This chapter opens up with the wedding of Khal Drogo and Daenerys taking place just outside the city of Pentos. Drogo has called his entire khalasar to attend and the gathering is in total over 40,000 people.
Illyrio notes that it’s a considerable threat to the city, should Drogo decide to attack, and that the magisters have doubled the city guard. We also learn that Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight from Westeros, has also sworn his sword to Viserys and been with the Targaryens since.
Viserys is impatient and seems to not understand the situation he has entered into with Drogo. Viserys sees it as a trade while Drogo sees Daenerys as a gift being given to him. Viserys on the other hand sees this as a deal where is sister is payment for a service. Namely going to Westeros and winning him the Iron Throne.
So on the surface it seems pretty straightforward. All Viserys has to do is wait for the wedding to be over, then Drogo is gonna march across the plains, to present his wife to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak, wait for omens to favor war (whatever they may be) then Drogo will somehow convince his followers who HATE the oceans and salt waters to cross the Narrow Sea to Westeros and finally be able to go to war against King Robert and eventually win the Iron Throne.
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| So from Pentos by the Narrow Sea all the way to Vaes Dothrak (Just under the 1st "S" in Essos) Or about the same distance from the southern most point of Westeros to the Wall. |
Wait that seems pretty one sided..
I mean Drogo does have a huge army and could literally take anyone he wanted. In exchange he literally intends to give Viserys a kingdom, no make that seven kingdoms. He could even just take Daenerys if he so saw fit and need not feel like he should give Viserys anything.
So we have to ask ourselves what is so special about Daenerys? Well she is in line for a claim to the Iron Throne should Viserys dies this has no interest to Drogo. After all he has never been defeated and could easily just kill the Beggar King and thus his new bride would be the rightful Queen of Westeros. Also neither he nor any of the Dothraki seem interested in going over the water. Furthermore the Dothraki don’t have any interest in living in castles. Daenerys isn’t arriving with a great dowery, and Drogo can just go and take whatever he wants with his bloodriders, and just as likely cities will pay him tribute not to attack and raid them.
So Drogo doesn’t need her for money, land, titles, or anything material. So why would he bother to marry her? The answer is her blood. The two surviving Targaryens are essentially the last of the line of dragon riders from Valyra. The Valyrians were noted wielders of magic and also managed to tame dragons. Thanks to the family tradition of inbreeding both Daenerys and Viserys are of that pure bloodline.
OK so she may be the last of the Old Valyrian bloodline. Anything more to it? Actually yes. Drogo is trying to fulfill the Dothraki prophecy regarding the Stallion that Mounts the World. Essentially he’s wagering that he can make this happen by producing an offspring with her.
It’s why later in the chapter when it’s time to consumate the marriage he takes the time to win her over. He needs her to be the vessel for the Stallion that Mounts the World.
Presenting his bride to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dothrak is to ensure it was all worth it and that he hasn’t been scammed. After all finding someone with pure bloodlines has to be increasingly difficult.
So we got Viserys who gets an army. Drogo who gets to fulfill prophecy and a child destined to conquer the world. But there is one other player in this deal..
Illyrio..
Those who have read Dance with Dragons will know about young Griff. So if he has a person he wishes to back for the Iron Throne why bother with Daenerys and Viserys?
Remember he is a follower of R’hllor, and trying to fulfill his own prophecy. If you forgot from the first blog on Daenerys chapter let me quickly remind you:
“Azor Ahai returns wielding the flaming sword Lightbringer”
and
“raises Dragons from stone”
And what does Illyrio give Daenerys as a wedding gift?
“Dragon’s eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai” said Magister Illyrio. “The eons have tuned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.”
Now young Griff does go to Dragonstone upon his return to Westeros, Daenerys also was born on Dragonstone during a storm and Viserys, well would be the third dragon, and looking at the Targaryen sigil the dragon has three heads.
But if the prophecy literally means bringing forth dragons from stone then the dragon eggs are the most likely things the prophecy refers to.
Essentially Illyrio is not only hedging his bets but covering all the bases as well. After all if you back more than one person who has claim on the throne you have a better chance of ending up on the winning side.
Illyrio may actually have a good understanding on how prophecies work and is actively trying to cover his bases when it comes to possible interpretations. In addition he more than likely knows Drogos intentions when it comes to Dany and the Stallion that Mounts the World. As a merchant, Illyrio would have done a lot of traveling and meeting with other merchants from other lands. Getting an idea on the cultural norms and religious ideals are all big steps in becoming a successful merchant, and Illyrio is a VERY successful merchant.
He demonstrates his knowledge of this when advising Dany of the Dothraki customs regarding her wedding. He may have even lied to Viserys in regards to how long he would have to wait, and played off the Beggar Kings arrogance and sense of self importance when telling him he has to wait for Drogo to see “favorable omens”. Perhaps Illyrio is aware of the Stallion that Mounts the World and could suspect it’s the Dothraki variant of the legend of Azor Ahai.
The only other real noteable item is that Dothraki custom decrees the wife of the Khal has to have a horse equal to the Khals. In this Drogo provided the best mare they had for her, which she was delighted with. This suggests that Drogo sees he as an equal or at the least of equal importance to him.
The final topic I wish to bring up for this chapter is Daenerys dream.
She dreams she is being struck repeatedly by her brother Viserys who keeps yelling “You woke the dragon.” She feels her thighs slick with blood, and hears a ripping sound and the crackling of a great fire. Her brother is gone and she seems to be in the middle of an inferno and a great dragon turns it’s head to look upon her. She then wakes up.
This not only foreshadows the hatching of the eggs in the fire but also the imagery of blood on her thighs suggests a birth of some sort. Azor Ahai is associated with fire, and if Lightbringer isn’t literally a flaming sword but a metaphor for dragonflame then this could be a strong hint at things to come.
The last point I’d like to make in this is the contrast that Viserys and Daenerys both use their heritage/lineage in regards to being the blood of the dragon. Viserys seems to use it as justification for his behavior, and as a status symbol, while Daenerys seems to use it as a source of inner strength and courage.
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