The autumn sky was clear and faintly cold, the air like a blade with a chill along its edge. The great gates of King's Landing had all been repaired.
Golden banners flew proudly above the Red Keep, then across the tall buildings of every kind, stretching all the way to the Dragonpit.
The banners were golden, bearing crowned stags with warhammers, three-headed dragons breathing fierce flame, gathered packs of gray-white wolves, and freed slaves.
Ravens shook out their wings. Hundreds of black birds rose into the sky together, carrying the news of Gendry Targaryen Baratheon, the Breaker I, to every corner of the realm.
The lords were not surprised, and no one dared fight him for the Iron Throne. After all, those who had openly questioned Baratheon royal authority had already lost their heads or been sent into exile at the Wall.
In just twenty years, King's Landing had suffered several bloody purges. In the present age, royal power had become immensely compelling through the union of stag and dragon.
The guests began moving from every direction, heading first to the Red Keep, then to the Dragonpit.
The lords of The North and the Riverlands came from the Winter Wolf Camp. Some of House Baratheon's kin and important royal ministers stayed in the Red Keep, while the lords of the Crownlands all had houses in King's Landing.
Most of the Reach lords came from the Rose Camp. The lords of the Vale, the Stormlands, and Crackclaw Point, along with envoys from Myr and Tyrosh, came from the Storm Camp.
The Dornish envoys kept to themselves, setting up a small camp with the several hundred people they had brought. The envoys of the other realms were inside King's Landing, but under heavy protection. The aftershocks of war still lingered.
In the morning, Gendry and Daenerys each received gifts in the Red Keep.
Gendry looked over the dazzling array of presents. Today was the day gold poured in, the lords' offerings and the royal family's income. It was said that the gifts once given to celebrate the birth of Viserys Targaryen had filled half a mansion, only for the Mad King to fear they were harmful and burn them all in some deranged fit.
But Gendry already possessed too many priceless things: dragons, the Firekeeper's ring that controlled flame, Valyrian steel weapons, and the Double-Curved Dragonbone Bow. Ordinary treasures truly did not catch his eye.
Of all the things in the world, aside from dragon eggs and Valyrian steel weapons, only ancient magical relics deeply interested the Storm.
"The immense wealth the Targaryens once possessed may have been spent clean by my father Robert. But what about the dragon eggs? And those rare and wondrous treasures?"
Gendry accepted many gifts, but that thought grew clearer and clearer in his mind.
The exiled Prince Jalabhar Xho presented a gilded greatbow, paired with long arrows fletched with green and crimson feathers. Lady Tanda presented a pair of soft riding boots. Lord Rosby presented an exceptionally ornate saddle of red leather.
House Rykker of Duskendale sent an ancient warhammer much like their family sigil, marked with runes Gendry could not understand.
In addition, Ser Jack Crabb of Crackclaw Point gave silver spurs, while Ser Boggs gave a red silk tent for use in jousting.
"House Celtigar sent only red wine and rubies?"
Gendry was still rather curious about House Celtigar, especially their Valyrian steel greataxe and the horn. When he had time, he could go take a look.
The red crab looked rather down on its luck now.
But it was said that Claw Isle was packed with precious Myrish carpets, Volantene glass, gold and silver vessels, jeweled wine cups, a magnificent hawk, a Valyrian steel axe, a horn that could wake monsters beneath the sea, countless chests of rubies, and more wine than one could ever drink.
House Swann of the Stormlands sent a pair of precious jeweled swans. Living swans would not easily survive in King's Landing. House Tarth sent a luxurious marble statue made entirely in Gendry's likeness, a truly inventive gift.
House Caron's gift was a precious and ancient silver harp, along with a massive shield of oak and steel. During the reign of Daeron II, Lord Pearse Caron had been accomplished in both arms and arts. He was a highly skilled knight, and also a famous harpist and singer. A silver harp had been painted on his shield.
Lord Tytos of the Riverlands presented a weirwood longbow on behalf of Lord Blackwood, a follower of the Old Gods, which made Gendry feel somewhat uncomfortable. Their rivals, House Bracken, presented a hunting horn adorned with splendid jewels.
House Melisent offered a beautiful jeweled plate, a silver eagle with outstretched wings on an indigo field.
Lord Roose Bolton of The North presented a huge set of antlers, taken from the head of a giant elk that had once roamed the Seven Kingdoms in the Age of the First Men.
Ser Manderly of White Harbor offered a silver mermaid. White Harbor's fishing trade was flourishing, and it also had many silversmiths.
