On the plain outside the Gates of the Moon, the air seemed to freeze into a solid stillness in that single instant.
Even the wind died away, leaving only the heavy, ragged breathing of the crowd.
Morton, covered head to toe in dirt and mud, was about to make one last desperate move, but the agile Galon lightly rested the edge of his blade against Morton's shoulder.
"You have lost, Ser Morton!"
Morton stared in sheer disbelief, but feeling the icy chill resting on his shoulder, he could only give a bitter smile and shake his head.
"Lord Glover... you... you have won!"
He admitted defeat with a deep sense of relief.
There was no bitterness or resentment of failure in his eyes, only profound reverence and respect for a truly powerful warrior.
Galon smiled faintly, sliding his greatsword back into the scabbard at his waist.
His gaze swept past the assembled soldiers of the Vale and settled on Lord Royce standing in the distance.
At that moment, Lord Royce displayed a shock that he could not possibly conceal.
He had imagined countless outcomes, even thinking that Galon might manage a narrow, pyrrhic victory through sheer combat technique.
But never had he envisioned such an absolute, devastating triumph!
'Even if Arthur Dayne were brought back to life, I fear he would struggle to stand against Glover!' He thought secretly to himself.
Seated in her chair, Catelyn gazed at the tall, straight figure bathed in the golden sunlight. Her eyes shone with deep comfort and pride.
'Ned... you did not judge this man wrong. He is indeed the most fitting husband for Sansa!'
In the middle of the crowd, the young Robert sat motionless in Maester Colemon's arms.
He stared at the man who had effortlessly struck down all those overbearing, untouchable knights.
In his wide, terror-stricken eyes, a spark of pure admiration flared for the very first time.
Standing right behind Colemon, Mya stared with intense emotion at the tall figure in the middle of the field.
She had seen countless brave knights and listened to endless tales of legendary heroes...
But not a single person had ever been like Galon before her, defeating seven valiant knights of the Vale all on his own with such supreme ease.
Her heart felt as if it were gripped tightly by an invisible hand, beating with violent force.
A feeling she had never experienced before, a mixture of awe and romantic adoration, began to sprout wildly within her mind.
Finally, Lord Royce snapped back from his shock. He walked briskly to the center of the field and held Galon's arm high in the air.
"The Trial of Seven!" Lord Royce roared with every ounce of strength in his chest.
His voice echoed across the valley plains like a sudden crack of thunder.
"The victor, the King-Protector—Galon Glover!"
He turned to face all the knights and lords of the Vale, declaring in an indisputable, authoritative tone:
"By the divine judgment of the Seven, from this moment until the conclusion of the war, full command of all forces of the Vale shall be entrusted to Lord Galon Glover!
Anyone who disobeys his orders shall be deemed to have cast aside their honor and declared themselves an enemy of the Seven!"
In an instant, thunderous cheers erupted across the plain outside the Gates of the Moon, reverberating through the entire Vale of Arryn.
"King-Protector—Galon!"
"King-Protector—Galon!"
"King-Protector—Galon!!"
Amidst the roaring applause, Lord Royce lowered Galon's arm.
He cast a worried glance toward his unconscious eldest son, then gestured to the surrounding servants.
"Carry them all back into the keep. Have the maester examine them shortly!"
The servants acted on his command at once, bringing stretchers to carry the injured and unconscious knights back toward the Gates of the Moon.
"Lord Royce, rest assured," Galon said, offering a few words of comfort to Lord Royce.
"I controlled my strikes carefully. Aside from Ser Harlan, the others suffered mostly superficial injuries."
Yet these words served only to reinforce Lord Royce's realization of Galon's terrifying strength.
Feeling how absurd reality could be, Lord Royce could only shake his head to suppress the speechlessness rising within his heart.
He then led Galon toward the other high lords of the Vale.
As the two approached, Lady Waynwood examined Galon attentively, a flash of regret crossing her eyes.
"What a pity that Lord Glover is already betrothed. Otherwise, I would truly wish to marry my granddaughter to him!
Lady Catelyn, you have a fine son-in-law who is destined to enter the history books."
Catelyn offered a pleasant, graceful smile and replied politely.
"Galon can still be somewhat brash at times. Your granddaughter will surely find someone even more suitable."
Having said that, her gaze settled on Galon, and noticing his left arm still seeping blood, she asked with concern, "Galon, is your arm alright?"
Galon glanced at his arm and smiled.
"It is nothing. The cut is somewhat deep, but it did not hit the bone. It will heal fine after a short rest."
Catelyn breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and turned to Colemon, who was holding Robert.
"Maester, please treat Galon's wounds."
Colemon nodded, put Robert down, and stepped forward to inspect Galon's injury closely.
