The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The group melee began in the afternoon. As the Mountain and his entourage stepped into the arena, the audience booed. The Mountain was at the front, with five men protecting him on his sides and behind. Five men, five swords, five round shields. The black round shields had edges as sharp as knives, glinting with a faint cold light, as those nearby could see.

These shields were new to most, inspiring fear.

No one could ambush and take down the Mountain, with five pairs of eyes watching his back and sides.

This was a warband.

The Mountain's personal warband.

Beside the Mountain was a trio: his brother-in-law, Raynald Westerling; his wife's cousin, Rolph Spicer; and Jeyne's handmaiden, Zella. The three formed a triangle, joining forces with the Mountain's team.

Lord Renly Baratheon of the Stormlands, Ser Barristan; Ser Loras Tyrell of the Reach, Ser Redwyne, Lord Randyll; Kingsguard Barristan, Jaime; the Hound; Royal Court members Ser Ilyn, Thoros; Edmure and Jason of the Riverlands; Robar and Lyn of the Vale; Malbran, Farman, Crakehall of the Westerlands, and other great lords and famous generals, did not participate. They remained on horseback, watching from the sidelines.

No one wanted to go head-to-head with the Mountain's black iron spiked hammer, as it would likely cost them their lives.

The black iron spiked hammer was a reflection of the Mountain's bloody slaughter. Like men, like weapons. For safety's sake, or perhaps out of disdain for matching themselves against such a brute, the great lords and famous generals all stayed out of the fray.

The North's representatives, Jory, Harwin, and Eryn, were also absent. Thus, the entire North had no one participating in the group melee.

The great lords and famous generals were unwilling to participate, and none of the royal courtiers or Hand's guards entered the arena, but this did not deter others from eagerly joining. In the end, nearly forty people entered the melee.

These were mostly free riders looking to secure a position in the Royal Guard, hired knights hoping to become royal courtiers or generals, and some warriors recently and fortunately knighted by great lords. Participating in the melee would showcase their names and strength, leading to opportunities for promotion. There were also some bastards, who always tried harder than others to gain respect and recognition through combat.

Even with the Mountain's participation, these free riders, hired knights, noble squires, and bastards showed no fear. Their fates depended on seizing every opportunity to stand out.

Although the famous generals and great lords were absent, the melee was even more dangerous. Those who dared to enter were mostly desperadoes, lacking the self-preservation of the famous generals and great lords. They shouted loudly, forming several teams, creating a semicircle around the Mountain and Raynald's teams.

The cheers of the crowd were thunderous, indicating their delight in this unfair scene.

Lord Renly and Ser Loras, on horseback, directed these teams to form an even larger alliance, surrounding the Mountain.

Lord Renly shouted, "A hundred gold dragons to whoever brings down the Mountain!"

"Two hundred gold dragons!" Ser Loras shouted. "Those who show valor may join my guard."

"I will personally recommend skilled fighters to the City Watch," Lord Renly shouted.

Many free riders and hired knights traveled thousands of miles to participate in the melee, hoping to secure a position with a great lord through their combat prowess. Landless knights, aside from being mercenaries, were basically a group of impoverished nobles without a means of livelihood.

The melee was also a crucial channel for royal officials to observe, promote, and recruit skilled free riders and knights to replenish the royal forces.

Lord Renly and Ser Loras's promises made the eyes of these riders and knights eager for fame and fortune gleam with greed. Their goals quickly aligned, all focused on the Mountain and his group.

Renly and Loras's shouts also prompted some hesitant riders and knights to step into the arena, their eyes fixed on the Mountain.

An elephant is terrifying, but it can't withstand a pack of wild dogs. On the savannah, even shadowcats, leopards, and lions will flee from a pack of wild dogs.

The arena, originally with fewer than forty people, suddenly expanded to over sixty.

This greatly excited Chiswyck the Big Man, Raff the Sweetling, Dunsen the Hangman, nervous Polliver, and Daughter of the Vintner. Raynald, Rolph, and Zella, however, looked nervous, instinctively turning their backs to the Mountain's team.

They were also targeted by the other participants.

Jeyne remained silent, but the crown of love and beauty on her head trembled slightly.

Over fifty wolfish individuals had their eyes on the Mountain and Raynald's teams, a total of only nine people.

Before the king could announce the start of the melee, the battle erupted prematurely.

The Mountain ignited the battle.

He let out a great shout: "Wedge formation!"

The six-man formation transformed into a wedge, the ultimate formation for charging and breaking through enemy lines.

An offensive formation!

Almost simultaneously, Raynald, Rolph, and Zella entered the formation.

They couldn't stay behind to fight one-on-one, or they would be instantly overwhelmed, like a rabbit encountering a pack of wolves, devoured without a trace.

Raynald, a newbie participating in his first melee, and the even newer Zella, trembled nervously. Zella's lips turned pale, and Bronn cheered her on from the sidelines. Rolph, an old hand, also breathed rapidly. Without joining the Mountain, he couldn't lead two newbies alone.

The most taboo thing in a group battle was to incur the wrath of the crowd, to be targeted by everyone.

The wedge formation was like a sharp blade, the most efficient formation for charging enemy lines on the battlefield. The person at the front must be the bravest of the brave to make the formation function as a blade piercing through the enemy.

