the end of Drogo’s tolerance towards Viserys, for the first but not the last time Drogo does not abide anybody threaten the life of his wife and child. “When the sun of her life reached her, Dany slid an arm around his waist. The khal said a word and his bloodriders leapt forward.” And that is when Viserys gets his golden crown. Her brother’s death leaves no doubt in Daenerys that he was not the last dragon, because fire could kill him.

CHAPTER 6

In bed with Daenerys and Drogo. The sixth chapter written in Daenerys’s POV starts with another Daenerys-Drogo conversation, after some private time together, about the invasion of Westeros. Drogo then leaves for a hunt and Daenerys for the Western market where a wine-seller tries to poison her. Drogo hearing that King Robert demands Daenerys and their son’s death decides to set off to plunder the Seven Kingdoms.

The chapter starts with Drogo rising from the bed to wash and Daenerys watching him “…so tall and magnificent. She loved his hair especially.” Drogo, however, does not love the idea of sailing to Westeros, he claims that the stallion who mounts the world has no need of iron chairs and will not hear more of the topic. After he leaves for a hunt, Daenerys reflects on her efforts to convince her husband to take his khalasar west. “Drogo was a bolder man than the other horselords in half a hundred ways she had found… but not in this.” The quote implies that by this time Daenerys has a good insight on Drogo’s character, which gives another depth to their relationship.

Another interesting thought of Daenerys is the following: “If I were not the blood of the dragon, she thought wistfully, this could be my home. She was khaleesi, she had a strong man and a swift horse…. That should be enough for any woman… but not for the dragon. With Viserys gone, Daenerys was the last, the very last.” In previous chapters Daenerys had already expressed her dislike of a future in a dosh khaleen (“Still, it gave Dany the shivers to think that one day she might be sent to join them…”), but it’s only now specified that her actual reluctance and lack of satisfaction with a life she considers perfect enough for any woman is due to her Targaryen blood. Being the last dragon, she feels she was created for more and also considers it her duty to restore the name of her house as the last Targaryen.

Later that day she talks with Ser Jorah of Drogo’s reluctance to sail to the Seven Kingdoms. “He talks of leading his khalasar east after Rhaego is born, to plunder the lands around the Jade Sea.” Apart from Drogo’s plans, the quote also shows that Drogo now puts up Daenerys even to his warfare strategies. Ser Jorah advises her to be patient and suggest to visit the Western market where a wine-seller attempts to sell her poisoned wine upon learning her identity as Daenerys Targaryen.

Not knowing that it’s poisoned, Daenerys thanks him, knowing that the wine would please Drogo (“Khal Drogo’s visit to the Free Cities had given him a taste for good wine, and Dany knew such a noble vintage would please him.”) and plans to share it with him (“Khal Drogo and I will share it together.”). Knowing Drogo’s taste in wines and surprising him with something he likes implies mutual love again.

Ser Jorah arrives to reveal the true purpose of the wine-seller and thanks to his and Jhogo’s intervention, Daenerys gets back to Vaes Dothrak unharmed, though shaken. “The taste in her mouth was one that she had known before: fear. For years she had lived in terror of Viserys, afraid of waking the dragon.” Her fear that has been gone for all the chapters she’d spent as Drogo’s wife in safety and happiness is back as her enemies conspire to murder her and her child. On the way back, yet again, Daenerys finds comfort in being the blood of the dragon. Surprise, surprise.

Drogo returns from her hunt glorious and joyful, but “when Dany told him what happened at the market, all laughter stopped and Khal Drogo grew very quiet.” He considers Ser Jorah’s warning that the poisoner was not the last silently, before he decides to gift two horses of their choice to Jhogo and Ser Jorah for saving his wife. Then he pledges a gift to his son too, though it’s really Daenerys whose wish he’s fulfilling when he swears: “And to Rhaego, son of Drogo, the stallion who will mount the world, to him I also pledge a gift. To him I will give this iron chair her mother’s father sat in. I will give him the Seven Kingdoms. I, Drogo, khal, will do this thing.”

Soon after, the khalasar leaves Vaes Dothrak to ride west, Daenerys and Drogo now riding side by side at the head of the column unlike in the flashback in the third Daenerys chapter, when Drogo still ignored Daenerys while she struggled with her riding. “Khal Drogo led them on his great red stallion, with Daenerys beside him on her silver.”

To be continued... :ninja:

[RhaenysBee]

Chapter by chapter analysis of the relationship of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo Part II

CHAPTER 7

The seventh chapter written in Daenerys’s POV introduces the reader to the aftermath of the Dothraki assault on the Lhazareen on their way west. Daenerys sees war for the first time in her life and understands the price of the Iron Throne, but still confronts Drogo’s riders to save lamb women from rape. During the battle, Drogo took serious wounds and gets them tended to by Mirri Maz Duur, the thick-bodied, flat-nosed lamb woman Daenerys saves.

The chapter starts with Daenerys riding past the scene of the battle, surrounded by the dead and dying, seeing the horrors of war for the first time. Upon Ser Jorah’s arrival her first question is: “Drogo took no harm?” After Ser Jorah assures her that the khal is well save for a few cuts, Daenerys continues observing the aftermath of the battle, doing her best to stomach and tolerate the scene around her, finding strength in her dragon blood. Again. What a boring wench.

One thing she cannot turn a blind eye to, is rape, and confronts the riders to save the lamb woman in spite of everybody advising her not to, even Ser Jorah. When a rider attempts to defy her, she uses Drogo’s authority to make the rider obey. “Do as I command you, or Khal Drogo will know the reason why.” An important link to the confrontation is Ser Jorah expressing his approval of Daenerys’s courage, honor and determination to save the woman when saying: “You are your brother’s sister in truth.” Daenerys asks back “Viserys?” and Jorah answes: “No. Rhaegar.” Not the first and not the last time that Daenerys is compared to Rhaegar.

Daenerys arrives at the town to find Drogo sitting beside a pile of heads taller than he himself and find out that his wounds are more serious than Ser Jorah had said. (“She knelt before the khal. “My sun-and-stars is wounded””) Drogo assures her he is well and starts telling about his glories in battle when a rider, Mago comes and tells Drogo how Daenerys claimed his spoils.

“Khal Drogo’s face was still and hard, but his black eyes were curious as they went to Dany.” Daenerys told him what happened. “When she was done, Khal Drogo was frowning. “This is the way of war. These women are our slaves now, to do with as we please.”/“It pleases me to hold them safe,” Dany said wondering if she dared too much.”

Apparently, Drogo doesn’t think so, he likes the idea of Daenerys telling his riders off and standing up for herself, something the being Drogo’s wife taught her to do so, as never before did she dare stand up for herself against her brother or anybody else. “Khal Drogo smiled. “See how fierce she grows!” he said. “It’s my son inside her, the stallion who mounts the world, filling her with his fire. Ride slowly, Qotho… if the mother does not burn you where you sit… These belong to my khaleesi.””

