Chapter 53: -Chapter 50-
-Chapter 50-
-POV Harwin Strong-
'Damn it, I've sprained my ankle,' I thought, feeling the pain as I tried to get back on my feet.
Criston Cole walked past me, smirking before spitting in my direction and saying:
"You and your bitch are worthless."
'Some of the Red Keep's squires were overheard in brothels boasting about how Criston Cole abandoned the Princess's service because he had taken her... rose.'
My brother's words hit me square in the face at that moment, and I shouted to my squire:
"SWORD AND SHIELD!"
I gritted my teeth, silencing the pain I felt, for no physical agony would stop me from putting that piece of shit on the ground for what he dared to say about my...
'Wife,' I thought, firmly strapping the shield to my arm while the Queen's champion also equipped himself with a shield and a flail.
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-POV Aemon Targaryen-
'Yes, this is perfect,' I mentally screamed, hearing the powerful roar from the heir of House Strong.
"What the hell is he doing?" I muttered to myself, loudly enough for Rhaenyra to hear as I abruptly stood up, pretending to be shocked.
"What is he doing?" Rhaenyra asked, stunned by her champion's behavior, who had just sighed in relief after seeing her champion still alive despite the violent fall from his horse.
"Criston Cole must have provoked him, and your fool of a champion is walking straight into the trap. I didn't know there was such bad blood between the two. Were you aware of something?"
"Of course not," Rhaenyra replied, but I didn't need to know she had slept with both to understand that she was lying straight to my face.
"That's odd," I said, watching the fight begin.
'And what a fight,' I thought as Criston Cole unleashed fury on Harwin Strong's shield.
"This fight makes no sense. Father, stop this madness," Rhaenyra shouted, standing up.
Viserys, uncertain, was about to stop the fight, but Alicent stood up and screamed:
"He's the murderer of my brother, your champion who couldn't accept his defeat! The fight won't end until he surrenders or my champion takes his head."
"Viserys, stop this fight. Today is the day our children are to be married," Rhaenys said.
'I adore you, dear aunt, but don't get in the way of my plans,' I thought.
Almost immediately, Corlys stood up and said, "My wife is right. Shedding blood on the day..."
"SILENCE," I shouted, rising to my feet.
I fixed my gaze particularly on Corlys Velaryon before saying:
"The king organized this tournament and set the rules. The king's word is law, but the opposite is also true: forcing the king to lie is a crime. So, sit down, all of you, and wait for the fight's conclusion."
"They're fighting to the death, don't you see that?" Rhaenyra screamed, panicked and furious.
I replied with no apparent emotion, "Both knights accepted the terms of the fight. If one feels defeated, he will say so, and the king will stop the fight if necessary. Now, sit down and wait."
"Aemon..." she started through gritted teeth, but I immediately stopped her, invading her space and whispering, "Look around you."
She did so quickly and saw that no one cared about the duel anymore.
Their attention was focused on the royal box.
"You're making a spectacle of yourself, humiliating your father in front of almost the entire nobility. Do you also want them to think the Velaryons rule the kingdom through you?"
Rhaenyra clenched her teeth and finally sat down.
Seeing Rhaenyra back down, everyone else followed suit, and I sat down last, nodding to my uncle, who thanked me with a nod in return.
Though the atmosphere was electric, everyone eagerly awaited the victor of this battle.
Harwin Strong, who had been hiding behind his shield since the start of the duel, suddenly found himself defenseless as Criston Cole finally shattered his shield.
To everyone's surprise, he didn't retreat but leaped forward, tackling the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
As he tried to place his sword at Criston Cole's throat, the latter kicked Strong's injured ankle, forcing him to release his grip on Alicent Hightower's champion.
Criston Cole struggled to free himself from the hulking man atop him, and now disarmed, the knightly duel had turned into a gladiator's fight to the death.
Both, equipped with steel gauntlets, aimed blows at one another.
"Lucky he's wearing a helmet; otherwise, your champion would be dead," I said to Rhaenyra, who was on the verge of jumping into the arena to separate them herself.
Suddenly, I widened my eyes, having missed the moment, but somehow Criston Cole had managed to remove Harwin Strong's helmet and was raining down furious blows that Strong was blocking with his arms.
I felt Gunthor tap me lightly on the shoulder, and turning slightly toward him, I heard him whisper in my ear:
"Laenor Velaryon and his squire just left the royal box."
I glanced at the Velaryons and caught Laena's furious gaze for some reason.
'I only told her father to shut up,' I thought before turning to Corlys, who was anxiously looking around.
I furrowed my brow in confusion and suddenly widened my eyes upon hearing Viserys shout, "Separate them, someone separate them!"
The arena doors opened on both sides, and a crowd of people rushed in, intent on pulling the two knights apart.
I could make out a few distinguishing features: some wore black armbands, others green, but they all had the same goal.
'I just created a bloody battle royale. It'll only take a spark for this to blow up and engulf the kingdom in flames,' I thought, almost eager to watch it all go up in smoke.
But I suppressed that urge; the fruit wasn't ripe yet, and it wasn't time for harvest.
I mentally called for Urrax, who quickly descended from the sky and landed just outside the arena.
Despite not being inside, his sheer size loomed over everyone, and he could easily stretch his neck far enough to burn anyone to ashes at my command.
I shouted, "STOP THIS MADNESS IMMEDIATELY."
Urrax roared right after me, adding more weight to my words, and I then turned to Viserys to let him deal with this mess because even though I had managed to end the fight quickly...
'The damage is already done,' I thought, watching Laenor in the distance, cradling the body of his lover, who had taken a knife to the throat from Criston Cole, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
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