A/N:

This one is a bit short but I liked where it ended so I'm ending it here. And let me just say, working through all of GRRM's established politics and prophecies while writing this is just too, too much fun. I just hope you all like the direction this will eventually come to :)

Extra special thanks to all of my readers and reviewers and favoriters who offer such nice encouragement while writing! As I've said before, I love to hear what you guys think, especially since this is my first story tackling this fandom (I am lovin' every minute of it). My reviewers from last post get an extra extra special thanks for taking the time to write a little something:

MutiaRawr (You'll see what happens in this chapter concerning our first one. As for the second...I won't promise anything), Guest (Hehe, that is one of the best compliments an fanfic author can have! So thank you so so much), Guest (I'm not gonna disagree with you on that one), StarkStruck11 (I'm so glad you like the twist! And whoa, thank you! That's so great to hear! I should give GRRM a call, huh? I kid. I'm ecstatic that you like my OC so much), Guest (She's not my fave either. And thanks! Glad you like the twist in plot!), and TomHardyGirl684 (Thanks! And I will try!).

Disclaimer: I am not GRRM so I do not own ASOIAF which is basically this with a little twist.

Cassana did not like boats. They wobbled too much and she never really got her footing. She hated to be unbalanced, unstable, and she hated the smell of the rats and fleas that always managed to get on there too. She did not know how Davos could stand it, but Davos seemed to love the sea—walking easily on the deck and holding on to her as the waves rocked the ship too much. The deck was wet and made out of strong wood. Her brother's fleet was huge, and she saw a lot of the boats hold back, not docking, but waiting outside of the range of arrows or other defenses of White Harbor. This battle will never start.

They went into the captain's cabin, a large room with giant windows on the far side. It was still dark though and dank, but there was a large wooden table with a chandelier overhead where they all could sit. Stannis took his seat at the head of the table.

It was then she noticed the crown fashioned on his head. It was not the traditional Baratheon crown—not the antlers that Joffrey wore, and though Cass could not blame Stannis for not wanting the same adornment as that prick, she also saw the patches on his men's chests and remembered the banners they flew outside.

She asked as soon as she sat to her brother's left. "Why is the stag on fire?"

Melisandre was smirking to herself, her fine red garb flowing as she sat down next to Stannis and across from Cass. "It is a representation of R'hllor, the Lord of Light. Your brother is Azor Ahai reborn."

Cass blinked, the story of the Red God and the strange Asshai prophecy rushing back from some past Septa lesson. "Well, I certainly hope you haven't stabbed Selyse yet. Poor Shireen would have a fit." Neither her brother nor the red woman was amused. She pointed to Stannis' sword on his hip and tried to ask seriously, "Is that Lightbringer?"

"Yes, Lady Cassana." Melisandre said. "Wield it, Your Grace, and show your sister."

Stannis did what she said, and Lightbringer was brought out, shining red and too bright. It shines like the sun but there is no heat. Cass held a hand over her eyes. "Gods, Stannis. What is this?"

"There is only one God, Cassana Baratheon." Melisandre eyed her coolly. "But we did not come here to talk religion."

She was glad for that. Her brother, she knew, did not believe in the Seven. She was not the most religious herself, but this …Lord of Light… "Yes. We've come here to talk about my, uh, kidnapping."

"I found it strange." Stannis sheathed his sword. "That Ned would write to me from the Red Keep explaining about the Lannister incest only to steal you away."

"You found it strange because he did not steal me." Cassana was grateful that she was now talking to her brother. "Joffrey was planning to execute him, but I…spoke up. Cersei punished me by banishment."

Davos crossed his arms. "That sounds almost like a reward."

She thought of Robb and the Stark camp. She thought of Catelyn's face when she brought her husband home. It was. "Lord Stark supports your claim to the Iron Throne, Stannis. It is an obvious alliance."

"But what of his son?"

Robb? "What of him?"