It is important to notice that little possessive adjective in front of khaleesi, same as it was important to notice it in the fifth Daenerys chapter (“her huge khal”). Another word to mind is “fire” (this shall be discussed further in another essay too).

When Drogo tries to touch Daenerys, he flinches in pain (“Dany could almost feel his agony.”) and Daenerys, worried about Drogo, demands to know why the healers aren’t attending the khal. Drogo’s reply is one of the few quotes that say the most about him as a character and a person. ““Many riders are hurt,” Khal Drogo said, stubbornly. “Let them be healed first. This arrow is no more than the bite of a fly, this little cut only a new scar to boast of to my son.”” Even though a proud and vain man, he is, Drogo cares more for the health of his riders’ than for his own.

When Mirri Maz Duur, the flat-nosed, thick bodied woman Daenerys saved – GRRM never once fails to point out that Mirri was thick-bodied and flat-nosed when she is mentioned– offers her help, the Dothraki curse her for a maegi. “A maegi was a woman who lay with demons and practiced the blackest of sorceries, a vile thing, evil and soulless, who came to men in the dark of night and sucked life from their bodies.” The quote does not simply defines the term “maegi” to the reader, but also straight-forwardly summarizes the fate of Drogo. In the end, though, Drogo agrees that he needs medical attendance and commands Mirri to tend to him.

When trying to stand up, he grunts in pain again, but refuses help: “Khal Drogo waved him away. “I need no man’s help,” he said, in a voice proud and hard. He stood unaided, towering over them all.” He is still strong and willful and accepts only Daenerys’s help. “Dany moved quickly to his side. “I am no man,” she whispered. “You may lean on me.””

Drogo endures the process of treating his wounds worthy of a mighty warrior (“Khal Drogo cursed her, but did not move.”, “The khal ground his teeth together and swallowed a scream.”), however, when Mirri tells him what he must do to ensure his recovery, Drogo pride gets over his common sense. ““I am khal,” Drogo said. “I spit on pain and drink what I like.”” Before they leave, Daenerys asks Mirri to attend her during childbirth and Drogo tells her laughing that a slave is to be commanded rather than asked.

CHAPTER 8

The chapter in which all hell breaks loose. After not heeding Mirri Maz Duur’s advice, Drogo’s condition gets worse and worse until he falls from his horse. Everybody to see the khal and his wounds agree that he’ll die, but Daenerys is determined to save him. Mirri offers a spell of blood magic to save Drogo and gives instructions to carry out her plan.

The chapter starts with Daenerys watching as bloodflies, he had previously caught and killed with one hand buzz around Drogo. It “filled Dany with dread”. When one fly settles on his face and Drogo doesn’t react, Daenerys calls his name and touches his arm. Drogo falls from his horse and Daenerys halts to run to him. “Heedless of her belly for once, she scrambled off her silver and ran to him.”

Daenerys reflects on the past weeks of Drogo too and admits he tore off Mirri’s bandage and, in spite of the woman’s advice, drank heavily.

“Yet he scarcely touched his food, and he thrashed and groaned in the night.”
“Rhaego was restless in her belly, kicking like a stallion, yet even that did not stir Drogo’s interest as it had.”
“Every morning her eyes found fresh lines of pain on his face when he woke from his troubled sleep.”

All quotes imply Daenerys’s frequent presence in every aspect of Drogo’s life, knowing of his eating habits and troubled sleep, which also implies that they sleep together. The quote about Rhaego indicates that Drogo’s affection for their son went beyond general pride of the stallion who mounts the world and had a gentle, caring side to it, which followed excitedly how his child grew in Daenerys’s belly.

“And now this silence. It was making her afraid.”
“When she spoke she got no answer but a grunt and not even that since midday.”

Again both quotes indicate strongly that Daenerys and Drogo talk and have conversations, even while riding.

After they halt, Daenerys and her handmaids walk Drogo into his tent where they have a chance to examine him more closely. (“His skin burned beneath her fingers.” “He was fire in human skin.” – more fire related words and their significance shall be discussed, though it’s really not a big secret to reveal) Drogo has fever and is unable to say anything other than “No” (ironically, the first word he spoke to Daenerys in the dawn of their relationship, “”No,” he muttered in the Common Tongue. “No, no.””). All handmaids, Ser Jorah and everybody who sees Drogo in this state confirms that he’s dying.

Daenerys experiences and emotional melt-down as she tries to fight the idea of Drogo dying.

“The khal cannot die. He is the father of the stallion who mounts the world.”
“… her patience rubbed raw with fear.”
“Drogo had been more than her sun-and-stars; he had been the shield that kept her safe.”
“She had finally found a safe place, had finally tasted love and hope. She was finally going home. And now to lose it all…”

I have underlined the words in the previous quotes describing fear draw attention to Daenerys’s fear returning once again, now that another person she loves is in danger (in her sixth POV chapter, her fear comes back when learning that King Robert offered a lordship for her and her son’s death, and fears for her baby). The third quote explicitly states that Drogo was not only the man she loved, but also the guarantee of her safety (as Qotho tells her later “When he dies, she is nothing.”). And the last quote mourns the happiness she had with Drogo.

When Mirri arrives and Daenerys begs her to save Drogo, she acknowledges being a maegi and offers a spell that will save Drogo, warning there’s a price to pay. “She told herself she would die for him, if she must. She was the blood of the dragon, she would not be afraid. Her brother Rhaegar had died for the woman he loved.” Another parallel with Rhaegar, Daenerys draws. Mirri though tells her it’s not her life and they slaughter Drogo’s horse to make the spell work. As her khas objects, she tells them: “I am khaleesi and I say it is not forbidden.” A sentence very much like Drogo’s in the previous chapter (““I am khal,” Drogo said. “I spit on pain and drink what I like.””) and we know how that ended.

Seeing and hearing Mirri Maz Duur doing her bloodmagic in Drogo’s tent, the Dothraki are enraged and blame Daenerys for murdering their khal. When Cohollo attempts to kill her, Daenerys is saved by her khas, but almost unconscious and already in labor. She tries to stop Jorah from carrying her into the tent, but fails, unable to speak from exhaustion and pain.

CHAPTER 9

Dragon dream and what Daenerys bought with her son’s life. The main function of the chapter is to base the last chapter written in Daenerys’s POV, give a short insight on Daenerys’s subconscious and intensify the quantity of the motifs and symbols thus preparing the climax of the storyline.