Greatjon brought out a unicorn skull and a mammoth carving he had treasured for who knew how long. They looked strange and peculiar, but were extremely valuable.
The Karstark brothers sent a splendid war horn marked with the sunburst pattern, along with furs in the Northern style: seal, bear, wolf, and black goat. The famous Widow sent fine Northern horses through her people.
"This is the armor of one of our ancestors. Though damaged, its runes remain."
Bronze Yohn separately presented Gendry with a suit of ancient bronze armor, its runes still faintly glimmering.
Bronze Yohn knew that Gendry loved old things, so he had chosen his gift accordingly.
They had many ancestral suits of bronze armor, engraved with magical runes said to protect the warrior inside from harm.
Lord Grafton of Gulltown sent several chests of splendid clothing. The tailors of Gulltown were the finest in the Seven Kingdoms. House Waxley presented scented candles famous on both sides of the Narrow Sea. House Moore presented matchless spears.
The wealthiest region, The Reach, was also very generous. Mathis Rowan had somehow found an old, heavy volume called The Book of the Four Kings.
"This is a book every king should read, Prince," Lord Mathis said. He wore a white tunic marked with a golden tree.
"Thank you for your guidance."
Gendry accepted the book. The Targaryen kings, the kings who had once ruled the realm.
Lord Randyll Tarly presented a model of the King's Landing Hall of Honor for veterans on the Dragonpit Hill.
"The hill on the high ground has seven courtyards and two honor chapels. Seven is a lucky number. This work will surely be perfect once completed."
"I will use this to honor the old and new gods, and to comfort the veterans and those who have given themselves for the realm."
Gendry lifted the model and studied it carefully.
King's Landing was already fairly developed, so it was best to avoid great demolition and construction that wasted too much manpower.
Lord Paxter Redwyne presented a model of a beautiful great ship, with a full three hundred oars, meant to flatter the king. The real ship was being built with all haste on the Arbor.
"If it pleases Prince, I shall order it named King Gendry's Courage."
Gendry smiled calmly. "Then I shall ride wind and waves upon this ship and cut off the heads of the old lion and the old squid."
"The old squid may already be dead," someone murmured. "Then we can only roast the little squid instead."
Everyone burst into laughter, though Balon had always been strong and sturdy, so no one knew whether the news was true.
Gendry glanced around. House Hightower had sent gifts, but not a single proper representative had come. The King of the High Tower might be low-key, but he was arrogant as well.
After that, the gifts from Great Lord-level houses grew more valuable one after another. It was time for the grand offerings.
First came Gendry's kin. His sister Mya Baratheon presented him with a piece of embroidery, a golden cloth robe she had sewn herself. For Mya, this had been extremely difficult. She was more like a stubborn woman warrior.
"Thank you."
Gendry accepted it with great care.
His ready-made brother-in-law, Mychel Redfort, gave him a pair of golden bracelets engraved with ancient runes of the First Men.
"This is also an old treasure of our house, Prince."
"No need to be so formal."
Gendry examined the bracelets. He was very curious about things inscribed with runes.
Big-eared Edric Baratheon presented his elder brother with a sturdy wooden stool he had made with his own hands. The boy's craftsmanship was truly quite good.
"You really are a fine carpenter," Gendry said, lifting the stool. It was very solid.
"I want to become a knight, like you," Edric protested, his face red.
Everyone laughed again.
"You will become a good knight."
Gendry looked at the burly Edric. This boy was also building muscle, just like Robert as a child, never missing a chance to train.
"The brooch and horses I offer will be enough to help you sweep away all your enemies."
Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne presented a brooch shaped like a stag and a dragon, set in red gold and black gold.
Aside from that, the Dornish had also sent seven fine horses. These horses were perfect mounts for Dornish light cavalry.
Some of the Dornish horses were chestnut, some golden, and some white as snow. Each was slim and swift, with a slender neck and a narrow, elegant head.
Most famous horses born in the Dornish deserts were smaller than northern horses and could not bear full armor, but legend said they could run for two days and a night without the slightest fatigue.
"Thank you for your generosity, Prince."
Gendry was not a man fond of luxury, but he was very interested in good horses.
The small Great Lord Robert Arryn had his servants present a magnificent suit of golden armor. The yellow steel plates shone like the sun, inlaid with intricate golden spiral patterns. A dragon of rubies was set into the breastplate, along with a stag of black onyx.
On the shoulders, clasps shaped like a dragon and a stag fastened a heavy golden cloak.
