Chapter 079 – Call

[296 AC]

Now that the Dothraki were united it may be easier for them to attack a Free City, but it also made them easier to deal with. Normally they were separated into dozens, often more than a hundred khalasaars of varying sizes, which made it difficult to take care of them.

Now Phenex just had to deal with Drogo and his khalasaar and everything else would follow.

Phenex knew that he could probably use his power to make them submit and make them see him as their god by simply transforming into a giant flaming stallion, but he did not favour that option very much.

No matter how easy and uncomplicated Daenerys had made it look in the series, leading the Dothraki would never go as smoothly as ruling over Volantis and the other Free Cities, including Phoenix Bay.

The Dothraki weren't slaves that had been oppressed and needed salvation, they were the oppressors and slavers. It was a fundamentally different thing.

These people didn't need salvation, nor did they want it.

They had lived like this for centuries, blood and violence had become part of the norm. Even the smallest disagreements would be settled by the way of the blade. Rape and murder were something normal for them, adding to the fact that besides the Dosh Khaleen, women didn't even have the right to speak and decide their own fate.

Knowing all this, Phenex was sure that the hard part wasn't subduing them, but reforming them and having them put aside centuries of tradition and belief.

He seriously doubted that they would accept such radical changes to their lifestyle, as they had only followed Daenerys in the series because of her dragons and the promise for blood and conquest.

Truly ruling over them in times of peace and trying to change the very basis of their life, would have been nearly impossible for her, considering that she did not even manage to truly subdue Meereen.

Still, Phenex remembered the words that had made him take on his responsibility of reigning over Volantis with the Red Temple's help in the first place. He remembered thinking that destroying something was always easier, than creating something.

His fingers brushing over the smooth scales on Sapphire's neck, Phenex let a sigh escape his lips, as he whispered: "Sometimes though, something has to be destroyed first before something new can emerge from it."

A dark fire ignited in his eyes, as Phenex turned around. His gaze locked onto the distance as if he could see the oncoming storm of fire and blood.

'Gather.', he called out to the thirteen that were sworn to him.

…

[Lys]

Quietly Belio watched the seductress who had stolen his heart, as Bellegere danced through the well-lit chamber, dozens of young women watching her, learning from her and seeing with their own eyes the grace and sensuality they should strive for.

The Black Pearl of Braavos had become his lover during their voyage to Volantis, and since then Belio had stayed by her side for long months every year, before he returned to the First Daughter and served by his Lord's side.

He remembered with clarity the day that Phenex had offered him to stay with Bellegere and maybe start a family, but in the end, Belio could not do it.

He loved Bellegere, truly he did. But he had sworn an oath, one he could never break.

Watching the dark green dress tightly hug her curves, while the fine golden and silver chains around her wrists and ankles glittered in the candlelight, as Bellegere's figure moved over the polished stone like a living spirit of pure enchantment.

Her beauty and grace were otherwordly, and Belio knew that his heart belonged to her. His body and soul though belonged with Phenex and his brothers and sisters.

Suddenly the feather tattoo on his cheek pulsed with fire and magic, as an ethereal voice echoed in his mind, "Gather."

Throwing one last look at the love of his life, Belio turned away without another moment of hesitation, calling upon the magic bestowed to him by Phenex, as he disappeared from Lys in a shower of fire.

…

[King's Landing]

Like a silent shadow, Mera followed behind the High Priestess while they moved through the corridors of the Red Keep.

Melissandre on her part made sure to treat the female leader of the Feathers with great respect, knowing how much Phenex cared about his personal guard, not to mention that Mera could take her life without any major trouble, as the might of an adult dragon was hidden beneath her attractive appearance.

Mera on the other hand, while not a fan of politics and schemes, showed not a hint of dissatisfaction, as she performed her duties according to Phenex' instructions.

No one, besides her brothers and sisters, could understand the loyalty and bond they shared with the one the world called the Red God.

They weren't his personal guards or servants, they were his kin through a bond of magic and fire. And as such, it was their duty and privilege to stand by his side in whatever capacity Phenex needed them.

Her senses focused on her surroundings, Mera didn't even think about lowering her guard while protecting the High-Priestess as was her duty. Suddenly though the mark on her cheek, which was a sign of the family she belonged to, burned with magic.

"Gather.", Mera could hear Phenex' voice echo in her mind, as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Return to the temple, High Priestess.", Mera instructed the red-headed woman by her side, and without waiting for an answer she gave herself to the fire that lived inside of her, as she returned to the First Daugther like only Phenex and her siblings could.

…

[Volantis]

Calmly dodging the spear blade with nothing but a tilt of her head, Obara's mind was a sea of calm determination, as she fought against her father in a spar.

Like she had seen Phenex do, all those years ago, she evaded and deflected each of her father's blows with minimal movements, though her own spear wasn't wielded with fluidity like his had been, but with extreme sharpness.

She did not use the full strength of her body, which made the spar taxing despite the ease with which Obara seemed to battle her father. Oberyn had decades of experience and his techniques had been refined through great bloodshed, so he was not an easy opponent to deal with without using her full power as a Feather.

Still, this was a type of training for her, as Obara knew that she needed to keep striving to improve her spearmanship, even though she could beat Oberyn with mere strength. She wanted to beat him using the spear, not her strength as a Feather.

Her senses were dialed to eleven, as she captured every twist of her father's joints, every tensing of his muscles, learning and studying his technique in detail. Besides Phenex himself, he was undoubtedly the greatest spear wielder alive and there was much she could still learn from him.

"Gather."

Suddenly though a call of magic and fire reached her through the bond she shared with Phenex, while the tattoo on her cheek lit up with bright flames.

This caused her to lose her concentration as her father's spear blade once again sliced through the air and aimed for her head, though it never reached its destination.

Through sheer speed and strength alone, Obara reflexively grasped the shaft just behind the blade, stopping the weapon midair dead in its tracks, only a finger-width from her eye.

"What-..."

Looking into the surprised eyes of her father, Obara simply stated: "I have to go."

Before turning into immaterial flames and vanishing on the spot.