Chapter 31 Chapter 30 Sansa

Sansa heads to the Hand's tourney in a sedan chair with Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole.The curtain of the sedan chair was woven with yellow silk, and the workmanship was extremely fine. She could see the distance directly through the curtain, and the curtain dyed the outside world golden.Outside the city walls and on the banks of the river, more than a hundred tents had already been set up, and thousands of common people came to watch.The spectacle of the tourney took Sansa's breath away: the shining armor, the great horses clad in gold and silver, the shouts of the crowd, the bright banners blowing in the wind... and the knights, especially the knights .

"It's better than the songs," she whispered, when they found the seats her father had given among the lords and ladies present.Sansa was wearing a green dress that day, which set off her brown hair beautifully.She knew that everyone looked at her with smiles in their eyes. They watched the heroes described in thousands of ballads come alive before their eyes, and each one became more heroic than the other.The Kingsguard Seven were the focus of the audience, except for Jaime Lannister, all of them were dressed in milk-colored scales, and their cloaks were as white as the first snow.Ser Jaime wore the white cloak too, but he was gold from head to toe, and he had a lion helm and a sword of gold.Ser Gregor Clegane, nicknamed the Magic Mountain, thundered past them in a landslide.Sansa remembered Lord Yohn Royce, who had been a guest at Winterfell two years before. "His armor is made of bronze, thousands of years old, and engraved with magical charms to protect him from harm," she whispered to Jenny.Septa Mordane pointed out to them Lord Jason Mallister, in a blue and purple cloak trimmed with silver, and a eagle-winged helm.Back then on the Trident River, he beheaded three of Rhaegar's princes by himself.The girls giggled at the sight of Thoros, the warrior priest of Myr, with a big bald head and a loose red robe flapping in the wind, until the nuns told them that he had once stormed the walls of Pyke alone with a flaming sword in his hand. stop.

Besides, there were many people Sansa didn't know, hedge knights from the Fingers, Highgarden, and Dorne, freeriders and new squires who were not mentioned in the ballad, and people from old families. But the noble young master who ranks last, or the heir of the local princes.Most of these young men have yet to achieve greatness, but Sansa and Jeyne believe that someday their names will be heard throughout the Seven Kingdoms.Among them were Ser Balon Swann; Lord Bryce Cullen of the Far Lands; Ser Anda Royce, heir of Bronze Yonne, and his brother Ser Robert, their silver-plated armor engraved with and Father's bronze protection charm; the Redwyne twins, Ser Horace and Hobber, with their shields marked with a burgundy bunch of grapes on a blue background; Patrick Mallister, Lord Jason son of the Frey family; Ser Jerry, Ser Hostyn, Ser Danwell, Ser Emmon, Ser Theo, Ser Pawyn from the Ferry, all of whom were old Marquess Walder Frey His children and grandchildren, even his illegitimate son, Martin Rivers, came.

Jeyne Poole confessed that she was intimidated by Jalabhar Thor, an exiled prince from the Summer Isles with a cape of red and green feathers and skin black as night.But when she saw Lord Beric Dondarrion, with red-gold hair and lightning bolts drawn on his black shield, she declared that she would marry him immediately. The Hound was also in the procession, and the king's brother, handsome Lord Renly of Storm's End.Jory, Alyn, and Harwin represent Winterfell and the North. "Jory is a beggar among others," Septa Mordane snorted when he appeared, and Sansa had to agree.Jory's plate was blue-grey armor without device or ornament, and a thin gray cloak hung from his shoulders like a soiled rag.Even so, he performed well, unhorsing Horace Redwyne in the first round, knocking down a Frey knight in the second round, and in the third round he was as dull as him with a piece of armor. One day, a wandering warrior named Rosso Brun fought three times. Both sides failed to kill the opponent, but Brun held the gun more stably and hit the place more accurately, so the king declared him victory.Alyn and Harwin were not so eye-catching. Harwin was shot off by Ser Meryn of the Kingsguard on his first ride, and Alyn was shot by Ser Balon Swann.

Immediately the jousting went on all day, until dusk.The hooves of the war horses rumbled, trampling the land of the tournament field into a dilapidated wasteland.Several times, Jeyne and Sansa couldn't help shouting for their supporters as they saw knights crashing into each other, lances shattering, and crowds screaming.Whenever someone fell off the horse, Jenny covered her eyes like a frightened little girl, but Sansa thought she was more courageous, and the official lady should show her due demeanor in the tournament.Even Septa Mordane noticed her demeanor and nodded approvingly. The "Kingslayer" has a brilliant record. He rode away Ser Anda Royce and Lord Bryce Cullen of the March Lands, and then engaged in a fierce battle with Barristan Selmy. In both rounds, he defeated opponents who were 30 or 40 years younger than him.

