Hi everyone,

A new chapter where we get to see a new queen.

DAVOS VII

The salty air of the sea assailed his nostrils like the waves crashed against the shores. Standing on the docks of Dragonstone's harbor, Davos filled his nose with the scent of the sea, all the while filling his ears with the sounds of the same sea. The water, the waves, the ships, that was his home. No matter the keep and forest Stannis granted him, no matter his wife and son, his only true home had always been at sea, on a ship. That had been the only place where he ever felt he belonged to.

Now here he was, on the shores of Dragonstone, the smuggler turned knight, the Onion Knight, father and husband, and yet despite being all these things, he felt as if he was nothing. For Davos was Stannis's man. Even now that his king was dead, he kept serving him as his Hand.

They had received confirmation that King's Landing had fallen a few days ago. Queen Selyse had been made prisoner, but she was alive. The same could not be said of all Stannis's men. Axell Florent's head had been spotted on a spike on the battlements of the Red Keep. He had led the fight against the assault on the city, but with few men, weakened defenses and the civil unrest inside the city, he had been defeated. There were rumors that some of his men were murdered by the religious fanatics that had appeared not long before Davos left.

The capital and all the Crownlands were now firmly in the hands of the Lannisters and their allies. The last local lord to support Stannis sent Davos a letter that, since the king was dead and only had a daughter, it was to his closest male kin to take the throne. As such, Tommen Baratheon was the only logical choice and he encouraged Davos to support him as well. He had also confirmed that all lords and landed knights of the Crownlands had swore fealty to the bastard boy.

Davos could not believe these men, who offered their allegiance to Stannis on the basis that Queen Cersei's children were born of incest, now turned on him and declared Jaime and Cersei Lannister's son his next of kin. But the truth was Davos was not surprised they turned on him. Stannis was dead. Shireen, not only a woman, was only a child, and no one in Stannis's entourage had the will, reputation, strength, experience and claim necessary to continue the fight. Davos did continue the fight, along with a few other men, but none was Stannis.

Stannis would have known what to do. He would have known how to take back King's Landing. He would have known how to react when his army in the Stormlands was defeated by Mace Tyrell and Storm's End besieged once again. He would have known what to do with the lords of the Narrow Sea who removed their oath and now sided with Joffrey. He would have known what to do with the forces of Alester Florent who were stuck between the Riverlands and the Crownlands. He would have known what to do with the soldiers who, after the defeat at Riverrun, reached Saltpans and from there sailed to Dragonstone where they arrived safely, if such a word could still be used. He would have known what to do to win this war. But Stannis was dead and Davos was left to take care of his legacy.

They had very few men left. Ser Alester's troops were stuck on the continent. Davos sent word to him that he should try to find a harbor and there take ships, by force if necessary, to bring back his men to Dragonstone, but he didn't know if the message reached its destination. A large fleet was still at Davos's disposal, reinforced by some of the ships that escaped King's Landing when the city fell to the enemy, despite the few sea lords who deserted. There were also pirates still on their side. Salladhor Saan took great pleasure in pillaging the few ships who sailed to King's Landing and other harbors controlled by the enemy. And they had a few troops, remains from Riverrun who, despite their low morale, were still in shape to fight. And there was the Vale, too. Lysa Arryn had not turned her back yet. She kept fighting the Lannisters, even now that her brother and her nephew marched against her. Davos had sent ravens to the Arryns, proposing that they support their defense against the invasion of the Vale with both their ships and their men. Davos had not proposed it yet, but some suggested they might offer Robin Arryn to marry the princess Shireen, given how close they were in age. Davos wasn't sure if Shireen would appreciate, but if they managed to repel the Lannister invasion on the Vale, that could strengthen an alliance with House Arryn. It was a sad thing to say, but the Arryns were their best chance.

Davos had also sent ravens to both House Stark and House Tully, reminding them of the origins of Tommen Baratheon, and reminding them that before being enemies, they were allies of Stannis. Davos ignored what would be the results of these messages, but he had to try something. Stannis was not one to look for allies, considering people should acknowledge him as king without question or bargain, but Davos was more practical. Stannis was gone and the only way to honor him was to do everything in order to bring his daughter on the throne. Stannis was a king and kings didn't negotiate. But Davos was no king. He was a sailor, a smuggler, and sailors and smugglers treated and bargained. He would bargain until he died for Shireen, and for his lost king.

