Prince Joffrey and Queen Cersei arrived at Ruby Beach, accompanied by Jaime Lannister, the Kingsguard, and the Red Cloak.
Joffrey wore a magnificent robe that accentuated his physique, with a gold belt adorned with jewels at his waist and a longsword in a scabbard hanging from it. The clothes clung to his body, outlining its graceful curves.
Renly did not prepare seats for Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey.
Queen Cersei firmly opposed the duel and made it clear that she would not come to Ruby Beach.
But now she has arrived, accompanied by Prince Joffrey, who is exceptionally handsome, with an excited expression and bright, piercing eyes.
Lan Li quickly stepped forward and politely made way for him.
Queen Cersei remained silent and walked straight to the highest throne. Prince Joffrey seemed to have forgotten his unpleasantness with Sansa and Arya. He extended his right hand, wrapped in white bandages, to Sansa in greeting, while his left hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist. He looked dashing and imposing, as if he were the protagonist of this duel.
Arya's face was etched with contempt, her disdainful gaze sweeping over Sansa and Joffrey.
Eddard Stark stood up and offered his seat. Queen Cersei gave a soft hum and sat down. This severely dampened the king's good mood, like finding a fly in a delicious meal.
Sansa rose to greet Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey. Cersei glanced down at Sansa with a dismissive air; Joffrey, however, returned Sansa's greeting with great enthusiasm and politeness.
On the king's long table lay piles of sweet bread, pigeon pies, cinnamon-scented roasted apples, and lemon cakes sprinkled with icing sugar; honey and butter glistened enticingly. Not far behind the king, the roasters and bakers busied themselves. Stout, ale, cider, and wine were stacked high on the king's table. The sommelier, Lancel Lannister, stood beside the king, ready to refill his golden goblet at any moment.
Joffrey knew that Sansa loved lemon cake, so he very politely handed her two lemon cakes and kissed the back of her hand.
Sansa was overjoyed, her face glowing with the sweetness of love.
Arya, unable to bear it any longer, rose and left, going to the seats of the Northern guards. As soon as she arrived, the guards happily made way, respectfully welcoming the young lady to her seat. Arya was well-liked by the guards, servants, master craftsmen, and apprentices. But Sansa was too noble; the guards and servants kept their distance, not daring to joke or play with her.
To Arya's slight disappointment, although Mikey was present, he kept avoiding her and refused to play with her as usual. When Prince Joffrey arrived, Mikey was so frightened that he hid immediately, not daring to be seen by the prince.
Duke Renly invited Prime Minister Eddard to his long table. Servants began to bring out freshly made pastries, toast, honey-glazed chicken, sweet onions drizzled with rich gravy, hard cheese, butter-fried turnips, fried finger fish, sturgeon, bacon, eggs, various steaming and fragrant biscuits, roast meats, and a variety of beautifully colored fruits, mostly for decorating the long table... in a continuous stream.
The entire Ruby Beach became a grand feast of delicious food.
It didn't feel like a duel, but rather a wild bonfire party!
The Hound, the Mountain, and Maester Lucius entered the arena together, and the knights, generals, and centurions all stood up to cheer for the two.
So, Scholar Lucius publicly inspected both sides' shields, armor, swords, and whether they were carrying any other short swords, daggers, crossbows, or steel spikes. After the inspection, Lucius announced that there were no problems and that the two knights' weapons and armor met the requirements of the duel.
Then, Maester Lucius recited the duel oath in the name of the Seven Gods. The Mountain and the Hound knelt on one knee, placed their left fists over their hearts, and swore to fight to the death in a fair, just, and open manner. All grudges between the two were to be wiped clean by this duel, and that neither of their families, friends, lords, servants, or anyone else should seek revenge against the other or any of their family members because of the consequences of this duel.
This is the custom of dueling oaths, the only difference being that the two duelists in this duel are family members.
Brothers killing each other is a heinous crime of patricide!
But from the king down to the servants, everyone was excited and looking forward to seeing blood splatter, one person standing while another fell!
Then, Maester Lucius came to His Majesty's long table and requested that His Majesty declare the duel open.
King Robert, holding a golden roasted leg in one hand and a golden cup in the other, proclaimed: "In the name of Robert I of House Baratheon, King of the Andals, Rhoynar and First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Warden of the Realms, I hereby declare the duel between the Mountain and the Hound to begin!"
Joffrey stood up and shouted, "Hound, kill the Mountain, and I'll bet you'll win!"
Joffrey's abrupt shout silenced the entire arena, and all eyes turned to him. The Hound and the Mountain also glanced at Prince Joffrey, causing the prince's tall frame to shrink.
Immediately, The Mountain and the Hound slowly retreated, maintaining the prescribed distance and assuming fighting stances.
The Hound gripped his sword with both hands and said calmly, "Mountain, you're dead this time! I'm not wearing plate armor, just light leather! My speed and agility surpass yours!"
"I'm wearing a tortoise shell tonight!" said the Mountain.
"Why?"
"Last night I was on the offensive, in mounted combat, which requires speed and agility, so I didn't need a shield or armor; that was a tactic. My tactic was very successful; I won with just one sword strike. Tonight, in foot combat, I'll only be on the defensive, requiring heavy protection and a safe barrier, so I brought a shield and wore plate armor. That's also a tactic, and I will still win against you easily!" The Mountain said with a relaxed and confident tone.
Snap!
The Mountain's greatsword tapped lightly against the massive, heavy oak shield, signaling the Hounds to attack!
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"You're wearing armor weighing hundreds of pounds, plus a shield weighing hundreds of pounds, and a greatsword weighing tens of pounds. Heh heh, how long can you last?" the hound chuckled lightly.
"I'll only defend tonight. If you don't attack, I'll rest!" the Mountain said with a faint smile. He planted his shield in the ground, and the shield stood upright. The Mountain lowered his body, resting his greatsword on the shield, revealing the tip of the sword.
The oak shield weighing a hundred pounds and the greatsword weighing dozens of pounds were both burdens. Wielding these things, jumping, dodging, attacking and defending quickly was extremely strenuous. In addition, the Mountain was wearing plate armor that was difficult to penetrate.
Plate armor is very thick and provides the best protection, but it is also very heavy, weighing over 200 pounds.
Eddard Stark then realized that when he rode out of town last night to check on the fire, he had encountered the Hound returning on foot. It turned out that the Hound and the Mountain had just finished their fight on Ruby Beach.
The brothers' simple exchange contained a wealth of information. It revealed to everyone that the Hound and the Mountain had clashed the previous night at Ruby Beach, with the Mountain defeating the Hound with a single sword strike.
This terrified the king, queen, prince, prime minister, courtiers, knights, generals, centurions, and many guards!
The hounds are renowned for their bravery and skill in battle, and are known throughout the seven kingdoms!
But he couldn't withstand the power of Demon Mountain's sword!
This conversation also proves that The Mountain was indeed in Harlowe last night, and that the Flowing Plains arson case had nothing to do with him.
King Robert, who had bet on the Hound to win, became nervous; he had bet five hundred gold dragons on the Hound to win!
The Hound sneered, "Mountain, tonight is not like last night!" He suddenly sprang into action, moving with unparalleled speed, and in a flash, he was in front of Mountain, his longsword gleaming coldly, aimed straight at Mountain's face.