Chapter 094 – Resentment

[298 AC]

Phenex only returned to Castle Black a few hours later after having spent time with Daenerys.

As was the case with all his lovers, his relationship with Danerys was very different than his other relationships. The silver-haired princess was definitely inexperienced in matters between men and women, so there was no need to rush being even more intimate with each other for the time being.

And after Phenex had spent some more time with her and had told her that she should also accompany the Commander on his trip to conquer Qarth, as Daenerys needed the experience of fighting with her dragon, he had left her to go and start preparations for the journey, while had he visited Rhaella.

The Targaryen lady hadn't been too surprised by the developments between him and Daenerys as she knew her daughter well enough.

Rhaella was aware that Daenerys' affection for Phenex wasn't just a childish crush, but true longing and desire. Phenex had left such a deep mark in her daughter's heart that the former Targaryen Queen knew that nobody could ever replace him for her.

Daenerys would never be really happy with another man, besides Phenex. In fact, Rhaella even doubted that her daughter would ever want to be with another man at all, even if she could not be with Phenex.

So she wasn't that surprised that it had come to this, not to mention that Rhaella herself felt the same way.

Having been Phenex' lover for the past few years, the former Targaryen Queen was also sure that he would treat Daenerys with great care and would never do anything that might cause her harm or heartache.

It also wasn't something too strange that she and her daughter had the same lover, as Phenex wasn't Daenerys' father, even though he had cared for her like one over the last decade.

The Targaryens also had a rich history of interbreeding and with her own experience of having been married to her brother, Rhaella naturally wasn't a stranger to such concepts.

She also wasn't worried about Phenex requesting her to share the bed with him and her daughter, as he simply was not that kind of man. Phenex knew that this was not something she ever wanted to do, and so he would never force something like this onto her.

Phenex was her lover after all, not her King.

…

"Even in Dorne I have been told stories about the Wall and Night's Watch as a child and it made me curious, but this … Thieves, rapists, and murderers. It's hard to believe that this is what the Night's Watch has become.", Arianne voiced out, her beautiful Dornish accent caressing the ears of everyone who heard her words.

She stood beside Phenex and looked down to the training yard, seeing the recruits being trained, while Missandei stood quietly on his other side.

"The realm has long since forgotten the dangers that lie beyond the Wall, Princess. And the Night's Watch has also suffered greatly over the last decades.", the Lord Commander stated, looking down the yard and sighing.

He had led them around Castle Black and shown them the age-old main stronghold of the Watch while telling them about the Night's Watch's current state while doing so. No doubt he hoped that financial support and assistance from the Princess and Phenex could alleviate some of the problems the Watch was facing.

Phenex didn't chip into their conversation, as he just quietly observed his surroundings, while Missandei who was leaning against him, did the same.

Just then another recruit found himself distracted by the beautiful Dornish Princess and his Naathi lover, and was struck down by his opponent.

This had happened multiple times already, as Arianne and Missandei were just too distracting with their exotic skin and incredible beauty.

There was also Obara, who stood a few steps to the side with Than, their senses primed and vigilant. His personal guards were dutiful, especially when his lovers were around, as they knew that they needed their protection much more than Phenex did.

"Useless all of you!", the master-of-arms Alliser Thorne shouted angrily, kicking the man back down into the muddy ground just as he was about to rise again.

"If you can't focus because of a woman being present, you will die faster than you can think beyond the Wall. You think the wildings don't have women? Because they do and they will strangle you with your own guts, if you get distracted just because they have a pair of tits and a cunt!", the man swore, though his words caused only more of the recruits to steal glances at Phenex' lovers.

"But maybe you just need something more exciting to focus on.", Alliser said raspily, before he turned his gaze towards Phenex and continued: "Well, how about the Sword of the Morning come down here and teach you bunch of useless fools how to really wield a sword?"

Murmurs went through the gathered recruits and official members of the Night's Watch that were present as their gazes now settled on the black-haired man with the otherwordly looks standing between the two caramel-skinned beauties.

There was no one in the Seven Kingdoms who didn't know about the Sword of the Morning. Since age-old this title had been the equivalent to not only being an incredible swordsman and honorable knight but also an equivalent to heroism.

Looking down at the master-at-arms of Castle Black, Phenex sensed the resentment in the man's heart, his gaze one of anger and provocation. Knowing about the man's background, Phenex wasn't really surprised by this though.

