closed. brothers, oh brothers...

[bruxisms]

Who: King Lineface (bruxisms) and King Fancypants (truegood)
What: Drinking. Of the "cursed" variety because lol Stannis drinking otherwise.
When: Let's go with the evening of Day 414
Where: Some bar.
Rating: PG-13 for likely foul language

[ There were many places one might expect to find Stannis Baratheon. Of those places, a tavern was perhaps the least likely on that list.

Be that as it may, he was there all the same.

Truth be told, he was not entirely sure why he had decided to come, for he was hardly a man to indulge in drink, quite unlike his elder brother. However, perhaps between being pulled into a queer war, being "chosen" by yet another so-called God (he half-wonders if perhaps this was what Melisandre was seeing when she proclaimed him "the chosen one"), and coming face to face with his younger brother whose death he could no longer deny that he had no part in, something in him might very well have snapped.

It hardly helped that he had been sitting all too idle for a few days while chaos reigned, still trying to find his bearings. He had never been that sort of man, but perhaps it was that which had given rise to this sudden urge.

And so, Stannis Baratheon was sitting alone in some manner of tavern, drinking a queer beverage that would put even Robert to shame. As he takes another drink, he knows full well that he is going to regret this in the morning, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he cannot quite bring himself to care.

(And that worries him) ]

Comments

[truegood]

[ Renly wasn't one that had a fondness for ale or the piss that they served in the common taverns outside the beautiful palaces of King's Landing or the quiet tents of his encampment; he was a man of wine, of pleasure, one who enjoyed the fine taste rather than something that would get him drunk enough to forget. It was also a rather fitting excuse, he'd found, to escape the marital bed --

but, he thought as he walked, there was no need for that here.

There was no real reason as to why he was so desperate for a drink, to be truthful. He just felt a need inside of him, as though someone was whispering in his ear that a goblet of wine was exactly what he needed for a fine evening out to enjoy himself, even of Loras was not at his side. It was like a tickle along his spine, urging him to go forward and indulge himself while the city was calm and safe.

Of course, he hardly expected to see his brother sitting at the tavern, as if waiting for someone to meet him and make his day all the brighter. It was amusing, seeing his stern, stoic elder sitting with a pint in hand as though it held the answers to all the questions in the known universe, as though the Gods had blessed the cup.

Renly wondered, with a smirk to himself, if he was enjoying the peaches he had been gifted with.

Securing himself a glass of some wine or another, Renly walked over and settled opposite Stannis, leaning forward with a little smirk. ]

And thus we find Stannis Baratheon, turned to the ale to overcome his guilt.

[bruxisms]

[ Of course Renly would find some way or another to turn up when he was least desired. To think that not even a fortnight ago, he might have admitted silently to himself that a part of him missed the boy. As he takes a seat opposite to him, his frown deepens, though he does not make any motion to leave. ]

It is not ale.

[ For that was certainly the truth. His mind would not feel so... clouded had it been such. Yet, let it be noted that he says nothing about the matter of guilt (even if he hardly had any other choice). He takes another drink, shuddering all the way. ]

You are without your Ser Loras.

[ A fact for which he is eternally grateful. It was bad enough that Renly had taken after Robert in that regard, neglecting his duty, but of all the men or women in Westeros... ]

[truegood]

It is not? That is a surprise.

[ Renly simply watches his brother for a long moment, eyebrow lifting and expression flickering before he nods his head, taking a sip of his own wine before he bows his head. It's curious, how they both found themselves here and craved the same thing.

But, of course, he brings up Loras and Renly tenses, expression souring. Pursing his lips, he sits up a little, eyes narrowing. He cannot escape his brother's judgement for a moment so -- ]

No. He need not attend me everywhere.

[bruxisms]

It is called "scotch", and it is truth be told, I have never tasted anything quite so bitter. Still, I suppose that it is... somewhat warming.

[ Which, as he takes another drink of the beverage is really the best thing he can say about it. On a good day, he can rarely stomach spirits, and this day was hardly what one would call a "good" day. It occurs to him that perhaps he should order water, but he cannot quite bring himself to do so.

