I Don't Own Naruto or Game of Thrones!
Blood & Vengeance - Chapter 2
The King's Tourney was a luxury that the Kingdom strained to provide. Ever since the end of the Targaryen Dynasty and the start of the Baratheon Era, the Kingdom had been burning through gold. The three million gold dragons inside the castle keeps were spent on the many feasts, tourneys and ill-planned campaigns the Kingdom had issued in the past twelve years. Counting Coppers, as King Robert would say, was not worth his time and there was nothing of concern, but everyone else knew better.
Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, perhaps understood the situation better than anyone else. The middle-aged man would try to deter the King every time he suggested an expenditure that they just couldn't afford, but he knew it was all for naught. Jon Arryn had known the King since Robert was a boy, and that boy never changed. King Robert would do whatever he wanted to do, and no one's words would change his mind, not even his Hand and Mentor. The most recent tourney, the King's Tourney, was another one of Robert's ideas and Jon had tried to persuade him otherwise, but the result was identical to all the rest.
The champions' winning alone would total to ninety thousand gold dragons, and the organization cost of hosting the tourney would be another thirty thousand. It was not possible for the Kingdom alone to afford such extravagance, so, as usual; Littlefinger contacted Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock and asked for a loan. Jon Arryn had never been to any of the loan negotiations, but he would always imagine the old Lannister having a mocking grin on his twisted face as he agreed to the loan terms. The Lannisters were slowly buying the Kingdom and they knew the King wouldn't stop soon…it pained Jon to see all their lives' work become so pathetic.
As if adding insult to injury, the champions of the tourney would usually be lords or sons of lords, so the gold they borrowed would just trickle down to another rich family. To make matters even worse, Jaime Lannister, the son of Tywin Lannister, would always be one of the Knights to win, so Tywin Lannister's gold will just fall back into his pockets while the Kingdom would still be in his debt. The more Jon thought about such nonsense the more he wanted to ignore the tourney; he could always stay in his office and try to think of other ways to deter his King's future nonsense, but Robert had ordered him to come along and watch because, according to the King, he needed to relax more and he would learn how to relax by watching the tourney. Jon had sighed and shook his head at the time…
…But Robert wasn't exactly wrong.
"Well done, boy!" cried the King loudly as he downed his glass of summer wine, happy that he just won a thousand gold dragons.
Jon couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the boy who just won the Archery Competition. He looked like he just had his fourteenth nameday, but he managed to defeat hundreds of other archers in the tourney, including many children of lords and knights. A commoner winning the prize gold was one thing Jon hadn't expected, but it made him feel better. At least some of the gold wouldn't be going to the already fat pockets of lords or knights.
Littlefinger smiled back at the King and bowed slightly, "Congratulations, Your Grace; that is a most unexpected outcome and a good wager."
"Yes, indeed." Tyrion held his wine loosely to his lips as he sat back lazily on his seat. "That boy was certainly an oddity; I've never seen anyone split an arrow from so far away." Looking over to the many lords and commanders, Tyrion could already predict that many of them would try to recruit the boy before long. "He's already a much better archer than many we have in King's Landing." Tyrion looked a few rows above him and saw his lord father, Tywin Lannister looking at the boy. He didn't look very interested, but there was a sense of intrigue in his narrowed eyes, something that Tywin Lannister passed off as praise.
"Jon!" cried the King loudly. "He's almost as good as you were back in the day!"
Jon smiled and nodded. "Yes, Your Grace." The Hand bowed slightly to the King before looking back at the young champion. "It is wonderful to see such young champions come from the common people; I am growing tired of seeing the sons of lords and knights winning such tourneys."
The King laughed and raised his glass to his old friend. "Well said!"
"It is as you said, my Lord Hand, but it does raise a question." Lord Mace Tyrell pondered as he sat on the left platform from the Royal Family. "I hire the best teachers in Westeros to train my son, Loras, and even though he is doing quite well, I doubt he has the same skill with a bow and arrow as that young man over there." Jon Arryn and Robert nodded, both have heard of the young prodigy of the Tyrell Family, Loras. "I wonder how that young man managed to get so good; what sort of training did he undergo?"
