The Silent Wolf

Chapter 10

The Tourney was a ten-day event, of which seven days were for the competitions. Of these seven days, five were allocated for the Joust.

The entirety of the first day was taken by the Melee, which I had won. How exactly I had defeated someone larger and bulkier than me was a matter of discussion amongst everyone in the Tourney, including my family.

Robert physically was superior to me in every way. By logic, he should have been the victor. But what was logic before the gifts of some being that is capable of performing rebirths through different worlds?

At this point, I had resigned myself to the fact that it was divine intervention that had brought me where I am today. This otherworldly being was kind enough to give me the memories I needed and also blessed me with the gift of combat. So if anyone asked how it was that I was able to beat Robert, my answer to it was simple, it was a god at work.

Physically I wasn't monstrously strong, nor was I some giant. What gift I had was what I called the power of observation and wild instinct. Every time I take part in battle, I am able to tune the world out entirely and focus on my opponent. The movement seemed to slow when I do it, not mine but my opponents. I am able to see every move they make in slow motion and make it possible to point out every weak point my opponent had.

The only downside to this was that I was too focused on my opponent and did not know what was happening around me, something I learned painfully about in my time at the Vale. A wider state of awareness was something that was still a work of progress.

The following day marked the start of the Jousts. But three jousts in and the King made his first demand. He wished to know the identity of the Mystery Knight, dubbed the Knight of the Laughing Tree, and ordered every Lord and Knight present to bring him before their King. The Knight was never found, only his shield was brought back by the Prince. The King was not happy about that. The rest of the day was spent with feasts and music.

----

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

My voice had startled her awake, making her jump up in fright. Decency was not the most important thing on her mind from the looks of it, with how she showed off the top half of her nude form.

"Ned, I can explain."

"I think I have all the explanation I need" I grinned at her, a teasing one that made her blush. It was odd how less of a wildling she had in her, almost like she was born on this side of the wall. It only made me more curious as to know who her father was, since the man was a Night's Watchman and a high-born one to boot.

I moved over to the bed, gently kicking the person still asleep in it. The giant of a man grunted in his sleep before yelping when I kicked him harder.

"Wake up, it's time to break our fast," I said in an amused tone as Robert sat up, he too completely naked.

The man was confused, hungover and did not look even remotely ready to leave his bed. I threw his clothes in his face before handing Merida hers. I left the two to get ready for the rest of the day.

Breakfast was an amusing event. Robert shameless as he was boasted about the night hardly remembered thanks to his liquor, leaving Merida very embarrassed and looking like she wanted to throttle the man. Lyanna looked disgusted at it all, while Brandon was very invested in Robert's stories. It was no secret that Brandon wanted to bed Merida himself.

Though something interesting did happen during breakfast, Jon Arryn joined us and when he saw Merida, he was sure that she looked very familiar in some way or form. He did not know the woman, nor did the woman know him. Yet the man was sure he had seen her somewhere before. Maybe her father was a Vale man.