Weiss
The rest of the feast passed by without any problems, though Weiss did receive plenty of song requests for her to sing. It felt nice, being able to flex one of her many skills from her past life. Weiss was well-known in all Four Kingdoms on Remnant, due to her Schnee name, and for having several number one albums. And based on some comments from Blake, even Menagerie had been a fan of her music despite their hatred of Schnees. She had gone on tour a few times before she decided to take her huntress training seriously, which Weiss took to spite Father Jacques at first. It felt like she had been singing for hours, when it had only been three or four songs in total.
The feast had also given Weiss a chance to draw closer to Stuar, her betrothed. He was a sweet, if rather dull boy, who tripped over his tongue when he spoke and on his feet when they shared a dance or two. She was lucky enough to have used her aura to protect her when he accidently stepped on her feet. At least they weren't her favorite pair of shoes, getting new clothes and accessories was expensive and took much longer than back on Remnant.
"You look lovely today, my Lady." Stuar said as they walked arm in arm in the garden of the Gold Keep. Alysanne, Alis and Ser Robart joined them, with the newly made knight standing the farthest away. Alysanne and Alis whispered as they walked a few paces behind them, their voices hushed and low. In this world, it would be considered improper to leave a man and a woman alone, especially amongst noble children. At the very least, as they grew older, it made some sense, but at this young age? It felt oddly smothering. A second knight walked alongside Robart, a Reachman with a fox on his leather jerkin.
They walked past a set of trees that seemed to be filled with birds, each singing their own song, or cawing complaints about the gardeners that were tending to the apples that were painstakingly cultivated.
Weiss kept her gaze forward, though she did give the blushing boy a glance out of the corner of her eyes. "Are you saying that I didn't look lovely yesterday, Lord Stuar?" She wasn't an easy woman to woo, Jaune and Ruby had to learn that the hard way. To say nothing of being burned by Neptune, and lingering issues from how Willow had been tricked.
"N-No!" Stuar stuttered as his face flushed. Weiss felt a smirk form on her face as the boy looked away, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "You always look lovely, my Lady."
Perhaps she should stop teasing the Redwyne boy, they did only meet the day before. And it wasn't his fault Tywin had arranged a match for him to someone far above his station, at least in her opinion. Weiss was beautiful, even at her young age, and while the Lannisters of Lannisport didn't have the largest personal army or the most amount of levies, they were still a rich house.
"Thank you, Lord Stuar." Weiss gave him a fake smile. They continued the rest of their stroll in peace and quiet, aside from the clinging of Ser Robart's armor and Alysanne's whispering as she stared at the back of Weiss' head with Alis in arm. It was starting to be a bit worrying, the whispers.
"Call me Stuar." Her Betrothed said softly. "I know I'm no lord or knight, just a squire with the Redwyne name."
"Very well, Stuar." Weiss said with a teasing tone. He reminded her of Jaune, just with Nora's colorings.There were worse comparisons, even if this now did bring to mind the image of Jaune having a child with Nora, which meant Nora with pregnancy hormones. She shuddered, considering the results. "Then you must call me Weiss."
"M-My Lady." Stuar stumbled with his tongue. He was cute from an angle. "You honor me, W-Weiss."
Did he not have any experience talking with girls? Weiss was definitely going to have to stop teasing him then, which was a shame. She was going to have to use other ways to reveal more of his personality. Still, she had plenty of time to sound him out before they had to actually get married. Weiss would prefer if the bethothel ended up annulled by either side. Lord Tywin had sold her off for a few ships, and didn't get everything he wanted. Stuar seemed like a sweet boy, but she didn't want to marry him.
"I swear that I will return knighted." Stuar declared suddenly. "I will make my family proud, and you as well, my Lady Weiss." Very mature for a boy of ten and two namedays. If he was like this once he was older, Stuar would be a fine, if rather dull husband should Weiss fail to get the betrothal annulled. She could've ended up with worse.
"Okay." Weiss didn't know what else to say, she was rarely at a loss for words. He didn't need to have a goal like that just for her. Though she was a bit touched at the dedication. Maybe this would work out for the better?