The chapter starts with the dragon dream, in which Daenerys struggles to find the home she never had and deal with her Targaryen heritage, the blood of the dragon. Viserys’s catchphrase

“You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?” comes back to her and the red door, the overall symbol of home in the Daenerys chapters. She’s back with Khal Drogo in the Dothraki sea for a second, happy and home again (“Drogo held her in strong arms, […]. “Home,” she whispered as he entered her and filled her with his seed […]”), only a moment later the world takes flame.

“…don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?”, but apparently not willing to wake the dragon takes her only farther away from her red door. She sees her son, but when he tries to reach out to her, he fails, just like Drogo had when reaching out to Daenerys two chapters ago. (“And he [Rhaego] smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward her, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out.” || “He [Drogo] started to reach out a hand to Daenerys, but as he lifted his arm Drogo grimaced in sudden pain and turned his head.”) Fire consumes Rhaego and “…don’t want to wake the dragon…” turns into

“…want to wake the dragon…”. And that’s when Daenerys is finally free to race for the red door and grows wings to fly. She enters the door and when only “…the dragon…” remains from the starting phrase, she sees Rhaegar, the last dragon in his black armor, but when lifting his visor, she finds her own face. Daenerys is the last dragon, and being so is her home. Surprise.

Waking up, still in delirium, Daenerys concentrates on her subconscious priorities, not Drogo, not her son, but the dragon eggs. When she finally wakes up to no fever and the feeling of strength, the memory of Drogo and their son comes back to her and learning that the child had died, demands to see Khal Drogo.

“The sun burned like molten gold […]” when Daenery stepped out of the tent to seek out Drogo (her sun and stars who killed with molten gold before), but she finds that all life is gone from Drogo and only vegetation remains. “This is not life for one who was as Drogo was. His life was laughter, and meat roasting over a firepit, and a horse between his legs. His life was an arakh in his hands and his bells ringing in his hair as he rode to meet an enemy. His life was his bloodriders, and me, and the son I was to give him.” This is what Daenerys tells Mirri Maz Duur which implies how wholly she understood Drogo’s being and personality.

The rest of the chapter covers Daenerys desperate attempts to bring Drogo back to life. She bathes him, and washes his hair, and leads him out into the darkness, “for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky”. Outside “the night was black and moonless, but overhead a million stars burned bright”, but nothing Daenerys does brings back Drogo to his previous self. “She raked him with her nails and covered him with kisses and whispered and prayed and told him stories, and by the end bathed him with her tears.” Understanding that all was in vain Daenerys finally let go of Drogo. “She knelt, kissed Drogo on the lips and pressed the cushion down across his face.”

CHAPTER 10

The last Daenerys POV chapter of Game of Thrones is not only the climax of Daenerys’s storyline, but also that of the entire book. Daenerys gives her bride gifts to the members of her khas and promises Ser Jorah that she’ll take him home. After preparing for the funeral, we are thrown back to the first chapter, as Daenerys takes a bath, almost word by word the same description as in her first chapter. “Her bath was scalding hot when Irri helped her into the tub, but Dany did not flinch or cry aloud. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean.” (In parallel with the first chapter’s „The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean.”) This is a structural evidence of what later this chapter Daenerys herself proclaims when walking into the fire “This is a wedding too.”, since the preparations and process are completely in parallel with those for her actual wedding to Khal Drogo (piling bride gifts - piling Drogo’s belongings on the pyre, baths).

Once, she herself is clean, Daenerys sets down to bathe Khal Drogo.

“She washed his body clean and brushed and oiled his hair running her fingers through it for the last time, feeling the weight of it, remembering the first time she had touched it, the night of their wedding ride. […] She buried her face in it and inhaled the dark fragrance of the oils. He smelled like grass and warm earth, like smoke and semen and horses. He smelled like Drogo.”
“Dany braided his hair and slid the silver rings onto his mustache and hung is bells one by one.”
“Over his scarred chest, she slipped a painted vest old and faded, the one Drogo had loved best.”

These quotes again prove Daenerys’s affection for Drogo and the depth of their relationship and knowledge of each other’s life and personality along with a sentence earlier in the chapter, when Daenerys mentions a whip his father had given Drogo when he came to manhood.

Once Khal Drogo is laid on the funeral pyre, Daenerys places the dragon eggs around his body. “The dark beside his heart, under his arm. The green beside his head, his braid coiled around it. The cream-and-gold down between his legs.” When she is done with everything, Daenerys kisses Drogo one last time and waits for the first star to show in the sky, for the Dothraki believe that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky when he dies, “…the khal rises on his fiery steed to take his place among the stars. The more fiercely a man burned in life, the brighter his star will shine in the darkness.”

“The first star was a comet, burning red. Bloodred; fire red; the dragon’s tail.” And there we can glimpse the Targaryen words, Fire and Blood, should dragon’s tail be not enough clue for what’s to come.

Daenerys lights the pyre and watches Drogo burn. “A part of her wanted to go to him as Ser Jorah had feared, to rush into the flames to beg his forgiveness and take him inside her one last time, the fire melting the flesh from their bones until they were as one, forever.” And she does go to him, in spite of her promise to Ser Jorah that she’d not climb onto the pyre to burn with her husband. She finds beauty in the flames that take various shapes, and finally, when the fire is at its hottest and strongest, “…she glimpsed Khal Drogo before her, mounted on his smoky stallion, a flaming lash in his hand. He smiled and the whip snaked down to the pyre, hissing.” The lash of his whip is followed by three cracks, the three eggs breaking.

At dawn, the pyre is burnt to dust and the remaining Dothraki and Ser Jorah find Daenerys sitting in the ashes with three freshly hatched dragons. “As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils.” Her black, whose egg was laid beside Khal Drogo’s heart, who hissed like the whip of her sun-and-stars when its crack hatched the dark egg, who is named Drogon after him.

““I understand that you loved him.” Ser Jorah said in a voice thick with despair.”

(Forgive me for being unable to resist a theatrical end)

SUMMARY:

The recap of the recap, because why not make this even longer?

Evidentially the entire span of the relationship of Daenerys and Drogo has six main focuses that define Daenerys’s character arc throughout Game of Thrones that are – needless to point out – all in connection with each other.

• Fear – dare
• Love
• Independence – Dependence
• Dragons
• Self-esteem
• Home

Daenerys starts of as a terrified thirteen-year-old, afraid of her own shadow, completely dependent on her abusive brother with basically no self-esteem. In the end of Game of Thrones, Daenerys is the mother of dragons, ready to set out to conquer the world with nothing but a handful of followers, three dragons and her faith in herself that she can do this without having to rely on anybody’s help.

And it was her marriage to Drogo that turned her from one into the other, an undoubtedly positive change in self-image, confidence and attitude.

