The Darkstar seemed to be wary of Nymeria. Even when confronted, he politely greeted her, "Good evening, Lady Nymeria," then cast a cold glance at William. "I am Gerold Dayne of High Hermitage, pleased to meet you, Magic Knight!"
William knew a little about him. In the original history, after Joffrey died, the third son, Tommen, ascended the Iron Throne. His sister, Myrcella, was sent to Dorne to be married into House Martell. The Dornish princess Arianne, for reasons unknown, gathered a group of minor nobles intending to follow the Dornish succession and crown Myrcella, who was in Dorne at the time—Gerold Dayne, the Darkstar, was among them.
Of course, this playful coup was easily suppressed. Everyone else behaved normally; those who should be arrested were arrested, those who should be executed were executed. Only Gerold Dayne's actions were baffling—he fled, then suddenly attempted to assassinate Myrcella. He failed, only disfiguring the young girl.
A man with few scruples and dangerous tendencies—definitely someone to be wary of, William thought, though his smile grew warmer. "So you are Ser Gerold Dayne. I have long heard of you." He then gestured to the seat across from Nymeria, his original seat. "Come, let us sit and have a drink."
Nymeria glanced at William, then at the Darkstar, her posture elegant and her tone calm. "Ser Gerold is busy. I'm afraid he won't have time to join us."
The Darkstar forced a smile. "Indeed, ladies, gentlemen, I have other matters. Excuse me." He bowed and left, though William noticed a flicker of hatred in his eyes.
Once the Darkstar had gone, William triumphantly returned to his seat and raised his glass toward Nymeria.
Nymeria first gave him a sharp look, then suddenly smiled, radiating an indescribable charm that left William dazed. She lifted her glass. "The Darkstar doesn't often join tournaments, but when he does, his opponents often end up maimed or dead. He wouldn't dare do anything to me—he'll likely remember his grudge against you. Surprised?"
William made an exaggerated expression and clinked glasses with her, sipping a glass, tasting its passion and freedom.
The other girls appeared tense and began sharing rumors about the Darkstar—vengeful, cunning, and ruthless. Some tales were chilling enough to scare disobedient children. Clearly, he was a failed human being, wasting what was still a rather handsome appearance. There were even repeated claims that he used poison during tournaments, though no evidence was ever found, leading many to suspect he was a master of toxins.
Finally, one of the twins summarized, "No wonder no one likes him in Dorne. And he still wants to pursue your sister? Hah, dream on!" The other worriedly added, "William, the way he looks at you isn't right. Be careful."
William shrugged indifferently, about to boast of his undefeated record, but seeing Nymeria's teasing smile, he quickly changed his words. "Ahem, ladies, don't worry. I am the Magic Knight. Your sweet smiles are my power. Even against the Darkstar, I'll shine for you!"
The girls giggled.
The next day, the tournament began in earnest. The first two days had featured archery and wrestling, with nobles merely observing. Archery brought no glory, wrestling was crude, and knights naturally refused to participate, watching only for amusement.
William studied the competitions seriously, hoping to find opportunities—skilled archers could be taken by surprise, strong competitors could be challenged—but he quickly realized his hopes were unrealistic. There were talents, yes, but local nobles were fiercely competitive, leaving no room for a distant family from the Hearn lands.
His relationship with Nymeria became more complicated.
After their first day, for the next two banquets, Nymeria proactively invited William and the twins to share her table. They had lively conversations, and William's image as a learned and talented man was firmly established. Nymeria once tried to stump him with a barrage of difficult questions, but William, coming from the Information Age, was practically omniscient to these medieval-level girls. He could discuss multiverses, explain quantum mechanics in simple terms, and even five girls together could barely challenge him, as he shared much scientific knowledge with them.
After the banquets, Erren and the Toland sisters, and William, Nymeria, and the twins would stroll in the garden. When no one else was around, Nymeria would make bold remarks, openly teasing the twins, entirely unconcerned about the presence of a man.