Sandor Clegane and his giant brother Ser Gregor "The Mountain" were equally unstoppable, battling one opponent after another.The most horrific thing of the day happened when Ser Gregor made his second appearance. His spear was upturned and hit a young knight from the Vale of Erin under the gorget. Kill immediately.The young knight fell not ten feet from where Sansa was seated. The point of Ser Gregor's lance had snapped off in his neck, and blood flowed out in slow pulses, each weaker than the one before.His armor was shiny and brand new, and under the sunlight, his outstretched arms looked like two streaks of fire.It wasn't until clouds covered the sun that the flames disappeared.His cloak was the sky blue of a clear summer sky, with crescent moons embroidered on it, but with the blood seeping through, the color of the cloak turned dark, and the moons on it turned blood red one by one.

Jenny Poole was crying hysterically, and Septa Mordane had to take her away first to calm her down.Sansa sat where she was, with her hands folded in her lap, and she was fascinated.It was the first time she had seen someone else die.She felt that she should cry too, but the tears just couldn't fall.Perhaps she had used up all her tears on Lady and Bran, she told herself. It would be different if it had been Jory or Ser Rodrik or Father.The young knight in blue had nothing to do with her, but a stranger from the Vale of Arryn, whose name came out of her ear.Now the world would forget his name forever, as she had done, and suddenly Sansa knew that no one would sing his praises.How sad.

Then they carried the body away and a boy ran into the field with a shovel and scooped up dirt to cover where he had fallen and cover up the blood.The contest continued. Then Ser Balon Swann was dismounted by Gregor, and Lord Renly was defeated by the Hound.Renly was hit so hard that he nearly flew back from his mount.When his head hit the ground, there was a loud clang, and the audience gasped when they heard it.Fortunately, only the golden antlers on his helmet suffered, one of which was broken by him.When Lord Renly climbed to his feet, the crowd cheered wildly for him, for King Robert's youngest brother was always a crowd favorite.With a graceful bow, he handed the broken antler to the victor.The Hound snorted and tossed the severed horn into the audience, and the common people immediately fought to the death for the little gold, until finally Lord Renly stepped into the crowd to appease them, and order was restored.Then Septa Mordane came back, but alone.She explained that Jenny was unwell and had been escorted back to the castle to rest.Sansa had almost forgotten about Jenny.

Later, a hedge knight in a plaid cloak accidentally kills Beric Dondarrion's mount and is sentenced to death.The Lord of Berry changed his horse, and was immediately struck down by Thoros of Myr.Ser Alan Santagar and Lothor Brune had fought three times, and even the king could not decide, Ser Alan was defeated by Lord Jason Mallister and Brune lost to Eon Roe Ice's young son, Robert. In the end, there were only four people left in the arena: "The Hound" and his monster brother Gregor, Kingslayer Jaime Lannister, and the young Ser Loras Tyrell known as the "Knight of Flowers".

Ser Loras was the youngest son of Lord Highgarden and Mace Tyrell, Warden of the South. At sixteen years old, he was the youngest knight in the field, yet he went in and out three times that morning and defeated the three Kingsguard.Sansa had never seen anyone so handsome.His armor was elaborately carved with enamel containing a thousand bouquets of different flowers, and his snow-white steed was covered with red blankets and white roses.Every time he won, Ser Loras took off his helm, took a white rose from the red carpet, and threw it to some beautiful girl in the crowd. His final duel of the day was against the younger brother of the Royce brothers.Ser Robar's family spells seemed to be no match for Ser Loras' valor, for the Knight of Flowers sliced ​​his shield in half, knocked him from his saddle, and fell with a thud on the dirt.Robert lay on the ground moaning, and the victor circled the field to be cheered.Somebody must have called for a stretcher afterward and carried Robert, dazed and immobile, back to his tent, but Sansa didn't see it at all. All her eyes were on Ser Loras.When his white horse stopped in front of her, she felt her heart was about to explode.

