Game of Thrones: Dawn of Justice

Chapter 12 Young Robert and Ned
The nobles of Westeros have always had the tradition of placing their children with nobles of the same class as adopted children.

This custom of "adopting a son" is generally for the purpose of consolidating alliances or for education and training.

Of course, there are also cases like Theon Greyjoy, who was forced to be an adopted son and actually a hostage.

However, in most cases, sending sons to be adopted was done to consolidate alliances and receive education.

For example, Duke Stephen Baratheon sent his eldest son Robert to Duke Jon Arryn as an adopted son. In addition to wanting to strengthen the relationship between the two families, the most important thing was that Duke Stephen admired Jon Arryn's character and ability, and felt that Robert could get a better education and growth with Jon Arryn.

This kind of adopted son relationship is of extraordinary significance, even not inferior to the marriage between nobles, and sometimes even more solid than the marriage.

For example, when Lord Stephen Baratheon gave Robert to Jon Arryn as his adopted son, how did Jon Arryn feel?
This guy Stephen Baratheon sent the eldest son of his family to me to receive my teachings. What kind of trust is this?
Robert is the future heir to Storm's End, the next Lord of Stormlands. If Stephen didn't consider me a lifelong friend and trust me completely, why would he send his eldest son here?
In addition, he sent Robert here to be adopted instead of training him himself, which means that he must have recognized my ability and character, and felt that it would be better to raise his eldest son with me rather than by himself.

From this incident, Jon Arryn could clearly feel the trust and respect that Lord Stephen Baratheon had for him.

This is a great recognition for nobles of the same level.

Let’s look at Robert, the adopted son.

He grew up with Jon Arryn and had an extremely deep affection for him, even as deep as his biological father.

How deep will this emotional bond be when we grow up?
If Jon Arryn or his relatives get into trouble, Robert, who will become the Lord of Storm's End, will definitely not sit idly by.

Similarly, if Robert gets into trouble, his adoptive father Jon Arryn will not sit idly by.

Such an alliance is very strong.

The subsequent war of the usurpers also proved this point.

The Eagle, Wolf and Deer families stood together firmly and formed an alliance to sweep away the Long family.

Even after becoming king, Robert still respected Jon Arryn and made him the Hand of the King to manage the country for him. The two rarely had political disagreements or overt friction.

Except for the classic example of Robert, Ned and Jon Arryn.

In Game of Thrones, before Jon Arryn died, he planned to send his son Robert Arryn to Dragonstone where Stannis was as an adopted son.

Because Jon Arryn felt that his son was too weak and spoiled, he hoped that Stannis, a serious and upright man, would educate his son.

It is also a great recognition for Stannis, a man who is not liked by most people.

Unfortunately, Jon Arryn's plan failed.

In any case, the tradition of "adopting sons" embodies the political wisdom of the nobles of Westeros.

Robert, whom Garlon is waiting for now, was sent to the Eyrie as an adopted son by Duke Stephen Baratheon when he was eight years old. Robert is fifteen years old this year, and seven years have passed.

The relationship between the Baratheon family and Jon Arryn can be said to be firmly tied together.

Garlon even felt a little sorry. If he was three or four years older, his father could have sent him to Eagle's Nest as an adopted son.

The heir to the Isle of Tarth is still qualified to recognize Jon Arryn as his adoptive father.

By then, he, Ned Stark, and Robert Baratheon will form the Three Musketeers of the Usurper. It’s exciting to think about it.

But that was just Garen's idea. He was four years younger than Ned and five years younger than Robert. Even if they went to the Eyrie, they wouldn't be able to play together. The age difference was a bit too big. Robert was probably now keen on drinking, fighting, and playing with peasant girls.

"Brother, are we going to Storm's End together tomorrow?"

Just as Garen's thoughts were wandering, Brienne's voice brought him back to his senses.

Brienne is six years old this year and has grown much taller than before. Although she is only six years old, she is almost as tall as a second or third grade elementary school student in later generations.

She was wearing a light green linen short skirt today, with the hem slightly rolled up, a small white scarf tied at the neckline, and a soft brown string tied around the waist.

Still looks very well-behaved.

However, from the lines under the clothes, it can be seen that Brienne has a strong body and is much "healthier" than the average little girl.

And Garlon himself has grown a lot in height over the past two years.

At ten years old this year, he's already five feet tall, almost 1.62 meters. It's conceivable that in a few years, Garen's height will probably be over 1.8 meters, and that's a conservative guess. He might even reach two meters like Brienne.

