Tourney at Harrenhal VII

- 281 AC -

- Harrenhal -

(Robert POV)

That was close. I almost punched the fucker in the face and smashed his brains out. Aerys has a way of getting under one's skin. Thankfully, I do, too. He has seen nothing yet. I will make his life more miserable until I eventually kill him. I decided to end his life years ago when he dared to touch my parents and took away Elia. His days are numbered; he just doesn't know it yet. And not even his dear son, the crowd's favourite, will sit on the spiky shit of a chair, I will make sure of that as well. Call it bad luck or whatever, I don't care. 

I look at the bundle of joy that is Elia's child, Rhaenys. It is hard to believe that something this beautiful could partially stem from Rhaegar. I can see her similarities to Elia, though. Her hair is similar, if a bit darker, but their skin tone is the same. The way they smile is also the same. The only difference is that Rhaenys is quite a bit stronger than a child of her age should be. 

"Robert, look!" Rhaenys shouts and shows me a smooth stone. 

We left the feast and are at the lake, throwing stones and trying to get them to bounce on the water. Rhaenys is trying to get me to achieve higher and higher numbers, while I just like to spend time with her. It is a bit strange. 

"That's a good one."

"Do you think you can get more than 10 this time?"

"With this one? Watch me."

I pull back my arm and throw the stone. 

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen! Wow, thirteen. You're amazing, Robert."

"Heh, I try my best."

"Rhaenys. Come here, dear."

I look back and see Elia approach us. 

"Mom!"

Rhaenys smiles and runs towards her mother, embracing her. 

"Mommy, Robert managed to make the stone jump thirteen times. Isn't that amazing?"

"It is very impressive. I didn't know that you were a professional stone-thrower," Elia says with a naughty smile on her face. 

"Heh, you have no idea. I used to throw Stannis when we were smaller. In fact, I still do that from time to time."

"Hehe, you're funny."

"Thank you, that's what I have been telling everyone."

"Hehe." "Baha"

Elia rolls her eyes at our banter. We started walking together a bit like we used to before. She has something on her mind, I can tell. 

"Rhaenys dear, why don't you go ahead and play with the frogs a bit, alright?"

"Yay!"

We watch the bundle of joy run along and start chasing the frogs. The sun has already set, but there is still enough light to see from all the torches and the bright moon tonight. 

"Isn't she lovely?"

"She's your greatest creation, Elia. You can be very proud. I'm glad to see that your daughter is so strong. I was worried."

"I suppose she takes that from you."

"Haha ... what do you mean?"

"She's yours."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Rhaenys ... she's our child. You're her father, not Rhaegar."

"I ... How do you-"

"She came prematurely, or at least that's what I told everyone. I know about the small 'presents' you always have prepared for her, Robert. You have been taking care of her for a while now."

"..."

I am speechless. My gaze travels to Rhaenys, who suddenly has a lot of similarities to me when I was her age. The darker hair is typical Baratheon hair. And her strength ... Elia is so weak. 

"I thought she was just healthy. She looks so much better than I did back then."

"Haha. Even now, you can joke around. You never cease to amaze me. Look at me."

"..."

"Robert, look at me."

I turn to Elia. For some reason, she has just gotten a lot prettier. I thought I had gotten over her, but when I see her now and the situation I find myself in ... this is hard.

"I need you. Rhaenys will need you. I don't know what will happen, but your outburst in there and whatever plans you might have will certainly affect us. Should, or rather when something happens to me, promise me you will take care of Rhaenys."

"Noth-"

"Promise me. I need you to promise me, Robert."

"Of course. But nothing will happen to you, Elia."

"I hope so."

She seems lost in thought for a moment and then looks at me again. She changed the topic and started to ask me about my time and what I did at the Eyrie and in the Stormlands. The changes to Storm's End and other things. I told her everything she wanted to know and also asked her to tell me. She was not as honest as I would have liked. She probably thought I didn't know, but she couldn't hide it. Then she told me about Cersei, her 'lady in waiting', although that term is not used correctly here since Elia is not the Queen. 

"She has fallen for you, Robert, quite hard, I might add. If you spent some time giving her attention instead of Storm's End and your plans, you would surely make two people very happy."

"Come now, Elia. You know I'm not as bright as I look. I was busy carrying boulders and fighting sea monsters. How else do you think I got these muscles?"

"You are changing the subject. I know when you are trying to hide something. Come now, tell me."

"What is there to tell?"

"For starters, what about those letters you exchange with Cersei? What are you trying to achieve?"

"Achieve? Why would I try to achieve anything? I just tell her some things about Storm's End and some other things. Nothing interesting."

"You truly are a fool. When it comes to these things, you used to be a genius to me. I couldn't hide anything from you, and you knew what I wanted before I said it out loud. But now you're as dense as that warhammer of yours. Don't try to fool me."

"Hah, I just have other things to do. I'm not trying to pull her along. And her father wouldn't have him marry me anyway. He wishes to see his daughter pop out royal babies."

"Then have her do that."

