Dragonstone Upheaval
A thick fog hung over Dragonstone, making it hard to breathe.
Davos looked at the distant port, just like before they went to war; just days ago, their port was packed with warships.
In the Battle of the Blackwater, less than twenty of the two hundred warships remained, and even the "Fury," which represented Stannis's glory and victory, was destroyed in flames.
The few masts that were there resembled a fence of stakes on a grave.
"Two hundred and twenty--" Davos murmured, thinking of his four sons, none of whom had survived the battle.
Every time he thought about it, Davos felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He didn't even dare to return to the fiefdom that Stannis had given himself at Cape Wrath; he didn't know how to face his wife.
Before the war, his wife cooked a huge pot of delicious food and fed their four sons well, but now—
Four sons, four pregnancies. At that time, Davos was not yet a nobleman. All four sons needed to be breastfed by his wife. Even after the birth of their youngest son, Little Stannis., his wife did not hire a wet nurse. It took almost eight years.
These eight years were the best eight years of a woman's life, and she ruined them all because of her own selfishness.
Davos knew, of course, that if he won this battle, he might be able to secure a title or two for his son, or even just a fief.
Of course, more importantly, this was a reward for the monarch.
But rational thoughts and emotional pain tore at Davos's nerves back and forth; he had covered his face and wept countless times until his Tears had dried up.
He would sometimes even complain to the gods why they didn't let him perish in the fire along with his sons.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps pulled Davos from his painful memories. They looked like soldiers from the House Florent, with a pair of distinctive protruding ears.
A flash of anger suddenly appeared in Davos's eyes. He had asked Imry Florent to send men to spy and patrol the Blackwater, but Floren looked down on him because of his status and rejected his suggestion.
But the old captain quickly concealed his anger. The House Florent was Stannis's wife's family, so summoning him at this time must mean something important.
Besides, Imry was already dead, so he had nowhere to vent his anger.
Davos followed the soldier into the main hall of the Stone Drum Tower, the Dragonstone Stone Drum Tower. In the Targaryen era, the heir to the Iron Throne was first created Prince of Dragonstone before inheriting the Iron Throne.
In other words, this Stone Drum Tower was once home to almost every Targaryen king, including Rhaegar, who was killed at Ruby Ford.
The Stone Drum Tower was no longer as lively as it had been before their departure. The guards stared blankly into the distance, the maids walked hurriedly with their heads down, and Davos wrapped his clothes tighter, as if the cold winds of the North were sweeping in unimpeded from the sea.
The entrance to the Stone Drum Tower is shaped like a giant dragon with its jaws wide open, resembling the gaping maw of an abyss. Davos stepped inside and quickly felt an even more biting cold.
By this time, quite a few people had arrived—knights, nobles, guards—the air filled with whispers, the clatter of armor, and sighs of lamentation.
Davos looked at the person kneeling in the center, his pupils contracted, it was Stannis's Hand of the King - Alester Florent.
He was Queen Selyse Florent's uncle; what crime had he committed?
Alester, over fifty years old, is the Earl Brightwater Keep. He is generally respected and kind, so why is he being held here for trial?
Davos was filled with doubt. "Perhaps this is failure," he thought. "But the court is not a family. Before he was knighted, if his business failed, he could at most go home and complain. But if a king suffers a defeat, he might need to take lives to vent his anger."
Davos looked at the man standing next to him, who was plain-looking but stocky, with an unyielding anger on his face. That man was none other than Alester's younger brother, Axell Florent.
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
"Shameless!"
The surrounding knights offered their opinions, revealing that Alester was considering marrying Stannis's daughter to Tommen in exchange for peace with the Iron Throne.
Davos looked at the old man kneeling on the ground, feeling a pang of sorrow. In a way, Alester's actions could not be considered betrayal, at least not because they directly harmed Stannis's interests.
The problem is that they have just suffered a major defeat, and everyone's nerves are sensitive and fragile.
Stannis, in particular, has locked himself in his house and refused to leave since returning to Dragonstone.
"His Majesty King Stannis has arrived— Melisandre has arrived at one" 6
She attended the event alongside Stannis wore a fiery red dress and exuded an aura of icy seawater.
Davos appeared just as he thought of Stannis, but he noticed a detail: the witch Melisandre appeared with Stannis, not the real Queen Selyse Florent.
Davos realized that there were signs of division within Stannis's court.
The massive fleet was lost due to Imry Florent's carelessness, and now Alester is suspected of treason. Stannis's opinion of the House Florent has plummeted to rock bottom.
Melisandre Davos instinctively took two steps back, as if trying to get as far away from her as possible.
Although Melisandre was undeniably beautiful, in his eyes she was no different from a monster; he was a witness who saw Melisandre give birth to the Shadow Monster.
Every time I dream of it, that scene is like a nightmare that I can't shake off.
Upon seeing Stannis arrive, the dejected Alester seemed to perk up a bit, and he shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, we are no longer able to contend with the Iron Throne. Only by cooperating can we save ourselves!"
"His Majesty will never cooperate with traitors!" Axell shouted angrily.
Stannis looked at the two brothers with his deep blue eyes, his expression profound and complex.
"Your Majesty, I truly have not betrayed any of your interests. As long as the Lannister agree to our marriage, we will no longer have to face their army, we—"
"Shut up!" Stannis snapped in a cold, hoarse voice. "Shireen is my heir, Tommen is nothing but Cersei's bastard! You want a princess to marry a bastard, no! An adulterer! You deserve to die!"
In the eyes of Stannis, a king who "strives for justice," law and justice are everything.
According to the law or custom, illegitimate children are not only not allowed to marry members of the royal family, but are not even allowed to appear in the sight of members of the royal family.
Just like when Robert visited Winterfell with half the court, Jon was not allowed to appear in Joffrey's sight.
"I hereby declare that Alester is stripped of his position Hand of the King and is to be imprisoned from this moment forward!" Stannis declared in the name of the King, but Alester responded with a furious laugh.
"Stannis! Take a good look at yourself now, all you have is Dragonstone! As Hand of the King, I have no jurisdiction over anything beyond Dragonstone. Do you think I care? Take it! Take it!"
Alester removed the brooch symbolizing the Hand of the King from his chest and threw it to the ground. Seeing this, Axell kicked his brother hard.
The emperor and his subjects humiliated each other, and brothers killed one another; the main hall of the Stone Drum Tower seemed to be staging a farcical drama.
"Enough! Take him away!" Stannis's face was grim, his blue eyes brewing a terrible storm.
Melisandre was standing beside Stannis, saw all of this, but her face remained expressionless.
Amidst the chaos, Alester was imprisoned, while the other nobles, according to their rank, filed out of the hall.
Before everyone had left, an assistant academic came to Stannis's side.
"Your Majesty, a letter from—from King's Landing."
Because of the death of the old maester, Stannis had not yet had time to ask the Citadel for a new maester, but fortunately the assistant maesters were still able to handle some basic matters.
As Stannis looked at the letter in the maester's hand, his teeth chattered once again.
This must be a letter from those guys in King's King's Landing, sent to humiliate me!
Fortunately, he calmed down, took the letter from the tube, and took out the letter. Just as he was about to read it, Melisandre looked at Stannis and suddenly smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, the Iron Throne is yours."
Her smile was meaningful, but Stannis didn't have time to understand it before his hand opened the letter on its own.
Stannis's gaze shifted to the envelope in his hand. His eyes widened as he examined it, turning it over and over two or three times. He then looked at the remaining courtiers and, addressing his attendants, said, "Tell them all to come back!"