Kapitel 5: Chapter 5 (276 AC)
PoV: Rhaegar
Under the cries of the crowd, my powerful snow-white steed charged once more at our unyielding opponent. Gripping my lance tightly, I prepared to deliver the final blow. The moment before the collision seemed incredibly long: my mind tried to devise the best strategy, while my body was already in action. Taking the Dornishman's attack on my shield, I struck back, shifting slightly to the right.
Another lance shattered, wooden splinters flying everywhere. Oberyn Martell nearly fell off his horse, managing to stay in the saddle by some miracle. Picking up a new lance, I stared intently at my opponent and noticed he seemed to have injured his shoulder. This sealed the outcome of the tournament. Urging my horse on even faster, I aimed at my enemy's weak spot. A fraction of a second, and with a groan, he fell to the ground. Removing my specially made dragon-themed helmet, I surveyed the cheering crowd.
"Prince Rhaegar!" "Congratulations, my prince!" "Long live His Highness!" "I love you!" "The perfect prince!" "The true dragon!"
It was quite pleasant to hear the crowd's enthusiastic cheers. These people didn't even welcome their High Lord Tywin Lannister like this, although from what Ser Jonathor told me, when people first saw me flying on Balerion, they were speechless, and some even fainted. Soon I was given the traditional wreath with which I was to crown the queen of love and beauty.
Scanning the crowd, I immediately spotted Cersei Lannister. She was still very young, but you'd have to be blind not to notice the resemblance to her mother Joanna, who had recently died giving birth to her third child. Of course, giving the wreath to her would be the right thing to do. Approaching the young lady on my horse, I handed the blushing girl the wreath.
Lord Tywin looked on approvingly, but my father's gaze seemed to grow even colder. Had I made a mistake? After all, with each passing year, Aerys' condition worsened, and now even Mother couldn't predict his actions.
"Well, this was a splendid tournament in honor of Prince Viserys' birth! The winner of which is Rhaegar Targaryen!" Lord Tywin began announcing the tournament results, and with each word, the crowd became more excited. "I believe the crown prince should soon decide on his bride, and as a loyal subject, I suggest His Grace consider my daughter Cersei, and also take my son Jaime as the prince's squire!"
It wasn't surprising news. Before leaving, Mother had warned me of this possibility. In her opinion, the king and the Hand needed to restore their old friendship, and such a marriage would be very advantageous for me. However, seeing Aerys' clenched hands, I began to worry: his sharp gaze was directed straight at me.
"Rhaegar is not yet a knight," grumbled the king, and then Ser Arthur stepped forward, apparently not noticing the tension. He was the greatest warrior, a loyal and reliable friend, but a terrible politician.
"Your Grace, I would like to personally knight the prince after he has won his first serious tournament." I tried to show him that now was not the time, but ignoring all the signs, the Sword of the Morning stood before me, and all I could do was kneel.
"Rhaegar of House Targaryen," he began solemnly, touching my right shoulder with the blade, "in the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave." The sword touched my left shoulder. "In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just." Right shoulder again. "In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the young and innocent." Left shoulder.
Looking up at my father, I saw seething rage, and a legitimate question arose in my mind: what in the Seven Hells was happening with him? Wasn't it wonderful when your son, your blood and flesh, achieved success? Why was he so angry with me?
I came to my senses as a newly minted knight. Looking at Lord Tywin, I saw him about to say something, but the king stopped him.
"This is all very amusing, Tywin. You are indeed the cleverest of my servants; I think everyone here can see that today. But who would marry their heir to a servant's daughter?"
As soon as Aerys uttered these words, the entire arena fell silent, afraid to make even the slightest sound. The usually calm and composed face of Lord Lannister twisted in anger, and young Cersei was on the verge of tears. In such an atmosphere, the king left the stands. Unprepared for such a turn of events, I also preferred to leave quietly.
Approaching my tent, I noticed a worried Dayne. Seeing me, he immediately approached and began explaining.
"Your Highness, I had no idea things would turn out this way. Honestly, I thought the moment was perfect. Victory in your first major tournament, dedicated to your brother, it's..." I had to stop my friend and mentor, who was clearly very upset by what had happened.
