Capítulo 33: Chapter 33
- Dragonstone - Sometime Later -
Stannis Baratheon was a man of honor and duty. It had been drilled into him since he was able to walk. To do your duty when called upon. Be honorable. And the Gods will reward you. For the most part, it had been true until his brother's war wit the Targaryens. He had done his duty. Held Storm's End against the Tyrells and their damn siege. His now late brother Robert told him to hold their ancestral home when the Flowers marched to claim it. And Stannis had done what was asked of him. it nearly cost the man his life along with the lives of his men in the castle, but he held it.
He could still remember those dark days with food being nonexistent. The men seeking anything and everything edible to stay alive. To keep the hunger at pain. Plants. Animals. Even the bugs themselves were eaten to ensure no one died such a horrifying death or to think of resorting to the lowest of the low in such desperate times.
The idea of eating each other.
Stannis made sure that never happened. Even when some of the men died before the siege was lifted, the man would not allow those poor souls to be eaten like one would eat at a feast. He stayed true to his duty and honorable to the end. His purpose during the war was to hold out no matter what.
And he had been rewarded. Whether by the Gods or some other form of intervention yet to be described, help came in the form of a smuggler. A smuggler, who brought onions to the castle, and gave his men the much needed food their stomachs needed. While some of them would have preferred something with actual taste over onions, it wasn't the time to complain about what they could eat while under siege.
As for Stannis himself, they were the best tasting onions he had ever tasted in his life.
When the siege was lifted thanks to Ned Stark's arrival, Stannis was grateful things had turned in his brother's favor. The war was over, the Tyrells finally bent the knee, and all was suppose to the be well.
Only it wasn't well. It only got worse. In the form of his angry older brother, who was now the King of the Seven Kingdoms. While Stannis had his own kind of rage, which was part of their bloodline, over issues, his older brother was at a whole other level. The man seemed to have an almost unnatural love for battles, spilling an enemies blood, the idea of seeing unrestrained violence, and delivering death to others who made him angry.
Especially Targaryens which the man hated with an incredible passion.
Robert also had a great and dangerous temper. His stubbornness was equal only to his rage over the most sensitive issues related to himself. Time and time again, those two parts of Robert would act as one in terms of who to hurt with his decision as King of the Seven Kingdoms. Regardless if you were family, friend, or foe, Robert didn't care. One moment, he would reward you as his King. The next, if it involved something personal, he would order what was given to be stripped from your person or House.
It was for that reason, and for what he did to Stannis following the end of the Rebellion that made the man slowly become bitter.
Stannis had recently arrived in the Capital when word reached Robert of the Mad King's sister and Queen being located within the confines of Dragonstone. Robert's response had been immediate. The newly crowned King wanted the woman dead. Her, Viserys, and the child the woman was carrying in her womb. All dead. Robert had initially tasked the deed to Tywin Lannister, who had smirked his ever confident smirk since it was a job his men would enjoy to further prove their new found "loyalty" to the Stag.
However, Stannis had volunteered to carry out the task himself. He had the ships, could sail to Dragonstone, blockade the island, and ensure the deed was done. And he would. As loathe as Stannis was to admit it, the deed had to be done. If the Targaryens rose to power once more, the madness they possessed would ensure all of the Seven Kingdoms burned under their return with vengeance in their hearts.
So Stannis decided to carry out the deed. At least he could ensure it was quick, clean, and painless in the end. Unlike Tywin, who would have had his men do horrible things prior to killing their intended targets. So the new King allowed him to sail with the royal fleet to Dragonstone and carry out the grim task that awaited them. Robert had expected him to complete it and crush the remaining Targaryens like a loyal soldier and brother should when called upon.
Only for Stannis to fail. Not that it was his fault. A massive storm, unlike any Stannis had ever seen before that day, had come into existence. Raging winds that tore through ship sails, hard rain that actually ripped skin from the body, and massive waves of water from the sea which consumed five of his ships from the start. And lightning flashing in the sky so bright it blinded the men for long moments of time. The cracking of thunder shaking the very ship he and his men were on to the point where Stannis thought his ship would just break into hundreds of pieces.
