"Use your full strength. Let me see this most gorgeous dual-wield swordsmanship on the continent of Westeros you keep talking about!"Inside a small manor near the eastern gate of New Barrel City, Fomorti Crane drew the longsword from his waist and spoke to Lind, who stood opposite him.
Although his face was expressionless and his tone calm, anyone who knew him well could still hear a trace of dissatisfaction toward the bear hunter standing before him.
This was mainly due to Fomorti's personality. He appreciated steady, serious men—people like Lord Randyll Tarly. Lind, on the other hand, was far too flamboyant. Whether it was the spread of The Bear Hunter's Song or that earlier remark about the most gorgeous dual-wield swordsmanship in Westeros, none of it sat well with him.
That said, he was someone who clearly separated public matters from private feelings. He rarely allowed personal preferences to influence his decisions. From the moment his close friend recommended Lind to become his knight squire, he had already decided to agree. What he felt now was merely personal impulse—a desire to teach this overly arrogant bear hunter a lesson, to let him understand that before a true knight, those dual-wield techniques he picked up from who-knew-where amounted to nothing.
Lind also knew he had misspoken in front of Fomorti, but he felt no regret. Even if given another chance, he would say the same thing again—because those words were never meant for Fomorti in the first place, but for Garlan Tyrell standing nearby.
Although Garlan Tyrell had appeared calm and mature in the tavern, nothing like a child who had just entered adolescence, that composure felt more like imitation and disguise. Beneath it, he still retained the temperament and ideas of a youth—such as believing that legendary figures ought to be flamboyant. Lind's pride in his swordsmanship fit his tastes perfectly, something that had already become evident on the road back to the Tyrell encampment.
Along the way, Garlan shed his tavern composure and turned into a bundle of curiosity, peppering Lind with questions—especially about the battlefield scenes described in The Bear Hunter's Song. Lind's answers, however, were not the embellished verses of the song, but honest accounts: the actual number of enemies he killed, how he used hunting traps to slay foes, and so on.
Rather than disappointing Garlan, this candor made him admire Lind even more. This, to some extent, also influenced Fomorti's opinion—acknowledging that while Lind might be overly arrogant, he was at least an honest man.
Still, having grown up under noble tutelage and been subtly influenced by the Queen of Thorns, Garlan had learned a bit about how to manage subordinates. Slightly suppressing a subordinate's confidence could make it easier to control those with proud personalities—much like a knight breaking a fiery steed. Thus, after returning to the camp, he eagerly proposed seeing Lind's so-called most gorgeous dual-wield swordsmanship in Westeros.
However, Garlan was still only a boy newly entering adolescence. No matter how good his education, it was hard for him to hide his thoughts. When he made his request, his intentions were written plainly on his face, easily seen through by Lind and the others.
Lind did not mind Garlan's little scheme. Even if Garlan hadn't suggested it, Lind would have found another way to duel Fomorti Crane. Unlike Fomorti, who wanted to teach him a lesson and temper his arrogance, Lind hoped to use the duel to understand his own true strength.
Although he had killed many enemies before, they were not particularly strong, and he often relied on auxiliary means to defeat them. That was hardly a reliable measure of his real combat ability.
He had once thought about having a formal sword duel with Joel, but Joel refused on the grounds that winning brought no benefit while losing would be embarrassing. Now, with another swordmaster on par with Joel主动 offering to spar, it suited Lind perfectly. Even if Fomorti hadn't suggested it, he would still have gone all out.
Lind stepped forward, drawing the two broad-bladed hand-and-a-half swords from his waist. He assumed the Peacekeeper's basic stance—knees slightly bent, body lowered, eyes locked on Fomorti—looking like a ferocious beast ready to pounce at any moment.
At this instant, Lind fully immersed himself, body and mind, into the Peacekeeper's combat memories—almost completely becoming the Peacekeeper himself. His temperament changed accordingly, and the bloody, murderous aura belonging solely to the battlefield radiated from him.
The strength of this aura was so intense that even Garlan Tyrell, standing at the edge of the courtyard, felt it clearly. Startled, he instinctively took a step back. Joel, standing beside Garlan, was also affected; his expression turned serious as he stepped forward on his own, placing himself in front of Garlan, his hand unconsciously resting on his sword hilt.
Compared to Garlan and Joel, Fomorti—standing directly opposite Lind—bore the full brunt of this warrior's aura. His sensation was more than ten times stronger than anyone else's. In that moment, he completely discarded his initial mindset of disciplining Lind. Treating him as a truly formidable opponent, he tightened his grip on the sword hilt, releasing his own warrior's aura. The two forces collided, and he entered a genuine battle state.
At this point, Fomorti still didn't know how refined Lind's swordsmanship truly was, but in terms of sheer presence alone, Lind already surpassed most warriors and knights he had ever seen. Among those he knew, only seasoned veterans who had endured countless battles—such as Barristan the Bold—possessed such presence. Among the younger generation, only Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, surpassed Lind slightly. This made him curious how Lind—merely a hunter by birth, with little actual war experience—could possess such an overwhelming warrior's aura.
Both Lind and Fomorti attempted to suppress the other with their presence, hoping to force an opening. Their auras were evenly matched, producing no effect, resulting in a tense stalemate.
Although night had fallen, many Tyrell guards were still patrolling and standing watch within the camp. Their attention was drawn to the confrontation in the courtyard. Those who had already gone to sleep also heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening. Soon, more and more people gathered around the courtyard; even attic windows were opened as a few leaned out to look down.
