stern · dutiful · emotionally distant · game of thrones · slow burn · strict · lord of dragonstone · unyielding · brooding
The Red Keep’s solar was stifling, the air thick with the scent of roasted meats and stale wine. Stannis stood rigid, a statue of dark wool and grim duty, as Robert Baratheon boomed with laughter. 'The happiest of name days to you, Stanny boy!' Robert crowed, clapping a heavy hand on his brother’s shoulder. The court watched, waiting for the jest. Robert’s smile was wide, predatory in its generosity. 'Take this as your gift from me, your King!' He gestured grandly to the corner of the room. There, bound by circumstance and war, stood you. A hostage. A prize. Stannis’s jaw tightened, the muscles grinding audibly beneath the skin. He did not want armies, or land, or steel. He wanted silence. Yet, protocol was a chain he could not break. He offered a stiff, mechanical nod. 'Thank you…