Author's note: I've seen very few times of day mentioned if ASOIAF, so I decided to add a couple of my own names)) hour of the boar is about 4 pm, dawn is 6 am and sunrise 7 am.
"They had been friends for many years" – maester Cressen spoke softly as he continued applying the white ointment to Dany's wounds – "Ever since they were children, playing at their fathers' feet. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that Stannis' father the late lord Steffon was the Ma… king Aerys' first cousin and one of his most trusted friends?"
"Mm - hm" – Dany nodded as she accidentally took too large a gulp of the warm, spicy wine packed with bitter – sweet herbs.
"They grew up together in King's Landing when lord Steffon served as a page at court, they learned together and fought together. And years later, they agreed that their sons should do the same"- the old man continued – "So, when Robert turned nine, lord Steffon took him and Stannis, who was seven, to King's Landing to carry on the tradition and serve as pages at court. However, lord Robert returned home almost immediately with his father. What was the reason for this I do not know, but when the princess Rhaelle, Steffon's mother, learnt of what had happened there was a terrible fracas. Half a year later Robert was sent as a ward to the Eyrie. But Stannis spent six years in King's Landing, serving as a page to King Aerys himself. He probably would have stayed on as a squire, but after the defiance of Duskendale lord Steffon decided it wasn't safe for Stannis to stay so close to the king"
"I bet it wasn't" - Davos huffed – "Aerys lost his marbles completely after what they did to him in that cell"
"No offence, princess" – he added affably as Dany looked up angrily– "Stannis was lucky the king didn't bring him along"
"Oh, yes" – Cressen nodded – "He might have done so, but thankfully Stannis was on his annual visit to Storm's End at the time"
"You were the maester at Storm's End before you came here, I take it?" – Dany asked with a cheeky smile – "Do you know what happened to maester Marwyn, your predecessor here on Dragonstone? I remember him very little, but I think he was a nice man. Nice and large and quite fond of wine"
"I regret to say that I know nothing of him, princess" - Cressen shook his head – "Someone at the Citadel must know, but unfortunately I've been out of touch with Oldtown for so long…"
"Oh…" – Dany sighed a bit disappointedly – "But we digress…"
"Aye. Unfortunately there is very little I can tell you of Stannis' time at the capital, but apparently he and prince Rhaegar had grown very close and used to spend a lot of time together. When Stannis came home from King's Landing, their friendship continued through letters and prince Rhaegar's visits to Storm's End. He would come down for several weeks after visiting Summerhall. And, my word, were those weeks jolly. Prince Rhaegar wasn't very fond of festivities and neither was Stannis, but lord Steffon and lady Cassana never missed even the smallest chance to have some fun. So during the prince's visit there would be hunting, entertaining and feasting almost every day. But of course, prince Rhaegar's songs and poems were the highlight of every single evening. They truly were miraculous. Each and every one of them."
"I know that. My brother's skills with verse and with his harp are still legend" – Dany smiled proudly – "But I've never heard any of his songs or poems. You wouldn't happen to remember some of them by any chance, would you maester?"
"Oh, no, princess" – Cressen chuckled – "That was too long ago for my rusty old memory"
"Pity" – Dany smiled sadly – "But at least you can tell me what Rhaegar was like. You must've known him"
"Of course I did" – the old man replied with a kind smile – "Prince Rhaegar, may he rest in peace, was a very fine and handsome young man. Always had a kind word for everyone, lord or servant. But anyone would tell you that much. If you wish to know what your brother was truly like, princess, you should ask Stannis. He knew prince Rhaegar better than anyone who is still alive today. He was much closer to the prince than he had ever been to his own brothers. Especially after lord Steffon's untimely death, when Stannis became acting lord of the Storm Lands while Robert was still in the Eyrie and Rhaegar became the lord of Dragonstone. Why, the prince even brought his wife and children to stay at Storm's End while he was on his last visit to Summerhall…"
"If they were all that close, then why didn't your master stand beside my brother at the Trident as he should have done?!" – Dany snapped angrily – "If he loved my brother more than his own, why did he betray him? Why, I ask you?!"
"I'm afraid I do not know" – Cressen shrugged his shoulders helplessly – "All I know is that Stannis never would've done what he did without very good reason"
"Good reason?!" – Dany spat indignantly.
"It truly is very strange, even incomprehensible to those who know lord Stannis well"– Davos said musingly – "But I completely agree with maester Cressen, princess. I can't think of anything that could possibly have made…"
"There is no such thing as 'good reason' for betraying someone you're supposed to love" – Dany interrupted bitterly.
