NORMAL

"No. Abso-bloody-lutely not. I forbid you from doing any such thing." bellowed the King as he sat down behind his desk, a large goblet of wine in one hand a leg of chicken in the other.

"Please Uncle, I need to do this. The honor of my house is at stake, if I don't do this, I would be a disgrace to my family, unworthy to bare the Stark name. My grandfather and uncle died at the Mad Kings hand, it is my duty to avenge them" argued Baelor, trying to get his foster father to see that it was his duty to cross the Narrow Sea.

After he and Varys had finished their conversation and had gone their separate ways, the first thing he had done was go straight to King Robert and explained the situation regarding the Targaryens, omitting the parts about the Children of the Forest, his Magic and the impending danger that Westeros was in. For the last hour or so he had been trying to get his uncle to allow him to go across the Narrow Sea in order to take out a potentially dangerous claimant to the throne, yet so far, all had been for naught.

Robert sighed as he put down his food and took the last gulp of wine, before clasping his hands together and looking into the sullen and dejected face of his near-nephew.

"Look Baelor, the murder of your grandfather and uncle was one of the most deplorable and heartbreaking things in my entire, I saw first-hand what it did to your father and I know what it means to want revenge on those that have hurt you and yours, but, it is my duty to raise and protect you your father would have my balls if I were to let you leave the capital. Don't worry about the dragon spawn, they'll be dealt with in time" Said Robert, picking up his goblet and taking a large swig, dabbing at the large drops that ran down his beard with a cloth.

Knowing that he needed his uncle's seal of approval if he wanted to travel to the free cities, he knew that he would need the extra incentive in order to persuade his uncle to let him travel across the Narrow Sea and he knew just how to do it.

"I was talking to Lord Baelish the other day and it would seem that Crown is another million gold dragons in debt. If you allow me to go to the Iron Bank of Braavos, I could negotiate a loan on your behalf, after which I could seek out the Targaryen children and avenge the lives of my grandfather and uncle" stated Baelor, hoping that the promise of gold would entice his uncle into allowing him to travel east.

Robert looked thoughtful for a moment, the prospect of more gold an enticing offer, before realizing that he could get someone else to negotiate the loan and an angry Ned Stark was something he didn't want to face.

Sorry son, no can do," said Robert, shaking his large mane of hair from side to side.

Baelors shoulders sagged; this was not how he had imagined things were going to go. The only other option he could think of was to beg his foster father in allowing him to go, something that he had never done before.

Kneeling on the floor, Baelor bowed his head in the direction of his foster father he began to beg the King for the privilege to travel across the Narrow Sea and to defeat his enemies.

"Uncle. For years now I have lived in this fair city, learning the ways and customs of the South, hoping one day to become a knight under the tutelage of Ser Barristan Selmy. Since I came here 7 years ago I have strived to be the best that I can possibly be, studying warfare and swordsmanship, politics and economics, and yet even though I have learned a lot in the capital, I still haven't gotten any real world experience, and I believe this may be the opportune time for me to go out and test the knowledge that I have acquired over my many years of learning. I believe I am ready to become a man. Will you please allow me to cross the Narrow Sea and let me prove to you that I am worthy of being both a Stark and your foster son"

King Robert watched as his nephew explained with such conviction and heart as to why he should be allowed to cross the Narrow Sea, and he knew that there came a time in every man's life that he just needed to go out and prove that what they had been doing wasn't all for nothing, oh how he remembered the good old days when he used to fight and sleep with anything that had a pulse. There was only one way to tell if Baelor was ready to face the outside world, and that was to speak with boys mentor.

"Barristan, get in here" bellowed Robert, picking up his goblet and sinking deeply into his chair, gesturing with his hand for Baelor to stand up, which he did just in time to see his mentor enter the room.

Ser Barristan had long white hair, a clean shaven face that was etched with deep lines, showing his advancement in years, and light blue eyes.

Yet despite his looks, he stood as tall and proud as a man half his, his body adorning the traditional white garb of the Kingsguard, a sword on one hip and a dagger on the other.

