Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 321, 284 AC, Robert's Coronation and Wedding

In fact, the moment King's Landing fell and the Targaryen dynasty collapsed, the nobles in King's Landing who supported Robert were already eager to put him on the Iron Throne.

Normally, a coronation ceremony should be held immediately amidst cheers of victory.

A few of them were genuinely concerned for Robert and the Seven Kingdoms, such as Robert's adoptive father Jon Snow, but most were motivated by their own interests, since the reward for supporting the king would naturally be substantial.

But Robert stubbornly waved his hand in refusal.

A faint flame still burned in Robert's heart—he was waiting, waiting for Eddard to send back a message, waiting for his beloved Lyanna Stark to be safely escorted back to his side.

He had imagined that scene countless times in his mind: he would not only be crowned king in front of all the lords of Westeros, but also marry the queen he had already chosen, so that she could share this glory.

But what awaited them was devastating news, like a sharp, icy blade piercing their hearts.

Eddard returned, bringing with him the news of Lyanna's tragic death, instantly shattering all of Robert's hopes and joy.

The wine of victory turned bitter, and the crown of the future seemed to have lost its meaning. In the days that followed, he was overwhelmed by immense grief, immersing himself in endless ale and melancholy, rejecting all suggestions for celebration.

It wasn't until time gradually healed the sharpest pain, until the fall of Dragonstone completed the unification of the entire territory, and until Jon Arryn, Tywin Lannister, and others repeatedly urged him on matters of state, that Robert finally managed to pull himself together from his despair and accept reality.

In those days drowned in alcohol and memories, he resisted all proposals for coronation and marriage, as if sitting on that iron chair would be the final betrayal of his lost love.

A king may be consumed by grief, but a kingdom cannot be without an heir. The entire Seven Kingdoms await a clear future. Ultimately, it was Lord Jon Arryn who took on the role of Hand of the King, approaching Robert and shattering the king's walls of sorrow with undeniable reality.

"Your Majesty, the Seven Kingdoms need stability, and the dynasty needs continuation." The Duke of Arryn's voice was steady and earnest. "Cersei, the only daughter of Tywin Lannister, is the most suitable choice for you. This marriage will not only win you the full support of the Westerlands in terms of gold, silver, and military, but will also completely eliminate potential conflicts and unite the kingdoms."

He paused for a moment, then stated another undeniable fact: "Moreover, looking across the seven kingdoms, bloodline, family background,

Age—the only true queen, the only noblewoman who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you, is her.

These words, like a cold rain of reality, roused Robert from his slumber in the past. He remained silent for a long time before finally nodding heavily. The crown he had once dreamed of sharing with Lyanna had now become an inescapable responsibility, and Cersei Lannister was the only and inevitable choice to fulfill that responsibility.

As Tyrion said, you might not like her personality, temper, arrogance, irrationality, and so on, but you would definitely like her looks and figure. Robert happened to be a man who judged by appearances and figures. He was not averse to Cersei's beauty, and even less so to her body. Although he was saddened by Lyanna's death, as a man and a king, he would eventually have to sleep with one or more women every night in the long years that followed.

Robert had already realized this.

After Jon Arryn finally persuaded Robert to accept the political marriage, the seasoned prime minister immediately proposed holding the coronation and wedding as soon as possible. In his view, state affairs were numerous, and every day the throne remained vacant, the risk increased.

Robert rejected this seemingly reasonable suggestion without hesitation. He stood up abruptly, and his eyes, which had once burned with fighting spirit, now gleamed with a completely different light.

"When we first raised the banner of rebellion," his voice was deep and powerful, as if it had pierced through the smoke of countless battlefields, "wasn't it me, along with Euron's Iron Fleet supporting us at sea, Eddard's hold in the North, and Oberyn's support on the Dornish border—in the end, though I was the one who sat on this Iron Throne, this glory has never belonged to me alone!"

He surveyed the council chamber with a piercing gaze.

"If I don't see them at my coronation, what difference is there between me, Robert Baratheon, and a lonely man? What a dull feast that would be!" His tone became unquestionable, carrying the majesty of a king. "Wait! Wait until this winter is completely over, until everyone can gather in King's Landing, then we will hold this celebration. My glory should be shared with them."

These words resonated deeply, carrying Robert's characteristic stubbornness, a blend of boldness and loyalty. Jon Arryn, looking at the king before him whose former passion had been rekindled, knew that further persuasion was futile, and could only sigh inwardly, postponing all arrangements.

Thus, this belated coronation and wedding was set in 284 AC, in the spring when all things are reviving. However, the position that should have belonged to the queen was ultimately given to someone else.

When the coronation and wedding were finally scheduled, and everyone asked Robert what his specific requirements were for the celebration, the new king simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Rules? Procedures? You and the maesters can decide those!" he laughed heartily, his eyes then lighting up as if he were back in the passionate era of uprisings. "I just want it to be a spectacle! A grand and spectacular event, one that all of Westeros will remember!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table: "That's it! We must hold a martial arts tournament to celebrate!"

Seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, he slightly toned down his imposing manner and added, as if making a huge concession, "As for the scale—it doesn't need to be too big."

He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and finally found a suitable reference point: "Just make it twice the size of the Harrenhal Tournament back then."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Prime Minister Jon Arryn's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and his voice was almost squeezed out between clenched teeth: "Your Majesty, the gold in the treasury has long been exhausted by the war. Even if there is any left, the Seven Kingdoms are now in dire need of rebuilding—"

Rebuilding towns, comforting displaced people, rewarding the army—which of these tasks doesn't require the Golden Dragon?

The former prime minister, his voice trembling with anguish, emphasized: "What we need now is careful planning, not a tournament that could bankrupt the kingdom!"

Robert's persistence, like a child demanding a toy, finally made Jon Arryn sigh, like an old father helplessly giving in to his willful nephew.

"Very well, Your Majesty," he rubbed his temples, his weariness tinged with indulgence, "as you wish, a martial arts tournament shall be held."

However, the shrewd prime minister had his own way of dealing with it. He strictly controlled the scale, limiting the invitations to the royal domain and a few neighboring families. The major lords in distant lands—such as Euron Greyjoy of the Iron Islands—did not receive a single word of notification.

As for the prize money, it has been squeezed to the extreme. Compared to the enormous bounty of the Harrenhal Tournament, which was enough to buy a castle, this time the prize pool of only 20,000 to 30,000 gold dragons seems particularly meager.

A tournament ostensibly to celebrate the king's coronation and wedding was thus quietly prepared within a limited scope.