Prologue: A Tourney of Fate
Disclaimer: I don't Own Game of Thrones or any other references in this fanfic.
As long as man had purpose, he would have something holding him back from weakening for dying. With a goal or vision in mind, he would fight and slash his way through his challenges until it became his reality, or so some men thought. Robert of House Baratheon, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, saw a vision in his mind – a vision of the fall of House Targaryen and the death of all its members – and he made it a reality. He slayed Prince Rhaegar Targaryen himself and marched his men into King's Landing and took the Iron Throne for himself.
But that was where his vision ended.
The King, as accomplished as he was, no longer had a purpose. His goal was accomplished and done the moment he first sat on the Iron Throne, and from that moment on he was a free man – a free and pointless man. No longer did he have enemies to slay or lands to conquer; he had only council meetings to attend, coppers to count, or schemes to unravel; no longer did he feel the blood-rushing thrill of a battle between life and death, nor the joy of fighting alongside his bonded brothers – Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn.
Day after day, night after night, it was whores upon whores and wine upon wine. At first, Robert had thought he would have loved the extravagance and carefree lifestyle – it was the life he had desired to share with Lyanna Stark – just day after day of relaxation and luxury, but now he loathed it. Perhaps the love of his life was a definite requirement, or maybe he had changed over the years, but he no longer wanted such a life. The wine didn't taste as sweet as it used to, and the woman just didn't feel the same. The King yearned for the past when he could have rode side-by-side with Eddard as young men, drinking and humping through life without thought with only their swords by their side.
The only entertainment he got nowadays was went his favorite son William Also known as the Black Prince (A title that both Robert and his son liked) want before the small council and himself to propose an idea he got from a drunken Robert about building a royal army that Will called the Imperial Legions, at first there were some disagreements on desertion and funding, but Will somehow found a way to fund for these Legions. But what surprised him more was when Will asked to be the lord of Cloud Ruler Temple. After listening to his son's reasons, Robert decided to grant Will's request. Before leaving Will wished his father luck, Robert said he did not need it, but Will wasn't referring to making him a lord, but convincing Cersei, Will's mother to allow this. Needless to say that was a real headache. When Will returned from Cloud Ruler Temple, he brought the now Blades Grandmaster Delphine and went on to reforge the Blades.
Well. There was no longer a war and he hadn't wielded his warhammer for many years; his belly had become bloated and his arms grew weaker by each drink, but he could still see the thrill of battle through other means.
"Guards!" The King had loudly said as he slammed his empty cup on his table. "Bring me the Master of the Coin! I have decided to host a tourney!"
With the demand of the king, the whole of King's Landing worked to organize the tourney in haste, and even though some haste needed to be bought with gold they shouldn't have spent, it was bought. Within days hundreds of invitations were sent out to the many Lords on the Realm, and thousands of posters were plastered upon the walls over all the cities in the Kingdom, attracting thousands of Sell Swords, Knights or even peasants who want to make a name. The King wanted this even to become one to remember, and it was shaping up into precisely what he desired.
With the week the responses came rolling back. First were the Arryns, the family of the Hand of the King. Then came the Lannisters, the family of the Queen, Cersei Baratheon, and the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister. Tywin Lannister had also said that he would be personally visiting the tourney – most likely looking forward to seeing his son win the tourney – or so Robert had claimed rather sarcastically. The Tully and many of the noble houses had decided to come, with only the Starks declining the invite, which was not too surprising to many since the northern folk saw tourneys as a waste of gold. There was also many famous and noble knights aiming for the glory and fame, and of course the fifty thousand gold dragons to the winner of the joust, twenty thousand to the melee, and twenty thousand for the archery.
The royal account had no such funds, and like usual, the Master of the Coin had borrowed from the King's rich in-laws, the Lannisters. Lord Tywin had no problem with providing the funds. The Lannisters had none more than gold, and thought that the sight of Jaime Lannister winning the event made worthy of the ninety thousand gold dragons in Lord Tywin's mind.
King's Landing was almost immediately filled with addition thousands of people, which included hundreds of merchants, selling goods coming as far as Pentos, retired soldiers or battle-loving peasants flooded into the city with palpable excitement, and of course, thousands of Knights and Sell Swords trying to gain a life of glory. Hundreds of goats, cow and pigs were butchered and grilled for the hungry appetites of the increased number in the city, and the entire King's Landing was festering with festivities and joyful crowds.
"I do loath such large crowds." Tyrion Lannister muttered as he waddled along the crowded streets with his short legs, his large head shook as he looked around. "Our good king Robert relishes these tourneys, but I'm afraid I am rather ill-suited for such festivities."