Turning his back to his one true home, Davos walked away from the soothing sounds of the sea and headed back to Dragonstone. He never really liked this castle. He doubted any man had ever liked it, but this was the best place for now, the best place to ensure Shireen's safety and one of their last chances to win this war. As he climbed steps and walked within deep corridors, getting further into the belly of the beast, he could not help but long for his home. Marya was still there, alone. She had her guards, of course, their small household, but although that would protect her from bandits and poachers, they would never be enough to hold against the might of the Reach. Their small keep was not made to hold a siege. If the Tyrells came, they would destroy it.

It had broken Davos' heart, but he had sent a message to Marya. He sent it a long time ago, when this war had just started. How many had he sent her ever since? Maybe one, or two perhaps. He couldn't remember. It was hard to send letters often when you could hardly read let alone write. Matthos wrote to her more often. Davos managed to get him aboard the ship when he escaped King's Landing with Shireen. And yet, Davos never asked his son how his mother was. Matthos was a better son to both his father and mother than Davos had ever been a husband to his wife.

He arrived in a chamber that had become all too familiar. Shireen was there, reading like always. The child was already lone before, but now that her father was dead and her mother far away, things had become far worse. She barely left her room. Davos tried to spend one hour per day with her. He was the only one she accepted to see. With all his other duties, it was difficult to find the time, but he always managed to do it. Shireen turned away from her book the moment he entered and closed the door behind.

"Lord Onion Knight."

Like always, Davos chuckled as she mentioned his new title. During their hour meeting, Davos told her what was going on. As Hand of the King, now Queen, it was his duty to keep the queen aware of the state of affairs. Most of the time, they took care of that in less than fifteen minutes, then Davos turned into a friend for Shireen for the rest of the time.

One day, she had asked why he was only a knight, since most of the Hands had been lords. Davos said he didn't know why, but Shireen had decided to make him a lord on the spot. Davos did not inform the others about that. Perhaps once the situation had gotten better, Shireen could announce it officially, but not before. He didn't think he earned it, not yet.

"Your Grace."

"I hate it when you call me that way."

"It is the right way to call you."

"Can I order you to call me differently?"

Davos was taken by surprise. He was surprised that she didn't think about that before, truth be told. And as her Hand, he told her the truth.

"You can, though I would not recommend it."

"And if I don't listen to you, what will you do? Lock me in a cell?" They both laughed. She seemed to be in a better mood today. "I order you to call me like before."

"Princess?" It was a question that he asked, but she understood it differently.

"See? That wasn't hard."

Davos shook his head. He sat close to her. "Your…. Princess, I've come to tell you about the recent events."

"Any news of Mother?" She always began their meetings with this question.

"No, I'm afraid. But you don't have to worry. They will not harm her." Indeed, Queen Selyse was far too much valuable as a hostage. If only to use as leverage to bring Alester Florent to lay down his weapons, the Lannisters would never harm her.

"And what about uncle Alester?"

"We're trying to reach him. But don't worry about him. Your uncle is a good and brave man. No matter where he is, he will survive."

Shireen's face darkened. "I do not feel like a queen."

"No more than I feel like a Hand." He showed the cut fingers of his right hand. "I'm sorry you had no time to prepare for that." This is not what her father would have wanted for her.

"What's the point of all this? What's the point of this war?"

Sometimes, Davos asked himself the same question. Now that Stannis was dead, it seemed useless to fight. But then he thought of Shireen, and all the reasons came back to his mind.

"We have to protect you, princess. If we stop fighting, people might hurt you."

"No, they wouldn't. I know Tommen. I met him before. He was always very kind. What if told him that I don't want to be queen? He lets uncle Alester and Mother come back here, and we just let him be king."

"I'm afraid it is not that simple, princess."

"Why not?"

That was a very good question. "Because… there are people around Tommen. People who do not share his views, and he must listen to them."

"No. He doesn't have to. He's the king. His word is law."

