The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Mother of Dragons Escapes

(A combined chapter to make up for Saturday's missed chapter and today's guaranteed update.)

*

Kito saw Jogo beheaded by Hardy from afar, and his heart ached.

Among the Dothraki, the souls of those beheaded cannot rest in peace and cannot ride their horses in the afterlife.

This is the heaviest punishment! It is also the most taboo and unacceptable to the Dothraki.

Hardy was once a Ko under Drogo, and was familiar with Jogo and others. However, he had always hated Daenerys, believing that she had broken many Dothraki rules. Consequently, all the Dothraki around Daenerys were hated by Hardy.

As soon as Drogo died, Hardy was no longer afraid of anyone. He led his own cavalry and left first, establishing his own reputation on the grassland. After several fierce battles, he annexed the legions of several small Kos, doubling the strength of his army.

Puff, puff, puff!

The cruel sound of arrows piercing bodies rang out!

Several cavalry brothers in other directions were overtaken and shot down by Hardy's cavalry one after another.

Hardy's cavalry team was fully revealed on the grassland, with 20,000 cavalrymen, a dark mass that seemed to have no end.

The hills and plains were filled with Hardy's cavalry. The thunderous sound of horses' hooves shook the ground, and the shouts were earth-shattering.

Kito dared not stay, desperately urging his horse to gallop away.

Behind him, several cavalrymen saw Kito and chased after him with a roar.

The Dothraki are all skilled riders and are accustomed to chasing enemies until they are exhausted before hunting them down.

Kito fled while looking back. He gradually realized that he was the only one left in Jogo's team. The brothers who fled in other directions to attract the enemy were all shot and killed, none escaping.

Kito saw that cavalrymen were also appearing on his left and right sides, making a roundabout flanking maneuver.

Hardy's cavalry was trying to encircle Kito.

Kito was shocked. The opponent had too many cavalry, occupying too long a battle line, and it was impossible to bypass the enemy by cutting in at an angle. The only way to escape alive at present was to flee straight ahead: south.

Kito drew his short knife and stabbed it hard into the horse's rump. The horse was in extreme pain and shot out like an arrow, quickly opening the distance from the cavalry behind him. Seeing this, a cavalry captain behind him knew that he could not catch up with Kito and reined in his horse.

The other two cavalry teams continued to chase, hoping that their comrades on the flanks could complete the encirclement before Kito broke out of the encirclement.

Kito leaned down, clinging tightly to the horse's back, and threw away everything superfluous, water and food, all abandoned, to reduce the burden on the horse. The short knife was stuck in the horse's rump, and the horse's hind legs were gradually stained red with blood. However, at the urging of its master, the horse understood its master's intentions and galloped desperately.

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!

Arrows began to shoot from both sides, but the horse was too fast and the opponent was too far away. The arrows landed behind him.

Gradually, the encirclement on the left and right sides was surpassed by Kito. He whipped the horse frantically, and the horse panted heavily, its breath resounding like thunder. During the frantic gallop, Kito rushed out, and the encirclement of Hardy's cavalry failed.

Finally, amidst the shouts, the three cavalry teams behind Kito and on his left and right sides slowed down. Slowly, Hardy's cavalry finally reined in their horses, watching Kito gradually become smaller and smaller in the distance, eventually turning into a small black dot, blending into the green of the grassland.

Kito looked back and saw that no cavalry was chasing him. He slowly loosened the reins, first letting the horse slow down. He threw away the whip, pulled out the short knife from the horse's rump, threw it away, and then continued to urge the horse forward.

At nightfall the next day, Kito saw the black shadow of Dragonstone Mountain. Parched and dry, his spirits lifted, and he issued a command to urge his horse to continue running. Behind him, there was a faint sound of Hardy's cavalry, which he couldn't hear clearly. Maybe it was a hallucination, or maybe Hardy's men had really followed the trail. The Dothraki have the ability to track enemies on the grassland. They can follow the hoofprints on the grassland to accurately track down the enemy's hiding place. If the enemy gets up and runs away again, they will continue to track relentlessly until the enemy can no longer run.

*

The first to discover Kito's return was the warning scout on top of Dragonstone Mountain.

They discovered a horseman coming towards them in the night on the high hilltop, but they couldn't tell whether the other party was friend or foe.