The twins seemed to enjoy the attention, responding shyly but invitingly. William, both embarrassed and surprised, knew he shouldn't participate but couldn't walk away. Such beautiful women flirting with each other… It's a waste of resources. For the happiness of men everywhere, I'll be the third wheel and spoil them!
Yet Nymeria didn't just tease the twins; she often directed the topic toward William, seemingly wanting to compete with him for their attention. William dared not be as unrestrained as Nymeria, so he told risqué jokes to make them laugh, maintaining composure while diffusing the sexual tension.
The twins usually covered their mouths, giggling. Nymeria's eyes curved in amusement, but her gaze toward him remained enigmatic.
Though he enjoyed the flirtation with the girls, one thing unsettled him: the Red Viper seemed to be observing him secretly. Was she worried about what he might do to her daughter? Nymeria was five or six years older, but who should really be worried? Even if he could straighten out her daughter, it wouldn't necessarily be bad for the father.
On the third day, it was finally the knights' turn. The Dornish tournament had a peculiarity: jousting came first, followed by team competitions. With many knights participating, the jousting lasted two days, and the champion was only decided on the fourth afternoon.
In the finals, William unseated Ser Ulwyck Uller, the brother of the Lord of Hellholt, with a single strike, easily claiming twenty thousand silver stags. However, he did not move on to select the "Queen of Love and Beauty," as Princess Ellaria's matter remained a painful memory for all Dornish.
Previously, many had doubted the authenticity of the Battle of Ten Mile Town and so treated William coldly. But over these two days of the tournament, he demonstrated overwhelming dominance, seizing the championship. Whether they believed it or not, everyone was convinced of his skills.
That evening, as many knights actively sought to meet him at the banquet, William spent the night drinking and chatting with them, unable to accompany the girls on their garden stroll. Watching the twins cast glances of regret as they walked gracefully away with Nymeria, he felt a sharp pang of disappointment.
After the girls left, several knights who wished to befriend William simply stayed behind to drink and chat. Among them was Ser Ulwyck. Though he had lost the championship that day, he admired William deeply, behaving like a devoted fan.
As William joked and laughed with the Dornish knights, suddenly the Darkstar appeared with a few followers. The knights immediately fell silent, eyes wary.
Looking at the newcomers, aside from the Darkstar himself being passable in appearance, the rest of his entourage were either brutish or sleazy, none looking respectable.
Noticing the other knights' obvious unease, William stifled a laugh but was not intimidated by the Darkstar. Smiling, he stood and said, "Ser Gerold, good evening. I had hoped to test my skills against you in the arena today, but unfortunately never saw you. What a pity."
The Darkstar remained sullen and silent. Behind him, a brutish-looking man shouted, "Who doesn't know Ser Gerold dislikes jousting, that childish game? Dornish show their true strength in the team competitions. Boy from the Hearn lands, when you enter the field tomorrow, hope you don't soil yourself."
Ulwyck banged the table in displeasure, standing and shouting, "Malor, you're too rude!" The other knights shot him unfriendly glances; his sweeping insult had gone too far.
Malor straightened his neck, ready to push forward recklessly.
The Darkstar barely furrowed his brows but spoke to diffuse the tension: "Enough, this quarrel is meaningless. We'll see each other in the arena tomorrow. Ser William, I'm glad you joined this tournament; otherwise, it would have been a dull farce. Only by defeating a true warrior like you does the championship have any meaning."
William, as if meeting a kindred spirit, smiled. "I think the same. It seems true heroes see eye to eye." Seeing the Darkstar raise his glass, he lifted his own. "Come, let us drink to the true champion!"
They held each other's gaze briefly. The Darkstar snorted coldly, did not drink, and turned away.
The knights began cursing Malor for his crude rudeness, clearly agreeing he was a detestable man.
Ulwyck leaned close to William, lowering his voice. "The Darkstar carries many blood debts. His coming here to see you surely involves some scheme, William. Be careful tomorrow."
William patted his shoulder, laughed heartily, and called for everyone to raise their glasses and drink together.
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