Robert's younger brother, Lord of Dragonstone. A rigid, humourless man consumed by a sense of duty and justice, Stannis believes he is owed far more than he has received.

The youngest Baratheon brother, Lord of Storm's End. Charming, charismatic, and popular at court, Renly has the love of the people that his brothers lack.

The younger son of Robert and Cersei. A sweet, timid boy who loves his cats and has none of his brother Joffrey's cruelty.

The only daughter of Robert and Cersei. Bright and gracious, Myrcella becomes a pawn in the political games between the great houses.

A former smuggler knighted by Stannis Baratheon for running a shipload of onions through a siege. Davos is Stannis's most trusted advisor precisely because he tells his king what he needs to hear rather than what he wants to hear.

A priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, from the eastern city of Asshai. Melisandre has attached herself to Stannis Baratheon, whom she believes to be a prophesied saviour. Her power is real, but her interpretations of the flames she reads are not always reliable.

Stannis Baratheon's only child, scarred on half her face by greyscale contracted in infancy. Sweet, clever, and deeply lonely, Shireen teaches Davos Seaworth to read and faces her circumstances with a quiet dignity that makes what happens to her all the more devastating.

Stannis Baratheon's wife, a true believer in R'hllor where her husband is merely a pragmatist. Cold, humourless, and dismissive of her own daughter, Selyse defers entirely to Melisandre's influence.