Game of Thrones: Joffrey the Chosen

Night is approaching.

Jaime Lannister, draped in a black cloak, hid in the shade of an oak tree, slowly stroking the hilt of his sword.

It hasn't seen blood in a long time.

Being knocked off his horse by a hunting dog at the martial arts tournament a few months ago was already embarrassing enough.

During that team battle, I was planning to challenge this bastard to a one-on-one duel, but someone beat me to it.

They let them take on two opponents at once, stealing the spotlight.

If I were to take over the task myself, I wouldn't be able to demonstrate much ability.

Sir Barristan was only thinking about winning, or perhaps he was afraid of losing his title as the greatest swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms.

He insisted on shouting a couple of times from the side, which made the hunting dogs nervous.

The battle ended in just a few moves.

Not enough.

That wasn't enough.

"Sir James," someone whispered to him from the side.

"Our objective is not to relieve the siege, but to feign being the vanguard of the main army."

"The Prime Minister never sent us to fight."

James glanced at Villar.

When my father hires people, he either looks so ugly that he can scare people, or he looks decent.

This man became their captain of the guard at the Red Keep because of his good looks and his swordsmanship, which was barely better than a goose's.

As a result, his courage and principles were almost like a sheep's, and he could even order Tyrion around at will.

"We're not here to just watch the enemy attack the city and do nothing," James said.

"But...but Your Excellency the Prime Minister..."

prime minister?

James curled his lip in disdain.

The prime minister treats honor as his life, but in reality, it's just a pile of dog shit.

Everyone thought Eddard was going to war, and even Jaime initially thought so too, believing that Eddard had some backbone.

But the result?

As a result, they were called away for a secret meeting, and this arrangement was made.

They do not attack, do not engage in battle, but merely patrol and exert pressure.

Despicable! Despicable!

Back in the Tower of Bliss, they must have used despicable means to kill their brothers!

Otherwise, why would that Dane girl have jumped off the cliff when Ed sent "Dawn" back?

They even brought a bastard child back to the North, and to this day refuse to say who his mother is.

He had gray hair, a long, horse-like face, and looked exactly like his father.

Exactly the same...

Just like Xiao Qiao.

James's lips twitched involuntarily.

Little Joe was starting to look more and more like him, but the blind Robert didn't notice at all.

Now that the drunkard is gone, no one can stop him from going to Cersei and enjoying the love she gives him.

Except for Xiao Qiao.

That damned little thing has taken up half of Cersei's time since it was born.

Even when she grew up, she wasn't like a normal child. She was always deep in thought and didn't know what she was thinking. She was far less cute than Tommen and Mysera.

He's not even as good as Tyrion; at least that little devil would make up jokes to cheer him up.

"Sir? Sir James?"

The sheep bleated again nearby.

James ignored him and continued to observe the distant camp.

The crab people's siege camp was a complete mess, utterly disorganized, with not even a sentry.

A single charge would wipe them out.

They won't besiege the city at all.

The trenches were not filled, the planks were not laid, and there wasn't even a shield to protect the archers from arrows.

A ridiculous tree trunk lay discarded on the edge, and a few silly geese were nailing handles onto it; it looked like this was their battering ram.

If Dad were in charge, he'd definitely chop off the leader's head and hang it on the tip of his spear.

"Captain Villar, the Prime Minister is still having a picnic with his army in the back, so he can't see what's going on here," James suddenly said.

He patted the sheep on the shoulder kindly.

"Besides, how will people really believe we've arrived if we don't fight back a bit?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

……

Dusk had fallen.

Outside the campsite, the campfire crackled.

"Sizzle, sizzle."

The crab farmers were sharpening their newly issued axes, one stroke at a time.

"This king of the sea is really good; he sent us a lot of weapons as soon as we arrived." A crab man brought the axe blade close to his eyes to examine it carefully.

"Even meals are free."

"When I went on a campaign with that little devil king a while ago, he was so stingy that he wouldn't even let me have an extra bowl of soup. He just made me push his cart."

"Pushing a cart?" The person next to me laughed. "Pushing a cart is actually quite good; you won't have to come up the mountain with us at the end."

"Good heavens, this is the highest mountain I've ever seen in my life. We started in the morning and didn't reach the top until evening. My legs are about to break."

"Once you get up there, you're not even allowed to rest; you have to carry things down." Another crab farmer with a gap-toothed man chimed in, "You have to hand everything over after you get down the mountain."

"I won't leave you a single piece. If you're caught hiding any, you'll get a beating."

After he finished speaking, he looked around.

Then he took out a silver ring from his pocket, put it on his finger, and proudly dangled it.

Everyone gasped and crowded around.

"They even stripped them of their clothes, how did you manage to get them out?"

The man with the gap-toothed man revealed a mysterious smile.

He was about to speak.

The earth suddenly trembled.

The neighing of warhorses shattered the night sky beneath the stars.

"Strange, aren't all of Master's horses inside?" the man with the gap-toothed man asked, puzzled.

He stood up, wanting to see what was happening outside.

Behind the leaping red flames of the campfire, a golden sun flew in amidst booming thunder.

A moment later, a lion appeared above the firelight.

Golden mane, a ferocious face, and an open mouth that seemed ready to devour everything.

He stared blankly at the gap-toothed man.

Watching the lion extend a cold paw.

He felt a sharp pain in his head, as if something was missing.

Then he collapsed.

In his final moments of consciousness, he saw countless knights leaping over the bonfire.

The golden lion and its silver claws gleamed and intertwined in the firelight.

The bugle sounded mournfully.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

……

The night was still and quiet.

The crab people's central command tent was packed with people.

The brightly dressed pirate from Ries shouted his questions.

"Where did the enemy attack come from?"

"A few dozen people and a few dozen horses just strolled around outside the camp."

"You killed a few people, burned a few tents, and you're telling me this is an enemy attack? Where's the enemy's main force?"

A bald head glowed red beside the candlestick.

"You told me to deliberately act like a mess, and I did!" Earl Brun of the Cavern Castle retorted.

"What do you mean by deliberately luring the enemy into a trap? I think that's a terrible idea."

"By the time your men slowly make their way ashore, they'll have already slipped away."

The pirate Salado uttered a Lis slang term.

"Alright, alright," Davos the Onion Knight smoothed things over. "Reports say the enemy is flying Lannister banners, and their leader is wearing golden armor and a lion helmet."

"He must have been a tyrant; he was a ruthless character."

"His Majesty the King told us that a major battle is about to take place here, which means the enemy's vanguard has arrived. We should be extra careful..."

Before the words were finished, the bugle sounded again.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The men's expressions changed drastically, and they grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the tent.

But all that could be seen was a small cavalry unit disappearing into the woods.

……

All sounds are silent.

The crab farmer on duty was loudly boasting about a silver ring.

"Let me tell you, this ring is mine..." he said, showing off his yellow teeth as he recounted how he obtained it.

But his companions merely dropped their spears in terror, blew their horns twice, and then scurried back to the camp gate.

Yellow Teeth tried to turn his head, but only felt an immense weight on his neck.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

……

Shifting stars.

"This ring is..."

Black Fang had barely uttered two sentences when he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He turned his head and saw two swans, one black and one white, flying across the sky, each carrying a bow in its beak.

"Enemy attack..."

……

On the eve of dawn.

"this……"

Before he could finish speaking, his finger and the ring fell to the ground.

"enemy……"

……

The morning light is dim.

No one picked up the silver ring on the ground anymore.