Chapter 096 – Worries and Fears

[298 AC]

The next day Phenex found himself in the temple gardens in Volantis, sitting cross-legged on the vibrant grass with his back resting against the wide trunk of a fruit tree.

Rhaella sat in his lap giving off quiet moans of incredible comfort as Phenex gently massaged her neck, shoulders, and back until any and all tension left her form.

Falling back into his embrace a few minutes later, wonderfully relaxed and positively sleepy, Rhaella looked up at Phenex with near overwhelming affection, her gentle violet eyes glowing with deep love.

A slight smile on his lips, Phenex wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands above the tiny baby bump in a tender fashion.

"Feeling better?", he asked quietly, hoping that his presence and care had somewhat banished the worry in his wife's heart.

During this period of time when Rhaella had been pregnant, she had constantly been worried about the child growing within her, even though she knew that Phenex would never let anything happen to their baby and make sure that it was born healthy.

It couldn't be helped though, as the former Targaryen Queen had had many miscarriages and had lost several of her children months after they had been born.

This trauma wasn't one so easily overcome, so Phenex stayed by her side for a few long hours every day, especially during the night, and tried to dispel her worries.

Helping his Targaryen wife relax by massaging her frequently had become the norm over the last few weeks and thankfully it worked rather well, as Rhaella was still worried, but not frantically so.

Nodding quietly, the former queen laid her hand against his cheek and moved to place a tender kiss on his lips, as she whispered a soft 'Thank you, my love.' before she returned to resting her head against his shoulder.

It was a few minutes later that the quiet beauty had already fallen asleep, resting peacefully in his arms.

…

As Phenex returned to Castle Black sometime later that day, he appeared in the bedchamber he was occupying with Arianne and Missandei.

Seeing neither of them in their room, Phenex went to find them, not bothering to use his magic to do so as he left the tower.

What greeted his eyes was the sight of Obara sparring heartily with several members of the Fiery Hand simultaneously, her Valyrian Steel spear twisting and turning to keep the experienced warriors that surrounded her at bay.

She took advantage of the full reach her weapon gave her and combined with her physical strength, she could just about survive being cut down by her opponents though she held not the slightest advantage in the fight.

She was relying on pure technique to last this long and her forehead was already dripping with sweat as she danced around the small space the Fiery Hand warriors tried to confine her in.

As a Feather, she could draw on Phenex' power like no other member of the Red Temple besides Kinvara, as even the other High Priests and Priestesses could not do so without his permission, but she obviously didn't do so in this spar.

Obara was still trying to master the spear techniques Phenex had taught her all those years ago in the days after their first meeting, but she could not yet emulate the flowing style of the technique like he had displayed it.

But she also didn't only try to master the technique, Obara also wanted to combine it with the sharp and fierce style her father had taught her since young, creating an even greater spear technique in the process.

It was hard, almost impossibly so, but Obara persisted through pain and fatigue, her heart unshakeable by difficulty and hardship. The young girl Phenex had met on his journey to Volantis all those years back, had already become a warrior in her own right.

Looking at the utter focus on her face, while she squeezed every drop of potential from her exhausted body, Phenex couldn't help but smile lightly. He could feel the pure joy and exhilaration in Obara's heart as she did what she loved most.

The spear was her path and his heart was filled with pride at what the little flower had achieved, at what she had become. She was his Feather and he couldn't wait for her to grow her own wings.

And so Phenex just quietly left her to her sparring session and had a nearby member of the Fiery Hand, who had been resting, tell him where Arianne and Missandei had gone.

The warrior had told him that Than had accompanied them to the library of Castle Black, which Phenex promptly set off towards.

It took only a couple of minutes before he arrived at a rather big tower near the center of the stronghold and stepped inside. Normally only a few were allowed to enter the library, but seeing as he wasn't just 'anyone' and the fact that the Lord Commander had given them permission, Phenex didn't hesitate to enter.

What greeted his sight was a short corridor that led into the tower, the doorway sealed with a heavy curtain to keep the cold and damp outside, but once he pushed that aside he saw rows upon rows of bookshelves with a large table to one side and smaller ones distributed all over the room.

There was also a spiral staircase made out of stone, fused with the outside wall that led upstairs, where undoubtedly many more books and scrolls were waiting to be read.

Phenex could feel that Arianne, Missandei, and Than were upstairs and his senses told him that all three of them were somewhat entranced by some of the reading materials they had found.

It didn't surprise him much, as Than was the guard that had accompanied Missandei most often in Volantis, which led to him also developing an interest in literature.

Phenex' gaze for the moment though was focused on the white-haired old man he saw sitting at one of the tables on his own, staring somewhat blankly into the space before him.

Maester of the Night's Watch, Aemon Targaryen.

Most of the realm had already forgotten that there was still an older member of House Targaryen alive and serving at Castle Black as Aemon practically never spoke of his heritage, nor did he ever attempt to break his oath and leave the Watch to aid his family in any capacity.

According to the family tree, Maester Aemon was the granduncle of Rhaella, though Phenex wasn't sure if even she remembered this relative of hers as Aemon had practically lived his whole life away from King's Landing and Dragonstone.

But that wasn't all, as the blind old man was also related to Phenex by blood and not just through marriage. Aemon Targaryen's mother was none other than Dyanna Dayne, Phenex' great-great-great-grandaunt.

Of course, something like that wasn't too strange among the Houses in Westeros as marriage alliances had been carried out for thousands of years now, so encountering a distant relative wasn't something as rare as one might think.

As if sensing his gaze, Aemon suddenly addressed him in a calm and aged voice: "You are 'him', are you not? The Lord of Light, the Fire Giant, the God of Volantis."