Jaime Lannister chuckled lightly as he walked behind his brother, ignoring the various looks he was getting from the women in the crowd. "You are most ungrateful, brother. Father had paid much gold for such a massive event, and as his kin we should at least pretend to enjoy the tourney."
"I'm different from you, brother; I am not a Knight and I do not gain any glory from such a suffocating crowd, though I do appreciate the fresh products that are coming into the city." The dwarf had a small smile on his lips as he remembered the three whores that made his magical night and the many that he hadn't bedded yet. "If I wasn't a Lannister or so loved by my family, I would have long moved to Lys and enjoy every night in bliss."
"Do try to not marry any of them; father will definitely not be happy with having another whore as a daughter-in-law from you."
The Lannisters, even the small one, could see countless banners on full mast all around the city. From the pierced sun of the House Martell to the white falcon of the House Arryn, emblems fluttered in the wind as Knights of almost all Great Houses rode into the city en mass. The neighs of horses were almost as loud as the merchants in middle of the market, and the gleaming shine of the suits of armor in sight was almost too bright to bear. Rubies, sapphire, emerald, red gold and diamond filled the market as a line of knights marched to the tourney arena.
"So the Martells actually came," muttered Tyrion as he crossed his small arms. "I don't think I've seen them this close to King's Landing since the start of King Robert's reign."
Jaime nodded with an apathetic nod. "Well. They really aren't admirers of our good Ser Gregor Clegane, and seeing how both he and the Hound are in this tourney, it only makes sense that they would come and try to take his honor."
"Can you blame them?" Tyrion asked with a hint of mockery. "That giant of a man raped and killed their princess; if it was us and Cersei suffered that fate, you would have killed the Mountain before he could stand trial."
The Imp and the Kingslayer walked into the Red Keep and walked idly by the golden cloaked watchers standing guard along the grand hallways of the King's home. The heavy steps of the armored knight stomped into the Great Hall, and the two brothers bowed to the King, who sat upon the Iron Throne. Robert had his usual cup of wine in his hand and his face was almost as red as the Lannister emblem. His black hair was damp from sweat and his bloated belly suggested he consumed more than a few rack of lamb.
The Great Hall looked a lot different compared to when the Targaryens ruled. Instead of Dragon Skulls and sleek, cold walls, the hall was covered with top-made tapestries and priceless artifacts. The gold inside the room was enough to feed a village of five hundred for years, and the shining marble that covered the ground was so smooth people could use it was mirror. The only unchanged part of the hall was the Iron Throne – a monstrosity of a chair made of hundreds of melted swords.
"Your Grace," greeted Jaime and Tyrion as he fell to one knee and bowed their heads. "Everything is accounted for and the tourney can start at any time." The Baratheon Knights were already marching to the arena, led by the king's own brother, Renly Baratheon. "The Great Houses have mostly arrived and the Lords have begun to settle into the viewing area."
Robert bellowed a laugh and stood up. "Great!" cried the king. "Let's get going! Prepare my steed and let us ride over with the knights!" Robert stepped down from his throne and headed out of the Great Hall. "Ah Tyrion, have you placed your bets today?"
"Not yet, Your Grace, but I do hope to win quite a bit, so I don't think I'm going to bet on my dear brother here." Robert's laugh bellowed again as Jaime shook his head with a smirk, seemingly amused by his little brother. "I spent quite a bit on the ladies from Lys last night, so I need to win some back."
"Oh I know what you mean; I spend a lot of many things with those women the past week!"
Jaime had a dark look on his face as he forced himself to not glare at the King; while the Kingslayer had no desire for the King to bed his sister, he also hated the fact that he would so casually disregard his queen as if she was some common whore he bought. Cersei Lannister was one of the most desirable and beautiful women in the realm, and she deserved better.
"Ha-ha! Let's go see some action!" cried Robert with a boisterous laugh. "No more slow meetings or menial copper counting; just men battling for honor, glory and fame!"
The sun felt particularly scorching. The seemingly yellow beams of light crashed down onto the dirt road leading up to the River Gate of King's Landing and every person walking on it. The dark hair of many sell swords and merchants felt extremely hot and dry in the summer heat, and many people appeared to be soaked in sweat. The horses pulling on large merchant carts were heaving and the armor-clad knights looked ready to slash through the crowd into the city. The tourney was going to start very soon, and people were desperate to get into the city – contenders and attenders alike.
'This is not good…' thought a young man no older than twenty years.
Lifting his now warm canteen of water, he gulped down whatever was left and threw it to the side. Even now, a very long line stretched behind him and an almost equally long line stood in front, with the gate so close yet so far. Based on the position of the sun he could tell it was almost noon, which was the start of the tourney, so it was not likely he was going to make it, unless he did something about it.
