On the outskirts of Riverrun, two Kingsguards, Lynn Corbray and Arys Oakheart, led a dozen Red Keep guards on their backs, looking for prey in the woods.
A frightened gray-haired hare jumped out of the weeds at the feet of a guard, dashed left and right in the woods, and when it ran to Alex's feet, he was stabbed into the body with his sword. p>
Lifting the long sword and handing the hare to a guard, Alex ordered: "Bleed it and chop it into pieces. Mix these things together and sprinkle them on the open space in front. We are going to catch a big one this time!" p>
"Okay, sir." The guard took the hare away and ran aside to make bait.
"Alex, didn't you say you were looking for a bison? Are you going to catch a beast for meat?" Hearing that the plan had changed, Linn walked up to Alex and asked.
"The king's physical condition is getting worse day by day. Barristan said he would try to find some rare prey for him. The wild buffalo in the riverlands are too common. Let's see if we can attract bears or wolves this time." Alex put the quilt in the morning.
Lu's damp brown hair was pushed away from her eyes, and her rather handsome face was also wet.
"If the king dies and Stannis becomes king, will you stay?" Lynn asked softly.
"I will always be loyal to my duty and to this white robe. Whether I keep it or not depends on Stannis." Arys raised his hand and stroked the scales in front of the breastplate.
The Kingsguard all wear uniform bright white armor, and each one has some small decorations on his body. For example, Alex hangs colorful decorative scales made of enamel on his chest, and the white cloak on his back is also made of small wool.
High-end goods are equivalent to advertising the family business.
"I guess there's no chance for us." Linn took off his helmet and twisted his wet hair.
The Kingsguard is a lifelong position. If there is no war death or rebellion, the king will continue to protect the next king after his death, that is, the prince or designated heir of the previous king. But Stannis is special.
In the royal fleet under his command, Werther and Renly provided a large amount of wages, and he constantly recruited young men from the Iron Islands. The battles were not as constant as the small battles with the pirates. After more than ten years of development, not to mention the abundance of talents, they are also strong men.
Countless, there are countless people in the Navy who are interested in the Kingsguard, the knight's highest honorary position.
Once Stannis becomes king, and Barristan is too old to have the energy to convince him, then the Kingsguard following Robert will be relieved of their duties and sent home just like Jaime did.
Lynn: "I learned some information from Varys that I don't know whether it's true or not. In order to compete for places in the Kingsguard, many people within the Royal Fleet participated in private fights, and some even died in the duel."
"My dream since I was a child is to join the Kingsguard. If I were to take off this white robe, I would rather die!" Alex said very firmly. He is usually very low-key, and he only said so much when he was feeling uneasy.
words.
"Brother, don't think so! Judging from Stannis's behavior, he is not a cruel and unreasonable person, and will solve our problems properly." Lin En was more open-minded than him and quickly spoke to dissuade him. p>
When someone was dismissed during the tenure of the Kingsguard, some people thought it didn't matter, while others thought it was a shame. Honor was more important than life, and they would rather commit suicide if they were insulted. Not only the two of them, but other Kingsguards also had this concern.
It was rainy and gloomy in the riverlands, and Robert spent most of his time in the castle after arriving at Riverrun. He would get tired of having singing and dancing parties every day, but the key was that his wallet couldn't bear it.
Fortunately, the rain stopped last night, and the sun came out in the morning. The sun burned the muddy land until it became foggy, and the entire City of Riverrun was shrouded in thick fog.
"We can finally go out, Edmure, you will go hunting with me today!" Robert didn't wait for Edmure's consent, and started to call people to prepare early in the morning.
Edmure Tully is also a restless person: "There are wild buffaloes and wild boars in the Riverlands. Looking at the weather, they will drag their families out to look for food. Today's prey will definitely be indispensable!"
When the king wants to go hunting, preparations are indispensable. A large group of guards must follow, and sufficient dry food and water must be prepared. Pots and pans must be brought to cook the prey, and most importantly, other nobles must be notified. Nobles will not hunt for
That little bit of meat was an important social activity. The lords established relationships and negotiated deals, the young knights could show off their bravery, and the unmarried women could find a suitable partner.
When everything was ready and Robert set off on his tall horse with a team of several hundred people, it was almost noon.
Driving into the dense mountain forest, the nobles ate dry food and found a clearing by a stream at two o'clock in the afternoon. Local hunters said that due to the complex terrain and inaccessible people, there were many more prey than in the Fuyuan area.
