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Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing for a while.

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"People called Westeros, they go, the house"

Graffiti seen scrawled on a wall in Volantis in 315AL. The perpetrator being caught on the scene claimed that it actually said "Westerosi go home" and was creatively sentenced to both the lash and grammar lessons in the Common Tongue.

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The Red Keep - King's Landing – 298 AL

Petyr Baelish found himself beside Varys as the two of them stood watching from the side-lines as the teeming crowd made up of the the noble houses of Westeros cast their votes for the next king. Both of them naturally had their spies and other sources of information, so they had a better idea of exactly how many votes were likely to go each way, but there was always a certain level of unpredictability in such things helping to maintain their interest nonetheless.

"I've heard whispers that Mace Tyrell and Alester Florent had rather a spirited discussion last evening" Varys remarked quietly.

"Only spirited?" Baelish responded with a wry smile. "From what I've been told they were practically at each other's throats because Florent wasn't prepared to say in advance whether he would be voting for Joffrey or Stannis."

"To be fair, although the Florents are sworn to the Tyrells Stannis is married to Lord Florent's niece" Varys noted.

"And Mace Tyrell is an insufferable oaf that would have tried to catch flies with vinegar not honey when talking to the man" Baelish added for himself. "All he cares about is improving his station by cosying up to the strongest faction he can, and making himself look as valuable to them as possible" the Master of Coin observed.

"With the fractious nature of politics in the Reach being what it is, having a wayward house amongst his own putative supporters certainly does the man no favours" Varys concurred. "I've always thought that trying to keep control of that particular part of the Seven Kingdoms must be akin to trying to herd cats."

"That's true of every part of Westeros, it's just that in the Reach none of the cats is sufficiently bigger and stronger than the others to bully the rest into submission" Baelish replied. "Imagine the situation in the north if House Bolton was as strong relative to House Stark as House Hightower is to the Tyrells."

"One shudders to think of the number of Stark bannerman who would have been flayed alive in such an environment" Varys replied with distaste at such a notion. "Ah, Lord Renly has arrived, this might be informative' he surmised watching as the youngest brother of the late king began walking through the crowd, stopping to exchange handshakes and pleasantries as he went.

At the front of the throne room, near the Iron Throne itself, Crown Prince Joffrey stood with his uncle Lord Tyrion Lannister while only a few steps distant Lord Stannis stood with his loyal vassal Ser Davos Seaworth. When he reached them Renly stopped an equal distance between Joffrey and Stannis, face initially unreadable for a moment before he smiled and turned to the boy. "Good Morning Nephew" he greeted Joffrey warmly before turning to his older brother "Stannis" he recognised his brother with as little off-handed courtesy as he could muster.

It was worth it just for the expression on Stannis's face, Renly thought to himself, fighting back a grin as he returned his attention back to Joffrey. "I thought that we could go hunting in the Kingswood again soon" he suggested, voice louder than it needed to be so that it carried. "Your father, Robert, would expect his younger brothers to do their best to assist in raising you correctly, teaching you how to be a man, and support you as he would have done if he was still here" he said.

Despite being quite distant from the exchange Varys would swear he could hear Stannis grinding his teeth.

"Ah well, duty calls" Renly said. "I must go cast my Great Council vote, I'm sure that the other Lords of the Stormlands are only waiting for me to go first out of politeness" he continued. "By your leave, Your Grace" he waited for permission to depart.

"Of course, Uncle Ren… I mean Lord Renly" Octavian replied.

Still some distance away but easily hearing what had been said Petyr Baelish grimaced. "Ouch" he said quietly, so only Varys could hear.

"Do you think that exchange was pre-planned or simply spur-of-the-moment" Varys wondered, looking out to see the reaction among others who had heard it.

Baelish shrugged. "With that boy and his grandfather scheming together I'd put nothing past them" he replied, wishing it wasn't so because he would have to remain sharp and keep on his toes permanently to stay ahead in the game. It had been bad enough only contending with Varys but now he also had Tywin Lannister and his annoyingly competent grandson to try and bamboozle too which was quite a juggling act to perform. "Would you care for a friendly wager as to the size of the majority based upon our respective intelligences as to which house will vote which way?" he suggested.

Varys tutted. "You know I never gamble Lord Baelish" he replied. "So yes I would" he added with an amused smile.

Petyr Baelish laughed. "And the stakes?"

"How about the loser owes the winner a favour to be redeemed at a later date" Varys proposed.

"High stakes indeed but you're on" Baelish agreed.

Still loyally stood beside the man he was pledged to Ser Davos Seaworth could only wish that Stannis had a default expression that was less sullen because this was no time to be projecting that kind of image. If people thought that you thought you were going to lose, they weren't about to take a risk and support you, and frankly Stannis Baratheon needed all the waverers he could get. It was nigh a certainty that none of the noble houses of the Westerlands would go against Tywin Lannister, and few if any of the northern houses would vote differently than the Starks who seemed highly likely to also support Joffrey's claim too. Add in the Tully's, who would likely follow the Stark's lead, bringing along their own supporters in the Riverlands, and Stannis would have been in trouble even if he could have relied upon the support of the Stormlands, which he couldn't because he didn't get along with his brother Renly. Naturally the Tyrells, who had the backing of most of the Reach, were sure to want to back the likely winner which certainly didn't look like it was going to be Stannis.

