At those words, Erryk immediately rose from his seat in the rest area, his hand already on the hilt at his waist.
In the middle of the training ground, Alek also drew back his practice sword at once. His brows knitted, his sword tip dropped toward the ground, and he switched instantly from sparring partner to wary guard.
After all, Adrian Thorne, one of Aegon's squires, was the nephew of their white-cloaked brother Ser Rickard Thorne, while Robert Darklyn was Ser Steffon Darklyn's nephew.
Aegon's other squires were all about the same age as those two boys. The Kingsguard held no lands, took no wives, and fathered no children; they had long since come to regard Aegon's squires as their successors or their own nephews.
And unlike Aegon, whose anger flared instantly-Who dared bully my people?-Alek was the first to regain his composure.
He lowered his practice sword to his side and looked steadily at the panting Robin. "What happened? Weren't Alyn and Viry with you?"
Robin bent over with both hands on his knees and gulped air for a good while before catching his breath. "This morning, we meant to listen to Alyn and just look around High Tide at most, without going too far."
He spoke between gasps, so quickly that he seemed afraid someone would interrupt him. "But Ser Viry suggested we visit the shipyards in Hull. He said Alyn seemed interested in them when he passed by yesterday, so we thought we'd go take a look first. When we got there, we happened to see that wastrel Harlan bullying a young woman delivering meals to the shipwrights. Apparently, the child she was carrying on her back accidentally bumped into him, so he grabbed her by the hair and wouldn't let go. He even demanded she kneel