Chapter 50: Bloodsworn Brothers
"Who wants to go first?" Aslan Longdel asked, his face expressionless as he looked at the two Princes standing in the arena.
Jacaerys swallowed hard. He had seen Aslan charge on the battlefield, wielding the Lion King. The young man before him was not old, but his martial skills were already quite exquisite.
Hofa the Law-Holder, standing nearby, coldly tossed a wooden sword to Jacaerys. The boy caught the weapon steadily and spun it once, his eyes fixed on Aslan's footwork.
"Begin," Hofa said, pressing down sharply with his wooden spear.
Aslan moved.
His entire body surged forward along with the wooden sword. Jacaerys raised his blade to block, barely deflecting Aslan's first strike. The second and third strikes followed immediately; Aslan's sword was fast and fierce, never landing in the same place twice. Jacaerys quickly found himself struggling to parry.
Aslan's wooden sword knocked aside Jacaerys's guard and slammed heavily into the boy's waist.
Jacaerys groaned in pain but stood firm, striking back at Aslan, who had not yet withdrawn his sword.
Thud. Thud.
The first sound was Aslan grabbing Jacaerys's sword arm.
The second was Aslan pulling back his wooden blade and thrusting it into Jacaerys's chest.
Lucerys clenched his fists, sweat soaking his palms.
"Don't worry," Valarr said, placing a hand on his young attendant's shoulder. "Aslan knows his limits."
Jacaerys struggled and pulled his hand free from Aslan's grasp. Enduring the pain, he twisted his wooden sword and attempted to attack Aslan's exposed armpit, but the strike was easily blocked.
"Chipmunk, if you want others to acknowledge you, you have to show some skill," Aslan said, striking Jacaerys's back again with the sword. "A brown-haired Valyrian Dragonlord? If you didn't have a Dragon, the rumors would probably be flying everywhere by now."
Jacaerys ignored the taunt and continued trying to break through Aslan's defense.
"Idiot, watch my footwork."
Aslan struck Jacaerys's wrist with the sword, but the young Prince stubbornly held onto his weapon. Taking advantage of Aslan's widened stance, Jacaerys suddenly lunged forward and punched Aslan squarely in the chest, forcing him to stumble.
"That's more like it."
Aslan grinned.
"Come on, defeat me, and let these guys acknowledge your ability."
The wooden swords clashed repeatedly, splinters flying through the air. Jacaerys endured blow after blow while searching desperately for a weakness.
Then he saw it.
Jacaerys gripped his sword with both hands, gathering all his strength. Even as another strike slammed into his shoulder, he seized the opening and swung upward with all his might.
Both wooden swords flew from their hands.
Jacaerys threw his head forward and slammed his forehead into Aslan.
The two youths tumbled to the ground and immediately began grappling bare-handed.
"Good!" Aslan raised his arm to block Jacaerys's punch before rolling on top of him. "Your Highness wanted me to tell you something. Only your own ability can silence rumors."
Before he could finish speaking, Jacaerys smashed his head into Aslan's chest and flipped their positions again.
"I know I'm different from them," the boy said through clenched teeth. "I only have my mother, my brothers, and my Dragon to rely on."
"What's the big deal?" Aslan struggled and pinned him again. "Lynn is a bastard. Sebastian, Amos, and Hofa were all slaves. As for Tigaro and me—sure, we're Valyrian… actually more Valyrian than you."
He punched Jacaerys's arm that was guarding his head.
"But neither of us has a Dragon."
The two rolled again, tangled together in the dust.
"As long as you're strong enough," Aslan continued, "all rumors are just rumors."
Dragonzel and Daemon, who had been strolling from the Silver Blood Tower, witnessed the scene.
"You have a group of young…" Daemon paused slightly.
"…but quite excellent subordinates."
Dragonzel watched quietly. It was difficult to tell who was winning, though neither was fighting seriously. Jacaerys was clearly being suppressed most of the time, surviving mainly through stubborn determination.
"Jacaerys is already quite good," Dragonzel said, noticing Daemon's relieved expression. "Even I need to put in some effort to deal with Aslan."
"I can see that," Daemon replied, looking slightly tempted to join the fight himself. But the pride of a knight restrained him.
"Cousin, rest assured," Dragonzel said with a smile. "When Summerhall is completed, I plan to hold a martial tournament. You must honor us with your presence."
"Of course," Daemon said, glancing toward the two dust-covered fighters still wrestling in the arena. "It seems I'll be troubling my host quite a bit then."
