Lord Selwyn Tarth was leaning over the railing, watching the tiltyard with a sheen of sweat on his brow. Mother was quick on the uptake and distracted my sisters with promises of sweets and gossip.
On the field, Ser Arthur Dayne was giving a lap around the lane to the cheers of the crowd.
The white cloak of the Kingsguard fit him to perfection, streaming behind him like a superhero cape as he rode. His handsome face could've been chiseled from stone, all sharp planes and a strong jaw.
The Sword of the Morning certainly looked impressive.
Turning to me with a sharp nod, Lord Tarth swiftly pulled me to the side. He pointed at Ser Arthur. "You understand that is the man you must unhorse in two days, don't you?" he whispered.
I groaned. We'd had this conversation before, many times back home in Tarth and at least nightly on the road to Lannisport.
Mind you, the joust had been our compromise. Lord Selwyn had been inflexible when it came to the melee.
Despite seeing me demolish the best knights in the island and even handedly defeat himself and the master-at-arms of Evenfall Hall with sword in hand, Father still didn't believe I was ready for a real, chaotic melee.
I couldn't blame him. Not truly.
I was only fifteen, and he couldn't know there were very few men in the world who could defeat me in a conflict of arms. He likely thought I was just a normal prodigy in the making. Good enough to try my hand at the joust and risk a bruised chest and a hurt ego, but too green for the melee where I could take a warhammer to the back of the nogging and he'd suddenly find himself without a male heir.
"One of them, yes," I said. "I intend to win it all, father, not fall in the semi-finals. He's just the first on the list."
He watched my eyes as I spoke, as if wanting to catch me on an empty boast. He seemed to like what he saw and nodded. "I would ask if you were sure about this once more but…" he trailed off.
But he knew what my answer would be.
Switching gears, I put both hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer. "What about the meeting, Father? Did you get it?"
A sour expression spread across Lord Selwyn's face. He slipped away from my hands and sat back on his chair with a heavy sigh.
"I did, Galladon," he said, seeming suddenly tired. "It wasn't easy to sell the idea to our lord, as I expected. Should you fail, he will look like a fool right beside me. I used more favors than I thought I had with him."
"Lord Baratheon knows I'm the mystery knight, then?"
He kept silent for a moment.
"Have you heard what the commons are calling you because of that blue ribbon of yours?" Lord Selwyn turned away from me to look out across the tiltyard. "The Sapphire Knight."
From where I stood, I could see how the corner of his lips curled minutely before he got control of himself.
"I did teach you Tarth has no precious stones and is only called the Sapphire Isle for the color of our waters, no?"
I nodded. "You did."
After a second, he glanced back up at me, face a mask. "Yes, I told him about you, and Steffon came to me during the noon break. Your performance out there—the way you rode like you were born for the saddle—is the only reason he agreed to go through with this. And after seeing you against that Lannister, well…"
His worried expression slowly turned into a confident smile. Pride radiated near blindingly from him. "Screw it, as you're fond of saying. I would give you fair odds, my son."
Something heavy settled on my throat. I suddenly had the urge to blink. "I won't disappoint you, father," I told him. "You know I won't. Have my ideas not helped our House before?"
Lord Selwyn let out a quick laugh. "They are the only reason I even contemplated this mad plan of yours, boy."
Three quick trumpet blasts sounded, and the announcer by the royal stands started shouting out the names of the knights that would be coming out. We were seated too far away to make out any of it, but my father seemed to know exactly who was still to go.
"Now, forget about this for a while and come sit by your old man." Father motioned to the chair on his other side. "You missed Ser Barristan unhorsing the Mallister knight after you left the field."
"That means…" I started.
"Yes," he said. "The Prince of Dragonstone is to ride next."