MTLNOVEL Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Do You Want a Wife?
The overseer was a robust Dothraki man, holding a long whip made of five intertwined leather strands. His muscular chest was adorned with a tattoo of a harpy bound in chains.
The centaur-like overseer stood proudly, snapping his whip with loud cracks while shouting insults such as, "Move faster, you filthy slaves!"
"Hey, centaur! The one with the harpy on his chest!" Dany leaned halfway out of the carriage door and called out to the overseer. "Where are these slaves from?"
"Of course, from the Great Grass Sea," the overseer replied loudly. "Woman, they were transported from Meereen. All of them are the defeated tribes of a Khalasar."
"Address her as Khaleesi!" Jhogo shouted, pointing angrily at the man.
"Ridiculous! I'm not part of her Khalasar," the overseer grumbled.
Dany waved her hand at her bloodrider, signaling him not to take offense over such trivial matters. She continued questioning the overseer, "What will happen to these slaves?"
"They're not fit to become Unsullied, so they'll be sold to slavers at the docks."
Noticing an opportunity for business, a male Ghiscari merchant who had been flirting with his companion rode forward on a donkey. Smiling, he said, "Khaleesi, are you interested in this group of slaves? Let me tell you, we're not middlemen. Our prices are so low, it's almost like giving them away."
"I bought a batch of Dothraki slaves in Qarth. They were transported all the way from Astapor. Twenty slaves cost me forty silver coins—far too expensive," Dany said, shaking her head.
"Ah, those were middlemen! Transporting slaves from Astapor to cities like Qarth or Volantis by sea nearly doubles the price," the slaver explained, pointing to his group of slaves. "One silver coin gets you three slaves here—pick as you like. If you buy more, I can give you a discount."
Dany glanced at the group, estimating there were about 300 slaves. "What kind of discount will you give me if I buy all of them?"
"All of them?" The man looked at her in disbelief.
"My Khalasar is too small; I need to increase its population," she explained.
"Ah, right, you're a Khaleesi." The man's eyes lit up with understanding. "How about I introduce you to another batch of slaves—over 800 of them, all strong and healthy? I can offer you an additional 20% discount."
"All Dothraki?" she asked, puzzled.
"No, no. The Dothraki are fierce and fearless in battle, but they're not good for farming, crafting, or gladiatorial combat. We don't need them as soldier-slaves either. Other than breeding future Unsullied, they're practically useless," the young slaver sighed.
"Then why did you buy so many of them?" Dany questioned.
The slaver glanced at Jhogo and then at Jorah, who stood protectively by Dany's side. Cautiously, he replied, "As a Khaleesi, you should understand the Dothraki. When a Khal leads tens of thousands of warriors to your gates and demands tribute—Dothraki slaves—you can't refuse.
"Fortunately, most Khals don't ask for much. A batch of basic supplies can often be exchanged for a large number of slaves. We still make a small profit."
"Sigh..."
Dany let out a long sigh and returned to the carriage. From the window, she said to Jhogo, "Tell him where our ships are docked. Buy the 300 slaves first. We'll take the remaining 800 when we're leaving."
"Buying them all now could save you a bit more," the slaver called out eagerly.
"There's nowhere to put them right now. Keep them for me for no more than three days. I won't make you feed them for long."
"Alright then."
The carriage moved faster than the slaves could walk. As Dany's caravan continued forward, the slave procession turned to follow behind.
They passed through a long red-brick street and returned to the dock area. Yet even here, there were few people in sight.
The expansive red-brick dock had only about a dozen ships sparsely moored along it.
As soon as Dany stepped off the ox-drawn carriage, she caught a strong whiff of cooked meat. Turning her head, she saw the burly Belwas sitting on the red-brick ground, his legs dangling into the water. Beside him was a small clay pot, from which the tantalizing aroma was emanating.
Noticing her gaze, Belwas pulled a juicy, brown chunk of meat from the pot and called out, "Little Queen, do you want some?"
"What kind of meat is it?" she asked curiously, walking over.
"Dog meat," he replied with a big grin, clearly delighted by her interest. "The Astapori are experts at preparing dog meat—roasted, jellied, stewed with herbs, or made into broth. Mmm! Belwas has traveled across Essos, and no dog meat tastes as good as theirs."
Dany mimicked his posture, sitting down and dipping her feet into the water. With her right hand, she grabbed a steaming chunk of dog meat from the pot and took a big bite.
"Wow, delicious! So good!" she exclaimed with her mouth full, turning to Missandei, who was watching from the ship's railing. "How can we have meat without wine? Missandei, bring those two bottles of Arbor red wine!"
"Hahaha, exactly! Meat and wine—it's the perfect pairing," the hulking eunuch laughed heartily.
"Princess," Barristan Selmy said hesitantly, his brows furrowed deeply. "You are the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. This behavior is... unbecoming."
"Even queens have to eat! If the Seven Gods themselves walked among us, they'd still need to eat at mealtime. Otherwise, why would the Blessed Baelor have starved to death?" Dany retorted, tearing into the meat. Juices dripped down her chin and stained her silk dress.
