Soft yellow and green tones enveloped the nursery. Bright morning sunlight hit the walls and made the room appear like a safe and warm cave. A hidden away forest meadow. A place where the darkness surrounding the castle couldn't reach them.

Gendry and Meera sat on the floor in the middle of the room. Her head on his shoulder and their hands interlaced. Neither of them had been able to sleep, so they had snuck into the nursery together to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet before the rest of the castle woke up. Mornings usually brought news, and news was rarely good these days.

A war was coming. They knew it. The question was just when.

Their backs leaned against a cradle with a stag banner emblazoned on it. It was said that King Robert Baratheon had slept in there when he was a child. Robert's son had found it in one of the storage rooms in Storm's End and made sure it was repaired and cleaned to be used by his own child.

Of course, Gendry Baratheon had never slept in that cradle himself. Instead, Gendry's mother had lovingly placed him in an old crate at night. So perhaps where you sleep as a child doesn't dictate where you end up in life. Because Robert's son would still end up in the same place as him.

Still, Gendry liked the thought of his child sleeping in the crib of a king and continuing the Baratheon tradition.

Carved animals stood in rows on the dresser. Horses, pigs, cows, birds, and many more. Anything a child could want to play with. Although one animal was missing.

"I'll have to ask my father to carve another crocodile," Meera said as she looked at the dresser. "Essie wanted to keep mine and I didn't have the heart to take it back."

"I'm sure Howland will gladly carve you one," Gendry replied and stroked her hand with his thumb.

He looked around the room. It was a lot to take in that his child would soon sleep there.

"Are you sure you don't want this part of the wall repainted?" he asked to take his mind off the coming war and pointed to a section of the green wall that was adorned with spiky lines and uneven shapes.

"No, I like it that way," Meera said with a smile. "I'm sure Essie put a lot of effort into those drawings."

He saw her rubbing her belly and contorting her face slightly. "Are you in pain?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied and smiled at him. "It's just some cramps. It will pass."

He leaned down and kissed her hair. The birth. The war. It was all coming soon. But right now they were here. They were safe.

A knock on the door disrupted their illusion of safety. "Lord and Lady Baratheon," Davos said on the other side. "A letter from House Estermont has arrived. I've told everyone to gather in the Great Hall."

That couldn't be good news. House Estermont was situated on an island outside the coast of the Stormlands. Right where the Dornish fleet would probably sail in.

Gendry got up with a sigh and stretched out his hand to help Meera up. Slowly and carefully she got up as well. "This might be it," he said.

"I know," she said.

"Whatever happens, know that I love you."

"I love you too."

They shared a kiss. Trying to capture the feeling of safety and warmth for one more moment. Then they took each other's hands and walked out to receive whatever news had arrived.

***

Everyone in the room looked at Stannis as he opened the letter.

Gathered in the Great Hall were, apart from the lord and the lady, also Davos, Howland, and Lord Penrose. All with serious frowns on their faces.

Stannis carefully opened the seal with a knife and unfolded the paper. Before he started to read he cleared his throat. The boy looked scared.

"Dornish warships have attacked the island," he read. "House Estermont are trying to defend their castle but a loss seems inevitable as the Dornish forces have hundreds of ships. They suspect Ellaria Sand plans to use the island as a base to attack the mainland. Lord Estermont is asking us to help them if we can."

Gendry sighed. The war was here.

He had known this would happen but still had somehow hoped it wouldn't. His hand clasped his wife's under the table, needing to hold on to something.

"We can't help them," he said. "We don't have enough ships. There's no way our few ships can fight the Dornish armada. It's suicide."

"You can't deny Lord Estermont your help, Lord Baratheon" Lord Penrose objected. "He's your bannerman and relative, and he's asking for your help."

It was true. Lord Eldon Estermont was Gendry's great uncle. His sister Cassana had been Robert Baratheon's mother. But regardless of any relation sending help was fruitless.

"I would help him if I could," Gendry replied. "But we will only lose the few ships we have. Our only option is fighting them on land, then we can maybe hold them off for long enough so Arya and her ships can get here. If they're attacking the island of Estermont now it's likely the eastern shore is where they will land. So that's where we need to make our stand."

"My castle Cape Wrath is on the eastern shore," Davos said. "We can gather your forces there and prepare. Call the banners and get every man we can. We will be fewer than the Dornish armies, but they can't land all their forces at once. Perhaps we can use that."

Gendry nodded. He was glad to have Davos by his side. Someone who had led an army into battle before.

In the only battle Gendry had fought himself, he had stood among the footsoldiers and swung a war hammer. Never had he been the one in charge when the enemy attacked.

"Then we'll march towards Cape Wrath tomorrow if possible," Gendry said. "Can the armies be prepared until then, Lord Penrose?"

Lord Penrose nodded. "I'll do my best to make the armies march at first sunlight."

For once he didn't protest. He was almost too cooperative.

"Write Lord Estermont and tell him to abandon his castle and bring as many men as possible with him to Cape Wrath," Gendry told Stannis. "We'll meet up with him there and we will all fight together. If we win we will retake his castle eventually."

Stannis obliged and immediately started crafting a letter.

"We need to leave some men here too," Gendry continued. "To defend the castle if the king attack, or if the Dornish fleet suddenly sails to Storm's End instead. My wife and child need to be protected, as well as everyone else in this castle."

"A thousand men can hold the castle," Lord Penrose replied assuredly. "Storm's End has never been taken and with a thousand men left behind, I believe it never will be. But who will be in charge of the castle in your absence?"

Gendry could feel Meera clasp his hand intensely under the table. He looked over at her and she gave him a nod.

"My wife, of course," he said. "I would entrust Meera with anything. And if something were to happen to me she is the head of House Baratheon until our child is of age."

"Your wife might be... incapacitated for some time soon though," Lord Penrose said. "And she's not used to ruling."

"Childbirth won't prevent me from defending this castle, Lord Penrose," Meera said as her hand rubbed her belly. "And I will have my father at my side to help me if needed."

Howland nodded. "I've defended castles and fought wars before," he said. "I will do so again if I need to."

"Stannis should stay behind as well," Gendry said. "He's too young to fight."

Stannis shook his head. "Many of those men marching are just as young as me, Lord Baratheon. I should fight too."

Stannis didn't say it but Gendry knew what he was thinking. Bastian's family was from the eastern shore, and he would want to fight. And if Bastian would fight, then Stannis would fight too.

"I've already caused your brother to be sent to the wall, Stannis," Gendry protested. "I'm not going to be responsible for your parents losing another child."

"You won't be, Lord Baratheon," Stannis replied. "It will be my choice to fight."

Gendry nodded reluctantly. He couldn't prevent the boy from fighting if he wanted to since they needed every man they could get. But he feared he would regret it.

"I'll go prepare the troops," Lord Penrose said and got up from the table.

The other men left the hall as well, there were many preparations to be made before the next morning. Gendry sighed and looked at his wife. "I don't want to leave," he said and leaned over to kiss her hair as he tried to keep tears from falling. "Not before the child is born. But I have to."

Meera squeezed his hand and looked up. Her face appeared plagued by pain and her hands held on to her belly.

"I know," she said through gritted teeth. "You might not have to though. I didn't want to alert everyone during the meeting... but I think I might be in labor."

And suddenly he forgot all about the coming war. All about troops and warships. All about the world that was caving in on them.

Because he was about to become a father.