Fanfic / Ours is the Fury

Ours is the Fury is a fanfic set in A Song of Ice and Fire which is a What If? where Robert and Cersei have a trueborn son after Joffrey.

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Tropes that appear in this fanfic:

• Accidental Murder: Stafford killed a bastard of House Frey in a tourney melee when he didn't see that the boy had taken his helmet off and the axe came down... cracking the boy's head. Not wanting to be known as someone who killed for a title, he yielded to Thoros of Myr.
• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • The Stark men-at-arms laugh at Stafford's quip about Joffrey's fighting ability.
    Stafford: You sure bested me, brother. Maybe I should call for Lady Sansa to show her of your skill in battle.
  • Stafford and Renly laugh at Ned's remarks about Littlefinger's "duel" with Brandon Stark years ago.
    Littlefinger: I have hoped to meet you for some years, Lord Stark. No doubt Lady Catelyn has mentioned me to you.
    Ned: She has. I understand you knew my brother Brandon as well.
• Adaptational Badass: Ser Ilyn Payne is not known for his skill in combat in the books or show. Here, he carves through several of Stafford's men at the Great Sept before beheading Ned Stark.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Cersei, by virtue of carrying her child with Robert to term.
  • Stannis and Renly back Stafford instead of proclaiming themselves king since Stafford has the strongest claim (for Stannis) and Renly thinks he's the best option.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Sansa is not nearly as blind to Joffrey's mood swings and her attraction to him is mostly broken before he orders her father's death due to Joffrey's neglect. It hurts on the way there, of course.
• The Alcoholic: Stafford is quick to reach for wine.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: A drunken Stafford tries to make out with Sansa, right after an argument with Joffrey about Sansa and with Arya watching. Then Joffrey shows up.
• Animal Motifs: Stags and Baratheons, most prominently with Stafford. Sansa describes him as brash as a young stag. One of the stories involving Stafford's abduction of Sansa involves arriving shirtless riding on a stag and bowling over Ilyn Payne.
• Arranged Marriage: Two; Sansa and Joffrey on one side and Stafford and Arya.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Robb gets a couple POV chapters.
  • Renly, who takes the POV in the hunt where King Robert is killed.
  • Mycah gets a few more lines in before his demise.
• Ax-Crazy: When Odyn Sand manages to evade Karl Tanner, the latter goes berserk and starts attacking everyone in sight before he catches up to Odyn again.
• Backstab Backfire: Joffrey attempts to hit Stafford while training at Winterfell, only for Stafford to punch him down.
• Becoming the Mask: Stafford had wanted to be friends with Sansa, partially stemming from feeling that she deserved a better husband than Joffrey. It wound up being so much more.
• Berserk Button:
  • Joffrey is a walking one for Stafford. A good example would be at the feast at Winterfell when Joffrey boasts of beating Stafford in a tourney (which didn’t happen) and getting the girls to laugh at him. Stafford immediately flies into a rage and gives Joffrey a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
  • Robert’s is anyone saying that he shows Parental Favoritism. He hits Joffrey when the latter says that Stafford is his favorite son.
• Big Brother Bully: Joffrey towards Stafford. He'll usually say something mean and Stafford will react, often with punching Joffrey.
• Big Damn Heroes: Joffrey when he saves Stafford from a bear.
• Big Eater: Stafford, mainly because he will practice to the point of exhaustion. Joffrey says he got it from his father.
• Black Knight: A mystery knight enters the Hand's tourney and is eventually unmasked as Stafford.
• Blame Game: Sansa goes through one in her head after the incident at the Trident, going from Arya and Mycah for being too adventurous, Stafford for encouraging Arya's unladylike behavior, and Joffrey for being too aggressive toward Mycah, leading to Joffrey getting bitten by Nymeria and another fight between Stafford and Joffrey.
• Blood Knight: Stafford never backs down from a challenge, going up against Meryn Trant with a smile. It winds up being a Deconstruction, as his desire for combat leads him to taking part in a tourney where he crowns Sansa Queen of Love and Beauty, which aggravates the already stormy relationship between himself and Joffrey, as well as the one between Sansa and Arya.
• Butt-Monkey: Meryn Trant. He had gotten beaten by Stafford some time ago (which surprised quite a few people), gets unhorsed by the mystery knight in the Hand's tourney, received an utter thrashing from Syrio Forel before being able to kill him (Trant is described later on moving very gingerly) and receives a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Stafford when the prince comes for Sansa.
• Byronic Hero: Stafford has most of the criteria. Handsome, brooding, passionate, emotionally sensitive to the point of being bipolar, ends up cultivates a socially unacceptable relationship with his betrothed's sister, and overall a controversial figure in-universe and out.
