A Dream of a Red Door Ch. 03

"Truth about what?" Daenerys asked hesitantly as she flexed her wrists against the shackles.

Jon ... if you're alive ... I beg you, hurry.

Doreah giggled. "That is up to the one asking. You can ask what a woman's favorite color is, or what the secret lust of their heart might be." She held up the goblet and tilted it back and forth. "We shall drink as we play."

"I don't know if I can drink any more," Daenerys admitted. "I might get sick."

Daenerys tried not to flinch as Doreah reached out and gently rubbed her stomach with light fingers. "We will take our time."

Daenerys fought against the intoxication as she swayed in the chains. Above her, the sun had turned a burnt orange, and she realized that it was almost dusk. "I will play this game with you."

Anything to keep you talking ...

Doreah leaned very close, so close her lips brushed against Daenerys's ear as she spoke. "I believe you will like this game.

I doubt it.

Daenerys shifted her knees and tried to ignore the woman eagerly pressing against her.

Jon would understand why I am not cursing and screaming. I can't anger the one person who might be able to help me, and my husband would not want me starving in agony in this hold.

"I do ..." Daenerys whispered as she shifted her knees slightly. She took a deep breath. "Who asks the first question."

Doreah's eyes were wide and excited as she pressed closer. "You may go first."

The question she wanted first came immediately to mind. "Xaro said that Jon ... my husband ... is dead. Was he telling the truth?"

It was the question that was burning at her soul, but Doreah clearly did not like the first topic she had chosen. Her eyes narrowed and she drew her lips tight across her face. She was a long time in answering. "I do not know for sure," she finally admitted, "but I think probably that Xaro was lying."

It was all Daenerys could do to keep from weeping from the relief she felt.

"Why do you think that?" she asked without hesitation.

Doreah frowned, then reached out and tapped Daenerys's nose in a scolding manner. "One question at a time," she said. "But I will answer, as you do not know this game yet. I think that the captain and Xaro were waiting for a signal that the Sorrowful Man had succeeded, the return of a bird that needs no land to find its roost upon this ship, and I think the bird never arrived. The captain and Xaro are keeping watch and conferring as to whether they should make for Qarth or other waters."

How will Jon ever find me?

"I can't say that I was looking forward to revisiting Qarth," Daenerys said in a sarcastic, acerbic tone. Her voice had grown thick and heavy, and it was becoming difficult to focus her eyes. A warmth was spreading through her body. "Somewhere else might be nice."

Doreah shook her head in a grave, solemn manner. "You should not be happy if we do not go to Qarth, Daenerys. In Qarth, you would be alive. If Xaro and the captain fear they are being hunted, and that having you on board puts them in danger," she gestured towards the side of the hold, "the ocean is right there."

I have to get out of here!

Daenerys knew she had to ask. "Please, help me," she begged in as supplicative and loving a tone as she could manage. The wine made her words slow and clumsy. "Doreah, we were ... we are ... special to each other. You don't want to see me dead, or caged and tormented. I know you can get the keys if you want, Xaro has said he loves you."

Doreah stared at her contemplatively. "We will talk more on this later. Right now, we finish the game." She smiled and held the goblet to Daenerys's lips. This time, she allowed her to take only a small sip.

"My turn," Doreah announced with a gleeful smile as she rubbed her hands together. "Before you pretended confusion," the handmaiden said as her eyes lingered over Daenerys's body, "but when I dressed you, I saw that the hair beneath your gown had been removed and that you had marks upon your skin." Doreah sighed, seemingly in appreciation at the memory. "So many marks ..." she smiled mischievously. "And as I said, you appeared to be no stranger to the chains. Truth now, Daenerys Stormborn, it is not so strange for you to be bound like this, is it?"

Daenerys closed her eyes before she answered. "No."

Daenerys opened her eyes to find Doreah with her hands to her mouth giggling. "I knew it!" the handmaiden said triumphantly. "Who was it?" she whispered conspiratorially. "Khal Drogo was a brute ... and I can't imagine your grim northern warlord would ever be so creative." Doreah pointed at her in excitement. "A lover from the East ... maybe Braavos ... that is it, isn't it?"

"You only get one question at a time," Daenerys reminded her.

