[Chapter Size: 3100 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Winterfell, 298 AC.
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"Princess Arya." A northern man, a Winterfell guard, approached as he entered the godswood of Winterfell with an apologetic look for disturbing Lady Stark, who was no longer praying but instead watching Winterfell through her skinchanging abilities with the animals.
Arya's guards quickly stepped forward to prevent the man from approaching while the princess stood before the heart tree on the other side, her white eyes hidden from view.
But Arya opened her eyes, already having seen the man's approach, and knew why he was there, having listened to the king in the courtyard. Her eyes blinked a few times before she calmly rose, walking toward them with the sword in her left hand, wearing one of her fine dresses but also a leather armor underneath.
"I know the king wants my presence in the training yard." Arya said calmly.
"Yes, princess. Your father asked for you." The man spoke in a nervous tone.
"I see. Alright, let's go." She said, as her guards followed her, leaving the godswood.
Upon exiting, she found the courtyard quite full, unsurprisingly at that moment.
It was midmorning and some time had passed since everyone had quickly had breakfast and gathered there as all wanted to train with the great knights of Westeros, while Arya continued to watch over Winterfell's guests, though she hadn't gathered much important information that morning yet.
She walked on, drawing attention from the edges of the crowd, and the guard asked them to make way for her to pass. They immediately cleared a path until she reached the main area, where the king sat on a makeshift platform — a small stage where he and her father were watching the matches. The crown prince was also present, sitting beside his father, watching the fight with disinterest.
Arya saw Ser Rodrik Cassel fighting a Kingsguard in what appeared to be a friendly duel.
Robb noticed Arya immediately and came over to her.
"Arya, be careful. The queen and the prince are planning something." Robb said, as a warning, while Arya merely nodded.
"Alright. Let's see what they want." She continued to a corner of the yard. Her father was already looking at her, while the king seemed excited watching the duel.
They remained there. Ser Cersei did his best, but in the end was defeated. He then thanked the Kingsguard for the fight.
Arya also saw Jaime Lannister, wearing his white cloak armor among the other Kingsguard. It seemed he had returned from his shift after breakfast.
Tyrion was also present, along with a few common men, drinking as always.
On the castle balcony, overlooking the courtyard, stood Sansa, her mother, and a bit apart, the queen with her two sons and other noble ladies. There were all kinds of nobles there, watching the fight with interest.
"Ah, there you are!" Suddenly, the king shouted, catching Arya's attention upon seeing her for the first time.
"Robert Baratheon. Father." Arya greeted only him and her father, while the prince was ignored, giving the girl a cold look.
Meanwhile, someone was approaching Arctic's royal guards. Bari quickly glanced, seeing a middle-aged man appear before him.
"You must be Bari and Jill, the two royal guards of the princess of Arctic?" The man said, as both guards nodded.
"And you're Brynden Tully, the Blackfish. Your fame is known in Westeros." Bari commented.
"Hmm, my name is known in Arctic? I'm surprised." He remarked, but Bari shook his head.
"No, unfortunately not. You're mistaken. We've been here for over a year, so of course we've heard about the greatest knights of Westeros, and you're among them."
Brynden seemed to grimace in disappointment, but quickly returned to a neutral tone as the Tully nodded in understanding.
"Still, I'm known by two royal guards from that kingdom in the North." He said, turning his gaze toward Arya, who had ignored him since his arrival at Winterfell — he was her great-uncle.
"Princess Arya." He addressed her for the first time. Arya had ignored her mother since she arrived, so they hadn't spoken, but he had to admit the girl was impressive.
"Brynden Tully, I must say, my great-uncle." Arya said calmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, milady… I mean, princess." He corrected himself. Despite the intrigues, she still carried Tully blood in her veins. Brynden had to be satisfied that a woman descended from his house had turned out so impressive.
"In any case, princess, I came to you specifically to ask for your royal guard. If he may, I'd like to have a small spar with him. I want to see the skill of these arctican men everyone talks about." He said, while Bari looked at Arya.