• The Cameo: Karl Tanner appears in Chapter 13 and the chapter ends with Karl getting arrested by the Gold Cloaks after attacking Odyn Sand, which would explain how he got to the Wall.
• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Stafford is based off of Max Irons’ portrayal of King Edward IV in The White Queen.
• Continuity Nod: Renly refers to the Knight of the Laughing Tree at the Tourney at Harrenhal when he suggests Stafford infiltrate the Hand's tourney by dressing up as a mystery knight named Howland.
• Cool Uncle: All of Stafford's uncles apply, but his closest bond is with Renly, who acts as a Big Brother Mentor.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Joffrey starts thinking that Sansa is cheating on him with Stafford, for something as little as watching Stafford spar.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Stafford gives a few to Joffrey. And the Hound gives one to Stafford.
• Determinator: Stafford. What he lacks in intellect he makes up for in passion and hard work. This also translates over into the training field; Stafford once went through 15 rounds of sparring.
• Didn't Think This Through: Stafford crowning Sansa the Queen of Love and Beauty at the Hand's tourney leads to quite a few problems, such as aggravating the conflict between Sansa and Arya.
• Domestic Abuse: Joffrey gets a start on this with Sansa, mainly out of jealousy towards Stafford. Which needn't have happened if Joffrey hadn't neglected Sansa.
• Doomed by Canon: Lady, Mycah, Ser Hugh, Jory Cassel, King Robert Baratheon, Septa Mordane, Syrio Forel, Ned Stark.
• Double In-Law Marriage: Alongside the Joffrey-Sansa betrothal, Stafford is betrothed to Arya.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Stafford when his father dies. Sansa has to pull him out of it.
• The Drifter: Odyn Sand, similar to his father Oberyn Martell.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Referenced in-universe; Joffrey asks Sansa if he should dye his hair black so she'll stop talking about Stafford.
• Enemy Mine: Stannis and Renly decide to put their differences aside and help Stafford get the throne.
• Exact Words: Stafford says he's not a traitor... because he never supported Joffrey in the first place.
• Foil: Stafford to Rhaegar Targaryen. Pursuit-wise, they are opposites; Rhaegar was an Academic Athlete while Stafford is Book Dumb and gets by through determination. Rhaegar was a Pretty Boy, Stafford is a Hunk in the making. Rhaegar was the eldest son and heir, Stafford is the second son. What they have in common is how badly they conduct themselves towards Stark girls; Rhaegar dishonored his wife Elia Martell by crowning Lyanna Stark Queen of Love and Beauty at a tournament and later stole her away, while Stafford disregarded his betrothal to Arya to crown Sansa, and later kidnapped her from King's Landing, albeit to save her from Joffrey.
• Frontline General: Stafford when storming Pinkmaiden.
• Generation Xerox: Stafford is very much one for Robert. Stafford is very good in combat, with a penchant for drinking, eating, and Stark women.
• Glass Cannon: Stafford when it comes to stamina. He compensates by getting close and physical with his opponents and finish them quickly.
• History Repeats: A tourney with a mystery knight and a prince who spurns his own betrothed/wife, crowning a girl of House Stark Queen of Love and Beauty. Said prince snatches the girl of House Stark from her betrothed, a Baratheon, albeit in a more... dramatic fashion.
• Hot-Blooded: Stafford has the famous fury of the Baratheons and it shows.
• How We Got Here: The story gives a possible explanation for how Karl Tanner got sent to the Wall: he attacked Odyn Sand while the latter was on a delivery.
• In Spite of a Nail: The War of Five Kings breaks out... but with less kings, since Stannis and Renly are backing Stafford. Robb has also seceded, it's unknown whether or not Balon Greyjoy will.
• Irony: When Joffrey and Stafford were younger, Joffrey used to tease Stafford about resembling King Robert, saying that he was a bastard. Of course, it's the other way around: Joffrey is the bastard son.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Arya winds up having to say she didn't know what she saw when she saw Stafford and Sansa making out.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Stafford makes a similar speech to Ramsay Snow's "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention" line in "The Climb" to Sansa when they argue about his behavior with her.
  Stafford: If memory serves me correct, when I was talking to you, you seemed to be living in some fairy tale, that your prince would come save you. Open your eyes Sansa, that shit doesn't happen.
• The Mentor:
  • Barristan Selmy and the Hound to Stafford.
  • Jon Connington to Ellion.
• Mood-Swinger: Stafford is described as having two moods: a joyful side like the rays of the sun and a black rage like molten stone.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Stafford feels very guilty about breaking his promises to Arya.
• My Nayme Is: Odyn (Odin) Sand.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Stafford describing his emotions references some of the deaths in Game of Thrones, such as sadness being a bucket of rats clawing at his insides, or anger like a mountain crushing his skull into paste.
