Chương 6: Chapter 6
After taking a bath and resting a bit, I was ready to head to the training ground when a loud knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
" Your Highness, important news!" Ralph burst in, out of breath. He was the eldest son of one of the Stormlands houses, and during my stay here, we had become quite good friends.
"What happened? Did you spend your last coins in a brothel again?" I asked jokingly, to which he indignantly replied:
"What? No! My prince, can we stop bringing up that incident? It was my first time, and I miscalculated."
"Ha-ha-ha, alright then, what is it?" At this, he hesitated a bit.
"T-the tournament in Lannisport…"
"The event in honor of my younger brother?" I recalled how two weeks ago I had smashed everything in this room when I found out that my dear family didn't even bother to invite me.
"Yes, Your Highness. The winner of the tournament was Rhaegar Targaryen, after which Ser Arthur Dayne knighted him."
"I see…" Listening to all this news, I gripped the wine goblet in my hand as tightly as I could, trying to keep my composure. I glared at Ralph, causing him to flinch and quickly continue:
"B-but that wasn't the end of the tournament, Your Highness. Tywin Lannister tried to seize the moment and marry off his daughter to your brother. But King Aerys flatly refused the offer, insulting the Hand in front of everyone." He then recounted everything in detail, and I must say, it was quite entertaining.
"I heard you. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Highness."
It seems the rumors are true; my father is indeed going mad. I had heard that his illness was progressing; he even stopped taking care of himself, every day looking more and more like a pitiful vagabond. But who would have thought the king would start cutting off the main pillars of his throne?
However, his quarrel with the Hand plays into my hands. The worse their relationship becomes, the easier it will be for me to gain my father's trust. After all, no matter how pitiful Aerys is, he understands that only another dragon can fight a dragon. Hmm-hmm.
In a more uplifted mood, I finally headed to the training ground, where the clanging of steel and the curses of knights could be heard. As I approached, I saw Robert Baratheon wielding a hammer with both hands, scattering the guardsmen. At fourteen, he was already the height of many grown men.
It was recently revealed that Cassana Estermont was pregnant again. After this wonderful news spread, the heir to Storm's End arrived home, and they say he will stay here until the baby is born.
Of course, we have already had a chance to talk, and honestly, I have mixed feelings about Robert. On one hand, it is clear that he is growing into an incredibly strong warrior, receiving training from the fairly wise Jon Arryn, and in just a few days, it seems he has won over more people than Stannis did in years, which is a very useful skill.
However, the heir has his drawbacks, particularly his absolute indulgence in base desires. Lust, wine, whores, fights — not a day has passed since his arrival without news of another Baratheon escapade. Essentially, he is like a big, powerful beast that, no matter how well-trained, still lives solely on instincts.
"Oh, it's our prince Aeryon! Have you decided to train with the common folk, ha-ha-ha!" Baratheon shouted, noticing me, then laughed loudly.
" What are you talking about, Robert? Just watching your clumsy moves gives me genuine pleasure."
"Maybe then you'll risk your pretty face and fight someone as clumsy as me?!" the heir to the Stormlands boomed with a challenge.
"Just because Lord Steffon is having a third child doesn't mean I'm allowed to kill his firstborn."
"Don't worry, my father will be glad to know that such a failure defeated our talented prince."
"In fact, it's a good idea. The only thing is, how about a bet?" I suggested with a smirk, knowing Robert wouldn't refuse.
"To be honest, I can't stand self-absorbed and overconfident people like you, Aeryon, but it seems today luck is on my side. I agree. What are we betting?"
Our quarrel couldn't go unnoticed by the other guardsmen, who surrounded us in a circle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Barristan Selmy's disapproving look. In such conditions, voicing my true intentions would be foolish, so...
"Well, I'm not very original, so I propose: the loser fulfills the winner's wish."
"You know, once I heard about dragons, I immediately wanted one," Baratheon said with a mocking grin, and I only thought about how foolish he was.
"Of course, you don't need a wager to try to tame Solarax. Just make sure to warn everyone in advance, or I fear we won't even be able to find your bones."
After a moment of silence, Robert burst out laughing and added with a smile:
"Well, I'll remember your sweet invitation, but it seems we've talked enough—it's time to fight."
"I agree."
I took the sword in my left hand and swung it a couple of times, twirling it in the air, then took a fighting stance. Robert's hammer, as I understood, was not a combat one, although even so, if it hit the head, one could say goodbye to life. Apparently, that's why Barristan and Oswell were so tense.
As soon as the fight began, I decided to use my speed and agility advantage. Starting to circle around Baratheon, looking for any weakness, he seemed to want to end the duel quickly, swinging his hammer as if trying to swat a fly. And although for his size this boar was indeed fast, compared to me it was far from enough.
Ducking under another blow, only slightly blocking it with my sword, I wanted to close in on the opponent, but he, without a second thought, landed a direct kick to my stomach, sending my body flying.
Lying on the cold ground, feeling pain and struggling to catch my breath, I barely noticed the enormous hammer descending on me. All I could do was roll to the side, quickly get to my feet, and deliver a thrust with my blade. However, Robert easily deflected it, almost knocking the weapon from my hands.
Stepping back a few paces, I looked at my opponent again, realizing I had underestimated him. One precise blow from this boar, and I would lose. Therefore, relying on defense was too dangerous. Gripping the sword more comfortably, I rushed forward, trying to move as much as possible while delivering a cascade of strikes. The main problem was that I was wearing light armor, while Baratheon was fully clad in armor, and none of my blows could reach the target. Any hit to the arms or body was useless. At times like this, I deeply regretted that my foolish ancestors managed to lose two Valyrian steel swords.
These movements continued for several more minutes. My aggressive attacks alternated with attempts to evade Robert's furious hammer strikes. At one point, it seemed to me that my opponent was tired, and trying to catch him on the swing, I almost brought my sword to Baratheon's neck. This fact so enraged Robert that his speed seemed to increase, and with a swift step back, he brought a furious blow directly onto my sword, breaking it in two.
Although I didn't expect it, the training sessions with Ser Barristan weren't in vain. In some of them, we practiced similar situations. Moving instinctively, I rushed forward, taking advantage of Robert's weapon being stuck in the ground. Approaching the necessary distance, I pulled out a hidden dagger from behind my back and brought it to my opponent's widened pupil.
"You're dead," I said calmly, though my heart was nearly bursting out of my chest. The knights around us buzzed, but due to the ringing in my ears, I could barely make out anything. Barely coming to his senses, the heir to Storm's End finally deigned to respond:
"What kind of trickery is this?! We didn't agree on other weapons."
"Well, we didn't set such rules."
"Because it's obvious!"
"Alright, Robert, calm down. This is just a friendly sparring match; no need to take it so close to heart. If you think my victory is unfair, I won't make you fulfill the wish. But tell me, in a real duel, will you also tell the enemy how dishonorable he is? Oh no, you'll just die."
"I will fulfill your wish. Speak."
"No, thank you. Everything in its time."
"I also demand a rematch."
"No problem, but another time. Not everyone is as tireless a giant as you."
"Ha-ha-ha! Indeed!"
With that, we ended our duel.
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