Forest of Qohor

----Half A Month Before The Caravan Theft----

"Mother, you sure took your time," said Zhano, "The whole Khalasar could have died if you had taken longer."

"It took a lot to convince them to exchange gifts with me." Zhali Continued, "But Armenia told me about the meeting with your grandfather…"

"Did you speak with your brother?" Zhano asked.

"I've done that too. He isn't exactly happy about the changes, so don't expect any real help from him." Zhali replied.

"Help from strangers isn't something I rely on anyway. Did you get all that I asked for?" Zhano asked.

"With Armenia. She's treating our people now. The Eunuch Slaves are also cutting away infected flesh. When they're finished, Armenia says she'll need your help."

"Not a problem. I want them all stable before we head out."

"Wait. When I went to Qohor, I saw something that could help." said Zhali, "Between your claim to conquer the Dothraki and the invitation to Yi Ti. We'll need warriors. And we all know that you aren't against using slaves that want to earn their freedom."

"So?" Zhano asked.

"The unsullied on the walls of Qohor. We should get some of our own."

"Unsullied of Astapor," Zhano murmured as images of such an army were fragmented across his memory. "I take her wings, then I take her sword. Good. We will go to Astapor and collect these Unsullied. But we still have to go west. I have a present for the Westworld."

"We go to my father first." Said Qoni.

"Your father?" Zhali asked.

The Bloodriders were equally confused.

"Yes. He's a Khal, it is known." Qoni sang.

"It is not known!" Sharo said. He then looks at Zhano.

Zhano nods his head. "It is known."

"Since when?" Kazo asked.

"It's always been." Zhano replied, "We'll head west to Khal Jahakko. Then we ride hard to intercept the Eighth Prince's Caravan."

"The Khalasars in between?" Zhali asked.

"My declaration to the world stands. They will run, surrender, or fight. But we will trample everything we cross." Zaid Zhano, "Let's move out."

"Mmm, Jahakko is mine, right?" Qoni spoke in a low voice as she grew closer to Zhano.

"Mmhmm. But remember, surrender or die. If he chooses death, it's out of my hands." Zhano informed her.

---Seven days after the surrender and death of Khals---

"Khal Jahakko, why can't you see this as the will Vezhof? Two Khals were between me and you. One surrendered and the other chose to fight. We took his Khaleesi and made good on my vow. From me to my bloodriders, to my kos. We passed her around and I left him crippled in the Great Grass Sea. His family is dead and his Khalasar is now mine." Zhano spoke from a chair across from Jahakko and his eldest son.

"The only reason I sit down and discuss with you like some foreigner is because of my Qoni. She says I should offer you a choice. Here's my offer. You become one of my Kos and you still maintain your Khalasar as a Kha under my command. Khal Najjo had his people divided and he now sits in a cart." Zhano finished.

Jahakko was speechless. Even with his Khalasar of 10,000, there wasn't much he could do.

"Qoni. She was the Khaleesi of Khal Garro. Did you kill him for her?" Jahakko asked.

"No, he tried to kill Oberon on my land." Zhano the whistled and the Great Golden Feathered Eagle descended from the sky.

Jahakko laughed. "You tamed the most vicious bird in the Great Grass Sea and you killed a Khal for it. You are certainly different."

"I know. That's why my Khalasar is so big." Zhano laughed, "Khal Jahakko, what will you do?"

"Rumor has it, you and Drogo are soon to go to war. Two Sleipnir. One has a Valyrian princess, the other has dealt with Yi Ti. Why can't I just watch you two destroy each other."

"If you think that's what will happen, you are an idiot." Zhano sighed, "You have until sundown."

Zhano rose from his seat. Then left the large tent.

"This is revenge." Jahakko's son spoke. "Qoni brought him here."

"He would have come eventually. If Qoni wasn't his Khaleesi, he wouldn't have bothered to sit with us."

The father-son duo watched as Khal Zhano left with his Bloodriders. By nightfall, Jahakko had made the right decision and joined Zhano. He was no longer a Khal but a Ko.