"Your Grace" exclaimed Ser Barristan, bowing at his waist, before turning to his right and acknowledging his apprentice, "Baelor".

"Master" replied Baelor, bowing low in order to show respect to the man who would one day, hopefully, make him a fully-fledged knight, something that would never have occurred had he remained in the North.

"What may I do for you Your Grace" asked Ser Barristan, curious to know why the King had asked him into his chambers.

"Baelor here has requested a leave of absence from the city. He wishes to travel to the Free Cities in order prove himself a man. What do you think, has he proven himself a capable squire" asked Robert, draining the rest of his cup in one large gulp as he looked between Baelor and Ser Barristan.

Ser Barristan blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting this turn of events, getting himself under control, he turned to his apprentice and inspected him from head to toe, clearly trying to distinguish if his squire was ready to venture out on his own and experience the real world.

Minutes passed and still, Ser Barristan continued to inspect his charge, becoming quite impatient without any wine on hand; Robert cleared his throat, capturing the attention of Ser Barristan who apologized for taking so long.

"When I made the young Lord Stark my apprentice 5 years ago, I knew that he had the potential, the will and the skill to become one of, if not, the finest Knights in all of the Seven Kingdoms, and upon review of his performance over the last several years, it is my personal opinion that he has not only met my expectations but that he has gone above and beyond what I had ever dreamed to expect from. As such, I believe that not only is he ready to venture into the great wide world, but I believe it that he has shown that he is courageous, brave, honorable and loyal enough to become a fully-fledged Knight" comment Ser Barristan, his eyes filling with pride and a small smile making its way onto his usually stoic face, as he gazed upon the flabbergasted face of his apprentice.

Baelor was so surprised by this that he almost didn't respond, but luckily enough he was quick to recover and he reacted appropriately to the major information that had just been dumped on him.

"Thank you, Master. I hope that I will be able to live up to your expectations and that in time I will be able to prove myself to be just as honorable, courageous and loyal as you."

"It is settled then, Baelor shall be knighted and will travel across the Narrow Sea" Robert declared, standing up and calling for more wine, a server immediately appearing in the room, a serving tray laden with more wine and more goblets balanced in his arms.

As the server was busy filling the goblets, Robert stood up from his seated position and made his way to over to Baelor, who seemed to still be in shock.

"I might not say this every day, as you know I'm not too good with all of this emotional stuff, but I knew the moment that I saw your face all those years ago that you would make me proud, and today you have proved how right I was. I am proud to call you my son in all but blood and I know that you'll be the finest Knight in all of the Seven Kingdoms" Robert admitted, his shining with unshed tears of happiness as he looked proudly upon the son of his dearest friend, proud of what the young man had accomplished in such a short amount of time.

Baelor smiled up at his uncle, knowing that showing such raw emotions was hard for him and he was grateful beyond reckoning that he had said what he had, for it was a wonderful feeling knowing that a person you had admired for so long also felt the same way about you. So caught up in his inner ramblings was he that he almost didn't see his uncle hold out his meaty hand, but was able to grasp it just in time as the King shook it, his powerful arm nearly removing Baelors limb from his shoulder.

Grabbing the jug of wine, Robert filled three goblets and handed one each to Baelor and Ser Barristan, holding his cup high in the air and with a genuine smile on his grizzled face.

To Baelor, a finer man there never was" proclaimed Robert, bringing his goblet to his lips and draining it in one large gulp, belching loudly after he had done so.

Ser Barristan looked towards Baelor, and Baelor could clearly see pride reflected in the blue eyes of his mentor, they smiled at each other, not a large happy smile, but a smile that conveyed the fondness and respect for one another, a bond that had been forged over many years of friendship and hard work, a bond that only existed between Master and Apprentice.

"To Baelor" copied Ser Barristan, taking a small swig of his wine, aware that he shouldn't even be drinking whilst on duty.

Thinking that it would be a little weird toasting himself, Baelor just followed his uncle's example and downed his entire cup. Placing his cup on the table, he looked towards the king, a large grin plastered on his face.

"So. When do I leave?"