Game of Thrones: Dance of the Dragons

The referee signaled for both sides to mount their horses. Beller's movements were extremely swift, and he easily completed his preparations with almost no assistance.

In contrast, Sir Carl Emerson looked extremely tense, constantly adjusting his breathing, and even his grip on the gun was slightly shifted to the left.

It's not hard to imagine the immense psychological pressure these mercenary knights would have to endure fighting a prince who only exists in songs.

The moment the match was announced to begin, Baylor, with absolute composure and precise skill, easily dismounted Sir Carl Emerson.

Fortunately, Sir Carl Emerson was unharmed, though his hand was numb from the fall, and the maester diagnosed that he needed to rest and undergo bloodletting.

"Thank you, kind and great Baelor Targaryen," Sir Karl Emerson said sincerely.

"A martial arts contest is just a martial arts contest, not a battlefield, much less a so-called life-or-death battle. It should stop when the point is reached."

Not only that, Baylor himself dismounted and helped Sir Carl Emerson up.

This humble and kind gesture won cheers from the nobles and commoners in the arena.

Duncan was among them, dreaming that one day he too could become a knight, cheered and worshipped like Prince Baylor.

in the audience.

Aegon, Helena, and Daren visibly breathed a sigh of relief. For them, winning or losing the duel was not important; nothing was more important than Baylor's safety.

"By the Seven Gods! This is even more nerve-wracking than if I were on stage myself!"

"Should we send someone, or a letter, to the Free Trade City to call Sister Renilla back?"

"Are you sure that after hearing that, your eldest sister's first instinct was to come back and drag your eldest brother away, instead of riding a dragon and killing all those wizards?"

No one understood Rhaenyra, that madwoman, better than Aegon. Aside from Baelor and her father, she probably couldn't tolerate a third person.

Besides Baelor, Aegon also participated in the tournament as usual and won the first match.

As everyone knows, Aegon was a notorious womanizer, never refusing a beautiful woman or a fine wine.

But few people know that this kid is also very skilled in combat; he just doesn't focus his attention on serious matters.

Keep in mind that Aegon was a Targaryen personally trained by Baelor, so his fighting prowess couldn't be lacking.

The second half of the competition was a contest between children.

The Duke of Hejian, Old Tuli, was kind and made an exception, allowing eligible commoners to participate in this tournament, which was not considered a formal martial arts competition, alongside the children of nobles.

Duncan was very tall, and although he wore some cheap chainmail, a helmet, and a jousting spear, he possessed very keen observation skills.

Since the preparation phase began, he had been among the crowd, listening to the strengths that the noble disciples excelled at.

"Brother, this kid is really clever. I don't think he's like an ordinary commoner disciple."

"On the contrary, I feel like a rat that has explored all the caves of King's Landing."

Aegon meant to say that Duncan was sharp-minded, but using a mouse as a metaphor was inappropriate because Duncan was very tall.

"Now, shall we begin placing our bets?"

"Aegon, if you're free, go bet five hundred gold dragon coins for me. Duncan wins."

Beller kept his head down, browsing through the ancient books he had collected from the free trade city-states.

More than focusing on the martial arts tournament, he wanted to quickly resolve the issue of transforming the dragon's lair on Dragonstone Island.

As it turns out, Baylor's method of dragon breeding was correct, and it's best to address some concerns as soon as possible.

"Alright, I'll bet five hundred then!"

Aegon took the bag and happily headed to the casino.

Helena and Darren usually get their expenses covered by Baylor and don't carry much cash with them, so they didn't place any bets.

Darren said, "Duncan's equipment is too bad, brother. You're probably going to lose your 500 gold dragons."

"No, I think Duncan can win, and he might even make it to the finals." Helena had been observing Duncan since earlier.

She believed that some prophecies were not unfounded, and that the follower of the King of Light dared to speak so confidently because she must have seen something in the flames.

Why?

"Observant, opportunistic, ambitious, bold, and with high emotional intelligence. If someone possesses all these qualities, can they still be called an ordinary person?"

"I also sent people to inquire about Duncan. This kid has a very good reputation in his village; everyone calls him the fair 'Duncan.'"

Helena had followed Baylor for so many years, and there had never been a nobleman who dared to stand in front of Baylor and explain his situation clearly, let alone a commoner's child.

"Perhaps, fate has already determined our destiny, or perhaps it is what we call destiny."

"Regardless of the outcome, this kid's courage and ambition deserve him a place in this competition."

Baylor only judges people and has always been indifferent to so-called fate or prophecy.

Moreover, if everyone believed in this kind of thing, then everyone might as well become a follower of the King of Light, and why bother being a craftsman, blacksmith, or nobleman?

In the preliminary rounds, Duncan did not disappoint the opportunity given to him by Baylor. With just an ordinary spear, he knocked the eldest son of a fiefdom noble off his horse, which shocked everyone.

Not only was Duncan's equipment quite ordinary, but his shooting posture and angle were also surprisingly similar to those of Prince Baylor.

"The winner is Duncan!"

The referee loudly announced the end of the preliminary round.

Duncan's name will become a dark horse attracting significant attention in today's elite circles and on betting lists.

Some local lords even went to Duncan's room, hoping he would pledge allegiance to them.

Of course, they would also give Duncan very generous rewards, including knighting him.

"Thank you very much for your appreciation, but I hope to continue on this path and hopefully gain the favor of Prince Beller."

"I hope that in the next competition, I can be lucky enough to win the championship and receive his honor!"

Duncan's ideas are bold enough, and he certainly dares to imagine things.

Baelor Targaryen is hailed as the third wise ruler of House Targaryen since Aegon the Dragon King and Jaehaerys the Elder King.

He unified Dorne and conquered the free trade cities, and was knighted and made Prince of Dragonstone at the young age of six.

"Duncan, you only managed to beat a lord's son by sheer luck in the first round. To be knighted in this lifetime is already a great honor."

"You still want Prince Beile to bestow a title upon you?"

"Why don't you let the Seven Gods bless you? In my next life, I want to be a member of House Targaryen, to become a true Dragon King!"