Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young knight, broad-chested and very strong, dressed in armor and exuding an imposing aura, riding out of the ranks. He was very young, looking to be about twenty years old, and his brows were furious.
The man who dared to step forward to fight the Mountain is named Baron Sven. He won three consecutive matches in the previous duel and has advanced to the second round. In the first spear duel, he knocked Erin of the North off his horse. Although Baron Sven has advanced, it will not prevent him from taking on any challenge.
Ser Baron Swan is a vassal of House Baratheon of the Stormlands, whose ancestral home is Stonehelm. Stonehelm is located north of the Dornish Sea, on the banks of the Windfury River. He is the second son of Lord Gurian Swan of Stonehelm and is renowned among the younger generation of sergeants in the Stormlands. He is highly skilled in combat, courageous, and adept at using the lance on horseback. In close combat, he possesses a signature attack: the mace. However, even more celebrated than his lance and mace skills is his archery prowess.
The Mountain knew this guy; he was a tough nut to crack and a future Kingsguard. He would soon be of use to the Westerlands.
Baron's martial arts skills and bravery were admired even by James and Barristan.
The Mountain noticed the cloak pin that Baron Sven had on it, which was made of two fighting swans, one black and one white.
"Baron Sven, I don't want to kill you. Step back."
Baron Swin scoffed, "The Mountain, are you afraid?"
The Mountain's gaze sharpened instantly: "Baron, you know I fear no one!"
"Then let's fight!" Baron Sven shouted.
Ignorance is bliss!
The Mountain knew that Baron, this tough guy, had two key traits: loyalty and courage!
The two men each took a spear and returned to their designated positions. At his command, the horses clattered, dirt flew, and the crowd cheered for Sir Baron Swin.
The Mountain's face was indifferent, his spear held level. Baron also held his spear level. The two horses galloped closer. The Mountain, tall and long-armed, thrust his spear fiercely. Baron roared, not using his shield to block, but throwing it away and gripping his spear with both hands to fight the Mountain.
The two spears clashed, and with a crack, both tips shattered. The specially crafted tips of the training spears couldn't withstand the combined force of the two men. The Mountain remained motionless on his horse, while Baron swayed, quickly leaning over his mount. The two horses passed each other, exchanging positions, and then each took another spear.
The Mountain roared, "Baron, if you can withstand one of my shots without falling, I'll spare your life. Just admit defeat!"
Enraged, Baron gripped his spear with both hands and charged at the Mountain again. The Mountain spurred his horse to meet Baron. Baron struck first, his spear feinting at the Mountain's face before suddenly plunging down to pierce the Mountain's chest. The Mountain didn't dodge, and a loud crack echoed as the spear struck him squarely in the chest, shattering the spear. A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. However, amidst the flying splinters, the Mountain didn't fall from his horse; instead, he remained seated, completely still.
Baron was taken aback, and everyone present was astonished. King Robert shouted, "The Seven Circles of Hell! Is the Mountain even human?!" Eddard's expression changed slightly, utterly astonished. With the Mountain like this, who on the battlefield could defeat him?!
On the field, the brave and skilled Baron was so frightened that his face turned pale and his eyes widened. He hurriedly dropped half of his spear and spurred his horse to flee.
The Mountain laughed heartily, his laughter like thunder, rumbling across the training ground. Clad in plate armor, he showed only slight fear of the real iron spearhead; the training spear was utterly ineffective against him. Baron's full-force attack was completely neutralized by the Mountain's momentum, and Baron's attempt to unseat him was truly naive.
Amidst the laughter, the Mountain roared and kicked the spurs. The warhorse, in pain, sped up and caught up with Baron in the blink of an eye. The Mountain raised his spear high, and everyone was shocked and cried out in alarm.
The spear aimed at Baron's back suddenly veered off course, cracking loudly as it struck Baron's shoulder. The spearhead shattered, sending splinters flying. An immense force sent Baron flying, tumbling several times in the air, like an adult throwing a human doll.
boom!
Baron crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
The horses' hooves clattered, and Baron's warhorse ran ahead, stopped, and turned back to find its master still struggling on the ground, unable to stand up.
The entire arena fell silent, everyone fearing that Baron would die. After a long while, Baron managed to kneel up, bit by bit. He took off his helmet and gasped for breath. With a bang, cheers erupted from the entire arena.
Baron is not dead!
The Mountain has won all three of its matches and advanced to the second round!
*
The Mountain leaves the stage, and the Knight of Flowers enters.
The Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell, occupies the Reach, his homeland. It's renowned as the breadbasket of the Seven Kingdoms, boasting the best climate and most fertile land. Because of its favorable climate and abundant harvests, it's also the most populous nation. A large population means a rich pool of soldiers. Therefore, the Reach is the most militarily powerful nation among the Seven Kingdoms.
The capital of the Reach is called Highgarden, and the Duke of Highgarden and Warden of the South is Lord Mace Tyrell. Loras Tyrell is his youngest son, sixteen years old. He is also the youngest knight on the field.
When Sansa first arrived in King's Landing, she saw Loras Tyrell for the first time, and she had never seen such a handsome man. Loras's armor was meticulously crafted, its enamel adorned with thousands of different flowers, and his snow-white steed was covered with a red carpet and white roses—hence his title, the Knight of Flowers.
The white roses are not fake flowers; each one is a real rose, exuding a captivating fragrance. Wherever the Knight of Flowers goes, the scent of roses fills the air. The name "Knight of Flowers" is truly well-deserved.
When the Knight of Flowers entered the arena, cheers and screams erupted from noblewomen and women among the commoners.
Duke Renly stood up from the stands and applauded and cheered for the Knight of Flowers!
Loras Tyrell rode up to the stands of the King, Queen, Prince, and Hand of the King. He bowed on horseback and then presented two white roses to the Queen and Princess Myrcella.
His movements were elegant and his demeanor captivating, drawing thunderous applause from the entire audience! Sansa and Jenny were mesmerized, their eyes glued to the Knight of Flowers.
"Your Majesty, I have a request!"
"For the sake of the Seven Gods, speak!"
"Please grant me permission to challenge your three Kingsguards."
These words were spoken very politely, yet they were overflowing with youthful arrogance.
"Jayne has advanced, Barristan has been eliminated. Which three Kingsguard do you want to challenge?"
"Ser Manden Moore, Ser Marin Tran, Ser Preston Greenfield. Your Majesty, I wish to prove to you that I too have the ability to be a Kingsguard."
This beautiful young woman actually wanted to become a member of the Imperial Guard.
While the Kingsguard represents the highest honor among knights, the price is high: they relinquish their lands and all wealth, remain unmarried and childless, forsake all inheritance rights, live out their days in solitude, keep their mouths shut, and dedicate their lives to one thing: serving the royal family and carrying out any orders from the king.
"My Kingsguard is not to be trifled with!" His Majesty the King laughed. "You want to challenge three people, which means you are confident of winning three matches in a row. Very well, I like your pride and courage. Ser Manden Moore, Ser Marin Tran, Ser Preston Greenfield, come out."
Three brothers in white robes stepped forward, their eyes gleaming with anger.
The Knight of Flowers publicly challenged these three men to a duel at the national tournament, which brought honor to the Knight of Flowers but threatened their honor, as if they were just used as stepping stones.