WILOW-Ch.333: Someone Worthy of His Loyalty
Outside of the King's Landing
POV of Ser Barristan Selmy
"Would you be willing to serve Prince Viserys if he turned out like this father?" the man asked as he rode behind him.
Barristan paused at that.
As much as he did not want to think about it, he had heard the rumors.
About how Prince Viserys had sold his own sister to a Dothraki savage for the promise of an army. And how the prince was becoming more and more like his father with each passing day.
These might be rumors meant to discredit the Targaryen Prince, but sometimes rumors hold weight.
And if the rumors were true, what would he do?
Would he serve another Mad King?
Would he stand silently beside Prince Viserys every day as he made another insane decision?
Was he about to add new regrets to the top of his past ones?
Was this his fate? Those to whom he offered his loyalty would turn out to be undeserving?
No. He would never again offer his loyalty to someone who didn't deserve it.
"I'll see for myself what kind of man Prince Viserys is." He said as he continued on his way.
The man walked beside him on his horse. He expected the man to continue speaking, but the man was rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression.
After a long moment, the man turned to look at him.
"Tell me, Ser Barristan. What would you have done if Prince Rhaegar's son were still alive? And he grew up to be an honorable and decent man."
He shook his head, "There's no point in thinking about what could never happen."
"But if Prince Rahegar's son was still alive, then would you have gone to serve him, or would you have still chosen to go after Prince Viserys?"
He thought of ignoring the man, but this conversation was helping him sort out his own jumbled thoughts, so he spoke, "The Iron Throne would rightfully belong to Prince Rhaegar's son in that case. I would have followed him."
The man went into another long silence before he finally spoke, "Prince Rhaegar's son is still alive."
He narrowed his eyes and gave a sideways glance to the man who was looking back at him with equal seriousness.
"I'm not going to hear your delusions."
The man chuckled at his words, "I can understand why you would call this bit of information a mere delusion. But I assure you. Prince Rhaegar's son is well and truly alive."
He scoffed, "Let me guess. If I follow you, you'll take me to a young man with Valyrian features and claim that he was the Son of Rhaegar. Am I right?"
The man shook his head, "No. I won't do any such thing."
"Then how else do you want to convince me that Prince Rhaegar's son is still alive?" he asked, a hint of the anger he was feeling at the situation leaking through his voice.
The man remained unperturbed and shrugged, "I won't."
He paused at those words, his gaze becoming a little steely. "What do you mean? I hope you're not here to waste my time."
The man shook his head, "No, Ser Barristan. The reason I won't tell you about Prince Rhaegar's son is not that I want to but because I can't."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because if you want to learn about Prince Rhaegar's son, then you must pay the price for that information."
"What price?" he asked.
"Go to Lord Bolton. He is the one who'll give you that information."
"Hasn't Lord Bolton gone on another expedition North of the Wall?" he asked.
Did this man intend to send him to the lands beyond the Wall?
"Lord Bolton returned. Not long ago. Now he's preparing to catch up to the Northern host." The man said, "If you want to meet him, then go to White Harbor and ride for Moat Cailin. If you're lucky, then you'll be able to catch up to him quickly enough."
He thought about those words for a moment.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" he asked.
"You don't." The man replied, "Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith, Ser Barristan."
Then he shrugged, "If this turns out to be a lie, then you can always go to Prince Viserys and serve yet another Mad King."
He looked down and thought about Vincent's words.
So far, he has served four different Kings in his life. Three of them were unworthy and undeserving of both the crown and his loyalty.
If he was going to serve yet another King or Prince, then he might as well waste a month or two trying to find the right person to serve.
He nodded at Vincent, "Very well then. I'll go and meet Lord Bolton. For your sake, I hope that this is not a lie."
The man nodded at him and said, "There are a few ships of the Bolton Fleet waiting in Duskendale. We can send you to White Harbor in one of them."
He nodded in reply, wondering what the future would hold for him.
He might be old, but he wasn't yet weak. And until he was weak, he wanted to serve someone truly deserving.
Someone who would truly do good deeds for the realm, and whom he would be honored to stand by and protect while his liege worked for those deeds.
Because that's who he was. Ser Barristan Selmy.
One of the strongest swordsmen in the realm.
Although he bore an honorable title, it also meant he was skilled at wielding his sword better than more people, but nothing else. The only thing he knew and was good at was using his sword.
Therefore, it was crucial to determine to whom he would entrust his sword.
And this time, he had no intention of giving it to undeserving hands, as he had in the past.
This time, he would find someone truly worthy of his loyalty.
And he would protect his liege at all costs. This time, he wanted to find the right person and serve them for the rest of his life.
Perhaps in this way, he could alleviate some of the weight of his past regrets.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.334: Magical Cube
Ch.335: Work of Art
Ch.336: I Want One