As the few people on the grandstand were talking, the first round had already begun. The two knights charged forward with their lances in standard posture, but at the very moment of contact, the mysterious knight suddenly threw away his shield with his left hand, flipped his body, placed one foot on the saddle while the other dangled in the air, and hung half his small frame off the side of the horse—the side closest to his opponent.
Deacon's thrust naturally missed, and almost at the same moment, the mysterious knight grabbed the saddle with his freed-up left hand, crouched down, and drove his lance like a venomous snake under Deacon's shield, striking from below and hitting him squarely in the chest.
In that instant, as the mysterious knight stood back up from his crouch, the immense counterforce made his black horse sink slightly, but Deacon was sent flying two to three meters off his saddle—nearly the height of a second-floor fall.
The armored knight flailed his limbs wildly, screaming as he crashed into the mud bottom-first with a resounding thud. He groaned in pain, unable to move.
Though the sequence of events seemed slow in narration, in reality, everything happened in the blink of an eye. The audience barely had time to gasp before the mysterious knight had already returned to his saddle, raised his lance high, and began parading triumphantly around the arena.
"This…" After a long moment of silence, Baelor finally let out a wry smile. "He's incredibly agile, like a monkey—a skinny monkey with the strength of a gorilla."
"Isn't this against the rules? I've never seen anyone do that before." Garth muttered.
Garlan shook his head and sighed. "Because no one else can do it. Of course, dropping the shield results in a point deduction, but since he already unhorsed his opponent, points don't matter anymore."
"Sigh, this is an utter humiliation. The Reach is known as the land of knights, and yet not a single one of us could knock off that boy's helmet." Baelor shook his head, stood up, and descended from the wooden platform, holding a tray with the coronet upon it.
The tournament had a long-standing tradition of mysterious knights, and during the competition, no one intentionally sought to uncover their identities. Only the one who defeated a mysterious knight had the right to demand their real name and background.
Garth signaled to two attendants guarding a large chest before also rising from his seat. As he walked, he chuckled, "Now that the tournament is over, he'll take off his helmet himself. If his family background is decent, marrying Rhaelya to him wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Hmm, Rhaelya is the eldest daughter, so her status… Let's see first."
The inheritance priority of the eldest daughter was high. In terms of "value," she was far above a younger daughter.
Just look at Sansa and Arya—Sansa was betrothed to Crown Prince Joffrey, while Arya could only be promised to the second son of House Frey. Yes, Arya once had a sacred marriage contract.
Amid the thunderous cheers of the crowd, Dany felt even more exhilarated than when she had taken Meereen and Yunkai. She was completely lost in the moment, riding wildly around the arena and waving enthusiastically to the standing, applauding masses.
It was only when the horn sounded that she noticed Baelor standing below the wooden platform, holding the tray.
"Knight, you are the champion of this tournament. Please choose the Queen of Love and Beauty in your heart!" Baelor announced with a smile.
"Batman, I'm unmarried!" A girl in a purple dress cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted from the southern stands.
"I'm from Goldtree Castle! The maester says I'll be having my first moonblood soon—Batman, give me the coronet!" A little girl of about ten blushed as she yelled from the northern stands.
"Batman—"
The girls were nearly hysterical, while their fathers and brothers only laughed at the scene, some nobles even clapping for their daughters' boldness. A few even loudly declared how much dowry they were willing to provide.
To them, this was completely normal. Could the champion of a tournament come from humble origins?
Impossible. To own armor, a fine horse, squires, and possess such exceptional riding and combat skills, one had to at least be the heir of a wealthy landed knight.
Their daughters had to marry someone anyway—why not a powerful noble?
As the audience watched with curiosity and anticipation, Dany used her lance to hook the golden rose coronet, flicked it lightly, and let it soar into the air. Her horse took a perfectly timed step forward, allowing her to catch the coronet effortlessly with her free left hand.
The next moment, the entire arena fell silent. Everyone held their breath, watching the mysterious knight at the center of the field, wondering which lady he would crown.
"Heh." Dany looked at the vibrant, fresh rose blossoms in her hand. They must have been picked today.
With a sudden thud, she drove the wooden lance into the soft earth, then reached for the buckles beneath her chin, twisting them loose before tearing off her helmet in one swift motion.
A cascade of dark, silky hair shimmered under the sunlight, framing a radiant face beaming with delight.
"Whoa—"
A collective gasp erupted from the thousands of spectators.
With a playful smirk, she lifted the coronet and placed it on her own head.
A stunned silence fell over the crowd. Jaws dropped, eyes widened—both the audience and the knights were left utterly speechless.
"Hahaha! Ladies, the only 'Queen of Love and Beauty' worth having is the one you claim for yourself!"
Her crisp, melodious laughter rang through the arena.
"She's a woman—" a fat noble bellowed in shock.
"Seven hells! The champion is a female knight! And… and she didn't rely on trickery at all! She single-handedly unhorsed Garlan, Jon (Ser Jon Cuppers, one of the tournament knights), Baelor, and Deacon—four great knights in a row!" Ser Fossoway from the wine hall exclaimed in disbelief.
