Chapter 6: Supper.
Year 101AC
After King Jaehaerys announced Prince Viserys as the heir to the Iron Throne, many lords and ladies went to congratulate him, including my family. My father stepped forward toward the seated king and his newly appointed heir, who stood beside him.
"Your Grace," he said as he bowed, which was our cue to also bow. The king, looking at my father with his sharp lilac eyes, motioned for him to stand.
"Lord Baratheon, it's good to see you're in good health," the king spoke, and it surprised me how such an old man held so much power in his voice.
"It gladdens me to hear you say that, Your Grace," my father said with a soft tone. My mother, standing next to me, held me closer, and as she did so, I observed how both hers and my father's faces seemed to radiate a form of happiness. They were glad for some reason, and like a click, I realized something.
King Jaehaerys was my father's older brother. How could I have forgotten such a thing?
'My father was most likely happy to be talking to his brother after such a long time, and from the looks of it, the king is too,' I thought as I saw them exchange pleasantries. But then my father turned towards the future King Viserys, who looked exactly like the actor Paddy Considine, but a much younger version.
"My prince, I congratulate you on being named Heir, and I hope the realm prospers under your future rule," he said.
The future king, looking surprised by my father's acceptance, simply thanked him for the well wishes. It was common knowledge that all Baratheons were stubborn, so it was a given that he was surprised.
The king and I locked eyes, and for a moment, I thought of looking away as any child my age would have, but given how he squinted his eyes at me, it indicated that I was all too late for that. The king's attention then shifted back to my father.
"Boremund, this is your family, yes?" he said, getting my father's attention back from Viserys.
"Yes, Your Grace, my wife and three children," he said as Mother stepped forward while she held my hand.
"Your Grace," she went on to greet the king.
Borros, who was puffing his chest, stepped forward next, introducing himself as the future Lord of Storm's End. The king didn't even bat an eye and just nodded. My sweet sister then curtsied and gave her well wishes to the king.
While all of this was happening, and the king seemed to be indulging my family members, I could see clearly that he kept an eye out for me, which begged the question, why?
"And this here, Your Grace," said my father, stepping behind me and holding both my shoulders.
"Is Durin, my youngest," I hesitated for a second before I gave a deep bow and introduced myself.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Your Grace. I'm Durin Baratheon," as I introduced myself, the king's eyes turned to my father with a look I couldn't read.
"You've taught the boy well, Boremund; he speaks well for his age," he said, complimenting my father, as he turned back to me.
"Come here, boy," as the king said those words, I was unsure of what to do. So, like any normal child, I looked to my mother for support, and the way she motioned her hands forward indicated I should go to the king, so that's exactly what I did.
Every step I took under the gaze of the king, the prince standing next to him, and the two king's guards flanking them felt like an invisible weight was piling on me.
Finally, I was standing in front of the king's temporary throne. I was waiting for him to tell me why he called me over, but then something unexpected happened.
The king scooped me up in his arms and made me sit on his lap. For a moment, I felt like cold water was poured on my head, first because I was technically a grown man in a child's body, so sitting on another man's lap was anything but something I wanted, and two because the king, old and frail as he looked, just scooped me up like I weighed nothing.
Granted, I was only three namedays old, but I was big and robust for my age, so it was a surprise, and the way my father and mother looked on also told me they were surprised.
"Tell me, young Durin, what do you see?" the king asked me, as we looked at the hall full of lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms. Some were with families, others seemed to be arguing, while some were most likely making marriage pacts and deals for the betterment of their houses.
"What do you mean, Your Grace?" I asked to clarify, because I could have pointed out all my observations, but I didn't want to raise any alarms to the king. He looked me in the eyes for a second; to the onlookers, this would be a normal interaction between a child and their uncle, but the king was looking for something. I could see it in his eyes; he was testing me for some reason.
"What do you see in this room, young Durin? Tell me, how are the lords and ladies using this gathering to their advantage?" he asked clearly.
Now, I could feign ignorance and let the old man think I'm no one special, but this could be a chance for me, because if the king approves of me in front of Father and the future King Viserys, then there may be a chance that I could achieve my goal.
'Which is to become the Lord of Storm's End,' I thought as I looked at Borros, who was distracted by some lady.
"The wiser lords are using this time to further their house," I started in a quiet voice. My father and mother, who were talking with Viserys, kept shifting their gaze towards me, clearly wanting to know what we were talking about, but they couldn't hear us from all of the commotion and Viserys's amicable attitude.
"Go on," King Jaeherys said.
"Take Lord Tarly and Lord Redwyne, for instance. They're arranging a marriage between their children. If they form an alliance, their combined power would be sufficient to deter the Tyrells and the ever-expanding influence of the Hightowers," I remarked, observing the apparent coordination between Lord Tarly and Lord Redwyne.
The king kept looking at me, which means he isn't satisfied.
"There, where the Dornish delegation is," I said, pointing at them. They were laughing with the delegation from Essos.
"They're most likely trying to make allies from our neighboring continent, considering how limited their reach is here in Westeros," I said. Finally, the king asked a question.
"Why do you think that's the case?" he said. I knew he knew why that was, but he wanted to confirm if I knew.
"Because they know sooner or later, if they don't come up with allies, they will be a part of the Seven Kingdoms," I said, looking straight in his eyes. All the things I pointed out to the king were the most basic of politicking in Westeros, but they were just advanced enough for him to see that I had potential. Heck, what am I saying? No three-year-old could ever observe what I just did, so he was most suitably surprised.
There was a moment of silence, before the king to my surprise started laughing. viserys, mother and father looked in our direction.
"Yes, that's precisely it," he said, patting my head. It felt both uncomfortable and weirdly soothing at the same time.
"You're very observant and knowledgeable for your age. I knew it the moment I saw your eyes," he continued, locking eyes with mine, his lilac gaze meeting my red ones.
"Yes, your eyes have such hunger," he said quietly, as if he were reading something from my eyes. Then, he let me down and turned to my father and mother, who were now observing us.
"Boremund, I want your family to join us for supper," he said, surprising and delighting my parents.
"Of course, Your Grace," my father agreed.
And with that, the king patted my head once more before departing, his kingsguard flanking him.
That, just, happened.
"Durin," my mother came over and knelt in front of me.
"What did you say to the king?" she asked, while my father and Prince Viserys looked on.
I kept my gaze fixed on the great door through which the king had just exited before answering.
"Politics," I said.
"Politics?" My mother, father, and Prince Viserys echoed in surprise.
I turned to them, smiling, and repeated, "Yes, politics."
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"Hello everyone,
It's been quite a while, and I apologize for my absence.
This fanfiction of mine was meant to be one of my best creations, but laziness and a busy schedule got the better of me. However, now that I've returned to writing, I'm committed to sharing it to the best of my abilities.
You may notice some mistakes and inconsistencies in my writing, as I'm still learning while crafting this fiction. But rest assured, I'm putting in my best effort.
So, stick around to witness the rise of House Baratheon and their influence in the looming conflict between the House of the Dragon."
Tell me what type of person you think durin will become.
How will borrow deal with his brothers ambitions.
Side note, if you want a chapter this week then donate to me: paypal.me/Helpauthor03
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