Looking around, he noticed that no one was really paying attention to their surroundings; everyone was too parched by the scorching day. While the heat did not bother him, drops of sweat soaked up by his blood red bandana and dripped from his raven black hair. His bare torso revealed his light skin-tone and muscular physique, with only a small strap that held on to a nodachi wrapped up in black bandages on his back and the strap of a small bag flung over his shoulder covering his chest. He also had a katana and a wakizashi on his belt with the katana on his right and the wakizashi on the left. His tattered pair of sandals had long since been abandoned as the horde of horses lined up ahead of him decided to lay a detailed web of manure in his path. But, those horses may also help him in this situation. It appeared that the one man holding into a series of ropes attached to the dozen of horses was a salesman, targeting the Knights in the Joust in case their horses die. The young man smirked when he saw the man stagger and appear to be at the verge of a heat stroke, it would make it a little easier for him.
Reaching into his pocket the young man let his thumb rub against the flat edge of his knife before walking closer to the horse on the rear. With a sharp and discreet jab, the knife pierced the horse's rear and an expected loud neigh of pain sounded out. With chuckle, he repeated his movements as quickly as he could to three other horses next to the first horse, and they reacted in kind.
"Whoa!" cried the horse salesman as felt his horses stampede towards him, "What the hell?!" He jumped to the ground to his right and rolled further out of line to avoid the horses; the reins in his hand lying on the ground. "Someone grab them!"
The young man smirked and quickly sped forward. "Don't worry old man, I got it!"
Quickly breaking out into a sprint, the wind blowing through his long, unruly and spiky hair, he quickly neared the horde. People ahead in the line jumped out of the stampede just like the salesman and chaos quickly ensued. All the way to the gates, people scrambled and cried out in shock. The horses were in a frenzy and were extremely close to trampling over hundreds of people, and some knights were drawing their swords to cut them down, which would have worked if the horses weren't running full speed.
But luckily or unluckily for the salesman, the young man was just as fast.
With a bright smile on his face, the young man ran behind the horde of horses, their attached rein within his reach, but he wouldn't reach for it. The gates were becoming closer by the second and the guards at the gate had drawn the swords and some had armed their crossbows. 'Just a few more seconds…come on horses!' The line in front had completely scattered and there were small crowds gathering around the open area and they watched the young man trying to catch the horses, 'Alright!' Seeing the gate was extremely close with no on ahead, he grabbed the rein into his hands and ran on.
"Control your horses or we will cut them down!" cried the golden cloaked guard at the gate.
'Fine!' The young man pulled on the reins and pulled himself closer as he sped ahead. With a burst of strength, he leaped from the ground and into the air. People around watched on in shock as they watched the man jump at least three meters into the air, so much so that they barely realized he landed on the front horse. "Stop!" Kicking the side of the front horse, he reeled the reins back as hard as he could, yanking the horse's head back until it slowed. The horses to the side followed, but the attached reins only gave them a few meters of freedom, and the man's grasp on the reins was so tight that all the horses started to slow.
The horses stopped right in front of the gate, and the guards were still ready to attack. "Get down of the horses, now!"
"Relax, these are not my horses!" The young man jumped off his horse and crossed his arms as he stood in front of the guards. "That old salesman over there almost fainted and released the reins."
The old man in his fifties finally made it to the gate and quickly bowed to the guards. His breath was extremely rapid and his face was red, looking as if he would faint and collapse. The young man resisted the urge to chuckle as the older man took the reins from him and bowed to the guards again. "I-I am so sorry, Ser," pleaded the man in between breathes, "But I was too tired when they frenzied and couldn't control them." The man turned to the foreigner and bowed thankfully. "Thank you so much young man, for stopping them."
The guard in charge sighed and shook his head. "Just step to the side, we will deal with you and your horses later!" The old man staggered to the side, pulling his horses hard with a grimace. "And we thank you for your work."
The foreigner waved his hand and smiled. "No problem at all, but can I please pass the gates; I need to get to the tourney." The guard nodded and gestured him inside. "Thank you so much, Ser." He turned to the old man and bowed. "Good luck to you, old man." 'And sorry about that.' The young man walked freely into the city and breathed in fully. "So this is King's Landing, it looks like every other city I've been to."
The tournament arena had three large sections, with a large pavilion built to overlook all three. At the center of the pavilion was a heighten area with a large canopy providing shade from the scorching sunlight for the spectators below. The King himself sat at the center of the heightened area with the Queen, Cersei Lannister, sitting to his right, looking beautiful and regal in her red gown. The young prince Joffery Baratheon sat one row down from his parents, and his siblings, young Black Prince William, the Blades Grandmaster and William's bodyguard Delphine, the younger Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella Baratheon sitting across from him. Many other powerful people sat close to the royal family, including the Queen's Father, Tywin Lannister. The other lords were all sitting along the pavilion, looking over the tourney arena and the gigantic crowd of spectators on the other side.