"Kazo, show me that map again," said Zhano.

Kazo revealed the map with numerous markings and routes. In the sea of markings was a single redline that connected Yi Ti and Pentos.

"We'll hit them here," said Zhano, "This is the forest of Qohor. We can also hunt and resupply. The forest is big enough to feed us all."

"What about the merchants of Qohor?" Qoni asked. "Won't they have guards? If we encounter them they might alert the YiTish."

"We kill them," Barro said.

"The fighting will definitely alert them." Qoni sighed.

"We kill them in a way that fighting isn't an issue." Zhano had a clever idea. "Send me your best archers. We move to the forest of Qohor. Jahakko, your Kha stays with the women and children. The rest of us will ride hard. We can't let the caravan make it to Pentos."

Sometime later, Zhano stood in front of 500 Dothraki. Some women and some men. Zhano wasn't a biased Khal. A warrior is a warrior. Their only worth was in how long they could defend and how many they could kill.

"Mondal Archery has five draws and releases. It has a standing, kneeling, and jump shot. On a horse, we have the raised, seated, and reverse. Finally, the advanced peng thousand feather technique --speed shooting and multi arrow shooting."

"My Khal, you can only shoot one arrow accurately at a time." A woman spoke.

Zhano groaned. "You all have heard stories. But for something to be known, it must be seen."

Zhano held out a hand and set wood stake caught fire. The blaze was sudden and the Dothraki jumped in fright.

"Man good Dothraki lost their lives during the invasion of Jogos Nhai. It was this ability that saved 45,000. Some of you were there and now the rest of you know the abilities of this great Khal. With his ability, I will teach you all as is the duty of Khal to lead his people." Zhano spoke and all listened.

"Oberon, up!"

The great eagle screech before launching into the dark sky with a strong flap of its wings.

"The Great Golden Feathered Eagle is the most vicious bird of prey in the Dothraki Sea. 25 pounds with a wingspan of 4.5 meters, flying at 805 kilometers per hour. It can see up to 8 kilometers out. Multiply that by ten to determine its range of territory. He is the best scout of my Khalasar and one of the oldest members."

Oberon screeched and rolled across the Khalasar.

"That's right. We can understand each other. Right now, Oberon is carrying five tightly packed wineskins. In a moment he will be over the waterway and I will demonstrate the five draws --Skewer for the giants, buster for the armor, precision for the kill, Mondal twist for kill multiple at once, finally, Shatter for large scale war…

Skewer borrows through the toughs target. Buster has a wobble that can shatter armor on contact. Precision is your average shot to kill. Mondal twist is meant to hit on target and keep going until it cants anymore. Finally, shatter, the weakest draw is meant to maim, increasing firing rate to aid your allies on the battlefield. He's there."

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

"Skewer!"

"Buster!"

"Precision!"

"Mondal Twist!"

"Shatter!"

Five shots, five seconds. Like fireworks, each wine skin exploded in the sky 1.6 kilometers out. With the eyes of the deadliest archer, supernatural strength, and a Valyrian steel bow and arrow, only Zhano could make such a shot.

"Follow my instructions, and you'll be the greatest Dothraki Archers in history." Zhano finished.

That night fire illuminated the practice field as Zhano taught his archers the Mondal Archery technique. When morning came he led his Khalasar Northwest. When night came again, he became an archery instructor. His time as Miller teaching classes on horse riding expressed itself. His instructions were clear and versatile to make sure every kind of student could learn.

This cycle went on for days until the Khalasar arrived in the forest of Qohor.

"Oberon, take flight," said Zhano.

"Blood of my Blood, your command," Sharo spoke.

"Dismount. Horses stay behind us. Two Khas to the left and two to the right. We're going to create a narrow path. I need three to scout the forest for merchants and hunters. The rest will make traps, archers into the trees." Zhano commanded.

The Khalasar moved like a well-oiled machine. There was a structure within the Khalasar. The Bloodrider Kos to command over the regular Kos. Then seniority took effect. So no matter which Khas were paired, the leader was never questioned.

