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[KING STANNIS BARATHEON's fleet sails through the night. SER DAVOS SEAWORTH walks the deck and looks out the stern at the rest of the ships. The view cuts to STANNIS looking ahead before cutting to show soldiers sitting below, tired and waiting. One vomits from seasickness.]
"That's a wonderful sign for things to come" Stannis muttered with a scrunched face. Then again, it may as well be the soldier's first time on a ship. That did little to inspire faith in him.
[DAVOS and his son, MATTHOS SEAWORTH, are above deck.]
"That's it. The tide's against us."
"Aye, but we have the wind. She'll blow us straight to the gates."
"You're coming home."
"Ser Davos is from Kings Landing?" Shireen asked her father, who nodded in reply. She hadn't known that.
"King's Landing hasn't been home for twenty years. I spent most of my life dodging the royal fleet. And now I'm sailing right at them."
"This is the royal fleet. And you're not a smuggler anymore, you're the high captain."
"Of course, there are several royal fleets at the moment."
"Not after tonight. When the sun rises, Stannis will sit on the Iron Throne and you will be his Hand."
"Your best man's son shows more faith in you than he does" Renly taunted.
"And good of him for that. Never take anything for granted until the matter is in your hands" Stannis muttered.
Renly looked away with a scowl. Sometimes it was easy to rile his brother up. Other times it was like this, lectures and lessons.
"The people of King's Landing did not choose the false king, Joffrey Baratheon. They will be glad to see his head on a spike."
"Well, first, we have to put it there."
"Our ships outnumber theirs ten-to-one."
"Our army outnumbers theirs five-to-one. Those walls have never been breached, and the men guarding the walls, when they see you, they don't see a liberator, they see a stranger come to set their city on fire."
"I have faith in the Lord of Light. I have faith in our cause. And I have faith in my captain."
"Makes me almost wish he comes out of this in one piece" Tyrion muttered. Such a boy with such high spirits would be welcomed in droll times. But he doubted he'd be seeing that boy again on here.
[KINGS LANDING, TYRION'S CHAMBERS]
[VARYS stands by the window while PODRICK PAYNE helps to dress TYRION in his armour.]
"I've always hated the bells. They ring for horror. A dead king, a city under siege."
"A wedding."
"Exactly."
Tyrion and Jaime both snorts.
"Podrick, is that it?"
"Is that it? Nice touch. As if you don't know the name of every boy in town."
"I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting."
"I'm entirely sure you're entirely sure what I'm suggesting."
"Do you trust him?"
"Oddly enough, I do."
"Good."
[VARYS unfolds a map before them.]
"The map you asked for."
[TYRION steps down to study the map. PODRICK continues to dress him.]
"There must be twenty miles of tunnels beneath the city."
"Closer to fifty. The Targaryens built this city to withstand a siege and to provide escape if necessary."
"Maegor the Cruel was quite the paranoid man. He had the Red Keep and its secret passages built before killing all of the workers that built it so they can't spill its secrets" Varys informed the rest.
"You know about them" Tommen pointed out.
"I do" Varys agreed.
"And now so do we. Then they can't be secrets anymore, right?"
"I suppose not, my boy" Varys smiled.
"I'm not escaping. Strange as it sounds, I'm the captain of the ship, and if the ship goes down, I go with her."
"Brave words brother, never thought I'd be hearing them from your mouth" Jaime spoke.
"Me neither" Tyrion grunted his agreement. He was going out to fight for fucks sake! He wasn't a fighter!
"That is good to hear. Though I'm sure many captains say the same while their ship is afloat. You look well suited for battle, my lord."
Tyrion snorted.
"I believe the armour does suit you, my Lord" Varys smiled.
"Credit to the armourer then" Tyrion muttered.
"My little birds tell me that Stannis Baratheon has taken up with a red priestess from Asshai."
"What of it?"
"You don't believe in the old powers, my lord?"
"I do now" Tyrion muttered. Hard not to with everything going on right now.
"Blood spells, curses, shape-shifting. What do you think?"
"I think you believe in what you see and in what those you trust have seen. You probably don't entirely trust me."
"Mmm, don't take it personally. I don't entirely trust myself."
"And yet I have seen things and heard things, things you have not, things I wish I had not. I don't believe I've ever told you how I was cut."
"No, I don't believe you have."
"You have now" Tyrion stated.
"That I have" Varys nodded, his usual smile dampened.
"The dark arts have provided Lord Stannis with his armies and paved his path to our door. For a man in service to such powers to sit on the Iron Throne, I can think of nothing worse. And tonight, I believe you are the only man who can stop him."
Stannis shifted uncomfortably. The Spider's words were not wrong. What had the witch's words done to him, how had she bent him? Was he even fit to rule anymore?
[THE BARATHEON FLEET]
"They're welcoming the new king."
"I've never known bells to mean surrender. They want to play music with us? Let's play. Drums."
[Soldiers start to play the drums. The soldiers spring to action, readying for battle. STANNIS watches, resolute.]
[KING'S LANDING]
"I saw you kill a man with a shield. You'll be unstoppable with an axe." Bronn said
[They clasp hands.]
"Don't get killed." Tyrion said
"Nor you, my friend." Bronn stated
"Oh, are we friends now?" Tyrion asked
"I am just as surprised as Bronn" Jaime smiled, reaching out to ruffle his brother's hair, only to be slapped away by the imp.
Joanna smiled at her sons. It would not be easy to make friends with Tyrion's... condition. It was warming to see that the boy was not alone nor would he be.
"Of course we are. Just because I pay you for your services doesn't diminish our friendship."
"Enhances it, really."
"Oh! 'Enhances! Fancy word for a sellsword."
"Been spending time with fancy folks."
[BRONN exits. LADY SANSA STARK and SHAE enter.]
"Lady Sansa and Sheila."
"Laying it thick there" Jaime commented.
"Shae."
"Shae, yes. Surely my sister has asked you to join the other highborn ladies in Maegor's holdfast."
"She has, my lord, but King Joffrey sent for me to see him off."
"Of course, he has, that twat" Robb spat. With the knowledge that Rickon and Bran were still alive, Robb felt a little lighter. All the Starks did.
[KING JOFFREY BARATHEON and THE HOUND enter.]
"Always been a great romantic, my nephew."
"Sansa, come here."
"I will pray for your safe return, my lord."
"Will you?"
"Just as I pray for the king's."
"You should speak like this more" Arya muttered to her sister, "not all the sweet and silly talk."
Sansa only smiled in reply.
[PODRICK and TYRION exit]
"Your king rides forth to battle. You should see him off with a kiss."
[He draws his sword and presents it.]
"My new blade. Hearteater, I've named it. Kiss it."
"Hearteater" Olenna snorted.
"He could do a lot worse" Margaery spoke.
"He could" Olenna agreed.
[SANSA leans down and kisses the blade.]
"You'll kiss it again when I return and taste my uncle's blood."
"Will you slay him yourself?"
"If Stannis is fool enough to come near me."
Stannis' jaw set stubbornly.
Renly meanwhile snorted.
"So you'll be outside the gates fighting in the vanguard?"
"A king doesn't discuss battle plans with stupid girls."
"I'm sorry, Your Grace. You're right, I'm stupid. Of course, you'll be in the vanguard. They say my brother Robb always goes where the fighting is thickest. And he is only a pretender."
"You've become quite adept at speaking with false courtesy" Margaery commented, smiling at Sansa. "You should learn it quicker. It will save you plenty of trouble."
"Do you use it often?" Sansa asked.
Margaery tactfully avoided her grandmother's gaze.