"I shall be heading to Casterly Rock today, with Ser Edmund and Lord Stannis." Stuar continued speaking. "Lord Stannis and Ser Edmund wish to speak with Lord Tywin on the morrow."
Likely to plan and hopefully find the location of the Ironborn fleet. The last she heard, which was earlier that morning, was that King Robert was due to arrive in less than a week. The Golden Keep had, if anything had become more of a hive of activity, servants running around, watchmen scrambling to patrol the place.
"I shall pray to the Seven for your safety." Empty words, Weiss wouldn't pray to any god, real or not. The gods would have to prove themselves if they wanted Weiss' worship. And that was quite an uphill battle, in her mind, heart and soul.
Stuar squeezed her arm softly, his muscles tense and anxious. His mind was likely filled with thoughts of the upcoming battle. Weiss knew better than most that anything could happen on a battlefield, even the strongest could somehow fall. Stuar would likely be on the Redwyne flagship in the rear, far from any fighting. He would be safe, and return alive. Weiss was a bit tempted to run far away, to Essos and avoid this whole marriage problem, but she couldn't leave her parents behind, like she left Willow and her brother Whitley.
If Weiss was able to go back in time, how much would she have been able to change? Yet, there was only one thing Weiss knew.
"Thank you, Weiss." Stuar mumbled.
She would never love him.
Shortly after their short stroll through the gardens, Stuar departed to prepare for his visit to Casterly Rock. Weiss would stay behind in the Gold Keep of course, she had no business with Lord Tywin, who appeared to act like she didn't exist after her duel with Ser Amory Lorch. She'd take being left alone versus drawing his eyes once more. Being in his presence made her uncomfortable, even if he was her liege lord and the head of Lannisters everywhere.
"Your betrothed isn't too hard on the eyes, in the right light if I squint my eyes." Alis japed. They were making their way to Septa Loria's room for their afternoon lessons. Just because the Gold Keep was filled with guests didn't mean that Weiss' lessons would take a pause. If anything, they were going to be intensified, to avoid any potential mishaps. Alysanne wouldn't be joining them today to spend time with her Father, Lord Leo Lefford. It took a lot of convincing from Father to stop Lord Lefford from returning to the Golden Tooth with Alysanne, but in the end it worked out after she told her Father that she wouldn't leave, so the pretty girl remained as Weiss' handmaiden.
"He's not that ugly, just plain." Weiss lightly defended her betrothed. Even if he was considered ugly, any children born to Weiss would inherit her beauty, she was sure of that. Weiss was already aware how she was going to look once she was older, and had plenty of male and female admirers back on Remnant. She had to admit, Weiss enjoyed all the attention at first, until it became an annoyance and a facade. "If you'd like, I could try and arrange a betrothal with one of his cousins once we're married in a few years."
Alis shook her head, hiding her eyes with her bangs. Ruby and the others would've liked Alis, despite the cultural differences that took Weiss over a year to get used to. "I doubt the Redwynes would ever want me for a good-daughter."
The Peckledons were a simple house of landed knights. They weren't particularly strong, and didn't have a noteworthy history. Weiss would do her best to help her friend meet someone who would treat her correctly. Alis could've left Lannisport and Weiss' service after the Ironborn attack, but she didn't. Weiss would take better care of her from now on.
"Anyone would be lucky to have you as a good-daughter." Weiss reassured her. Ser Robart followed them with two more guards under his command, all three of them wielding iron cudgels instead of swords, likely so they wouldn't appear threatening to their guest.
Alis remained silent, but did give her a small smile as they continued the rest of their walk in silence, though they did stop to greet anyone who came across them, such as the servants and men-at-arms that patrolled the halls. It felt strange, having such a normal, yet different day. How would life be if Ruby, Blake, and Yang were here? Would they have stopped at nothing to find a way back home, or would they also have given up and tried to adapt to this new world? Weiss pressed her lips together tightly. She missed all of them, so very much, sometimes it felt like she was suffocating. They ran into another group of people as they passed the next intersection of hallways, only a few minutes away from Septa Loria's quarters.
