Ours is the fury!

Stannis always hated his House's motto. The Master of Ships felt that it denigrates the Baratheons, debasing them into mindless and angry curs in the eyes of others. Steffon Baratheon's middle son liked the Hornwoods' motto better: Righteous in wrath! It is good to have a certain amount of fury but it was far better to temper it with righteousness, honor and especially justice. But what honor and justice could be accomplished from the Small Council chamber, a place where deception, lies and schemes were the norm? Surely, Lord Arryn and himself were far above that kind of behavior but the others, Pycelle, Baelish, Varys, even his brother Renly, were so deeply involved in court intrigue that, in the eyes of Stannis, they were even lower than the smallfolk as human beings.

The Council chamber was empty, except for Stannis. He was summoned by Lord Arryn who wanted to talk to him alone. However, the Warden of the East and Hand of the King was late. Stannis thought it disrespectful but also it gave him an opportunity to think about the situation in the state: The North was... the North. A frozen landscape filled with even colder people kept in line by Robert's best friend, Ned Stark, a man that the king loved more than even his own brothers. Stannis was always angry at Robert for this, but duty was more important than petty feelings. Robert was king, after all. The Riverlands were as boring and predictable as ever, led by the Tullys of Riverrun. The riverlander smallfolk are usually famished, religious and completely submissive to their liege lords. Stannis sighed, thinking about them, as only a poor, unwashed peasant would believe in any god, especially in the Seven, who murdered more men and women than all the soldiers during any war in the history of Westeros. He always viewed religious belief as lack of ambition as any man who prays for something to happen is too weak to make it happen himself. The Vale was, as always, quiet and stable like the mountains it was made of and, under Jon Arryn's leadership, prospered into one of the richest provinces of the Seven Kingdoms. The Westerlands were just as rich and arrogant as ever and with Tywin Lannister at its helm, the westerlords would only increase their already great power, not to mention that Tywin's daughter, Cersei, is queen. Stannis never liked Tywin, but he respected him for his years as Hand and for his absolute control over the Westerlands. The Warden of the West is not a man to be trifled with. The Reach was fertile as ever, enjoying the long summer and, with its wealth increasing after the Greyjoy rebellion was quashed a few years back, it only got stronger, both militarily and economically. Even though Mace Tyrell, the Warden of the South is not the brightest star on the Westerosi night sky, his mother, Lady Olenna, more than made up for his ineptitude, despite being a woman. Stannis viewed women as unfit to rule and it surprised him to see such a powerful representative of the fairer sex. The Iron Islands were subdued by the royal forces and Robert allowed Balon Greyjoy to maintain his lordship over the archipelago and, except for the usual raids across the western coast of the Reach and the Westerlands, things were pretty quiet there. Dorne, however, was the wildcard here, a region who lost its faith to the Iron Throne after Robert's Rebellion. House Martell were proud, headstrong and extremely devoted to their own, so they aren't going to forgive what happened to Elia Martell and the Targaryen children anytime soon. As for what lied beyond the Wall, Stannis preferred not to think about it. Wildlings don't deserve any recognition whatsoever, bunch of witless savages they were.

Truth be told, the Seven Kingdoms are at peace now, and that is a good thing. Peace meant prosperity, advancement and tranquility. Suddenly, Stannis' line of thought was interrupted by a white haired man, dressed in a long, blue coat, having the Hand of the King pin on his left side of his chest, holding a bunch of scrolls and ledgers. He was Jon Arryn, Lord Paramount of the Vale and Warden of the East.

"Lord Stannis, excuse me for being late. I hope you didn't felt insulted for waiting, but His Grace wanted to know what are we going to discuss at the next Council meeting."

Stannis felt insulted, his Baratheon pride being wounded, but he preferred to be diplomatic in his approach:

"If my brother wants so much to know about the Small Council's activity, is within his right to participate at each of our meetings. However, he prefers to spend the time he could spend ruling the Seven Kingdoms in the company of drunkards and whores."

