Chapter 345 Bones
Daenerys dragged her floor-length robes down the wide marble steps.
She must be careful in every step, lest she lose her balance.
The Unsullied stood with a shield and spear in his back against a stone pillar, and the spikes on his helmet shone with a terrifying cold light.
In the audience hall, stood a slender man with smooth amber skin.
Daenerys knew that he was the noble Hizdahr zo Loraq, whom the Green Maiden recommended to her husband.
Yes, she did meet him after all.
After she left, Yunkai was restored by the slave owners, and now she is gathering a large army to attack Meereen. At such a critical moment, Daenerys needs the support of the nobles of Meereen.
No matter how disgusted she is in her heart, she must learn to be humble with these people.
Ser Jorah Mormont once advised her to kill the nobles of Meereen, just like she did in Yunkai.
But Daenerys did not agree.
What happened in Yunkai has proved that killing these slave owners is not the solution to the problem, because when the old ones die, new slave owners will appear immediately.
And a killing spree would seriously damage her reputation.
Now there are rumors that the Dragon Queen bathes in human blood, and some people say that she inherited the madness of her father, the mad king Aerys, and can only solve problems by killing.
Daenerys certainly didn't want to be thought of as the Mad King II, so in Meereen, she changed to a softer way of ruling.
"You know why you were summoned." Daenerys squeezed out a smile, "The Green Maiden seems to think that if I choose you as my husband, all problems will be solved."
"I will not promise so recklessly." Hizdahr said politely, "but I believe that I can help you. I have money, power and connections, and I have the noble blood of Gujis flowing through my body. I have never married I am married, but have two illegitimate children, which proves that I can bring you an heir. An heir of the noble blood of Gujis, so that the city will be more subject to your rule, and the murder under the night will end. "
No, you can't bring me an heir. Daenerys thought sadly. Unless the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Unless the sea is dry and the mountains are blown away like dead leaves.
"Can you stop the murder in the night?" Daenerys stared into his eyes, "Will the Son of the Harpy lay down the butcher knife for you? Or are you one of them?"
"No." Hizdahr immediately denied.
"Even if it is, will you admit it?"
"No." He smiled confidently.
Daenerys said coldly: "Maybe my knight can let you tell the truth."
"That's right. Your knight can do it. Let him interrogate me. On the first day, I'll be the Son of the Harpy. On the second day, I'll be the Harpy. On the third day, you'll learn It was I who murdered your father in the Land of Sunset. I shall be crucified on the stake. But after I die, the murders will continue, and the Meereenans will reject you even more."
Daenerys's chest boiled with anger.
Hizdahr did not want to anger the Dragon Queen, so he eased his tone:
"If you marry me, all this will be over. Meereen will accept your rule, and fight for you, and defend you against the enemies of Yunkai."
Daenerys took a deep breath and said:
"Words are like the wind. I would rather believe in actions. In the Seven Kingdoms, knights will travel and adventure, to prove their hearts to the maidens they love, they will seek magic swords, golden treasures, reveal crowns from dragons' lairs, and offer For the one you love."
Hizdahr raised his eyebrows:
"You have the dragon yourself. I have never seen the magic sword. As for the gold, if you want it, I will be happy to give it to you."
"I want peace." Daenerys said, "Let the Son of the Harpy stop the murder under the night, this gift, can you give me?"
"If I do it, will you marry me?"
"Maybe." Daenerys smiled slightly, "I am a fickle girl, maybe one day, I suddenly want a magic sword."
Hizdahr shook his head in disappointment: "Your Majesty, at least give me some hope? Or, do you agree to reopen the arena?"
"No." Daenerys shook her head firmly, "I will not allow such a barbaric and **** scene to reappear in this city."
"But the arena is part of Meereen. And this is not a simple killing, but a display of courage, skill and strength, enough to please the gods. Just like Westeros also has a tournament, you should respect the people of Meereen custom."
“The knights in the tournament wear armor and use wooden spears.”
"But people will still die."
Daenerys couldn't refute this.
Hizdahr persuaded again: "This is not my personal request, but the common wish of all Meereenese. Even if you are the queen, you should not deprive them of the right to watch the competition."
"Do those fighters also want to reopen the arena?"
"They are the ones who want to open the arena the most." Hizdahr said, "Because only there can they win applause, honor, and wealth. I can assure you that future fighters will only participate in the arena voluntarily. No coercion."
Daenerys feels convinced.
Yunkai's army is marching towards Meereen, and she needs the support of these nobles.
"Okay. I agree." Daenerys said, "However, the atrocities of the Sons of the Harpy must stop."
Hizdahr showed a satisfied smile on his face: "You will get your wish."
Daenerys gritted her teeth secretly, becoming more and more convinced that the Sons of the Harpy were created by these Meereen nobles.
After Hizdahr left, the other audience members were brought up one by one.
After taking Meereen, Daenerys asked the nobles to release all the slaves, but although the nobles agreed under the threat of the Unsullied and the dragon, they still tried their best to ask for compensation.
Regarding this, the Dragon Queen of course rejected all of them.
But some demands made Daenerys feel tricky too.
For example, a teenage boy told her in tears that on the night the city broke down, two slaves at home killed his father and brother, and a strong woman **** his mother.
"Where are the two slaves now?" Daenerys asked.
"They joined your army," the boy said.
Daenerys is silent.
If she wanted to punish these two slaves, it would be very difficult for many slaves who rebelled on the day the city was destroyed to be innocent. If the punishment is expanded, it will definitely shake the strength that supports her...
Daenerys has no choice: "Sorry, but I pardoned all slaves who rebelled..."
The boy roared and was about to charge, but was knocked down by Ser Jorah's punch.
"Enough, let him go." Daenerys said.
But seeing the boy look back when he left, she knew that the Harpy had another son.
The audience continued.
Daenerys never imagined that there would be so many problems under her rule.
No matter how she decides, someone always seems to be dissatisfied.
The chair beneath me has grown incredibly hard over time.
She thought of the iron chair that her brother had said should belong to the Targaryen family. It might be even more uncomfortable to sit on.
"How many people are left?" Daenerys twisted her body.
"Your Majesty, there are twenty-one other people who have come to claim compensation. Your dragon has recently had a big appetite."
Daenerys sighed, ever since she learned from Caesar and released the dragon to hunt freely, there have always been herdsmen bringing charred sheep bones and cattle bones to claim compensation.
"Some people here are probably blackmailers." Jorah reminded.
"But we can't tell the difference." Daenerys said, "Let's pay them the market price of cattle and sheep."
"Yes, Your Majesty, you are too kind."
All those who received compensation left one after another.
Daenerys thought that this torture could finally come to an end, but found that there was still a man standing in the hall lingering.
"Do you have anything else to say? Come forward."
The man raised his head and shuffled forward, holding a cloth bag in his hand.
Ser Jorah stood in front of the Queen vigilantly: "What are you holding?"
"Bones..."
"Charred bones?" Jorah said impatiently, "Your Majesty has agreed to compensate your livestock."
"No, no..." The man shook his head and poured out the contents of the bag, "The black dragon... burnt to death... my child..."
Daenerys' face paled instantly, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Because what the man poured out was neither sheep bones nor ox bones, but human bones!
The skeleton of a child!
The hall was instantly quiet, only the man's suppressed sobbing echoed.
He cried carefully.
But it sounded like thunder in Daenerys' ears.
In a trance, she seemed to hear the roaring accusations of countless Meereenese, surrounding her and devouring her.
(end of this chapter)