A boy that appeared to be only a few years older stared straight into Weiss' sapphire blue eyes with his own gray-green. He was more pretty than handsome, with pale skin and long white hair that seemed to be of a similar length to Weiss' own. Her Uncle gave her a look of mistrust. Two boys around his age were with him, one with a blue swordfish on his doublet, and the other had two knights, one purple and the other white.
"Uncle." Weiss bowed her head slightly, which the three boys did not even a second later. Her Uncle seemed more hesitant than the other two.
"My Lady." Aurane said simply. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he hadn't expected her to acknowledge him. That was understandable, since he was a bastard and considered a slight on the family by most people. If Weiss had met him before she had gone to Beacon, she likely would have acted like he didn't exist, along with most of her family and Atlasian high society.
"My apologies, I wished to have spoken to you yesterday during the feast, but time passed by too quickly." Weiss gave him a smile and a tilt of her head, something childlike. Yesterday had been an extremely busy day. She wasn't lying either, as the daughter of the host, she had been quite busy socializing and later singing.
"Your apologies are necessary." Uncle said, giving one of his companions a brief side glance. It felt nice, being able to meet a family member who wasn't a Lannister, and looked similar to her. Weiss had to admit, she was tired of looking at blondes all day. Some days you just wanted some different color in your life.
"We are family, of course it is." Weiss regretted how she had treated Whitley in the end, acting as if he didn't exist. Her Schnee family was full of issues, but she still loved them the same. Most of them, at least. Jacques wasn't counted here. "Lady Alis and I are heading to our lessons, but perhaps we shall run into each other again, before you leave on the morrow."
Father and Ser Gerion would be meeting with the other lords of the Westerlands and Lord Stannis at Casterly Rock. Even now the Royal fleet was being resupplied and the Redwyne ship filled with sellswords and knights that volunteered. Soon they would be setting sail, ready to go avenge the slight done to her family's name.
Aurane seemed confused, but gave her a nod. Hopefully he would also return alive and without injury. "Very well."
Weiss was tired of being in the company of death.
Stannis Baratheon
If the Gold Keep made Stannis feel uneasy, then Casterly Rock made him feel downright uncomfortable. He brought only a small party with him, Ser Davos, despite his low birth likely offending Lord Tywin, knew the currents of the Sunset Sea well, as well as where any ships would be hidden. Ser Andrew Estermont, Stannis' cousin and former squire, Ser Richard Horpe, Ser Gerald Gower, and Ser Godry Farring formed the rest of his honor guard. His squire, Aurane Waters, would've joined them, but Ser Davos and Andrew attempted to convince him otherwise, claiming that the presence of a lowborn smuggler and a bastard would be too insulting to the Old Lion. Stannis reluctantly agreed, if only to not give Robert's good-father reason to back out on providing men for the Redwyne ships. To distract the boy, he suggested that he go meet his niece or trueborn sister, a fact which distracted the boy enough he acquiesced to being left behind.
"Where was the Greyjoy fleet last spotted?" Stannis said loudly, his dark eyes staring at a map of the Seven Kingdoms. The last he heard, the Iron Fleet attempted an assault on Seagard and failed, with one of Balon Greyjoy's sons slain by Lord Jason Mallister. There was no word on how many hulls were involved, which irked him. He needed proper intelligence to plan his campaign.
"Ravens from Lord Mallister say that the fleet moved south after Seagard." Ser Kevan Lannister answered. "Likely licking their wounds after being bloodied. House Fisher of the Misty Isle sent a raven not even a day ago, they spotted longboats sailing south, towards the Crag."
The rest of the lords and knights that joined them argued amongst themselves about the location of the Iron Fleet, or strategies on how to engage them. The Reachman, Ser Edmune in particular, seemed overconfident in their abilities, which was especially galling as the Reach support so far was some half manned ships. Lord Tywin was silent, silently drinking from a cup of Myrish glass that was filled with Arbor red. Stannis started to grind his teeth as the arguments drew louder.
He needed to smash the Greyjoy Fleet in one go, not engage in a war of attrition that would likely take years. Stannis would need to lure the Iron Fleet into a trap. And to do that, he needed bait. His eyes were drawn to the map, looking for a possible location, before his eyes were drawn to a pair of castles.
