Chapter 215 - Chapter 344: Stannis of the Fiery Heart

"You once swore fealty to Robert. You were his good brother, a loyal subject. And she is clearly wiser than Robert, a greater monarch. So why can't you serve her?" urged Donal the blacksmith."Robert, Robert, Robert..." Stannis sounded as if he'd been infected by a virus named "Robert." He muttered the name over and over, then suddenly flung his hand and burst out hysterically, "Yes, I was loyal to Robert. I tried to be a good brother and a faithful subject. And how did he repay me?At eighteen, he raised a rebellion. I held Storm's End for him. The Tyrells besieged me for over a year. We ran out of food. Even I had to eat dead rats and boiled leather boots.But no matter how dire the situation, I never considered surrendering to the Mad King. Because before Robert left, he entrusted me with Storm's End. Defending it was my duty!At last, Robert took King's Landing, and the Tyrells lost their will to keep fighting for the Targaryens. Eddard Stark came with a few thousand men and swept the Reachmen from Storm's End like it was nothing.Then Robert laughed and embraced Eddard, calling him 'my brother' and thanking him for lifting the siege.""Ahhh—" Stannis let out a furious cry, clutching his head. "And me, his real brother? He left me forgotten, didn't even give me a hug or a word of thanks.Even a fool could see Eddard Stark played a minor role in the siege of Storm's End.Fine. If Robert wanted to treat Eddard like a brother, I wouldn't be jealous.No, I'm not jealous!!!But what came next? He took the Iron Throne. Shouldn't Storm's End have gone to me?Never mind what I had done—just by being the second son of House Baratheon, after my elder brother became king, I had every right to inherit Storm's End.Instead, Robert gave the Stormlands to a child. Renly was four—maybe five—at the time!""He gave me no reward, no consolation! Then he sent me to attack Dragonstone, and what happened? A once-in-a-century storm hit, capsizing all our ships. William Darry used the chaos to escape across the Narrow Sea with the two dragonspawn.Still, I took Dragonstone in the end. I completed the task Robert gave me.But did he recognize my efforts? No. He shouted at me, blamed me for letting the two Targaryen brats escape, saying they'd cause him trouble later.Heh, he was right about that. One of those infants did grow up to become a massive problem—but it wasn't his problem, was it? That trouble came back to haunt me.""When Robert made me Lord of Dragonstone, I swear, all of King's Landing laughed behind my back. They thought Robert was mocking me.I was the rightful Lord of Storm's End, ruler of the rich and vast Stormlands. And what is Dragonstone but a barren rock?In Targaryen times, yes, it held significance—it was the seat of the heir to the throne. But that was because it was the ancestral home of House Targaryen!For House Baratheon, Storm's End is what holds true meaning.Robert was humiliating me.On the night of my wedding to Selyse, he dragged the maid of honor into my bedchamber, took her maidenhead on my own wedding bed, and left me to raise the bastard he conceived.I worked hard to be a good brother, a loyal subject—and what did I get in return? Just his disgrace. Why?Even the Targaryens knew to appoint a brother as Hand of the King after ascending the throne. But what did Robert do?When Jon Arryn died, he would rather ride all the way to the distant North to ask Eddard Stark than even consider me."Having vented a lifetime of resentment, Stannis finally quieted down. He stared at the blacksmith across from him, who looked visibly conflicted, and said calmly, "That's what came of my loyalty to Robert. And now you want me to swear allegiance to that woman?""She has dragons," the blacksmith said miserably.The mention of dragons made Stannis grit his teeth again. "I should've listened to Melisandre and hatched the fire-dragon earlier.""That red woman can't be trusted," the blacksmith sighed."Two years ago, before any dragons appeared, Melisandre already showed me visions in the flames—snowfields, White Walkers. Everyone knows the prophecy of Azor Ahai.""Who's hiding in the shed?" Stannis suddenly sensed something as he approached the wooden shack. He drew his sword and shouted at the dark figure inside."Hachoo—" A loud sneeze rang out, followed by a string of red flames from a dragon's nostrils, lighting up the shed and revealing three people and a dragon with awkward, embarrassed expressions.In that moment, to the utterly humiliated Stannis, even the dragon's blank stare felt like blatant mockery.His face turned pale, then red, then green—his expression shifting wildly. Gritting his teeth, he snapped, "What are you doing in there?""We've been here the whole time. With the shed, it's warm!" Dany said with a smile."You—" At