What disappointed them was that they didn't witness an exciting duel—only their instructor, Fomorti Crane, standing motionless opposite a young man wielding twin swords. There was no apparent tension; instead, it almost looked comical.
Only a small number of guards standing close to the two combatants truly felt the two powerful auras blanketing the courtyard. They didn't know what this presence was or where it came from—only that their thoughts felt sluggish and their bodies slightly out of control.
Just as many people began to feel bored and prepared to return to their rooms, Lind and Fomorti—locked in confrontation for a long time—moved almost simultaneously.
Fomorti lunged forward, his longsword cleaving straight down at Lind. The power of the strike made it seem as though nothing could block it.
However, Lind had no intention of meeting the blow head-on. He knew his strength was his weakness, and that a one-handed parry could never stop the full force of a two-handed knight's sword. Forcing a block would only result in a shattered blade and his own death.
Thus, the moment Fomorti struck, Lind had already decided on his response. His footwork shifted swiftly; his body slid aside as if gliding on ice, narrowly evading the longsword. At the same time, his two broad blades moved in sequence, coordinating with his steps as they slashed toward Fomorti's chest and waist.
Fomorti seemed to have anticipated that his attack would miss. As Lind dodged, Fomorti also shifted his steps, twisting his body. The momentum of his sword did not diminish; under precise wrist control, the blade traced an arc through the air and re-targeted Lind's lower back, appearing to trade injury for injury.
But Lind knew clearly that given Fomorti's movement, sword length, and attack speed, his own back would be struck before his blades could reach Fomorti.
Facing this, he remained calm. His steps suddenly quickened like a galloping horse as he crashed toward Fomorti, further closing the distance. Fomorti reacted just as swiftly, pulling back to widen the gap.
And so, Lind and Fomorti moved and dodged at speeds beyond ordinary men, their weapons constantly shifting attack angles as they struck at each other's vital points. Each time, the other evaded through footwork alone. The exchange was ferocious, yet not a single blow landed.
The spectators all fell silent, watching the duel at the courtyard's center. Even the dullest observer could tell how deadly the exchange was—one moment of carelessness could mean a fatal strike. Even Garlan and Joel, who knew why the duel was happening, couldn't help but feel as though the two men before them were mortal enemies locked in a fight to the death.
Though both Lind and Fomorti moved with equal speed and agility, anyone with even basic knowledge of swordsmanship could see the difference in their footwork. Fomorti's steps followed orthodox knightly patterns—simple, direct, and highly practical. Lind's, however, resembled an exquisite, flamboyant dance. Combined with his body movement and dual-sword attacks, he looked like a master dancer, pleasing to the eye.
Only sharp-eyed experts like Joel could see how treacherous Lind's dual-wield swordsmanship truly was. Lind's blades always struck from inconceivable angles, targeting vital points in such a way that the opponent had no choice but to evade—defense was impossible.
The current rhythm of moving while attacking was actually being led by Lind, with Fomorti reacting passively. From this perspective, Lind had held the upper hand from the very beginning. If nothing unexpected happened, Fomorti was likely to lose the duel.
However, just as Joel thought Fomorti would be defeated, Lind's movement suddenly slowed slightly. Fomorti seized the opportunity instantly, his longsword slashing upward diagonally from below, forcing Lind to dodge while crossing his twin swords downward in an attempt to slow the rising blade.
Yet the power contained in Fomorti's sword was immense. It smashed Lind's crossed blades aside, though the momentum slowed enough to give Lind time to evade, the sword tip grazing past his face.
At this moment, Fomorti's movement looked exaggerated, exposing a massive opening. If Lind attacked now, he would very likely defeat him. But Lind made a move that left the onlookers utterly baffled—he retreated rapidly, widening the distance between them, his twin swords forming a defensive stance.
"No need to continue. Let's call it a draw."Fomorti took a slight breath, sheathed his longsword, then looked at Lind with clear satisfaction."From tomorrow onward, you will be my knight squire. I will properly teach you how to become a true knight."
With that, he turned and saluted Garlan, then gestured for the crowd to disperse before heading alone toward his quarters.
Fomorti held great authority here. Hearing his order, the onlookers dispersed, though their excitement from the brief yet brilliant duel had not yet faded. They gathered in small groups, discussing in hushed tones—most of all about Lind's identity.
After all, a youth who looked only fifteen or sixteen, yet possessed swordsmanship on par with a master like Fomorti Crane, was bound to provoke curiosity.
Most guessed that Lind was an illegitimate son of some great noble house. Only great nobles could afford to hire true swordmasters to teach bastards, since legitimate heirs didn't actually need exceptional swordsmanship—what they needed was noble education.
Others speculated that Lind might be from Starfall, since Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, was said to be skilled in dual-wield swordsmanship, and thus the Dayne family would naturally possess such techniques.
This guess was quickly refuted. The claim that the Sword of the Morning mastered dual-wield swordsmanship was pure rumor. From beginning to end, he only wielded the Dayne ancestral sword Dawn—a greatsword that required two hands to swing. It was precisely for this reason that the rumor of dual-wield mastery arose.
Among the many incorrect guesses, a few people arrived at the correct answer—that Lind was the Bear Hunter spoken of by minstrels. If one were to name the most famous dual-wield swordmaster in the Reach right now, it would undoubtedly be the Bear Hunter. In The Bear Hunter's Song, Lind had already been portrayed as a fearsome general who slew enemies like cutting grass.
Even so, those who guessed correctly still couldn't be completely sure. The Lind before their eyes looked far too young, and his build did not match the imposing image they imagined.
...
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(End Chapter)