The scout issued a warning, and the order was passed down layer by layer. The cavalry at the foot of the mountain quickly received the news, and a small team immediately mounted their horses and went to meet the black shadow.

"I am Kito!" Kito shouted, having not eaten for more than a day, but he found that his voice was extremely weak. The horse also began to sway, and the knife stuck in its rump had caused the horse to lose too much blood. It was a miracle that one man and one horse could persevere in continuous strong running for two days and one night.

Horses can eat grass and water when they are hungry, but Kito threw away all the food, and had nothing on him except an arakh. Even the short knife stuck in the horse's rump was pulled out and thrown away.

"Stop!" The cavalry in front issued a warning, and the sound of arakhs being unsheathed rang out.

The sound of bowstrings also rang out, and cavalrymen drew their bows and aimed at the black shadow.

Torches were lit, and the squad leader and two brothers stepped forward, while the other brothers stood guard. They ran closer and saw Kito, whose face was pale, eyes sunken, lips gray, and extremely exhausted.

"Kito!"

"...Captain...report to Her Majesty the Queen...Hardy's army is coming..."

"How many people?" The squad leader's expression changed.

Hardy's cruelty was well-known in the grasslands. He was originally the most ferocious Ko under Drogo.

"More than 20,000."

The soldiers were shaken and let out a soft 'eh' sound. Her Majesty the Queen's three dragons had not returned after leaving. Without the dragons, Her Majesty the Queen could not stop more than 20,000 Dothraki cavalry. Currently, there were less than 300 cavalrymen at the foot of Dragonstone Mountain.

"Where is Jogo?"

Kito's eyes showed pain: "Jogo was beheaded by Hardy!"

"What?" The squad leader said in surprise.

The other brothers were shocked and cursed out loud.

Dothraki people generally do not behead their opponents when killing them. That is the tradition, unless there is a deep hatred.

In the darkness in the distance, black shadows appeared one by one. These shadows began to become dense and quickly extended and moved to both sides, fanning out towards this side. Judging from this situation, their goal was to encircle the entire Dragonstone Mountain.

Kito took the water handed over by his brothers, while the horse under him could not hold on any longer and began to sway. Kito jumped off the horse and staggered. By the time he stood up straight, the horse had already collapsed to the ground with a bang, foaming at the mouth, its legs twitching spasmodically, and its eyes looking at Kito for help. Under the light of the torches, the horse's eyes seemed to be overflowing with tears.

Horses on the grassland are accustomed to long-distance raids and will be fine. Kito's horse could not persevere to the end because of blood loss.

"Get on your horse, we'll go back quickly." The squad leader reached out and grabbed Kito, pulling him up with force, and leaping onto his horse with the help of the force. He turned his head and took one last look at his beloved horse, which seemed to want to say something to him, turned his head, and everyone held up torches and galloped towards the military camp at the foot of the mountain.

*

Hardy came in the night, accompanied by his two most capable Kos: Haywood and Paige.

"Haywood, lead a thousand cavalrymen and go around to the east side of this hill."

"Hardy, I heard that Daenerys has three dragons," Haywood reminded.

"Haywood, I've heard about it too, but we've approached this hill. Have you ever seen the horses show the slightest bit of fear?"

"Cao, we should still be cautious. It doesn't matter if we kill a Jogo, but it's best to send a scout first, pretending to offer gifts to Daenerys, to find out if Daenerys really has dragons," Haywood said.

"Haywood, if Daenerys had three dragons, do you think we would have approached this place without being discovered by the dragons?" Hardy laughed.

Cold sweat broke out on Haywood's back, and he dared not say any more. Hardy's smile was often the prelude to his desire to kill.

Haywood led a thousand cavalrymen quietly to the east side of the hill.

"Paige, lead a thousand cavalrymen to the west side of the hill."

"As you wish, Cao." Paige was a bearded man with many bells hanging from his hair. Each bell was a life he had taken from the enemy, and a medal of honor. Paige rarely spoke. When he opened his mouth, it was when his arakh was unsheathed.

Paige led a thousand cavalrymen around to the west side of the hill.

"Pass down the order, a thousand cavalrymen light their torches and go with me to the foot of this hill to meet our Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen of the Great Grass Sea," Hardy shouted.

