plot explanation - Why did Daenerys Targaryen feel betrayed by Doreah? - Movies & TV

I did not understand this bit of Game of Thrones S02E10. I thought Doreah chose to be with Xaro Xhoan Daxos to save Daenerys life?

But Daenerys somehow felt betrayed and sentenced her to death inside the giant vault along with Xaro Xhoan. Why?

Answer

Let's see the situation from Daenerys's eyes:

1. She returns to the palace to find many of her men and a faithful handmaiden (Irri) dead.


2. Not only that, but her precious dragons, her babies, missing. Her other trusted handmaiden (Doreah) is also missing.



3. She spends many days, nervous and afraid, as she looks for the missing dragons.


4. Once she finally finds out where they are hidden she has to go through an extremely dangerous and stressful ordeal (the House of the Undying) in order to get them back.


5. When she figures out that Xaro Xohan Daxos was responsible for the kidnapping in the first place, she also finds out that Doreah is safe and sound and in his company.


6. Dany deduces that Doreah had sold her out to Xaro in order to keep herself safe and win the wealthy man's favor.


7. Doreah protests that she all did it to keep Dany safe, but at this point of time she only has Doreah's word that this is true, and Dany has no reason to believe her at that moment.

In short, the whole ordeal has made Dany a less trusting person (the lesson she thanks Xaro for), and now sees Doreah as a traitor who deserves death.

Did Doreah really do what she did to save Dany's life? Perhaps. But the price (the death of Irri and the kidnapping of the dragons) was too high to justify it in Dany's eyes.

Also, in a deleted scene it is revealed that Doreah herself killed Irri with a strangling cord when Irri walked in to find the dragons in cages, so it is truly a life for a life.