Linde was not surprised that Varys knew he had saved Daenerys; after all, Varys's little birds were everywhere in King's Landing. Not to mention him, Varys probably knew what underwear Lord Tywin was wearing tonight.
So Linde did not show any surprise, but nodded and said calmly, "It was her. She is indeed very pitiful, and it's good that she survived."
Varys was a little surprised by Linde's calm demeanor. He paused, then sighed and said, "It's good that she survived, but you shouldn't have let her leave with that Faceless Men Master. Her becoming a Faceless Men will definitely cause a lot of trouble in the future. It would be better for her and everyone else if she remained a farmer's daughter."
Linde stared at Varys and said in a deep voice, "A farmer's daughter, Lord Varys, are you sure that's a good idea? Can she truly live peacefully as a farmer's daughter her entire life? If Lord Tywin knew she was still alive, what do you think her end would be?"
Hearing Linde's words, Varys's face revealed an undisguised look of surprise. He never expected Linde to know Daenerys's identity. Lord Tywin considered Daenerys a disgrace and used every method to block all information, including the Lannister guard soldiers who participated that night, who were transferred overnight to the mines in the Westerlands, never to be released in this life.
He had only accidentally learned of Daenerys's existence from Little Devil Tyrion, and he was certain that apart from those involved, among non-Lannister people, only he and the monk who performed the wedding for Little Devil knew about Daenerys.
However, that monk had already been dealt with by Lord Tywin, so he thought he was the only one who knew this secret. Therefore, when he heard Linde's words and realized that Linde also knew Daenerys's identity, he felt incredibly surprised.
"You are more special than I expected," Varys did not press Linde on how he knew this. Instead, he re-examined Linde with a scrutinizing gaze, then murmured.
Linde frowned slightly and asked, "Your words are the same as Lord Jaime's; you both say I am a special person, but I don't quite understand. Lord Varys, could you explain?"
Varys swallowed the food in his hand, then stood up and said, "You don't have to worry, you'll know what's going on in a moment."
Just as Varys's words fell, the music at the banquet suddenly stopped, and then changed to the hunter of bears song. Everyone present who knew the origin of this song was stunned, and then, as if by prior arrangement, looked at Linde, who was sitting in the corner.
Then everyone's gaze shifted to the entrance of the corridor leading to Maegor's Holdfast on one side of the hall.
King Robert, with one hand bandaged and a bruised face, led a group of Kingsguard into the hall and walked straight to his throne to sit down.
Seeing this, everyone wanted to step forward and bow to him, but he raised a hand to stop them.
He strained to open his swollen eyes, scanning back and forth among the people in the hall, seemingly searching for something.
Perhaps his vision was obstructed by the swelling, or perhaps the candlelight in the hall was insufficient, but after scanning several times, he still couldn't find his target. He then shouted loudly to Duke Tyrell, "Lord Duke Tyrell, where is that boy who punched me at the martial arts tournament yesterday? The one named Bear Hunter Linde, did he not come to the banquet? I remember sending him an invitation."
Duke Tyrell quickly replied, "Your Majesty, he is here, he's just not used to this kind of banquet for the first time."
At this moment, Linde, hearing the shout, had also walked out from the shadowy corner of the hall and came into the light of the hanging candles.
"So you're here," Robert now saw Linde. Then he looked at the corner Linde had walked out of and saw the wooden platter full of food on the ground. A smile appeared on his face as he said, "It seems you really aren't used to banquets like this. I'm not either. Compared to speaking difficult nonsense here, I prefer eating meat and drinking wine heartily in the barracks."
At this moment, Hand of the King Jon Arryn at the banquet stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, attending banquets can help you better understand your vassals' thoughts and formulate appropriate national policies, which is essential..."
"I know, I know, I know it's essential, that's why I'm here, aren't I?" Robert was clearly not hearing Jon Arryn's nagging for the first time. He interrupted him with a hint of impatience, then looked at Linde again, waved to Linde, and said, "Come here, Bear Hunter Linde."
Linde seemed to vaguely guess something at this moment, a hint of joy flashed across his face, but he quickly returned to normal, stepping into the open space in the hall and standing before Robert.
Robert rubbed the bruises on his face, glared at Linde, and said, "In all these years, I've never been beaten like this. My head is still very dizzy, which is why they say my decision is due to my head not being clear, and that this decision is not according to the rules. But I am the King, and the King has no qualms. I don't need to follow any damn rules."
Robert mumbled a lot of words, then stood up from the throne, raised a hand to stop Duke Arryn, who was about to say something, and said to Linde, "Kneel, Linde of White Village!"
Linde, who had a premonition of what was about to happen, took a step forward and knelt on one knee before Robert.
The nobles present also realized what was about to happen and couldn't help but frown. Even Duke Tyrell's face was filled with surprise. Only a few people had smiles on their faces, seemingly happy for Linde.
King Robert reached for his waist but found nothing. It was then that he remembered he wasn't wearing his sword, so he shouted to those around him, "Where's the sword? Damn it, get me a sword."
Hearing Robert's shouting, Jaime Lannister, standing beside Queen Cersei, stepped forward, unbuckled his sword, and offered it.
However, Robert frowned, and said with a look of disdain, "No, Kingslayer, your sword is not worthy to be used on him." After speaking, he turned to Barristan and said, "Barristan, give me your sword."
Robert's blunt actions undoubtedly threw Jaime's face heavily to the ground. Even though Jaime had become accustomed to the strange looks from those around him over the past year, he still felt anger due to this humiliation.
However, he did not show his emotions on his face, but acted as if nothing had happened, re-hanging his sword at his waist and returning behind the Queen. His hand seemingly casually rested on the chair, but from his fingers, white from gripping the chair, it was clear that his heart was far from calm.
