The next day, Barristan found Witte.
"Were you holding back during the previous training?"
"I held back a bit, and I didn't use magic," Witte admitted honestly.
"Since you're strong enough, we can start training you in riding and jousting."
Over the next few months, Barristan began training Witte in riding and jousting. Jaime joined the sparring sessions on foot, and they incorporated various weapons: war hammers, spears, and bows. Witte also used the whip, throwing knives, and daggers he had learned in Dorne. Every time, the three of them fought with gusto, and their martial skills improved significantly.
Boros and Meryn, having been defeated, were too embarrassed to join. The other Kingsguard also had their own personalities and didn't participate.
During a break, Witte watched Jaime drinking water nearby.
One of the purposes of this trip to King's Landing was to see if I could obtain some of Jaime's blood. I wanted to test it to prove Joffrey wasn't Robert's biological son. Directly telling Robert that Joffrey wasn't his son would be met with disbelief. Hair color alone wouldn't be enough to prove it, and it would result in charges of slander and attempting to sow discord.
I had obtained some of Jaime's blood during a sparring match before. But I was disappointed; Jaime had the same blood type as Robert! I'd have to find another way.
My relationship with Jaime was actually pretty good now. He'd also become more skilled than in the original story, which was difficult to say if it was a good or bad thing.
Jaime saw Witte looking at him.
"You probably couldn't find many opponents in the entire kingdom now. If Ser Arthur Dayne were still alive, he might be able to give you a good fight. And you're only 11."
"The Sword of the Morning is indeed formidable. When he wields Dawn, I can't defeat him either," Barristan said, taking a sip of water and adding his own thoughts.
Witte wiped his sweat with a towel.
"I saw Ser Arthur when I was at Storm's End. But I was still young then, just watching him spar with others. His martial skills were indeed superb, but he always had to find a way to let Prince Rhaegar win. He was quite frustrated."
Jaime's fondness for Witte increased a bit upon hearing his idol's approval. Furthermore, both of them had been Kingsguard at the time, so they had firsthand experience of Rhaegar and Arthur's fighting skills. They chuckled, remembering that Arthur always had to lose when sparring with the prince.
However, their identities made it awkward to comment on the Targaryens.
Witte looked at them.
"It doesn't matter. They're all history now, only found in stories and books. Nothing to be concerned about.
Besides, I'm not the only one who was strong at 11. Over a hundred years ago, someone was knighted at 12 for their bravery in battle."
Neither of them had heard of anyone being knighted at 12 for their military achievements, so they asked Witte to elaborate.
"This history is from over a hundred years ago, during the rebellion of the Targaryen royal family's bastard. Therefore, many books about this period were deliberately erased. But I've read many original books recording the history of that time in the Citadel, and they corroborate each other. There was indeed such a person, Daemon Blackfyre."
"I remember now. When I was young, I saw a book about Valyrian Steel Swords at home, and this name was mentioned in the chapter on Blackfyre. It only said that he took the sword to the Eastern Continent, with nothing else about his life," Jaime added.
Witte continued, talking about Daemon Blackfyre, a valiant warrior knighted at the age of twelve. He wielded Blackfyre and was hailed as a warrior incarnate, the idol of every young man in the Seven Kingdoms who trained with weapons. Yet, he launched a rebellion and was killed on the battlefield by arrows from his half-brother, Bloodraven. This led to decades of warfare, a fact that left both men sighing.
Witte's retelling of Blackfyre's story was meant to warn Jaime about the disasters that could befall the royal succession due to illegitimate children. He didn't know if Jaime had taken the warning to heart.
One day in 289 AC, Witte was practicing riding in the training yard when the Red Keep's horns blew, signaling an urgent summons from the King for his council.
Such summons were rare. For less important matters, only the Small Council would be called. Summoning all the officials, nobles, and dignitaries of King's Landing meant something serious had happened.
Robert was already waiting on the Iron Throne in the Red Keep's Great Hall. The members of the Small Council were present, and more people were still entering. No one spoke, simply taking their places on either side of the hall according to their rank. As the Lord of Hornwood, Witte was also able to attend and found a spot to stand.
Once most people had arrived, the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, produced a letter and read it aloud in a formal tone.
"Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands has declared independence from the Seven Kingdoms, proclaiming himself King. This message is sent to all of the Seven Kingdoms. He proclaims himself: King of the Iron Islands."
The entire hall erupted in a cacophony of shocked murmurs.
"Silence!" roared Hand of the King Jon.
"Your Grace, this is a vile rebellion. We must immediately call upon our bannermen to raise their armies and march against them."
The various lords and advisors then began to offer their counsel, laying out their strategies. Since the Iron Islands were the source of the trouble, the Royal Fleet would be the primary force, and this matter concerned all the bannermen west of the continent.
The main forces were: Stannis's Royal Fleet, the fleet from the Lannister port in the Westerlands, and the fleets of the Hightower from the Reach and Arbor.
