2. A death, a life.
It was dark at the beach except for the torches. Lady Melisandre stood by the fire next to Stannis. All the other followers stood around them in a circle.
"R'hllor. Lord of Light. Give us your wisdom!" Melisandre chanted.
"Give us your wisdom" repeated the people in the circle.
"R'hllor, give us your light!"
"Give us your light" chanted her followers.
"R'hllor. Help us make your vision come true!"
"Your vision come true"
"R'hllor. We give you life. You give us life!"
"Life!" echoed the people gathered in the circle.
Lady Melisandre approached the fire and spoke to the person tied to the pole.
"Remember, Ser Davos, your sacrifice will give us the throne" she said and lit the pyre.
"No!" shouted Ser Davos. "Lord Stannis, please. I was your advisor. You trusted me. Please, stop this madness! Ah! Please!" he kept yelling in pain. His agony continued until the flames consumed him.
When the fire died out a bundle could be seen where Ser Davos's body should have been. It was a naked body, a female body.
"The woman of your vision" Stannis whispered to Melisandre. "Who is she?"
"It matters not" she replied. "The Lord of Light thought it proper to give her to us. She will give us the Iron Throne."
As they approached the body, Stannis gasped in surprise.
"Lady Stark? Is this a cruel jest? How can she give me throne? She is not a witch nor is she remotely related to the Iron Throne. She was killed by the Freys along with her son and their army. No heir to the throne and no army. How can she give me the throne?" Stannis yelled at Melisandre. "I think your Lord of Light has played you for a fool."
"Patience my Lord. The Lord of Light always has a purpose. We just need to find it. Let's take her inside so I can finish the resurrection ritual."
They carried Lady Stark's body inside the castle of Dragonstone into Lady Melisandre's chambers.
"Place her on the table" she instructed and then started chanting.
R'hllor. Lord of Light. Give us your wisdom.
R'hllor. Give us your light.
R'hllor. Help us make your vision come true.
R'hllor. We gave you life. You shall give us life.
R'hllor. Take this woman from the darkness and deliver her into the light.
Catelyn Stark's body was suddenly enveloped in a bright light. Melisandre continued to repeat the chant over and over again. Suddenly, there was a strong current of wind. Objects started flying all over the room, falling from the tables and shelves, swallowed by a whirlwind spinning around the chamber. The room was shaking, the walls wailing and the floor trembling. The candles went out. Yet, not even the loud noises nor utter darkness would make Lady Melisandre sway in her intent to please her Lord. When the chaos subsided, she lighted the candles again.
They approached Lady Stark and she started to stir. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around the room, a look of panic and confusion set in her eyes. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but no sound came out, only a low whimper. Her eyes opened wide and she fixed her stare on Lady Melisandre.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What happened?"
"Lady Stark, you are at Dragonstone" Melisandre replied.
"What am I doing here?" and then she gave a loud cry. Memories of blood and butchering started flooding her brain. She put her hands to her throat and found no scar. Not even a faint mark marred her neck. "Robb? Where's my son? Is he here?" she cried.
"No, he is not" replied Melisandre. "But you are. You will serve a much bigger purpose. You will guide us to the Iron Throne. R'hllor has so decided."
"What?" asked a confused Lady Stark. "Who's Rolor?"
"I think we had better let the Lady rest" interjected Stannis. "Let's get her some clothes and get her a chamber so she can rest. We'll talk in the morning."
TBC