"Well, you know him better than anyone, Lord Stannis. You are his brother, after all."

"Yes..."

Stannis was bitter about his brother. No, he didn't know Robert at all, even though he is younger than the king by just one year. Ned Stark knew him, Jon Arryn himself knew him, but not Stannis. Stannis only knew his brother's wrath and ingratitude.

"Ah, look at me rambling. Old age!"

Jon Arryn smiled but Stannis stood serious, as always.

"I wished to discuss a problem of utmost interest for me. As you know, my son, your brother's namesake, is six years old. I don't believe I would live long enough to see him turn into an adult and I am a bit worried about him."

In his mind, Stannis believed that "a bit worried" is a crass understatement. From what he has seen of the boy, the Baratheon believed that he was a simpleton, or even worse, a soon-to-be madman. Once, he had a fit right in the middle of the dinner room and, if not for the maester's quick intervention, Stannis could have sworn the child would die.

"I'm listening, Lord Hand."

"It's a difficult favor to ask, but I dare not talk about this with others. I want you to foster my son at Dragonstone, Lord Stannis."

Stannis felt intrigued. Why him? He had no patience for such children and he wouldn't suffer a sickly, mad boy in his halls.

"Why me, Lord Hand? For what I've heard, Tywin Lannister himself offered to foster the boy at Casterly Rock."

"Yes, but I told him I would think about it, I didn't accept outright. He even proposed a marriage between Robert and his granddaughter, Myrcella, when they both come of age, and I'm afraid that the king would agree with Tywin."

"An advantageous proposition. A royal hasn't marry into House Arryn since some Targaryen princesses did long time ago. It could prove beneficial for your House. Why do you ask me to foster the boy?"

Lord Arryn approached Stannis and whispered in his ear:

"Because I don't want my only son to be raised by Lannisters, my lord. If you'll excuse the expression I'll use, I would rather get in bed with stags than lions. I don't want Robert to grow up having a man like Tywin as role model. The man lacks any human emotion and is cruel and vile. You didn't see the Targaryen children, Lord Stannis. You, on the other hand, are not a cruel man. You can give my son a good education, shape him into becoming a just ruler, a fair man and a good warrior. And, with your permission, he could marry your daughter, Shireen, when they both come of age."

The marriage proposition was interesting for Stannis. It could prove quite difficult to find a match for his daughter, as she was disfigured due to a bout of greyscale she suffered of in her early childhood. Even though the boy was feeble and would make for an awful husband, having the heir of the Vale so close to him could prove beneficial in the future. But Jon Arryn was right, Robert could be shaped by Stannis into something more. However, the child must be separated first from his mother, Lady Lysa Tully, a feat some believed is a fool's errand as big as trying to climb the Wall with both hands tied behind the back.

"I am honored, Lord Arryn. I accept your offer and I swear to you, by my honor as a Baratheon, that your son will be treated with outmost care and respect on Dragonstone. But, I must ask, do you think your wife, Lady Tully, will agree?"

Jon Arryn sighed:

"My beloved Lysa. I understand her. After so many miscarriages, Robert is all she has. But she must understand that a woman, even one as loving as her, can't raise a real ruler. I will send her home to the Eyrie and send Robert with you, as soon as possible. Tell me, Lord Stannis, do you plan to visit Dragonstone soon?"

"I believe that I will make a visit in a fortnight. Stay at least a month. My maternal cousin, Ser Aemon Estermont, will be Master of Ships in my stead."

"Good, good... Can you take Robert with you then?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Lord Stannis!"

Jon Arryn smiled and extended his right hand, full of liver spots. Stannis shook the man's hand.

"Now that we settled this, do you have any need of me anymore, Lord Hand?"

"No. Thank you, Lord Stannis."

"Of course."