Melisandre answered, "Queen Selyse says we should not treat with him, Your Grace. Robb Stark styles himself as the King in the North."

She did not see the conflict that they did. "And you wish for the Iron Throne. These are two different seats…"

"I do not plan on dividing my kingdom just because some boy wants to play war."

"He does not play war." She remembered Robb over his maps, talking with his captains. "He's young, yes, but he's also won every battle he's fought. He defeated Jaime Lannister while outsmarting Lord Tywin. Robb's brilliant, Stannis. He's…"

"Cassana." His steely voice settled her mouth. "You were betrothed to him."

She squirmed, and her voice became tight, deep. "I am not a wolf."

"No." Stannis shook his head. "I've heard reports that you abandoned that marriage and rescued the Kingslayer."

Cass was tired of trying to defend against accusations and did not think she needed to in front of her brother. She sighed, "Yes, I suppose." And ignored the shocked face on Stannis. "Jaime promised to get me back to you."

"The Kingslayer is the reason why that bastard sits the throne."

No, he isn't. Cass tapped her fingers on the wood. "Jaime promised to help this. He promised to release Sansa. The Starks will not hold back after that."

"You do understand, Cassana, that I cannot forgive Ser Jaime for his crimes, even if he did help you here." Stannis looked around the cabin. "And where is he now?"

"I let him go back to the Red Keep." He wouldn't have been safe here. Stannis knows that. "He's a good man, Stannis. I know that everyone thinks that he's…"

"He's an incestuous fool and a kingslayer. I am ashamed of you, Cassana."

She was too old to be scolded, even by a king. "They say kingslaying is only seconded by kinslaying." Cass held his blue eyes. "What do you say to that, brother?"

He said nothing to that. Melisandre replied for him. "Lord Renly was a traitor to the crown, just as Robb Stark is."

"But did you have to kill him, Stannis?" Cass ignored the red woman. "He was our brother! Robert has already died and then you take another one away from me!"

"It stopped a huge battle, Cassana." Stannis was always even-toned to her, always when she yelled or threw a tantrum. But Cass did not feel like she was throwing much of a tantrum now. She did not think her reaction was uncalled for at all. Stannis saw that and tried to soothe her. "One of us would have died."

She had nothing to say to that. Hearing Loras Tyrell speak of her brother in such an impassioned way, it was most likely that the war would not have stopped unless one of their bodies lay cold and bloodied. But still she wondered. "Catelyn Stark says a shadow killed him in your form." She turned to the priestess. "Now how did that happen?"

"There are many agents of the shadows, my lady." Melisandre seemed unaffected, but Cass saw Davos paling behind her brother, sweat starting to drip down his face and throat.

Stannis reached for Cass' hand. "I don't expect forgiveness from this act, Cass. But we are brother and sister, and as you said, we are the only family we have left. We need to take the usurper off the throne and have a true Baratheon sit there."

"I don't disagree," Cass replied, yet in the back of her mind she kept thinking of that word, of usurper. People had called Robert that too.

"Then you are with me?"

"Yes." Cass retracted her hand. "But first we need to speak to Ned Stark. I want an alliance with the North, Stannis." I do not want your shadows hunting him.

"You were betrothed to him once. Perhaps…"

"No." Cass shook her head. "I can't do that."

Stannis, surprisingly, did not push the issue. "You're my little sister, Cassana. I will not force you to marry anyone. That is how Robert and I always thought of it. You're too…too much like our mother."

No, she wasn't. Cassana Estermont was brave. Cassana Estermont was a true lady of Storm's End. Cass would never be that, even though now with Renly dead, it was her birthright. "The alliance is there. Both sides need each other. We need no marriage to bind it."

"Ser Davos, call the Lord of Winterfell to us." Stannis commanded. The Onion Knight left them, and Cass waited awkwardly for it, watching Melisandre watch her.

