The Wizard of Fury Chapter 25

The morning was bitter. What other word could describe it better?

Stannis hadn’t slept. His mind had been a whirring toil of emotions. His son… his heir had done something so heinous, so treacherous. A betrayal of the highest order that bore nothing but fury in Stannis’ chest.

He’d watched Harry and Margaery Tyrell leave the Great Hall together, seen their flushed cheeks and the wild looks in their eyes, glowered at the smug satisfaction in the eyes of the Queen of Thorns as her granddaughter seduced his son. Although Renly tried his best to distract Stannis, he’d still sent men to retrieve his son regardless. They’d returned empty handed, but not long after that Harry had returned with Margaery.

The men he’d set upon watch had reported nothing. A few had mentioned seeing Harry and Margaery passing by, yet none could say where they went. They were lying to Stannis, of course, which both irked and pleased him. Lying to one’s liege lord was a paramount offence, but protecting the heir, who would one day become their lord, was their paramount duty. They should keep Harry safe, but not from Stannis.

For whatever jokes some liked to make about the frigidity of his own marriage bed, Stannis was not blind to the glow that most men and women had after they danced in the sheets. He’d seen that look on both Harry and Margaery, seen the pride in his face, seen the slight limp to her walk.

The memory replayed in his mind over and over again until he couldn’t take it any longer. He stood up and dressed in the early morning light. The sun was just beginning to crest over the walls surrounding the Red Keep, and already men and women were hard at work. He himself needed to attend a small council meeting after breaking his fast, but he could not leave the situation with Harry unresolved.

Once Stannis had composed himself, he walked through his rooms until he reached his son’s. Without knocking, he barged inside, startling his son awake from his slumber.

Harry’s first thought was clearly danger. Instinctively, he grasped the hilt of a dagger stowed at the side of his bed, but upon seeing nothing more than Stannis’ furious expression, he released it.

“Father,” he said evenly in greeting.

“Do not presume to speak to me until I have spoken,” Stannis hissed out. “Do you take me for such a fool that your dalliance last night would go unnoticed?”

Harry’s mouth twisted into something akin to annoyance. He pushed himself out of bed and brushed his hair away from his face. “I expected nothing of the sort. In fact, had you been opposed to it, I would’ve expected you to stop it before it happened.”

Before he realised that he had moved, Stannis struck Harry across the face with his open hand. The sound of his flesh slapping across Harry’s rang out loudly, and his son’s head snapped painfully to the side. It would leave a red mark for all to see.

“Had you not ordered my men to hide your movements, I most certainly would have,” Stannis snapped. “And don’t you dare deny it to my face; I know well enough the love you command from them. You have acted with impunity and disrespect towards our house and myself.”

“You’re the one who’s always saying that I need to find a lady wife,” Harry retorted, doing nothing to assuage his stinging cheek. He jutted it out towards Stannis pridefully, as though asking for another blow.

“Through the proper process,” Stannis said through gritted teeth. “You have shamed yourself and Lady Margaery in your behaviour.”

“Not if we were to be wed,” Harry argued.

Stannis seethed at the mere thought of a Tyrell of all people marrying into his house. The daughter of the man who’d nearly starved Storm’s End to death and nearly killed Selyse and Harry both should never be allowed the kindness of being allowed to marry his son. It was a preposterous idea, one undoubtedly borne out of lust.

What had happened to his dependable, earnest son? Since arriving at King’s Landing, Harry had exceeded every expectation that Stannis had for him. The dangers and perils that lurked around every corner had left his son unharmed, in great part due to Harry’s steadfast and clever nature. He’d ruled upon the iron throne with a wise and just hand, and he’d done marvellously to help deal with the bandit threat around the capital. He did everything that Stannis asked of him and maintained an upstanding persona. There were already tales of the many heirs to houses throughout Westeros spending their days at the whorehouses and taverns that littered this city. Harry had never once visited any of them.

