Chapter 033 – Discrepancy

[289 AC]

Lying on the grassy roof of the temple early in the morning, Jade at his back, while Sapphire had placed her head in his lap, both dragonlings napping relaxedly in the presence of their father, Phenex enjoyed the peaceful silence around him.

Two of his Feathers were sitting in lotus positions at the entrance to the roof, meditating while preventing everyone from disturbing him.

Phenex knew though that Nymeria would probably show up soon, as the girl was simply fascinated by the magical creatures, while Obara was most likely going to accompany her younger sister.

Phenex had given Oberyn a small courtyard near the temple that had once belonged to a minor noble, so that he and his people could settle down there for awhile, as Ellaria's date of delivery wasn't far off.

Phenex had also introduced him to his Feathers and a few high-ranking priests, before informing him of the rules of this city.

Unlike Westeros, Oberyn couldn't just draw his weapon on another man because of an argument, his noble title giving him no special rights in the First Daughter. Phenex had made it very clear that he would lose his life, if he dared to kill another man in his city, the reason being anything else but self-defense.

There was only one place in Volantis, where one was allowed to spill the blood of another, which was the Fighting Pits.

And while the Dornish Prince was an arrogant man, he was also highly intelligent and knew his own limits, so he promised to abide by the rules.

He had also become quick friends with the Feathers and a few Fiery Hand members, as they all respected the martial prowess of the dornishman, while Oberyn was practically overjoyed to find sparring partners that were pretty much unkillable.

And while neither the Feathers, nor the Fiery Hand's men enjoyed the pain and injury, they were very willing to spar with the Prince, taking the chance to improve their own abilities while doing so.

Sparring aside, Oberyn's favourite past times though was clearly visiting the Fighting Pits and the Houses of Blazing Pleasure, along with teaching and instructing his daughters in different disciplines.

Phenex also sparred regularly with him, even though he still spent most of his time with his dragons. Accompanying them for a flight or hunt, while taking a nap at their side. He loved them both deeply, almost like his own children.

He had not understood Daenerys' insistence on calling them her children in the past, but now that he could feel their lifeforce pulsing over the bond they shared, he understood. Their own thoughts were also clear on that matter, as they saw him like a father, the existence closest to them.

And yet, they demanded nothing but his affection and care, being overjoyed and content with his mere presence.

At night, Phenex shared his bed with Kinvara, not always in a sexual, but nonetheless intimate manner. His relationship with her similar to the one he had with his dragons, as the priestess didn't demand more from him than a small piece of his heart, while she willingly laid her everything in his hands.

Kinvara was the only one with whom he shared even his most private thoughts, talking about everything and everyone, without fear of rejection or disappointment on her part.

And while he didn't tell her about his past life, as a human on Earth, that wasn't because he was afraid to tell her, but because it was mostly irrelevant.

These memories had become a part of him, like the myriad ones he had received from his ancestors, being mere drops in a Universe-sized ocean of memories. Phenex knew that he may tell her some day, but that day hadn't yet come.

His quiet musings though were soon interrupted, as he suddenly felt the High Priestess of the Red Temple in Braavos call out for him.

Spreading his senses in her direction, Phenex was very surprised by what he discovered. His body turning into immaterial flames, he infused his draconic children with a bit of fire, as to keep them comfortable and unaware of his abscense.

He carefully placed Sapphire's head from his lap to her sister's side, before he vanished from Volantis in a shower of flames, having taken one of the Feathers, a Volantene men called Belio, with him.

Reappearing in the Red Temple in Braavos, with the Feather behind him as his silent shadow, Phenex looked at the kneeling High Priestess. He remembered her name being Si La, a very beautiful woman of Yitish descent.

She had been recommended by Kinvara for this position in Braavos, as she had performed admirably in all her duties and was likewise a skillfull shadowbinder with roots in Asshai.

Phenex had given her back her youth on Kinvara's plea, but did not grace her with longevity for the time being.

