A laughing Tree of Roses

It was not just a gut feeling anymore. Something was definitely going on at this tourney. Unfortunately, Naruto was pretty sure that he didn't know enough to fully understand the extent of whatever that was.

That the different lords had hidden motives was obvious enough. People usually didn't do things without them, not when they had anything to do with politics at least. He had seen that well enough after Pain's attack. The clans, the council, all had wanted someone to be Hokage. Usually someone that would look favourably upon them in particular.

The question was just how many plots were running next to each other here. Every house and lord had their personal interests, but things did not stay so simple. Alliances, friendships, old feuds; Naruto could draw on the history he had learned for some information, but it was not the same as being intimately involved in the present.

Who mingled with each other, when did people act honestly, with whom did they stand on ceremony; it was all valuable information. Naruto wasn't even sure what he would do with the complete picture once he understood it better. Reveal what he knew to the next best lord?

Perhaps there would be a good life for him in that, somehow, but he doubted it. He didn't know most of these people, not even a little bit, and depending on good will alone sounded like a quick ticket into some dark dungeon. Better to keep things to himself for now.

Naruto was sure about three unaligned factions, but how many more there were, was difficult to determine. There was whatever Ashara was a part of, the cause the hidden spies at the castle worked for, and then the alliance between some of the attending lords. It could be a coincidence of course, that three of the Great Houses in attendance were connected in some significant personal way, but he doubted that very much.

Every day, Naruto had seen at least half a dozen ravens come and go, messages tied to their legs. Who was messaging who, he did not know, but that this much information was being transmitted at all said that not all the relevant people were even at the tourney. The Maester of the castle may send and receive the ravens but Naruto was under no delusion that that meant anything regarding the actual recipient or sender.

Maesters were people too, susceptible to bribery, threats, or a simple moment of inattention, no matter their oaths of servitude.

Of course, ravens did not necessitate a conspiracy, used as they were for most communications over a longer distance. They were simply convenient, just as messenger hawks had been for Konoha. Naruto had never been particularly interested in that in the past. The hawks were a tool the village had used, and of no particular concern to him unless the scroll they carried had been.

But now he was faced with an undecided future and the means to undertake near everything that grabbed his attention. The champion's purse alone had made him wealthier in a single day than he had ever been before, but gold by itself was of little use to him.

He wanted to see the Hightower, and the Citadel was probably the biggest source of knowledge on the continent. Herblore, ravenry, finances, even medicine. There was no shortage of interesting subjects, though how long his enthusiasm would hold without a teacher as attentive and insistent as his last, Naruto could not say.

Well, there were days yet to make a decision. For now, there was a last bit of jousting to watch and enjoy.

Admittedly, he knew little of the mechanics and necessary skill, but the concept was easy enough to grasp: use your lance to push the other rider out of the saddle while staying mounted yourself. A bit restrictive for his tastes but Naruto could see the appeal.

More interesting even than the jousting itself was the mystery knight that had entered the lists in the afternoon. It wasn't a prank exactly, but it was certainly a kind of mischief he could appreciate. Finding out who was hiding beneath the ill-fitting armour would not be easy at an event as expansive as this one. There were hundreds, even thousands, of possibilities, and he did not know most of them.

A horn sounded and the riders spurred their horses. Lances held to the sky they rushed forward, shields held to deflect their opponent's strike up and out. For all the pomp and ceremony each round passed nearly in the blink of an eye.

Both horses were spirited and well-bred and cleared the distance separating them in seconds. Lances came down, only moments apart, and then wood crashed into steel.

It was over as quickly as it had started, horses passing each other without stopping, but only one rider remained fixed to their saddle. The crowd cheered loudly, for a well-placed strike and the third win for the masked rider.

The downed rider remained lying in the sand, though Naruto could hear the pained groaning of developing bruising, marking the son of House Frey as alive, if not unhurt.

As the mystery knight reached the end of the simple wooden barricade dividing both sides of the joust, the man's horse slowed to a trot, and then came to a stop with a feather touch on the reins. A deep bow to the stands elicited even louder cheering, far outstripping the reaction all three of the knights the masked rider had beaten had earned for their own successes.