"I would assume hunting." Prince Oberyn suddenly said as he walked up to the other lords. "I've met many people during my travels that are very good archers and most of them because they hunt for their food." The prince sipped on his wine as he looked at the King. "Moving rabbits and wolves are much harder to hit compared to stationary targets."
Robert chuckled and placed his cup down. "I believe there to be good merit in that theory, but I've been hunting for a good part of my life and I can't split an arrow like that!" The King laughed as his squire more him more wine. "That little shit is already better than me at shooting."
"Maybe some of us should take that boy in," suggested Renly Baratheon as he stood next to his brother, waiting for the joust to start. "Such talent should not be wasted."
"Yes, I would very gladly take him under my house," Mace Tyrell spoke as he nodded at the King's brother.
"I'm afraid I must fight you for him, Lord Tyrell," replied Prince Oberyn with a smile on his face. "Such young talent is hard to find these days." At the same time many people around the prince wondered if the price wanted the young man as a soldier or a lover…Oberyn had a rather promiscuous reputation, even with boys. "And Dorne can always use someone like him."
"My Lords, please refrain from discussing such matter so soon; we still don't know if the young man would survive the day." Littlefinger spoke with his usual smile and sly voice. "From my understanding, the boy also intends to participate in the melee competition."
"He still wants to fight in the melee?" asked Mace Tyrell, the King and the others listened on with interest.
"Yes, my Lord." Petyr replied as he nodded. "Some might have quit after winning twenty thousand gold dragons, but apparently the boy still wants to fight." Littlefinger chuckled and shook his head. "I'm afraid a young man is still a young man, and a boy's mind will always be greedy and overly courageous."
"You only think that because you have a merchant's mind, Lord Baelish," said Prince Oberyn as he looked over at the melee arena. "Some young men think like warriors and the thrill of a good fight may worth more than twenty thousand gold dragons." Littlefinger's smile shrunk a little at the subtle insult, but remained silent. "Who knows, maybe he is as good with a sword as he is with a bow."
The King chuckled and sat back on his seat. "Littlefinger, I would like to stack my winnings!" cried Robert as he pointed at the Master of Coin. "That's two thousand gold dragons on the boy!"
Arianne wanted to see Naruto one last time before he left, and she found him near the place she first met him. There were hundreds of people congratulating him – mainly other common people and civilians – and some of the other archers were patting him on the shoulder, though many others shot dirty glances at him. Arianne saw several large chests placed up on the archery stage and heard someone whispering about it being full of gold, so she assumed it was Naruto's prize money. But she was curious as to why Naruto was walking away from his gold and towards the other arena.
Only then did she figure out that he was still going to fight in the melee.
"Why would you still want to fight in the melee?!" cried Arianne loudly as she once again spoke with Naruto over a wooden fence. "You already won the archery competition and got twenty thousand gold dragons! You can buy a nice house and live a life of peace, why are you still risking your life in the melee?"
Naruto looked genuinely shocked when the girl started the yell at him the moment she walked up to him. Her pretty face contorted in anger as she pointed her finger at his face and stomped her bejeweled lace shoes on the ground; her silky black hair was flung from one side to the other as she continued to verbally educate Naruto, not stopping for an entire minute.
"You are just crazy!" Arianne finally stopped and breathed in heavily. "Just take the gold and go!"
"Please, my Lady, just relax." Naruto smiled and placed his hands on his hips. "I'm not going to die so easily. I may be young, but I'm a lot stronger than I look."
Arianne's face turned red as she breathed in and tried to speak. "Y-Y-You are such an idiot!"
The blond chuckled and crossed his arms. "I must say I am flattered, though; I never thought the most beautiful girl in Dorne would be worried about little old me." Arianne grew redder, but for a different reason and still couldn't speak properly. "Some girls back in Lys have said that I was handsome, but you are far more beautiful and elegant than them, so I am really surprised."
"I-Am-Not-Worried-About-You!"
"Really?" asked Naruto with a sly smile. "Your one minute angry speech suggested differently." Arianne tried to retort but couldn't think of anything clever to say. "But seriously…" Naruto muttered with joking aside. "You don't have to worry about me; I have been using a sword since I was old enough to walk, and I know I will be able to survive this."
