The Wedding of Daenerys and Viserion

Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq was the central act of her attempt to transform from conqueror to ruler, a political bargain sealed in the Temple of the Graces before the eyes of Meereen and its besieging enemies. The wedding was the price of a fragile peace, one that required the Mother of Dragons to submit to the ancient customs of the city she had taken by fire and blood.

Negotiation and Ritual

In the days before the ceremony, Daenerys found herself locked in a struggle over the rituals the Ghiscari nobility demanded. Reznak mo Reznak and the Green Grace, Galazza Galare, insisted that she present herself naked to Hizdahr's mother and sisters so they could examine her womb and female parts to ascertain they were well formed and fertile, a tradition they claimed was hallowed by ancient practice. "I have no wish to give offense, but I will not present myself naked to Hizdahr's mother and sisters," Daenerys replied. She also refused to wash Hizdahr's feet, a ritual meant to signify that she would be her husband's handmaid. "Hizdahr zo Loraq may inspect my women's parts after we are wed," she declared. "Let his mother and his sisters examine one another and share the special cake. I shall not be eating it. Nor shall I wash the noble Hizdahr's noble feet." The Green Grace warned that without these rites the gods of Ghis would deem the union no true marriage, and her children would be bastards. Daenerys finally relented, agreeing to marry in the Temple of the Graces wrapped in a white tokar fringed with baby pearls. She also conceded that Hizdahr could reopen the fighting pits if he wished, saying, "Let the blood be on his hands, not mine."

The Ceremony

On the wedding day, Daenerys refused the palanquin her advisors had prepared, insisting on a sedan chair so the people could see her. "The day is too hot to be shut up in a palanquin," she said. "Have my silver saddled. I would not go to my lord husband upon the backs of bearers." When reminded that she could not ride in a tokar, she chose the sedan chair. At the temple, the Graces brought forth an ivory chair and a golden bowl. Daenerys eased herself onto the velvet seat, and Hizdahr went to his knees, unlaced her sandals, and washed her feet while fifty eunuchs sang and ten thousand eyes looked on. "He has gentle hands," she mused, as warm fragrant oils ran between her toes. "If he has a gentle heart as well, I may grow fond of him in time." When her feet were clean, Hizdahr dried them with a soft towel, laced her sandals on again, and helped her stand. Hand in hand, they followed the Green Grace inside the temple, where the air was thick with incense and the gods of Ghis stood cloaked in shadows in their alcoves. Four hours later, they emerged as man and wife, bound together wrist and ankle with chains of yellow gold.

Consequences and Aftermath

The marriage was immediately followed by the reopening of the fighting pits, a concession Daenerys had granted with bitter reluctance. The peace it bought was short-lived and hollow; the Yunkish armies remained encamped outside the city, and the Sons of the Harpy resumed their murders within days. The wedding itself did not win Daenerys the love of the Meereenese, nor did it reconcile her to her new husband. That night, as Hizdahr slept, Daenerys lay awake, thinking of Daario Naharis. "I do not want this night to end," she had told her captain on their last night together. The marriage was a political necessity, a queen's duty to her people, but it left her feeling trapped and alone, a dragon in a cage of silk and ceremony.