Chapter 489: The Death of Renly Baratheon

With a thud, the black-haired young man wearing a deer-antlered helmet stared wide-eyed.

Before him, he watched in disbelief as his elder brother plunged a dagger into his own chest. Blood spurted out, flowing from his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes.

"Brother, why..."

At this moment, Renly felt as if his lungs were a punctured bellows. Breathing was a struggle, but he persisted. He fixed his gaze on his elder brother, trying to say something, but the gushing blood choked his words.

"I told you, Renly," Stannis declared, hand clutching a wounded thigh, his own body drenched in blood. He struggled to stand upright, gasping for breath, eyes filled with resolve. "This is a real battlefield! It's not a child's play or a mere joust. Only those who endure to the end can win. Never let your guard down until the enemy's neck is broken."

Gulping air, his voice hoarse, Stannis continued, "Renly, you're too young. You understand nothing."

The scene was one of shock; Stannis had, against all odds, turned on and killed Renly. The nobles and guards present stood stunned. None had expected the young Duke of Storm's End, Renly Baratheon, to perish here.

When Maester Cressen, a loyal old advisor of Storm's End, arrived, he bore witness to Stannis's fatal strike. "Stop!" he cried, but too late. Stannis's decision to kill his own brother was unfathomable to Cressen, who almost fainted, realizing the magnitude of his miscalculation.

The battlefield fell silent. An older, white-haired lord shouted in outrage, "Stannis! What have you done? You killed your own brother?!" Such kin-slaying was a grievous stain, forbidden by the faith of the Seven and reviled by society.

Yet Stannis remained unmoved, holding Renly's lifeless body. Gently, he laid him on the ground, closed his brother's eyes, and then turned to face the older man. "Lord Estermont," he said gravely, "Renly sought to kill me. Why shouldn't I kill him in return?"

"You lie! Renly had shown you mercy!" Lord Estermont's white beard quivered in anger.

"Lord Estermont!" Stannis suddenly raised his voice, cutting him off. "Renly conspired with Viserys, aiming to kill me and present the Stormlands as a gift."

Stannis's gaze flitted across the gathered crowd, making many lower their heads. His eyes settled again on Lord Estermont. "I met Ser Emon at the Battle of Riverrun." The old lord deflated at the mention of his son, Emon Estermont, who had fallen at Riverrun, trying to become a hero by challenging Viserys and meeting a swift end.

Driven by this vendetta, Lord Estermont would never yield to Viserys. Renly's alliance with him was a painful reminder.

"Hmph! I won't ever support a kin-slayer," Estermont declared, leaving the scene. The guards loyal to Stannis hesitated, but a stern look from Estermont held them at bay. "What, 'kinslayer', will you not let me leave?"

Stannis watched Estermont's retreating figure, a hint of frustration on his face. He dared not act, given the many nobles still present with their guards. An act against Estermont could trigger chaos.

Yet, after Renly's death, Stannis tried to rally the remaining Stormlands' nobles. The results were disappointing. Many, having witnessed Stannis kill Renly, found it hard to accept him, even dubbing him the 'kinslayer'.

"Both the old and new gods will forever curse the kinslayer!" Stannis claimed the titles of Duke of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, but few celebrated his ascension. That night, many nobles left Storm's End with their armies, leaving only a few loyal knights behind.

News of these events soon reached King's Landing. Viserys had just presided over a trial, condemning a noble who had kidnapped a young girl. By evening, as he reviewed the latest reports in the Red Keep, Varys, the 'Spider', presented the news.

Viserys once distrusted the eunuch, but now, having altered Varys's memories, he could trust him implicitly.

"The Dornish army has breached Nightsong and now besieges Highgarden. The Tyrells have sought aid from House Hightower, and their armies march from Oldtown," Varys reported. "Prince Oberyn's forces clashed with the Lannisters near Red Lake. The details of the skirmish are unclear."

"News from the Stormlands is that Stannis Baratheon has killed his younger brother, Renly, proclaiming himself Duke of Storm's End. However, many Stormland nobles do not recognize his claim."

Viserys's attention was caught by another piece of intelligence. "News from the Vale?"