After centuries of Targaryen rule, the reign of Mad King Aerys saw the continent of Westeros
fracture into rebellion and civil war.
Lord Robert Baratheon of the Stormlands along with his allies in House Stark, Arryn and
Tully led a campaign against the throne, eventually joined by the Greyjoys and Lannisters to defeat
the Targaryens and take the capital of King’s landing.
Although the king and most of the royal family was killed, a pregnant Queen Rhaella escaped
to the nearby island of dragonstone along with her son Viserys.
Unfortunately the Queen died shortly after giving birth to a baby girl during a terrible
storm.
Young Viserys and Daenerys Stormborn, as she came to be known, were now alone in the world,
and so the garrison at Dragonstone made plans to save themselves by giving the children
to the new king of westeros Robert Baratheon.
However Ser Willem Darry, an elderly Targaryen loyalist was able to smuggle them off the
island, taking them to live as exiles in Braavos.
Although Daenerys had fond memories of her time in Braavos, remembering a house with
a red door and a lemon tree, their kindly old guardian soon died and once again the
children were alone.
Soon enough their servants abandoned them, stealing anything of value they could, and
the Targaryen exiles were forced out of their home.
The two travelled throughout the Free cities of essos, at first treated like foreign dignitaries
by local nobility, but eventually seen as unwanted guests, even nicknaming Viserys the
Beggar king.
To survive they sold every last momento and trearsure they had, including their mother’s
golden crown.
After losing the last symbol of their royal past, Viserys grew increasing hostile and
violent towards his sister, the years of hardship stripping away the last of his joy.
Finally some relief came for the Targaryen children when Illyrio Mopatis, a wealthy merchant
of pentos opened his home to them, even arranging a marriage for 13 year old Daenerys to the
Khal Drogo, leader of a Dothraki khalasar of 40 000.
Viserys agreed to the arrangement, believing that they would take up his cause and conquer
Westeros.
During the wedding ceremony Daenerys received a number of gifts including 3 petrified dragon
eggs from Illyrio Mopatis, while Viserys met an exiled Westerosi knight named Ser Jorah
Mormont, who pledged himself to the Targaryen cause.
Later, the bride was taken away to consummate the marriage and although she was terrified
of the strange and violent Dothraki culture, her new husband did not attempt to force himself
on her, waiting for her consent before laying together.
As wife to a Khal, Daenerys was given the title of Khaleesi, and granted her own retinue
of warriors, slaves and servants, though as a woman she had no actual authority over the
larger khalasar.
After the ceremony they travelled east, to Vaes Dothrak, the only Dothraki city located
by the Mother of Mountains and Womb of the World.
At first, Daenery struggled adapting to Dothraki ways, but soon began to dream about dragons,
and awoke with renewed confidence and determination.
Over time she learned the dothraki language, and embraced their rugged culture even developing
genuine feelings of love for her husband.
She also began to stand up for herself, against Viserys, who grew increasingly hostile and
belligerent, as the Khalasar moved further away from Westeros.
Ser Jorah attempted to explain that Dothraki culture did not trade favors, instead receiving
gifts, and later giving gifts back.
But the process could not be rushed and Viserys would have to be patient.
At the age of fourteen Daenerys revealed she was pregnant and so once arrived at Vaes Dothraki,
aceremony was performed, where she ate the raw heart of a horse in front of the Dosh
Khaleen, the widows of former khals who act as advisors to Khalasars.
Upon successfully consuming the heart, the Dosh Khaleen predict that her unborn child
was the Stallion who will mount the world, a long awaited hero of prophecy who would
unite the Khalasars.
After the ceremony a feast was held, where Viserys Targaryen arrived drunk and armed
with a sword, a violation of the laws of the city, which forbade weapons.
The exiled prince then pointed the sword at his sister’s pregnant belly, threatening
to kill them both unless Drogo fulfilled his promise to give him a crown.
Drogo agreed, melting golden medallions and pouring the molten liquid over viserys head,
giving him his golden crown.
Daenerys did not turn away from the death of her brother, accepting it and embracing
her role as the last living heir to the Targaryen throne.
Drogo however showed no interest in taking his army across the sea to conquer westeros,
until Ser Jorah Mormont saved Daenerys from an assassination attempt, convincing the Khal
that his wife’s enemies in westeros must be destroyed.
The Khalasar then travelled south, raiding local villages and defeating a rival khalasar
to collect slaves for sale to Slaver’s bay.
In this way they might purchase ships for their journey to Westeros.
However Daenerys did not approve of the rape and pillaging she witnessed, doing her best
to save a number of women from the aggressive dothraki.
Drogo received a minor wound while killing the rival khal, and while it did not seem
serious, Daenerys assigned one of the woman she rescued, the godswife Mirri Maz Duur to
treat the injury.
Mirri Maz Duur was called a maegi by the Dothraki, a group seen with distain for their use of
blood magic.
However Daenerys did not share their concern and so allowed her to treat Drogo’s wounds
with her medicines.
