DAVOS II
The gods seemed to smile more at him every day, so when he arrived at Dragonstone the first thing, he did was visit the sept of the town. His son Dale was expecting a child from his wife, which meant he would soon be a grandfather; in turn, Lord Stannis had arranged a marriage for Allard, engagement him to Clare Noye.
The Noyes were a new house, Davos had met them during the Siege of Storm's End, when a brave Donal Noye was left one-armed from a battle wound. Donal had decided to enter Night's Watch, but his brother Darrik remained in Storm's End. And now, Darrik's granddaughter would marry Allard, a good marriage for the second son of a landed knight.
Davos did not know what would become of his other five children, but he knew that if he trusted the Seven and Stannis, they would ensure a good future. Until then, he would faithfully fulfill the mission entrusted to him by his lord.
"Ser Davos", greeted Ser Wyllam Estermont, who proudly wore the dragon-turtle of House Estermont of Dragonstone.
"Ser Wyllam", Davos said, as politely as possible.
"A wandering crow named Yoren is waiting for you in a nearby tavern. My men and I will take care of supplying your ship."
Davos nodded and followed Ser Wyllam to the tavern where he would meet Yoren. Yoren was an older, ugly, sinister-looking man. His back was hunched over, his beard was black and matted. Davos was given a feeling of dirt, as if man smelled bad. Even so, he silenced his bad impression and sat next to the man.
"Are you Lord Baratheon's envoy?" he asked.
"Yes, I am"
"I must say that it has me surprised. Few lords help the Watch and even fewer contribute three galleys. Your lord's donation will come in handy for the black brothers. We're weak at sea, if I remember correctly, many years ago we executed a tyroshi smuggler for exchanging weapons with the savages. We captured his galley, Cobblecat, but set his men free.
"You know who I...
"Yes, I know who you are, Ser Davos. I also know that you traded with the Watch on several occasions, so I don't hold grudges. And now you help us bring thirty recruits to Eastwatch, or rather twenty-eight, right?
Davos nodded.
"The blacksmith's apprentice", said Yoren.
"The blacksmith's apprentice", Davos confirmed.
"A boy who looks a lot like Orys Storm, the King's bastard, who is also among my recruits. No wonder they want to take them to the Wall, it is not for me to judge the nobles, but the boys are already murmuring. It would be best if they both stayed at the Wall, after all, Gendry believes he will take black."
"I don't know what my lord would say.
"It doesn't matter what he says. Tell him that the two boys wanted to take the black, it's the best thing for them. What better company than a brother? They will find out sooner or later. Orys for being the recognized son of the King will end up becoming Lord Commander, wouldn't it be better to give him a right hand? If the boy is as good a blacksmith as they say, he can become First Steward.
They didn't talk much more about it; however, Davos knew the man had convinced him. If he put his mind to it, he could convince him to take the black, even though Davos could not imagine a life without sex. Most importantly, he would advance his lord's plans to secure the king's bastards, who would attract attention at Stormlands, where they would be loved and pampered.
The cold of the Wall would turn them into men. Bastards could have a more difficult life than rich low peoples, who did not have the stain of adultery. Davos was judged by his origin, but he lived better than the men of his status. Orys on the other hand would never be an equal among the greatlords, nor among the commoners. It was as if he didn't belong anywhere.
…
Eastwatch could be seen on the horizon, being a small fortress barely worthy of being called a castle. Perhaps he was upset that Yoren had convinced Matthos to take the black, his own son. He didn't care how much the honor of wearing black was repeated, Davos would lose a son forever and without the need to see him die.
I didn't know how Marya would react. His poor wife loved her children more than anything, how would she tell her that one of them would stay at the Wall? He just didn't know it and wished he hadn't been tasked with taking Yoren to Eastwatch. However, Matthos would fulfill his dream of captaining his own ship, as the absence of experienced sailors made him one of the best recruits they could afford.
"You still have time to go back to me, Matthos", Davos demanded of his son.
"I made a promise, father", replied Matthos.
