บท 104: The feast II

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POV of Jon Arryn, seventh moon 284 AC

Lord Hohenzollern arrived at his place, followed by his guards, and took a seat, giving me a look and a friendly smile.

Within the court, he stood out for his imposing presence and elegant attire, capturing the attention of all present. His bearing and distinction reflected his position of power.

Many nobles tried to approach him, but his personal guard cut them off before they could even speak to him, making it clear that only those with sufficient status and respect could approach Lord Hohenzollern. His aura of authority and command over the situation was evident in every move he made.

Before long, Robert made his appearance, wearing the yellow colors of House Baratheon and wearing the crown we had recently sent to be forged to distinguish him from the old Targaryen dynasty.

Robert sat on a throne we had placed in this hall for the feast and began to recite the speech he had been forced to learn by heart for this occasion, and the guests were left with a good impression of him.

''My lords, it is my pleasure to have you here today, under my roof, to celebrate this very special occasion. I want to thank you for your support and loyalty to House Baratheon. Together, we build a strong and prosperous kingdom where justice and honor prevail. I assure you that my reign will be different from that of the Targaryens, and we will work tirelessly to ensure the welfare of all the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms and heal the wounds inflicted by the mad king's madness,'' Robert said, glancing down from time to time, reading a scroll he held in one hand.

Robert finished his speech and sat down in his place, and the servants began to bring the food to be distributed among the lords.

Robert began to eat and drink, quickly attacking a roast chicken and pouring himself some of that Prussian vodka that was very strong.

The sounds of several lords conversing and silverware clinking filled the room as Robert enjoyed his food and drink.

It wasn't long before someone approached the king, and it was none other than the Prussian Champion Charles.

It was the first time I had seen him without his steel plate armor and wearing only a white hooded tunic and his typical black cross that reached to his ankles. Without any decoration, he almost looked like another man they told stories about.

''Charles, where have you been? Please take a seat,'' said the king with a smile. Charles sat down next to him, while the other diners continued to enjoy the food and the music in the background.

''Thank you, King Robert; thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to join you on this joyous day where we gather here to celebrate the unity of the seven kingdoms,'' Charles said with a smile.

I hardly recognize you in those clothes if your lord doesn't pay you enough to have something like them,'' said Robert, wiping his hands on the tablecloth and pointing to Lord Hohenzollern, who was conversing with some of his bannermen.

''I have a vow of poverty, King Robert; I only possess the minimum and indispensable: my armor, my sword, a horse, this robe, and my bible. I have some gold that my lord gives me for my expenses, but the Teutonic order does not receive any payment for its services, although the Prussian state covers all our expenses'' said Charles with much humility.

''Ha ha ha, Jon is very different from that high septon who keeps asking for gold; besides, unlike the high septon, Charles gave a good beating to Jaime. By gods, it was magnificent to see how the youngest knight of the royal guard, the prodigal son of mighty Tywin Lannister, bit the earth before Charles' attacks'' said Robert, giving a signal to his cupbearer to serve Charles something to drink.

'Good thing Cersei and her brother are accompanying their father.

''It was just a training session, King Robert. I wanted Jaime to see his mistakes. There is nothing more terrible than resting on the laurels of victory. Jaime has talent; he just needs more training before he truly shows his potential'' said Charles, drinking the entire contents of his cup in one gulp.

Robert's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Charles drink the stiff drink like water and then let out a loud laugh.

"Why, Charles! It seems you not only have a talent for combat but for drinking as well,'' Robert said as he again ordered his cupbearer to pour him more.

He had had little time to get to know this knight, but all the talk of him being a beast in battle seemed rather unbelievable; he was too calm.

''You know, Charles, I never asked you, who was the first one?'' asked Robert, very interested.

Charles put on a thoughtful face.

''If my memory is correct, he was a mujahidin, a Muslim warrior, when I was fourteen years old I had recently taken all the vows that were necessary to become a Teutonic knight, I was sent to the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land, to support the defense of the Crusader kingdoms that were fighting a fierce battle against the Muslims and the jihad that sought to recapture Egypt and Jerusalem, while I was moving in the deserts of the area we met several horsemen and fought a skirmish, it was quite difficult to kill him, he was skilled and his horse was used to the arid and dry climate while mine was seriously affected, we clashed swords, but as they wear little armor I managed to hit a deadly thrust to the neck of the warrior'' said Charles remembering that battle.

''Ha, ha, he sure shit his pants when he faced the best of the Prussian knights'' said Robert, taking some pork ribs with a thick sauce.

''There were many warriors who were better than me; the former Hochmeister was a much better duelist; he belonged to the Ruppin lineage; but there is no better sword than the late father of my lord. I only had the honor of fighting him twice. Both times I was defeated and could do nothing to touch him; he was extremely strong, very fast, and very skilled. Unfortunately, those skills could not be imitated in the study, and that led to his untimely death in battle'' said Charles, a little sad.

