A/N - This imagine is based on the song 'Dark Horse' by Katy Perry and Juicy J. I hope you all enjoy it.
Dragonstone was everything you had ever dreamed it would be. From the moment you had first set eyes on it, you knew that it held a power inside of it. Invisible to the naked eye, but lingering, hidden away to all but you. You had wondered at first, whether the power came from the Dragonglass that was buried beneath the hills, but you had quickly come to realise that it had nothing to do with the castle at all.
Stannis Baratheon carried with him a stern type of authority, the kind you could only ever dream of having. You won people over with smiles and sweetness, people would fall for you and do as you asked. But he was different. He didn't have to be nice to persuade people into doing his bidding. He simply ordered it, and it was done.
When you had first been introduced to the man, his stoic manner had startled you. Of course, you had worked with quiet men before, but never one like him. He would be hard to win over, but eventually, with a little effort, you were certain you could manage it. In fact, you were convinced that you had almost lured him in, that he was almost under your spell, when he had caught you off guard.
"Are you a witch?" he has questioned you one evening, watching as you shifted slightly in your seat, gazing over at him with furrowed brows.
"Why would you think that?" you had uttered, bringing your cup up to your lips and taking a deep drink. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what it was that had him so convinced of your otherness, but he was certain that he was onto something.
Stannis sighed, watching you carefully. "You didn't answer," he told you, and you smirked at him, letting out a light chuckle.
"Neither did you, Your Grace."
The smile you gave him had told him enough. He wasn't going to get an answer out of you with this line of questioning, you weren't stupid enough to let him in that easily. "I could use a talented sorcerer on my side in the war to come," he continued, forcing a smile onto his lips. It looked unnatural there, and you found that you weren't a fan of what it did to his face. You much preferred the stern look on him.
"Would you like me to find you one, Your Grace?" you answered softly, quirking an eyebrow at him as he stood from his seat, pacing over to the map table.
"Why would you do that when we have one right here?"
You smiled again, watching him pluck figures off of the map as though they were chess pieces, settling them into their new positions, correcting the problems in front of him. "Why are you so certain that I know a single thing about magic?"
Stannis shrugged slightly, glancing over at you for a moment before returning to his work. "I don't know. It's a gut feeling," he uttered, fingers lingering on the table as you got to your feet.
"What is it you need a sorcerer for, Your Grace?" you asked softly, drawing his attention back to you. The look of concern on your features was new, a brow furrowed so tightly that it made you look as though you had aged a decade. "Magic is a dangerous game, you shouldn't enter into it without knowing what you're doing."
A smirk pulled at Stannis' lips as he watched you. "How would you know that?"
Suddenly, the concern was gone, replaced with a ice-cold stare. "I have some experience with magicians," you stated, lips set in a straight line. "They're capable of causing a lot of trouble for you if you aren't careful."
"Then we'll have to be careful, won't we?"
The snort of laughter you released was like music to his ears, and he felt a weight lift from him as you crossed your arms across your chest, smiling again. "What do you want me to do?"
Stannis turned away from you, pointing at a point on the map. "This is Renly's camp," he told you, waiting for you to come and stand beside him before he continued. "I want you to find a way to destroy it, and to get rid of him."
"I don't think you know what you're asking of me," you uttered. For a moment, you wondered whether Stannis would be able to hear just how loudly your heart was beating in your chest. OR whether he would be able to smell the nervousness radiating from you. "That would be murder. I don't do that sort of thing," you continued, shaking your head.
"Renly is a threat to everything I have worked to create here," he started again, his hand coming to rest on your elbow, drawing you closer to the map and pointing at the camp he had mentioned. "He needs to be gone for me to take my place on the Iron Throne."
"Stannis-" You paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Once you've done this, there is no going back." He nodded, eyes fixed on you as you bit down on your lips. "If I do this for you, you can't ask me to do it again. I won't become your magical assassin."
"It will just be this once."
You released a deep breath, and nodded. "I'll have it done by dawn," you uttered, shaking your head.
"Perfect," he started, another smile pulling uncomfortably at his lips. "I'll leave you to get to work."
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