The setting sun bathed the entire tourney ground in warm shades of gold and red.
Criston Cole knelt in the dust on one knee, holding the crown woven from roses and ivy high in both hands.
The evening breeze brushed his snowy cloak, the mark of his station as a White Knight of the Kingsguard, and lifted a few strands of his black hair. His gaze, ardent and reverent, passed through the noisy crowd and settled firmly on the silver-gold-haired girl in the stands, as though nothing remained in the world but him and his princess.
The entire crowd fell silent.
Normally, the host would choose a woman beforehand, name her the Queen of Love and Beauty, and crown her with flowers. Five champions would then swear to defend her crown. In the end, the winner of the tourney would decide who received the title of Queen of Love and Beauty.
But this tourney was a special occasion, held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Viserys and Alicent's marriage. Not only was it bound to be much grander, but Viserys, as its host, had not arranged to name a Queen of Love and Beauty beforehand.
Everyone also knew that, by the traditions of Westerosi tourneys, the champion had the right to present the crown of the Queen of Love and Beauty to the woman he held in the highest esteem.
Some did wonder why Cole, a White Knight of the Kingsguard, had not followed Ser Ryam Redwyne's example when he had offered the crown to Queen Alysanne, and presented it to Queen Alicent, the hostess of this grand occasion.
Yet unlike Ser Ryam, who had still been a squire then, Cole was already a member of the Kingsguard, sworn never to marry. There was nothing improper about his offering the