He gave other girls white roses, but he picked a red rose for her. "My dear lady," he said, "the greatest victory is not half as beautiful as you." Sansa took the flower timidly, awed by his majesty.His hair was a tuft of lazy brown curls, and his eyes were like molten gold.She inhaled the sweet scent of the rose and clung to it when Ser Loras rode off. When she looked up again, she saw a man staring at her in front of her.He was very short, with a pointed beard and a few silvery white hairlines, and was about the same age as his father. "You must be her daughter," he told her, smiling but not grey-green eyes. "You have the looks of the Tully family." "I am Sansa Stark," she said uneasily.The man wore a heavy cloak with a fluffy neckline, fastened by a silver mockingbird, and he was naturally elegant and aristocratic, but she didn't recognize him. "My lord, I haven't had the honor of knowing you yet." Septa Mordane rushed to the rescue. "Good boy, this is Lord Petyr Baelish, an important minister of the Imperial Council." "Lingtang used to be the queen of love and beauty in my mind." The man said softly.His breath smelled of mint. "You inherited her hair." He reached out and stroked a lock of her auburn locks, brushing his fingertips across her cheek.Suddenly he turned and walked away. By this time the moon had risen long ago, and the men were tired, so the king announced that the last three contests would wait until the next morning, before the group contest.The crowd gradually dispersed, while discussing the grand event of the day's martial arts competition and the highlight of the next day, the court officials went to the river to have a meal.Six amazingly large yaks are slowly turning on the iron spit, and have been roasting for hours, while the kitchen boy next to him is busy spreading cream and herbs until the meat is roasted, crispy and oily.Outside the tent was a large dining table and benches piled high with beets, strawberries and freshly baked bread. Sansa and Septa Mordane were seated in the honored seats on the makeshift dais, just to the left of the king and queen.She felt her throat constrict as Prince Joffrey sat down at her right hand.Since the last incident, he hasn't said a word to her, and she dare not speak.At first, she thought she hated him because they killed the lady, but when Sansa's tears dried up, she told herself that the real fault was not Joffrey, but the queen, and the queen was the one to blame, the queen and Ellie ya.If it wasn't for Arya, nothing would have happened. She couldn't hate Joffrey tonight, because he was too handsome.He wore a dark blue doublet, embroidered with two rows of golden lion's heads, and between his brows a slender crown of gold and sapphires.His hair shone like real gold.Sansa looked at her and trembled all over, afraid that he would ignore her, and even speak so badly at her that she would run away crying. And Joffrey not only smiled, but kissed her hand, as heroically as the prince in the song.He said to her, "My dear lady, Ser Loras has a good eye and knows who is the real beauty." "He was so kind to me." She put on a serious face, trying to be polite and calm, but her heart was singing. "Ser Loras is a true knight. Do you think he will win tomorrow, my lord?" "No," said Joffrey. "My dog ​​will take him, or my uncle Jaime will. I'll take them all in a few years, when I can go in." He held up his hand , called the servant to bring a bottle of chilled Xia Rihong, and poured a glass for her personally.She looked at Septa Mordane uneasily, and waited until Joffrey leaned over to fill the nun's glass as well, then she nodded her thanks gracefully, and said nothing more. The waiter kept pouring the wine, and the glass never dried up, but Sansa didn't remember tasting it afterwards.She didn't need to drink to be intoxicated by the magic of the night, dazzled by all kinds of fascination, bewitched by the beauty she had dreamed of all her life but never dared to see.Before the king's tent sat the minstrels, and let the music flow in the twilight.A juggler tossed flaming sticks through the air.Simple-minded, flat-faced "Moonboy"—the King's jester—dances in colorful clothes, dances on stilts, and taunts everyone present with such a cunning tongue that Sansa wonders how he could possibly be simple-minded.Even Septa Mordane lost her restraint in his presence, laughing so hard that she spilled her wine when he sang about making the Archbishop happy. As for Joffrey, he has all the etiquette in one.He chatted with Sansa all night, making her laugh with compliments and compliments, and he shared court gossip with her, explained Moonchild's jokes, and so on.Sansa felt like a deer running amuck in her heart, and she forgot all her manners, and that of Septa Mordane sitting to her left. Meanwhile, dish after dish is served, from thick barley venison soup to beetroot salad sprinkled with nut chips, spinach and plum salad, and snails poached in honey and garlic.Sansa had never eaten snails before, and Joffrey taught her how to scoop out the flesh from their shells, and fed her the sweet first bite himself.Then came the grilled trout fresh from the river and sealed in clay.Her prince helped her pry open the hard dirt that covered the