Arianne sighed before crossing her arms and stepped back. "Whatever, I've said what I needed to say."
"I'll see you again, my Lady, after I win this as well."
The princess turned around after seeing Naruto's confident smile. "I hope so."
Naruto watched as the princess walk back to the pavilion. He was honestly grateful that she would actually come see him and try to dissuade him from fighting in the melee, but he was as confident as he sounded. He had learnt to wield a sword the same time he learnt how to run. A blade is like an extension of his arm and he could claim that no one in Lys could defeat him. For some reason he was blessed with extraordinary physical capabilities. He could outrun horses, have keener eyes than a falcon, he could lift a bull off its feet, and could run miles before feeling tired. No one could defeat him in Lys, and he wondered if anyone could defeat him in King's Landing.
'I wonder…'
The waiting line for the melee was much like the one with archery, but there was even more people signed up for the melee. There were almost three hundred people, and all of them had brought their own weapons. From where he was Naruto could see Warhammers, long swords, broadswords, maces, battle axes, or even daggers. All sorts of people had gathered for the event. The majority of the crowd was most likely sell swords hoping to become famous and earn their fortune, but there were also young Knights and squires. Many people had even brought armor and shields, which placed Naruto in a distinct disadvantage since he only had his sword.
There was a large waiting area for the fighters, and a series of large benches for them to prepare for battle. Many had already sat down and were staring at Naruto as he walked in, wondering why the archery wonder-boy was doing in the melee tent. The blond ignored them and just sat down on one of the empty benches.
Naruto unstrapped the blade from his back and held it in his hands. It was a simple broadsword, made or fine quality steel, an expensive weapon for a common young man. Naruto had acquired the sword after the local blacksmith of Lys' shop burned down. He had walked by when part of the building was still ablaze and saw a nice sword just lying on the floor, no doubt one of the blacksmith's better works. Seeing how the man was trapped inside the inferno anyway, Naruto took the sword for himself and had been training with it ever since.
'Time for our second victory, old friend,' Naruto thought as he smiled and wiped his blade with a cloth.
"Twenty thousand not enough for you, boy?" asked a man in his thirties with oily dark brown hair. He had simple light armor on and held his sword by his hip. He looked like a common sell sword if there ever was one, so much so that he still reeked of wine and whores. Having grown up in Lys, Naruto knew those smells well.
Naruto gave a smile and shrugged. "Who said I was in it for the gold, maybe I want fame as well; and one archery champion title is not enough for that."
"It is when you're a boy, boy." The man chuckled and sat down next to Naruto and started to prepare his sword with a whetstone. "This is a man's game, and it's not a joke; not to mention that the people here would want to kill you even more since you showed some of them off during the archery thing."
"Thanks for the warning, but I think I'll be fine."
The man chuckled and nodded. "So what's your name, boy?"
"Naruto of Lys, what about you, stranger?" replied the blond as he looked at the man with his sword in hand.
"The name's Bronn, just a sell sword looking forward to twenty thousand gold dragons." Bronn sheathed his sword and placed a small knife on under the strap of his shoulder. "So you're from Lys; I heard the women there are the most beautiful in the world."
"The whores are, but the women are as normal as they could get." Naruto chuckled as he strapped his sword back on his back. "All the pretty ones get picked up very early and get trained by the whorehouses."
"I have to get a trip there soon, the woman in Westeros are getting ugly."
"Well, with twenty thousand gold dragons you can buy quite a few whores in Lys, maybe even some of the really pretty ones," said Naruto as he stood up. "But I wouldn't get my hopes up; I don't plan on losing the melee."
Bronn chuckled and continue to grind his sword. "You are one weird boy."
Naruto walked away and joined the gathered crowd. Three hundred people all looked up at three judges, just like the archery event, and they collected names from everyone, but they skipped over Naruto seeing how they know his name already. Instructions were explained to everyone and the melee was broken down into parts. There will be an elimination round in the start. The arena was designed for a large and crowded battle, so all three hundred will be inside the arena, fighting until only eight people were still standing. Then those eight will draw for the fighting orders, and from there it would one on one matches between them until there was only one man left. That one man will be the winner and will receive twenty thousand gold dragons.
