Capítulo 56: Chapter 55
Daenerys Targaryen. Near the Darkwater River.
Khalasar made a stop near the Darkwater River, and Drogo himself left with the main forces to fight another Khal. This happened quite often, as it was part of the Dothraki culture. They would either have a full-fledged battle or a duel to the death between Khals, and the winner would get everything the loser had, such as horses, women, tribute from the cities, and so on.
I was currently in Shiro's math class, but I couldn't concentrate because of my recent insomnia, and my head felt like it was spinning from side to side.
The deadline for the teacher's condition was almost upon us, and there was less than a week left before I had to give my answer. With each new day I asked myself what I wanted and if it was worth it, but each time I came to a standstill weighing one detail or another.
The routine I've grown accustomed to here, becoming a Khaleesi, is not much different from what I roughly expected when I was still traveling with my brother. I was still a Targaryen, and one could say queen of Khalasar, for the duties were the same, except for territories, intrigue, small talk, and the sort of things that went on among the nobility. It was much simpler than that.
Usually the queen only warmed her consort's bed and occasionally kept company at various events, and had a bunch of formalities and other small details to attend to, and I had prepared for that, really. What was happening now, however, I liked. No betrayals or conspiracies, plain and simple, because the Dothraki hated such things, considered them the lot of the weak.
Drogo loved me, really loved me, even if we didn't start out as tenderly as I would have liked. He loved watching me sleep, stroking my hair and just lying beside me, and all of it could not help but awaken in me a sense of neediness, of love and care.
On the other hand, this is not my land, not my home. Different air, different soil, different animals...different people. I am a stranger here, no matter how much time has passed.
I am Daenerys of House Targaryen. The house that took over Westeros with dragon fire and its own blood. All my ancestors and even my brother died for the land across the sea, making it our new home after the fall of Valyria, from which we fled. Lord Solomon spoke of people still living who share my blood, and I am sure they are all there in Westeros.
And yet, only I could bring back the glory of my house. Only I and no one else. I have studied hard for this now, prepared for it since childhood, and was born for it. But I couldn't use Drogo as a tool and give up this life for nothing. It was... wrong.
- I see, Prince..." Shiro was about to ask me when I started to feel nauseous, and I leaned to the ground, almost throwing up today's breakfast
What's wrong with me? Why did I suddenly feel so sick? Am I... Am I sick with something? But if so, what was it? Did it threaten Drogo, teacher, Shiro and the others, even Fina? And... would it affect the teacher's and Shiro's condition?
- How are you feeling, princess? - Shiro ran up to me and began to examine me carefully, while Fina, who was standing beside me, watched and thought about something.
- Not good," I replied, because I had never been able to fool Shiro and my teacher. - Do you know what's wrong with me, Shiro? I'm a little dizzy and a little insomniac.
- I guess," he said and looked at the calmly guilt-drinking teacher and the stoic Fina. - Am I right?
- Yes, she's pregnant," the teacher replied in a measured tone, to which my eyes widened and traveled down to my stomach.
I'm... pregnant?
- Shouldn't she have noticed it herself? - Shiro asked.
- 'The girl was busy with other things, and I'm sure wrote off the symptoms as simple anxiety,' said the teacher. - 'On the other hand, it's our fault. We haven't talked to her about it beyond simple conception.
Is this... mine and Drogo's... child...? I...we....
- What are your orders, Lady Semiramis? - Fina has spoken.
- It's only the first trimester. Let her walk more and eat what she asks for, even if it sounds strange and suspicious. Order later, Fina,'' replied the teacher. - Girl.
- Y-yes?
- Report any signs of indisposition, basically any. I don't want you to mourn the loss of your child because you chose to ignore them," she said sternly, and then smiled, probably for the first time ever. - And congratulations.
- Mine too," Shiro smiled.
Hearing their sincere congratulations and smiles made my heart feel so... light... as if a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I breathed in the fact that I'd been so much more sensitive than usual lately.
They weren't lying to me... Caring and thinking about me... And the realization of that gave just an amazing feeling that I really liked....
My eyes began to fill with tears of relief and happiness, and my hand gently laid on my stomach.
- T-thank you... Thank you...
-0-
Shiro Kotomine. Near the Darkwater River.
Looking at the exit from our tent, through which the princess and Fina came out, I couldn't help but smile, for this news brought her happiness and joy, not fear and disappointment. A good start for a young girl that would soon become a mother.
During confession, when I was still alive, I came across those who did not want a child and wanted to get rid of it, and for good reason. Not all of them, of course, but there were plenty during the Edo period. These girls could not afford to raise a child because of low means, unsuccessful relationships, including those against their will, and psychological pressure and fear.
This was exacerbated by the low level of medicine. Even in well-to-do families, half of the children did not live to the age of five, and what to speak of ordinary people. A simple cold killed, not like smallpox, measles, syphilis, cholera and so on. And that's not even taking into account childbirth itself, where not only the child could die, but also the mother.
Here, however, the princess was smiling. Though this world was not far removed from the Edo era in medical terms, she was the one who was happy about the news. All I wished her now was a healthy baby, a good labor and a happy life. Also...
- Do you have something to say, Shiro? - Semi asked as I turned my gaze back to her.
- Your smile, Semi.
- Tch. Are you at it again? - She tsked. - We're not having a baby among a horde of savages.
- You mean if we settle in the city and in a nice house, it's okay? - I laughed, at which Semi stiffened, then turned away, hiding her blush.
- I didn't say that.
- But I thought. What a tsundere you are, my love," I said, and walked over to her, sitting down on my knee and taking her hand. - I had already spoken to King Solomon about it, and he didn't mind giving us time to ourselves if we wanted it.
