Brandon Stark
Harrenhal, Riverlands, Year 281 AC
"SER AXELL FLORENT AND SER BRANDON STARK, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO JOUST FIELD NUMBER FIVE!" One of the many stewards shouted and Brandon promptly made his way to the field, eager to fight a Reachmen from such a prominent family as the Florents.
Having already defeated nine weak opponents that stood no chance against him, Brandon was disappointed since he had expected more difficulty in a tourney of such grandiosity. Hopefully, this Ser Axell Florent guy can give me some struggle…
His hopes were soon crushed when said man appeared before him, he was fat and small and certainly didn't look like a good jouster at all. "Good luck Ser." Brandon politely said.
The Reachmen began to mock him by laughing. "I don't need luck against a barbarian such as you."
Did this cunt just call me barbarian? "No, you cunt! You will need a fucking miracle now." he quickly retorted as he made his way to his side of the field. You are going to see what a barbarian can do…
"FIGHT!" The steward shouted.
Brandon commanded his charger Wildbeast at full speed against the destrier of his opponent, he extended the lance to his left side ready to hit and capitalized Wildbeast's speed to gain more raw power, the Florent guy wasn't expecting it at all and when he was hit, he went flying a good couple of yards. Take that you cunt, only needed a lance to beat you.
"SER BRANDON STARK WINS!" The steward shouted yet another time.
Brandon made his way to the Florent guy and stopped his horse in front of him. "Next time show some sportsmanship and skills, big mouth!" Then he turned around and made his horse create a cloud of dust that enveloped the Florent cunt who began coughing. That will teach him some respect.
"Ser Brandon, please leave your opponent be…" The steward asked with a bored face.
Brandon was a bit ashamed for the scene he just caused. "I'm sorry…"
The steward most likely knew he wasn't sorry but continued on with what he wanted to say. "My Lord is done with his official matches for today, yet the betting matches are still opened until dinner time."
"I certainly appreciate the information." he replied with a nod and went looking for Ethan which he found quickly, his new squire was seating on a bench nearby.
"That was great Brandon!" Ethan remarked laughing as he got up from where he was to get hold of Wildbeast's reins. "What did that guy tell for you to cause such a scene?"
"I wished him good luck and the cunt said he didn't need luck to win against a barbarian." Brandon explained.
"Served him right then." Ethan agreed fully. "What a cunt."
"That he was," Brandon said as he jumped of Wildbeast. "Are the others are still jousting?"
"They are." Came Ethan's reply.
"Then I will wait from them to finish so I can joust Jeffory and Elbert." Brandon concluded.
Brandon took the chance to glance House Stark's stands, curious on how his siblings were doing. He saw Lya, Ben, and Howland talking and next to them, Ned with the violet-eyed beauty, laughing at something…Really, he didn't know how Ned managed to seduce such beauty…
When he first saw her, he too was captivated by her beauty, who wouldn't anyway? She had a perfect body, her face was worthy of being used as a model for statues and her eyes were something else entirely. Yet, despite all this, he decided to allow Ned to have some fun for once, as his brother always looked like everyone owned him something.
Perhaps…when she rebuked him later on, like he thought she would, he could try his own luck with her, she was way too beautiful to be wasted…But she didn't rebuke Ned at all, she kept seeking Ned's presence and Ned hers…there was definitely something cooking there…Besides…seeing his brother so happy and so in love for once, made him feel worse than shit with his previous thoughts on trying to court the lady when she rebuked him…
To him, the lady would be yet another conquest, to his brother she seemed to be the world. Perhaps he could pull some strings with father…he did tell his father that he wouldn't make Ned marry someone he didn't like, and if Ned loved her and if she loved him back, then he could feel better with himself by allowing Ned to marry her for love…yes…that would be his new plan…
"Fucking Hell!" Robert shouted angrily as he made his way to his squire and woke Brandon from his thoughts. "Take the bloody horse, Justin and feed him something for tomorrow."
"Yes, My Lord…" The pale blond squire replied, afraid of Robert's outburst.
"What's the matter with him?" Brandon asked Ethan who perhaps knew better than him what was happening since he had been watching instead of competing.
"He lost against Lord Connington," Ethan explained. "Now he has little chance of going to the final rounds."
"Really? What a pity…" Brandon confessed. He had hoped to joust against Robert to see how he would fare against one of the strongest and largest men of the realm. Ned did say that Robert hated Lord Connington or something along those lines, that would explain why he was so pissed… "Get Wildbeast ready Ethan."