When the storm finally ended, Stannis lost fifteen of the forty five ship he had within his fleet. Another ten in need of repair at the nearest port, which was Dragonstone at the time since it was now abandoned. And while Dragonstone was taken, it no longer had any real interest to the new King, who had only wanted the Targaryens on the Dragonstone. Not Dragonstone itself.
So when Robert decided to punished him for his failure by making him the new Lord of Dragonstone over their family ancestral home Storm's End. He gave that honor to Renly, their youngest sibling, and it disgusted Stannis how the fool treated the position. By the rules and laws of succession, Stannis should have been the Lord of Storm's End. Not Renly. But did Robert care about that? No. He was King. His word was law. His orders and commands were absolute.
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"I am King and I can do and say whatever I want! You failed to get those dragonspawn when ordered so you can have the fucking island. You don't deserve Storm's End!"
"It wasn't my fault Robert. The storm was massive. I lost fifteen ships from it alone! Every single thing I have done for you up until now, I did. I did my duty. And the one time you would deny me what is mine, it is over this?!"
"I am your King first and your brother second! You would do your best to remember that from now on. Renly will be the Lord of Storm's End. My decision is final!"
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It was an insult. A humiliation that Robert felt Stannis needed for his supposed failure in capturing the remaining Targaryens. The King's hatred for that House was so deep and so great, he would strike back at his own blood to quench his stupid anger. Stannis had tried to make his brother happy since that day, to make him realize his decision was a mistake, but the man would not hear anything about it.
And now he was dead. Robert was dead. According to the message written by Lord Stark himself, his brother had no heirs to his name. Only bastard children from the whores and wenches he slept with. Apparently, Cersei's children had no Baratheon blood in them, but rather all Lannister with Ser Jamie being the Father. Under normal circumstances, Stannis would be able to claim the Iron Throne by rules and laws of succession given how he was Robert's brother with Renly being behind him.
Unfortunately, it seemed a higher power had stepped in to block his claim, and in the form of someone claiming to be a Targaryen.
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To Stannis of House Baratheon,
First, I wish you to know that I hold no ill will toward you or your House as a whole in regards to the past history that we have written in blood. You are a man of honor and knows when to do his duty. No doubt you have received Lord Stark's message regarding your brother's so called children not being of his blood. That they are spawn of Ser Jamie Lannister. Her twin brother. The message is true. Your brother had no legitimate heirs. Only bastards. Under normal circumstances, you would be next in line to sit on the Iron Throne, which you no doubt read from Lord Stark's message. However, that part of the message is false since it was written prior to my arrival in Westeros. As such, given my heritage and the laws of succession, I am now King of the Seven Kingdoms. No doubt you suspect me to write false on the matter or be a mummer for a Targaryen. But I am neither of those things. I have proof of my claim. Uncontested proof. Both in document form and in the form of my Uncle, Lord Stark himself. Yes, you heard right Lord Stannis. My Uncle is Lord Stark. He had no idea I had returned until his arrest and his ordered execution by the false King Joffrey.
Know that Lord Stark is alive and well after I saved him from losing his head on the Sept of Baelor. And in regards to my Father, it is Rheagar Targaryen himself. My Mother was Lyanna Stark. Now before you jump to conclusions, she was not raped by him. She had married him in secret due to her unable to love your brother. Given his vices, I am sure you can understand why with Robert's drinking and whoring ways. My Mother would have been miserable and your brother would be the cause of it. In truth, the war as you know it was founded on a lie. A lie created by Lord Arryn and your brother along with several others to bring the Seven Kingdoms into war for the purpose of bringing down my House.
By now, I can imagine you are angered by my words. Stating your brother started a war under false pretenses and with countless lives dead in the process. I do not wish to cause further pain to you or your House given your loss, but you need to know the truth that was kept from you. Kept from my Uncle until just recently. Kept from the realms of men so we would live in ignorance of the truth. So I offer you the chance to come to King's Landing and see the proof for yourself. I guarantee you Guest Rights and swear no harm will come to you by my hand or any hand that I command. You may bring whoever you wish that has your unwavering trust and can offer wise counsel. I have sent messages to the other High Lords of Westeros to come as well to see this evidence for themselves.