- What else have you been keeping from me? - Semi asked, trying to look angry.
- When this is over and this world is saved, and it will be saved with King Solomon's support, I'd like to live my life here as a man, not a Servant. But only if I have you with me, Semi," I said, and Semi slowly turned her head and looked at me.
- And you'll leave your stupid dream behind? - she grinned.
- It will come true without my interference, again, by King Solomon. He is God's anointed and will be able to accomplish what I could not," I replied confidently. - You know, the moment when I lay on your lap, amidst your crumbling Gardens in the light of the rising sun, was the moment of my greatest bliss. And now that I've been given another chance, I don't want to miss it.
- ... and mine too, Shiro," she smiled, after a few moments.
No matter what the princess decides, the fate of this world is already sealed. And since that's the case, why not start planning for your future, which absolutely can come, right?
-0-
Jon Snow. Beyond the Wall.
Finding a small cave where we could protect ourselves from the wind and snow, we set up camp as it began to get dark. Making a small fire, I pulled back my sleeve and began examining my arm for the umpteenth time while Mara and Cid laid down skins and Ghost settled down beside me.
From my observations and Lord Solomon's lessons, the bluish handprint on my skin that I had gotten from the White Walker could be called a curse or a magical mark. It felt like someone else's mana, I'm sure belonged to the White Walker. And every time I activated my magical chains, it immediately reacted and, as if, created a kind of invisible to the ordinary eye trace.
If my assumptions were correct, this was my way of informing the White Walker about my whereabouts, because there was no other way to explain the sudden appearance of the Wights in dangerous proximity to us, a couple of days after my awakening.
I wanted to confirm my theory by activating the magic circuits and then hiding and watching, but that idea had to be discarded. I really wanted to do it and get answers, but by doing so I would be risking our lives.
Lord Solomon had only briefly mentioned curses and ways to get rid of them, but none were available to me. Basically, it all boiled down to the fact that it could be removed either by using the curse-holder's own mana, or a special kind of magic specialized in removing curses.
I suppose I could do it myself, but it required trial and error, and that meant signaling the White Walker like a beacon in the night. And so all I had to do now was avoid using magic and try to find the right person or creature to help.
I'd try to contact Lord Solomon somehow and ask him to remove the mark, but... he'd already done so much for me. And besides, that wouldn't satisfy my Origin, which was looking for answers to everything.
Also, the question remained, why didn't he kill me, just mark me? The White Walkers were known as enemies of mankind, wanting to kill all life and bring a blood chilling cold to its lands, however, why not kill me in that case? What would be the point of that?
If I summarized it all, I could conclude that the White Walker who had left a mark on my skin was intelligent. And that fact was frightening, because it was one thing for the enemy to just move forward, and quite another for him to be able to think and plan.
- Hey, idiot," Mara called to me, and I looked up at her. - So you can't do magic now?
- Unless I want to be harassed by an army of dead people," I sighed, "Is there a problem with that?
- No," she said simply, and I shook my head.
Mara had gotten kind of... cold these days, I guess. She wasn't sarcastic as usual, but just... indifferent. And it wasn't hard to connect that to my current limitations, namely, she'd lost interest.
I think Mara wanted to get me into her clan, since the magic I possessed was a good and promising asset. Otherwise, it's hard for me to imagine anything else when she talked about him and his life. After-all, friends are friends and duties remained in place.
She was the granddaughter of an elder and could quite possibly succeed her in office, and that meant representing the interests of the clan. The Free Folk were not the Seven Kingdoms, yes, but it was the Moon Arrow Clan that definitely bore a resemblance to them from Mara's words. Perhaps she was planning to find me a mate and get me magic in her tribe, a really big advantage over the others.
And I didn't blame Mara for anything, not at all. The tribes of the Free People often fought each other, that was known even beyond the Wall, from the records of the Night's Watch, and who among them wouldn't want to build up their power, even at the expense of an outsider? No one in their right mind. And given the case of the Brethren of the Twilight Tower, I suppose she's confirmed her intentions.
- Jon Snow," Cid said suddenly.
- Yes?
- Your sword. Tell me about it.
I raised an eyebrow.
What was he getting at? Did I have to be sincere, and was I in danger of getting hurt when we got there? Well, I had no other way to go anyway, nor did I have any desire to change it.
- As I said, it was a gift from Lord Solomon, the man Mara's grandmother had spoken of. Even though it looks ordinary, its blade is always sharp and has never needed maintenance," I began, glancing at the Durandal that had changed.
There were fewer stains on the blade than there had been before, a diamond-shaped symbol with a hollow core on the guard, and a simple tip with a muddy stone encased in it.
All of these changes occurred after I woke up from my encounter with the White Walker, and I don't think this is Durandal's final appearance. Apparently there were some conditions and several stages of change that I was eager to figure out. But again, couldn't verify it yet.
- The first time I pulled it from its sheath, I cut myself on its blade. The sword absorbed my blood, and there was a flash of light, and its name, Durandal, rang out in my mind. Or rather, the sword itself called its name. It is magical, and I own it, but I can't tell you its exact properties because I don't know about them yet. It's only because of a recent incident that its appearance has changed, as you noticed, and I think that's all ahead of me.
- I see," Cid nodded and went back to tending to his bow. I looked at the flames of the fire and thought.
I suppose I'd have to wait until Mara and Cid arrived at the clan, and then I'd have to make my own arrangements. My heart told me so, and Lord Solomon said it was in the right place. And if it was, I would face the obstacles with my head held high, for to do otherwise would be to do nothing, wouldn't it?
-0-
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