Chapter 105 – Race

[298 AC]

Winds screeching and tearing at him, Phenex held onto the leather strap, which was fastened to the saddle Sapphire was currently wearing as they soared through the air, her mighty wings causing them to gain more speed with every flap, despite her incredible size.

Deeply focused on their bond, Phenex could see their target through her eyes as he spotted a small white circle drawn onto the grass in the distance.

A dragon cry echoed through the air, as Daenerys spurned on Obsidian to do his best to outpace Sapphire, the gorgeous silver-haired dragonrider being dead-set to win their race. And to be honest her chances at doing so were probably better than his.

Obsidian only had half the size of Sapphire, though he was still bigger than Drogon of the original timeline, which gave him an advantage at speed for short distances as he weighed much less.

Sapphire was larger and much stronger physically, but it took time for her to reach her top speed and she was not as nimble in the air as the younger dragon.

Of course, she would absolutely crush Obsidian if it came to a head-on fight as her fire was the most destructive out of all the dragons in the temple, being capable of even overcoming a normal dragon's fire resistance.

She would also only need to get one solid hit in with her claws or tail to crush the younger dragon's bones, not to mention her jaws which were capable of crushing granite with the greatest ease. After so many years by Phenex' side, Sapphire was a pure force of destruction.

This though was not a fight, it was a race and a short one at that, but neither Sapphire nor her rider planned to throw in the towel just yet.

"It seems like we will have to play a little unfair, Sapphire.", Phenex voiced out, speaking the same words to her mentally, as he ordered her to go into a steep dive and use her weight to gain speed.

A rumble went through Sapphire's chest as she signaled her understanding, before she folded in her wings and speared downwards into a dive, letting out a mighty screech as she did so.

Faster and faster, they went. Nearing the target at incredible speed, too much speed in fact.

Daenerys saw this and was stunned for a moment, as she herself had not considered such an action exactly because she was afraid of being too fast. If Obsidian flew down too fast, there was no way that he could accurately land or even stop in time and let her reach the small white circle first.

The young Targaryen girl did not understand what Phenex' plan was, as he and his dragon just carved through the air at top speeds, seemingly not intending to stop at al-

"Damn! He doesn't plan on letting Sapphire land, he is going to jump!", Daenerys cried out in shock and surprise, as she figured out what exactly Phenex had planned.

And she did so not a moment too late, as Sapphire suddenly unfolded the wings partially and went into a more horizontal high-speed glide, directly bypassing the target below. It was also that moment that she saw Phenex just jump off his dragon without care, even though there was still at least a hundred feet of distance between him and the ground.

But such a distance was naturally of no consequence to a being like him, and so Phenex landed steadily on his feet and cracked the ground beneath him, before walking into the circle leisurely just as Daenerys got Obsidian to land right next to it.

Jumping from her dragon's back and sliding down his wing, she rushed up to Phenex, cheeks puffed up and eyes flashing in anger.

"You cheated! The rules were no magic!", Daenerys accused as she brought down her small fists on his chest, which only caused Phenex to let out a carefree laugh that brought an unwilling smile to the young girl's face.

It was a rare sight to see the one she loved, laugh in such an unburdened manner, as Phenex always seemed somewhat solemn, even when around those he loved and cared for.

"Hahaha, I didn't cheat! I really didn't, I am just naturally tough!", Phenex replied with a smirk, looking very pleased with himself.

"Naturally tough?! You jumped from your dragon at full speed, from a height of over a hundred feet! No man can do such a thing and walk it off like nothing happened!", the young girl countered.

"Well, I am no man.", Phenex answered with a shrug as his arms wrapped themselves around the Targaryen Princess' midsection.

At a loss, Daenerys just looked up at him, not knowing what to say for a moment, which was the exact opportunity Phenex had waited for to sneak attack her and steal himself a kiss.

Melting into his embrace on instinct, Daenerys just about managed to pry her lips from his to whisper: "Next time you have to let me win."

"I will, little dragon.", Phenex agreed easily, before once again connecting their lips and pulling Daenerys with him as he fell back into the soft verdant grass.

Seeing his rider and mother otherwise engaged, Obsidian just let out a soft snort before rising up into the air once again to join Sapphire for a quick hunt of some wild buffalos nearby.

…

[297 AC – Small Council Chamber]

"Tell me this isn't true Ned! Tell me your wife did not just take Tyrion-fucking-Lannister a prisoner and brought him to the Vale!", his old friend and King roared at him in anger, as he sat in his chair at the meeting table.

All of the council members were present, as were the Queen and her brother, though the two of them looked positively murderous, while the others were pointedly quiet. And while Cersei Lannister may not love her little brother, like her father she was fiercely protective of her House when it came to dealing with outside threats.

"My wife did what she did on my command, Your Grace. She is not to blame for my orders.", Ned stated without hesitation to protect his wife from retribution.

He knew that as the Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, Hand of the King, and most importantly Robert's oldest friend, he had much less to fear when it came to possible punishments. And no matter Catelyn's action, Eddard Stark would never betray his wife and throw her to the lions.

"Seven Hells, Ned! Do you know what you are doing?!", Robert roared incensed, as even he as a drunk knew well enough that House Lannister was best not to antagonize.

"I have reason to believe that Tyrion Lannister was involved in the attempted assassination of my son.", Ned tried to explain himself, even though he knew that he had no real proof for his theory.

Jamie Lannister bristled at his words and immediately drew his blade before approaching him and announcing in a menacing tone: "And I have reason to believe that you attempt to murder my brother in cold blood, so why don't I just gut you right here, right now."

"Enough, Kingslayer! Put that sword away before I have your head on a spike!", Robert called out, before turning his gaze toward his Hand, "Do you have proof that the imp was indeed responsible for what you say he is, Ned?"

"I have the dagger that was used in the assassination, a dagger that last belonged to Tyrion Lannister.", Eddard stated.

"A dagger that could have been stolen god-knows-when to blame my brother, Lord Stark. Or even frame him, if that is your goal.", the Queen countered scathingly, while her eyes still called for murder.

"A bloody dagger! Fucking hell, Ned!", Robert roared, making it clear that this was simply not enough, "You will write a letter to your wife! She will release the imp at once, travel back to Winterfell, and not leave that damned castle anytime soon!"

Before Ned could respond to Robert's orders, the Queen spoke up once again: "What of her punishment? She dragged my brother from the Kingsroad to the Vale, doing who-knows-what to him while she did so? Is that not a crime?!"

"Quiet, woman! Do you think I do not know who burned those villages in the Riverlands?!", the King hollered, "Send a message to your father and tell him to draw back his men immediately, before I announce him a traitor and bring hell upon that fucking rock he calls his home!"

"By the old and the new gods, dammit! I have Seven Kingdoms to rule! Seven! I don't have time for war between the Starks and the Lannisters!"

"Leave now, all of you! And woe to those of you, who ignore my orders! I do not want to hear of this again!"

At this point, Ned could do little more than bow lightly and leave the small council chamber, knowing that the crimes against his son would probably never be avenged. And while this did anger him greatly, he knew that the realm at large was more important, as were Robert's orders.

Though in the back of his mind, he wondered if things could be resolved so easily as Tywin Lannister was not a man known to quietly accept an insult to his House and its members.