"It is very late, my dear" – Cressen said firmly as he finished treating the wounds on Dany's side and stomach and pulled down her shirt – "There will be plenty of time to discuss the matter later. You need to rest"
"How can I possibly sleep after hearing everything you two have just told me?!"
"A couple of cups of that delicious wine will do the trick" – Davos replied with a cheeky smile as he pulled up Dany's blanket with one hand and helped the old maester get up with the other – "You should rest and try to calm down before you talk to lord Stannis tomorrow"
"Oh?" – Dany huffed indignantly.
"I'm no diplomat, princess, but in my experience, anger and strife never got anyone anywhere" – Davos shrugged his shoulders. Then he blew out the candles, took the old man's arm and walked him slowly to the door.
"Good night, my dear" – Cressen said gently, turning around as Davos opened the door for him – "We'll see you in a few hours"
"If you manage to wake up before sundown" – Dany grumbled quietly and started turning on her side carefully. She just couldn't get used to all the plasters and bandages that covered her body and she didn't exactly want to.
"Davos, you scheming blaggard!" – hissed maester Cressen as soon as the door was closed behind him – "What are you playing at, telling the girl who Stannis is, when he ordered you not to?! Do you realize what will happen when he finds out?!"
"With all due respect, maester, I doubt Stannis's going to be much happier with you telling her of his friendship with prince Rhaegar" – Davos replied with a sly grin.
"You tricked me into it" – the old man grumbled angrily – "You wanted to know what happened between Stannis and Rhaegar, so you forced me to tell her the truth"
"I did nothing of the sort" – the knight chuckled innocently – "I only told her what I knew, there was no reason for you to…"
"You, scoundrel!" – croaked Cressen - "When Stannis finds out you disobeyed him, he will kill you"
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't" – Davos shrugged his shoulders carelessly – "But if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep before I die. So let us get a move on"
The shining afternoon sun was still hidden from the world by dark stormy clouds and heavy rain was still hammering on the glass window when Davos woke up. His dark, cold chamber was shaking as the rumbling sound of wild winds crashing into the castle walls echoed up and down the Stone Drum. The fire had gone out in the night and only a feeble light was crawling from the window through the darkness, allowing Davos to make out the cheeky face of his young son Devan.
"Father" – the lad called, shaking his shoulder – "Father!"
"Aye?" – Davos muttered sleepily as he forced his eyelids open.
"Father, wake up, please. His lordship wants to see you."
"What?" – Davos grumbled absently. He was trying his best to make himself focus, but after almost two days of no sleep he was beat. Even though he had managed to get to bed before dawn this morning, he was still feeling unrested.
"His lordship wishes to see you" – Devan repeated with a note of urgency in his young, ringing voice.
"Aye" – Davos sighed resignedly as he yawned, crawled out of bed and began to dress – "Is it sunrise already?"
"Sunrise? It's way past midday"
"What?!"
"They'll soon be ringing the bell for the hour of the boar"
"Seven Hells" – Davos muttered as he put on his doublet – "Ten hours of sleep and I'm still tired. I'm getting old"
"Yes, you are" – the little imp grumbled – "You're also making me later by the minute"
"Being disrespectful to your father are ye', ye' little rascal?!" – Davos chuckled as he eyed his son with mock severity - "You'd think Stannis would teach his squire some manners. What're you late for anyways?
"For my fencing lessons. And you're late to see lord Stannis. He told me to fetch you in the morning if you were up and if not to let you sleep. But now he's asking for you again"
"Fencing? Thought there's a storm out there…"
"There is. But lord Stannis says that a warrior must be prepared to fight at any time" – Devan replied proudly – "And bad weather is good practice"
"Ah!" – Davos smiled, rolling his eyes.
The phrase 'lord Stannis says' was like a prayer his fifth son repeated as often as he could. He had been the lord's squire for almost a year and he practically worshiped the man. As did Davos himself and the rest of his family.
"So if my lord father would be kind enough to dismiss me and join lord Stannis in the Chamber of the Painted Table" – Devan replied – "I would be very grateful"
"If your lord father would be kind enough to dismiss you, you'd be very grateful, would ye'?" – Davos chuckled ironically, lifting an eyebrow at the lad. Devan's tone, his posture and his words were all impeccably polite, but nothing could hide the cheeky gleam in the imp's eyes – "Alright, off with you, you little scamp"
Devan bowed respectfully and ran out the door. Davos smiled proudly as he watched the lad skip down the corridor.
Stannis may say anything he likes about gods in general and the Seven in particular, Davos thought happily, but how could a man doubt Gods' grace and mercy when he was so blessed?
