The day of the tourney had finally arrived.
King Robert had spent months preparing this massive nameday celebration for Prince Joffrey. The scale was staggering.
On the south bank of the Blackwater, the open fields had turned into a sea of color—tents everywhere, banners snapping in the wind, drums pounding, and crowds packed shoulder to shoulder. Knights competing in the lists, nobles watching from the stands, gold cloaks keeping order, merchants hawking everything from meat pies to cheap blades, and ordinary folk just there for the spectacle. The whole chaotic mess had converged on the tourney grounds.
Word of the event had spread across the Seven Kingdoms months earlier, so knights from every corner had poured into King's Landing. Most didn't come alone. They brought squires, armorers, guards, grooms, servants, and the usual swarm of camp followers—traders, whores, and cutpurses.
The city's population had exploded over the last two months. Every inn, every tavern, every spare room was stuffed to the rafters.
All those extra bodies had brought trouble. Drunken brawls, riots, fights breaking out over nothing, rapes, robberies, and thefts were happening daily. Unidentified bodies turned up in alleyways almost every morning.
For nearly a month, King's Landing had been more lawless than anyone could remember.
Leo lived up on Rhaenys's Hill in Silk Street, where the rich and powerful stayed, so the chaos barely touched him. Between his strict two-point routine—Red Keep for training and straight back to the inn—he'd only heard in passing that the city's治安 had gotten bad. He had no idea how bad.
Until now.
Dressed in his ornate plate and riding his tall warhorse, surrounded by his men, Leo pushed through the dense crowd to reach the grounds. That was when Varyn filled him in on everything he'd missed.
"…And I found out what the king and Lord Stannis were arguing about yesterday," Varyn continued, voice low. "Lord Stannis says the crime in King's Landing has gotten completely out of control. He went to the king demanding a harsh crackdown and even suggested shutting down all the brothels. That really set Robert off. The king basically told him he was being ridiculous and asked if they should ban eating, shitting, and breathing while they were at it. I have to admit… it was pretty funny when I heard it."
Leo raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
He knew Stannis was a man who couldn't stand even a speck of dirt in his world, but proposing to close every brothel? That was exactly on-brand for him.
In theory, brothels were dens of vice and should be shut down. But this was medieval Westeros. Nobody cared about rights or the secondary crimes that would just pop up somewhere else.
More importantly, brothels were hugely profitable and perfect for gathering information and holding secret meetings. Half the powerful people in the city had interests tied to them—including the Master of Coin himself.
Not to mention Robert was a regular customer.
Stannis's suggestion probably also carried an unspoken rebuke of his brother's whoring. Which, of course, only made Robert angrier.
Somehow the story had leaked, and while it made plenty of people laugh, it also made plenty more dislike Stannis.
Leo didn't find it funny. He just thought it was pure Stannis—stubborn, uncompromising, and completely tone-deaf.
A man like that might be valued in peacetime as a reliable workhorse. But as Renly had said, he wasn't suited to be king.
Leo listened without comment, then took his seat and waited for the tourney to begin.
After a while King Robert finally showed up with the queen, the princes, and his guards. They took the central high platform. Everyone rose and bowed to the royal family.
A minor lord stepped forward to open the ceremonies, but Robert waved him off impatiently.
"To hell with all that nonsense!" the king bellowed. "I declare the tourney in honor of my son Joffrey's nameday… open!"
"Who's up first? Get out there! I'm sure everyone's itching for a good fight!"
The nobles and knights cheered loudly in response.
On the high platform the ladies and young girls hid their excited smiles behind fans, whispering eagerly to their friends.
The draw had already been done earlier. Two knights Leo didn't recognize rode into the lists on fine horses. They waved to the crowd, then locked eyes with clear fighting spirit.
From the chatter around him, Leo learned they were from minor houses—either never mentioned in the story or just background characters. Neither face was familiar.
As the two riders charged toward each other from opposite ends of the field, Leo lost interest in their match. He leaned toward Varyn and asked quietly, "Did you take care of what I asked?"
"Of course!" Varyn puffed out his chest. "Just as you ordered, I placed three thousand gold dragons on Ser Barristan to win the tourney. But because he's so famous, a lot of people bet on him, so the odds are pretty low…"
"No problem," Leo waved it off. "As long as it's on my teacher. It's only right for his student to want him to take the championship."
In truth, Leo vaguely remembered a clip years ago about Barristan winning a tourney at age fifty-seven. And from recent conversations, he knew Barristan was exactly fifty-seven this year. There was a good chance this was the one.
Either way, betting on his teacher and making some side money was a win-win.
"Um…" Varyn hesitated.
"What?"
"There's actually betting on you too."
Leo blinked. "What? People seriously think I could win the whole thing? They're out of their minds."
"No, no—not that," Varyn said quickly, voice dropping. "They're betting on which round you'll lose in. You've become one of the hot topics in King's Landing lately…"
Leo rubbed his chin.
His first opponent was a knight named Balman Byrch. The man had apparently performed well in the recent Duskendale tourney, so many people favored him and didn't think Leo stood a chance.
"Go find a few different people," Leo said with a small smile. "Place some bets for me. Let's have a little fun—put money on me beating this Balman Byrch."