Sunlight pierced the thick fog, and Dragonstone seemed to come back to life. Stannis's courtiers, who had been cloaked in gloom just moments before, now looked like withered crops after a soaking rain.
In the Great Hall of the Stone Drum, the gathered lords and knights were buzzing with the news: King's Landing had been liberated!
By a bastard!
It felt like their entire team had been wiped out and they were sitting in the spawn point waiting to respawn, watching the enemy closing in with a full build... only for their Nexus to get blown up by a minion—no, more accurately, by a neutral jungle creep named Jon Snow!
The name "Jon Snow" was suddenly front and center in everyone's mind. They were all scrambling to figure out who this bastard actually was.
Soon, the older nobles were explaining the backstory to the rest: the honorable Ned Stark had fathered a bastard during the war.
Morally, Ned had been the gold standard for men across the Seven Kingdoms. When the other lords found out he'd fathered a bastard, they'd actually breathed a sigh of relief.
It gave them a shield against their own wives' nagging: "Look, even the great Ned Stark did it..." Of course, in private, they'd snicker a bit—Ned wasn't such a saint after all.
But now? Everyone was thanking the Gods for that one night of passion over a decade ago.
Who would have thought? That single shot fired fifteen years ago had traveled through time and space to blow King's Landing wide open.
However, not everyone was thrilled. Take Axel Florent, the man who had just placed righteousness above family by denouncing his own brother, Alester. Beyond loyalty, his main motivation was maintaining House Florent's position in Stannis's court.
Now, out of nowhere, comes a letter written in the name of a bastard. True or false aside—was this Jon trustworthy?
The stocky Axel spoke up in his muffled, nasal voice: "Your Grace, as far as I know, this Jon Snow's brother, Robb Stark, has already usurped a crown at Riverrun. What if this is a trap to lure us to King's Landing, ambush us, and crown Robb as the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms? We must be cautious!"
Axel's worry isn't unreasonable, Davos thought. He knew how tense things were on Dragonstone right now.
Their King had just fired his Hand moments ago.
But someone quickly stepped up to refute him. "Your Grace, I don't think we should only focus on the fact that Jon's brother is a usurper." The speaker had thick, bushy eyebrows and stood a head taller than Davos, towering over the crowd.
His name was Andrew Estermont, a cousin of Stannis from the Stormlands. Andrew had once been Stannis's squire, so his loyalty was unquestionable. He continued, "Your Grace, I heard that when his brother Robb declared himself King, Jon single-handedly tried to stop him. He only failed because he was outnumbered."
"Is that so?"
"This bastard is no simpleton."
"If that's the case, he should be trustworthy."
Listening to the chatter, Davos felt a sudden spike of interest in Jon.
But Axel wasn't letting go. If Jon really had conquered the capital solely for Stannis—a king he had never even met—then his merit alone would outweigh the entire Florent family, and by a long shot!
Axel pressed on. "Maybe it's all an act? Otherwise, where did this bastard get an army to take King's Landing?"
Axel's point made some people pause. If Jon and Robb were truly at odds, as suspected, where did his army come from?
It wasn't unheard of for bastards to lead troops in the Seven Kingdoms, but for a bastard to command half the Northern army independently? How would the Northern lords ever agree to that?
Listening to the debate, Davos was confused too. The dynamic between the Stark brothers seemed bizarre. What was really going on?
Unable to make sense of it, Davos looked toward Stannis on the throne.
Stannis was just as puzzled.
The news from Jon felt like a sudden break in the clouds, but the invitation was riddled with suspicious points.
The most critical issue was the one Axel raised: the army. How exactly had Jon convinced the Northern lords to follow him to King's Landing?
Davos watched Stannis cast a questioning glance at the Red Woman beside him, and he felt a knot of unease in his stomach.
Logically, he knew that without Melisandre, Stannis might not have even gotten past Renly. She deserved a lot of credit for the fact that Stannis had been able to gather two hundred ships and twenty thousand men to attack the capital.
But emotionally, Davos disliked her. A kingdom won with sorcery never sat right with him.
Plus, Melisandre had killed Dragonstone's old Maester—a kind, gentle old man whom Davos had been fond of.
Stannis whispered quickly with Melisandre, then spoke up. "My lords, we could debate this until nightfall and get nowhere. I have decided to send Melisandre to King's Landing. She will determine for us whether this Jon is a loyal subject or an ambitious schemer."
Stannis's decision quelled most of the arguments.
First, Axel, the biggest skeptic of Jon, belonged to the "Queen's Men"—the faction of Stannis's followers who had converted to the Lord of Light. Sending Melisandre satisfied them.
As for the followers of the Faith of the Seven, they weren't eager to rot on Dragonstone either. Finding out Jon's true colors as soon as possible benefited everyone.
However, sending only the Red Woman wouldn't satisfy everyone. So, Stannis decided to send a follower of the Seven as well.
But who?
Stannis looked at his followers who still kept the Faith of the Seven and realized they were now a minority.
Many had been captured at the Blackwater and were likely still rotting in dungeons.
Finally, his gaze landed on Davos.
"Ser Davos."
"Your Grace."
Davos Seaworth stepped out from the crowd. He looked gaunt and unwell.
Right. His four sons died in the battle.
Stannis felt a twinge of guilt. He wasn't a king known for empathy, but right now, Davos was the only man he could trust.
"Ser Davos, you will accompany Melisandre to King's Landing. Go and meet this Jon for me."
"As you command, Your Grace." Davos forced himself to straighten up. The pain of losing his sons would have to wait; his King gave him no time to grieve.
"Should we send a reply to King's Landing first?" someone suggested.
"No need," Melisandre spoke up, a rare occurrence for her to address the court directly. "Going there unannounced will allow us to see his true character and his true face."