~~~Point of View: Caspian Darkwood~~~
~~~Date: 57 AC~~~
I gazed upon the vast expanse of land before me, along with my Khalasar far below, which from my height looked like a swarm of wasps.
Being in the skies filled me with a glorious feeling, an incomparable serenity and peace, while also swelling me with pride and ego. Perhaps this is how the ancient dragonlords felt, riding their enormous fire-breathing beasts, at least before destruction and death swallowed them almost completely. Because they were dead, right? I hadn't stopped to think about the possibility that Valyria might still be standing. But if it was, then I needed to be more careful with my actions.
So once I felt sufficiently satisfied, I returned to where I was before, where my Bloodriders and my entire Khalasar watched me in silence as I landed with grace and serenity. Since I didn't know how to fly well before, once I got used to it, I knew it was almost like running. I just had to decide whether to go faster, slower, left or right, or if I wanted to go up or down. It was a gratifying experience.
Upon touching the ground, I saw everyone kneel before me, which surprised me a bit, especially because, from what I remembered of Dothraki culture, they hated magic, and I thought that seeing me fly would cause them to react aggressively.
Instead, however, I was met with this scene, and I was gratified to see these imposing warriors kneeling before me. It was one thing to see it in the series when they bowed before Daenerys after she burned all the Khals present at the Dosh Khaleen house, and while my display of power was also astounding, hers, not burning, was as well. I could certainly accept it, especially seeing that I was gaining more and more of their "loyalty."
As for my Bloodriders, all of them looked at me with quite a bit of reverence; they looked at me with eyes full of awe and fear at the same time, and well, it was understandable, especially since you didn't see someone fly every day, and even though I had done more impressive feats than flying, like building with materials I pulled from nowhere or making animals appear from who knows where in their eyes, well, the act of flying could surpass all of the above.
"Do not fear, Blood of my blood; I am still the same Khal as always; only now the Horse God has given me the power to ride the world, starting with the skies," I told them, which made them revere me even more... Yes, religion was a very useful weapon sometimes.
Determined not to interrupt the matters of those present, I addressed my Khalasar: "The Horse God has granted me the power to ride the world, starting with the skies, so do not be alarmed, continue with your affairs, and remember that today we will celebrate the greatest feast a Khalasar has ever had."
With that, my words hit home, because as soon as I finished speaking, I saw everyone walking away to attend to their business; —definitely faith and religion can work wonders—, I thought.
Having done this, I set out to do something else I had in mind: having wolves at my service, since, although I understood that I now had the service and loyalty of an entire Khalasar, I knew I could still afford to be trivial, especially in a world as treacherous as this, where your own shadow could rise up and stab you in the back, both figuratively and literally, thinking of the so-called shadowbinders.
So I addressed my Bloodriders: "Blood of my blood, I am about to carry out an experiment that could be very dangerous, so I ask you to be attentive and watch over me."
After making sure they understood, I set about creating an iron cage larger than the one I had made when I brought Maicol into this world, as I didn't know the exact size of the wolves I would bring.
Once the cage was ready and I checked that everything was in good condition, with my guard (the Bloodriders) focused on what I was doing, I decided to summon a wolf. I opened the menu and focused on the egg that was the wolf generator, and feeling a slight tingling in my hand, a sign that I already had the option to summon one, I closed the menu and looked at the cage.
Carefully pointing inside the cage, I extended my hand and felt an indescribable power extending from the shoulder of my right arm to my hand, at the same time as I saw a wolf appear in the cage.
And what a surprise I got, perhaps everyone did, since the wolf was enormous, easily reaching a height of one meter ninety centimeters (about 6.2 feet). Not only that, but it was white, with gray patches, red eyes, along with matching black ears and muzzle.
The wolf, despite being in a cage, did not show aggression; it simply looked around curiously, almost as if it had great intelligence. In the game, I knew that wolves do not attack players in survival mode. This is because they do not consider them dangerous, and yes, they would attack until they killed them or made them escape if they were attacked.
Furthermore, it was difficult to survive, since a wolf was never alone, always in groups of six or eight, so if one attacked, they would all attack you. This was also a problem sometimes, since if for some reason you hit a bee, the wolves would attack them, which almost always ended in their deaths. Yes, bees were lethal.
However, I was not willing to check if the wolf would become aggressive by attacking it, especially seeing its enormous row of teeth the size of burger sticks. So, approaching it with the intention of taming it, I advanced carefully so as not to scare or upset it.
I looked back and observed my guards with their arakh in hand, ready to face the wolf if it tried to attack me. Which was a comfort. Concentrating on what I had to do, and taking a bone from the menu, I held it in my hand.
And suddenly, the wolf's behavior completely changed; it alternated its gaze between me and the bone while tilting its huge head. —If it weren't a nearly two-meter-tall wolf, it could well look like a dog because of its behavior—, I thought as I observed the great canid.
Bringing the bone closer to the cage, the wolf sniffed it and then snatched it from my hands, swallowing it in one bite. However, I didn't feel that anything had changed, so I gave it another bone, and, seeing that nothing happened, I gave it another and another.
When I took the fifth one, I felt as if a door opened in my mind, and upon crossing it, I felt the presence of the wolf in it: strong and aggressive toward my enemies, docile, loyal, and affectionate toward me, and calculating and reserved with strangers, all at the same time.
