In the known world of Game of Thrones, there were three main continents: Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos. Human activity was mostly concentrated on Westeros and Essos.
Sothoryos lay far to the south of Essos, at the edge of the Summer Sea. It was said to be a paradise of plagues and savage beasts. Aside from the northernmost coastal regions, it remained largely unexplored by humans.
So when Onyxia said she had flown to Essos, Leo wasn't surprised.
He was just curious what "some things to take care of" actually meant to her.
Before he could ask, Onyxia ended the call.
At least their relationship had thawed a bit. Leo felt pretty good about that, and he was already looking forward to meeting her in Essos soon.
...
The next day was another full court session.
The tourney had gone on for several days, and a backlog of official business had piled up. Early in the morning, all the lords and ladies of King's Landing gathered in the throne room of the Red Keep for the Great Council.
Robert, unusually punctual, was already seated on the Iron Throne, forged from thousands of swords.
His Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, stood on the raised platform beside him, calmly handling one matter after another that needed to be addressed in open court.
When a noble or petitioner brought up an issue, Jon would propose a solution, and Robert would give a symbolic nod of approval. Everything ran smoothly and naturally.
Leo stood among the crowd in his ornate Seventh Legion plate armor, quietly watching the Hand manage the realm's affairs.
After a while, Jon finally finished the last item of business and turned to Robert.
"Finally done. Felt like ten years passed," Robert muttered as he stood up. He stepped to the edge of the dais, his face lighting up with excitement. "Neo Presto! Step forward!"
Hearing his name, Leo felt a surge of excitement but kept his face serious and composed. He walked out of the crowd and stopped at the base of the steps.
Robert's gaze swept slowly over everyone present. His powerful voice echoed through the throne room:
"My lords! In the tourney that just concluded, Neo Presto has proven both his martial prowess and his loyalty to the crown!
"Especially during the group melee—when I was wounded, he stood in front of me and refused to fall even while surrounded by multiple attackers. His actions were a perfect example of true knightly honor!
"Therefore, I declare…"
"Right here, today, I—Robert Baratheon the First, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm—hereby knight Ser Neo Presto!"
"Now… does anyone wish to object?"
Robert's sharp eyes scanned the room once more, finally landing on Lord Gyles Rosby.
The old man who was always coughing was strangely quiet today. His face looked pale and strained—he was clearly fighting hard to hold back another coughing fit.
Seeing that Gyles wasn't causing trouble and looked thoroughly uncomfortable, Robert was very satisfied.
No one else was going to speak up against it either.
Leo's outstanding performance in the tourney had convinced almost everyone that he had more than earned knighthood through pure skill alone.
Besides, in Westeros any knight had the right to dub another. It wasn't that big a deal.
But when the knight doing the dubbing was the King himself, and it happened during a formal Great Council, the honor was enormous.
Neo's name would now spread across the entire Seven Kingdoms.
Robert descended the steps and stopped in front of Leo.
"Neo, you may kneel."
Robert drew the sword at his waist.
Leo knelt on one knee without hesitation.
While "a man's knees are worth gold," this was one of those times where it was appropriate. He had come to the world of Game of Thrones—he would follow their customs. Kneeling to Robert didn't feel humiliating at all.
Seeing Leo kneeling sincerely before him, Robert lightly tapped Leo's left shoulder with the tip of his sword.
"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
The sword tip moved to Leo's right shoulder.
"In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
Then the blade rested on top of Leo's head.
"In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the weak and the innocent."
When it was done, Robert sheathed his sword and smiled broadly.
"Rise, Ser Neo Presto! You are now a knight!"
"Thank you, Your Grace!" Leo said with genuine excitement as he slowly stood up.
Finally!
Through his own efforts, Leo had become a legitimate knight of Westeros. His status would now be protected under the laws of the Seven Kingdoms. He was no longer just an outsider.
"Don't thank me. You earned this," Robert chuckled.
The moment the knighting ceremony ended, someone started clapping. Soon the entire hall joined in.
"Ser Neo Presto! Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!"
"Congratulations, Ser Neo!"
"Congratulations…"
Those who knew Leo came forward one after another to offer their congratulations. Leo smiled and thanked each of them.
"Now that the real business is done, everyone is dismissed!" Robert announced with a wave of his hand. Then he beckoned to Leo. "Neo, come with me."
Not sure what Robert wanted, but Leo also needed to speak with him about his plans to travel to Essos, so he followed.
He noticed that both Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, and Varys, the Master of Whisperers, were coming along as well.
They soon arrived in the Small Council chamber. Robert sat down, and Leo respectfully remained standing to the side.
"Sit. This isn't a formal Small Council meeting. No need to stand on ceremony," Robert said, pointing to a chair.
Then he nodded at Varys.
Varys spoke up: "The matter is this—I have identified the man who tried to poison you…"
They found him already?
That fast?
As expected from the Spider.
Leo was genuinely surprised by how quickly Varys had gotten results.
Varys reported that the culprit was a minor noble from the Crownlands with very small holdings northeast of King's Landing. The man had taken on massive loans from moneylenders because he planned to make a fortune betting on the tourney's side wagers.
When he saw Leo's dominant performance in the group melee, he panicked that Leo would win the championship and ruin him financially. That was when he resorted to such underhanded methods.
After delivering the report, Varys fell silent.
Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, then spoke.
"I have been fully briefed on what happened. I know you are a reasonable man. Even after suffering such an unfair attack, you still chose to protect the honor of the King and the realm. That is commendable."
Jon first praised Leo, then continued, "Therefore… after discussion, we have decided to end the investigation here. We will not punish this man publicly. We don't want anyone with ill intentions using this incident to attack the crown or other lords of the Crownlands… Do you understand?"
"Of course, that doesn't mean he won't be punished. Once the uproar dies down, we will deal with him under a different charge.
"You can rest assured—we will see that justice is done for you in the end."