Tournament: Archery

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Justus and Kelemen arrived at the entrance of Lannisport, there were several guards at the gate, and they stopped the two when they were close enough. They looked at them up and down before deducing that they were probably here for the tournament, but that wouldn't stop them from joking. One of the guards went up to Justus and asked why they had come.

"What is your business here?" Said the guard.

"We are here to participate in the tournament," Justus said. "Could you make way, please?"

"You just missed it." Claimed the guard with a smile.

-Pause-

There was a short pause before Kelemen looked at Justus with an upset stare; Justus, however, knew better and instead shook his head in disappointment that a stranger so easily convinced Kelemen.

"Very funny, but we need to go," Justus replied. "I think the archery competition is going to start soon."

"Archery? Aren't you here for the fighting and jousts?" The guard asks with confusion. "Why would knights like you two want to participate in the archery competition?"

"We may be knights, but we still need to have other talents if his swordsmanship or my halberd fails us," Kelemen speaks up. "Can we please go now?"

"Sure, sorry for keeping you waiting." The guard apologizes and then lets the two through into the city. "Good luck."

Justus and Kelemen nod and continue into the city. They were amazed when they made it inside because everything was Lannister based. To be clear, they expected some minor indications that the city was controlled by House Lannister, such as a flag or maybe some guards bearing the Lannister lion crest. However, they saw hundreds of banners and guards lining the streets; there were so many people that you couldn't see the roads. Justus and Kelemen looked at each other and shared the same conclusions, 'this was going to be a huge event in the Seven Kingdoms, and lots of eyes are gonna be on us once we win this whole thing.'

"I recall that the king would be arriving soon, or has he already gotten here?" Kelemen asks Justus.

"He is probably going to be here for the fighting and the jousts; he is the type of person who wouldn't care for things such as archery," Justus says. "Only things up close and personal."

"Sadly, archery is unpopular around here," Kelemen replies. "Oh well."

"Eventually, we will have to fight the Targaryen to protect this realm." Justus begins. "We can't prevent the Targaryen madness from taking over Aery's mind, it's hereditary, and the 'Defiance of Duskendale' will probably fuel it.'"

"If it hasn't already rotted his mind," Kelemen says before sighing. "I reckon we have to keep developing our army if we want a chance to fight against the royal army at the future 'Battle of the Trident.'"

"Mhm," Justus says before they keep riding towards a stable to keep their horses.

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-Justus Perspective-

It was a grand city, but I wish it weren't so crowded. We reached the stables and gave our horses to a stableman; we weren't worried if they were since stolen because we trained Boadicea and Buell to be incredibly loyal to Kelemen and me. So we walked towards a man sitting at a desk inside a building that we guessed was used for signing up for the tournament.

"Greetings, we are-" Kelemen was cut off from his greeting when the man immediately asked him some questions.

"Names, houses, and what are you participating in?" The man sluggishly sighed as if he had been at this desk all day.

"Er...I am Justus, and he is my brother, Kelemen." I answer. "We are from House Daubeny in the North and are participating in the archery, fighting, and jousting competitions."

"Archery too? That's a first since most armored folks like you two would only participate in the fighting and jousting." The man says with an eyebrow raised while still looking and writing on a piece of parchment with a list of participants' names. "It costs ten golden dragons each to participate since this is an event primarily and exclusively for nobles."

"Holy, I guess that makes sense - we are in a medieval world after all," Kelemen whispers to me.

"Here, take it," I say while handing the man 20 golden dragons from my pouch. "Where do we go, by the way?"

"Anywhere, just be near your competition, so you don't miss it." The man puts. "The competitions will be announced eventually, so just be patient and wait nearby."

We nod and leave outside to wait for the archery competition to begin.

"We seemed cheery..." Kelemen says while scratching his helmet. "Nevertheless, what do we do now?"

"Those barrels look comfortable enough; let's go sit," I say, and we go towards the barrels to wait for the archery competition to begin.

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-Author's Perspective-

"ANNOUNCING THE ARCHERY COMPETITION! PARTICIPANTS ARE TO MOVE TOWARDS THE ARCHERY RANGE AND WAIT FOR THEIR TURN!" Said the announcer, who was currently standing on a box near the archery range.

Justus and Kelemen get up and move towards the range with maybe 30 participants. They were relieved it wouldn't be a long competition so they could put most of their energy towards the fighting and jousts.

"OUR FIRST PARTICIPANTS! KYERO OF HOUSE DALT AND JUSTUS OF HOUSE DAUBENY!" A man announced before continuing. "PLEASE MOVE INTO POSITION AND TAKE AIM!"

"Here we go," Justus says before receiving a pat on the back by Kelemen, his way of saying good luck.

Justus walks up to the range, and the target appears 25 meters away. The Dornish man looked at him and sneered; he probably thought Justus was an amateur since the armor usually meant you were primarily fighting in the fighting and jousts. The Dornish man aims to hit the target several times and misses once. He looks at it triumphantly, thinking he had already won against his first opponent, but it hit right dead center when Justus made his first shot. Everyone cheered at the spectacle but was dumbstruck as Justus continued hitting the center with every shot he took, not missing a single one.