In the span of two days, five champions had turned into only three.

The other two defeated knights, a Haigh and a Blount, waited at the sides, their losses not even two hours past, while the defeated Frey was helped up by his squire and another man. Jousting armour was heavier and more cumbersome than the normal kind, but also thick enough to prevent serious harm, even when taking a lance to the chest.

Armour and horse were forfeit now of course, spoils for the mystery knight's purse once their owner paid their price in coin.

Still mounted, the new champion turned to the three defeated knights and raised an arm for quiet.

"Keep your armour and horses. Teach your squires honour. That shall be prize enough," the masked knight's voice echoed out of the helmet. Judging by the looks the three aforementioned squires were throwing each other, they knew exactly what the rider was talking about, though the actual jousters did not seem so well informed.

All three knights accepted the terms quickly enough, no doubt glad about not having to pay for their loss in gold. The crowd cheered again, loud and lusty, and Naruto could not help but join in their celebration.

He looked around, taking in the different onlookers. The stands were organised in order of importance, with the King and Prince in a slightly elevated viewing box with whatever lord chosen to join them for the day. Still, all manner of people had found a spot to watch the proceedings and were making their opinions known.

Ashara sat high up as well, clapping politely while in conversation with another lady next to her. His roaming eyes landed on the decrepit King for a moment. Usually, it was only a sorry sight, the lack of care the man had for his own health more than apparent, but now there was more than just suspicion joining that impression.

The King saw an enemy before him.

"I'll find the man before the sun rises!" Robert boasted and downed another cup of wine. It was already the man's third, at this table. How much he had consumed since the beginning Naruto shuddered to even think about.

He enjoyed wine too, though Kurama made it near impossible for him to get drunk, even asleep and incredibly weak as he was, but the Stormlord took it far beyond just enjoying.

"Then I will do it before the hour of the wolf!" Richard Lonmouth was near as drunk as his liege lord and just as excitable.

They had been talking about the jousting of the day, and their fortune or misfortune in betting on the winners until now, when the topic of the mystery knight had presented itself. Naruto had mostly remained quiet, content to let the others voice their opinions on the rider's identity, only chipping in now and again to stir the pot a bit and subtly undermine the latest conclusion as best he could.

Eddard, Benjen, and Howland seemed to have caught on to what he was doing, but they played along silently, hiding their smiles in their cups.

Naruto was stopped by a tap on his shoulder before he could throw in another distracting piece of information. He looked to his right, where Lyanna Stark sat, pointing behind him.

"There is someone here for you."

Turning around, Naruto stepped out of the bench once he recognised the bandaged head.

"Ser Leowald, you truly are better then." The Reachman still looked pale and a bit haggard, from spending days in bed without getting much sustenance no doubt, but that he was on his legs at all spoke well for a full recovery.

"Yes," the knight nodded stiffly. "I do not want to take up your time. I am here to pay for my loss."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. "I already told your squire. I don't intend to take coin from someone I nearly killed by accident."

Ser Leowald squared his shoulders, a stubborn set to his brow under the clean bandage and reached for a small clinking pouch at his hip. "But you did not, and I have no intention of partaking in charity. I will pay the fair price for my loss."

For a few moments Naruto thought of continuing to refuse. Bad enough that the blow could have killed the man unintentionally, but there had been no fairness to the whole thing from the start. These were civilians, even if they knew how to fight, with no chance against him alone.

But then even civilians could be and were proud of their lives and accomplishments.

"If you insist," he said eventually, accepting the weighty purse of coins. His business concluded, Ser Leowald turned and left, a slight stiffness to his movements but proud nonetheless. With a chuckle and a shake of his head Naruto pocketed the purse and sat back down on the bench.

"What was that about?" Eddard asked when he had taken a sip of his wine.

"Just some unfinished business from the melee. These two get any closer to an actual plan of action?" The two men from the Stormlands were forehead to forehead, pushing at each other, though Naruto did not think there was any real chance of violence.