Hardy had always coveted Daenerys' beauty, but due to grassland traditions, as a Cao, he could not touch Daenerys. After the death of a Cao, the Cao's wives must all be sent to the holy city to become Dosh Khaleen in the round tower of the Dosh Khaleen, that is, the seers of the Dothraki.

Many dead Caos, their wives formed an organization of old women in the holy city of the Dosh Khaleen. They are permanent residents of the holy city of Vaes Dothrak. In Dothraki, they enjoy supreme glory and status, acting as seers who predict the future and interpret omens for the Dothraki. They are served by eunuchs.

No matter how bold and cruel Hardy was, he did not dare to desecrate a Dosh Khaleen. After Drogo's death, Daenerys did not go to the holy city to become a Dosh Khaleen, but went east and became a famous queen. But as long as she returns to the grassland, the Caos who know of her existence have the obligation to take her to the holy city of Vaes and hand her over to the old women's organization of the Dosh Khaleen, so that she can return and become a Dosh Khaleen, grow old in the holy city, and never step out of the holy city again in her life.

After Hardy's order was passed down, the cavalrymen who had spread out into a line lit their torches one after another. Suddenly, on the grassland, a thousand torches lit up the night sky.

"Advance!" Hardy shouted.

The cavalrymen held up their torches and advanced at a uniform speed. The horses' hooves struck the ground, shattering the silence of the grassland. The vibration of the ground spread into the distance and to Daenerys' military camp.

*

In Daenerys' military camp, Victarion's face was cold: "High Priest Magiro, didn't your flames tell you that we would be attacked tonight?"

This was also the question that Daenerys and Dario wanted to ask.

Jogo's tragic death made Daenerys particularly angry, but she had no way to do anything now. None of the three dragons were here, and the enemy's torches were dense, forming a long line that slowly approached, cutting off all roads to the north.

"I didn't see the attack tonight in the flames," High Priest Magiro said. "Maybe the Red God had already reminded me at some point, but I didn't notice any anomalies in the flames."

"Priest, what should we do now? My children have not returned, and Hardy is cruel and bloodthirsty, with 20,000 cavalry, while we have less than 200 people," Daenerys said.

"Your Majesty, this may be your destined tribulation, but I know that you will eventually be fine. Hardy dares not harm you. According to the traditions of the grassland, he just wants to take you to the holy city and hand you over to the Dosh Khaleen of the holy city according to ancient teachings. In Hardy's heart, you will soon become an official Dosh Khaleen, and the Dosh Khaleen are the seers of the Dothraki, with the highest status and inviolable authority."

"Priest, do you actually know about this attack, and also know that Jogo will die?" Daenerys stared at Magiro with eyes like knives. Before this, Daenerys had been deeply convinced of Magiro's prophetic abilities.

Magiro looked at Daenerys calmly: "Your Majesty, the night is long and full of dangers... In my prophecy, you riding a dragon alone to conquer the Dothraki is very smooth, but your prime minister, intelligence minister, and captain of the Kingsguard all want me to accompany you, and 300 Kas teams must be sent to protect you on the ground. All of this exceeds the warning of the prophecy I saw."

"Priest, you are my national advisor, and you are by my side to help me warn and avoid dangers," Daenerys said in a heavier tone.

High Priest Magiro said: "Your Majesty, you are not in danger."

His answer made Daenerys choke!

She is not in danger?

What about her soldiers and generals? And the blood riders? Magiro doesn't know how cruel Hardy is!

"Priest, I now order you, you must find a way to take us away from here. I will not allow my people to be killed by Hardy again," Daenerys shouted sternly. "If you don't do this, I won't go to the Wall to resist the White Walkers. We need your magical power now."

Magiro's originally calm eyes suddenly became sharp. His mission was to do everything possible to get Daenerys to lead troops to the northern border of Westeros to fight against the White Walkers and save the human race from the doomsday catastrophe.

"I swear to you, High Priest Magiro, I need your help now. You must find a way to take us away safely, otherwise I will definitely not go to the Wall, and I will not go north to fight against the White Walkers."

Dario drew the arakh and scimitar from his waist, clashed the swords, and smiled: "Priest, don't you care about your own life? Do you want Her Majesty the Queen to be taken into the holy city by Hardy without any danger, and then let Hardy kill all of us? Including yourself?"

