Chapter 004 – Meeting

[282AC]

A few minutes of Leaf leading Phenex through damp tunnels and caves, they finally reached the cave where Phenex could sense the Three-Eyed-Raven residing in.

On their way here no Child had dared to look at him, keeping their faces down and kneeling or prostrating themselves as he passed by them.

Luckily the strangeness of this behaviour was somewhat lifted by the memories of his father, who had been hailed as a God and worshipped by an uncountable number of living beings over his long life. The same was true for his other ancestors too.

Looking at the roots of the weirwood tree, Phenex could see the Three-Eyed-Raven being encapsulated between them. He could even make out some of them having merged into his body, making him part of the tree itself.

It was a very macabre and disturbing scene, the only solace Phenex had was the knowledge that he could simply burn this whole thing down at anytime.

"I welcome the Ruler of the Fiery Sky, please forgive my inability to show the appropiate courtesy, my Lord.", a cracked and rough voice sounded from the mouth of the Raven, like the rustling of leaves and creaking of wood.

"I am here with some questions, Raven. And I expect nothing but the truth to leave your mouth."

Phenex didn't bother threatening the man, as there was really no need to. The Three-Eyed-Raven was very much aware of the difference in power between them and knew that any lie on his part, would be easily spotted by the ancient creature before him.

"Of course, my Lord. Please don't hestitate to ask as much as you want."

"Where is Blackfyer and the Dark Sister?", Phenex directly asked about the two Valyrian steel swords that once belonged to the Targaryens. The had both presumably been lost in the Blackfyer Rebellion, which was a strange thing in itself.

Luckily the battles had been fought in Westeros, so the Three-Eyed-Raven should know their location. Maybe also the location of a few more Valyrian blades. Some may ask what he did care about them, but Phenex always had this fascination with bladed weapons.

By his estimations there should be at least two hundred Valyiran blades in existence, if even the Targaryens had two heirloom swords, as one of the weaker of the roughly fourty families that ruled over the Valyrian Freehold.

Additionally it was said that with enough money one could buy a Valyrian blade, like the Starks and many other families all over Westeros and Essos had done.

"The Dark Sister is here, as I have brought it with me, when I became the Three-Eyed-Raven nearly five decades ago. Blackfyre is not located in Westeros, but probably somewhere in Essos. I can only speculate about its whereabouts, but maybe the Golden Company can give you a more accurate account, Lord."

"So it is true, the Three-Eyed-Raven indeed changes every few generations. Truly interesting... Anyway, I want Dark Sister and I presume you or the Children have no need for it either way, do you?"

"We are only mortal men, my Lord. And even with magic it isn't easy to live longer than one is supposed to, especially not when executing a task as draining as I do.", the Raven explained, before he continued, "And the sword shall be yours, my Lord. Leaf will have it brought to you right away."

Phenex could hear and feel Leaf leaving the cave at the raven's words to get the sword.

"What about any dragon eggs that might have been left behind by the Targaryen dragons or wild dragons? Are there any in Westeros still?"

„Mmh. There are indeed some left. Two eggs that have turned to stone are currently somewhere in the citadel, where the Maester have long since given up on hatching them."

"There once were a few more, but they were all destroyed in an attempt at hatching them, most have even forgotten their existence. They are the only ones left from the dragons that the Targaryens brought with them, but … There are more eggs and even dragons."

"If you want to find them, you will have to go even further north, to places even the White Walkers aren't brave enough to visit. There you will find dragons of ice and cold. Bigger and stronger than even Balerion the Black Dread himself."

"I have only tried extending my sight there once, and it nearly cost me my life. The creatures living there have magic and strength that has long since vanished from the rest of Westeros, though I don't think that would be a problem for you, my Lord."

"Still, I don't think it would be worth the trip, as these creatures cannot survive away from their place of origin, magic and abyssal cold are their lifeblood afterall.", the Raven ended, as he asked, "Anything else, my Lord?"

Phenex took a moment to process the information he had received. He wasn't surprised about these revelation, as he had already guessed something like this, but it was still nice to know for sure and his visit here had already paid off.

It was also at this point that Leaf came back with a fur-wrapped object, still keeping her head down she presented the object to him.

"It's yours, Lord Ruler.", she said humbly.

Grabbing the object, he drew a bit on his inner flames to directly turn the fur into ash, revealing the sword beneath.

The shocked look on Leaf's face, at his casual demonstration of magic without any need for preparation or sacrifice, was entirely ignored, but not missed by him.

In his hands he was now holding a longsword in a black leather sheath. And as Phenex pulled out the blade, a slender black blade with fine white lines in it was revealed before his eyes.

Pushing his finger against the edge, the blade effortlessly cut into his skin, as he forced back his regenerative flames and supernatural endurance.

Still, no blood was spilled from the cut as a small flicker of flames sealed it shut the next moment, leaving nothing but smooth skin behind.

"Excellent.", Phenex couldn't help but exclaim at the craftsmanship displayed with the blade.

Resheathing it and strapping it onto his back, he focused back on his talk with the Raven.

"Tell me Raven, can you see my future?", he asked curiously.

"I cannot, my Lord. Your powers are too great to allow any interference of your fate by others. It would probably cause a backlash and kill me, should I try to look into your future."

Phenex of course knew that already form his father's memory, though it was nice to get confirmation.

There was no one able to look into his future without paying with their lives the moment they attempted to do it. It would be like a mortal trying to read the mind of a omniscient god. The mortal would simply die, unable to endure the amount of information pouring into his mind.

"Is that why you kept your little birds around Starfall, to spy on me and observe my actions?", he questioned calmly.