FIC: 5 Reasons Stannis Baratheon Holds Davos Seaworth In High Esteem for linndechir
Recipient: linndechir
Title: 5 Reasons Stannis Baratheon Holds Davos Seaworth In High Esteem
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth
Word Count: 1872
Summary: Scenes of growing trust between Stannis and Davos, over the years.
1. There were astonished looks and incredulous murmurs when he announced that, along with his reward for saving them from starvation, this man Davos Seaworth would be punished for a life of smuggling. Even Maester Cressen argued with him. Others called it madness. Stannis would not be swayed. One right did not cancel hundreds of wrongs.
Seaworth did not beg for mercy. He seemed to understand. "As you will it, m'lord," he said humbly. "Only I ask that you wield the butcher's knife yourself." Perhaps it was meant to be a clever ploy, perhaps Seaworth thought Stannis would balk at carrying out his sentence himself.
But even after Stannis had sent for a cleaver, even after he held the blade in his hand, Seaworth did not shame himself by begging or crying. He laid his hand down flat, fingers spread, and looked at Stannis. Stannis did not want to do this, but it had to be done. Seaworth had avoided paying taxes for years, robbing the crown of untold galleons.
Seaworth screamed when each fingertip was severed, and tears streamed down his plain face, but he comported himself admirably. Stannis had seen high lords and champion knights grovel and plead on their knees; he was deeply impressed that a common man could possess such dignity.
2. He did not trust the reports submitted by Captain Tremaine. However Tremaine was not so different from the other men who purported to serve the crown. Stannis gritted his teeth late that night in the Red Keep. He could trust none of them. No, perhaps... Perhaps the man Davos Seaworth would be different. Seaworth was a landed knight now, after a lifetime of criminality. He had no reason to lie, and Stannis thought that somehow Seaworth would not lie well even if it benefited him.
"My lord," Davos Seaworth knelt before his plain and simple chair. "Your suspicions were correct. Lord Tremaine lets captured ships go after they pay him a percentage worth of their cargo. And if they do not pay him, he hangs them as pirates and smugglers."
"Thank you, Davos."
Davos bowed and backed away.
"You would condemn me on the word of the lowest bastard peasant of Flea Bottom?!" Lord Tremaine struggled from his knees to his feet, standing proud despite his bonds.
"Aye, I would," Stannis answered simply.
Lord Tremaine seemed at a loss for words.
"I, Stannis Baratheon, Master of Ships and brother to His Majesty Robert Baratheon do declare you to be a traitor to the Iron Throne of Westeros."
Lord Tremaine's feet danced a wicked dance as he hung by the neck from the gibbet. Stannis watched until the condemned man's body had stilled. This man had to pay for his sins, he reminded himself. He looked over to Davos and saw that he was somber, fingering the bag he ever wore about his neck.
"Regret, or the mummery of it, does not erase a crime," Stannis said beneath his breath, feeling he ought to justify his actions and yet resenting the feeling at the same time.
"It was no mummery," Davos replied, equally quietly. "He regretted being caught, that was all. So do all criminals." Stannis could hear in his voice that he was including himself in that number.
3. The king stumbled from the table, drunk. Stannis would have struck him across the face if he'd honestly believed it would make any difference. But he had never been able to deal with Robert when he was in his cups, not even when they were youngsters. All he could think about was how his brother was making a scene, how everyone was looking at him, expecting him to keep things under control in his own hall, and he was failing, his grip slipping away with each heartbeat. Robert leaned heavily against the wall, his breathing ragged, looking as though he might be sick. Stannis thought that if Robert vomited, he might just do the same.
He tried to think of what to do, but his brain seemed paralyzed. He wished their guests might look away out of politeness, but there was little chance of that. Selyse was stiff at his side, her nostrils flared in disgust. It was too much like their wedding, and the memory was upsetting her. Stannis knew he had to act, and put his hands on the table in preparation for standing up to do something, say something, anything.
At that moment, Davos stepped up to the king. Stannis saw, an instant before it happened, that he had a goblet in his hands. It might have looked like an accident when he doused the king with its contents, but Stannis had seen the look on Davos's face, and knew it was nothing of the sort. Robert sputtered and staggered back, tripped over his own feet, and sat down heavily, dripping and red in the face. Stannis was nearly as stunned as his brother, more that Davos had had the courage to act when he himself had been frozen. He knew Robert's temper could be mercurial, and feared the worst until the king suddenly burst out laughing.
"I apologize for my clumsiness, your majesty," Davos said humbly. "I'm afraid that fine doublet will be ruined if it's not put to soak straight away."
