Before Lancelot arrived at the North Sea Kindergarten, a battle had taken place there. Though Lancelot missed the fight itself, he witnessed its aftermath.
Upon arriving at the kindergarten's gates, he saw a man lying on the ground. His ornate armor was battered and tattered, his longsword snapped in two.
His helmet was nowhere to be found, and blood trickled from his forehead, running over his eyes, nose, and mouth, down into his neck.
"Gendry, what are you doing? Bullying people?"
Lancelot looked at the ox-like warrior standing nearby, wearing a horned helmet mask and holding a warhammer. He was panting heavily like a bull.
"Ser Lancelot, I fought him fair and square. He just wasn't skilled enough; you can't blame me for that!" Gendry said indignantly.
Lancelot dismounted and helped Ser Loras up.
"My apologies, Loras! Gendry doesn't know his own strength! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I was just careless. I didn't expect a nobody to be so formidable."
Loras wiped the blood from his forehead and then introduced his two brothers to Lancelot.
They had been standing a bit further away behind a large tree, so Lancelot hadn't noticed them earlier.
"This is my eldest brother, Willas, and my second brother, Garlan!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Lancelot invited them to the Nanshan Nursing Home for a whole-hog feast.
"Ser Lancelot, may I take a closer look at your mounts? Whether it's the white lion Hrakkar, the Red Charcoal Fire Dragon Steed, or the Snow-Treading Wuzhui, I would love to see them up close," said Willas, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
Seeing this young man, crippled but strong-willed, Lancelot felt a measure of respect for him.
"Certainly. You can ride my horse there!" Lancelot lifted Willas directly onto the saddle of the Red Charcoal Fire Dragon Steed and handed him the reins.
"Thank you!" Willas said, stunned for a moment.
By the time they reached the Nanshan Nursing Home, the feast was about to begin. The aroma of roast pork drifted far and wide, attracting many passersby looking for a free meal.
Lancelot welcomed them all generously. Some were farmers, some hunters, others mercenaries.
Hrakkar was lazily rolling around under a large tree nearby.
Seeing Lancelot arrive, he ran over, wagging his tail like a dog.
Lancelot patted his big lion head.
"To have one such Strange Beast could be called a blessing from the Seven. I didn't expect you to have three, Ser Lancelot," Willas said enviously.
Actually, I have four. There's also a Lucky Cat! But Tyrion has enshrined it as a god of wealth in his casino! Lancelot thought to himself.
That Lucky Cat, named Cat, blessed Tyrion's casino with daily profits.
"Lancelot, you're here! Are all these people here for free food?" Jon Snow, dressed as a chef, was serving dishes table by table.
"Jon, these are members of House Tyrell. Willas, Garlan, and Loras!"
Lancelot introduced them.
Jon Snow nodded and went back to serving food.
Lancelot and the others sat at a table. Gendry took off his helmet to eat.
"You!" Loras was surprised to see Gendry's face.
Why does he look so much like Renly? Loras wondered.
What he didn't know was that Gendry didn't look like Renly; he looked like a young Robert.
"Ser Loras, it seems you recognize me. Yes, I am Tobho Mott's apprentice. We met when you were getting that shiny armor made at his shop," Gendry said.
"No wonder you have such strength; you're a blacksmith!" Garlan remarked.
Although knights trained for strength, it couldn't compare to a blacksmith hammering iron day in and day out for years.
In the earlier fight, Loras's sword had been deflected the moment it touched Gendry's hammer, and eventually shattered. Gendry's strength was evident.
Soon, Jon Snow brought out a roasted suckling pig.
"Dig in! I guarantee even Robert hasn't tasted a roast pig this good," Lancelot declared.
Everyone began to feast heartily, especially Gendry, who had exhausted himself in his fight with Ser Loras.
After they were full, Lancelot showed the three Tyrell brothers around the Nanshan Nursing Home and the North Sea Kindergarten.
Before parting ways, Lancelot brought out a new jar of Black Jade Intermittent Paste.
"This is what saved Brandon's legs. You need to re-break the bones first, then apply this ointment. In three months, stronger new bones will grow!" Lancelot explained.
"This! Ser Lancelot, this is such a generous gift. We brothers didn't bring much money with us now. How about I introduce my sister to you?" Willas offered.
"Yes, Lancelot. You've met Margaery. She's a year older than you, sweet and lovely!" Loras added.
"Hahaha!" Lancelot laughed.
The others didn't understand why he was laughing.
"What's wrong, Lancelot?"
"The prettier the woman, the more she deceives! So I'm wary of 'kind' women, especially the perfect ones. Your sister is too perfect! Perfect to a frightening degree!" Lancelot said.
Margaery was beautiful, known as the Rose of Highgarden throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but she wasn't just beautiful; she was smart. Smarter than most.
"I see. Ser Lancelot likes dumb girls! Hahaha, what a strange preference!" Garlan laughed.
"I didn't say that! Don't go spreading rumors!" Lancelot said nervously.
Gossip in noble circles could get distorted beyond recognition.
If it got out of hand, Lancelot would be in trouble.
"We're leaving now! Ser Lancelot!" Loras said.
Watching them leave, Lancelot went towards the Nanshan Nursing Home, intending to take Hrakkar back to the Red Keep.
However, he saw an old man in grey robes standing in front of Hrakkar.
"Old man, what are you doing?" Lancelot asked.
"Ser Lancelot, what do you think of sparrows as animals?" he asked.
"Though small, the sparrow has all the vital organs. While Westeros currently considers sparrows pests, like rats and vipers, they sometimes eat bugs too."
"How should I put it? There is a cycle between all animals. Sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep, the earth consumes the wolf's corpse, and new grass grows." Lancelot had a deep understanding of the cycle of life.
"Is that so! It seems you truly are chosen by the Seven!" the grey-robed old man said.
"Uh, actually, I am..."
"Ser Lancelot! I used to be a septon. While preaching, I witnessed the suffering and ignorance of the common people, but I lacked the power to save them. My words were just the chirping of a sparrow to them, so they gave me a nickname: the High Sparrow."