Skyrim System In Westeros

Upon leaving the underground storeroom, Wright noticed the servants hurriedly packing and organizing things. He stopped one of them to ask what was happening, and the servant explained that the guards at the tower had spotted a large group approaching, with a banner at the forefront displaying a golden crown stag on a black field—Lord Robert Baratheon had returned.

Wright rushed to the top of the gatehouse, where Maester Cressen and Renly already arrived. After greeting them, Maester Cressen began pointing out the various house banners in the distance, introducing the crests and key figures of each noble house to renly. Recognizing these banners and individuals was a vital part of noble education.

At the front of the procession, Robert rode ahead on horseback, his banner proudly displayed in the flagbearers behind him. The gold-and-black stag banner was unmistakable and could be seen throughout the castle.

"To Robert's left is a silver-haired young man, followed by two knights in white robes," Maester Cressen explained. "The silver-haired youth is Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. His house banner is a black field with three red dragons, symbolizing the royal family. Your father, King Aerys, and Lord Tywin, all grew up together, fighting side by side as close friends."

"To Robert's right is Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne. His house banner is a golden spear through a red sun. He killed a member of House Yrowood, which forced Prince Doran Martell's son, Quentyn, to serve as a squire for Yrowood. As a result, Oberyn was exiled, only allowed to return to Dorne during particularly important events."

"Behind the prince, you'll see two knights in white cloaks: Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Arthur Dayne. Both are members of the Kingsguard, sworn to serve the king without land, wives, or children. They bear no house banners, as their allegiance lies solely with the crown."

"Further back is Jon Connington, a young man who serves as Rhaegar's squire. Though squires typically do not bear banners, Jon's house, the Connington, is represented by a red-and-white gryphon banner, signaling his involvement in the upcoming tournament."

"Robert is followed by Eddard Stark, the second son of Lord Rickard Stark, the Warden of the North. His house banner is a white field with a grey direwolf."

"And finally, there's Elbert Arryn, the nephew and heir of Lord Jon Arryn, the Lord of the Vale. His house banner is a blue field with a white moon and eagle. Robert, Eddard, and Elbert are all lifelong friends, having grown up together in the Eyrie."

Maester Cressen took the cup of water handed to him by a maid, taking a sip before continuing.

"House Selmy of Harvest Hall and House Connington of Griffin's Roost are both vassals of the Stormlands, sworn to House Baratheon. House Dayne, lords of Dorne, are vassals of House Martell. The finest warrior of their house is given the ancestral sword, Dawn, and is granted the title of 'Sword of the Morning'—a knightly honor unique to their house."

Wright watched the procession as the riders quickly passed through the town and arrived at the castle gatehouse. Robert, Rhaegar, and Oberyn led the way, with Eddard, Elbert, Barristan, Arthur, Jon, and others following behind, laughing and talking as Robert boomed greetings to everyone.

From the gatehouse, Wright shouted, "Robert, my brother!"

Robert looked up and shouted back loudly, as the guests in the procession finished the bread and salt prepared by Stannis at the hall entrance, laughing as they entered the castle.

This was Robert's first tournament as the Lord of the Stormlands. He and his close friend Eddard Stark had traveled south from the Eyrie, passing through King's Landing where they invited Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Prince Oberyn Martell to join them. Oberyn's sister was married to Rhaegar, and both were enthusiasts of martial arts, so they decided to come ahead with Robert.

Where Robert went, feasts followed.

Robert loved fighting, drinking, eating meat, and womanizing. If you shared these passions, you were a good friend. Dealing with Robert was simple and comfortable, but when it came to matters of governance, forget it—he preferred to be the hands-off ruler.

As the host, Robert's rule was clear: when he was present, everyone had to sit down and drink with him.

At the long table sat Robert, Stannis, Prince Rhaegar, the Red Viper Oberyn, Eddard Stark, Elbert Arryn (heir to the Eyrie), Barristan Selmy, Jon Connington (future Hand of the King), Ser Arthur Dayne (the Sword of the Morning), and his sister Ashara Dayne. At the end of the table were Renly and Wright.

Wright had the opportunity to get a closer look at Prince Rhaegar, a man of towering stature with the Targaryen family's distinctive silver hair and purple eyes. Handsome with a melancholy expression, his royal status only added to his allure, easily captivating many young women. It was precisely because of this that Rhaegar's relationships with women had caused turmoil in the original timeline, eventually leading to Robert's rebellion. But here, Rhaegar and Robert sat across from each other, laughing, eating meat, and drinking together.

As the alcohol flowed, the conversation became more lively, moving from small talk to the subject of women. After Robert belted out a drunken rendition of "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", he took a large gulp of wine and turned to Prince Rhaegar.

