6 The Tourney Of Fate

A few days have now passed with Logan being on the road to the fateful tourney that would later decide Westeros fate. It would be the beginning of the Baratheon rebellion and the end of the century-old Targaryen rule over the seven kingdoms.

All the while he traveled his army grew more significant by the day. Logan could now summon a loyal competent cohort of 1000 men. It was a fighting force to be reckoned with for just being one little lord without any lands.

Even the evaluation by the system got upgraded to a little mercenary group. What the most notable change was though is the fact that he could finally summon light cavalry as well now. And he also had space for another retinue later on.

´System, what intervals do I get new retinue?´

[I can only tell you that you need 2k men to get the next retinue. That is another 5 level to the system. The current level of the system is 10.]

´You seem to level up pretty fast. It only has been days.´

[As I already have told you. The stronger you get, the more power will be available from the system. That may include political improvements as well as personal ones. Exterminating that little bandit group you met on the road was also added as battle experience.]

´That still does not answer my question.´

[See it as a level system. Like in many RPG you know from your old world. The start is always easier than the end. Later levels will have more significant boosts. For example, now you gain 200 men per level. But leveling from here onwards takes effort.]

Logan only nodded inwardly to that ´Alright. Question though. Can I organize my army before I summon them?´

Logan wanted to build up his little army, but he also had to make sure he didn't raise any suspicion or alerts. He decided to keep them unsummoned for the time being if possible. Many houses would become wary and frightened otherwise. Who would let such a threat run around?

[That is possible. Do you have any suggestions?]

��Let's see. Since I already got 20 Swordsmen and 10 Archers and still 970 men to chose...Hey, are there any other new units beside the cavalry?´

[No.]

´Fine. Do it like this then. It should be useful. Increase the swordsmen by 380 units. Add 200 units of spear infantry and 190 units of archers. The last 200 units should be cavalry. Since being diverse right now is idiotic summon 200 light cavalries with swords. That should be all. Is there a new retinue type?´

[Right now you can choose between a General, Strategist, or Magister.]

´Oh, I can get help in ruling later on? Well, no need to summon him right now. He will probably not be able to be kept unsummoned, right?´

[That is correct. Your retinue works differently than your army and cannot be kept on standby.]

Nodding to himself once more he kept it at that. He was finally arriving at his destination. A little bit sooner than he thought to be exact.

Logan could already see some royal banners flailing around in the winds. There were a lot of them to be exact. He could see the major ones like the Starks and Lannisters and of course the Targaryen banners, but there were also a lot of other flags put up from other smaller houses and even some local and foreign knights.

The further one was from the jousting site the more unknown the flags became. This was a tourney after all, and everyone had the chance to show their prowess in chivalry, but the hierarchy still was in place.

"So many people. There are probably more than a thousand different houses taking part in this tourney.", remarked a Vi that looked around in amazement.

"Hmm, looks pretty large for a tourney. Look, there are even banners of the seven kingdoms and the king of the iron throne himself present. The local lords seem to have not spared any effort for this. But what makes me wonder is why the tourney site is still so far away from Harrenhal? I thought it would be held close to the castle...", wondered Logan.

"Maybe they needed more space for all the people?"

Logan was somewhat concerned about the position of the tourney being somewhere else than where it was supposed to be.

"Maybe...Alright, no time to worry about it. Men, settle our tents somewhere around the local area. Don't get into trouble with some major house over space. I will go register ourselves and get some seats to watch.", ordered Logan his men and dismounted his horse.

Vi also dismounted and then held the reign of the horse. "My lord. You mean we are taking part in the tourney? But we are not good enough...?"

"It's not us. William, you will take the honor and bring glory to our house, won't you?", smirked Logan while looking at his Grand Knight.

"Of course, my lord." he smirked back "Just leave it to me."

"Good, then let us proceed.", nodded Logan and lead William and Vi to the officials after parking the horses.

It took a while to find them, but before they could get into an initiative, they were talked to on their own. It looked like they wanted to speak to him on their own accord.

"Hello, good sir. Would you please tell us your name and what your suit is here on the tourney.", Asked a man with beautiful silk clothing. One could see that he was enjoying a higher social life and from the looks, he was the one responsible for noting down the expenditures from the guests on this tourney.