Doreah laughed and patted her knee. "You are right," she apologized. "Whoever it was, they must love you very much."

Now THAT is actually an intriguing comment.

Daenerys's brow furrowed as she looked at Doreah with the question beaming from her face. She tried to the difficulty she was having in keeping her thoughts straight as the wine coursed through her.

"You want to know how I know the man who binds you loves you?" Doreah asked. "I will tell you, but do not worry, it will not count as your question. Men who are kind to women who they have at their mercy must love them, for men are not kind otherwise. For a woman to be so comfortable, so at ease, when tied, she must have learned from a man whose hands are guided by love, because only then does the woman learn to welcome, rather than fear, being helpless." The handmaiden rubbed her shoulder. "I believe you like being helpless with a man who loves you, khaleesi."

Daenerys just stared in stunned silence at the woman.

"You need not be ashamed," Doreah continued. "In the pleasure house which once owned me, on one occasion a very rich, very powerful man came from far away to ensure he could pursue his secret desires with utter privacy. He was a satrap from Yi-Ti, a ruler who with the snap of his fingers could command armies to march or condemn tens of thousands to die painful deaths. And do you know what he wanted?"

Daenerys slowly shook her head.

"He wanted to dress as a woman and to be used roughly by men. The more cruelly and brutally he was used, the more he paid, and when he finally departed content and happy, the men who had been the most harsh and unforgiving with him received enough gold to buy their freedom." Doreah rubbed her leg again. "So do not be ashamed. We are as the gods have made us."

Daenerys looked away.

Jon ... where are you?

It was becoming rather difficult to think clearly, and so she knew her question could not wait. Doreah clearly was obsessed with her, and she may never have another chance.

"My turn to ask a question?" Daenerys asked

Doreah nodded, then had Daenerys take another sip of wine.

"Will you leave this ship and come away with me, to live in Westeros, and stay by my side?" Daenerys asked.

Doreah stared at her in shock. "What do you mean?" she finally asked.

"You understand me," Daenerys answered as she swayed in her chains. "If you can unlock these shackles, you and I can go over the side into the ocean, or maybe through that hatch." She gestured with her head towards a porthole high on the far side of the cargo hold. She prayed her words didn't sound as desperately slurred to Doreah as they did to her. "There are things onboard that will float, and if you and I go at night, the sailors will never find us."

"We would drown ..." Doreah said doubtfully.

Daenerys quickly shook her head. "We would not. My entire fleet must be on their way to Qarth, and my dragon will look for me, too. One day floating on the ocean ... maybe two ... and we will be found." She put her head on Doreah's shoulder. "We can hold on to each other while we float and take turns resting."

She's not saying no.

"And then what?" Doreah asked suspiciously as she took her own sip of wine. "This sounds like you are not telling me truth, but that you are telling me things you believe I wish to hear. There is no place for such as me in the life of the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

Daenerys quickly shook her head. "I make a place for anyone I want." She hiccupped again. "The people I want in my life, are in my life. You would be with me every day." Her voice turned wheedling and plaintive, "There is no need for us to be slaves in Qarth, hurt and used and raped. Come with me and help me be queen. I ... I have missed you ... despite everything. You were with me at the beginning."

Doreah changed the subject as she replied, "Your king, I have heard very strange things about him ... I do not think he would like me."

At least she still hasn't said no.

"He is not what you think," Daenerys quickly replied. She whispered, "I will give you a free answer to a question you asked earlier ... it is my king who put those marks on me."

Doreah pursed her lips thoughtfully. "He sounds very different than I would have thought."

"He is," Daenerys promised. It was becoming very difficult to focus her eyes. The rays of the sun through the lattice work had begun to turn red, and soon, she knew it would be dark.

I have to convince her now, or it will never happen.

"Some men," Doreah said thoughtfully, "they are very jealous with their wives when it comes to other men, but not so jealous when it comes to women. Some men are eager to watch their wives enjoy the pleasure of another woman's body. Is your ... Aegon ... one of these men?"

He'd better not be.

"He enjoys such pleasures," Daenerys lied as smoothly as she could. "And you are very beautiful." She roamed her eyes up and down Doreah's body.

Doreah was quiet and thoughtful as she held the goblet once more to Daenerys's mouth, and this time she made her take a long drink. Doreah set the goblet aside.

