Revisiting Dany’s Second Chapter in ACOK

Hello hello Thrones! I’m back to continue a series that I ittedly kind of forgot about, where I share my thoughts on Dany’s POV chapters in ASOIAF! So far, I’ve talked about all her chapters in the first book and I’m now up to her second chapter in A Clash of Kings. Since it’s kind of getting late as I write this, let’s get into it!

The end of Dany’s first chapter features the introduction of three characters hailing from Qarth, Pyat Pree, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, and Quaithe. In chapter two, we are introduced to Qarth itself, “the greatest city that ever was or ever will be”, according to Pyat Pree. I liked how detailed the descriptions were of the city, from the intimidatingly high walls carved with animals to the colourful buildings and elaborate fountains. But what I found most interesting was the description of the Qartheen people in their linen and samite and tiger fur. In a world like ASOIAF where there are SO many different locations and people, these little bits of information about what they look like and how they dress helps me differentiate who is who.

Dany immediately feels out of place amongst the Qartheen people, even describing herself as “shabby and barbaric” as she and her khalasar are led through the city by Pyat Pree. After her tortuous journey through the red waste, Dany is showered with promises of luxury and gifts in Qarth. Though, she remains resolute that the only palace she wants is the castle at King’s Landing, and the only gifts she would accept would be ships and swords to help her reclaim it.

Dany’s interactions with these new characters are interesting and there is a lot of mystery yet to uncover regarding their intentions. And of course, we have Jorah continuing to be creepily infatuated with Dany. Dany even asks herself, “Sometimes he thinks of me as a child he must protect, and sometimes as a woman he would like to bed, but does he ever truly see me as his queen?” Needless to say, having the phrases ‘child he must protect’ and ‘woman he would like to bed’ in the same sentence is wild. But that’s Jorah for you!

That aside, the most impactful moment of this chapter comes near the end when Dany learns that Robert Baratheon is dead (Woohoo!) Obviously, this comes as a great relief to her given Robert’s recent attempt on her life, and also grows her confidence in her ability to claim the Seven Kingdoms. And we are left with this banger quote “Dragons die. But so do dragonslayers.” (Did I cut out the part where Dany kisses Jorah’s cheek? Yes, yes I did. Because he’s not the point :hand: )

Buuut anyway that’s it for this post because my bed is calling to me. I’m gonna continue this series of revisiting Dany’s chapters for my certified posts, probably interspersed with other posts depending on what I feel like doing. Until next time, see ya!

Fanart by Richard Hescox

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