Storm's End was a castle nearly as formidable as Winterfell, and Robb had to remember that his ancestor had supposedly assisted in the erection of this castle too. Stannis had agreed to a parley as soon as Renly arrived, and Robb himself was invited to join Renly's party as they met on a hill some ways away from the castle. Stannis was himself accompanied by a Red Priestess and Ser Davos Seaworth.
When the two parties trotted to meet each other, Robb was amazed at the difference between Renly and Stannis and the bitterness between two men who were brothers by blood.
"Robb Stark, is it? I had not thought to see you in the Stormlands."
"I had not thought to be here, Lord Stannis." Robb said with a touch of impatience in his voice.
"Robb's a King now. Just like you and I. Gods above, can that truly be you, Stannis?" Renly asked, peering at his older brother closer.
"Who else might it be?" Stannis barked back only for Renly to chuckle.
"Well, when I saw your standard I couldn't be sure. Whose banner is that?" Renly asked curiously as though they were not treating on terms of war, but rather on the designs of their standards.
"My own." Stannis said tersely, only for Renly to smile again.
"I suppose if we used the same one, the battle would be terribly confusing."
"I don't see you flying Robert's banners either, Renly."
"That's because Robert is dead, dear brother. And he took his crowned stag to the grave with him. This is my own banner. Rather more striking I think." Renly said glancing up to the crowned silver stag on a blue background "Why's your stag on fire?" Renly inquired. Robb could not believe what he was hearing. Was this a parley? Were these men truly brothers? He could not imagine interacting with Bran or Jon the way Stannis and Renly were doing now.
"The King has taken for his sigil the fiery heart of the Lord of Light." The Red Woman finally spoke up, her accent clearly foreign. Robb did not like this woman, he decided plainly. She had an aura of darkness, decay and death.
"Ah, you must be this 'fire priestess' we hear so much about." Renly chuckled, turning his attention to her "Oh brother…now I finally understand why you found religion in your old age." Renly's words caused the tension in the group to rise as Stannis snapped angrily.
"Watch yourself, Renly."
"No, no, I'm relieved. I never really believed you were a fanatic." Renly said, sounding rather bored suddenly "Charmless, rigid, a boor, yes. But not a godly man."
"You should kneel before your brother." The Red Woman spat at Renly "He is the Lord's chosen. Born amidst salt and smoke."
Renly began to laugh before quoting her back to herself "Born amidst salt and smoke? Is he a ham?" Renly laughed only for Stannis to blister some more.
"That's twice I've warned you." He growled at his brother.
"Brothers Baratheon, please. If I may interject, listen to yourselves. You men are brothers. You grew up in the same castle together. Robert was your elder brother. If my brothers fought like this, our mother would knock our heads together and lock us in a room until we remembered we were family."
"It is strange to find you beside my brother, Robb Stark. Your father was a supporter of my claim, Lord Eddard's integrity cost him his head. And you sit beside this pretender and chastise me?" Stannis demanded of Robb.
"We share a common enemy, my lord. The Lannisters killed your brother and my father. I wish for my remaining family in their captivity to live. My father did not expect to die, no man ever does. But I must do what I think is right to honor him and my family. You are both of the same House. Why bleed each other when the true enemy is in King's Landing? I speak wisdom that neither of you wish to acknowledge."
"The Iron Throne is mine by right!" Stannis declared loudly.
"All those that deny that are my foes." Stannis said, causing Robb to sigh and sit back in his saddle.
"I am not your foe, Lord Stannis."
"No, no, Robb. The whole realm denies him, you see, from Dorne to the Wall. Old men deny him with their death rattle and unborn children deny him in their mother's wombs. No one wants you for their King." Renly said in his first serious speech of the day.
"You never wanted any friends, brother. But a man without friends is a man without power." Renly declared bitterly to Stannis who tilted his head to glower at Renly.
"For the sake of the mother who bore us, I will give you this one night to reconsider. Strike your banners, come to me before dawn and I'll grant you your old seat on the Council. I'll even name you my heir…until a son is born to me." Stannis said to Renly calmly "Otherwise I shall destroy you."
Renly merely laughed and looked over his shoulder.
"Look across those fields, brother. Do you see all those banners?" Renly asked
"Do you think a few bolts of cloth will make you King?" Stannis asked, for Renly to turn his gaze sharply towards him.
"No. The men holding those bolts of cloth will make me King." Renly stated with a growl that Robb had never heard from the man before.
"We shall see, Renly. Come the dawn. We shall see." Stannis said, tugging at the reins of his horse and turning his back on his brother.