However, Garlon's figure is not strong.

Today he was wearing a dark grey linen shirt with a slim black windbreaker on the outside, a simple leather belt around his waist, black slim pants, and the "Maid of Justice" slung across his back.

The whole person is vigorous and heroic, yet a bit elegant.

At the age of ten, Garlon's facial features gradually developed, his eyes became deeper, and his face became more handsome.

Garen placed his right hand on Brienne's shoulder, pulled her into his arms, smiled, and said, "Do you want to go?"

"Yes!" Brienne nodded immediately, with a smile on her face and her beautiful blue eyes sparkling.

She heard a lot of history and stories about Storm's End from Maester Amor and was very curious about Storm's End, the great castle built by Brandon the Builder.

"Okay, then let Dad take us there tomorrow."

Garen smiled and nodded.

He had been immersed in study and training for the past two years and had not left the Isle of Tarth. With the birth of Renly Baratheon, he had the opportunity to visit Storm's End and get to know the nobles of Westeros.

As Garen and Brienne were talking, the ship with the crest of House Arryn was getting closer and closer. Garen could vaguely see two figures on the bow. One of them was tall and had black hair. He thought it should be Robert.

"Robert's fighting ability is ridiculously high."

Garen looked at the figure and thought to himself.

Before being corrupted by alcohol and sex, Robert's fighting ability could be said to be among the best in the Seven Kingdoms.

Even on paper, perhaps only Arthur Dane can match his brilliance.

After all, Rhaegar was the champion of the Lannisport Tournament two years ago.

Rhaegar's fighting ability is definitely top-notch in the Seven Kingdoms.

But in the War of the Usurper, he was beaten to death by Robert.

You can imagine how powerful Robert is.

"But I will be stronger than him in the future."

Garen smiled and summoned his own panel.

After two years, his panel data looks much better than before.

【Galon.Tas】

Title: None

[Strength: 8.76]+
[Agility: 8.90]+
【Spirit: 15.3】+
[Magic: 0] +
【技能：剑术：（21%）、箭术（33%）、骑术（19%）、维斯特洛通用语（41%）、游泳（40%）、瓦雷利亚语（19%）】+
[Legendary Bloodlines: Duskstar Bloodline (Development 5%), Targaryen Bloodline (Development 1%), Storm King Bloodline (Development 1%)] +
[Legendary Weapon: Maiden of Justice (Gold)] (Quality has reached its highest level and cannot be upgraded)

Legendary Pet: None

[Judgment Point: 0]

Judging from the data, Garlon's strength and agility are almost close to that of an adult.

His three basic skills of swordsmanship, archery and horse riding have also made good progress, especially his archery, which has almost reached the level of a well-trained archer.

If it really comes to actual combat, Garlon's current combat effectiveness is no less than that of an experienced veteran.

This is not only due to Garlon's two years of unremitting training, but also due to the attribute points brought by judging and killing the guilty.

In the past two years, almost all the criminals, big and small, on Tas Island were tried by Garlon.

Earl Selwyn even secretly purchased some criminal slaves from Essos and had them tried and executed by Garlon.

Over the course of two years, Garlon had tried at least eighty prisoners, if not a hundred.

Although he is young, he is almost on the verge of achieving the feat of killing a hundred people.

Garlon estimated that by the time he turned 16, it should be no problem for his strength and agility to reach 20. After all, his body would develop faster in the next few years.

If his strength and agility both reach 20, coupled with his superb swordsmanship and riding skills, his combat effectiveness should be enough to place him in the top five in the tournament.

What surprised Garlon a little was that his mental strength had also increased a bit in the past two years, from 12.8 to 15.3.

He didn't know whether this was a natural growth or the result of his persistent study with Scholar Amo.

The growth of his mental strength brought about obvious changes. He felt that his memory had improved a lot and his thinking was more agile.

In particular, Garlon benefited greatly from his quicker thinking.

For example, in combat, his nerve reaction speed is obviously faster than that of normal people.

Coupled with his own high agility, he can quickly respond to various attacks from the enemy.

In wooden sword sparring with Sir Goodwin, Garlon can now withstand more than thirty rounds from Goodwin without being hit.

You know, Goodwin didn't hold back.

Goodwin's swordsmanship is one of the best on the entire island of Tas.

You can imagine how powerful quick thinking combined with sufficient strength and agility can be.

Garlon decided to wait until he had enough judgment points before improving his mental strength as well.

Nerve reaction speed can sometimes play a crucial role on the battlefield and in duels.

