"So, warriors from Westeros, show your bravery, and let the Prime Minister and I see who can win the championship this time! The tournament begins now—"
Following the king's order, the nobles present shouted excitedly.
When the tens of thousands of civilians outside the competition venue learned that the contest was about to start, they burst into even louder cheers.
In this era of limited entertainment, both nobles and commoners were very eager to hold and watch martial arts competitions—one of their few forms of amusement.
Not to mention that this tournament was organized by His Majesty the King, and its scale was extremely grand.
Naturally, famous warriors, knights, wandering swordsmen, and mercenaries from all over Westeros came to participate.
The champion of the competition would receive tens of thousands of golden dragons—a huge fortune!
Soon, the competition began.
The first round was a group battle. All the contestants entered the arena below and engaged in a fierce melee.
Swords clashed against shields, blood splattered, and the aristocratic ladies in the stands screamed in surprise.
Even Sansa, who had always been a proper lady, was thrilled by the intense scene. Her face flushed red, and she couldn't help but scream along with the other noblewomen, even shouting loudly for the warrior she favored.
"Come on, kill them—!"
"Hound, charge for me, come on!"
"Look! The Knight has defeated another opponent! He's so handsome—"
The nobles shouted loudly. Under the stimulation of flashing steel and flowing blood, everyone's adrenaline surged.
The civilians outside the fence also erupted into louder cheers from time to time.
When the group battle ended, the winners were Thoros, the red-robed priest from Myr, and Lord Beric Dondarrion.
The fierce melee lasted most of the day.
After announcing the winners, the king and nobles held a grand celebratory banquet that lasted from afternoon into the evening. The entire scene descended into a carnival.
Bards played lyres and sang famous tunes from across Westeros.
Circus performers and jugglers entertained the crowd with comical stunts that made everyone laugh.
Over several massive fire pits, whole cows were being roasted. The flames licked the steaks on the grill, fat dripped continuously, and sparks crackled below.
The strong aroma of roasted meat permeated the entire camp, making the civilians outside drool with envy—but they could only watch.
In the following days, one-on-one duels, equestrian events, foot combat, and archery contests were held.
Among these, the most anticipated event was the jousting tournament.
The most watched contestants were "Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers," "The Mountain That Rides" Gregor Clegane, and his younger brother, "The Hound" Sandor Clegane.
The Kingsguard's "Kingslayer" Jaime Lannister also competed.
Prime Minister Eddard Stark's captain, Jory Cassel, rode into the arena as well.
Other warriors from across Westeros gathered, eager to show their valor before the king and the prime minister.
The competition was thrilling. Because of his youth, handsomeness, and high-level skill, Ser Loras defeated his opponents one after another, making a big impression in the arena.
The Prime Minister's Captain of the Guard, Jory Cassel, was unfortunately defeated and withdrew.
With half his face burned and scarred, Sandor Clegane—the Hound—fought with a grim expression and impressive strength, knocking down his opponents and reaching the final.
Ser Jaime, clad in gleaming golden armor, dispatched his opponent with ease, earning loud cheers from the ladies in the stands.
The Mountain, over two meters tall, looked like a small giant. With incredible strength, he either seriously injured or killed his opponents.
This brutality shocked the audience both on and off the field. The most powerful and bloodthirsty warrior in Westeros left them filled with dread.
Because Ser Loras Tyrell selected a mare in heat, the Mountain's stallion became agitated, and he was unseated—thus eliminating him.
Furious, the Mountain drew his greatsword and chopped off the head of his horse. Then, full of murderous rage, he strode toward Ser Loras, who had played the trick.
—
Ser Loras watched the Mountain raise his massive sword and hurriedly lifted his own to block. But the Mountain's immense strength sent his weapon flying, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
"Despicable boy, I'm going to kill you!" the Mountain bellowed, striding toward the fallen Loras with his greatsword raised, his rough face twisted with murderous intent.
"Ahhh—!"
"No, if anyone saves Ser Loras, the Mountain will kill them too—!"
"Wuwuwu, no! Someone stop the Mountain!"
The ladies in the stands cried out in horror upon seeing the handsome Ser Loras in grave danger.
The nobles and lords also raised their voices, trying to stop the Mountain from committing murder.
Everyone knew Ser Loras, the Knight of Flowers, was the second son of Mace Tyrell, Duke of Highgarden in the Reach.
"Quick! Go, stop the Mountain—now!" Eddard Stark shouted, fully aware of the political disaster it would cause if the Mountain killed Loras Tyrell. He immediately ordered the guards to intervene.
Hearing the Prime Minister's order, the other warriors waiting in the arena drew their swords and moved to block the Mountain.
Clang! Clang!
Crack—!
The Mountain swung his massive sword with both hands, scattering the defenders like leaves.
Only his brother, Sandor Clegane—the Hound—stood firm and blocked him.
"Get out of the way, you bastard!" the Mountain roared, his eyes wide with fury, his murderous aura like that of a wild beast.
But facing such a terrifying elder brother, the Hound grew even angrier and fought back fiercely, refusing to back down.
It wasn't until King Robert bellowed with rage that the Mountain finally withdrew.
The farce was finally over.
After the contest ended, King's Landing once again returned to its usual calm.
However, at the next small council meeting, the Prime Minister and the King once again clashed.
The reason? King Robert had received a report from his spymaster, "the Spider" Varys: across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen, last surviving scion of the Targaryen line, had married Khal Drogo, a savage Dothraki warlord—and was already pregnant.
The king immediately demanded that Varys send assassins to kill Daenerys and eliminate the Targaryen bloodline once and for all.
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