Doreah

Doreah enters the story as a gift from Viserys Targaryen to his sister Daenerys on the day of her wedding to Khal Drogo. She is a fair-haired, blue-eyed girl of sixteen from the pleasure houses of Lys, and Viserys and Illyrio Mopatis both swear to her skill in the womanly arts of love. Alongside the Dothraki handmaids Irri and Jhiqui, Doreah is assigned to instruct Daenerys in the intimate knowledge that a khaleesi will need, a role that sets her apart from the other servants from the very beginning.

Role as Teacher and Confidante

Doreah's primary function within Daenerys's household is that of a sexual tutor. While Irri teaches riding and Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, Doreah is explicitly tasked with instructing Daenerys in the arts of love. She is the one who teaches Daenerys the "pillow tricks" that the princess later uses to persuade Khal Drogo to allow Viserys to rejoin the head of the column after his humiliation. Doreah also shares a story about the origin of dragons, telling Daenerys that the moon was once an egg that cracked from the heat of the sun, pouring forth a thousand thousand dragons. This tale, dismissed by the Dothraki handmaids as foolishness, plants a seed of wonder in Daenerys's mind about the possibility of dragons returning to the world.

Intimacy and Influence

Doreah's relationship with Daenerys deepens beyond that of a mere servant. Daenerys commands Doreah to stay and eat with her, sending her other handmaids away, and they sit talking long after the moon has risen. This private audience marks Doreah as the handmaid Daenerys trusts most with her fears and her questions about womanhood. When Daenerys is preparing for the night after the prophecy of the stallion who mounts the world, it is Doreah who hurries to her with a robe of painted sandsilk, though Khal Drogo waves her away. Doreah is also present during the most intimate moments of Daenerys's transformation, helping her bathe and dress after the birth of her dragons.

Witness to Transformation

Doreah is present during the pivotal moments of Daenerys's journey from frightened girl to dragon mother. She is among the handmaids who help Daenerys prepare for the ceremony of eating the stallion's heart, and she is there when Daenerys emerges from the lake after the prophecy, shivering and dripping. When Daenerys falls ill after the blood magic ritual, Doreah is one of those who flee the tent rather than help, crying that the birthing women will not come because they say Daenerys is accursed. This moment of fear and abandonment contrasts sharply with Doreah's earlier intimacy with her mistress, revealing the limits of loyalty when confronted with the supernatural.

Significance

Doreah represents the world of Lysene pleasure culture that Daenerys must learn to navigate, but she is also a figure of comfort and knowledge in a world of Dothraki warriors and political machinations. Her teachings give Daenerys the tools to assert herself within her marriage, and her stories about dragons feed the princess's imagination at a time when she needs to believe in the impossible. Doreah's ultimate fate—fleeing in fear when Daenerys is at her most vulnerable—underscores the loneliness of Daenerys's path and the cost of the power she is about to claim.