Author's Note: Hello again! I was too excited to wait for this... Here in Greece, it is almost 3 in the morning, so technically it is a different day for me, ha, ha... Anyway, enjoy and comment, please!
Disclaimer: Once more, I don't own anything!
Stannis I
He was running. It was dark and cold. The rain was falling upon his face with such force that he felt as though he was being torn apart. His feet were sinking in the damp ground. And yet, he was running with more fierceness than he thought himself capable of.
He heard it again. The gut-wrenching scream of a woman. He ran even faster. Where was she? He looked around but only darkness enveloped him. He shouted in frustration.
"Where are you?"
Only another sickening scream answered him. But it was more than enough. She was down on the beach.
It did not take him long to find her. The woman was sprawled over the rocky sand in an unnatural position. She was not moving. He approached her quickly and dropped on his knees beside her. He turned her around.
As suddenly as it had started, the storm ceased to exist. The sun came out. Everything was dry again. That is everything except him. It all became still. Nothing moved. Nothing could be heard.
The woman's face was revealed.
Slowly, ever so slowly, a terrifying sound started to vibrate in his ears growing stronger and stronger until it became so abnormally loud that he finally recognized what it was.
His voice. His own voice was making such unearthly sounds that it was monstrous.
He struggled to breathe. His emotions were thundering on his chest.
"Mother…" he muttered feeling his heart breaking into a thousand pieces.
The woman did not respond of course. She was dead. Her eyes were unseeing and cold. Her skin was pale blue…
He took her in his arms sobbing uncontrollably.
"You disgust me!" a hollow voice said from behind him.
He turned around sharply. Blearily he was able to make out the figure of a man.
"You should never have been born, you bitter, narrow-minded, cruel imbecile!"
He cleared the tears that were still streaming from his eyes and got an even greater shock.
"Fa...ther?"
"You are no son of mine! You do not deserve to carry the Baratheon name. You are a traitor and for that, you will die."
He watched frozen as his father approached him threateningly. He simply could not move.
"You make my people suffer. You order them around like a lordling, watching them die helplessly. My child suffers because of you. This ends now."
His father grabbed him by the neck and dragged him towards the sea. He tried to defend himself, but for some unexplainable reason, his body was completely unresponsive. He tried to speak, but it was hard to even breathe. His own father was suffocating him… under the water of the sea. His vision was getting darker. He made a last attempt to save himself. Nothing. So, this is what death feels like, he thought before finally succumbing to total darkness.
Ahhh! He took long, deep breaths. I'm alive! Where am I? He weakly looked around. Oh… only a dream…
Stannis Baratheon relaxed back on his bed. It had seemed so real. Relieving his greatest heartache and fear at the same time- his self-doubt. He shook his head and got up grimacing immediately. He was feeling ill. No. More than ill. He was feeling as if he was dying like in his dream. His bones cracked with each movement he made. His hands could not even hold his cup to drink some water without trembling. His legs… he felt that they would soon give way. He looked at himself. His chest was bare showing off his bony ribs. He looked like a walking corpse. Like one of the mythical Whitewalkers the Northerners loved to scare children with.
He stretched slowly. It was getting harder and harder these days. Sleepless nights full of nightmarish terrors left him exhausted and miserable. Even without the physical pain, it would be hard to find peace.
He suddenly became aware of murmuring. Cursing himself for being unaware of his surroundings, he turned towards the door that led to his solar. It was slightly open. Had he really come to the point of forgetting to close a simple door?
He walked carefully so as not to be heard and stopped exactly in front of it. The voices became louder and clearer.
"It is unbearable, Gawen. That is a fact. Yet there is nothing we can do but persevere."
"There is one thing, Maester."
"No! How could you be suggesting that? You know how Lord Stannis values you and seeks your guidance more than anybody else! How dare you consider betraying him?"
"I would never, ever contemplate such a notion, Maester! I have known Stannis since he was born, just like you. I have trained him since he was a young lad. He has always been solemn and at times I have thought him joyless, but his maturity is beyond his years. He might not be easy to love, like Robert, but he is easy to trust. For he has always been dutiful and honorable. He is a Lord in his own right. He has and always will have my complete faith, loyalty and Sword. More so than his brothers."
There was a pause. Stannis was holding his breath. Nobody had chosen him before.
"Our people are dying, Cressen..." came the tortured whisper of his Master-at-arms. "How long will we be able to survive on cats and dogs? After they are gone, then what? What?"
Stannis could not remain still any longer. He opened the door loudly. Both men turned to look at him.
"My brother asked me to guard our home. Of course, he did not think about our survival. He never thinks of the outcome of his actions. That does not change the fact that he is the Lord Baratheon. Therefore I am doing my duty towards him when I defy this siege. I will not betray my brother by surrendering to a man as cowardly as the Tyrrel cow. The whole garrison might think me a traitor. You might hate me for what I am putting you through. Even I hate myself. However, as long as I keep my word to my Brother, then I AM NOT A TRAITOR."
He paused to compose himself. His dream had made him more defensive than he would have liked.
"We will not surrender…" he whispered with determination.
"Stannis…"
He turned to the Maester.
"You are hardly standing! You should still be in bed. The sun has not risen yet! And look at you! You are thinner than everyone I have seen! Aren't you eating my boy?" Maester Cressen asked him.
Stannis could not look him in the eyes.
