A Dance with Dragons- Daenerys II/ Reek I

Welcome to my A Dance with Dragons readalong. This week we look back in on Daenerys, who is having her troubles in the city of Meereen. This is the eleventh chapter of the book but only the second Dany chapter- so let's take a look. 

Also starting this week I'm going to cover two chapters a week. So next up we have the first Reek chapter- also known as Theon. Poor Theon is in a bit of a state, not doing very well. His chapters are a bit harrowing to read, as we will see... 

DAENERYS II

Dany is woken and told there has been another attack- the Sons of the Harpy have killed and one of the dead is Missandei's brother. She has two brothers, both Unsullied. There is a wineseller and his daughters who are suspects as two of the dead were poisoned- Dany orders them questioned. When the Shavepate asks if he should question them harshly or gently, she says gently- but then changes her mind. The Shavepate says he could torture the daughters while the father watches, and Dany tells him to do whatever. Hmm... 

Dany decides to pull the Unsullied back and have Meereenese patrol the city. She is told the masters of Zhek and Merreq are preparing to leave the city- she instructs Shavepate to let them go, but only with the clothes on their back- they must leave all their stuff behind. She also decides to take hostages- two kids, a boy and girl, from each great house as insurance against future killings. 

She misses Daario and comforts Misseandei, and when she takes a bath Quiathe appears to her. Quaithe, the mysterious woman with the lacquered mask who tells her to beware the pale mare, the kraken and dark flame, the lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. She also mentions a perfumed seneschal, and tells Dany to trust none of them. Also, the glass candles are burning, she says. Dany assumes the seneschal is Reznak, and when she asks the woman what she wants, she replies she wants to show her the way. 

We are reminded of what she had been told earlier- to go north she must go south, east to go west, back to g oforward. And to touch the light she must pass beneath the shadow. Whatever that means. We also get some hints that Dany's dragons have been captured or something- there are mentions of burned areas where they tried to catch Drogon, and she thinks at one point that her dragons are roaring.

Hizdahr zo Loraq comes before her again to plead once more for the reopening of the fighting pits. He brings former pitfighters with him to plead their case- they all tell her they lived better when they were slaves, or now that they are free they should be free to fight for coin and glory. She promises she will consider it. Later she talks with Ser Barristan and he tells her of his escape from King's Landing, and mentions that Lord Stark spoke against having her killed. She then asks to see her dragons, and they go into the vaults beneath the pyramid and into a room with a pit- where Rhaegal and Viserion are imprisoned. 

They are chained, and Dany thinks they're bigger. Apparently they had been getting so wild she felt she had to restrain them, but Drogon had escaped.  She asks if if is true that dragons never stop growing, and he tells her if they have enough food and space it is true. 


COMMENTARY: 

I think it's interesting that Dany felt the need to lock up her dragons. Again she seems to have put ruling Meereen before not only going to Westeros, but before training and making her dragons her top priority. AS the last Targaryen you would think she would realize this. Also we again get a glimpse of how ruthless Dany can be, in the matter of the wineseller and his daughters. Do they know anything, and how badly will Shavepate torture them?  

REEK I 

We catch up with Theon in the dungeons beneath the Dreadfort, the seat of House Bolton. He is eating a rat he just caught, but then two men come for him- or boys, to be more accurate. Theon has apparently lost fingers to torture, and calls himself Reek now- he has been told to go by that name. Nice place, this Dreadfort. 

Theon is brought before and two other men- lords obviously. One recognizes him as Theon, and they're shocked at his condition.