Game of Thrones: Knight’s Honor

On the third day in Oldtown, Lynd and Willas arrived at the Starry Sept early in the morning.

The Starry Sept stood atop the cliffs at the mouth of the Honeywine River, facing the Citadel across the river and the High Tower on Battle Island across the water. Together, these three iconic structures dominated Oldtown's skyline.

This site marked the beginning of the religious district, which stretched to the far end of the dock area. Religious establishments such as the Sailor's Sept, the Lord's Sept, the Seven Shrines, a Motherhouse, and exotic temples brought by foreign sailors and merchants were scattered throughout.

Encircling the dock area, these shrines and temples served both departing and returning travelers. Those leaving Oldtown by water prayed for safe passage, while those returning gave thanks for their safe arrival.

As the religious heart of Westeros, the Starry Sept had long lost its status as the seat of the High Septon, but its influence remained significant. Being far removed from the political machinations of King's Landing, it had retained its sanctity, a haven for the pious and devout followers of the Faith of the Seven.

Its religious laws were as strict as those of the Citadel. Knights bearing arms, like Lynd, were prohibited from entering and could only stay in the square outside.

Thanks to prior arrangements by the septons, the Starry Sept was closed to everyone except for Willas and the Septon guiding him through the prayers. Even the faithful had been redirected to other Septs, with the entire day reserved solely for Willas, underscoring the importance the Starry Sept placed on him.

Whether Willas was genuinely devout was debatable, but he certainly projected the image of a deeply pious man. For his visit to the Starry Sept, he shed his ornate garments and donned the humble robes of a cleric of the Church of the Seven. Barefoot, he began his journey at the Black Stone Fortress, crossing the arch bridge into the dock area and making his way to the Starry Sept.

The path was not short, yet Willas adhered to an ancient ritual of the Faith of the Seven. For every seven steps, he recited a chapter and a prayer from the Seven-Pointed Star Bible.

The people of Oldtown, most of whom were followers of the Faith, were deeply moved to see the heir to The Reach and future Lord of Highgarden perform this ritual. They lined the streets, silently accompanying him as he prayed, as if witnessing a paragon in their midst. Only when he reached the Starry Sept, where the bishop welcomed him inside and the doors closed, did they disperse.

The prayer session would last until the first rays of sunlight illuminated the seven-pointed star atop the Sept the next morning, during which time Willas would remain inside.

Lynd divided his knights and men-at-arms into two groups, positioning them at the entrances and exits of the Starry Sept Square. He instructed the others to rest in a nearby house designated for aiding impoverished believers. He also sent Jon to the camp outside the castle to prepare for their departure the following day—there was no need to loiter around the Starry Sept unnecessarily.

Though Lynd was confident in Willas's safety within the Sept, he still patrolled its surroundings, eventually settling near the prayer room with his back against the wall. Focusing his heightened senses, he listened carefully for sounds from within, ensuring all was well. Meanwhile, Glory wandered around the Starry Sept, vigilantly observing the area.

The day passed uneventfully and tediously. As the sun sank into the western horizon and dusk enveloped the city, municipal workers lit braziers along the streets, casting light over Oldtown.

Having sat by the prayer room all day, Lynd had listened to the prayers continuously and could nearly recite the Seven-Pointed Star by heart. He was struck by Willas's unyielding devotion—he had prayed tirelessly throughout the day, even after the accompanying Septon had left.

If Lynd hadn't already known Willas's true feelings toward the gods from their conversations, he might have believed him to be a devout follower of the Faith of the Seven, comparable to Baelor Targaryen, The Blessed.

In truth, Willas likely intended for the Faith to see him as such, ensuring their favor when he eventually became Lord of Highgarden. In The Reach, the Faith of the Seven wielded immense influence over the common people, despite lacking military power. Winning their support was tantamount to winning the hearts of the populace.

These objectives—securing the support of the Citadel to influence the nobility and the Faith of the Seven to sway the common folk—were precisely what Willas had aimed to accomplish during his visit to Oldtown.

It seemed that things hadn't gone too well with the Citadel yesterday. However, the Citadel later sent three precious books to Willas as a sign of goodwill, which also symbolized a different form of neutrality on their part.

As for today, matters were progressing much better at the Starry Sept. Judging by the attitude of the Septon there, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Lynd overheard the Most Devout of the Starry Sept praising Willas' piety to his subordinates outside the prayer room, where Willas couldn't hear. The Most Devout also hinted that the Starry Sept needed the support of a powerful and influential figure to continue competing with the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing.

After nightfall, Lynd stopped monitoring the activities inside the Sept and returned to the square in front of it. Around that time, Jon arrived from the camp outside the castle to report some news. Upon hearing it, Lynd frowned, a vague sense of unease growing in his heart.

The noble sons and knight officers in charge of military affairs, knowing they were set to sail tomorrow and would be at sea for nearly half a month, decided to enjoy themselves tonight. They had gone to the brothels and taverns in Oldtown to celebrate until dawn. As a result, all the knight officers had left the barracks, leaving only squires and low-ranking officers with no authority in charge.

Although Oldtown was under the protection of House Hightower and surrounded by no immediate enemies, Lynd thought it inappropriate for the entire officer corps to abandon the barracks. The unease in his heart deepened, as he felt something was bound to go wrong.

Anticipating such a situation, Willas had granted Lynd special military command rights before entering the Starry Sept for the first time. Using this authority, Lynd issued a power of attorney and ordered Jon to return to the barracks with ten men-at-arms and some ordinary soldiers. Their task was to temporarily manage the army until the knights returned.

