Weiss
With Weiss' duties assisting her Mother in preparing the Golden Keep for their swarm of guests, daily spars where she slaughtered squires, and her own lessons with Septa Loria and Maester Harmune, the white haired girl had very little time for rest, or for herself. It was a bit frustrating, she was finally able to start work on her swordsmanship, but didn't have any time alone to work with her glyphs. Alysanne, Alis, and Ser Robart were always somewhere to be found. Ser Robart she could understand, considering he was in charge of ensuring her safety until Father could choose a new sworn sword, but her two bedmaids seemed obsessed with her. And what little time she had alone, was spent trying to use her glyphs before she passed out of exhaustion.
At least being busy and exhausted was better than sitting around all day doing nothing and waiting for something to happen. And Weiss was finally able to start her exercise routine, running several laps around the training yard until she was out of breath without using her aura. The burning in her chest after a single lap only served to remind Weiss how lax she had been in her exercise. That would change, and her new routine would soon lead to turning her body into peak physical condition, and nobody was going to stop her. Admittedly, it was going to take quite some time, given she was seven, and all that, but still, no more laying around.
Not even that Redwyne boy, who was due to arrive any minute now. She waited at the partially rebuilt docks, standing on stone that connected Lannisport to the wooden structures that Father was working hard to repair. Father had mentioned using the rebuilding as an excuse to finish up some of the more tricky infrastructure projects he'd been meaning to do for some time. The rest of Weiss' new family joined her, along with other Westerland lords, knights and ladies, as Lord Stannis would be arriving alongside her betrothed. Also there was a considerable honor guard of Redcloaks standing at attention, to properly show off to the new arrivals, and to add some security to the entire affair. Her father was grown a bit security paranoid, but given what had happened, once bitten, twice shy, she supposed.
The new Lord Commander of the City Watch, since Ser Tytos died during the raid, looked nervous. He was a distant cousin of the Lannys, Ser Ammett Lanny. Ser Ammett was a small man, literally, with a clean shaven face that made him look like a child. She didn't blame him for being nervous, he had big shoes to fill and now he was thrust into a position nobody had expected him to be in, far ahead of schedule.
"How many sigils do you recognize?" Mother whispered from her spot beside Weiss. Father stood directly to Mother's right, with Ser Gerion Lannister standing to his right. He was the only one of the Lannister brothers that had decided to join the welcoming for the Master-of-Ships. The others had begged off, citing other duties at the time, either an intended insult, or a happy coincidence.
Weiss turned her attention towards the sea, where the Royal, Redwyne, and Hightower fleets gathered, rocking against the waves. Two large war galleys were quickly approaching along with a few smaller escort ships. With her aura enhanced vision, Weiss spotted the banners of House Baratheon, Velayron, Celtigar, Bar Emmon, Sunglass, Redwyne, Hightower and even an Estermont sigil!
"House Baratheon, Redwyne and Velayron." Weiss answered, choosing the houses with the galleys closest to the shore. Her bastard uncle, Aurane Waters, should be on one of those galleys that approached. The war galley with the banner of House Baratheon, a black stag with a crown on a golden field, sailed past the Redwyne and Velayron ship, gliding across the waters like a swan. The figurehead was that of a stag, and the deck was covered in scorpions and catapults. It was much larger than the
Lion's Claws, which had burned during the attack a little over a month ago.
"Maester Harmune has been teaching you well." Mother smiled. The Baratheon galley must've been Lord Stannis' flagship, while the Redwyne ship likely was under the command of Ser Edmund Ambrose, who Stuar Redwyne was serving as a squire for. Her betrothed. She resisted the urge to sneer at the thought. While she didn't like the boy, who knows, people change, and Weiss had never met him before.
The rest of the wait continued in silence, the sea wind playing with the ends of Weiss' hair, which she had allowed to fall loosely over her shoulders. The harborworkers started running and shouting as the Baratheon ship docked, followed shortly by the Redwyne ship. The Velayron ship stayed further back, dropping its anchor. Weiss smoothed her long dress as men from both war galleys started to descend from the gangplank, stepping onto the newly built walkway. An extremely tall man stood at the head of the crowd of sailors, dressed in fine black leather clothes with a dark cape. A shorter man, with balding gray hair walked alongside him, with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. Weiss caught glimpses of orange and Valyrian white hair behind them.
"They say Stannis Baratheon is a hard man." Mother whispered once more. "He's King Robert's brother, so treat him as you would a prince or a great lord."
