On the balcony of the Water Gardens, the nobles and celebrities of Dorne watched the battle with the intense focus of falcons.
They watched the duel between two handsome youths on the pale pink marble floor, beneath the shadows cast by the blood orange trees. Both were young and dashing. Many Lords and nobles wanted to get closer to watch, but Dawn and shadow cleaver were too sharp, and it was inconvenient to disturb the iron dance of the two warriors.
Rhaegar Targaryen and Arthur Dayne.
The duel between two divine weapons and two warriors was truly spectacular.
Though Dawn was not a valyrian steel weapon, its sharpness and legendary status were comparable to valyrian steel weapons. Many also guessed the origin of Prince Rhaegar's saber: it came from the mute giant guard of the House Rogare of Lys, "Shadow" Sandor. Although the saber was not as famous as the royal sword Blackfyre or the warrior's sword dark sister, it was still a valyrian steel blade, extremely rare and valuable.
Although Arthur Dayne was young, many Dornish people knew that Arthur Dayne possessed the soul of a sword. Lord Merrell was already prepared to pass on the title of Sword of the Morning to his son, as he firmly believed Arthur Dayne could become the most legendary Sword of the Morning. In this regard, House Dayne and House Corbray were somewhat similar; the famous Valyrian sword Lady Forlorn belonged to the head of House Corbray, and by tradition, it was always lent to the strongest knight in the family, to be returned to the head after the knight's death.
Prince Rhaegar was even more legendary. Prince Rhaegar had won more battles in just one or two years than many had in a long twenty-year military career. He was invincible in the Battle of the Valley Road, slew three knights in Duskendale, achieved three victories in one day in the Battle of the Narrow Sea, and personally killed a usurper King of the Narrow Sea and Stepstones. Not to mention, the Prince also possessed the traditional inhuman beauty of the House Targaryen, was skilled in the harp, proficient in both literary and martial arts, a warrior and a musician, seemingly omnipotent.
"I am Arthur Dayne, of House Dayne of Starfall, Prince, be careful!" Arthur Dayne gripped the meteor steel greatsword, its blade pale like milky white glass.
"Rhaegar Targaryen, of the House Targaryen of King's Landing, Ser, please enlighten me!" Rhaegar raised his dragonbone-hilted, great curved valyrian steel saber, its blade shimmering with the unique ripples of valyrian steel.
Rhaegar watched Arthur Dayne make his move. Arthur Dayne's dark brown hair flashed, and his purple eyes revealed determination. For his age, he was quite tall; though not as tall as Rhaegar, the difference wasn't significant.
For some reason, Rhaegar always felt a sense of familiarity when he saw the violet eyes of House Dayne.
Both figures moved, colliding like two raging fires.
Arthur Dayne swung his greatsword, but Rhaegar did not retreat.
The two weapons tangled, emitting a harsh metallic clang, but neither the longsword nor the saber was damaged. Though Dawn was not valyrian steel, its sharpness and hardness were like valyrian steel.
Cold light danced wildly in the air, and two whirlwinds appeared out of nowhere. The pale glass whirlwind was unleashed by the dark-haired Arthur Dayne, and the black ripple whirlwind by Rhaegar. Arthur Dayne had decided on a quick assault; Prince Rhaegar had expended considerable stamina, making a fierce attack the best opportunity.
Rhaegar gripped his saber tightly; it roared, waves pressing one after another. "A pearl obscured by sand, a lone flower overshadowed by weeds." The precious blade had been covered in dust for too long; the shadow cleaver, too, must be longing for a hearty battle, right?
Arthur Dayne's expression was solemn. He wielded the greatsword in a dazzling display, creating gusts of whistling wind, and the pale storm pressed towards the silver-haired Prince. The two exchanged blows, and Arthur Dayne was continuously buffeted by immense force; he even felt his arms begin to ache, yet Prince Rhaegar remained at ease.