"It would be my honor."
"Aslan, time's up."
Hofa suddenly extended his long spear between the two combatants.
"Prince Jacaerys has endured long enough under you. If you acknowledge it, has he passed your test?"
"I thought he'd fall after the first strike," Aslan said, standing up and wiping his face roughly. He grabbed Jacaerys and pulled him to his feet.
"I didn't expect him to last this long. Good, good boy—you've got some skill."
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Hah! Guidance my ass," Aslan laughed, slapping Jacaerys heavily on the shoulder.
"That was your own resilience."
Then he turned toward Lucerys, who was trembling nervously nearby.
"Who's next to test our big chipmunk?"
The nickname—thanks to Ray—had spread throughout Dragonzel's inner circle. Except for the serious Hofa, everyone enjoyed calling Lucerys that.
Lucerys had protested at first, but secretly he had already accepted it.
"Don't look at me," Adams said, waving his hands. "With my martial skills, my brother could beat me with one hand."
Sebastian had already gone to the Dornish front, and the remaining warriors were either too weak or far too strong for a fair match.
"I'll go."
The Dothraki youth Ago stepped forward, pulling a wooden arakh from the weapon rack.
"Big Chipmunk. Last fifteen rounds against me and I'll acknowledge your ability."
Ray leaned over and whispered into Lucerys's ear.
"Learn from Jacaerys. Ago's blade isn't heavy. Just endure."
Lucerys nodded and stepped onto the field with his wooden sword.
"Ago, stop before you hurt him," Hofa said calmly.
"Begin."
Ago lunged forward instantly.
Before Lucerys could even raise his sword, the wooden arakh struck his neck.
"Be careful," Ago said calmly. "If this were a real blade, your head would already be gone."
Lucerys staggered but refused to fall. Using his legs to power the movement, he swung his sword hard toward Ago's waist.
"Not bad," Ago said, dodging easily. His curved blade pressed down against Lucerys's weapon.
"You have some brains when you fight."
Another strike landed on Lucerys's left arm.
"Watch the enemy's blade," Ago continued. "Or the next strike will take your sword arm."
Lucerys struggled against the relentless assault. His chest, shoulders, and arms were repeatedly struck, and the pain nearly made him faint.
"Lucerys, you can do it!" Jacaerys shouted loudly.
"Big Chipmunk, I bet on you!" Ray yelled.
"If you lose, we both lose our pocket money!"
Dragonzel shot him a glare that immediately silenced him.
Ago's final strike stopped just before Lucerys's head.
Not because Ago held back.
Lucerys had finally raised his sword in time and blocked the blow.
"Ago, confirm the result," Hofa said, separating them with a sweep of his spear.
"Acknowledged," Ago said with a smile, patting Lucerys's shoulder.
"You have resilience, Prince. But your martial skill still needs improvement."
Dust and sweat mixed together, covering the boys like mud.
Dragonzel looked at the group before turning to Daemon.
"They share a common identity within House Varezes," he said calmly.
"They are my Bloodsworn Brothers—like the bloodsworn of the Dothraki. I treat them as true brothers, and they trust me as an elder brother worthy of their loyalty."
Daemon looked at the young warriors.
He seemed as though he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he said nothing.
After feeding on mutton, the Blood Wyrm Caraxes carried Daemon back north.
Watching the crimson dragon disappear into the sky, Dragonzel walked toward Jacaerys, who was preparing to bathe.
"Jacaerys," he said.
"Your Vermax can carry passengers now, correct?"
Jacaerys nodded.
"He grew faster after arriving at Dragon Nest City. But he still cannot fly long distances."
"Good," Dragonzel replied.
"We will soon visit several noble castles. Prepare yourself."
"Understood, my lord," Jacaerys replied respectfully.
Summerhall Camp
Diana Tarly was reviewing account ledgers.
She had been assisting the accountants brought by Dragonzel with the financial management of the enormous construction project.
The young lady was extremely satisfied with the work.
At the very least, it was free and suited her interests perfectly.
"Miss, a letter from the Count."
After reconciling with her father, Diana had accepted the knights he sent to protect her and Alan. Those same knights were now also working at the construction site.
"Leave it there."
After finishing the last ledger entry, Diana opened the letter and read it carefully.
When she saw that Lord Tarly had recommended her as a marriage candidate for Dragonzel,
her face instantly turned bright red.
If you want, I can also help with Chapter 52 fixes, and I will keep it 100% original length, word-for-word structure, with all OC characters preserved just like this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics