Location: King's Landing, Westeros.
It has been over a decade since the fall of House Targaryen. Now, Robert Baratheon, the First of His Name, sits upon the Iron Throne.
Even Robert's eldest son, Joffrey, has already turned twelve.
On the royal training grounds, Prince Joffrey was in the middle of a sword fighting match with another twelve-year-old boy who shared his golden hair.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their practice swords hammered against each other relentlessly, sparks flying with every collision.
Eventually, Prince Joffrey grew too impatient. His strikes lost their form and rhythm, leaving an opening for his opponent to smack him squarely on the back of his hand.
"Ah!"
Joffrey yelped, the iron sword slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground.
"You lost, Joff!" the blonde boy opposite him said. He held his sword level with Joffrey's throat with one hand, while his other hand casually caught Joffrey's falling blade in mid-air.
"Lancelot, don't get cocky! Next time, I'll definitely win!" Prince Joffrey said, clearly unconvinced.
In his mind, the only reason he lost was that he hadn't eaten enough breakfast. If he had been full, he surely would have beaten Lancelot.
Seeing that the match was decided, the attendants immediately rushed over with towels and fresh water.
Lancelot and Joffrey wiped the sweat from their faces and gulped down the water greedily.
"Seriously, Lancelot, if you entered the tourney, you might actually take the championship!" Joffrey said, handing his water skin to a squire and looking at Lancelot, who possessed the same blonde hair and green eyes as he did.
Lancelot and Joffrey were cousins. Years ago, while Queen Cersei was pregnant, Tyrion had taken Jaime to a brothel for a night of fun.
A year later, Joffrey was born—but Lancelot also arrived at the Red Keep in the arms of a prostitute. She implored the King to release Jaime Lannister from his Kingsguard vows so he could marry her.
Technically, the Kingsguard swore oaths not to marry or father children, modeling their vows after the Night's Watch.
However, the Night's Watch was no longer the noble order of black knights it once was; even they frequented Mole's Town for women.
So, it wasn't exactly news that a Kingsguard might secretly father a child with a prostitute. It had happened before, and usually, no one could prove the baby in the woman's arms was actually Jaime's seed.
Cersei had even secretly planned to have the infant killed to protect the family honor.
But King Robert, solely to disgust House Lannister—specifically to spite Cersei, Jaime, and Tywin Lannister—declared the baby to be Jaime Lannister's biological son. He named the boy Lancelot and ultimately forced Tyrion Lannister to adopt him.
It could be said that Robert's move thoroughly sickened all three Lannister siblings, as well as their father, Tywin.
Yet, thanks to Robert's pettiness, Lancelot survived.
Lancelot's birth mother died when he was three. Since then, he had lived with his father in name—but uncle in reality—Tyrion.
"The tourney, huh..." Hearing Joffrey mention the tournament, Lancelot wondered if he should give it a try. Suddenly, a translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes.
Lancelot's expression shifted slightly. He quickly told Joffrey, "I'm too tired, I'm going back to my room to rest," and retreated to his quarters. Once there, he began to carefully study the panel floating in front of him.
It seemed to be a System, but it lacked Artificial Intelligence or any voice prompts. Lancelot had to figure it out himself.
> Name: Lancelot Lannister
> Identity: Eldest grandson of Warden of the West Tywin Lannister; Biological son of Kingslayer Jaime Lannister; Adopted son of the Imp, Tyrion Lannister.
> Class: Novice Knight
> Strength: 9 (10)
> Speed: 9 (10)
> Intelligence: 10 (10)
> Spirit: 10 (10)
> Mana: 10 (0)
> Talent: Skinchanger
> Popularity Points: 120
"I see. This System interface detects my stats. However, if I want to see anyone else's stats, it costs Popularity Points—100 points per person. I can also use these points for a prize draw, which also costs 100 points per spin."
"Right now, my Speed and Strength are at 9, just shy of the peak for a normal adult, which is 10. However, my Intelligence and Spirit have already hit the adult peak. Ordinary people have 0 Mana, but mine is at 10."
Lancelot wasn't surprised that he was a Skinchanger. When he was young, around six years old, he had gathered six pieces of obsidian, trying to awaken an Arcane Soul or Magic Core, but nothing happened. After all, this wasn't a high-fantasy world of magic and cultivation.
However, Lancelot did discover that his consciousness could enter the bodies of animals, particularly felines.
Joffrey kept many cats, all of which Lancelot had "borrowed" from time to time. Because of this connection, Joffrey never engaged in his canon hobby of cutting open pregnant cats to see the kittens.
"If I want to gain more Popularity Points, I need to do things that make me famous. Yes... the tourney. I have to participate!" Lancelot made up his mind.
"I still have 120 points. Let's use them."
"Draw."
A massive circular wheel appeared in front of Lancelot, divided into twelve sections, each containing different items.
There were gold and silver, armor and weapons, books and scrolls, and even some magical beasts.
"Let's go!" Lancelot commanded.
The wheel began to spin. After about ten breaths, Lancelot called out for it to stop.
The needle landed on a vial of potion.
The potion materialized in Lancelot's hand, and its name flowed into his mind.
> Felix Potion (Liquid Luck): Grants the user immense luck, especially aiding survival in dangerous activities.
> Shelf Life: One month.
> Duration: Three days.
"Liquid Luck, is it? Joffrey's twelfth nameday is in seven days. King Robert will definitely hold a tourney for him. That's enough time. Although I'm not a knight yet, I can enter as a Mystery Knight."
Lancelot decided to enter the tourney. This way, he could reveal himself to the masses and farm Popularity Points. He didn't just plan to participate; he planned to take the championship.
---
That night, at the royal banquet.
Lancelot sat beside Tyrion. Next to Tyrion was Jaime—Lancelot's biological father.
However, the relationship between the two was very cold. Although they shared the same hair and eyes, there was no other proof that Lancelot was actually his son.
Next to Jaime sat Cersei and her three children: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
Opposite the Lannisters sat the Baratheons—Stannis and Renly—along with Jon Arryn of House Arryn, his wife Lysa, and their son, little Robert (Sweetrobin).
Sitting at the head of the table was King Robert.
Robert tore a leg off a roasted pig, eating until his mouth was slick with grease. After finishing, he looked over at Joffrey.
"Joff! Your twelfth nameday is coming up. I'm going to hold a tourney in your name to celebrate!"
Joffrey's face lit up with joy.
"Thank you, Father!"
King Robert then turned his gaze to his Hand, Jon Arryn.
"Jon, regarding the costs of the competition and the champion's purse... tell Petyr Baelish to figure it out!"
Jon Arryn smiled bitterly and nodded. The Crown was already drowning in debt. He could only hope Baelish could borrow enough coin to cover it.