Stannis bowed courteously and left the Small Council chamber. He felt conflicted, feeling hope and disappointment, blending together to form a mixture of regrets, pains and happy moments. He was happy that Lord Arryn appreciated him for the man he was, but he also was disappointed that Robert, his brother, didn't feel the same, even though Stannis was always devoted and loyal. As he descended the stairs, his brother, Renly appeared before him, dressed in a green doublet with matching pants and a golden stag brooch on his chest, while his shoulders were draped with a long, yellow cloak bearing the black stag of House Baratheon on it. The last person Stannis wanted to see that day was his youngest brother, who had a large smile on his face.

"Stannis!"

"Renly."

Renly hugged him and Stannis felt compelled to return the hug, as they had the same blood in their veins, even though he felt nothing.

"You seem happy, Renly, and so well dressed."

"Well, brother, you know I like to keep with the latest fashions. Did you know that this year, green is all the rage in the capital?"

Stannis was already bored by this conversation:

"No."

"Of course not. Foolish me, how could I possibly think that you would know anything about being elegant?"

"Foolish you... Tell me, Renly, is Ser Loras in the capital?"

Renly blushed:

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I assumed, seeing you so perfumed and, how did you say it, elegant, that the Knight of Flowers is in the capital."

Renly looked around, suspiciously:

"I don't know what are you talking about!"

"We are alone, Renly."

"Yes, he participated at the tourney in Duskendale and he comes here for a few days."

"I knew it. Well, have fun, you two. And, brother..."

"What?"

"Be careful with Ser Loras. I heard roses are so fragile. We wouldn't want his petals to fall off."

Renly went up the stairs without saying another word. Stannis smirked. Of course, he always knew about his brother's proclivities when it came to love and he didn't care at all. He would never use this against him. However, he enjoyed seeing Renly so flustered from time to time. Stannis remembered some moments from their childhood when they were really close. Then, he loved his brother. After descending the staircase, Stannis ended up in the courtyard of the Red Keep. Some noblemen respectfully bowed before him even though he didn't even look at them. After another short walk, the Lord of Dragonstone reached a door guarded by Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer.

"Lord Stannis. Here to see the king? I'm afraid that he is quite busy."

Judging by the laughter and the moaning inside the room, the Kingslayer was right.

"Ser Jaime, tell my brother that I need to see him. It's urgent. Issues of state."

Ser Jaime sneered and got himself out of the way, pointing to the door.

"If you may, my lord?"

Stannis frowned at the behavior of Ser Jaime but that was to be expected from a man without honor. He opened the door and inside the room, one naked whore was passed out on the floor, with a spilled bottle of wine near her. Stannis had to be careful not to step into the puddle. Another whore was kissing the king while touching his privates with her hand. Stannis, visibly annoyed by his brother's behavior, coughed. Robert opened his eyes and looked at the man looming above the bed.

"Who... Stannis! Brother! Did you come here to partake? Here, take her! She is... what's your name? Fanny?"

"No, Your Grace. Fanny is her."

She pointed to the whore on the floor.

"I'm Tulip!"

"Ha ha! Did you hear her? She's Tulip! Now... now... Tulip, he is my brother, Lord Stannis! He is quite... uptight and he needs some relief, if you understand."

He kissed her again. Stannis was exasperated:

"Out of the room and take your... friend with you. I need to speak with the king!"

Robert arose from the bed, incensed:

"What is the meaning of this? They are mi..."

Without even finishing his sentence, Robert fell down.

So disgraceful...

Stannis knew his brother was prone to excesses, but such a pathetic display was beneath a king. Seven Hells, even beneath a peasant.

"It seems you are in no condition to speak. I will take my leave, then."

"No...no..."

Without saying another word, Stannis stormed out the room, while the Kingslayer laughed behind his back.

Robert of House Baratheon... King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm... A sorry drunk...

Stannis entered his room in the Red Keep and started to write a letter. After finishing it, he then summoned one of his guardsmen:

"Yes, milord?"

"Take this and give it to the Grand Maester. Tell him to send it immediately to Dragonstone with the fastest raven."

"Yes, milord!"

After the man left, Stannis started to ponder:

"The sooner I'm out of this hellhole, the better..."