  • Also, when saying goodbye to Jon Snow as the latter is leaving to join the Night's Watch, Stafford jokes that he should try to not get killed by his brothers.
  • Odyn remarks about Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen lacking the Baratheon looks by comparing them to Baelor Breakspear, The Wise Prince from Tales of Dunk and Egg, who was Tall, Dark, and Handsome compared to his Targaryen father.
  • In connection with Baelor Breakspear lacking the conventional Targaryen looks, Stafford has Odyn look for proof about whether or not Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are Baratheons or Lannister, otherwise they'll look like the Blackfyres by making a claim at the Iron Throne on flimsy grounds.
  • When talking with Odyn after the Hand's Tourney, Margaery jokes that when she dies people will see the flames from all around.
• Named Weapons: Stafford calls his axe Storm's Edge.
• Not Helping Your Case: Stafford's insistence that he hasn't been sleeping with Sansa is sent awry when he drunkenly tries to make out with her.
• Odd Friendship: Stafford develops one with Odyn Sand. He also has one with Gendry, which is interesting since Gendry and Stafford are half-siblings.
• Oh, Crap!: Robert when he overextends in a lunge on the boar hunt and realizes he left himself wide open.
  It was at that point that Robert knew: he had fucked up.
• Only Friend: Gendry to Stafford, before the Stark girls arrived.
• Original Character:
  • Stafford Baratheon, second son of King Robert and Cersei Lannister and Robert's only trueborn child.
  • Odyn Sand, a bastard son of Oberyn Martell who serves as a runner for Tobho Mott.
  • Ellion, a young man of the Golden Company and an Old Friend of Daenerys Targaryen.
• Parental Favoritism: Stafford is Robert's favorite.
• Red Baron: Stafford is also known by such names as "The Fiend Axeman" and "The Usurper's Headsman". He got the latter after accidentally killing a bastard of Walder Frey.
• Red Herring: A while ago, Joffrey spread some rumors about Stafford and Renly being in a Homoerotic Subtext relationship. We all know that's not true.
• Remittance Man: Odyn Sand, like his father Oberyn Martell in his backstory.
• The Resenter: Joffrey hates Stafford for being Robert's favorite.
• Roaring Rampage of Rescue: Stafford leads a force of 25 men to rescue Ned and Sansa at the Great Sept of Baelor. It only half succeeds: he rescues Sansa, while Ned loses his head when Stafford fails to spot a recovering Ilyn Payne.
• Sadistic Choice: Stafford winds up being forced to choose between Sansa (who he loves) and Arya (his betrothed, who he also loves, just not as much). He chooses Sansa.
• Scars Are Forever: Ellion has greyscale scars on his left arm and shoulder.
• Sherlock Scan: Stafford has one of these. For example, he knows that Bran likes to climb due to the dust and loose stones in his hair.
• Shipper on Deck: Renly goes out of his way to support a relationship between Stafford and Sansa. He even tries to get them to share a bed on the ship to Storm's End.
• Sibling Rivalry: Stafford has a bitter one with Joffrey and both Robert and Cersei are tiring of it. If there's one thing Robert and Cersei agree on, it's that the boys have to stop fighting. For the Lannister guardsmen, it’s entertainment.
• Smart People Play Chess: Ellion always brings a cyrvasse board with him wherever he goes.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: Stafford and Sansa become this. It costs him Ned and Arya's goodwill.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Stafford has the classic Baratheon looks: a tall and strong build, with blue eyes. He looks like a younger version of Stannis, if Stannis smiled more and had hair.
• Talk to the Fist: Whenever Joffrey says something mean or lies, Stafford punches him.
• Tempting Fate: After learning of Daenerys' pregnancy, Ned's resignation as Hand and having to deal with the Love Triangle between Sansa, Arya and himself, Stafford wonders if the White Walkers will come back in a sudden winter.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Stafford is very good with throwing axes.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Stafford, twice.
  • Stafford keeps a journal with him, a journal he subsequently leaves in Winterfell. When Robb reads it, he finds that Stafford suggests that Bran got pushed out of the tower. And we all know where that goes.
  • He advocates for Daenerys' assassination in a Small Council meeting. This leads to Khal Drogo declaring war on the Seven Kingdoms and his subsequent death, and Daenerys hatches dragons on his funeral pyre.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Catelyn and Robb call out Stafford for breaking his promises to Arya. He admits they’re quite right to do so.
• Would Hurt a Child: Stafford advocates Daenerys' assassination.
  Stafford: Kill her. As much as it pains me to say it, we should have done it a long time ago. Just kill her and finish this madness.

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