The Priestess' Downfall
By: shadowofdragonstone
Ship: Stannis x Melisandre
Word Count: 748
Summary: One night, Melisandre is trying to make sense of what she's seeing, she makes silent promises to Stannis. She realizes that he very well may be her downfall, but the realization does not bother her like it should.
Melisandre sat in her bedchamber, staring at the flames that had once been so clear and easy to read. Now, they confused and upset her every time she searched. Jon Snow, the bastard Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was the one she saw, the one she had seen for multiple days now. Jon Snow and not Stannis Baratheon, the one true King of the Seven Kingdoms, her king, the man she loved. She knew she shouldn't feel this way about him, but she did. In the past, she would have cared about how her feelings may affect her visions in the flames, but with knowing Stannis and loving him, she didn't care anymore.
The love she bore for Stannis may very well be her downfall, the ending of everything she had ever held dear to her. Her life was meant to be spent in the service of R'hllor, not falling in love with the man she hoped was Azor Ahai reborn. Before the visions in the flames changed to show Snow, not her King of Iron, she had been positive that Stannis was Azor Ahai. Now, looking into the flames and begging R'hllor for a glimpse of him, all she was shown was the bastard boy. She looked to her bed where Stannis lay sleeping. She frowned lightly noticing his hands gripping the sheets tightly. Standing, she made her way over to her king and sat down at the edge of the bed, reaching out and gently running her fingers through his hair while grasping his hand with the other. Shhh, my love, she thought as she tried to silently calm his obviously stressful dreams. I'll never let anyone hurt you, never let anyone ever try to hurt you. I will never fail you, and until the day I die, I will protect you. You very well may be my only reason for living. I will get you onto the Iron Throne, I swear it in the name of R'hllor.
After a brief while of stroking his hair, Stannis' breathing calmed and his grip on the bedsheets loosened, making it easier for Melisandre to slip her hand in his to stroke the back of it with her thumb. Her hand left his head and moved to rest in her lap. She smiled down at her king, who was now sleeping so peacefully it was calming to Melisandre as an observer. The bastard boy will never take your place. He cannot be Azor Ahai, R'hllor is simply trying to tell me that Jon Snow is in some way very important to everything we're doing. You are the man I think you are, don't ever doubt it. And I will help you become the man you were born to be. Trust me and I won't lead you astray. I'm sure that I'm not wrong, but if for some reason I am, I will always love you no matter what. Even if you cause my downfall in R'hllor's eyes, I will still love you. Stannis continued to lay there and after a while, Melisandre drew her hand from Stannis' and rose once again to go back to her flames. She needed to try and make sense of this. If not for her sake, then for Stannis. She couldn't let him down.
As she walked towards the hearth, she heard a quiet rustling behind her and she turned around to see Stannis sitting upright on the bed. "My Lady," he said, getting up and approaching her. "You're stressed. You need rest."
"I really don't though my king, you know that," she replied, touching his face like she always did with a small smile. "You need your rest though, you really ought to sleep."
"I'll only go back to bed if you come with me," he whispered into the semi-darkness. "Please? I miss your comfort, your calming presence when I'm sleeping. You need your rest or you'll never make sense of whatever it is that's confusing you." He took her hand from his face, intertwining their fingers together and leading her to the bed. She sat down with a contented sigh and pulled Stannis down on top of her, kissing him briefly before he moved to lay beside her, wrapping his arm around her gently. "Go to sleep, my Lady."
Melisandre smiled as she shut her eyes. If her love for Stannis and her extreme belief in him would be the cause of her downfall, then she would be happy to fall.