"No." Eddard shook his head, quietly amused. He was not as expressive as his older brother Brandon but Eddard, Ned, was not so bad, under the stony exterior at least. "If they continue as they have, Robert will have to find this knight the moment he steps outside the hall."

"That settles it!" Robert roared attracting the attention of not just them but the whole table, and a few at those nearby. "We are going now!"

Naruto saw Lyanna twitch slightly in his peripherals. She and Robert were betrothed, as he had learned, but even with only the table between them they had not spoken more than a few words with each other.

Whether it was on account of the age difference or something else, he did not know, but they seemed little more than strangers to him.

The Stormlord stood and drained the wine he had only just refilled his cup with in a single pull. Ser Richard followed right along with his half empty one, while the others looked somewhat less enthused.

After a bit of thought and a glance at the high table Naruto stood as well. People were mingling outside of their tables now, and a some were dancing to the music, but Ashara looked to be deep in conversation with Princess Elia, and there were hours in the night yet.

Brandon followed after a moment, while Ser Richard and Robert were already walking towards the great doors. Eddard and Howland and the others stayed seated, obviously content to amuse themselves with wine and conversation instead of searching the night for an unknown person.

Lyanna stood as well then, "I think I will retire for today. The evening has grown late."

After a few goodnights and raised cups the three of them left the keep together, following Robert's drunken and audible lead at a small distance.

Naruto felt a bit like an intruder between the two siblings and debated lengthening his stride to catch up with the other two and their drunken antics, but just as he was going to excuse himself Lyanna addressed him.

"Do you intend to compete in the joust, Naruto?"

"No, much as I might enjoy the exercise. I'm no knight, and I have never even held a lance, much less tilted at anything. There would be little point in doing so," he answered. Looking towards Lyanna allowed Naruto to see the sideways glance Brandon sent him. He could not hide the grin on his face. "There is no need for your brother to worry."

Lyanna turned to her brother with a grin of her own. "See, I told you. No need to fret."

"Funny. Hilarious, even."

Once they had left the keep, they separated, Brandon accompanying his sister to the tourney grounds and her tent, while Naruto looked after them for a bit. He could not hear the quiet conversation they began as they walked away but he saw the moment Brandon threw an arm around Lyanna's shoulder. She flinched slightly when his hand touched an obviously tender spot on her arm and carefully moved his hand a little lower. Curious, very curious.

Naruto turned away and went to catch up to the two Stormlanders. Torches lit the night inside the castle, but he barely needed to see to find his way, stumbling, laughing, and loud talking making the right direction more than clear.

Robert and Richard passed a wineskin between each other as they roamed and stumbled around the castle grounds without a plan. All in all, it was an amusing sight to him.

His inner clock told him that more than half an hour had passed when walking around wildly was replaced by an actual idea. The half-drunken explanation sounded far less intelligent to him than it clearly did to the two men, judging by their growing enthusiasm but he followed the call of: "To the godswood!" any ways.

Brandon found them just as they neared the walled-off forest, a grimace coming over his features once the plan had been shared with him.

Both Stormlanders headed inside without fanfare, but just as Naruto and Brandon were about to follow, Robert turned back towards them, another idea shining in his eyes. "You wait here! We will flush out this man, right into your arms!"

Naruto hoped that no one had been using the godswood, for prayer or simple relaxation, since the peace and quiet inside was about to be disrupted entirely.

As the drunken conversation faded away, Brandon began to tap his foot, arms crossed in front of his chest. Whatever was on his mind, he did not seem inclined to share, so Naruto did not attempt to weasel it out of him.

Minutes passed in relative silence, the sounds of celebration in the background now and again interspersed with a few loud exclamations from the godswood.

Other people passed though the courtyard now and again, in pursuit of pleasure of one kind or another, and he could see the way Brandon's eyes trailed after them, particularly the women. The heir to the North had obviously expected something else than guard duty when he had stood to come along for this search.

It took two more groups of people passing by for him to reach his limit, and when the opportunity presented itself in the form of two serving girls hurrying through the dark courtyard and towards the keep, Brandon took it.

