The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Daenerys was led by the Khals to the plaza outside the sanctuary. Behind the Khals were the Dosh Khaleen, their expressions indifferent.

In the plaza, Motho's bloodriders, with a hundred men, were building a pyre.

Daenerys Targaryen, widow of Drogo, had been sentenced by the Dosh Khaleen to a blood ritual and fire purification.

The news spread, and warriors, merchants, travelers, bards, mercenaries from all over the world, women from the sisterhood, and people from the grasslands flocked to the plaza.

Daenerys' sentence of a blood ritual and fire purification was, according to Dothraki tradition, the most severe punishment for a 'Dosh Khaleen' possessed by evil spirits.

Strictly speaking, Daenerys was not yet a true Dosh Khaleen.

She had not yet been acknowledged or accepted by the Dosh Khaleen of the sanctuary.

Only after completing the blood ritual and fire purification would she be accepted as one of them. Only then would her name be engraved by craftsmen on the walls of the Dosh Khaleen sanctuary, to enjoy glory and honor.

However, the bodies of all Dosh Khaleen sentenced to fire purification eventually turned to ashes, and only God knew whether their souls were truly purified.

Fire purification was a term of faith for the Dosh Khaleen; in common terms, it was a death sentence.

Daenerys' subordinate, the general Daario, followed the crowd to the plaza, choosing an inconspicuous spot. He carried a short knife, a grave offense to the Dothraki as a whole.

Daario was not Dothraki; he was a daring, reckless, veteran mercenary, a true desperado. He was utterly loyal to Daenerys, a true queen's man.

He listened to the surrounding discussions in the bustling crowd, understanding what was meant by a blood ritual and fire purification.

This relieved much of his anxiety.

Daenerys was immune to fire. When she emerged from the flames, these foolish Dosh Khaleen would be utterly shocked, and the Dothraki would be equally astonished.

Had they not heard the tales of the Mother of Dragons and the Unburnt?

Of course, they had heard, but without witnessing it firsthand, no one believed a mortal could be unharmed by fire. The Dosh Khaleen of the sanctuary had declared Daenerys' immunity to fire a deceitful rumor spread by evil spirits.

As for the blood ritual, as long as it did not cause substantial harm to Daenerys, Daario could remain patient.

The sound of hooves grew louder. Pyg's bloodriders had slaughtered a horse outside the sacred city, swiftly bringing the still-steaming blood, along with clear water from the Womb of the World lake.

With the pyre complete, the blood ritual began.

"Daenerys, kneel and let the water from the Womb of the World lake cleanse your body," the high priestess announced loudly.

Daenerys sneered, "I revere the Horse God and accept the cleansing of the Womb of the World lake, but I will not kneel before you. You are not the Dosh Khaleen I respect. The Dothraki sincerely accept the ritual, but do not kneel."

The old crone shouted, "Borro, in the name of the Horse God, I command you to whip Daenerys until she obediently kneels."

"As you command, High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen."

Borro was extremely brutal, his long beard adorned with many delicate little bells. He grinned as he uncoiled the horsewhip from his waist, lashing it fiercely across Daenerys' back.

Daenerys shuddered. She turned and glared at the Khal, rebuking him sharply, "Borro, do not harm me, or you will regret it. I swear in the name of the Horse God, the Fire God, the Dragon God, the sky, the earth, and the gods of the grasslands."

Crack!

Borro's second lash struck Daenerys' calf, nearly causing her to fall, but she steadied herself, glaring at Borro, "Borro, I accept the ritual. As a Khaleesi, I do not need to kneel. Do you dare offend me? I will ensure you die without a burial place."

Borro chuckled, flicking his wrist as the horsewhip lashed violently against Daenerys' body. Unable to resist, Daenerys knelt on one knee, blood trickling from her forehead.

Daario, watching from the crowd, felt his blood boil. He nimbly weaved through the throng, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife. Like a panther or a cunning cat, he swiftly approached the pyre, intending to launch a sudden attack and kill Borro.

Suddenly, a strong hand reached out from the side, firmly gripping his arm. "Daario, do not be impulsive," a deep voice said.

The voice was familiar. Daario turned to see the Great Bear, Jorah Mormont, his face covered in a tangled beard.

"Great Bear?!" Daario was astonished, surprised.

Daario knew the Great Bear was utterly loyal to the queen, willing to die for her without regret. Daario could not prevent the queen from banishing the Great Bear, but he felt sorry for him.

"I have already seen the queen at Dragonstone."

"Oh, the queen did not mention seeing you."

"The queen has allowed me to return," Jorah Mormont said, "Come with me, Daario."

"No, I must go and kill Borro."

Jorah Mormont firmly pressed down on Daario's hand gripping the knife hilt, shaking his head resolutely.

