The bastards and the family Dayne were sitting at the table, eating lunch, when the maester came rushing in, his chains loudly clattering through the hall, "my lord, a letter has arrived from the capital"
"And this couldn't wait because-?" Edric looked annoyed. He had been in an animated conversation with Bob when the old learned man barged in.
"Because this letter holds the seal of the hand, whatever is in it must be important. I wanted to wait till you came to me but… well, truth be told, I'm just too curious. There hasn't been a letter from the hand since Tommen Baratheon's birth 6 years ago"
"Very well, give it to me", Edric broke the seal and read, "the king invites us to his son's name day tourney, Joffrey turns ten and two in a month… I think it is a good idea for us to attend"
Edric shot Jon a look and he knew exactly what he meant to say. This was the perfect opportunity for them. Robert wouldn't see him as dragon spawn but as the son of his best friend. A good performance at the tourney could very well be his chance at becoming a lord, which would make him one step closer to reclaiming his throne… there was no doubt that he could win in the melee. He had a decent shot at the jousting and archery department. Winning one could give him a chance to gain the attention of the king, winning all three would guarantee it. Jon couldn't help but smile, the perfect opportunity at the perfect time. He had just been knighted. Everyone would underestimate him, which was another boon for him. A foe that thinks he is guaranteed to win won't fight at his top performance. He would need an armor…
Normal people would go to a blacksmith to have a plate mail forged but he had a better Idea. In his room, he began conjuring armor, bronze, dark leather filling the gaps. His headpiece was the traditional Loki headpiece, lining his jawline and forehead with two, hand long horns made entirely of bronze. The original Loki style was gold but he couldn't just turn up with a golden armor, that would raise questions. Bronze was readily available and cheaper than castle forged steel too, so it was believable that a newly knighted man would buy something like it. It wasn't the heavy plate mail of Westeros, it was slimmer, allowing for more flexibility and -thanks to his hard work- enchanted beyond belief. It wouldn't dent, wouldn't scratch and never get dirty. He was proud of his creation.
When they set out for the capital, Jon wore his creation.
"Woah, what's that? It looks kind of… essosi? Where did you get that?" Bon asked, he was wearing simple leather armor and he could feel the jealousy radiating off that boy.
"I had it made by a travelling blacksmith", Jon lied, "spent most of my savings but it was worth it. Don't look so jealous, I know what you spend your spending money on"
"Can you blame me? The girls here are really top notch", Bob laughed, stepping on the boat which would take them straight to the capital, "I will miss them… Janice~, hahaha"
Greg rolled his eyes, he was already on the boat, standing next to Edric.
It took them two and a half weeks to arrive at king's landing. The stench could be smelled from the moment they docked. Once he was king, he would have to find a solution for that. They walked through the streets, up to an inn, the giggling donkey, where they booked a few rooms. The tourney wouldn't be for another two weeks. They had gone to the sleeping dragon before that but were turned away, they were already full. They clearly weren't the first to arrive at the capital of the seven kingdoms.
Time flew by. Bob visited just about every brothel in king's landing and Greg- well Jon wasn't sure what he did. He broke his fast with them and then he didn't see him again till dinner. The preparations for the tourney were at full swing and Ser Jon immediately signed up for all three events, the joust, the melee and the archery competition. The day, starting the event came before he knew it and Jon was on his way to the joust, grinning madly as he watched the crowds cheering. The king stood up, tall and proud, his belly was big, though he was still undeniably muscular, a true dad bod.