Chapter 238
Under the morning sun, a layer of warm red light is printed on the top of the 5-Layer wooden platform. The White Tower flag and the Green Rose flag stand side by side on both sides, waving happily in the warm morning breeze.
The personable Ser Baelor Hightower left the seat and came to the fence of the high platform, smiling and pressing his hands down, waiting for the audience and riders below to quiet down, he announced loudly: "My father, Old Man of Oldtown In the name of Leyton Hightower, the 'Honeywine Tourney' officially begins."
"Wow--" The audience, whether they were standing on the edge of the arena or sitting in the auditorium on the wooden stage, Standing ovation cheers.
"Bangbangbangbang..." In the middle of the two wooden stands, a crowd of contestants was also hitting oneself's shield on horseback.
Dany, who was on the edge, didn't hear anything. She only saw others howling and hitting their shields with swords. She also took off the oak shield hanging from the saddle and put it in front of her, using iron gloves. slap.
"What's this doing?" she asked the old Knight next to her.
White Cloak didn't sign up for the tournament, but as a squire for Mysterious Knight, he had to be by Dany's side at all times.
If it's just Dany, it's hard to get off the horse. After all, the shields and long spears used in long spear competitions are not small, and someone has to pass them to the players, and if there is an accident, they are knocked off their horses by their opponents, and squire must be helped to remove the armor.
"That's Ser Hightower, known as 'Baelor Brightsmile', as Oldtown's heir, he presides over the father's Tourney."
There is no doubt that the Earl's eldest son, whose The name comes from Baelor the Blessed.
In ancient times, it was almost an act of courting death, not to mention taking the same name as the emperor, and even the words in the emperor's name could not be repeated.
But in this different world, giving the child the same name as the monarch has become a means to please the monarch.
Even if you don't want to shoot King flattery, using the name of Lord Archon is a blessing to oneself child.
For example, the male protagonist in "Game of Thrones", Jon Snow, whose name comes from Eddard Stark's Adoptive Father, Jon Arryn. And Jon Arryn's son, Robert Arryn, is from Robert Baratheon.
Actually, let alone 'Baelor', 'Old Man of Oldtown' Earl Leyton also has a daughter named 'Denyse'!
"Why didn't his father show up?" Dany asked again.
"Lord Leyton and his eldest daughter Malora have been staying on the Hightower for the last few years to study Magic."
"Researching Magic? How many years? Could it be because of youngest He feels shameless about his daughter Lynesse, so he can just find an excuse to hide at home and not go out?" Dany doubted.
"No, not long after Lady Lynesse married Mormont, he started to stay out of the house, researching mysterious scrolls from Asshai and Valyria on the top floor of the Hightower." The old Knight shook his head.
"So early? Magic Tide didn't come at that time, and it was still in Dharma End Times!" Dany became more and more suspicious, "Knowing daughter Mo Ruofu, he must be aware of the temperament of oneself youngest daughter, Bear Island's economic situation is not a secret. Eighty percent of the time they saw that the couple would not have a good outcome and hid in advance."
"Uh..."
Although this makes sense, the old Knight still wants to refute: "Earl Leyton's eldest daughter, Malora the Mad Maid, has never been married in her life, and has been studying Magic in Heavenspan Pagoda, so what? Maybe there is research progress, Lord Earl. Got your attention?"
"You said it too, the Hightower Eldest Young Lady nicknamed 'Mad Girl', Mad Lady..." Dany suddenly paused, She thought of Marwyn.
In the past two days, she specifically inquired about Marwyn. As a rare Archmaester in Citadel, his deeds were very easy to inquire about.
Marwyn studied Magic knowledge and mysticism in his early years, and after obtaining the Valyria steel link, he went to the far east to "study abroad" for eight years, drawing maps, searching for lost books, visiting Warlock and Shadowbinder, and even learning Moonsinger's meditation.
But after returning to Oldtown, the Maesters ridiculed him for returning home, and an Archmaester nicknamed "Sour Vinegar" gave him the humiliating nickname, "Marwyn the Mage".
In denial of Magic, Citadel who advocates "science", being called Mage is an insult.
Like a physics master who won the Nobel Prize, his colleagues call him "metaphysician".
Perhaps the mad Malora is also one of those who are vilified and misunderstood?
So, maybe the Magic material she's researched for several decades is genuine?
"The Hightower also seems to be a tower, with little defense on the top floor," she said tentatively to the old Knight.
"..."
Old Knight contorted his face and struggled to say a sentence: "The Citadel, who recorded the history of the Seven Kingdoms, is on the side, really done, The two of us will be forever stinky."
"Oh oh oh oh oh..." Just as Dany was about to say "I live in spring and autumn, we are all holy", the crowd in front suddenly broke out. The cheers were louder and more passionate before.
"What's going on?" She stood on the saddle and tried her best to look forward. At some point, Baelor Brightsmile saw a twelve- or thirteen-year-old Maiden with curly hair.
A bit far away, her face could not be seen clearly, she was wearing a pure white dress embroidered with fluffy buds and yellow lace with gold thread, and her long brown hair was naturally loose. A wreath was placed on top of her head.
"Rhyllia, Rhyllia, Rhyllia!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and then others followed, and the scene almost boiled into a pot of hot pot soup heated by a 3-kilowatt induction cooker.
