Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Histories & Lore: A New House Baratheon

"The Stags of House Baratheon" is part of the Histories & Lore, a special feature from Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season. It is narrated by Henry Cavill as King Daveth Baratheon.

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Synopsis: Daveth Baratheon explains the history of House Baratheon, the establishment of his own faction as well as his house's future.

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Narration

Daveth Baratheon: Oathkeeper. That's what the lords and ladies of Westeros called me, though there were still some who referred to my father, King Robert Baratheon, the First of His Name, as the Usurper. Such gossip is normally beneath one's notice, but I know why the name stuck; the truth is that House Baratheon was by far the youngest of the Great Houses. We claim our descent from the Storm Kings of House Durrandon through the female line when my ancestor, Orys Baratheon, founded our bloodline during Aegon Targaryen's conquest to unite the Seven Kingdoms into a single realm three hundred years ago. And ever since then, the Baratheons faithfully served House Targaryen when Aegon and his descendants sat on the Iron Throne, a seat of power forged from the melted down swords of Aegon's fallen enemies. Through thick and thin, great or small, we endured. We did our duty... but when push came to shove, it wasn't long before tensions reached a boiling point.

When the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen the Second of His Name, executed Lord Rickard Stark and his eldest son Brandon, he demanded my father's head and Ned Stark's as well. What an incompetent fool. How delusional and paranoid he was. Aerys failed to understand that no king induced a level of tyranny, madness or cruelty as he did nor did he predict that one day his actions would eventually lead to his downfall. Instead, the noble houses of Baratheon, Stark, Arryn and Tully all called their banners in rebellion and ended the dragons' reign with the aid of my grandfather Lord Tywin Lannister, and my uncle Ser Jaime. By right of conquest, my father claimed the throne.

Now I won't deny the fact that my father was a terrible king, because he really was. His wasteful spending and financial mismanagement bankrupted the realm and put us deeply in debt, but I made it my goal to bring about many changes at court. If our treasury was empty, I worked to ensure they were replenished. If there were minor disputes between noble houses, I resolved them. If there were debts, I made sure they were paid. If anyone believed themselves to be above their station, I put them in their place. While my father wasted away seventeen years of his rule, squandering and shirking his responsibilities, I worked behind the scenes to ensure proper security and stability would be everlasting—even if it means any dishonor falls on me. As it turns out, there were some not just at court but throughout the land who felt the same as I did and joined me in establishing my own faction. Where one stands in the light, another must work within the shadows. All to maintain the necessary balance. It wouldn't be long before I, Daveth Baratheon, the First of My Name, eventually took my father's place.

Unfortunately, one of my own decided I was untested and ended up turning on me. I proved him wrong. But I guess I somehow had suspicions that it was only just the beginning of what was next to come.

Deceit and denial. It seemed the world was full of power-hungry sycophants who'd be more than willing to sell their own children into slavery if it meant raising their station above its faculty. We all live in its shadow, though many held firm in their beliefs that it was the other way around. Poor fools seem too full of themselves to understand that bad soil yields no bounty. For as long my body still drew breath, they'd be met with the grim reality. One by one, each contender seeking to buck the trend for their own benefit were quickly struck down. With swift, yet ruthless efficiency.