Chapter 14 Jousting

[AN: not much progress in this chapter.]

The princess was greeted loudly and her applause made the biggest noice. The common people loved the princess.

She was accompanied by her maid and friend, Alicent Hightower. Rhaeynera sat down next to her father who put his hand on her hand and smiled at her.

The king was glad he lived a life that is hard to beat. He loved his family and liked having them around and he would be the father of a prince in the near future.

When the king got up and went to the ledge he announced.

"I am happy to see so many people celebrating the birth of the realm's heir and I therefore declare the tournament open."

After the announcement it already started and two riders approach with lance in hand and the first man is already flying off his horse.

The common people celebrated and were amazed at every lance hit. The nobles began gossiping and drinking to and fro, and there was clapping from their side as well.

While the king drinks a good wine, his rebellious daughter sits down with Alicent and talks to her about the knights and rumors at court.

"Jae my boy, I heard you helped your father with the action."

"Yes I have, your grace. It wasn't nice, but it was necessary."

Both had started drinking a lot of wine at an early age for different reasons. Viserys was happy and the alcohol only made it better.

Jae was nervous, the king had asked him to fill a place in the royal family at the tournament. Without thinking, he declined, saying he wasn't cut out.

In the end, the request became an order from his king, which he of course followed, but he still felt uncomfortable. Even if he has been at the royal court for a long time, it is different to sit with the royal family at a public event.

It didn't make it any easier that the Lord of the Ships was sitting to his right. A man he didn't know and didn't know how to deal with.

"I didn't think the way of the sword was yours, i thought you were someone like me. But maybe you are just a mixture of both."

"Perhaps."

"Brother, please tell me what are your plans with the crabfeeder."

"The pirates and mercenaries there have orders to hold the blockade for as long as possible, in order to damage the realm as much as possible.

We have to make sure that things don't go that way and we have to act quickly. We have dragons that our opponents know that's why they have a lot of archers that's for sure.

We have to brace ourselves for a big attack and do it immediately, we'll smash this crabfeeder and we'll be back home in a short time."

Viserys ponders the words and watches a knight thrown from his horse. He applauds half-heartedly and asks.

"Jae what do you think about your father's plan."

"It sounds logical, but things don't always go according to plan on the battlefield. Surprises or your own mistakes can turn things around very quickly."

"Oh yes, did you read that in a book?"

Lord Corlys asked brusquely Rhaeynes and his wife responded immediately.

"Corlys leave the little boy alone."

She looked at me with a heartwarming smile. A rider approached the dome and asked for the kind lady's attention.

"I ask for the blessing of the Queen that never was." A baratheon rider called up to us.

Corlys didn't seem pleased and sipped at his wine while his wife selected an ornate circlet. The rider holds up his lance and the woman drops the ring onto the lance.

"I wish you luck, cousin."

"I would take it, if I needed it."

Proud and arrogant, he galloped off to the starting line only to be thrown off his horse shortly thereafter.

"Ser Criston Cole wins by knocking his opponent down." Announces the herald and the unknown knight gets great applause from the common people.

Otto Hightower leans forward to the king's ear and says.

"You could have Baratheon's tongue for it."

"I don't need tongues, his words don't change reality."

The king's hand reclines again and next sees one of his family members take on a knight from the Vale and wins.

"Brother why don't you celebrate?"

"I enjoy watching."

"I would have loved to see you down there you would have beaten all of them-."

A maester went to the king and whispered incomprehensibly in his ear and disappeared straight away.

The king seemed pleased and sauntered down to his daughter on the ledge and waited for the round to be over.

After loud clapping, the king clears his throat and begins to speak loudly.

"It is already a fantastic day, seeing how our proud knights are fighting with the lance striking their opponents down from the horse.

We should thank the knights for this!"

The crowd of people started clapping and of course I did too. This applause ended abruptly when the king raised his hand again.

"I want to make the day even better because Queen Aemma is in labor and my heir will be born hearing the sound of applause and shatter at the sound of lances striking the enemy"

"CLAP CLAP CLAP!"

The sound of hands being slapped together can be heard even by people hundreds of meters away.

______________________________________________

That's the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading. Feedback and powerstones are more than welcome.