Chapter Twenty-Four: Criston II
Ser Criston Cole woke from his bed that was in the topmost floor of the White Sword Tower, the apartments of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and began to put on his smallclothes, staring out at the Blackwater from his solar. Criston's room was spacious, but sparse in decorations. The walls were made of smooth white stone, and his bed draperies were a similar milky white. The chair and table were also painted in the same colour. Criston did not have many personal belongings, nor any tapestries or decorations to hang up in the room. All Criston hung up was the shield of his house, ten black pallets on a field of bright scarlet. It was a reminder of where he came from, his family being humble stewards to House Dondarrion of Blackhaven.
No Cole has ever risen to become a Kingsguard member, let alone the Lord Commander.
The previous Lord Commander, Ser Harrold Westerling, passed in his sleep the night before the royal wedding. The man was already old, but his death was still unexpected. Criston's remaining brothers had all agreed that he should follow Ser Harrold, before they even put forward an official vote.
Would they still choose me as their Lord Commander if they knew what I had done?
That night with Rhaenyra still haunted him, and whenever he saw the Princess, he still felt a deep rage bubbling inside of him. She was a reminder of what he had done, a reminder of how he soiled his white cloak.
I thought I was beyond redemption, but the Lady Alicent told me to pledge myself to the Queen and Prince Daeron, so that is what I did.
Criston had promised to himself and to the Seven that he would train Prince Daeron in the ways of fighting, defend him from his enemies, and help Queen Laena to prepare him for kingship.
Rhaenyra is the heir, but does she deserve to be? Prince Daeron may still be young, but he can be moulded into becoming a worthy successor to the likes of Aegon the Conqueror or Jaehaerys the Old, and not a lying philanderer like Rhaenyra.
Prince Daeron was of course still a young boy, and nowhere near old enough to start training in the yard, and Queen Laena stated that the little prince didn't have much care for playing with toy swords.
I shall still train the Prince as well as I can, and even if he does not enjoy using the sword, he shall still have a loyal protector beside him at all times.
But the topic of the moment was not of Prince Daeron, it was instead that of his older half-sister. The last few days were reserved for the celebrations of Princess Rhaenyra's marriage to Lord Jason Lannister. During the first day of the wedding week, they swore their vows to each other in Maegelle's Sept, before the eyes of the King, the Queen, the High Septon, the entire city, and most importantly, the Seven.
Would Lord Jason still swear to take her as his wife if he knew what Rhaenyra was?
The evening after was a feast in the Red Keep, and then the next few days were reserved for the tourneys. A Summer Islander named Kojja Qo won the archery competition on the first day whilst Criston swept the jousts in the next, all whilst wearing the favour of Queen Laena Velaryon.
He faced off against Ser Luthor Largent in the first round, and defeated the man easily. The next round, Criston broke three lances against a hedge knight called Ser Pate of Longleaf. After that, was a much more difficult round, with Ser Gerold Royce almost knocking Criston off his horse. Criston only just recovered, and managed to narrolwly beat the Valeman, but still breaking his lance in the process. Next up, Criston faced off against Ser Allan Crakehall, who was the younger brother of Lord Jason's former squire.
The previous round, Ser Allan knocked Ser Monford of Spicetown off his horse so badly, the poor lad cracked his neck and died upon landing.
Ser Monford was the bastard of some distant Velaryon cousin. He was kin to Queen Laena. He killed the kin of the Queen.
I swore to defend the Queen and her family.
Watching from the side, Ser Criston's blood started to boil watching Ser Allan, and when he mounted his horse for his joust against the Crakehall knight, his mind was focused on one thing only.
I know what I must do.
When the royal steward shouted for the joust to commence, Criston kicked his white destrier, decorated in glowing white armour and a long white cloak, into action. Riding across the ground, the horse seemed to run for an age, until he finally came face to face with Ser Allan. The Crakehall knight chose to mount a brown destrier, and he along with his horse was adorned in bronze and black armour, greaves, and gauntlets, and the black and white boar was painted on his shield.
The man has chosen not to wear a gorget, however.
As Criston got closer and closer, he moved his white shield to protect himself from the opposing knight's lance and pointed his own forwards. Then, the riders struck each other.
Ser Allan's lance missed Criston, but Criston's made an impact. The Crakehall knight's shield was shattered, while Criston's lance was snapped in half. As Criston rode around to receive a new lance, he saw Ser Allan lifting his unbroken lance at the crowd, to a response of cheers and shouts.
Criston took his new lance and rode forwards on and on and on. When he reached Ser Allan this time, he pointed the lance upwards slightly, towards his unprotected neck.
This is for Ser Monford.
The lance struck his uncovered neck, and the knight went flying off his horse. The crowd cheered when Ser Allan fell off, but those cheers quickly stopped when they realised what had happened.
