Dragons—this legendary creature that inspired both longing and fear caused both of them to fall into silence in unison. It was as if the massive, hideous figure and the terrifying pressure that incinerated everything had crossed time and space to weigh heavily on their hearts.
Kingspyre Tower, a structure permanently etched into the history and scars of Westeros, naturally never lacked visitors.
When Euron and Ashara recovered from their reverie about dragons, they found several familiar visitors had joined them beneath the tower.
Brandon Stark of the North was gesturing boldly, commenting on the tower's structure. Beside him stood Tyrion Lannister, brimming with curiosity about ancient and modern legends. Somewhat surprisingly, the two Tully sisters—Catelyn and Lysa—were also among them.
It turned out that Lysa had wanted to invite Ser Jaime Lannister to tour together, as they were already betrothed. However, Jaime, the knight famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms for his looks and swordsmanship, showed little enthusiasm for Lysa. His twin sister Cersei made no secret of her disgust for this marriage alliance. Neither of them showed up.
Instead, Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf with a keen interest in history, legends, and architecture, yearned to see this place and came along with the Starks and Tully sisters.
Tyrion spotted Euron and Ashara at a glance. He immediately moved his short legs, nimbly weaving through the crowd to run over.
Looking up, wearing his trademark smile mixed with wit and self-mockery, he said loudly, "Look who it is! Do you two know that sticking together like a golden boy and jade girl every day is simply torture for this lonely dwarf? It makes me itch with hatred for you!"
Euron couldn't help but laugh. He looked down at Tyrion, his tone gentle and sincere. "You are still young, Tyrion. With your wisdom and heart, you will surely meet a girl you love deeply who loves you deeply in return. I have no doubt about this."
Just then, Brandon Stark let out a burst of loud, hearty laughter. He slapped the charred wall bricks beside him forcefully, his voice echoing between the towers. "Seeing a place like this, I really have to be thankful the 'Mad King' Aerys doesn't hold a dragon in his hand!" He restrained his smile slightly, his tone carrying the directness and lingering fear typical of Northerners. "If he really had that thing, heaven knows what even crazier things he'd do! I'm afraid he'd really burn a castle a day, clamoring to roast everyone he finds unpleasant into charcoal. Thank the gods that kind of disaster didn't happen."
Hearing this, Euron frowned slightly and immediately lowered his voice to warn, "Careful with your words!" His gaze swept vigilantly over the towering, charred walls around them. "Behind every wall, ears may grow. Varys, the Spider of King's Landing—it is said his 'little birds' are pervasive, spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms. He is right beside that person now!"
Before his voice faded, a crisp female voice carrying a hint of reproach came from behind the crowd. Before the person arrived, the voice reached them first: "Exactly! Stupid brother, can you just say things like that here casually? No, you can't say them anywhere! Shut your mouth quickly!"
Everyone looked towards the voice. Lyanna Stark was walking over quickly. She inherited the Stark family's signature long face, long brown hair, and resolute grey eyes. The famous "Wolf Blood" boiled in her—making her willful and stubborn, brave and fearless, with a temper as fiery and direct as the northern wind.
She was not alone. Accompanying her were Robert Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, her brother Eddard Stark, and the loyal crannogman Howland Reed.
As soon as Robert Baratheon arrived, his eyes were immediately drawn to Euron and Ashara standing hand in hand. He burst into hearty laughter. He immediately turned, opening his large hand to pull Lyanna beside him into an embrace, mimicking that intimacy. However, Lyanna dodged nimbly with a smile like a gust of wind, leaving Robert grasping at empty air. He could only stand there puffing his beard and staring, shaking his head helplessly, though his face still wore a doting smile.
Robert Baratheon kicked and slapped left and right, showing not a bit of interest in these broken stones. He huffed gruffly, waving his large hand impatiently. "A broken, charred stone castle! What's there to see! Nothing but dull stories."
Brandon Stark expressed deep agreement. Crossing his arms, his gaze swept over the twisted tower body, his tone carrying the pragmatism of a warrior. "The age of dragons is thoroughly over. To be honest, when there were dragons, this world didn't need so-called warriors at all. I heard one dragon could rule the entire sky; ten thousand elite warriors before it were nothing more than a few mouthfuls of dragonfire." There was even a trace of relief in his voice. "It's better this way now! Without those monsters, the era has truly arrived for us warriors to show our value."
Hearing this, Lyanna Stark cast a disgruntled glance at her brother and Robert, her grey eyes flashing with dissatisfaction. "Is your men's brains filled only with war and fighting? Do you crave bloodshed that much?"
Robert was stunned by her words, then laughed loudly, trying to infect her with his enthusiasm. "If not war, there are tourneys and contests! Just like this tourney—the best warriors of the Seven Kingdoms gathering together, fighting for honor! Doesn't that make your blood boil?"
"Honor?" Lyanna scoffed, hitting the nail on the head. "I think most people come for those shiny gold dragons!"
"You're a woman; what do you know about the honor warriors pursue!" Robert, choked by her words, waved his hand somewhat annoyedly, trying to use gender to cut off the topic.
This sentence thoroughly ignited Lyanna's anger. She retorted without backing down, her stubbornness fully revealed. "What's wrong with women? Are women born only to stay at home or lie in bed birthing children? Hmph, don't forget, the same Stark 'Wolf Blood' flows in my veins! Give me a horse and a sword, and I can go into battle just the same!"
Robert clearly didn't want to continue arguing with her on this issue and wisely chose to change the subject. He looked around at the men present and asked loudly, "Alright, alright, to business! What events did you all sign up for this time?"
Brandon responded first, counting on his fingers with heroic spirit. "The Joust is definitely indispensable! Also the Single Combat, and the Melee of the Seven. We Northerners will definitely not be absent!"
"Haha, good! Same as me!" Robert slapped his chest forcefully, making a dull thud, appearing extremely excited. He looked at Euron. "What about you, Little Kraken?"
Euron answered calmly, "The same."
Hearing this, Robert was overjoyed. Strong fighting intent burst from his eyes as he shouted, "Haha! Wonderful! Then it's settled, see you in the arena! My warhammer won't show mercy then!"
Brandon also grinned. "Giving it our all is the only way to be worthy of a warrior's honor! Just wait and see! I won't hesitate to take you down!"
A confident arc curled on Euron's lips as he responded concisely, "Using full strength is only proper. However, the one standing in the arena at the end will definitely be me!"
Tyrion Lannister stood aside, listening to everyone discuss combat and honor with such high spirits. He couldn't help but sigh deeply, his voice carrying a loneliness and self-mockery unsuited to his age. "Sigh, this honor you discuss... I reckon it will have nothing to do with this dwarf in this lifetime."
Hearing this, everyone froze for a moment, then burst into a wave of well-meaning but slightly crude laughter, not thinking too deeply about the bitterness in his words.
Only Euron didn't join the laughter. With a knowing smile, he looked calmly at Tyrion, his tone sincere and profound. "There are many kinds of honor, Tyrion. Martial force is just the most direct, but perhaps also the cheapest kind." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the burly warriors around them, continuing, "But the respect and achievements won by using wisdom are the highest, most lasting honor."
These words caused the laughter to gradually subside. Lyanna Stark immediately chimed in loudly. Her sharp grey eyes swept over those who had just laughed, her tone carrying unconcealed disdain. "Exactly! Well said! Ignore them! Gaining a sense of superiority by mocking others' physical defects is the most shameless and cowardly behavior in the world!"
Lyanna stood firmly on Tyrion's side, the sense of justice in the Wolf Blood fully revealed at this moment.
Physical defects...
Tyrion was speechless. It seems among those present, only you are mocking me...
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