shot through the heart... (closed)

[bruxisms]

Who: Stannis Baratheon (bruxisms) & Loras Tyrell (triplerose)
What: A former king runs into the boyfriend of the brother he may or may not have killed but because of different universes/timelines confusion might abound.
When: RIGHT NOW?!
Where: Some bookstore in the market in Olympia
Warning(s): aside from usual ASOIAF/GOT things, nothing I can think of.

[ since he had been a lad, Stannis Baratheon had enjoyed reading. tales of adventure did not particularly interest him, but he had always been attracted to the histories that the maesters had recorded. he had thought it important to understand the history of one's realm, so as to not repeat the same mistakes (though some might argue that in the end, he had). perhaps, it was also because it was the only activity that he had seemed able to best his elder brother in.

still, regardless of the reason, his enjoyment of such works is precisely why he finds himself in a modest "bookstore", carefully attempting to sift through the usual tales of adventure and intrigue for more practical histories.

unfortunately, his search is proving downright futile. he grinds his teeth from side to side as he turns towards the nearest man to him. ]

You. Do you know if this merchant only peddles lies, or if he has something of more quality?

Comments

[triplerose]

[ To say that Loras is an academic sort would be ... Not entirely truthful. He'd never had time for books or education beyond the necessary histories of his house and the important others. Knighthood suited him much better.

But he thought perhaps his sister might enjoy something. She'd say he doesn't owe her, they're family, but he wants to get her something. A token of thanks for all she's done. It's by chance that he ends up at the book seller. ]

Oh - [ He realizes, in a moment after, that the man is speaking to him. ] I'm afraid I can't say.

[bruxisms]

[ Stannis frowns, his jaw slowly working from side to side. he should have expected as much. though, as he surveys the other man, an odd feeling passes over him. ]

Have we met?

[ there is something distinctly familiar about the man, though he cannot quite place it just yet.

On Stannis's end, he is likely far taller than the man that Loras knew, a little balder, and with deep blue eyes. but nevertheless, the resemblance is certainly there, if you knew what to look for. ]

[triplerose]

[ Loras never really did spend much time in the presence of Stannis. He thinks on, now and then, when Stannis and Renly had met that one last time, but truthfully his mind only seems to recall Renly and little else.

Given all the time that's passed, tehere's scarcely a memory to pull up to think this is a Baratheon. And Loras, in his flippancy, has forgotten many things over the years. ]

It would seem unlikely, though not unreasonable.

[bruxisms]

[ Stannis's frown deepens (if that is truly possible), his teeth moving from side to side. ]

Are you a man of Westeros?

[ again, he attempts to place the face, though to little avail. he had seen Ser Loras a number of times at court, often in his brother's presence, though certainly not all that often. ]

[triplerose]

[ The question visibly startles the younger man. There seem to be many Westerosi here, and while most of them had been friends or uncaring about the events surrounding the Iron Throne, Loras is wary. Is this man also friend, or was he foe?

He eyes the man a little more cautiously. Yes, he thinks. Yes, he knows this man. A tournament, perhaps? ]

I am.

[ A sinking feeling starts to come over him. A pang of recognition and a spark of anger, and Loras forces himself to stand a little taller to try to be a ghost of what he once was. ] I am Loras Tyrell.

[bruxisms]

[ Stannis's eyes narrow as slight recognition dawns upon his face. while Renly had similar issues with neglecting his duties that Robert did, this one had hit particularly hard. not for any particular moral reason (for in Stannis's eyes, there was little difference than if he had been bedding a woman out of wedlock), but for the sheer fact that it had been the Tyrells that had laid siege against Storm's End in the first place, that had feasted while Stannis and Renly starved.

it had been vexing, before it had even turned to treason. ]

You look far older than I remember Ser Loras Tyrell being.

[ and not that which could be explained away by a few years between them. he first thinks to the man who had been so insistent that Mace Tyrell had only one son, and wonders if this is the same "impostor". but again, he remembers Jon Snow's words. while that boy infuriates him, he does trust what he says. but there is one way to verify it... ]

Tell me, Ser Loras, if it is truly you. What is the name of Balon Greyjoy's daughter?

[ though momentarily, it occurs to her that a man such as Loras Tyrell might not actually remember this fact. not every man made a point to study such things like Stannis did. ]

[triplerose]

It has been some years since we last looked upon one another.

[ The morning before that fateful night. It makes Loras bristle, not only because of the grudge he holds, but because of the state he's in. The last of his pride is heavily bruised by this encounter. ]

What do I care of the Greyjoys?

[bruxisms]

[ ah, so the young man does recognize him. his frown merely deepens. ]

Not quite so many years, Ser Loras. When last I saw you, you were a man of ten and six, barely a man grown.

[ a frown. ]

Jon Snow informed me that there are those of our realm who recall different versions of events. He told me that he knew Balon Greyjoy's daughter as "Yara" while I knew her as "Asha".

[ his jaw moves side to side. ]

More importantly, he spoke to me of things that could not possibly happen with the events I remember. I would know what you recall of Westeros.

[ though it does occur to him that a Tyrell may not speak the truth. ]

[triplerose]

I am no ser.

[ This, though, this is news. Those he's spoken to are from his Westeros, and the thought there might be another ... Well. Hardly a stretch, considering the variety of worlds he's encountered.

A Westeros, perhaps, where he may have brothers and be scarcely a boy. ]

I am under no obligation to speak to you of my home. It would seem you have others more eager to tell.