The attendants and soldiers unloaded various items from the carriage and began to set up various luxury tents. Robert carried the war hammer and led the nobles on horseback into the depths of the dense forest to start hunting.
Behind Robert, Alex and Linn had returned to the team at some point.
The two of them nodded to Barristan, the captain of the Kingsguard. Arys also made a few gestures with his hands, and Barristan nodded to indicate that he knew. There was a hillside ahead, and his head and feet were pierced.
The bear is waiting for Robert to come and show off his glory.
"Robert, will the vampires from the West come to us?" Edmure was a little worried as the distance from Riverrun became farther and farther.
"Haha, Werther has ridden a dragon to the west and is patrolling everywhere. Those vampires with no eyes had better hide in the caves and don't show up!" When Werther came back, Robert was not worried at all and rode on his horse with a war hammer on his back.
Walking leisurely.
"That's right, the dragon is in the sky, and wizards Qyburn and Thoros are also here. Vampires with a little bit of thinking ability don't dare to come." Edmure also smiled.
Robert: "I just pity old Tywin. I haven't seen him for more than ten years. He moved around a little bit, but he is gone."
Edmure: "The Western Territory lacks magical defense. The detection tower in Riverrun is progressing very quickly under the auspices of Master Qyburn and will be built soon. I have contacted several city mages and they are willing to accept employment in Riverrun.
City as a consultant."
The two of them were riding horses and chatting at the front of the team. Unknowingly, they crossed the hillside, and the hunting dogs brought by the hunters began to roar crazily towards the front.
"There is prey!" The hunting dog straightened the rope around its neck, and the hunter shouted, confirmed the direction and released the rope.
Black, white, and gray, more than a dozen hunting dogs rushed into the woods, roaring like crazy.
"The hunting dogs are barking so fiercely, it seems that the prey is unusual!" Robert grasped the reins tightly, slowly turned over and dismounted, and followed the barking of the dogs with his war hammer.
Other nobles also dismounted and picked up various weapons to follow. The best weapons for hunting are bows and arrows. Nobles don't care about so many. They have swords, guns and swords. Bows and arrows are not special enough or show off.
Roar
In the small clearing, the black bear just stood up and then suddenly lay down, sitting on the spot and roaring. More than a dozen hunting dogs circled around it, constantly trying to bite the black bear's buttocks. The black bear's seemingly clumsy body was extremely agile, and it responded
He turned around and opened his mouth, and kept fighting with the hunting dogs. A hunting dog that didn't have time to dodge was slapped away by the black bear. The hunting dog got up with difficulty, snarled and ran away from its owner with its tail between its legs.
Robert and his men came out of the woods on one side. Seeing the extremely brave black bears, they all picked up their weapons and were on guard. When the soldiers behind heard that it was a black bear, they rushed forward with their shields raised and set them up in front of Robert.
Shield array.
"Get out of the way, don't block the way." His sight was blocked, not even a hair on the dog could be seen, Robert waved his warhammer to tell the soldiers to move away.
He held the war hammer in both hands, arched his body and lowered the sound of his footsteps and slowly walked forward, preparing to kill the black bear with a hammer when it wasn't paying attention.
"You go and protect the king." Barristan asked several young Kingsguards to follow him quickly.
This kind of bending forward movement is a bit difficult for Barristan, who is almost 66 years old. After bending down for a long time, he suddenly straightened up to fight. Once he reached his waist, he had to lie down for ten days and a half. p>
The best prey was given to the king. The nobles who were watching held their breath and kept silent, thinking about how Robert would compliment him after killing the black bear.
The hunting dog was still roaring, attracting the black bear's attention. It had not yet noticed Robert sneaking closer.
Suddenly the bushes on the side shook, and a black shadow quickly jumped out. After running for two steps, it jumped high and landed on the black bear accurately and quickly. Its four claws dug firmly into the black bear's skin.
Before he could react, the sharp fangs had bitten through the black bear's neck, and his eyes were staring at Robert.
"Fuck you." Robert was so frightened by the sudden appearance in front of him that he took a few steps back. His legs and feet couldn't bear the force and fell backwards to the ground.
Two smaller black figures came out of the bushes. After knocking down the two hunting dogs, they bit the hunting dogs' necks and raised their heads to look at Robert.
"Quick! Surround us to protect the king!" Barristan drew his sword and shouted.
"Why are there shadow lynxes in the south of the Riverlands?" The nobles of the Riverlands recognized these three things.
