Petyr Baelish and Lysa Tully no longer existed in this world. Both had flown out through the Moon Door, their bodies falling into the mountains below.
"As High as Honor, As High as Victory. Glory lies at the highest place. Only those who stand highest can possess it."
Gendry leaned on the Falcon Sword as a fierce gale came howling in. Beyond the Moon Door were endless blue sky and empty air, falcons soaring across the heavens. The Eyrie seemed to bear no trace that those two traitors had ever existed. Only the faint scent of blood still lingered in the hall.
Sansa Stark looked at the Storm's figure as if she were gazing at a prince from the songs. The Storm was so different from everyone else. Tall and striking, he shone among the crowd, his smile sharp as a blade.
"The first, the second. Next are the Lannisters and Varys."
Gendry looked out at the vast sky beyond the door, joy rising inside him. His thoughts felt clear and unblocked.
Blood of the Storm, Blood of the Storm rose, cheering and surging. The Storm's power was wild and untamed, raging against heaven and earth. It seemed his strength and resilience were rising once again.
"Varys, Tywin. If I kill them too, I will grow even stronger," Gendry thought.
Destroying these hateful enemies was what his heart desired. To care neither one way nor the other was the realm of saints. But most people's hearts were like pearls covered in dust. Wipe that dust away, and more power would burst forth.
"Close the Moon Door," Gendry ordered.
The affairs of the Vale were settled. Now that he held power over more than three realms, the thought of going home stirred a small ripple in his heart. He wanted to see Dany, the black dragon Balerion, and Pear Tree Manor.
"Yes."
The Bluecoat soldiers looked at him as if he were a god, their eyes filled with worship and awe. Several of them worked together to close the Moon Door again, then wiped the dark red bloodstains from the hall.
Gendry returned to the high seat. The officers of The Eyrie and the lords of the Vale were utterly silent. Even the sound of a needle dropping would have seemed loud. All they heard was the howling wind. Now that the traitors had been destroyed, the discussion turned to war and strategy.
The hall held the senior men of The Eyrie: Lord Nestor, the steward of the Vale; Ser Vardis, captain of The Eyrie's guards; and Maester Colemon.
There were also relatives of House Tully: Brynden Tully, the Blackfish; Sansa Stark of The North; and Jon Snow. There were even warriors from the Crabclaw Peninsula below the tower, though the Crabclaws had not yet come up.
Nearly every lord of note in the Vale was present: the most powerful among them, Yohn Royce, called Bronze Yohn, the famous Lord of Runestone and head of House Royce; Lady Anya Waynwood of Ironoaks; Benedar Belmore, Lord of Strongsong; Symond Templeton, the Knight of Ninestars; Horton Redfort, Lord of Redfort; Old Hunter, Lord of Longbow Hall; and the Corbray brothers from Heart's Home. The lords of Gulltown alone had requested leave to be absent, as they were still dealing with the internal purge.
In terms of personal prowess, the lords of the Vale already looked up to the Storm. King Robert had been famous for his godlike strength, and the Storm had reached an even more terrifying state of making the light strike like the heavy. Ser Lyn, always so proud and dangerous, was now as meek as a lamb, proudly admitting that he was no match for the Storm.
"My lords, we have avenged Great Lord Jon Arryn's honor and cleared his grievance. Most of Littlefinger's remnants have been put to death. This matter ends here," Gendry said. "Next, we set out again and join together to punish the Lannister rebels. Those who stand with us are friends, and there will be fine wine and good food. But anyone who still dreams of acting like Littlefinger, harboring a second heart, will be my enemy. My sword will not forgive them."
The Storm's steel-like voice echoed through the hall, and after it reached their ears, there was a moment of silence. Compared with the Riverlands, which had been ravaged, its lords' castles burned and plundered, the Vale had not been touched by war. Its men were strong, its horses fit, its arms ready.
Many lords took Gendry's words to heart as a warning. The Storm would not keep digging endlessly into Littlefinger's past. What he wanted was loyalty. If anyone acted two-faced like Littlefinger in the future, they would become the Storm's enemy to the death and suffer the same brutal end.
According to the reports, Lady Mormont had retreated to The Twins, while others were gathering soldiers farther north. House Melnyst and House Crabb held The Twins, and Robb Stark's men were cutting off the Lannister supply lines. Tywin, the old lion who had bitten down on the winter wolf and nearly broken his teeth, was currently at Harrenhal.
At present, two men in the realm had claimed kingship, neither willing to yield. In truth, however, three other forces were also moving: Gendry Storm, Great Lord Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone, and Balon Greyjoy the Great of the Iron Islands.