[bruxisms]

[ this surprises him, and it shows ever so slightly on his face. ]

Then you are far different than the foolish boy that I knew. He wore his knighthood like a banner of pride, jumping from one false Kingsguard to another, or so they say.

[ some might've said that Loras and Renly made a fine pair. Stannis would disagree. the two of them had been little more than fools, nothing more.

although... his jaw remains clenched as his teeth move from side to side. ]

You are under no obligation, yet you spoke to me of it all the same, I believe. It was you who spoke of being the heir of Highgarden, was it not?

[ he cannot help but wonder if he was truly to blame for Renly's death in that Westeros, given what he heard of the other 'Stannis Baratheon' from Jon Snow. still, he says nothing on that matter for the time being. regardless of the circumstances, he was still the elder and the punishment for treason was death. ]

[triplerose]

[ The words make him flinch. His jaw sets and he feels a pang of shame. He'd been proud of his own knighthood, too, and regardless of how things may be now, he'd been weak. He can't justifiably wear the title when he'd caved so easily. ]

I have one true king.

[ And Loras had betrayed him, too, at the very end. His oaths, knightly and otherwise, had all been broken. Stannis had been the beginning of the end. To Loras, it scarcely matters if he's of a different Westeros. ]

I was to be Lord of Highgarden, yes.

[bruxisms]

[ a frown as his jaw goes from side to side. ]

While I do not doubt your loyalty to my brother, unless he was the elder in the Westeros that you remember, he was no king.

[ for many might still believe the Lannister woman's lie that Joffrey and Tommen were Robert's children. those in the North remained loyal to their liege Lord. but Renly...

every man who followed him knew that they were committing treason no matter which way they looked at it. love was a fickle thing, and in the end they would have turned on him. ]

Then it was you who spoke to me. Tell me then, do you truly believe that the Stannis Baratheon you knew truly murdered his own brother? For I was abed when he perished.

[ for while the punishment for treason was death, his hands were clean. ]

[triplerose]

Robert was no proper heir to a throne.

[ It seems it should be said. Besides, had things gone to plan, they'd have gone into battle, and Loras is certain that Stannis would fall. That would legitimize Renly's claim.

But that isn't the question. Loras eyes Stannis. Different world or not, he is still Stannis, and if one is willing to murder his brother then the other must have considered it. ]

There is no doubt. He and the aid of his red priestess.

[bruxisms]

Robert was robbed of his choice when the Mad King asked for his head. I followed him, as the elder brother. I never asked any more from Renly.

[ and truth be told, Renly had perhaps played something of a role in Stannis's decision to ultimately side with his brother. after all, how long would it have been until Aerys decided to rid Westeros of all traitor's blood? somehow, he did not believe his father's close kinship with the man would've spared his young brother of six from death. ]

You will be glad to know that I played no part in it, nor did the Lady Melisandre. Both my squires could attest to that, as they were attending me when he perished. You may wish to know that in the Westeros that I recall, it was she who urged me to treat with him in the first place.

[ still, something bothered him. something that Davos had said, and something that he knew in his heart of hearts, particularly given how he had used much the same method to strike down the traitor, Ser Penrose.

Melisandre killed your brother. ]

[triplerose]

I am not glad, no.

[ Loras can't discuss it quite as easily as Stannis seems to be able to. Years had passed yet he can remember it so clearly, and a guilt weighs heavily on his shoulders. Not that he'd have been able to save Renly. That much was certain.

Now is not the time to mourn missed goodbyes and entertain actions that could have passed. ]

[bruxisms]

I suppose that you would not be, for by your Stannis Baratheon's hand or one of his own Rainbow Guard, the result was much the same.

[ easy? perhaps. it was simple enough to understand that he brought his doom upon himself. even if his brother still somehow found a way into his dreams. even as the juice dripped from his lips, and the blood ran down his chest.

but his hands were clean. he could not take responsibility for the actions of a man so foolish as to march his wife and child into battle. he would not allow himself to feel guilt for the death that he had no part in yet he did. all the same... ]

But, it would seem that he is not dead here, but merely sleeping in those devices. I saw him with mine own eyes, alongside Robert.

[triplerose]

[ -- Wait. Loras is silent for a moment and then he's turning, and it might be the first time he's ever properly looked at the middle Baratheon. There's no denying the wisp of hope in his eyes. ]

You saw him?

[ Loras had looked. He'd been up and down the rows of pods, never successful. He doesn't doubt Stannis' honesty in the moment. Stannis Baratheon is many things but certainly not a liar. Not to Loras' knowledge. ]

[bruxisms]

Him, and others that I know to be dead. My lord father and lady mother. Lord Davos Seaworth. Other faces I had only seen in sketches done by the maesters.

[ he had asked for all true men and women of Westeros to be spared. Renly may have not been a true man, but he was still his brother, for the little that it mattered.

he loved both of them, Renly and Robert, despite the slights they had made against him, and the hurt they had caused.

still, a part of him cannot help but think they would remain far better as sleeping memories rather than flesh and blood yet again ]

It would not surprise me that you did not find him, given how many there are aboard their "station". I likely wouldn't have had I not awoken near to them.

[triplerose]

Did he look well?

[ He must have. No one looked bad, so well taken care of in their slumber. Even Loras, who had suffered the marking of The Faith had emerged as good as ever. But hearing it might ease some of his troubled mind.

Though new troubles come quickly. Would Renly be of his Westeros, or of Stannis'? And if he's of the same as his brother, would it change anything for them? He's loathe to ask, because there's no love lost between the Baratheon brothers (mostly), but he doesn't know when he and Stannis may ever freely speak to one another again. ]

What was he like? The Renly from your Westeros.