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Message: <blockquote data-quote="muggie2" data-source="post: 5679249" data-attributes="member: 6681636">Roy looked at him, and tried to decide whether he was honestly asking, or trying some fancy thinking on him. Either way he was going to get the same answer, but how much of it he'd get depended on the reactions he saw.He wiped the last of the food off the plate with the remains of the bread, and answered, bread in hand."Well, Ser, they let me go at the mines, 'cause they didn't need another blacksmith, and I still wasn't too fond of goin' back down into the deeps. So I put together me stuff, an' headed out. I figured there was no point going to a castle or a town. 'cause there's no work for journeymen in places like that. Villages that don't have a regular smith have a few jobs, or so I was told, but it seems there ain't no villages without a smith around here. I helped a merchant caravan for a bit, doin' the heavy stuff, and woulda reshoed one of the horses that was starting to go lame, but they didn't want to stop to give me time to build a forge so I could get the metal hot enough.The next inn they got to, they decided they didn't need me after all. I think they'd decided I was some kind of brigand who was trying to set them up for an attack, and decided to politely let me go rather than take a risk."He stopped for a second."I don't know why they thought that. I mean, I'm a blacksmith. It's not like I'm dangerous or anything."He took a mouthful of the bread, and chewed on it for a bit."So, anyway, there I was at the inn. I got a bit of work with horses needing to be reshoed, and it turned out there were a few things arouhnd the place that needed a bit of fixing, but soon enough there was nothing to do, and I heard about a tourney. Well, I figured that there'd be a lot of short-term demand for   work, with horses to shoe, maybe armor to take the dents out of, and maybe even some weapons to repair, or even make, if I was lucky. So I headed off that way, only I got a bit lost, and ended up trying to ford a river that, well.."He coughed, and finished the rest of the bread, washing it down with an ale."Anyway, to cut things short, I kinda over-estimated how strong I was, and under-estimated the river. Lost about 30 pounds of iron scrap, and my 8-pound hammer with it. Saved everything else though. So there I was, wet through, and with rain heading in. I figured there was more chance of shelter this way, and a couple of hundred paces further on, I ran across the road that led me here."He sighed."Now, if I'd just been a bit more persistent about following the river before deciding to cross, I'd be in better shape. Me da always said I should look before I leap. Don't think he meant it about rivers though.""So, I saw the inn, crawled into the stables out of the wet, and fell asleep. I figured that I would wake up and come in for a meal later on, but I wanted to at least get dry and get some sleep before I came in, just in case they turned me away. At least that way I'd be in better shape to try and find a place for the night.""Next thing I know I heard some man demanding something, and I sat up just in time to see what I saw."He took a good look at Jarl's face before continuing, and decided he liked what he saw there, so he kept going."Always thought knights were the best fighters in the realm. The sellsword was better. Guess the armor they wear helps a lot more than I thought. I'm going to have to put some thought into my own armor, after seeing that."He took another draught of ale."Also thought all knights were noble and chivalrous. I figure some are, after all, you've listened to me without showing contempt, and the knight in the stables risked his life for a stableboy. But after listening to those two over there," he said, gesturing toward Ser Laton and Ser Gough, "talking about women, and what they've done or would do, well, those ain't chivalrous words at all, Ser. Mind you, it's mostly the fat old one doing the talking, and eating for that matter, and the younger one lapping up the words, but it's not what I ever thought of knights being like."He sighed."I guess even knights can be good or bad too. It's just... I always thought of them as being, like, shining examples. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being one, until I found out that bastards can't be, well, except maybe hedge knights."He swallowed the rest of his ale."I guess it's just that I never thought I had any illusions in life anymore, and now I'm finding I did have, after all. And they're gone, or at least going.""Anyway, that's me, that's why I'm here. On my way to the tournament, not to compete, 'cause I'm just a smith, not a fighter, but for work."</blockquote>

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