The Tourney at Oldtown

The tall hedge knight following the melee

The **Tourney at Oldtown** was a tourney held in 209 AC. Following several years of peaceful rule, King Daemon I felt that the tourney was in order to celebrate his reign and to bring together the great lords of the realm in order to ensure their continued support, and gauge their loyalty.

## Events

### The Prelude

It was announced at the turn of the new year, as the winter snows began to melt, that a grand tourney would be held in Oldtown, with which he arranged via several ravens with Lord Hightower in order to secure the location of the tourney. Other locations considered were Lannisport and Harrenhal.

By the fifth moon, the great lords and ladies of the realm had assembled in Oldtown for the festivities. News of the massive purse for the winners of the tourney had pulled many a knight from the hedges of Westeros and from all across the Seven Kingdoms. Lord Hightower sheltered the Royal Family, the Lords Paramount, and as many major lords in the Hightower as he could.  So packed were the inns of Oldtown, that brothel owners started renting out rooms to those who could not find a space to stay in the city.

### The Tourney

The winnings were as follows: 15,000 dragons for the winner of the archery contest. 25,000 dragons for the winner of the melee. 50,000 dragons for the winner of the joust, with the runner up taking 30,000. There was also a horse race with a purse of 20,000 dragons for the winner.

The tourney started out well, with excitement in every event.

#### The Horse Race

The horse race was won by Ser Devan Lefford, who won the race by a horse length. The only other major note was Lord Clifford Darry’s legs were broken following his horse losing its footing and falling onto the man, though he would survive and eventually was able to walk again.

#### The Archery Contest

The archery contest was won by a man by the name of Ser Robyn of the Hollow Hill, narrowly beating out Ser Alan Tarly and Ser Waymar Manderly at one hundred paces.

#### The Melee

The melee, a much-anticipated event, was of great success. Numerous men distinguished themselves in the massive event, over three hundred men strong taking to the field. Crown Prince Aegon, Ser Robar Grafton, Ser Jacelyn Darklyn, Ser Brus Morrigen, and Ser Jason Frey all won distinctions that day, but the event would culminate in the epic half hour duel between Lord Rodrik Piper and Ser Gwayne of Casterly Rock, a household knight of Lord Damon Lannister.

The two men would fight, sword to sword, before a cheering crowd, who gradually fell silent in reverence to the spectacle that they were witnessing. As Lord Piper finally got the upper hand and shattered the sword of the Westerman, he yielded and the crowd erupted with cheers. Lord Piper raised the hand of the Westerman and the two would become the best of friends from that day on.

#### The Joust

The main event of the tourney was the joust. The roster was so massive, that an entire week was set aside for the event. All was going well, until the fourth day of the joust. Ser Renly Tyrell and Ser Mychel Florent were undefeated, and it seemed that Ser Renly was the favorite for winning the whole thing. Lord Tytos Westerling and Ser Clarence Whitehill were also favorites of the crowd.

Tybolt Lannister, the son and heir of Damon Lannister gained a fair amount of attention in the jousts. After defeating Ser Androw Ashford, he faced Ser Jon Penrose. The Penrose managed to unhorse him, but so Tybolt unhorsed his opponent as well. With no clear victor the two jousters rose up from the sand and turned to melee, despite the rules. Tybolt's sword had bent when he landed on the ground, so he threw it away and only used his shield, while Ser Jon bashed him with his sword. In the end, Tybolt managed to best the Stormlander with just his shield and became a favorite of the crowds. He was ultimately bested in the jousts by Ser Mychel Florent.

#### Daemon's Loss

Prince Daemon, who had been holding his own, had just been eliminated by Ser Oswald Hunter and was taking it rather poorly. To make matters worse, his older brother, Prince Aegon, was rubbing salt in the wound. As Daemon made his way towards his tent, Aegon persisted. Daemon told his brother to fuck off, which lead to the older man to grabbing the younger by his shirt and punching him directly in the face and throwing him back to the ground.

As Aegon stood over Daemon, ready to continue the beating, a large man appeared out of nowhere and punched the Crown Prince in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. Aegon, dazed, called out to his guards who promptly arrested the large knight and hauled him before King Daemon.

