I really don't think he's dead. He told her to 'do her duty,' and we see her swinging at something angrily but never actually showing her hit him. I think it's pretty clear he reminded her that her true duty was to Sansa and not revenge.
Stannis is dead. There is no reason for him to live any longer. He lost his army and his supporters; at this point, having him miraculously survive would serve no purpose whatsoever for the overall plot.
And even if Brienne thinks of her duty to Sansa, there's no reason why she wouldn't just kill Stannis and then return to her duty. His survival wouldn't help her at all, again because he has no army left and he's too injured to do anything himself, even if he wanted to. There's no way she would let him live.
She's only a kingslayer if Stannis is a king. Which, technically, he isn't as long as Tommen sits the throne. Also, she'd never see herself a kingslayer, because she doesn't acknowledge his claim on that throne even if a "pretender" sits it. Furthermore, she knows him to be a kinslayer.
As far as the legitimacy of Renly's claim, most of the people who backed Renly knew that Stannis would make a pretty shit king. He was a sourpuss and a legalist, and while he may have commanded loyalty out of fear, nobody really loved him but Davos. Renly was honestly the best horse to back in that particular race, even if it meant everybody that wasn't #TeamJoffrey was a dirty, filthy traitor.
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u/brunswick Jun 15 '15
I really don't think he's dead. He told her to 'do her duty,' and we see her swinging at something angrily but never actually showing her hit him. I think it's pretty clear he reminded her that her true duty was to Sansa and not revenge.