Naruto liked it. It was a nice and simple way to eliminate the weaker men. Having such a large group in a mass battle royale could create a very bloody scene, but could also force some of them to work in groups. It was a nice way to select certain individuals from out of the crowd; they might not be the strongest, but they certainly would be the survivors.
The crowd of three hundred was separated into four groups and place behind four gates that led into the battle arena. The arena itself was several times as large as the archery field, and even with five hundred men there would be free space for a number of battles. The ground of the arena was plain dirt mixed with sand, and there was a ten foot tall wall surrounding the whole area. The people in the common viewing area would have a hard time watching the fights, but the high-borns on the pavilion will be able to watch perfectly. The fighter can also look up at them perfectly – Naruto could see the royals on their seats, and the fat man in the middle who appeared to be King.
"Can you even swing that sword, boy?" asked a gruff voice belonging to a large man with a battle-axe in his hand. His beard was down to his chest and his face looked red from wine; clearly one of the slower of combatants. "I can't believe you actually thought you should join this battle!" the man laughed along with a few others. "You are so green I can still smell your mother's milk on you."
Naruto chuckled and shook his head, having expected someone like him to be a part of his group coming through the gates. "What? Are you jealous? With a face like yours I assume you never got to taste your mother's milk, she must have abandoned you the moment she saw your ugly face."
The man stopped laughing and looked down at Naruto. "You better mind your words boy, or we will kill you in a worse manner than we were planning."
"I am afraid, I mean, just look at the size of that axe." Naruto crossed his arms and chuckled. "It can be used to behead horses, it so large…" The blond looked at the axe again before looking back up at the man. "Are you over compensating for something you lack down below?"
"You're a dead boy…" growled out the man as some other turned to laugh at him.
Naruto ignored the man and waited for the gates to open, which didn't take too long. After another minute or two, the gate shuddered and the slightest bit of light shined through the crack it made. Soon the gate was being pulled high into the air and the men flooded through the door. The arena was almost immediately packed with battles and some people on the pavilion were on their feet trying to get a better look at the battle.
Already Naruto could hear cries of pain and anguish and the sound of blood splashing against the walls. Killings were usually frowned upon, but certainly common in the melee, and Naruto was sure that many wanted to kill him, especially the big man with the axe that he humiliated.
But he won't die today!
"You're dead boy!" cried the same man wielding his axe, lifting it over his head as he charged over at Naruto, planning to split him in half from the head down.
Naruto sighed and ran towards him, very quickly. With a burst of speed Naruto was already at the man's feet with his own broadsword in his hand. The sound of blade piercing flesh reached Naruto's ears as his blade skewered the man through the stomach. Not wanting to feel the man's blood flow down his arm, Naruto quickly pulled his blade out and let the man fall to the ground, dead. Naruto did not remain still; instead, he reached for the giant battle-axe of the man and threw it at a man running towards him with his left hand, opening the man as blood splattered around him.
'This is going to get a little messy.'
The blond sped ahead, his legs carrying him like the wind. He jumped into the air, his sword raised, and he slashed into the tallest man he could see. His steel clashed against the man's helm and immediately rendered the man unconscious. Naruto suddenly felt something nick against his back, so he quickly turned around and brought his left fist down on whoever was there, thus shattering the jaw and cheekbone of another man who fell to the ground bloodied. Grabbing the long sword the man had, Naruto ran off again, slashing his blades left and right at men's legs, the fastest way to render them unable to continue.
It amazed Naruto that some people would cry out before they actually attack, giving away their positions to the people they want to kill; merely stupidity at work. Naruto hacked away the screamers and kicked away the criers. His placed his full strength behind the kicks, and it caved in their breastplates and broke their ribcages. His slashed sliced through their armor like paper, but Naruto would avoid lethal places if he could help him. And soon over half the men were on the ground. Many battles were still ongoing, but there was no one around Naruto at the moment…no one who still moved anyway.