Robert managed somehow, improbably, to drag himself to his feet, and clapped Davos on the shoulder. "No doubt you're right," he slurred, leaning heavily on the Onion Knight as he began to help him off to his chambers. Davos cast a glance over his shoulder to Stannis and gave him a single nod, so subtle anyone else might have missed it.
4. He stood on the deck of the Fury, eyes on the horizon, which was slate-grey and roiling, the setting sun hidden by dark clouds. A storm was coming up fast from the south-west, and by the looks of things, it would be a fierce one. The Ironborn would have the advantage in such weather, knowing this maze of rocks like the backs of their hands. Stannis ordered the signal to be sent to the rest of his fleet - shorten sails and drop anchor, to try and ride out the storm as best as they were able.
The affirmative responses came back from every ship, except for one. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that Davos's signal in reply was contradictory - 'tack starboard.' It was true, there was a cove in that direction that might provide some protection from the incoming winds, but Stannis was wary. It could also hide shoals or rocks beneath the surface that would tear their hulls to pieces. Aware that his men were waiting for his instructions, he sent the signal once again for 'drop anchor.' This time, Davos signaled only that he had received the message.
When the storm had finally blown itself out, Stannis surveyed the damage to his fleet. He counted at least half a dozen ships missing, possibly forever. He had the flag sent up to signal a general captain's meeting, wanting to regroup and set their next plans. Davos was the first to arrive, drawing up alongside Fury in a rowboat and coming aboard, looking tired but otherwise none the worse for what had no doubt been a sleepless and anxious night. Stannis was surprised how relieved he felt to see him standing there.
"You contradicted my order," he said, but more mildly than he would have to most of his men.
"I offered another opinion, my lord," Davos replied.
"We do not know these waters well." Stannis felt defensive, though Davos had said nothing to accuse him. "I deemed it best to wait out the storm in the open, rather than risk being dashed on hidden rocks."
"As you say, my lord," Davos said calmly, but Stannis could tell he wanted to say more.
"You may speak openly, Captain Seaworth."
Davos cleared his throat. "In my younger days, I sailed these waters from time to time, and I recall that cove as being a safe harbor. But I follow your orders, my lord, of course."
There were few men who would have dared to tell Stannis to his face that he had made the wrong decision. And yet Davos somehow managed to do so without angering him. "You have more experience in these matters than I," Stannis admitted.
Davos shrugged. "Only a little, my lord. You're doing well." From any other man, the words of praise might have felt like condescension, but from Davos, Stannis received them with pride.
5. The baby in Davos's arms was small, but already looked like his father - square in the face, with mousey brown hair, lacking only the beard to be his perfect miniature. Stannis surveyed him with an eye that knew little of children. "He seems healthy," he said at last.
"Aye," Davos replied, beaming. "Marya's well too," he added, and Stannis nodded, wishing he had asked after her first. "I had thought," Davos said, looking more nervous, "to name him after you, my lord. If it wouldn't give offense."
"Stannis Seaworth? What about that could give offense?" Stannis smiled, his thin lips stretched in the unaccustomed gesture. "It would be an honor."
Davos's grin widened. The infant started to fuss, and his father jostled him gently with an unconscious ease, so that he soon quieted again. "How did you do that?" Stannis asked, puzzled.
"What? Oh, they like to be bounced around, usually settles them down," Davos told him, with the casual confidence of a man who had had five other babies before this one. "Would you care to hold him, my lord?"
Stannis avoided taking a step backwards, but only just. "I am not... good with babies," he confessed, thinking of how Shireen would scream whenever he picked her up. The nurse said it was only colic, but he was certain the child could feel his uneasiness, and soon stopped trying.
"No, well, it's tricky at first," Davos agreed. "Takes practice."
Stannis had not thought of it like that before, as a skill that one could learn. "Very well," he said, "pass him to me." The tiny creature stiffened in his arms, face reddening as though he might start screaming, until Davos moved to Stannis's side and touched his elbow.
"Just move around a bit, my lord. He'll calm down then."
Stannis did as instructed, feeling foolish, and to his astonishment, the baby relaxed, settling more comfortably into the crook of his arm. "It works," he said, surprised.
"Not always," Davos replied, grinning. "He must like you, my lord." As if those words were a signal, the baby's small body made an ominous rumbling noise. Davos moved quickly. "But I'll take him back now," he said, whisking the baby away before he could deposit anything unpleasant on his noble namesake. He set him over his shoulder, patting his back with a firm hand.
"Yes, well," Stannis said. "Congratulations once more, to your whole family." He left them there, with Davos burping the baby, and thought, not for the first time, that he could never have done that - and that he was amazed that Davos could.
