Game of Thrones: StormBorn

292AC

"When is the cake gonna come out Father?"

"Not for a while yet I fear." He smiled as he ruffled little Shireen's hair, he hadn't seen her and Edric since before the prince's nameday, and they just kept getting bigger every time he saw them. Why it hadn't even been long now since they had been born he was sure. "You need to wait for the presentation of gifts first."

The ceremony was far less grand than that of his cousin, though that was to be expected. Indeed there was only a ceremony at all because he had decreed that he would begin considering marriage proposals when the boy reached twelve. Dragonstone didn't have the space to house so many guests to begin with, and only the vassals had been called for the most part. Robert and the queen had elected not to come due to "other business" though Renly had arrived in the morning at least.

He was glad that at least one of his brothers cared about the respect due to his son.

"Your teeth are grinding father." his eldest son noted beside him snapping out of his thoughts. "And I would rather not have Joffrey and the queen around anyhow."

"Young Arthur reads you like a book Stannis, and a dour book at that. Cheer up and have some wine."

He glanced at Renly, who looked honestly cheerful, and decided it was not, in fact, an insult, before turning to his son. "Don't speak ill of the royal house."

If anything the smile on Arthur's face seemed to grow for a second, before he nodded quickly, turning back to a conversation with Lord Duran Bar Emmon, who about matched him in age. Stannis wondered if letting his son grow independent is what had given him such a disrespectful streak, but shook his head after a moment. That had been there too long and was likely in the blood.

Still, it was better that he have a competent and slightly disrespectful son than one who was both disrespectful and a fool.

The feast continued apace, while his son spoke to Lord Bar Emmon, hs spent his time with Lords Celtigar, Velaryon, and Sunglass. He would have had far more vassals to speak with had his brother given him the Stormlands, but at the very least none of those sworn to Dragonstone were half as rebellious as the Stormlords. Though Sunglass' constant muttering regarding the will of the Seven was irritating at the face of it.

Still, the topic of conversation was one he liked well enough, mostly them congratulating him on his son's success, and asking if he might be willing to share the shipbuilding techniques with his vassals. Velaryon also bemoaned that he lacked a daughter to offer for Arthur's hand, but that was an issue unfortunately shared by all of the vassals present. It would have been ideal to secure their loyalty in such a way.

Eventually, it was decided that the presentation of gifts should begin, and it proved a far more tame affair than it had been for Joffrey, Velaryon presented a book on the genealogy of the dragonlords, which was to be expected from the old house, Celtigar made a big show of it and gave him a golden statuette of a stag with Diamond eyes, which drew a great deal of applause but likely wasn't to his son's interest, and Sunglass gave an ornate prayer necklace of moonstone much like the ones the Lord himself wore. Bar Emmon's gift was a jeweled shortsword, which was entirely unnecessary given the amount of Valyrian Steel in the vaults, but his son thanked the other boy warmly nonetheless.

A few others presented gifts, including his son's pet Frey, who handed him some sort of handheld Cannon, but the rest were largely unimportant. The Boy's mother and Stannis himself would give their own articles after the feast was over.

Finally, the cake was presented. A new tradition which his elder son had started for Shireen's first birthday, it was a great frosted thing which bore a number of candles equivalent to the nameday in question, in this case, twelve, and was brought out before the guests.

The festivities were wrapping up when he called his wife and son aside to his study, where he gestured to a sheet of papers on his desk.

His son, ever quick on his feet, glanced at the stack and back to him with a look of resolve on his face.

"It is time to speak about your betrothal."