Have you ever seen King's Landing at dawn?

News of the little clash with House Caswell spread throughout Bitterbridge and its surroundings first thing that morning.

At first, the Reach nobles resting there heard that the Caswell boy had been beaten up on his own family's turf and looked forward to some entertainment.

Once they learned that it was a Peake who had beaten him, they all felt it was only natural.

Oh, it was a Peake... then never mind.

That was more or less what most of them were thinking.

Sure enough, there was no further spectacle to watch. Paxter Redwyne, who led the delegation, proved reasonably conscientious and brought the lord of Bitterbridge around. Lord Paxter told old Caswell to swallow it, not undermine their unity, and avoid letting the matter escalate... Bitterbridge had few men in the family, and none were attending the tournament this time.

When Titus's party set off again with the Reach delegation, they naturally took along Bitterbridge's skilled blacksmith, who could provide some logistical support on the journey. It was even a buy-one-get-one-free deal, with his son Rolly thrown in.

Young Rolly volunteered his services, saying that his size and swordsmanship had already earned him promotion to Bitterbridge's guard, but he had dreams of his own. He preferred to venture out into the world and try to become a genuine knight, unlike Lorent Caswell.

Titus had little interest in young Rolly's offer. It was only for the sake of his blacksmith father, Old Rolly, that he decided to take in the father and son, who would have trouble staying in Bitterbridge any longer.

He had considered that his future plans might call for an experienced blacksmith who had spent years at the forge...

Setting out from Bitterbridge, the large Reach contingent turned north. They followed the Roseroad, and the journey went very smoothly.

After passing through the southwestern Crownlands, they reached the kingdom's capital, King's Landing, within a few days.

They entered from the southwest through the King's Gate, which connected directly to the Roseroad. The Reach lords parted ways for the time being to find their own lodgings.

Most of the Reach nobles, famed for their immense wealth, owned property in King's Landing.

That did not include Starpike, which had faced financial difficulties in recent years.

Titus chose a courtyard property available for rent or sale at the foot of Visenya's Hill as his lodging. Its door opened onto the Street of the Silent Sisters, making it very convenient for getting around.

The Peake party spent a night resting in King's Landing.

The next day.

The blacksmith's son Rolly had thought he was up early enough. He wanted to show some initiative and help Captain Parker, who seemed quite easygoing to him, with whatever work he could manage, hoping to fit into the earl's guard as soon as possible.

Yet when he left his quarters and entered the courtyard, he discovered that the young earl had long since begun his morning training.

Having already seen Nightsong and Starpike at dawn, Earl Titus decided to treat them all equally and see King's Landing at dawn as well.

The three guard captains stood at the edge of the courtyard. Young Rolly walked over and asked cautiously:

"The earl... he's already so strong. Why does he still get up early to practice his swordsmanship?"

Titus had tested his abilities when he joined them, and young Rolly, who had originally been quite confident, had since learned the value of keeping a low profile.

"He probably became so strong because he's been getting up early to practice for so long." Lady Wenda's answer beside him filled young Rolly with respect.

"Have you ever seen such-and-such a city at dawn?"

That had never been an empty phrase.

Morning training ended.

Titus washed himself and ate breakfast-

One sausage, accompanied by two roasted bird eggs, and a bowl of thick minced-meat soup with spices and onions.

A good omen.

Titus instructed Captain Parker and the others to remain in the courtyard.

He took Bowen, Wenda, Old Rolly, and a small squad of guards to the Street of Steel to stock up.

The few of them walked ahead, while the guards followed in a hired wagon, ready to carry their purchases later.

The Street of Steel lay west of Visenya's Hill.

Titus's party headed south along the Street of the Silent Sisters, passing the Alchemists' Guildhall and then the Great Sept of Baelor before following a winding lane to the city's largest market specializing in ironware.

The four of them entered the district with their wagon.

All along the street were ironware peddlers selling old blades and scrap iron, merchants bringing wagons to collect stock, and blacksmiths laboring at roadside forges. There were also sellswords haggling over helmets and freeriders leading their horses through the market.

King's Landing was an enormous city, said to have a permanent population of nearly four hundred thousand.

Titus strolled along, chatting casually with Wenda and Bowen at his sides, occasionally stopping by the roadside to ask prices and make casual inquiries about the market.

Before long, they reached their destination for the day-Master Tobho Mott's smithy.

It was the largest shop they had seen along the way. Its frontage combined timber and plaster, and its three stories were tall enough to overlook the lanes below.

An enormous horseshoe hung directly above the smithy, marking its professional expertise and ample wealth. Its two great doors were made of ebony, carved with a woodland hunting scene: a knight wearing a round helm and a red cloak rode a white horse, drawing his bow to shoot.

A pair of white stone sculptures flanked the doors: a griffin on the left and a unicorn on the right. Were they meant to ward off evil? Did Westeros even have such a custom or belief?

Bowen pushed open the heavy black doors, and the four entered the shop one after another.

A middle-aged man wearing a velvet coat with a hammer emblem embroidered in silver thread at its hem immediately came forward to greet them.

"Honored guests! I am Tobho Mott. What would you like to buy, my lord? A knight's sword, a morning star, a Braavosi rapier favored by ladies, or perhaps a Myrish smallsword... or full suits of brand-new plate for your guards? I assure you, I have everything!"

A heavy silver necklace around Tobho Mott's neck swayed slightly as its owner showed off. Titus noticed that it was set with a beautiful sapphire nearly the size of a pigeon's egg. If genuine, it was no worse than the one on Wenda's sword guard.

Mott's business apparently did quite well. No wonder he could occupy the largest building on the Street of Steel.

He also had a keen eye. Seeing Titus dressed in brand-new gear, he immediately changed tack and tried to sell to Wenda and Bowen.

As for Old Rolly, the Bitterbridge blacksmith who had looked around with both a critical and envious eye the moment he entered, Tobho Mott recognized a likely fellow smith at a glance from the familiar girth of his arms and his callused palms, and paid him no attention whatsoever.

Bowen ignored Tobho Mott's enthusiastic sales pitch and casually surveyed the swords, hammers, and shields hanging on the shop's walls.

Wenda, dressed in close-fitting light armor, responded with considerable interest:

"Shopkeeper, have you got anything first-rate? Don't try to fob us off with fancy swords that look good but are no use."

Smiling, Titus turned his head to exchange a few quiet words with Old Rolly while nodding in agreement with the female captain.

Tobho realized that the noble-looking youth at their head was the real customer and hurriedly addressed Titus:

"Not to boast about my shop, but I guarantee you won't find another craftsman in all the Seven Kingdoms whose skill compares to mine. If you don't believe me, feel free to visit every smithy in King's Landing and compare."

He did not want to be looked down on, especially when one of his customers appeared to be a fellow smith.

Tobho walked to a corner of the shop and, to prove his words, pointed to an unusual breastplate with a dark red surface. "Actually, any country blacksmith can hammer out a suit of armor, but what those men make falls far short of my works of art."

As he spoke, Tobho did not forget to cast a challenging glance at Old Rolly before smiling at Titus and boasting:

"What I forge deserves to be called craftsmanship-a masterpiece!"

King's Landing: