---
Chapter 2 — "The Bastard of Bastion"
Year 281 AC
Storm's End, the Stormlands
---
I. Under the Storm
The roar of the sea mingled with the wind that battered the walls of Storm's End. Waves crashed against the cliffs, breaking into white foam under a dark sky.
There, in the fortress that defied the gods, lived a boy barely four years old who seemed destined to be forgotten.
A bastard.
An illegitimate son of Robert Baratheon.
But Ronnel Storm was no ordinary boy.
He stood 4 feet 3 inches tall, his body already beginning to take on an athletic shape, and his blue eyes, as intense as a clear sky before a storm, seemed to hold an ancient fire. His mind, however, was the most dangerous: an adult trapped in a child's body, burdened with otherworldly memories, the skills of thirteen lifetimes, and a single purpose:
> "I will not be a pawn. I will be the player."
---
II. The Maester and the Wolf (Accelerated Learning)
Every morning, Ronnel sat in Bastion's library. Surrounded by candles, scrolls, and dust, he absorbed information like a man who knows that knowledge is power.
"Today we will discuss the War of the Dornish Succession," said Maester Cressen, adjusting his maester's chain as he unfurled a yellowed scroll.
Ronnel interrupted calmly:
"It was in 157 AC that Princess Deria Martell brought her father's head to King's Landing to negotiate with young Daeron II. The war ended, but Dorne's resentment never died."
Cressen watched him silently, his lined face trembling slightly.
"Correct... and what do we learn from that?"
Ronnel irritated.
"That wars are not won with swords, but with pride and patience."
The old man was suspicious. Sometimes he felt like he was teaching an old wolf in puppyhood.
For weeks, Ronnel memorized lineages, alliances, betrayals, and secrets. He used the near-photographic memory inherited from Sheldon Cooper and the deductive wit of Patrick Jane to connect invisible threads.
He knew which houses hated the Targaryens.
He knew which families might rebel in the future.
And, above all, he knew that Storm's End would be key when the storm came... the rebellion.
---
III. Forging the Corps (Training and Skills)
In the evenings, the parade ground echoed with the clash of steel. There the young squires trained, and there Ronnel began to excel.
Ser Harbert, the master-at-arms, handed him a wooden sword almost as big as he was.
"If you're going to be here, bastard, prove to me you're worth more than your name," he snarled.
The other children laughed. One of them, the son of a sworn knight, stepped forward with a confident smirk.
"I'll let you hit me first," he said arrogantly.
The fight lasted less than three seconds.
Ronnel blocked the blow with surgical precision, deflected the attack, and used a move he'd learned from Raizo, twisting his opponent's arm and bringing him to the ground with a clean spin.
The courtyard fell silent.
"Again," Ronnel ordered, handing the sword back.
Ser Harbert studied him closely.
"I've never seen a child move like that. Where did you learn?"
Ronnel, alarming, enigmatic.
—In my dreams.
From that day on, Harbert trained him with brutal intensity. Ronnel combined the techniques of Jason Bourne, the brute strength of Daniel Park, the breath and fluidity of Yoriichi, and the deadly precision of Raizo. In just a few months, his body developed stamina, superhuman reflexes, and a killer instinct that placed him far above any child his age.
In the eyes of the guards, he was no longer just a bastard. He was a storm in the making.
---
IV. Renly, the Pampered Child (Personal Conflict)
If there was anyone who couldn't stand Ronnel's rise, it was Renly Baratheon.
Renly, barely three years old, was the darling of the court. The servants adored him, the ladies pampered him, and the knights treated him like a little prince. But the presence of Ronnel, taller, stronger, and more brilliant, aroused a silent hatred in him.
During a dinner party, while Stannis was at the head of the table, Renly decided to attack him.
"They say your mother died giving birth to you, bastard," he smirked.
Several chuckles sounded around the table. Stannis frowned, but said nothing.
Ronnel looked at him calmly.
"They say yours spoiled you so much that now we all have to put up with your tantrums."
The hall fell silent. Renly tapped the table, red-faced with anger.
"I am a Baratheon! You are nothing!"
Ronnel held his gaze.
"A name doesn't make you great, Renly. Your actions do."
From then on, Renly would hate him. Ronnel, on the other hand, tolerated him. He knew that fighting with a spoiled child was futile. There were enemies far more dangerous than a jealous infant.
---
V. Weaving Shadows (Web of Influence)
Ronnel wasn't trying to win over the lords. Not yet. Instead, he built his own network of power among those the nobles ignored:
The cooks adored him, because he always praised their stews and helped them carry firewood.
The stable boys told him gossip in exchange for coins or favors.
The guards taught him how to play dice and unwittingly revealed secrets about weapons, patrols, and supply routes.
Even the maids protected him, because he stood up for them when other children bullied them.
Thanks to Patrick Jane's wit and Harvey Specter's negotiating skills, Ronnel learned to manipulate without imposing, to plant ideas without making it seem like they came from him.
In a few months, he knew more about Bastion than Stannis himself.
---
VI. Preparing for the Siege (Long-Term Planning)
Ronnel knew the future. He knew that in a few years, Robert's Rebellion would plunge Bastion into a devastating siege. So he began to prepare, in secret:
He convinced the cooks to stockpile salt, grain, and water for "the winters to come."
He diverted some of the supplies to hidden stores beneath the stables.
He bribed the blacksmiths to forge extra arrows and blades, recording them as losses in falsified inventories.
He learned every secret passageway in the fortress, even the tunnels that led to the sea.
If the siege came, he would not only survive...
He would prosper.
---
VII. The Valyrian Dream (Magic and Fire)
One night, in the maester's tower, Ronnel found a forbidden tome: "The Secrets of Valyria."
Between its pages, he discovered fragments about dragon blood, fire manipulation, and elemental control.
As he closed the book, he felt something pulsing inside him. The pyrokinesis inherited from his Valyrian lineage was faint… but real. And, with training, he could turn that spark into a blaze.
> "Fire doesn't just destroy. It purifies, too."
---
VIII. The Meeting with Robert (Father and Son)
A month later, Robert Baratheon returned to Bastion. Tall, burly, with his trademark booming laugh, he entered the main hall accompanied by hunters and prostitutes.
Ronnel watched him from a distance. He felt no love for him, but he studied him like a player studies his most powerful piece.
Robert looked at him, surprised by his height.
"Is this my bastard?" he laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. "By the gods, you look like a young boar!"
Ronnel blushed slightly. "And someday, I hope to be a hunter."
Robert laughed louder, not understanding the veiled threat.
---
IX. The First Rescue (Prestige Gained)
When one of the guards fell ill, Ronnel used the medical knowledge of Gregory House and John Watson to diagnose him: putrid fever.
While Cressen prepared tonics, Ronnel improvised a rudimentary treatment that saved the man. Rumors spread quickly:
> "The bastard has the blessing of the gods."
---
X. Cliffhanger to Tomorrow (Cliffhanger Finale)
That night, Ronnel studied maps of Westeros and Essos. He dreamed of Yi Ti, of Sothoryos, of the Summer Isles.
And in a locked scroll, he found a secret about the Targaryens that could change everything...
> "If this is true... then the game has just begun."
---