This woman had a hold on her brother. There was no denying it. The banner was different. The crown was not their own. She wondered if it was Stannis fighting for his seat or this Red God…this strange religion. No wonder the Tyrells did not follow him. Ned had told her that although Stannis had won some of the Storm lords, her own grandfather had turned to Joffrey. My house is still divided. It's not the same house. Even if Stannis did take the throne, would it truly be a Baratheon sitting there? Or would it be her? Cass felt the boat rock.

Ned Stark was led in by Ser Davos. He sat next to Cassana and one of the men on the side, Lord Florent, took a seat across from him. He must be Stannis' Hand.

"My wife does not wish for me to treat with the North, Lord Stark, but she has never fought a war. I understand that the people of the Stormlands and King's Landing do not see me as their king." Stannis looked at Cass. "They do not love me as much as they did my siblings."

"You are the true heir though. Cersei's children are not Robert's," Ned immediately said. "You know I support your claim."

"And what of your son?" Melisandre asked. "What do we do with him?"

"With Robb?" Ned looked to Cass and then back to her brother. "I will speak with him, but his men want their rights heard. They are constantly raided by Wildlings and the crown does nothing. There are not enough men in the Night's Watch. And winter is coming soon."

"The Night's Watch." Melisandre said the name with such interest. "I hear you have a son there as well."

Cassana had not thought of Jon Snow in a while. I had promised to visit him. Gods, how things change. Ned nodded. "Yes, I do."

"I would like to meet him one day." Her red eyes flashed to Stannis, "Your Grace, Lord Stark is right. Why should the northerners follow a king they feel has done nothing for them? Why should the people love a king who does not seem to care?"

Stannis said nothing. Cass didn't either. It was hard to think of Robert as a bad king, even though he was. It was hard for Cass to think of her brother in any way that wasn't the shining knight of the rebellion, but she knew the truth. She knew his nicknames-the whoremonger king, the demon of the Trident that cut Rhaegar Targaryen down. She remembered counting his debts with Littlefinger and the dead dragon in the dungeon. "Robb does not want a crown," Cass said. She looked at Lord Stark, but Ned did not argue. He just wants his children to be safe. "Stannis, if you can win his people's love, then he will give up his title. I know it."

"But you will not win it with her," Davos said, out of turn, looking at Melisandre. They all turned to him. He spoke like the Hand while the Hand remained silent, but Stannis did not seem to mind. Davos continued, "These are people of the Old Gods. They did not even take the Seven when six other kingdoms did."

Melisandre fired back, "They will have to come to R'hllor. Do they not see the sign in the sky? The stars are red. Stannis Baratheon is Azor Ahai reborn."

To be honest, Cass had barely noticed that bright comet. Jaime used to complain that it would hurt his sleep, and when she was traveling with Ned Stark, Cass was too worried about what was happening on the ground to care about the bloody sky.

"Then he can prove it to them," Cass suggested. "If my brother is who you say he is, then he will prove it and the North will accept it. Until that, Melisandre, I do not think you can force these people to take on your ways." It will be like moving a mountain. "Accept them as they are while you need their banners. Earn their allegiance in the ways that they know and respect. Convert them later if you have to."

As she said it, Cass could picture the godswood in Winterfell. She did not know how anyone could give up those gods so easily.

Stannis shook his head, "It is not that simple."

"If you are this messiah, brother, it should be."

Stannis glared at her. "That was not what I meant. I wish to hear what Lord Stark thinks of this. I would be abdicating his son, but Lord Stark, you would still be Warden of the North. You will keep your lands and Winterfell."

Ned did not seem bothered by the idea. "I do not seek more lands or titles if that is what you are asking."

"To appease your son and his men, I offer you one other thing though. It is quite a jump from king to the heir of your own keep but…" Stannis took a piece of parchment from his pocket. "My brother's seat is empty."

Storm's End. He is offering Robb Storm's End? Cass didn't know what to think. Storm's End was the Baratheon seat. If her brother took the Iron Throne, Storm's End was rightfully hers. "Brother…"

Stannis ignored her. "Lord Stark?"