"Go. This is inevitable anyway. Jill will stay with me." Arya said, as Bari stepped forward.
"Well then, let's see how the Blackfish fares against me." He said calmly.
This brief conversation caught everyone's attention. Even King Robert was watching and didn't hide a smirk.
"Very good!" He clapped. "Looks like we'll have a fight right before our eyes. I'd like to see the Blackfish against the girl's royal guard!"
The royal guard walked with the Tully knight to the center of the yard, while Winterfell's master-at-arms would serve as the judge. This excited everyone, especially the younger ones — both Northern heirs and Southern nobles.
Bran seemed thrilled, and even Robb had a very interested look. Catelyn and Sansa also wanted to see how Brynden would do.
Quickly, the men took up real swords, their own, making everyone even more excited. They were two grown warriors — there was no reason to hold back.
The same had happened with the previous duel between the Westerosi Kingsguard and Winterfell's master-at-arms.
As they took their positions, a leather vest was put on Brynden Tully, while Bari, Arya's royal guard, was already equipped in his Eldenmetal armor.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt you." Noticing this, Bari remarked arrogantly, as Brynden Tully fastened the last part of his armor, his expression serious, not responding to the Arctic royal guard's provocation.
Mearin approached Arya at that moment. The two of them prepared to watch the fight together.
The king seemed thrilled about it and would finally see the skills he had heard so much about from the arctican men.
"Let's see if these guys are all that, if they can go around crushing armies on the other side of the world and destroying Dothraki in the desert, like we've heard." He said. "I want to understand how these people are so strong."
The master-at-arms saw that everything was ready and started the fight.
At first, neither man moved immediately, both analyzing each other, with different stances.
The Blackfish had a shield and a regular sword, while Bari did not — he used only a sword longer than normal, though not quite a two-handed blade, even if he held it with both hands for stability.
Brynden began to step sideways, studying his opponent's stance, while Bari kept his gaze fixed on him, waiting for any movement.
"He's so arrogant... He'll be the first to strike." Jill remarked with a sigh, knowing very well how her companion usually acted.
And so he did.
Quickly, Bari launched an attack on the side where Brynden had no shield. The Tully used the shield in his right hand to defend, pushing the opponent's sword aside. Bari pulled back slightly and swiftly launched more strikes, slamming against Brynden's shield, who managed to block them before launching a counterattack with his free hand.
This made Bari work with his footwork, stepping back quickly and soon trying a new tactic against the enemy.
Brynden blocked one strike, then another, and the two distanced themselves for a moment. The fight seemed quite balanced.
"That's it, very good!" The king sounded excited, and the crowd shared that sentiment.
The nobles had their eyes on Bari's footwork and how he fought. After all, the Blackfish was known in Westeros, but the arctican guards were rarely spoken of — though all of them were extremely powerful in combat, facing different kinds of warriors.
All the Kingsguard had their eyes on the arcticans as potential enemies — after all, they were there under truce, but that didn't mean they wouldn't face each other in the future.
Brynden had a fixed gaze, studying his opponent, while also being studied.
The fight continued, and Bari seemed to have trouble breaking through the Blackfish's defense, who used his shield with mastery. Still, the Arctic guard held firm, being quite versatile in his footwork, avoiding counterattacks by stepping back swiftly and circling his opponent.
Even at a disadvantage, wearing metal armor against his opponent's lighter leather, Bari displayed impressive speed, despite that not being his specialty.
Their swords clashed with a sound that rang through the courtyard. Brynden tried to push him back with his shield.
Until then, Bari seemed passive.
But then, a smile spread across his face, and Brynden felt the hand he had been using to hold Bari's sword in check being pushed back with surprising strength — revealed for the first time by Bari — nearly losing his balance even while trying to resist.
Bari, however, did not strike. He merely stepped back a few paces, still smiling.