When Criston kicked his horse around, he saw Ser Allan laying still on the ground, with bright red blood spilling out onto his armour and the muddy ground below. Squires quickly rushed onto the field and pulled away the man, leaving a trail of blood mixed with mud and leaves behind.
Lord Jason Lannister quickly got up from his seat. "This is madness, Ser Criston must be punished!" Lord Jason, in his red doublet and cloth-of-gold cloak, shouted from atop the viewing stands.
Queen Laena then got up to face Lord Jason. "It was the same as what happened to Ser Monford previously, Lord Jason. Surely Ser Allan should have punished for that too." She replied calmly, her black and red dress gently fluttering in the breeze.
"You saw how he pointed his lance up at his neck!" Lord Jason spat in a fury. "It was no accident, I tell you."
"Ser Allan knew the risks of jousting when he chose to take part. You cannot seriously be accusing the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard of such a thing, Lord Jason." The Queen replied, whilst the crown cheered at her retorts.
The crowd does not care, they are only here to see blood.
Finally, the King stood up from his viewing chair and ended the argument.
"It was an accident, my Lady Wife has it true. Both Ser Monford and Ser Allan shall be missed, and it is unfortunate, but they knew what could happen in a joust. Both of you, put an end to this, your King demands it." He declared, whilst the crowd muttered to themselves.
Both Lord Jason and Queen Laena sulked back into their chairs, whilst the King announced for the jousting to continue, much to the approval of the onlookers. All the while, Princess Rhaenyra sat there, watching everything in silence.
Ser Allan asked for her favour before the jousts started. Because of that, I am glad to have done what I did.
Once the jousting resumed, a black fury overtook Criston. All Criston thought about was Ser Allan knocking Ser Monford off his horse, and how Ser Allan asked for Rhaenyra's favour before that. And every thought he had of Rhaenyra led back to that night, where Criston soiled his cloak.
I shall not stop until I have defeated all of Queen Laena and Prince Daeron's enemies. That includes the Princess, who means to steal the Prince's birthright.
In the next round, Criston faced off against Ser Rickard Thorne of the Kingsguard; a Tyrell squire; some hedge knight from the Vale; Ser Forrest Frey; and then Willem Blackwood in the final. All of the opponents were defeated with ease, with Criston not breaking a single lance throughout the remainder of the joust. It took him two tries to defeat Ser Rickard as well as the Tyrell squire, and three to knock off Ser Forrest, but only one swift attempt to beat everyone else. Once he knocked Willem Blackwood off his black charger, the crown erupted in joy, cheering Criston's name, but in those cheers, he heard a few boos, likely from the Westerlanders present.
The royal steward announced Criston as the winner of the joust and handed him a wreath of blue and white roses to give to his chosen Queen of Love and Beauty. Criston proudly rode his horse to below the royal stand and offered the wreath to the Queen.
"For the Queen, Laena Velaryon." Criston said, calmly, whilst looking into her lilac eyes. After the crown broke out into another round of applause, Criston looked directly and Lord Jason and Rhaenyra for a brief moment before riding off. Lord Jason had a look of disgust on his face, while Rhaenyra displayed a blank look, barely smiling, nor frowning.
Once the joust was over, the evening feast was to take place on the tourney grounds, in between all the pavilions and stables, with swords and shield and even blood littered on the floor. Though Criston had comfortably won the joust, and killed Ser Allan Crakehall, he still had an appetite for blood.
After the feast, Criston spotted Rhaenyra engaged in conversation with Ser Harwin Strong, with a gigantic smile on her face, and a familiar look in her eyes.
That was the same look she gave me before that night.
Criston gripped the hilt of sword tightly with his left hand, thinking again about that night again and the afternoon that had just passed.
No... surely Ser Harwin could not be... maybe it is… they have unnaturally close the past few weeks... it could be... no... I must be certain... Ser Harwin did wear the Princess' favour in the jousts earlier...
Criston clenched his right fist tightly now, squeezing so hard he drew blood.
He is the Princess' new whore it seems... complicit in her debaucheries… Oh, how I wish I got to face him in the joust earlier... but wait... he is to still compete in the melee tomorrow...
Then, Criston knew that he would need to take part in the melee tomorrow.
The next morning, after waking up, he went down to the communal hall of the White Sword Tower and pulled Ser Arryk Cargyll to the side.
"Ser Arryk, would you be on guard today with your brother Ser Willis, standing beside His Grace?" Criston asked the knight.
He would dare not disobey his Lord Commander.
"Y-Yes, Lord Commander. Absolutely. Is it because you are to compete in the melee?" Ser Arryk responded.
"That is what I plan to do, yes."
"Then, I wish you good fortune for this afternoon, Ser." Ser Arryk said, before taking his leave.
Criston was more of a jousting man, but he did not doubt his abilities in a melee.