Fear – dare:

In the beginning, Daenerys fears her union with Drogo, the Dothraki, her new life, her fate and above all, waking the dragon. Once she’s wedded to Drogo, she finds that he is not that terrifying after all and her fear is gone for a number of chapters, as she experiences tenderness, love and care for the first time in her life. Stability and security define her days with the Dothraki, with whom she doesn’t have to be on the run all the time, who don’t complain all the time, who don’t threaten to bully her all the time. She is khaleesi, has a respected place in the khalasar and this provides the confidence and courage to step up for herself against her brother, once, twice and thrice. Throughout her marriage to Drogo there are two points when Daenerys experiences fear and angst (apart from the early beginning, namely their wedding and wedding night) and that’s when either Rhaego’s or Drogo’s life is in danger. Her lack of fear is also defined by the presence of fire, which links us to the dragon thread, though this, as we’ll see later may not mean anything different than the presence of Drogo himself. Another link is Daenerys’s common practice to comfort herself by remembering being the blood of the dragon.

Love:

Daenerys and Drogo’s relationship is one of those in ASOIAF that aren’t love at first sight, rather than something real, that starts with struggles, only to build up and blossom as the plot unfolds. Their relationship begins with Daenerys’s fear of Drogo and surprise over the tenderness he shows her during the wedding night, and moves on to physically and emotionally challenging struggle as Daenerys tries to adjust to the Dothraki lifestyle. Once over the struggles though, Daenerys finds pleasure in both daily and nightly rides and begins to develop her bond with Drogo. As she learns Dothraki and Drogo the common tongue they have a mean of communication, the elemental key to get to know each other. Their relationship turns into mutual love and respect, the affection for each other shown even in the tiniest details. From being left to ride, eat and sleep alone, Daenerys moves to the head of the Khalasar beside Drogo, shares wine and sleeping mats with him, while they both take pride in each other and their son. The late chapters give insight on how wholly Daenerys knew Drogo and the despair she feels when Drogo is dying, along with her desperate actions to try to save him speak for themselves.

Independence – dependence:

Daenerys starts off as being 100% dependent on Viserys, which later transforms into being 100% dependent on Drogo. Though way better, since Drogo doesn’t take advantage of this fact, still not a fate for the dragon, as Daenerys keeps reminding the reader, be that in connection with the dosh khaleen or her present situation (being the wife of the strong man, with a swift horse, bearing a son who’d conquer the world). It takes the tragic end of Drogo and the hatch of the dragons for Daenerys to become Queen instead of remaining the sister or the wife of a king.

Self-esteem:

Daenerys beings as an uncertain teen, slouching to cover up the bosom, her brother claims to be little enough as it is. She is told she is a princess, but claims that she never knew what that felt like. There’s only one tiny flicker she can hold onto, her dragon blood. It takes her wedding to Drogo and the silver filly for her to finally feel like a princess. It takes becoming khaleesi to finally be treated like a princess and to learn to talk like a princess, as Jorah Mormont points out. As Drogo’s wife she has authority and is quick to learn to use it. And when her own authority is not enough, Drogo is always there to back her up, proud to do so as he sees his son filling Daenerys with his fire. She is not nobody anymore, she’s khaleesi. She’s the blood of the dragon. And she feels confident enough to go up against her husband’s entire khalasar (even if she is wrong, but in this aspect, that’s beside the point) and set off to conquer the world with no army, no food, just her faith in herself.

Home:

We are introduced to the story of the house with the red door in the very first Daenerys chapter, which will become the overall symbol of her home. She feels homeless in Illyrio’s manse and in Essos and it’s only with the Dothraki that she starts to feel she belongs somewhere. Jorah Mormont points this out several times. And even though she feels home among the Dothraki, it is not enough to satisfy her, only a temporary break in her lifelong struggle to go home, as her brother had told her all her life (“The Eastern Market was a place of wonder and magic for Dany. But the Western Market smelled of home.”). To go home to Westeros. And the only way to go home is with an army. Khal Drogo’s army. Drogo was ready to take her home after the wine seller incident, only he never got farther than the land of the Lhazareen, but he did leave something behind to take Daenerys home. Three ugly and hissing somethings.

Dragons:

The birth of the dragons is the entire point of the Daenerys plotline and Khal Drogo and their marriage was an essential element of brining the dragons back to the world. The eggs bridegifts, the dragon dreams she dreamt before the wedding, during the time of adjusting to the Dothraki lifestyle and during her feverish labor when she lost Drogo’s son. It was Drogo’s funeral that hatched the dragons, though, as Daenerys herself claimed, “This is a wedding too.”

In conclusion, the relationship to Drogo has affected many aspects of Daenerys’s life and character and was present in every detail of Daenerys’s transformation from meek princess to mother of dragons. One last proof before the final word though. GRRM uses the different forms of Daenerys’s name to highlight events and happenings. She is Dany most of the time, sometimes Daenerys, when something significant happens and Daenerys Targaryen in those few sentences that are the pillars of her storyline.

„Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beond 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.”
“All her life, Viserys had told her she was a princess, but not until she rode her silver had Daenerys Targaryen ever felt like one.”
“I am the blood of the dragon, Daenerys Targaryen reminded herself as she turned her face away.”
“And Daenerys Targaryen flew.”
“As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils.”

At least three out of the five are in strict connection with Khal Drogo. And thus, even though Khal Drogo and Daenerys shared a romantic marriage based on mutual love, Viserys and Magister Illyrio had the right of it from the beginning, when they planned for Khal Drogo to be the key to Westeros. As significant a role he played in Daenerys’s life and storyline, Khal Drogo was more the mean to the end, rather than the actual end itself.

FIN

[RhaenysBee]

Here's something more vague and less long. This is more like a contributing article that collects the motifs and symbols I've been touching on in the analysis part, along with other ones that aren't really mentioned with Drogo and Daenerys in focus, but more for discussion, consideration, thought.

Symbol and motif collection for Daenerys and Drogo:

A collection of the most frequent motifs and symbols in the story of Daenerys and Drogo in absolutely random order.

fire (ash, burn, flame, smoke, fire red, sun, melt)
As an element of the House Targaryen words „Fire and blood”, fire is bound to play an important role in the Daenerys chapters.
Occurrence: dragon dreams, Rhaego filling her with fire, Drogo’s fever, Daenerys jumping a firepit with her filly, funeral pyre
Fun fact: the frequency of fire related words throughout the Daenerys storyline increases as we get closer to the climax, the birth of the dragons.

blood
The other part of Daenerys’s house motto, with similar importance as fire.
Occurrence: raw horse heart, blood red, blood magic, bloodrider, Drogo’s bath of blood, the Dothraki sea turning a sea of blood when the flowers bloom

red door
Daenerys’s childhood home in Pentos had a door that was painted red. As the only place she ever felt home at, the house with the red door and later, the red door itself becomes the symbol of home.
Occurrence: whenever thinking of home, dragon dream

east and west
“The Eastern Market was a place of wonder and magic for Dany. But the Western Market smelled of home.”
Westeros is home, Essos is a place of magic.

