The Mountain of Ice and Fire
#226 - Four Heroes
Loras Tyrell said, "It's all the same to me which of you three knights comes forward first. Come on!" He spurred his horse to the other end and took a lance.
Preston Greenfield rushed forward, grabbing a lance.
Of the three, Preston Greenfield was the smallest, but also the most impatient.
Mandon Moore remained unmoved, showing no intention of rushing into battle. Meryn Trant wanted to fight, but he held back. The Knight of Flowers, though only sixteen, had previously won against the arrogant Jaime Lannister in a tourney, unseating him. Meryn Trant knew he was no match for Jaime.
Though Meryn Trant wasn't afraid of the Knight of Flowers, he didn't want to be the first to fight.
Let that fool Preston wear him down first.
At the signal, the horses charged. Preston shouted and waved his lance wildly, making a show of ferocity. To become a Kingsguard, one traditionally needed exceptional martial skill. However, in Robert's time, loyalty had become the primary qualification, with skill taking a backseat. The Kingsguard were privy to many of the royal family's private affairs, and were expected to be tight-lipped about the scandals, rather than skilled warriors.
This resulted in the current seven Kingsguard, with the exception of Jaime and Barristan, being of only average ability. They were no match for the Kingsguard of the Mad King. The Sword of the Morning was Jaime's idol, and even a young, vigorous Barristan was not the most outstanding in martial skill among his brothers.
Preston Greenfield swung his lance haphazardly, up and down, feinting and posturing. The Knight of Flowers ignored him, using his shield to deflect Preston's blows. The horses passed each other, and they exchanged positions.
They turned to face each other again. Preston, now more confident, attacked once more. The Knight of Flowers smiled slightly and thrust his lance forward. His speed suddenly increased, angling his lance to deflect his opponent's, and then thrusting forward, striking Preston in the chest. The lance shattered, and Preston was thrown from his horse, landing on the ground in a cloud of dust.
The Knight of Flowers had won easily, and rode around the arena to accept the cheers of the crowd. His horse stopped before Sansa's box, and he leaned down, holding a red rose. He had thrown white roses to the crowd, but gave Sansa a red one. "My lady, no victory is as great as your beauty." Sansa shyly accepted the flower, awestruck by his heroic bearing. His hair was a mass of lazy brown curls, and his eyes were like melted gold. Sansa inhaled the sweet fragrance of the rose, clutching it tightly even as Ser Loras rode away.
Loras Tyrell changed his lance and prepared himself, but neither of the remaining Kingsguard came forward. Mandon Moore remained expressionless, his thoughts unreadable, and stood motionless. Meryn Trant, having seen Loras's skill, felt fear and wanted to be the last to fight, hoping the Knight of Flowers's vigor would be diminished and his stamina lessened. However, Mandon Moore paid no attention to Meryn Trant's wishes, remaining impassive and still.
This was very awkward!
Meryn Trant had no choice but to enter the lists, silently cursing Mandon Moore and his entire family.
Meryn Trant was tall, and more skilled than Preston. He grabbed his lance, roared to bolster his courage, and spurred his horse forward. The Knight of Flowers put away his lazy smile, his eyes becoming sharp, his lance angled upward. As the horses approached, the Knight of Flowers thrust his lance forward. Meryn Trant roared and thrust his lance as well.
Both moved with incredible speed. Meryn Trant, knowing he was outmatched, adopted a strategy of mutual destruction. He would be struck by the Knight of Flowers, but the Knight of Flowers would be struck by him as well. His strength was formidable, and as he fell, the Knight of Flowers would surely fall with him.
The lances met, both aimed at the chest.
The chest was a large target, easy to hit.
Clang!
A deafening crash. The lances shattered, sending splinters flying.
Meryn Trant was struck squarely by the Knight of Flowers's lance and sent flying, while his own lance was deflected by the Knight of Flowers with a twist of his body, the lancehead grazing his armor. It was a narrow escape.
Meryn Trant lost badly, unhorsed in the first exchange. He was far more skilled than Preston, who had lasted two rounds, while he hadn't lasted even one.