As Renly begins to frown, he shakes his head slightly, trying to lift the cloud that was slowly washing over him. ]

And for that, I am grateful. I might remind you of the importance of duty, or the fact that I believe you are a man wed, but I suspect that much like with Robert, it will fall on deaf ears. At times, you two were so very much alike. Man or woman, it hardly makes any difference to me.

[ And so he takes another drink, not quite satisfied in how that sounded. ]

[truegood]

Scotch. I suppose a little warmth might do you some good, brother. It may bring a smile to your lips, and the Gods know that you need that.

[ He sighs, a long and drawn out breath, twirling the red wine in the goblet he'd been given. He still feels a little strange, an odd pull urging him to drink more, to indulge in one of his fondest weaknesses. Still, he can't help but watch his brother, wondering at why they were both drawn here at the same time. ]

You might, but it stands that Margaery is no longer my wife. Did you not hear, Stannis? She wed our once-nephew once I had died. She is nothing more than Loras' sister to me now, wedded to another with my death on her shoulders.

[ He snorts, shaking his head. ]

At least I choose one person to give myself to. I think Robert had his turn with every woman in King's Landing.

[bruxisms]

[ Stannis' frown deepens for a moment. ]

How am I to smile when I know not what awaits me back in Westeros? My daughter remains safe, but there is a good chance that Davos—

[ He stops, chastising himself for being so free with his words. Truth be told, it would be a small favour to see the face of his Onion Lord, to listen to his counsel, but he knew better than to hope for such things.

Instead he takes another drink, draining his cup. ]

The way I heard it told was that she wed Joffrey first, then Tommen. Tommen. [ the word is queer on his tongue. ] In his treason, my good-uncle nearly offered Shireen his hand, and she is still three years his elder.

[ Honestly, what exactly is their family? (Though Joffrey and Tommen were no nephews of theirs) ]

Be that as it may, is she not still your wife in some manner? I would think that none have thought of a law for this circumstance. [ a snort. ]

As loathsome as I find the Tyrell boy, it is a small favour that you were unlikely to get a bastard off of him. [ Yes, that might very well be a jape. ] Truth be told, I am ofttimes shocked that all of King's Landing was not overrun with black-haired and blue-eyed babes.

[truegood]

[ Davos? Indeed, of all the names Renly had been expecting it was hardly the broken Onion Knight that his brother kept around for some strange reason. It was curious that he fretted so; he had never seen Stannis care about anyone more than his blood, nor anything more than his duty. ]

I am sure your little Onion man will be well enough, Stannis. You worry over nothing.

[ He waves a hand, amused at his brother's sudden openness. It must be his new drink, he thinks, and he leans forward, wondering what else he could draw from his stone of a brother as he watches him indulge. ]

I've heard all the tales, but you cannot deny that it was intelligent of her. She is wedding to keep herself alive - everyone knows that the Tyrells are powerful and with the Lannister line faltering... Well. It is time to pick a side.

[ He gives Stannis a look before he sighs softly, shaking his head and looking a little bit - well, frustrated is one word for it. He doesn't really enjoy talking about this so openly no matter what Loras might say. ]

I think not. She is, at least, family and I shall care for her. She is no longer my wife, however, at least not be law. [ He resists the urge to roll his eyes, leaning back in his chair. ] You would be shocked as to how many of them there were, I am sure.

[bruxisms]

[ He is not quite so far gone that he does not realize that he is making a fool of himself with his words, yet he cannot quite bring himself to particularly care. ]

I have not heard from him in some time. And given the state of Westeros, that alone is enough cause to worry. I made him my Hand, have you not heard? For all that the man can vex me at times, he is perhaps the only man in Westeros that will speak truly.

[ To say nothing of Melisandre, the only other person he knows that has also made her motivations and loyalty perfectly clear. But, Stannis still knows better than to mention the Red Woman to his younger brother. ]

They chose poorly, regardless. Though, perhaps I did myself few favours in that regard. For, did I not choose a Florent when Robert said I could have my pick of Reach women?

