Chapter 45: I, Arthur, Acknowledge You as a Friend

"Moon-Sunder!" Richard, the Steward of Harrenhal, exclaimed, "Isn't that too..."

Lady Whent did not speak, casting a cold glance at the Steward.

Richard no longer insisted; after all, the Lady was the master of this place. He hurried out of the hall to fetch the sword.

Desmond stood beside Arthur and muttered at this moment, "It's actually Moon-Sunder. Lady Shella is truly generous."

Arthur was a bit puzzled, but also a bit expectant; it sounded like this sword was quite famous.

"Is this a Valyrian Steel Sword? Why are your reactions so intense, one after another?"

Patrick turned his head and gave Arthur a deep look, "You've actually never heard of this sword? This is a famous sword forged from meteor iron from Starfall. Although it is not as famous as the Sword of the Morning's Dawn, it is still a famous sword."

Dawn is the two-handed greatsword used by the Sword of the Morning of each generation, and it is also a peerless sword second only to Valyrian Steel Swords.

The strongest Knight of each generation of House Dayne of Starfall in Dorne is granted Dawn and is then called the Sword of the Morning by the world.

The most recently famous Sword of the Morning is Arthur Dayne, also called the Sword of the Morning. It is said that he can knock down five people with one hand while taking a leak.

The material of Moon-Sunder is the same as Dawn, so naturally, it cannot be bad.

Lady Whent really spent a fortune giving Arthur such a gift of thanks.

Arthur noticed that the heir to Seagard had a mix of contempt, envy, and jealousy in his eyes, and his own mood became a bit complicated as well.

Shame, expectation, and smugness!

The shame was because he actually didn't know the reputation of Moon-Sunder; the expectation was because he happened to be lacking a two-handed greatsword; the smugness was because even though he didn't know the sword, it still ended up in his hands instead of Patrick's.

Richard soon returned, bringing back this famous sword. Then, at Lady Whent's signal, he handed it to Arthur.

"My Lady, this is truly too precious; I cannot accept it."

Arthur was humble in his words, but his hands were very honest; he took the sword directly and began to examine it closely.

Seeing this, Lady Whent was also tactful: "Only someone like you is worthy of using a sword like Moon-Sunder. Accept it; this is not only a reward for helping us get rid of a pest, but also a testament to our friendship."

She recalled the spring seventeen years ago, when her husband Walter held the Tourney at Harrenhal, and nobles and Knights from the entire Seven Kingdoms came, and even King Aerys II, who rarely left the Red Keep, graced them with his presence.

At that time, House Whent was wealthy, their lands were prosperous, and the friends they made were spread across the Seven Kingdoms, which could be described as a splendor of blazing fire and blooming flowers.

Seventeen years have passed, and the friends of the past are all gone; their lands are still prosperous, but the family has gradually become poor and declined because they cannot collect taxes.

It has declined to the point where they are now troubled by a few wild boars, and servants in the castle have been injured because of it.

If word got out, even the common folk in the countryside would laugh, right!

Lady Shella Whent, while reminiscing about the past, sighed:

"Furthermore, our family members are gradually withering away, and no one will be able to use it in the future. To let a precious sword gather dust—wouldn't that be one of life's great regrets?"

Arthur nodded, acknowledging Lady Whent's words: "Then I will accept it."

He suddenly drew Moon-Sunder, gripped it with one hand and swung it a few times, feeling that it was just right for him now.

After thinking for a moment, Arthur sheathed Moon-Sunder and tied it to his waist, his expression serious:

"My Lady, I, Arthur, acknowledge you as a friend. From now on, if Harrenhal is in trouble, no matter where I am, I will surely come in person to rescue you."

He said this because this elderly lady was truly a person of principle.

Although her attitude in gifting the Moon-Sunder sword was a bit pretentious—the kind of feeling that because my House Whent is noble, you deserve a more expensive reward for killing a few wild boars for me.

But regardless, she did give Arthur a precious sword in earnest.

According to Arthur's way of thinking, this was an act of repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

Since Lady Whent was a person of principle, he, Arthur, could not fail to show his own stance.

How you treat me is how I will treat you!

During the War of the Five Kings, Arthur would definitely save her life.

Lady Whent covered her mouth and smiled, "It seems I have obtained the promise of a Brave Knight."

Arthur corrected her: "I am not a Knight; I am just an ordinary person who keeps his promises. I have to leave for the competition in King's Landing. But please believe that our next meeting will not be too far off."

Just after the Tourney ends, The Mountain will burn and pillage all the way along the banks of the Red Fork. Not long after that, Robert will die, King's Landing will undergo a great upheaval, and Tywin, having no more concerns, will lead an army of twenty thousand to invade the Riverlands and occupy Harrenhal.

But in the current timeline, these things might not all happen.

Arthur's next meeting with Lady Whent will be within this period of time.

The master of Harrenhal nodded, not bothering to think about what "next meeting" meant, and waved for the Steward Richard to see them out.

After the others, Patrick and Desmond, expressed their farewells, the group left Harrenhal.

……

"It looks like it's going to rain, let's speed up," Desmond shouted.

Arthur looked at the horse between his legs; it was already exhausted to the point of collapse.

"Let's go a bit slower; my horse is about to foam at the mouth."

Patrick kicked his horse's belly, caught up to Arthur, and said with a grin:

"Who told you to carry a Great Hammer? This poor fellow not only has to carry you, but also the Great Hammer, the greatsword, and a piece of luggage."

"No choice, who told me to only buy one horse!" Arthur regretted it a bit; when he switched to land travel from the lower reaches of the Red Fork, he should have bought a few more horses as spares.

The group accommodated Arthur's pace and moved forward slowly.

Many prayed in their hearts that they could find a village before the rain to avoid the possible storm.

Unfortunately, the heavens did not want to grant their wish; bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky, and although it dispelled the annoying mugginess, it also brought great obstacles to the group's progress.

"I hope your horse can hold out until the inn," Yule followed behind his nephew and said softly.

As soon as Arthur heard this, he felt something was wrong: "It would have been fine if you hadn't said that, but after you said it, it won't be able to hold out."

"Why?" Patrick was a bit confused, "Does what you say have anything to do with whether the horse can make it to the inn?"

"There is a saying: the more you want a bad thing not to happen, the more likely it is to happen, and it often tends to develop in an even worse direction," Arthur explained to the two of them.

Yule nodded in agreement, "That's how it is. In my twenty years of wandering, I have experienced such jinxing many times."

Patrick, however, looked unconvinced: "Don't tell me you uncle and nephew are pulling my leg; how can there be such a logic?"

No sooner had the words fallen than Arthur felt the world spinning, so he hurriedly jumped off the horse's back.

This poor horse collapsed onto the ground, white foam spilling from its mouth; it clearly would not live much longer.

What was worse, dark clouds obscured the sky, causing poor visibility, and the rain was falling harder and harder.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)