Game of Thrones: Knight’s Honor

"What's going on?" Lynd looked at the frozen corpse and couldn't help but ask Varys, who stood beside him.

"That's what I want to ask you, my lord," Varys replied calmly, meeting Lynd's gaze.

Lynd frowned. "What do you mean?"

Varys withdrew his hand from his sleeve and pointed to something beneath the corpse. "My lord, what do you see there?"

Lynd followed his gesture and quickly noticed that the frozen corpse was pinning down two knightly swords. The bodies were pressed so tightly against the swords that only their handles were visible.

"My knightly swords have been forged?" Lynd exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Yes," Varys confirmed, his eyes steady. "They were forged more than two months ago. I intended to present them to you along with the full suit of armor, so I stored them here. However, the armor proved exceptionally difficult to forge. After two months, not a single piece had been completed, so I decided to give you the swords first. When I came here a few days ago to retrieve them, I found this scene."

"This corpse is..." Lynd asked hesitantly.

"One of my servants," Varys replied. "Fortunately, I sent him to fetch the swords. If I had gone myself, I might be the one frozen here."

Lynd studied the frozen corpse more closely and quickly concluded that its fate was tied to the pair of knightly swords inscribed with dragon runes. The supernatural power hadn't manifested initially because the runes had not yet absorbed enough surrounding magic to fully integrate with the swords. Over the months, the accumulated magic, without Lynd—the Banished Knight—to channel it, had become unstable. The first person to interact with the swords had inadvertently triggered the latent power, leading to the servant's tragic end.

Now that the magic had been fully discharged, even Varys could handle the swords safely. However, Lynd did not explain this to him. Under Varys's watchful eyes, he approached the frozen corpse and reached for the exposed hilt.

Varys, standing nearby, seemed anxious. His mouth opened as if to warn Lynd, but no words came out. Nevertheless, his hands slipped from his sleeves, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

Lynd grasped the great knight's sword, its Valyrian steel gleaming faintly, and felt no adverse effects. As he pulled the sword free, the frozen corpse shattered into countless shards of ice, scattering like broken glass.

Varys held his breath, transfixed by the sight. Though he had witnessed countless arcane rituals and mysterious phenomena in Essos, nothing compared to this. Despite his deep-seated hatred and disdain for magic, he felt an undeniable desire to wield such power.

Lynd, too, was taken aback. The corpse's shattering reminded him of the White Walkers' deaths, as if there were a connection. In his memories as the Banished Knight, his swordsmanship could channel an extraordinary cold that froze enemies and slowed their movements, gradually harming them. But this complete shattering effect was entirely unfamiliar.

Could the dragon runes' effects vary depending on the world? Lynd wondered silently.

"Ser Lynd, are you alright?" Varys asked, noticing that Lynd had been standing still for some time. Concerned but hesitant to touch him directly, Varys picked up a piece of wood and gently prodded Lynd's back.

"I'm fine," Lynd replied, shaking off his thoughts. He set aside his doubts for the moment and examined the knightly swords in his hands.

As he held the swords, he felt a faint, cold energy pass into his body. It reminded him of the energy from a resentful soul that had once coursed through Glory's body, though this was far weaker and caused no visible changes to his skin.

The Banished Knight's greatswords were thicker and wider than the standard sword hanging at Lynd's waist, yet their weight was surprisingly light, comparable to that of a pure steel sword. The dragon runes engraved on the blades were perfectly integrated, their surfaces smooth and seamless, as if the runes had naturally grown into the metal.

This phenomenon, known as dragon rune precipitation, indicated that the runes had fully merged with the swords and begun to produce effects. Lynd had inscribed the swords with three types of runes: ice, storm, and lightning. For now, only the ice rune had activated. The other two required more time to absorb and harmonize with the magic before they could awaken.

"Are you satisfied?" Varys asked.

"Yes, very good, perfect!" Lynd gave a high evaluation.

"That's good," Varys nodded. "Let's go up first. I've prepared a pair of sword sheaths for you; the ones you have now probably won't fit these swords."

With that, he turned and walked back the way they had come, and Lynd followed.

After they returned to the surface, Varys instructed Lynd to wait for a moment and soon returned with a pair of sword sheaths. The sheaths, crafted from the hide of some kind of reptile, were perfectly sized for the pair of Valyrian steel knightly swords.

Lynd eagerly removed the temporary knightly swords he had been using and replaced them with the Banished Knight Swords, hanging them at his waist.

He then stepped out of the room and into the cottage's courtyard, where he began testing the swords. Drawing one, he executed a few simple movements before sheathing it and repeating the process several times. With each attempt, he adjusted the position of the sheaths until they felt perfectly natural.

"Thanks! I'm very satisfied with this pair swords," Lynd said, expressing his gratitude once more. For him, possessing the Banished Knight Swords completed his swordsmanship. With them, he felt confident he could withstand a siege of a thousand men, let alone a hundred.

Varys observed Lynd's satisfaction, and a smile crept across his face. The stronger Lynd became, the more beneficial it was for him. In Varys's mind, Lynd's status had significantly shifted from a few months ago.