"Drop the anchor! Drop the anchor!"

"Hold on tight!"

"Throw the rope!"

As the ship got closer, the sailors on the ship and the sailors in the port all shouted.

At this time, Garlon also saw the appearance of the two people at the bow.

They are all teenagers around fourteen or fifteen years old.

A man with a thin face, sharp features, slightly curly brown hair, and a calm and slightly reserved look.

A tall and strong man with a neat face, a pair of deep and clear blue eyes, thick black hair like a waterfall, a look of arrogance and heroism between his eyebrows, and a wanton smile on the corner of his mouth.

They were accompanied by several leather-armored attendants and guards. The tall, thick-haired, handsome man was undoubtedly Robert Baratheon.

Garlon knew who the person next to him was after just a quick guess.

Eddard Stark.

At this time, Eddard, like Robert, was an adopted son of Jon Arryn in the Eyrie.

These two people are as close as a pair of pants.

Robert has a new brother, and Eddard must come along.

Garlon looked at the two of them, feeling a strange feeling in his heart.

Ed was only fourteen years old at this time, much younger than the young Ed he remembered from the TV series he watched in his previous life.

He looks even more immature than the actor who played Robb.

Interesting.

However, the fourteen-year-old Ed already had a serious face and was stern, and Garlon confirmed his identity from this point.

"Lord Selwyn, long time no see. How have you been lately?"

Before the ship docked, Robert greeted Lord Selwyn with a loud voice and a smile.

"Robert, I'm fine. You look good too, you're looking quite strong!"

Lord Selwyn also smiled and responded loudly, with a hint of amazement in his tone.

The last time he saw Robert was three years ago. At that time, although the twelve-year-old Robert was taller than his peers, he was still a kid after all.

Now, three years later, the fifteen-year-old Robert has grown into an adult, with a head that is six and a half feet tall and looks very imposing.

As the two were talking, the sailors also stopped the boat.

Robert jumped from the deck directly onto the wooden plank road at the dock.

It can be seen that he has great strength and explosive power, and is quite agile.

Lord Selwyn nodded, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

It seems that Lord Jon Arryn raised Robert well, at least in terms of temperament, physique, and martial arts, he was trained to perfection.

When Robert landed, he grinned and waved to Lord Selwyn.

"Lord Selwyn, this is my good brother Ned, the second son of Lord Stark in the North."

"Hello, sir." Eddard Stark immediately stepped forward, lowered his head and bowed slightly, his tone calm and neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hello, Ned. How is Lord Rickard?" Lord Selwyn asked gently, turning his gaze to the silent young man. Ned was Eddard Stark's nickname, and since Robert had introduced him that way, Lord Selwyn followed suit, seeming more intimate.

"Thank you for your concern, my father is in good health, but he is busy with official duties and rarely leaves the North." Ed raised his head, his voice low and steady, with a hint of restraint.

Lord Selwyn nodded, knowing that the Starks didn't like leaving the North.

"Robert, long time no see." Garen also spoke at this time and greeted Robert.

The House of Tarth and the House of Baratheon have been intermarried for generations. Garen and Robert are related to each other and he had met them several times when he was a child, so he naturally recognized him.

"Haha, Garlon, long time no see. Even in the past two years in the Eagle's Nest, I often heard your name!"

Robert walked forward with a big laugh and patted Garlon on the shoulder. At the same time, his eyes fell on the hilt of the "Maid of Justice" sword exposed on Garlon's back.

Garlon smiled and shrugged. There was no way around it. His fame had indeed spread beyond the island of Tas in the past two years, and many nobles had heard that he had found the holy sword, the Maiden of Justice.

Many people think that this is a self-directed and self-acted drama by the Tas family.

However, the nobles in the Stormlands and along the east coast of Westeros knew that this was likely true.

After all, Garlon never deliberately hid the "Maid of Justice" and almost always used it to chop off the heads of criminals during executions.

With a little inquiry, you can confirm its authenticity.

"Garlon, is this the holy sword you found?" Robert asked curiously, "Can you pull it out and show it to me?"

Garlon shook his head helplessly. This guy was so impatient as soon as he got off the boat.

Garlon ignored him and looked at Ned politely, "Hello Ned, I'm Garlon Tarth."

"Hello, Garen."

Ed also smiled at Garen.

However, his smile seemed out of place with his serious expression.

"Galon, how about it? Let me see it."

Robert put his hand on Garlon's shoulder. He was more than a head taller than Garlon, but his eyes never left the maid of justice behind Garlon. He spoke eagerly.

