Nearly a hundred Dothraki were herded into a valley away from the camp, but that didn't stop many, a couple of thousands, from settling into the hills to watch Her Grace used these men as an example.
"…they don't look like men going to their deaths, do they? They almost look proud", said Lucius, at my side. He had a look of slight surprise or bewilderment. Perhaps he expected all men to look defeated by imminent death, but he was young and inexperienced, so I understood.
"They are warriors who base their lives on violence, Lucius, even in this case there are some who would be afraid, but", I paused for a moment, so I wouldn't have to laugh a little, because of the response I had gotten from her grace.
'Goddess? haa… As long as that makes them listen to me, I don't care what they call me', she had said with a slight shrug.
"But… they are proud of facing a 'goddess of war', 'the maiden of light', you know, it's not that they lack fear, it's that their pride as Dothraki blinds them".
'A wrong way of thinking, but what more did you ask of almost savage people', I thought mockingly, more towards the society they maintained than to the people.
Because I had already seen improvements, the training, and studies of the children, Dothraki and freedmen alike, were progressing, and it was only a matter of time before we could eradicate the most barbaric customs.
"That's why what Your Excellency is doing is necessary".
"Well... They're not far from the truth, if you ask me. Your Excellency looks like a goddess", he said with a smile, which made me look at him in surprise, before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! I hope the triplets don't hear you. They'll hang you by the balls if they hear you say that to Her Excellency", I said after calming down a bit, although I still had a big smile on my face.
"That's why I'm saying it here. I don't think you'll rat me out, will you?" he said with a shrug, laughing slightly.
"I don't think I will, but I won't cover for you if it gets out".
"No need. As long as they don't find out, I can worship the goddess like everyone else", he said, his hands clasped in prayer, but it was clear he wanted to laugh.
"...what goddess are you worshipping, Lucius…?" a female voice asked from behind us.
I realized who it was, but Lucius seemed oblivious to the danger lurking nearby and only dug a deeper grave with his next comment.
'Rest in peace, young man', I said in my mind.
"Of course, to the goddess of light and the sun, the most majestic Ephor we've ever had in Septimont, and here, Her Grace Augusta!" he responded with fervor and grandiloquence, only to freeze when he realized whose voice that was.
"Va, Va, Va, Valentina, dear, it's not what you think. I was just joking with Claudius here", he stammered as Valentina approached.
"Hey, don't drag me into this, kid", I replied. Although I knew they didn't bother me much, I was too old to be yelled at by a young girl.
"Believe me, I was just trying to imitate the people who think Her Grace is a goddess, nothing more!" he said, almost desperately.
"Huh? Really? Tell me more… I want to know more about how they talk about Her Grace, Lucius. Will you tell me the truth?" she said in a graveyard tone that made Lucius sweat profusely.
"I, I think they need me somewhere else. I'm going, goodbye!" he replied, cautiously retreating. Then he started running as if death were chasing him. The people he passed in his escape looked at him in bewilderment as he disappeared into the distance.
"...idiot, um!" Valentina grumbled, pouting.
"…you know, you're not going to win him over if you keep hitting him".
As soon as I finished speaking, her face turned red as a kettle.
"I don't want to win him over, you old fool!" she replied, but she immediately turned around when she saw my incredulous look and chased after Lucius.
"Yeah, sure, and I'm the sentinel… these children", I muttered as I turned to see where the battle was about to take place.
Her Grace was arriving from the sky, riding Aquila. This made everyone fall silent, waiting for their 'Khaleesi,' as they called her here.
'Seeing her like this, with her hair shining, it's no wonder these people call her their goddess', I thought idly.
We had learned a lot about the different cultures among the freedmen, where they came from, what they ate, and, given their religious beliefs, which gods they worshiped, along with some legends.
'The maiden made of light and the lion of the night'.
That was the one that best suited her grace, and it hadn't helped her at all that little Arsinosa had called her mother, or muña, as they say in Valyrian.
'I had to hold back a laugh when Arsinosa called her that for the first time,' I thought with humor.
We all knew that Augusta was normally stoic, but over the years of knowing her I had learned to read her a little. She solved most of her problems directly or thought about them in silence. But when they were surprising and happened in safe environments, you could see how her eyes changed a little, or she would freeze for a moment.
And that day, to me, Augusta looked like frozen prey facing a predator.
'Hahaha, just thinking about it is funny'.
Despite our troubles, I was glad she no longer seemed troubled.
The weight of being the Ephor and the prophecy of the King of Heroes had troubled her mind.
'And from what we experienced… that being would have been the end of Septimont, but…' The vibration of my terminal brought me out of my thoughts.
"Yes?" I said, answering.
"Claudius, could you join Her Grace's bloodriders? They're a little uneasy about Her Grace fighting alone", Titus said.
"I'll be right there", I replied, and set off toward the edge of the valley, where I could see Augusta's entourage, the translator, along with little Arsinosa and the maids, who were standing next to the bloodriders.
"Haa…silly brats, I hope Her Excellency's actions teach them that she doesn't need to be protected", I thought with some tiredness, those young adults were now my students, because I wouldn't even dream of entrusting them with the task of guarding if they didn't know how to fight properly.
I went down to them with my gaze fixed on Augusta, who had already landed in front of her entourage. She gestured to the translator to approach her, and she quickly did so, arriving at the side of Her Excellency, who this time planned to fight as equals against the Dothraki.