I opened my eyes, without remembering when I had closed them, and saw the wolf lying in the cage, looking at me with a tender and loving gaze, if that was even possible. Furthermore, it now wore a thick black leather collar, and wagged its tail with graceful movements from side to side.
Seeing that I had succeeded, I decided to take the next step, and ordering my guards and the other Dothraki who had witnessed the scene not to provoke the wolf, I opened the cage, stepping back a little to give it room to exit.
The wolf, aware of its freedom, left the cage with a firm step and a fierce gaze, analyzing its surroundings and growling occasionally at any Dothraki who got too close.
And when I approached, its ferocity immediately transformed into an intoxicating affection, as it rested its enormous head on my chest and licked my arm. Apparently, I now had a wolf as a companion.
I was sitting in a large wooden chair, watching several Dothraki women dance to the rhythm of the music, moving their bodies sensually and swaying their bare breasts, letting them bounce with every movement.
The party had started a few minutes ago; the Dothraki were drinking, eating, and engaging in sex. The air was permeated with a strong smell of alcohol and sex. Apparently, the Dothraki drank an alcoholic beverage made from fermented mare's milk along with other herbs. They even have a pepper beer. Which tasted a lot like Andean chicha.
At the foot of my chair was Amanda, with whom I had started a conversation about the known world. After learning that she used to live in Myr, I brought her close so she could explain things I didn't fully know yet.
In addition to Amanda, my Bloodriders were around me, drinking juices and beer, but without losing sight of their surroundings. However, what stood out the most were the two large wolves I had behind me, which, even lying down, remained upright and strong, with their red eyes scrutinizing everyone for dangers.
"What can you tell me about Myr?" I asked Amanda in Dothraki, or what I knew from my old world as Turkish. To which she thought about it for a moment and then replied; "Myr is a beautiful city, it is strongly walled, but still the magistrates pay tribute to the horse lords, after what happened with the kingdom of Sarnor, no one wishes to face the Dothraki."
So the Dothraki had already ravaged Sarnor and Ibbish, which meant that Valyria was no longer standing. That filled me with tranquility, fewer dangers to face. "Myr is considered the most advanced Free City, and is famous for its arts and knowledge, many go to the city to learn."
"Although not everything is so good, the city is full of slaves, and there are always disputes with the other two cities, Lys and Tyrosh, although I think they are now united by something called the Triarchy thanks to the dragonlords of Westeros."
Wait, dragonlords of Westeros? If I remembered correctly, that Triarchy was created as a method to defeat Volantis in some battle, and from there they conquered the Stepstones. "What do you know about these dragonlords, and, also, what date is it?" I noticed how Amanda was confused about my questions, but she still replied.
"The dragonlords of Westeros were the only ones who survived the Doom of Valyria, they have a fortress on their island called Dragonstone, besides being the kings of Westeros. As for the date, we are in the year 159 since the destruction of Valyria." 159, counting the Century of Blood, that meant I was between 55 or 60 AC (After Conquest of Aegon), and very possibly Jaehaerys or Viserys was the king.
That changed things, but not much. Unlike Valyria, Westeros was far away, and they wouldn't notice my presence until very late, when I was strong enough to face my... little friends against their dragons if they dared to look for trouble.
"Blood of my Blood, perhaps you want to know how I got my first bell." Onno, one of my Bloodriders, apparently had grown tired of seeing me talk to Amanda for a long time, so wanting to draw my attention away from the woman, he urged me to listen to their stories, which I accepted.
Onno, seeing that he had won, did not keep me waiting and began his story; "I was very young then, I would have been about fourteen suns (years old). Back then, I didn't belong to Khal Gakro's Khalasar, the one you killed; I was a member of another, younger Khalasar. I lived well there. But one morning, when I took my horse to graze, I discovered that my mother was being taken by another man from the Khalasar."
With every word from Onno, curiosity about his story invaded me, especially knowing that my fellow riders and I were starting to forge bonds of brotherhood, especially now that the language barrier was no longer a problem. Besides, learning more about them was good, and even until now, I had barely found out the name of the Khal I had killed.
"When I arrived, I found her being ridden like a dog, and without thinking, I grabbed the cauldron my mother was cooking with, which was still hot, and not caring that it burned my hands, I took it off the stand and smashed it onto the guy's head," Onno continued, cracking a cruel smile when he reached the part about the cauldron on the man's head.
"I still remember the sound of his head cracking open with the blow, his fresh blood gushing from the wound, and his stupid groan of pain, but, even so, I didn't stop; I kept hitting him with the cauldron until his head was covered in horse dung. I enjoyed that day, although I couldn't use my arakh for several days because of my burned hands," he finished saying, laughing at his experience, while Qrano and Cakoqqo cheered, supporting him in his decision to kill the man who had hurt his mother.
For several minutes afterward, I continued listening to their stories, each one bloodier and more mournful than the last; however, for some strange reason I couldn't comprehend, I didn't feel disgust or annoyance at their actions; in fact, it filled me with... pride? Perhaps that was the right term; perhaps I was adapting to Dothraki culture faster than I thought.
Once we talked more and I got to know them a little better, I began to understand that, while the Dothraki had a barbaric and savage culture, with their rule of cultivating nothing and enslaving and killing anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path, I also understood that, once you earned their respect and loyalty, they became pleasant company, full of struggles and battles, but no less enjoyable for it.