"You haven't made your vows in a sept, so you're still a free man.
"I am a third son, father. A third son of a knight landowner. I will not inherit anything; my only options are the Watch or be a mercenary; and you know well that I am a better sailor than a warrior. Here a man like me could become a commander, Cotter Pyke himself has risen by means of a bastard.
Davos did not answer, he knew Matthos was right, his chances were scarce. Dale and Allard's marriages, although advantageous, were not easy to arrange and were financed with Stannis' help. And unlike Maric and Devan, he was not under the protection of any noble. Maybe the Watch was the best choice for him.
After disembarking, they were greeted by Cotter Pyke in person. And next to him, a small escort.
"But what do we have here?" exclaimed Cotter Pyke with his bold and reluctant attitude. To Ser Davos Seaworth himself, our former trading partner.
"It's good to be back", Davos replied.
"And this time without committing any crime," Pyke said. "I guess war changes people, Donal told me what you did for Storm's End, he says without you I'd be dead; so I have to thank you for saving him, he's the best blacksmith I've ever seen."
After exchanging another word, they went to the castle hall, where the fifty new recruits settled into a separate table. Davos was awarded a place of honour alongside Cotter Pyke, as a representative of Lord Paramount of Stormlands. It was the first time in his long life that he received such an honour, but also the first time he was one of the highest men in a place.
Davos noticed Donal Noye looking sideways at Orys Storm. He hadn't noticed Gendry yet, but he would soon find out, after all, he had known the Baratheon brothers since they were children. And he surely knew the late Lord Steffon and even Lord Ormund.
That night, during the banquet, Noye took the opportunity to talk to him in a corner of the room.
"I never thought Robert's bastard would come to the Wall, I must assume that the south is no longer safe.
"No, it isn't" Davos confirmed.
"He looks a lot like Robert", Noye said.
"Even more than Ser Renly", Davos added.
"I met Renly when I was a kid. I ignore his adult appearance, just as I ignore Stannis' appearance. I cherished Steffon's children very much when he worked for them, it's good to know that they grew up to become men."
Davos said nothing.
"Your brother Darrik's granddaughter will be married", Davos said.
"Really? With whom?"
"With my son Allard."
Donal laughs.
"You are ascending, Onion Knight, I never thought that the savior of Storm's End would be related to my home. You'd be surprised how much a good marriage helps. I didn't have many opportunities... Anyway, I wish them the best."
"I thank you."
"Don't be so formal, Davos. We may have a last name, but we are hardly noble, courtesies are not our strong suit.
Davos began to laugh and drank next to the blacksmith, as if they had been old friends. If they weren't friends in the past, now they were. He was excited that the Watch had new members and that most of them were not criminals. He didn't bother him that more than half of them were orphaned children, they were still better than the killers.
Davos agreed with him, despite his criminal past. Smugglers were very different from cold-blooded killers, their greatest crime being to trade in stolen or customs-free goods. Even so, his days as smuggler were behind them, investing the wealth he accumulated on his lands.
Someday Seaworth Keep would be a fortress fit for a lord, though he probably wouldn't live to see it. It would be Dale's children who would enjoy the fullness of their privileges.
Until then, Davos would faithfully serve his lord.
"Davos", Donal Noye called him on the day of his departure.
"Donal."
"The blacksmith is Robert's living image."
Davos nodded
"Does he already know?" he asked.
"He should know", Davos replied. "The boys realized the resemblance between Orys and Gendry, they must suspect that the relative they share is the father. Unless they're dumb."
"They're not dumbs, Davos. Even the black brothers noticed the resemblance", Donal Noye replied. Even so, no one dares to say it, they just murmur."
"Take good care of the boy, Gendry", Davos begged. "It's what Stannis would want."
"He is a good blacksmith, his arm is strong, he'll be my worthy successor. The boy will have a place in my forge and when he asks me about his father, I will be honest with him.
And Davos knew that the king's bastards were in good hands, under the watchful eye of the one-armed blacksmith, a man who would be worthy of being Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.