"Look to your sins, Lord Renly. The night is dark and full of terrors." The Red Woman said coldly to Renly before joining Stannis in his retreat.
"Would you believe…I loved him once?" Renly said bitterly before tugging on his own reins and riding for camp. Robb said nothing to Renly as they returned to camp. He said nothing until he was alone with his own Northmen.
"Pack and be ready to ride at once. I will not stay here to get between two brothers and their feud while there is a war to be won. I will make one last attempt to negotiate with Renly. Then we leave." Robb declared, setting the Northmen in a flurry of activity.
It was only when night finally fell did Renly call Robb to his tent.
"I am told you're leaving." Renly said, looking up from his desk with Brienne and Loras on either side of him.
"I cannot afford to stay here any longer, nor ask my men to stay encamped at Ashemark. I need an answer, Renly. Will we unite in battle?"
"Before I can give you an answer, I need some of my own. Answer me these questions true. Why are you fighting this war?"
"They killed my father, they have my sisters hostage. So long as Joffrey is alive and Cersei is in power, we will never be free. My people will never be free."
"And why did you name yourself King in the North and Trident?"
"I didn't. My bannermen did. Something you will understand well, I gather. I fought for the Northmen and I fought for the Riverlords. They gave me their oaths of fealty."
"And you have no desire to sit on the Iron Throne?"
"Gods, are you jesting with me? No. I only want to go home. I want all my men and soldiers to go home."
"You swear it?"
"By the Old Gods and the New. I have no desire to sit on the Iron Throne." Robb declared, only for Renly to raise his goblet of wine to his lips.
"Then I see no reason for hostility between us, Robb." Renly smiled "You may carry on calling yourself King-in-the-North. The Starks will have dominion over all lands North of The Neck, provided that you swear me an oath of fealty."
"A what?" Robb asked with his eyebrows raised.
"An oath of fealty with the words that your father said to my brother seventeen years ago."
"The Riverlords will make their own decision as to who they pledge fealty to. I will protect them until they say otherwise."
"Fine, fine. North and Trident, whatever you like. So long as you swear me fealty." Renly said persistently. "Ned Stark and Robert's friendship held the Kingdoms together." Robb clenched his jaw and looked to Renly hardly.
"My Northmen answer to me and to House Stark. The Riverlords answer to House Tully who are sworn to House Stark. House Stark will answer your calls when heeded upon, so long as the Iron Throne continues the trade and diplomatic relationship it held with the North and the Riverlands prior to King Robert's death."
"These are steep demands."
"The Riverlands have suffered most in this war. They will need resources to heal and to replenish before winter comes, or else you won't have much of a Westeros to rule." Robb stated plainly.
"Very well. In the morning we will destroy Stannis and his army, and then Baratheon and Stark will fight their common enemy together, as they have always done." Renly smiled, rising from his chair to raise his hands wide.
"I urge you to reconsider this battle with Stannis. He is your brother. Negotiate a peace with him." Robb said, turning in his chair to speak to Renly as he walked around his tent to have his armor removed by Loras and Brienne.
"Negotiate with Stannis? You heard him out there!" Renly said incredulously as Loras and Brienne removed his chest plate "I'd have better luck debating the wind." Renly chuckled before turning in his tunic to face Robb.
"Consider my terms, Robb. We are natural allies, and together we could end this war in a fortnight." Renly smiled, turning back to face the mirror.
Robb glanced to the gap in the tent where wind was furiously making the flap leap around. Robb froze as the shadows of the night clawed their way into the tent and took impossible form in the shape of a man. Robb could not comprehend what he was seeing, a shadow…taken shape and substance. Loras and Brienne watched as Robb did as the shadow flew to Renly…and pierced his chest with a sword of darkness. Renly spluttered as the shadow pulled away swiftly, letting blood spurt from his heart to the ground. The shadow turned to Robb, losing its potent dark form with every second in the brightness of the tent, it pounced onto Robb and sent him rolling. He felt something impossibly strong smash into his chest plate as he laid on the ground, and before he could do much else, Brienne of Tarth smashed a burning torch through the shadow's form, sending darkness around the tent for a single moment before it vanished.
Brienne and Loras both then screamed. Screams of loss, shock and grief that brought soldiers pouring into the tent, Robb himself was slumped to the ground, struggling to breathe.
"Take King Robb to the Maester!" Loras managed to choke out as the Northmen charged in to surround Robb who slowly faded into unconsciousness.
Author's Note: Nooo, Renly. I enjoyed writing him. Hope you guys enjoyed reading him :)