Alliser Thorne had been a Targaryen loyalist during the Rebellion given that his House was from the Crownlands near King's Landing. After the defeat of the royal forces, even though he had managed to survive the battle, he had been given the choice between the Night's Watch and the executioner's blade.

The transition from a noble Lord in the Crownlands to a member of the Night's Watch had not been something Alliser had enjoyed at all. Life on the Wall was hard and ungrateful, but surviving beyond the Wall was simply hellish.

Constant hunger and bone-chilling cold, along with the ever-present threat of wildlings or other creatures inhabiting the lands beyond the Wall. All of them things that he was forced to endure. At one point Alliser even had to eat his sworn brother's corpse so that he wouldn't starve to death.

Through these grievances, Alliser had not only come to hate and resent those that had rebelled, but even those he once served.

Phenex knew that this was one of the reasons the man had had such a distaste for Jon in the original timeline. House Stark, Baratheon, and Arryn had after all been the ones to start the rebellion. With Jon being known as Eddard's Stark bastard, he had made a good target for the master-at-arms' resentment.

It was the same for Phenex and Arianne, as Phenex' uncle had been a close friend of the former Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Arianne's aunt had been the prince's wife, which made it easy for Alliser Thorne to place them in the same category as the Targaryens.

A calm look on his face, Phenex replied: "I am not a teacher, but if you want to personally step into the ring, I will accompany you, Master Thorne."

At his words, a wolfish, near ferocious look appeared on the man's face, as he stared at Phenex, as this was seemingly the ideal outcome for his provocation.

"Well, who am I to reject the chance to cross swords with the legendary Sword of the Morning?", the master-at-arms agreed, the look in his eyes becoming darker and more venomous as he started to loosen the cloak around his shoulders.

The surrounding recruits didn't seem to notice that something was amiss, but the older members of the Watch could sense it as they knew Alliser very well.

Arianne was likewise very perceptive when it came to sensing another person's intentions as she had learned this in the many lessons about politics from Kinvara in Volantis, and her own experiences with the members of the Bright Sun council, as every councilmember was simply a master at subtlety and manipulation.

Missandei wasn't any different, as her former life as a slave had made her especially sensitive to the shifts in the mood of those around her.

His Feathers naturally sensed the man's sinister intention given the power they wielded, but besides giving Alliser a deep look, they didn't react in any way to the man's provocations. They would have if Phenex himself hadn't responded to the man, but as things stood, they trusted their Lord to take care of the master-at-arms.

Phenex went to loosen the clasp of his cloak, as he didn't plan to spar while wearing it, though Missandei's lithe hands were a tad faster.

"Be careful.", Missandei whispered lovingly, as she helped him out of the piece of clothing and held onto the cloak. Even knowing that there was practically nothing that could endanger Phenex, as his lover, Missandei was still worried.

"I will be. ", he simply answered with a soft kiss on her cheek before removing the leather belt around his waist that held Dawn and Eclipse, carefully handing them to Arianne.

There were less than a handful of people that he would ever allow touching his blades besides his Feathers, especially Dawn. Being well aware of this, the Dornish Princess held onto them carefully.

"Don't get injured.", Arianne said softly, as she tiptoed and tenderly placed a kiss on his lips.

Phenex answered while he stepped back: "I won't."

Slowly he moved down the stairs, clad in tight grey leather and only armed with a Valyrian dagger strapped over his chest.

"Lend me those blades.", Phenex requested calmly, as he walked past two recruits.

And as if he had ordered them, they didn't hesitate for a second before handing over their blunt training swords.

"Training swords? Are we children or fools?", Alliser questioned gratingly, his voice loud and somewhat mocking, eliciting some laughter from a few of his brothers.

"Use whatever blade you like, Crow. I am just trying to preserve your life.", Phenex responded as he turned towards the man, his voice light and his eyes calm.

Sneering and drawing his blade, Alliser answered: "It seems your mother hasn't taught you respect, boy. Don't worry I will do so in her stead now."

At these words, Phenex stopped dead in his tracks, something dark awakening in his eyes.

"Oh no.", Missandei whispered, as she heard the man's words, looking at Phenex worriedly.

"He shouldn't have said that.", Arianne stated quietly, as she continued with pity, "You better call your Maester, Lord Commander, as I doubt your master-at-arms will be able to walk after what's going to happen next."

Mormont wasn't sure what she meant but just as he was about to answer, he saw the Sword of the Morning move.