"And me. She unhorsed me too, with a single lance thrust," added Earl Arstan of the harvest hall, his expression awkward. "But I swear on my great-uncle, Ser Barristan, that I did not hold back! She may be a slender and beautiful young woman, but her strength is terrifying."
"If she's a woman, then her build isn't actually that small," Earl Elrol from the hay hall remarked, shaking his head.
"Women aren't allowed to compete in tournaments. Will Ser Baelor revoke her championship title?"
"I want to know too."
"Which noble family does she belong to? Her martial skills are astonishing!"
"Oh, Seven Gods, please tell me what to do. Although the mysterious knight is a girl, seeing her heroic and dashing figure, I... I..." A noble young lady held her hands to her chest, looking conflicted.
"So it was you! You bought armor last time just to participate in the tournament?" Gars, standing by the redwood chest, was both shocked and suddenly enlightened.
Baylor turned to look at his younger brother and asked in surprise, "You know each other?"
"In Old Londo's blacksmith shop—she was selecting armor."
"Miss, the tournament does not allow women to participate," Baylor said with difficulty.
Dany pointed her spear at her defeated opponent and laughed heartily. "Want to take my crown? You'll have to get past my spear first!"
Big Black was watching from the sky. If you dare, come and take it!
"Uh..." Baylor had an expression of exasperation.
At this moment, Barristan stepped forward to explain, "Ser, the mysterious knight does not ask for origins or names and has almost no restrictions. As long as one has a horse and armor, they can participate. My lady has not broken any rules."
"It looks like the rules will have to change in the future," Baylor sighed helplessly.
"You're absolutely right! The tournament rules must be revised!" Dany looked around and spoke loudly. "Why aren't female knights allowed to compete? Are you afraid of losing to us? This is a game for the brave—cowards shouldn't even be here!"
"That's not what I meant..." Baylor's face twisted with frustration.
"I'm afraid, my lady, that it is not for you to decide," Gars shook his head.
"Heh, just watch!"
Dany sneered. If I don't have the final say, then who does?!
Gars shrugged and opened the redwood chest behind him, revealing a dazzling golden glow.
"Twenty thousand gold dragons, all here."
"Hmm, deposit it for me."
"Of course. How about the Church Bank? High interest, zero risk," Baylor nodded and suggested.
Yes, that's right—the Faith of the Seven even has its own bank.
Not only do they have a bank, but the septons also engage in money lending. Many merchants, including the king on the Iron Throne, owe gold to the Church.
If you fail to repay your debts, even if you are a devout believer in the Seven, the septons will still force you to sell your children, your wife—whatever it takes to pay them back.
And to be fair, the Church Bank does a thriving business. After all, with the Seven Gods as guarantors, everyone firmly believes it will never go bankrupt.
"By the way, Miss, what is your name?" Baylor asked again.
"Lyra Waters."
"Waters..." Baylor stared at Dany for a long time. She did seem somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere in the royal domain before.
He nodded, then turned to the audience and announced loudly, "This year's tournament champion is Miss Lyra Waters! Her participation as the mysterious knight does not violate the rules. Let us congratulate Miss Lyra—she will surely become a legendary knight, and undoubtedly the most dazzling Queen of Love and Beauty!"
"Whoosh—" No matter what they truly thought, the audience still displayed their sportsmanship, clapping and cheering for Dany.
"Queen! Queen! Lyra, the Queen of Love and Beauty!"
"Thank you! Thank you!" Dany waved from her horse in acknowledgment.
From the high platform, flower petals and colorful ribbons rained down. Wearing a laurel crown and clad in steel armor, she smiled brilliantly, as if, for this moment, she had truly become the queen by the Honeywine River.
The tournament consisted of three events: jousting, archery, and melee combat.
Jousting was the main attraction. Archery was held almost simultaneously, but it had few spectators.
Once the jousting concluded, the attendants dismantled the wooden barriers that separated the main arena's charge lanes and set up three targets. Only then did the three archery finalists receive cheers from the crowd.
That afternoon, a red-skinned archer from the Summer Isles defeated his opponents in the hundred-meter finals and won the archery championship.
In addition to the 3,000-gold-dragon prize, the young man also secured a position in Baylor's guard.
The melee lasted three hours, with nearly eighty participants. Not a single noble joined—it was filled with free riders, mercenary knights, and newly anointed squires, all seeking fame and fortune.
Mounted on horses and wielding blunt weapons, they clashed in a battlefield of splattering mud and flying blood. One moment, they formed temporary alliances; the next, they turned on each other. Alliances were forged and shattered in an instant until only one remained standing.
It looked brutal and savage, but compared to the gladiator death matches of Ghis, this was practically civilized.
Since all participants used blunt weapons and wore thick tournament armor, no one actually died, though two unlucky souls broke their legs, one suffered a shattered collarbone, and a dozen more had their fingers crushed.
The melee champion won a prize of 5,000 gold dragons, claimed by a Dornish warrior.
Even with the winnings of the Summer Islander and the Dornishman combined—8,000 gold dragons—it was still less than half of what Dany earned.
This alone proved just how prestigious jousting was in Westeros.
(End of Chapter)
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