The Blackfish grimaced, surprised by his strength — and many noticed it.
"Looks like you were holding back." He said with a serious tone, already trying to figure out a way to defeat him.
He was a man who had faced many strong opponents in his life, so it was natural for him to think this way, trying to find a means to beat this man who, even when in advantage, hadn't struck him.
'He's underestimating me…?' Maybe he could use that, but at the same time, if they became enemies, Brynden couldn't help but think it might be a waste to reveal to a possible opponent that he was weak…
'Would he try to catch me by surprise?' Now, Brynden didn't know what the future held between Arctic and the Seven Kingdoms, with their political crisis.
Showing his weaknesses would be a waste if they ended up enemies.
However, Brynden's thoughts were soon cut short, as Bari did not seem to share the same mindset.
While Brynden pondered, Bari believed strength was everything. As long as he had strength, he could fight however he wanted.
Suddenly, he advanced on Brynden, catching him off guard as he began unleashing a series of attacks.
Brynden's shield and sword were driven backward by the force of the Arctic royal guard. Each blow against the shield made his arm tremble, starting to go numb.
Brynden wondered if that was truly his strength. It felt like fighting someone like the Mountain...
The fight went on for a while until Bari managed to push Brynden's sword far enough to open a large gap.
With him losing a bit of balance, he felt the magical steel blade touch his neck, making Brynden feel the cold of the blade.
"Very good!" The king exclaimed from his seat, rising as he clapped, and everyone soon followed, satisfied with the fight.
It was impressive.
"Gods, what strength! Not even the Blackfish could handle this royal guard! Very good!" The king cheered.
"Come on, I want more fighting!" He demanded immediately.
"My lord, may I ask permission to fight?" Jaime Lannister stepped forward.
He was there under the queen's gaze as she watched. She had asked him, after leaving the kitchen, to… to defeat the arcticans and prove to everyone that they were nothing special. Mere savages, in Cersei's words — she hoped Jaime could bring glory and put an end to these damned wildlings.
Seeing him defeat Bari — as much as Cersei hated the Tullys — she still disliked the arcticans winning.
"You want to fight, Kingslayer?" The king bellowed loudly, as Jaime, still kneeling, responded,
"Yes, my king. Please, grant me this opportunity." He asked, confident that he could defeat that royal guard in terms of speed.
However, the king had no desire to give him that satisfaction, as he openly despised him.
He looked at Arya — or rather, at who was behind Arya — and decided to mock his wife's brother a bit.
"Very well! I want you to fight the arctican woman!" The king declared, looking at Arya.
"Let your woman fight. Let's see if these women are really as strong as they say!" He exclaimed, while some laughter began to echo through the crowd.
Jaime Lannister seemed frozen for a moment. It was humiliating for him. In the end, he would have to fight a woman.
His expression said it all: How can the king be so cruel to my honor? I am a Kingsguard…
Many thoughts flooded his mind. He wanted to raise his voice immediately against the fat king in frustration, but he knew he couldn't. He simply nodded.
"Of course, my king." He muttered, ignoring the mocking gazes — and even the furious look from his sister.
He walked toward the yard, while Bari looked at him with interest.
"Good luck fighting Jill. I've heard you're a fast man, but I doubt you'll beat her in speed." Bari said calmly, while ignoring Jaime's clenched fist — which seemed like a provocation to him.
"How can they compare me to a woman..." Jaime couldn't help but mutter, as he watched the woman switch places with Bari and head toward the center of the field.
Jill walked to the middle of the courtyard, ignoring the jeers directed at her — even from the people of the North — as they watched a woman about to fight.
Arya knew her mother was certainly making some comment at that moment, but she didn't care. She herself carried a sword and had learned to ignore the stares from the people south of the Wall.
Jaime Lannister drew his sword — nothing less than a blade of Eldenmetal, which was very good for him, as his greatest attribute was speed.
