The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Derakalo's Narrow Escape

On the grassland, beneath the blue sky and white clouds, a team of cavalry appeared from the east, slowly heading towards Dragonstone Hill.

The cavalrymen were in good spirits, singing ballads of the grassland.

The team gradually approached, arriving not far from the foot of the hill.

咻!

The sound of an arrow tearing through the air suddenly rang out.

"Careful!" The general in the team shouted.

噗!

The arrow shot into a human body, and the cavalryman in front fell off his horse in response.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

This was under Dragonstone Hill, where Her Majesty the Queen was camped. The other side of the hill was the camp. They were returning from eastern reconnaissance to report, so how could they be ambushed near their own camp?!

This scout team was instantly thrown into chaos!

The warning of an enemy attack had just sounded when, 咻咻咻, 咻咻咻, countless arrows shot from three sides.

噗噗噗! 噗噗噗!

The sound of arrows piercing human bodies rang out one after another.

Amidst the screams of "ah, ah, ah," the returning cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another.

From the deep grass, countless Dothraki archers stood up, drawing their bows and shooting non-stop, arrows raining down.

The dozens of men were caught off guard, surrounded on three sides, with dense arrows constantly shooting into their brothers' bodies, the screams, the sounds of falling horses, and the frightened neighing of warhorses all sounding together.

As if in an instant, all the dozens of cavalrymen were shot dead, and dozens of warhorses became unowned, some horses fleeing in fright, most of the horses remaining in place, their masters falling to the ground, the warhorses unwilling to leave.

"Alright, the horses and wealth, whoever grabs it gets it." The leading general walked out of the grass, laughing loudly.

Killing people to seize horses and take property was also the common rule on the grassland.

The soldiers swarmed out, giggling and rushing forward to seize the horses and rummage through the corpses for valuables.

Suddenly, a corpse flipped over violently, leaped onto a horse, and the horse galloped away in the direction it had come from. In the moment of astonishment of the generals, the warrior on the horse drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his movements as skilled as flowing clouds and water. Where the bowstring sounded, an arrow struck the general in the throat, causing him to fall backward and die on the spot.

The soldiers were in an uproar, shouting loudly. Some soldiers were busy drawing their bows and arrows, some soldiers drew their arakhs, and some soldiers had already seized warhorses, mounting them one after another to chase and kill the enemy.

The warhorse of the person who feigned death was extremely fast. The person on the horse did not panic. He fired arrows in rapid succession, so fast that it was unbelievable. The enemies who had seized horses fell one after another, each shot hitting its mark. By the time the first counterattack arrow was fired, that person had already shot dead all the cavalrymen who had mounted their horses, without missing a single shot.

"He is Aggo." A soldier recognized the person from the rapid-fire arrows and shouted.

All the soldiers showed fear on their faces. Aggo did not stop at all. He turned his horse around, and the horse galloped forward. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow. As soon as one arrow was shot, another arrow was already on the bowstring. Only streaks of black shadows could be seen, as if several bows were being fired at the same time.

噗噗噗!

The soldiers nearby, the soldiers who were quick to attack him with arrows, were all shot down by Aggo, each shot hitting its mark.

All the soldiers knew Aggo's reputation for archery and dodged and retreated one after another.

In an instant, amidst the chaos, Aggo's warhorse had already carried its master Aggo out of the range of the archers.

All the soldiers looked at each other!

They had ambushed in the grass east of Dragonstone Hill with hundreds of men, and only appeared suddenly after Aggo and his soldiers had all entered the encirclement. After a great victory without losing a single person under their rain of arrows, Aggo had actually broken out of the encirclement alone.

Kotho, who commanded this team, was hit in the throat by Aggo's first arrow and died on the spot.

And the other soldiers who were shot by Aggo's arrows were almost all hit in vital areas, basically either the throat, neck, chest, or face, and most of them could not be saved.

Aggo, one of Daenerys's three bloodriders.

Jhogo had already been killed by Hadkhado, and Aggo was leading this fifty-man scout team back to Dragonstone Hill when they were ambushed by men arranged by the new Kotho, Peji.

Aggo rushed out of the opponent's range, reined in his horse, and stopped, looking towards this side, not in a hurry to leave.

He was concerned about Daenerys's safety.

If Daenerys was dead, he would avenge Her Majesty the Queen and then commit suicide to accompany his master.

The soldiers looked at each other, no one daring to pursue Aggo, who was alone.

"Let's collect the spoils first. Although Aggo is brave, he is only one person. We can't catch up with him, and he doesn't dare to get close to us. When Peji Kotho catches Daenerys and comes back, we'll let Peji Kotho decide Aggo's life and death," a centurion said.

"As long as Daenerys is captured, even Aggo with his good archery can only commit suicide."

So, the soldiers went forward one after another, vying for warhorses and rummaging through the corpses for valuables.

The team that came out to ambush was naturally all cavalry—there were no infantry on the Dothraki grassland—but in order to hide in the grass, everyone did not ride horses. The horses were on the other side of Dragonstone Hill.