"I am only doing my duty." he said with no emotion.
"No! This is not your duty. Giving your food to Renly when he has his own meals is irresponsible. How do you suppose you are going to survive?"
Stannis finally lifted his gaze.
"My brother is my duty, Cressen. And you will not question me further."
"You are being harsh on yourself, my boy." murmured the old knight. "You are half dead already. Who is going to lead us if you suddenly drop sick or worse, dead? Who is going to hold his duty then?"
"I have no intention to die. Not yet."
"Stannis!"
"My Lord…"
"Lord Stannis!" a boy came barreling in the solar.
"What is it?" he asked impatiently.
"SHIPS! A dozen ships are on the harbor!"
Stannis sucked in a breath.
"Redwyne?"
"No! No, milord. It's the Lions!"
"What are you blabbering about, boy? Speak plainly!" ser Gawen demanded.
"The lions of the West are here! And they are carrying living, breathing animals. Stags, cows, sheep, boars… They are carrying them to the shore!"
"What…" he only managed to croak.
"They are for us, milord."
"And what do they ask for in return?"
"Nothing! Only to remain here."
"Let us go and see for ourselves." he ordered.
Stannis ran. He knew that he was half-naked but he had no time for decorum. This situation was more important.
Once he arrived at the docks, he could not believe his eyes. Hundreds of big, fat animals were being moved out of the ships. Food. Food for Renly. Food for his people.
He looked around frantically. What was the meaning of this? Such was his shock that he did not realize that people had started staring at him. He did not hear them whisper. He did not see them approach him. Only when they started touching him did he wake out of his stupor.
A small boy was right in front of him. He had put his bony little hand in his ribs, with his big, brown eyes looking so sad. Stannis was about to shout at him when the boy spoke tearfully.
"You are one of us."
He was so bewildered that he remained quiet.
"You are one of us." another voice said.
He looked up. It was an elder man. More and more people approached him, repeating that same phrase and hesitantly touching him. His arms, his chest, his ribs, his abdomen… Had he not been so numb, he would have definitely put them in their place.
He gazed at the different faces of his people. Men of his garrison, children left behind with their mothers, old people who just could not fight and were left back to live… In their eyes, he saw such sadness… And yet, something else was growing there. It was a sudden clarity as if they only just now saw him for who he was. As if they only now recognized him as one of their own.
They suddenly kneeled before him, one by one. All of the smallest child. They kneeled in the ground, put their right hand above their hearts and looked at him with such resolution in their eyes, such determination, such loyalty.
He tried to tell them to rise. But he found himself unable to. Silent tears were streaming out of his eyes, choking him. He turned around to hide his face only to see more people. He felt trapped. This unreasonable gratitude was far too much. More than he would ever deserve.
"You should not hide from them. Not now." he heard and looked up.
There he was. Exactly as he had been so many years ago. With golden hair that crowned his head, a trimmed beard that made him distinguished and a posture that screamed power. He looked as kingly as he remembered him. Tywin Lannister.
The Great Lion came towards him with confident strides. The people moved easily to make a pass for him. And then he was standing right in front of him.
"Lord Baratheon." The proud Lord bowed his head quite imperceptibly.
He could not trust his voice, so he only responded by bowing profoundly.
Lord Tywin signaled with his hand. Immediately, two men, a woman and a child came out of the smallest ship.
"I come bearing food for the people of Storm's End, as requested. And I also return this." he said and turned towards the newcomers.
The two men looked like him so Stannis guessed that they were Lannisters. The woman…. Now, this was interesting.
The woman was carrying an infant with white-blonde hair. So, this is Elia Martell…
"Jaime, come forward."
Stannis focused on the younger man. So. This was Jaime Lannister, the youngest Kingsguard. What was going on? Had he broken his oath? Had he run away, as supported by his dirty looks? Or had something more sinister happened?
The young man was holding a wooden cage. Stannis watched more carefully as the cover was lifted.
Quite unexpectedly some kind of bird came out and landed on his shoulder. Startled, he stared at it. And stared. And stared some more. And he could not control himself. He broke into thunderous laughter. His heart was singing from the sudden joy. Was that even possible?
"Proudwing…" he called her name with pride once he recovered.
As if the bird understood him, she started licking his face. He laughed shortly in response.
"You have my gratitude, Lord Lannister. For returning my precious goshawk to me and for bringing all these goods to us. However, I must know what it is that you require in return."
"As I expected of you, Lord Baratheon.", the older man answered with a small smile. "I simply ask for your hospitality. For all who come with me."
Stannis considered him more seriously.
"I can see that you have more to say, my Lord. Nonetheless, I feel it is a discussion that should happen inside a solar and with proper attire. Do forgive me, but until moments ago I could not even dream of such an outcome. It is of no matter now. You have my hospitality, my Lord, and my eternal appreciation for succeeding in what no one would even attempt. I would give you salt and bread but we do not have any. You will have to trust my word."
"I do."
"Then let us go. And you people of Storm's End! The time has come to have a feast. A feast in the honor of our guests. Ladies, go and cook for this special occasion. Men, help them clean the meat. Children, rejoice for you shall not be hungry again! Go, go, everyone! The sun has finally risen!"
Everyone started laughing, but they did as asked.
For the first time in his life, he felt like a true Baratheon. Like the Lord Baratheon. And it was a good feeling.
Yeahhh! Go,Stannis!
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