Over the remaining four days of the tourney, the champions for the Grand Melee and the archery competition were decided.
King Robert personally entered the Grand Melee, and naturally, he emerged as the final victor.
As for the archery competition, the champion hailed from Dorne—a bowman named Anguy.
After the seven-day tournament concluded, the lords and ladies began their slow return to their respective fiefs.
Lancelot's accumulation of Popularity Points hit a slump, trickling in at only one or two points a day. He realized he had to do something; otherwise, he wouldn't have enough points to spend!
So, Lancelot went to the Tower of the Hand to see Jon Arryn.
"Lancelot, what brings you here?" In his solar, Jon Arryn set down his quill.
"I'd like to ask for your approval on two plots of land, Lord Hand, if that's possible," Lancelot said.
"Two plots of land? What do you intend to use them for?" Jon was quite curious.
"To build a kindergarten and a nursing home. I want to take in the orphans and the elderly of King's Landing who have nowhere else to go."
Jon Arryn looked at Lancelot. The boy didn't seem to be joking, but Jon was still puzzled as to why he would want to do such a thing.
"That will cost a tremendous amount of gold and grain! I can approve the land, but you must know—many of the street urchins in King's Landing are Lord Varys's 'little birds.' He might obstruct you from building any sort of kindergarten," Jon Arryn warned.
"Don't worry, I'll convince Lord Varys!" Lancelot said, thumping his chest confidently.
"Very well. Once you find a suitable location, come back to me, and I will process the official paperwork," Jon Arryn said.
"Thank you, Lord Hand!"
Lancelot left the Tower of the Hand and went immediately to find Varys.
Varys was a eunuch—everyone knew that. He hailed from the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea and wasn't a native of Westeros.
Yet, relying solely on his own capabilities, he had climbed his way up to the Small Council as the Master of Whisperers.
Like Grand Maester Pycelle, Varys was one of the few who had survived the change of dynasties while keeping his high office.
"I am truly flattered that our little knight has come to visit a eunuch like me! Ser Lancelot!"
The moment Varys saw Lancelot, he humbled himself, referring to himself merely as a eunuch.
"Lord Varys, I am just a knight, but you are a Count," Lancelot replied.
"You actually acknowledge that I am a Count? I fear even Lord Renly forgets that I hold such a title." Varys looked at Lancelot with curiosity.
Although he held the intelligence of the entire city in his web, information took time to travel. Lancelot had come straight from the Tower of the Hand to Varys's manse, so Varys hadn't yet learned what Lancelot had discussed with Jon Arryn.
"I have come regarding a matter of public welfare, and I hope Lord Varys can offer his assistance."
Lancelot explained his idea of establishing an orphanage and a home for the elderly.
Varys listened, fell silent for a moment, and then asked, "These are vulnerable groups. If you gather them in large numbers in one place, how will you guarantee their safety?"
"I'll spend money to hire gatekeepers and security guards!"
"And the money? Who provides it? I hardly believe the Hand of the King would say, 'Let Baelish rub two Gold Dragons together to make three, and give the extra one to you,'" Varys quipped.
"The money comes from me. From my personal funds, not House Lannister's," Lancelot stated. He knew that in the memories of the smallfolk, Tywin Lannister was the man who had sacked the city.
Their attitude toward Lannisters was hostile. However, Lancelot was born in a local King's Landing brothel, not Casterly Rock.
Therefore, his identity allowed the elderly of King's Landing to accept his goodwill—and the children, even more so.
"It seems you are indeed mature for your age, Ser Lancelot. Are you building your own power base?" Varys surmised that Lancelot was cultivating his own faction.
In Varys's view, since Lancelot wasn't raised at Casterly Rock, even if he were to inherit it one day, he would struggle with a lack of loyal subordinates.
But if he could raise a group of children who grew up alongside him, he would eventually have a corps of loyal soldiers dedicated solely to him.
"All the children in King's Landing are your 'little birds.' If I build an orphanage, I will be infringing on your interests. Would you be willing to cede a portion of those interests, Lord Varys?" Lancelot asked directly.
"Very well. For the sake of the innocent children of King's Landing, I am willing to let my little birds join your orphanage. But be warned—you will also be watched by them!" Varys made his terms very clear.
Lancelot didn't care. Let them spy. The more people watching him, the more Popularity Points he earned. If someone wanted to distribute free propaganda for him in the shadows, all the better!
With Varys's hurdle cleared, Lancelot returned to the Red Keep.
He checked his current funds.
30,000 Gold Dragons. 10,000 Silver Stags.
The gold came from the 10,000 prize for the tourney, the 10,000 Tywin had given him from the bet, and the rest from the lucky draw.
"This money is enough for the short term! After all, the commoners usually trade in coppers; they rarely use gold or silver. If I break this money down into coppers, it can cover the expenses of the orphanage and nursing home for at least a year."
Next, Lancelot took a few Lannister soldiers and scouted two vacant plots of land outside the city walls—uninhabited areas with no wild beasts nearby.
Once the locations were selected, Lancelot began hiring workers in King's Landing to build the facilities, simultaneously spreading the word that he would be taking in homeless children and the elderly.
King's Landing had a population exceeding half a million. In places like Flea Bottom, countless people were barely scraping by.
Many had come from other regions hoping to find good work in the capital, but the reality was harsh. Too many people flocked to the city. They ran out of money, fell into debt, and spent their lives working it off. By the time the debt was paid, they were old and unable to work.
Brothels were King's Landing's biggest industry. Baelish controlled the majority of them. Many prostitutes bore the children of their customers; some gave the babies away, some killed them at birth, and others, unable to bring themselves to kill them, let the children roam the streets.
Walking down the streets of King's Landing, thieving children were a common sight. People had grown used to it.
Because he was managing the construction of the orphanage and nursing home, Lancelot was constantly running back and forth between the city and the outskirts. He was exhausted, and by dinner time, he ate voraciously.
Even Robert looked at him and wondered, What's wrong with the boy?
At another royal dinner, Lancelot had already polished off three pig trotters. He reached for a fourth.
"Lancelot! I hear your orphanage and nursing home are nearly finished?" Jon Arryn asked from across the table.
Lancelot nodded, not speaking, and continued to gnaw on the trotter.
"I've also heard rumors that crime in King's Landing has dropped significantly. People say it's because you established these homes outside the city, is that true?" Stannis asked.
As a rigid man of justice, Stannis had once proposed banning all brothels to improve public order, though the other ministers had unanimously shot down the idea.
"Lancelot, why do you bother with such thankless tasks? Since you are now a knight, you should be honing your martial skills and sharpening your sword. Wait for war, then fight for your King and the Realm," Renly remarked.
Gulp! Lancelot downed a large cup of water, washing down the meat in his mouth. He wiped the grease from his lips.
"I am a knight blessed by the Seven, and a knight anointed by the King. The oracles of the Seven and the commands of the King charge me to protect all women, the elderly, and children."
"Women can be protected by the Septas, but the children and the old often receive no care at all. That is why I want to protect them. At the very least, I can give them a roof over their heads to shelter them from the wind and rain," Lancelot said.
Seeing Lancelot speak with such righteousness, the others felt awkward raising any further objections.
At that moment, King Robert spoke up.
"Have you named the orphanage and the nursing home yet? Do you need me to name them for you? I am the King, after all."
"Your Grace, I have already thought of the names. They shall be called: The North Sea Kindergarten and The South Mountain Nursing Home."
Lancelot announced the names proudly.