Editing Shadow child (section)

==Recent Events==
===''A Clash of Kings''===
[[File:Shadow baby birth.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Melisandre]] birthing a shadow, by Anja Dalisa ©]]
At a feast at [[Dragonstone]], self-proclaimed King [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s mad [[fool]], [[Patchface]], sings [[Patchface/Theories|a possible prophetic warning]] about shadows. Stannis's [[maester]], [[Cressen]], attempts to [[poison]] Stannis's advisor, [[Melisandre]], a [[shadowbinder]] from [[Asshai]], but instead dies from the poison.{{ref|ACOK|0}}

During the [[War of the Five Kings]], [[Renly Baratheon]] also proclaims himself king, and refuses to bend the knee to his older brother Stannis. [[Catelyn Stark]] and [[Brienne of Tarth]] are in attendance when Renly prepares for his attack on Stannis's host outside [[Storm's End]]. Catelyn sees Renly's shadow shifting on the walls of his pavilion, and his [[steel]] gorget and throat are then cut by a "shadowsword" while his actual blade is still sheathed in its scabbard. Ser [[Robar Royce]] and Ser [[Emmon Cuy]] assume that Brienne has murdered Renly, but Catelyn insists that Renly was killed by a shadow with a sword and that Stannis is somehow to blame. As they leave the camp, Catelyn tells Brienne that she believes the shadow to have been Stannis's, and that she had felt his presence.{{ref|ACOK|33}}

After Renly's death, Stannis continues his [[siege of Storm's End (299)|siege of Storm's End]]. Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]], the [[castellan]] left in charge of the castle, refuses to yield Storm's End or give over [[Edric Storm]], the [[bastard]] son of Stannis's elder brother, the late King [[Robert Baratheon]]. A haggard, aged-looking Stannis tells his confidant, Ser [[Davos Seaworth]], that he had been asleep, dreaming, at the time Renly died, despite the fact that he should have been preparing for battle. Stannis says that according to his [[squire]], Davos's son [[Devan Seaworth|Devan]], he could not be wakened, and thrashed and cried out in his sleep. Stannis relates that he dreamed of Renly's death, the details of which match what Catelyn had experienced, but when he woke, his hands were clean. Stannis has continued to dream about Renly's death, but he feels they are only dreams.{{ref|ACOK|42}} 

Stannis tells Davos that Melisandre has [[prophecy|foreseen]] Courtnay Penrose's death, just as she foresaw Renly's. Stannis orders Davos, a former [[smuggler]], to row Melisandre into a tunnel beneath Storm's End. During their journey, Melisandre tells Davos that Storm's End is protected from shadows by [[magic|spells]] woven into its walls. In the tunnel, Davos's boat stops at the portcullis that guards the entry into the cavern beneath the castle, and he tells Melisandre that they can go no farther. The [[red priest]]ess disrobes, and Davos is shocked to see that she is fully pregnant and glowing with light. He watches in horror as Melisandre gives birth to a shadow taller than a man, which pulls its way out of her. Davos recognizes the shadow as belonging to Stannis, before it quickly slips though the bars of the portcullis into the cavern.{{ref|ACOK|42}}

Storm's End surrenders to Stannis after Cortnay dies suddenly, with it being said that he threw himself from a tower. [[Tyrion Lannister]] refuses to believe that Cortnay killed himself, but he is skeptical of [[Varys]]'s suggestion that the castellan was killed through magical means.{{Ref|ACOK|44}}

Stannis sends Melisandre back to [[Dragonstone]] prior to his attack on [[King's Landing]], so her dark children are not involved in the [[Battle of the Blackwater]].{{ref|ACOK|58}} Stannis is defeated in the battle{{ref|ACOK|62}} and is forced to retreat from the capital.{{ref|ACOK|64}}{{ref|ACOK|65}}

===''A Storm of Swords''===
Catelyn has nightmares about the shadow killing Renly.{{ref|ASOS|2}} Ser [[Jaime Lannister]] mocks Brienne when she tells him about the shadow.{{ref|ASOS|11}}

After Davos is rescued from [[Blackwater Bay]], he tells [[Salladhor Saan]] that he watched Melisandre birth a horror.{{ref|ASOS|10}} Davos plans to [[assassin]]ate Melisandre, but he is intercepted by Ser [[Axell Florent]] and arrested.{{ref|ASOS|10}} When Melisandre visits Davos in the dungeon of Dragonstone, she explains that she dares not create another shadow with Stannis in his weakened state, fearing the process would kill the king. The shadowbinder instead suggests that Davos could serve Stannis by sleeping with her, but Davos rejects her offer and holds fast to the [[Faith of the Seven]] instead of Melisandre's [[god]], [[R'hllor]].{{Ref|aSoS|25}}
 
Upon Brienne's arrival in King's Landing, she is confronted by Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] over Renly's death. Loras disbelieves Brienne's story about the shadow and is prepared to fight her, but Jaime, the [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], orders Loras to sheath his sword.{{Ref|ASOS|62}} When Loras meets with Jaime in [[White Sword Tower]], he admits that although Renly had the best [[armor]] made of the finest steel, his gorget was cut through with one clean stroke. Jaime advises the younger knight to keep an open mind about the shadow, despite its implausibility.{{Ref|ASOS|67}}

===''A Feast for Crows''===
Brienne is haunted by Renly's death. During her quest for [[Sansa Stark]], Brienne dreams of Ser Jaime Lannister being slain in the same manner as Renly.{{Ref|AFFC|9}} When Brienne tells the [[Elder Brother (Quiet Isle)|Elder Brother]] of the [[Quiet Isle]] about her experiences, she includes the shadow in Renly's pavilion.{{ref|AFFC|31}}

===''A Dance with Dragons''===
Melisandre remains at [[Castle Black]] after the [[battle beneath the Wall]]. She thinks she would be able to create great and terrible shadows at the [[Wall]],{{ref|ADWD|31}} which she considers to be a "hinge of [[known world|the world]]".{{ref|ADWD|3}} With Stannis away on campaign, Melisandre observes that her bed has seen little use.{{ref|ADWD|31}}