"By the gods above, we have killed the traitors Littlefinger and Lysa, and avenged our old master. Lady Sansa Stark has also been fortunate enough to escape the lion's jaws. Then only one goal remains: drag that rebellious little whelp of House Lannister down from the Iron Throne. The throne belongs to the king's lawful heir," Ser Vardis said.
Lord Nestor also agreed. "The little whelp on the Iron Throne is not our king. Renly may have crowned himself, but what right does he have to call himself king? He is merely the late king's third brother. Worse, he has passed over his own nephew and ignored his elder brother."
"Exactly," Lord Redfort of Redfort agreed as well. As a loyal advocate of the Storm, he naturally saw the princess's marriage as a tremendous advantage. "Now the forces of Winterfell and Riverrun are under the Storm's command. Add The Eyrie and Prince Gendry's Twin Cities, and we control at least five great powers. Besides, House Baratheon's ancestral seat is in the Stormlands, and there is no lack of loyal warriors there. Once our banners fly, Renly's strength will scatter like sand slipping through the fingers. Even if Highgarden and Dorne come out to support the Lannisters, they will likely be too far away to help. And Dorne has always had hatred for the lions. Before long, we will be able to put the heads of Cersei, Joffrey, Tywin, the Imp, and the Kingslayer on spears."
"Let the banners of the Crescent Falcon and the Stag fly high. Let the Lannisters tremble at our meeting," Bronze Yohn said in agreement.
Before, they had lacked a proper cause. Now, they had the cause of vengeance.
"Vengeance!"
"Vengeance!"
The lords of the Vale roared, fists clenched. First, the Knights of the Vale were rigid men who respected honor. They would never tolerate the Lannisters harming Great Lord Jon and trampling the dignity of the Vale. Second, the Vale and The North had enjoyed years of marriage ties and friendship, always advancing and retreating together. Third, through the fosterage and marriage ties of the Wolf, Fish, Eagle, and Stag in the past, the Vale's bonds with The North, the Stormlands, and the Riverlands had deepened as well.
Gendry watched the excited men of the Vale with satisfaction. The war potential of the Fish and Wolf was relatively limited, while the Vale's was clearly much greater. The Vale was richer, and also more stubborn and insular.
"If you ask me, the Storm is King Robert's eldest son and heir, and the Storm also holds the last true dragon. Renly is a traitor and a playboy, while Stannis is nothing but a block of ice. Neither of them dealt with Littlefinger and Lysa for us." Ser Lyn Corbray suddenly shouted, raising his fist. "My lords, if we truly must kneel, then I will only fight beside the Storm. Long live the Storm!"
Then Ser Lyn drew his Lady, placed it beneath the dais, and knelt there.
"Long live the Storm!"
Stupid Harry also bent the knee, set down his longsword, and knelt beside Lyn.
The other lords of the Vale came back to themselves and hurriedly followed Ser Lyn and Stupid Harry's example. Voices in the hall surged like a tide. Everyone shouted the Storm's name and cried, "Long live the Storm!"
Behind the long hall of The Eyrie, the blue-and-white banner of the crescent moon and falcon looked down upon them.
As High as Honor.
...
The Vale had decided to send troops. Under the leadership of the Guardians' Alliance, the lords began calculating soldiers, provisions, and marching routes. The safest route was through Gulltown, as past campaigns had shown.
As for the restless young men, they preferred to watch the lively sparring in the gardens of The Eyrie. A contest of endurance, speed, strength, and skill.
In the beautiful gardens of The Eyrie, the Vale's second heir, "Harry the Arse," in silver-plated armor, and "the bastard" Jon Snow, in black scale armor, attacked Gendry together. Their assault was fierce, swords falling like rain.
The small garden was circular, surrounded on all sides by white towers. Grass and blue flowers covered the earth, and statues stood among them, but there were no Weirwoods. The Eyrie was built atop hard mountain stone, and no matter how much fertile soil was brought up from the Vale of Arryn, no Weirwood would take root and grow here. So generations of Great Lords had planted lawns instead and set statues among the flowering shrubs.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
Blunted swords collided in the air, ringing out with a strong, clear sound like music. The other spectators stood nearby, watching this fine bout: knights of the Vale, squires, Bluecoat guards, Sansa, Mya, and others.
Gendry held his blunted practice sword, facing two opponents alone with effortless ease. Jon had always taken pride in his Swordsmanship. He was an excellent rider and gifted with a blade, having begun training almost as soon as he could walk.
But as their blunted swords clashed, Jon felt the pressure on him grow heavier and heavier. It was absolute suppression in strength and speed. The Storm pressed him so hard he could barely breathe. Before there had even been much exchange of technique, his whole body already felt stiff and sore.
"Clang!"