"... What?"

"Give the man what he wants."

"And how would I do that? You took that spot already."

"I'm not talking about that. You take that spot."

I look at Elia, confused. I can't believe she is saying what I think she is saying. 

"Are you-"

"Yes. I am insinuating what you think I'm insinuating. Don't tell me you don't have plans for Aerys. I know you do. And you wouldn't allow Rhaegar any leeway, either. You are too proud for that." 

"You are seriously trying to get Cersei and me together because ... why exactly?"

"She is a good girl. I have gotten closer to her and really have come to like her, and she knows my secrets. She has kept them so far. I know that she would make a good wife for you."

"She knows? Why on earth would you tell her that? This is bad; if she knows, then her father will know as well. That's not good, not good at all."

"Robert! Everything's fine. I have come to know Cersei, and I mean it when I say she has fallen for you. She wouldn't tell her father. She knows that it would hurt you."

"This is beyond strange. Can we change the topic again?"

"Sure, but this isn't finished."

"Of course not."

.

I'm sitting in front of our tent with a goblet of wine, which I am constantly refilling. I was trying to make the girl a bit happy, but to think she's mine ... that's a lot for me to take in. My mind wanders to the plans I made and think about what it would mean for little Rhaenys. A daughter ... I have a daughter. 

The tent curtain moves, and Stannis exits with a chair and a goblet in hand. He sits down next to me and holds his goblet before me, telling me to fill it, which I do. Neither of us says anything for a moment. Stannis never drinks wine; we're similar in that regard, and it's hard to believe that he would do so now. 

"Want to talk about it?"

"I would like to, but you know how it is."

"Ears everywhere."

I switched to the secret language we came up with, and I forced him to learn. 

"It's Elia."

"Of course it is."

"She told me Rhaenys is my daughter."

*Cough*

He coughs a few times, hearing my words, and I smile. I am the only person in the world who can make Stannis change his expression. The iron that is Stannis Baratheon becomes clay in my presence. This is not supposed to be sexual. 

"... Say that again. Rhaenys ... the King's granddaughter .. Rhaegar's daughter, who is the Prince ... that Rhaenys?"

"Aye, that Rhaenys."

"Fuck!"

"I looked at her after she told me, and it was like-"

"Oh gods, stop. For fucks sake, Robert. Who else but you, like seriously, Brother? Other nobles have intercourse with smallfolk and get them pregnant, popping out bastards left and right. But of course, you have to be different. Rober Baratheon can't do anything normally. No, he fucks the Queen and gets her pregnant. For fucks sake ... shit, this is bad, Robert."

"She wasn't Queen when we had sex. I'm not that much of a dick."

"As if that would matter! She was pregnant and had your daughter, who is now officially a princess. Do you understand what this could mean for us? If this becomes public knowledge?"

"She would still be a Princess?"

"Stop joking! This is a bad thing; you have done something ..."

And then, he suddenly stops talking and just sighs. He takes a big gulp of the wine and fills it up again. 

"You good?"

"I just realised who I'm talking to. You wouldn't do something if you couldn't live with the consequences and think about your feelings back then. I suppose it just happened. I know that you are prepared, Brother. You always were, and if you weren't, you just sneaked by using your charisma, bright smile, and frustratingly charming good looks. I used to think that life was unfair to all of us. You seemed to have been gifted with every good trait in the book while the rest of us just got on by. But I know now that I was wrong."

"And what did you find out?"

"You were, in fact, not only gifted with intelligence and strength; you were also cursed by it. Every day, you work the hardest to ensure things you know won't happen or transpire. You prepare because you know what could happen or what already happened. And you started doing it when we were shitty lads."

"..."

"You deserve happiness, Brother. Maybe more than anyone else I know. But it will still be hard. Doing good is punished harder than doing bad. You told me that years ago, but I didn't understand. Your philanthropist's way of change and helping the smallfolk ... haaah"

"Those are the longest sentences you have ever made, Stannis. I am thankful for your words, though. The problem still stands: I have a daughter, a prisoner in King's Landing, close to a mad king who is getting increasingly unhinged."

"Aye, we need to do something. Would you like to speed up our plans?"

"That won't be necessary, or possible for that matter. The die is cast. All we can do is wait for the results."

"What do you want to do?"

"I'll talk with Tommy. We need more men in the Red Keep. I'll do it after the tourney."

"How many do we have there now?"

"Anissa, I think. She's staying close to Elia and placing the parcels. But it won't be enough, not even close."

"Very well. Is it hard for you?"

"What?"

"To see Elia like that. With the cunt."

"I admit, knowing that she's the mother of my child has touched my heartstrings. But I am over her and am not in danger of falling for her again."

"Heh. Robert Baratheon, the only man whose brain is more powerful than his penis or heart."

"Fear me, world!"

"Hahahahahaha" "Hahahahaha"

This has changed everything. The problem now is that I want to see Rhaenys more. Fatherhood ... heh, I wonder how it will change me. 

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Another chapter. But no more this week.