If Daario revealed his knife and killed Borro, it would bring the complete antipathy and hostility of the Dothraki upon Daenerys. Using weapons here was an offense to all Dothraki.

"The queen wants to unite the grasslands and will not allow you to use a knife here," Jorah said fiercely, close to Daario's ear. "You will be exiled or executed. Choose for yourself."

Crack!

On the pyre, Borro cracked the horsewhip in the air, grinning triumphantly. "Daenerys, the high priestess wants you to kneel to accept the blood ritual. If you do not kneel, do not blame me."

Crack, crack!

Borro flicked his wrist, lashing Daenerys twice more. Her body staggered, her clothes torn by the whip, her expression pained. She knelt again on one knee, her face contorted in pain, seemingly unable to stand. A voice shouted from the crowd, "Do not whip her, you damned bastard!"

A sharp stone flew from the crowd, hitting Borro squarely on the head, causing blood to gush out immediately.

Borro was enraged, turning his fierce gaze to the surging crowd in the plaza. His three bloodriders instantly jumped off the pyre, pushing through the thronging people, rushing towards the one who had shouted. The scene erupted into chaos.

"That is Aggo," Daario saw Aggo. It was Aggo who had thrown the stone, breaking Borro's head.

The plaza was in chaos.

"The dragons have returned, and the Dragon Horn is here with me," Jorah Mormont held Daario tightly. "We must let the queen accept the fire purification, to make the Dothraki understand that the queen is Unburnt, the Mother of Dragons, the only and most powerful Khaleesi on the grasslands. Daario, think of the big picture."

Before he could finish, Daario slipped the short knife into Jorah's hand, darted out, and swiftly ascended the pyre. Agile as an ape, he suddenly stood before Borro. "Scum!" he growled, landing a powerful punch on Borro's jaw.

It was a terrifyingly heavy punch! Filled with all of Daario's strength and fury!

Crack!

The crisp sound of a jawbone cracking echoed. Borro fell straight down like a log, the leather whip dropping to the side. Daario then fiercely kicked Borro's head, sending his body tumbling off the pyre, completely unconscious.

In the crowd, Aggo, Rakharo, and over forty brothers joined forces, pinning Borro's three bloodriders to the ground, beating them black and blue, their faces a bloody mess. The three bloodriders lay on the ground, only able to gasp for air, a bloody, unrecognizable mess, groaning.

In the melee, no one used swords or iron weapons.

Fistfights did not violate the untouchable traditions and ancient teachings of the Dothraki. Using weapons to take lives was a great taboo here, inciting public outrage.

Several of Borro's kos appeared, but they were stopped by Pyg and Motho.

Pyg had been defeated by Daario and respected him; Motho was weak and in danger of being annexed by other Khals, and was willing to submit to the Mother of Dragons, but had not yet seen Daenerys' dragons.

This was the sacred sanctuary plaza, and large-scale brawling was disrespectful to the Horse God.

Daenerys, refusing Daario's help, stood again, her clothes torn in many places by the whip, blood streaming from the whip wounds. Like a blade, she stared at the high priestess of the Dosh Khaleen, but her words were directed to everyone in the plaza below. Her voice was high and majestic, resonating throughout the entire area: "Dothraki warriors, I accept the decision of the Dosh Khaleen. I accept the blood ritual and fire purification, but I do not accept kneeling. I am a Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. In the teachings of the Horse God, I sincerely accept the fire purification and have the right not to kneel."

The noisy plaza suddenly fell silent.

Daenerys' voice was extremely penetrating, like the roar of a dragon, unique and memorable. Her regal bearing captivated the Dothraki warriors, and many women gazed at Daenerys, fascinated by her unparalleled beauty and sonorous majesty.

"The Horse God granted me this right, but the high priestess wants to take it away. Is the high priestess possessed by evil spirits?" Daenerys stared at the high priestess, speaking with force.

The high priestess's already pale face turned a ghastly green. She directly ignored Daenerys' verbal provocations. On the issue of kneeling, Daenerys indeed did not have to kneel. She had only wanted to force Daenerys to lower her head, but Daenerys instead held her head even higher. Continuing to dwell on this trivial issue, she realized she was no match for Daenerys.

In the plaza, the Dothraki shouted, most supporting Daenerys' refusal to kneel. The wife of a Khal accepting the ritual and purification indeed had the right to stand and accept it, without having to kneel like a slave.

If she were a slave, she would have to kneel.

But Daenerys was not a slave; she was the widow of Drogo, her status was Khaleesi.

"Pyg, pour the water from the Womb of the World lake on Daenerys' head," the high priestess announced in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, High Priestess."

Daenerys stood as Pyg poured the water from the Womb of the World lake over her head. With a loud splash, the cool, snow-like water drenched Daenerys' body. Blood immediately welled up from the whip wounds.

"The blood ritual," the high priestess declared. Dozens of Dosh Khaleen began to sing a monotonous song together.

