Salladhor Saan

Salladhor Saan, a flamboyant Lysene pirate prince and sellsail, served as Stannis Baratheon's principal naval commander, providing the fleet that carried the king's army from Dragonstone to the Wall. He was a colorful figure, commanding the galleas Valyrian and a fleet of ships with striped hulls in bright hues of black and yellow, pink and blue, green and white, purple and gold. Davos Seaworth, who knew him well, considered him an old rogue but never so great a fool as to trust him entirely. Saan's loyalty, however, was always contingent on payment, and Stannis's promises of gold and gems were wearing thin.

The Voyage and the Breaking Point

Nine-and-twenty ships set sail from the Wall under Saan's command, bound for White Harbor. The voyage was a catastrophe. Black skies, bitter winds, and lashing rains hounded them down the coast. The galleys Oledo and Old Mother's Son were driven onto the rocks of Skagos, and the great cog Saathos Saan foundered off the Grey Cliffs. Another gale ripped away the rigging of the Bountiful Harvest, forcing Saan to have her taken under tow. Ten leagues north of Widow's Watch, the seas rose again, slamming the Harvest into one of the galleys towing her and sinking both. The rest of the Lysene fleet was scattered across the narrow sea. Saan complained bitterly to Davos, calling himself "Salladhor the Beggar" and "Salladhor the Smashed," demanding to know where his ships and his promised gold were. He erupted when Davos tried to assure him, asking if he could eat the king's word or quench his thirst with parchments and waxy seals.

The Abandonment

Davos attempted to persuade Saan to stay true, arguing that a victorious King Tommen would not pay his defeated uncle's debts, so his only hope was to remain loyal to Stannis until he won the Iron Throne. Saan was unmoved. He declared himself done with patience, the cold, and empty promises. His men were hungry and wished to see their wives and the pleasure gardens of Lys. He abandoned Stannis, taking what few ships remained him to return to the Stepstones, presumably to resume his piratical ways. Before parting, Saan waited until the beacon of the Night Lamp shone off the Valyrian's port bow before putting Davos off in an open boat. He offered to take Davos south with him, but Davos refused, determined to fulfill his mission to Wyman Manderly. Saan's parting words were a prophecy: "He will kill you with these honors, old friend. He will kill you."

Significance

Salladhor Saan's defection was a crippling blow to Stannis Baratheon's cause, stripping him of his fleet at a critical moment and leaving him without naval power or the means to transport supplies or men. His departure underscored the king's desperate financial straits and the fragility of alliances built on promises rather than gold. Davos, in an act of loyalty, lied to Lord Godric Borrell about Saan's destination, claiming the king had sent him south to trouble the Lannisters, to conceal the full extent of Stannis's loss.