Absently, Naruto compared the heir to the North to Kiba in his mind. He had never seen much of it himself, but the Inuzuka had gained a reputation for chasing skirts in Konoha. Naruto could also admit that he was growing a bit bored himself.

"This is pointless. I'm leaving."

"I think I'll wait a bit longer. Have fun," Naruto said in answer and gave the Northerner a knowing smile.

"Oh, I will," Brandon said and began walking away, on the prowl.

Naruto chuckled quietly to himself and leaned back against the black stone wall. Even without standing inside the godswood directly he could feel the peaceful air beyond the mortar and stone.

Mount Myoboku had been similar, a place of free nature, with a presence all its own. There, it had made natural energy easier to detect and use, both incredibly useful for training to be a sage. It made thinking easier for him, calmed his mind and allowed him to look at things with care and attention unlike the norm.

Unbidden, his thoughts wandered to Ashara. Even if she had said otherwise, he knew something was bothering her.

A cloaked figure just barely passed through the light of a torch at the entrance of the courtyard, a large flat bundle carried under one arm. He took a step back, hiding himself in the shadows of the wall surrounding the godswood, and watched. As they carefully crossed the grounds, they took care not to look like they were checking their surroundings, but Naruto could see the subtle movements of the head even under the concealing hood.

The height fit, as did the walk, but that alone was not quite enough to reach a final conclusion.

Naruto had never intended to openly unmask the mystery knight in the first place, only coming along to enjoy two drunken nobles attempt and fail to do the same, but that did not mean that he was not curious or invested in knowing for himself.

They drew closer, their goal the gate to the godswood, and Naruto didn't need to think long on what he would do.

Just as they were about to enter through the gate, he stepped close and placed a hand on their right shoulder. The flinch that earned was not only surprise, but discomfort and pain as well, just as he had expected. Naruto was sure, then.

"I wouldn't do that. Not today, anyway."

Without the large helmet distorting her voice, speaking was dangerous, so she remained silent, looking at him through the veiling shadows cast by her hood.

Naruto knew a prankster when he saw them, and this close he could guess just what the object hidden below the brown cloth under her arm was. The shape alone was telling enough, now that he knew.

"They are still in there. Do what you must tomorrow, if you don't intend on being found out," Naruto continued, nodding his head at the godswood behind them.

"Wha-" she sputtered before clamping her mouth shut, for a moment too surprised to keep her silence.

"Go on." He gently pushed her in the direction she had come from. "I won't tell a soul; you have my word."

She took a few steps and then turned her head towards him. Her face was hidden from view, but he could almost see the grey eyes and dark hair in his mind's eye all the same.

"Thank you." With those quiet parting words and a small bow of her head she hurried away again, into the shadows and out of the courtyard and castle.

When Robert and Ser Richard stumbled out of the godswood after nearly an hour of ineffectual searching Naruto was still leaning against the gate. They had sobered somewhat, the wineskin they had taken emptied some time ago.

When they asked him about his post, he could not help himself. "No man tried to pass this gate while I waited."

They accepted his words with disappointed grumbles and left to continue their search, an endeavour he excused himself from. An opportunity to dance was waiting for him.

The next day, no mystery knight appeared in the lists to accept challengers and the King sent out his son to locate the man.

But no knight could be found anywhere and only a shield painted with a laughing weirwood hanging in the godswood remained at day's end.

Hooves thundered, lances cracked, and then Ser Arthur Dayne hit the ground, defeated.

Prince Rhaegar continued riding, resplendent in black plate, and circled the field, gauntlet raised and waving to the cheering crowds.

Brandon grumbled something unintelligible next to him, but Naruto knew what it was about even without having heard the words. The heir to the North had only just lost to the prince himself, in one of the last tilts, and had bet a golden dragon against him in this one.

Naruto accepted the coin with a grin. He had been invited to watch today's jousting with the Starks, and there had been no reason for him to refuse them. Lightening Brandon's purse slightly was just an added benefit.

In front of them the field was being cleared and prepared for the last encounter of the day.

"Care for another wager for the last tilt?"

"No. I'm going to trust my better judgement for once and not lose another dragon to you."