Magiro lowered his head slightly, as if thinking about something, and finally said: "Your Majesty, Hardy is coming slowly and is not in a hurry to launch an attack. I estimate that he has arranged elite cavalry on the east and west sides. The safest way for us to break out is to go south. We came from the south and know that there are no other legions along the way. It's just that the direction of the sea will take us away from our destination, the holy city."

"Send the order, head south." Daenerys hurried outside. "Tell the soldiers to drop everything, mount up, and break through to the south."

Victarion glared at High Priest Machiro: "Priest, how the hell could you not foresee this attack? Do you want our lives sacrificed to the arakh? Your Red God must be a false god." Victarion spat at Machiro's feet.

Daario had already rushed out of the tent, leaping onto his horse: "Your Majesty, allow me to charge the enemy lines, you go first." In the torchlight, Daario smiled, handsome and dashing, sword and dagger in hand, wrist twisting, the blades flashing.

Victarion also rushed out of the tent, mounted his horse, and shouted: "Daario, your small frame is better suited to protecting Her Majesty, charging is for my axe."

Daenerys shouted: "No one is to charge! Everyone, retreat south."

With a whoosh, over a hundred riders roared out, speeding south.

"Your Majesty." Machiro appeared at the tent entrance, his calm expression containing complex emotions. "I will stay behind to cover the retreat, to repay Your Majesty's kindness. I implore Your Majesty to keep your promise, after crossing the sea, you must go north to fight the Others."

Daenerys, Victarion, and Daario all looked at Machiro.

"You're not retreating with us?"

"Only if I stay can I hold off Haddi's riders. Your Majesty, there is no time, go!"

"Let's go!" Daenerys shouted. She raised her riding crop, cracking it in the air, and the warhorse bolted. Daario immediately followed closely. Victarion, wielding his heavy axe, shouted: "Machiro, come with me."

"If we all go, none of us will escape," Machiro said. "Victarion, if you are lucky enough to survive this, promise me, you must remind Her Majesty to go to the North to fight the Others and save humanity."

"Her Majesty won't listen to me," Victarion shrugged. "Machiro, did you see how I would die in your predictions?"

"I am a priest, a humble servant of the Red God, my prophecies are merely fragments of future information, I cannot string the fragments together to see the entire future. Hurry, protect Her Majesty."

Victarion laughed loudly: "Machiro, you are the strangest fellow I have ever met, I hope you have good luck, and I hope you can hold off Haddi's khalasar for a while." He squeezed his legs, shouted "Giddy up," and his warhorse was the last to charge out.

Victarion had already put life and death aside when he chose to leave the sea.

Victarion is a true tough guy! A true Ironborn! But if he and Daario dared to charge the Dothraki cavalry, they would be shot full of arrows before they could get close!

Dothraki warfare begins with long-range archery, followed by close combat.

Arrows rain down like rain, and even the bravest person cannot get close. Shields and armor can protect the knight, but not the warhorse. Even a horse with heavy armor would have difficulty blocking the dense arrows of the Dothraki.

*

To the north, not far away, the sound of hooves was already exploding, thousands of torches streaking across the sky like shooting stars, chasing after them.

Machiro slowly walked out, standing in the middle of the camp, facing the thousand-strong cavalry rushing towards him. These elite riders wielding arakhs, in his eyes, were all forces and heroes who would one day gallop on the frozen soil of the North to fight the Others… It's just that the cruel Haddi will not let anyone go except Daenerys…

"I swear to you, High Priest Machiro, if you don't lead us to safety, I will definitely not go to the Wall, I will not go north to fight the Others," Daenerys' voice echoed in Machiro's ears, Daenerys' face appeared before Machiro, Her Majesty's expression as cold and sharp as a blade.

Knowing that landing would mean death, Machiro still chose to land. His mission, according to his master, was to persuade Daenerys to go north to fight the Others. Before landing, he had knelt before Daenerys and sworn allegiance. He persuaded Daenerys to land and conquer the Dothraki, but if he himself avoided danger and refused to land, Tyrion, Varys, and Barristan would not have agreed to Daenerys landing; without the following of the three hundred Kas, Her Majesty's courtiers would not have agreed to Her Majesty landing, but Machiro knew that to fight the Others and seize the Iron Throne, the queen he had sworn allegiance to needed the powerful strength of the Dothraki cavalry…

*

Haddi's Ko—Heywood led his troops to ambush on the east side of the hill, he ordered the cavalry to spread out, but not into formation.

