Chapter 056 – Eggs

[291 AC]

Over the next period of time rumors would spread throughout all of Westeros declaring that all those having turned to ashes had angered the Red God by attempting to attack his believers and temples.

Several other misdeeds would also be added to the tales about their well-deserved retribution, some true, some less true.

One truth though was irrefutable and that was that after this event, which would later be known as the 'Red God's Wrath', no one else dared to plot against the temple again.

And while the situation calmed down somewhat, as the temples didn't try to seize power at all and just continued to tend to their followers' plights by healing the injured and feeding the poor, the Red God's power was deeply engraved into the minds of nobles and small folk alike.

…

[291 AC]

Looking at the three fossilized dragon eggs on his desk, Phenex turned his gaze to Melisandre, who had waited quietly for him to gather his thoughts.

He currently sat in a wide armchair in his solar, while Arianne lay half-draped over his body, peacefully napping by his side. One of her hands clung to the fabric of his tunic right above his heart even in her sleep, while his right arm was wrapped around her small waist, his fingers caressing the skin on her lower back.

"Well done, Melisandre.", Phenex praised quietly, "The Magister?"

Lightly shaking her head, the red-headed priestess answered calmly and in a subdued tone: "He denied being in possession of the eggs from the moment we met and would not cooperate. I took it upon myself to 'convince' him to tell the truth. Sadly, he did not survive our 'talk', though with his last words he gifted the temple with the eggs as compensation for his falsehood."

Sharing an amused smile with the centuries-old enchantress, Phenex found himself once again impressed by Melisandre. Talking about torturing and robbing a man with such indifference, she truly was a fearsome woman and an even greater subordinate.

"Well, life can be incredibly fragile sometimes. The Magister should have taken better care of his own.", Phenex commented lightly, before switching topics, "I also have a new task for you, Melisandre. Though it isn't as urgent as your last one."

"The Generals of the military branch and the Fiery Hand Commanders are currently planning the assault on Slaver's Bay with the assistance of the intelligence from the Hidden Flame branch, while the financial department is busy calculating the cost of such a war."

"Still, these plans will not be moved forward until Stannis has cleared out all the pirates on the Stepstones and the Basilisk Isles. Only when the Blessed Cities' control on the Sunset Sea and Summer Sea is uncontested, will our conquest of Slaver's Bay begin."

"To this end, I would like for you to meet up with Stannis and assist him in rooting out the pirates. You are already familiar with the Commander and as such, I think you would be a better fit than other candidates for this position.", Phenex ended.

Thinking his words through for a moment, Melisandre gave Phenex a calm look as she asked directly: "Do you want me to seduce the Commander, my Lord?"

"No.", Phenex answered, "The Commander's loyalty is already secured, such methods are not necessary, though if you find yourself attracted to the man then be with him."

A smirk appeared on Phenex' lips as he voiced out these last words, as he could clearly sense Melisandre's interest in the stoic Commander.

"I-I understand, my Lord. I will meet up with the Commander, as soon as possible.", the Red Priestess replied, before she bowed lightly and turned to leave, a slight stammer in her words the only indication that his words had hit a nerve.

"I am sure you will, Melisandre.", Phenex teased calmly, seeing the normally confident priestess almost misstep at his words.

A slight giggle slipped past Arianne's lips after Melisandre had left the study, indicating that she had woken up and heard their conversation, at least the end of it.

Looking up at Phenex with clear eyes, amusement shining in them, the young Princess couldn't help but comment quietly: "That was almost devious, Phenex."

"Well, it was a rather rare chance to come by, so I couldn't help myself. Though maybe you just infected me with your mischief, Arianne.", Phenex replied with a slight smile, before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on the young woman's lips.

Breaking the kiss, his attention was drawn back towards the dragon eggs, as was hers.

"Is there even any life left in them?", the Princess asked, her fingers tracing the scaly contours of the petrified eggs.

"As they are? No.", he answered, while taking the black egg into his hands, "But don't forget that giving life back to something dead isn't something impossible for me. Believe me, it won't be long before dragons will hatch from these eggs."

…

It was the next day as Phenex moved through the corridors of the temple, as he approached Daenerys' quarters, which was right next to Rhaella's, with a shining black egg in his hand.

Phenex had already given life back to the egg, but he hadn't hatched it yet, as he wanted Daenerys to do so with her own magic. The young Targaryen girl didn't really know how to use her ancestral magic yet though, as this magic could only unleash its full potential when she was bonded to a dragon.

Phenex knew that she wanted to become a dragon rider like her mother and he planned to fulfill this dream of hers, while teaching her not only about the benefits but also the responsibilities of such a path.

Rhaella already had a relatively good grasp on her ancestral magic, which allowed her to communicate with Jade and guide the young dragon's will in certain directions, while she could also use it to empower herself to a certain degree, drawing on Jade's strength to do so.

Rhaella though was no fighter and had no interest in learning to wield a weapon, while Daenerys on the other hand did, especially after spending a lot of time with Obara and Nymeria.

Phenex wanted Daenerys to become a 'true' dragon rider, unlike herself in the original timeline, where she had lost two dragons due to carelessness and overconfidence.

His own magic and senses had already informed him that the life inside the black dragon egg was indeed compatible with the young Targaryen girl, meaning that she could hatch and bond with the dragon inside.

Phenex had also found possible riders for the two other dragon eggs, but at this point, he wasn't sure if he should make them dragonriders, though he planned to discuss that with Rhaella and Kinvara.