White Cloak sucked in a breath of cold air, cry out in surprise: "The Seven is above, the crown of love and beauty!"
"That little girl named Rhyllia is Baelor her daughter?"
"Well, Baelor Brightsmile is about the same age as Prince Rhaegar, and his daughter should be that old. It's estimated that she has reached her menarche and is ready to marry. Ser Baelor still wants to choose one for her. A Husband."
After putting on the wreath for her daughter, Baelor Brightsmile waved her arms and said something, and immediately four knights in gorgeous armor came out, one-knee kneels under Rhyllia .
Probably taking an oath to protect her crown and fight for her honor.
Baelor also knelt beside her daughter, kissed the back of her hand, and vowed to protect her daughter's crown.
Seeing this scene, the crowd below cheered louder and louder.
While the Tourney is often held, the "Queen of Love and Beauty" is not every time, or even less frequently.
Most matches are one-on-one rounds, the loser will be eliminated, the winner will advance to the next round, and the winner of the final round will be declared the champion.
There's also a contest mode, where Tourney's sponsors cast their daughter as the "Queen of Love and Beauty," where five mighty Guardian Knights vow to fight for her honor.
After the knock-out competition, the other winners can challenge one of them - taking their place if the Guardian Knight also advances.
The final winner can choose the original woman as queen or another.
For example, the "Prime Minister Tourney" held at the beginning of the plot, there was no Queen of Love and Beauty at that time.
Well, although Knight of the Flowers gave Sansa a bouquet of roses after a certain victory, Sansa was not the "Queen of Love and Beauty" that year (Loras that gay guy oneself can't do it, and he doesn't. Every time you win, you will send a flower to the beauty on the spot).
First of all, the organizer King Robert did not choose a Queen of Love and Beauty at all.
He does have a cheap daughter, but Princess Myrcella is too young to marry, and the main purpose of the Tourney is to welcome good friends, not to show off her daughter.
Secondly, Knight of the Flowers gave a rose, not a crown, and he only won a match at the time, before the finals started.
In the end, only the champion is eligible to select Queen of Love and Beauty, and the champion of that session is Hound.
Of course, it can also be said that Sansa is the Queen of Love and Beauty without a flower crown, because Hound only expresses the impulse from men to her...
"Hey, When House Hightower is a true person, Rhyllia can keep 90% of her crown, and her five guardian Knights—father, two uncles, and two cousins are all powerful true Knights.
Ordinary The lord doesn't dare to engage in the 'back crown' competition at all, and it would be too embarrassing if the five Guardians were all unhorse before reaching the final." White Cloak said with a complicated expression.
After the five Guardian Knights were selected, Dany, the contestants huddled in the arena, began to disband.
This is the main arena. In the audition stage, only the noble Knight with a name and a surname is qualified to appear in front of the people here.
Wild Knights like Dany, mercenary riders, and mysterious Knights have to go to the nearby "desolate" arena to compete.
The 2,500 players had to play more than 1,000 games in the first round alone, and a game would take at least half an hour, so along the shore of Honeywine, there were a hundred competitions. field.
Dany got the venue number '87', and after walking more than a mile north, he saw a field less than 20 meters wide.
The site is covered with soft loess, sprinkled with water, and two 100-meter-long boundaries are drawn with lime powder.
The boundary line is ten meters apart, and there is a row of 1.5-meter-high wooden fences in the middle. The riders will charge each other across the fence.
Beyond the boundary line is the auditorium. The auditorium is 100 meters long and 5 meters wide on both sides of the tourney ground. Not to mention the wooden seats, there are no guardrails. Are the organizers not afraid that the horses will rush out of the arena and collide with each other? Dead audience?
Alas, they are not afraid, because apart from the contestants and their Knight squire, friends, family, there is no audience at all.
Dany and Barristan came to such a desolate yellow mud.
Looking left and right, you can see through the thirty or forty tourney grounds lined up next door.
"The first round competition has started!" The emcee with the huge white tower pattern printed on the leather armor stood in the center of the tourney ground and shouted loudly, "'Doo' Jimmy, 'Doo' Jimmy, you come Are you ready?"
"Come on, come on, I'm here!" A sallow-faced man in gray worn-out iron armor hurriedly pressed the rusted iron helmet on oneself's head, while pressing "Hey" Whoops" called out.
Half of his head was stuffed in, and the part below the nose was stuck outside. The middle-aged rider cried out, "No way, my nose is stuck, come and help me, Bruce!"
"Bleeding?" exclaimed the bearded man next to him: "The nut is rusted off, the face armor is crooked, and the nose is cut by it!"
"profiteer, profiteer, damn it Profiteer, it cost me 80 coins!" Jimmy cracked a mouthful of yellow fangs and cursed the Smith Street vendor who sold him the iron helmet with blood dripping from his upper lip.
"Hey, shit Jimmy, are you okay?" the emcee couldn't wait, and came over and shouted.
"Bring me a pair of pliers," cried bearded man Blue.
The emcee shook his head: "We're not in charge of this, Jimmy, you go down."
"Hey, I'm so unlucky, I wanted to show my skills, but I couldn't be the champion, wearing it for Miss Rhyllia The wreath..." Jimmy grumbled and waved his hand, and his companion led the horse away.
The emcee looked at the list on the parchment and continued to shout, "Mysterious Knight, Batman?"