''Oh, so you think Wilhelm will someday be more skilled than you?'' asked Robert again, ordering Charles to have his cup filled.

''I don't think so. My lord is the spitting image of his grandfather, a statesman more than a warrior. My lord prefers to plan, review maps, organize logistics, prepare battle equipment, and review the soldiers to lead them from the vanguard as his father used to do, and that proved to be more efficient than the guidance of a great warrior. As I already told you, that's how we won so many consecutive battles'' said Charles, smiling.

''I would have liked to have seen them fight; they must have been great warriors'' said Robert, trying to imitate Charles to drink it all in one gulp, but even that was difficult for Robert.

Robert and Charles continued to talk about battle stories.

Everything seemed to be going well; the food continued to arrive, and after several servants arrived with chickens, pork, and roast beef, strange food began to arrive at Robert's table.

The Prussians called it a hamburger, which was a piece of meat on a bun with cheese, to which they had added caramelized onions, accompanied by a large quantity of these fried and cut potatoes.

According to the Prussian cook, the meat was made with the freshest ingredients, using beef to make the piece of meat that was in the middle of the buns.

Robert was delighted when the Prussians told him that it could be eaten with the hand, as it was simply the fine version of a fast food that Prussians eat at their fingertips.

Although I insisted to Robert that it would be better to let a servant taste the food first, Robert seemed to be delighted with the smell and didn't listen; he simply took a big bite.

Robert's face of pleasure was very obvious as he began to taste the food.

''Shit, Jon, you must try this. It's the best thing I've tasted in a long time," Robert said, taking another bite.

One of the cooks handed one to me, and I could confirm that the food was really delicious. The combination of flavors and textures was exceptional, which explained Robert's enthusiasm.

As the cook continued to deliver dishes, my curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't help but ask

''What's in this?" I asked the cook, showing the hamburger.

''It's beef with a good marbling of fat that is passed through the meat grinder with the marrow from the bones of the cow, which we cook in the frying pan and add homemade mayonnaise, melted cheese, and a special blend of spices to give it a unique flavor''. The cook smiled proudly as he explained the ingredients of the burger.

I kept eating, and the Prussian cooks kept bringing more and more food, which was slowly reaching the other lords. Then came a meal that was a kind of dough with cheese on top, a rare red sauce, and pieces of ham.

Everything seemed to be going well; everyone was enjoying the large quantities of food, and the Prussian cooks were satisfied with the result of their work. The food continued to arrive in abundance, and the gentlemen delighted in every bite, savoring the unique combination of flavors and textures that each dish offered.

But finally, something arrived at the table that surprised everyone.

In a transparent glass container, they had brought something very quickly: two small balls of something that was cold, very similar to snow, but had different fruity flavors and refreshed the palate with each spoonful we consumed. The guests were amazed by this new culinary experience and couldn't resist trying every flavor available. It was the perfect touch to end such an exquisite meal.

The sweet touch to end the meal was perfect and left all the lords satisfied and eager to repeat the experience on future occasions.

But it left me wondering how they could do this here.

The heat of the capital is considerable if we compare it to the areas where we can find snow, and this would be almost impossible to achieve.

I wiped my mouth and went to the table where the lord of the Prussians was sitting, which was the liveliest table of all as the liquor was flowing like rivers and the servants were constantly handing out beer and spirits.

''Lord Hohenzollern'' I said, looking at the Prussian lord, who was relaxed and looking at his group of men.

''Lord Arryn'' replied the Prussian lord, looking back at me.

''I hope you are enjoying this occasion, Lord Hohenzollern, but excuse the timing of this question, but what was the last thing we tasted?'' I asked the young lord.

''The north sends its regards, Lord Arryn. Snow and ice we brought from the north on ships, and we used that ice to freeze milk and fruit into ice cream. Nothing hard to do, just get the materials; that's what was expensive and difficult. Some of what managed to get to the capital was sold, and the merchants and bar owners paid generously to have the leftovers'' said Lord Hohenzollern, showing me his glass of fruit juice with ice floating in it.

''I see; it seems you have found an ingenious way to take advantage of the resources of the north, Lord Hohenzollern,'' I said, looking at the young lord.

''It's just looking for a way to raise funds and take advantage of what happens in the north. Ships travel loaded with materials and come back with half-filled holds, which is not adequate, and my men came up with this. So today we will have the archery tournament?'' said Lord Hohenzollern with a small smile.

That's right, do you wish to participate?'', I asked the young lord.

''I'm going to try my luck, although I already have in mind who will win this tournament'' said Lord Hohenzollern, getting up from his chair.

"Well, Lord Hohenzoller, I think it's time to go to the tournament grounds before the lords start getting drunk. I said, looking around and observing how everyone was drinking and laughing.

''Well, go ahead, lead the way, Lord Hand'' said Lord Hohenzollern, adjusting his hat.

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