Chapter 099 – A bundle of leaves

[298 AC]

Seeing the wights fall after Obara had destroyed the White Walker, Phenex smiled to himself. He had expected no less from his Feather.

"Gather the corpses and burn them.", Phenex instructed.

As the incarnation of Life, Phenex held an innate distaste for all kinds of necromancy and while he did not feel compelled to destroy all those practicing this branch of magic, he would not leave these corpses be, now that he had encountered them.

The Fiery Hand members were quick to follow his instructions and less than ten minutes later a fiercely-burning pyre had been erected and was slowly consuming the dead.

"How many more of these are there?", Arianne asked Phenex, as they watched the flames do their work, a small frown on her face.

"White Walkers? A dozen, maybe more.", Phenex replied, "Though if you are asking about wights, then I'd say tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. There are too many dead in these lands and if the White Walkers decide to take the time to raise them all, then they would simply drown the Seven Kingdoms with their undead soldiers."

"The Night's Watch will never be able to stop them.", Arianne remarked quietly.

"No, they won't.", Phenex agreed without pause, not hiding the fact that the Watch was most likely doomed.

Arianne fell quiet at that as she seemingly thought about something, a slight frown settling on her face.

The Dornish Princess wasn't naive enough to ask her husband to just eliminate the White Walkers because she pitied the members of the Night's Watch, even though she knew that Phenex would most likely fulfill her wish.

She was a noblewoman and had been taught to rule since young. And while she was passionate by nature, Arianne was also clear-headed when it was necessary and she had a natural talent for politics.

She knew that simply saving the Night's Watch would not be to the Red Temple's benefit, which she already considered herself part of and not only due to her marriage with Phenex, but also because she had spent so much time in Volantis and was involved in the ruling process.

But it also wasn't only the fact that there was no benefit to such a thing, the Watch might not even thank them for it or even believe that they had saved them. And even if they did, the Watch was only loyal to the Realm and the people in it. They would never choose to side with Phenex, Arianne knew that very well.

Arianne also knew that Phenex had his plans for the Realm and that these plans would change the lives of all those inhabiting these lands for the better. But as it had been with the Blessed Cities in the past, the people would not be grateful and truly value what he had to give if they never experienced the terrors that awaited those not under his rule.

For hundreds and thousands of years the people of Westeros had lived under their Lords and had prayed to their respective gods, so how could they be expected to change so drastically without any outside influence to force them?

It was simply human nature that would make them rebel against Phenex' rule and they would try to work against him in every way possible, even if they didn't take up arms to fight the Red Temple openly.

The Free Cities were distinctively different in this aspect, as the many slaves had naturally welcomed Phenex' rule and the Red Temple also wasn't some outside force in Essos. Coupled with the fact that normal free men and women could continue their lives unobstructed and even change them for the better quite easily under his rule, there had basically been no large-scale revolts.

There had been some small-scale protests but they had been curbed with absolute force. The temple wasn't a 'kind' governing entity after all. It was actually very ruthless and decisive, but that didn't mean that life was bad.

The Red Temple's objective was mainly the betterment of the territory and the people's living conditions there, and it was absolute strength and dedication that made such a thing possible. Ruling with kindness could only end in tragedy, as this would be an invitation for those seeking to exploit others for their own benefit. It would be a sign of weakness.

Things were completely different in Westeros, as the people of these lands did not really understand what it meant to be ruled by the Red Temple. Chaos and tragedy, Arianne realized grimly, would be the ultimate teachers for those unwilling to accept her husband's blessing.

Looking up at the charming face of her lover and gazing into his smoldering violet eyes, the snowy landscape accentuating his otherworldly looks, Arianne asked quietly and with hope in her voice: "When the dust settles, you will make it right, won't you?"

"I will.", Phenex replied calmly, his gaze directed at the void, as if he could see things that nobody else could.

It wasn't long before they had finished up and returned back to the godswood and their horses, though at this point Phenex told the Fiery hand warriors to stay behind before he brought Arianne, Missandei, Obara and Than with him to visit some old acquaintances.

…

In a shower of flames, Phenex and his companions appeared before a gigantic weirwood tree that sat on a stony hill in full bloom. Leaves the colours of fire and blood rustled in its crown and the trunk was thick enough for three dozen men to hug it all at once without ever touching one another.

"It's beautiful.", Arianne whispered as she looked at the weirwood tree in wonder.

"Your words honor us, Lady Firestar.", a strangely melodic voice sounded out in response, as a being the size of a child emerged from a cave near one of the tree's roots.

Dark-green skin, glowing green eyes, twigs, and leaves woven into her hair, wearing nothing but leathers and roots, Leaf, the leader of the Children of the forest, appeared before Phenex and his companions.

Arianne, Missandei, and Obara stared wide-eyed at the Child, though Than seemed perfectly calm, similar to Phenex.

Kneeling down and bowing low, Leaf greeted: "Lord Ruler, you honor us with your presence."

"It seems you have survived well, Leaf. Rise and lead the way.", Phenex replied lightly.

"Of course. This way, Lord.", the Child hurried to follow his instructions, still remembering vividly the scenes of their first meeting.

As soon as they stepped into the seemingly dark cave, it was as if they had left the Land of Always Winter and entered a completely different world.

It wasn't dark and gloomy, but comfortably warm and a tender light seemed to fill the whole space even though no light source was in sight. Lush green grass and moss covered the floor and the walls were concealed by colourful little flowers everywhere.

"H-how? How are such things possible?", Missandei asked as she looked around in surprise, the little shadowcat in her arms, having woken up already, doing the same thing while enjoying the warmth and care Missandei's embrace provided.

The former slave knew that this could be nothing but the work of magic, but seeing it still surprised her, even after having seen Phenex do all kinds of magical things.

"It is not our own abilities that make such wonders possible, Lady Firestar. It is the Lord Ruler's gift that gave life and vitality to this home of ours.", Leaf answered sincerely, the Child having already recognized that Missandei and Arianne were bonded to Phenex via the same kind of magic.

Eventually, the six of them reached a wider cave, where roughly a dozen other Children were already waiting. Sitting on the floor and huddling up together, they looked at Phenex with a whole range of emotions, the most prevalent being fear, gratitude, adoration, and curiosity.

They all lowered their heads and bowed after a moment, showing their submission towards Phenex as a whole. Leaf walked into the group and crouched down when she reached the center, before grabbing something that looked like a bundle of leaves.

Returning, Leaf once again came before Phenex, as she held out the bundle with almost trembling hands and voiced out in a tone of utter joy and gratitude: "The first Child born in centuries. It would be an honor for our race if you would be willing to bless it with a name, Lord Ruler."