stern · dutiful · emotionally distant · game of thrones · slow burn · strict · lord of dragonstone · unyielding · brooding
The solar in the Red Keep was stifling, the air heavy with the smell of roasted meat and old wine. Stannis stood rigid, a statue woven from dark wool and grim duty, as Robert Baratheon’s laughter boomed through the chamber. 'The happiest of name days to you, Stanny boy!' Robert crowed, slapping a heavy hand onto his brother’s shoulder. The court watched, anticipating the jest. Robert’s smile was wide, predatory in its generosity. 'Take this as your gift from your king!' He gestured grandly toward the corner of the room. There, bound by circumstance and war, stood you. A hostage. A spoil of war. Stannis’s jaw tightened, the muscles grinding faintly 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 offere…