For the sake of peace between our Houses, I ask that you set aside any desire for revenge birthed from old hatreds kept alive by your late brother. Let such things die with him and stay dead. We have a chance to start anew and I wish to have someone like yourself here supporting my claim over opposing it. You are a good man Stannis. One who does his duty and does not complain, even when it is his right to do so. Given how you have been cheated out of being Lord of Strom's End, your family's ancestral home, as punishment for failing to capture my Aunt, it is only natural to feel this way.
Come to King's Landing and together, we can make finally end the pain our two Houses have inflicted on the other. Together we can start anew and bring back a new golden age throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
-King Aegon of House Targaryen
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"Its an insult my Lord. A trick to bring you to the city and burn you alive. Just like the Mad King did Lord Stark and his Heir years ago," warned one of the Lords in the room with Stannis.
"But what if its not a trick? What if its genuine? If we say no, it could make us look like traitors to the new King. And if this message is true, Lord Stark will back his nephew in his claim for the Iron Throne," said another Lord next the first.
"There is a mention of Guest Rights. The Mad King may have broken it with the Starks years ago, but this one clearly wishes to invoke it to start a dialogue. This man does have dragons from what Lord Stannis has told us. He could have attacked us at any time, yet chose a less violent path," said a third Lord while Stannis looked down at the table with his mind running through everything so far.
Could he trust this boy? This Aegon Targaryen? Lord Stark was his Uncle and apparently saved the man from a dishonorable death. Still, was it so wrong to desire the Iron Throne. To sit in the seat of power? To rule over the Seven Kingdoms and guiding it with his firm and yet steady hand? To do what Robert could not and rule properly? To have everyone in his presence bending the knee while he sat with the crown on his head and ruling over all his subjects?
But as the idea of being ambitious grew strength within his mind, so too did the side of him that was cautious. Could he challenge the dragon? Could he get Renly to support him with Baratheon men? Unlikely given his younger brother's sudden desire to be ambitious and seek the crown himself. Renly was currently calling the banners in the Stormlands and seeking an alliance with House Tyrell. Fortunately and unfortunately, the flowers had decided to side with the dragon. No doubt the Queen of Thorns saw her chance to make her Granddaughter the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. And there were rumors of Dorne stirring after being offered something by the new King in exchange for their support.
The combined might of the North, the Tyrells in the South, and possibly Dorne too in the Targaryen's corner with the three dragons made fighting them near impossible. Not to mention the army obtained by the dragon in Essos and would one day come to Westeros to further enforce their rule.
Better to bow to the dragon in submission over being destroyed by them. If this Aegon wished for peace and to put an end to the senseless bad blood between their two Houses, Stannis would not deny him.
And yet...dare he seek one last alternative form of advice?
"And what do you say Red Woman? What does your God say about this?" asked Stannis to the only woman in the room, wearing a red dress to match her long red hair.
"The Lord of Light favors this Targaryen my Lord. He has brought dragons back to the land of the living and they have already earned his favor by casting down many prior to the lions. I have seen it in the flames. The lion has been badly burned by one dragon's fire and will soon lose more. My Lord has also warned me of the Stag could be devoured in its entirety if the dragon is met with any resistance," said the Red Woman also known as Melisandre while approaching him.
"While I would be against you listening to this woman's advice after she uses her sorcery my Lord, I strongly suggest you go to King's Landing. If this new King is offering Guest Rights, then by the laws of both Gods and Men, he must honor them. If he goes back on it, the other Lords will see him for what type of King he truly is, and would not support his rule," said Maester Cressen with Stannis nodding since that was always a possibility.
"With respect my Lord, may I speak?" asked Ser Davos, who out of all the men here, was one of the few knights in the room.
"You may Ser Davos. Speak truth to me as only you can," commanded Stannis since he always preferred hearing hard truths over honey filled lies told to him by the ass kissing toadies trying to gain his favor.
"I do not believe this King is an enemy. If what the Red Woman here said is true, the lion was crushed by an actual dragon. From what you graciously revealed to us after returning from King's Landing, this man has three of them. And there is always a chance they are still growing since no one knows how big a dragon can truly get. What concerns me right now is the safety of your wife and child my Lord. If you go to King's Landing and should something were to happen to result in your death...," replied Ser Davos with concern and Stannis raising his hand to silence him.
"They might be next should this Aegon decide to remove my bloodline from the world just like my brother wanted to remove his own. As always Ser Davos, your commitment and loyalty to my House is unwavering. Which is why I am hereby putting you in charge of their safety in the event something happens to me when I arrive in King's Landing to meet this new King," said Stannis with Ser Davos nodding in agreement.