There was also a gilded greathelm, decorated with a stag and dragon made of red gold, rubies, black gold, and black gems. The helmet was just as splendid and costly. The horse armor was gilded too, with glittering golden silk trappings bearing the Storm's sigil.
"Can you take me flying?" Robert Arryn asked hopefully.
"I will."
Gendry looked at the small boy and thought of his wretched past. His health had improved somewhat now, but his foundation was still weak and needed careful nurturing.
Little Arryn cheered and withdrew into the crowd, returning to his relatives.
Great Lord Edmure Tully of the Riverlands presented a precious jeweled model of Riverrun. The triangular castle looked vivid and lifelike.
"My condolences for Great Lord Hoster," Gendry said to Great Lord Edmure.
"Thank you. In truth, he was not young anymore."
Edmure nodded, sorrow on his face. In truth, he himself was not young either, and his abilities were indeed mediocre.
Great Lord Mace Tyrell presented a golden cup three feet tall, its body cast with seven sides. Each side was covered in countless gems, and it had two elaborately decorated handles. There was a ruby lion, an emerald rose, an agate stag, a silver trout, a sapphire falcon, an opal sun, and a pearl direwolf.
In addition to the cup, there was a golden lid.
"The seven sides represent the Seven Kingdoms that submit to Your Grace," Great Lord Mace said. "On the lid, aside from the Seven Kingdoms, there are also the lands of Myr and Tyrosh."
"The only flaw is that the lion's head should be cut off, and the squid's head should be cut off as well," a Dornish lord commented sharply.
All the lords laughed. Everyone knew true peace had not yet arrived, not until the two great traitors of the Westerlands and the Iron Islands were crushed.
The crucial Great Lord Eddard Stark presented a cloak of snow bear fur, made from pure white fleece. This snow bear cloak could rival Daenerys's white Hrakkar lion cloak.
Snow bears were enormous beasts from beyond The Wall. It was said they could reach thirteen feet when standing upright.
Last to come forward was Great Lord Stannis Baratheon. His gift was a precious wood carving from the Stormlands, a leaping stag and a dragon with spread wings, naturally formed in the wood. The Stormlands were known for precious timber and furs.
"This is truly a rare thing," Gendry said in admiration.
Gendry accepted the gifts from the realms overseas. Many high-ranking men from the Twin Cities, his trusted followers, had come as well.
The guilds of Myr sent tapestries and various fashionable pieces, led personally by Brown Ben. Little Silver Tongue, representing Tyrosh, presented other fashionable items, including pear brandy and oddly shaped gilded armor.
More important gifts would come later.
"Illyrio really did not dare show his face."
Gendry looked at the Pentos delegation. They had deliberately sent Magister Ordello to lead them, and their gifts were spices and other strange curiosities.
The Pentoshi loved works of art, so there were also some artworks that had drifted overseas, including a ring-shaped seal.
Saath, that last city of ancient highmen, offered armor made of steel and spider silk, along with coal-black blood-sweating warhorses.
The Norvoshi envoys offered beautiful Norvoshi battle axes and models of the three great bells. The man leading them seemed to have some kinship with Doran's wife.
Several dark-skinned princes and princesses came from the Summer Isles, presenting splendid feather cloaks and goldenheart long spears.
"This is the Sealord's gift."
The Braavosi envoy presented King Jaehaerys's former crown, a golden circlet set with seven gems of different colors.
"This is truly an auspicious sign," Great Lord Mace Tyrell said in wonder. "This is indeed King Jaehaerys's crown."
"Glory belongs to the Storm. This is the Sealord's goodwill."
The Braavosi envoy bowed. Even more striking was the Black Pearl who had come with them, radiant and dazzling, a woman with Dragonblood.
As for the gifts to be given to the knights at the tournament, Gendry had already made up his mind.
"Weapons only sit there anyway."
In the armory, King Robert had collected more than a hundred fine pieces, all of them gathering dust.
Over the past decade, envoys from the realms overseas had long since learned Robert's tastes, and every time they came, they presented jeweled daggers and silver-inlaid swords. The most precious of them was the dagger Gerion Lannister had given him as a wedding gift, with a gilded blade, an ivory hilt, and a sapphire pommel.
King Robert was a nostalgic man. He only used the dagger given to him by Great Lord Jon.
...
On the high platform built in the Dragonpit, this coronation was a magnificent celebration, and it marked the end of the tangled struggle between stag and dragon.
"Long live the Storm!"
"Long live the True Dragon!"
"Long live Gendry I!"