Petyr Baliesh, the Master of Coin, estimated that the city will gain from the increased expenditure, if the prize gold to the winners were not as high. In the previous days, every inn in King's Landing, high-end to dirt poor, had been filled and more people are filing in. The merchants had more coins in their pockets than they could carry and the entire city was in a state of festival. But there had also been a few drunken fights, stabbings and rogue horse races down the Street of Sisters; needless to say, the City Watch had been very busy.
"Lord Baliesh, I heard you are an occasional gambling man?" asked Tyrion with a smirk on his face and a drink in his hand. "Care to wager on the winner of the joust?"
The man with short black hair smirked and nodded. "You've heard correctly, Lord Tyrion." Littlefinger stood from his seat and moved closer to the dwarf, who was sitting far away from his family, "How about one hundred gold dragons as the wager?"
Tyrion finished his drink and held it out to a servant to fill his cup. "That sounds good, and I'll place that amount on my brother, Jaime Lannister as the winner."
Petyr smiled and nodded. "Very well, I will place my money on Gregor Clegane; the Mountain is someone I believe to be able to dismount your brother."
"Can anyone place their bet with you two?" asked a new voice from their right. Prince Oberyn of Dorne walked up to the two with his usual witty smile. Tyrion immediately felt his smile leave his face as he made eye-contact with the known sexually-ambivalent man. Oberyn had clear contempt in his eyes when looking at Lannisters and the smirk on his face did not make Tyrion any more comfortable.
"Of course, Prince Oberyn, the more the merrier," Littlefinger said gestured to a young servant to jot down the bets. "Lord Tyrion and I have respectively placed bets on Ser Jaime Lannister and Ser Gregor Clegane. Would you like to stack either of our wagers or would you prefer another knight?"
The prince smirked and sat down next to Petyr. "I want both of those to lose, so I'm going to wager on someone else." Tyrion have a forced smile before returning to his drink, but Littlefinger nodded. "Please place one hundred gold dragons on Ser Barristan, whom I believe to be the best knight in the tourney."
Tyrion smiled rather forced and sat back against his seat. "I certainly wish you the best of luck."
The prince smirked, "As do I."
"Come on, your wagers are so boring!" cried a loud and gruff voice from behind, and the three immediately turned back and bowed lowly for the King. "Jaime Lannister, Gregor Clegane and Ser Barristan are always the one who wins; but this year I'll wager that it is different!"
Littlefinger bowed again before speaking. "Care to place a wager, Your Grace?"
Robert laughed and lifted his drink into the air. "I'll place a thousand gold dragons that someone besides those three will win! How about it Littlefinger, are you going to accept that bed?"
"Your Grace, it is highly unlikely that someone besides those three will win." Tyrion said as he finished his drink again. "Perhaps you should stack on our bets."
"I agree with the Imp." Oberyn cut in, ignoring the slight twitch Tyrion gave at his nickname. "Those three are the best Knights in Westeros, perhaps the entire world, so the chance of some random knight winning is very unlikely."
Robert waved the two off and looked back at Petyr. "So? Are you going to accept or not."
"Well, I certainly will not decline, Your Grace." Littlefinger bowed and nodded at his servant to jot down the new numbers.
"Alright!" cried the King as he raised his cup high. "Let's get this tourney started!"
Tyrion chuckled and leaned ahead. "I believe the first event is the Archery Competition." He shook his head and rested back against his seat and sipped on his wine. "Well, I didn't bet on this so I'm not even going to bother."
The same dark-haired young man stepped out of the large crowd and followed the rest of the contestants into the preparation line leading up to the archery field. Like the others around him, he had a small wooden badge strapped to his upper arm, signifying his role as a participant. Around him and the other contestants were hundreds of spectators, trying to get a good view into the competition, even children who were sitting on their fathers' shoulders.
"Aren't you rather young to be in the tourney?" asked a rather feminine voice to the young man's left, who was a young and beautiful girl dressed in a jeweled silk dress. She looked to be his age but had a mature glint in her eyes and her long silky black hair made her look graceful and elegant. There were two other girls standing behind her dressed in similar fashions, the girl to her right had long flowing dark hair, and was wearing alluring silk dress, she also carry a bullwhip on her right hip and had a calculating look about her. While the other one seemed younger than the others due to her height, she had her dark hair cut short and had a mischievous glare in the blue eyes, Ryuichi's keen eyes could see the two hidden daggers in her dress. They were both giggling to themselves as they stared at Ryuichi. "You're a head shorter than everyone else."
Ryuichi smirked and crossed his arms. "Height doesn't make a better archer or fighter."
"Don't tell you've also signed up for the melee competition?" asked the girl with an amused smile. "You're going to have your head tore off your shoulders." Her black hair blew in the wind as she shook her head with a small hint of condescension.
"Deaths are allowed in the matches, but are still rare, so don't worry about me." The young man looked over at the girl with his peculiar grey eyes and smiled. "I like my chances in the matches." He turned back to the front of the line where people were slowly being let into the archery field. "And the Archery Competition is only shooting at targets, so it shouldn't be too lethal."
"So what's your name?" asked the girl with a pretty smile, "Just in case I have to tell the guards who the dead man is."
"My name is very weird in this kingdom, so you won't have trouble remembering it. I am Ryuichi of Akavir."
The girl laughed and covered her lips with her delicate fingers. "What kind of name is that?"
Ryuichi chuckled back and shrugged. "My master told me I was named after one of my ancestors." The girl laughed as her two friends continued to giggle. "What can I say? We're not a very creative family when it comes to names, but I've grown used to having it as a name." Ryuichi turned to the girls and smiled, revealing a surprisingly pearly white pair of teeth. "Who knows; maybe after today many people will remember that name."
"You sure are optimistic." The girl stood up straight and crossed her arms. "Well, my name is Arianne Martell, and these are my cousins," Arianne gestured to the two girls next to her. "This is Nymeria and Tyene; we've all come to see the tourney."
Ryuichi had a look of wonder as he bowed to the girls. "My ladies; it's a pleasure to meet the princesses of Dorne."
"I should have known you'd recognize us by my last name." Arianne winked at Ryuichi and was about to speak more, but Nymeria patted her shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Arianne looked reluctant at first, but nodded nonetheless. "Well, we have to go back to the viewing area to our parents, so if you manage to live pass today, we might see each other again."
Ryuichi nodded and smiled one last time. "I look forward to it, my lady."
Arianne winked again and walked off with her cousin, looking back at Ryuichi once before the crowd blocked her view. "Good luck, Ryuichi."
"Thank you, my lady."
"You sure were interested in that man…" muttered Nymeria with a knowing smile on her face.
"Sure, he was a cute man and had a nice body, but he's a peasant and your father will be angry if you associate yourself with him." Tyene nodded along, agreeing with her sister.
Arianne smiled and shrugged.
"I don't know why, but I found him quite fun to talk to, and he's not like some of the other boys we've met who are all either too shy or too cocky." She licked her lips and smiled at her cousins, who were like her sisters. "And did you see his muscles?"
Tyene giggled and hugged Arianne's arm. "You are way too much like our father, too horny for your own good." Arianne blushed a little and lightly slapped her cousin on her arm. "I mean, you're only nineteen years old and you're a princess, so you shouldn't act so rowdy around boys like that. Though I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with him."
"I am the heiress of Dorne, so I should have the right to choose my man." Arianne bit her lips and looked back to see that the crowd had blocked her view of Ryuichi. "I'll choose my own husband, but it's not to say that I can't have some fun beforehand."
Nymeria shook her head with a smile. "I love you, Ari."
The three girls continued to bicker and giggle as they walked back to the pavilion where their fathers were awaiting their return. They pasted by many stands of merchants of all sorts, some of which from Dorne. It was the first time the girls had left their small corner of Dorne. Their fathers wanted them to see their world with their own eyes, and so far King's Landing was very appealing to all three of them. Arianne had been very excited to travel all the way to King's Landing with her best friends and cousins, and it had been a great trip.
The pavilion soon came into view, and the noise began to die down as they walked back to the Dorne Royal Family area. The high-class people were all rather quiet compared to the thousands of betting civilians, save the several people in the Lannister area – the Imp and few others, if Arianne saw correctly. Her father, Prince Doran, sat next to his own brother, Prince Oberyn, as they watched the recently started archery competition. They both left their female companions back in Dorne, much to her Uncle Oberyn's chagrin, but her father had insisted that the remain seen as a proper and elegant family, and Prince's Oberyn's sexual craze need to appear during their stay.
Arianne was amused. She had always been quite close to her uncle; perhaps that was why she had also found herself desiring the warmth of the opposite sex. She had seen many a time her uncle and one of his many women engage in passion – several time in their main courtyard if she remembered correctly. Prince Doran had been quite angry at his brother and had banned him from the courtyard for a fortnight, but it was far too little repercussion to deter the Red Viper from putting the gardens to good use, as he would say.
