Chapter Summaries

Tyrion joined Davion and the brothel girls, then wagered a thousand Gold Dragons against Davion winning a Hand's Tourney contest. The chapter left Davion accepting the bet as Tyrion listed the formidable knights he would face.

• Tyrion offered Gold Dragons to get the girls to drink with him, but they initially ignored him while crowding around Davion.
• Shataya arranged for five girls to sit beside Tyrion, and he joked about being overlooked because he was a dwarf.
• Davion told Tyrion he aimed to win every Hand's Tourney championship except archery, and Tyrion teased him about his ambition.
• Tyrion wagered a thousand Gold Dragons that Davion would fail to win either the joust or the melee, while demanding first choice of any girl if Davion lost.
• Davion accepted the wager, and Tyrion named Gregor Clegane, Sandor Clegane, Barristan Selmy, and Jaime Lannister among the competitors he expected Davion to lose to.

Davion mocked Barristan Selmy and Jaime Lannister while drinking with Tyrion, then went to collect his custom armor and learned that Gendry's mistake had made it far too heavy. The chapter ended with Gendry apologizing as Davion faced the prospect of an unusable suit of armor.

• Davion privately condemned Barristan Selmy for changing allegiances and Jaime Lannister for excusing his actions while remaining silent during the sack of King's Landing.
• Davion and Tyrion traded barbs and drank together until sunset, then returned to their rooms with prostitutes; Davion also pulled Shataya into his room.
• Five days after arriving in King's Landing, Davion went to Tobho Mott's smithy to collect his armor.
• Tobho Mott warned Davion that the armor was too heavy, and Gendry admitted that he had used too much refined iron and could barely walk in it.

Davion inspected the silver armor Gendry had made and realized its weight was no obstacle to his extraordinary strength. He ordered Gendry to put it on him, leaving Tobho Mott and Gendry preparing to see how it fit.

• Davion inferred that Tobho Mott had let Gendry make the armor and asked to inspect it before judging the work.
• Tobho Mott led Davion and Gendry to a storeroom, where Davion admired the silver armor and its House Whent bat sigils.
• Gendry apologized and promised to make Davion a lighter suit before the Hand's Tourney, but Davion reassured him and asked whether he truly seemed too frail to wear the armor.
• Davion revealed his powerful physique and ordered Gendry to put the armor on him.
• Tobho Mott kicked Gendry into action, and Gendry began taking the armor apart as Davion removed his outer clothes.

Davion tested the heavy armor Tobho Mott and Gendry had made, moving and fighting in it with ease. Impressed by Gendry’s skill, Davion asked him to become his attendant, leaving Tobho Mott conflicted and Gendry excited.

• Gendry and Tobho Mott helped Davion put on the armor, and they were awed by the fearsome presence he gave off once he donned the helmet.
• Davion moved freely in the heavy armor, drew his longsword, practiced several attacks, and ran across the forge without tiring.
• Davion thanked Tobho Mott and Gendry for their work, then explained that he needed an attendant to help him manage his armor.
• Davion offered Gendry a paid position as his attendant because he was deft with armor and weapons and seemed dependable.
• Tobho Mott worried that losing Gendry would hurt the smithy but feared refusing Davion, while Gendry reacted with excitement.

Davion hired Gendry as his attendant until the Hand's Tourney ended, giving Gendry a chance to pursue his dream of becoming a knight. He brought the blushing young man to Shataya's brothel and left him in her care, then wondered whether Gendry might cross paths with King Robert there.

• Gendry eagerly accepted Davion's offer, and Tobho Mott reluctantly agreed to let him go temporarily.
• Gendry helped Davion remove his armor, packed it, and carried the chest and shield as they left the smithy.
• Davion took Gendry to Shataya's brothel, where Gendry admitted he was a virgin.
• Davion asked Shataya to arrange a quiet room and a gentle girl for Gendry, then went upstairs with the armor chest and shield.
• Davion wondered whether Gendry might encounter King Robert at the brothel and worried that a black-haired prostitute could be one of Robert's bastard daughters.