"For what?" Ethan asked but Brandon gave him now answer.
Brandon approached the enraged Robert Baratheon who kept cursing at everyone and no one, "Lord Robert, would you care for a friendly match?"
"I'm tired of jousting, Lord Brandon." The stag replied. "I have no patience for it."
"What if I offer to pay you some Arbor Gold afterward?"
"Arbor Gold?" Robert asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The finest one we can find in Harrowtown." Brandon replied grinning.
"I guess…we can make an exception…" Robert grinned as well. "JUSTIN, BRING ME THE DAMNED HORSE!"
Robert's squire came running as fast he could with the horse as Robert put on his antlered helmet back on his head, with it, he truly looked like a war machine…but, of course, Brandon wouldn't back down, he wanted to test his limits.
"Ethan, the horse." Brandon asked as he placed on his helmet as well, compared to Robert's, it was a joke of a helmet. Perhaps…he could ask Mikken to make one with a direwolf head after the tourney…
"Here," Ethan said as he returned Wildbeast to him. "Are you sure about this Bran?"
"Of course I am," Brandon said smirking as he jumped to the saddle. "Wolves don't fear stags."
"Stags don't usually look like armored giants." Ethan retorted.
"Everything will be fine, Ethan." he assured as he made his way to the betting joust field. "It's just a friendly match, I will go easy on him."
"May the best man win, Lord Brandon." Robert said as they both approached the middle of the jousting field.
"May the best man win, Lord Robert." Brandon agreed as they went on to their respective sides, waiting for a steward to tell them to begin fighting.
The steward responsible for the betting matches finally said the words. "FIGHT!"
And it began, they both rode at full speed with their chargers, as Robert managed hit Brandon's shield with his tourney lance, the shield broke to pieces, such was Robert's strength.
Brandon returned to Ethan. "Give me another shield." he asked and Ethan gave him one.
They ran at each other again, and the again and then a third time as they managed to get a crowd of people cheering for both. Finally, after five more charges, they hit each other so hard, that they went flying and hit with their arses on the hard floor, and damn did it hurt! They were like a pair of stones cursing at everything before beginning to laugh loudly as two madmen.
"Gods that was great!" Robert barked.
"Aye, it was but the end was shit!" Brandon retorted.
"It was, but now I want my Arbor Gold to end this the proper way!" Robert said as he took off his helmet.
"Aye, let's all go." Brandon agreed as he did the same.
"What about our fight Brandon?" Elbert barked pissed as he seemed to have been watching his joust with Robert and so were Jeffory, Kyle and Willam. "You promise you would fight with me today after we were done with our matches!"
"I'm tired Elbert, tomorrow." Brandon said, pissing the young Arryn more than what he already was.
"It's not fair!"
"I will buy you all a round of Arbor Gold, I think it's fair!" Brandon barked as well.
"Fine," Elbert said defeated. "But only because I love Arbor Gold."
"I never say no to free wine," Willam said laughing. "Especially from Bran's pocket."
Later that night…when they were all drunk…in the tavern of Harrentown…
"I-I swear to ya, Bran!" Robert hiccupped in the middle of his sentence and pointed his cup to him. "Ya should have seen Bessie and her big teats, ya could drown in 'em!" Robert laughed. "Thank the Gods for Bessie and her teats!"
"And I tell ya Robb…" Brandon hiccupped as well and pointed his cup to him just like Robert had done. "I met the whore with the biggest arse in the fucking realm! Right at Wintertown, Eli was the whore's name and Gods her arse was something out of this world!"
"I'd try that Eli someday…" Robert confessed laughed.
"Nah ya won't!" Brandon shouted. "When ya marry ma sister, ya will respect her or I cut yer balls off, ya hear me?"
"Aye, I heard ya and I promise I will be a good husband to her!" Robert replied hiccupping.
"Good!" Brandon said as he drank another cup of Dornish Wine.
They both began laughing loudly, so loudly that other people in the tavern were looking at them with their mouths opened because of the scene they were causing: Willam and Jeffory were happily singing the «The Bear and the Maiden Fair", Elbert was trying to hold the table, so the table wouldn't fall to the ground…Ethan and Justin were sleeping like the little kids they still half were, while Kyle was throwing up already…
"What is the meaning of all of this?"