For some reason Stannis did seem to think the Vale would support him but hadn't let on why. It didn't make sense to Davos Seaworth that Lisa Arryn as the daughter of Hoster Tully and the good-sister of Eddard Stark wouldn't encourage the nobles sworn to House Arryn to vote the same way as the rest of her family but for whatever reason that was Stannis's belief. That wasn't nearly enough to win though, even if he was right.

"I still think you should have tried reaching out to Balon Greyjoy, My Lord" Seaworth advised. "It's still not too late and the Ironborn respect a good admiral" he said. "Leading the fleet that defeated them at Fair Isle might even go in your favour."

"Maybe it would but I don't respect Balon Greyjoy and his band of pirate raiders calling themselves a kingdom" Stannis responded. "And for the last time its 'Your Grace' not…" he continued before finishing his sentence and instead frowning. "Have you been deliberately getting that wrong because I just now realised you keep doing it?"

Davos Seaworth winced. "Yes" he reluctantly admitted. It wouldn't have been right to lie in response to a direct question like that.

"And the reason for this particular insubordination, Ser Davos?" Stannis demanded to know. "And, now I come to think of it, of other examples where you haven't minded your manners of late?"

Seaworth sighed. "I'm loyal to you, as loyal as I could be, but being loyal sometimes means doing the right thing for someone not what they think they want" he replied honestly. "You haven't been yourself either, there's conflict within you, and I hoped to make you see sense and regain your focus."

Stannis narrowed his eyes. "And do you think that a bannerman has the right to question the man to whom he owes his allegiance?" he asked coldly. "That he has a right to choose which orders to obey, or what courtesies to ignore?"

"No, but he has a duty to a friend who's an honourable man" Seaworth responded. "And if he's a good, honourable man himself then he'll try and help his friend regardless of the consequences to himself" he continued. "I'm your sworn man, and I'll accept any punishment you want to dole out to me for stepping out of line, but if something as simple as not letting you get too accustomed to being called 'Your Grace' stops you getting your head cut off out of sheer stubbornness, and leaving your daughter fatherless, then it'll be worth losing the rest of my fingers or worse" he declared.

"I'm your Liege Lord, Ser Davos, not your friend" Stannis replied.

"Begging your pardon but to my mind you're both, Your Grace" Seaworth replied, "Thought I should say it at least once before the Great Council makes its decision" he explained his eventual use of the royal honorific. "You're as honest and as principled a man as any I've met, and if these well-bred idiots don't see it then to the seven hells with them" he said. "But going there first to lead the way yourself isn't too smart to my way of thinking."

Stannis looked up at the towering ceiling, then wistfully to the Iron Throne. "Being told by a former smuggler that I'm as honest and principled a man as he's ever met is faint praise Ser Davos" he responded eventually.

"I met more decent, hardworking men that stayed true to their word as an honest smuggler than you'll likely find in this Great Council, Your Grace" Seaworth told him.

"That's twice in a row you've got it right now" Stannis replied.

"It was always your due as the one true king of Westeros, the pity is men don't always get their due" Seaworth opined.

Stannis nodded, it wasn't fair or just but it was hard to disagree with the reality even when your instincts were to fight against it. "You received your due, Ser Davos" he said, stressing the man's title as a knight.

"Aye, from you, and I also earned the punishment for smuggling I received at your hand as well because you practice what you preach and that's a rare trait to be sure" Seaworth replied. "What's going on over there do you think?" he queried as with no little amount of commotion the Dornish all seemed to be following Oberyn Martell away out of the throne room.

A steward wearing clothing embroidered with the Lannister sigil came running up to Tyrion Lannister and whispered in his ear for a few moments before running off again heading towards Varys and Baelish. "My Lords" Tyrion spoke up, addressing Stannis as well as Joffrey. "A raven just arrived from Prince Doran Martell in Sunspear has apparently ordered his brother and the Dornish Houses to withdraw from the Great Council without casting their votes, effectively abstaining" he told them.

"Do we know why?" Stannis asked, it was certainly an unexpected turn of events.

"We do not, Lord Stannis" Tyrion replied. "And since they look as surprised as we do my guess is only Doran Martell does" he noted, pointing across to where the steward was now talking to a very startled looking Varys and Petyr Baelish.

"Will this prevent the vote, Lord Tyrion?" Seaworth queried glumly. Nobody had known which way Dorne would vote, they hated the Lannisters and Baratheons both, but merely the possibility they might choose to support Stannis, if only to tweak the nose of Tywin Lannister, was some slim measure of hope now apparently vanished.

"It shouldn't, Ser Davos, but it's very strange nonetheless" Tyrion told him. "Then again, nobody ever accused Dorne of going with the flow as regards the rest of the Seven Kingdoms" he said. "The Targaryens integrated to a greater degree in less than three centuries in Westeros than the Rhoynish in Dorne managed in a thousand years."

"So it just means less votes to go around then" Seaworth reasoned.

"Fewer" Stannis corrected his grammar as Lord Stark appeared and prompted everyone to get back to casting their ballots.

Notes:

Note from the Author:

Stannis married the niece of the Florent family, one of the houses of the Reach nominally sworn to House Tyrell. The Reach isn't as stable politically as the other parts of Westeros with the Tyrells matched by other houses almost as powerful such as the Hightowers.

Stannis Baratheon commanded the Royal Fleet when it smashed the Ironborn fleet at Fair Isle during the Greyjoy rebellion.

If you don't get the reference in the quote at the top click here ;-)

Finally I'm pleased to announce that this story has won in its category as best timeline on the Alternative History Forum gaining a 2016 Turtledove Award