The Khal at first allowed it, but came to find the treatment uncomfortable, tearing
off her work and replacing it with mud plaster.
The wound then grew infected, causing Drogo to weaken and fall of his horse, a sign that
a Khal could no longer fulfill his duties as a leader.
Daenerys then ordered Mirri to use bloodmagic in order to save his life, and she agreed
but warned that only death may pay for life.
The godswife then ordered that no one enter the tent during the ritual, but as they awaited
outside, the Khalasar erupted into fighting, with many believing Drogo was dead and others
objecting to the use of magic.
Daenerys became surrounded by violence as her personal soldiers and Jorah Mormont fought
to defend their position.
Daenerys then went into labor, passing out in Jorah’s arms, as he carried her inside
the tent to be treated by the Mirri who was still performing the ritual upon Drogo.
When Daenerys awoke, her child was dead, her husband alive though in a catatonic state
and the khalasar was gone, abandoning their fallen leader and choosing new khals to rule
them.
Left with only a few slaves and sworn warriors, Daenerys euthanized her husband to end his
suffering, then placing Drogo and her three dragon eggs in a funeral pyre along with Mirri
Maz Duur, who appeared to have purposely killed her son and husband, claiming that with them
gone they could no longer hurt innocent people.
And so Daenerys sentenced her to burn.
As a red comet appeared in the sky the fire was lit, and when the pyre alight Daenerys
fearlessly walked into the inferno.
In the morning when the fire burned out her servants searched among the ashes and found
Daenerys unharmed alongside three freshly hatched dragons, naming them Drogon, Rhaegal
and Viserion.
Travelling south Daenerys led her people to the city of Qarth, where she was invited to
stay in the palace of Xaro Xhoan Daxos who offered a marriage alliance only to be turned
down.
The Mother of Dragons was then rejected when attempting to convince the Pureborn rulers
of the city to join her cause.
She then met with a mysterious woman in a red mask named Quiathe who urged her to visit
the far eastern city of Asshai.
With few options left in Qarth, Daenerys turned to the warlock of the House of the undying,
visiting their tower alongside her dragon drogon.
There she saw a number of visions, and was told she will light three fires (one for life,
one for death, and one to love), ride three mounts (one to bed, one to dread, and one
to love), and face three In the end the warlocks attacked her, but
she was defended by Drogon who breathed fire upon them, allowing for Daenerys to escape.
No longer welcome in Qarth, an assassination attempt was made on her life, but she was
saved by a white haired man calling himself Arstan, who was sent by her former benefactor
Illyrio Mopatis along with 3 ships to take her home to pentos.
They hastily left the city but stopped in Astapor along slaver’s bay, before returning
to the Free Cities, still needing an army for her conquest of westeros.
During the voyage, Ser Jorah Mormont professed his love for Daenerys, but she did not return
his feelings.
She was however lonely since the death of her husband and so took her handmaiden Irri
as a lover.
Once arrived in Astapor she purchased every unsullied warrior available, slave soldiers
castrated at a young age and trained their whole lives for battle.
To pay for the army she gave them her dragon drogon, only to betray the slavers after the
deal went through, ordering her army new kill their former rulers and take the city.
The Good Masters of Astapor were quickly defeated and Daenerys freed every slave on of their
slaves, including her own soldiers, asking them to follow her as free men.
Leaving a council to rule the city, Daenerys Stormborn led with her new army to the nearby
city of Yunkai continuing her campaign to end slavery in the region.
The Wise Masters who rule Yunkai, having heard of the fall of Astapor, hired the Stormcrows
and Second Sons mercenary companies to strengthen their defenses.
However this city also fell to her forces, aided by the betrayal of Daario Naharis, who
killed the other 2 leaders of the Stormcrows, and joined Daenerys.
Once again she freed all slaves and earned yet another nickname, called Mhysa, meaning
mother by the local population.
She then took her army north to Meereen, the final city along slaver’s bay, where she
found that the Great Masters had nailed 163 slave children to mileposts.
Once arrived yet another assassination attempt was made on her life, but she was once again
saved by Arstan, who revealed himself to be Ser Barristan Selmy, former kingsguard of
westeros seeking to serve House Targaryen once more.
Ser Barristan also revealed that Ser Jorah Mormont was originally a spy sent by the court
of King Robert Baratheon.
Shocked that her 2 closest advisors were not who they seemed, she ordered that they go
on a mission to infiltrate Meereen through the sewers while the army attacked above,
in order to free the slaves in the city so they might revolt against their masters.
Although this was an extremely dangerous assignment that could easily have resulted in their deaths,
they successfully completed the mission, leading to the fall of the city.
Afterwards Daenerys forgave Ser Baristan for the deception but could not forgive Jorah,
and exiled him from meereen.
The Queen then nailed 163 Great Masters to posts in front of the great pyramid, as retribution
for the children they killed, and went about putting the city in order.