"Shame," Naruto said with a grin. Flipping the coin once he made it disappear up his sleeve and settled in to watch.

The final tilt began with fanfare appropriate for the event. Rhaegar in black and Ser Barristan in white, both riders rode forward to hollering and cheers. Their lances were ash, twelve feet long, and painted in the colours of their respective wielder. For the second time today, the prince faced off against a Kingsguard knight.

A horn blew and then the jousting began for a final time. Both riders spurred their horses, shields up and ready to deflect their opponent's blow.

Four lances were broken on both sides before one of them gained the upper hand. The knight of the Kingsguard fell to the black wood, pushed out of the saddle by the well-placed tip, while the prince remained ahorse, now the final winner.

Ser Barristan hit the sand hard, sand thrown up by the impact with the ground.

Naruto felt no great sympathy for the ageing knight, not after Ser Barristan had acted as he had towards him a few nights ago.

Prince Rhaegar continued, circling the field again and waving to the cheering crowd. At the end of the field, he was presented with a new lance, a garland of blue roses placed near the tip. As champion of the joust, he could now crown his own queen of love and beauty, though there was no great mystery to be unveiled here. The prince was a married man, after all.

The crowd grew louder before settling into expectant quiet, as the black destrier walked along the stands.

When the prince rode past his wife, the atmosphere shifted from one moment to the next. Confused and surprised murmurs rose among the onlookers while the horse continued forward at Rhaegar's beckoning.

Naruto felt a sense of foreboding tension develop, a feeling that only heightened when the prince stopped his horse right in front of him. Rhaegar dipped his lance and dropped the wreath of roses in Lyanna's lap.

"Lady Lyanna, I would name thee my queen of love and beauty," Prince Rhaegar said, with a dip of his head.

Naruto could not see Lyanna's expression as she accepted the laurel, flanked as she was by her brothers, but he could feel the tension snap all the same. He was still inexperienced with all of these people, their relations and plots, their motivations and goals, but even he knew that this was near scandalous.

But those thoughts were for another time, for a moment when there wasn't someone right next to him taut with anger and ready for violence. Brandon looked ready to lunge and Naruto saw the exact moment the heir to the North decided that he didn't care about any consequences.

One hand clamped down hard on Brandon's right shoulder while the other wound under his left arm, binding the limb. He struggled against Naruto's hold on him, but even near rabid anger could not overcome the difference in strength between them.

"Don't be a fool," Naruto hissed as Rhaegar took up his lance again and urged his horse away, leaving chaos behind. Maybe he didn't understand nobles and courts and all that but attacking the crown prince was a sure way to make violence happen. A lot of bloody violence.

"Unhand me," Brandon growled, continuing to struggle. "I won't stand for this."

Someone barked out a laugh that had nothing of humour in it, and the crowd of onlookers fell into hesitant, careful applause, but that did not stop Brandon.

"And I'm not asking you to," Naruto answered, unyielding. "But go about it with some thought." He knew well what anger did to you, when your vision went red, and you saw nothing but the target of your ire. Maybe Brandon had no tailed beast sealed away inside of him, but that did not mean there would be no collateral damage to his rage.

"Fine," the heir to the North said eventually, ceasing his struggle. Naruto unhanded him after another second of stillness. Brandon was clearly still angry, but at least it did not seem like he would grab for a sword now.

He turned to leave, beckoning his siblings to follow his lead, and Naruto watched them all clear the stands. More transparent onlookers were looking around in confusion, unsure just what had happened, while others varied between shock, calculation, or carefully hidden anger.

Naruto wasn't sure if what had just happened had been part of the plots or only meant to disrupt them.

The Starks left the tourney that same evening, none of them appearing at the night's feast.

With the tourney at an end now, and everyone that had not already left ready to do so soon, the grounds were left near empty in the late morning.

Naruto was no different, his horse ready and all his belongings stored away in saddlebags or the pack he carried himself. Yet he lingered near the outskirts of the tourney grounds and passed the time flipping a kunai in one hand.

