Rolland Storm
In which Ser Vardis has his finest hour, and a lord is no more
"Lord of Light, defend us. The night is dark and full of terrors." Lady Selyse led the responses, her pinched face full of fervor. "Lord of Light, protect us."
"R'hllor who gave us breath, we thank you," sang the red priestess. "R'hllor who gave us day, we thank you."
"We thank you for the sun that warms us," Lady Selyse and Axell Florent and Godry Farring and the other worshipers replied. "We thank you for the stars that watch us. We thank you for our hearths and for our torches, that keep the savage dark at bay." The nightfire crackled and glowed, flickering up onto the balcony where the two knights stood.
"I like this not." Rolland watched the firelight washing across where his hands gripped the balcony, before the shadows took them again.
"Lord Stannis scorns them," Ser Vardis pointed out, "as do all the Valemen. No doubt their new-found faith will glow bright, then burn away like that nightfire."
"Scorn will not deter these." Rolland took a last glance at the fervent faces below them, before turning away. "Come, their faith may sustain them, but I am in need of more earthly sustenance."
Dragonstone's dining hall was filled with laughter. At the end of the tables, a jester Lyn Corbray had brought somersaulted around Patchface. The old fool tumbled about after the jester, the bells on his hat dinging away. Mychel Redfort and Ben Coldwater were arm-wrestling, with a crowd laying down wagers around them. At another table, bluff Gerald Gower was singing a ballad. "I've tasted the Dornishman's wife…"
"I've never seen Lord Stannis' hall so merry," Ser Vardis remarked as they sat down.
"The fact that Lord Stannis is not here might have something to do with that," Rolland remarked, glancing towards the high table where the Lady Shireen sat with Robert Arryn, Lord Velaryon, and Gilwood Hunter. Lord Stannis was not there though, or Maester Cressen or the new assistant maester. Where is Lord Stannis? he wondered. The lord had not been among the worshippers at the nightfire, nor had Rolland seen him for the past few hours. It was not like Lord Stannis to be late, even if he ate and said nothing during supper.
Rolland glanced over again, just in time to see Robert stabbing a dumpling from Shireen's plate. As he was eating it, Shireen quietly slipped a bun off his plate. The boy turned angrily towards her, then stopped and laughed at something Shireen whispered, the girl joining in the laughter.
"The boy's learning from our lord. The dumplings are mine by rights," Justin Massey mimed as he leaned towards them, dropping his voice and scowling in imitation of Lord Stannis. "All those who deny it are my foes." Justin laughed heartily at his own joke and then went back to talking with Lyn Corbray.
Vardis Egan chuckled, then turned to Rolland. "You don't seem amused. Are you still bitter about that Braavosi taking over young Robert's sword instruction?"
Rolland shook his head. "No; I'm not too proud to recognize a better swordsman." The Braavosi had been walking about while the captain of the ship he was taking from Braavos to Kings Landing, Luco Prestayn of the Lady Bright, fulfilled his promise to visit Dragonstone and deal with Davos again. Coming upon Rolland attempting to train Sweetrobin at the sword, Syrio Forel had intervened, saying that a different style was needed for the boy. Lyn Corbray had been watching and mocking, and challenged the Braavosi to a duel. After it was all over, Lord Stannis had presented Forel with a contract. "But I don't want young Robert to be like Lord Stannis," Rolland continued. "Oh, I'm sure that there's plenty that can be learned from Lord Stannis. But bitterness and cynicism? For all that he has been and still is a brat, Sweetrobin doesn't have that. Now, I've never been a father, but you have; surely you can understand not wanted that to happen to somebody you've…become attached to."
"I can, though you seem quite critical of Lord Stannis for one who follows him so loyally."
"Oh, I came into his service and didn't find anything else more exciting. Surely you have your own reasons for continuing to follow Lord Jon's wishes, even though he's dead?"
"I do. There were three of us who scaled the walls of Gulltown ahead of Jon Arryn." Ser Vardis paused reflectively. "I'll never forget, Mandon Moore carving a bloody path along the walls without ever saying a word, Creighton Tollett laughing ridiculously as he always would, and myself just trying to stay alive. Creighton died that day; Jon Arryn had Mandon made a Kingsguard, and myself commander of his household guard. Jon Arryn was a good man." He took a sip of his wine. "I wonder how Mandon's doing. As for me, I now have but two duties left to do for old Lord Arryn." Vardis would say no more, but sat silently in contemplation, leaving Rolland to eat his roast in more customary quiet.
He caught sight of Davos picking up a loaf of bread and leaving the table. "Where to?" he asked as the old smuggler passed by.
"To sup with Salladhor Saan and Syrio Forel. Salladhor's cook is preparing a Lyseni dinner. Saan insisted that I bring some bread from here, so he could say that he broke bread from Lord Stannis." In between Syrio Forel threatening to bring Salladhor and Davos to justice as pirates and Salladhor waving his contract from Lord Stannis, the two Essosi had become inseparable, down to their disdain for Westerosi cuisine.