That sword had been given to him by his father. The king of Arctic, when he first came south to Westeros, sold a sword to Tywin Lannister for 100,000 coins when he passed through Lannisport.
Jill said nothing and also prepared herself, drawing her Eldenmetal sword and getting into position for the fight, as both placed their helmets on.
"Begin!" Ser Rodrik called out.
Immediately after, Jaime launched his first attack. He used only his sword one-handed, with no shield, while Jill already wielded both sword and shield.
The woman quickly surprised everyone by defending and then launching a counterattack.
But Jaime was also fast and held up well in the beginning. In fact, their swords clashed repeatedly, neither yielding — which was a surprise to all.
Even though his opponent was a woman, everyone recognized Jaime Lannister's skills as one of the greatest swordsmen in the Seven Kingdoms.
He may have lost to Jon Arctic, but seeing him being held evenly by a woman of that realm was quite surprising.
The fight went on for a while. Jaime was growing increasingly frustrated as people whispered around them. This started to make him lose focus, even though the fight was well balanced and he could have had a chance to win had he stayed concentrated.
"No, Jaime..." Tyrion couldn't help but murmur from afar, watching his brother fall into his own trap.
Jill took full advantage of it, seeing her opponent making mistakes, giving away his moves. They were becoming more frequent and more obvious.
She acted quickly, pushing Jaime's sword aside and swiftly slamming him with her shield.
Jaime lost his balance and fell backward, a look of surprise and frustration on his face, before rolling a few meters away.
He quickly stood up, but a sword was already at his neck.
The place fell completely silent. That fight had been much faster than Bari's with the Blackfish.
"He lost... He lost to a woman!" The king's voice roared, laughing at the sight.
"Look! The dreaded Kingslayer, who killed the Mad King, lost to a woman!"
He said, while Ned simply observed, with no mockery in his gaze. He had to acknowledge that woman's skill. Even having seen her before, she and the other guard still managed to surprise him.
These are the people who protect Jon and his family. And there are a hundred of them... he couldn't help but think. Such strength was astonishing.
A hundred men and women with abilities like that — equally skilled.
Lord Stark couldn't help but imagine how influential these warriors would be in battle. With them, the morale of his own army would rise... and they would shatter the morale of enemies.
They would save lives.
Win battles even when outnumbered or on difficult terrain.
He kept thinking: What kind of army does Jon truly have? For neither Jon nor Arya had given him those details so far.
People began to laugh, clapping in amazement. They looked at Jill with admiration, while their gazes turned toward Jaime Lannister, humiliated.
There were looks of disappointment, pity — or even anger toward Jaime Lannister.
The queen gripped the railing tighter than she should, making even Sansa uncomfortable beside her.
"Incredible... She's really strong." Tommen couldn't help but comment beside his sister.
"Quiet, Tommen!" Cersei snapped back immediately, making the boy shrink in surprise.
"That was very impressive! I want more fights! I challenge the arctican man or woman!" the king shouted to the guards, excited.
Bari was about to step forward before the prince raised his hand.
"Please, my lords... We've had enough duels with the royal guards. My uncle proved quite disappointing in representing a Kingsguard — and even a Lannister." Joffrey said loudly, surprising even the king, while Jaime grew increasingly frustrated, receiving a cold stare from both his sister and his eldest "nephew," as if he were a disappointment to them all.
"What are you talking about, boy?!" the king roared at his son, surprised that he had raised his voice — something rare since they had arrived.
"I'm only saying, my king, my father... that perhaps we should now challenge Arya Stark. Since she carries a Valyrian steel sword, she could show us some of her skills."
He spoke, while everyone turned their eyes to Arya, standing there beside her friend.
"Princess, you don't have to fight." Bari said with a frustrated look toward the prince, for having spoken to Arya in such a manner.
But she simply raised her hand.
"It's alright." She responded calmly.
"Let's see if they can give me this now. Let me handle it."
She said, stepping forward, heading toward the center of the courtyard this time.
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