Holding his sword over his shoulder, Naruto scanned his surroundings and saw one man winning his battle. He was a tall man, but oddly skinny. He had a long spear in one hand and short sword in the other. He would spin his body around as people swarmed him so his spear to cut people away from him and his short sword with pierce whoever made it pass his spear. It was a bad plan, in Naruto's opinion, but he was still standing. Naruto decided to cut down the competition. He broke into a sprint again; the more room between him and the tall man was large, so it allowed him to run faster than before. So like the wind, Naruto was before the man before he noticed, and he jumped. It was a very good jump, almost three meters into the air. The man eventually saw Naruto, but it was far too late.
Naruto's fist collided with the man's face and several teeth flew out of his mouth. His eyes closed and his mind shut down before his long body crashed into the ground in a heap.
"Let's finish this!" cried Naruto as he readied his swords and slashed at his sides.
"My gods, that boy is good with a sword!" Mace Tyrell exclaimed as he sat forward to get a better view. "And that punch was very well struck."
The people watching on the pavilion had been paying attention to the young man since the gates opened and the men stormed. It was very shocking to some people watching that the boy had been so brutal. He stabbed a man through his stomach and opened another with a battle-axe. The relentless battled seemed easy for the boy as he sped around the arena, hacking away at people's legs and avoiding every strike that came at him. Many saw how powerful he actually was; it was very clear that his kicks were able to crush some fighters' breastplates. And the fact that he jumped three meters into the air to knock out the tall man was enough for the people to see how special he truly was.
The King laughed as he clapped at each good strike. "This is looking good!"
Prince Oberyn nodded as he found as seat next to Littlefinger and Tyrion. "That boy is quite good; I don't think I've seen someone move so quickly for many years." The group observed the tattered armor of some men lying on the ground after being attack by the boy. "And he certainly doesn't lack power; his kicks caved in that man's armor." Oberyn looked back at Lord Tyrell with a point. "I am definitely fighting you for his sword."
Mace Tyrell smiled and raised his glass at Oberyn. "We shall see, Prince Oberyn."
Tyrion was also quite intrigued by the boy, as was his father who was looking at the fight with interest. They have never seen a boy so talented and powerful since Jaime was young and even Jaime Lannister didn't have strength enough to kick a man, with full armor, meters away. Tyrion could already see his father trying to recruit the boy back to Casterly Rock. The great Tywin Lannister had a good eye for talent, as his father would like people to say, but Tyrion mused that one need not a very good eye to spot talent on this young man.
A few rows below the Lords, Jaime Lannister himself and Ser Barristan watched the fight with great interest. The Commander of the Kingsguard possessed the eternal task of recruiting talented young men, and Jaime could see the thoughts circling Barristan's mind already. The Kingslayer couldn't blame the older man; that young boy was clearly one of talent. Even Jaime himself at that age did not possess such speed and strength, nor did he at the present. In a few years, that could very well become one of the strongest in the Realm.
"How in the world does he jump so high?" Jaime pondered with amusement as he rested his back against a wooden post of the pavilion. "That was almost three meters in the air."
Ser Barristan looked rather emotionless as he crossed his arms. "Yes, most intriguing."
The King's laughter could be heard by the whole pavilion. "That's a good lad! He's nearly earned my four thousand gold dragons!" Robert looked down at his children: Prince Joffery, the heir apparent and boy of ten namedays, Princess Myrcella, a young girl of seven namedays, and young Prince Tommen, a boy of five namedays. "That, my dear children, is how I expect you to be when you're of age; a true young warrior!" Myrcella nodded with a cute smile as did Tommen, but Joffery just shrugged. "Soon I'll teach you how to wield a Warhammer!"
Cersei Lannister, the Queen of Westeros, sighed and looked away, finding her husband's drunken words annoying and embarrassing, but she did find the fight interesting. The boy reminded her a little of Jaime when they were young with his golden blond hair and fierceness with the sword.
Jon Arryn smiled at his King and chuckled at the young prince and princess. "This is good; I haven't seen such fierceness since the war. Wouldn't you say so, Your Grace?"
Robert laughed and raised his glass again. "Yes, Ned would like him!"
Jon chuckled and nodded. "Yes, he would."