"Come now, Arthur, it was inevitable. My father is too mired in his foolish thoughts and fears. If not today, then tomorrow it would have happened. Actually, I'm glad to have been knighted by the best swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms. Especially since for me to win today, you had to not participate," I noted with a grin.
"Oh no, Your Highness, I was just feeling tired," he replied stoically, but with a sparkle in his eye.
"Sure, sure, and if I'm not mistaken, your sister Ashara was in the stands. I must say, she's beautiful. Maybe I should have given her the wreath?"
"You know, my prince, I think I will participate in the next tournament."
After a short silence, we burst into laughter, lightening the gloomy mood after the tournament.
PoV: Tywin Lannister
Sweeping everything off my desk, I struggled to control my emotions. It wasn't enough for that idiot to have caused an incident with Joanna; he decided to slap me in the face again, the bastard.
Nevertheless, this time it will end badly for him. I tried to forgive and understand my former friend, but with each new meeting, I hated him more and more.
"Brother, what are you planning..." Kevan began to say but stopped short at my look.
"Respond! One must always respond to such slights."
"Are we capable of that now?"
"No, acting immediately would be foolish and rash. We must wait for the right moment and place our bets on Rhaegar."
"Do you think he will go against his father?"
"Did you see his face? The prince was as surprised as we were. Besides, the heir is smart and must understand the prospects that await him after marrying Cersei. Not to mention, there are hardly any lords left who wouldn't prefer to see the son on the throne instead of the father. Kevan, we need to be patient. Keep an eye on Rhaegar. Make sure he knows he can count on us. His father's madness will only push him towards us."
"Yes, brother. I will do that."
"Perhaps you're right, brother. Besides, one dragon is enough to silence all dissenters!" Kevan said with a smile, and I reassessed the situation.
"There's just one 'but'..."
"What do you mean?"
"There are two dragons on the board, and as everyone knows, they are far from friendly."
PoV: Aeryon Targaryen
Racing on my black steed, I watched with amusement as the criminal ran ahead. He screamed for mercy, but kept running. Raising my sword above my head and quickly closing the distance, I ended the man's life with one precise swing.
His lifeless body fell into the dirt, and my sword was stained with blood. Hearing the sound of the approaching escort, I turned my head with a smile.
"Your Highness, what was the purpose of all this?" Ser Barristan asked.
"I don't quite understand the question, Ser Barristan."
"We are not on a hunt, and these were mere bandits, still people. There was no need to hunt them down like animals."
"Death is death, Ser Barristan. What difference does it make how it happens? Moreover, those who break the law go against the crown and my father! They should be made an example of, so others won't follow suit. If I'm not mistaken, we have significantly reduced crime in the area over the past year. And if Lord Steffon allowed more decisive actions, then..." I left my thought unfinished, giving Selmy a chance to figure out the answer.
"There is no honor in displaying bodies. It will only frighten people."
"Precisely, the criminals. And as I see it, that's how it should be—they should fear us."
"Any knight..." he began his sermon again, but I cut him off.
"How fortunate that I'm not a knight. In any case, it's time for us to return."
Soon after, upon returning home, I noticed an interesting scene: Stannis was gazing wistfully at a female hawk perched on his arm. He had named her Proudwing. During this time, she had grown and recovered from her fracture, though she still couldn't fly high.
"Have you started talking to animals now? Can no one else tolerate your company?" I asked with a smile.
"No, I'm saying goodbye," he replied more seriously than usual.
"Planning to die?"
At my joke, young Baratheon responded with a stern look.
"Maybe you should tell me what the problem is?"
"Don't you understand?! She will never be able to fly properly again. Robert, as soon as he arrived, began mocking her and called her Weakwing, and even Uncle Harbert advised me to get a healthy bird."
"Haha, well yes, those two surely know better than you, the one who cared for her. The only question is: why did you do it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you save her, spend your time and effort? If you believe she'll never fly properly, it would be better to end her suffering right away. Want me to do it?" Saying this, I approached him, but he immediately shielded the bird with his body.
"No!"
"Stannis, to be honest, I don't care about her, but you do. So why listen to anyone else? If you're protecting something, do it all the way. Though the choice is yours. Anyway, I need to take a bath; I feel like I reek of those scoundrels."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein