The tail of the red comet streaked across the morning sky, like a blood-stained longsword, bleeding profusely above the lofty Eyrie.
"So beautiful, the dreamland of the Andals." Gendry stood on the white stone carved balcony of the Maiden's Tower, his view overlooking The Vale of Arryn. A white falcon had recognized him and followed him daily. Outside, the wind howled, but the scenery was breathtaking.
Gendry was tall and long-limbed, dressed in a velvet robe of gold, black, and red, which, paired with his deep blue eyes and short, messy black hair, made his figure appear even more slender and elegant. Two weapons were fastened to his waist. One was an arakh with a dragon bone hilt, a divine weapon made of valyrian steel, a symbol of a warrior. The other was Lord Jon Arryn's precious sword, which Ser Vardis had asked him to accept to avenge Arryn.
The Maiden's Tower was the easternmost of The Eyrie's seven spires, offering an unobstructed and best view. Under the morning light, forests, rivers, and fields lazily appeared, and splendor shimmered on the mountaintops, like countless legendary pyramids.
"You'd better be careful." Gendry looked at the beautiful white falcon, his new pet. If it encountered a small dragon, it might be eaten in one bite. After being away for some time, Gendry missed his silver-haired girl Daenerys, his black and red dragon Balerion, and his enterprise and companions Across the Narrow Sea. But he had to seize the window of war; great achievements stem from hardship, and he must grasp the shining opportunity.
"Your Highness Gendry, you should have moved into the Moon Tower," Bronze Yohn Royce said. "That is the residence of Lord Arryn."
"That place would remind me of sad things, poor Lord Jon," Gendry told Bronze Yohn. This was also out of respect for Lord Jon Arryn; it was easy to think of the poor old man and the Madwoman there.
"This is not the most beautiful time for The Eyrie yet," Bronze Yohn added. "When winter arrives, the Giant's Lance will be covered in white snow, exceptionally beautiful. In summer, the cliffs where Alyssa's Tears surge can hang twenty-foot-tall icicles. However, at that time, the Arryns need to go to The Gate of the Moon to escape the cold."
"winter will probably arrive in about a year," Ser Barristan Selmy told Gendry, his face troubled. "The northerners say the red comet is the sword that slays the seasons. Not long after the red comet appeared, white ravens brought news of autumn from Oldtown."
The climate of Westeros was typically chaotic, with summers and winters being the longest, and springs and autumns being shorter transitional climates.
"If winter comes, it will be the most severe Long Winter, unprecedented in a thousand years," Blackfish Brynden Tully also sighed, his red and blue cloak very striking. "This past summer lasted about ten years and a few dozen days, the longest summer in living memory. In response, a ten-year winter will surely be harsh."
"Since the dragon left, summers seem to have gotten shorter and winters longer. Until the last summer, many fools said this was the sign of an eternal summer beginning, and that the gods favored King Robert." Ser Barristan looked at Gendry. Gendry had a dragon, and this top-secret information was known only to him and Anguy here.
Gendry savored these words; theoretically, it seemed to be true, because the dragon was a creation of blood and fire. The coming of winter meant the battle of ice and fire would accelerate: the dragon and the Night King, light and darkness, summer and winter. Only by eliminating the Others would there be a longer summer.
Anguy shivered involuntarily, "A ten-year winter, may the gods save us."
Jon Snow's face was bitter as he recalled old stories: heavy snow, no homes, people without food, nowhere to eat. Kind men sold themselves for money for their wives and children, while cruel men sold their wives and children for grain for themselves.
"History has also changed for me, but winter has not," Gendry thought as he looked at the red comet. Due to the hatching of the dragon, the red comet arrived slightly earlier, but not too much earlier.
The red comet appeared at the end of 298, but not on the last day. First came the deaths of Khal Drogo, the witch, and the Viserys family of three, followed by the hatching of the dragon and the arrival of the red comet, and then the death of King Robert.
"The Long Winter is harsh; we can only do our best to fight this battle," Gendry said. The eagles soared above The Eyrie, but even falcons could not withstand the cold; only Stags and dragons had the ability to resist the Long Winter.
Jon Snow, standing behind him, also nodded, "My father always said winter is coming, and winter has truly arrived."
"Your idea of having Robb streamline his forces and prepare is correct. The North is the kingdom most affected by the Long Winter. If so many people die in the south, the North will surely not be able to endure it." Bronze Yohn had lingering fears.
The North's rush, though a helpless move, wasted grain and manpower, and would lead to their downfall in the coming Long Winter. If the war could not end within a year, their reinforcements would rapidly dwindle. Originally, the northerners' advances were slow and gradual, but this time they had no choice.
"Have you seen the eyes of the Boltons? The Boltons, the Karstarks, even the Umbers. Robb has the ability to start a war, but not to end it," Gendry said. This was Robb's biggest hidden danger; although his subordinates loved him, he couldn't control them perfectly, much less manipulate the entire situation. Robb was, after all, a Young Wolf who had been pushed into power, and the northern Lords had always been independent. The gods had given him too little time.
Jon also nodded, offering a fair opinion: "This isn't entirely Robb's fault; it happened so suddenly, and we weren't prepared for winter."
"Mainly, House Stark doesn't have many adults left either," Jon added in a low voice. The main line of House Stark, like House Arryn, had previously faced a population crisis, lacking many powerful branch relatives, and there was also the Winterfell civil strife a hundred years ago, involving the She-wolves of Winterfell.
Duke Rickard and Eddard, father and son, had managed to change this situation. Although Lady Catelyn was foolish, she had borne many children for the Starks. It was just that two of Duke Rickard's children had died violently in the south, and now Eddard was in King's Landing and Benjen was in the Night's Watch, which meant Eddard's children were in charge of the main line of House Stark.
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