On all four sides of Dragonstone Hill, people were arranged to ambush, in case Daenerys's legion suddenly arrived.

Daenerys's name as the Mother of Dragons had also spread on the grassland. The dragons and legions she had became everyday topics of conversation on the grassland. Although no one had ever seen Daenerys's dragons and legions.

A soldier took the lead in seizing a good horse. He flipped onto the horse, smugly. A good horse was the cavalryman's favorite, and it was worth a lot of money and could be sold for a good price on the market.

His comrades around him also seized warhorses one after another.

Some other soldiers who did not have the opportunity rummaged through the corpses for valuables: armor, swords, gold and silver coins, etc. were all good things.

Suddenly, a soldier galloping on horseback was violently knocked off his horse, with an arrow inserted in his back.

The soldiers were in an uproar, shouting. They saw a black shadow falling from the sky, carrying a whistling sound. With a "噗" sound, it hit a soldier's chest, and the soldier flipped over and fell to the ground. The arrow actually penetrated his body, and the black iron triangular arrowhead was extremely sharp.

A rare armor-piercing arrow!

Dothraki cavalry do not wear armor. Soldiers who wear armor are ridiculed and looked down upon. They believe that only cowards wear armor.

Armor-piercing arrows killing people had never happened on the grassland before.

The soldiers were shocked and searched for the enemy. They saw Aggo drawing his bow and shooting at them from beyond the range.

That was an absolutely super long distance.

Every Dothraki was a good rider and a good archer. Among them, there were many sharpshooters who could hit the bullseye from a hundred paces. But at such a long distance, being able to shoot arrows to kill people was something none of them could do.

Aggo couldn't do it either, unless Aggo's bow was a dragonbone bow!

A dragonbone bow was an unparalleled treasure bow that archers longed to obtain, just like swordsmen hoped to obtain an extremely sharp Valyrian steel sword.

Aggo, alone with his horse, stood outside the range of the soldiers, drawing his bow and shooting another arrow at the hundreds of men on this side.

Everyone was terrified. It was too far away to determine who Aggo was aiming at.

Aggo's archery skills were famous on the grassland, and his arrows never missed. With a dragonbone bow in hand, he could shoot whoever he wanted!

While hesitating, a tall and mighty centurion in the crowd screamed. The arrow whistled and came too fast. By the time he realized that the arrow was coming for him and wanted to dodge, it was too late. With a "噗" sound, the arrow hit his eye socket.

The centurion flipped over and fell to the ground, dying on the spot.

Aggo drew his bow again and shouted coldly, "Don't leave, let me shoot all the arrows in my quiver!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the bowstring rang out, and the arrow was shot out again... Dragonbone bow, an unparalleled treasure bow, with an extremely long range... Aggo's divine arrow, never missing... Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Everyone shouted and scattered, fleeing to the other side of the hill.

Aggo did not pursue, but slowly rode over, cautiously paying attention to the grass in front. As long as he was not ambushed, Aggo was not afraid.

Aggo drew his bow and nocked an arrow, making a shooting posture to be on guard. He rode his horse to the place where he was ambushed, dismounted, collected several bags of arrows and hung them on the saddle. With a whistle, two horses in the distance heard the whistle and quickly ran back. One man and three horses slowly headed east...

On the hill, Peji's sentries, who were responsible for observing the situation on the grassland, were all dumbfounded. At the foot of the hill, the fleeing soldiers saw Aggo leave and stopped one after another, panting...

*

On the other side, to the west, opposite to Aggo, another bloodrider, Derakalo, was also leading troops back to Dragonstone Hill.

Daenerys camped under Dragonstone Hill and sent her three bloodriders to the north, east, and west to scout and guard. Derakalo led fifty brothers and went the farthest, only deciding to return after three hundred li.

Yesterday, in just one night, earth-shattering changes took place at the foot of Dragonstone Hill. Daenerys and her soldiers were forced to leave and flee south. The south was the way they had come, and they had already traveled it once, so they knew it well. Returning along the road was the safest choice.

Last night, after Hadkhado, who was chasing Daenerys, was burned to death by High Priest Machiro, his legion immediately split into three legions. Among them, Helde led five thousand cavalry and left this legion, heading straight for the holy city. He did not declare himself Kotho. He would go to the holy city to find a more powerful new Kotho worthy of his following.

Peji Kotho and another Kotho, Motley, both claimed to be the new Kotho. Peji received the support of thirteen thousand cavalry. After Motley Kotho declared himself Kotho, he led his two thousand elite soldiers and left Peji. They had the fewest number of people and did not dare to go straight to the holy city, fearing that they would be annexed by Helde on the way. He did not dare to stay either, as Peji would kill him. So, this new Kotho chose to go west.

*

Derakalo and his brothers, returning west, slowly traveled. The road back was safe. They had already traveled it once, and there were no other forces along the way.