He also saw the circle of inscriptions on the blue jade at the end of the hilt - Maid of Justice, and was even more excited.

"How about I go back to the castle and show you? Otherwise, I'll draw my sword as soon as you get off the boat, and my father will blame me for not knowing how to entertain guests."

Garlon glanced at Earl Selwyn and said helplessly.

Lord Selwyn also nodded.

"Ok."

Robert thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.

Anyway, Dusk Hall Castle is very close to Sapphire Harbor.

"Let's go, I've prepared lunch."

Earl Selwyn gave an order to his servants, who immediately began to help carry the gifts, and then took Lao, Ed and his party away from the dock.

After walking a few steps, servants immediately brought horses.

Everyone mounted their horses and rode all the way to Duskling Hall Castle.

Robert was very familiar with Duskfall Hall. Along the way, he pointed it out to Eddard and showed off the beautiful scenery of Tars.

Ed kept nodding his head. Tas Island was indeed much more beautiful and prosperous than Bear Island in the north.

When they arrived at the castle, everyone dismounted, and Earl Selwyn and Garlon took Robert and Eddard into the hall.

At this time, the maids were already preparing lunch. Some flowers and candles were placed on the table for decoration. Some bread and fruits were also placed on the long table.

When the butler Claude saw Earl Selwyn and his men come in, he immediately brought bread and salt for Robert and Eddard to eat.

Ed took a small bite of bread, dipped his finger in some salt and put it in his mouth.

Robert was much rougher. He was obviously hungry during the boat ride, so he grabbed the bread and took a big bite. Then he dipped the bread in salt and took another bite. He also drank a big sip of milk brought by the maid.

After taking two big bites, half of the bread was gone.

Lord Selwyn liked Robert's casual demeanor very much. He patted Robert on the shoulder, looked at Ned and said, "Robert, Ned, I have prepared rooms for you. Go upstairs and clean up, wash and bathe, and then come down to enjoy lunch."

"it is good!"

Robert had been drifting on the sea for two days and was eager to take a bath, so he and Eddard went upstairs under the guidance of the maids.

After the two went upstairs, Lord Selwyn looked at his son Garlon and said, "Garlon, what do you think of Robert and Eddard?"

Garen looked at his father, Selwyn, and said, "Robert has a bold and magnanimous character, yet possesses a subtle yet refined mind. He will achieve great things in the future. As for Eddard, he seems a bit too straightforward. If he encounters a scheming master, he will probably suffer a great loss."

Lord Selwyn nodded approvingly.

"Robert will be your lord in the future, and you must have a good relationship with him," said Earl Selwyn.

"I know, father." Garen nodded.

Robert will no longer be the Lord of Storm's End, this guy will sit on the Iron Throne.

Robert's throne seemed random, but it was actually destined.

Among the seven kingdoms, apart from the descendants of the Targaryen family, Robert of the Baratheon family has the highest status and status, and he has the blood of the dragon family in his body.

It can be said that the nobles from all sides could barely accept Robert as king.

Why don't you make Eddard or Tywin the king?

I guarantee that no one will accept it and will eventually beat their brains out.

Garlon's idea is also very simple. First, he must hold on to the Baratheon family, gain enough benefits in the War of the Usurper, and then wait for an opportunity to act.

The House of Tarth is currently just an earl, and neither its fame nor its power is enough to support him in his bid for the Iron Throne.

So take it one step at a time and don't rush.

Robert was a generous man, and the Tarth family was a relative and vassal of the Baratheon family. As long as he made enough contributions, Robert would not be stingy with him.

"The War of the Five Kings is my true stage..."

Garen thought silently in his heart.

When the War of the Usurper broke out, he was probably only fifteen or sixteen years old. He was too young and his fighting power was not enough to crush everything.

But after Robert's death and the War of the Five Kings, when he was in his early thirties, everything was different.

By then, his physical age would have reached its peak, his martial prowess would have been overwhelming, and his territory would have grown significantly. Perhaps there would even be one or more dragons.

At that time, it would be completely possible for him to become the new usurper or use the emperor to control the princes.

While Garlon and Earl Selwyn were chatting, Robert and Eddard finished washing, changed their clothes, and came to the first-floor hall.

"Galon, can you show me your sword now?"

As soon as I went downstairs, Robert came up and asked expectantly.

Eddard also cast a curious look. He also wanted to see how the holy sword "Maiden of Justice" that he often heard Duke Arlene and Robert mention was different from their family's inherited greatsword "Ice".

(End of this chapter)