But before Davos could leave, the chatter in the hall died down. Lord Stannis had entered, followed by the maesters. The scowl on his face was deeper than usual, if possible. He strode to the head table, a hundred pairs of eyes tracking him. "His majesty the king, Robert…my brother…is dead," he announced once he reached the front of the room. Lord Stannis ignored the tumult of whispers. "He was gored by a boar on a hunt and died the next morning. Lord Stark is dead as well. When summoned to give homage to Joffrey, he refused; instead, he and his household guard were killed in a fight with the Kingsguard and goldcloaks and Lannister men."
"Ned Stark?" gasped Gilwood Hunter, who had known Ned while he was fostered in the Vale; men were now shouting, "Ned Stark a traitor?"
Stannis ground his teeth, and Rolland could have sworn that he muttered Ned. Robert's preference for Ned Stark over his brother was a constant sore spot for the Lord of Dragonstone. "Joffrey has summoned all of us to pay fealty to him in King's Landing." He sat down. "I will not go, and neither will you."
The shouting died down, replaced by a dead silence. "That is treason," Lord Velaryon muttered, and Rolland could see many of the others nodding. "Joffrey is Robert's heir, and the rightful king."
But then Ser Vardis rose to his feet and walked to the head table. "Your grace," he said, drawing his sword and laying it at Stannis' feet as he knelt in homage.
There was more murmuring. The others must think this treason¸ Rolland reflected. Perhaps it is. One or two in the back of the hall actually did shout "Treason!" Davos was whispering something to Cressen, and Richard Horpe was trying to keep a Valeman and a Dragonstone man from coming to blows. Gilwood Hunter was the last to catch on. "You're calling Lord Stannis king?" he sputtered, coughing up his wine.
"Robert has no trueborn heirs. Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are not his children, but those of Cersei and her brother Ser Jaime, the Kingslayer. By all the laws of Westeros, I am Robert's heir, and king."
Lyn Corbray rose to his feet. "You go too far, Lord Stannis! First you claim that Lord Robert was given into your care. Very well, we accepted that. But now to try to usurp your nephew's throne with this preposterous claim? What lie will you feed us next?"
"They are no lies!" Ser Vardis was on his feet now. "You all have wondered why Lord Jon died so suddenly. I can tell you now. With Lord Stannis, he was investigating the matter of the royal children's parentage. Every Baratheon within memory has had black hair and blue eyes, even the children of previous marriages to Lannisters. But not Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella. Robert has had other…children. We visited many of them in King's Landing, all black haired and blue eyed, even those born to blonde mothers. My fellow Valemen! You have all visited the Eyrie, and met the mule girl Mya. She was Robert's first child. Can any of you doubt the resemblance to Robert? Ser Robar! You have travelled to Storm's End. You doubtless met another of Robert's bastards there, Edric Storm. Yet none of Cersei's children look at all like Robert. And who else has been close to her all this time, with the looks to ensure that the children look entirely Lannister, but her brother in the Kingsguard? It was for this truth that our Lord Jon doubtless died, murdered by the Lannisters to hide their foul secret."
"So Lord Jon died, and instead of telling your brother or the Lords of the Vale, you chose to flee here and sulk," Lyn Corbray scoffed. "Did you want a crown or a cradle, Lord Stannis?"
"And would you have believed me? Robert would have laughed and called it self-serving lies. So would you. I recall you saying something to that effect about Lord Jon entrusting young Robert to me, Ser Lyn."
"Yes. Why should we believe you now?"
"Ned Stark," Maester Cressen spoke up, quietly at first, then more loudly as his voice found its old strength. "We all know Ned Stark to be as honorable a man as there is in the Seven Kingdoms, and yet he refused to swear to Joffrey. What cause could there be, but that Joffrey is not the rightful heir? And if neither Joffrey nor his siblings are the rightful heir, then the crown is Lord Stannis'."
"The Lannisters killed Lord Stark to hide the truth of Joffrey's parentage, just as they did Lord Arryn," Stannis declared.
There was more murmuring, but now instead of 'treason,' there were whispers of 'Ned' and 'Jon' and 'Lannisters.' "I speak for myself, not my father, but I'll have you as my king," Robar Royce declared, drawing his sword and kneeling. "We'll have justice for Lord Stark and your father," he added, turning to Sweetrobin, who looked thoroughly confused by the whole matter.
"The Lannisters are burning the Riverlands, and I suppose we'll be next. Better you than the Lannisters," Gilwood Hunter said, kneeling as well.
"Stannis king!" Richard Horpe shouted. One by one Mychel Redfort and Ben Coldwater and all the other Valemen were kneeling, Lyn Corbray last of all. Lord Velaryon knelt as well, and the worshippers of R'hllor, who had entered late and very flustered. "You're a princess now," Davos was saying to Shireen. But only the Dragonstone men and a few of the Valemen echoed Richard Horpe. They will follow him, but do not love him, Rolland reflected as he knelt. Some of the others were shouting "Justice!" and "Jon Arryn!" and "Ned Stark!" Perhaps when they have all fought and suffered with Lord – no, King – Stannis, they will understand, Rolland thought."Stannis king!" he cried.
Stannis stood, still scowling. "I accept your fealty. Maester Cressen, Ser Davos, Ser Vardis, attend me in private." And with that their new king stalked out the room.