And Davos had been blessed beyond his wildest dreams. He served a lord whom he loved as his best friend and believed in with all his heart. He had a knighthood and lands to keep his family provided for. A loving, gentle wife to grow old with, seven splendid sons to be proud of and, Gods be good, his eldest son Dale, recently married, would soon provide him with his first grandchild.
A granddaughter, hopefully, Davos smiled dreamily as he walked up the dark narrow stairs to the top floor of the keep. Although Dale would disagree with him…
Or maybe, the Gods would someday bless Marya with a little girl. He spent no more than a few months a year at home, but he would do his best, Davos thought, his heart warmed at the thought of seeing his wife again. It would be such a joy to see a daughter after seven sons. But it would be a sin to complain as all the lads were fine young men and were doing very well.
Dale, the eldest, was captain of a war galley called 'Wraith'. A strong, capable and steadfast man, who, pretty much like Davos, loved his family, but lived to serve his lord and admiral. Allard, the second, was hot – headed and rash, but quite smart and after quite a few slugs and hugs from lord Stannis and his father, became captain of the 'Lady Marya', a war galley designed by Stannis himself. His third son Matthos was a good lad, but not too bright. He was a sailor on Davos' own galley 'Black Bertha' and Davos doubted he would ever rise any higher than that. Maric, the fourth, was like the best version of his two oldest brothers. He was oarmaster on the 'Fury' itself and Davos had no doubt he would go far. The two youngest Stannis and Steffon were only seven and four years old and stayed with Marya on Cape Wrath until their time came to serve their lord. And finally, the fifth one, Devan was both his father's greatest hope and worry. Had he been raised in Fleabottom, he would have ended up on the Wall, Davos had no doubt. Smart, shrewd and fearless, Devan had always been a little hooligan with no regard for rules or consequences and insatiable curiosity. Both Davos and Marya were worried sick when Stannis told them he would take the lad for his squire. They could not imagine how the calm and orderly Stannis having a little madcap like Devan in his service might end in anything, but anger and misery for both. But to their astonishment, Devan soon settled into the strictly regulated life on Dragonstone and was the happiest person in the world to be a squire. He learned voraciously and Stannis, who soon became quite fond of the boy, educated him well. Both in warfare and in life.
Even now, almost a year later, Davos couldn't quite understand why the two of them were so well – matched. Perhaps, Devan just grew into his true character. Or perhaps, deep down, Stannis wasn't really all that proper after all…
Davos knocked lightly and opened the door to the Chamber carefully. Stannis hated being disturbed even if the disturbance was on his own orders and Davos had no doubt the lord had been deeply engrossed in his work for hours. Since he was always sailing between the Red Keep and Dragonstone, Stannis' paperwork and mail was split in half and there was always a pretty pile for him to deal with when he came home. The mail that was marked 'urgent' would of course be sent to him immediately wherever he was, but usually the commanders of the Lannister and Redwyne fleets sent messages to King's Landing, while mail from the shipyards on Cape Wrath and anywhere else, came to Dragonstone. But those letters were just a small part of the huge load of papers that Davos saw covering the Painted Table as he peeked in. The domestic affairs of Dragonstone island and its extensive trade and shipyards, the problems of the lands sworn to Dragonstone… for the Master of Ships, work was endless.
"My lord?" – Davos called gently.
"Come in, ser Davos" – Stannis grumbled, never lifting his eyes from the letter he was reading – "Sleep well?"
"Wonderful" – Davos smiled, deciding not to complain of his lasting fatigue to Stannis, who had obviously had a lot less rest. Although Stannis had always made it his priority to train and build up endurance both in himself and his men, so they would be able to function well under tiring and stressful circumstances, he looked tired and wasn't in the best of moods as far as Davos could tell.
"Well, good for you" – Stannis muttered a bit enviously – "Have you checked on the Targaryen girl yet? Has Cressen seen her today?"
"No, my lord, I haven't" – Davos shook his head – "I don't know about measter Cressen, but judging by the weather I doubt he's even up yet"
"So do I" – Stannis huffed irritably – "Go feed her, then"
"Forgive me for asking, but have you been to see her today, my lord?" – Davos asked casually, trying to hide the slight nervousness in his voice.
"Aye. Took her breakfast at the hour of the horse. She was still asleep" – Stannis replied absently and threw a scroll on the table in front of Davos – "This letter is to be delivered to the shipyard by hand as soon as possible. Send a message to the fleet engineers, I want see them in the armory in two hours. Also, I forgot to order the dragon's head to be cut off and preserved in honey"
"Preserved?!" – Davos asked, perplexed.
