Chapter 137 Knight's Oath

The sun was sinking below the horizon, and the shadows in the forest were slowly deepening as Daenerys's caravan set off again, now heading in a direction with fewer trees.

The convoy hadn't gone far before night had completely fallen, and the knights of the Golden Company immediately lit the torches they carried.

They entered the Kohol Forest fourteen days ago. During this time, except for the necessary camping breaks every day, everyone has been walking on the road exhausted for days without stopping.

The cool wind was like a child, blowing the leaves leisurely, and suddenly there were many sounds around.

The convoy came to a circular clearing where trees had been cut down. There were densely packed wooden piles on the ground, hidden in the shadow of the grass.

Daenerys stepped off the carriage, and the beautiful scenery in front of her took her breath away. She was standing on an open grassland.

Above our heads is a clear sky with red stars hanging, and at our feet there are all kinds of lush and prosperous grasses. On them, there are many yellow star-shaped flowers, and among their thin stems and leaves, they are dotted with other flowers. Small white and blue flowers.

The ruins of the city not far away seemed to be floating on green clouds. As the night grew darker, more and more golden fireflies began to shine. Finally, the entire grassland seemed to be submerged in the sea of ​​stars.

"Welcome to Aisalia!"

The old knight Bened Beilein held the hilt of his sword tightly with one hand and saluted meticulously and respectfully. Then he pointed to the scene in front of him with the other hand and said to Daenerys and the maid beside her:

"This is the east side of the Qohor Forest, and in front of it is the vast Dothraki Sea."

Princess Targaryen's long hair swayed in the wind, as gorgeous as a silver river. Her petite body was dressed in a white robe and a silver belt. She was as cold as the morning mist. Although the youthfulness of the girl has not faded away, She looked dashing.

It was completely different from when she first left Pentos. The old knight could already sense a perseverance like forged steel from her. She was indeed a woman of royal blood.

Daenerys's lavender eyes looked at the blood-red sky, she was silent for a moment, and then she spoke in a voice as clear as a silver bell:

"Look at the cold weeping star. This is a harbinger of the end and change of many things. The whole world will be turned upside down. Similarly, the grassland country has experienced bloodshed and strife for many years, and it has also reached an era of imminent change.

"I know that many knights may have doubts and arguments about my order. They are worried that if they just rush in like this, some undesirable unexpected situations will happen before the Dothraki war is over. "

"They believe that no one should enter the grassland until either Vaes Dothraki or Khal Menggol has won. I will not make any ruling on this challenge. I will let my carriage go at the front of the team. , I will continue to move east, regardless of whether there are knights guarding my carriage, I will wait for my future husband to be welcomed under the Virgin Mountain. "

"Dear Sir Beilein, please tell the knights that it is easy to embroider on silk, but it is difficult to go to the snow to deliver charcoal to those in need to keep warm. Only by experiencing hardships and hardships can a person's loyalty be recognized. If they don’t offer their loyalty and meritorious service to the future king, why should they have a place in front of the king’s hearth, and why should they share in the king’s spoils.”

"Also, I hope they can recall the achievements of Khal Menggo and respect the glory he won. He is still undefeated to this day."

As the princess's voice became stronger and fiercer, Bened Beilein's hand on the hilt of the sword became tighter and tighter. He summoned the surrounding guards to protect Daenerys, and bowed more respectfully. Finally, he walked towards the Golden Company's knight station.

Although Valyrian and Dothraki were mixed in the words just now, he also listened to some of them when the princess was studying, and he could fully understand the meaning.

yes! The honor and career of the Golden Company were won by the struggle of generations of exiles. If there was no war and no bloodshed and sacrifice, how could they ask the king to take them home.

There is no horse king more powerful than Meng Kao on the grassland, that is their greatest hope.

Bened Beilein thought the princess's words were very wise. He rode on the flat grass, quickened his pace, and soon arrived outside the knights' station.

"Ha! Those are Dothraki, a total of 200,000 troops." A knight sneered and said sarcastically.

"Gold above, cold iron below, words are like gold, have you forgotten? Do you want the reputation of the mercenary group to be discredited?" Someone shouted the battle slogan and motto of the Golden Group, hoping to restore those who were timid.

"What reputation do mercenaries have? We are already homeless, just a group of losers. Hantie is a failure, and so is Blackfire. This is a team of losers."

"The Golden Company has been fighting against the Targaryens for a hundred years, and you just went to Pentos and attended a banquet, and you are actually going to fight for this sweet Targaryen princess. Ha! How amazing. "

The sneers and curses coming from the station were like ice water poured on Bened's heart. He pinched the horse's belly hard and rushed into the knight station with a cold face.

The strands of white hair like silver threads were still clearly visible in the dark night. In the slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of dark brown eyes flashed with anger like a raging fire.

He pulled out the long sword from his waist, knocked down those cowards who were mocking others, and controlled the war horse to run rampant in the station.

Soon after, none of the knights who were arguing could stand up anymore.

Bened ordered the flag officer to unfurl the military flag, while he sat on horseback and stood in the center of the station.

There were eight torches standing around, and in front of them kneeled eight embarrassed knights of the Golden Order, with unsheathed swords and shields placed at their feet.

