He is not a pure horseman blessed by the crones beneath the Mother of Mountains.
Blue-Eyed Haggo possesses martial skills rivaling any great Khal, but he lacks their courage.
Just like those who live in stone houses and excel at using poisons and trickery, his blood is tainted by Hoson’s lineage.
He is accustomed to using shameless methods to strike at his enemies.
Old Effendi showed a look of disdain, shaking his head as he spoke.
“Sending people to sneak into a rival khalasar to kidnap a Khal’s son is something that hasn’t happened in the Great Grass Sea for thousands of years.
Everyone knows that we Dothraki ride fierce horses and solve our problems with the arakhs in our hands.” Hearing this, Dany couldn’t help but sigh.
That Blue-Eyed Haggo was simply unlucky.
If his father had been well-versed in military strategy and tactical warfare instead of the Arts of the Spring Cry…
with his clever mind and willingness to commit shameless acts, he could have very well forged a golden dynasty.
The group chatted as they slowly caught up with the main host.
Even though the scorching gales would whip up red grit and obliterate any traces of the host marching across the purgatory plains, that process still took a day or two.
Dany and her group were only an hour’s ride behind the khalasar.
On the ground of crushed stone and red sand, the hoofprints of the herd remained.
Under the crimson glow of the Bleeding Star, the scattered tracks spread across the red wasteland like a shallow river.
It was exceptionally striking.
Effendi was old and shrewd.
Through his several conversations with Dany, he realized she was a very peaceful and kind Khaleesi.
Gradually, he grew bolder, even daring to speak treasonous words to her.
“The comet in the sky makes our night marches easier, but that red color, like the blood of the gods, is full of ill omens.
Especially in this purgatory wasteland—the red sands, the dim sky dyed crimson by the Bleeding Star, it looks like a red hell.
It feels as though something terrible has happened without our knowledge.” “Yes, yes, I feel it too,” the old men in his decurion squad chimed in.
Gradually, even Dany’s bloodriders began to feel uneasy.
‘This old fool, how dare he spread such superstitious nonsense right to my face?!’ Dany was furious and scolded him, “Let me ask you, did the comet appear before Khal Drogo was laid to rest?” The old man was startled by her stern tone and mumbled, “No.” “Let me ask you again, is the Bleeding Star the symbol of Khal Drogo?” “Yes.” “Was the Khal’s steed not as fiery red as burning coal?” she demanded again, her tone pressing.
“Yes.” “Is the Khal not accompanied by five hundred warriors who died bravely in battle?” “Yes.” As Dany loudly interrogated him, the surrounding horse people shifted from panic to bewilderment, and gradually, a look of realization dawned on their confused faces.
At this moment, Dany concluded, “Our Khal ascended to the Night Lands riding his steed through the flames.
That comet is Drogo riding his red horse.
The bloody trail stretching across the sky behind the comet is his bloodriders leading the five hundred screamers who spilled their blood on the battlefield, following behind the Khal just as they did in life.” “Their heads were all severed.
How could they not dye the sky red?” she questioned Effendi.
“Because Drogo knows we travel by night and rest by day.
He knows we are struggling to cross the Red Waste, so he refuses to leave.
He continues to lead his men to watch over us.
Once we are completely safe, Drogo will truly enter the Night Lands.” Dany’s words were simply flawless.
The comet would leave sooner or later, and as for when they were completely safe—wasn’t that entirely up to her, the grand boss, to decide?
Sure enough, the horse people were convinced by her words.
One by one, they revealed expressions of sudden enlightenment, and the gazes they directed at her were filled with awe and worship.
The old horseman Effendi was also genuinely convinced.
After all, the Khal ascending to the starry sky on his steed through the flames was something “everyone knew.” Dany’s explanation had no holes, and everything was too coincidental—as coincidental as fate itself.
“Khaleesi, you are as wise as the crones of Vaes Dothrak,” he praised.
The crones of Vaes Dothrak were the leaders of the dosh khaleen.
Dany did not like hearing this.
She had no desire to be part of the dosh khaleen, even though she technically already was one.
“Effendi, Hoson is sick and cannot drink water.
Your share of mare’s milk will be given to him,” Dany said, and without waiting for his reply, she spurred her horse and rode off.
“I…” Effendi opened his mouth wide, his face a mix of bewilderment and grievance.
“I am an old man too, I need mare’s milk!” Returning to the main khalasar, Dany’s explanation of the Bleeding Star quickly spread.
The horse people secretly observed the Khaleesi at the front of the column while whispering among themselves.
Although there were some embellishments, the general narrative remained the same.
“Alas, even his son died.
How could the Khal not ‘weep blood’?
The Khaleesi must have secretly wept blood too, right?” “Yes, hundreds of warriors died on the battlefield alongside the young lord.
How tragic.
Their blood has dyed the sky red.” “Now we can rest easy.
It terrified me before, leaving such a vivid trail of blood across the blue sky even in broad daylight.
I thought it was an ill omen.” To a large extent, the superstitious horsemen shed their worries and bolstered their confidence.
In truth, it was not only Dany and her khalasar who were affected by the Bleeding Star.
As it grew brighter by the day, it dyed the night sky red, shining as bright as dusk.
By day, it shared the sky with the sun, looking like a gash slashed across the face of the sky god.
The entire world of ice and fire panicked over it.
