The White Wolf of Winterfell

Chapter 15: Tourney End

Robert Baratheon was a man of unwavering determination and unspoken power. He was a man who knew what he wanted and would stop at nothing to attain it. Ours is the fury. Those were House Baratheon's words, after all, and they do represent the Baratheon's men. And Baratheon's heart was set on a woman whose beauty was unparalleled, with hair as white as fresh snow and eyes that sparkled like pure gold. To him, she was everything, and he would go to great lengths to make her his own, so when he heard that, the King demanded the hand of the woman he loved and gave it to Rheagar, the Crowned Prince. It made Robert lose his mind for a few days.

How dare he? Only because he was the King? Robert hissed, mentally filled with rage. Filthy dragonspawn! The Seven Kingdoms would be better without them.

Robert glared at Aerys II, who sat on his chair, looking around, frowning, scoffing at the people.

Robert then glanced over at the Stark family. Strangely enough, he smiled underneath his helmet. He saw Ned and that woman with purple eyes next to him, blushing slightly at his dear friend. The man Robert called brother. That made Robert happy.

Go one, Ned, don't waste your time. She is into you, just take her to bed and make her yours. Robert chuckled inside his mind, knowing that Ned wasn't that type of man. Still, he wished the best for his dear friend.

Robert's gaze fell upon Galadriel, and the sight of her soft, gentle smile set a raging fire alight within him. He felt his grip tighten around his lance, fully aware that the joust was about to begin. He had no intention of losing to either the unmanned lord or the crowned prince. His determination burned bright as he prepared himself for the challenge ahead.

So soon enough, the trumpet sound came, and the joust began, and everyone shall know Robert's fury and determination. But for others, it would be shown how dangerous of a man he was, which suited just fine for a certain white-haired woman who sat on the stands with a particular smile on her face.

Marvellous, what a smile can do when it is used correctly. Galadriel chuckled softly under her breath.

"At the very least, I can say that Lord Baratheon can ride," Lyanna murmured quietly as she watched him confront the lord whose name she didn't know anything about nor she cared about.

"Stubborn man like Robert, then to be quite good a hitting things," Lyarra added, watching the Stag Lord dismount the poor noble with a precise hit on the chest, sending him to the ground. She winced deeply, hitting this sort of event. "Why are men so infatuated with this?"

Rickard took his wife's hand and gently squeezed it. "Some of them are sent here in order to seek glory. Others to taste blood and what it is to strike another man down. Few of these young boys have known war or seen few winters."

"So they seek the thrill here," Brandon added, looking at how Robert boasted loudly. "These Southerner nobles playing to be knights know nothing of war."

Elia prided herself on her ability to read people's characters accurately. She had a nose for lies and half-truths and was quick to spot them. Despite Brandon's questionable behaviour, Elia saw no indication of deceit on his face. In fact, she would go so far as to say that he was an absolutely terrible liar and didn't seem to have any inclination to deceive others. So, when she saw his face, she wondered if Brandon had been in a battle.

"Have you been in a battle, my Lord?" Elia questioned as Brandon chuckled, but there was no joy behind his laugh.

"Quite the question, my princess," Brandon chuckled gently.

"So... have you?" Elia pushed for an answer, but it didn't come from Brandon.

"The Wildlings often raid our lands," everyone then stared at Galadriel, who was looking at the joust field, as the noble who looked injured was carried away. "A few years ago. A large group of raiders, led by a man called the Antlers' hand, gathered a large group under him. Around eight thousand strong. They raided all the lands of the Karstarks—our cousins by blood. Our family needed to fight. And so they did."