Lord Tywin, standing in the crowd, also showed no emotion. He was like a piece of steel, always cold and hard, revealing none of his inner thoughts.
Lord Barristan, hearing the King's command, though feeling injustice for Jaime, had no intention of disobeying the King's order. He unbuckled his sword and, holding it with both hands, walked to the King's side.
Robert drew Barristan's sword, walked to Linde, and placed the sword on Linde's right shoulder, saying, "Linde of White Village, in the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
After saying this, he moved the longsword from the right shoulder to the left shoulder.
"In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
The longsword returned to the right shoulder.
"In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the weak and the innocent."
The longsword moved to the left shoulder again.
"In the name of the Maiden, I charge you to protect all women."
The Seven Gods' oath was spoken by King Robert. Even the nobles who had been displeased earlier now reined in those emotions, their expressions becoming solemn and serious.
As the last line of the oath was spoken, King Robert moved the sword from Linde's shoulder and said, "Bear Hunter Linde, you are now a knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I hope you like this reward of mine."
"Yes, I like it very much, Your Majesty." Linde stood up from the ground, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
Becoming a knight was undoubtedly a crucial step for Linde, as it meant he had the qualification to contend for power in the Seven Kingdoms; otherwise, he would always just be a thug.
Furthermore, at only fifteen years old, he participated in only one martial arts tournament and was knighted, and by the King no less. Such a thing had never happened in the history of Westeros, which undoubtedly confirmed the special words spoken by Jaime and Varys earlier. It seemed there must have been a fierce debate about this in the Red Keep's council chamber.
Linde also had to admit that although he guessed that with Robert's personality, if he performed exceptionally well in the martial arts tournament, he might very likely be knighted by Robert, he wasn't too confident in this guess. He even thought his guess might be wrong when Robert left the martial arts tournament yesterday without directly knighting him, and began considering gaining knighthood through military merit.
However, now that Robert had knighted him at the banquet, he felt a sense of regaining what was lost, and his joy was naturally even stronger.
At this time, the surrounding nobles also came forward to congratulate Linde. Whether sincerely or out of etiquette, they all had to show the proper demeanor.
"I didn't expect you to become a knight so quickly. It's only been a few months since you became my squire." Fotimo also walked up to Linde, patted Linde's shoulder, and said earnestly, "Becoming a knight is just the first step. You still have many things to learn in the future. I hope you don't forget your original intention."
Linde did not change his attitude towards Fotimo due to his change in status, still responding as a knight's squire, "I will heed your teachings, Lord Fotimo."
Fotimo nodded with satisfaction, seemingly having more to say, but felt the occasion was not suitable, so he did not speak and decided to tell Linde when they returned to the camp.
Garlan also walked up to Linde, congratulated him, and was about to lead Linde to see Duke Tyrell.
Robert, however, called out to Linde, who was about to leave, and asked Linde, "Bear Hunter Linde, are you willing to become a Kingsguard?"
Although Robert's voice was not loud, everyone in the hall could hear it. Everyone instantly quieted down, and all eyes were focused on Linde.
Linde was also surprised by Robert's question. Although he had never considered becoming a Kingsguard in his heart, he had to admit that for most knights, becoming a Kingsguard was the Glory of their lives.
The Kingsguard was not merely a simple King's guard; it also represented the center of power in the Seven Kingdoms. After becoming a Kingsguard, one not only had the opportunity to influence the politics of the Seven Kingdoms, but at times could even represent the King himself. More importantly, a Kingsguard had the chance to become the King's Hand, or even the Regent, so a knight becoming a Kingsguard could be said to be a meteoric rise.
If Linde were a knight from a great noble house, his becoming a Kingsguard would not cause too much commotion. But the problem was that Linde was just a common hunter by birth, with a status even lower than a peasant. For a person of such status to become a knight was already breaking the rules of power in Westeros. To then have such a person become a Kingsguard would be to simply throw the rules of power built by the nobles onto the ground and trample them.
Jon Arryn was well aware of the negative impact this would have and wanted to persuade Robert, but he was stopped by Robert, who then repeated his question to Linde.
"Apologies, Your Majesty, but I must refuse your kindness. The position of Kingsguard is too heavy for me." Linde felt the invisible pressure from those around him. He quickly responded before others could speak, "Besides, the Red Keep is not suitable for me. I prefer the freedom of the outside."
"The freedom of the outside?" Robert's swollen face showed clear disappointment, and he sighed, murmuring, "I feel the same."
After speaking, he seemed to lose all interest in the banquet and turned directly to leave the hall.
The surrounding nobles also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment, and their gazes towards Linde became much more benevolent, especially Duke Jon Arryn. Clearly, they believed Linde's refusal to become a Kingsguard was because he understood the hierarchy and did not arrogantly break the rules.
However, in reality, Linde had never considered becoming a Kingsguard. In his eyes, the Kingsguard, which countless knights regarded as Glory, was merely shackles and a cage.
Linde's knighting was just a small interlude and did not have much impact on the banquet. Soon, the banquet returned to normal.
However, compared to how everyone had ignored him earlier, now some minor nobles and knights were willing to approach and talk to him. Clearly, these people had gradually accepted his change in status.
Duke Tyrell's attitude towards Linde also changed somewhat, but not too much. After all, Linde's status had only changed from a knight's squire to a knight, and the difference in status between the two was still significant.
But whether Duke Tyrell misunderstood or not, he seemed to interpret Linde's refusal of King Robert's invitation as Linde's loyalty to House Tyrell. Therefore, in his conversation with Linde, he also promised to heavily promote Linde and hinted that Linde did not need to worry about any negative consequences from unauthorized sale of cavalry slots.
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