Ned's voice made them all, except those who were sleeping, look at him. Ned seemed to just have entered the tavern with Mark Ryswell and Wendel Manderly and the three of them certainly were looking at them aghast.
"What do ya mean Ned?" Brandon asked smiling. "We were just drinkin somethin."
"Far too much drink it seems." Ned hissed. "Gods Kyle is throwing up already!"
"Kyle can't take shit!" Brandon replied with far too many hand gestures.
"It seems it's not just Kyle…Look at the rest of you!" Ned countered.
"I'm still standing" Brandon barked back. "Better than I ever did!"
"For now." Ned wisely said...wisely said… "Jorah said you all went to the tavern in Harrentown and figure you probably had drunk a few too many cups, but this…"
"Oh come on Ned, it was just a few cups, nothing fancy!" Robert joined in as well.
"I'm going to get some help to bring you all to your tents, you damned idiots." Ned said.
Not too long afterward, Ned arrived with backup, Jorah Mormont, Maege Mormont, Rodrik Hornwood, and Martyn Cassel to help bring all of them back to their tents.
A while later…
"Ya didn't have to take me to my bed, Ned." Brandon said as Ned was leading him to their tent. "I'm a grown man ya know?"
"Sometimes I do wonder if that is true…"
"Oh I'm sorry I had to interrupt your date with the raven-haired beauty, Dumb Wolf." he teased, it was so easy to do it now that his little brother had a crush…
"It wasn't a date and you didn't interrupt us, I led her back to Princess Elia's company as soon as the jousts ended." Ned explained to him, but he didn't give a shit about that, he had only one thing in his mind…
"So…have ya fucked her yet?"
Ned stopped walking and looked straight into him. "Of course I haven't!" he said pissed. "Brandon, you know I won't dishonor her!"
"Oh come on Neddy!" Brandon remarked bored. "Ya ought to bed the lady!"
"I won't bed her!"
"What's her name?" he asked curiously, he certainly wanted to know the identity of the woman who conquered his brother's heart.
"Her name is Ashara Dayne." Ned replied shyly, half blushing.
"Dayne?" he inquired surprised. "Is she related to Ser Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard?"
"Aye, she is his sister."
"So she is Dornish?" Brandon asked aghast at the realization he just had, between his drunkenness.
"She is."
"And ya just flaccid about it?"
"What do you mean flaccid about it?" Ned asked confused.
"A Dornishwoman is fancying ya and ya just do nothin about it? Do ya even know the big reputation the Dornishwomen have in bed? You'd be in heaven now! Yet, here ya are…in the living hell with the rest of us mere mortals…Gods Ned, you're hopeless!"
"Yes, I'm hopeless, that's how I am, so stop pissing me already."
"And what makes ya think she is still a maiden?" Brandon inquired. "She's Dornish and she's more likely to not be a maiden than bein one. So why give a damn about her honor?"
Ned looked back at him pissed. "I don't care if she is a maiden or not! I love her!" he barked before blushing in shame…
"Ah, I knew the Quiet Wolf was in the heat!" he barked laughing and hiccupping. "And does she love ya as well?"
"I don't know…"
"Do ya know anything, Dumb Wolf?"
"I know nothing…" Ned replied with a very serious, stoic face.
"Course ya don't, ya fool." Brandon murmured. "Ya just a Dumb Wolf! If ya love her, then why don't ya fuck her? Ya said you didn't care if she was a maiden or not."
"Other people will certainly care…" Ned murmured, rather defeated.
"Why don't you propose to her?" Brandon inquired.
"I'm gathering the courage to do it," Ned explained shyly. "But I lack it of course..."
"Don't worry I got ya back, Ned!" Brandon confessed between more hiccups. "You tell her that you love her, she tells ya that she loves ya and then we all tell father to allow the bloody marriage and ya all live happily ever after, like the maidens from the songs."
"You should really go to sleep," Ned said. "Your brain is not working properly…"
"I'm not lying Ned!" he tried to sound as serious and as convincing as big drunkard could sound. "Father wanted me to find you some southern harlot to marry in this bloody tourney."
"He did?" Ned asked surprised.
"Aye, some bitch from the Westerlands or the Reach, but I always knew you would fall for a Dornish woman," Brandon confessed in the middle of laughs. "I actually said something like that to him when we had this conversation."
