WILOW-Ch.430: A Reckless and Desperate Plan
Red Keep, King's Landing
POV of Davos Seaworth
1 week later.
"3 riots happened last night, once again, your grace." Davos said as he sat in the Hand of the King position in the Small Council, "All of them were stopped well before they could gain momentum, but we still lost over 3 dozen men as a result."
King Stannis looked down at the table and grunted. His mood has been getting worse and worse these past few days.
Oh sure, his grace never really outright showed his frustrations to his subordinates, but he had been with King Stannis for a long while now and knew when he was in a foul mood.
"The people are hungry, your grace. They don't have any food, and they can't leave the city." He paused, "There are already rumors about the people in Flea Bottom killing and eating each other. If we don't…"
"Any other news?" King Stannis asked, interrupting his words, and he closed his eyes and sat back down in his chair.
Ser Aurane Waters looked hesitant but nodded, "Your grace… the food that we've left in Red Keep… It'll only last a few more days."
"How many days?"
"About 2 at most. 3 if we really stretch it." Aurane Waters, Bastar of Driftmark, said.
He could see King Stannis grinding his teeth before he visibly composed himself.
"Any news of Varys?" he asked.
Ser Justin Meassey shook his head, "No, your grace. Varys has either left King's Landing or is hiding among the small folk. All attempts to find him have failed."
Stannis nodded, "Have you found the tunnels hidden beneath the Red Keep?"
Ser Justin shook his head, and King Stannis nodded. "You're all dismissed."
The men in the small council got up and left as well. When he got up to follow, King Stannis said, "Not you."
He nodded and returned to his seat.
King Stannis got up from his chair and went to a table in the corner of the room, brought a scroll from there, and unfurled it on top of the Small Council table.
He looked at the scroll and noticed that it was a scroll showing the architecture of King's Landing.
"What is this, your grace?" he asked.
"Map of King's Landing." King Stannis said before he pointed at a particular line on the map. "And this here is a tunnel that leads to the outside of the city from an underground route. This is not the only tunnel like that, either. There are about half a dozen tunnels like this all over King's Landing."
His mouth dropped open the longer he stared at the map, before he gulped, "We're lucky our enemies don't have this map." He said, "But… why show it to me?"
King Stannis nodded, "The city is falling apart. If we don't manage to feed the common folk, then the Tyrells won't even have to take a single step to defeat us. This cannot be allowed to continue."
He nodded as a horrible feeling welled up in his chest.
"Your grace… You have a plan, I presume." He said.
King Stannis nodded, "Indeed." He said, "The city needs food. And there is only one place with a large amount of food necessary to feed the people, as well as my army."
He grimaced, "The Tyrells."
King Stannis nodded, "Yes. I plan to attack them and abduct Loras Tyrell, who is commanding the men outside the Mud Gate."
He frowned. "Your grace. That is a very dangerous plan." Left unsaid was the fact that even if they did succeed in capturing Loras Tyrell and Ser Garlan Tyrell, who was the Commander of the whole army, and decided to give them the food in return, they would only be stalling the inevitable.
The Tyrells outnumbered them by a great deal. And once the army of the North, Vale, and Riverlands arrived, their combined army would outnumber them 7 to 1.
Not to mention the giants, wargs, direwolves, and wyverns brought to the battlefield by Domeric Bolton. The man who declared himself emperor.
No. There was no way they were going to win this one out.
And the only reason why King Stannis had not accepted the inevitable was that it was just not in his nature.
King Stannis Baratheon would rather break than bend.
"I know it's dangerous." King Stannis said, "That was why I used one of these tunnels to sneak out a messenger to Lord Alester of House Florent."
"Did he agree to help you?" he asked, hope blooming in his chest.
That hope was extinguished just as quickly when King Stannis shook his head.
"No. He says that supporting me and going against the Tyrells right now would be tantamount to suicide." King Stannis said, "But he has agreed to assist me in this plan of mine."
"Assist you? How?" he asked.
"By silencing the scouts surrounding the army led by Ser Loras." King Stannis said, "Once the Scouts have been dealt with, we'll attack."
He nodded. The fact that Lord Florent was not supporting King Stannis despite the latter being Lord Florent's nephew-in-law, supporting King Stannis right now while being surrounded by Tyrell supporters from all sides, was indeed tantamount to suicide.
But if he indeed managed to silence all the scouts and King Stannis did manage to get a drop on them… Then this desperate plan did seem possible.
The only thing he didn't understand was…
"Why tell me?" he asked.
King Stannis rolled the large scroll and looked at him. "I'm not a fool, Ser Davos. I know that this plan reeks of desperation and recklessness. And I know that I might very well lose my life tonight." He paused and looked in the distance toward Storm's End. "If I do not return, Ser Davos, give this to my daughter." King Stannis said, then handed him a scroll bearing the Baratheon Seal.
"What is in the scroll, your grace?" he asked.
King Stannis closed his eyes. "Tell my daughter to bend her knee to King Aegon Targaryen and Emperor Domeric Bolton. Tell her to live. And tell the army to surrender and serve my daughter as the lady of House Baratheon." King Stannis opened his eyes and looked at him. "If I do not return, don't let my wife influence her too much. Protect her, Ser Davos."
He could only nod to such a plea, "I will, my lord. To my last breath." He said.
"Good." King Stannis nodded before they left the Small Council chamber.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.431: Incompetent Tyrells
Ch.432: The Gathering of All Armies
Ch.433: Siege Discussion