One of the two royal parties had left not even an hour ago, but the other still remained, sorting out whatever it was that had not been taken care off until now.

Horses, wagons, and carriages were arranged nearby, all in the final stages of preparing to leave, final counts being done to ensure that everything was where it was supposed to be.

A figure in purple and white began to trek towards him, skirts hiked to keep them from trailing in the dewy grass. Naruto smiled as Ashara came closer, an expression mirrored on her own face.

"I hope your sleep was untroubled, my lady," he said, once they were standing only a few feet apart.

Naruto wanted to ask what trouble had been caused by the events following the final tilt, but he did not. Ashara would certainly be well informed but whatever matter had been hanging over her head had clearly disappeared, and Naruto had no wish to reinstate it there, unintentionally or not.

"As much as circumstances allowed," she answered.

He wasn't often unsure what to say but this was one of those times. "I hope you enjoyed the tourney, nonetheless."

"I did." Ashara smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind an ear. "Where do you intend to go now?"

"Oldtown, and the Citadel."

She looked surprised. "Surely you do not intend to become a Maester."

"No, no. Nothing of the sort." Naruto smiled at her. "I have only a mind to learn, for the moment, and there is no better place to do so. A few moons, perhaps a year."

"And afterwards? Where will you go then?"

He had not given that much thought until now, contend with planning in shorter terms at the moment. In Konoha he would have gone from mission to mission, but there were none of those here, so he had to make do by himself.

"Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose." Naruto shrugged.

They remained like that for a few quiet moments when a collection of horses came riding from the castle. They both knew their time was coming to a close.

Ashara seemed to decide something then, after a moment of thought. Meeting his eyes, she leaned close, and pressed a short, sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth. When she retreated her eyes nearly seemed to glow and her cheeks were flushed prettily.

"Should the wind ever take you to Dragonstone."

With those words and one last lingering look Ashara turned to leave, returning to her party and their prepared departure.

Naruto's eyes remained trained on her retreating back as she crossed the field, trying his best to ignore the flips his stomach was doing. He watched their party of riders and carts begin their journey, one hand resting on his horse's flank, and he continued to watch until they disappeared in the distance.

His attention shifted to his right arm, where Ashara's favour was still tied. He had been planning on returning it to her today. 'Dragonstone, eh?'

Judging enough time to have been wasted, Naruto swung himself into the saddle, his goal not Oldtown and the Citadel quite yet, but instead the Isle of Faces.

Finding someone with a boat took nearly an hour and haggling with the stubborn old man felt like it took nearly as long, though it was only minutes in truth.

His horse left behind as collateral and the boat owner a silver stag richer, Naruto began paddling across the God's Eye, his belongings packed into the little boat.

The closer he came to the island in the middle the more he felt the impression of natural energy he had gotten from the shore. Pure and powerful it flowed there, yet that was not the only thing he could feel now that he was so close.

He did not know how or why, but it felt like hundreds, even thousands of eyes were watching him right now, carefully taking in every move he made.

When Naruto stepped onto the Isle of Faces, a shock travelled through his body. Before he could understand what had just happened a figure appeared from between the trees.

A weirwood mask with a snarling face stared at him, with wooden antlers a foot high rising above it, pebbles and leaves bound to them by strings. Even with that increased height, Naruto was taller than the person and near twice as wide at the shoulders. Moss and leaves decorated brown and green robes, concealing the body except for the right arm, where the material was made to look like shimmering embers were still alive in the cloth.

"Not another step, warrior. This land is sacred, meant only for those with express permission. You do not have it." The voice flowed with the syllables, almost like a song, but he understood them all the same. He thought it feminine, but somehow it could have been that of a man just as much.

Naruto shivered for some reason, a foreign sensation making itself known all over his body. It was not truly weight, but it pressed against him, against his presence on this island, trying to get him to leave. He was not so easily dissuaded.

"How do I get permission then?"

"You cannot. Destruction follows in your wake, even accepted as you are by the trees. There is no place for one like you here. Be gone." With those words they turned to leave again.

The pressure strengthened, making his knees buckle and his head pound. Naruto gritted his teeth, and stubbornly continued to stand.

