Hizdahr zo Loraq

"What is done is done. You are the Queen and I am a servant of Meereen; a servant who does not wish to see its traditions eradicated."

- Hizdahr zo Loraq

Hizdahr zo Loraq is a recurring character in the fourth and fifth seasons. He is played by Joel Fry and debuts in "Breaker of Chains". He is a former slave-trader from the city of Meereen, on the coast of Slaver's Bay, and a scion of the House of Loraq, an ancient and proud line of slavers.

Background
Hizdahr belongs to the ancient aristocratic House of Loraq, who have been one of the ruling families of slavemasters in Meereen for many generations.

Hizdahr zo Loraq is fluent in the Common Tongue of Westeros, which is not unusual for merchants in Essos, as they take part in long-distance trade.

Season 4
Hizdahr zo Loraq is the son of one of the many Great Masters. He, along with his father and the rest of Meereen's nobility, gather over the walls of the city when Daenerys Targaryen and her army appear before the city gates to lay siege to it.

His father is crucified in the aftermath of the siege, a matter which he later confronts her about personally. Hizdahr pleads to be allowed to bury him at the Temple of the Graces, to which she agrees, after learning that he had opposed the crucifixion of the slave children as an ill-conceived warning against Daenerys.

Some weeks later, Daenerys tells Jorah Mormont to send Hizdahr to Yunkai as her ambassador. Hizdahr is to offer the Wise Masters a choice: they can "live in her new world" and accept the abolition of slavery, or "die in their old one" at the hands of the Second Sons sent under the command of Daario Naharis.

Season 5
Hizdahr and Daario return to Meereen to find the Unsullied patrolling the streets in response to attacks by the Sons of the Harpy. Hizdahr is initially happy to report that the Wise Masters have agreed to have Yunkai governed by a council of freed slaves and former Masters. They have even agreed to submit their important decisions to Daenerys for authorization. However, they insist that the city's infamous fighting pits be reopened. Daenerys is furious at this concession and refuses, even though the Wise Masters have agreed that all fighters will be free men who enter the arena willingly. Hizdahr is frustrated when Daenerys ends the argument by declaring that she is a queen, not a politician.

Hizdahr later becomes a member of Daenerys's small council, representing the former Great Masters. After White Rat's killer is caught, he and Mossador butt heads over what to do with him. Hizdahr disagrees with Mossador's insistence that the Sons of the Harpy are funded by the Great Masters. Mossador ultimately kills the murderer without Daenerys's consent, and Hizdahr witnesses his execution, voicing his opinion that Daenerys should have killed Mossador inside the pyramid with few witnesses instead of publicly executing him.

On the day that usually marks the traditional opening of the fighting season Hizdahr again entreats Daenerys to reopen the fighting pits, noted that while it is not a perfect solution, it will at least be enough to bring the Meereenese and Yunkish Masters to the table.

Following the skirmish that claimed the life of Ser Barristan Selmy, Hizdahr visits Daenerys to offer his condolences. He and Daario offer advice on how to deal with the Sons of the Harpy, but Daenerys coolly informs them that she will take the heads of Meereen's great houses into custody. When Hizdahr points out that this description applies to him, the Unsullied grab him immediately. Hizdahr and the other heads of house are brought into the catacombs. As the Unsullied drive them forward, Daenerys explains that she has no idea which of them are guilty and which are innocent (including Hizdahr). When Rhaegal appears and roasts one of the Great Masters alive, Hizdahr is the only one of the remaining Masters to remain standing, offering as his defense a halfhearted "valar morghulis". Daenerys, having reminded the Great Masters of what she (and her dragons) can do, allows them to leave with their lives, but keeps them under arrest. Later, she visits Hizdahr in his cell. His composure now gone, he prostrates himself before her and begs for mercy, his public calm replaced with terror. Daenerys is pleased that he's now being honest again, and informs him that in the interests of peace she will reopen the Fighting Pits (to free men only). She will also show her respect for Meereen by marrying a member of one of its great families – and fortuitously, she already has one of them on their knees before her.

The Sons of the Harpy attacks cease following the betrothal, which brings Daario to believe that Hizdahr may be involved with them, though Daenerys remains unconvinced. Hizdahr and Daenerys visit a fighting pit in order to honor the lesser pit fighters with their presence. Though Daenerys soon desires to leave when she is disturbed by the violence, Hizdahr persuades her to stay in order to respect traditions. He witnesses Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister reveal themselves to Daenerys in the pit.

During the Great Games, the Sons of the Harpy attack Daznak's Pit. Hizdahr attempts to lead Daenerys to safety, but is grabbed and stabbed repeatedly in the chest by four members of the Sons of the Harpy, indicating that he had been loyal to Daenerys after all. He lives long enough to witness Daenerys being taken to safety by Jorah Mormont and Daario Naharis.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Hizdahr zo Loraq is also a scion of the House of Loraq. He is described as tall and slender, with flawless amber skin. In keeping with the elaborate hairdos the Meereenese favor, his red-black Ghiscari hair is styled into a pair of harpy's wings, until he has it shaved in an attempt to please Daenerys.

Hizdahr is actually the fourteenth member of the House of Loraq to bear that name. He is descended from a long line of famous Meereenese nobles, including the original "Hizdahr zo Loraq", who was also known as "Hizdahr the Handsome". The current Hizdahr is formally addressed as "Hizdahr, Fourteenth of That Noble Name".

The novels do not reveal if Hizdhar's father was among the people who were crucified at Daenerys' command as retribution for the crucifixion of the slave children. Hizdahr is also less personally involved with Daenerys in the books. He petitions the reopening of the fighting pits primarily because he owns them, and he is recommended as a husband by the Green Grace, rather than Daenerys choosing him herself. He is also rather meek and ineffectual, whereas the TV version is quite bold and is a skilled negotiator.

In the novels, Hizdahr, while a constant presence at court during petition sessions, is not a member of Daenerys's council. The novel character closer to this role is Reznak mo Reznak, a seneschal who is the figure closest to Meereenese traditions among Dany's court. The truth of his affiliation with the Sons of the Harpy is still unclear, although circumstantial evidence towards his guilt keeps piling up. In the series, many characters just mention that Hizdahr's conciliatory attitude doesn't mean he isn't secretly involved with the Sons of the Harpy.

Hizdahr is not killed during the fight with Drogon in Daznak's Pit, but is still alive and well as of A Dance with Dragons, though his death in the television series implies that he will die in a later novel. Following Daenerys's disappearance from Meereen, Hizdahr declares himself King of Meereen, but is later apprehended and placed under house arrest by Barristan Selmy under suspicion of orchestrating an assassination attempt on Daenerys moments before Drogon's appearance (which was cut from the series).

Quotes
"I pray you will never live to see a member of your family treated so cruelly."

- Hizdahr to Daenerys.

"Is it justice to answer one crime with another?"

- Hizdahr to Daenerys.

"I cannot defend the actions of the Masters. I can only speak to you as a son who loved his father."

- Hizdahr to Daenerys.

"It's easier to rule happy subjects than angry ones."

- Hizdahr to Daenerys.

"Traditions are the only thing that will hold this city - YOUR city - together. Without them, the former slaves and former masters have nothing in common. Nothing but centuries of mistrust and resentment. I can't promise this is the answer to all our problems, but it's a start."

- Hizdahr to Daenerys, as the Sons of the Harpy plan another attack.