Chapter 084 – Connection

[297 AC]

Softly, Rhaella's hand brushed over Phenex' bare chest and abdomen, while he was still fast asleep. She didn't want to wake him either, as she felt at peace by just listening to his heartbeat while resting her head on his chest.

These quiet moments where she could just be by his side were worth more to her than anything else. Being able to love whom she loved, feeling his warmth on her bare skin after a night of shared intimacy - how could she not feel joy in her heart?

Suddenly Rhaella felt fingers brushing over her lower back, which caused her to look up. Deep violet eyes, shadowed by a few black locks, looked back at her with tender affection.

Phenex' eyes were so similar to her own, which was something that she loved about them, though his were also filled with a hidden fire that hers lacked.

"What are you thinking about, my love?", Phenex asked her gently, while she stared up at him in somewhat of a daze.

"Your eyes, they have fire hidden in them.", Rhaella answered in a whisper, the fingers of her left hand wandering over his neck and clavicle.

A slight smile settled on Phenex' lips at her words. It was the smile he often carried, one she loved and dreamed about.

"Yours do too.", he answered softly, as his other hand reached up and cradled her cheek, "You are a dragon, Rhaella. Fire is in your blood."

Rhaella didn't resist as Phenex captured her lips and turned them over, pressing her into the bedding. On the contrary, she welcomed him, as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and arms around his neck.

Rhaella sometimes found it hard to believe in her own strength, but she believed in Phenex more than anything else, which made her own doubts fade away, giving her strength and confidence where there had been none.

A few long moments later, she broke their kiss, as she laid her hands on both sides of his face, brushing back his black locks. Uncertainty and longing in her violet eyes, as she stated quietly: "I want to have another child, Phenex. Your child."

Rhaella knew that Phenex had made sure that she wouldn't get pregnant in all their time together, as he had told her so. She knew he was undecided about the prospects of a child, troubled by thoughts of the future.

…

Looking at the former Targaryen Queen laying beneath him, ripples spread through his heart. Rosy cheeks, ripe lips, a delicate nose, and deep watery eyes, all framed by white silvery hair.

The intense longing and deep love shining in Rhaella's eyes were enough to cause his breath to falter. At this moment she was beauty incarnate and his own heart struggled to contain his affection for her.

Rhaella's words though made him sigh quietly, as he pressed his forehead against hers and lost himself in her warm violet gaze for a moment.

His body likewise sunk down onto hers, causing his hard shaft, which had been prodding at her wet lower lips, to slowly sheath himself inside of Rhaella, which elicited a quiet moan from her. Her breath brushed over his lips, while she tightened her legs around him, fully intent on drawing out this moment of extreme intimacy and love as long as possible.

It wasn't that Phenex didn't want to have children with Rhaella, on the contrary, he thought about it often, as he had long since sensed her wish for a child. The simple thought of spoiling their silver-haired daughter or son, while at the same time figuring out the right degree of strictness with which to raise it, brought Phenex great joy and longing.

It however gave also rise to a great amount of fear and anguish, as he knew that it would be him, who would have to bury their child someday, not the other way around, as it was simply impossible for a child of his to outlive him as he was an immortal creature, a representation of life itself.

Phenex had been troubled by these thoughts for some time now, torn between the desire to have children with the women he loved and the visions of a torturous future where he would have to see them die one by one.

Silent tears suddenly fell from Phenex' eyes, as his fingers brushed over the smooth skin of Rhaella's cheek and he replied softly: "Yes, let's have a child."

It was Kinvara's words from a few years ago, that made Phenex understand that he should not try and avoid future grief and pain, as it would cause him to miss out on so much in the present. So, while it was not an easy decision, Phenex knew that it was the right one.

The former Targaryen Queen was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and tenderness, as she heard his reply and saw her lover's reaction. Rhaella understood the depths of his pain and fear probably even better than he himself did, as she had already experienced the loss of a child several times.

Her own tears left the corners of her eyes, as she pressed her lips against Phenex', one of her hands buried in his dark locks as she pulled him close, while the other was wrapped around his back.

Slowly, they fell into a gentle rhythm, as their hips met each other again and again, and the whole world was left behind by the two of them.

No amount of words could ever describe the intensity of their love and desire for each other in these moments, where they weren't only connected through their bodies, but also through their heart, mind, and soul.

It was a moment of incredible rarity and beauty. A moment Phenex would remember even many many years in the future with a smile that equally spoke of fondness and grief.

…

[297 AC]

Contemplating the information Melisandre had passed on to him and the events that he had been observing with his own eyes, Phenex was somewhat surprised that even with the massive changes he had brought to this world, some events were still playing themselves out as they had in his memories about the series.

He knew that the plot to get rid of the Hand of the King Jon Arryn was still afoot, the Lannisters working together with the master of coin, Lord Petyr Baelish, a.k.a. Littlefinger.

And it seemed that they were even more keen to do so now than ever before, as the Hand had been hard at work to draw the Red Temple closer to the throne without giving the other parties much room for disagreement.

Lord Arryn had approached Melisandre with such intentions several times to subtly spread the seed of further cooperation. He thought that he understood the temple's goals, which mainly lay in gaining more believers and spreading their faith.

Obviously, the Hand was good at politics, but his naivety and lack of deviousness would be his downfall, as they caused him to misjudge those around him.

Still, the man had made an offer to Melisandre that did spark Phenex' interest and was worth further contemplation, as he suggested the temple send their forces to the Iron Islands on the King's request to 'reform' the people there.

Those from the Iron Islands were still raiding and harassing the North and the Westerlands occasionally, though they did so in small groups and without any banner so it was difficult for the Lords of those lands to pinpoint the culprit and demand justice.

Sending their own armies to the Iron Islands, was also not something feasible. At best they would return empty-handed and at worst they would not return, as Balon Greyjoy, ruler of those islands would not relent to their demands and just deny that the raiders were ironborn.

What Jon Arryn basically suggested without explicitly saying so was that as long as the temple could subdue the Iron Islands they would be given the right to rule over them under the Iron Thrones' supervision.

The islands were similar to Dragonstone, a harsh environment unsuitable for supporting a large number of people, as the lands there couldn't be farmed due to the stormy weather all year round.

This would also solve the problems of the raids once and for all, which was a benefit in itself, adding to the fact that this would somewhat indebt the temple to the Crown, as they would have been given territory and true authority in Westeros by the Iron Throne.

There was almost no downside to this for the Crown considering that the North was closely tied to the throne by Eddard's and Robert's friendship, and the Old Lion, Tywin Lannister, would also not object to this.

It was the Lannisters that had been the first to forge a relationship with the Red Temple and they had even built a great temple at Lannisport, so it was simply impossible to go against the temple for House Lannister and its vassals at this point without incurring serious losses.

Jon Arryn had also started to search for Robert's bastards in King's Landing and his actions had not escaped Littlefinger's spies, who had reported such to the Queen, Cersei Lannister. At this point, the Hand was only a tiny step away from his grave and Phenex had instructed Melisandre to not accept the man's offer for now.

The Iron Islands, while a great strategic location, would require great resources and manpower to be reformed into the Red Temple's territory, as the local population would most certainly rise up in revolt against followers of another religion.

It would obviously be worthwhile to occupy that group of islands for the Red Temple in the long term, but this was also a political game, not just a strategic one. Sometimes patience and neutrality were more useful than acting while looking solely at direct benefits.

Phenex had no doubt that the temple's rise in Westeros would not be far off, but it wasn't a distance that could be shortened by sprinting. Every step had to be taken carefully and with purpose.