The Stormlands.
Ten kilometers northeast of Storm's End, on a green field dotted with pale mushrooms and fresh-cut stumps.
This was where Stannis and Renly would meet.
When Catelyn arrived, the field was still empty.
Neither king had yet appeared.
"My lady, it seems we are the first to arrive," Ser Harris Mollen said, riding beside her with the Stark direwolf banner.
Catelyn nodded, scanning the empty field.
Far to the south, the massive fortress of Storm's End stood beneath the sky, its towering walls shielding the sea behind it.
To the northeast, Stannis' soldiers were assembling siege engines, preparing to strike at any moment.
Yet before the immense stone walls of Storm's End, his army appeared small and powerless.
Catelyn sighed softly as she thought about everything that had happened recently.
She had come here under Robb's orders, sent to Bitterbridge to meet Renly, hoping to unite Stannis and Renly against the Lannisters.
But instead, the two brothers refused to reconcile. Each insisted on claiming the crown, determined to fight one another first.
The men who had accompanied her, including Ser Harris, had already urged her to return to Riverrun once it became clear that an alliance was impossible.
But then she had learned something from Renly that changed everything.
Her youngest son, Rickon, was on Dragonstone.
Because of that, she had no choice but to stay and demand his return from Stannis.
Just as she was considering how to begin, two riders emerged from Stannis's camp and approached slowly.
As they drew closer, Catelyn recognized the man wearing a red-gold crown.
Stannis Baratheon.
Beside him rode a mysterious woman dressed in red robes, holding a banner depicting a crowned stag surrounded by flames.
A red priestess.
Catelyn recalled stories of distant religions across the Narrow Sea, and a trace of curiosity appeared in her eyes.
But before she could think further, Stannis reined in his horse and greeted her coldly.
"Lady Stark."
Catelyn inclined her head politely.
"Lord Stannis."
Stannis gave a slight nod, skipping all formalities as usual. "I regret your husband's death."
"Though Eddard Stark was not my friend, he entrusted your son to me. I chose to protect him."
Catelyn seized the opportunity immediately.
"Thank you for your protection, my lord. House Stark will never forget your kindness."
"When will you return my son to me?"
Stannis's eyes turned cold. "When your son kneels before me and swears his loyalty."
Catelyn's heart sank.
The fear she had tried to ignore had now come true.
She tried to persuade him.
"My lord, my husband entrusted Rickon to you because he trusted you. He is of no use to you."
"In the name of the gods, please return him to me... You will have the friendship of House Stark and the North."
Stannis remained unmoved.
"A king has no friends. Only subjects and enemies."
Catelyn was left speechless.
Then a cheerful voice came from behind her.
"Surely a king has brothers~"
Catelyn turned to see Renly Baratheon approaching, with Brienne of Tarth riding beside him.
Renly stopped beside her and examined the banner held by the red priestess with a curious expression.
"Is that truly your banner, Stannis?"
Stannis frowned. "Whose else would it be?"
Renly shrugged lazily. "From a distance, I could hardly tell which house you were representing."
Stannis snorted.
"My own."
Melisandre spoke for the first time. "The king's sigil is the fiery heart of the Lord of Light."
Renly's eyes flickered with interest as he studied her.
Catelyn, still thinking of her son, could no longer remain silent. "No matter what, we share a common enemy. Why not unite against them?"
Stannis looked at her without the slightest hint of warmth. "The Iron Throne is mine. Any who deny that are my enemies."
Renly laughed lightly.
"Brother, the entire realm denies it. Even our elder brother would rather legitimize his bastards than give you the crown."
Stannis clenched his jaw. "Bastards have no right to inherit the Baratheon name."
"I am the rightful heir to the Iron Throne."
Renly nodded. "That much I agree with. Bastards are bastards, even if legitimized."
"But as for the throne…" he added lightly, "it belongs to me."
"It belongs to me," Stannis corrected coldly.
Catelyn finally snapped.
"This is madness!"
"Tywin commands twenty thousand men at Harrenhal. The Westerlands are preparing new armies."
"Cersei and her son still sit in King's Landing."
"You both claim to be kings, yet the realm continues to bleed. Is there no one besides my son willing to fight for the realm?"
Renly shrugged.
"Your son has won a few battles. I intend to win the war... One step at a time. I will deal with the Lannisters soon enough."
Stannis ignored her entirely.
"If you have anything more to say, say it now. Otherwise, I will leave."
Renly turned serious for a moment. "Very well. I suggest you dismount, kneel, and swear fealty to me."
Stannis's anger flared.
"You will never see that day."
Renly smiled. "Then there is nothing more to discuss."
He reached into his cloak.
Stannis's hand went to his sword, ready to draw. But Renly merely pulled out a peach.
"Care for one?"
"Before battle, why not enjoy a peach? They are from Highgarden. Quite delicious."
Stannis's restraint finally broke.
"I did not come here to eat fruit!" He drew his sword. "I will not stain my blade with a brother's blood."
"I give you one night. Reflect on your errors."
"Kneel before dawn, and I will name you Lord of Storm's End. Until I have a son, you may even be my heir."
Renly laughed and gestured behind him to his vast army.
The meaning was clear.
"You think you can defeat me with your force?"
Stannis snorted.
"We shall see."
"Tomorrow at dawn, the truth will be revealed."
Then he turned to Catelyn. "My offer stands. If your son kneels, I will allow him to keep the North."
"...Otherwise, his fate will mirror Renly's."
Without waiting for her reply, he turned his horse and rode away.
Melisandre followed, her strange gaze lingering briefly on both Catelyn and Renly.
Renly dismissed the threat with laughter and led Catelyn back to his camp.
As they rode, Catelyn felt an unease she could not explain...The red priestess's gaze troubled her.
She spoke politely with Renly, but her thoughts were consumed by how to save Rickon.
As for an alliance between the brothers, she had abandoned all hope.
Back in Renly's command tent, the space was crowded with lords of the Reach and the Stormlands.
They spoke loudly, eager to crush Stannis in the coming battle.
Catelyn listened distractedly, her mind elsewhere. Only when night had fully fallen and the others departed did she return to herself.
Now only Renly, Catelyn, and Brienne remained.
Seeing her worry, Renly considered offering to return Rickon after defeating Stannis, hoping to win Stark support.
But as he opened his mouth, something impossible happened.
His shadow, cast by the candlelight, moved. It rose from the ground, forming a shape with a sword in hand.
Catelyn and Brienne both froze in horror.
"My lord, beware!"
Catelyn cried out.
Too late.
The shadow struck.
Its blade slit Renly's throat, and blood poured out instantly.
"No—!"
Brienne screamed in despair as she caught him before he fell.
"So cold…"
Renly whispered faintly as the life drained from him.
Moments later, the lords who had just left rushed back into the tent.
"King Renly!"
They stared in shock as his body collapsed and the shadow vanished.
"Magic!"
"Who did this?"
"I will kill them! I swear it!"
Chaos erupted through the camp.
Realizing the danger, Catelyn fled that very night, riding hard for Riverrun.
In Stannis's camp, the king gazed coldly toward Renly's forces.
"Forgive me, brother," he murmured.
His words were lost in the wind. At once, he ordered Davos to attack.
Renly's camp fell into complete disarray.
By dawn, most of the Stormlands had bent the knee to Stannis once more, while the Reach forces withdrew under Randyll Tarly.
Soon after, the flames of war turned toward King's Landing.
Meanwhile, in the North, with the Ironborn threat nearly eliminated, Galon finally prepared to return to Winterfell to report to House Stark.
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