With Meereen conquered, Daenerys soon learned that the council of Astapor fell to a former
Butcher named Cleon who declared himself king and enslaved the former aristocracy.
In Yunkai, the Wise Masters had returned to their old ways, and were gathering allies
to fight against her forces.
Fearing that Meereen would suffer the same fate as the other cities, she decided to hold
off on travelling to westeros, instead staying on as queen of Meereen, so she might learn
to rule and protect the former slaves.
Meanwhile rumors about Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons spread across the known world.
Maester Aemon of the night’s watch even confided in his steward Sam Tarley, claiming
that Daenerys was the prophesized hero that would come to save the realms of men.
Unfortunately he was too old to seek her out, and so the task fell to Archmaester Marwyn,
who took on the task after Aemon’s death, and travelled east to find Daenerys and offer
his service and council.
In Meereen the Queen struggled to maintain order as a rebel insurgency known as the Sons
of the Harpy attacked her followers in the streets, fighting a shadow war on behalf of
the Great Masters who once ruled the city.
To combat this aggression, Daenerys placed a blood tax on the Meereenese nobility in
order to fund a city watch known as the Brazen Beasts.
She also took 2 hostages from each of their families, threatening to harm them if the
attacks continued.
And while the attacks did continue, she ultimately chose not to harm the hostages.
Yet not all were against the new ruler of the city, with the former slaves and lower
classes rising to prominence under the new government.
A movement formed of those who embraced the new Queen and changes in society, shaving
off their hair as a symbol of this new beginning.
The shavepates as they became known, were led by Skahaz mo Kandaq an advisor to the
queen.
A number of companies also formed from the recently liberated slave population like the
Mother's Men, Free Brothers, and Stalwart Shields.
As time went on, the three dragons who flew in the skies above the city grew, with the
largest of them being Drogon who regularly killed farm animals in the countryside, creating
a system where the royal court would pay for any livestock destroyed.
However when a man arrived with the bones of his deceased daughter, Daenerys realized
her dragons were becoming a threat to the people, and while drogon was able to fly away
and escape, Rhaegal and Viserion were locked away, where they could do no harm.
Late one evening, the Queen was visited by the mysterious woman Quiathe, who was using
magic to make contact, in order to recite yet another prophecy.
As
the enemies of meereen continued to gather all around them, Xaro Xhoan Daxos of Qarth
arrived in the city, bringing 13 ships with him as a gift for the Queen, on the condition
that she gather her soldiers and leave Slaver’s bay.
He stated that her presence and actions had disrupted the slave trade in southern essos,
affecting the economies of Volantis and Qarth.
However she refused his offer, causing him to leave her a bloody glove on a satin pillow,
meant to convey that Qarth declared war on Meereen.
With an alliance of powers including, New Ghis, Tolos, Qarth, Volantis and the Wise
Masters of Yunkai, they were able to defeat King Cleon of Astapor, taking the city and
then sending a naval fleet to blockade Meereen as they prepared to march north.
Meanwhile Daenerys began to make a number of consessions to the Meereenese nobility,
in an attempt to stablalize the city and prepare for its defense.
In order to stop the rebel insurgency and make peace with the other powers of Slaver’s
bay, she agreed to marry a Meereenese nobleman named Hizdar zo Loraq, on the condition that
he use his connection to stop the attacks from the Sons of the Harpy for 90 days.
His success however, in stopping the violence led skahaz mo kandaq to suggest he may be
the Harpy, leader of the insurgents.
As refugees from Astapor begin trickling in from the south, they bring with them the bloody
flux, also known as the pale mare, and so were not allowed to enter the city.
The stress and severity of the situation, led Daenerys to take Daario Naharis as a lover,
and was then introduced to a man who revealed himself to be Quentyn Martell, son to the
Prince of Dorne, who’d come to offer a marriage alliance, which would see their houses join
together to conquer Westeros.
However with her immediate concern being the security of Meereen, she rejects his offer,
instead planning to go through with her wedding to Hizdar zo Loraq.
To celebrate the terms of peace, a great celebration was held in the fighting pits of meereen,
where Hizdar insisted that Daenerys try the Honeyed Locusts.
However she was so unhappy with the events unfolding she had no appetite, leaving the
man Strong Belwas to eat a great many of them.
However he soon fell ill, realizing that the locusts were poisoned.
At the same time Drogon returned, interrupting the festivities and landing in the arena.
Daenerys, elated to see her dragon again, but also scared to see fighters preparing
to attack, ran to the creature, mounting it for the first time, and flying away on its
back, leaving the chaos of Meereen behind.
Drogon took her deep into the Dothraki Sea, but refused to take her back, and so she began
to walk through the grasslands.
Unfortunately she soon became grievously ill after drinking contaminated water, hallucinating
and losing consciousness.
But she survived and once again mounted Drogon when he returned, then hunting down a horse,
and together ate its charred remains.
Daenerys Targaryen, queen of Meereen, mother of dragons, was then found by the Dothraki
Khalasar of Khal Jhaqo.