Title: 5 Reasons Stannis Baratheon Holds Davos Seaworth In High Esteem
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Stannis Baratheon, Davos Seaworth
Word Count: 1872
Summary: Scenes of growing trust between Stannis and Davos, over the years.
1. There were astonished looks and incredulous murmurs when he announced that, along with his reward for saving them from starvation, this man Davos Seaworth would be punished for a life of smuggling. Even Maester Cressen argued with him. Others called it madness. Stannis would not be swayed. One right did not cancel hundreds of wrongs.
Seaworth did not beg for mercy. He seemed to understand. "As you will it, m'lord," he said humbly. "Only I ask that you wield the butcher's knife yourself." Perhaps it was meant to be a clever ploy, perhaps Seaworth thought Stannis would balk at carrying out his sentence himself.
But even after Stannis had sent for a cleaver, even after he held the blade in his hand, Seaworth did not shame himself by begging or crying. He laid his hand down flat, fingers spread, and looked at Stannis. Stannis did not want to do this, but it had to be done. Seaworth had avoided paying taxes for years, robbing the crown of untold galleons.
Seaworth screamed when each fingertip was severed, and tears streamed down his plain face, but he comported himself admirably. Stannis had seen high lords and champion knights grovel and plead on their knees; he was deeply impressed that a common man could possess such dignity.
2. He did not trust the reports submitted by Captain Tremaine. However Tremaine was not so different from the other men who purported to serve the crown. Stannis gritted his teeth late that night in the Red Keep. He could trust none of them. No, perhaps... Perhaps the man Davos Seaworth would be different. Seaworth was a landed knight now, after a lifetime of criminality. He had no reason to lie, and Stannis thought that somehow Seaworth would not lie well even if it benefited him.
"My lord," Davos Seaworth knelt before his plain and simple chair. "Your suspicions were correct. Lord Tremaine lets captured ships go after they pay him a percentage worth of their cargo. And if they do not pay him, he hangs them as pirates and smugglers."
"Thank you, Davos."
Davos bowed and backed away.
"You would condemn me on the word of the lowest bastard peasant of Flea Bottom?!" Lord Tremaine struggled from his knees to his feet, standing proud despite his bonds.
"Aye, I would," Stannis answered simply.
Lord Tremaine seemed at a loss for words.
"I, Stannis Baratheon, Master of Ships and brother to His Majesty Robert Baratheon do declare you to be a traitor to the Iron Throne of Westeros."
Lord Tremaine's feet danced a wicked dance as he hung by the neck from the gibbet. Stannis watched until the condemned man's body had stilled. This man had to pay for his sins, he reminded himself. He looked over to Davos and saw that he was somber, fingering the bag he ever wore about his neck.
"Regret, or the mummery of it, does not erase a crime," Stannis said beneath his breath, feeling he ought to justify his actions and yet resenting the feeling at the same time.
"It was no mummery," Davos replied, equally quietly. "He regretted being caught, that was all. So do all criminals." Stannis could hear in his voice that he was including himself in that number.
3. The king stumbled from the table, drunk. Stannis would have struck him across the face if he'd honestly believed it would make any difference. But he had never been able to deal with Robert when he was in his cups, not even when they were youngsters. All he could think about was how his brother was making a scene, how everyone was looking at him, expecting him to keep things under control in his own hall, and he was failing, his grip slipping away with each heartbeat. Robert leaned heavily against the wall, his breathing ragged, looking as though he might be sick. Stannis thought that if Robert vomited, he might just do the same.
He tried to think of what to do, but his brain seemed paralyzed. He wished their guests might look away out of politeness, but there was little chance of that. Selyse was stiff at his side, her nostrils flared in disgust. It was too much like their wedding, and the memory was upsetting her. Stannis knew he had to act, and put his hands on the table in preparation for standing up to do something, say something, anything.
At that moment, Davos stepped up to the king. Stannis saw, an instant before it happened, that he had a goblet in his hands. It might have looked like an accident when he doused the king with its contents, but Stannis had seen the look on Davos's face, and knew it was nothing of the sort. Robert sputtered and staggered back, tripped over his own feet, and sat down heavily, dripping and red in the face. Stannis was nearly as stunned as his brother, more that Davos had had the courage to act when he himself had been frozen. He knew Robert's temper could be mercurial, and feared the worst until the king suddenly burst out laughing.
"I apologize for my clumsiness, your majesty," Davos said humbly. "I'm afraid that fine doublet will be ruined if it's not put to soak straight away."
