DRAGONS REBORN: The Era After SI (GOT story)

Part 8

Chapter 8

Robert Baratheon, son of Steffon Baratheon, was named the Lord of Stormlands in the later vestiges of the rule of King Aerys when his father died of consumption. In his youth, the young Lord had been famous for his voracious appetite for wine, women, and war. Lord Steffon sought to have his son fostered by another Lord to curb his bad habits and initially chose the aged Mord Arryn, yet it never came to be.

In a surprising turn of events, the King would offer to foster the young Bratehon, and Lord Steffon would jump at the honor, more trusting of the cousin he had been a friend of than the older Lord Arryn. So, the young Lord would leave for Kings Landing, for his fostering. King Aerys would raise the boy like a son, labor hard to curb the boisterous young man's bad habits, and achieve mixed results. The King would succeed in instilling a sense of duty in the Baratheon lad, yet the young Lord always tended to be led astray whenever he was out of the man's eye.

Perhaps knowing that, the King would also arrange a reasonable match for the young Baratheon. A match he would later be found describing as.

'The old man chose her to keep an eye on me!'

0000

CERSEI LANNISTER

In the stormy lands of the Durandon kings, it was a rare morning as the sky remained clear with no hint of a raging storm. On the shores of the Stormlands stood the ancient fortress of Storm's end with its singular defiant Drumm tower overlooking the bay, which had a number of ships broken and cracked bound to it.

Men were rushing towards the castle in hoards as the sounds of men drilling permeated the lands. However, inside the ancient fortress, the chambers of the Lady of Storms' Ends were filled with serenity as the golden-haired lady Cersei Baratheon nee Lannister sat on her bed, nursing the young little girl in her arms. She was pale, and her hair was disheveled, yet even in such a state, one would have to be blind to ignore the great beauty of the West.

And if nature ran its course, the young bundle with shimmering golden locks in her hands would grow up to rival her mother. Cersei Lannister smiled as she saw her daughter sleeping soundly. Her birth had been rather tricky, yet seeing the little babe in her arms made it all worth it.

"Hello, little one," she cooed as she rocked the babe in her arms, happy that Robert had let her choose their daughter's name. She had to choose Joanne, in memory of her recently departed mother, Lady Joanna Lannister.

Cersei had yet to fully recover from her labors, so a maid stepped forward and spoke slowly.

"My lady, may I take the young lady to her room so you can rest?" yet Cersei shook her head. It was the first time she had gotten to hold her daughter. She did not want to let go of her just yet.

So, she shook her head as she dismissed the maid.

"No, I shall take care of her for some time," then she turned towards the servant.

"Where is Robert?" she questioned, and the maid answered dutifully about the location of the Lord of Storm's End.

"My Lady, he went to the docks with the Prince in the morning. He also took young lord Ormund with him," and Cersei nodded and looked out the window at the fully risen Sun. They would be coming back soon.

"And what about Steffon?" she inquired about her younger son, named after Robert's father. The boy was leaner than his elder brother and preferred the company of books rather than the war hammer. Ormund took after his father more than her and was growing up to be as large as his father, blessed with the same monstrous strength he preferred the war hammer much to Robert's joy. Yet Steffon preferred a sword, much like his uncle though Cersei would wager her son was better at his letters than her twin.