Gendry gripped his blunted sword, first breaking Jon's attack, then swinging again. The sheer force of his heavy blade knocked Harry the Arse's sword from his hand.
Harrold looked embarrassed. Though he was tall, his talent for Swordsmanship was not as good as Jon's. After Harrold left the field, only the sullen-faced Jon remained. Still, after staying by Gendry's side, Jon's complexion had improved a great deal.
Gendry turned back toward Jon, moving with the speed of a lithe cheetah. His long hands swung the heavy sword, smashing it down at Jon's head. No flashy tricks were needed, only real strength and beauty. He was tall and long-legged, and his reach far exceeded Jon's.
"Come on."
Jon swung his blunted sword and dodged. He was tougher, teeth clenched, sweat pouring down like rain. Jon had never faced such a troublesome opponent. He had planned to rely on agility and evasion, but Gendry was far faster than him. For such a tall man to be this quick as well was terrifying.
"Whoosh!"
The heavy sword's light and shadow swept through the air. With one strike, Gendry pressed close to Jon, and the following blows came like roaring waves, one after another. Jon's vision blurred. He only felt his arms go numb, and his sword flew straight out of his hand. By tomorrow, he would certainly be covered in bruises.
"I lose!"
Jon raised his hands and gave a bitter smile. Even so, he was rather pleased. If he only compared himself with fools, he would never improve. The Storm seemed to be the finest fighter of the age. Jon was certainly no match for him.
Sansa Stark and Mya Baratheon began to clap. Sansa could tell that the handsome Harry the Arse had some interest in her, but there was no shadow of Harry the Arse in her eyes. The Storm stood even higher than the eagle.
Besides, Harry the Arse had a poor reputation. He was fickle and loose with women, and the she-wolf did not much like him either. Though Harry was young, he already had a bastard child. The first was his daughter Alys Stone by Cissy, a lowborn servant of House Waynwood. The second was his ambiguous relationship with Saffron, the daughter of Gulltown's richest merchant.
Mya Baratheon watched Sansa applauding. A handsome warrior with strength and power truly did shine in a girl's eyes. Sansa had a fine figure and was still a maiden from a great noble house, but anyone thoughtful could see the distance between her and a crown. Mya's brother, the Storm, did not seem to be a loose man like the late king. Or perhaps his standards were simply too high.
"How fortunate the Dragon Princess is," the maids whispered. "Lord Gendry is tall, strong, and handsome, and he will have so many crowns. I bet noble girls all across the kingdom are dreaming about it. After all, what husband could be better than a king?"
"Yes. Lord Harry is already very handsome, but the Storm is far above him. As for our poor Young Lord Robert..." The maid stopped herself. That constantly sick Young Lord Robert was indeed disliked by many.
Sansa's heart gave a little jolt. That beautiful true dragon princess must draw so much envy.
"I told you two you weren't good enough. The Young Falcon is a fine fighter, and Jon, your Swordsmanship is truly impressive. But compared with the Storm, you still fall short." Ser Lyn Corbray, who had also been defeated earlier and left the field, gave his sharp judgment, and many knights of the Vale agreed.
Lyn, the renowned swordsman of the Vale; the powerful Lothor; the Young Falcon; and even an outstanding young swordsman from The North. They were the elites of the entire Vale.
"Storm!" "Storm!"
The watching knights began to cheer, their voices ringing through the garden like thunder.
"Swordbreaker!" "Swordbreaker!"
Gendry looked at his last defeated opponents, Harry the Arse and Jon Snow, then gave the crowd a slight bow. The knights' cheers grew even louder.
Harrold Hardyng was handsome, with sandy-gold hair, blue eyes, and a hooked nose. When he smiled, he had very attractive dimples. He was straight-backed and strong, with long, well-proportioned limbs. Some older people thought he looked very much like Jon Arryn in his youth. Robert disliked his cousin Harrold greatly, believing Harrold was waiting for him to die so he could inherit The Eyrie.
As for Jon Snow's looks, there was not much worth saying. Jon was lean, with a long face, brown hair, and gray eyes. He bore more of House Stark's features than his apparent siblings, but his appearance was difficult to praise. He was of average height, not the tall, powerful type.
Gendry saw the shy Sansa, the tall red-haired girl. Sansa's weakness for handsome faces was obvious at a glance. He smiled faintly at her, and Sansa felt as if her heart had been seized by a wave of sweetness.
Jon saw this and frowned slightly. This bad habit of Sansa's, it seemed, would require a serious talk with her later.
"Lord, the ravens are ready," Maester Colemon said as he hurried into the garden. He was skin and bones, but capable enough.
"Good." Gendry nodded. Before the Stag returned to the Nest, there were still several letters he needed to send.
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