outside, revealing the tender white fish fillets inside.After the meat was served, he also served her himself, cutting a piece from the queen's portion, and putting it on her dinner plate with a smile.She could tell from the way he moved that his right hand was still bothering him, but he didn't complain. Sweet bread, pigeon pie, baked apples smelling of cinnamon, and lemon cakes drizzled with icing sugar were served, but Sansa was so full that she barely managed two small lemon cakes before she could eat any more .Just as she was considering whether there was any way to eat a third, the king roared. King Robert's voice grew louder as each course was served.Now and then Sansa could hear him laughing or giving orders above the music and the clatter of cutlery, but they were too far away to hear what he was saying. Now everyone heard clearly. "Shut up," he shouted loudly, overwhelming the voices of everyone present.Sansa was amazed to see the king staggering to his feet, flushed, with a goblet in one hand, as drunk as ever. "Stinky woman, don't let me do this or that," he screamed at Queen Cersei. "I'm the king here, do you understand? This is my house, and I said it will be fought tomorrow, and it will be fought!" Everyone was dumbfounded.Sansa saw Ser Barristan, and Renly, the king's brother, and the little man who had spoken to her strangely earlier and had put his hand through her hair, but no one had interfered.The queen's face was bloodless, like a mask carved from white snow.She stood up from the table, pulled her skirt, turned her head and walked away without saying a word, and the servants hurriedly followed. Jaime Lannister put a hand on the king's shoulder, but the king flung him away.Lannister staggered and fell to the ground.The king laughed wildly: "What a great knight! I still have a way to make you eat shit. Remember it, 'Kingslayer'." He tapped his chest with a jeweled goblet, and the whole satin coat was sprinkled. up wine. "As long as I have my warhammer in hand, no one can stop me!" Jaime Lannister got up, dusting the dust. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said stiffly. Lord Renly stepped forward, smiling. "Robert, you spilled your wine, let me get you a new one." Joffrey put his hand on Sansa's arm, startling her. "It's getting late," said the Prince.His expression was weird, as if he was not looking at her at all. "Do you want to take you back?" "No," Sansa said, looking at Septa Mordane, only to be surprised to find her sprawled on the table, snoring softly, ladylike. "I mean... well, thank you, you're so thoughtful. I'm really tired, and it's dark, and it would be nice to have some protection." Joffrey yelled, "Dog!" Sandor Clegane appeared with such speed that he seemed to be the messenger of the night.He had taken off his armor and put on a red woolen sweater with a leather dog's head sewn on the chest.The light from the torch made his burnt face red. "What are your orders, His Royal Highness?" he said. "Take my fiancée back to the city, and be careful not to hurt her," the prince told him abruptly, and without saying goodbye, he strode away, leaving her where she was. Sansa could feel the Hound staring at her. "Do you think Xiao Qiao will send you back in person?" He laughed like a dog in a trap growling. "I'm afraid it's impossible." She let him pull her up without any resistance. "Let's go, you're not the only one who needs to sleep. I also drank too much tonight, and I'm going to get up and kill my brother tomorrow." Sansa felt a sudden, unexplained panic. She pushed Septa Mordane's shoulder, trying to wake her, but her snoring became louder.King Robert staggered out of nowhere, the bench half empty.The dinner party is over, and the beautiful dream has also disappeared. The Hound snatched up a torch to light, and Sansa followed closely beside him.The ground was rough and rocky, and illuminated by the flickering firelight seemed to shake beneath her feet.She lowered her eyes and looked carefully before she settled down.They shuttled between the tents, and each tent hung a different banner and armor.Slowly, the tranquility around him became heavier with every step he took.Sansa couldn't even look at him, he scared her to death, it's just that she'd been taught all manner of manners and a real lady wouldn't just look at his face, she told herself. "Ser Sandor, you have acted heroically today," she forced herself. Sandor Clegane snarled at her, "Little sister, don't kiss my ass... and don't talk ser shut ser. I'm not a knight, I despise them and their bullshit vows. My brother is a knight, look at him What kind of virtue is it today?" "Yes," Sansa whispered tremulously, "he's very..." "Very heroic?" The Hound finished for her. She understood that he was mocking him. "Nobody can stop him," she said at last, quite proudly, after all, it wasn't a lie. Sandor Clegane stopped suddenly in the middle of a dark, empty plain.She had no choice but to stop. "I think the nun has trained you well. You're just like one of those little birds from the Summer Isles, aren't you? A pretty little bird that can talk, and you just say whatever nice words you're taught." "It's not kind to say that." Sansa's heart was beating wildly. "You scared me, I'm