"I need to take this offer to my son, but I know that he will not wish to make war with you. The Lannisters are enough of a problem."

"The beginnings of an alliance then." Stannis stood up. "We both wish to crush the Lannister threat. I will speak with my captains as well. Send a raven to your son."

The small council was dismissed with that. Ned Stark left the room, and Cass stood up to go with him, but that wasn't right. She was with her family now.

"Stannis." Cass walked to her brother who was now looking at the sea through the window. "May we speak alone?"

Stannis nodded his head and Davos and his men moved out. Melisandre lingered only a second longer before leaving as well. He kept staring at the water. "What do you want, Cass?"

"I wanted to thank you for treating with Ned Stark…despite Selyse's wishes."

"I'm no fool, Cass. I have fought wars before. We could not afford to fight the Starks, Tullys, Lannisters, and the Tyrells."

Cass laughed to herself. "I wonder if the Martells are having fun watching us squabble."

That earned her a smile from her older brother, a feat hard to achieve. "You're funny."

"I'm impatient. Robb Stark needs men, Stannis. He needs help."

"I need men too. Renly's host abandoned me with its tails between its legs, running back to that illborn king."

Maybe you shouldn't have murdered him. "…do you feel bad about it? Do you feel bad about Renly?"

"His ghost haunts me." Stannis shook. "In my dreams I see him, Cass. I see the blood on my hands though I did not touch him with any blade."

She hesitated, "I have dreams too, Stannis. I saw him die."

This seemed serious to him, as it should have. She thought Stannis may think her mad, but her brother only sat at the window bench, elbows on his knees. "What did you see?"

"It was like someone was forcing me to see it. Like I was pushed there. And there was a stag, Stannis, and I thought it was Robert. I thought it was Robert bleeding and dying but then it was Renly and…" She faltered. "I was shouting for him and then the fire came."

Stannis grabbed her hand. "What fire?"

"A dark fire. There was a fire and so much smoke, and it devoured everything. It killed everything, Stannis, except for…"

"Except for what, Cass?"

She didn't know. She wiped the water forming in her eyes and inhaled. "The cold. Winter."

He seemed to think about that, but when he replied, it was nothing that Cass expected to hear. "I need you, Cass. The people love you."

She wiped her eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"Win them back."

"But how?"

Stannis shook his head, "I…I don't know. You want to give Robb men. Melisandre says the fight is here though, in the North."

"But where?"

"I think now she believes it's with the Night's Watch."

The Night's Watch? It explained her interest in Jon Snow. "Wildlings?"

"I don't know. But I am not sure how many men I can spare south."

She bit her lip and sat next to him. "Perhaps it'd be easier to gain the Storm lords' allegiance if they have a Baratheon at their seat still, brother."

Stannis looked to her, half a smile on his face. "And the real reason why you wish to speak with me comes out."

"You hand it to the Starks so easily…"

"And you praised me for treating with them, Cass. Do you think they want Dragonstone? Mines of dragonglass and statues. That's what it is."

Cass looked away from him. "It was my birthright, brother." She sounded like a little girl again. "You said I do not have to marry Robb Stark and then you give him my birthright."

"It was mine too but Robert saw it fit to give to Renly."

She knew he had been bitter about that, and Cass found it hard to argue. What would you rather have? Peace or a seat? She shook her head. "I'm being selfish."

"Yes, you are."

She glared. "I just…I thought it'd be nice to be the Lady of Storm's End. I don't know…like mother was."

"Maybe the boy will still marry you." Stannis stood up hearing the knock on the door.

Before either of them could open it, Davos came in. He was holding a piece of paper, but there was worry and panic in his face. "What is it, Ser Davos?"

"My king." Davos handed him the letter. "Winterfell is burning."

A/N:

Politics, politics, politics! Thanks for reading, and I promise it will get more exciting soon.