Chapter 34
With the two Tyrell siblings following him out of the keep.
Harry gave them a brief tour of the entire place, the stables, the library, and finally his mother's greenhouse.
"Wow, what beautiful flowers," Margaery said in amazement, her hand gently holding back her hair as she leaned down to smell them.
"What kind are they? They look like roses, but I've never seen a blue one before," Margaery asked curiously, looking at Harry.
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly when he noticed her expression. It seemed like the first genuine reaction he had seen from her.
"They're slightly modified roses," Harry said with a nod.
"And look at those black tulips, I've never seen them before," Margaery said in amazement as she approached and crouched down.
Loras looked at his sister before gently clearing his throat, making her react.
Standing up, she could not help feeling a little embarrassed when she noticed Harry's faint smile. She had been dazzled by colors she had never before seen in flowers and had gotten carried away.
"Lord Harry, how about showing us the training yard?" Loras asked with a polite smile.
Harry turned to look at him. He really did look a lot like Margaery, even though they were not twins, which seemed a little strange to him.
"Of course, although it isn't a very interesting place," Harry said with a nod before leading them out of the greenhouse.
Walking through the corridors, they crossed the castle until they reached the training yard.
The place was practically empty because of the Tyrells' arrival. His mother did not want the sounds of clashing swords or shouting.
The only ones there were his friends, sitting in a corner drinking, who immediately looked over when they arrived.
"Is it different from the one at Highgarden?" Harry asked casually while pretending to ignore them.
"No, it's quite similar, perhaps a little larger," Loras said, shaking his head as he looked around. The dirt yard and different arenas stretched around them until they reached the base of the wall.
"How about a spar?" Loras asked, looking at Harry with a smile.
"Loras," Margaery said in a low voice, looking at her brother, who continued staring at Harry.
"Of course," Harry said after a moment of silence. It was not as though he had not expected that proposal after mentioning the training yard.
Turning to look at his friends, he gestured for Theon to come over.
"Bring me two training swords and two pairs of gloves," Harry said, looking at him.
"I'm going," Theon said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Could he not go himself?
Theon soon returned with two training greatswords. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that all his friends seemed to perk up when they saw there was going to be a fight.
He also did not fail to notice that Jon seemed to have slipped away. If he had to guess, it was to inform his mother.
Taking the training sword, he looked at Loras.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to disdain using training weapons.
Even so, Loras knew his limits. Asking for a real sword would almost seem like a provocation or an attempted murder.
The two walked toward the center of the arena. Standing several meters apart, they looked at each other calmly.
Loras's white wool outfit contrasted sharply with his black leather suit.
Theon, who seemed excited by the spectacle that was about to unfold, quickly announced the start of the duel while Margaery watched the situation with a certain expectation in her eyes.
Harry was a little taller than Loras and had a more muscular appearance. Even so, she had seen her brother defeat people larger than him.
The first metallic clash echoed throughout the training yard.
The swords scraped against each other with an unpleasant sound as both tried to overpower the other.
Loras immediately frowned. The resistance when striking Harry's sword was immense. It almost felt as though he had struck a tree.
His hands trembled, but he adjusted his grip without retreating.
Loras pushed with all his strength before pulling back his sword and taking a couple of steps away.
His expression was now completely focused as he held the sword in front of him. His eyes met Harry's, and he could not help thinking that he looked rather intimidating while fighting.
Tightening his grip on the sword, he advanced quickly, twisting his waist as his sword moved nimbly toward Harry.
Harry saw him coming and also twisted his body before moving to meet him. His sword struck directly against Loras's, but to his surprise, he felt no resistance in the clash.
It seemed that Loras had withdrawn all his strength at the last moment. Using the momentum of the impact, he shifted his sword to the other side and attacked Harry's waist.
Harry quickly jumped aside, barely avoiding the sword before attacking toward Loras's head.
Loras quickly ducked to avoid the slash before counterattacking toward his chest.
Their swords looked like faint silver shadows cutting through the air at full speed.
Margaery clasped her hands nervously when she heard the swords humming as they attacked each other. They always seemed to dodge by a hair, and they were clearly not holding back.