"I wonder how that Ryuichi man would do?" muttered Nymeria as she lazily rested her head onto Arianne's shoulder when she was out of Prince's Doran's sight. "He's slightly older than us; how good can he be?"
Arianne shrugged as she sat up taller and stretched her neck. "I don't even see him with all these people blocking the view."
Tyene giggled as she sat elegantly with her hands on her lap. "That's because he's short."
The archery area was one of the larger sections in the tourney, second to only the melee area. It was a large grass field with many targets installed at various distances from the archer line. The first row of targets was only several meters in front of the archers. Fifteen archers lined up at once and tried for their shot at the target, and the one best result would remain for the second round with further targets. There were quite a few people in the competition, so even fourteen people eliminated at each draw, the event well on for quite some time.
From the distance, Arianne couldn't really see the precise results of the archers – she and her family were sat on the right side of the pavilion, and the archery field was on the left side of the arena – but she could tell that Ryuichi hadn't taken his turn yet. But she didn't have to wait long. When the next line of archers lined up she clearly saw someone that was younger than the rest and had a head of light absorbing dark hair. He held his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver, preparing to let loose on his target at the call of the judge.
"Is that him?" asked Nymeria as she sat forward and squinted her eyes.
Arianne smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's him." The young princess resisted the urge to giggle as she watched Ryuichi stand next to full grown men who were all almost a head taller than him; he looked extremely out of place in the line. "He's the only handsome one in the competition."
Tyene shook her head and lightly patted Arianne's face. "Stop staring at him with that pretty smile on your face; your father is going to notice." Arianne immediately turned away and looked at her father several rows above her before glaring back at her cousin. "I'm serious; you have that look my father would have when he sees his women."
Nymeria giggled and nudged Arianne with her shoulder. "Somebody is smitten over a peasant boy~"
"I-Am-Not-Smitten-Over-Anyone!
Tyene hugged Arianne's arm and snuggled closer to her, ignoring some looks they were getting. "Awe, are you blushing?"
"Shut up!" said Arianne, trying to keep her voice at a moderate volume. "Just watch the competition!" The princess looked back at the archery field and noticed that the round had already finished. She quickly sat up taller to see where the dark haired man got sent after he lost, but much to her ever shock she saw him standing with the other winner of the rounds. He looked serious and stoic down beside the other men, and just waited for the other rounds to finish.
"Wow…he actually made it through the first round." Said Tyene excitedly.
Nymeria smiled and sipped on her summer wine. "I guess he's not as hopeless as we've thought."
Tyene sighed and rested back on her seat. "Well there are still plenty of rounds coming…" She looked over at Arianne, who was still sitting tall and focusing on the match. "Do you think he can actually win this thing?"
"I highly doubt it." Nymeria, the ever realist or cynic, spoke what Arianne had wanted to say, but for some reason the princess was compelled to think otherwise – there was something about Ryuichi that made both her and Tyene want him to win.
Ryuichi once again stood on an elevated plank of wood that supported the weight of fifteen archers; it was the second round of the competition. From what the judges had told them, there will be five rounds, each round a number of contestants will be eliminated, and on the fifth round there will only be two archers left. With each round the targets will be placed further and further away, until the last round when the targets will be all the way on the other side of the field.
Looking to his sides Ryuichi noticed that he was the only person in his age group present; most others were at least ten years older than him. Some people were looking at him with strange glances, no doubt wondering how a kid fresh off his mother's teats made it into the second round; Ryuichi only chuckled at their ignorance – being older does not necessarily make one a better archer – Ryuichi pride himself for being a marksman at ten.
"Alright you lot, draw your arrows!"
All fifteen men drew the arrows back and aligned their eyes with the center of the target, several meters further than the first target.
"And release!"
Ryuichi's fingers confidently released his hold, and his arrow shot out, piercing the air with a small glint on the iron tip. His eyes followed it, the few seconds that it took to travel to the target, and remained locked onto it when it struck the target. It was just as he expected of himself. The arrowhead was supplanted right in the center of the target, earning him a perfect score.
With a smile and a knowing expression, Ryuichi nodded at the other archers and walked over to the winners waiting area again, waiting for round three. Now more people were giving him strange looks, some of them even looked shocked. It confused Ryuichi; hitting a target at such a distance was extremely easy, so he didn't understand why so many people were surprised he did it and why so many other couldn't do it.
'I guess those days of training paid off.'
Time went on as steady as it always had, and Ryuichi passed round and round. Never once had his arrows hit any place but the dead center of the target, and he was attracting the attention of almost everyone watching. The twenty year old man continued to outmatch men twice his age with actual experience with a bow and arrow. But regardless of the other's outcome, Ryuichi kept emerging victorious in the matches. Some random man might also hit the dead center of the target, but when they were examined, Ryuichi's was either closer to the center or shot deeper into the target. Some people were starting to place last minutes bets on him winning, and he could swear he heard people asking for his name in the crowd.