Back when Lynd left King's Landing, Varys had viewed him merely as a powerful warrior who had dabbled in mysterious forces. Now, however, the transformations in Tumbleton over the past months revealed something more. Lynd's actions—disrupting Tywin's plans, restoring the Mander River's shipping routes—showed a keen grasp of political maneuvering.

Even with the ongoing presence of bandits and wildling tribes around Tumbleton, Varys suspected Lynd was deliberately allowing them to remain for reasons of his own. The most surprising development, however, was Tumbleton's acceptance of a wildling tribe as part of its populace.

To Varys, this was unprecedented. It was as unimaginable as the Good Masters, Wise Masters, or Great Masters of Slaver's Bay elevating their slaves to the status of ordinary folk. While the idea seemed absurd to him, Lynd's actions resonated with Varys's own ideals. Over time, he began seeing Lynd less as someone to exploit and more as a genuine partner.

"Lord Varys," Lynd began, "can you tell me what the problem is with forging the armor? I know a little about forging and may be able to help."

The Banished Knight's Swords were already astonishingly powerful, and Lynd's anticipation for the Valyrian steel armor only grew.

"It's not that there are problems forging it," Varys explained. "It's that it can't be forged at all. When Valyrian steel is created, its purpose is determined—whether for swords, armor, or something else. Once crafted, Valyrian steel becomes extremely fragile if reshaped into another form. This is due to certain spells woven into its creation. Only the highly mysterious art of reforging can reshape Valyrian steel into a different item."

Lynd paused, considering. "I suspect the smith I introduced only learned how to recast Valyrian steel swords in Qohor, not armor?"

"Yes," Varys confirmed with a nod.

"In other words," Lynd said quietly, "if I want my armor forged, I need to go to Qohor."

"You don't need to go yourself, my lord," Varys said, shaking his head. "I can give the Valyrian steel to a friend of mine in Pentos..."

"Illyrio," Lynd interjected, naming the friend.

Varys nodded. "He has some connections in Qohor. Forging Valyrian steel into armor shouldn't be an issue, but..." He hesitated, looking at Lynd. "But the armor design you provided includes mysterious powers like these swords. If we hand it over to the craftsmen in Qohor, won't there be a risk...?"

"You're worried they'll learn it?" Lynd finished for him.

"Yes," Varys admitted. "If such powerful forces were mastered by others, it could lead to disaster."

"Don't worry," Lynd said with unshakable confidence. "They're not likely to learn anything."

When Lynd designed the dragon runes for the weapons and armor, he deliberately added numerous meaningless patterns and symbols, seamlessly integrating the dragon runes into the design. This ensured that even if the craftsmen from Qohor attempted to replicate the armor, they would merely recreate the visual design without understanding the true function of the runes.

Varys, having thought along the same lines, asked, "What if they use your design to remake a new piece of armor?"

Lynd patted the greatsword of the Banished Knight at his waist and replied, "Do you think anyone in the world other than me can use such armor and not die?"

Varys was momentarily stunned before realizing the truth: these weapons and armor were essentially a lethal curse to anyone but Lynd.

After this realization, Varys assured Lynd that he would send the Valyrian steel he had in his possession to Pentos immediately and request Illyrio's help in finding Qohor craftsmen to recast it into armor. He also mentioned that, in the meantime, he had prepared a temporary set of Banished Knight armor for Lynd. This armor, made of ordinary steel, lacked the intricate patterns but replicated the style of the Banished Knight armor.

Leading Lynd to an upstairs room, Varys revealed a single armor display stand, which held a complete set of Banished Knight armor.

Lynd's design for the Banished Knight's full-body armor combined heavy and light elements. It included standard gauntlets and leg armor, with heavy plating for the body, an additional animal-skin cape, and a family-crest hem, along with a cloak that made the armor exceptionally weighty. The helmet was a light dragon-crown design, magnificently crafted and complementing the overall look.

As Lynd gazed at the armor, fragments of his memories as the Banished Knight stirred within him, creating an overwhelming urge to don the armor. He stepped forward, meticulously removing each piece and putting it on.

Thanks to the ingenious snap design of the Banished Knight armor, it required no squire's assistance to equip—a stark contrast to most knightly armors of this world.

Once fully armored, Lynd moved around to test its fit and functionality. Despite its considerable weight, which would leave an ordinary person struggling to walk, Lynd's exceptional physical prowess allowed him to move with ease.

He began with simple movements, testing the range of motion at each joint. Satisfied, he progressed to more dynamic movements, dodging and evading in the confined space of the room. Finally, he performed acrobatic maneuvers, including airborne somersaults, all while clad in the full set of armor.

Varys stood nearby, utterly astonished. He was well aware of the armor's weight—just the cape, hem, and shoulder pads alone were burdensome enough to render most strong men immobile. Yet Lynd moved with such agility and precision that it seemed as though he wore nothing heavier than cloth.

For Varys, this display offered a profound insight into Lynd's extraordinary strength.