fear (afraid, terrified, terror, tremble, taste of fear)
Fear was an emotion that defined Daenerys’s character in the beginning, but the set up turned and by the end, she became someone other people feared.
Occurrence: before the feast at Khal Drogo’s manse, fear of Viserys, fear of the Dothraki, fear of waking the dragon, fear of the wedding night, fear for Rhaego, fear for Drogo, while Drogo’s dying.

moon and sun
“Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. … One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return.
“Moon is god, woman wife of sun.”
Occurrence: moon of my life, my sun-and-stars, sun warming up the dragon eggs, the sky is moonless when Daenerys kisses and kills Drogo
Daenerys is the moon, Drogo is the sun.

stars
A deceased rider of the Dothraki is believed to become a star in his afterlife.
Occurrence: Drogo’s death, Drogo’s funeral

tower over
“Drogo towered over her, as he towered over everyone.” Literally the phrase is used to describe Drogo’s height, but when he sits down during their wedding night, so his face will be at a heigth with Daenerys’s, it gets a deeper meaning, Drogo’s authority.
Occurrence: anytime Drogo’s described, during the wedding night.

whip
The text explicitly states that Drogo’s whip was a gift he got from his father when he came to manhood, a strong enough clue to understand that the whip is a phallic symbol.
Occurance: preparing for Drogo’s funeral, burning pyre.

open sky
„…for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky.” And indeed, all things of importance in Drogo and Daenerys’s relationship were done beneath the open sky.
Occurrence: wedding, wedding night, conception of Rhaego, Drogo’s funeral.

woman
Even though the Dothraki is a barbaric culture based on strength and male dominance, fear and respect of the power of feminity defines it as well, which may act as a foreshadowing of Daenerys’s fate after crossing path with the Dothraki cultre.
Occurrence: dosh khaleen, Mother of Mountains, Womb of the World, maegi.

bells
Khal Drogo’s bells are worn to warn the enemy of his approach, and bells are historically known to be used to warn of danger. But they also represent joy and liberty (wedding bells) along with grief (funeral bells). Drogo’s bells ringing softly represent all three combined: they are the symbol of happiness from Daenerys’s point of view, a constant memento of the danger of Drogo’s fate.
Occurrence: wedding night, Drogo descriptions, preparing Drogo for his funeral.

red
The color red is everywhere in the story and within the other symbols. It can symbolize seduction and sexuality, love and romance, celebration and happiness, warning and danger, aggression and hatred.
Occurrence: Drogo’s red stallion, blood red, fire red, red door, red comet, red sun.

Rhaegar
Daenerys likes to compare herself to Rhaegar. Ser Jorah likes to compare her to Rhaegar too. Rhaegar is known to be the last dragon. When she dreams of Rhaegar and lifts his visor, she founds her own face within. Daenerys is the last dragon.
Occurrence: deciding to die for Drogo, like Rhaegar had for the woman he loved; Jorah telling Daenerys she’s indeed her brother’s sister, dragon dream, thinking of Rhaego’s fate in parallel with the fate of Rhaegar’s children.

flat nose
A big question mark, but I still wanted to include it, because I found oddly eye-catching that every time Mirri-Maz-Duur is described, GRRM never fails to mention that she’s flat nosed. Face-reading research got me basically nowhere, because each book/article says something different on flat noses (often in contradiction with one another). One face-reading blog I went through suggested that flat nosed people tend to be helpful but it’s still advisable to be careful when dealing with them. This was the only match I found with Mirri, so keeping mentioning the flat nose might not even be of any importance.
Occurrence: saving Mirri, Mirri offering help, Mirri offering a spell, Mirri healing Drogo, basically almost every time Mirri is mentioned.

[RhaenysBee]

Last but not least here's a piece about Khal Drogo, not in too much detail, because my point was to keep Drogo and Daenerys in focus and not shower you all with the Drogon is the stallion who mounts the world theory in the wrong thread. In this form, however, I think this fits into a rethinking of the romance between Daenerys and Drogo.

The Importance of Khal Drogo

So… if Daenerys is the mother of dragons, does that make Khal Drogo the father of dragons? Apparently, yes.

Drogo was not only essential to the rebirth of dragons because Daenerys received the eggs as a bridegift when marrying him. He is the father of Daenerys’s „children”. Both Rhaego, who was conceived under the open sky (for the Dothraki believe that etc etc), and the baby dragons, who were hatched on his funeral pyre. This is foreshadowed and implied by many motifs and symbolic lines, here are the two most explicit and important ones.

Starting with Doreah’s story about where do babies dragons come from when Daenerys discusses
the existence of dragons with her handmaids:

“Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. … One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return.”

Irri replies: “Moon is god, woman wife of sun.”

We only have to think about the nick names “my sun-and-stars” and “moon of my life” to identify Drogo as the sun and Daenerys as the moon. Fast-forward to the last Daenerys chapter in which Daenerys prepares Drogo for his funeral, kisses him for the last time and waits for the first star to light the pyre. The flames mesmerize her and she walks into the fire thinking “This is a wedding too”. In the flames “…she glimpsed Khal Drogo before her, mounted on his smoky stallion, a flaming lash in his hand. He smiled and the whip snaked down to the pyre, hissing” (the same whip Daenerys piled around the platform along with Drogo’s other belongings, “the whip his father had given him when he came to manhood” - which could not be implied more clearly to be a phallic symbol). Then “she heard a crack”, “and there came a second crack”, “the third crack was as loud and sharp as the breaking of the world”. We have everything. The moon, the sun, the kiss, the crack and last but not least, three dragons.

When trying and failing to hatch the dragon eggs on the brazier, Daenerys comments that “a dragon was air and fire” and not stone.

Now, I know that Drogo gave the silver filly to Daenerys, because of the silver of her hair, but after riding the filly and jumping the fire pit, Daenerys told Ser Jorah to “tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind”. The wind is air. And we know that Drogo’s horse was a red stallion, a fiery steed.

Even in his mother’s belly, Rhaego was badass baby. It is known.

Khal Drogo observed during the confrontation with Mago: “It’s my son inside her, the stallion who mounts the world, filling her with his fire.” In Daenerys’s dragon dream a grown-up Rhaego “smiled for her and began to lift his hand toward her, but when he opened his mouth the fire poured out”. Daenerys often comforted herself and her baby by explicitly saying what is my point now: ““You are the dragon,”Dany whispered to him, “the true dragon.””

The name Rhaego itself is the combination of Rhaegar and Drogo, not only because they were the two people Daenerys admired and loved the most, but also because Rhaegar is the symbol of the “last dragon”, who is Daenerys and combining her with Drogo is the way to get Rhaego, another “dragon”. Literally.