"Yes, Mother." Weiss answered with a short nod of her head. It was better to be too polite to someone of such a high station as opposed to being not polite enough. She could hear Alis and Alysanne whispering behind her as the group of men drew closer, finally allowing Weiss a better look at the Master-of-Ships without having to use her aura.
Stannis Baratheon was a large man, with broad shoulders. His eyes were a dark and deep blue, and his pitch black hair was starting to recede despite his rather young age. Lord Stannis' face was clean shaven, revealing thin lips that seemed to be carved into a permanent scowl. There was a sort of power in his gaze, hard and unyielding. For some reason, she was reminded of General Ironwood, when he'd first come to the manor to recruit Winter. They both had that gaze, the kind that said nothing would stand in their way.
Stannis Baratheon was a dangerous man. He held out against an entire army besieging him with a small garrison for nigh a year, with only one small revolt. All at the age of 18 years old.She could sympathize, at that age, she was busy fighting her way to Atlas through Mistral. This was someone she really should keep an eye on.
The older man beside him looked older from up close, with leather-like skin and his graying beard. Weiss had only heard rumors about him, which had only grown as news started to spread that Lord Stannis would face the Iron Fleet. The Onion Knight was not as impressive as the rumors. Then again, very few people lived up to the rumors about them. Weiss' gaze went past them, where she caught glimpses of silver-white hair.
Two Reachmen stood to the side of them, one of them older than the other. Ser Edmund Ambrose wore a yellow doublet, with red ants decorating the area around his right chest. He was handsome, with a clean-shaven face and a mop of brown hair on top of his head. To his left was a younger boy, with wild and curly orange hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to smile. Freckles covered his homely face. This must be Stuar Redwyne, who was to be Weiss' betrothed. Oh joy, her 'beloved' had finally arrived.
"Lord Stannis." Father said first as the Lord of Lannisport. "I hope your voyage has been pleasant."
"Lord Master-of-Ships." Ser Gerion started not even a second later, with a grin on his pretty face. "It's been a few moons."
Lord Stannis seemed to grind his teeth, his nostrils flaring. He responded with a curt nod. "Lord Dramen, Ser Gerion. The voyage was as expected."
A rather straight to the point response. Seemed he wasn't one for smalltalk, in this case.
"We have a feast prepared for you and your men." Father took over the conversation. Mother and Weiss had been helping prepare the feast, with Septa Loria forcing her to prepare a song or two to sing. She really needed to write her own material at some point, it seemed like every minstrel only knew
Rains of Castamere or
The Bear and the Maiden Fair.
Lord Stannis frowned. "A feast is not necessary. We only stopped here to resupply and fill the Redwyne ships with fighting men." He said that last part with a sharp glare towards Ser Edmund and Stuar. Anyone with common sense wouldn't have said it straight, not to the faces of the Reachmen at least. Still, it was a telling comment, he was honest, and not afraid to speak the truth, especially when it came to political affairs.
Stuar wasn't paying attention, and was busy staring at Weiss with wide eyes. She met his gaze for a few seconds, forcing him to look away and mutter something under his breath to Ser Edmund. The pair gave each other knowing smiles. This was going to prove to be challenging, she could already tell.
"It is just a symbol of our gratitude, Lord Stannis." Father said, doing his best to keep his tone neutral. "We have prepared food, drinks and entertainment for you and your men."
Stannis Baratheon shot Father an uninterested stare, and briefly turned to the Onion Knight and a brown haired man with a pointy beard. The brown haired man had a green turtle etched onto his clothing. They spoke for a few seconds, out of Weiss's earshot, and then Lord Stannis turned back to her Father.
"Very well." Lord Stannis said the words as if they were causing him physical pain. "We shall be departing overmorrow."
Father nodded, his face twitching ever so slightly. "Come, my Lords, we have horses prepared to take you to the Gold Keep."
Feasting in the Gold Keep instead of Casterly Rock was a subtle insult, one that Lord Stannis likely noticed. Lord Tywin's excuse had been well planned out, using Weiss' and Stuar's first meeting to avoid hosting the Master-of-Ships himself. Many of the great lords of the Westerlands had also stayed behind in Casterly Rock, only sending their sons and knights as representatives of their houses.
The men started to leave first, with Mother, Weiss and the other ladies politely bowing their heads. Ser Robart and a handful of other Redcloaks stayed behind, guarding them. The Reachmen also didn't move, with Stuar Redwyne shooting Weiss glances whenever he thought she wasn't looking. The orange haired boy approached her, with Ser Edmund by his side.
"My Ladies." Stuar gave her a short bow, giving her Mother a smile before turning his attention back to Weiss. He was taller than her, and looked to be around twelve if she had to guess. Stuar looked like he could've been related to Nora, without any of her beauty. Still, he would grow, maybe in the coming years he'd grow more attractive?