The Mountain charged out, and with his first swing, he sent a large man flying. The man's oak shield shattered, his arm was injured by the spikes, and the force of the impact sent him flying into a crowd, knocking several people down. Painful groans arose.

King Robert cursed and had to announce the start of the melee.

The Mountain's team charged into the crowd with incredible speed.

The clanging of swords and shields was as dense as scattered pearls, figures swayed, and shouts echoed. In an instant, the Mountain's team was surrounded on all sides by shieldmen, swordsmen, spearmen, axemen, and mace wielders. The crowd deliberately avoided the Mountain, targeting the weaker members.

Soon, Zella, slow and unable to keep up with the team's pace, was knocked down.

According to the rules, being knocked down meant defeat, and the attacker had to stop.

However, it seemed that everyone found an outlet for their hostility and dislike of the Mountain. Everyone reached a tacit understanding, sharing a common hatred. After Zella was knocked down, someone stepped forward and slashed at her helmet in the chaos.

This was a clear violation of the rules.

Raynald, also a newbie, was a young man who would never abandon a comrade. Without hesitation, he rushed out of the formation to block at least seven sword blows for Zella, but losing his left and right protection, Raynald was quickly knocked down from behind. A longsword cut through the armor on his shoulder, and a spear pierced his calf. Raynald fell.

Raynald's scream stalled the Mountain's team's unstoppable advance.

Broken arms and legs were common in group melees, and serious injuries were also seen, but deaths were rare.

Zella, who had been knocked down, fearlessly got up, wielding her sword to force back several people, and threw herself on Raynald.

Several swords struck Zella's plate armor.

Outside the arena, Bronn and Jeyne screamed in alarm.

The supervising officials glanced at King Robert, who was watching with great interest, shouting and yelling. He also joined in directing the crowd to surround the Mountain's team, his voice booming. He was happy to see the Mountain's people knocked down and crushed. The officials then glanced at the righteous Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, who was unusually silent, his face tense.

The supervising officials understood. No one wanted the Mountain to win. His team's misfortune was a source of great pleasure for everyone. Eddard Stark's face was ugly, but he continued to watch without saying a word of criticism.

So the supervising officials turned a blind eye.

The Mountain spun around quickly, his team following his rotation like the tail of a dragon.

However, under the off-field direction of Lord Renly and Ser Loras, the knights quickly formed several layers of shield formations to defend against the Mountain.

More than a dozen shields were tightly packed in three rows, with more than a dozen people behind them providing support and pushing. More people maneuvered to the Mountain's sides and rear, first eliminating the Mountain's claws and teeth.

Two of the Mountain's eight henchmen had already been eliminated.

Jeyne couldn't believe that in front of the King and the Hand, the supervising officials turned a blind eye and didn't order the riders to stop attacking the fallen Raynald and Zella.

The sixteen-year-old Jeyne's beautiful illusion of the fairness of the laws of the high and mighty royal family was like a dam collapsing under the impact of a flood.

The true reality was very different from the imagined beauty.

The Mountain was evil, but Jeyne hadn't deeply felt it; instead, these elegant and noble royal nobles gave her a greater sense of evil. What Jeyne couldn't accept was that the King and the Hand didn't speak out to stop it.

Although Zella hadn't been with Jeyne for long, their feelings were already like sisters. Zella was a good person without any malice.

When Zella stopped moving completely, only then did they stop attacking.

Jeyne felt a pang of pain in her heart, as if a pair of pliers were desperately clamping her internal organs.

Bronn had stopped shouting, his eyes bloodshot, while the great lords and famous generals around him laughed and joked, feeling happy. Some nobles even looked at Bronn with curiosity, thinking that this dwarf-like little man was so funny that he should become a comedian or a great lord's fool, and certainly not hang around with a scumbag like the Mountain.

"Mountain, what are you waiting for?" Jeyne suddenly stood up and shouted, "Kill them!"

This was the first time Jeyne had called the Mountain 'Mountain.' She always called him Ser Gregor!

Jeyne's words shocked Sansa, Mordane, the ladies, and the attendants. They couldn't believe that Jeyne Westerling, from the ancient great noble family of House Westerling, was shouting for the Mountain to kill people outside the arena. This was too shocking!

This was a melee, not a battlefield!

Although there was no penalty for killing people here, it was prohibited. This was a tacit agreement.

Countless noble ladies and attendants looked at Jeyne in shock, her beauty suddenly becoming evil.

Only such an evil woman would marry the infamous villain of the Seven Kingdoms.

Even the King and the Hand couldn't help but glance at Jeyne, who was wearing the crown of love and beauty. Because she was the Queen of Love and Beauty of this melee, her words and actions would be written into the history books by the chroniclers.

Clang!

The unstoppable Mountain lowered his visor.

Before this, the Mountain hadn't lowered his visor.

The Mountain roared, like a thunderclap in a clear sky.

Like a galloping horse and a mad dragon, he charged towards the layers of shield formations, the black iron spiked hammer sweeping out an arc from the ground up, slamming into the oak shields.

Several spears suddenly thrust out from the gaps in the shield formations, aiming at the Mountain.

Thanks to Chau534 for the reward, thank you, handshake!