Chapter 110 – Deep Silence

[299 AC – Dragonstone]

Quietly and with a tender smile on his face, Phenex gazed down at this chest and saw the curious and trusting light in the small violet eyes looking back at him. Fine strands of silvery white hair crowning her head, his daughter seemed very comfortable with her position atop his chest.

He was currently laying in bed with a peacefully sleeping Rhaella pressed against his side, who had an arm wrapped around his waist, while Allyria was resting on his chest.

She had been born just two weeks ago on Dragonstone, as Phenex had brought Rhaella to the Ancestral Seat of her House some time ago, knowing how much she had missed her home. Since then he had spent most of his time with the both of them, unwilling to leave Rhaella's and his daughter's side for long.

Slowly rubbing Allyria's back and side like he had done for her mother a few minutes ago, Phenex watched his daughter's eyes slowly grow heavier as his little girl slowly drifted off into sleep, his heart nearly bursting with love and tenderness while watching her.

And as much as he did not want to, Phenex knew it was time for him to leave their side once again as his other responsibilities required his attention.

Drawing on his magic, he settled Rhaella and Allyria down on the bed in a comfortable position, while infusing them with plenty of warmth before leaving a light kiss on Rhealla's forehead, as well as on his daughter's.

Throwing them one last loving and longing gaze, Phenex turned around and left the room, his demeanor becoming sharper and his gaze returning to one of power and calm.

…

[299 AC]

Darkness, pressure, and silence wholly encompassed Phenex' body as he laid on the seabed at the bottom of the Narrow Sea a few miles off the coast of Dragonstone.

Thanks to his great power his body wasn't crushed by the incredible pressure as the icy cold tried to numb his limbs and snake its way inside his form. And even though Phenex could open his eyes and look around, no light reached this deep so it was pitch-black all around him.

His lungs were long since filled with heavy seawater, but it was of no consequence to Phenex, as he didn't need to breathe to survive in the first place.

In his last life as a human, Phenex had loved the water and was a great swimmer, but there had always been this instinctive fear inside his mind when his thoughts drifted to the ocean and its abyssal depths.

And yet, here he was at the bottom of the sea, all alone and with nothing on his person but dark-grey linen pants.

It was moments like these that made him realize that it had not been him that had lived such an ordinary life, as that person had stopped existing the moment he came into being as Phenex.

In such depths with nothing but his thoughts as companions, Phenex contemplated his past actions and reflected upon himself as he found these trips to the deep sea oddly calming and meditative.

The pressure, darkness, and total silence were something incredible to experience, additionally, he knew that being able to come here was something novel and unique. He didn't plan to ever bring another person with him down here, as this was his own personal retreat and he sometimes needed a few hours where his only company was himself.

It was important to be able to be with oneself and one's own thoughts without distracting oneself with other things. If a person couldn't endure the weight of his own thoughts or the silence that ensued when one was alone, he was most likely not a very strong person, that much Phenex knew.

It took a special kind of inner strength to accept oneself in all one's facets and forms, which was something that Phenex had possessed even in his last life, though it was this life that had really shown him the many things that he had not known about himself.

His mother, his lovers, his daughter, his Feathers, and the many members of the Red Temple, as well as all the common people relying on him, it was his connection and relationship to them that had forced him to be more than just a being of immeasurable power.

It was through them that he had become a ruler and a leader, a son and a father, a friend and a lover. And at this point, Phenex lived this life not only for himself but also for them.

He had chosen these responsibilities and 'burdens' out of his own free will, as only through such could one truly live life to the fullest and experience all that it had to offer.

…

Seeing Phenex emerge from the bitter-cold water, the waves crashing around him as he walked up to the shore, Daenerys was left breathless for a moment.

Dark wet locks clinging to his cheeks, his gorgeous violet eyes lighting up with tender joy when he saw her, while rivulets of water trailed down his absolutely chiseled chest.

His perfect warrior physique was on full display, as Phenex walked up to her with his wide shoulders. His movement filled with grace and confidence, as he smiled at her ever so slightly.

Her cheeks slightly rosy, Daenerys didn't say anything as he arrived before her. She just raised the towel in her hand and Phenex leaned forward a bit as she draped it over his head and roughly dried off his hair and face with gentle movements, before using the towel to dry off his chest and arms.

Daenerys' iridescent gaze was settled on his, as she leaned forward and tiptoed slightly, pressing her lips against his tenderly while still softly drying him off.

"I love you.", she whispered with a shy smile, looking up into his warm violet eyes.

She knew that Phenex could simply use his magic to dry himself off and also that it would be much more effective to do so, but that didn't stop her to wait for him at the shore with a towel to show him she cared and thought about him.

Phenex might not need anybody's help, but the fact that he let her help him dry off clearly showed her that he loved the way she showed her affection and care.

"I love you more, little dragon.", he replied, deep love burning fiercely in his fiery eyes, before he leaned in for a kiss of his own.

Tasting the sea on his lips and smelling it on his skin, Daenerys simply melted in his embrace when she felt Phenex wrap one of his arms around her waist, while his other hand cradled her cheek and buried itself in her hair.

It was a slow but deep kiss, and Daenerys clung to her lover's lips as if she was dying of thirst, anxious for his touch and warmth. Her arms wrapped themselves around Phenex' neck, while her soft curves pressed up against him, perfectly complementing his granitic physique.

From slow and loving, the dance of their tongues became more heated and desperate, as Phenex plundered her lips while his hands wandered to her hips and picked her up, holding her tightly.

It was only a moment later that he brought them to her bedchamber in the castle, before setting her down and slowly prying off her soft leather armor and padded-woolen clothing beneath, his lips wandering over her cheeks, jaw, and neck as he did so.

Daenerys whimpered longingly at every one of his touches, moaning breathlessly due to the intimacy and affection she felt in every caress and saw burning in his beautiful eyes.

It wasn't long before Phenex had her draped over the silken sheets of her bed, hovering over her smaller, naked form equally bare, his hair still somewhat wet.

And when he finally pushed his hard length into her hot core, her legs wrapped themselves around his waist while she arched her back in bliss, her mind overwhelmed with feeling him so close.

She felt him grasp one of her breasts firmly, kneading her sensitive flesh expertly, while drawing a path of kisses, licks, and teasing bites from her shoulder to her lips, his hips setting a deep and slow rhythm.

Phenex whispered words of affection, while her moans echoed through the stony bedchamber. Her nails carving a path into his unbreachable skin, as her first orgasm washed through her small frame, clinging to her lover in need of an anchor.

Hours later, when Daenerys was already near her limit, she finally felt his shaft throb and pulse inside her, while she sat on her lover's folded knees, being embraced by him. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck, as she cried out one last time while his seed rushed into her depths and she lost all her strength in the aftermath of her orgasm.

Disconnecting their bodies, Phenex moved them under the covers and pulled her in his embrace, softly caressing the skin of her waist and back, while she looked at him with sleepy and beautiful watery eyes.

Moving as close in his embrace as she could, the young dragonrider fell into a peaceful sleep in the arms of the one her heart yearned for, day in, day out.