[300 AC]
"How are you planning to deal with the Boltons?", Jaehaerys asked his brother after the meeting with the Lords had concluded.
The alliance, which was much more similar to a non-aggression pact, had already been agreed upon by the nobles from the Riverlands and the North, even though some of the conditions had been hard for the Southern and Northern Lords to stomach.
The first had been that the Red Temple would no longer be obstructed when it came to building temples and attracting believers in these two Kingdoms. In fact, the Lords even had to provide a suitable plot of land and exempt the temple from any taxes and tolls.
Another condition was that the Crossing, which now mostly laid in ruins, along with the surrounding area in a radius of fifteen miles, would permanently be part of the Red Temple's territory and therefore under its governance.
This had initially brought about much resistance and dissent from the Southern nobles, especially Edmund Tully, who had thoughts of rebuilding the Twins and like the Freys, gaining a great amount of wealth by exacting tolls for passage across the Green Fork.
Jaehaerys though had been unbothered by the anger of the noble crowd and simply stated that the Red Temple would only demand a single copper coin per person as a fee for crossing the river for the next one hundred winters.
This statement had caused many looks of shock and confusion, as it was the Freys had regularly demanded more than five copper dragons while periodically raising the fee at their whim. Not to mention that a hundred winters would likely only have passed in several hundred years.
While still somewhat dissatisfied, the Lords had eventually settled down and agreed to the condition, as they simply lacked the economic acumen to understand the importance of the Crossing's location when it came to trade, as that was where the Red Temple planned to earn itself massive amounts of profit from.
There were other several minor conditions, but the most important had been that this alliance would only last as long as a Stark sat on the Northern Throne as either King or Queen, which meant that the moment someone dared to rebel, tried to seize power, and succeed, the Red Temple could rightfully conquer the North, as any agreements would become null and void.
This condition would act as a great deterrent for unrest amongst the nobles, as none of them wanted to face off against dragons, pyromancers, and undying priests, to speak nothing of the Red God and his Feathers.
"I am not sure, but it's probably for the best to do nothing for the time being.", Robb answered with a conflicted expression, "Even with the alliance to the temple, there is much unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the Northern Lords, so I fear that I cannot punish this betrayal for the time being."
Nodding thoughtfully, Jaehaerys knew that Robb was right in his assessment. He understood the value of patience very well, as Phenex had made sure of that while he taught the young boy how to be a dragonrider.
After a short pause, Jaehaerys spoke up again: "I will escort your sisters back to Winterfell as soon as I get back to King's Landing. If you have decided on what you want to do by the time we reach there, don't hesitate to ask for my help, brother."
"I won't.", Robb stated with a smile, as the two young men embraced each other for a moment before Jaehaerys walked back over the stony bridge and mounted his draconic companion.
"SCREECH!"
A rumbling screech and a few mighty flaps of her cream-coloured wings were all it took for Lyra to rise into the sky, carrying her rider back towards King's Landing.
…
"My Lord.", Thoros greeted with respect and devotion the moment he stepped into the study, bowing deeply in the process.
"What brings you here, Thoros?", Phenex inquired, while moving his rook forward in his game of chess against Arianne.
Adorably biting her lower lip in concentration, while being wholly concentrated on the game, Phenex couldn't help but find her focus incredibly attractive, as she sat there in her light-violet, silken dress that hugged her perfect curves and showed off much of her caramel skin.
Ruyu, one of his Feathers, was likewise present, though she just silently sat at the side, carefully carving a piece of wood with one of the many Valyrian daggers she had sheathed all over her body.
Phenex himself wasn't sure yet what it was that she was working on, but almost all of Allyria's wooden toys came from the hands of this female guard of his.
"Arya Stark, the younger of the two sisters, has come to me to inquire about becoming a Feather.", Thoros stated with a wry smile on his face, as his gaze settled on Ruyu for a moment, though the Feather didn't react to the words he had spoken, even though she had certainly registered them.
"It isn't the first time the girl has asked about it, though this time she has been a lot more insistent.", the High Priest ended.
"Hmm.", humming quietly, Phenex thought about Thoros' words and what to do about the girl.
He knew that Arya may yearn for strength due to the experiences she had had in the last few years, but the girl was a free spirit at heart, which was not suitable for a Feather, even though he did not restrict his personal guard much.
Still, his Feathers were not adventurers or explorers at their core, but his most loyal and elite fighters, not to mention companions. Arya was a wild card and keeping to rules and following orders were not things she was particularly fond of at all. This though was an essential part of becoming a Feather.
He had to have absolute trust in his personal guard as the power and authority they wielded was unmatched by any mortal standard. They were the purest amongst representatives, every action of theirs being an enactment of his will.
A smile suddenly lighting up her face, Arianne pushed her Queen forward and robbed him of one of his knights, while at the same time placing his King in jeopardy.
"Check.", she stated with a wide smile, her eyes shining happily.
Sighing quietly, Phenex tipped over his King with a smile of his own, finding joy in his lover's happiness.
"You win, my love.", he stated, while turning his focus back to the patient High Priest, though Arianne's next words made him pause.
"Why not accept her as an apprentice?", the Dornish Princess voiced out thoughtfully.
"This is obviously not something that can be decided in a hurry, as even Obara trained under you for years before she became a Feather. So doesn't it make sense to test the girl first, if she really has what it takes to be a member of your personal guard?", she explained.
"I agree.", a lovely, but quiet voice sounded out suddenly, as Ruyu spoke in support of Arianne's idea, her beautiful sapphire-colored eyes shining with calm. Her speaking her mind was a surprise in itself, which caused Arianne and Thoros to look at the Feather of Valyrian descent with mild shock.
Thinking it through for a moment, Phenex stated his decision: "So be it."
"Ruyu, go with the High Priest and tell the girl that she first has to serve as an apprentice. You and the others will teach her for two years, before I will test her and decide if she can be taught to be a Feather. Tell her that if she fails, I will make her unable to ever wield a weapon again."
"Being a Feather is not something that one can just become by training alone. If she isn't committed enough to accept these terms, then she simply does not have what it takes to be one of you.", Phenex ended with finality.
Nodding in understanding, Ruyu accepted the order calmly, as she rose from her seat and sheathed her dagger after letting it dance in her hand for a moment.
"There is more, my Lord.", the High Priest suddenly interrupted, "The Southern Queen Margaery Tyrell wishes for an audience. She is willing to renounce her faith and admit to her faults."