"Lady Lannister, Lady Weiss." Ser Edmund gave them an easy smile. Alysanne giggled behind Weiss, holding Alis closely.
"Ser Edmund, Lord Stuar." Mother smiled politely. Stuar held no official rank, calling him 'lord' was a simple courtesy until he gained his knightly title. He would likely only inherit the Arbor should every other member of his family die. Still, it did give him a sense of freedom, she supposed. He could try to make his own path in life, not beholden to any legacy or anything, or in this case, marry far above his station, even if he was a Redwyne. At least their children would bear the name Lannister.
"My Lady." Staur said shyly. "You are even more beautifuller than I had ever imagined." His freckled face blushed as Weiss gave him a blank stare. Someone clearly needed to spend more time with a maester.Though, to be fair, he did just meet his future wife for the first time, and she could readily admit, she was a bit nervous as well. And she was reincarnated with past memories and everything!
Weiss faked a giggle, and covered her mouth with a hand. She should be nicer, he was just a child after all. It wasn't
his fault they were being married off like this. "Welcome to Lannisport, I do hope you enjoy your stay."
"It's beautiful." Stuar said breathlessly. He was still staring at her, and hadn't even given Lannisport a single glance.
"We have prepared refreshments and rooms for you and your men, in preparation for the feast." Mother spoke up. "The gates of the Gold Keep are always open to the friends of House Lannister. We have bread and salt prepared."
"Many thanks." Ser Edmund nodded towards the men of Reach knights and lordlings behind him. Despite his easy going smile, he was uneased. They knew that providing ships with half-manpower was a grave insult to Lord Tywin. And their reception was likely to be very unpleasant, once the rumors started spreading.
"May I?" Stuar offered her his elbow, with a shy smile. He smelled like saltwater and oranges, though that could've just been the docks around her.
"You may." Weiss' fake smile seemed unbreakable and genuine, locking her elbow with her bethrothed. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a white hair boy with gray-green eyes staring straight at her. He was surrounded by a group of Crownland knights in light armor, and had a sea-green seahorse on silver. Aurane Waters looked exactly like Mother, who was doing her best to ignore his gaze. It felt somewhat weird, seeing a boy who was her mother's brother and yet was only a few years older then she was.
Weiss would have preferred getting to know her uncle, even if he was a bastard and only a few namedays older, but alas, she had her duties as a hostess to do. Hopefully, she would be able to meet him later.
She wasn't going to fail her new family.
Stannis Baratheon
Feasts were nothing more than a waste of time, money, and food. Oh sure, he understood the value of making connections with possible allies, but why waste all this time and food on something so simple? Only fools, drunks and idiots regularly attended them willingly, especially in the middle of a war. Stannis took a small sip from the mug of water that had several drops of lemon juice. Wine slowed the mind, causing lips to stir, and Stannis would never be a drunk like Robert. He would abstain and keep his senses, unlike that idiot Ambrose, Ser Edmund, who was already deep in his cups.
"They say Victorion Greyjoy is as large as an ox, but even more stupid." Ser Ant slurred, talking to no one in particular. His squire had already left, gone to dance with his betrothed as the musicians played
the Bear and the Maiden Fair.
Stannis sat at the high table, with Lord Dramen to his right and Ser Edmund to his left. The Redwyne boy sat directly beside the Knight of Ants, alongside his betrothed, Lady Weiss. Ser Geriom and Lord Dramen's wife, Lady Ceria, also joined them at the high table. It took all of Stannis' self control to not grind his teeth. He hated the Lannisters, every single one of them. King's Landing was already full of the Queen's men, and Lord Tywin's spies. And here he was, sitting at a table with them, breaking bread.
It made Stannis uncomfortable being in the very heart of their power, even if this wasn't Casterly Rock. He would meet with Lord Tywin on the morrow, to plan and find wherever the Iron Fleet was. They already failed to take Seagard, with Rodrik Greyjoy slain by Lord Jason Mallister's very hand beneath the walls of his keep. That was a week ago, when he had just left Oldtown, the seat of his goodfather Lord Leyton Hightower. The Lord of Dragonstone had never visited his wife's former home.
Malora was going to be annoyed he didn't ask her Father to allow him to bring her back several old tomes and books. Though maybe on his return, he could pay a visit and request them. Stannis wished he had one when the dancing started, though it was amusing to see the Redwyne boy trip on his feet as he danced with the young Lannister girl. Lady Weiss looked nothing like a Lannister, and bore a strong resemblance to his latest squire, Aurane Waters. It made sense, since they both had the Valyrian features of House Velayron.