"But if he wants me to marry a wo…"
"You will marry the bloody Dornish Lady!" Brandon barked, as he saw his brother doing what he thought he would, accept whatever fate father had chosen for him. "I won't even attend your wedding otherwise."
"But father…"
"Screw father, Ned!" Brandon ranted pissed. "He gave me full authority to find you a wife and I bloody found you one!"
"Thank you…I guess…" Ned still sounded unconvinced still…but he would make it work.
"Ah, give me a hug ya Dumb Wolf!" he asked or more like he demanded, as he grabbed Ned into a bear hug.
"Are you sure about this?" Ned asked. "Father…"
"I'm as sure as I am sure that I'm going to throw up…Crap!" he made his way to a nearby bush as fast as he could and began throwing up.
"You should restrain yourself from drinking after today, until the tourney ends at least, before you cause another stupid scene like this one."
"I love ya too, Ned."
"How are we even brothers?"
"We came from inside the same mother?"
"You are hopeless, you know that?"
"Let's just hope your Dornish girlfriend doesn't do what the Dornish wine just did to me tonight, I can't see myself bringing you to your tent."
"Neither can I see you carrying me to my tent…" Ned confessed. "Even drunk I still think I would have to carry you back."
Brandon began another fitting of laughter at Ned's jape and this time Ned joined him as well.
Lyanna Stark
Harrenhal, Riverlands, Year 281 AC
It was very late in the night, Lyanna stood inside her tent as her brother Benjen brought more pieces of the armor set she would use for her little plan to avenge Howland.
"So do we have the whole armor set, Ben?" Lyanna asked as Ben dropped said spares in the stack.
"Yes, we have enough for two or three full sets," Benjen replied. "I stole bits from different people, so it will always be mismatched, but they are surely sturdy enough for jousting."
"What do you mean you stole them?" Lyanna asked aghast at her younger brother's deed. "I thought I told you to ask for them, not steal them, you stupid! It could get us in trouble!" she barked at her brother's stupidity. "We are trying to be discreet here, not making a bloody mess!"
"Relax, Lya, these were spares I got from different lords, they are too old for them to care about. They won't use them so there is no problem, I can assure you that."
"Still…" she murmured worriedly.
"They won't, just trust me on this one!" Benjen hissed.
"Oh well, these will have to work," she confessed. "I will believe in you when you say they won't care about them because if they do, we are definitely in trouble!"
"My Lady, My Lord…I beg to you both to reconsider your plan, I don't wish for any of you to get in trouble, because of me…"
"Don't worry Howland, these fools will pay for what they did to you." she assured him with a confident smile, but his face remained worried…
"That's precisely why I'm worried, My Lady…" Howland confessed in a serious face. "I didn't ask for any of this, My Lady…"
"Then why have you been praying if not for something like this to happen?" Ben asked a bit too bitterly.
"I prayed for the Old Gods to lend me the strength to endure and ignore my feelings of dishonor and resentment." Howland replied sadly.
"But they hurt your pride and honor and of your people, Howland!" Ben said wisely in her eyes. "And the North Remembers."
"I know they did, but it's all because I came here, I should have remained where I was before I came here…" Howland admitted, still not revealing where he had been…
"I already joined the lists as a mysterious knight, Howland, there is no turning back now." she decided to confess. "I will avenge you and your people from these stupid squires."
"My Lady, please I beg to reconsider this, I don't wish for you to be in trouble or to get injured…If something happens to you My Lady…I…"
"I'm the best horse rider of the North and I know how to use the tourney lance," she explained. "I'm sure I will be able to kick their arses to dirt."
"But My Lady, we saw them jousting today and they know how to do it properly." Howland retorted.
"I will kick their arses anyway!" she hissed. "I'm no weak flower Howland, I can take them down and I sure will. And for fuck sake stop calling me My Lady, my name is Lyanna and I'm certainly not a bloody lady!" She now sounded like Bran but she couldn't help it.
"Give up Howland, she won't back down, she is too stubborn for that and you are just making her fuss about it, soon her tent will be full of Northmen asking what is happening," Ben explained. "We should leave the tent before someone hears us…"
"Yes, you should I need some privacy now, shoo with you, shoo!" she barked as she kicked them all off the tent.
Alone, she soon began imagining herself as the Knight of the Laughing Tree, the name she gave to the steward, kicking those cunts' arses and avenging Howland…Perhaps they will write songs about it someday…a girl knight…
Thank you for sparing time reading and I hope everyone has a nice day.