that moment, nothing disgusted Stannis more than Dany's smiling face."Hey, don't get so worked up. Every family has its troubles," Dany waved her hand and sighed in a casual tone. "Compared to my good-for-nothing brother, your brother wasn't so bad.Robert might've resented you and pushed you down, but at least he left you with the lordship of Dragonstone.Rhaegar, on the other hand, destroyed our entire house for a woman. I was born into ruin, the last princess of a fallen line.I grew up wandering the Free Cities, barely ever eating a full meal. After Ser Willem Darry died, I didn't wear a new dress for over ten years. Compared to me, your grievances are nothing!""Er…" Stannis's face froze—humiliation, anger, and anxiety splintered like cracked glaze and seemed to flake from his skin.Blacksmith Donal, Maester Aemon, and Ser Barristan wore equally odd expressions. None of them had expected the Dragon Queen to compete with Stannis over whose elder brother had been the greater scoundrel.Was she determined to outdo him in every possible way?Thinking it through, she really might be worse off: her brother Rhaegar had proved an even bigger disaster than Robert Baratheon."You're saying Robert feared me and kept me down on purpose?"Stannis stared at her for a long moment, hearing a meaning he had never considered."You never sensed it yourself?" Dany blinked. Robert had made it so obvious; yet Stannis had taken it only for a personal dislike."Your Grace, please don't slander a dead man who can't defend himself," Donal protested, loyal even to a fallen master. "Robert could be a brute, aye, but he never schemed so slyly.""Perhaps you read too much into this," Maester Aemon added, brows knit. "Robert was large-hearted and open; why would he suppress his own brother?"Only Barristan seemed thoughtful rather than shocked—he still recalled Rhaegar's youngest child and had long doubted Robert's legend of straightforward honor."Don't judge King Robert by Lord Robert of Storm's End," Dany said with a cold smile. "Think: how did he gain the Iron Throne?If a mere Lord of the Stormlands could topple a king, what kept the next man from copying him? Targaryen history is riddled with siblings at war for the crown—Blood-raven's Dance, the Blackfyre rebellions—every time the throne faltered, it was because a brother's power neared the king's and bred ambition.Robert wasn't illiterate; he knew his history and took its warning.Had you, Stannis, lost Storm's End to Mace Tyrell and been captured, Robert would surely have let you inherit the castle—because a weak, pliant brother was no threat.Don't call Robert generous or upright. True magnanimity would look like me: I could have burned you and Jon Snow in dragonfire—one fought to end my dynasty, the other is the bastard of my greatest foe—yet I let you live to do your duty.Men who smash infants on walls and hunt babes across the realm are no grand heroes."Shameless as her words sounded, they drained the color from the two Baratheons and the smith, for they might well be true."Robert always feared me… ha."The man who never smiles actually laughed.It was said Stannis had lost the habit of joy after watching his parents die in a storm; a Baratheon's grin was rarer than Bujian's tears.Ser Barristan and Donal, who knew him, were stunned."She may be wrong, my prince—compose yourself!" Donal cried, afraid Stannis would snap."No, Donal, don't fret. I feel splendid—better than ever. Robert feared me!"A weight lifted; Stannis seemed almost radiant."You're not angry with him?" Donal asked, baffled."I've always blamed him—until now. But I won't anymore. He was afraid of me." Stannis actually smiled."Daenerys, our wager for the throne begins in earnest!"Laughing aloud, he strode back toward his lines."Has he gone mad?" Barristan muttered."In every eye Robert outshone him," Aemon said softly. "Stannis lived beneath that shadow, yearning for the same praise. Now, by another path, he's won what he sought—and, having it, needs it no more.""Er… Maester, what?" the smith asked, bewildered.Dany turned her strange gaze on him. "Why urge Stannis to yield to me? You heard me swear a fair contest."The blacksmith bowed his head. "In these days I have seen you—brave, merciful, strong, a queen of duty.""Obviously," Dany said, chin lifting to accept the compliment.Donal's mouth twitched, but he pressed on. "Stannis clings to duty yet lacks the breadth to bear it. As your vassal he'd serve well—and it would spare House Baratheon."He drew a breath. "You forgave foes unpardonable; and the Baratheons once bent the knee to Targaryens. When other lords hear, their old grudges will fade, the Seven Kingdoms will rally beneath you, and we can face the Others united."Dany sighed, her face mixed with pity. "A fine dream—but dreams are hard to make real."(End of chapter)