Dothraki people don't fight with the various strict formations of Westeros, at the sound of the order, everyone just rushes forward.

After Heywood's cavalry arrived, they only nominally blocked the east, and did not take the initiative to encircle and attack Daenerys. Heywood feared Daenerys' dragon, he had not seen a dragon with his own eyes, but he was already convinced that the rumors about Daenerys were true.

On the west side, another Ko, Pei Ji, immediately ordered the cavalry to attack after arriving. On the grassland west of the hill, thousands of torches suddenly lit up, and in the torchlight, the cavalry launched a charge towards the hill.

Almost at the same time, a streak of fire rushed out from under the hill, heading straight south. This fire team was extremely fast, hundreds of torches streaking across the sky.

"Chase!" Pei Ji issued the order, taking the lead, turning his horse to the right, behind him the torches of the cavalry burned like a river of fire, shouting and chasing Daenerys' team.

Bang!

With a loud bang, in front of Pei Ji, a huge fireball suddenly burst out on the grassland, the fireball rose into the air, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. Pei Ji's warhorse was startled, reared up, and threw Pei Ji to the ground. The warhorses of Pei Ji's guards were also startled, turned their heads and fled, crashing into their own team, causing chaos.

Whoosh!

A line of fire moved like a snake on the grassland, blocking the path of Pei Ji's cavalry. Through the firelight, the cavalry could see Daenerys' small legion rapidly moving away, the trail of fire becoming more and more distant…

*

Haddi, leading his troops to the foot of Dragonstone Mountain, saw a very tall figure standing in the camp. He rode closer, and saw a tall monk wearing a robe, in the firelight, the monk's skin was as black as night, and his face and hands were covered with flame tattoos.

"Hey, monk, is Daenerys in the escaping team?" Haddi smiled.

Haddi was amiable, with nothing frightening about him. But those who knew his character were very afraid of Haddi's smile.

The monk did not answer Haddi's words, but remained silent. This made Haddi's smile even more pleasant, he slowly drew out his arakh, and said to a bloodrider beside him: "Take five hundred people to chase Daenerys, bring her back, kill everyone else."

"As you command, Khal." The bloodrider said.

The bloodrider led five hundred cavalry roaring out, while Haddi rode towards Machiro. The arakh flashed, fiercely slashing at Machiro. With a whoosh, Machiro's head flew up, and the person also fell down, but there was no blood spattering, and when the figure fell, there was no sound of a body hitting the ground.

Haddi immediately felt bad, he slashed out with his knife, hitting the monk's neck, but the blade did not transmit any reaction force, as if he had slashed into the air. In the midst of weakness, a small fireball appeared out of thin air, shooting towards Haddi's face. In Haddi's horrified eyes, the fireball instantly became incomparably huge, engulfing Haddi in an instant.

Haddi screamed, and the warhorse under him was also engulfed in the fireball, the warhorse screamed miserably and rushed around, throwing the team into chaos. Countless warhorses were startled and fled in disorder. The cavalry shouted loudly, unable to control them, and fell to the ground.

Khal Haddi and his warhorse howled miserably in the fire, and did not die quickly. The cavalry were all horrified, dumbfounded, and helpless.

The bloodrider who had gone to chase Daenerys upon orders heard the screams and looked back, saw this scene of Haddi, was shocked, immediately reined in his warhorse, the cavalry stopped one after another, looked back at the fire man and fire horse rushing around in the team, the soldiers were dumbfounded, at a loss.

"Dark magic, catch that monk." Another of the Khal's bloodriders shouted loudly. When the fireball appeared out of thin air, he rushed over and discovered that the place where the monk had fallen was just an empty robe, the monk was gone.

Another bloodrider waved his arakh and shouted: "Catch that monk, brothers, spread out, catch that monk."

The startled cavalry gradually stabilized the startled warhorses, and under the command of the two bloodriders, they spread out, surrounded the army camp tents, and then narrowed the encirclement, searching each tent and grass for the mysterious and terrifying monk who could release flames.