Robert managed somehow, improbably, to drag himself to his feet, and clapped Davos on the shoulder. "No doubt you're right," he slurred, leaning heavily on the Onion Knight as he began to help him off to his chambers. Davos cast a glance over his shoulder to Stannis and gave him a single nod, so subtle anyone else might have missed it.
4. He stood on the deck of the Fury, eyes on the horizon, which was slate-grey and roiling, the setting sun hidden by dark clouds. A storm was coming up fast from the south-west, and by the looks of things, it would be a fierce one. The Ironborn would have the advantage in such weather, knowing this maze of rocks like the backs of their hands. Stannis ordered the signal to be sent to the rest of his fleet - shorten sails and drop anchor, to try and ride out the storm as best as they were able.
The affirmative responses came back from every ship, except for one. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that Davos's signal in reply was contradictory - 'tack starboard.' It was true, there was a cove in that direction that might provide some protection from the incoming winds, but Stannis was wary. It could also hide shoals or rocks beneath the surface that would tear their hulls to pieces. Aware that his men were waiting for his instructions, he sent the signal once again for 'drop anchor.' This time, Davos signaled only that he had received the message.
When the storm had finally blown itself out, Stannis surveyed the damage to his fleet. He counted at least half a dozen ships missing, possibly forever. He had the flag sent up to signal a general captain's meeting, wanting to regroup and set their next plans. Davos was the first to arrive, drawing up alongside Fury in a rowboat and coming aboard, looking tired but otherwise none the worse for what had no doubt been a sleepless and anxious night. Stannis was surprised how relieved he felt to see him standing there.
"You contradicted my order," he said, but more mildly than he would have to most of his men.
"I offered another opinion, my lord," Davos replied.
"We do not know these waters well." Stannis felt defensive, though Davos had said nothing to accuse him. "I deemed it best to wait out the storm in the open, rather than risk being dashed on hidden rocks."
"As you say, my lord," Davos said calmly, but Stannis could tell he wanted to say more.
"You may speak openly, Captain Seaworth."
Davos cleared his throat. "In my younger days, I sailed these waters from time to time, and I recall that cove as being a safe harbor. But I follow your orders, my lord, of course."
There were few men who would have dared to tell Stannis to his face that he had made the wrong decision. And yet Davos somehow managed to do so without angering him. "You have more experience in these matters than I," Stannis admitted.
Davos shrugged. "Only a little, my lord. You're doing well." From any other man, the words of praise might have felt like condescension, but from Davos, Stannis received them with pride.
5. The baby in Davos's arms was small, but already looked like his father - square in the face, with mousey brown hair, lacking only the beard to be his perfect miniature. Stannis surveyed him with an eye that knew little of children. "He seems healthy," he said at last.
"Aye," Davos replied, beaming. "Marya's well too," he added, and Stannis nodded, wishing he had asked after her first. "I had thought," Davos said, looking more nervous, "to name him after you, my lord. If it wouldn't give offense."
"Stannis Seaworth? What about that could give offense?" Stannis smiled, his thin lips stretched in the unaccustomed gesture. "It would be an honor."
Davos's grin widened. The infant started to fuss, and his father jostled him gently with an unconscious ease, so that he soon quieted again. "How did you do that?" Stannis asked, puzzled.
"What? Oh, they like to be bounced around, usually settles them down," Davos told him, with the casual confidence of a man who had had five other babies before this one. "Would you care to hold him, my lord?"
Stannis avoided taking a step backwards, but only just. "I am not... good with babies," he confessed, thinking of how Shireen would scream whenever he picked her up. The nurse said it was only colic, but he was certain the child could feel his uneasiness, and soon stopped trying.
"No, well, it's tricky at first," Davos agreed. "Takes practice."
Stannis had not thought of it like that before, as a skill that one could learn. "Very well," he said, "pass him to me." The tiny creature stiffened in his arms, face reddening as though he might start screaming, until Davos moved to Stannis's side and touched his elbow.
"Just move around a bit, my lord. He'll calm down then."
Stannis did as instructed, feeling foolish, and to his astonishment, the baby relaxed, settling more comfortably into the crook of his arm. "It works," he said, surprised.
"Not always," Davos replied, grinning. "He must like you, my lord." As if those words were a signal, the baby's small body made an ominous rumbling noise. Davos moved quickly. "But I'll take him back now," he said, whisking the baby away before he could deposit anything unpleasant on his noble namesake. He set him over his shoulder, patting his back with a firm hand.
"Yes, well," Stannis said. "Congratulations once more, to your whole family." He left them there, with Davos burping the baby, and thought, not for the first time, that he could never have done that - and that he was amazed that Davos could.