Horse blood was poured over Daenerys' head, staining her a bloody mess.

"The fire purification," the high priestess screamed.

The crowd descended from the pyre. Finally, only Daenerys and Motho's three bloodriders remained on the pyre. The bloodriders stood in three directions, holding burning torches.

Motho waved his hand, and the three bloodriders lit the tall pyre. They immediately jumped off the pyre as the fire began to burn, leaving Daenerys alone in the middle of the pyre.

The Dosh Khaleen began to circle the pyre, singing. The fire burned higher and higher. The entire scene was silent except for the Dosh Khaleen's singing and the crackling sound of the flames.

As the fire soared into the sky, engulfing Daenerys' body, Daenerys' high and clear voice emerged from the raging flames, resonating throughout the plaza once more, easily suppressing the Dosh Khaleen's singing: "Warriors of the Dothraki Grass Sea, I am the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Princess of Dragonstone Born of the Storm, the Breaker of Chains, the Unburnt, the Mother of Dragons, I am the supreme queen of Slaver's Bay, the chosen one of the Horse God, the purest child of the Horse God. Fire cannot purify my pure soul and body. I will emerge safely from the pyre, and throw the truly evil spirit-possessed Dosh Khaleen and Khals into the flames. They are the ones who need true purification."

The high priestess's ghastly green face began to contort. Daenerys could still speak in the fire, her voice clear and composed, something she had never seen before. The Khals looked at each other in dismay, horror overflowing from the depths of their eyes. In the plaza, all the soldiers and people were stunned and breathless.

Daenerys was speaking eloquently in the raging fire!

The Dosh Khaleen were all discolored, many stopping their singing. They did not hear screams from the fire. If someone was possessed by evil spirits, the reaction to the evil being burned away and purified would be a miserable wail.

However, there were no screams!

"Jorah Mormont, my Great Bear, where are you?" Daenerys' voice continued to ring out from the wall of raging flames.

"Your subject is here," the Great Bear, Jorah Mormont, walked out of the crowd, kneeling on one knee before the raging fire.

"You swore to bring me back the dragons. Have the dragons returned?"

"Yes, my queen."

"Throw the Dragon Horn into the fire."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

In full view of everyone, Jorah Mormont threw the Dragon Horn into the fire.

The Dosh Khaleen, Khals, soldiers, and people were all surprised and doubtful, not knowing what Daenerys was doing. Only Motho showed an expression of excitement. He and Rakharo had an agreement: as long as the dragons returned to the Dragon Mother, he would submit.

The Dothraki would follow whoever was the strongest!

Ooooooooooo!

The sound of a horn, carrying the tones of gold and jade, emerged from the red-hot wall of fire.

Kyu!

A dragon's roar came from the highest point of the sacred mountain.

Then came a second and a third dragon's roar. The three dragon roars resounded throughout the sacred city's sky.

Within the sacred city, warhorses whinnied in terror, reared, leaped, and bolted… Horses in the stables strained against their reins, desperate to escape.

Three dark figures descended from the sky, the foremost being a black dragon, its scales gleaming darkly. With a whoosh, it flew over the altar, a grotesque dragon head, a long, serpentine tail, and razor-sharp claws.

It landed, and Daenerys emerged from the flames: "Kneel, Drogon."

The black dragon obediently lowered itself, and Daenerys, grasping its horns, mounted its back, pointing a finger at the dumbfounded Dosh Khaleen: "Dragonfire!" Her eyes were cold and merciless, her expression frigid as ice, her voice the very tone of death…

Whoosh!

The black dragon unleashed dragonfire, engulfing the high priestess of the Dosh Khaleen. The dragonfire swept across, engulfing all the remaining Dosh Khaleen. Instantly, screams of agony shook the heavens, but they were fleeting!

With two sharp cries, two more dragons arrived in the sky, one red, one green.

"Fly," Daenerys commanded in the dragon tongue.

The black dragon soared into the air with a whoosh.

"Attack, Balonkao!" Daenerys pointed towards Balonkao, who was already stirring from his stupor.

*

The black dragon shrieked as it swooped low, the wind whistling past. The crowd screamed and scattered, and with a stretch of its claws, it seized Balonkao's body. Amidst the swirling wind, the black dragon, clutching Balonkao, ascended into the sky.

From the sky, the Queen's voice resonated with supreme authority and regal power: "Warriors of the Dothraki Sea, submit to me, heed my command! I am Daenerys Stormborn of Dragonstone, Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the most powerful Khaleesi on the Great Grass Sea… Any Kao who refuses to submit will be put to death…"

Peggikao and Motterlikhao were the first to kneel, bow their heads, and prostrate themselves…

As if in an instant, everyone in the plaza knelt, bowed their heads, and prostrated themselves on the ground…

Thank you to 【沧澜御宇】for the reward, thank you, handshake!