And that brings us back to my final word in the conclusion of the summary of the analysis. That Khal Drogo is the mean, rather than the end.

[RhaenysBee]

Thank you for reading! :)

Don't hesitate to share a thought, an idea, an agreement, a disagreement for the Dothraki believe that all things of importance in a man's life must be done beneath the open sky :D

[Le Cygne]

Just to echo what DogLover said, this thread's focus is on the romance in the writing of the story, as RhaenysBalerion has presented. Please discuss rape and Stockholm Syndrome in another thread.

RhaenysBalerion, I enjoyed reading that so much! Very nicely done!

Just some highlights for me...

Important to notice: it was Khal Drogo's gift, the silver horse that made her fear fade away, and it was fire that filled her with daring.

Very important. And I love that he smiled when she said he has given her the wind.

As we have seen in the first chapter, it is Viserys again who brings back her fear of the wedding night that is to come ("The fear came back to her then, with her brother's words.").

Vicerys kept coming between them, or trying to. And Drogo is on Dany's side from the start.

"Drogo towered over her, as he towered over everyone." Then, however, Drogo sits Daenerys on top of a large rock, while he himself sits on the ground thus making "their faces finally at a height." It is only Daenerys whose face is ever at a height with Khal Drogo's.

I love that he did this, he was saying this is how he wants things to be between them, face to face. And later as you note, she takes this further, with "This night I would look on your face." Also I like the subtle way Dany expresses desire for Drogo, after watching him, she offers to take off his bells for him (to undress him).

A small scene as it is, it shows that Drogo has taken up the habit of informing Daenerys about his ongoings.

The parallel shows that the affection and trust is mutual, they both rely on each other when in need of emotional support.

With not only Daenerys learning Dothraki, but Drogo letting her teach him the Common Tongue too, it's clear they both work to be able to communicate even better which is important to both of them.

Apart from Drogo's plans, the quote also shows that Drogo now puts up Daenerys even to his warfare strategies.

The quote about Rhaego indicates that Drogo's affection for their son went beyond general pride of the stallion who mounts the world and had a gentle, caring side to it, which followed excitedly how his child grew in Daenerys's belly.

I really like that you called out all of the ways he showed that they were very close and this was a partnership.

Then he pledges a gift to his son too, though it's really Daenerys whose wish hes fulfilling...

He wants her to have this... He loves her.

"She told herself she would die for him, if she must. She was the blood of the dragon, she would not be afraid. Her brother Rhaegar had died for the woman he loved."

And she loves him.

Daenerys is the last dragon, and being so is her home.

This is perfect!

"Dany braided his hair and slid the silver rings onto his mustache and hung is bells one by one."
"Over his scarred chest, she slipped a painted vest old and faded, the one Drogo had loved best."

Now I'm crying. Every time, this scene does this to me.

And the symbol and motif collection is awesome! And tying together the story of the dragons. Excellent!

Moved the index forward...

[SeanF]

RhaenysBaerion, thank you very much for this.

Drogo was a violent, ruthless man, from a violent, ruthless culture. It would not have been surprising if he'd treated Dany as a chattel, beating her, and sharing her with his Bloodriders,, for example.

Yet, as you say, he had genuine respect and affection for her, from the beginning. Why do you think this was? Was he a better man than he's often given credit for? Did he sense some special quality about her from the outset?

[DogLover]

RhaenysBalerion, that was amazing! You did such a wonderful job illustrating the mutual love and affection between Daenerys and Drogo. The relationship was, imo, very empowering for Daenerys.

Her fear returns when Drogo starts undressing her and tries to cover herself, but … ““No,” Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him.” When Daenerys repeats the word “No”, as in indicating that she does not want what was coming, “for a while nothing happened.” When Drogo does start touching her, “she could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her.” As good as Drogo proved to be at foreplay, we soon arrive at one of the two most significant moments of the Daenerys/Drogo wedding night, namely when Drogo poses a question “No?” and Daenerys replies “Yes.”

Beside the fact the Drogo explicitly asks for Daenerys’s consent to go through with the wedding night, another significant moment proves that he treats and considers Daenerys as his equal. Every time Khal Drogo is described throughout the book, GRRM points out how he towered over everybody (Jorah, Viserys, Illyrio, his bloodriders, etc). The same thing happens now as well. “Drogo towered over her, as he towered over everyone.” Then, however, Drogo sits Daenerys on top of a large rock, while he himself sits on the ground thus making “their faces finally at a height.” It is only Daenerys whose face is ever at a height with Khal Drogo’s.

When Drogo makes Daenerys look at him, he's seeking her gaze--he's seeking her consent--demonstrating that he wants more than just a random faceless bedmate, but someone he can consider a partner. Which is exactly what Daenerys becomes.

Whereas Asha/Qarl, Robb/Jeyne, Rhaegar/Lyanna, and Jon/Ygritte share the same love vs. duty themes, I think the Dany/Drogo romance shares a lot of similarities with Sandor and Sansa. Despite the age difference, both couples (as much as Sansa and Sandor can be considered a couple at this point) have such a positive influence on each other. Drogo seeking Daenerys' gaze is very similar to Sandor asking Sansa to look at him (which he does repeatedly, albeit more crudely). And I think Drogo and Sandor, two fierce and dangerous warriors, become better men, or at least their inherent goodness becomes more evident, due to the positive influence of Daenerys and Sansa. Drogo's obvious pride in Daenerys also reminds me of the pride Sandor feels when he finds out Sansa escaped the Lannisters.

Last but not least here's a piece about Khal Drogo, not in too much detail, because my point was to keep Drogo and Daenerys in focus and not shower you all with the Drogon is the stallion who mounts the world theory in the wrong thread. In this form, however, I think this fits into a rethinking of the romance between Daenerys and Drogo.

The Importance of Khal Drogo

So… if Daenerys is the mother of dragons, does that make Khal Drogo the father of dragons? Apparently, yes.

Drogo was not only essential to the rebirth of dragons because Daenerys received the eggs as a bridegift when marrying him. He is the father of Daenerys’s „children”. Both Rhaego, who was conceived under the open sky (for the Dothraki believe that etc etc), and the baby dragons, who were hatched on his funeral pyre. This is foreshadowed and implied by many motifs and symbolic lines, here are the two most explicit and important ones.

<snip>

I have never even considered Khal Drogo as the father of dragons. This interpretation is completely new to me and I love it. My mind is blown! :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[RhaenysBee]

Just to echo what DogLover said, this thread's focus is on the romance in the writing of the story, as RhaenysBalerion has presented. Please discuss rape and Stockholm Syndrome in another thread.

RhaenysBalerion, I enjoyed reading that so much! Very nicely done!

Just some highlights for me...

Now I'm crying. Every time, this scene does this to me.

And the symbol and motif collection is awesome! And tying together the story of the dragons. Excellent!