And then in a matter of days after rescuing House Tyrell from the attack against them, he’d fallen completely under Margaery’s sway.

Well, Stannis would allow it no longer.

“You will never wed Margaery Tyrell,” Stannis declared with a finality that he’d hoped would broker the end of this discussion.

“Yes, I will,” Harry stated firmly.

Stannis’ eyes narrowed at his son. “Pack your things. You will be returning to Dragonstone at once.”

“No,” Harry said, taking a challenging step towards Stannis. “You cannot be left alone here, not after the attack against you. You’re still not even fully healed from it.”

“I have my knights to protect me,” Stannis said, his voice choked with anger. “And I have no use for a knight who refuses to behave appropriately or follow clear orders.”

“Whatever it is that you think will happen by sending me away, I can promise you that it won’t,” Harry told him. “My feelings for Margaery won’t dissipate, nor will you come any closer to unravelling these mysterious attacks in and around King’s Landing. You need me here by your side, and you need me to find myself a wife to help secure our family’s legacy.”

“Are you refusing the duty I have set out before you?” Stannis asked with a dangerous tone.

“My duty is to protect my lord father, even when he himself doesn’t see the danger swirling around him,” Harry retorted. “And it is my duty to do right by the woman whose maidenhead I took by marrying her. Or should I simply leave her soiled without doing right by her or her family.”

Stannis’ fist slammed noisily against the door, making it clatter against the wall. “Damn it, boy! Why must you rebel against me?” His voice boomed like his older brother’s did when he was in a drunken rage.

“Because following one’s duty is right and just until it’s not,” Harry said. “If I followed your orders and abandoned you now, would it be just when I have to console mother when your body is returned to us? Would it be right to give up my feelings for Margaery and wed a woman I do not know or care for? Do not act as though I wish to marry someone unfit for my station. The Tyrells are one of the wealthiest and most influential families throughout the Seven Kingdoms.”

“And they nearly killed you and your mother!” Stannis spat in fury.

“Lord Marce Tyrell did,” Harry granted him. “And Lord Paxter Redwyne, but Margaery had nothing to do with that. She was a babe then, as was I, and she feels terribly about what our family was forced to endure during the Rebellion. But she too understands that the feelings of love that have bonded us together are giving our family’s a chance to reconcile and forge a greater path forward. Can you not see the value that partnering with House Tyrell would bring to us?”

He could damn well see it, and that was what upset Stannis the most. House Baratheon of Dragonstone was the weakest of the Baratheon houses. While peace reigned throughout the Seven Kingdoms now, it was only a matter of time before yet another war broke out. Whether it was the ironborn rebelling again or a feud between minor houses spilling out of control, there would once again be war, and Stannis needed to ensure the safety and security of his family. A marriage alliance with House Tyrell, coupled with his own marriage to Selyse of House Florent—one of the most important houses in the Reach sworn to House Tyrell—would ensure their power and safety in the wars to come.

“You speak about duty, and yet duty can be contradictory,” Harry continued. “I have a duty to my house and to you as well. I must serve you in all things, but what if those things contravene my duty to my house? What if the actions you take go against what I believe is best for our house? I have a duty to the houses who’ve pledged themselves to us and the smallfolk as well. Does your pride supersede my duty to enrich them by securing a strong marriage alliance? What about my duty to Lady Margaery after we—”

“Enough!” Stannis shouted. His heart had been pounding throughout Harry’s speech. They were questions that he himself had once battled with. The rules put in place throughout society were clever things designed to bring about the best outcomes possible, but they were not infallible to shrewd trickery or difficult circumstances. However, Stannis had come about a clear answer to the problem long ago. “It is the spirit of one’s duty that matters. The nature in which they act and operate around their duties. What you have done in going behind my back and sneaking off with Lady Margaery does not, in any good conscious, follow a positive spirit towards one’s duties. Had you truly wished to do this properly, to honour your duties to me and your house, you would have come to me with this proposal before you did anything rash.”