[ He almost recalled his face when he had said Selyse over her more comely relatives. Perhaps it gave him a queer sort of satisfaction. ]

You say that you are no longer her husband, yet what will you do, then? Wed Ser Loras?

[ Sarcasm may be dripping from his voice, but he knows not the laws of this realm. Perhaps that was entirely possible. ]

[truegood]

[ Renly simply shrugs. He cares little for his brother's foolishness - he is simply enjoying seeing this side of him. It's as though he's seeing a side of Stannis he had once forgotten. ]

Of course I heard, I commented on the irony of it. A Hand without a hand, magnificent, don't you think? Entirely too fitting.

[ He brings the wine to his mouth and takes a long draft, curious. He has always favoured the strength of the Tyrells, their strength, their numbers - having Loras as his lover hardly dampened that view. ]

You chose a woman that looked half-alike to a man, brother dear. Perhaps we are not as different as you think? Is there anything you would like to confess?

[ He grins, amused, nearly smirking. Oh, his poor brother, forcing himself to get it up for his dear broken wife. It was not so different for himself after all. ]

Perhaps I might. There are no Laws to stop me, here, and I have no wife to call me to her side. You may say it in jest, you may laugh at my side, brother, but at least I might be with the person I love beyond all others.

[bruxisms]

He still has most of his hand, save for the fingertips I took for smuggling. [ The fact that the man had thanked him for it had always been a small comfort. ] Still, despite his birth [ or perhaps because of it ] he is more worthy than all the Lords in Westeros. If he no longer lives...

[ It is not a comfortable topic, and Stannis attempts to not dwell too long on it (not that the other thing they were speaking of was much better. ]

I would not have you speak of Selyse in such a manner, though I will admit that I have never cared as deeply for her as perhaps I should. I will admit that ofttimes I find many women to be difficult to speak with, but I hardly find myself having any strong desire towards men, likewise. Male or female, it matters not, brother. All that truly matters is duty.

[ Now he knew that the "scotch" was getting to him, for he would not share such a thing (let alone with Renly) otherwise.

But, he finds himself pouring another glass and then promptly draining it when Renly speaks again. ]

You truly love a Tyrell? Those that forced us down to roots and rats, and would have gladly handed us to the Mad King should I have surrendered?

[ It was so much easier to just think that like Robert, it was only for sex. ]

[truegood]

The fingertips that saved us, were they not? Your dedication to your so-named duty is both admirable and worrisome, it is true. [ He shakes his head. ] Worthy he might be, but respected? Not so much. There is a reason he is your Onion Knight, brother, and not so named Lord or given the graces he may come to expect. He is still a pirate, nothing more.

[ Renly is curious, however, about why Stannis is so fond of the man. It is startling to find that he cares about anything more than duty and his lordship, to be sure. ]

I merely speak the truth, Stannis, try not to be so droll. You find everyone difficult to speak with, man or woman or child. I am shocked that you consider your desire at all.

[ He sighs; Renly is more than aware that his brother would never truly understand his relationship with Loras, no matter how he might dare to try. ]

I love Loras. I would wed him, Tyrell or not. Perhaps that is difficult for you to understand, with duty your only love and your heart as cold as Dragonstone, but I would have him for life if I had only the chance. He is mine and I am his.

[bruxisms]

A good act cannot wash out the bad, and a bad act cannot wash out the good. He knew that he had to pay, and he did. [ He frowns again, teeth moving side to side as he attempts to explain it. ] But that alone is one of the reasons he is more lordly than the other so-called "nobles". He is an honest man, who never offers flattery or false praises, even when the truth is a bitter draught to swallow. He might have been a pirate, once, but now he is truly a Lord.

[ And perhaps the only person, if circumstances had been different, that he might venture to call "friend". ]

I have... [ Even thinking about this requires another drink. ] ...rarely thought of my desires, yes. It had always seemed pointless when I knew that I must wed, and do my duty as Robert's brother.