Davion and Gendry traveled to the Hand’s Tourney grounds, joking about Gendry’s recent night with a prostitute and Davion’s generous habits. They arrived at the sprawling camps beside the Blackwater Rush, where Davion identified the regions occupied by the different groups of contestants.

• Davion left for the tourney grounds with Gendry after saying goodbye to Shataya, Alayaya, and the other girls.
• Davion teased Gendry about his night with Janna, and Gendry told him that prostitutes praised his generosity while other customers mocked his spending.
• Davion and Gendry passed through the King's Gate and saw the tourney field and the contestants’ camps along the Blackwater Rush.
• Gendry mistook Renly Baratheon's lavish black-and-gold tent for the king’s, and Davion explained that it likely belonged to Renly.
• Davion observed that the camps were divided among knights from the Reach and Stormlands, the Westerlands, the Riverlands and Vale, the North, and the sellswords and hedge knights.

Davion sent Gendry to buy a tent in the tourney camp, but rejected Ser Koby’s attempt to force his way into Davion’s service. Gendry secured a tent from a poor hedge knight, and Davion ended the evening surrounded by the noisy, rowdy mercenary quarter.

• Davion gave Gendry a Gold Dragon and ordered him to find a clean tent, advising him to act arrogantly while negotiating.
• Gendry returned with Ser Koby, who knelt and begged Davion to take him into his service; Davion refused and told Gendry to find another tent.
• Gendry dragged Koby away and searched again, this time using a forceful manner to negotiate with the tent owners.
• An elderly hedge knight accepted the Gold Dragon and quickly moved out of his clean tent.
• Food carts sold out in the mercenary and hedge-knight area, where hungry men brawled until Gold Cloaks separated them.
• Davion watched the drunken, noisy camp and resolved to bring a luxurious tent to future tourneys.

Tyrion Lannister visited Davion’s tent and mocked his humble lodgings, but Davion answered by raising the painful memory of Tysha. Tyrion was left shaken as memories of his first love and the night Tywin forced him to believe she had been a whore resurfaced.

• Gendry prepared water and fodder for Davion before dawn, and Davion washed and dressed.
• Tyrion entered Davion’s tent with Lannister soldiers and mocked him for living in a shabby shelter.
• Davion traded barbed remarks with Tyrion, then recalled how Tywin had used Jaime to deceive Tyrion about Tysha.
• Davion asked Tyrion whether he remembered the name of the first woman he had paid, and Tyrion’s memories of Tysha and the gold dragon left him pale and speechless.

Davion joined Tyrion and Gendry at the Hand’s Tourney, where the royal family was introduced before the crowd. He was struck by Cersei’s beauty as she appeared beside Robert, leaving him questioning Robert’s lack of interest in her and Tyrion’s resemblance to the Lannisters.

• Tyrion reminded Davion of their wager and led him to excellent seats near the king’s viewing stand.
• Trumpeters announced the opening of Prince Joffrey’s fifteenth Name Day tourney, and the master of ceremonies introduced King Robert.
• Robert entered with Joffrey, Tommen, Myrcella, and the royal entourage, his immense size blocking Cersei from view.
• The master of ceremonies praised Queen Cersei, and she emerged from behind Robert to greet the crowd.
• Davion admired Cersei’s striking appearance and privately wondered why Robert sought whores and whether Tyrion was Tywin’s son.

Davion watched the royal family and leading nobles take their places at the tourney, then witnessed Tywin Lannister silence the crowd with his imposing arrival. The chapter ended with Davion recognizing the Lord of Casterly Rock as the only man capable of inspiring such fear.

• Cersei and Robert took their thrones, and Joffrey appeared before the crowd as the royal heir.
• Davion asked Tyrion why Jaime was absent, and Tyrion explained that Jaime and Ser Barristan Selmy would lead the knights' procession.
• The master of ceremonies introduced Tommen, Myrcella, Renly, and Jon Arryn to the crowd.
• Tywin Lannister climbed onto the viewing platform, and his presence silenced the tourney grounds.
• Davion recognized Tywin by the golden lion emblem and his fearsome authority.