"It's been a long few weeks since I arrived in these lands with my comrades!" I heard her say, pausing long enough for Haela to translate her words to the Dothraki standing in front of her and around her.
"But I have seen only misery and cruelty!" Once hers words sank in, everyone fell silent, the freed slaves lowered their heads, and the Dothraki clenched their jaws.
"A people who ride not on glorious mounts, but on plunder and destruction!"
The silence fell, and annoyance and anger began to show on the faces of many, those who were proud of who they were and had been.
'What are you doing, Your Grace? They'll despise us like this...' I said in my mind, seeing the faces of the Dothraki around me.
"What kind of warriors boast of fighting unarmed shepherds!"
"What kind of men pride themselves on raping women who can't defend themselves!"
"What kind of person murders children and the elderly in cold blood!"
"Only beasts!" she cried, directly attacking their pride.
Now the screams began, but that didn't make Her Grace even blink, still there, proudly perched on her Griffex.
"SILENCE!" she shouted above all the screams, but I think what silenced them most were the golden rays she shot from her arm toward the sky.
Even I was surprised; she never did that, but I think she found it necessary.
"And even beasts only do it out of instinct, not for entertainment!"
The Dothraki who had followed us willingly seemed to be punished by Her Grace's words.
'Although I don't think it was their fault, being born and raised in a society like that... makes all the cruelty seem normal to them.'
"But!" Augusta shouted again, making them look at her closely.
"A large part of you have shown me that you can be more! More than the barbarians I saw at first!" I saw their previous reactions give way to hopeful doubt, like children recognizing their parents.
"I've seen you train to be better warriors!" The men began to stand with wavering pride. They had been improving, I would know.
"I've seen them learning new languages, to understand each other!"
In the 'Avidius school', as we called it, the young man had taken great care to protect children and young people, teaching them in a safe environment, and with the idea of changing their culture to one of mutual understanding.
"I've seen them help their former slaves!" The biggest change and the reason for the rebellion of the Dothraki, most entrenched in their cruel ways.
"…that's why!… the men before me!… will die!"
'So that's why I was scolding them', I realized. At that moment, just like the apple and the stick, the reward and the punishment, she told them the reason for the Dothraki deaths in front of His Grace.
"Because they don't want to change! They don't want the Dothraki to be better!"
'And there was the prize,' I said in my mind.
"Better warriors! Smarter! More humane!", That's what she wanted them to understand, and if she was optimistic, she could put an end to any future rebellion.
'But how will she prevent this from becoming the seed of hatred?'
"But they will die as warriors!".
"Just as I, Augusta, your Khaleesi, have taken you as my people, I owe it to you to honor your traditions!"
'So you will…'
"No Dohtraki dies without their Arakhs and their horse!"
'By transforming it into a new culture, saying that, you are simply cutting down the weeds so that the rest may flourish'.
"And to you!", she said, addressing her future opponents.
"I tell you!"
'And also, showing the family and friends of those men the death they would be proud of'.
"Fight, fight for your life, fight for your pride, fight like the warriors you are!" she concluded, her hair and crown shining with that ethereal glow that made everyone call her a goddess.
"Fight and die like Dothraki!"
'respecting their culture and religion, but transforming it into something that benefits everyone…truly a leader without equal, Your Excellency'.
There was no longer any need for me to calm Her Excellency's bloodriders; they were alert but calmer. Her Excellency's reprimand and congratulations for their change had made them forget their previous concerns.
I waited beside them as the interpreter Haela walked away from Her Excellency toward us. Now all that was left was for the fight to begin.
"HA!" Augusta shouted as she "unleashed" her "true" greatsword from within the array of blades and sent her Griffex running toward the Dothraki, who also began charging toward her, howling loudly and arakhs high.
They came closer and closer until they finally collided, with Aquila leaping slightly so that it front claws tore the necks of two horses, sending their riders flying forward, while Her Grace, with her Thunderflare Dominion, pierced the torso of a third rider right through the heart and lifted him from his horse, leaving him hanging in the air as she advanced on those coming towards her.
The ensuing fight was fierce, and I had to admit it. These Dothraki didn't stop, not even with broken bones and deep cuts.
Even when they fell from their horses, something they say is dishonorable, they got back up and attacked Her Excellency.
There were times when I thought Her Grace would seize her power, like when the Dothraki had separated into groups and were attacking her from all sides, but she didn't, she kept fighting on her Griffex, swinging her double-blade hard and finishing them off one at a time.
Finally, dusk had come, when the last Dothraki standing, with a broken arm and a bent foot, approached Her Excellency with his arakhs raised.
Her Excellency dismounted Aquila and waited for him to reach her.
The sight was something to admire. Despite how cruel these men had been, their pride as warriors was something I could appreciate as a Septimontian.
Then he approached Her Excellency, and it was as if they understood each other with a single glance.
They moved their weapons at the same time, clashing them in the air, causing the sound of metal to echo through the valley.
"Grah!"
The Dothraki let out the sound of a stifled grunt as Augusta's weapon snapped his arakhs in two and lodged her greatsword in the Dothraki's torso.
He staggered for a moment, until Her Excellency drew her greatsword and the Dothraki fell to the ground on his back, lifeless.
"May the Great Stallion welcome you to the starry Khalasar!", she shouted in Dothraki.