"Lancelot, you know Father wants me to participate in the tourney, but my skills... they might be a bit lacking. Even in the archery contest, I don't have the confidence to win the championship!"
Joffrey complained.
"So, you've come to ask me for an idea?" Lancelot asked.
"Exactly. Do you have any good solutions?" Joffrey asked.
After contemplating for a moment, Lancelot said,
"I have three strategies: the High, the Middle, and the Low."
"What are they?" Joffrey asked.
"The High Strategy: Improve your skills and win the championship fair and square. The archery contest is much safer than the others; jousting often kills people."
"And in the melee, many enter whole and leave missing an arm or a leg."
"What about the Middle Strategy?" Joffrey asked.
"Slip laxatives to the other archers so they can't perform at their true level."
"And the Low Strategy?" Joffrey asked again.
"Bribe the judges and rig the results!"
"Rigging the results... truly a Low Strategy. If Father found out, wouldn't he smash me with his hammer?" Joffrey shook his head.
"The Low Strategy is out."
"What about the Middle Strategy?" Lancelot asked.
"If it were just one person with diarrhea, it would be fine. But if everyone has it except me, I'll become a target of suspicion. Then I'll still get smashed by Father's hammer," Joffrey said.
Lancelot sighed.
"It seems we can only choose to enhance your strength, Joff. Although your archery skills can't improve in the short term, using a superior bow can make it easier for you."
"A good bow? The bow I use is already the best. As for the heavy dragonbone bows, I can't use them; they're too heavy," Joffrey said.
"Wait a moment!"
Lancelot went into his room and soon came out holding a compound bow and a beret.
"This is a compound bow; it requires much less effort to draw. And this hat will make you stand out—after all, no one else wears a hat to shoot arrows," Lancelot said.
Taking the hat from Lancelot, Joffrey put it on first, then took the bow.
"It's quite light," Joffrey noted.
"Try it! Shoot that pillar."
Lancelot pointed to the red-lacquered pillar at the entrance.
Joffrey nocked an arrow and drew the bow. He felt the extraordinary nature of the weapon immediately.
Without using much strength, the bow was drawn full like a full moon.
Thwack!
The arrow flew like a meteor, embedding itself straight into the pillar. It sank deep into the wood, nearly piercing through the foot-thick column.
"What a treasure! Hahaha! Thank you, Lancelot! You truly are my best cousin! Hahaha! Just wait for me to bring back a championship for you to see!"
"When I do, you have to knight me! Don't forget!"
Joffrey left happily.
Lancelot saw that his supply of the greenish-brown liquid was gone. He thought of the Wildfire beneath King's Landing.
"Jaime killed those pyromancers back then; he should know the specific locations where the Wildfire is hidden. I'll go ask him!"
"As for human blood... Melisandre said chicken or pig blood won't work. It has to be human blood because humans are the spirit of all living things."
"But essentially, aren't humans just primates? Humans aren't gods; there's no secret magic in human blood."
"I'll catch a few gorillas first and bleed them. Let's see if that works. If not, I'll have to ask for blood donations from the North Sea Kindergarten and the South Mountain Nursing Home," Lancelot thought.
"First, find Jaime!"
Lancelot stood up and put away all the gold ingots.
Just as he was about to leave to find Jaime, he heard the ringing of a bell.
Ring-ring!
"Bicycle bell! She's here!"
Lancelot turned his gaze to the door, and sure enough, Myrcella appeared riding a bicycle.
Running behind her was her lioness, Joanna.
"Brother Lancelot! Hop on my bike. I'm taking you to a masquerade!" she said with a grin.
"A masquerade? Sounds mysterious. Who's hosting it? Do you know, Myrcella?" Lancelot asked.
"I don't know, but people in the circle call her 'Lady Rose.'"
Myrcella shook her head.
"Lady Rose, is it?" Lancelot had a couple of guesses about who this person might be.
"Where did you hear about this masquerade?" Lancelot asked.
"From Mother. She said it's a tradition, a secret activity among the young noble lords and ladies of Westeros."
"Mother attended masquerades when she was young too."
"Rumor has it even Prince Rhaegar used to host them!"
"Alright, let's go see this so-called masquerade! But I should be the one pedaling!"
Lancelot said.
Myrcella immediately hopped off the bike, giving up the seat and sitting on the rear rack.
Lancelot mounted the bicycle. With Myrcella giving directions, they arrived at a secluded part of King's Landing, near the Dragonpit.
It was also relatively close to a brothel.
Chataya's brothel was the largest in King's Landing, even bigger than Littlefinger's.
Myrcella had prepared two half-masks in advance. They covered the eyes but left the nose and mouth exposed.
Lancelot wore a cat mask, while Myrcella wore a butterfly mask.
Since they arrived on a bicycle, they attracted a lot of attention.
Lancelot parked the bike to the side, then offered his arm to Myrcella as they walked in.
They entered an old castle. Everything inside was classical, with singers singing and musicians playing instruments.
Lancelot looked at the men and women here. They all seemed to be under twenty, the oldest no more than twenty-five.
Everyone wore a mask. Some masks seemed to depict their house sigils, while others did not.
"It's my first time here too. I don't know how things work," Myrcella whispered beside Lancelot.
"We can just ask someone," Lancelot said.
He spotted a lady wearing a raccoon mask and walked over.
"Greetings, beautiful lady! May I ask what the purpose of this gathering is? And is the hostess, Lady Rose, present?"
The raccoon-masked lady looked at Lancelot in his cat mask and paused. She seemed to recognize the voice.
"I don't know either. I came here because my mother told me to. It's my first time attending such a masquerade; in fact, it's my first time in King's Landing."
Lancelot then noticed the red hair behind her head.
"Sansa, is that you?" Lancelot asked softly.
"It's me! Ser Lancelot, I didn't expect you to come as well," she laughed.