"My name is Ser Logan Meliar. This here is my uncle, Ser William Meliar. We are here to take part and also watch the tourney.", Answered Logan and introduced himself and William. He did not mention Vylaya because it was of no importance and they would think about her being a servant maid anyway.

Well at least until she helps William ready up at the tourney where they will see that she was his Squire.

The man scribbled something on a pretty rough parchment of paper and looked over at the sigil. He seemed to note down its colors and form and then looked back at him.

"Are both Ser going to participate?", the man asked now.

"No, only my uncle will do so."

"I see. Then we welcome Ser on this tourney. May you enjoy your stay here. We also wish you the best in the tourney."

"Thank you." After Logan thanked them and William nodded they moved back to take note of some other knights that seemed to have arrived at the same time they did.

"Vi, prepare everything. Since you are Williams squire, you will have your work cut out for you. William, don't disappoint me. Now then. I will go and mingle between the so-called elite society of nobles."

William and Vi both nodded after having received their orders. It would still take a few days until the tourney started, but Logan would not waste that time just relaxing. It was about time to go and meet some extraordinary characters. That is if he gets the chance to meet them.

Walking around Logan could easily find his targets. The significant houses that were directly under the crown were clustered together in a specific area. And by the looks, they were already quite some time here.

Logan just stood outside the area while having his left arm resting on his sword that he brought from the system after collecting enough merit. Getting closer than that seemed to be a problem. There were guards already looking his way, and they appeared to be wary of him.

Just when he wanted to forget about his idea and go to the tourney stage, someone noticed him and approached him.

"Well, look what we have here. Have you gotten lost?", asked a blonde young man in shining golden armor.

Logan only raised a brow and looked at the man. "What is it? Can a man not even admire the prestigious houses anymore?"

"Oh, you can but just standing around there is a little bit suspicious. As if you never saw our banners. Maybe you are even plotting something."

Logan now narrowed his eyes. "Our banners? Well, to be sincere I am no Westerosi. I came from Sothoryos. So I may still be somewhat new to things." Looking closer he could finally put things together. This was Jaime Lannister. He nearly didn't recognize him with his youthful appearance.

"Sothoryos? Where is that? Never heard of it.", said Jaime and became even more suspicious.

"It is a continent south of Essos. Beyond the great sea. Even further away than Valyria. So it is normal to not know about it here. But I am sure if you ask an experienced Maester he should know about it", answered Logan and looked back to the camps.

"And you come all the way here to Westeros to take part in a tourney? Is that not a little bit too much?"

"I am not living here because of the tourney but for other reasons. You should refrain from being so nosy. You still haven't even introduced yourself."

"Is that so? Well, if you are so fond of admiring you can start with me. I am Ser Jaime Lannister. Kingsguard to Aerys Targaryen."

Logan chuckled somewhat and glanced over to Jaime. "So you became a glorified knight in exchange for your birthrights? I wonder what your father thinks. I heard the Lannisters are quite prideful about their lineage?"

"So you did inform yourself about us. But why do I feel that you are scorning my position? Being a Kingsguard is an essential duty..." Jaime rebuked with a somewhat unhappy look on his face. It reminded him of certain things, and he didn't like that.

Logan only smiled at him now. "Well, Ser Jaime. I am only a mere wandering knight. What do I know about honor and glory..." He looked back to the banners. "My name is Ser Logan Meliar. Now, if there is nothing else I would like to go and take a look at the site where the tourney will be held."

"Sure...Ser Logan.", Said Jaime and there was a hint of smug in his voice, but Logan didn't bother about it. Jaime didn't even take his words for what they were. He probably already deemed him to be a worse knight than himself. He probably also thought about him being some random noble before he told him his title.

This Jaime was still high on his achievements and didn't bother of upholding the chivalry code he was knighted on. He even showed a certain arrogance. At least that is what Logan thought about him for now.

When he tried to walk away, Jaime noticed the peculiar scabbard hanging from Logan´s side. It had some pretty fancy workings on it.

"Wait, can I ask about that sword?"

Logan stopped and looked back at Jaime. "You mean my sword, Eclipse? What about it?"