Just like Dany, they all tried their best to interpret it as a favorable omen for themselves.
For instance, the royal court in King’s Landing called it the “Red Messenger,” announcing the arrival of a new king to the world.
Well, Robert Baratheon, who had stolen the throne from Dany’s family, was killed by his own wife.
His son—who was truly “someone else’s son”—Joffrey, inherited the throne.
However, due to the rebellion of the four great lords—Stark, Tully, Tyrell, and Baratheon—prices in King’s Landing skyrocketed, and the people were starving.
Furthermore, the news about Queen Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister was made public by Stannis Baratheon, coupled with Joffrey’s cruelty rivaling that of the Mad King…
These combined factors caused public resentment to boil over in King’s Landing.
The common folk in the streets called the comet the “Red Sword.” A red sword of blood and fire, an omen that the heavens were about to punish Cersei and her son.
After the great victory in the Whispering Wood, the Greatjon pointed at the red streak cutting across the azure sky and laughed heartily as he spoke to his liege lord, Robb Stark.
“That is the fiery flag of vengeance unfurled by the Old Gods for Ned.” The young lord of House Tully, Edmure Tully, joyfully believed it was the sigil of House Tully—a leaping trout over a blue field.
Well, what Edmure saw was a fish with a long tail, set against the blue sky, glowing with fiery red.
In the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy was in high spirits as he spoke to his bannermen.
“That is a good omen for us ironborn.
A burning torch, no different from the ones our ancestors held in ancient times.” “A torch brought forth from the sea by the Drowned God, foretelling the rising tide to come.
Now we must gather our fleets and bring sword and fire to the world, just as he did in the past.” At the ancestral seat of House Targaryen, the birthplace of Daenerys, and the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold—Dragonstone.
The red priestess Melisandre told the current Lord of Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon, “This is dragon’s breath.
It is the Bleeding Star.
The ancient prophecy is about to be fulfilled in you.” Then she spoke the prophecy that represented the core and ultimate prediction of A Song of Ice and Fire…
uh, the prophecy.
“There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world.
In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword.
And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.” “Now, the long summer is ending, the Bleeding Star has appeared.
Azor Ahai shall be reborn amidst smoke and salt, and wake dragons out of stone.” “Your Grace, you are the one in the prophecy, the reincarnation of Azor Ahai.
The heavens have destined you to save the world.” “Alas, why must it be me!” Stannis ground his teeth.
“I only wanted to be a good brother, a good subject.
Why must I become king?
Such a burden…” Renly Baratheon at Storm’s End, the Martells in Dorne, the Night’s Watch on the Wall…
Everyone saw the red comet in the sky.
For this unprecedented phenomenon, they all had their own interpretations.
At this moment, in distant Westeros, no one knew that when the star bled, someone had already been reborn and had woken dragons out of stone.
It seemed…
Well, Dany was definitely not the reincarnation of Azor Ahai.
She was merely the final layer of the nesting doll.
On the third day of their southward march through the Red Waste, Dany’s khalasar traveled about 130 kilometers, making it over 300 kilometers in total over the three days.
Their food consumption was actually not that high.
With at least one horse per person, they did not lack horsemeat.
The critical issues were drinking water and the extreme survival conditions.
“Khaleesi, we encountered less than half the number of bitter water pools today compared to yesterday.
Many of our waterskins are empty,” Kovarro said with a bitter face.
Dany wiped her face and forced herself to stay alert.
By now, she had ordered the host to make camp for the third time.
Just like yesterday, they built a low, curved stone wall.
By the time the camp affairs were properly arranged, the eastern horizon was already turning pale.
After thinking seriously for a moment, Dany said gravely, “The drinking water for the people and horses must not run short.
Kovarro, I will teach you a new way to fetch water.” She led Kovarro and over a dozen horsemen to high ground, pointing at the plains below.
“Have you noticed?
Some places are overgrown with weeds, but most areas have absolutely no plants.
If you look further away, you can see that the places where the devil’s grass thrives almost form a continuous line.” “Perhaps there is an underground river there, or maybe it used to be a river.” Having traveled this far, the riverbed of the first stream they encountered had long lost any visible traces.
Only the regularly distributed tufts of reddish-brown devil’s grass continued to offer hints and speculations.
Dany’s method was simple.
She split the team in two.
The strongest warriors would ride ahead for dozens, or even hundreds of kilometers.
They would follow the areas where the devil’s grass was most abundant, digging holes as they went.
Digging deep holes—holes deep enough for groundwater to seep out.
Even if there was no standing water, the sand and soil would be damp—mud from which water could be squeezed.
Then, the second batch of riders fetching water would place the wet soil on gauze to filter it.
Compared to filtering water from pools, this method was slower and less efficient.
The dirt holes couldn’t be dug too large, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to find stones or tree trunks to cover the openings.
They could only dig more holes, and dig them deeper.
Dany even demonstrated it in public.
After scooping a bitter water pool dry, she placed the excavated mud into a makeshift pouch made from tent fabric.
Drop by drop, dirty water dripped from the bottom of the fabric pouch, and the hole from which the mud was dug visibly began to seep water.
Seeing this, the horse people cheered with joy, as if they had already defeated this terrifying Red Waste.
Jorah, however, pulled Dany aside and said with deep concern, “Princess, you are sacrificing the energy and lives of strong warriors to feed the useless old and weak.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Otaku_Senpaii Want more chapters?