All the way on the other side of the pavilion, Arianne held her hands together as she watched Naruto take down one man after another. It scared her a little – the way he killed the first two men – and he looked rather casual about it. But after a few mere seconds, she thought he looked quite handsome like that. Despite his bare torso and hair covered in dirt, mud and blood, he was graceful and confident. He was very sure of himself. With every kick, slash, hack, or jab, a man would fall and would not get up soon. Arianne found herself trembling, but she did not know from what. Fear? Excitement? She did not know, but she knew that Naruto was entirely at fault.
"Oh my gods…Naruto is brutal." Tyene muttered as she leaned over the railing to have a better look. "I think that man is dead!"
"Of course he is dead!" cried Sarella as she covered her eyes from the scene. "He shoved his sword through his belly!"
Arianne ignored her sister/cousin/best friends' voices; all she paid attention to was the fight and how Naruto moved. She observed how his muscles would flex and move as he twisted and turn and slashed and hacked. His hair would wave in the air as he moved; it made him look regal and majestic – it made Arianne want him so badly.
'Please survive this Naruto; I want to meet you again.'
The preliminary round was almost over, only ten fighters remained standing. Two hundred and ninety people were down on the ground, some groveling in pain and agony and some were dead, though the former did vastly outnumber the latter. Many weapons were lying abandoned on the ground – warhammers, swords, mace, and spears – their wielders could no longer wield them. The entire field was treacherous; the maces acted like spiked traps on the ground and the heavy hammers could very well trip whoever's feet skimmed over them. Then there was the blood – almost the entire field had blood on it. There were puddles of blood where the few dead men lie, and splatter of blood on the walls from severed limbs and deep gashes.
It was a very ugly sight.
Naruto stood alone, and much like seven of the other fighters, he was away from any other person. They were all watching two men clash their steel. It was a battle of warhammer and long sword, of grace and brute strength, of speed and strength. The two had been clashing for a few minutes already, and the tall red haired man wielding the warhammer was starting to slow down. The brown haired man, who wielded the long sword, was much quicker on his feet and had better footwork. From what Naruto had heard, the man's name was Daemon Sand, a bastard from Drone. Naruto watched as he calmed his own breathing, taking the time to restore his partially spent energy, but he knew he would only have another few seconds left.
The young man knew the other seven were waiting for the fight to finish before ganging up on him, seeing how he was the one who looked the most unharmed. Naruto could already see several men on his right aiming their footing to his direction, waiting for the right moment to strike. One of them was Bronn, who, apparently, was a decent fighter and made it quite far. But either way, Naruto was ready.
A piercing cry sounded out from the arena as the red haired man dropped his hammer and a blade pierced his right shoulder. Blood spewed from his body as the blade was pulled out. He fell to the ground in a heap and the competition was left with nine people. One more must fall before the end of the round.
"Well," started Naruto with a smirk on his face. "Before we get started, would anyone like to surrender?" The other eight men turned to him, including the one who had just finished his fight. "If one of you is willing to surrender, then no one will need to get hurt before going to the next round."
A large man with yellow teeth grinned as he whirled his battle-axe in his hand. "The only one who's going to be hurting will be you."
"Let's get him!" cried another man before all eight of them charged.
Through the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw Arianne standing up from where she was sitting on the pavilion, along with many others watching. Letting the small happy feeling of Arianne being worried for him fade away, Naruto turned to the men coming to him. As if out of reflex, Naruto shifted his body to the side, bent his knee and held his sword at his hip. "You people shouldn't charge so angrily," muttered the young man as he sped forth with his strongest kick off the ground. His body was swift and light without armor and he was much faster than what his opponent had expected. "You are all full of openings."
All eight men saw the same thing: flashes of light reflected off his sword and maybe a hint of his blue eyes, but that was it. All was silent as Naruto stood behind the eight men. The eight men froze the moment Naruto had passed them. There were in shock…at that moment, with his sword to his side and eyes wide open, Naruto seemed unstoppable. It was far too fast. It was impossible for any of the eight men to block or parry. In less than a second, Naruto had pierced the armor of all eight men with one swift motion: a 360 degree swing that was too fast for the eye to see.
