Valaena Fireborn of House Targaryen has been in exile her entire life. Robert's Rebellion twenty years ago forced her and her siblings out of their home to Essos. Valaena was sold to Khal Drogo as his wife so her brother could use her husband's arm...
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I expected King Jon to go back to his duties whilst Kovarro and I took care of our horses, but he didn't. He waited outside the stables to give us some privacy and lead us through the castle when we were finished. I had already taken off my midnight's tack and was now brushing her down. The saddle and bags were laying on the wall of the stall while the bridle was hanging off a nail beside the door.
"Khaleesi." Kovarro got my attention from the stall beside the one I was in.
"Yes, blood of my blood?" I responded in Dothraki so Jon couldn't understand us.
"What are you thinking?" He was addressing the situation we hadn't expected.
We were expecting to meet with Roose Bolton, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, not Jon Snow, King of the North. I had prepared for a cold killer who slaughtered men and women at a wedding, not the considerate warrior. We were expecting a distrustful Lord, not a King's warm welcome.
"Our situation is better than we had anticipated, but that means we need a change of plans." My weapons clanked against each other when I bent down to put the brush away.
I carried two arakhs, two swords, a bow, a quiver, a whip, and various daggers. I was given a dragonbone arakh, bow, and whip by Drogo's bloodriders when we married. They were surprised when I kept the bow and arakh, Dothraki wives traditionally gave their husband all three bride gifts. I had given the whip to Drogo because I didn't see the use of it, though I held onto it when he died.
My bride gift arakh was on my right hip, the arakh I was given by a stranger on my left. The sword which came with the stranger's gift arakh on my right hip, and the sword I bought to match my bride gift arakh on my left. My bow and quiver were both slung over my shoulder to rest against my back, my whip on my left hip, and I had several daggers concealed within and under my dress.
I picked up the small basket containing the brushes I used to groom my midnight and walked out of the stall, making sure to close it securely behind me. I had considered grabbing my saddle bags as well, but didn't want to carry them with me while learning the layout of the castle. Kovarro had also finished with his steed and joined me when I put the tools away and met King Jon outside the stable.
"Leave your bags here, someone will bring them to your rooms." Jon gestured towards the castle for us to walk ahead of him.
The smithy was on our right and the bell tower our left while we left the stables. The kitchens were between the bell tower and library. The kennels behind the kitchens.
"What language were you speaking? It didn't sound like Dornish." King Jon walked to my right with Kovarro behind us.
"Have you ever heard someone speak Dornish, Your Grace?" I kept my tone light, but his answer could determine how much of my past I had to tell him.
