Ben

Ben was exhausted. He could feel the chilling sensation of the cold night winds hitting his skin wet with sweat. Ben was frustrated and angry at his lack of skill more than tired. He struck with his father's sword again and again with all the strength he had, but his stupid friend deflected every strike with ease. They had been sparring for hours and had not stopped for any rest, so Ben's movements were becoming sluggish. Lucius, on the other hand, didn't show any sign of being tired. Not even close to being as exhausted as Ben was. He found that unfair and infuriating since they both had trained together for the last three years.

A sudden kick in his knee dropped Ben out of his thoughts and into the ground. He tried to get up but found his chest touching the tip of Lucius's black sword. "We should stop now. Yeh are too tired even to keep your guard up." His friend told him with a disappointed look on his face. Ben ignored him and struck at Lucius's sword to get back on his feet. Before he realized what had happened, his sword ripped away from his hand. Lucius's s foot was now on his chest and his sword on his throat.

"If that is the best yeh have, yeh will be better staying here and letting me go to the tournament alone," Lucius said teasingly. Ben spat to his side and remained silent for a moment, waiting to regain his breath before speaking.

"Yeh know I have to go. Father asked me to find me own fortune. I do not need to win the tournament. I only have to catch the eye of sum knight who would have me as his squire." He finally replied, scowling at his failed attempt of shaking Lucius off. He was, after all, broader and taller than his foreign friend. In the last three years, Ben had gotten taller than even Hake but, it seemed that his height and weight accomplished nothing against Lucius talent for fighting.

"Well, yeh should never join a fight yeh don't intend to win, and yeh'd be better off winning the prize of the melee than as the squire of sum starving knight," Lucius replied. Lifting his foot, taking his sword away from Ben's neck and helping him stand up. "Yeh could buy yerself a ship and become a merchant or sumthing." Lucius continued while handing Ben his sword.

"I never had no head for numbers. Yeh know it," Ben replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'd be better off buying meself some armour and a horse," he told Lucius, who patted him in the back and showed a gleeful smile while they walked back to the house.

"I knew yeh were a fighter at heart. Listen, Ben, we need to go to those free cities yeh talked to me about, join some mercenary company and see the world. But first, we should go win that tournament at Harrenhal to get us enough silver to buy ourselves some equipment and a passage in a nice ship to Tyrosh or Lys!" Lucius said while pointing his sword onwards like the commander of an army giving the order to charge. Ben looked at his friend, and behind the usual smile he usually had when they finished sparring or talked about war and fighting, Ben could see something else. The determination of going to any length to accomplish a dream. Ben had no true aspirations of his own. In truth, he would have much prefered to stay on the farm, but his father was right. The farm would not be able to support two families, and Hake was the first son. Ben looked at the determination of his friend eyes and wished to know, what it was, that pushed him to want to accomplish so many things.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I don't know, Lucius. I don't think it will be as easy as yeh make it out to be," Ben told his overly optimistic friend. He turned back to him and lowered his sword, but his smile maintained never faltered.

"Come on, Ben. Don't yeh see the flowers finally blossoming and the days getting warmer, that winter of yehrs that lasts for years is finally ending, and spring is coming. And with spring comes opportunity! Sol is on our side, Ben! The biggest tournament of The Seven Kingdoms is taking place no far from here in a few months. It's our opportunity to make our way into the world!" When Lucius finished talking, Ben could not help but slightly smile. His friend always had a talent for lifting him when he was feeling down. They had been preparing for the tournament since they heard it was taking place a few weeks past. Ben's father had taken an old mail, which he had brought home as a spoil from war, to the blacksmith so it could be adjusted to fit Ben. Lucius had gotten himself a leather armour somehow. They were ready to go to the tournament and try their luck. They would only be participating in the melee since they were lowborn. They were not allowed in the jousting since they were not a knight nor a lord.

"Yeh are right, Lucius. It's a great opportunity. I hope that god of yehrs helps us. I know I pray to The Seven every night to grant us victory," Ben told Lucius, who made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"Worry not, those knights of yehrs are going to have trouble keeping up with me," He said with a confident smile to Ben while keeping his eyes on the house which was now within sight.

"I hope yeh are right," Ben said before sighing. He did not understand how anyone could be so confident of defeating knights and lords. Especially when that someone was a lowborn of only fifteen namedays with no real training. No matter how talented Lucius was, Ben doubted he could defeat even a single knight.

Lucius stopped walking and turned to Ben with his smile still intact." I'm always right, Ben." He replied with his arms open as in inviting Ben to refute him. Ben didn't. It was somewhat true, so he shrugged in acceptance. Until now, Lucius had always been right about everything. Ben went to bed without saying another word and only had time for thinking how tired he was before quickly falling asleep.