Chapter Text
There were times Brynden had travelled in large groups, but none like this. It felt as though the entirety of King’s Landing was travelling with them, though he knew there couldn’t have been more than two hundred, likely closer to one hundred. But even still, on that narrow offshoot of the Kingsroad, it seemed like the largest retinue to ever be issued to Brynden. He was riding next to Ser Arthur Dayne, The Sword Of The Morning, whom he squired for. Ser Arthur was a member of the Kingsguard, and naturally travelling very close to Prince Rhaegar and Princess Daenys, who were also on horseback.
Ser Arthur Dayne was a handsome man, with a strong jawline covered by a short and dark beard. He had haunting purple eyes like amethysts, similar to his sister’s. He was tall, though not the tallest Kingsguard in memory, that honour would have to go to Duncan the Tall, who Brynden also deeply admired. Arthur was a prime example of a handsome knight in shining armour, Brynden thought so, at least. He had adored Ser Arthur for years, long before he started squiring for the knight. They had not long ago fought against the Smiling Knight and the Kingswood Brotherhood, where Brynden saw Arthur fight like he was no mere man. He had witnessed the true potential of Jaime Lannister, the new brother of the Kingsguard. He had defeated his first man in combat, though Brynden took no lives. Brynden would never forget the sound of Dawn clashing against the sword of the Smiling Knight, it reminded him of the tales of Lady Forlorn and Blackfyre
Brynden noticed that Princess Daenys, daughter to King Aerys II and sister to the young Dragon, prince Rhaegar, was looking at Arthur, and by extent, him too. He bowed his head to her out of politeness. The princess was asking Arthur if they were getting close, which Arthur confirmed without a great many words, like he always did. Ser Arthur Dayne was never a man to talk more than he had to, which Brynden could respect.
Who Brynden also noticed was Jaime Lannister, who made a poor attempt at a joke by saying, “Some of these lords ride like they’ve been taught by pigs,” before snickering at his own insulting joke. Brynden never knew quite what to think of Jaime Lannister. They were very close in age, being mere months apart, but so far away in terms of status. Jaime Lannister was a knight and soon to be a sworn brother to the Kingsguard, while Brynden Stark was a mere squire at 16. He felt respect for Jaime, because of how good of a fighter Jaime was, he felt envy of Jaime, because of his status and position, he felt annoyance for Jaime, because of his arrogance. He even felt attraction to Jaime, because of how handsome he was. He knew he shouldn’t, for Jaime was a man, which made it all the more confusing. Brynden really did not like how complicated his feelings about Jaime Lannister were.
Of course, there were also other knights travelling with them. Lannisters travelling with Jaime, Hightowers with Gerold, and most importantly for Brynden, the Starks were travelling to Harrenhall too. Sadly, Brynden’s family was not travelling on the road alongside him, for they came from the North, and he came from the South. He heard about so many people that would be there, his excitement could not be contained. Baratheons, Arryns, Tullys, Martells, Tyrells, Manderlys, and Freys. Even Yoren of the Night’s Watch seemed to be there, a crow flying very far south of the wall.
What interested Brynden a lot was who would compete. He knew Prince Rhaegar would, and would bet Ser Barristan Selmy would as well. Perhaps Jaime Lannister would compete, or Jon Connington. Maybe Prince Oberyn or Lord Hornwood. But what Brynden hoped most was that Ser Arthur would compete.
But even more than that, Brynden wanted to talk to people, meet people, win favour. He needed favour to become a knight some day, and to truly become a notable person, an important person, not just the Stark boy, the clever wolf, the squire of Arthur Dayne, but Ser Brynden Stark. There had been Brynden the raven and Brynden the fish, it was time for Brynden the wolf to start leaving a mark on this world.
He looked at Prince Rhaegar, the young dragon, who looked handsome as ever, and his sister, Daenys, who was also very pretty. The Targaryens were always so gorgeous, Brynden started to wonder if their Valyrian blood was blessed. He had met Rhaegar, once, not very long ago, though they shared no words. The prince was exactly as described. Kind, caring, and fair. Fairer than his father, king Aerys. Perhaps Rhaegar should be king, not his father, Brynden had thought. Though not only Rhaegar interested him, the girl riding by his side, Princess Daenys, had been an interesting figure too. He’d heard… talk, from the Kingsguard, about her rebellious habits. Maybe a little more rebellion was what the realm needed.
Thoughts aside, Brynden noticed they were nearing the castle. He spoke to Arthur, just for the sake of saying something and having a conversation other than Jaime’s constant poor attempts at humour along the way. “Ser Arthur, have you ever been to Harrenhal before?” He asked the knight.
“I have, yes, Brynden. Many years ago, when I was still discovering all the beauties of the seven kingdoms.” He said to his squire with a smile on his face. “Though I wasn’t alone,” he added.
“Certainly not. Who would have sang to the Whents about your heroic deeds otherwise?” Was the reply to that, by none other than Rhaegar Targaryen, the young dragon, with a slight laugh in his voice. “Do you sing about Arthur’s heroism, young Stark?”
Brynden was stunned, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen had spoken to him. He had been spoken to by the prince himself. “No, your grace. I- uhh- I- I do not sing. My v- my voice is not that nice to- to listen to, when I s- sing, your grace.” The young squire said, his voice sounded very nervous and shy, though he was doing his best to keep his composure, even when talking to a real prince.
