Mother Of Dragons

Chapter 10

Dany's appetite seemed to be improving, much to her relief. Just a few days after that horrible day of sickness in the grass, she found she was able to eat a few bites without feeling queasy when the khalasar made it's midday stop. Relieved, she had eaten slowly, and drank her fill from her water vessel without fear as they rode. She was actually hungry when they began making camp for the night, and she was looking forward to her food. She was disappointed that there would be no eating by a fire tonight, Drogo was busy with a horse and would not be joining her for the meal, or so she was told. She missed him already.

When Irri brought her supper, there was an extra bowl with it. Curious, Dany lifted the rough cloth covering it, and a wave of unexpected nausea overcame her at the smell. Holding one hand to her face to ward off the smell, she looked up at Irri just to make sure she didn't mistake what it was, and she pointed at it, asking, "I hope I'm not supposed to drink that?"

Irri smiled and nodded. "Khal Drogo wants you to start with the horse blood, Khaleesi. At the ceremony waiting for you in Vaes Dothrak, they will be expecting you to eat a stallion's heart. It's easier if the mother has already been preparing for it. Any Dothraki father who would claim the child will provide for the mother in this way to help her prepare."

Dany was speechless. Her mind went completely blank. What? Oh, Seven Hells, Irri was still talking.

"I . . . what? Stop. Start again," she stammered, trying to understand. "I'm supposed to eat what?"

"A stallion's heart, Khaleesi. The Khal will bring down the stallion in Vaes Dothrak, using a stone knife. He will cut the heart out and give it to you, and you must eat it. A strong and healthy heart for a strong and healthy boy," Irri sighed, slowing her words down and using mostly Dothraki to help her learn as well as understand.

A sinking feeling began in her throat and lodged itself in her gut. "Raw?" she asked stupidly, trying to wrap her mind around this information.

"Yes, Khaleesi," Irri smiled, and Dany could tell she was trying to hide her sympathy. Such emotions were useless in the grass.

Her stomach twisted in a sickening flip-flop, and she pushed her food away. Irri silently pushed the plate back at her and watched Dany pick at the food for a minute before speaking. "It helps to start with food already in the stomach, Khaleesi."

Thirteen days from Vaes Dothrak, and I'm just finding this out now, she thought. Irritation and fear were her overriding emotions, but curiosity soon rose above them. "Do all mothers have to do this?" she asked, eyeing the bowl.

"No, Khaleesi. Only ones who don't want to disappoint the fathers with daughters, and you are Khaleesi. It must be done."

Dany huffed at that. Nothing like flavoring the blood with a large helping of guilt. She eyed the bowl suspiciously. "Is there anything else I need to know about this 'preparation'?" she asked softly. "No other surprises, pleasant or otherwise?" She pulled it closer, and swirled the dark contents slightly, sending up a tangy, metallic scent into the air. She pulled back sharply for a moment, breathing deeply through her mouth to keep her queasiness at bay before taking another look. "What's in there?"

"Some raw horsemeat, Khaleesi. Heart is tough, this is practice to help you chew it," Irri informed her casually.

She can't be serious. One look at Irri proved otherwise. I'm really going to have to do this? Her heart pounded so hard that she could hear it in her ears. She pushed the bowl back slightly, and looked again at her plate. A bit of bread and meat would probably calm my stomach enough to at least make an attempt at this, she reasoned. It can't be worse than . . . but she chased that thought out of her mind before allowing it to finish. She wasn't going to start remembering again. She mentally sat down on the box those memories lived in, securing it shut.