Meanwhile, Zhano stood patiently in the middle of the narrow road that was being created. Occasionally he gave instruction and resolved problems.

Two days passed and the world outside of the forest began to take notice of the Khalasar's actions. Qohor was on high alert but they knew the people who entered the forest had yet to return. Zhano had killed all he met. While Zhano was a hot topic among the Dothraki, people of the free cities knew nothing of him as he had never approached the cities before.

Naturally, Qohor gathered tribute in preparation for his arrival. Little did they know, his actual target was arriving.

Oberon cawed and land on Zhano's broad shoulder.

"So it's like that. Watch Qohor for me. If they move, return. But first, I need you to deliver a message."

Kilometers away, Jahakko and his family sat across from a breastfeeding Qoni. Like her father, Taharri was always warm and Qoni believed it was the reason that she was never full and always hungry. So for the fourth time since morning, Qoni was feeding her little girl. Next to her was Yazli, playing with knives.

"So that's Garro's girl."

"Men have died for less in this Khalasar. My mother may be a mute, but I command heads to roll." Qoni sneered.

"Khaleesi?" the head of her Khasar asked.

Qoni waved him off and sighed. "She's Zhano's daughter. He's fed her, clothed her, loved her, and taught her everything she knows. Watch your mouth in my Khalasar."

Her brother smirked.

"Is this amusing?" Qoni asked. "You asked to see me. I don't care for you, I have my own family. Rhamajjo, I will not correct you again."

Her brother went silent.

"What is it that you want?" Qoni asked.

Her father cleared his throat. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"And?' Qoni asked.

"You've become sharper," said Jahakko.

"A weak wife begets a weak husband. The same could be said for stupidity." Qoni relayed the words of Zhano. Words she lived by even more once she realized how high Zhano held her in his heart.

"I see... So, you are happy"

"Very. I have two beautiful girls in a Khalasar where women are valued and have a future. A strong mother and aunt who has taught me more than I could ever imagine, and a Khal who loves me despite his great destiny that will eventually make me look dull in comparison."

Her mother was silent, but Qoni could spy her satisfied smile. Her younger sister also looked at her with eyes of envy. Her sister's face was scarred from the right forehead to the left cheek. No man wanted her and Jahakko held her close, cloaked from the world.

"Maybe you can ask this great Khal to help your father one more time. Without work, my Kha will abandon me."

"No." Qoni was quick as she handed Taharri to her handmaid that has followed her since her time with Khal Garro. "Navi, take my girls out of here."

"Yes, Khaleesi." Navi, the handmaid replied.

"Father. Let me say this once. My husband, your Khal, is not someone to be maneuvered. I will not allow it. He is not Garro. He did not marry me in awe of your cock or fear of you fucking him. You used me once, and Zhano handled it, gave me this new life, free of your will and needs. Anything you want from him, you earn. And if you aren't given a chance, you get down on your knees and beg him like every other bitch who calls himself a man in the Dothraki Sea!"

"Who do you think you are, who-- Ahh!" Rhamajjo was forced to cry out.

He had raised from his seat and pointed at Qoni. Before he could call her a whore, she had unsheathed and thrown her sword. It cut through the air and lopped Rhamajjo's hand off.

Qoni stood up and took her guard's Arakh. She walked over to her brother and said, "I told you I won't correct you again. Many man and woman have died for less, join them!"

In one fell swoop, she took her brother's head. "Get the fuck out of my tent," she told her father.

"Feed him to the dogs," she ordered the fate of her brother's corpse. "Oh, Jahakko, my sister stays with me from now on. Make more and do better next time, don't seek us out."

"Y-yes, Khaleesi," he replied in fear of the changed woman in front of him. She was nothing like the girl he sent away those years ago. The Khaleesi who ordered him had killed his son. Her goodwill for him and his family ended after she asked Zhano not to kill or cripple him.

Suddenly, Oberon's call sounded and everyone gathered for the words of Khal Zhano.