Tywin Lannister arrived at the Hand's Tourney and unsettled Robert with his imposing presence before the ceremony began. As the knights entered in procession, Robert and Jon Arryn took offense at Jaime Lannister riding beside Barristan Selmy with the Lannister banner alongside the royal banner.

• The master of ceremonies announced Tywin Lannister, who took his seat after Cersei tried to welcome him and he quietly rebuffed her.
• Davion teased Tyrion about his resemblance to Tywin, then reassured him that children did not always resemble their parents.
• Robert ordered the master of ceremonies to continue, and the herald declared the Hand's Tourney open for Joffrey's fifteenth Name Day.
• Jaime Lannister and Barristan Selmy led the knights into the lists carrying the Lannister lion and Baratheon stag banners.
• Robert gripped his throne in anger at the banners riding abreast, while Jon Arryn frowned at the display.

Davion watched the knights’ procession at the Hand’s Tourney and recognized several Riverlands houses that had seized Harrenhal’s lands, deciding to demand compensation from them. Meanwhile, Tyrion joined Tywin, Cersei, and Jaime before the royal luncheon, where Tywin rebuked him and Cersei asked why he had come to King’s Landing.

• Davion listened as Tyrion identified Loras Tyrell and Gregor Clegane among the knights in the procession.
• Davion recognized the banners of House Tully and four neighboring houses that had taken Harrenhal’s land and farmers, and resolved to collect compensation from them.
• The morning procession ended, and Tyrion arranged lunch for Davion before a servant summoned him to Tywin’s tent for the royal luncheon.
• Tyrion entered the tent and greeted Tywin, who scolded him for supposedly missing the tourney and ordered him to change before the luncheon.
• Jaime defended Tyrion’s attendance, while Cersei asked Tywin whether he had come to King’s Landing for another reason besides Joffrey’s Name Day tourney.

Tywin demanded that Jaime leave the Kingsguard and return to Casterly Rock, but Jaime refused, while Tyrion challenged his father's treatment of him. Outside the tent, Jaime promised Cersei he would stay, then heard about Tyrion's friend Davion Whent and agreed only to consider sparing him if they met in the tournament.

• Tywin criticized Cersei for greeting him too eagerly, then ordered Jaime to resign from the Kingsguard and take over Casterly Rock.
• Cersei begged Tywin not to separate her from Jaime, and Jaime refused to break his oath, suggesting Tyrion inherit instead.
• Tyrion accused Tywin of considering him unworthy because he was a dwarf, prompting Tywin to order all three children out of the tent.
• Cersei reminded Jaime of his promise to stay with her, and Jaime assured her he would not return to Casterly Rock.
• Jaime questioned Tyrion about Davion Whent, and Tyrion described their meeting at a brothel and asked Jaime to go easy on Davion in the tournament.

Davion Hean prepared to joust against a contemptuous knight of House Leygood, whose house had seized House Hean’s lands. As the first match began, Davion waited with a plain lance and ignored the knight’s taunts.

• Davion learned that his first-round opponent was a knight of House Leygood, one of Harrenhal’s hostile neighbors.
• The Knight of House Leygood mocked Davion’s family and threatened to keep his armor and horse if he won.
• Davion silenced the knight with a cold stare, then returned his attention to the jousting field.
• The first pair of knights began their match after King Robert and the master of ceremonies addressed them.
• Davion’s opponent and the other wealthy knights carried decorated lances, while Davion had only an ordinary, inexpensive one.

Davion Whent prepared to joust Ser Kalen Leygood while Riverlands nobles scorned him and favored Kalen. As the match was about to begin, Tyrion publicly cheered Davion on, giving him a rare sign of friendship.

• Two knights competed in a joust, and one was knocked from his horse and dragged unconscious while the other celebrated his victory.
• Davion watched the matches and reflected that the brutal joust appealed to him, trusting the dragon's strength within him.
• Ser Kalen Leygood threatened to take Davion's equipment and rode onto the field; Davion answered with a cold remark about Kalen's horse.
• Davion and Kalen circled the field as Riverlands nobles cheered Kalen and showed contempt for Davion and House Whent.
• The master of ceremonies introduced both knights before King Robert, who frowned at the mention of House Whent.
• Tyrion stood on his stool to cheer Davion, and Davion smiled and waved back.