"Lord Glover, I will use bandages to stop the bleeding first. Once we return inside the keep, I will apply medicine for you."
Just as Galon nodded, Mya rushed out from behind.
"Maester, I know how to wrap wounds too. Let me apply the medicine for Lord Glover!
You should look after the others; their injuries are much more severe!"
Colemon glanced at Harlan, who was still wailing in the distance, and realized after a quick thought that she was right.
"Very well! I will help stop the bleeding first, and Mya can apply the salve for you later."
After a quick procedure, Galon's arm was bound in several layers of clean bandages, halting the flow of blood immediately.
"Mya, take Galon back. I will head over as soon as I finish treating the rest."
Mya accepted enthusiastically.
Without any hesitation or shyness, she took Galon by the arm to lead him back toward the Gates of the Moon.
Galon stumbled slightly, nodded to the gathered lords, and turned to follow Mya's lead.
Lord Royce watched the scene with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
'With Glover here... perhaps Mya really could...'
However, he quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind, turned to face the crowd, and declared in a loud voice:
"Tonight! We shall hold a grand feast to celebrate our new alliance and our upcoming victory!"
Once again, mountain-shaking cheers erupted.
"Victory!"
"Victory!!"
Accompanied by the echoing shouts of victory, Mya led Galon back inside the Gates of the Moon and straight to her personal quarters.
"Sit here and wait for me a moment. I will go fetch some warm water."
Before Galon could reply, Mya hurriedly ran back out, leaving Galon standing alone in the center of the room.
Galon chuckled softly, his eyes scanning Mya's chamber.
The room was plain and functional, containing little besides a bed, a dressing table, a wardrobe, and a few sparse decorations.
It is actually quite similar to Arya's room, Galon thought as his eyes flickered.
Not many feminine trinkets, but a fair collection of light armor pieces and steel swords instead.
He gained a deeper understanding of Mya's character.
Just then, Mya returned to the room carrying a basin of warm water.
"I told you to sit down, why are you still standing? Quick, take off your leather armor!"
Mya set the basin on the dressing table and pressed Galon down into the chair in front of it.
Once Galon shed his leather armor, she skillfully picked up a pair of shears and cut open the sleeve of his blood-stained undershirt.
"Raise your arm a little bit. It might hurt, so try to bear with it..."
Galon complied easily, placing his blood-stained left arm before her, and offered a gentle smile.
"It is merely a scratch, nothing to worry about."
"Nonsense! Any deeper and it would have cut straight to the bone!" Mya shot him a reproachful glare.
The casual, natural charm she displayed added a distinct, captivating allure to her heroic features.
"I am speaking the truth!" Galon explained as he watched Mya use a clean piece of linen to wash and wrap his wound.
"When I was at Deepwood Motte, I often sparred with my men, and they made mistakes too.
Back then, the injuries were far worse than this."
Upon hearing this, Mya's interest was instantly piqued.
"You used real weapons during training at Deepwood Motte?
What if an accident happened?
Oh, right, seeing how effortlessly you fought today, what is the maximum number of opponents you can defeat at once?"
A rapid stream of questions poured continuously from Mya's lips.
Galon waited until she finished applying the medicinal salve before speaking in an unhurried tone.
"I can take on ten!"
"Ten knights?"
Astonishment flashed through Mya's blue eyes, but she quickly began asking with great excitement about his training secrets.
Galon did not bother hiding anything.
Having nothing pressing to do at the moment, he was quite content to chat with Mya to pass the time.
For a while, a warm and pleasant atmosphere filled the room.
Before they knew it, a servant arrived to inform Galon that the evening feast was about to begin, forcing the two to bring their conversation to an end with a sense of lingering enthusiasm.
Mya watched Galon leave, a look of longing and an indefinable affection flashing through her eyes.
'Lord Glover... how wonderful it would be if I were his betrothed!' She thought to herself as her hands gently caressed the leather armor Galon had left behind.
A moment later, Mya's face flushed slightly.
After a short pause, she carefully placed the blood-stained leather armor into her wardrobe to keep as a collection.
'It is just a piece of leather armor, nothing major. Lord Glover probably will not come asking me for it anyway...'
Mya closed the wardrobe door, tidied herself up, and hurried toward the great hall.
As a servant of the Gates of the Moon, she naturally had to help out.
By the time she emerged from the kitchens carrying platters of food to weave through the long tables, the atmosphere of the feast had reached its absolute peak.
As the central figure of tonight's banquet, every single move Galon made drew intense attention.
Most of the knights of the Vale were straightforward men who revered martial prowess, and Galon had completely won them over through that single Trial of Seven.
