"Your mount is actually a lion! Where did you tame it?" Arya continued to ask.
"On the Great Grass Sea! But he's not just my mount, he's my partner," Lancelot replied. He had brought two swift horses, Red Hare and Wuzhui, along for the journey as well.
The reason he rode the lion into Winterfell was simply because it looked cool!
Seeing him, many people couldn't help but ask others: Who is that boy riding the lion?
Lancelot's popularity was steadily climbing.
"You have a lion, we siblings have wolves. Ours aren't any worse than yours!" Arya declared.
"Can I see your wolves?" Lancelot asked.
"Sure, come with me!"
Arya prepared to take Lancelot to her bedroom to meet Nymeria.
At this point, Catelyn Tully finally spoke up.
"Arya, inviting a knight into your bedroom is improper! Ser Lancelot, she is still young, please forgive her!" Catelyn offered an apologetic smile.
"Lady Stark, you are too kind! I heard long ago that Eddard Stark's six children received six wolf pups. They really are siblings!" Lancelot laughed.
Catelyn Tully felt a twinge of discomfort; she sensed a barb in Lancelot's words.
"Really? We three siblings also have our own little lions. We'll have to see whether lions are stronger or wolves are more fearsome," Joffrey chimed in.
Looking at Eddard Stark, Joffrey thought the man wasn't very handsome, far inferior to his own father in his youth.
Moreover, Eddard Stark's son, Robb Stark, was much shorter than Joffrey, even though he was older.
"Your Grace, please join me in the Great Hall! It will be warmer there!"
Catelyn invited Cersei inside. They also took Sansa and Myrcella with them, as the girls were more obedient.
The others remained outside.
Lancelot, Joffrey, Tommen.
Robb, Jon, Theon, Bran, Arya.
The two groups seemed to form a stark contrast.
Just then, Jojen Reed, the crannogman boy who had traveled with the royal convoy, walked up to Bran.
"Bran, have you seen the Three-Eyed Raven yet?" he asked.
"The Three-Eyed Raven? What is that? And who are you?" Bran looked at the green-eyed person in confusion. His green eyes were different from the Lannisters'.
The Lannister green eyes were like emeralds, while Jojen Reed's were the color of moss.
"I am Jojen Reed, son of the Lord of Greywater Watch!" he introduced himself.
"You are Howland Reed's son. My father sends gifts to your father every year," Bran said. He knew their fathers shared a special friendship.
"Come with me, Bran! I'll take you to see the Three-Eyed Raven."
Jojen took Bran's hand and led him toward the Broken Tower.
Joffrey, meanwhile, was getting bored. He looked at Robb Stark.
"Is there any game in the North? Why don't we go hunting? My swordsmanship might not match Lancelot's, but my skill with a crossbow is superior to his," Joffrey boasted.
"Is that so! Is Ser Lancelot's swordsmanship truly exceptional? Why don't we have a duel?" Robb Stark said with great interest.
Lancelot shook his head.
"Rather than you, I'd prefer your bastard brother as my opponent. Jon Snow, right? Come, spar with me!" Lancelot challenged.
Jon Snow didn't know why Lancelot suddenly wanted to spar with him. Ignoring Robb Stark's somewhat sour expression, he readily agreed.
Lancelot and Jon Snow went to the training yard.
They each picked up a blunt training sword.
Lancelot held his sword in one hand, looking sideways at Jon Snow.
"Come at me! Bastard brother. If you can defeat me, I'll tell you a secret about yourself!" Lancelot teased.
"And if I lose?" Jon asked.
"Then I'll tell you a secret about myself!" Lancelot replied.
"It seems whether I win or lose, I learn a secret! No loss there!" Jon said.
With that, Jon Snow charged at Lancelot.
The two began to fight.
While exchanging blows, Lancelot checked Jon's stats.
Name: Jon Snow
Identity: Son of the late Prince Rhaegar of the previous dynasty
Class: None
Strength: 13
Speed: 13
Intelligence: 13
Spirit: 13
Magic: 13
Talent: Skinchanger
Sure enough, Jon is Rhaegar's son. But his mother must be Lyanna? Lancelot mused.
I wonder if Robert knew Jon Snow was the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, would he be angry enough to cut ties with Ned? he thought to himself.
If Robert knew Jon's identity and wanted to kill him, Eddard Stark would likely fall out with Robert. He would never agree to go to King's Landing to be the Hand.
But if Lancelot reported it, it would be like reporting Mance Rayder—he had no proof!
Pushing those thoughts aside, Lancelot knocked Jon Snow down.
Lying on the ground, Jon Snow felt for a moment like a lone wolf encountering a male lion, slapped down effortlessly by a paw.
The feeling reminded him of training under Ser Rodrik as a child.
The gap in strength between them was just too vast.
"Jon Snow! You lost. As agreed, I'll tell you a secret about myself."
Lancelot helped Jon up and whispered in his ear.
"Actually, I'm a bastard too! Rumor has it I'm the child of Jaime Lannister and a whore in King's Landing! Is that secret shocking enough?"
Disbelief flashed in Jon Snow's eyes.
"How could you be a..." He didn't finish the sentence.
"My bastard brother, do not be sad, do not be anxious. Perhaps one day your identity will be revealed to the world," Lancelot said.
Jon Snow seemed to realize something and walked to the side, falling silent.
Seeing Jon defeated in swordsmanship, Robb Stark shouted to Lancelot.
"If you have the skill, let's compare spearmanship! With real weapons!"
Robb grabbed his most familiar spear and glanced at Lancelot.
Although Lancelot's spear technique wasn't his strongest suit, his weapon was definitely better than Robb's.
Lancelot brought out his Valyrian steel spear. It instantly caught Robb's eye.
"That is a fine spear! But if the wielder is too weak, its power is wasted. Let's make a bet! If I win, you give me your spear!" Robb Stark declared. He coveted Lancelot's weapon.
Lancelot looked at Robb with amusement.
"And if you lose? What then?" Lancelot asked.
"What do you want?" Robb countered.
"If I win, you have to let your two sisters give me a kiss on the cheek. How about that?"
Lancelot proposed.
"That?" Robb hesitated, but ultimately feeling confident in his superior strength and believing he could defeat Lancelot, he agreed.
"Everyone listen up! Robb Stark said if he loses to me, his two sisters will each give me a kiss. Everyone bear witness!" Lancelot shouted.
There were many people in the training yard besides just their group.
"Go Lancelot!"
"Lancelot, you can do it!"
Joffrey and Tommen started cheering for Lancelot.
"Go Robb! Go Robb!" Theon began cheering for Robb.