“Oh, what a shame. I think your voice sounds lovely, young squire. I will teach you music someday, as I taught Ser Arthur, if you wish it.” The prince said to the squire, his words gentle and kind, as he was often described by the common people and noble lords and ladies alike. It made Brynden feel not as if he was spoken to by the royal prince, the young dragon, but as if he was talking to a mere man.
Brynden looked at the prince, and spoke to him with careful words and a doubt in his eyes. “Are- are you sure, your grace?” He asked the prince.
Rhaegar chuckled and said, “Why of course, young Stark, who else would sing of Arthur’s new heroic feats if not his squire? Speaking of heroic feats, tell me of the business with the Kingswood Brotherhood. I heard Ser Arthur slew the villainous Smiling Knight.”
As Rhaegar spoke, Daenys cut into the conversation. “Ser Arthur is a great knight, obviously he fought heroically.” She smiles, but she interrupts Brynden, riding in between Arthur and Brynden, shutting him out.
“Of course he did, sister, but I wish to hear young Stark’s tales of the battle, for he was there.” Rhaegar replied, before the princess had the chance to say more. He rode in front of the group, now consisting of Ser Arthur, Princess Daenys, and young Brynden, before circling back to ride next to the squire. “Please, young Stark, tell me the tale, don’t mind my sister’s interruption.”
Brynden smiled politely and nodded, trying to find some confidence in his voice. “Very well, your grace. The princess is correct, Ser Arthur fought very bravely and heroically, one could not dream of finding a finer swordsman. We started by tracking down the Brotherhood after her grace, Princess Elia, was attacked by their men. Ser Arthur Dayne, Lord Sumner Crakehall, Ser Jaime Lannister, Merrett Frey, and I were riding together with a group of about twenty men for a fortnight until we first encountered the group. Merrett, who had caught the pox from one of the camp followers, was not in any state to fight. He was captured, by Wenda the White Fawn, one of the bandits. He was later ransomed off to Lord Crakehall. The next encounter with the bandits went even poorer for Merrett, where he was struck by a mace to the head, though luckily he did survive the encounter. He had to be sent to the nearest maester, and home after that.” Brynden’s face saddened at the thought of Merrett Frey, the poor lad.
“But we kept on looking for them. What was most important was gaining the trust of the people, who thought the Brotherhood protected them. Ser Arthur petitioned his grace, the king, to grant the smallfolk more rights, which was key in gaining their trust and support. This was vital in letting us freely search for the bandits. After another fortnight of searching for them, Ser Barristan Selmy came to help us. After a while, we found their camp, where they had brought Lady Jeyne Swann and her septa, who had been abducted. Ser Barristan managed to free them, and he slew the leader of the outlaws, one Simon Toyne. At the camp, Lord Crakehall fought a large man called Big Belly Ben, who he almost lost his life to if not for the prowess of Ser Jaime Lannister.” He paused for a moment, catching his breath and looking at Jaime, riding slightly behind them and listening to the conversation.
Brynden continued, “Ser Arthur and I fought side by side, him against the villainous Smiling Knight, and I against Oswyn Longneck. Ser Arthur managed to slay the Smiling Knight, even after gaining him the courtesy of letting him switch swords during the encounter, for his had been notched by Dawn. I defeated Oswyn Longneck, and we had him, along with the other bandits, tried for their crimes. All but Ulmer, the archer, were sentenced to death. After the battle, Ser Jaime Lannister was knighted for his combat prowess by Ser Arthur.”
“And so he was,” Arthur said, looking at the young knight behind them, before turning back to face Rhaegar and Brynden. “And so he was.”
The prince, who had been listening very attentively to Brynden’s story, spoke to him with a smile. “You tell a good story, young Stark. You sing your master’s praises well. Though one thing I do wonder, you say Ser Jaime was knighted for his combat prowess, but did you not fight alongside Ser Jaime, Ser Arthur, and Ser Barristan? Where is your knighthood?”
The very question that had been clawing at Brynden’s mind for months. Where was his knighthood? Why did Jaime Lannister become not only a knight, but a knight of the Kingsguard after this, while Brynden was stuck as a squire? Still, he should not voice those frustrations to the prince. The confidence in his voice was gone, however. “Ser- Ser Jaime fought better than I- than I did, your grace. He held his own against the Smiling Knight, which is more of a feat than I could dream of. I- I’ll get my chance, someday,” or so he hoped.
“You will.” Ser Arthur said to his squire. “But I can’t lose my best squire too soon, can I? Who else will sing my praises?” He laughed, and Rhaegar did too.
The group continued to ride together. Short conversations happened, but Brynden did not take part in them. He observed the royal host, consisting of the prince, the princess, the Kingsguard, and the family of some of the Kingsguard. He spotted the banners of Hightower through the crowd, and a lone rider with the Lannister lion on his shield. This made Brynden curious, as he had heard Lord Lannister was furious with the king naming Jaime to the Kingsguard, and that the Lannisters would not be attending. Perhaps he'd have to talk to the lone lion later on. For now, he focused on the large gates of Harrenhal that they were now approaching