The handmaiden's hand snaked once more beneath her dress, and Daenerys forced herself to lean against the pressure. So far, Doreah had shown some measure of restraint, but she knew it would not be long before the deranged woman sought more from her than she was willing to give. The wine at least helped her keep from screaming.

"I can probably obtain the keys to your chains, Daenerys," Doreah slowly admitted. "Xaro keeps them close, but we rest near each other, and he does sleep."

Oh, please ... yes.

Daenerys's heart soared.

The handmaiden continued, "But as to your question as to whether I will do so, I will answer that question later."

Daenerys whipped her head around. "Is that how this game is played?"

Doreah shook her head. "No, but I must be sure you speak the truth, Daenerys. With all my heart, I have dreamed of hearing such a thing as you have said, but I have learned that promises are often wind."

I can hear Jon screaming at me to do what she wants.

She could, in fact, hear her husband's voice as if he was in the cargo hold with her. Begging, pleading with her not to waste this one chance, that it might never come again, and that she would be a fool to let vanity condemn her to a terrible fate.

She forced the question from her lips as she gazed into Doreah's face, "How can I help you be sure I am telling the truth?"

Doreah's entire posture seemed to soften. She withdrew her hand from beneath the dress and moved herself on the platform so she was facing Daenerys. "You know how, khaleesi."

Daenerys couldn't help herself as she replied, "I ... I would prefer that we come to my husband together to ask him ... to have his blessing. I swore an oath ... he would not mind, I know that he wouldn't ..."

She tried to silence the sound in her mind of Jon cursing at her for being a fool.

Doreah smiled shyly. "I understand but let me ask you this. It is not breaking an oath to want something, is it?"

Daenerys mutely shook her head.

"So ..." Doreah drew out the word as she rubbed Daenerys's knee, "... you ask me to answer if I will jump into the ocean with you, to risk death ... but I will need you to speak to me truth before I can answer that question. I have thought long and hard on this, Dany." Doreah's voice grew very solemn. "I promised myself, and I now promise you, that no matter what you say or do today, even if you spit in my face when next you open your mouth that I will still help you on this ship and in Qarth in exactly the same way that I have said I would. I do not want you forced to tell me things that are not true because you fear that I will turn my back on you. I have been forced to do that which I would prefer not to, many times, and each such experience is a scar on my heart. I promise you, Dany, no matter what you say, I will still bring you things which will ease your burden and take you to the garden of which I spoke until, perhaps, someday you will grow to love me as I love you." The woman drew a deep breath. "Knowing all of these things I have just said, and I promise they are true upon my very soul, I ask you this question: do you want me, Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, right now, in this place?"

If this ship reaches Qarth with me on it, I will never see Jon or the Seven Kingdoms again.

Daenerys couldn't force the words from her mouth, so she nodded.

Doreah's eyes softened, and a small tear appeared at the corner of her eye. Daenerys felt a twinge of nervousness as the woman scuttled behind the pillar, where even with the mirror she couldn't get a clear view.

"I understand about your oath, so I will make this much easier for you," the handmaiden said matter-of-factly.

Daenerys tried to twist her head to see what the woman was doing, but then she reappeared in front of her.

"Do you know what this is, Dany?" Doreah asked as she held her hand out.

Daenerys tried to focus her wine-blurred eyes and look at the woman's palm. A strange oval block perhaps three inches long and carved of black wood sat in Doreah's hand. The wood had been carved in such a manner that extending from one side was a thick, wide protrusion that was also roughly three inches in length. Something seemed to be curled beneath the wood, but she couldn't tell what it was.

"No," Daenerys admitted. "What is it?"

"Oh," Doreah said in a manner that sounded disappointed. "No matter, your husband will be delighted to learn of this."

Daenerys opened her mouth to ask why, but before she could utter the words Doreah's hand darted forward, and the oval block was between her teeth and the thick wooden protrusion was resting on her tongue. She tried to wrench her head away and spit the thing out of her mouth, but Doreah pressed it tightly against her lips and the collar around her neck kept her from moving.

She was still trying to digest what had happened when she realized that thin leather cords that sprouted from either end of the device had been neatly tied behind her head. Doreah sat back, smiling in satisfaction, and Daenerys again tried to spit the wood away.