Soon, blood started to flow from the men's side. The armor was sliced open and after a few more seconds, they felt the stinging pain of being cut and the wetness of their blood trailing down their bodies. Bronn was shocked and his eyes were wide open as he tried to look back at Naruto, but he found himself falling to the ground, just like the other seven men.
"When you are tired you shouldn't charge blindly," Naruto said as he held his sword over his shoulder and turned to face the fallen men. "Even though you outnumbered me eight to one, you gave me enough space between all of you to land a mass attack, and because you are all so tired and weak, none of you could have blocked it." Some of the fallen tried to speak or push themselves up, but just couldn't. "Don't worry, those cuts won't kill you, but your abdomen muscles will be hurting for a month or two."
The entire arena was silent along with the pavilion and the civilian viewing area. Everyone taking some time to figure out what happened and was the end of the match really so anticlimactic. But soon the judges broke out of the stupor and walked up to Naruto.
"Umm, since you are the only one still standing, there can't be a second round." The man looked troubled as Naruto had the decency to look a little embarrassed – once again he might have overdone it. "So umm; oh I don't know how to rule this!" He looked back at his two counterparts and they were also at a loss…something so extreme had never happened before. "What should we do?"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SHITS WAITING FOR?!" cried the loud and excited voice of the King. "THE BOY IS THE WINNER, ANNOUNCE IT ALREADY!"
The main judge stammered a little at the King's voice before walking up to Naruto. "This man is the winner!" announced the judge as loudly as he could as he raised Naruto arm into the air. "NARUTO OF LYS IS THE WINNER!"
Just like before, the entire audience exploded in applause. Civilians were jumping up and down, crying out their cheers of happiness, excitement and awe. Never before had common men manage to win both the archery and melee competitions; it was truly inspiring for the civilians to see such an outcome – such a staggering and amazing outcome. Fathers were lifting their children over their shoulder so they could catch a glimpse of the people's hero and the entire city was shaking in cheer and applause.
Almost everyone on the pavilion was clapping and more than a few of them were on their feet, the King being one of them. Robert was laughing and threw his cup of wine to the side in order to have both hands to clap. He stood from his elevated platform and looked down at the young man, who was still just smiling and nodded like a boy. That made the King laugh even more and he started to gesture to Jon Arryn to come take a look at him. Prince Oberyn was also on his feet, clapping calming with a smile on his face. Mace Tyrell and Twin Lannister were not standing, but they were clapping, which must have been really spectacular since even the great Tywin Lannister was clapping. Tyrion and Littlefinger were also clapping, but the latter was rather forced since he had lost another two thousand gold dragons to the King.
"This boy is certainly a talented warrior!" cried the King as he pointed down at Littlefinger. "He's already won me three thousand gold dragons and won himself forty thousand!" Robert laughed as he clapped Jon on the shoulder. "What's a young lad like that going to do with so much gold?!"
The Hand of the King chuckled and clapped along the others, "Whatever he wants to, Your Grace." Jon turned to his King after another few seconds of clapping. "Such young talent is rarely seen, Your Grace; perhaps you should take him under your own house and have him swear his sword to you?"
Robert laughed and poured wine into a new cup. "That is certainly a good idea!" The King pointed at Mace Tyrell and Prince Oberyn. "Back off, Mace and Oberyn, that man will become a fine swordsman right here in King's Landing!"
Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime Lannister were also clapping for the boy, though they were much more composed than the King. Barristan Semly was already smiling when he heard the King announce that he planned to keep the boy in King's Landing; he would be a fine addition to the city's guards and Barristan looked forward to meeting the boy himself.
"It looks like we will see more of that boy now." Jaime said with a amused smile on his face. "The King seems to have taking a liking to the boy."
"I do not object to such a suggestion, that boy is rare talent, and we need such talent here at all times."
The cheering continued, but no one in the arena clapped as loud as one girl.
"YOU ACTUALLY DID IT, YOU DUMB BLOND!" cried Arianne as she stood on her feet, jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face. Tyene and Sarella giggled as they watched the princess forget her lessons in public behavior while ignoring the burning glare they were all getting from Prince Doran at the moment.