Stories so far (more to come for some of these, another for Jaime/Brienne is up next):

Arya/Gendry - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Jaime/Brienne - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Asha/Qarl - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Robb/Jeyne - Part 1, Part 2

Rhaegar/Lyanna - Part 1

Jon/Ygritte - Parts 1-10

Dany/Drogo - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Thank you, LeCygne, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I so agree about the vest. That is totally heart breaking, when Daenerys put his favorite vest on him for the funeral O_O

RhaenysBaerion, thank you very much for this.

Drogo was a violent, ruthless man, from a violent, ruthless culture. It would not have been surprising if he'd treated Dany as a chattel, beating her, and sharing her with his Bloodriders,, for example.

Yet, as you say, he had genuine respect and affection for her, from the beginning. Why do you think this was? Was he a better man than he's often given credit for? Did he sense some special quality about her from the outset?

I think he was a better man than most of the Dothraki. Since that's the only environment (apart from the short time in Pentos) where we see him and the Dothraki and Westerosi cultures being so different, it's not advisable or fair to compare him to a Westerosi character. Not to mention that such comparison wouldn't be very authentic because of all the different customs and morals. And while I don't deny that the Dothraki live in a civilization far less controlled or organized than those in the Seven Kingdoms, not all aspects of the Dothraki culture can be considered barbaric in a pejorative meaning; the favor bank system (give and receive gifts) instead of money based trading or lacking a word for "thank you" for instance.

But back to Drogo, I think he was different from an average horse lord, not just "bolder in half a hundred ways" as Daenerys said, but also in taste and thinking. And that was partly why he chose Daenerys, somebody utterly different than an average Dothraki wife. He saw something new, something different in her and maybe he felt closer to that kind of different than to the usual custom of his people. In the show during the introduction to womanly arts scene Doreah tells Daenerys something like "If he wanted the Dothraki way, why did he marry you?" which I think sums up pretty neatly Drogo's interest for Daenerys. And while she was considered beautiful and Drogo most likely absolutely agreed to that, I'd say that it was more her aura that hooked his interest. That hidden, mysterious, unique strength in Daenerys which was there deep down in her heart even in the beginning and came an inch closer to the surface every time she said "I am the blood of the dragon".

What do you think? Why do you think he liked her? The more opinions and perspectives, the better :)

RhaenysBalerion, that was amazing! You did such a wonderful job illustrating the mutual love and affection between Daenerys and Drogo. The relationship was, imo, very empowering for Daenerys.

Whereas Asha/Qarl, Robb/Jeyne, Rhaegar/Lyanna, and Jon/Ygritte share the same love vs. duty themes, I think the Dany/Drogo romance shares a lot of similarities with Sandor and Sansa. Despite the age difference, both couples (as much as Sansa and Sandor can be considered a couple at this point) have such a positive influence on each other. Drogo seeking Daenerys' gaze is very similar to Sandor asking Sansa to look at him (which he does repeatedly, albeit more crudely). And I think Drogo and Sandor, two fierce and dangerous warriors, become better men, or at least their inherent goodness becomes more evident, due to the positive influence of Daenerys and Sansa. Drogo's obvious pride in Daenerys also reminds me of the pride Sandor feels when he finds out Sansa escaped the Lannisters.

I have never even considered Khal Drogo as the father of dragons. This interpretation is completely new to me and I love it. My mind is blown! :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

Thank you, DogLover, I'm really glad you guys liked how it turned out :)

The Sandor/Sansa parallel you drew is really interesting. Sandor/Sansa and Drogo/Daenerys are both representatives of bad guy/good girl league and there's a psychological background why such relationships can work out pretty well. There's this theory that when you like somebody, or are already in a a relationship, you tend to copy a part of his/her personality and imprint it into yours, thus both extremities sort of pull the other towards the middle range, basically balance each other out, as you pointed out in more detail too. It'd be very interesting to see a whole Sansa/Sandor relationship unfold and compare it to Daenerys/Drogo, it'd be great to have more Sansa/Sandor footage than atm. And now I'm disappointed again that TWOW release was pushed back two years...

As for Khal Drogo and the dragons, I'm glad to hear that I managed bring a new angle to Drogo's role, it's just something that built up during my reread for the project. I'm flattered that you like it *.*

[SeanF]

Thank you, LeCygne, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I so agree about the vest. That is totally heart breaking, when Daenerys put his favorite vest on him for the funeral O_O

I think he was a better man than most of the Dothraki. Since that's the only environment (apart from the short time in Pentos) where we see him and the Dothraki and Westerosi cultures being so different, it's not advisable or fair to compare him to a Westerosi character. Not to mention that such comparison wouldn't be very authentic because of all the different customs and morals. And while I don't deny that the Dothraki live in a civilization far less controlled or organized than those in the Seven Kingdoms, not all aspects of the Dothraki culture can be considered barbaric in a pejorative meaning; the favor bank system (give and receive gifts) instead of money based trading or lacking a word for "thank you" for instance.

But back to Drogo, I think he was different from an average horse lord, not just "bolder in half a hundred ways" as Daenerys said, but also in taste and thinking. And that was partly why he chose Daenerys, somebody utterly different than an average Dothraki wife. He saw something new, something different in her and maybe he felt closer to that kind of different than to the usual custom of his people. In the show during the introduction to womanly arts scene Doreah tells Daenerys something like "If he wanted the Dothraki way, why did he marry you?" which I think sums up pretty neatly Drogo's interest for Daenerys. And while she was considered beautiful and Drogo most likely absolutely agreed to that, I'd say that it was more her aura that hooked his interest. That hidden, mysterious, unique strength in Daenerys which was there deep down in

her heart even in the beginning and came an inch closer to the surface every time she said "I am the blood of the dragon".

What do you think? Why do you think he liked her? The more opinions and perspectives, the better :)

It's unfashionable to say so, but I think Daenerys is one of Hegel's "world-historical individuals" who will trample down "many an innocent flower" to get what they believe is theirs by rights. Drogo was a Temujin who got cut down prematurely. Dany is the real thing.

[Arya kiddin']

This was a very nice read RB. I appreciae the time you put to write all this. And as Doglover rightly points out, this romance is much more unusual than your other romance plots in the books, closest one to this being SanSan.

RhaenysBalerion, that was amazing! You did such a wonderful job illustrating the mutual love and affection between Daenerys and Drogo. The relationship was, imo, very empowering for Daenerys.

When Drogo makes Daenerys look at him, he's seeking her gaze--he's seeking her consent--demonstrating that he wants more than just a random faceless bedmate, but someone he can consider a partner. Which is exactly what Daenerys becomes.