The land forces: the Westerlands and the Reach were too far away and would only be responsible for defending their own coasts. The North and the Riverlands, lacking sufficient ships, would defend their coasts while also providing landing forces to accompany the fleets.
Witte, seeing that the matter was mostly settled, found an opening and walked to the center of the hall.
"My Lord Hand," he asked, "After we are victorious, how will the Greyjoy family, who have committed treason, be dealt with?"
Everyone was surprised. Witte, who had been absent-minded at every meeting for over a year, spoke up today for the first time, directly offering an opinion to the Hand of the King. Robert was also astonished.
Jon said, "According to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, treason should be punishable by beheading."
Robert, after winning a battle, always wanted to drink with others, becoming their sworn brother, and hoping they would pledge allegiance to him. But these were pirates; they didn't farm, they only plundered. If they didn't plunder for a few years, they'd be broke. His usual tactics simply wouldn't work.
Moreover, his rule was unstable. There were still many who favored the Targaryens, they just lacked an excuse to act. If the Greyjoy family had attacked Robert while he was at war, it would have been considered loyalty to the Targaryens, and there would be a case to be made regardless of the outcome. But now, they had sworn allegiance to Robert years ago. To rebel again, they'd have no justification.
Furthermore, if the ringleaders of this rebellion were let off the hook, the current vassals would be unhappy, and those who favored the Targaryens wouldn't fear losing their heads, and they'd start making moves.
Witte looked at Robert.
"The Greyjoy family initiated this rebellion, and their house words are: We Do Not Sow. This clearly lags behind the times. They don't farm! This mindset only brings endless plundering to coastal cities. A pirate leader is no longer fit to rule the Iron Islands."
The nobles along the western coast of the continent began to speak in agreement. They were often harassed by Iron Islands pirates, especially the Riverlands, which had been conquered by pirates. They all began to express their indignation.
Witte continued, "We should respect the customs of the Iron Islands. Their current king was chosen through a kingsmoot. After our victory, we should also comply with the will of the Ironborn and convene a kingsmoot to end the pirate rule."
He turned to look at Stannis.
"Does the Master of Ships believe the Ironborn are skilled sailors?"
"Yes."
"The King also has a duty to ensure the Ironborn live happy lives. It is very suitable to have the Ironborn serve in the navy."
Witte finished speaking and returned to the crowd; his objective was achieved. Now, the privy council ministers were discussing follow-up issues with Robert. Ultimately, it was decided that Balon and some of the key leaders must be beheaded, and the major participants must be sent to the Night's Watch.
Over the next three weeks, the armies of the various vassals across Westeros gradually shifted westward. Stannis and the Royal Fleet sailed to Arbor and joined forces with the Reach's fleet.
Meanwhile, Robert received a letter from Tywin: Lannisport had been attacked by the Iron Islands, and the fleet was almost entirely burned. Upon hearing that his father-in-law's fleet had been ambushed, Robert decided to personally lead the campaign. He led the Kingsguard, 1,500 gold cloaks from King's Landing, and 4,000 troops from the Crownlands westward to Lannisport. Along the way, other nobles gradually joined them with their armies.
Witte and Renly were also in the group. Storm's End was too far, so Renly only brought 500 Stormlands cavalry to travel quickly. They were led by Ser Selwyn Tarth of Evenfall Hall, with the primary mission of rapid maneuverability on land to intercept and kill the small Iron Islands forces that landed or were escaping ashore. Renly's primary mission was to stay by Robert's side and provide protection.
After Renly acquired some wealth, he had a suit of armor custom-made and rode his horse to catch up to Witte to show it off.
"A mage should wear heavy armor because magic always runs out."
Witte cautioned Renly, but Renly looked at Witte's everyday clothes and asked,
"Then why don't you wear armor?"
"I have more than ten times your magic," Witte replied, the sentence leaving Renly speechless.
"Where did you buy your longsword?" Renly asked, noticing the weapon hanging on Witte's saddle. He had never carried a weapon before.
"I had it made by a blacksmith in King's Landing. It's made with the same materials and craftsmanship as the Kingsguard's swords, just a bit shorter."
Witte knew this was Renly's first time on a battlefield. On land, with the strength of a Renly the sorcerer, there was nothing to worry about, but this time it was a naval battle, so he couldn't help but remind him:
"Do you remember when we practiced ice magic at Storm's End?"
"I remember. Take off your armor quickly after falling into the water, and then freeze the seawater into ice so you can climb onto the ice to rest." It seemed he hadn't forgotten.
Witte saw Loras Tyrell again. This kid was not yet 10 years old. Like other knight's squires of his age, he should have been following the rear of the troops to do logistics work. But as Renly's squire, he would definitely be by Renly's side. He also exhorted him:
"You're not wearing armor, and your clothes are too conspicuous. Watch out for arrows. Find a shield after you get on the ship."
"Thank you, I'll be careful." The Tyrell family was rich. Loras, as a knight's squire, was also dressed in fine clothes. Because he was a great noble, even if he was doing logistics, he would command others to do it.
....
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