"Neo, you may kneel!"
Robert was in a fine mood. With Jon Arryn's quiet nod of approval he was ready to go with the flow and knight the young foreigner right there on the spot. Leo looked just as eager and started to drop to one knee—after all, even a man's knees have their price, but it depends on the moment.
That was when an opposing voice cut through the hall.
"Wait! Cough… cough cough…"
A white-haired lord shuffled forward from the crowd, hacking violently.
"Your Grace… cough… this… cough cough… this isn't proper!"
Robert frowned. "Lord Gyles, what exactly is improper about it?"
The man speaking against it was Gyles Rosby, Lord of Rosby, just north of King's Landing.
He shook his head. "Cough… Knighthood is an affirmation of a man's skill at arms, loyalty, courage, and honor! It should not be tainted by gold and favors. That would be a desecration of the knightly code and an insult to the Seven!"
"If word of this gets out, the entire Seven Kingdoms will laugh at us. It could even encourage lowborn merchants to start buying titles, creating a disgusting wave of selling knighthoods and lordships!"
"Please reconsider, Your Grace! Cough… cough cough cough!"
Miraculously, Gyles managed to finish his entire speech before doubling over in another fit of coughing, his face turning beet red like he was about to hack up a lung.
The nobles in the hall began murmuring. Some nodded in agreement with Gyles. Others shot him looks of open mockery.
The king was enjoying himself and this old fool had to ruin the moment.
Robert's face darkened. He was pissed.
What should have been a happy occasion—an overseas envoy arriving with fine gifts, the king graciously knighting him—had now been twisted into something ugly. A naked transaction.
Do I look like I need the fucking gold?
Now it sounded like he was selling titles.
Robert fumed, eyes wide, but he couldn't easily slap Gyles down. The old man had seized the moral high ground.
Leo's expression changed too. The legitimate noble status he'd been about to secure was about to slip away because of this old bastard.
Everyone stared at Robert, waiting to see how he would handle it.
That was when Littlefinger stepped forward. He walked straight up to Lord Gyles and spoke in a firm, righteous tone.
"Lord Gyles, perhaps you misheard. Ser Neo made it perfectly clear—the two swords and the gold coins were gifts presented to the king. This is standard tribute. Perfectly normal."
"After all, don't you send a portion of your lands' harvest to the crown every year? Does that mean your own title and lands were bought?"
Littlefinger's sharp words left Gyles staring wide-eyed, mouth opening and closing with no comeback.
"Besides, in Westeros any knight has the right to bestow knighthood on another. Why have we never heard stories of it being done for money or favors? Because every true knight upholds the code and won't tarnish his name for petty gain!"
"King Robert rules the Seven Kingdoms. Do you really think he would ruin his reputation over two fine blades and a few chests of gold? Or are you deliberately saying these crude things to damage His Grace's good name?"
Leo glanced at Littlefinger in surprise. He hadn't expected the man to speak up for him. When Littlefinger finished and stepped back, he caught Leo looking and offered a small smile in return.
Littlefinger's cutting remarks left Gyles speechless, his old face flushed red. He pointed a shaky finger at the Master of Coin. "You… you… cough cough… twisting words… slandering me… cough cough!"
"Your Grace, this old servant didn't… cough… mean it that way!"
Robert actually looked like he enjoyed Littlefinger dressing the old man down. He let out a booming laugh and waved a hand generously. "Lord Gyles, I know that wasn't what you meant! Lord Petyr was simply stating facts, though his words were rather sharp. You should apologize to him."
"Sorry. My mistake," Littlefinger said smoothly, bowing his head. Then he added, "I only believe that His Grace knighting Ser Neo is completely reasonable and proper. There is no dishonor involved."
"Hmph!" Gyles clearly wasn't accepting the apology. He just snorted coldly.
Robert rubbed his hands together. "Now that that's settled, let's continue—"
"Your Grace, wait!" Leo spoke up.
"Since some people have concerns, perhaps we should postpone this for a short time."
"Lord Gyles says a knight must demonstrate skill at arms, courage, loyalty, and honor. So why don't we wait for the tourney in two months? If I'm fortunate enough to defeat other knights in the lists, won't that prove my valor?"
"Would that be proper enough?"
As Leo pointed out, there were plenty of historical examples in Westeros of men performing well in tourneys and being knighted on the spot. It was one of the few paths for "common" men to rise.
Of course, these "commoners" were rarely truly common.
To even enter you needed full plate, quality weapons, and a warhorse—gear that already kept most men out.
Then you had to be good enough to beat noble sons who had trained with the best masters since childhood.
For ordinary men it was nearly impossible.
Only a handful of exceptionally skilled sellswords ever managed to shine in the lists and catch a lord's eye.
For Leo, with the system on his side, it wasn't impossible at all.
He had also quietly lowered the bar—changing "outstanding performance" to simply defeating one knight.
Given the persona he had built and the gifts he had already presented, he was confident Robert would go along with it.
"You want to compete in the tourney?" Robert's eyes lit up. He clapped Leo hard on the shoulder. "Good! I look forward to your performance! If you defeat a knight from any house and prove your skill at arms, I will knight you myself!"
He turned to Gyles. "Lord Gyles, does that satisfy your sense of propriety?"
Gyles nodded reluctantly.
With the matter settled, Robert laughed heartily. "Excellent! If there are no other matters of state, I believe it's time for a feast!"
"Of course, if there are other issues we can put them aside for now. Wouldn't you agree, my Hand?"
For Robert, throwing a feast was clearly the most important business of the day.
Jon Arryn wasn't about to spoil the mood. He shrugged at the king and walked over to Leo. "Welcome to Westeros, Ser Neo!"
"Thank you, Lord Hand. And thank you, Your Grace, for your trust!" Leo replied, letting genuine excitement show on his face.
With the king's announcement of a feast, the court session came to an end. The nobles began filing out of the throne room.
Once Robert had left, Jaime Lannister approached Leo. Wearing his signature smug, superior smile, he said provocatively, "Ser Neo, I suggest you remove that armor before the feast tonight. And honestly, you'd be wise never to wear it again. In Westeros, only the Lannisters of the Westerlands have the right to bear the lion sigil."
Without waiting for any reply, Jaime turned on his heel and strode away.