Kaifeng vs. Daeren

He wanted to stand up, but his pride was too great.

Sitting there any longer would clearly be unacceptable.

"Get down, Tywin Lannister!"

Aerys would not tolerate it, speaking with extreme rudeness: "When the King is absent, the Hand may sit. When the King is present, the Hand can only clean up the mess."

Tywin's expression changed instantly, his fists clenching with a creaking sound.

Swish! Swish!

Barristan and Ser Gerold were the first to declare their stance, drawing their swords halfway and fixing their gaze on the Lannister soldiers below the Iron Throne.

It seemed like both sides were about to draw weapons.

At the critical moment, Varys quietly emerged from the crowd, bowed, and clasped his hands: "Lord Tywin, His Majesty has arrived. It would be best not to delay the trial by combat."

"Fine!"

Tywin suppressed the rage in his heart and chose to accept the offer.

This kind of blatant public humiliation was not the first time.

But impatience could ruin great plans.

He would find an opportunity sooner or later to exact his revenge.

"Who can tell me what happened?"

Aerys ascended the Iron Throne, his eyes fixed on the fully armored Kevan.

Kevan's heart sank, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

Tywin and Daeren had the same premonition.

"Ser Jon, you've truly done more harm than good with your good intentions."

Daeren remained outwardly calm, but his mind was racing, contemplating how to resolve this situation.

Before beating Gillian, he had planned to escape through a trial by combat, even using the opportunity to showcase his strength and spread his fame throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

Go with the flow, leverage the situation for profit.

The moment he formally proposed the trial by combat, a terrifying plan surged through his mind.

Use the trial by combat to crush the Lannisters, completely falling out with his teacher.

It would be best to drag Rhaegar, who was far away on Dragonstone, into it, and let the royal family go to war with the Lannisters. This would avoid the future Tourney at Harrenhal, the False Spring, and the War of the Usurper...

Since war was inevitable, it was better to target a single Lannister than to face the combined might of the four great houses: the Eagles, Deer, Wolves, and Fish.

A foolish plan born of desperation.

Daeren quickly abandoned it.

The Targaryens were destroyed in the War of the Usurper, but the crucial turning point was the False Spring, the Tourney at Harrenhal held next year.

Many historical trajectories could be altered; there was no need to trade one brutal war for another.

Moreover, the risk of messing up was too great.

Daeren was young, and he had found another dragon egg.

Stable development was the only way.

"Your Majesty, it's like this."

Varys, acting as the Master of Whisperers, explained the cause and effect in meticulous detail.

"Hahaha."

Aerys let out a neurotic chuckle and looked at his former friend: "Lord Tywin, is that how it happened?"

Tywin met his gaze defiantly: "Both sides have accepted the judgment. What are Your Majesty's thoughts?"

"No, I have no opinion."

Aerys was still laughing, then his expression suddenly turned grim. "But having Kevan face my eleven-year-old son is hardly fair. Perhaps I should choose an equally matched opponent for him."

"Barristan, come out!"

With a single command, he summoned one of the strongest men of the age.

"Your Majesty." Barristan stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

Aerys pointed at Kevan and roared, "You will stand in for my son in the trial by combat. Take his head."

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned pale.

Kevan broke out in a cold sweat, his gaze pleadingly turning to his elder brother, Tywin.

Barristan Selmy!

He had single-handedly slain the last Blackfyre, Marris, and rescued the King alone.

If the heroes in storybooks who could slay enemy generals amidst a thousand troops truly existed, their name would surely be Barristan Selmy.

"You..."

Tywin was a mixture of shock and anger.

Aerys laughed triumphantly, "What? The Lannisters, who always pay their debts, are afraid of a mere Kingsguard?"

Tywin's face changed drastically, rendered speechless by the retort.

The rules of trial by combat allowed one to find a substitute, a fact the Hand of the King could not deny.

"Brother, I..."

Seeing his elder brother at a loss, Kevan took a deep breath, deciding to fight to defend the family's honor.

To retreat now would make him and his family a laughingstock.

"Father, I have a small suggestion."

While the brothers were in a moment of near farewell, Daeren casually passed by and walked towards the Iron Throne.

Aerys eyed his second son and said gravely, "What do you want to say?"

He had been supporting this boy; he couldn't falter at a crucial moment.

Daeren, of course, wasn't that foolish. He phrased it more pleasingly: "A mere Kevan Lannister isn't worthy of Ser Barristan's attention. Why don't you let me handle it?"

"This way, the world will also know that Targaryens will always be superior to Lannisters."

He spoke very softly, ensuring his father could hear him.

Aerys hesitated, then feigned anger, "Boy, do you want to spare Kevan's life?"

"Isn't it better to let Kevan live and become a stepping stone for my fame throughout the Seven Kingdoms?"

Daeren did not deny it.

"Killing him would also bring me fame throughout the Seven Kingdoms."

"Infamy and renown are two different things."

Daeren placed his hand on his father's, the warmth of his palm soothing, and lowered his tone. "If I defeat Kevan, everyone who sees him in the future will naturally recall my strength."

He knew his old father's weakness well. Stroking his ego would prevent him from lashing out.

As expected, Aerys hesitated, "Are you confident?"

He was roughly the same age as Kevan and had once been friends, so he knew his opponent's skill well.

"I have mastered Vitality," Daeren affirmed.

With that said, Aerys had no reason to refuse. Shamelessly, he changed his order: "Barristan, you may stand down."

"Kevan, thank my son for pleading for you, for sparing your dog's life."

Kevan: ???

What was going on? Was the fight off?

Aerys immediately announced that Daeren would personally fight in the trial by combat against Kevan.

"He pleaded for me?"

Kevan looked at Daeren, who was walking step by step towards the Iron Throne, his heart filled with disbelief.

Meanwhile, Barristan rose and retreated, sighing in resignation.

The Kingsguard fighting would indeed escalate the conflict between the King and the Hand.

But he was not a fool and had his own judgment.

With his skill, he could have forced Kevan to surrender without harming him.

The trial by combat continued.

Kevan gripped his sword with both hands, staring intently at the young man opposite him, and said sternly, "You pleaded for me, and I will show leniency, but Gillian's debt will be repaid in full."

"You sure can talk big."

Daeren chuckled, amused by Kevan.

He borrowed swords from Barristan and Ser Jon, holding one in each hand, the right heavier, the left lighter, slowly and gently twirling them to familiarize himself with their weight.

He was a dual-wielding swordsman.

It was a twist of fate. While watching the show, he thought Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, was incredibly powerful with two swords. At eight years old, he began practicing with two swords spontaneously.

When he actually met Arthur Dayne, he was shocked to realize that the man used a greatsword, not two swords.

The heirloom of House Dayne of Starfall.

A greatsword named Dawn, forged from starfall iron, milky white like glass, a meter and eighty centimeters long and as wide as a palm.

Daeren had the fortune to witness Arthur Dayne's combat prowess, wielding the Dawn, a greatsword comparable to a door, with apparent ease, no one within five meters of him able to withstand a single blow.

He had been completely misled!

His basic training for dual-wielding swords was complete. Changing to a greatsword would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Under the reasonable persuasion of the Red Keep's instructors, Daeren persisted with his dual-wielding sword style.

"You're not wearing armor?"

As the trial by combat began, Kevan probed cautiously, applying pressure and trying to distract the opponent with words.

Daeren's steps were steady, and he twirled his swords in each hand, saying, "It's enough to deal with you."