Once Qoni received the message tied to Oberon, she laughed. "How pitiful. He died for nothing at all. Jahakko, if you were more patient, Rhamajjo would be here to fulfill my Khal's orders with you. Ride Southeast then northwest. Your Kha will force the Yi Tish caravan into the Forest of Qohor. Keep them away from the city."

Jahakko felt like he had to throw up. But he swallowed and accepted the order. Not long after he rode out, Qoni laughed happily as she watched her brother thrown to dogs and ripped apart.

She then looked at her sister. "No man wanted you because you were fated to help me with my duties. Be happy that I'm your sister. You're four summers passed your first blood right?"

"Y-yes."

"You haven't been sneaking around have you?" Qoni asked with a smirk.

Her sister smiled. "I wish. Fath-- Jahakko would have beat me and killed whoever I was with."

"Well, Khal Zhano is a stallion. You can help me and if Vezhof wills it, Zhano's seed will take and you'll learn what's like to be a mother."

Qoni's sister's eyes sparkled at the thought of being a mother, something she felt would elude her till death.

"Stop smiling. We have a war prayer to do. When he returns, he'll look kindly upon you for sharing this duty with me." Qoni spoke as she pulled her younger sister along.

In a race against time, Jahakko led his Kha as instructed. When he doubled back, he nearly missed the Caravan but managed to kill a handful pushing them into the forest.

While the YiTish caravan thought the forest was safe because the terrain was unfavorable to Dothraki, Zhano was prepared to open their eyes.

Time flowed and the woman of Zhano's Khalasar was lead by Qooni as they gave offerings to Vezhof and intensely prayed for their lovers' victory.

When the YiTish Caravan finally crossed a mark set in the Forest of Qohor, they suddenly stopped, and their souls were shaken by the war cries of the Dothraki that revealed the tens of thousands of them lying in wait. 48,267 Dothraki to be exact. Once Jahakko closed the rear, they became nearly sixty thousand.

"Chaaaaoooowwaaahh!" Zhano roared.

"Oooooowwiii!"

"Ooooooowwiii!! War cries echoed like birds in the trees.

It shouldn't have been possible, but the YiTish Caravan was being introduced to the versatile Khal of War. The very versatility that forced the destruction of many Khalasars and the Jogos Nahi.

"Ahwoo!" Zhano bellowed.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Arrows ripped through the forest.

Pah! Bang! Kach!

The Mondal Archery, killed, maimed, and shattered armor. The YiTish men and sellswords cried out in pain and agony. Death rained down on them, forcing them to take cover.

Two talons appeared in Zhano's hand.

"Kill!" he finally roared and the four flanking Khas appeared surprising the caravan.

The forest was filled with screams that could be heard in the free city of Qohor. The vibrant colors of nature were painted red with blood and bodies cluttered the earth. The caravan fought back and Dothraki losses were given. But they were simply unprepared and faced with an 'unconventional Khal.

This pressure of death caused a man in an all-black cloak to give a command that caught Zhano's attention.

"Release the Basilisks!" The man yelled in YiTish

Looking around, Zhano immediately found the four cages that were in the middle of the caravan. The heat of battle caused Zhano's pupils to contract and the demigod ability of Heat Sensing surfaced. Four big cold spots in the middle of the hot battle appeared.

"Fallback!" Zhano roared. "Fallback!"

The Khalasar killed and retreated as the cages opened and four six-legged reptilian monsters burst out of captivity killing Dothraki and Caravan forces alike.

During this welcomed chaos by the YiTish, Zhano notices a flow of movement to an ordinary cart surrounded by four groups. One wore clothing with a red sun and spear emblem, another wore a silver seahorse on sea green, the third wore black cloaks, and the fourth was Yi Ti Imperial Guards.

'What an odd group' Zhano thought. 'I know the word for this...conspiracy.'

"Archers! Shatter the legs! Skewer the body! I want the animals dead!" Zhano commanded.

The archers focused only on the beasts and let their arrows free.

Zhano chuckled once he saw his people retreating and the injured being pulled along. "So you want to play with mass destruction...fine!"