I would dominate Ser Harwin in a joust, no man alive is as skilled as me with lance and sword. But in a melee... they do call him the strongest knight in the Seven Kingdoms... but however strong Harwin Breakbones may be... he shall not be able to match my ability with a sword and shield.
Criston would usually prefer fight with a flail in normal combat, but under tourney rules everyone must use a sword and shield, and also be on foot.
I am without a horse, or my lance or flail, but I shall still do the best I can.
The melee ground was a large green field, with viewing stands encompassing the entire arena.
The grounds may be green now, but it shall surely be brown and red by the end of the day.
Criston walked towards the centre, where all the other contestants were standing in a long row. He spotted some familiar faces, Ser Gerold Royce who he beat yesterday, wearing his bronze armour engraved with magical runes; Ser Elmo Tully; the hedge knight Perkin the Flea; Ser Balon Byrch; and towards the end of the row stood Ser Harwin Strong. He was unmistakable in his black armour draped with his golden cloak. He towered over most of the others and held a tourney sword in one hand and a wooden shield in the other.
A squire handed Criston his sword and shield, and then offered to take his cloak, to stop it from dirtying, but Criston refused.
"I am a knight of the Kingsguard, lad, the cloak shall always stay on." Criston told the boy, and he scuttled off.
I have soiled this very cloak before, would some mud truly make a difference?
Criston waited patiently in line, along with the eighty or so other contestants, in between Ser Lorent Marbrand and another man Criston did not recognise. They all faced the royal viewing stand, where the King and Queen sat watching. King Viserys wore a black doublet, with a three headed dragon embroidered onto it, and on his neck hung a golden chain. The Queen wore similar colours to her husband, a long red and black dress, with Myrish lace sleeves. On her waist she wore a bright silver belt, as well as a silver necklace that matched her loose silver hair. In front of the two were Lord Jason and the Princess. The Lannister Lord was wearing the crimson and gold of his house, whilst his new wife wore a bright purple dress, and had a long cloth-of-gold cloak draped over her shoulders. On either side of them stood two Kingsguard brothers, Ser Willis Fell, and Ser Arryk Carygll.
The King stood up and addressed the crowd. "I thank you all for attending. I do hope you all enjoy this melee to celebrate my daughter's wedding. All I have to say now is... let the games begin!" he said, as the audience broke out into a deafening cheer mixed with a thunderous applause.
As the melee began, most of the competitors dove headfirst into each other, swinging wildly with their swords and not using their shields to block.
Green boys most of them. I wonder how long they shall last on a true battlefield.
Tourney rules dictated that if two people were duelling, no one may join as a third, so some knights stood alone, waiting for an opponent to present themselves. Criston walked up to a knight dressed in black with a golden cloak and challenged him. When he turned around, the knight was Ser Balon Byrch of the City Watch.
I thought it was Harwin Strong.
Criston pointed his sword at him nonetheless, and they duelled. Ser Balon was decent with a sword, but he still swung hastily, leaving his body exposed. When Ser Balon swung with his right arm at Criston's side, it left his body vulnerable, and Criston promptly kicked the man to the ground.
Kicks and punches are allowed.
Ser Balon fell to the floor but still tried blocking with his shield, so Criston swung at it with his sword, before kicking it out of his hand onto the muddy floor.
"I yield! I yield!" Ser Balon cried, and Criston got off the knight and let him get up. He stumbled away, and Criston went looking for his next opponent.
The next was a knight who Criston did not recognise, and Criston made quick work of him. Next was a Lannister squire, who Criston very much enjoyed swinging his sword at the young lad until he was in tears and covered in his own piss.
After that was Ser Elmo Tully, who was a better fighter than most. Criston spent quite some time ducking and duelling with the Riverlander, until he finally managed to get a clean hit on Ser Elmo's arm and knocked his shield far away. Ser Elmo tried to retreat, to retrieve his fallen shield. He then started to panic, his natural instincts leading him to swing like a young lad whilst Criston descended on him. Eventually, his sword was knocked away and Ser Elmo was left without any weapons and on his knees, so he finally decided to yield.
Criston was impressed by Ser Elmo's showing, so he helped the knight up and patted him on the shoulders before he walked off. Whilst he was helping Ser Elmo up, he noticed Ser Harwin in a brawl with Ser Rickard Thorne.
My sworn brother.
Eventually, another challenger approached Criston, so Ser Harwin was out of sight, but the image of Ser Harwin brought back the rage Criston felt the previous day, and Criston easily knocked down the challenger. After that Criston beat five more opponents, a Rowan knight; then a Corbray squire; two hedge knights; and then a Vance. Criston was so blinded by his fury, that he did not even notice the faces or armour of the next three that came. The duels all seemed to go by in an instant, he knocked one down, and then faced the next, and then knocked him down too.
