Melisandre is a real-life person.
A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire , a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin . Melisandre . She is a priestess of the god R'hllor and a close advisor to King Stannis Baratheon in his campaign to take the Iron Throne . She subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) and A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) .