Chapter 100 – Child of Paradise

[298 AC]

Looking down at the bundle of leaves, Phenex saw a tiny, green-skinned infant hidden in the bundle. It looked like a creature birthed by nature itself and despite its odd skin colour, it was a beautiful child with glowing green eyes and a curious smile.

Taking the bundle from Leaf's hands, Phenex brought it closer to his face as he thought about what name to give the child. He wanted to choose something appropriate and fitting, as this child would carry its name for centuries to come.

"I came here today to finally make good on my promise and take you back south, so that you may escape from this freezing land.", Phenex voiced out after a few long moments, his gaze still fixed on the child as he smiled lightly.

"I will bring you to the land I created for Arianne near the landbridge you once destroyed to stop the First Men from invading further. It is a small island called Moonblade, and I am sure that you will find it to your liking, as it is a land filled with nature and magic."

"This child is the symbol of a new beginning for you, as is the island, and so I declare her name to be Eden, the Child of Paradise.", Phenex ended in a sonorous voice, pure magic erupting from his form and taking hold of the whole weirwood tree and the hill it was rooted to.

It was with but a thought that he brought the massive tree and the whole cave system to Dorne, once again forcing reality to bend to his will.

While doing so he also made sure to destroy the Three-Eyed-Raven once and for all, letting the tortured spirits dissipate and merge back into the origin. This time around, Brandon Stark would not be privy to the secrets of these lands so easily.

…

After staying another few hours or so with the Children, during which Phenex and his companions had been served fresh dew, some sweet leaves, and perfectly roasted rodent meat, he brought his lovers and the two Feathers back to the far north, after which they directly returned to the Wall.

The Children were interesting people to be around as they loved all things nature and were generally very pure-minded, but they also had an absolutely ruthless and merciless side to them.

They made for great hosts, as they had entertained Missandei with fantastical stories about the time before the First Men wandered the lands of Westeros and had even captured Arianne's and the Feathers' interest with their re-telling of the wars between the Children and the Giants.

After their return to the Wall, Phenex made sure to remind his warriors that they would all set off towards White Harbor tomorrow, where a ship from the temple would pick them up.

Phenex didn't plan to visit the rest of Westeros for the time being, as other rapidly approaching events were starting to need his attention. Their vacation had also gone on for over three months, so it was only natural that it came to an end.

He still planned on showing Arianne and Missandei the rest of Westeros in the future, but for now at least, there were other things to take care of.

…

[298 AC]

Valyrian steel frame, high-quality steel leaf springs, Valyrian steel wheels with wooden frames, and an alchemical coat of a rubber-like substance, all of these things made long journeys in a carriage incredibly comfortable in contrast to the wooden constructions that were so common around the world.

Even the best royal carriage could not hold a candle to the carriage that had been sent from Volantis for Melisandre to use.

The ride in them was smooth and without bumps thanks solely to the masterful craftsmanship of the Flaming Craft branch and her Lord's blueprints and ideas.

The 'rubber'-coating around the wooden frames on the wheels had been invented by a sub-branch under the Flaming Branch, and it was her Lord that had named it as such and designated its use, and the results were simply heavenly.

It wasn't as if Melisandre did not know how to ride or did not want to do so, but as she had accompanied the King on his travels North and now back to King's Landing, the priestess found her carriage simply much more appealing.

Riding for weeks and months on end was an incredibly tedious and boring task, but there was simply no other choice given that the King's procession was several hundred men large and most of them did in fact have no horses.

But even if they did, the wooden carriages loaded with supplies simply could not drive faster than normal walking speed without risking damage to the vehicle due to bumps, stones, or roots in the road.

This was another reason why Melisandre had started to miss Volantis and the Blessed Cities, her home.

Even though only the temple was in possession of Valyrian steel and her Lord made it clear that not even an ounce was to be sold to anyone outside of the Red Temple, lesser versions of her carriage were more and more common in the Red Temple's territory, not to mention that they had paved roads connecting all the Blessed Cities.

In comparison, Westeros was just a backwater country, which was entirely the fault of those who ruled these lands. Even King's Landing, the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms, was nothing but a cesspool of filth and corruption.

The smell alone was enough to bring down even the strongest man and Melisandre thanked her Lord every day for his blessings that made it possible to waste her magic power to shield herself from this assault on her senses.

The fresh air was also the only thing she enjoyed on this journey, as most other aspects, especially her short stay in Winterfell had stretched her patience.

The Lady of Winterfell had unknowingly come close to dying a fiery death several times due to her ignorant comments, and it was only because Melisandre had centuries of experience to draw upon that she had managed to stay her hand.

Well, that and the fact that she would never act against her Lord's wishes.

These thoughts were cut short, as Melisandre suddenly noticed the commotion that had suddenly appeared around the royal campsite to the side of the inn at the crossroads.

The Red Priestess directly spotted the Queen and dozens of guards moving back into the camp with the prince in their midst, holding his bleeding arm in pain.

'Interesting, it seems the event the Lord had prophesized has finally arrived.', Melisandre smiled to herself, a spike of intrigue and excitement emerging in her heart.