"Knights of the Round Table? You mean like the format from those King Arthur stories you told us when we were kids? That's interesting!" Joffrey laughed.
"So, do you have any recommendations, Lancelot?" he continued.
"Assuming the original seven Kingsguard members remain unchanged, I propose we add Kevan Lannister, Loras Tyrell, Robar Royce, Brynden Tully, and Victarion Greyjoy."
The five men Lancelot named were all younger brothers or second sons from the major noble houses.
"I agree to your proposal. If there are no objections from the others, then it's settled! Lord Varys, please notify these men and have them move into the White Sword Tower immediately," Joffrey ordered.
Joffrey had previously suffered several broken ribs from a kick by the Nine-Colored Deer. He was forcing himself to attend the meeting, but as time dragged on, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Using what little strength he had left, Joffrey quickly adjourned the council.
Eddard Stark hadn't been thrown into the dungeons. More accurately, he was under house arrest—or perhaps "protective custody." He had been taken to the White Sword Tower to be confined.
This was arguably the one place where no one would suspect he was being mistreated. Even the other Northern lords felt that residing in the White Sword Tower was an honor for Eddard Stark.
After the meeting, Lancelot went to the Red Keep to check on Joffrey. The King was lying in bed while the Grand Maester examined his ribs.
"Your Grace, you really need to be more careful!"
"I know, I know. You may go," Joffrey said, waving him off.
Only Lancelot and Joffrey remained in the room.
"Joff, are you okay? You really should have named Lord Tywin as Hand. He is our grandfather, after all," Lancelot said.
"He's a man of Aerys's era. I need new strength. Lancelot, you're the one I trust most. Tell me, was it Eddard Stark who killed my father?" Joffrey asked.
"Absolutely not. Eddard Stark's honor is something the entire realm can trust. It might have been an accident, or it might have been murder! King's Landing might still harbor die-hard Targaryen loyalists," Lancelot replied.
He couldn't be sure if it was Cersei pulling the strings or Littlefinger.
Lancelot's "Dreamwalker" ability hadn't revealed who bribed the thug to kill Robert. He had only seen the thug's appearance: black skin, hailing from the Summer Islands.
Lancelot even knew his identity: Jalabhar Xho, the exiled prince of the Summer Islands.
The reason Lancelot had referred to him as a "thug" was that Cersei often called him a beggar in noble's clothing.
Now, this Summer Islander prince had vanished. Although the whole city was searching for him, his whereabouts remained unknown.
Lancelot felt that given Cersei's attitude toward him, she likely wouldn't have hired him to kill Robert. After all, everyone knew Cersei despised him.
"If that's the case, we can only hope to find that exiled Summer Islander prince," Joffrey said.
Lancelot told him to rest well and left. Back in his own room, he decided to test his luck and see if he could win another lottery draw to get some Black Jade Bone-Mending Balm to cure Joffrey.
Lancelot's renown had now reached two thousand points, thanks to his recent public display of power.
Although the Big Dipper constellation on his chest wasn't the seven-pointed star preached by the Faith of the Seven, they still considered Lancelot one of their own.
However, ever since Lancelot began suspecting that the Faith of the Seven was essentially a Cthulhu cult, he had consciously kept his distance.
"Let's draw!"
Lancelot started the draw. Twenty pulls later, he received three thousand troops for the "Flying Bear Legion," but nothing else.
At that moment, three thousand heavy cavalry were summoned just outside King's Landing. Each rode a large, well-fed warhorse, wore heavy black armor, and carried a lance.
Their banner was the unique Flying Bear standard. What did a Flying Bear look like? It wasn't a bear flying in the sky, but a white tiger with wings.
Knowing his three thousand men had arrived, Lancelot immediately rode his Red Coal steed out of the city. He was overjoyed to see them.
"Which one of you is the general?" Lancelot asked.
"I am!" A tall man, about the same height as The Mountain, stepped forward.
Lancelot was stunned by his appearance, feeling as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Then Lancelot took out the items he had won in previous draws: the Heaven-Piercing Halberd, the Beast-Face Chainmail, and the Purple Gold Crown. When the man put them on, his identity became instantly recognizable.
"What is your name?" Lancelot asked.
"My Lord, this lowly one is named Lu Bu, General of the Flying Bear Legion. We obey your command and vow to serve you until death," Lu Bu said.
"I see! So you are Lu Bu. Excellent! General Lu, apart from you, is everyone else just a regular soldier? Do you have any deputies?" Lancelot asked.
"I have two! Step forward, you two."
As soon as Lu Bu finished speaking, two warriors stepped out.
Lancelot looked at General first, then fixed his gaze on. If he remembered correctly, He was the commander of the "Formation Breakers."
"General , do you remember the Formation Breakers?" Lancelot asked.
"Formation Breakers? What is that?" General looked confused.
It seems their memories have been modified. I don't need to worry about being backstabbed by Lu Bu either, Lancelot thought.
"General , from today on, you will leave the Flying Bear Legion. I plan for you to build a different unit called the 'Formation Breakers'."
Lancelot took out the Formation Breaker training manual he had obtained previously and gave it to General
his eyes lit up immediately after reading it.
"What an exquisite training method. If this can be fully realized, their strength might be even more terrifying than the Flying Bear Legion," General said.
Lancelot ordered Lu Bu and General to station themselves outside the city without disturbing the civilians, promising that supplies would be delivered regularly.
General entered King's Landing with Lancelot. Lancelot needed him to help train the troops.
Another month passed. Soldiers from all over the Seven Kingdoms had arrived outside King's Landing.
The army was set to march in three days.
At the war council, Lancelot was appointed Vanguard Commander. Mace Tyrell was in charge of logistics.
Balon led the navy.
Their plan was a joint land and sea advance.
Naval forces from the Iron Islands, Oldtown, and the Arbor would advance along the west coast toward the lands Beyond the Wall.
Naval forces from White Harbor, Gulltown, King's Landing, and the Stormlands would advance along the Narrow Sea toward the lands Beyond the Wall.
Lancelot would lead the army up the Kingsroad.
The three armies would advance together.
On the day of departure, Joffrey came personally to see Lancelot off.
"Brother! I'm adding a little something to your wine!"
Joffrey pinched a bit of soil from the ground outside King's Landing and dropped it into the cup. Then he said to Lancelot:
"I hope you return victorious soon, brother. And don't forget where you came from," Joffrey said.
Lancelot downed the wine in one gulp.
"Rest assured, Your Grace. I will not return home until the White Walkers are destroyed," Lancelot declared.