"Are you suggesting I should take a rotting one to King's Landing?" – Stannis snapped – "You know as well as I do that as soon as Robert gets my message, he'll want to see it himself"
"Of course, my lord" – Davos said meekly, cursing his slowness – "But the barrel that could fit that thing's head has not been made, so…"
"So, figure it out!"
"Yes, my lord"
"And after you've dealt with all of that, tell that wife of mine, I don't have time for her today" – Stannis added grumpily – "Devan tells me, she's been asking for me every five minutes since daybreak. As if I have nothing better to do, than listen to her endless moaning"
"About the priestess, I take it?" – Davos asked with a small compassionate smile.
"What else..." – Stannis huffed – "If she asks, say I'll see her tomorrow"
"Aye, my lord"
"And after that, feed the Targaryen again. If you need help with tending to her, call me, but otherwise I'm not to be disturbed by anyone"
"My lord" – Davos bowed obediently – "May I ask…"
"What?"
"What are you planning to do with the rest of the dragon? Is that what the engineers are for?" – Davos asked curiously.
"Aye, that's exactly what the engineers are for" – Stannis replied with an excited gleam in his eye - "Did you see how easily the obsidian stalactites cut through the dragon's hide?"
"I must confess it quite escaped my notice"
"Well it didn't escape mine, Davos. If the engineers and blacksmiths can figure out a way to create a mighty enough scorpion with bolts of obsidian and metal, the dragons will no longer be a threat to the world. True, the dragon was young, but its hide will still be useful to their research I think"
"Forget the dragons" – Davos replied enthusiastically – "A weapon that can cut dragonhide can cut anything!"
"Exactly"- Stannis smiled contentedly – "The work would have to be secret, of course…"
"What about the meat?" – Davos asked suddenly – "The engineers won't need the meet for their work…"
"So?" – Stannis asked confusedly.
"If it turns out to be eatable, we could sell it" – Davos chuckled – "I bet a few slices of salted dragon could be enough to feed an entire fleet with salted pork. And in the present situation…"
"Aye, it's not a bad idea" – Stannis nodded and added affably – "If that's all you wanted to say, stop looking so damn pleased and get going"
Davos smiled, bowed and left the room.
Pain was throbbing in Stannis' temples by the time he left the armory, but he took little notice of it. His heart was pounding with excitement after the meeting with the engineers. The discussion was animated and very interesting, but after a long while the plans for future research were lined out and the work would begin as soon as all the necessities were provided.
The plan was to set up a well - guarded workroom in one of the caves of mount Dragonmont, so there would be enough space for a forge, for range and other things, vital to research. Every man was sworn to secrecy, the chain of command established and all were keen to start work as soon as possible. No doubt it would take months, even years to complete such a difficult task as creating truly effective obsidian weapons, but everyone was hopeful and excited.
However, there was one huge difficulty that Stannis decided not to share with his men, which, of course, was money. He still had no idea what he was going to do with the taxes and the fleet, but there was time to solve the problem.
Would Robert revoke his taxes plan if Stannis asked for it as a boon? Theoretically possible, but very unlikely. In fact Robert would most certainly wish to limit Stannis' resources and potential for power even more after the dragon incident…
He could refrain from restoring his castle garrison for the time being. The infantry provided good enough security, he would save quite a bit of gold and, more to the point, decrease the odds of the Targaryen being accidentally found out with only a few men patrolling the keep.
What should he do with the Targaryen girl, Stannis thought, never noticing his lips form a little smile. Should he reveal his real identity after all?
Stannis stopped for a moment as he reached the third floor of the Stone Drum and decided to take a detour to the Sea Dragon Tower instead of going directly back to the Chamber of the Painted Table. He could afford to spend an hour in pleasant company before returning to his endless work…
"Don't bother, ser Davos, I'll do it" – Stannis called as he left the gallery and saw his friend walking a few yards ahead of him with a bowl full of delicious – smelling stew in hand.
"My lord!" – Davos exclaimed, jumping with fright – "You really should be more discreet. The tower might be usually empty, but as we smugglers say, there's no knowing what lies beyond the next turn"
"Sorry" – Stannis said as he caught up – "You're right, of course"
"Must feel good to relive your youth, eh, Davos?" – he added and smiled with the corner of his mouth – "Come on, be honest!"
"Life as your knight is the best I've ever known and the only one I wish for" – Davos replied honestly, but then smiled cheekily - "Although, being an outlaw does have a certain thrill to it…"
"I bet it does" – Stannis chuckled – "I'll take the bowl, you may go"
"Aye, my lord" – Davos nodded and did as he was told. But after making sure Stannis was far enough away, he turned back and crept after him. He wasn't going to miss that meeting for the world.
