❝ You were destined for great things, and I was always destined to follow you ❞
The gods tried their best to keep Coren Thorne and Daenerys Targaryen separated, but soulmates had a tendency to come back to one and other, no matter how long it took...
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{ Daenerys }
✧✦✧
𝕿he heat had only seemed to grow worse the longer that they travelled through the desert. The sun was unrelenting and everywhere Daenerys turned, she could just see miles and miles of sand, rocks and scrubs.
It was desolate.
Her people were tired and weak, sitting beside each other and sharing their measly supply of water around to try and help them last through the day as they waited for one of the riders to return back to them. But, even now, Daenerys was losing hope.
She licked her lips, that were chapped from the heat, as Jorah sipped on his water beside her. Daenerys watched on, before looking out across her people once more. Coren was on the opposite side of the little clearing that they were sheltering in, carefully patching up a wound on one of the elderly. He had tripped on a rock, resulting in a gash on his head that Coren was cleaning with the little water that he had.
Daenerys watched the teenager work, eyes following his movements as Jorah sighed beside her.
Coren's head snapped up, looking in front of him, before he stood and stalked back towards her, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Coren...?" Daenerys trailed off, as Jorah stood up beside her. "What's going on?"
"Horse." Coren muttered, ruffling his dark curls. "Horse approaching. You can hear the hooves on the ground."
"Khaleesi." Daenerys looked at where both men were staring, watching a horse thunder towards them. It was rider less, covered in red paint that looked far too much like blood for Daenerys to feel comfortable.
As Daenerys stood, Coren reached a hand out to prevent her from stepping any closer, his eyes narrowed.
"What is it?"
"Something's not right." Coren muttered, watching Jorah walk closer to the horse. "I don't like it."
"Let me approach."
"You don't need to see this."
"If it is what I think it is, then yes. I do need to see this." Daenerys muttered, giving Coren's hand a gentle push. "I sent him there."
"I know, but you do not want to remember him that way." Coren spoke softly, reluctantly following Daenerys towards the horse. Jorah was putting, what Daenerys supposed, was a head back into the sack, a grimace plastered across his weathered face. He paused for a moment, and Daenerys thought that he was going to show her the head.
Instead, he chose to pick up the ponytail, that signified that Rakharo had lost, before turning to her.
"You don't need to see this." Jorah's words echoed words spoken by Coren mere moments earlier, causing her temper to flare. How dare they think that they should decide what she could and couldn't see?
"I've been told. But he is blood of my blood." Daenerys hissed, causing both of the men to back away. She nodded, before looking into the sack briefly and shaking her head in horror and disgust. Even though it was only a brief look, the sight was seared into her memory; Rakharo's lifeless eyes staring up at her, someone else that she had inadvertently killed. "Who did this?"
"Khal Pono perhaps, Khal Jhaqo." Jorah listed off, sharing a look with Coren, who was nodding. "They don't like the idea of a woman leading a Khalasaar."
"They will like it far less when I'm done with them." Daenerys promised, her violet eyes narrowed. They had hurt her blood rider, someone that had protected and looked out for her ever since she joined the khalasar so they would pay for it.
"No!" Daenerys turned at the shout behind her, looking at Irri with sad eyes as she hurried over to help the woman stay on her feet. "They killed his soul!"
Daenerys hushed her, shaking her head.
"They cannot kill his soul." Her words fell on deaf ears, for her handmaiden would not hear her.
"They did! They butchered him like an animal." Irri sunk to her knees, as Coren grabbed the horse and quickly lead it away. "They did not burn his body."
Daenerys did not know what to do, unsure of how to comfort the woman who had just lost someone she had cared about so tragically. Even when Drogo died, Daenerys had never been as deep in grief as Irri was.
"He can never join his ancestors in the night lands."
"Hush," Daenerys urged as Irri continued to sob into her arms. "We will build him a funeral pyre and I promise you, Rakharo will ride with his ancestors tonight."
Jorah retreated, leading the horse away but Coren stayed close, scanning the horizon around them. He stepped closer, hovering over the pair so that they were blocked from the sun's harsh glare as Daenerys shot him a grateful look.
Somehow, he always knew what she needed before she could even open her mouth, and it was something that she appreciated more than anything.
"We should join the group again. Better to preserve heat, and the safety in numbers is an advantage." Coren turned back towards the pair, as Daenerys helped Irri to her feet. "Hopefully the fire tonight will keep the other animals at bay."
"I hope so." Daenerys muttered, helping Irri limp towards the others of the Khalasar, and setting her down beside others. She stood, watching as they rushed to Irri's side, comforting her and soothing her fears, before looking back at Coren. "We have to keep moving now, don't we?"
"Take another day to rest." Coren muttered, looking down at her with warm eyes. "He was your friend too. You can mourn his death before making a decision."
"But-"
"Rest, Khaleesi, for a day at least." Coren urged. "If they wanted us dead, the Khalasar would have followed with the horse, but they have not. They were sending a message. We are safe for another day."
"I suppose we can afford one final day." Daenerys murmured, before looking up at her tall companion. "Thank you."
"It's what I am here for." Coren shot her the familiar half smirk, his lips chapped from the constant heat, but still, there was something endearing about it all. "Go and sit, Khaleesi. I'll go and check on the dragons and find you some water, and food."
"Fine." Daenerys reluctantly sunk down to the ground, but her eyes followed Coren as he meandered through the camp towards the dragons. Holding a hand to her face, she tried to fan some cold air onto her pale skin, the heat catching up to her.
She could only hope that they were out of this gods forsaken desert soon.
Hiya,
Short chapter for my return back to Angela. I have truly missed Dany and Coren and I'm so excited to delve further into their stories, because it has some of my favourite tropes in it (you can have a guess if you want?)!!!