After he knocked down the third knight, Criston realised there were only two others on the melee field left. To his left, he saw Ser Harwin Strong and Ser Lorent Marbrand engaged in a tight brawl. Ser Lorent swung at Ser Harwin's arm, but he parried the hit with his shield, and then elbowed Ser Lorent in face. The Westerlander knight was knocked to the floor, his nose bloody, and Harwin swung at him again, until he yielded.
Ser Harwin then got up and faced the royal viewing stand.
"We have our two final contestants, Ser Harwin Breakbones, and Lord Commander Criston Cole!" declared the royal steward, as the crowd cheered.
Ser Harwin walked over to the Princess' stand and kneeled.
"I wish to wear the Princess Rhaenyra's favour." He said calmly, and the Princess threw him a small bouquet of pink and white roses, before smiling suggestively at the knight.
Ser Harwin is her new whore; I am certain of that now.
Criston licked his teeth and walked up to the royal stand as well, before kneeling towards the Queen.
"I would humbly wish to wear the favour of Queen Laena Velaryon." Criston called out, as the Queen handed him her bouquet of yellow and red flowers.
Both contestants handed the bouquets to the royal steward, who placed each one underneath the banner of its respective contestant. Ser Harwin's banner was the triple stripe of red, blue, and green on a field of white, whilst Criston's had two banners, one plain white, and the other with the black pellets on the red field.
Criston then turned and faced Ser Harwin. The man was much taller than Criston, and wider too. He looked as though he could easily beat Criston in a brawl due to his sheer size alone.
He does not match my skill with the sword, however.
"You may commence!" shouted the royal steward.
Criston spun his sword in his hand and walked calmly towards Harwin Strong. Harwin was the first to swing, just as Criston expected, but it was a wild and heavy swing, and Criston easily ducked out of the way.
Your size may be of advantage against an average knight, Strong, but I am no average knight.
Harwin swung again, this time towards Criston's chest, but the sword met Criston's shield. The shield chipped off on the corners as Criston struggled to parry the hit. Criston put all of his force behind knocking Harwin's blow away, but Harwin swung his own shield at Criston's head.
The hit was hard, and knocked Criston back, but luckily, he did not fall to the floor. Criston pointed his sword out to defend against any more incoming attacks whilst stumbling back to position and reorient himself.
Once he was back to his senses, Criston laughed to himself and walked back towards Harwin, ready to duel again.
Harwin swung again, twice, once coming from Criston's right, then back again from his left. Criston saw the move easily before it happened and ducked out of the way.
It is better to avoid his hits than parry them. He has the strength advantage, but I have the speed and skill.
Harwin then swung downwards with his sword, so Criston quickly took a step to his right and swung at Harwin's sword arm. The sword went flying off, and before Harwin could regain his balance, Criston struck again, this time smashing his sword against his chest. Criston then kicked Harwin in the leg, and the huge knight stumbled backwards.
Criston then swung again, this time hitting his other arm, and the shield went flying off. Harwin moved backwards, and he was now stood directly in between his sword and his shield.
What choice shall he make?
Harwin went for his sword, scurrying across the ground and picking it up before holding it with both hands and pointing it at Criston.
If it were any other man, I would do him the mercy of letting him retrieve both his sword and shield.
Harwin was enraged by now, and with the force of both arms, he swung at Criston's right shoulder. Criston quickly dodged the strike, and then drove his shield into Harwin's stomach. The man was winded now, and Criston swung his sword into Harwin's right elbow, making him drop his sword again. Criston then swung again at the same elbow, and Harwin cried out in pain.
After that, Criston drove his shield into the same elbow again, before kicking Harwin to the ground. He went tumbling, and after he landed, he tried scrambling towards his shield. He just reached it and managed to hold it up with his left arm. Criston stomped down at it, the shield smashing to pieces as it collided with Harwin's collarbone.
Criston then climbed atop Harwin, punching the man's face with his gloved hands. Harwin tried to move both of arms to his block his face, so Criston swung his gauntlets at Harwin. Blood and teeth spluttered out of the man's face and onto the ground, and Criston continued to punch.
"I... I..." Harwin cried out, gasping for air.
"Do you yield?!" Criston demanded, driving his gauntlets into his collarbone again.
"Aaaaahhhh... yes... I... yield..." Harwin rasped, and Criston climbed off him and stood up.
The crowd roared their approval at Criston, whilst Harwin spat out some more blood onto the ground, and tried to get back on his feet before his arms gave out and he fell to the floor again.
Criston calmly walked over to the royal viewing stand, and kneeled.
"I would like to dedicate my victory to Her Grace, whose favour I wore today." Criston said, much to the approval of the crowd.
He then turned to look at Rhaenyra, and her purple eyes met his. Her face remained blank, but their eyes remained locked in a stare.
She may not display any emotion, but I know the Princess all too well.
I know when there is fear in her eyes.