leaving." "No one can stop him," said the Hound gruffly. "It's true. No one can stop Gregor. That lad today, the one he made his second appearance on, oh, well done .You saw that too? That little idiot is asking for trouble. He has no money, no servant, and no one to help him put on his armor. His throat guard is not tied at all. Do you think Gregor didn't notice? You Thought Sir Gregor's spear was up by accident, didn't you? Pretty little talking bird, if you really believed that, you'd be as brainless as a bird. Gregor's gun could stab wherever Where. Look at me. You look at me!" Sandor Clegane squeezed her chin with his giant hand, forcing her to look up.He knelt down before her and brought the torch closer. "You love to see pretty things, don't you? Then look at this face and show me your fill. I know you want to see it. You avoided it all the way on the King's Road. Don't be fake. Look." His fingers clamped tightly around her jaw like an iron trap.Their eyes met, his drunken eyes gleaming with anger.She had to watch. The right side of his face is gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and thick gray eyes.He had a large hooked nose and dark, thin hair.He kept his hair long on purpose and combed it to one side because he had no hair on the other half of his face. The left side of his face was rotted into a ball.The ear was ablated in its entirety, leaving only a hole.Although the eyes are not blind, there are large twisted scars all around, and the smooth black skin is as hard as leather, full of pits and pits, and cracks that turn red when pulled.The charred part of his chin can be seen faintly. Sansa began to cry.Only then did he let her go, and pressed the torch on the dirt floor. "No beautiful words, little sister? Didn't the nuns teach you how to praise?" Seeing that she didn't answer, he continued, "Most people think it's from a war, a siege, a burning siege tower, or taking The enemy with the torch was left behind, and an idiot asked me if I was sprayed by the dragon's breath." This time his smile was softer, but the bitterness remained. "Little sister, let me tell you how this injury came about." His voice came from the night, and the huge shadow was so close to her that she could even smell the wine on his breath. "At that time, I was younger than you, about six or seven years old. A woodcarver opened a shop in the village outside my castle. To please my dad, he gave us some gifts. The old man's skills in making toys First class. I don't remember what I got, but what I wanted was a gift from Gregor. It was a carved wooden knight, beautifully painted, every joint was separated, nailed and stringed, and you could manipulate He fought. Gregor was five years older than I was, and was already a squire, nearly six feet tall, as strong as a bull, and had long since given up playing with toys. So I kept the knight for myself, but I tell you, steal I was not happy at all when I came here, I was just terrified. It didn’t take long before he found out. There was a brazier in the room. Gregor picked me up without saying a word, and pressed half of my face into the charcoal pile , he just held it tight and let me scream. You saw how strong he was, even then, and it took three adults to pull him away in the end. The priests preached seven days and hours How terrible is the first layer of hell, what do they know? Only those who have been burned know what hell looks like." "My dad told people it was my sheets that were on fire, and then my master anointed me. Ointment! Gregor anointed him. Four years later they anointed him with seven holy oils, and he recited The knight's oath, and Rhaegar Targaryen tapped him on the shoulder with his sword and said, 'Arise, Ser Gregor.'" The hoarse voice gradually faded away.He squatted quietly in front of her, like a giant standing in the dark night, but she couldn't see anything clearly.Sansa could hear his rapid breathing, and suddenly found herself grieving for him.Somehow, the initial fear had vanished. The silence lasted until she was frightened again, but this time not for herself, but for him.She reached out and found his broad shoulders. "He's not a real knight," she whispered to him. The Hound threw his head back and howled, and Sansa staggered back, trying to get away, but he grabbed her hand. "No," he growled at her, "no, little bird, he's not really a knight." On the way back to the city, Sandor Clegane said nothing more.He led her to where the carriage waited, told the driver to drive them back to the Red Keep, and climbed into the carriage after her.In silence they passed through the King's Gate and up the brightly lit streets of the town.He opened the side door and led her into the castle, his burned face twitching slightly, his eyes full of thought.As he climbed the tower's stairs, he followed her just a step away.He took her safely to the corridor outside the bedroom. "My lord, thank you," Sansa said meekly. The Hound grabbed her hand and leaned closer. "What I told you tonight," his voice was rougher than usual. "If you tell Joffrey... or your sister, your father... if you tell anyone..." "I won't tell," Sansa whispered. "I promise." Apparently that's not enough. "If you tell anyone," he finished, "I'll kill you."