"My fiancée, Lyanna Stark—she and I have known each other since we were children. She's incredibly beautiful, just, and brave."

"I've never met Lyanna Stark. Is she Eddard's sister?" Prince Rhaegar asked.

At this, everyone turned to look at Eddard Stark's less-than-handsome face. Except for Elbert, the others who hadn't met Lyanna exchanged skeptical smiles.

Prince Rhaegar responded, "Everyone thinks the person they love is the most beautiful, and they won't accept any contradiction. But in my opinion, the most beautiful person is the child I am about to have."

When Robert heard the conversation turn to children, a topic he found dull, he quickly tried to shake off the wine's effects. "As for worthy opponents, aside from all of you here, there's Brandon Stark and Jorah Mormont in the North. I've had some good matches with those two."

Prince Rhaegar continued, "In the Westerlands, there's Jaime Lannister. At just fourteen, his horsemanship and martial skills are extraordinary."

The Red Viper, Oberyn, thought for a moment but didn't object. He added, "And there's also Ser Gregor Clegane from House Lannister. His unnatural strength makes him a formidable opponent."

The conversation continued, with various members adding names of other skilled warriors, recounting battles and tournaments where they had witnessed remarkable feats. They argued passionately, each telling tales of who had been unseated by whom, and who had chased another across the lists. The wine flowed freely, and while the older generation of warriors wasn't present, the younger ones had no care for their stories.

Meanwhile, Stannis and the slightly older Barristan Selmy discussed the current Hand, Tywin Lannister. "Tywin, the King, and my father have been friends since childhood," Stannis began. "Tywin has been Hand of the King for twenty years, settling financial disputes with Braavos, abolishing many laws that had restricted the nobility, reducing taxes in the major cities, improving roads, bolstering trade, punishing corruption, quelling the rebellion in the Vale, and he's also been a strong advocate of tournaments. He should make a decent profit from the merchants taxes collected for this tournament." A little tipsy, Stannis nodded, adding, "There's been some smuggling in the lands lately. If I catch the ones responsible, I'll cut off their fingers!"

Robert, not wanting to discuss politics at the feast, quickly changed the subject and asked where everyone would go after the tournament. Prince Rhaegar replied that he and Oberyn would head west, with Rhaegar going to Summerhall and Oberyn returning to Dorne.

Wright and Renly, the two children, could only watch as the adults bantered. Wright then turned his attention to Eddard Stark.

Eddard Stark wasn't handsome with his long face, but he had a kind demeanor. With dark brown hair and gray eyes, while others were chatting and laughing, he occasionally stole glances at Ser Arthur Dayne's sister, Ashara Dayne. Ashara was tall, with fair skin, dark hair, and mesmerizing purple eyes. Whenever Ashara turned to look at him, Eddard quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere. The future honorable and shy Lord of Winterfell was, at this moment, a bashful young man.

As Wright ate, watching the drunken conversations unfold, he thought, These are the famous characters from the original story. Now they're all in their teens or early twenties, living their youth—eating, drinking, and laughing freely. But next year, the tournament at Harrenhal will be the starting point, and after the Mad King's madness, they'll all become enemies, some dying, others fleeing. Fate is a cruel thing. He sighed to himself, realizing that he was still under three years old, insignificant, unsure of whether he would bring any changes to the future.

The Storm's End Castle was vast, and after the meal, Stannis arranged for the group and their followers to stay in the castle. Only Robert and Oberyn, in high spirits, headed off to a brothel.

With so many skilled fighters around, Wright didn't want to miss out. During the day, he watched them train: Robert with his war hammer, Oberyn with his spear techniques, Arthur Dayne with his swordsmanship, and the others displaying their martial skills. He learned a lot, and even practiced alongside them with a toy sword for a few days, improving his proficiency with both single and double-handed weapons as well as blocking.

He even tried to wield Arthur Dayne's legendary family sword, Dawn, for a moment. Though it was far too heavy for him, and he could hardly make a move, just standing with it raised earned gasps of admiration. Through his knowledge of forging and enchantment skills, he could tell the sword was crafted from fallen star metal, with a white, gleaming blade that was strong enough to rival Valyrian steel, though it had no magical properties.

Everyone praised Wright for training alongside them at such a young age, predicting that he would grow into a great knight with limitless potential. Robert laughed heartily, proud of their words, though his gaze toward Wright carried a hint of regret. If only Robert weren't the fourth-born.

As the tournament at Storm's End Castle drew nearer, the jousting fields and stands outside the castle were nearly ready. The tents set up by the surrounding merchants almost doubled the size of the nearby town. Many luxurious tents belonging to nobles from all over had been erected, complete with carpets, furniture, food, and wine. These nobles came to participate, trade goods, and form connections. Storm's End Castle had become more and more lively.