"Jaime, why do you say that?"
Jaime glanced at Aldric and replied, "At lunch today, Lancel told me that he and Bart went to see the monster last night. In that dirty courtyard, they heard the so-called 'Seres' warrior admit himself that the monster was picked up in the forest, and told them not to meddle."
Hearing this, King Robert beckoned Lancel over. A teenage squire carrying a wineskin trotted to the King.
King Robert asked Lancel, "You heard him say that with your own ears?"
Lancel looked up, eyes filled with undisguised indignation, and answered, "Yes, Your Grace, I heard it with my own ears. Bart heard it too, and several hedge knights were there. They can testify."
King Robert waved his hand and turned to Aldric. "Lad, Lancel is my squire, and Jaime is my Kingsguard. I can't think of a reason to believe you over them. What do you have to say?"
Aldric studied Lancel's face and realized this was the boy he had beaten off yesterday. He also realized the blond man questioning him first was Ser Jaime Lannister. They looked alike, likely relatives.
They didn't seek revenge last night because they planned to ruin my reputation in public today?
Facing the King's query, Aldric shook his head. "Your Grace, I have nothing to say. It is absurd to judge truth based on the testimony of a few biased men. I also have witnesses: my student, my three teammates, and Guard Captain Anders of Rabbit's Paw can testify for me."
King Robert looked at his friend Lord Eddard. "Ned, where is Rabbit's Paw?"
Lord Eddard thought for a moment. "Next to the Wolfswood, three days' journey from here."
King Robert shook his head. "I can't wait that long." He turned to his brother-in-law. "Jaime, if you took five men, could you kill that spider?"
Jaime replied, "Very difficult, Your Grace."
The King turned back to Aldric. "That settles it. Your name is Lewie, right? You fight Jaime. If you win, I rule you told the truth, and Lancel will be punished. If you lose, I confiscate your trophy and have you whipped fifty times in the market square. Choose."
Aldric calculated. Fifty lashes would be unbearable and destroy his carefully built image as a "powerful wandering warrior." He had no choice but to agree. "Your Grace, I accept your judgment."
He straightened his back, staring intently at Jaime, imagining Jaime's defeat, and grinned ferociously. "Ser Jaime, how shall we fight?"
Jaime proposed, "Full armor, practice longswords. Acceptable?"
Aldric had no objection. "Fine. But my armor is at home. Please allow me to fetch it."
However, Jaime refused. "No need. Let your student get it. You stay here and rest."
Aldric knew they feared he would flee, but he didn't care. He instructed Kevin, "Kevin, go get my armor."
"Yes, Teacher." Accompanied by Haywar, Kevin rode "Fast Fish" to the blacksmith's courtyard.
Meanwhile, news spread quickly through the training yard: "Kingsguard" Ser Jaime Lannister was dueling the recently famous Lewie Seres. The battle between the "Spider Slayer" and the "Kingslayer" attracted wide attention. Everyone eligible dropped their work to watch, and even servant girls peeked from windows.
Under the guards' direction, servants moved the spider to a corner and marked a fifty-square-meter circle with white lime as the arena.
Servants brought thick wooden chairs and cushions from the castle for the Queen and noble ladies. Among them, a blond boy pointed at Aldric, making the ladies laugh. Aldric snorted, thinking noble lords would never learn respect, and looked away.
Just then, he saw a small figure climbing on the spider. He wanted to warn the child, but seeing two servants guarding him, he dismissed the thought.
Soon, Kevin brought the armor in a sack. Seeing the gear arrive, Jaime summoned his squire to arm him, and Aldric began prepping with Kevin's help.
The "child" playing on the spider walked over. As he approached, Aldric realized it wasn't a child, but a dwarf who would never grow up.
"Hi, Captain Lewie." The dwarf greeted him.
"Greetings, My Lord." Aldric responded, unbuckling his breastplate straps to put it on.
The dwarf nodded. "Perhaps you've heard my name. I am Tyrion Lannister. Jaime Lannister is my brother."
Aldric fastened the breastplate, noncommittal. "I have a respected senior named Tirion Fordring. His name is similar to yours." He started equipping his greaves.
Tyrion extended a hand, showing lime dust on his fingers. "Out of curiosity, I just examined your prey. I found that the residual meat inside the shell, though dried by lime, was firm before processing. This proves it was indeed killed while alive."
Aldric buckled his greaves and shrugged. "You have great wisdom in a small body, quite the opposite of others. If you could convince them of your conclusion, I would be eternally grateful."
Tyrion wiped the dust on his clothes. "Jaime doesn't have the skill to kill such a giant beast. I suspect he won't last many rounds against you. Even as a Kingsguard, he is mortal. And in my view, someone who can kill a giant spider with one strike... 'mortal' doesn't describe you."
Hearing this, Aldric finally took him seriously. Few could deduce so much from vague blade marks.
"What do you want to say?"
Tyrion spread his hands. "My brother, though impulsive and not so bright sometimes, is loved by me. And loved even more by my father, Lord Tywin, Warden of the West, and my sister, Queen Cersei. They wouldn't want to see Jaime defeated by a nobody. If Jaime gets hurt in the process... the situation might get messy."
Aldric's eyes turned cold. "This is the North. And I don't accept threats."
Haywar shouted from afar, "Lewie, hurry up! Ser Jaime is ready!"
Aldric yelled back, "Coming!" Then he continued to Tyrion, "Sorry, look, the duel is starting. I'd appreciate it if you stepped aside."
Tyrion frowned. "You are a brave warrior, ser. If you are willing to lose to Jaime..."
Aldric raised a hand to stop him. "You are insulting me."
Tyrion said helplessly, "Then can we change the opponent? If you agree to fight someone else, I will pay fifteen Gold Dragons for your kindness."
Aldric curled his lip, snapping the lock on his gauntlet. "Lord Tyrion, the King's decree was for Ser Jaime to fight me. Will the King accept a sudden switch?"
Tyrion shook his head. "I'll handle that. As long as you agree."
Aldric chuckled coldly. "Hehe."
Tyrion raised the offer. "Forty Gold Dragons."
Aldric remained unmoved. "Thirty-five. And I gain your friendship."
Their eyes met. Aldric lowered his head and questioned, "How can I trust you?"
Tyrion said firmly, "You don't need to trust me. You just need to know: A Lannister always pays his debts."
Finally, Aldric put on his helmet and nodded. "Deal."
Tyrion said gratefully, "Thank you for your kindness."
After getting Aldric's promise, Tyrion walked quickly to his sister and whispered something.
The Queen cast a fearful and disgusted look at Aldric. Moments later, the Queen and Tyrion approached King Robert and Ser Jaime.
After a low argument, Ser Jaime looked bored and threw his practice sword heavily onto the ground with a clang.