Whereas Asha/Qarl, Robb/Jeyne, Rhaegar/Lyanna, and Jon/Ygritte share the same love vs. duty themes, I think the Dany/Drogo romance shares a lot of similarities with Sandor and Sansa. Despite the age difference, both couples (as much as Sansa and Sandor can be considered a couple at this point) have such a positive influence on each other. Drogo seeking Daenerys' gaze is very similar to Sandor asking Sansa to look at him (which he does repeatedly, albeit more crudely). And I think Drogo and Sandor, two fierce and dangerous warriors, become better men, or at least their inherent goodness becomes more evident, due to the positive influence of Daenerys and Sansa. Drogo's obvious pride in Daenerys also reminds me of the pride Sandor feels when he finds out Sansa escaped the Lannisters.

I have never even considered Khal Drogo as the father of dragons. This interpretation is completely new to me and I love it. My mind is blown! :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

Yes that caught my eye as well. It went along with the flow, neatly done. And I'm convinced. ;)

It's unfashionable to say so, but I think Daenerys is one of Hegel's "world-historical individuals" who will trample down "many an innocent flower" to get what they believe is theirs by rights. Drogo was a Temujin who got cut down prematurely. Dany is the real thing.

Wow.

:agree:

[RhaenysBee]

It's unfashionable to say so, but I think Daenerys is one of Hegel's "world-historical individuals" who will trample down "many an innocent flower" to get what they believe is theirs by rights. Drogo was a Temujin who got cut down prematurely. Dany is the real thing.

That's a great thought, I absolutely agree.

This was a very nice read RB. I appreciae the time you put to write all this. And as Doglover rightly points out, this romance is much more unusual than your other romance plots in the books, closest one to this being SanSan.

Yes that caught my eye as well. It went along with the flow, neatly done. And I'm convinced. ;)

Wow.

:agree:

Thanks, I'm trying :) Glad you liked it.

[a free shadow]

TWOW release was pushed back two years...

?!?!

[RhaenysBee]

?!?!

Because the Tyrion book is coming out in 2014, the estimated release date of TWOW was pushed back to about 2016-17 or so I've read.

[a free shadow]

Because the Tyrion book is coming out in 2014, the estimated release date of TWOW was pushed back to about 2016-17 or so I've read.

:(

...

It is not true! Upon my honour, I'll have it sooner :pirate:

:frown5:

[Le Cygne]

Whereas Asha/Qarl, Robb/Jeyne, Rhaegar/Lyanna, and Jon/Ygritte share the same love vs. duty themes, I think the Dany/Drogo romance shares a lot of similarities with Sandor and Sansa. Despite the age difference, both couples (as much as Sansa and Sandor can be considered a couple at this point) have such a positive influence on each other. Drogo seeking Daenerys' gaze is very similar to Sandor asking Sansa to look at him (which he does repeatedly, albeit more crudely). And I think Drogo and Sandor, two fierce and dangerous warriors, become better men, or at least their inherent goodness becomes more evident, due to the positive influence of Daenerys and Sansa. Drogo's obvious pride in Daenerys also reminds me of the pride Sandor feels when he finds out Sansa escaped the Lannisters.

Great point, meant to comment on this earlier.

And found some wording similarities here:

Dany: Drogo swung off his horse and lifted her down from hers.

Sansa: Clegane lifted her to the ground.

Dany: He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes.

Sansa: Sandor Clegane put a huge hand under her chin and forced her face up.

Dany: Taking her lightly under the arms, he lifted her and seated her on a rounded rock beside the stream.

Sansa: Sandor Clegane scooped her up around the waist and lifted her off the featherbed as she struggled feebly.

Dany: She averted her eyes and covered herself with her hands. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him.

Sansa: "Look at me. Look at me... I could keep you safe," he rasped. "They're all afraid of me. No one would hurt you again, or I'd kill them." He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her.

Dany: He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her ears, running a finger gently around her mouth.

Sansa: The Hound gave her a push, oddly gentle, and followed her down the steps.

Dany: She could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her.

Sansa: She might have fallen, but a shadow moved suddenly, and strong fingers grabbed her arm and steadied her.

Dany: He cupped her face in his huge hands and she looked into his eyes.

Sansa: Some instinct made her lift her hand and cup his cheek with her fingers.

Dany (w/Daario): His kisses would be hard and cruel, she told herself, and he would not care if I cried out or commanded him to stop.

Sansa: As the boy's lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own.

Dany: She remembered the night of her first wedding, when Khal Drogo had claimed her maidenhead beneath the stranger stars. She remembered how frightened she had been, and how excited.

Sansa: She was afraid of Sandor Clegane... and yet, some part of her wished that Ser Dontos had a little of the Hound's ferocity.

Dany: Bells, Dany thought again. Her bloodriders had found her. "Aggo," she whispered. "Jhogo. Rakharo." Might Daario have come with them?

Sansa: It was Lothor Brune's voice, she realized. Not the Hound's, no, how could it be? Of course it had to be Lothor...

Dany: Doreah was older, almost twenty... Long after the moon had risen, they sat together, talking... There is no privacy in the heart of the khalasar. Dany felt the eyes on her as she undressed him, heard the soft voices as she did the things that Doreah had told her to do.

Sansa: "You do know what goes on in a marriage bed, I hope?" She thought of Tyrion, and of the Hound and how he'd kissed her, and gave a nod... "Do you think Ser Lothor likes her as she is, in mail and leather?" she asked the older girl, who seemed so worldly-wise. "Or does he dream of her draped in silks and velvets?" "He's a man. He dreams of her naked."

Dany: How beautiful, the queen tried to tell herself, but inside her was some foolish little girl who could not help but look about for Daario. If he loved you, he would come and carry you off at swordpoint, as Rhaegar carried off his northern girl, the girl in her insisted, but the queen knew that was folly.

Sansa: He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. It made no matter. That day was done, and so was Sansa.

Dany: She wondered if her captain's blades still hung upon the wall beside her bed, waiting for Daario to return and claim them. "I will leave my girls with you," he had said. "Keep them safe for me, beloved." And she wondered how much the Yunkai'i knew about what her captain meant to her...

Sansa: A dog can smell a lie, you know, the Hound had told her once. She could almost hear the rough rasp of his voice. Look around you, and take a good whiff. They're all liars here, and every one better than you. She wondered what had become of Sandor Clegane.

Dany: His were the only eyes that mattered, and when she mounted him she saw something there that she had never seen before. She rode him as fiercely as ever she had ridden her silver, and when the moment of his pleasure came, Khal Drogo called out her name.

Sansa: Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. "I wish that you were Lady," she said.

Found a couple more...

[RhaenysBee]

This is what I read on this.

[Le Cygne]

Right, that's the only place, and you can see by the comments, there's quite a heated discussion about the date they pulled out of nowhere - it's not supported in any of the links. Let's talk about it on the other forum, though, so we don't get this one off track.