“But would you have even heard me out, let alone consider accepting it?” Harry prodded him.

“That is immaterial,” Stannis argued. “Whether I would or would not have does not grant you an excuse for your subterfuge. In acting as you have, you besmirched yourself, your honour, and our house. I expect better from you.”

Harry was finally silent for a few moments, and the anger that had been palpable in the room only moments ago was slowly dissipating. Stannis’ disappointment was laid bare, and it was clear that his son was truly taking the time to process it all. It was just a brief glimpse of the man that Stannis had seen his son become.

“You’re right, father,” Harry finally said. His voice was not quiet like many men would be when faced with a reckoning over their shameful actions, nor was it angry and challenging as though he intended to dispute the point. He allowed his words to hang solidly in the air for a moment before continuing. “I should not have done this behind your back, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

Stannis nodded in approval.

“I would ask that you allow me to stay here and remain a part of your retinue,” Harry said. “I could not bear the thought of leaving you alone in a dangerous place like this. Seeing you unconscious in bed, nearly stabbed to death… I would never be able to forgive myself if I was not by your side to protect you from such a danger again.”

In an instant, Stannis was transported to years ago, standing up in a tower, watching his parents’ ship break apart into splinters as their bodies were washed beneath the tumultuous waves. He’d so dearly wished to be aboard the ship that day, not so that he could die too, but in the hopes that he could’ve done something different to save his parents. Most likely, he too would have drowned at sea, but the hope for something better still burned deeply in his chest.

How could he deny his son such a thing?

And yet, the matter wasn’t as simple as that. There was also the issue of Margaery Tyrell to consider. She would be a lingering complication, one that his son was as likely to ignore as he was to follow Stannis’ orders to the letter for the rest of their lives. Like it or not, Margaery and Harry were inextricably entwined together now. If word got out about what the two of them had done the night prior, as Stannis was almost certain in would given the way that secrets and rumours flowed so easily throughout King’s Landing, then their reputations would be stained forever. Worst of all was the thought that Margaery could be pregnant at this very moment if his heir had not been careful.

Ultimately, it came down to a matter of practicality in Stannis’ mind. He needed his son beside him in these times more than ever, especially after he’d proved himself atop the throne and in combat. If the price to pay was a marriage to a Tyrell…

“You may stay here,” Stannis finally said. “On a shorter leash than you have been given.”

Harry lit up like he’d been delivered the world. “Thank you, father,” he said with the utmost sincerity. “I promise you that I will not betray your trust again.”

That remained to be seen. Words were fickle; the actions that followed them were truly what mattered.

“On the topic of your actions last night, there are many eligible ladies far more fit for you than Margaery Tyrell,” Stannis said bluntly. Namely, anyone not from House Tyrell or House Redwyne. He could see defiance flare back up in Harry’s eyes. “However, you are not wrong in that it would be improper of you to abandon her after your… indiscretions.”

“You approve then?” Harry’s eyebrows shot up.

“Has anything I said given a mere hint of approval?” Stannis rebuked him. “I would not allow you to further sully our family’s name by escaping your duty to do right by that woman and her family. We will find Lord Mace Tyrell together and apologise to him for what has been done and seek to make amends in the only way that we can.”

It was close enough to the outcome that Harry wanted that the minor embarrassment of apologising to Mace barely registered on his face. Pure joy radiated from him as Stannis’ words soaked in.

“Thank you,” Harry said again.

Harry’s cheek was truly red now after the blow Stannis had given him lingered. Everyone would see the mark and wonder upon it, and if Mace were to accept Stannis’ marriage proposal between Harry and Margaery, it would not take a fool to piece everything together. But Stannis would not allow Harry to hide the mark. Harry had chosen to own his actions and stand by them. He too could stand by the consequences.

“Get dressed,” Stannis told him. “We will see Lord Tyrell at once.”