6 The road to knighthood

62 ac

In a Manor in Eventown

Galladon Pov:

I sit behind my well-made hardwood desk in my office while I read over some reports of my businesses. Which was going well, really well not too long after I came back from bravos I started the production of gambeson for both bravos and pentos for their wars. I also started to make my way in the alcohol business.

Almost all of the people in Westeros and Essos

are alcoholics, or soon-to-be alcoholics. it's something I wanted to capitalize on. After consulting with the builders I hired from myr I started to build my workshops for the future breweries and distilleries. I also started to teach the people I trusted in how to make vodka, which I knew would become especially popular in the north, whiskey, rum, and actually good beer, or at least better than whatever they have been giving the smallfolks. I only had a short time to start this work before I went with my brother to the mainland to continue as his squire while we traveled the 7 kingdoms going to tourneys, fighting bandits and nerdowells, saving princesses, winning glory and praise all the while looking incredibly dashing in our amour. According to my brother Jon, sometimes I wonder if the nursemaids didn't drop him too much as a child. I chuckled at the thought and went back to looking through my reports which showed we are making about 5,000 gold dragons a year from all of my businesses and that's before I paid everyone and reinvested back into the business. which means I'm making a good 2800 gold dragons a year of pure profit. That is the amount my grandfather makes a year from taxes and he rules a whole island.

63 ac

Griffin Road Stormlands

On the so-called Griffin Road, which is just a dirt path leading to the castle of Griffin's roost from the castle of Felwood. Galladon and his group which includes his brother Ser Jon, Garth his faithful companion and future knight, and Gerald who was one of the bastards of Rego Draz who was the master of coin for the king until he was torn apart in 59 ac by an angry mob in Kingslanding, I meet him when he was sold into slavery after his two older brothers started fighting over their father wealth and he was caught in the middle of it. He was really a master at his craft which he said he learned at the feet of his father. So I freed him and he has been loyal ever since.

We also had two men at arms with us to deter bandits from attacking us.

As we pass through the wet and broadleaf forests that are full with game of every sort and moss-covered rocks covering the windswept hills and rocky shores of the lands of the stormlands. I thought 'This is a really beautiful place' but I hated traveling by horseback It was boring, makes my ass sore and it's slow, so very slow. I missed the convenience of a car so badly what used to take 3 hours in a car, now takes a whole damn day.

"Ayy Galladon," says my brother breaking me out of my thoughts. "why don't you sing us a song," Jon asked while we ride along the dirt path on our way to a tourney in Griffin's Roost "fuck off Jon I'm not in the mood for your japes today we have been riding for 12 damn days, I can't feel my balls in this saddle"

Jon laughed and started singing a song originating from Tarth even tho he sounded like a dying pig.

We finally reached the town by noon of the next day my brother went to sign up for the Joust and me for the archery.

We also went and met the lord of Griffin's Roost Adrian Connington, I brought a case of my new drinks for him as a gift. As we walked through the gate of the castle with the guards letting us in, we were informed that the lord would be in the great hall having a small feast for all of his different guests. We made our way to the great hall passing faded tapestries of long-dead heroes and arched windows displaying myriad diamond-shaped panes of red and white glass.

Finally reaching the great hall we saw the feast was already in full swing we walked into the great hall and made ourselves known to its occupants. we see the lord of the castle sitting on his seat the carved and gilded Griffin Seat where many generations of Conningtons have ruled from. We bowed slightly to our host and said our hellos while I presented the drinks I came with to help promote my business.

"Ahh thank you young Tarth for this gift I've heard much about these drinks let see if they are as good as they say," he says while a maid opens one and pours it into his chalice. "This one we call sappfire (vodka) it's advice to drink it slow it quite strong, my lord, "bah I've been drinking since you still had breast milk on your breath boy". He took a large gulp and immediately started coughing, everyone in the room went silent thinking I just poisoned their lord until he started laughing saying "this truly a man's drink young Tarth" while taking small sips of the drink from then on. I'm glad you like it, my lord. After that, the party continued with the drinks flowing.

The next morning was the tournament and I had to wake up my drunk brother to start putting his armor on and getting him to his horse.

"Jon you drunk bastard do you still remember that you have to hit them with the pointy end of the stick," I ask the hungover knight, he nods and gets on his horse clamping his leg on the horse so as not to get unhorsed easily.

My brother would go on to win most of his matches and lose during the semifinals so he had to ransom his horse and amour but he still made a good amount of gold from the other knight he won against.

As for me I won third place in the archery part of the tourney there were a lot fewer people in attendance than in the joust or melee but still a decent amount of people. I was able to win a purse of 15 gold coins for my troubles. Plus another 20 gold from betting on myself.

Throughout the whole year of 63 AC, we traveled the Stormlands visiting small fishing villages on the coast of Shipbreakers Bay, villages of woodsmen deep in the rainwood, fertile farmlands, and villages near Haystacks Hall. The dirty and crowded port of weeping town and the great castle of storm's end with its massive outer curtain wall, one hundred feet high and forty feet thick on its thinnest side and nearly eighty feet thick on its seaward side. With one colossal drum tower crowned with formidable battlements, making it look like a huge, spiked fist thrusting towards the sky from afar.

'Get the horses, get the horse' yelled my brother as we stood outside a stable near one of the taverns in a town near Fawnton we saw my brother running while trying to put on his tunic with an angry tavern owner running after him with a huge club. we quickly untie the horses and made our way out of town. I looked at my brother waiting for an explanation for what just happened even though I had a clue. "You didn't pay the man," I say "I didn't pay the man," my brother says with a straight face. Why run I could have just paid him, and what would be the fun in that little brother I shake my head at him and ask "Where to next?"

The kingdom with the most fertile lady's with busty bosoms ripe for the picking. "The Reach," I say "The Reach" he replied simply. And my right eye started twitching.