The team passed through a small forest and climbed a small hill. They saw Motley Kotho's legion, a team of two thousand cavalry.

Two thousand cavalry was a small force on the grassland, but it was invincible for Derakalo, who only had fifty men.

The other side's scouts also discovered this team at the same time.

Motley's scouts did not launch an attack. They cautiously approached Derakalo's team. There was no large legion behind Derakalo, whose line of sight was blocked by the hill. Although the other side didn't know, Derakalo knew.

"Go!" Derakalo immediately made a decision and immediately spurred his horse to the right. He led his troops and galloped south.

This gave Motley's cavalry a signal that the other side was an even smaller legion, or just a small gang of bandits.

So, Motley issued an order, and two thousand cavalry rushed out with a roar, chasing Derakalo's fifty-man legion.

On the grassland, it has always been the case that the many bully the few. Then, for the victors, it is like a snowball, with the number of people rolling more and more, the team of subjects becoming larger and larger, and eventually forming a mobile tribe of tens of thousands of cavalry and tens of thousands of soldiers' families.

This pursuit was a protracted war. Derakalo's scouts were all good riders. In the absence of an ambush, everyone competed in riding skills and speed. On the grassland, the skills of excellent riders were not very different. But in the end, before dark, Derakalo's small fifty-man legion was finally approached by Motley's elite cavalry. Derakalo resolutely turned around to fight, killing several centurions in a row. His arakh was wielded like snowflakes, covering his soldiers as they fled.

The other side's cavalry were all elites. Under Derakalo's sudden charge, they were unable to complete the roundabout encirclement. Except for Derakalo and a few close guards, the rest of the dozens of people all rushed out.

When Motley first saw this small team, he intended to accept them to increase his manpower, and ordered them not to shoot arrows. This was also one of the reasons why most of Derakalo's brothers were able to escape.

Motley led his troops to the front. Derakalo had been knocked to the ground by several centurions working together. He was covered in blood, and all the weapons on his body had been removed.

Motley jumped off his horse and came to Derakalo's face. He reached out and helped Derakalo up, staring into Derakalo's eyes: "You are Derakalo. No wonder you were able to kill several of my centurions. I recognize you. Three years ago, you were a warrior given to Daenerys by Drogo Kotho."

"Who are you?" Derakalo did not recognize Motley.

"I am Motley, once a centurion under Drogo Kotho. I have seen you when you were by Drogo Kotho's side."

There were hundreds of centurions around Drogo Kotho. Derakalo was not familiar with the centurions. He knew all the Kothos under Drogo. But the centurions were very familiar with the warriors around Drogo Kotho. Wherever Drogo Kotho went, he would be followed by the warriors he had chosen. Derakalo was one of the young men who was chosen by Drogo Kotho because of his outstanding swordsmanship. And after marrying Daenerys, he gave Derakalo to Daenerys.

"Motley, are you Kotho now?" Derakalo asked.

"Yes, I am Kotho. If you kneel down and swear allegiance to me, I will make you my Kotho. Brother, let's work together to grow this team."

Derakalo did not know how many people Motley had, and he did not know that the two thousand cavalry chasing them were all of Motley's forces.

"Motley, I am Daenerys's bloodrider. You either kill me and bear the fire and fury of Daenerys, or you let me go, and I will take you to see Daenerys. The Queen will accept your oath of allegiance. Daenerys has come to conquer the Dothraki grassland with three dragons. We are all warriors and subjects of Her Majesty the Queen."

"Daenerys? Mother of Dragons?" Motley snorted. "Peji Kotho led his three thousand elite soldiers to chase and kill her. Daenerys, who has been targeted by Peji, will be able to escape on the grassland for a maximum of two days. Maybe Daenerys has already been captured by Peji while you and I are talking."

Rakharo's heart skipped a beat. Motho had suddenly appeared on their way back, and he already sensed that Daenerys was in trouble.

The timing of the three dragons running away from home was too unfortunate!

"Has Poggio become a Khal too?"

"A day ago, our previous Khal was Hotho. Hotho was chasing Daenerys the night before last when he was burned to death by a monk using fire magic. Then Poggio declared himself Khal and demanded my submission. I refused, so I led my brothers away. Rakharo, I admire you as a true Dothraki warrior. Since you are Daenerys's bloodrider, I will release you. Go find her. If she is captured by Poggio, she will be taken to Vaes Dothrak and handed over to the dosh khaleen."

A Khal's bloodriders live and die with the Khal they serve, bound by blood. If their master is not dead, the bloodriders will find them; if their master dies, the bloodriders must die with them.

Once sworn as a bloodrider, they will never swear allegiance to another.

Rakharo swore allegiance to Daenerys, and for the rest of his life, he could only be Daenerys's bloodrider, sharing life and death, never abandoning her.

"Motho, I will remember your kindness today. I will find my queen. Her dragons are invincible. Don't you want to follow the most powerful queen?"

"Rakharo, does Daenerys really have dragons?" Motho asked with deep suspicion.