Davion Whent defeated Kalen Leygood in a joust after Kalen aimed for his throat, and Kalen was thrown from his horse with his gorget dented. Tywin defended Davion, and the master of ceremonies declared him the winner.

• King Robert blessed the jousters, while nobles mocked Davion and predicted Kalen would win.
• Gendry gave Davion a lance, and Davion said he only needed one.
• Kalen charged first and aimed his lance at Davion's throat, drawing alarm from the crowd and approval from Robert.
• Davion used Dragon Tail to bash Kalen's lance aside, then struck Kalen's shoulder and sent him crashing from his horse.
• Tywin argued that Kalen had brought the injury on himself, and the master of ceremonies named Earl Davion Whent the winner.

Davion killed Kalen Leygood in the joust, claimed his horse and lances, and forced Tristan Leygood to pay fifty gold dragons for Kalen’s armor. Davion advanced to the Hand’s Tourney finals, where he was set to face Loras Tyrell the next day.

• Jaime and Barristan recognized that Davion had deliberately feigned losing his balance before killing Kalen Leygood in the joust.
• Davion ignored Robert’s dismissive reception and demanded Kalen’s horse, lances, and armor from Tristan Leygood, who agreed to pay fifty gold dragons for the armor.
• Davion sent Gendry away with the horse and lances and gained ten experience points for defeating Kalen.
• Over the next two days, Davion defeated three more knights and advanced to the finals without killing them.
• The tournament’s eight finalists were announced, and Davion’s first match the next day was against Loras Tyrell.

Davion faced Loras Tyrell in the jousting final and gained an overwhelming advantage in their first pass. Loras conceded because his shoulder was injured, leaving Davion the victor as the crowd cheered.

• Davion and Loras entered the lists, where the crowd welcomed Loras as the Knight of Flowers and Davion as the Bat Knight.
• Robert gave Davion a hostile blessing, while Davion remained focused on the contest.
• At the start of the joust, Loras aimed for Davion’s lance-bearing shoulder, but Davion blocked the strike with his shield.
• Davion’s counterattack dented Loras’s shoulder armor and broke his goldenheart lance, nearly unhorsing him.
• Loras held his injured shoulder and signaled that he could not continue, and the crowd cheered for Davion.

After defeating Loras, Davion refused his offer of knighthood and rode away from the tourney, leaving Jaime and Barristan considering whether to knight him themselves. The next matches went to Jaime, Barristan, and Gregor Clegane, whose brutal victory thrilled the crowd.

• Davion spoke with Loras about his strength, Harrenhal, and the ransom for Loras's armor.
• Loras offered to knight Davion before Robert, but Davion immediately refused and left the grounds.
• Jaime and Barristan each considered knighting Davion, interpreting his refusal as pride in being knighted by someone he had defeated.
• Jaime Lannister, Barristan Selmy, and Gregor Clegane won the next three matches.
• Gregor Clegane knocked his opponent unconscious with a charging impact, then roared as the crowd cheered.

Davion faced Jaime Lannister in the Hand’s Tourney semifinal, first matching him in a pass before exploiting his shield defense to unhorse him. Davion celebrated his victory as Jaime fell to the ground.

• Robert announced the semifinals, pairing Davion against Jaime Lannister and Barristan against the Mountain.
• Jaime and Davion exchanged taunts before the joust, while the crowd loudly chanted against Jaime.
• In their first pass, Jaime deflected Davion’s lance with a curved shield, but Davion stayed mounted and Jaime’s lance broke.
• Davion changed his aim on the next pass, bypassed Jaime’s shield, and struck a gap in his armor.
• Davion’s lance lifted Jaime from his horse and snapped, sending Jaime crashing to the ground as Davion removed his helmet and celebrated.