Meryn Trant got to his feet and threw his helmet to the ground, glaring at the Knight of Flowers. The Knight of Flowers laughed, gave an elegant bow, and raised his hand to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd.
Next, Mandon Moore also failed to escape being unhorsed. However, after losing, he remounted, his expression unchanged, remaining impassive. He came from the Vale, and his family were vassals of the former Hand, Jon Arryn.
Of the seven Kingsguard, Jaime was most wary of Mandon Moore, because his thoughts were impossible to read. He was an average fighter, never showed his emotions, but was inherently cruel, and would later attempt to assassinate Tyrion Lannister during the Battle of the Blackwater, slashing Tyrion's face.
The Knight of Flowers had defeated three of the Kingsguard protecting the royal family in succession, greatly increasing his prestige and reaching the pinnacle of personal honor. Even the least skilled Kingsguard was a better fighter than the average knight, without a doubt. The Kingsguard was the highest position a knight could hold; there was no knight more esteemed.
The Knight of Flowers, so young, had openly challenged the King's Kingsguard, his courage and pride were admirable!
His bearing was graceful and impeccable, and he rode slowly around the arena. When he saw a beautiful girl, he plucked a white rose from the tapestry and tossed it to her, eliciting cheers and clamor from the crowd. The entire arena was filled with an atmosphere of joy because of him.
The Knight of Flowers won three matches in a row and advanced!
He was the most prominent figure in the preliminary rounds, even more so than the Mountain.
When all the matches were completed, the knights who had won three matches in a row advanced to the semi-finals.
The semi-finals were even more brutal than the preliminary rounds, and the winning knights were all skilled fighters. The Kingslayer continued his unstoppable momentum, first defeating a wandering prince from the Summer Isles with skin as dark as night, and then defeating Lord Jason Mallister of the Riverlands, successfully advancing to the finals.
The Hound continued his usual tough style, facing Ser Renly with fierce ruthlessness. He avoided Renly's lance and counterattacked, hitting Renly hard in the chest, as if he had a deep hatred for him.
Renly flew backward off his horse, his head hitting the ground with a loud clang that made the audience gasp. King Robert was so startled that he stood up, his face changing color. Fortunately, Duke Renly then stood up smiling. Only one of the golden antlers on his helmet had been broken off.
When Duke Renly got up, the crowd cheered wildly for him, because he had always been popular. He bowed gracefully and handed the broken golden antler to the Hound. The Hound snorted and threw the broken antler into the audience, coldly leaving the arena. The common people immediately fought to the death over the bit of gold, the crowd descending into chaos, with fists and curses flying, men and women fighting. Finally, Lord Renly had to go into the crowd and appease them before order was restored.
Next, the Mountain appeared, looking impatient. He defeated his opponents with one blow each, advancing to the finals cleanly and efficiently.
The final match was between the Knight of Flowers and Robar Royce of the Vale. Both were young heroes, with superb lance skills. They exchanged blows several times, and finally the Knight of Flowers mustered his courage, shouted, and pierced Robar's shield with one lance, and then with another lance, unseated Robar. The thousand-year-old runes of House Royce of Runestone failed to protect Robar Royce, who lay on the ground groaning in pain, while the Knight of Flowers rode around the arena to accept the cheers.
Finally, all the matches were over, and four people advanced to the finals: Kingslayer Jaime Lannister; the Hound Sandor Clegane; the Mountain Gregor Clegane; and the Knight of Flowers Loras Tyrell.
By this time the moon had already risen, and people were tired. The king announced that today's competition was over, and the jousting finals would be held early tomorrow morning, followed by the melee. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the courtiers and nobles went to the riverbank for dinner.
Six enormous yaks were slowly turning on roasting spits, having been roasting for several hours. Kitchen boys were busy applying butter and herbs, until the meat was fragrant, crispy, and dripping with fat. Rows of large dining tables had already been set up, and braziers, torches, and large candles had all been lit, illuminating the beets, strawberries, and freshly baked bread on the tables.
The songs and music of wandering singers began to play, the stage was quickly set up, and comical actors and magic clowns appeared.
Jars of fine wine were carried out one after another and placed on the tables in a steady stream.
The carnival nightlife officially began!
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