The Birth of Dragons

King Stannis I Baratheon

The wildfire was a neat trick, Stannis would give them that, it had damaged a lot of his ships, and cost him men, but he did not mind that. Men would always die during battle, that they had died fighting to ensure his right was upheld was proof of their loyalty. He saw the city walls beginning to shake under the barrage of his men, and he gave a rare smile, but as his helm was on, none could see it, all the better, he had a reputation to uphold. His armour was bathed in light, the light of the red god, so Melisandre had said, he did not know whether he believed the words that she whispered to him at night, he did not much care, he would have his throne, and he would get it now. As the gates were thrown open, Stannis spurred his horse on, dragging Lightbringer out of its sheathe, watching it glow and lead the way.

The men who ride alongside him were once Targaryen men, he knew that when he took over Dragonstone, when Robert denied him his right and gave it to his brother. He managed to change their loyalties through persuasion and through force. Now they ride at his side, and they do his bidding as is their duty. He swings his sword, cutting down some fool boy, who wears a lion on his armour. The lions had abandoned all sense when they decided to keep their bastard spawn on the throne. It was not right, nor was it true to deny his right, he swung his sword once more, watching the light fade from another cunt's eyes. He remembered his first battle, the Siege of Storm's End had come after it, when some fools had tried to take Storm's End through guile. He had killed them all and hung their entrails up in the woods afterward, as a warning. Robert had thought that too much, but Robert was always a fool, and now his brother was dead.

The men keep riding toward him, swinging their weapons, he laughs at their pathetic attempts to fight him, do they not know he is their rightful King, and he will not be cowed by boys wearing armour three times their size? He cuts them down with nary an effort. He moves onward, laughing at how poor the defences of the city are, they have not thought through their defence, clearly they felt that he would not survive the wildfire, but even the fire knows when to bow before its King. He moves onward, swinging his sword, the heat of a thousand bodies making him sweat in his armour, but onward he continues, his sword calling out for more blood. On and on it goes, the red keep stands in the distance, atop the hill of a man who was a sinner, but a just King. Stannis moves forward, cutting down more and more of the fools who are his people, they are not putting down their swords and he does not understand why. Do they not understand, that he has come to relieve them from Lannister tyranny? His spies had told him that the people of the city were calling out for more help. Why then do they fight?

The chaos continues, fuelling his anger and his energy. These fools continue to fight, to deny him his right, he barks out orders, and watches as they are carried out. The men and women who stand in his way are cut down and butchered, as are their children. It might not be the honourable thing to do, but it is the just thing to do. He would not allow for there to be criminals amongst his people when this is all said and done. The Lannister defence is weakening, slackening in their regard for anything other than themselves. In the distance he hears a scramble and a scream, he wonders what it could be and calls out to one of the red knights. "What is happening over there?" it takes a moment for the knight to think through the thing and then look for answers.

"The boy pretender is fleeing Sire, the men of his guard are fleeing." The knight replies.

Stannis smiles, he always knew his nephew had no guts. "We ride for them then. We must get the boy." He pushes onward, his sword leading the way, almost as if it has a mind of its own. He cuts down another boy, someone not much older than Renly was when the siege of Storm's End began, Renly, the brother who he tried to love, and failed. The brother who has spent the last year as a Lannister prisoner. Perhaps with time they can heal the breach that has developed between them. He hopes so, he remembers Renly as the boy he once was, he needs his brother by his side, he will need him by his side when the fighting is done. Stark is still at large, but perhaps the boy can be made to bend the knee when the boy's father's killer is dead. He moves onward, he sees a white knight standing there, waiting to prevent him getting to the boy pretender. Ser Meryn Trant he thinks, he swings and the man crumples to the ground. A roar goes up then, they are close, he can smell it from here.

As they canter through the breech left by the death of the Kingsguard, Stannis smells the air, it stinks of rot, of puss and of piss, and fear, but there is no sight of the boy, he growls in frustration and then barks his orders out. They ride through the gaps, cutting men down wherever they appear, he is determined to make his way through it all. His armour creaks and groans, and his body moans within him, but he does not care. They push their way through the masses, through the hill and upward, until they arrive at the Red Keep itself, there is a brief struggle but then they are through. He rides through the ancient castle, before coming to the throne, he stops, sheathes Lightbringer, and dismounts. He walks up the steps of the throne, before turning, and in his armour sitting down atop the throne, his men cheer, a tired sound, but he removes his helm and smiles, he has come home.