"Oh?" The wooden mask turned towards him again, the leaves and pebbles hanging from the stick antlers rustling slightly when their wearer tilted their head. "You are mighty indeed. But that alone is not enough. Should you ever open your third eye, return here, and you will be welcomed. Until then, this place will not allow your presence."

It was difficult to make out all the words through the hammering in his skull, but he managed it somehow. When the masked figure turned again and disappeared in the shadows cast by hundreds of close-standing trees, the pressure on him lessened, allowing him to breath freely.

Naruto dropped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut and gulped down air like every breath could be his last. Sweat had gathered on his brow, even during that short time of struggle, and he wiped it away with a short grimace.

There was power in this place, of a kind he did not understand. But it was more than clear that he could not win as he was, in a battle of strength. This was old, ancient magic, like nothing he had ever seen or experienced.

"What is a 'third eye' anyway?" He muttered to himself, but no answer was forthcoming.

Getting on his feet again he stepped back into his boat, and slowly began paddling back to shore. Perhaps the Citadel would know that too.

I hope you enjoyed chapter 24. Chapter 25 is done too, and I am working on 26 at the moment.

On the topic of last chapter: Some of you correctly said that a marriage between Ashara and Eddard has its flaws. Starfall may be old and the Daynes proud but it is quite the distance from the North.

I should have portrayed it more clearly but my thought process was that the offer Elia made to Brandon would be the first step in a closer alliance between the North and Rhaegar's court. Rickard could have also just declined it, since he should attempt to strengthen his bonds with his bannerman through Ned and Benjen. Barbrey Ryswell as an example. Obviously it never comes to that. As insulted as Brandon is, no way is he bringing that offer to his father now.

Ideally I would have made more of the effects of Rhaegar's actions clear in this chapter, but I think it would have come of as contrived if Naruto just happened to learn all of it without any real personal involvement. Next chapter will primarily touch on that, with a new PoV. According to my current plan, there will one other new PoV afterwards, bringing out total to five for this part of the story.

The identity of the Knight of the Laughing Tree is a matter of some debate in the ASoIaF fandom, but it being Lyanna is, as far as I know, the most accepted position. Personally I have a hard time seeing Howland or god forbid Ned filling the position with the same narrative satisfaction, though there are some arguments for both.

Jousting armour could be made thicker and heavier since you didn't have to account for the event of continuing on foot, usually. That also allowed most people to avoid injury in a joust. Strength is not that relevant in jousting, since much of the force comes from the horse and not any arm movement, though it may make a difference sometimes. The lance only comes down as late as you can, since holding it horizontal at that length is difficult no matter how strong you are. When it is held up you can lock your elbow and brace it against your hip, reducing the strain.

We basically know nothing at all about the Isle of Faces and the Green Men. It is a sacred grove with weirwoods, where the Children and the First Men signed the Pact, and a bastion of magic in Westeros. I think those that have read the other books outside of the main five can figure who the figure Naruto meets is.

The third eye is a concept beyond just ASoIaF. It usually denotes a state of deepened awareness, of seeing the world for what it is, looking into an additional layer of reality so to speak. Hagoromo, Kaguya, and Madara also gain one after 'ascending'. In the books it is used in regards to skinchanging. Bran has his third eye opened, the three-eyed crow obviously has three eyes as well.

Naruto is going to the Citadel now. I thought him just hanging around Ashara would not only feel rushed but also be pretty boring. This way there is some separation between the PoV's again, for a bit at least, and he gets to visit the Hightower. I also have an idea for their reunion already.

On the topic of money. I intentionally put no number to Naruto's champion's purse, but the amounts in AGOT are ridicolously unbelieveable with everything we know. Tens of thousands of gold dragons for one guy, and Thoros and Anguy somehow spend all of it in a few weeks. That's probably more gold than a lot of lords have access to. I think the champion getting like 100 dragons would be more believeabe at a large event, but Harrenhal is supposed to have had three times the already generous prizes at Lannisport. So probably somewhere around 1000 at most. In the end it does not matter that much.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next week.