Renly looked at Stannis across from him on his horse as his brother spoke to Lady Stark. His onion knight was right behind him, loyal to the death to the man who chopped off the tips of four of his wore the same unsatisfied face he had always had for along as Renly could remember.
"Is that really you?", Renly asked him.
"Who else might it be?", Stannis asked serious as ever.
"When I saw your standard I couldn't be sure", Renly said. "Whose banner is that?", He asked as he stared at the stag within a heart.
"Suppose if we used the same one the battle would be terribly confusing", he tried to make a jest.
He looked at his brother. Out numbered and yet he would still stand defiant for his duty. His mind flashed back to Storm's end. He quickly buried those memories again.
"Look across those fields brother. Do you see all those banners?"
"You thing a few bolts of cloth will make you King?"
"No", Renly said The men holding those bolts of cloth will make me King".
"We shall see Renly come the morning. For the sake of the mother who bor us I'll give you this one night to reconsider. Strike you banners, come to me before dawn and I will grant you your old seat on the council. I'll even name you my heir until a son is born to me", Stannis offered.
For the sake of the mother who boredom us? Stannis couldn't say raise; Renly had never known their mother or father. All his life his only true family were his brothers and even then for most of his life Robert hardly even spared him a passing glance between fighting, whoring, and drinking. Stannis may have been a hard and cold man but he did care in his own way.
A memory flashed before his eyes of when he was just a boy during the siege of Storm's end. Stannis and him sat in Renly's chambers eating their only meal of the day, rat stew, after a history lesson. Renly's nurse had died months ago and maester Cressen couldn't so much as to leave his bed. Stannis however didn't see why Renly should stop his lessons entirely. Every night he would come to Renly's chambers half dead from the day's work as Lord of Storm's end and do what little he could to teach Renly for an hour before they would stopped and finally eat before going to bed. Stannis was a horribly boring teacher.
"Why do you have less soup then me?" Renly asked before he stuck another spoonful of rat and thin broth in his mouth.
"I don't", Stannis said bluntly. He looked worse then nearly any one else in the castle yet every day he would get out of bed and do his duty for a cause Renly now knew he hadn't even believed in.
'He ate my portion', the thought struck Renly like a swing from Robert's warhammer. Renly had never been quite as sickly as everyone else during the siege and now he knew why. All through the siege Renly had cheered about how Robert would save them as Stannis slowly withered away in front of him. Robert never did come to save them, instead he sent Ned Stark to do it for him since he couldn't be bothered.
Renly blinked back the tears in his eyes as he stared at his brother. Then his eyes glanced over to Ser Davos. 'The man who saved us', Renly thought as more repressed memories began to surface.
When the smuggler had arrived with his boat full of unions Renly had been sure it was the most food he had seen up to that point. Renly hugged the bearded man by his legs and he was sure at that moment that the man was sent by the seven themselves to save them. Stannis made sure Renly and the other few surviving children were the first to receive their portions. Stannis himself ate last, a portion no larger than any other. Renly looked across to the two men who had saved his life. His iron brother and the onion knight. Now he stood against them with the Tyrells, the very people who had caused them so much pain and suffering. Now he married one he didn't even love for a crown he knew deep down he didn't even want. He looked to Loras, the one who had first told him what a great king he would be.
He remembered when he first met Loras. He was half terrified and half enraged at to see a Tyrell. But slowly the handsome boy had won his heart.
After a few months into their relationship Stannis had walked in on the two in an intimate position. Stannis made a disgusted face before stomping off and slamming the door behind him. The next day at the council meeting Stannis wouldn't so much as look in his direction. Renly ran to his room after the meeting but Stannis had followed him.
Stannis glared at him as he ground his teeth. "What is wrong with you", He didn't tell which only made it worse. Renly squeezed his eyes shut in fear. "A Tyrell after what they had done to us!"
Renly opened his eyes awestruck by Stannis' words. "You don't care that he's a man?", He managed to sputter out.
"Why would I give a damn about that?", Stannis asked still enraged.
"But the seven-", Renly stopped himself, remembering this was Stannis. The man who hadn't believed in God's since watching their parents die. "He's not like the other Tyrells".
Stannis looked at him. "Promise me", Stannis said, "promise me you'll never forget what they did".
Renly had promised but hadn't kept that promise till now. He had betrayed one of the only people he knew he could count on in this world.
He lept of his horse and stood before Stannis. He drew his sword. Stannis nearly killed him before Renly kneeled before him.
"You are my brother", Renly proclaimed barely holding back the tears, You are my king!"
He could hear his own party gasp in surprise and he knew Stannis' men probably had an equal look of shock on their faces. Stannis took the sword.
"Stand", he ordered seemingly unmoved by the display. Renly stood, tears streaming down his offered Renly back his sword. You'll need it", Stannis said, "to fight for your king".
Renly moved passed the blade and hugged his stiff brother.