"Is the food to your liking, my Lord?" Lord Dramen asked, turning from a conversation with Ser Gerion.
"The food is fine." Stannis answered with a clenched jaw. He never thought he would share a feast table with an Redwyne, especially after they tried starving him out during the Rebellion. The thought alone disgusted him, and made the suckling pig taste like ash in his mouth. He had nearly starved to death, and had resorted to eating the leather off of his boots until Ser Davos arrived with his onions and salted fish. Every man in Storm's End wanted to kiss him that day.
The Onion Knight was seated far away from the high table next to Aurane Waters, closer to the smallfolk than a man of his station deserved. Ser Davos was a better man than many of these Lannister and Reach knights and lords. He had earned his position, and proven to be well worth the stares or sneers from the Court. Let the Lannisters or the Hand's pawns complain, he would not play their games.
"We spared no expense." Lord Dramen boasted. They had brought out ten courses, each more expensive and gaudier than the last. Stannis only served himself the bare minimum and slowly ate everything placed on his plate. He would not waste food, no matter where it came from.
"I see." Stannis turned his attention back to his lemon water. He'd rather be in the war room than here. Since the Iron Fleet failed to sack Seagard, they must've been licking their wounds by raiding and reaving the coast of the Riverlands, and were likely heading back to the Westerlands. Stannis would have to find a way to lure the Greyjoys to a favorable position, where he could use his larger ships to smash their fleet.
The Redwyne and the Lannister girl finished their dance, and soon returned to their seats, passing by the high table. She laughed at a joke the orange haired idiot said, yet her smile never reached her eyes. They were cold and hard, as if she had seen countless horrors. Stannis knew that stare very well, all of the men who had survived the Siege of Storm's End had it, except for Renly who tried to hide those memories with japes and spending time with his boy-lovers. Lady Weiss did not have the eyes of a girl who had seen seven namedays, rather, she had the eyes of some of his oldest sailors. She took her seat beside the Redwyne boy, who shook his head disapprovingly at Ser Ant.
"It is said that Lady Weiss has the loveliest voice in all of Lannisport." Ser Ant slurred, turning his head towards the opposite end of the table where Lord Dramen sat. "Is that true?"
"Of course." Lady Ceria was the one to answer, Aurane's trueborn sister who was twice his age. They shared the same face despite the differences with the color of their eyes. He was uncertain if he should try to arrange a meeting, just because they shared some blood did not mean they would automatically get along. "Weiss-Sweetling!"
The girl who looked like a white lion stood up from her seat instantly, excusing herself from her betrothed before walking around towards the front of the table. She held herself like a lady with decades of experience, it felt familiar somehow. He had seen this before.
"Yes Mother?" Lady Weiss bowed her head deeply. Lady Ceria and Lord Dramen smiled at her, evidently having raised her well.
"Why don't you sing a song for us?" Lady Ceria asked. Stannis took another controlled sip of his lemon water.
"Of course, Mother. What song should I sing?" Lady Weiss asked. She spoke like a woman that was years older. Lady Weiss was proving to be quite the interesting figure.
"
The Name Day Boy!" Ser Ant shouted, raising his cup in the air. Not a bad choice, a bit uninspired, but certainly not the worse song out there.
"A Rose of Gold!" The Redwyne boy joined in. Of course, the Redwyne would press for a Tyrell song. He'd heard that song so many times at Storm's End, he'd nearly started dreaming about it when he fell asleep some nights.
"The Rains of Castamere!" A random Lannister knight yelled from his seat beside Ser Davos.
Lady Weiss gave them a small, obviously fake smile, and turned her attention to the Lord of Dragonstone. "Perhaps our honored guest would like to choose?"
Stannis started to grind his teeth as he felt everyone's attention turn to him. He had no interest in songs, or playing along with the little girl's games. The Master-of-Ships shot her a glare, yet she didn't yield or flinch, only giving him a casual smirk. There it was, the Lannister blood in her. She knew that he had to choose, lest he insult the kin of the man who would be providing men for the upcoming battle.
"Jenny of Oldstone." Stannis finally decided. It was his daughter's favorite anyway. She always enjoyed hearing about knights and fair maidens despite her maturity.
"An excellent choice, my Lord." Lord Dramen looked like a peacock puffing its chest.
Lady Weiss took a few steps back, onto the edge of the stone stairs that would lead to the lower tables and straightened her back. She gave the musicians a brief look, with their leader giving her a curt nod. The girl started to sing.
"High in the hills of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghost…"
Blake would have enjoyed this far more than he.