People filled the grounds inside and out. The crowds in the outermost rings shouted and cheered, while the nobles in the innermost circle watched intently.
Every woman wore beautiful clothes, and some children sat on men's shoulders.
Every face looked happy, not only for the coronation, but for peace.
The cheers echoed through King's Landing, along the streets and at the Dragonpit itself.
Gendry wore black scale armor and a golden cloak. On his chest were the images of dragon and stag, set in rubies and black onyx.
Despite his old age and frailty, the High Septon anointed the new king with holy oil. The Church had already lost all face because of the Sparrows. It could not lose the shelter of the royal family as well.
The seven-colored crystal crown shone with light. The High Septon opened the lid of the golden stag, then personally anointed Gendry's forehead, chest, and arms with holy oil while reciting the words.
Seven kinds of holy oil, seven anointings, seven blessings.
The holy oil's main base was likely olive oil, and it gave off the scents of rose, jasmine, cinnamon, amber, sesame, orange blossom, and ambergris, the famed holy oil.
Because Gendry was too tall, the High Septon had to stand on a chair, which looked somewhat comical.
"Gendry, may the Father bless you with justice."
"May the Mother bless you to protect the weak and the innocent."
"May the Crone bless you with wisdom."
"May the Warrior bless you with courage."
"May the Maiden bless you to protect all women."
"May the Smith bless your labor."
"May the Stranger warn you to remain vigilant."
Once the anointing was complete, it was Great Lord Stannis's turn to step onto the stage.
Gendry drew Fury. The newly revealed Valyrian steel sword with its stag's-head hilt glittered in the sun, its golden ripples brilliant and splendid.
Gendry bent one knee slightly. Great Lord Stannis revealed the newly forged crown. It was still a ring-shaped crown, but four images appeared upon it.
A ruby dragon, a black onyx stag, a pack of pearl wolves, and the Free Folk in sapphire were all vivid and lifelike.
Just then, the envoys of Myr and Tyrosh came before the high platform.
"We ask to become the king's subjects."
The Handsome Man, the Fletcher, Brown Ben, and Little Silver Tongue Alequo led the representatives of the major guilds of Myr and Tyrosh, the Free Brotherhood of the Twin Cities, the Three Legions, and the senior officers of the fleets of the Twin Cities and the Stepstones. They knelt on one knee as they spoke.
"Breaker, Storm, Breaker of Chains, Lord of the Wolf Pack, Protector of Myr, Tyrosh, and the Stepstones, we formally ask to become your subjects."
The lords of Westeros froze where they stood. As gifts went, no one's gift could compare with this one from the Two Daughters. These were two great cities comparable to the river mouths of Oldtown and King's Landing.
A moment later, applause and shouts rang out like cracking thunder. The lords of the Stormlands and the Crownlands took the lead, and then the other lords began to voice their support as well.
In a distant seat, the Lyseni envoy's face suddenly turned fearful, his fingernails digging into his palms.
"Greed. Desire. Failure. Is this Lys's fate? Once the Two Daughters submit, Lys cannot survive alone."
The faces of the Volantenes and the envoys from the other Slaver's Bay city-states grew even uglier. If this was the case, should their war continue?
These freed slaves were like beasts released from cages.
"This..."
The Braavosi envoy's mouth fell open as he wondered how to bring this news back. The Black Pearl, however, seemed to hear nothing, silently watching the movement on the field.
The Pentoshi and Braavosi felt ill at ease as well. Though the Andal lands were now divided among them, who knew when the Andals of the Seven Kingdoms might go mad and return?
"Granted," Gendry replied with a smile.
"Long live the Breaker! Long live the Storm!"
The envoys from the Twin Cities began shouting as soon as they withdrew, their enthusiasm reaching the heavens.
"I declare, by the grace of the old and new gods, and before the witness of the peoples of all nations, that Gendry I of House Targaryen Baratheon the Breaker, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, King of Myr, Tyrosh, the Disputed Lands, and the Stepstones, Commander of the Wolf Pack Legion, the Storm, is formally crowned."
Great Lord Stannis placed the crown upon Gendry's head.
For a moment, Stannis seemed to see his elder brother from many years ago, and tears almost filled his eyes. Back then, Robert had won the throne, young, tall, and handsome. Everything had seemed so beautiful.
Gendry stood, then raised Great Lord Stannis's hand.
The crowd cheered fiercely, for the union of Baratheon and Targaryen, for the stag's Storm.
For the birth of a new king, for the peace they longed for, for the summer they desired.
When the coronation ended, the cheers shook heaven and earth.