"I understand my Lord. Rest assured, they will be safe with me," said Ser Davos with Stannis giving a rare smile.
"Prepare my ship. I sail for King's Landing. Its time to see what kind of King this Aegon Targaryen is and if he has the strength to rule," ordered Stannis with everyone nodding.
"I shall accompany you my Lord. The Lord of Light command it," said Melisandre with Stannis glancing at her.
"When you first came here to Dragonstone, you said I was going to be King. That I was the one who would sit on the Iron Throne. You said the visions in the flames had said as much," commented Stannis.
"I thought so as well my Lord. But the flames show me only what my God wishes. I can only interpret what he shows me at the time of the vision. When I first came here, it was because of a vision where a mighty Stag was empowered by fire. I assumed it was the Lord of Light saying you were the one he had chosen to be King. Now I believe it means something else. Only time will truly tell, but I do know that going to King's Landing to see the new King is the right decision," said Melisandre with Stannis nodding.
At least they agreed on that much.
- King's Landing - Red Keep -
It had been an interesting experience being King. If only to be recognized as such by the city rather than the whole of the Seven Kingdoms. But the rest would follow. Of that, he was sure would happen. The Force was with him. The actions taken since coming here had prevented the chaos from spreading, if only for a short time. But Aegon would need more to prevent the temporary dam he built to hold back the chaos from breaking at this point in time. If he wasn't careful, the plan would fall apart, and everything around him would follow too.
Fortunately, his allies within the city were keeping the peace. The City Watch was doing their job in putting the riots to a stop without harming the people. Sandor Clegane had been put in charge of them as the new Lord Commander. Aegon had made his Uncle the Hand of the King once more to further keep the peace since many respected the man for being honorable and fair.
Varys had sent his little birds to the Tower of the Hand and Pycelle's personal chambers and where he worked. Sure enough, the incriminating evidence Aegon needed to expose those men of their crimes had been found and brought to the King for his inspection. It was damaging to say the least with Lord Arryn and Pycelle's schemes coming to light in those pages with the latter actually conspiring with the Maester's at the Citadel to get what he needed to set the plan in motion to bring about the downfall of the dragon.
Those insufferable stuffy men in gray robes were afraid of actual dragons returning and the magic that went with it. They knew King Aerys had wanted to find dragon eggs and find a way to bring the might creatures back to life. To counter this, the Maesters within the Citadel had been more then willing to aid Pycelle in his plot to help destroy the King's mind so he would go mad and demonize himself in the process.
Aegon would deal with them later. No doubt those fools were concerned not only with his rise back the Iron Throne, but the return of the dragons too. He knew they would hear of Pycelle's death and send another to be Grand Maester with secret orders to get close to the dragons to poison or sterilize them so they could never produce any more eggs.
Aegon would make sure no such Maester got near his dragons. Ever!
"A message from Essos your Grace. From your Aunt if the seal is any indication," said Varys while handing Aegon the scroll.
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Dear Nephew,
Word has reached me of your exploits in King's Landing. I hear the Usurper is dead and so is the Falcon. Whether you had a hand in this, I do not care, but I am pleased all the same. All that is left is to remove the lion's strength and expose the treachery of the Trout for siding with the Falcon. If there are more people involved in the conspiracy to destroy our House, we will get them as we go.
As for Essos, I am pleased to report that Ser Jorah has located the source of the Sons of the Harpy being the few wealthy members of society, who are related one way or another to the Wise Masters. Ser Jorah has reported they have all been found, their wealth taken from them to be redistributed among the people. The Free Cities of Essos we have taken are now finally free of slavery and things have become stable once more. Our transport fleet has grown considerably with ships being purchased or built to set sail for Westeros. We should be leaving for King's Landing sometime after this reaches you and will be arriving around the time when Court can be held to reveal everything.
See you soon nephew.
Fire and Blood.
Princess Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen
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"My Aunt will be coming soon Lord Varys. Prepare a place for her and the army that is coming to King's Landing," commanded Aegon with Varys nodding and left.
It was almost time. When his Aunt arrived with Drogo and the army, the judgment would begin, and his enemies would burn!
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