Hizdahr zo Loraq

Hizdahr zo Loraq is a wealthy Meereenese nobleman of the ancient Loraq line, a merchant prince with influence across Slaver's Bay and beyond. He becomes Daenerys Targaryen's king consort, but his rule is brief and contested, ending with his deposition and imprisonment after the disaster at Daznak's Pit. Hizdahr embodies the old Ghiscari aristocracy that Daenerys must either win over or destroy, and his story traces the fragile, ultimately failed peace between the dragon queen and the slaving cities.

Identity and Background

Hizdahr zo Loraq is a tall, slender man with flawless amber skin, a long face made longer by a beard bound with rings of gold, and wings of wiry red-black hair sprouting from his temples. He is famously and fabulously rich, a wealthy merchant with many friends in Meereen and more across the seas; he has visited Volantis, Lys, and Qarth, has kin in Tolos and Elyria, and is said to wield some influence in New Ghis. When Daenerys closed the city's fighting pits, the value of pit shares plummeted, and Hizdahr grabbed them up with both hands, soon owning most of the fighting pits in Meereen. He is a limber man, bowing deeply before the queen, and he knows how to smile.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Hizdahr first appears as a persistent petitioner, repeatedly asking Daenerys to reopen the fighting pits. He presents his case with eloquence, arguing that the pits are a profoundly religious blood sacrifice to the gods of Ghis, a display of courage and skill, a draw for trade, and a means of tranquilizing the city. Daenerys refuses him six times, but he returns each time with new words. After the Sons of the Harpy's murders escalate, the Green Grace Galazza Galare urges Daenerys to marry Hizdahr, arguing that a highborn king of pure Ghiscari blood could reconcile the city to her rule. Hizdahr himself tells Daenerys that he can end the nightly slaughter in the streets, and she sets him a quest: ninety days and ninety nights without a murder. When the killings stop, she agrees to marry him.

Their wedding is a grand affair, conducted in the Temple of the Graces with all the nobility of Meereen in attendance. Hizdahr washes Daenerys's feet in a traditional ritual, and they are bound together with chains of yellow gold. As king, Hizdahr opens the fighting pits, negotiates a peace with Yunkai, and allows a slave market to be established outside the city walls. He replaces the Shavepate with his own cousin as commander of the Brazen Beasts, and sends Daario Naharis and others as hostages to the Yunkai'i.

Key Actions and Objectives

Hizdahr's primary objective is to secure peace for Meereen and to consolidate his own power as king. He negotiates with the Yunkish envoys, agreeing to an indemnity and allowing Yunkai to resume slaving. He tells Daenerys that the Yunkai'i can be persuaded to allow all her freedmen to remain free if she agrees that the Yellow City may trade and train slaves unmolested. He also seeks to destroy Daenerys's dragons, seeing them as a threat to the peace. At Daznak's Pit, when Drogon appears, Hizdahr shouts for the spearmen to kill the beast. After Daenerys flies away on Drogon, Hizdahr is crowned king and rules Meereen in her absence.

Relationships and Conflict

Hizdahr's relationship with Daenerys is one of political convenience rather than love. She finds his kisses tepid and unfeeling, and she continues to desire Daario Naharis. Hizdahr is aware of Daario and is jealous, but he maintains a public facade of geniality. He is opposed by the Shavepate, Skahaz mo Kandaq, who suspects him of being the Harpy and of poisoning the honeyed locusts meant for Daenerys. The Green Grace supports Hizdahr, but Ser Barristan Selmy and the Shavepate conspire against him, believing he is a traitor. When the Yunkishmen send back the head of Admiral Groleo, Hizdahr is paralyzed with indecision, further eroding his authority.

Change and Ending

Hizdahr's rule ends when Ser Barristan Selmy and the Shavepate stage a coup. Selmy confronts Hizdahr in his bedchamber, accusing him of being the Harpy and of poisoning the locusts. Hizdahr denies it, but when Selmy draws his sword, Hizdahr calls for his pit fighter Khrazz. Selmy kills Khrazz and takes Hizdahr prisoner, promising him a cell until the queen returns. Hizdahr is last seen being led away, whimpering and begging for his life. His fate is left uncertain, but his reign as king consort is definitively over.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Hizdahr zo Loraq serves as a foil to Daenerys's revolutionary ideals. He represents the entrenched power of the old Ghiscari slaving class, and his attempts to make peace with Yunkai are ultimately a capitulation to the forces Daenerys sought to destroy. His character illustrates the difficulty of ruling a conquered city and the compromises that power demands. His marriage to Daenerys is a political necessity that fails to bring lasting peace, and his deposition marks the collapse of the fragile truce and the return to open war.