House Dayne had always prided itself on producing great warriors, and Arthur Dayne was quite self-assured. First-rate warriors, more or less, possessed a degree of arrogance. Arthur Dayne often practiced swordsmanship with his father, Lord Merrell, and the time it took Lord Merrell to defeat his son had grown longer and longer. Even if there was still some distance between him and his father, Arthur Dayne believed the gap wasn't significant, and among his peers, he considered himself a swordmaster. He truly hadn't expected there to be someone even greater. Prince Rhaegar's moves were simple, but often struck first despite initiating later. In terms of stamina, the Prince far surpassed him. Ordinary moves had completely different effects when performed by individuals with different levels of stamina.
Rhaegar began to enjoy this match. He allowed Arthur Dayne to attack, while Rhaegar defended and counterattacked. Arthur Dayne's arms were sore from Rhaegar's earlier fierce attacks, and coupled with the immense stamina expended from long periods of greatsword slashing, his speed and offensive rhythm had slowed down.
"My son has lost!" Lord Merrell sighed. He was an expert; Arthur Dayne was ostensibly attacking, but all his efforts were being fended off, and his stamina was depleting quickly. Even if he persisted, defeat was inevitable. That he had lasted this long was due to Prince Rhaegar holding back.
Blade and sword light danced, and the applause from the crowd seemed to never cease. They cheered and shouted for the warriors' renowned skill.
Arthur Dayne visibly slowed his offensive speed, but his opponent remained calm and composed. Arthur Dayne's eyes were filled with confusion, bewilderment, and admiration. He felt an immense sense of powerlessness, a feeling even more insurmountable than facing his father, Lord Merrell. Could there truly be a master even higher than the highest mountain?
After a crisp clang, Arthur Dayne retreated several steps, finally throwing his pale greatsword to the ground to absorb the impact.
"I lost!" Arthur Dayne said bitterly.
"No! Ser Arthur, you have the makings of a great knight and are destined to become the finest Sword of the Morning." Rhaegar walked over and helped Arthur Dayne up.
Rhaegar and Arthur Dayne admired each other. They were of similar age, both of noble birth and handsome.
"A bet is a bet! I am willing to let the Prince wield the sword for a day!" Arthur Dayne handed Dawn to Rhaegar.
"Then I'll enjoy being the Sword of the Morning for a night! Ser, you can also admire my treasured saber, Shadow, and don't worry, I won't renege on my word!" Rhaegar's smile was as bright as a blade. He took the greatsword Dawn, and on the other side, exchanged weapons with Arthur Dayne.
"Long live Prince Rhaegar! Long live Ser Arthur Dayne!"
"Long live King's Landing! Long live Dorne!" The Lords and guests were all moved by this scene; no sight was more touching than the friendship and sincerity of two golden youths, legendary warriors.
"The Seven Kingdoms boast many heroes, but only one is paramount!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone joined in. Although it was a common saying, the Water Gardens this day was destined to become Prince Rhaegar's stage.
Rhaegar and Arthur Dayne, amidst the cheers, walked together towards the balcony. The scene reached its climax at this moment; the waves of applause, the shouts of the people, were like thunder. Rhaegar felt a little embarrassed. Although there was some flattery involved, he truly had fought the entire match, from mountain warfare to naval battles, to surprise beheading attacks.
Oberyn watched Rhaegar with great displeasure, more concerned with his sister's gaze. Some Dornish maidens were like madwomen, eager to win the Prince's favor, completely forgetting Oberyn. Fortunately, Oberyn noticed that his sister wasn't acting quite so fanatically. Rhaegar was of noble birth, handsome, talented, and courageous, unmatched in battle. In terms of wealth, power, combat, and appearance, Rhaegar stood supreme. An ordinary person possessing even one of these advantages could be widely popular, let alone a 'hexagonal warrior' who possessed all of them.
The banquet continued, but there were no more spectacular performances.
As night fell, Rhaegar began to meticulously examine the greatsword Dawn. He looked it over and over, but found nothing unusual. Dawn indeed held too many mysteries.
Finally, flames began to coil around Dawn from Rhaegar's fingers.
The pale glass blade did not change in the flames.