Zhano's voice was haunting and very disturbing. He quickly encroached the first basilisk and slipped a torrent of green purple venom that was spit from his maw. Zhano went low as scorching flames covered his fist.

Boom!

His legs sprung, his body twisted, and his fist was like a javelin beneath the jaw of the beast. On contact the force of the punch and heat of flames caused brains to explode from the top of the skull. The Dothraki gave war cries as they watched their call with fear, respect, and worship.

Zhano looked to his left and another Basilisk had finally died under a barrage of arrows. Zhano took out his talons once more and heated them until they were glowing red. But the valryian steel just couldn't be melted without a special method making it the perfect material for heated weapons.

Zhano was on the third Basilisk in a few breaths. Its front paw swung, Zhano ducked right, under the devastating leg and back up, Zhano reaches out and slices through the leg, cutting through the ligaments like soft cheese. His movements were quick and crisp as he advanced to the tail, leaving behind three crippled legs.

The entire right side of the basilisk collapsed, Zhano then sprinted to the last basilisk that was riddled with arrows.

Slip right, then left, Zhano leaped into the air, vaulting over another torrent of venom spit. When he landed, he picked up a corpse and used it as a shield. Rushing through the venom, Zhano reached the basilisk and shoved the half-melted corpse in its mouth.

In a flash, he had mounted the beast while his left and right talon bladed were moving in a flurry of strikes. Blood splashing everywhere, drenching his body in thick molasses-like liquid.

Thud!

The head of the Basilisk slumps and only the iron-like bone that composed the spine kept the head attached to the body. Zhano sighed and his head titled as he looked at the caravan guards gathered and protecting a rundown cart. If it were Dothraki, Zhano wouldn't care. But he knew every other culture of the world attached heavy importance to the appearance of wealth.

Protecting rotting wood wasn't normal.

"Come!" Zhano shouted.

The Khalasar pushed in once more, killing the last crippled Basilisk as they moved. Half of its legs were done, so the Dothraki made quick and safe work of it.

"Protect the --"

Shunk! An arrow ended the commander.

More arrows fell, some killed and others were blocked.

"Stop!" Zhano shouted. "The rest will be our prisoners. Zha Bu had many things he kept secret, maybe these people can give me more truth. Capture them and take the cart. Khas assigned to scouting, return to the woods, hunt for animals. Barro, Kazo, bring Jahakko in from the rear. Sharo, Mother, lead your Khas to Qohor. I heard free cities give free stuff to Khalasars."

"Why go there after all we have won here?" Zhali asked.

"Horses to replace the ones that have died. These carts can't pull themselves. Antidote for basilisk venom. I need to keep as many warriors as possible. Lastly, It's normal for Khalasars to visit cities when they're close. I won't the theft of the dragon eggs to appear as accidental as possible. Just another Khalasar raiding. Now go."

Zhano finished and his blood was boiling similar to the time he had received the Libido of the Sleipnir.

'Zhano, you can't fight this,' Nameyse, his Sleipnir injected her thoughts into his mind. She could feel the state of his body through their bond.

'The basilisk blood is a rage toxin. The venom kills, but the blood makes men mad and bloodthirsty. Ancients once used it as war paints to make themselves berserk before the battle. But the amount that your absorbing should only end with death.'

'What do I do?' Zhano grunted.

'Luckily, you won't go on a murder spree or die. The Libido of the Sleipnir and your special blood of Heapheastus is protecting you. Bloodthirst has become a sex drive as the body heats and tries to burn it off. And the more you fight it the stronger it will become. It will devour your mind and you will fuck anything.'

'I know what I must do.' he told her.

"Temmo." Zhano called one of his Kos

"Yes, my Khal?"

"Handle this. I have other things to do." Zhano replied. He then walked away, struggling to keep his mind right as the blood soaked into his pores.

He silently picked women from the Khalasar and they followed him without hesitation. He then ordered them to take the female captives as well before leading the group of 25 Dothraki women and 14 slaves deeper into the Forest of Qohor.