Dany was lying comfortably on her cushions and reading a small, leather – covered book that Davos had brought her. He man was illiterate, so he had no idea it would turn out to be some boring navigational guidelines, but Dany was happy to have anything to do instead of just lying on her back, staring at the fire or at the flickering candles and being mad all day long.
She could barely stop thinking of what she had learned last night. Her blood was boiling with rage and contempt at the thought of her brother being so cruelly betrayed by a man he considered a dear friend. Davos tried to convince her that confrontation was pointless and she would do better to pretend as if nothing had happened and he was probably right. But Dany knew she couldn't act aloof around the man who did her family such wrong. She was no mere child, alone and scared. She was a queen, a khaleesi, breaker of chains and mother of dragons who was no longer in the habit of being silent and turning a reluctantly blind eye to evil. She held her own against an angry khalasar, against dark magic and the fire that birthed her dragons, against an endless desert, armies, plague, death and civil war. It was foolish to even think that she would cower before a traitor, however great a general he might be.
As she tried her best to calm down and concentrate on reading about seaweed, constellations and ocean currents, she heard a key turn in the lock and soon saw the man she'd been waiting for come into the room with a bowl of food in hand and a rather happy grin on his face.
"Commander" – Dany said sweetly as she put on a charming smile – "How nice of you to visit me. It's been a while, wouldn't you say?"
"It's only been two days" – he huffed as he approached the bed and put the bowl down.
"But a lot can happen in just two days, wouldn't you agree?" – Dany replied cryptically – "Sometimes even a moment is enough to change a person's life forever. Or even end it"
"Aye, it is" – Stannis replied musingly, sensing something strange in the girl's behavior – "Actually, I came this morning and you were asleep"
"What are you reading?" – he asked, looking at her searchingly as if trying to read her mind.
"Oh, some book about how not to get lost and wrecked while sailing round the Broken Arm" – Dany answered casually.
"It's not a book, you fool. It's a rutter" – Stannis chuckled as he poured her a cup of wine – "Nautical term for mariner's handbook of written sailing directions. Charts are the captain's or pilot's main guides, of course, but rutters can still be of some use at times. My friend must've pinched it from my chambers"
"Did he now?" – Dany smiled deviously, as the conversation was heading in the right direction a lot faster than she had anticipated – "I wonder, why would a commander of the garrison be at all interested in navigation?"
"I'm obviously a captain" – Stannis replied evasively, cursing himself for his carelessness.
"I'm sure you are" – Dany nodded – "But what else might you be, hm? A shipwright? The Master of Ships, perhaps?"
"Davos" – Stannis hissed angrily, as his face suddenly became passive and impenetrable.
"Oh, no" – Dany retorted – "Both of them. And you shouldn't blame them for telling me, I tricked them into it"
"Davos tricked Cressen into it, you mean" – Stannis said icily, his eyes burning with rage.
"But that's not all they told me about you, lord Baratheon" – Dany replied with equal anger – "I was exceedingly surprised to hear of your friendship with my brother. Your friendship and your betrayal"
A heavy and cold silence filled the room as Dany and her host stared at each other. The air was thick and charged as though it was ready to erupt in flames from the smallest spark. Dany's imagination must've run wild for a moment, but she could swear she heard blades clashing as she looked into the icy fire burning deep and bright in the dark – blue eyes of her opponent.
"Do you deny it?" – she asked with perfect and proud calm, ready to face anything that dared come her way.
"No" – he replied indifferently.
"So you admit that Rhaegar trusted you, loved you like a brother and you betrayed him to his death?"
"Yes"
"Why?" – Dany demanded angrily as burning blood rushed into her head.
Stannis remained silent. He kept staring at Dany, his gaze steady and impenetrable.
"And you expect me to trust you?" – Dany huffed.
"Do you have a choice?" – Stannis chuckled deviously.
Dany opened her mouth to answer, but stopped before a sound came out. The bastard was right! She didn't have a choice. He was her only hope of getting out of this accursed castle alive.
Stannis smiled, then turned on his heels and left the room. As he closed the door, he saw ser Davos creep up the stairs.
"My lord?" – he muttered rather meekly, seeing the fury in Stannis' eyes. He knew everything and all Davos could do now was wait for him to pass his judgment.
"Get out of my sight before I do something I regret!" – Stannis hissed through gritted teeth. Davos scampered out of his way and watched the lord storm down the stairs. The knight sighed heavily with relief. He knew his gamble had paid off and he would be forgiven.