#stannisweek17

Stannis Baratheon Week:

Day 3:  Memorable character trait/physical trait

stannis week 2017 // day one: stannis the son

Stannis Baratheon and Richard III

Shattered pieces of my shattered king. 

His brother is King, Stannis is his Master of Ships (like their father once was, though it was unlikely that Robert even remembered that), the one who helps rule his kingdom and ensures his reign and, more importantly, Stannis was Robert’s brother - if only by blood if nothing else.

Despite all of that, it is Jon Arryn who tells Stannis of his betrothal. His brother was a coward or a fool, or both. Robert knew how much Stannis would have rather it had been Robert to speak to him but Robert was Robert, after all.

“His Grace thinks it time you were wed,” Jon Arryn had said to him, the two of them in the Hand’s solar. (It should have been mine, if Robert cared even a little for me, for his own blood. Or maybe he could have just given Stannis his rightful seat of Storm’s End, would that have been so hard?)

“His Grace couldn’t have told me this himself?” Stannis had asked, knowing full well that Arryn would do all he could to defend Robert. He is my brother, you old fool, I knew him. It’s sad that Stannis wasn’t the one defending Robert…but had ‘his grace’ left him any choice?

Arryn shook his head, sighing. “Our king is still new to all of his duties, he is learning still, he will need our help with his new rule.”

“You speak as though he is a child learning to read, Robert is the king! And speaking with your brother isn’t a duty!”

“Yes, well, Robert’s always found it difficult…” Arryn had trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

Oddly, Stannis had found himself wanting to laugh. “Are you trying to tell me that Robert finds speaking difficult? I never fought you mad Lord Arryn.”

“Gods, no, no. I’m sure one thing about being the king that Robert truly likes is that he can speak whenever he likes.”

Because you know him so well. Stannis didnt say that though.

Instead, he had changed the conversation back to his betrothal, “And who am I to marry?”

“A niece of Alester Florent. Selyse, her name is.” When Stannis said nothing, Arryn had added, “A pretty name. I’m sure she is a pretty girl. Her cousin is wed to Leyton Hightower, I hear.”

“I’m not marrying her cousin though, am I?”

Arryn had shaken his head. “No, you’re not. But this marriage is important to ensure a peace in the realm. We have to marry into the Reach somehow, not the Tyrells of course, they went against Robert and, well, they harmed Lord Renly’s people.”

If he had had any of Robert’s fury, Stannis might have hit him. But Arryn had continued, “But the Florents, they didn’t fight against us, or rather, they didn’t want to. And they have a claim to Highgarden and the Reach - like most Reached Houses say they do - but the Florents have a strong one, stronger than the Tyrells do. If say, the Tyrells were to rebel against our king, we could get rid of them and seat House Florent in Highgarden and -”

“Do you think i was about to deny my duty? Say no to this marriage? When, Lord Arryn, in this short time you’ve known me and in the longer time you’ve know Robert and what he says about me, and in the time you knew my father, when, when have I said no to my duty?”

“Not once, my lord. I was just making sure you understood.”

“I’m not some silly child, alright? I do understand! I will do this as I have done everything else for Robert! Everything! Just as everyone has always done everything for him, without a second of hesitation. Even you! You followed Robert into war, went against your king for some boy.” Stannis shoved his chair back and grounded his teeth.

Lord Arryn just looked at him with a patience which mistake have been how he got through so many years with Robert. “Lord Stannis, are you implying that I didn’t truly know Robert? Because I knew him very well, him and Ned Stark, they were sons to me, in all but blood. I loved them and I love them. I would go to war for them any day. As your father would for Robert and you, and Lord Renly too. But I know Robert, I think of him as my son. And you don’t let people even think to harm your son.”

“He isn’t your son,” Stannis said quietly. “No more than Eddard Stark is his brother. I’m his brother, the one he never loved, the one he always, always the unloved one. But I lived through it, not for my undying love for our glorious conquering hero of a king. But because he is my mother and father’s son; he is my great-uncle’s great-nephew; he is my younger brother’s brother. And he is my brother. Nothing will change that, nothing.”

With that Stannis got up, moving past Jon Arryn.

“Stannis…”

“Tell His Grace that I shall marry Lady Selyse whenever he commands it, my lord.”

Stannis left the room and decided that he’d go to Dragonstone, at least he could have peace there. With no Robert, with no one who loved and adored Robert.

Written for Stannisweek17  - Stannis the brother/House Baratheon

Summary:

The Baratheon brothers are forced to participate in a mandatory team-building exercise - an escape room.

Stannis Baratheon Week:

Day 1:  Memorable quote