"Your Grace," the white-bearded man exclaimed, visibly more shocked. "Saint Beller is your ancestor!"
"Wasn't he starved to death?" she asked nonchalantly.
"He…was," the white-bearded man replied with difficulty.
"Then I wasn't wrong!"
Jiqi came jogging down the stairs with two bottles of wine in hand. Dany popped the cork off one with a loud pop—a rather ungraceful act that made the corners of the old man's eyes twitch.
Handing the uncorked bottle to the plump eunuch, she took a swig directly from the other, exhaled with satisfaction, and sighed, "This taste, I swear, is ten times better than sitting on the Iron Throne."
"Hahaha!" The eunuch laughed heartily, slapping his thigh. "I'm telling you, from now on, Bevos will truly like you and think you're a queen."
"Ah, I've just realized today that when it comes to food, you do have some talent. Before, I thought you were just like a pig, able to stuff anything into your stomach," Dany teased.
"Hahaha!"
"Your Grace," Ser Jorah interjected from the side, "don't forget what Kraznys said."
"What did he say?" she asked while gnawing on a bone, grumbling, "There's Sichuan pepper but no chili—still missing something."
"Chili? Are you talking about dragon peppers?" Bevos asked.
"No, dragon peppers are just peppercorns, not chili. I mean the ones that make your mouth feel like it's on fire." Dany gestured animatedly and finally waved it off, sighing. "When my dragons grow up, I'll ride them and find chili."
Cough, cough, cough. Jorah cleared his throat loudly, reminding her that he was still speaking.
"I'm listening. Go on," she said.
"Every Unsullied must kill the dog they've raised for a year, but many cannot complete this test," Jorah explained, his tone heavy.
Dany froze mid-bite, her teeth sinking into a bone as thick as a man's arm.
Jorah, unfazed, continued, "Then the slavers kill the young Unsullied and feed their flesh to the dogs they couldn't bear to kill. Perhaps many of the dogs in Astapor—"
"Stop!" Dany raised her bottle to cut him off, spat out the bone, and turned to Bevos. "With all your years of eating dog meat, you can tell this was an old dog, can't you?"
Before Bevos could answer, Dany set down the bottle, pushed herself up from the ground, and said to Jorah, "This was just an old family dog. Hmm, Bevos, you carry on. I'm full. I'll head upstairs for a nap."
With that, she walked towards the spiral staircase with an air of nonchalance, though her steps were slightly unsteady—perhaps drunk?
By afternoon, over 300 Dothraki slaves were brought aboard the ship. Having already been sold, they no longer needed to be paraded naked for inspection.
They now wore tattered linen robes and bronze slave collars.
Dany didn't assign the men to the combat units. Instead, she summoned Afanti and instructed him to assign them to miscellaneous tasks.
"They can hardly be called horsemen now, almost useless. Let them first rekindle the spirit of the horsemen, then we'll make proper arrangements," she told the old man.
As she spoke, she noticed a few elderly women among the slaves and asked, "Afanti, do you want a wife? If you nod, I'll find you an old companion."
Afanti hesitated. "Khaleesi, among the horsemen, marriage isn't customary. The weak cannot guarantee their wives won't be taken by the strong."
"So you're saying you're interested?" Dany teased, patting his shoulder. "Afanti, your status has changed. You lead a khalasar unit now—still not enough to puff up your chest? Even my bloodriders only lead one unit each."
"But among the horsemen, strength is what matters most. A khalasar leader doesn't mean much," Afanti argued.
"Ha! If it doesn't matter, why are you standing here talking to me? I'm the Khaleesi. I decide what matters. Strength is important, but loyalty to me and contributions to the khalasar are even more important."
Noticing his lingering hesitation and the indifferent attitudes of the surrounding horsemen—all khalasar leaders themselves—Dany pointed at a towering, muscular slave among the group.
"That man could probably take down three Afantis easily. Now, should I strip Afanti of his rank because that man is stronger? Should I make him a khalasar leader equal to you all? Would that make you happy?"
"No!" Afanti cried, his face twisting in dismay. "I'll marry if that's what it takes! Khaleesi, I've followed you across the Red Waste and waded through deadly waters! Don't do this to me—I'm not happy!"
"Khaleesi, Afanti has always helped us care for the horses. He's—" Aggo stepped forward, frowning as he scratched his head, struggling to articulate his thoughts.
Dany waved him off. "I'll only ask this: are you happy?"
"For some reason…I'm not happy," Aggo muttered gloomily.
"I'm not happy either," the rest of the bloodriders and khalasar leaders chimed in one after another.
Clap! Dany clapped her hands. "Exactly! You're not happy because no one is invincible. If we determine status solely by strength, sooner or later, someone new will come along and replace you all.
They've contributed nothing to the khalasar. In fact, they owe their very freedom and dignity as horsemen to our mercy.
We are their benefactors! How can they join the khalasar and immediately stand above us? That's unacceptable."
The horsemen's faces lit up with agreement. Aggo felt as though Dany had voiced the very thoughts he struggled to put into words.
(End of Chapter)
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