"Damn, that kid is good," Theon said in amazement. It was not easy to keep up with Harry like that.
"He's only a year younger than you," Smalljon said, looking at Theon with disdain.
"Even so, it's quite impressive. His technique is flawless," Domeric said as he watched the fluid movements of the sword.
In comparison, Harry's movements seemed far less refined, but his strength, speed, and endurance more than made up for that difference.
Harry looked at Loras, who was already breathing heavily, with a layer of sweat appearing on his forehead. His slightly curly hair was already disheveled, and he no longer looked as elegant as he had a few hours earlier.
Loras looked at Harry with some disbelief. He had expected him to be strong, but not this strong. Gritting his teeth, he threw himself into the fight again, his sword moving from side to side as he searched for an opening in Harry's defense.
Without much success, Harry's sword always managed to clash against his, defending perfectly and making his hands vibrate painfully.
Harry smiled and became locked in a duel with Loras once again. As the two maneuvered around each other, he suddenly caught sight of a very familiar head of red hair out of the corner of his eye.
At some point, Catelyn and Olenna seemed to have arrived, the latter watching the fight with great interest.
Her grandson might have questionable tastes, but his skill with a sword was beyond doubt. Sometimes she wondered if he was too good with one.
But his usual ability seemed unable to fully manifest against the young Stark.
Her eyes were no longer what they used to be, and she herself was not a fighter, so she did not understand what was happening.
She could only notice that the young Stark remained as calm as he had been at the beginning, while the strain was beginning to show on Loras's face.
A loud metallic sound ended their clash, making them separate once again.
"Shall we leave it here?" Harry said quietly so only Loras could hear him.
"That won't be necessary," Loras said, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. He would rather lose cleanly than have Harry give him a way out to avoid embarrassment.
Harry noticed his trembling arms, but only nodded slightly as he watched him calmly, giving him time to recover for one final exchange.
Loras took one last deep breath before his eyes met Harry's. Seeing his calm gaze, Loras gritted his teeth before forcing his body back into the fight.
Seeing Loras's sword heading toward his chest, Harry's arms visibly bulged beneath his clothes before his own sword moved to meet it. An intense metallic clang resulted from their collision before Loras's sword went flying.
It spun through the air before falling point-first, sticking into the ground for a moment before toppling over.
Loras stared at his trembling hands in disbelief.
The sword had literally been torn from his hands.
"I lost," Loras murmured dejectedly.
Seeing him like that, Harry felt somewhat uncomfortable. He hoped his mother would not scold him for intimidating their guests.
He couldn't help offering a few words of encouragement.
"You're definitely the best opponent I've ever faced," Harry said, looking at him seriously.
He was not lying. His technique was flawless, his sword was very fast, and his physical condition was excellent.
Loras did not feel even slightly better after hearing Harry. After all, he aimed to become the best in all of Westeros.
Olenna looked at Harry in surprise. He had even defeated her grandson. That added points in his favor, though not too many.
In her eyes, personal strength was a bonus, but not something significant. Could one person fight an army? Impossible.
Catelyn looked at Harry and smiled slightly with pride. The more exceptional Harry was, the greater the chances that this marriage would be arranged.
"Loras, come. Let's have someone examine your hands. Lady Catelyn, could you please take us?" Olenna said, looking at Catelyn.
Catelyn's eyes lit up when she heard Olenna's words before guiding them out of the training yard and leaving Harry and Margaery alone.
Theon also left obediently after Catelyn glared at him, along with the rest of the audience.
Harry stared speechlessly at his mother as she walked away with Olenna and Loras. She could not have been more obvious. Within seconds, only the two of them remained.
Turning to look at Margaery, he saw her approaching with a shy smile.
Even so, he could tell that she was not as shy as she pretended to be.
"So? What do you like to do?" Harry said, looking at her before smiling.
Margaery's expression froze for a moment at Harry's blunt question. It was clear that he was no master of romance.
Her expression returned to normal in an instant before she answered.
"I like falconry, riding, and boating," Margaery said, smiling shyly with a beautiful look in her eyes.
"And you?" Margaery asked, looking at Harry curiously, her large eyes blinking slightly with an innocent appearance.
