Mother Of Dragons

Chapter 4

She was startled awake by Irri and Doreah bringing in supper. Drogo stroked her hair and held her until she awoke completely, then left the bed and retrieved some food. He sat on the floor next to the bed and gestured for her to stay lying down while he pinched a bit of roasted meat off the bone, "Gavat," he enunciated, and then fed it to her before taking a bite himself. He held up another bite for her and waited. She struggled to understand for a moment, but then repeated his word. "Gavat," she whispered, and he grinned and placed the bite of meat to her lips. She had never been fed like this and it felt a little strange at first. What made it more unsettling was she knew this wasn't the Khal the rest of the world understood and obeyed. He was not all all frightening to her at the moment, sitting cross-legged on the thick woven carpet, nude and not the least bit self conscious about it. She quickly found if she relaxed and just accepted it as he had done, she felt much more at ease with everything. Not just with him, although he was a big part of it, but the feeling of being looked after, not having to worry constantly if she were two steps from either being struck to the ground or murdered by a stranger.

As he held out another bite for her to take with her teeth, she reached out hesitantly and touched the scar running through his eyebrow and down his cheek. He gave her a slight smile and shrugged as if to say it was nothing to fuss over. She brought her fingers to her lips and kissed them, then touched his scar again. He reached up and held her hand to his face, stroking her hand before bringing her fingers to his mouth for a kiss.

After eating his fill with her, he dressed in just his pants and boots, and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. He called out to Irri to come in the tent, and spoke quietly to her for a few minutes, more words than Dany ever heard him say at one time.

After he left, Irri came and sat with her on the bed. "The Khal would like you to come out and join him at the fire, Khaleesi, when you are dressed and ready."

She made to get up, but Irri gently pushed her back down with a smile. "The Khal also would like you to rest for a little while. A happy and rested Khaleesi is more likely to conceive," she said quietly, her gentle smile growing so Dany could see her white teeth, such a striking contrast from her dark copper skin.

"Oh," Dany said softly, turning pink and getting comfortable in the Khal's large bed. Her bed now, too. She hoped she would conceive soon, wanting to please the Khal, but she realized in that moment she wanted the baby, too. Her own child, with Drogo's dark hair and skin, maybe with her Targaryen eyes. Dany made herself a promise to watch how other mothers in the khalasar cared for their children, so she would have at least an idea of how to do it. Growing up, babies and children had always belonged to other families, while Dany and Viserys were left to wander on their own with no family but each other. A baby all her own, someone who had no idea what cruelty, starvation or pain could really be, and her baby would not know any of those things as long as she could protect it. She smiled at herself, no longer a child herself at fifteen, and wondered if her mother had felt that way about her. She could hope.

She spent the next hour talking with Irri and learning a few new words of Dothraki before getting up to dress. She chose just her dressing gown that had been discarded so hastily earlier that evening. It was thicker than a dress, and covered more of her body than her Dothraki clothes she had worn that day. The night was chill and crisp despite the day's heat, so a lovely pelt was chosen from the bed for her to wrap around her shoulders, too. She flashed a shy smile at Irri as she left the tent, feeling as though everything was about to change.

When she stepped out of the tent, she was surprised at the number of eyes looking back at her from the fire. Most were Drogo's blood riders; some were slaves, and Ser Jorah Mormont, who was seated next to her brother. She flushed pinkly, knowing they must have all been here for some time and had heard all that came from the tent before. She pushed aside her embarrassment, avoided Viserys' gaze altogether and spotted Drogo sitting at the far side of the fire, no doubt to see her when she came out. He reached out a hand for her. She smiled and walked toward him, making her way through the crowd, ignoring everyone around her except Drogo. He gestured for her to sit, moving the blanket out from under him so she would be able to share it. She shook her head, still smiling, and gestured for his lap, hoping he would like that more. His eyes showed that it pleased him greatly, a secret gleam meant only for her, but he simply grunted and spread his legs so she could sit in her preferred spot.