Daenerys

I know this sounds harsh and callous and all, but I am going to need Daenerys to suck it up a little.

I get that her life has been tough.  Family dead, only surviving relative a psychotic, raging asshole of a brother acting out because of his own insecurities about his ability to live up to his own delusions of grandeur (and with a little incestuous subtext thrown in!  Huzzah!), living far from home, blah, blah, blah.  But one of the first sentences I read about her is that after she touches the cloth of a new gown, "She could not remember ever wearing anything so soft.  It frightened her."

Nice fabric frightens you?  Stop that.

This = not frightening

 

It's not that I dislike her.  In a lot of ways, I feel bad for her.  She is in a situation where she has no power at all, raised alone by a tyrannical, power-hungry sibling, and she is only thirteen.  I don't care what realm or world or whatever you grow up in, that age is rough.  And I know that growing up in an abusive situation often makes people incredible fearful and on-edge and makes it hard for them to form their own identity.

But, seriously, fabric?  I will cut you slack on other things, but not that.  And I pray that you develop to the point that you can tell your asshole brother where he can shove his kingdom-ruling aspirations.

This needs to happen to him.

This chapter did bring up something interesting to me, though.  I love when books discuss that same event from different perspectives because THINGS ARE NEVER JUST BLACK AND WHITE.  This defeat of the Targaryen king and his family is not some noble defeat against a tyrant to these two.  This was the murder of their entire family and it came when they were too young to possibly be able to say if the king was actually a good or bad one.  They just know that their family and homeland was taken away.  I think the homeland thing should affect Daenerys less because she never knew her "homeland", but Viserys takes it pretty hard.  Of course, he also takes it with a strong sense of entitlement and condescension to everyone around him.  I like how even GRRM treats him as ridiculous when he says things like "I shall kill the Usurper myself," he promised, who had never killed anyone, "as he killed my brother Rhaegar.  And Lannister too, the Kingslayer, for what he did to my father."

Boy, please.  If you're going to talk big, back it up a little.  Also, to them, their brother died "protecting the woman he loved."  If this is actually true, king Robert was a dick for going after these people's families.  Well, actually, he obviously did that because EVERYONE ELSE IS DEAD INCLUDING THE BABY RIPPED FROM ITS MOTHER.  Ned, I am disappointed that you were part of that.  Displeased.

This chapter also brings up the fabulous idea of women being possessions that can be traded and sold and bartered and given away but have absolutely no say in what happens with their own lives.  I would like to clarify:  I don't hate that GRRM used this in his book because that happened for years and years and still happens in different places around the world.  I actually appreciate that it is something he brings up in his books so it can be discussed.  I am saying I hate that this happens.  I hate that intelligent people went along with this idea and I hate that many people today still think of women as being lesser humans or lesser people, meant to be subservient.  It completely makes my skin crawl how this girl's brother is assessing her body to see if his plan to sell her will succeed, seeing if she is a good "product".

 Even little beibs is upset by you, sir.  Or, "ser".

Creeper asshole.

Now, seeing the huge, terrifying stranger that she is about to be given to?  That is an acceptable time to be afraid, Daenerys.  I am totally with you there.  I would have been scared out of my mind at that age.  Hell, I would be scared now and I'm twenty-three.

Poor thing.  I hope you become more badass.