Machiro did not go far, the Red God he believed in was the god of fire and shadows, he could escape by using the darkness of the night, but these people would definitely go after Daenerys, at most before dawn, they would catch up with Daenerys and his party. The bloodriders who had lost their Khal must commit suicide to follow their master, this was the rule of the bloodriders. If any Khal died, his three bloodriders had to commit suicide to follow their master after avenging the Khal, or sending the Khal's wife to the holy city of Vaes Dothrak.

If the Khal dies, and there is no necessary matter that needs the bloodriders to complete on his behalf, the bloodriders must commit suicide immediately.

The bloodriders who are bound to die, if they lose the primary goal of avenging the monk, then the first thing they have to do is to catch Daenerys and avenge Khal Haddi. They are not Khals, and do not have to abide by many ancient precepts, such as humiliating Daenerys Targaryen. They are people who are bound to die, their minds are already different, under anger and loss of control, it is possible to kill even Daenerys. Haddi Khal's bloodriders have no obligation to take Drogo Khal's widow to the holy city.

Machiro could not let the bloodriders chase Daenerys for revenge!

He decided to stay and attract all the hatred!

In the Dothraki Sea, if Daenerys lost her guards while being chased, and had no dragons by her side, she would fall into the hands of perhaps nomads, perhaps cavalry, perhaps bandits, mercenaries, or merchants, and would most likely not get good results. Her unparalleled beauty was her original sin.

*

Machiro was discovered by a cavalryman in a tent, he immediately hid in the darkness, but the cavalryman's shout attracted more cavalrymen, a bloodrider heard the shout and led a team to arrive, Haddi Khal's example made this bloodrider more cautious and fearful: "Prepare, fire arrows!"

So, hundreds of arrows shot into the darkness, several of which struck Machiro's body. He could no longer hide his body with magical power, he appeared, and more arrows shot over, turning Machiro into a hedgehog.

The other two bloodriders rode over, Machiro did not fall, but stood firm with glaring eyes.

Torches were thrown over, illuminating Machiro in the darkness, making him unable to escape.

The three bloodriders and the cavalrymen all saw Machiro, his shoulders, head, chest, and legs were all covered with arrows, his chest heaving, blood staining his clothes red, but he was still alive.

A bloodrider rode over, raised his curved knife, and was about to cut off Machiro's head. Suddenly, with a bang, a small fireball hit the bloodrider's face, and he fell off his horse. Then with two bangs, two more small fireballs hit the faces of the other two bloodriders, and the two fell down in response.

With a bang, the three bloodriders were instantly wrapped in bright and brilliant flames, burning fiercely, three human-shaped candles gesticulating wildly in screams, but they did not run far, and fell to the ground one by one, the fire raging on their bodies, the flames like dancing elves, conjuring colorful colors, making people fearful.

High Priest Machiro also fell down.

He killed three bloodriders, eliminating the worries of chasing Daenerys.

Machiro kept his promise!

Daenerys wanted him to lead Her Majesty's people to safety, otherwise she would not go to the Wall, would not go north to fight the Others, and he did his best to cover the retreat. He sacrificed himself to cover Daenerys and his party to leave first.

When the three bloodriders were quickly burned into a pile of small fires, two Kos led their troops to arrive.

Heywood was silent, his expression stern.

Pei Ji was more pragmatic than Heywood, glanced at the small fires of the three bloodriders, and immediately led his troops away, going in the opposite direction from Daenerys' departure. Haddi Khal left behind 20,000 cavalry after his death, and Pei Ji and Heywood were the two most powerful Kos among them. With Haddi Khal dead, Pei Ji decided to become Khal himself, and by returning quickly, he could win the support of more cavalry.

And Heywood had no intention of becoming Khal. Heywood believed that Daenerys would return with her dragon, and Her Majesty would threaten all the Khals on the grassland. He just didn't know why the three inseparable dragons rumored to be with Her Majesty were not seen here.

What had Daenerys encountered?

Were those who swore to him that they had seen Daenerys' dragon deceiving Heywood?

Heywood looked up in the direction Daenerys had left, and he ordered: "Go back, we're going to Vaes Dothrak."