As the man was hauled before King Daemon, Prince Daemon was adamant that the man was only protecting him from the beating that his brother gave him. While his father did agree that Aegon had gone too far, the fact of the matter was that this hedge knight had assaulted the Crown Prince of Westeros. The hedge knight immediately called for a trial by combat, knowing that there was nothing that could be done in the legal manner, and he would be damned if he lost his hand for defending young Prince Daemon. The trial was set for the following morning, before the jousts began again.

### The Trial By Combat

Prince Aegon, in his arrogance, chose to fight for himself, decking himself out in his finery and prepared for what he thought would be an easy victory, his sword and shield ready for blood. The hedge knight appeared on the field, the following morning, in mismatched, but fitting plate, his shield bearing a winged chalice, his weapon of choice was a mace in addition to his shield. Both men saluted the King before settling into position. A horn blared and the trial began.

Prince Aegon was surprised by the strength of the large man, though his fighting style was odd, a mixture of knightly swordsmanship and a back alley gutter rat of Flea Bottom. The two men would fight on for several minutes, mace to sword. Their shields were splintered and both men were tiring from the fight, but neither would relent. The hedge knight was knocked backwards, unsteady after a vicious bash of the Crown Prince’s shield, who laughed from underneath his helm. The noise reverberating around the field, which had also gone silent. The laughing continued as he continued to rain blow after blow on the hedge knight, who just barely managed to black with his shield.

> “Do you think you are leaving this field alive, Ser?”
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Prince Aegon shouted to the man, continuing to hammer away with his sword,

> “Do you think the Gods are going to save you from my sword?”
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The Hedge Knight’s shield finally cracked, and he lay panting on the ground on his hands and knees as the Crown Prince cackled with laughter. Aegon then spoke to the crowd,

> “The punishment for striking the Blood of the Dragon is death!”
>
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He turned around to deliver the killing blow, only to be faced with the sight of the Hedge Knight on his feet and swinging his mace. Prince Aegon could only stand there, staring wide-eyed as the mace connected with his breastplate, caving it in and sending rubies, garnets, and red sapphires showering into the air. A loud gasp from the crowd punctuated the blow as the Crown Prince fell backward, a horrible choking noise coming from his helm.

The Hedge Knight knelt beside his foe, helping take off his helmet. The Prince’s face was contorted in pain, as he struggled for breath. By this time, maesters and medics had rushed onto the field and carried off the gasping Crown Prince. The King ordered two knights of the Kingsguard, Ser Paxter Mooton and Ser Arthur Cole, to protect the hedge knight from any attacks of reprisal while they looked after his son.

### Aftermath

A few hours later, the king emerged from Prince Aegon’s tent, his eyes red with tears. He called the hedge knight into the tent, who entered and saw the Crown Prince laying there, his chest a mass of purple. King Daemon Blackfyre spoke.

> “You have fought honorably, and in the sight of Gods and Men, you are acquitted of your crimes against my house. Go forth and let no man sully your name for what you have done here today. Your honor is intact, good ser. Ask of me whatever you wish, and I shall grant you it.”
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The Crown Prince made a noise of despair, his breathing grew heavier and more labored, and before the hedge knight could respond, Aegon breathed his last. The knights of the tent removed their helms as a sign of respect. King Daemon closed his eyes, a single tear running down his face.

We do not know what the tall hedge knight asked of King Daemon that day.  All men in the tent report that he whispered something to the king, who nodded. After that, the hedge knight was lead back to his tent, which was guarded by the kingsguard until his time to leave.

Following the death of the Crown Prince, the tourney did not resume. The winner’s purse for the joust was instead divided equally among the five hundred contestants, one hundred gold dragons apiece. For the major lords and knights, it was but a small sum. But for those lesser knights and hedge knights, it was a gift from the Seven themselves.

King Daemon returned to King’s Landing with the ashes of Prince Aegon, who was cremated as per the funeral customs, and the rest of his family. The rest of the realm would disperse, all sobered by what they had witnessed on the tourney fields outside of Oldtown. Prince Daemon and the hedge knight, a man of King’s Landing by the name of Duncan, out of gratitude, offered the man a spot as his sworn sword.