[ He could comprehend love well enough, though it had always been accompanied by great pain. He felt it when he looked at his daughter, feeling an odd pang of guilt every time he wished she had been born a boy. He felt it each time Robert had slighted him, always wondering what Ned Stark offered that he could not. And he had felt it time and again when Renly's face haunted his dreams, even as he insisted he had played no part in his death.

So, perhaps he could not fully comprehend his brother's feelings towards Ser Loras. But, he could comprehend that for some mad reason he cared for him. ]

Had you merely been the third son of the Lord of Storm's End, perhaps you could have done just that. Had I sided with Aerys over Robert—

[ There was the drink talking again, and he curses himself for it. ]

[truegood]

He is a good, just man, is he not? [ He smiles, watching his brother's jaw work - it was almost too much, a grating sound. ] Perhaps he is honest, but he shall never barter respect from the rest of them. It will be hard work for him, no matter his honesty. His spirit may end up more broken than you could possibly imagine.

[ He lifts a shoulder; if only he had lived, if things had been different. He could not imagine a world where he and the Onion would be friends, but, perhaps... ]

And your duty was to your wife, yes? I feel most terribly for you, indeed, that you must lie with her, even if it is only for duty. I think you never thought of your desires even when you bed her, only your duty. Perhaps that is why you never think of them.

[ He shakes his head. There are many things he could say about his brother's lack of desire but he would keep that to himself. He lives in a place, now, where these things no longer matter, on the precipice between living and death. It's a strange feeling, but...

This is where he exists, now, and he will simply suffer through it even if his brother cannot understand that. ]

If you had sided with Aerys over Robert I doubt none of us would have lived long enough to have this discussion.

[bruxisms]

Then I would make new Lords, Lords that respect just and true men. [ a pause ] If he can survive being my advisor for nearly fifteen years, I do not doubt that his spirit may yet hold on.

[ It was a self-deprecating jape, truth be told. Perhaps Renly might very well appreciate that. ]

Honestly, I have never understood why men enjoy the deed so much. It is not the most unpleasant act in the world, yet there is hardly any pleasure to be taken from it. I do not see its use, beyond the obvious.

[ Though, he was loathe to admit that perhaps the act had been slightly more pleasurable with Melisandre. Still, it was not something that he allowed himself to enjoy.

It was duty. Nothing more, nothing less. ]

That had been my thought. He demanded Robert's head, despite Robert showing remarkable restraint and remaining in the Vale. How long, I thought would it be before he decided that the blood of traitors ran too deeply in all of our veins?

[truegood]

I am sure the Lords of present will take to that most kindly. Are you sure your kingship would survive? It is all too easy for an angry Lord to take the throne, we know that far too well.

[ Renly understands the jape but doesn't allow it to go on. He speaks instead of Robert, lifting his shoulder absently. ]

Perhaps you have not been doing it with the right person, brother. When you are with a person you truly desire or care for it is much greater than you seem to imagine it to be. It is something good.

[ He sighs, taking a long draught of his wine, a long one. It's too much for him - he's helping his brother with his sex life, the Gods help him (the old and the new, he'd need it). ]

It would not have taken him long at all. His madness was almost too much for him already. He would not have allowed us to live longer than a year.

[bruxisms]

Even still... I would rather face the wrath of a hundred unworthy Lords than part from Davos Seaworth. But I will make them see his worth. Seaworth.

[ ...The drink. It was all the drink. ]

Regardless of that, I am a man wed. Though you and Robert may believe some oaths are made of little more than pudding, I will not bend so easily, unless the very fate of the law were at stake.

[ Or... something like that. It had certainly taken a fair amount of persuasion from both his lady wife and Melisandre... no matter how attractive the woman might be.

...And now he knows full well that the drink has gone to his head. ]

That had been my thought on the matter as well. Even still, the idea of betraying our King... It was a hard choosing. Few men can ever fully understand the difficulty of choosing between family and duty. Yet... I could not let either you or Robert go to your deaths for no faults of your own simply because our king willed it so. It... never felt truly just.

[ After all, he might very well be paying the consequences for treason. ]