Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I do not own Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire, or any material you recognize in this fanfiction. Stories I have knowingly drawn inspiration from are "A Game of Vengeance and Justice", "The Lion With Antlers", "A Song of Black and Gold", and several other Baratheon fanfictions. Please let me know if you have a problem with any parts of my story or want attribution. Thanks!

Prologue- Steffon

Steffon Baratheon cringed as he listened to the screams of pain coming from the room next door. One of the largest storms he had ever witnessed raged outside and that was saying something, having grown up at Storm's End. Thinking of his home made his heart clench as he thought of his parents, specifically his father. What was being coined the War of the Ninepenny Kings may be won with a great victory at the Stepstones, but not without cost. His father Ormund was an early casualty of the invasion, dying in Steffon's arms in the midst of battle. Steffon fought with a vengeance after that, slaying mercenaries and exiled Westerosi alike indiscriminately. His valor had not gone unnoticed and on the field of victory he was knighted by a member of the Kingsguard, Ser Gerold Hightower. The memory filled Steffon's chest with pride to mix with the sorrow of his father's death and anxiety over what was happening in the room next door.

They had met each other at the army's encampment outside of Maidenpool before sailing off to war. She was a lady in-waiting of one of the minor lords who had brought his family to the port city before setting off for war.

'Alayne' thought Steffon, his heart warming at the thought of the girl he had fallen for in the last few months, 'I am sorry for putting you through this pain'.

Their first meeting was at a feast held by the Lord of Maidenpool, the seat of House Mooten. It was a grand affair, featuring some of the great lords of the realm who were set to put an end to the Blackfyre pretenders once and for all. Even the king, Jaehaerys II, came in support of the men after his ascension of the throne. Steffon, his courage enhanced by quite a bit of wine, had seen Alayne from across the hall sitting with the other lesser ladies. Their eyes had met and before he knew it, he had crossed the hall and asked Alayne to dance. The entire night the two had danced, laughed, drank and got to know each other. After Steffon kissed Alayne goodnight and retired back to the room he shared with other noble squires, he couldn't sleep. The two spent the remaining month together as much as possible before Steffon said with the rest of the army and in their haze of love Steffon had planned to marry her, forgetting that he was heir to Storm's End while she was just the cousin of a minor lady. Their dream of a future together was just that, a dream that would come crashing down.

Upon his return from the Stepstones, Steffon discovered that Alayne was pregnant and initially he had been ecstatic. However, reality soon came crashing down as he felt the weight of his responsibilities as Lord of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the East. Soon after the defeat of the last of the Blackfyre's he was betrothed to Cassana Estermont to strengthen the loyalty of the Storm Lords following his father's death. When he broke the news to Alayne she was heartbroken and soon went into labor several weeks early. That is where he stood now, waiting outside Alayne's room in the middle of the night after hours of waiting for her to give birth to their child. His musings were cut short though as the screaming had stopped and the door opened.

"Mi'lord, could you please come in," asked one of the midwives, exhaustion clear present in her eyes as well as something else.

Steffon walked into the room and was immediately assaulted by the whimpering of a child and the smell of blood and . . . death.

Alayne laid in a bed, unmoving as Steffon rushed over to her, tears gathering in his eyes.

"I am deeply sorry my lord," said the head midwife softly, "but the strain was too much. Her heart burst during the final push and she died instantly, it was all we could do to save the child."

As Steffon struggled with yet another death of a loved one, he heard gurgling to his right. There to his left, next to the bed was a babe wrapped tightly in blankets, eyes wide open and gurgling in time with the thunder. As Steffon picked him up, he noticed the beginnings of dark black hair and the baby's striking blue eyes. While most Baratheon's had some form of blue eyes, many times they were a light, bright blue. However, it was clear the baby had also inherited some part of his mother's dark brown, almost black eye color, for it had the darkest, deepest blue eyes Steffon had ever seen, as if you were looking right into the ocean.

"It's a boy my lord, what will you name him?"

Steffon studied the baby, running through many family names and popular ones. Both he and Alayne were not from Maidenpool or the Riverlands so the bastard surname Rivers would not fit, he would have to be a Storm. The loudest burst of thunder yet rumbled through the building, shaking the rafters and making everyone flinch. However, the baby yelled in defiance of the storm and grabbed Steffon's fist in surprising strength. This immediately brought to Steffon's mind his ancestor who had raised the Stormlands and Baratheon line to prominence, and he knew instantly what his son's name would be.

"Durran Storm you shall be called," Steffon murmured, drawing a smile from the baby boy. 'But now what am I going to do with you?'

When it was time to return to Storm's End, Steffon had made sure that those who knew of Durran's birth were sworn to secrecy or bribed. Hopefully, with some luck, people would whisper that Steffon had an affair with a lady in-waiting and that was it. He would tell his betrothed Cassana about the boy, as well as his master-of-arms, Maester, and Castellan back at Storm's End and that would be it. Any children he had in the future would have the opportunity to know their elder brother, but it would not be spoken of in public and they would not be raised together. He would not bring that much shame on Lady Estermont.

On the journey home Steffon entrusted Durran to one of his childhood friends, Ser Roland Gate, who was only a few years older than him and starting a family of his own. Roland would raise Durran like his own son and Steffon was assured that Roland's wife, Brigit (who had given birth a girl of their own recently), would love to have Durran. While the young family would live at Bronzegate, the distance between it and Storm's End was minimal and Roland often visited Storm's End, so Steffon would be present in Durran's life, albeit from a distance.

Steffon enjoyed the two week journey from Maidenpool as he was able to spend plenty of time with his son and prepare for their eventual separation.

'Durran is unlike any child I have every encountered' Steffon pondered as they neared Bronzegate. 'Despite his young age he is very alert and seems to understand much of what is happening around him,' Steffon let out a chuckle as Durran gave a gargle-yell at the sight of the imposing castle, 'he certainly inherited the typical Baratheon traits as well, a quick temper, quick to laugh and more defiant the Durran Godsgrief himself.'

The people of the towns surrounding Bronzegate gave the returning Stormlord and his soldiers a hero's welcome as well as showing great respect to the fallen Ormund. Steffon would bury his father's bones with the rest of the Baratheon line in the depths of Storm's End in the following weeks, allowing the houses sworn to the Baratheons to pay their respects and swear fealty to their new lord. As the convoy rode through the gates of Bronzegate to cheers and yells with banners waving in the wind, Steffon spotted Roland with baby Durran in his arms turn down a side street towards a beautiful brunette with dark hair and a fierce gaze, a no greater embodiment of a lady of the Stormlands.

Steffon watched on in sadness as Roland gave him one last sad glance before allowing himself to be embraced by his wife and to introduce her to her new son. Steffon gave a small smile as Roland gazed in wonder down at his new daughter before riding back to the fanfare.

'May the Seven bless you, Durran Storm, with your new family, I will watch over you from afar.'

Little did he know how Durran Storm would help shape the fate of Westeros and his own family's fortunes.