"It may be, but… what if Tommen is no longer like you knew him? It's been a long time since you saw each other. And the thing is… Tommen is still a child. He's not really ruling. Tyrion Lannister is the regent. He's the one with real power."

"I met him once. He seemed kind. And funny too."

"I cannot say that I ever met him."

Davos knew pretty little about the Imp. Of course, he heard the rumors, but he never met the Lord of Casterly Rock in person. He knew however how dangerous he could be and that underestimating him could be the greatest mistake of his life.

Davos met many people in his life as a smuggler who gave the impression to be inoffensive. Some pirates and dealers looked so nice, so well-mannered that no one would ever think them to be murderers before they planted a knife in their back. When the Imp lowered and sometimes removed the tariffs on trade, Davos had seen the wisdom in this move. As a smuggler, he had not only moved goods provided by pirates and traffickers. He had also moved stuff from merchants who wanted to avoid paying taxes and duties when their merchandises would arrive in the harbor or leave a city. And he couldn't remember the number of times he sold stolen goods to supposedly law-abiding merchants who in reality paid pirates to steal the goods of their competitors then bought back the said goods. Had Davos still been a smuggler, he would have cursed Tyrion Lannister in his sleep for stealing his livelihood.

And now, seeing how the Imp managed to get both the Starks and the Tullys on his side, how he got the Martells to remain neutral, and how he moved during this war… He left King's Landing, which ended up being more trouble than anything else for Stannis. Then he took it back with minimal losses. He let Stannis and his enemies tear each other apart, then walked in to pick the pieces. Davos had done it in the past, picking remains of a fleet after a battle and getting money out of it. Somehow, he respected the Lord of Casterly Rock. An enemy of Stannis he might have been, but a clever one. The only thing he couldn't explain with that man was how he abandoned his siblings to be killed by Stannis, and how he disappeared the very night his nephew the king was murdered. There were things that didn't add up. For example, why did he leave after his wife returned to King's Landing? There were rumors about things that happened in the Stormlands when Margaery Lannister was there. Some claimed a man had tried to murder Lady Lannister. And there was a kingsguard who never returned to the Red Keep from this trip. And rumors that Cersei Lannister hated her sister-in-law, and that L"ord Tyrion himself had no love for Tommen's mother. Somehow, despite some contrary indications, Davos suspected there was more to this story than first appeared. Perhaps he just saw too much of the smuggler he once was in the Lord of Casterly Rock. Maybe there were simple internal struggled within the Lannister family, just like inside the Baratheon family. Renly had tried to steal Stannis's crown and armies. Tyrion Lannister might have just rid himself of two problematic siblings and a barely manageable nephew, leaving him with uncontested power over House Lannister. He was the son of Tywin Lannister after all, his brother was a kingsguard who murdered his own king, and both his brother and sister had an incestuous relationship. Davos didn't have a hard time believing that the Imp coldly betrayed his own blood to reinforce his own position. And yet, after how own king somehow caused the death of his brother, Davos felt there was something more to what happened inside this family. Perhaps it was his own guilt speaking after his participation to the events that led to Renly Baratheon's death. What was the difference between Stannis bringing death to his brother and the Imp abandoning his family or killing his nephew? Who was he to judge? Stannis might have judged since he was king, but Davos wasn't.

"You know people call him the Imp?" Shireen continued.

"Yes, I do. Everyone has his own name. I'm the Onion Knight, don't forget."

She smiled a little. "Apparently, his father-in-law, they call him the Fat Flower."

Davos chuckled in return as well. "Mace Tyrell. Aye, he's quite some sort of lord."

"You've met him, haven't you?"

"Meet him would be an exaggeration. I would say that I saw him, nothing more, at the end of the siege of Storm's End. That was long before you were born."

"I wonder what nickname the others give me. Do I have one?"

"Not really, princess. Your father never really appreciated nicknames. He wouldn't allow anyone to give you one. Nor would he give any to anyone around him."

"Except for the Red Woman."

"Aye, though the name doesn't come from him."

"Do you have any idea what happened to her?"

"None, princess. We are without news from her."

