371 Chapter 371: The Duel

The fact that the old man had found his heir was a good thing, and contrary to his worries, Viserys never harbored any resentment because of it.

In a strict sense, the Bracken family of Stone Hedge had little to do with Joffrey now.

Not to mention, after hearing the whole story, Viserys had doubts about Jonos Bracken, the current Lord of Stone Hedge and the brother of the old man who was present when the incident happened.

Even if Jonos hadn't manipulated the situation back then, he had already fathered five children and an illegitimate son, and had been the lord for so long that Stone Hedge must have nothing to do with Joffrey and Hendry now.

This was all told by Hendry, who was now a marginal figure in Stone Hedge. The affairs of the Bracken family had nothing to do with him.

If it weren't for Jon Arryn, the Duke of the Eyrie, who had brought him to King's Landing, he would probably have been appointed by his uncle as the representative of the Bracken family, leading soldiers to follow the army led by Edmure Tully of House Tully to support the allied forces in the Neck.

Because his uncle had five daughters, Jonos had long been displeased with his nephew.

Legitimizing a bastard generally only occurs when there is no legitimate heir, of course, there may be other reasons.

Joffrey was in such a situation back then, he only had this one illegitimate son, and Jonos Bracken had five daughters, only his only illegitimate son was a boy. The nephew with the Bracken surname also had inheritance rights, so he was hastily sent out to die.

...

That night, Viserys held a grand banquet for the old knight in the Nine Towers Palace.

The military and political officials of Pentos all attended the banquet. They all knew the old man's status in Viserys's heart, so they all gave him face.

The envoy from the Iron Throne who had returned the heir was also able to attend the banquet and met Oberyn, who was now acting as the Hand of the King, and Arianne, who was almost the queen.

When the two groups met, there was actually nothing awkward. Littlefinger was good at socializing and even took the initiative to chat with the Prince of Dorne and the Princess of Dorne.

Moreover, Oberyn and Arianne's presence in Pentos was a secret that was not a secret. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew it, but under the current situation of jointly fighting the White Walkers, everyone was unwilling to mention it.

At the banquet in Pentos, an interesting little episode happened.

Robert's Kingsguard commander, 'Fearless' Barristan Selmy, seemed to have a bone stuck in his throat about the first female Kingsguard in history.

After all, he had been a Kingsguard all his life, adhering to the creed of the White Knights. He believed that a woman becoming a Kingsguard tarnished the reputation of the Kingsguard, caused chaos in the palace, and so on...

However, the old knight did not bring these up in public. His character was indeed stubborn, but he was not a fool.

Instead, he got a chance to toast Viserys alone during the banquet on the open balcony, and couldn't help but speak up.

He believed that there were many excellent men in the Seven Kingdoms who could become qualified Kingsguard, and there was no need to choose a foreign woman.

So far, Viserys only had two Kingsguard, one was called a cripple, the other a woman, and this was indeed the case.

"The Kingsguard was founded by Queen Visenya, the wife of 'the Conqueror' Aegon. From its inception, it has served the royal family, loyal to the Targaryen family."

"Queen Visenya established the creed and principles of the Kingsguard based on the vows of the Night's Watch, emphasizing that loyalty is more important than martial arts."

Viserys, holding a wine glass in his hand, leaning his elbow on the balcony, facing the slightly chilly evening breeze, spoke without turning his head.

Then he turned his head and looked at Barristan Selmy.

His White Knight also stood behind him, even if she heard Barristan's question, she did not react, just held the hilt of her sword and said nothing.

As the first female Kingsguard in history, the criticism she endured was not just these.

"Since the birth of the Kingsguard, only two legitimate White Knights have served kings who are not of the Targaryen family."

"One is 'Kingslayer' Jaime Lannister, and the other is you, 'Fearless' Barristan Selmy."

As Viserys's words came out, the old knight's face turned red instantly. Being compared to the Kingslayer was a great insult.

However, what was more shameful was that upon careful thought, what Viserys said was indeed true.

The last Targaryen king to sit on the Iron Throne was Viserys's father, Aerys II.

And his Kingsguard 'White Bull' Gerold Hightower, Prince Lewyn Martell, Jon Darry, Oswell Whent, 'Sword of the Morning' Arthur Dayne all died in battle.

The only two who survived and surrendered to the enemy were the Kingslayer and Barristan Selmy.

"Mia."

Then Viserys looked at his Kingsguard.

"I allow you to challenge Ser Selmy to prove your martial arts."

Upon hearing Viserys's words, the female knight who had been holding back a belly full of fire stood up without a word and challenged the old knight.

The small episode on the balcony outside the banquet hall did not attract the attention inside. Barristan was challenged by a woman and his face was somewhat lost.

Then the banquet hall was filled with clinking glasses and was lively, and then a harsh sound of metal collision was heard.

Clang——

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

Everyone in the banquet hall stood up and looked towards the source of the sound.

But they only found out that a small episode had happened here unknowingly. The commander of the usurper's Kingsguard was holding a broken sword and standing in place dumbfounded, while the sword of the female knight was already on his neck.

Mia used her Valyrian steel sword, which was indeed an unfair victory.

But the fact that Viserys could give a precious dragon steel long sword to his subordinate was enough to explain the problem.

Barristan Selmy's expression was somewhat dim, perhaps still doubting himself because of Viserys's words.

In the end, he did not agree to continue the duel with a different sword, but excused himself for not feeling well and left in a daze.

The small episode at the banquet did not cause much of a stir.

After all, they didn't know what had happened, and they just thought it was a competition between two Kingsguard from two different camps.

And the king's female knight won, defeating the old knight whose hair had already turned white.

Afterward, the banquet ended.

Barristan left the venue early due to physical discomfort, and there were no other eyes from the Iron Throne around Littlefinger.

Not long after.

Littlefinger appeared outside Viserys's study under the guidance of the guard.

"Your Grace, I am instructed by Queen Cersei, hoping to mediate the conflict between the Targaryen and Lannister families."