sunflower ( really wondering what could bring a grim reaper like you any joy !! 😜 ) & zinnia
@rexaestate | botanical headcanons
SUNFLOWER / what brings your muse the most joy in life ?
this is a tough question. stannis baratheon is not the pinnacle of joyful. since his childhood, he has been too serious; he was never like his brothers robert or renly. joy is a strange emotion for him, because very few things bring him absolute happiness.
that being said, the biggest joy in stannis’ life is his daughter: shireen baratheon. she is his first born that survived birth, and the joy of being a father was not lost on stannis -- which would be surprising for his rivals (for even his allies). he will never forget the abject terror he felt when she had been infected with the greyscale, and he is eternally grateful that she was able to overcome it. she is his daughter, and seeing her grow and thrive has always brought him pride. stannis names her as his heir. not her husband. she will be queen when he dies. stannis has a hard time with emotions, but shireen does bring him as much joy as he can feel.
ZINNIA / how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ? has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ?
stannis was never surprised about losing robert. in his older age, robert became arrogant and careless. it was only a matter of time before he would drink himself to the grave -- or worse. still, robert had been his older brother, and stannis admired him in his own way. he knew what his duty would be after robert’s death, especially with the knowledge that all of robert’s children were lannister bastards. he misses robert. somewhat. he still feels slighted by robert’s decision to give him dragonstone instead of their ancestral home.
renly’s death, however. . . is a different matter entirely. the circumstances were very different. RENLY HAD TO DIE. renly had to die. he was a treasonous little sneak. he would not swear fealty when stannis clearly had the claim to the throne. was that enough -- truly -- to kill his brother? his own flesh and blood?
stannis has recurring nightmares about that day. sometimes, he is actually in the tent with renly, watching as he bleeds out. . . his baby brother. stannis had once tried to keep that boy alive by any means necessary. they had been starving, and stannis would ease the boy’s worries during the siege. he still remembers young renly clinging to him, looking at him with those big eyes, afraid. of course he had been afraid. he never recognized the man that renly became, influenced by the politics of king’s landing -- the backstabbing, the machinations, the game. stannis did not like playing the game, and he would not play with his brother for who was the rightful king. renly saw an opportunity to undermine him and took it. he should have no remorse; he would have done the same for any attempted usurper.
and yet. . . it is renly. could they not have found a truce? had he been blinded by his own righteousness that no other conclusion could have been reached? had fratricide been the only way? stannis continues to ponder this as time continues on; he dwells on his own actions surrounding the murder of his brother. it makes him pause and think before he before acting, before allowing melisandre to act. does he find empathy with the act? he does not know. can he truly change from it? also uncertain. but it has affected him greatly. sometimes he looks at shireen and sees the shadow of his baby brother. and sometimes, he will fixate on that fucking peach.