"I like reading. I also enjoy riding, though I usually spend most of my time managing the territory," Harry said with a smile, answering naturally.
"Oh? You don't like swords or duels?" Margaery asked with much more genuine curiosity. She had thought that if someone could defeat her brother, he had to be another sword fanatic.
"No, a sword is only a tool. I train, but it cannot be said that I do it for pleasure," Harry said, looking at her. She clearly hadn't expected that answer.
"How about we go riding? I'll show you my horse. He's quite special," Harry said with a smile.
"I'd like that," Margaery said with an adorable smile.
Gently tugging on the connection he shared with Ater, he felt him approaching at great speed.
"Let's go," Harry said, gesturing for her to walk first.
Margaery remembered the way to the stables, so she walked a few steps ahead of Harry.
As two people with no real connection, it was better that they not remain too close.
When they reached the stables, Harry whistled softly before Ater came out. He could have called him directly to where he stood, but he still had to pretend a little.
The moment Margaery saw him, she froze. She had never seen such a large and magnificent horse, with a shining black coat.
"His name is Ater," Harry said, extending his hand and stroking his forehead.
Margaery extended her hand somewhat dazedly, feeling the strength of the creature before her.
His muscles trembled slightly beneath her touch, and his powerful breathing stirred her hair.
"Can I try?" Margaery asked, looking at Harry with bright eyes.
"What happened? You're not going to keep pretending to have a shy voice?" Harry said, looking at her with a slight smile.
Margaery seemed surprised by his words before putting on a slightly stiff expression.
"Come, I'll help you up," Harry said, extending his hand toward her.
Margaery reached out hesitantly before Harry gently pulled her toward him, taking her by the waist and easily lifting her onto Ater's tall back.
She looked at Harry with some indignation at being handled so casually, but her excitement about riding made her set aside any complaint.
Adjusting her legs, she placed her feet in the stirrups before pulling her skirt down slightly.
"You know that your visit to the North is for a possible marriage, but I really don't like the way you try to pretend. What's the point? Am I supposed to guess who I'm going to marry?" Harry said, looking at her with some amusement.
Seeing her surprise at how direct his words were, Harry smiled slightly before gently slapping Ater's leg.
Ater seemed to snort as he quickly trotted away before accelerating.
Margaery's hair immediately stood on end as she held on tightly.
Margaery forgot Harry's words for a moment as she enjoyed the sensation of the wind and the speed.
Something no other horse had ever managed to give her.
Margaery rode at full speed, making a couple of laps around Winterfell, impressed not only by Ater's speed but also by his endurance.
She only rode for around fifteen minutes before returning. Harry was still standing in the same place with his arms crossed, calmly waiting for her.
"He's amazing. He truly is the best horse I've ever seen," Margaery said, looking at Ater with amazement and affection, her hand lovingly stroking his gleaming black coat.
"Of course. I raised him carefully from the time he was only a foal. Don't let his good behavior fool you, he was fierce and rebellious. I had to subdue him several times," Harry said, looking at Ater, who snorted without looking at him.
"Maybe you could do that when he was a foal, but I don't believe you could now," Margaery said, looking at Harry with a smile in her eyes.
"You might be surprised," Harry said with a laugh, though he did not insist on the subject.
"You're right, I was acting, but acting is a basic skill when interacting with other nobles," Margaery said, suddenly changing the subject.
"Discovering the intentions of others while hiding your own is how this game works," Margaery said, looking at Harry with a somewhat mischievous smile.
"Things are different in the North. We normally don't play those kinds of games. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't know how to play," Harry said, looking at her. If it came to hiding his feelings and uncovering those of others, he doubted there was anyone better than him.
"That sounds somewhat liberating. It is true that living behind a mask can become a little exhausting at times," Margaery said without denying it.
"You're only a child. You shouldn't have to act that way," Harry said, stroking Ater before letting him go off and play on his own.
"I'm not a child," Margaery said with her hands on her hips and a reproachful expression.
Harry only gave her a smile that Margaery found exasperating, clearly still thinking so anyway.
"So you like raising falcons?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"I like watching them fly," Margaery said with a longing look.
"Then I'll show you something even better than a falcon," Harry said with a slight smile.
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