This was the truth. Ever since their escape, Davos had not seen or heard of the Red Woman. Melisandre of Asshai just seemed to vanish in the air. No word came about her after the fall of King's Landing. It wasn't known if she was killed or captured, or if she managed to escape the city. Somehow, Davos doubted she was even there when the capital was taken. After she helped him and Shireen get away, even Selyse Baratheon might not have forgiven her.

Davos had always distrusted the woman. She wasn't loyal to Stannis, but to her god or whatever hidden goal or plan she had. And yet, she helped him and Shireen escape. Why? He didn't know. King's blood runs through the veins of Princess Shireen. She must live. Her father might not have been the Prince Who Was Promised, but if any of my visions were true, then you still have a part to play in the war to come, Ser Davos. Her words meant nothing to him, and despite the help she provided in the end, he thought it would be best if he never saw her again. Her Lord of Light had caused more problems than anything else to Stannis, and it would only cause more problems to his legacy.

"I always found her strange, but… but she helped us. Maybe we should try to find her," Shireen suggested.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, princess. I'm not even sure we could find her even if we tried. This woman… I never quite understood her. I think we should just thank the gods for what she did for us, and pray she is fine and well. I don't think she needs our help."

Shireen didn't seem convinced, but she said nothing more. Davos told her a few things about what was going on, talking about the Vale and their soldiers who came back on Dragonstone. Shireen worried about them, but Davos reassured her they were taking care of them the best they could. Shireen ended up talking about the Vale and the Eyrie and what she read about it, and like always their conversation took a more pleasant turn. Even after losing her father, and despite the darker turn her personality took, she was still a sunshine of some sort.

Davos still had to leave her to attend other duties. He went to Maester Pylos in his tower. Davos had managed to get along quite well with the young maester, probably better than any other lord or knight among Stannis's men, though he still missed Cressen. Davos had tried to warn him against going after Melisandre, and sadly the old maester didn't listen to him. Davos never thought a single moment the old maester had wrongful intentions. He just wanted to protect Stannis. Such was the loyalty this man inspired: men were ready to do everything for him, and sadly by doing so, Cressen had attempted to kill Melisandre, and paid the price with his own life. That was one of the reasons Davos didn't want to see this woman, no matter that she saved his life in the end.

Loyal service means telling hard truths. Back then, Davos had asked Cressen what was the truth. Perhaps if Davos hadn't been so blind back then, if he had dared to see the truth… The truth was that Cressen was right. Stannis was doomed, surrounded by fanatics and fools, the likes of his wife, Melisandre and Axell Florent. And the truth was, if he had not been surrounded by these fools and fanatics, Stannis might have won this war. Stannis might still be alive. Shireen would not have lost her father. Robb Stark would probably have not turned on him had Stannis not proceeded to literally burn the Old Gods and the New. Melisandre's presence attracted unwanted allies and pushed away those they needed. Instead, they managed to turn all the other kingdoms against them and allowed the Lannisters to present their cause as a war against the foreign god.

"Ser Davos. What can I do for you?" Pylos said, getting him out of his reflections.

"Have we received anything from the Vale?"

"Nothing yet, ser. I swear I'll come to you as soon as we have news." Davos sighed as the young maester continued. "We haven't sent this message long ago, Ser Davos. You must give them some time…"

"To hell with time. Time is something that we don't have. Dragonstone may be easily defended, but the moment the Lannisters will be done with the Vale and the Iron Islands…"

He thought about what he discussed with what few advisors were left to Stannis. Most of them were either lords who ruled over islands in the Narrow Sea, with few being from the Crownlands and Stormlands, but cut away from their home and stuck here with what few men they still had. Most of them were still loyal to Stannis, just like Davos was, and most didn't follow the Lord of Light. They had only adopted him as a god because Stannis did, and most of the fanatics remained behind in King's Landing with the queen, where they most likely died. He also suspected that some feared the consequences of losing the war. He couldn't blame them. He feared the consequences on his family if they lost the war.

He took a decision he delayed for probably too long. "Pylos, take some paper and quill. I need you to send a message."

"Of course, ser. To who, and where?"

"To Balon Greyjoy, at the castle of Pyke. Here it is. Write his name and titles, then follow this way. Queen Shireen Baratheon, the First of Her Name, daughter of Stannis Baratheon and true queen of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby recognizes you as King of the Iron Islands, for this title to be held by you and all your descendants. Your enemies shall be her enemies, and her enemies shall be yours, with all freedom to attack, raid, plunder and make war to them. Add whatever formula you see fit and put the right titles. I've never managed to remember all of them correctly. And write it in a way so that Balon Greyjoy will read it the best way possible."

Pylos was looking at Davos. "Are you sure about that, ser?"

"No, I'm not, but we need allies, and the Iron Islands have a chance against the Lannisters. Their last revolt might not prove it, but they're formidable at sea and can cause many problems to our enemies."

"As you wish. It will take some time to reach Pyke. They don't have any maester there. Another maester at another castle will have to relay the message to the Greyjoys."

Despite his acceptance, Davos felt Pylos didn't agree as he finished writing the message for Balon Greyjoy. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Pylos?"

He looked up from the parchment. "I come from Southshield."

Davos understood immediately. The Shield Islands were a strategic place in the Reach, and were often targets for Ironborn raids. What Davos just asked Pylos was to give freedom to Balon Greyjoy to plunder his homeland.

"I can order someone else to write the message and to send it," he offered.

"Who else would know how to attach a message to a raven? You know I'm the only who can do this, Ser Davos."

He was right. "We can send a message to you family to…"

"I have no family, Ser Davos. I'm an orphan. Don't worry, I'll send the message."

"Thank you, Pylos. I'm sorry."

"I know you are. Stannis would not have been."

And sadly, Davos had to agree with him. "I'm going to order the soldiers we have on Dragonstone to head for Gulltown. Write to the Arryns who rule the city. Warn them that our army is coming to help them and is at their disposal to deal with the Starks, the Lannisters and the Tullys who invaded their lands. And that Queen Shireen will do everything to protect their seas and trade from their enemies."

"Just like that? Ser Davos, they haven't accepted to fight with us."

"Damn, they fought with us at Riverrun. Some of our men probably escaped with their ranks at the end of the battle. And if they can't see that all we want is to help… by the Seven! Stannis kept demanding people to swear fealty to him and to prove their loyalty to him. It's time that Shireen shows that our king is loyal to his allies as well. Let us gain their loyalty instead of demanding it."

Pylos looked at him in puzzlement. Davos realized how hard he was on someone who didn't deserve it. "Sorry, Pylos."

"You're not the first to make a scene to me, Ser Davos. I'll write to Gulltown. Hopefully, they will accept our help more than Lady Arryn would. What are the others thinking about this?"

"There's not much to think about. Without the Vale, we have no chance to win this war. Shireen will not rule over all the Seven Kingdoms. Not today, not tomorrow, and maybe not for the next five or ten years, but if we keep the Vale, only with the Vale, we stand the chance that one day she sits in the Iron Theone. The Vale is probably the most defendable of all the kingdoms. If there's a place we can push away the Lannisters, it's in the Vale."

It was Shireen who told him the Vale was easy to defend. Davos hoped he didn't make a mistake by relying on information from a little girl, but this little girl was their queen, and more clever than many men who surrounded Stannis when he died.

"Very well, Ser Davos. I'll prepare the message. I hope everything goes well with the lords. You'll need my best wishes."

Indeed, Davos needed them. Many of the lords who commanded the soldiers who would sail for Gulltown, survivors of Riverrun, would have preferred to go to the reconquest of their homelands in the Crownlands or the Stormlands. They were obviously not happy when Davos told them they would be going to the Vale instead, but Davos reasoned them the best he could. Their best chance to recover their homes would not be through a foolish attack in lands where the Tyrells and the Lannisters would slaughter what was left of them, but rather through keeping a strong ally who would help them later. The fact that some of these lords had some attachments to the Vale, whether under the form of family ties with a random house of the Vale or one of their cousin being a ward to another small house there, helped a great deal. Still, they were not happy. Davos was not either. But they had all to face it, the Vale, House Arryn, Lysa Arryn and her son Robin Arryn were their best chance to win this war.

The next day, almost half of the fleet at Dragonstone sailed with about four thousand men towards Gulltown and the battles that would decide whether Shireen Baratheon could one day be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Next chapter : Tyrion