Nevertheless Si La was an incredibly devout believer, a very good speaker and almost fanatically loyal, which made her the perfect priestess to stay in Braavos and act as his eyes and ears in the city.

"Rise, Si La. There is no need to kneel.", he addressed her softly.

Rising to her feet, the Yitish beauty looked at Phenex with deep devotion and infatuation, as she greeted: "Your servant welcomes you to Braavos, my Lord."

"Hmm.", he nodded lightly, as he continued seriously, "You have found Daenerys Targaryen?"

"Yes, Lord. The Black Pearl, one of your many believers in the city, brought her to us.", Si La explained, though Phenex had already taken all the information from her mind with but a single glance.

Still, it wasn't a good habit to brush off his subordinates, so he tried to engage them in conversations, instead of just taking what he needed from their minds. Their faith and loyality making Phenex very mild in dealing with them, as he valued their trust and devotion.

They weren't something to be taken for granted afterall, and it didn't matter that he could enforce such things with magic. Their willingness to believe in his guidance and protection was something precious and he had no plans to disappoint them.

What had started years ago as a curious experiment, had now become a responsibility and burden he shouldered with grace and consideration.

"Her brother Viserys, he died?", Phenex inquired, wating for Si La to describe what had happened in more detail.

"Yes, Lord. It seems that last night he had tried to urge the Black Pearl into his bed, but she refused. The rejection led to the Targaryen boy insulting the Black Pearl, for which he was promptly challenged by a suitor of the courtesan, as the young Prince wore a blade at that time.", Si La depicted, as she continued, a bitter, almost pitying smile on her face, "The boy didn't know his own limits and had his throat cut in the first exchange."

"The Black Pearl realized that the boy was a Targaryen heir through her own blood magic, she was however unable to stop the duel in time. Afterwards she used a small ritual and found his sister Daenerys, along with a sick old servant and two handmaidens."

"She took them with her and brought them all here, informing me of the happenings of last night and imploring me to send a message to Volantis and you, my Lord.", Si La ended.

Directing his consciousness deep into the aspects of Life and Rebirth inside his being, Phenex peered into the world around him on a deeper level and found Viserys' 'existence'. Not his soul as it had already dissipated and returned to the origin after his death.

Still, every living being left marks of its existence behind, their whole being archived on a higher plane that only he, as the Ruler over Life and Rebirth, could look into. There he saw and confirmed, that all that Si La had told him was indeed the truth.

Viserys in his hubris had ignored the countless warnings of Willem Darry, former Master-at-Arms of the Red Keep under Aerys Targaryen and guardian of the Targaryen siblings, and had gone out at night with his sword behind the sick and aged knight's back.

Afterwards Viserys had gotten himself killed through sheer stupidity, as he had been blinded by the lies he had been fed his whole life.

Viserys had fled King's Landing with his pregnant mother when five years old, accompanied by Sir Willem Darry. So he had known what the life of true royality was like, while his mother Rhaella had also shielded him from much of his father's madness.

This meant that he hadn't really known the truth behind the rebellion and the subsequent killing of his father and brother. And after his mother had died in labour, the boy had been raised by servants and the old knight, having been treated like a royal heir and told that it was his right to sit on the throne.

It would have been a surprise if Viserys hadn't turned out as he had.

Instead of having educated the child to be humble and collected, along with telling him the truth, the old knight and the remaining loyal servants had basically destroyed any chance of him growing up to be a reasonable adult.

Case in point being, that the fourteen-year-old Viserys had been delusional enough to think that he could walk around at night in Braavos with a sword and insult one of the most sought after women in all of Essos, when it was common sense that the weapon-wearing Braavosi regularly duelled and killed each other at night.

Though it hadn't only been the negligence of these servants that had led to such a development, but more importantly their loyality. These servants were practically blinded by their loyalty to House Targaryen and had found themselves unable to discipline the boy like they should have done.

Phenex knew that Viserys' death was also a discrepancy in the timeline, which wasn't too surprising as his mere presence had changed things massively, especially in Essos. In the end he could only contribute this development to be the result of the butterfly effect.