After another few minutes of endless applause, the crowd was silenced by the King, who stepped to the edge of his platform and raised his hands into the air. In seconds everyone was silent, and Naruto looked up at the King from within the battle arena. The judges read the silent order of the King and quickly led Naruto out of the battle ground and showed him to the front of the pavilion, looking directly up at the King and many other lords of the nation. Naruto looked a little shocked at the sight and appeared to not know how to react under such a situation.
"Don't need to look nervous, boy; I just want to talk to you." Robert said with his demanding voice laced with amusement.
"Of course, Your Grace." Naruto said as he went down on one knee. "Though I must say that I'm sorry to be such a mess…" muttered the young man as he noticed the mud, blood and grime on his body, hair and clothes.
Robert gave a low chuckle as he held his wine cup to his lips. "Don't fret, boy; your King has been through battles as well and have been in even worse filth." The King stepped down from his elevated platform and walked down to ground level. "So…you've become the champion of both the Archery Competition and the Melee; what are you going to do with your winnings?"
Naruto gave a chuckle and a sheepish smile. "I don't know, Your Grace; maybe a nice supper and a warm bath."
The King laughed as some others chuckled. "You can do a lot more than that with forty thousand gold dragons!" Robert stood directly in front Naruto and smiled down at him. "Look up, boy." Naruto waited a second before looking up. "What do you plan to do now, after the tourney is done?"
"I also don't know, Your Grace; maybe return to Lys for a while and buy a house."
"You can buy a house and several whorehouses if you want!" joked Robert as he clapped Naruto on his shoulders, surprising the young man with his friendliness. "But I have a better suggestion!" Robert turned to his squire and gesture to his sword, to which the squire handed him and he placed on Naruto's shoulder. "I, Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, do so hereby grant you, Naruto of Lys, Knighthood!"
Once again, the crowd sprang up in applause as Naruto looked up in shock. He wasn't the only one, some of the lords behind the King looked surprised at the sudden decision, but some were smiling and nodding. Jon Arryn looked please along with Prince Oberyn and Mace Tyrell, all agreeing on the King's decision. Arianne and her best friends were shocked but quickly started to cheer for Naruto again, happy and shocked at his quick and rapid accomplishments.
"Don't look so shocked, boy; men have been knighted for less, and what you did today was truly worthy of knighthood." The King patted Naruto's shoulder and gestured him to stand up. Naruto stood and looked the King in the eyes. "From today on, you will be addressed as Ser Naruto!"
Naruto smiled and bowed to the King. "Thank you for this honor, Your Grace."
"Well, if you want to repay me for this honor, how about you stay in King's Landing and become one of my Knights?" The King smiled as Naruto was once again taken aback. He had always wondered where he could use his skills as a swordsman, and King's Landing sounds almost too good to be true. "We always need strong and talented young men like yourself in King's Landing, so stay here and swear your sword to me!"
Naruto though it over for a whole second, and in that second he figured out how easy it was to answer such a question.
"It would be my honor, Your Grace." Naruto said sincerely as he knelt to one knee. "I would gladly swear my sword to you." The blond held his sword out and placed it near the King's feet. "My sword is yours."
"Good!" said Robert with a laugh as he patted for Naruto to stand up. "Now that you're a knight, do you know what you can do now?"
Naruto looked a little confused as he shook his head. "No, Your Grace."
Robert chuckled as he gestured down to the third and final part of the tourney area. "Now you can join in on the joust!" The King's laughter rang out throughout the area as Naruto caught the implications. "So how about it; do you want to try to win all three event of the tourney?"
Naruto smiled and bowed gratefully. "I would certainly like to try, Your Grace."
The End!
Okay, that's the second chapter of Blood and Vengeance. I tend to update faster when I get more reviews, so give me more reviews if you want faster and more updates! ;) The next chapter will be about Naruto competing in the joust and really facing the famed knights in Westeros.
Naruto's back story will be explained soon with a bit of a twist, and I'm sure you will all like it! XD
PS: I would like to thank Soulreapercrewe for his insights and support!
Again, please review if you want faster updates! This was a quick update, so I think I deserve a few more reviews! XD