'This is easy when you get the hang of it.' Justus thought before taking a final shot, landing in the center like the rest.

The onlookers were appalled by the spectacle but immediately loudly cheered as Justus finished his turn. The announcer was still looking at Justus and the target before he regained his composure and called the match.

"FIRST MATCH IS COMPLETE! ITS VICTOR IS JUSTUS OF HOUSE DAUBENY!" The announcer yelled. "THE SECOND MATCH WILL NOW COMMENCE! PLEASE STEP OFF THE FIELD FOR THE NEXT PARTICIPANTS!"

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The competition went quickly, and it was time for the finalists to compete, Justus Daubeny and a Lannister archer. They took their places and began firing their arrows; the rules changed for the final bout; both could fire, but the first to make their last shot would gain bonus points. The two continued firing until the Lannister archer shot his previous shot first, which landed slightly above the center, earning him the lead by 5 points. Justus stared at the shot and saw that the only way he had a chance of winning this competition was by doing something 'unique,' but then it hit him, blindfolded.

"Can I get a blindfold?" Justus asked someone near him, who nodded and returned with a cloth two minutes later. "Thanks, mate."

He puts the cloth over his eyes and returns to a firing position while aiming right at the target. He lets the arrow loose, hitting his previous target right through the center; it even goes through the target itself and lands on the ground behind it. The crowd cheered loudly before the announcer calmed everyone down.

"THE VICTOR OF THE ARCHERY COMPETITION IS JUSTUS OF HOUSE DAUBENY! CONGRATULATIONS!" The announcer then gives Justus his reward of 100 golden dragons.

'This is it? They put everything into the fighting and jousting competitions, didn't they?" Justus mentioned before returning to Kelemen.

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"I can't believe I didn't make it to the finals..." Kelemen said sadly. "This damn armor restricted so much of my damn movement that I couldn't properly aim the bow..."

"I got the money, so it's fine," Justus said while holding up the bag of golden dragons. "Besides that, you got 25 golden dragons from getting third place."

"Not as renowned as a first-place though, whatever," Kelemen says, losing interest in the archery competition. "Anyway, the fighting competition should be next; I heard several prominent figures will be attending, such as Arthur Dayne and Rhaegar Targaryen."

"Obviously, but we have to be careful - I would assume they're as powerful as 'heroes' while the other participants are probably 'captain' level opponents," Justus explains. "I also believe we should-"

"Well, look here, another fellow Northman!" says a newcomer from behind Justus.

Justus and Kelemen turn to see who was talking, and it was none other than Jorah Mormont of Bear Island. He looked much younger than he was in the series, evident since it was years in the future from now.

'Jorah Mormont? I didn't know he participated in the tournament." Justus notes. "Then again, the damn history of the Seven Kingdoms is loose, and not many sources from my world were accurate.'

"Good to see you, Lord Mormont." Kelemen initiates the conversation with a greeting. "I see you are also attending the tournament; very good."

"Yes, not many from the North want to come down and participate with events from the South. " Jorah continues. "By the way, I would like you both to meet my cousin, Dacey Mormont."

A woman appeared from behind Jorah Mormont, who stood 6 feet tall; she was a slender woman who found herself wearing a lady's garb. However, despite her extended features, Dacey remains elegant in dress and dance.

"Pleased to meet you." Justus greets while taking a bow. "I am Justus Daubeny and this is-"

"KELEMEN DAUBENY!" Kelemen shouts right next to Justus' ear, which causes mild discomfort. "I AM HIS BROTHER!"

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Justus hisses. "You could've killed me with that reaction if you came through a window."

"Yes, it's very nice to meet both of you," Dacey says with a slight bow. "I was surprised to see a knight such as yourself, Lord Daubeny, win the archery competition."

"Yes, well, it's not common for someone of my...appearance to participate in such activities," Justus admits.

"I see; I hope to see you both in the fighting and jousting competitions too." Dacey continues. "I must leave now; good luck, both of you."

"Thanks," Justus says plainly.

"GOODBYE!" Kelemen says with a head bow as the two Mormonts walk away.

Justus then turns to Kelemen with a concerned gaze hidden beneath his bronze helmet.

"What the hell, Kelemen?" Justus starts. "You reacted pretty strangely."

"She was...beautiful," Kelemen says while staring at the Mormonts who just left.

"Right, but you need to focus on the competition." Justus firmly states. "How else will you give her the garland of blue roses after the jousting competition?"

Kelemen looks at Justus and gasps as if he had just discovered fire. For those who may not know, the garland of blue roses is a reward given to the winner of the joust; it's meant to show who is the most beautiful lady in the Seven Kingdoms. Justus knew exactly what Kelemen was thinking and didn't stop him; it was better to fuel or fan the flames of Kelemen than to do anything to stop his rampage.

"I NEED TO GO!" Kelemen says before rushing off somewhere, nearly bumping into several people.

"...It's gonna be a long day...." Justus sighs and then returns to his seat on a barrel, patiently waiting for the next competition to begin.

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