chapter 190 part 2
Melisandre's figure was elegant and slender, yet full-breasted. She wore a long gown of shimmering silk the color of flame. The sleeves were long, and the bodice was slashed to reveal the deeper crimson of the silk beneath.
"Good day, Melisandre... Lady?"
Glyn glanced at the red-gold choker around Melisandre's neck, set with a great ruby. His fingers twitched.
"Pay no mind to titles. To me, they are merely tools for walking among mortals."
Melisandre's voice was low, carrying the uniquely pleasing accent of the Jade Sea. She had deep, copper-colored hair, a heart-shaped face, and red eyes. Her skin was smooth and flawless, the color of fresh cream.
Melisandre suddenly fixed her gaze on Glyn. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of flame in her eyes.
After a moment, her hand lightly brushed across Glyn's breastplate. She whispered, "Such pure power..."
Glyn: "..." He did not like that choice of words.
Melisandre withdrew her hand. She and Glyn stepped back half a pace almost simultaneously.
The moment the priestess's fingers touched him, Glyn felt as if he'd been stripped bare. He was genuinely worried he wouldn't be able to stop himself from drawing his sword, so he stepped back.
Melisandre? A mystery.
They both pretended the previous exchange was an illusion. After a short pause, Melisandre spoke in a gentle tone, "Lord Glyn, the guidance of the Lord of Light has brought you here..."
She spread her hands and chanted, "We all must choose. Man and woman, old and young, noble or common, our choices are the same. We choose light or darkness, justice or evil. We choose the true god or the false gods."
After speaking, her gaze lingered on Glyn for a moment before she turned and returned to her place below the dais.
Melisandre bowed slightly toward Stannis on the high seat and said, "We mortals are born alone and die alone, lost and without direction, trudging through a valley of shadows. Fortunate are we to have brethren, to gather and walk together. Fortunate are we to have a true god, to grace us with his bounty."
Lord Stannis nodded slightly. He rose from his chair, descended the steps, and stood before the map table. The table was carved with a map of the Seven Kingdoms from the time of Aegon the Conqueror. Every river, mountain range, castle, city, lake, and forest was depicted in meticulous detail, gleaming with the lacquer of nearly three hundred years.
Lord Stannis stood before the table in thought for a moment, then beckoned for Davos and Glyn to approach.
Glyn and Davos exchanged a look, then stepped forward, flanking Lord Stannis.
Lord Stannis frowned and began to speak. "My brother left me only Celtigar, Velaryon, and Bar Emmon, but none of them are particularly capable. Beyond them, the Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan will bring me his overdue bills. Morosh of Myr will talk of tides and seasonal winds, urging caution. Lord Rykker of Duskendale will piously chant prayers in the name of the Seven. Lord Celtigar of Claw Isle will demand to know which Stormlords have decided to join us, and Lord Velaryon of Driftmark will threaten me to attack at once. What am I supposed to tell them?"
His hand swept over Blackwater Bay on the table map. He continued, "I have thirteen hundred men on Dragonstone, and another three hundred garrisoning Storm's End. Other than that, I have no money for sellswords, and no prospect of plunder or glory to attract freeriders to my cause. What should I do? I want to hear the counsel of you two."
Davos sighed inwardly. Although Dragonstone had a long history and was impregnable, it ruled over only a few minor lords. Their island domains were mostly rocky and sparsely populated, insufficient to provide Lord Stannis with the military strength he needed.
Glyn raised his eyes to the ceiling. "..."
He was hearing Stannis's military secrets... He had never agreed to serve Lord Stannis. Lord Glyn was quite speechless.
Davos looked at the distracted Glyn, then said gravely, "Lord Stannis, your true enemy is the Lannisters. They are the common enemy of both you and Lord Renly. If you agree, I will volunteer to go to Storm's End and forge an alliance for you."
"Storm's End... Renly... By rights, the Stormlords should be my vassals."
Lord Stannis snorted derisively, then continued, "Davos, I never asked for Dragonstone. I never wanted this gods-damned place. I took it because the last of the Targaryens were holed up here, and Robert ordered me to take it."
"I built a new fleet for him, defeated his enemies, and fulfilled my duty as a brother. Renly, as my younger brother, should do the same for me. But look how Robert thanked me for it."
"He named me Lord of Dragonstone but gave the lands and revenues of Storm's End to our youngest brother. For three hundred years, Storm's End was the seat of House Baratheon! By rights, when Robert took the Iron Throne, it should have passed to me."
He paused, and Lord Stannis said coldly, "I will never yield to Renly, not unless he renounces his claim. Davos, we both know that boy's ambition. He is my brother, but if he dares to name himself king, I will show him no mercy... Renly!"
When Lord Stannis spat out Renly's name with such hatred, as if it were poison on his tongue, the seemingly distracted Glyn silently lit a candle in his heart for Lord Renly.
Davos offered no words of persuasion. Lord Stannis was a man of iron will; once his mind was made up, there was no turning back.
Davos frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "Lord Stannis, word is that Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell, has already marched his army south for revenge. The Starks and the Lannisters are about to go to war. If we offer our aid, you could gain the support of both Winterfell and Riverrun."
"Support that whelp's game of vengeance for his father? For that Eddard Stark, who died at the hands of a mob?"
Lord Stannis's angry voice echoed in the empty hall. "Why should I help Eddard Stark get revenge? Robert loved him, true. He often said they were like brothers. I've heard that line more times than I can count, but he was nothing to me."
"I am Robert's brother, not Eddard Stark, but you would never know it from the way he treated me. In the great war years ago, I held Storm's End for him, watching my loyal men starve one by one while Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne feasted outside the walls. Did he thank me? No! Robert thanked Stark for lifting the siege when we were down to eating rats and roots."
"On Robert's orders, I built a fleet for him and took Dragonstone in his name. Did he clasp my hand and say, 'Well done, brother, I don't know what I'd have done without you'? No! He blamed me for letting Willem Darry escape with Viserys and that babe, as if there was anything I could have done to stop them."
"I served on his council as Master of Ships, doing my duty to help Jon Arryn govern the realm while Robert ate, drank, and whored his way to an early grave. And when Jon Arryn died, did my brother name me Hand? No! He ignored my own offer and the recommendations of many lords, and instead sent for Eddard Stark all the way in Winterfell, offering him the honor. And what was the result? The two of them were played for fools by a Lannister whore... A disgrace!"
Davos looked with concern at Lord Stannis's grim-faced lord, his voice respectful. "Lord Stannis, I must earnestly advise you. Though you have suffered many injustices in the past, what's done is done. If the Starks can join forces with you, a man as great as yourself will surely be the ultimate victor. The chaotic realm will be reborn in your hands."
Davos placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head, saying finally, "For the sake of your kingdom, Lord Stannis."
Lord Stannis's sharp gaze stared for a moment at the bowed head of Davos. "...I will consider it."
Stannis frowned in thought for a while, then his sharp eyes turned to Glyn, who had been silent all this time.
Melisandre slowly walked over, her hand coming to rest on Glyn's arm. "The Lord of Light will guide Lord Stannis to the pinnacle of glory. Lord Glyn, it is the will of the Lord of Light that you aid his chosen king. Obey the will of R'hllor."
(end of chapter)