game of thrones fanfic
You have chosen the just but deeply unpopular Stannis Baratheon. You are famed for your swift but harsh sense of justice and your record as a naval commander and your legendary defence of Storm's End. You have recently discovered that your "nephew", Joffrey Baratheon is a bastard born of incest between the Queen mother Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister, thus making you the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Now you must decide your next course of action. Unfortunately for your cause, you command the smallest armies in the war, most of your rightful bannermen in the Stormlands have declared for that thief Renly. By making cause with the Red Priestess, Melisandre, you have also alienated many pious lords and ladies in the Seven Kingdoms and scores of smallfolk. While Melisandre has some assets that you will utilise with great effect, for now she is a burden and the practical matter of taking the throne must be realized.
You could immediately expose the incest of the Lannister twins and declare yourself the one true king by sending letters to all corners of the realm. This would send a decisive message that Joffrey is an illegitimate bastard and that your cause is the righteous one. However, it risks alienating potential allies such as Robb Stark and your brother by demanding their submission without much incentive.
You could remain quiet and wait for the other claimants to bloody themselves until you are ready to launch your campaign for the throne. This would give you enough time to prepare, but would make you look like an opportunistic coward, cause your existing allies to look to other prospects. By the time you even have a large enough force, you would be unable to defeat the other kings since they have done more to further their cause. Fortune favors the bold after all.
Alternatively, you could try to open negotiations with Robb Stark. Though he is as much a traitor as your brother and the Lannisters, he is the only one to defend the realm from the usurpers and he is known to be honorable and brave. He would make for a fine ally with some caveats. While allying with Renly is out of the picture, the Stark boy can be very useful. Unfortunately, his bannermen are determined to maintain their independence and you would need him to recognize you as the rightful sovereign.
What will you do?
You could immediately expose the incest of the Lannister twins and declare yourself the one true king by sending letters to all corners of the realm. This would send a decisive message that Joffrey is an illegitimate bastard and that your cause is the righteous one. However, it risks alienating potential allies such as Robb Stark and your brother by demanding their submission without much incentive.
You could remain quiet and wait for the other claimants to bloody themselves until you are ready to launch your campaign for the throne. This would give you enough time to prepare, but would make you look like an opportunistic coward, cause your existing allies to look to other prospects. By the time you even have a large enough force, you would be unable to defeat the other kings since they have done more to further their cause. Fortune favors the bold after all.
Alternatively, you could try to open negotiations with Robb Stark. Though he is as much a traitor as your brother and the Lannisters, he is the only one to defend the realm from the usurpers and he is known to be honorable and brave. He would make for a fine ally with some caveats. While allying with Renly is out of the picture, the Stark boy can be very useful. Unfortunately, his bannermen are determined to maintain their independence and you would need him to recognize you as the rightful sovereign.
What will you do?