When the blood of the dragon meets the soul of the dragon, the continent begins to burn.
The Baratheons are steadfast, strong, and formidable. Leanna Baratheon is no different. She is the storm, and no one, Targaryen or other, will bring her down.
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Word travels ahead of them like a wildfire. Before they reach Grandview, every village along the way has a word to say to the Lady of Storm's End. Daemon is hardly acknowledged as they travel. It's not the Targaryen they hold in their hearts now.
They want to see Stormswaith. To be in the presence of the ancient sword. The sword of kings who were more gods than men. They wanted to see her holding it.
Daemon finds himself more enthralled with her each day. Unable to pull his gaze from her in the simple moments, like the days they are travel weary on horseback and her hair begins to escape her braid. He is beginning to know her, and the personality revealed to him is vibrant.
He doesn't want to admit it to himself, but watching her blossom into this beloved figure is truly getting to him. She is excellent with the common folk, gracious and kind. She is soft-spoken with them, troubling them naught with the reasons behind her tour of the Stormlands. When they encounter nobles, she is firmer. Diplomatic, yet fierce. Allowing nothing to slip past her. Her temper is quelled in these lands she calls home. He can't quite say he misses it.
Lorent Grandison of Grandview is already won over by their arrival. Much like Fawnton, they are treated to feast, and celebration. However, it is here that Leanna must tighten her hold. Lorent is a notorious gambler and a cheapskate, easily won over by gold and good wine. It is lords like this that pose the most trouble. Should Borros show up tomorrow with promises of riches unending, there was no promise his loyalties would remain with Leanna.
Still, the Grandison forces were among the more notable of the marcher lords. Forces that she cannot afford to lose.
She secures it with a promise. Her matchmaking skills would make Lorent's heir a handsome sum. She would ensure that the Grandison name become notable through marriage, in one way or another. It was the kind of promise that ensured Lorent was going to hold out on her for.
Now, they are a two-days journey from Storm's End. Daemon is uncertain of their reception in the great house. The closer they travel, the darker the whispers of corruption are. Borros's claws are dug in deeper here. Extracting them will be a difficult task. Like pulling venom from a wound. He has brought dark things here. There are unsavory characters drawn to the illegal trades in the markets of the small towns.
Leanna finds herself staring at a small, colorful bird in a dingy cage in the market of a town just outside Felwood. It's not the last time she will see animals far out of their homelands, and many are in worse condition. Poaching of creatures like this, under the protection of the former queen Alysanne, is illegal. It was an act to protect dragon eggs in particular, especially after three had been stolen from Dreamfyre's nest some years earlier. Borros was undoubtedly allowing and encouraging this, for she knew of his favored creature, a large orange cat with black stripes down its back that was shackled at all times to prevent attack. It was something he used to impress Lords and whores alike.