This was especially true for Andar Royce.
Though he had been knocked unconscious by Galon right at the start of the bout, after waking up and hearing the descriptions from others, he felt his defeat was entirely justified.
"Lord Glover, I toast to you!" Andar raised his goblet, offering a respectful toast to Galon.
With his left arm wrapped in bandages, Galon raised his goblet with his right hand and returned the gesture.
"Ser Andar, does your head still hurt?"
Andar shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I used to pride myself on my martial skill, but I never expected to be brought down so effortlessly by you today, Lord Glover.
It seems my training is still far from sufficient."
To draw closer to him, Galon offered a few encouraging words with a warm smile.
By this time, a crowd had gathered behind Andar.
Holding their goblets, they queued up to offer toasts to the young commander.
Despite the injury to his left arm, Galon did not turn down the enthusiasm of these new allies.
He knew full well that this was the single best moment to win over people's hearts.
Galon clinked glasses with every single person, accurately calling out their names and houses while discussing the glorious history of their families.
His vast knowledge and exceptional memory once again left these nobles of the Vale in absolute awe.
As a servant girl, Mya stood quietly in a corner of the hall, her eyes never leaving Galon as he was surrounded by the crowd all night long.
She watched him chat and laugh effortlessly with those proud, overbearing lords, observing the mature charm he unconsciously radiated.
Her heart was slipping away, bit by bit.
'I want to have him!'
Having lived in the Vale since childhood, Mya had always been a person who loved and hated with total boldness.
A daring, wild thought gradually began to sprout in her mind.
'If I miss tonight, our lives will never intersect again.'
'Rather than letting that happen, it is better to leave myself a complete, perfect memory.'
Mya's gaze gradually turned resolute.
Galon was completely unaware of all this.
He exchanged toasts with the vassals of the Vale, constantly deepening their mutual bonds to prepare for the grand war ahead.
By the time the feast came to an end, Galon was already quite tipsy.
He declined Andar's offer of support and prepared to head back to his guest room on unsteady feet.
"Let me help you!"
Mya, who had been keeping a close watch on Galon the entire time, appeared at just the right moment and gently supported him.
Andar glanced at Mya, as if realizing something, and gave Galon a subtle wink.
"Lord Glover, it seems you are going to have a sweet dream tonight. I shall not disturb you then."
With that, he stepped aside to clear the path for the two of them.
Mya feigned composure as she supported Galon, walking through the quiet corridors of the Gates of the Moon.
Galon's body was even heavier than she had imagined.
The scorching body heat radiating through his clothing and his powerful masculine aura caused her heart to race uncontrollably once again.
'Calm down, calm down!'
Suppressing the nervousness and excitement in her heart, Mya slowly helped Galon all the way back to his guest bedroom.
Upon entering the room, Galon felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to tell direction.
Mya seized the opportunity to guide Galon down to sit on the edge of the bed.
Then, with a blushing face, she began to unbutton his upper armor and tunic.
When Galon's perfectly sculpted, powerful male physique—resembling a statue of a legendary hero—was exposed beneath the dim candlelight, Mya unconsciously held her breath.
Her eyes flashed with a moment of pure wonder and excitement.
'Just as the songs describe, Lord Glover's body is truly...'
Mya did not speak the final few words aloud after all.
Inside the bedroom, it grew quiet enough that only the sound of their intertwined breathing remained.
Mya gently laid Galon down on the bed, intending to remove his trousers as well.
Right at that moment, however, Galon's hazy eyes suddenly regained a sense of clarity.
'What is she trying to do?'
Just as the doubt rose in his mind, he saw Mya staring down at his face. She leaned over and left a gentle kiss upon his lips.
It was light as a dragonfly skimming the water, breaking away the instant it touched.
As Mya lifted her head, she found herself looking directly into a pair of open eyes that appeared extraordinarily deep despite his intoxication.
"Lord Glover... you... when did you wake up?"
"Right when you were pulling off my trousers!"
A playful smirk hovered at the corner of Galon's mouth, a hint of an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes.
Mya gave an awkward, embarrassed laugh. "I... I..."
She stammered, completely unable to explain her actions from a moment ago.
Yet she no longer needed to explain anything.
Looking at the sweet, blushing face before him, the combination of alcohol and hormones ignited a sudden fire within Galon's heart.
He reached out and pulled her gently; losing her balance, Mya fell directly into his embrace.
With a soft gasp, Mya's mind went completely blank.
From that moment on, Galon took total control of the battlefield.
Garments slipped away, and the candlelight flickered softly.
Outside the window, the bright moon hung high in the sky as clouds tumbled over one another.
Inside the room, passion filled the air, giving way to an unforgettable, tender night.
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