"You named your sword? Now I am even more curious. Can you show it?", asked Jaime once more.

Thinking about it a little Logan nodded and agreed to his request. "Sure." He pulled out the sword and held it comfortably in front of himself.

Jaime now had somewhat of a disbelieving look. He could see the cold shine of sharpness from this blade. It was in pristine condition, and the pattern inside the fuller of the sword told him something else. It was very likely made with Valyrian steel.

It had that particular swirly pattern that was also seen in Damascus blades. So Jaime was sure that it was made from the very precious metal that was lost to time and now only was available through some ancestral swords of some noble houses.

"What a beautiful blade. Is it Valyrian steel? How come it has such a deep shine to it?"

Before Jaime could ask more about the blade-like what was up with the silvery-white edges of the blade that made a bright contrast to its darker core or the runic patterns that seemed to have been etched into its fuller near the guard, Logan sheathed it back into its scabbard.

"Hmm not exactly. Its metal content is something else. But I think it is pretty close to what you refer as Valyrian steel", answered Logan and thought about his question.

´Come to think, system, is his assumption about my silver sword right?´

[Partly. Valyrian steel is a combination of Damascus and Dragonfire whereas your blade is a combination of Refined Steel, Meteorite Silver, and Dragonfire. Generally speaking, it is somewhat comparable.]

[But your silver sword is not only special in that regard. Because you recast Winters Blade, a sword that had already been forged in some Dragonfire, and mixed it with precious meteorite silver. You did create your own very unique silver sword. It has become imbued with fire magic instead of its old ice magic. With that, it outperforms any Valyrian blade known. Not to mention the five runes that increase its sharpness and sturdiness. That is also the reason why its core has a deep shine to it.]

´I see now why it is hard to get Valyrian blades. No one can get their hands on Dragonfire nowadays. Why were these runes etched into my sword again?´

[To compensate for its weight loss. When you buy an item and reforge it. You get a certain amount of matter. More mass = more matter in this case. But because your creation was so lightweight, it got some runes as compensation. The reforge option in the shop is an exchange of similar matters. You should be happy because that blade will likely never break nor get dull like regular silver blades. And a sword like this would typically cost you quite a sum of merit points. You made a wise choice in reforging it. Caution is advised not to cut yourself though. The unique scabbard imbued with five sturdiness runes helps in that case or otherwise no material could hold it for long until it gets cut through.]

´Of course, I reforged it. This blade already cost me a pretty penny. Making me broke again until I collect some merit points or level up. I wonder how the Witcher were even able to afford silver swords for every member. But then again there weren't that many Witcher around. Good thing he only needed to provide the points for the missing components and reforge effort. I don't even want to hear the cost for a blade that was forged in real dragon fire or phoenix fire straight out of the shop...my delicious 5000 points...´

"Would you consider selling it to our family? The amount of money doesn't matter", said Jaime after thinking about the blade. His eyes had inevitable greed to them now.

That little offer broke Logan´s short conversation with the system.

"Your family? You know you discarded your birthright, right? Anyway, this blade is not for sale. Don't bother trying to convince me. You are better off trying to buy it from some other house. Now if you would excuse me. May we see us again, Ser Jaime."

"You as well, Ser Logan...", Nodded Jaime somewhat more respectful now even if a little bit dejected. Shortly after he also left straight to the Lannister camp. It seems he wanted to visit his father for something or it was Tywin himself that asked for him. Or maybe that guy just wanted to visit his sister? That thought alone made Logan somewhat cringe in disgust.

One thing was certain. This encounter will probably have a higher impact now since he showed his blade. Even if he was only visiting his sister, he soon would tell his father about this blade and therefor about Logan.

Was it such a good idea to show him his blade? Logan was not too sure about it, but he did consider this outcome. He may as well go through with it now.

Logan walked and went to the tourney area to see what he would soon see. And what he saw made him open his mouth a little in surprise. There was not only the jousting area but also dueling, archery and many other competitions. That amount of games was too much for just some tourney.

But then again. Why would the great houses otherwise meet near such a place that was deemed to be cursed whoever owned Harrenhal? Money and honor of course. He was probably also underestimating the reward money for the tourney.