Winterfell, 303 AC
The King is welcomed by Lord Robb Stark and his young wife Margaery Tyrell, in the courtyard of Winterfell. Holding their son in her arms, the young Lady of Winterfell, round with child again, smiles warmly at the King and Melisandre. Robb bows in front of Stannis, and the King glances at him, then at the toddler: Ned is his name. He shares the blue eyes of his father, but has the dark hair of his mother. He cannot help thinking he is very cute, and feeling slightly guilty for having to take his father away from him. The North has sent forces down to King's landing, to protect the capital. Lord Bolton is leading them, having all of Robb's trust. Robb has decided to lead the forces against the Others, and Stannis knows that the fact that he will see his half brother there is not out of this decision of following him. Silently, he follows Robb as he leads him to his chambers: he is not in the mood for talks, he is already tired, and his men need to rest, to get on the battlefield with full strength. The Lady Melisandre has gone to Margaery as soon as they arrived, and Stannis takes the most of it to withdraw in his chambers to rest. The room is comfy, simple, just as Stannis likes it. He glances at the wooden desk against the wall, dying to write to Aylis, but knowing he cannot fulfill this wish. He sighs loudly, takes off his clothes and slips inside a warm bath ready for him. He leans against the wood of the tub, and allows himself to relax, closing his eyes.
He is woken up by cold, and, as he opens his eyes, he realizes it is dark outside. He rubs his eyes and looks around, gasping loudly when he sees Melisandre sitting on the edge of the tub:
"Damn you!" he growls, sitting up suddenly and placing his hands on his crotch. He hates when she does that, surprising him at the worst moment, sneaking in when he just wants to be alone. Melisandre looks at him, with a smile: she is used to his mood swings now, and she knows he would never lay a finger on her.
"I need to show you something" she whispers and stands up, unties her dress to reveal a pretty important bump. Stannis stares at it before looking away:
"When will it be ready?" he whispers.
"When you want him to be, my King", she says with her bewitching voice. He raises his look to rest it upon her. She is pretty, in her own way. Somehow, he wonders if they could have been together, if he had not known Aylis. But, still, he feels weird around her, he does not know what she really thinks, or feels towards him. She has been a faithful advisor until then, and he doubts she would leave him for Daenerys but, again, he cannot be sure. There are a few things he is sure about, and most of them are linked to Aylis.
"Dress up", he ends up saying harshly, and he grabs a towel by his side, stands up and quickly wraps it around his waist. Aylis has given him a liking into his body, and he has never been ashamed of showing it with her by his side. He also notices how Melisandre looks at him. She probably feels lonely, and Stannis suddenly turns to her:
"Are priestesses of R'hllor allowed to marry?"
Melisandre, her hand running up and down in the water, despite the cold, her long hair brushing the surface of the water, looks up at him surprised, and shakes her head with an half-smile.
"We are not, my King. Why? Do you think you could have married me to a Lord?" she laughs heartily, finding this simple idea ridiculous. Stannis seems upset, angry she would mock him.
"I just felt you might be lonely" he growls and dresses up in front of her, not minding her eyes to run over his body.
"I am never alone, Stannis. I have R'hllor, and I have you", she smiles flirty, and Stannis swallows hard.
"You should go to bed now, my lady. A long road awaits us until Castleblack", he nods at her and sits on his bed, ready to fall back asleep. Melisandre stands up from the tub, and reaches for the door with a few strides:
"Such a shame Princess Shireen is not here to see Lord Snow again", she sighs dramatically. Stannis frowns:
"What do you mean?"
"She likes him… You have never noticed?" She cannot help smirking.
"He is a bastard and a sworn brother of the Night's Watch" Stannis raises an eyebrow, not understanding how Shireen could like Jon indeed.
"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of", Melisandre stares at him. He weirdly feels she is not only talking about Shireen here. Suddenly, she curtseys:
"Good night, my King", and leaves in a red shadow.
Stannis stares at the door for a few seconds, before dropping on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He whispers his wife's name, as if she could hear him, and his thoughts run to Shireen. Has he been that blind that he has never noticed she was infatuated with Jon Snow? There is nothing he can do about it: Jon is a bastard, he could never marry a princess. And he cannot break his vows either. But it is true; he needs to think about Shireen's marriage, soon. The girl is already thirteen, and she has already bled. Aistan is already promised to the daughter of Garlan Tyrell, Anthea. He will be King after his father, and thus his future needs to be settled in case Stannis dies. But Shireen, Shireen is his first daughter, and he cannot resolve himself to give her to any boy. Aylis had proposed the son of Davos, but Stannis has refused: for another daughter, maybe, but not his first one. Davos may be a knight, and a precious advisor, but his birth remains too low. The King curls up in bed, letting souvenirs from Shireen invading him, making him either smile or weep, and he falls asleep with the image of his smiling little child.