The light of the torch shone on his white hair, like blazing fire on cold iron. The face covered in shadow was as deep and terrifying as an abyss, and his voice was as powerful as a bell:

"Yes, Han Tie has passed away, and our ancestors have followed Black Fire and returned to the embrace of the Seven Gods, but they have not been forgotten by people, and have been forgotten by this world, but what about now? What if even you have forgotten Their glory and will, who can remember them?"

"They lost their fiefdoms, crossed the ocean and came to the other side of the narrow sea. In order to survive, they had to work as mercenaries. They lost their hometown and their faith! They were torn apart, lost their lives in foreign countries, and the ice collapsed, just like you today. "

"It's Cold Iron, it's Aegor River, the first leader of the Golden Company. He closely united your ancestors. From then on to this day, they have been fighting endless wars, fighting desperately on this land. Survive, that’s why we have you.”

The knights in the entire station lowered their heads in shame. Bened Beilein jumped off his horse. He straightened his back, looked into everyone's eyes, and walked in front of the eight knights who made mistakes.

Finally, he stopped, held the hilt of the sword with both hands and put it against his chest, with a very solemn and solemn expression on his face, closed his eyes and prayed devoutly:

“The face of the Heavenly Father is firm and strong, he judges error and upholds justice, judges the length of life and good fortune, he is kind, compassionate and loves the world.”

"Heavenly Father! You know everything. The sins of all living beings cannot escape judgment. I pray to you that justice will be done."

After Bened Beilein prayed to the seven gods, the eight knights who had made mistakes were so pale that they almost collapsed on the ground.

He opened his eyes, his eyes were as firm as iron, full of justice, strictness and persistence in honor. He raised the sword with both hands and shouted loudly:

"You are weak-willed and faced with a powerful enemy. You are anxious and shaken in morale. You have no sense of honor or bravery. You are very arrogant, judge yourself arbitrarily, ridicule others, cannot treat friends sincerely, and help your brother knights. There is no justice. , humility, and integrity; you are unwilling to be kind and protect the weak, fight against violence, and fight for the defenseless people who come to you for help, without mercy; you have violated your oath, dishonoured the seven gods, violated your soul, and have no sacrifice. Heart!"

"In the name of Heavenly Father, in the name of the Soldiers of the Golden Legion, I will hear your last words, and I will judge you to death."

"No! This isn't fair!" A knight shouted heartbreakingly, struggling to stand up and trying to resist.

"I'm not guilty!" Some knights shouted, trying to rush out of the station.

"Long live the Heavenly Father, long live the Golden Company, the oath lasts forever!" The remaining knights knelt firmly on the ground and prayed loudly to the Heavenly Father.

Bened Beilein swung his sword forcefully, and a dazzling silver light flashed through. The knights' prayers stopped silently. The neck bones of the knight on the far left made a snapping sound, and his head and body fell. On the grass, blood splattered at the old sergeant's feet.

The remaining knights were like fledglings that had been soaked by the rain, trembling and kneeling on the spot, and immediately began to recite prayers again.

Lives disappeared one after another, including those knights who escaped and were caught in embarrassment. Their heads were cut off, and their breaths disappeared into the grassland.

The other knights of the Golden Company watched all this, too frightened to move. Bened Beilein, who was covered in blood, shook off the blood on his sword and woke everyone up with a violent cry.

"You are knights, not unknown people. Have you forgotten your oath?"

"In the name of warriors, I ask you to be brave, in the name of Heavenly Father, I ask you to be just, in the name of Our Lady,..."

The knight's oath made everyone's heavy hearts suddenly light up. They respected the old sergeant's honor and loyalty, as well as his strict and fair style of doing things.

They stood under a sky full of stars, following Bened's footsteps and roars, holding their swords tightly, placing one hand on their foreheads, and chanting loudly:

"I will protect the weak and innocent people. In the name of a girl, I will protect all women. I swear that I will be worthy of the Seven Gods and will not violate the laws of nature. I will rather die than surrender until death."

The breath of the wind caressed the shadow of death and fell to the ground. The knights' faces turned red due to their oaths.

They kept chanting the names of the seven gods, like calling a lost traveler in a distant foreign country, until all their fears disappeared, until there was only one voice left in the entire station:

"Go home, go home..."

Some people say that the Golden Company does not observe the Knight's Oath. Let me explain here. The Golden Company has 10,000 people. Unlike other mercenary groups, which are composed of infantry or cavalry, the Golden Company mainly has 1,000 archers, 500 knights, and 500 knight squires. Note that they are knights, not cavalry. This ratio is not small. In the Battle of the Trident, 40,000 royalists, that is, one-tenth of them are knights. Most of them are illegitimate children, descendants of hundreds of lords who fled with Blackfyre, or impoverished nobles and knights who lost their fiefs in Westeros. Westeros has a special knight training system. The Golden Company abides by the maintenance system. For example, their knights must have three horses and be equipped with armor. The squire has a horse. The rest are eight thousand people. This part is no different from other mercenaries, but they are not knights. The roles are generally marked as Sir (Knight), Sergeant (rank), Commander, Intelligence Officer (position). For example, the captain Harry Strickland is the financial officer and captain (position, it does not say he is a knight or a sergeant. He is afraid of death and does not like fighting). Even in exile, they have to abide by the rules, otherwise how can they be qualified to go home.