Then, in no time at all, it was the final round. The only two men left were Ryuichi of Akavir and Kelfor Storm, a freerider from the Stormlands.
"Did that young man really make it to the final round?" asked Ser Jaime Lannister as he stood next to his fellow Kingsguard, Ser Barristan as they awaited the start of the jousting competition. "He looks barely older than twenty years."
"You of all people should know that age doesn't really matter." Ser Barristan turned to the competition and stared at Ryuichi in wonder. "But that one really strikes as odd…he looks relaxed and calm and completely confident." The famous knight crossed his arms and leaned back against a wooden post of the pavilion, "Very interesting."
Just above the two knights was the royal family. The King himself sat on the elevated area on the pavilion and he watched with great interest at the last round of the competition. In his years he had never seen such a young man make it to the final rounds of a tourney, especially since the young man looked to be a peasant – just a normal civilian on the streets. But his demeanor and confidence did not reflect his appearance. From his posture and elegant smile, he acted like a highborn soldier with training, or just a smart man with a keen sense of observation. Either way, Robert was rooting for the man.
"One thousand gold dragons on the Akaviri!" announced the King to Littlefinger and Tyrion.
Tyrion chuckled and shrugged with Petyr gestured to his servant to record the King's bet. The Imp and Littlefinger were impressed with the man, but they weren't confident enough to invest in him. If the King predicted that the young man would win against the experienced man then they weren't going to say otherwise.
All the way on the other side of the pavilion, Prince Oberyn chuckled and crossed his leg over his other. He had heard the King's bet and had wanted to follow, but he would follow Tyrion and Littlefinger's way and play it safe. As interesting the man was, he wasn't about to lose any gold over him.
"By the Great Seven, I can't believe he's actually in the final round!" cried Nymeria as she sat up, fully awake and looking at the scene with great interest.
For the past while, Arianne and her cousins had been paying their undivided attention to the competition, getting increasingly tense as Ryuichi made it further and further to the top. They found themselves cheering for the man, much to Prince Oberyn's amusement, and Arianne had been leaning forward so much that she might fall the pavilion soon.
"If he wins a lot of people are going to lose money." Tyene said with a smile on her face. "It would be a huge upset."
Arianne smiled and steadied her breathing in anticipation. "I hope he wins…"
"Of course you do~" teased Nymeria as she and Tyene hugged Arianne's arms, holding their blushing cousin close.
"Shut up!"
"Ready your bows!" announced the main judge as he stood behind the two remaining archers. "Draw your arrows!"
Kelfor Storm, a man in his late thirties, stood next to his opponent. His arrow was drawn and he was prepared to fire, just awaiting the call from the judge. Droplets of sweat dripped down his brows and onto his chin. Twenty thousand gold dragons were at stake at the moment. With such money he could quit his life as a freerider and maybe buy a high-class whore from Lys. He could enjoy the rest of his days in luxury and warmth, but he had someone standing in his way. A twenty year old kid who managed to outmatch every opponent he came across.
'Damn this kid!' thought the man as he resisted the urge to look at the man, wondering how nervous he must be at the moment.
Contrary to his opponent's belief, Ryuichi was quite calm. His arms were relaxed and his fingers were still; his breathing was quiet and steady, and his eyes were locked. This really was no challenge for him, even with such distance. No matter how far, given the right aim any target could be hit. Ryuichi was used to moving targets. A real challenge would be to try to hit a moving target on horseback with only one arrow in his quiver. A nonmoving target while standing on a firm platform is absolutely ridiculous, and, apparently to people in King's Landing, worth twenty thousand gold dragons.
"Release!"
Ryuichi's fingers released his hold, and just like before, his arrow sailed through the winds and across the field. As if time had slowed around him, Ryuichi's eyes focused on the tail of his arrow and watched to become closer and closer to the target, the marked spot of the center becoming larger. Then, one of Ryuichi's favorite sounds was heard, the sounds of the arrow hitting directly at the target. Once again, Ryuichi's arrow had planted itself right at the center of the target.
A smile came onto his face as the crowd roared in applause, but then he noticed his opponent was cheering as well.
"Judges, we need a ruling!" the three judges made their way over to the targets, and then Ryuichi saw. Both his and his opponent's arrows had struck the dead-center of the target. It appeared that Kelfor had noticed the same thing and had stopped his cheering. The entire crowd, including the high-borns on the pavilion, was silent. All looking over at the judges and waiting for their ruling.