She's gagged me.

The thin cord held the object tightly in her mouth, and although her lips could nestle along the edges of the wood in a comfortable fashion, she was unable to dislodge it. Furious despite her need to keep Doreah happy, Daenerys tried to voice an objection. She'd had some practice speaking through gags of various types, and while muted, typically she could make herself understood.

Only a nonsense string of syllables emanated from her mouth, and what was worse, the attempt immediately made her start to choke on the gag. The instant she stopped trying to speak, the sensation went away. Experimentally, she tried again, and the horrible choking feeling returned. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she would not be able to say a single word until the handmaiden removed the gag. She stared at Doreah in mute horror.

"It is very elegant, is it not?" Doreah asked proudly.

Take this out of my mouth!

"Phlew grah ..." was all she could say before the choking sensation forced her to stop. Almost as bad as the choking, however, was that every time she attempted to speak, she found that drool began dribbling from her mouth as if she was a child.

Doreah reached forward and wiped the spittle from her chin.

"The tongue gag is very comfortable to wear," Doreah informed her. "I know, I have worn it many times, it is a favorite of Xaro's. I assure you that you will not be able to speak, Dany, so even though you have told me of the desire in your heart, your oath and your honor will remain intact." Doreah smiled at her own reasoning, and Daenerys found herself wanting to throttle the woman.

GET THIS THING OUT OF MY MOUTH!

She tested the shackles again, and of course they held. If she could just get one hand up to the back of her head, she could undo the knot ... but of course, she could not. The frustration of such a simple thing rendering her voiceless was beyond calculation.

"I will know from your body whether you told me truth about my having a place with you in Westeros, Daenerys," Doreah said matter-of-factly. She perked up and raised a finger as if she had just had a sudden thought. "I have an idea as to what will make this even easier for you!"

I doubt whatever it is will help much ...

Daenerys stared at her fearfully. She almost began to speak but remembering how unpleasant the last few attempts had been, she remained silent.

Doreah giggled. "You are a fast learner of the ways of the tongue gag."

Just get on with it.

Doreah pulled a handkerchief out of another small pocket. The fabric was striking, a black and white pattern with reflective threads of some strange material woven into it. It also seemed familiar, but Daenerys couldn't quite place it.

"You bought this for me in Qarth," Doreah explained. "I liked it at a market, and you bought it for me, merely to see me happy." The woman smiled. "I think it was at that moment that I knew I loved you."

Daenerys's curiosity as to what Doreah intended with the small scrap of cloth was satisfied when it was folded to make a wide band, placed across her eyes and tied securely behind her head. She could see some faint light, but no more. Oddly enough, Doreah had been right ... the blindfold did make things much easier. She pictured Jon's face and leaned back against the pillar. A few more bits of drool dribbled from her mouth, and Doreah wiped them away.

Doreah moved her pillow closer, so that she was sitting right in front of her, and Daenerys knew what would happen next. The wine slowly twisted in her stomach, sickening her. When she felt the heat of Doreah's breath on the skin of her chest and neck, she instinctively shifted on the steel platform, trying to move away, and with splayed fingers she strained against the manacles imprisoning her wrists. The chains held her fast, and she resignedly slumped in despair and let her hands and head hang limp as she waited in silent terror for the violations of her body that she knew would be soon in coming. In her mind she imagined Jon hugging her tightly and making her promise to do whatever she had to do.

A moment later, she felt Doreah's hands upon her legs as the woman, with nauseatingly delicate movements, grasped the fabric along the hem of her dress.

Jon ... don't let this happen to me ...

Doreah had just begun to raise her dress towards her hips when Daenerys heard a piercing roar from the sky above the ship. She recognized the sound immediately, and as adrenaline coursed through her body, her head snapped from its slumped position and she began frantically, with garbled mumbles, to protest against the gag.

The handmaiden yanked away the handkerchief blindfold and Daenerys blinked as her eyes adjusted. She immediately looked upwards. Above her, through the slats of the cargo hold hatch, the sun had begun to turn to red. She recognized the black shadow winging across the sky and once again fought against the choking gag and rattled her chains as she stared, wide-eyed, at Doreah. Daenerys tried to make her eyes plead her case and to not let rage cloud her features.