Dragonstone
Stannis looked at the island lords who had arrived at his home each holding a map that showed the trade routes from the north and south.
He couldn't help but be angry about the insult he had been given. The maps showed ports, pirate basses, slave waters, and routes that he wasn't aware of. Each map showed where the lords marked the information they had gained from each other.
It was obvious that he had been left out of this alliance of theirs and they were only letting him know about it because of his daughter's pet.
The island lords had told him about what Lady Whent's knights were doing in King's Landing and the men that he ordered to protect Shireen while she traveled with the king sent him letters by raven every day.
"So you want to take the steps. That could easily be called treason.' he says to them while staring at the small dragon that was painted on one of the maps.
"The Steps have always been a problem, we just want to keep them from becoming an even bigger one again." the lord of house Valeryon says to him.
"Your house has a history with those islands. The crown could say that you want to bring back the island king that your family created before its king handed the islands to the crown." he says to the man who huts up after being reminded of his family's past.
"So why bring this plan of yours to me now?'"He asks them while pretending not to know the reason.
The men look at each other and nod. "Your alliance with house Whentt, more specifically your daughter's alliance with the knights that now serve the bat."
"Let me be blunt, they are trying to act like normal people but normal people can't pick up stones that weigh thousands of pounds, or chain a dragon." the lord of house Celtigar answers him.
"Don't go around the subject answer Lord Stannises question." Davos says to the lords who glare at him but don't say or do anything else.
"From what people have seen ten of them are worth an army. What we want, is to use their power to keep the problems that we will run into away." the man answers him.
"We could easily go and speak with Lady Whent, or go to Kings Landing and speak to the Bat or whoever is leading the ones in the capital but we know that they won't agree. " the Lord of House Valerya says to him.
Stannis doesn't say anything just wonders how they know about the Knight's wish to stay out of people's way and stay out of problems.
'Then you should know that they are putting away their swords and trying to live like commoners. What we are seeing are the last embers of a fire that either burned brightly and is now dying or never got to burn as it should have, and all of the wood is gone, so it never got to burn as bright as it should have." Stannis says to the men, who look at each other with grim expressions.
"What about.' House Valerya is about to say something that would under normal circumstances get him killed so Stannis glares at him and forces the man to remain quiet.
"Shireen is inexperienced, she doesn't even know how to ride the thing. As for the bastard, she is sworn to one of the Guild Houses that serve the bat. None of that matters right now because they are both in the north accompanying the king while he gets his new hand." Stannis says to the men who excuse themselves and leave the room.
The sounds of waves and the cold wind fill the silent room, Stannis can't help but frown, the lines of power are already shifting. The two girls are being targeted for their beasts and the bat's servants for their strength.
This batch had only wanted to use them to attack things that would come from outside of Westeros, but it was only a matter of time before someone tried to use them to make themselves something they weren't.
"Davos, tell the maester to write a letter to Lady Whent. Explain to her how it's in her best interest to help us take the Stepstones. That if the trade is blocked by some pirate lord, the entire realm will be affected again."
Davos does as he says and heads to the door but he pauses and turns to look at him.
"What?" he asks Davos.
"You said that they wanted to let go of their swords and live as commoners, why stop them?" Davos asks him.
"Lady Whent is old and will die soon, maybe in a few years but her time in this world is short. When a new lord takes that castle who is to say that he will keep the deal that the old woman made with them? It's better to keep their swords pointed somewhere else." he answers Davos who nods and leaves the room.
The sound of the sea fills the room and Stannis can't help but close his eyes and listen to the silence. He both hated and loved it.
Silence meant that things were good, but at the same time it meant that nothing happened and yet he hatted when the silence was broken because that meant that problems were about to happen.