"What's the result?!" cried a loud voice from the pavilion, and people looked over and saw the King standing up and looking over at the judges.
The main judge ran over to the King and bowed. "Your Grace, the two arrows had struck the exact same spot and were equally deep into the target, so we rule that a second arrow must be fired."
"Alright then, let's get going!" ordered the King as the judge scrambled back.
The judges all stood behind the two contestants this time, and were all paying their undivided attention to the targets far ahead. The old arrows were still attached to the targets as the second arrows were drawn. Everyone then looked in shock as Ryuichi with a cocky smiles pulled the red cloth he wore on his forehead over his eyes, effectively removing his sight of the target.
"What is he doing? Is he mad?!" Asked Nymeria, not believing what she was seeing. Arianne and Tyene strangely silent, only whispering to themselves as if a prayer.
"Draw your arrows!" Kelfor exhaled deeply as he drew his arm back and aimed for the target again, "Release!"
Kelfor watched his arrow follow the same path as his previous one. His heart started to beat faster as adrenaline slowed his perception. The arrow was traveling painfully slow as it neared its target, but it was looking very promising. He could practically smell the gold coming to him and feel the tightness of the woman he was going to buy. Then his arrow finally struck the target, very much like his previous shot, landing mere hairs away from the first arrow. Two arrows were attached to his target, one right on the target and one a hair's width beside it.
But when he looked over to how the blind Ryuichi did, his dreams shattered like his hope.
Ryuichi's target had two arrows attached to it, but the first one had been split in half and was sprawled out like a whore's open legs. The second arrow had hit the exact same spot as the first, and it split the first arrow in half. The second arrow had pushed the first arrow's head deeper into the target and forced its own head into the target enough to remain stuck to it. Ryuichi had struck the dead center twice in a row and the second he was blindfolded.
"We have a winner!" cried the main judge as he walked over to Ryuichi and lifted his arm into the air. "Probably one of the youngest winner I have ever seen!"
The crowd roared into a phenomenal applause and people on the pavilion were on their feet cheering, the loudest were among the three Dornish girls to the right side. The King himself was clapping for the man as was countless other lords and knights. All the while, Ryuichi smiled and bowed to both crowds and always had a smile on his face.
"I can't believe it!" cried Nymeria loudly as she clapped hard for the man. "That guy actually did it!"
Arianne and Tyene were on her feet and waving their arms around in celebration. They felt extremely happy for the young man and both wanted to run down and congratulate him, but decided that it could wait. The peasant man still needed to receive his prize of twenty thousand gold dragons!
"You actually did it, Ryuichi!"
"Damn, I should have betted on him!" muttered Prince Oberyn as he looked over at the King, who was laughing and raising his wine glass at the man.
Ryuichi bowed low for the King before the judges all turned to him. "Please follow us to get your prize money; if you want, we could have several guards escort you directly to the bank of King's Landing for safety measures."
The young man shook his head with a huge smile. "No, I'm not done yet! I still have to win the melee competition!"
A/N: This Fanfic is based in the same universe as RantingRyuu728's as Son of the Seven Kingdoms, so it will feature some of his characters and a special thanks to RantingRyuu728 for allowing me to do this and also to Kyoka Suigetsu Totsuka for allow me to use Blood & Vengeance as a base, look these up, they are awesome. But this will based in Akavir which I have changed and separated into 6 main nations each based on the subjects I will be using.
They are:
South. The Soul Society: Bleach
North. The Elemental Nations: Naruto
East. The Bending Republic: Avatar
West. The Wizard States: Fairy Tail
Under/Above. The Celestial Isles: Highschool DxD
And the sixth is a land mass that is called the Neutral Zone.
This will be a harem story. I will not give out names, but I will say that most are from the subjects in the story. Feel free to guess the 36 possible women. And also sorry for taking this down so suddenly, but there were a few things that were bugging me, so I fixed them.
One reviewer asked me, how all these different animes are going to work together given that they all have different sources of power. I.e.
Bleach: Reiryoku (Spiritual Power)
Naruto: Chakra
Avatar: Chi
Fairy Tail: Magic
Highschool DxD: Magic
As I was researching these sources, I noticed they are all quite similar to each other. The only real difference is the method of which they are used. So to remedy this, they will all use the same energy they just use different methods of use. I.e.
Bleach: They channel it through their Zanpakuto and through incantations for the higher level Kido.
Naruto: They channel it through head seals and Jutsu.
Avatar: Seeing as they are technically the weakest of the bunch. So they will channel it through movement and they don't have to waste time with seals or complicated actions.
Fairy Tail & Highschool DxD: They channel it through magic seals, seeing as they are similar in both source of power and method.
As always please read and review.