One of the men-at-arms expressed concern:

"Ser Lynd, will this get you into trouble? What you're doing is already bordering on overstepping your authority."

Lynd responded coldly, "As an officer, leaving the barracks without the commander-in-chief's permission is already a breach of military law. If nothing happens, it's fine. If they keep their mouths shut, I won't stir up trouble. But if they dare to complain, I'll show them how we enforce military law in Tumbleton."

Seeing Lynd's determination, the men-at-arms said no more. Although they felt Lynd's rank wasn't high enough to challenge the knightly officers backed by great lords and nobles, they also suspected that if those officers blamed Lynd for overstepping his authority, they might end up facing consequences instead.

As the hours passed, the night deepened. Apart from the lively areas around the taverns and brothels, the rest of Oldtown grew quiet, much like the previous night. Yet, Lynd's unease only intensified.

Feeling something amiss, he walked to the cliff by the Starry Sept square and gazed toward Whispering Sound. The cloudy sky left the sea shrouded in darkness, making it impossible for an ordinary person to see anything. But Lynd's extraordinary eyesight was far from ordinary. He could vaguely make out shapes moving on the sea.

Unable to discern them clearly, he shared his vision with Glory, the creature beside him. Through Glory's thermal imaging, he saw hundreds of small longships cutting swiftly through the waters of Whispering Sound, heading directly toward the docks of Oldtown.

The High Tower had not noticed the hundreds of longships approaching, and no alarm had been raised. This was clearly not right.

Lynd was almost certain the ships belonged to pirates, and the only force capable of assembling so many was the Ironborn of the Iron Islands. Without wasting time, Lynd disengaged from the vision-sharing with Glory and quickly approached the men-at-arms under his command. His expression was stern as he issued orders:

"The Ironborn pirates are headed for Oldtown. The High Tower has not spotted them and hasn't sounded the alarm. We can't wait for them to land. You two, head to City Hall and light the beacon torch. You two, go to the High Tower immediately and inform Lord Leyton of the situation. You and you, leave the castle and order Jon and the others to bring the army into Oldtown to assist the garrison in resisting the Ironborn. The remaining two, notify the Oldtown garrison at once and tell them to defend the docks."

Despite the urgency in his voice, the knights and men-at-arms stood frozen, staring at Lynd with expressions of confusion and hesitation, showing no intention of carrying out his commands.

It wasn't entirely surprising. None of them had seen the Ironborn ships Lynd spoke of, and Oldtown remained quiet. To them, his orders seemed baseless and abrupt.

"Do you intend to disobey the orders of your captain of the guard? Or have you forgotten what Lord Willas told you before entering the Starry Sept?" Lynd's tone was calm, but his words carried the weight of authority.

The reminder worked. They recalled that Willas had indeed instructed them not to disobey Lynd's orders. However, they felt his instructions likely applied only to matters of security, and Lynd's current actions—such as requesting the army outside the castle to enter the city—seemed extreme. Such a move could strain relations between House Tyrell and House Hightower if mishandled.

When the knights still hesitated, Lynd did not attempt further persuasion. Instead, he walked to the doors of the Starry Sept and knocked firmly.

The doors remained shut, but a small window beside them opened. A septon peered out, his face showing confusion.

"I need to see Lord Willas immediately. It's urgent," Lynd said in a deep voice.

The septon frowned. "Lord Willas is praying. According to the ritual, he cannot be disturbed until tomorrow morning—"

"The Ironborn are about to land at the docks and sack Oldtown," Lynd interrupted bluntly. "The Starry Sept is too close to the docks. Lord Willas will be in danger here."

The septon froze, glancing at the quiet city beyond the square. His expression seemed to say, Are you out of your mind?

"This isn't for you to decide—" Lynd began again, but another voice interrupted him.

"Lord Lynd." The Most Devout of the Starry Sept appeared at the window, his calm tone cutting through the tension. "Please believe me: Lord Willas will be safe here. Even if the Ironborn attack as you claim, they will not harm the Sept. The Ironborn could never breach its doors. If anything, Lord Lynd, it is you who should take care."

"I understand," Lynd replied, knowing further argument would be futile. For these religious figures, rituals often outweighed even the threat of death.

Having done all he could, Lynd stepped back from the Sept's entrance and stood silently, watching and waiting for events to unfold.

Glory, sensing his frustration, grew restless. The creature prowled the square before slipping into the shadows of nearby buildings, vanishing from sight.

The men-at-arms, still puzzled by Lynd's seemingly erratic behavior, exchanged uncertain glances. A few approached the spot where he had been standing and looked out toward Whispering Sound, but the sea remained shrouded in darkness, revealing nothing to their eyes.

"Should we send someone to inform the people outside the castle, just in case?" one guard suggested hesitantly. He seemed to trust that Lynd wouldn't issue such drastic orders without cause.

The others agreed, and the two men Lynd had originally tasked with riding out finally left to carry out their orders.

About ten minutes later, flames erupted in the dock area, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Shouts echoed through the city as chaos erupted.

The eight knight-guardians stationed outside the Starry Sept were visibly shocked. Without hesitation, they rushed to the edge of the square, their eyes fixed on the dock area.

Illuminated by the flames of a burning ship, they saw hundreds of vessels packed tightly together on the sea's surface near the docks. These ships were teeming with Ironmen, surging toward the shore at alarming speed. Many had already reached the docks, and scores of Ironborn raiders were pouring onto the land, charging toward their prey.