The soldiers quickly ran to Robert and set up a shield formation, and the Kingsguard also drew their swords and confronted the shadow lynx.
The prey was taken away, and two companions died. The remaining hunting dogs were frightened and retreated to the crowd. After repeated encouragement by the hunter, they regained their courage and lined up in a row to roar at the shadow lynx.
Woo
The shadow lynx makes a low roar when protecting its prey, and the pressure of the advanced predator makes the hunting dog group retreat unconsciously.
Robert, who was lying on the ground, was helped up. The frightened Robert gasped, opened a gap in the shield array and stared at the three black beasts.
The shadow lynx is only slightly smaller than the black bear. Unlike the black bear, which eats everything, they are pure carnivores. Their black fur with white stripes makes them blend in with the woods. The claws on their limbs are long and sharp.
The well-developed muscles bring agile speed and powerful jumping ability and strength. The long fangs in its mouth mean that as long as it bites the neck, there is no chance of survival. The shadow lynx is the most powerful in the native ecosystem of Westeros continent.
Apex predator.
"Shadow lynx live only in the North, the Moon Mountains in the Valley, and the mountains in the West. How come they are also found in the Riverlands?"
"Isn't Duke Werther patrolling the Western Territory? He was probably scared away by the dragon and fled here."
There were more people, and they had sophisticated armors, shields and weapons. Apart from being startled by the sudden appearance, everyone who came back to their senses was no longer afraid of the shadow lynx, and the nobles began to talk about it.
"Back off slowly! Don't provoke them, shadow lynx generally won't attack humans!" Edmure shouted.
The shield array retreated step by step, and the soldiers behind also pulled Robert back.
Robert threw away his arm and stood there, staring intently into the eyes of the shadow lynx that was still biting the black bear's neck. Perhaps both parties realized that the other was the leader, and both looked at each other without showing any signs of weakness.
"Your Majesty the King, get back quickly." The Kingsguard shouted.
"Get behind?" Robert began to say to himself.
Raising his left hand, Robert looked at his palm. There were more than a dozen circular scars on the palm and back of his hand. His fingers were no longer enlarged and were about the same thickness as a normal person. He looked down at his belly again and saw that the fat belly had long since disappeared.
No. This is not the result of diet and exercise, but the cause of the disease.
"I was so frightened by an animal that I collapsed to the ground and needed help to get up. How did I, Robert, become like this?"
Robert raised his right hand again and looked at the exquisite Valyrian steel warhammer in his hand. It had a light gold background and was covered with dark golden smoke patterns. The angry stag on the head of the hammer seemed to be laughing at it.
myself.
"Dispute, this name is used to resolve domestic disputes, but it has never been stained with blood."
Robert raised his head. Now he was hiding in the gap of the shield array. The shadow lynx outside ignored the many humans present and dared to come out to snatch the prey. It looked very much like his former self.
Pushing aside the shield, Robert stepped forward and walked out of the shield formation in two steps. He held the war hammer with both hands and bent slightly in a fighting posture to glare at the shadow lynx. At this moment, the voices of dissuasion beside him seemed to have disappeared, and the pain in his body had also disappeared. Robert
I feel like I have returned to my youth, when I was the first to rush up to the local city wall with a war hammer in my hand and hammer the enemy general to death.
"Ha!
”
Robert shouted loudly and began to approach the black bear.
Woo
The other two shadow lynx put down the dead hunting dogs in their mouths, jumped in front of the black bear carcass and let out a low roar.
Robert continued to move forward step by step without stepping back, holding the bottom of the hammer handle left and right, and switching his right hand to the middle of the hammer handle. This posture can quickly launch attacks in all directions.
The soldiers behind him followed up with their shields, one step behind Robert. Several Kingsguards held long swords and followed the shield formation. They would attack anything that dared to get close to Robert.
"Roar!
"With a roar, the warhammer in Robert's hand hit the ground heavily, making a dull sound.
Ha
The shadow lynx that was biting the black bear relaxed, opened its mouth and showed its fangs, roared at Robert, and started to retreat. It bit the body of a hunting dog and went into the woods. The other two saw their mother leaving and bit another.
The body of a hunting dog also ran into the woods.
"The king is mighty!"
The surrounding nobles raised their weapons and shouted wildly.
"The king is mighty? Haha, I am just a useless person." Robert put the warhammer on the ground, his hands and feet were shaking constantly.
Inside the clothes, many sores were opened on the skin, and thick water and blood had soaked the shirt. At this moment, severe pain was tormenting Robert.