"How fortified is the Crag and the Banefort?" Stannis raised his eyes from the map. Those were the two most northern castles that sat along the coast, ruled by House Westerling and House Banefort respectively.
"Lord Westerling and Lord Banefort have called their banners." Ser Tygett was the Lannister that spoke this time. "They have their own longboats patrolling the nearby waters. The Greyjoys won't be able to seize either castle without a lengthy siege."
"Have them send their levies to Ashemark." Stannis turned to Lord Tywin, who met his cold gaze unflinchingly. "And summon the levies from Feastfire and Kayce, their galleys and longboats as well."
That immediately caused an outrage. Ser Davos avoided it by standing away from the great lords of the Westerlands closer to the door. He hadn't moved much from there, save for occasionally showing on the map some of the smaller coves and river mouths one could hide a ship in.
"You mean to leave the coast unguarded?" Lord Antario Jast boomed, yet Stannis gave him no answer, turning back to the map instead. The Redwyne boy flinched at the sudden yell.
The Greyjoys, emboldened by their victory over the Lannisters, had overextended themselves and were smashed at Seagard. They would likely raid and reave undefended locations to rebuild their strength and confidence, as well as secure loot.
"Have their levies within a half-day's march, and ensure they leave strong garrisons so they won't be taken quickly." Stannis ignored the curses that came in his direction. If he could lure them into the strait at Fair Isle, he could smash their Fleet in one go. Of course, that meant his timing had to be perfect. "Once the Iron fleet has been spotted they may return to their garrisons." That would force the Greyjoys south, closer to Stannis' chosen battlefield. All he needed to do was get enough of the fleet biting on his hook, and the rest would follow suit, lest they be cut off and left to fend for themselves.
With the majority of the Riverlords and the Northern host led by Eddard Stark joining up with the smaller Mallister fleet at Seagard, the Greyjoys would have no choice but to reave the undefended Westerland coast, or return to the Iron Islands in shame and humiliation at being beaten by the 'Greenlanders'. Knowing the squids, they'll likely take the first option.
"The Iron Fleet could land an invasion force!" Lord Damon Marbband growled, despite Ashemark being far from any actual combat. He turned to Lord Tywin. "My Lord, you cannot go along with this madman's plot!"
Lord Tywin shot Lord Damon a sharp glare and slowly turned to the Maester at his side. "Send the ravens, do as he says."
"My Lord!" Lord Antario raised his voice, only for Lord Tywin to silence him with the raise of a hand. The Old Lion slowly stood up from his seat and made his way towards the large map that was made into a table, a pale imitation of the Painted Table back on Dragonstone.
"In order to draw out a large fish, sufficient bait must be presented for it." Lord Tywin said. Despite Stannis being the taller of the two, they both seemed like equals in a room full of bickering men. "King Robert is due to arrive in a few days, I do hope that we receive news of your victory soon."
That was the most Stannis would get from the Old Lion, who had been one of his Father's closest friends when they were boys, alongside the Mad King. Stannis clenched his jaw and ignored Lord Lannister. He would have the Redwyne and Hightower ships sail into the strait of Fair Isle, and sail the Royal Fleet around the island. The Iron Fleet would be smashed from the north and south. In a few days, Stannis would be breaking his fast with squids, disgusting and chewy beasts.
"The Iron Fleet shall see that even iron shall rust and break against the strongest of storms." Stannis growled. "I shall send them to the halls of their Drowned god."
He would prove all of them wrong. All the doubters, all the whisperer's in King's Landing, all those prancing peacocks. He was Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone, Master of Ships to King Robert Baratheon, father to Blake Baratheon, husband to Malora Hightower. Stannis cared not for the glory, only to complete his duty to his brother, to the Seven Kingdoms.
Ours is the Fury.
A/N
Just want to take this moment to thank everyone for their support! We never expected A Song of Weiss and Fire to be this successful and be this long within such a short amount of time. Its going to be a fun ride, and I hope everyone enjoys it.
And we now have a TV tropes page! So feel free to add to it!
