The two kings looked at each other and did not hesitate; they ran towards each other, the brown horse and the black horse looked like wolves at that moment, running as fast as possible. In less than a few seconds, both horses were already side by side. However, the brown horse had arrived a few moments earlier.
These mere moments were enough for Robert to have the advantage in this second round.
Robert, who had a deep wound on his cheek, changed the target of his attack, not aiming at Rhaegar's neck, head, or even chest, but at his horse. The hammer tore through the air and hit the beautiful animal's leg squarely.
The black horse let out a painful whinny and fell to the ground, knocking Rhaegar to the ground, who collided hard with the ground; his armor rattled and a painful groan escaped the dragon king's mouth. However, sensing danger, he rolled to the right, dodging the horse's powerful hooves.
The poor animal thrashed on the ground with a broken leg.
(As a horse lover, it even hurts me to write something like this.)
Rhaegar got up. Despite the pain he felt throughout his body, he looked forward and saw Robert's brown horse almost in front of him. In a quick movement, he dodged to the side and spun his body; the sword tore through the air and severed the horse's leg in a mere instant.
The next moment, Robert was forced to fall to the ground in the same way as Rhaegar. Unlike Rhaegar, he fell on his arm; if it weren't for the armor, his only arm would be broken, and he would no longer have means to fight.
Ignoring the agonizing pain in his arm, Robert quickly got up and grabbed his hammer; both kings were now on foot.
Under Rhaegar's surprised eyes, Robert took off his helmet, revealing his beautiful face, but drenched in blood; a wound on his cheek was still bleeding. Robert's teeth could be seen through the cut on his cheek.
Rhaegar also removed his helmet, revealing his extremely handsome and mature face. Being known as one of the most beautiful men on the continent, maturity only made him even more charming.
"Was this the face that conquered my she-wolf?" Throwing his helmet away, Robert asked with an expressionless tone.
"No." Rhaegar shook his head, looked at Robert, and spoke with an equally expressionless tone. "I just showed her that she was an incredible woman."
"To tell the truth, your having countless lovers and bastard children helped me a lot in winning her over." Rhaegar concluded with an even more expressionless tone.
"At least I wasn't married and with a daughter born and a son yet unborn." Robert countered the words with a touch of sarcasm. He admitted; he was a lustful bastard who couldn't remain faithful for long, but that didn't mean Rhaegar was better than him.
"You're right." Rhaegar didn't deny it, his violet eyes looking at Robert with a deep gaze. "In the end, we are both men full of lust. The fate of all men, perhaps."
While Robert and Rhaegar talked, the fight between the Kingsguard and Robert's elite squad of knights fiercely collided.
Even Arthur was intercepted halfway to save the king. There was a huge knight in front of him; he looked like a mountain of steel and power. Arthur didn't know the man, nor did he want to know the name of this extremely tall and muscular knight; anyone who stood between him and the king would die.
Barristan Selmy and Jonothor Darry also didn't bother to ask the enemy's names. Both drew their swords and, on horseback, advanced without any hesitation. The king was waiting for them!
Arthur saw the huge knight dismount and did the same; he drew the legendary sword Dawn and walked towards the man. He held the sword with both hands as he advanced calmly. The sunlight shone on the sword, spreading its milky glow to the surroundings.
On the other side, the enemy had a battle-axe. Not a simple axe, an axe with a size completely disproportionate to the handle. Battle-axes had short blades, but this axe had enormous blades, it looked heavy and clumsy.
The Sword of the Morning did not flinch before such a formidable enemy; his eyes stared at the enemy with a penetrating and cold gleam, like a sword.
The Huge Knight spoke for the first time, his voice muffled by the helmet. "I'd love to cut off your head and steal that sword."
Arthur remained expressionless, not even bothering to speak to the corpse that didn't yet know it was a corpse. Five meters away, Arthur propelled himself forward, covering the five-meter distance, almost a blur.
In front of the giant, Arthur used his body's strength and inertia, delivering a sword blow simply impossible to see with the naked eye. Only a fleeting gleam appeared in the air, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
The man, who had been raised by wild animals and possessed enormous strength, personally recruited by Robert, faced with an extremely deadly and fast attack, followed the instincts that had always saved him in the forest.
That same instinct had just saved him, for Dawn was simply unstoppable. The blade, forged from a star core, was extremely sharp. It cut through the giant's armor as if cutting a cake, opening a clean and smooth tear in the metal. A trail of blood followed the cut, splashing upwards.
Arthur was surprised to see that the giant had actually partially dodged his attack. However, spinning his body, he attacked again. This time, Dawn cut through the air even faster. At the same moment, the giant didn't even have a chance to say anything, as half of his head slid to the side and blood ran onto the ground.
The Sword of the Morning was not surprised by the result and advanced towards the king.
Noticing Arthur's approach, Robert touched the place where his arm should have been. He felt an unbearable itch seeing that gleaming sword with its milky glow. The same sword that cut off his arm fifteen years ago and ended his rebellion.
If Arthur hadn't been present at that moment, everything that happened in another universe would have happened normally. Robert would have won the war and become the first king of the Baratheon Dynasty.
However, because of Arthur's presence alongside Rhaegar instead of him being in the Tower of Joy, it completely changed the course of the war.
"Arthur, don't come closer." Rhaegar spoke loudly, his eyes still fixed on Robert. He was confident in ending this war personally.
Arthur, who was about to join the battle, stopped his steps immediately. He looked at Rhaegar with concern. Rhaegar was not only his king, he was his friend; both trained for years together, they were true friends for whom he would give his life to protect them.
"It seems you're not a coward." Robert spoke, showing his blood-covered teeth in a grotesque smile. "Let's fight to the death, you incestuous dragon spawn."
Robert did not hesitate and charged towards Rhaegar almost like a madman, looking like a demon emerging from hell with his crazy expression. It was clear how Robert earned the title of Demon of the Trident. Anyone would be terrified by such madness.
Rhaegar took a battle stance and did not run, choosing to preserve his stamina against a physically powerful enemy.
In an instant, both kings collided head-on. Robert swung his hammer in a sideways movement to the left, aiming at the enemy's waist. Rhaegar, however, wielded his sword vertically, trying to cut Robert's head in half.
However, the moment both attacked, they moved their bodies to dodge each other's attack. Rhaegar forced his body back, while Robert moved his body to the right.
Robert's hammer had missed Rhaegar's waist by inches; Rhaegar's sword cut only a few strands of Robert's hair.
Both attacks had missed.
However, both kings attacked each other again, but the same result happened: both dodged each other's attack. This was an extremely dangerous game; whoever was slower or dodged at the wrong time would die under the enemy's attack.
Robert and Rhaegar proved themselves to be more than exceptional knights, they were two killing machines that had honed their skills over decades, each thinking of killing the other when the right moment came.
Curiously, both kings were smiling in this kind of battle.
Perhaps it was crazy to smile in a life-or-death battle, but most people were crazy, they just hid their thoughts very well.
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