In Storm's End, 1st day of the seventh Moon of 296 AC
Maester Cressen sighed tiredly but thankful as he laid down in his bed.
It had been a long day and he was an old man after all, a very old man and even though he had been greatly assisted by two very good midwives during the last few hours of helping the Lady Lysa in her ordeal, Cressen himself felt his age and his own exhaustion clearly in his bones. But for all his tiredness, he still felt happy nonetheless for as long the day had been, it was also a happy day, a joyfilled day.
A day which had started with painfilled screams and ended with Joy and Satisfaction for Lady Lysa had once more gifted her husband a healthy child, even better for it were twins this time.
Lord Stannis Baratheon was now the proud father of seven healthy and loud, of very very loud children, three of them boys and four of them girls.
Who would have bet on such an outcome fourteen years ago when Stannis Baratheon had been forced to marry little Lysa Tully, who would have believed ten years ago, that so many healthy children would come, when all the Lady Lysa had to show after four years of being wedded, were three misscarriages.
But then, about a year after Prince Joffrey had been born to the King and the Queen was presenting her first child everywhere, then Lord Stannis and Lady Lysa had been sent away from the Court and finally back to Storm's End after the King and his younger Brother had once more came to open anger and even nearly to open blows against each other and it seemed to be as if Lady Lysa came to herself.
And thus her following six pregnancies had all ended successfully in living and hale children.
The first three pregnancies here in Storm's End ended each with pretty and healthy daughters Cassana, Argella, Shireen , then came Lord Stannis' heir Steffon four years ago, then Ormond two years ago and now the twins Davos and Mina.
And all seven children were black of hair and blue of eyes, the blue of their father not the lighter blue of their mothers eyes.
It was curious in a way, for the three children of the King were all known to look completely like their mother, the golden haired Cersei of House Lannister, but Lady Lysa had born her husband Stannis all children looking completly like their father in colors and not one with the Tully colors.
It was a wonder how the gods worked sometimes.
Just like that Lady Lysa only had been successful in her pregnancies and blessed with her children since she was away from King's Landing and Royal Keep and the Queen who nearly openly disliked her and Lord Stannis and who had back then gloated about her own health golden haired son, while Lady Lysa's first three pregnancies in the capital had ended in misery.
It sometimes had been as if the Queen had wished for such sadness to occur for the family of her husband, for she never had shown any kindness or sympathy for the poor Lady Lysa back then.
And never had been sent any Gratulations in the Queen's name in the following years since Lord Stannis had brought his wife to Storms End and Lady Lysa had been finally successful and happy in her pregnancies and births. Only the King, most likely edged to it by Jon Arryn, had sent well wishes to the Lady Lysa and had congratulated his brother personally about each new addition to the House Baratheon, since Lord Stannis was reluctantly but often enough forced to attend the Royal Councils as the Master of Ships.
The old Maester's thoughts came back to the differences of the royal children to the children of the Lord of Storm's End and he remembered that a young son of the King, illegitimate but born by a noble girl, was in the care of Lord Renly of Dragonstone, the youngest Baratheon brother and currently Governor and Overlord of the Blackwater Bay.
And the Maester knew how this young Edric Storm looked like and it was in the colors of the King, just like the children of Lord Stannis and completely unlike the legitimate Royal children. All tiredness suddenly left Cressen at these thoughts and he forced himself to stand up.
He had to look something up or he would not find any rest and sleep now, not for as long as his mind was speculating.
He met only a few servants as made his way to library of the Castle, for it was deep in the Night already, but the old Maester was too awake now to care for the time anymore and he thus asked one of the servants to accompany him to the library and when they arrived there, the Maester asked for all lamps to be enlightend and for more candles to be brought for supplies.
The servant brought him such and also then brought him tea and cream from the kitchens, for everybody in the Castle knew that the Maester always loved such.
Cressen thanked the servant and bid him a good sleep and then got to work.
He had to search not for long till he found the book which he needed.
The book of the Lineages, which answered the questions of the colors and brought up new questions in Cressen 's mind, ill questions about the Queen...
He did not like the answers and he disliked the new ideas in his mind even more for it all let to great trouble but he know that it also would bring out more truths, hurtful though these might be.
He would have to speak with Lord Stannis about it, not right now for now was a joyful time, but soon, very soon.
There was so much trouble in the answers...and so much danger and pain...