Chapter 31 — "Their Turn"
The road to the tourney grounds was good.
Three days south of the Crossroads and the Riverlands had given way to the first real hints of the Reach — the air warmer, the trees fuller, the sky doing something more generous with its light than anything Alaric had grown up under.
Ser Damon a knight of Reach, rode up alongside him on the second morning.
"You're not entering yourself this time, Commander" he said.
"No."
"The melee or the joust."
"Neither."
Damon looked at the road. "Can I ask why."
" I mean you not entering a fight, it's seems strange. I only know you from last year but I know it enough to say it's not a typical you decision.The melee is yours every time you enter it," Damon said. "Everyone knows that. That's why they invite you more and more . People love it and warrior wants to broke you to gain fame." He paused. " I get the joust . Vice Commander Harys makes fun of you every time you participate even if you win. But Melee?."
Alacric glares at him for the last comment.
"It's yours turn, You all need to get your own reputation ." Alaric said.
"So you're giving it to your men."
Damon absorbed that.
"Aye, it would improve the reputation of the group and money Lords give us to do thier work. It's a profitable thing atleast that's what Harys and Lord Edwyn advised to me . " Alacric sighs while saying it.
Ser Damon laughed" So that's why Vice Commander is maintaining a distance from you. He fears you would hit him if he is too close to you. He dares keep you from fighting in the Melee."
"I'm entering the joust," he said.
"I know."
"Edwyn's entering the melee."
"I know that too, I am going to stand at the rails and watch and bet so don't make me lose gold. Eh."
Damon looked at him sideways. "You know that's going to drive you insane to be there and not fight. Afterall we met like this, you defeating me in the Melee, so it's kinda ironic."
"Probably," Alaric said.
Damon almost smiled and fell back into the column.
Harys with some daring pulled up alongside a moment later.
"He's right you know," Harys said.
"About what."
"It's going to drive you insane."
"And whose fault is that Harys."
"Just saying."
"I know what you're saying too clearly, you cunt."
He fell back knowing being too close would be very painful for him
Alaric rode alone at the front of the column and said nothing for the next hour which was its own answer to both of them.
The tourney grounds were at a minor Reach lord's keep — House Orme, small and well-maintained, the kind of house that survived generations by being useful to larger ones without threatening them. The grounds were good. The prize money was real.
The company made camp outside the walls the evening before.
Over supper Edwyn was quiet.
Ser Damon sat beside him.
"First big melee south of the Vale?" he said.
"Aye, somewhat. First ever without Commander participating " Edwyn said.
"The crowd will have no idea who you are," Damon said. "I will give a advice . Commander is doing for increasing the reputation of the group. So make a impression quick. They'll decide quickly and whatever they decide will be wrong. Ignore them. Fight the men in front of you. The crowd is noise. So make then remember you and fear you."
Edwyn looked at him. Nodded.
"Why commander is not participating himself. Him participating in Melee will make people crazy and increase the reputation."
Ser Damon" Aye, but people already knows Commander capabilities that's why we are invited in these tourney because of his reputation. But we need to make ours, that will make our group name sours and our pockets rich and Commanders pocket pockets filled with gold that he will spend on whores and women." He said while grinning.
Edwyn smiled and laughed" He ain't that bad. Just a bit of clumsy Playboy."
Ser Damon laughed" You kid me boy, He spend our salarys on a noble lady just to sleep with her. Her husband was quite angry on the Commander. And that happened to be Lannisters. Close Cousin to the Lord Tywin. He took it personally you know, his pride and all."
Edwyn got serious and remembered that time " Aye, Thanks to Lord Jon Arryn, really saved our arses negotiating that."
---
Alaric watched from across the stands
The melee started at midmorning.
Thirty-eight men. Reach knights mostly — polished, experienced, the specific confidence of fighters on familiar ground.
Alaric stood at the rails with his arms folded.
Damon had been right. It was already driving him insane.
Edwyn entered in the second wave — the experienced fighter's choice, letting the first collision sort out the reckless. Smart. Alaric hadn't taught him that. He'd worked it out himself.
His first opponent was a Reach knight twice his age with a tell — weight shifting left before every right-hand strike. Edwyn saw it on the second test. The third time the weight shifted Edwyn was already moving.
The knight went down.
The crowd updated its assessment audibly.
Alaric unfolded his arms. Folded them again.
Edwyn kept moving — efficient, adaptive, the specific competence of a man tested in conditions that made tournament ground feel manageable. By the time twenty men remained he was one of them. By the time ten remained the crowd had stopped watching the local favourites.
He came second.
A veteran Reach knight with twenty years of tournament experience took him in a long grinding final exchange that Edwyn lost by inches.
He walked off with blood on his lip.
Alaric met him at the rail but mixture of disappointment and proud . Proud that he did good but disappointed that he lacked stamina to finished this
"I saw the tell on the veteran," Edwyn said. "In the final. I was too tired to use it."
"Then you'll be less tired next time, you will need to improve your stamina. You will have to train under new regime, you could have done this , you will have hell to face after this, i will make sure you won't lose stamina next time " Alaric said.
Edwyn just nodded and accepted his fate.
The joust started next day in the afternoon.
Damon entered the lists and the Reach crowd responded warmly — the approval of people watching someone do something correctly. He took his first opponent. His second. His third.
Harys appeared at Alaric's shoulder.
"He's good," Harys said.
"Aye, graceful or what not. Really charms up the audience ."
"Better than you."
"At jousting specifically."
"At jousting specifically," Harys agreed.
Damon goes against a Tyrell household knight. Three passes. First even.
Second Damon took a hit but stayed on.
Alacric is drinking and enjoying his time "Damon get that fool" he shouted in the drunken spur.
One of the minor Lords Attending the event scoffed at that." What are you saying Snow, The knight is at service of Tyrells trained well and winner of many Tourneys held in reach. Your knight is good I won't lie but he won't be able to take the Tyrell knight out."
Alacric and rest of the nobles got excited.
Alacric" What are you saying, Haven't you seen his performance before this match. He will set his Tyrell arse on the ground." He said while holding his cup in the air .
Rest of the nobles laughed and one of them said "Start the betting then." All of them drunk.
Alacric in his drunken arse started the bet and put the gold " 100 gold on my men ."
"What are you , I thought you are rich Mercenary Commander , last time Hightowers and Tyrells paid you good. Bet some more Snow."
Alacric laughed"300 gold and start betting yourself, you drunk fools."
And the Tourney continues with Gold and drinks
---
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