Storm's End, 281 AC
Maester Cressen walks through the castle to see if any message has arrived today. He startles slightly when he sees a raven, and a letter with the Tully's seal on it. What does Lord Hoster want to Stannis? He wonders. Maybe it is for Robert. Waiting to get married to Lyanna Stark, Robert is now in Storm's End, and has left for a hunt as soon as sun has risen. Cressen takes the paper out of the bird's leg and smiles more and more as he reads the letter. It is not from Hoster Tully, but indeed from his youngest daughter, Aylis. And it is honestly the most adorable letter he has ever read. Still smiling, he takes the letter to Stannis, who is having his breakfast in the Great Hall. He wakes up early, as his brother, but everyday he goes to swim in the sea, sometimes for two hours, and he then comes back to the castle, changes into clothes and goes eat. When Cressen comes in, he notices Stannis's hair is still wet from the swim. In front of him, on the big wooden table, a plate has been placed, with a piece of meat, bread and cheese. In his cup, his traditional lemon water. Stannis has not taken a liking in wine, or ale. Robert cannot stop teasing him about this, saying he drinks like a maiden. His brother does not react: he knows Robert only waits for a reaction. Cressen lets out a sigh as he thinks about that: he wishes the brothers would be closer but he cannot control it. He must accept their differences. Stannis looks up at him when he gets in and sees the parchment. Cressen bows slightly:
"A letter for you, Stannis."
"Me?" he raises an eyebrow surprised.
Stannis is not used to receive letters: Robert is the Lord of Storm's End and, even if Stannis is his castellan, Robert is still here often enough to take care of the business of the castle and of his lands. Still surprised, he holds his hand at Cressen and the maester slips the letter in it. He watches him carefully, impatient about his reaction. Stannis unfolds the later and sips lemon as he reads. He looks a bit surprised but then, no other feeling shows through his sullen face. He folds the letter back and puts it on the table. Cressen moves to take it back but Stannis stops him:
"I will answer her soon."
"Alright, Stannis", he nods and leaves the Great Hall, just when Renly joins his big brother. Cressen sees him standing on his tiptoes to lay a kiss on Stannis's cheek. He barely reacts, just like when he read the letter.
Stannis takes some time just before lunch to answer Aylis's letter. Robert has come back from the hunt in the middle of the morning, with a roebuck. The cooks have started to butcher him so they could serve it for lunch. In his little office, Stannis sits on the chair by the window, and stares a moment at the sea. It is a beautiful and warm day, the sea is calm and he closes his eyes, enjoying the soft sound of the waves lapping the base of the cliff. He loves the sea for its beauty, its wildness, and he hates it for what she had taken away from him. His parents, his happiness, his laugh, his smile. He reads again Aylis's letter: he has noticed how Cressen was staring at him. He bets the maester has laughed at the letter. It is cute, indeed. Just because he cannot show it, does not mean he does not feel it. But what can he answer? She is a little girl. She should be dreaming of marrying Renly, and not him. Although, she is the daughter of a Lord, and he is a noble as well. He cannot ignore her letter. He has never been over expressive, but he has never been cruel. He soaks the quill in dark ink and starts writing:
"Lady Aylis,
I thank you for making enquiries about me. I am fine. My brother Robert and I take care of the affairs of our home and everything is in order lately. I hope, in Riverrun, all goes well.
I advise you not to send letters with your father's permission. You should not keep anything hidden from him. When you read a letter, let your Maester or maybe one of your sisters checking on it. Your letter was nice, but filled with spelling mistakes.
I end this letter by sending you and your family my regards,
Stannis of House Baratheon."
He reads it again. It will probably sound harsh and quick but he does not know how to do things in a different way. A handmaid knocks on the door and announces the lunch is ready. He stands up, seals the letter after folding it and sends it before joining his family in the Great Hall.
A few weeks later, he is again having his breakfast in the Great Hall when Cressen comes in again, with the same look on his face. Stannis does not even need to ask and just holds his hand out, making Cressen holding back a chuckle. Aylis writes to him she has followed his advice and has asked her father to allow her to keep writing to him. Stannis hardly refrains himself to roll his eyes: he did not mean that, he meant to write a letter in general but… well she is just a child, and she may not understand everything very well. She also gives news about her siblings and Riverrun, and the letter is way longer than the first one. She precises at the end that if Stannis finds spelling mistakes, she is not to blame as their maester in Riverrun has helped her write the letter after her. This time, the letter was specifically addressed to "Stannis of House Baratheon", and he answers it when he is quietly in bed, in the evening.
Unexpectedly, Stannis takes a liking into this correspondence: Aylis looks pretty mature for her age, and they often confide themselves in each other. Stannis finds it easier to communicate with letters than with spoken words, and he allows himself to write about his parents, his siblings. Aylis does the same, writing how much she would like to know her mother, the time she spends with her uncle Brynden because her father would not agree to tell her about Minisa. They do not make each other wait for answers; they respond the same day they receive the letter: they know the waiting is long enough as they have to wait for ravens to reach each other's castle.
Stannis starts having a weird dream, not really knowing if it is a pleasant one or not. In his dream, he is a proud young stag, with small antlers, and he runs and grazes by a large river. The sun shines brightly and it warms him up, and the fresh grass cannot cool him down after a moment. He walks to the water and starts drinking, eagerly: the water tastes delicious, fresh and thirst-slaking. He closes his eyes with contentment and suddenly feels an intense pain on his muzzle. He opens his eyes and recoils suddenly. His eyes widen when he realizes a trout has "bitten" him. How can it be? The worst is that, despite his strength, the trout makes him fall in the water, violently, and that the current is very strong. He is not scared: he sees the trout jumping out and in the water by his side, and he knows he's a good swimmer. The trout, whenever she gets out of the water, cries "smile, Stannis!" and stays silent again when she gets in.
The dream lasts pretty long every time and, when he wakes up, Stannis is in a sweat, and feels weirdly calm and contented.