"Go knight this lovely warrior," Daenerys said with a smile, then lightly kissed Gendry on the cheek.
Daenerys looked at the tall, powerfully built Brienne. As a warrior, Brienne of Tarth was more than worthy. As a woman, she lacked charm. Yet Daenerys admired her. Brienne was the sort of woman who truly had a self of her own, not a caged songbird clinging to a man like a proper lady. In a world ruled by men, that was precious.
"It will be my honor to knight a great warrior," Gendry said to Daenerys with a smile. Brienne could indeed be called a true knight. He stepped down from the dais and walked over to Brienne of Tarth. Then Gendry drew his sword. Orphan-Maker was a hand-and-a-half sword, perhaps the most perfect form a longsword could take.
The black sword had a rounded pommel, with a beautiful red gemstone set in the center, glowing with a bright red light. Its guard resembled trident-shaped mountains, from which the blade emerged. The blade itself was dark as black smoke, rippled with inky waves.
"House Targaryen once had two great swords too," Daenerys thought. Blackfyre and Dark Sister. The Unworthy King had given Blackfyre to Daemon Blackfyre, while Dark Sister later ended up in Bloodraven's hands. Yet those two famous blades had long since vanished, just like the Targaryen dynasty as it slowly withered away.
"Is that Valyrian steel? I've never seen it in that color before," Brienne asked. Brienne had few feminine traits. She was extremely tall and broad, even a little taller than Renly, though not as tall as Gendry.
The Tarth girl had very broad shoulders, but a flat chest. Her face was round and rough, covered in freckles. Her nose looked as if it had been broken many times, her teeth jutted out crookedly, her mouth was frighteningly wide, and her lips were thick as caterpillars. Her hair was yellow, like dirty straw, brittle and dry. Yet Brienne's eyes were large and blue, innocent and direct, shining with confidence in battle. Perhaps that was the most captivating thing about the girl from Tarth.
"Yes. Orphan-Maker, a sword lost after The Dance of the Dragons," Gendry said. "I will use this sword to knight you."
Some of the Stormlands lords had heard of this famous blade and its fearsome reputation. None had expected to see it again today. "The Fearless" Jon Rockton had wielded it during The Dance of the Dragons. Lord Owen Costayne, Lord Footly, and the "Dragonseed" Hugh Hammer had all died beneath its edge.
"I wish to knight Brienne of Tarth as a knight and a Stormguard. But it has just occurred to me that I am not yet a knight myself. Ser Barristan Selmy, I ask for your help," Gendry said to Ser Barristan.
Everyone's eyes turned to the old knight. Ser Barristan was tall, with white hair and a pair of blue eyes many thought carried a sorrowful air. Some still considered Barristan handsome for a man of his age. Though old, he remained strong and graceful.
There were not many men in the world qualified to knight the Storm, but Ser Barristan was surely one of them. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew the name of Ser Barristan the Bold.
"I would be honored, Prince," Ser Barristan said.
Ser Barristan stepped forward and took Orphan-Maker from Gendry's hand, thinking to himself, "I was knighted by King Aegon V all those years ago. I never imagined that today I would have the honor of knighting a king myself. My life has gone from one king to another. And Orphan-Maker, once belonging to Fearless Jon, is now being used by Barristan the Bold to make a knight."
"Gendry Storm." Ser Barristan solemnly placed Orphan-Maker on Gendry's right shoulder. "In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
The sword moved from his right shoulder to his left. "In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
The sword returned to his right shoulder. "In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the weak and the innocent."
The sword returned to his left shoulder. "In the name of the Maiden, I charge you to protect all women."
"In the name of the Smith, I charge you to be strong and labor with purpose."
"In the name of the Crone, I charge you to be wise."
"In the name of the Stranger, I charge you to show reverence."
Orphan-Maker moved between Gendry's shoulders seven times, and Ser Barristan spoke seven charges.
When Gendry rose, he was a knight, one knighted by Barristan the Bold.
"Long live Storm's End!" "Long live the Storm!" Everyone applauded. This was the knighting of one knight by another. Barristan the Bold and Gendry Storm were both great warriors with extraordinary deeds behind them.
Jon Snow and Dacey Mormont clapped as well, though neither had much interest in knighthood. The North had always kept faith with the Old Gods.
"A beggar's version of a knighting ceremony, but enough to go down in history," Gendry thought. A knighting could be simple, or it could be extremely elaborate, with the seven holy oils and a vigil in the Sept. Most squires were knighted after coming of age, while some earned the title earlier by proving themselves in tournaments or making a name in war.
Knighthood was part of Andal culture, and any knight could make another knight. The Andal invasion of Westeros, and the culture that came with it, had made knights the backbone of war in the Seven Kingdoms. Yet the North, the Iron Islands, and Dorne had not been deeply shaped by Andal culture. Though knights did come from those lands, chivalry was less central to their way of life. Worshippers of the Old Gods were not inclined to become knights, since knighthood was an Andal tradition that usually required keeping vigil in a Sept and swearing oaths to the Seven.
Holding Orphan-Maker, Gendry began Brienne's knighting in the same manner. The sword moved seven times, and he spoke the seven charges.
"Brienne of House Tarth, do you swear before gods and men to defend the weak, protect women and children, obey your commanders, your lord, and your king, and fight bravely to the end, no matter how hard, humble, or dangerous the road ahead may be, never betraying your duty?"
"I swear it!" Brienne knelt devoutly on one knee, tears in her eyes.
"Rise, Brienne, knight of Tarth. Welcome to the Stormguard," Gendry said at last.
When Brienne rose, she had truly been made a knight.
"Beauty!" "Brienne of Tarth!" The guests cheered, applauding Brienne's courage. This time, at least, they gave her full face.
Tears also filled the eyes of the Tarth girl's father, Lord Selwyn Tarth. He was proud, and deeply sorrowful. Tarth was wealthy and beautiful, but every marriage he had arranged for Brienne had fallen apart. From the look of things now, his daughter could only walk farther down the path of a respected warrior. She was a fighter others honored, but also an oddity among women, destined never to become a cherished noble lady.
"Come here, Anguy. Lothor, you too," Gendry called.
Anguy and Lothor Brune came forward. The lords of the Stormlands knew these two were Gendry's trusted men. One was a marksman from the Marches, an archer unmatched in the world. The other was "Littlefinger's Killer" Lothor, a man of humble birth, skilled, loyal, and reliable, who had done great service in Littlefinger's fall.
...
"Rise, Anguy, knight of the Marches."
"Rise, Lothor, knight of Crackclaw Point."
"I hope you will become true knights. If a knight loses his honor, he is no different from a killer." Gendry moved the sword over both their shoulders and personally knighted them. It was more than a change in title. Once the Seven Kingdoms were pacified, he would also grant them land and castles. And as the war grew larger, there would be no shortage of empty castles. War was a game of power. The winners ate more and took more.
Red-haired Anguy and gray-haired, flat-nosed, square-jawed Lothor Brune rose happily. Since Gendry presided over the ceremony himself, being knighted by the undefeated Storm was a tremendous honor.
"We also request to become Stormguard. Our loyalty belongs to Storm's End, and now Prince Gendry is the rightful master of this place, our true king. He is of House Baratheon's blood, King Robert's heir." Lord Caron and Ser Guyard Morrigen also came forward with their request. Though Brienne of Tarth had stolen the spotlight, they could not let her alone take all the glory.
"Granted. Welcome to my Order of the Storm," Gendry said, accepting them. They had once belonged to Renly's guard and had now changed masters. Still, Gendry felt their abilities were likely only first- or second-rate, far from the truly exceptional. The guards of the Order of the Storm were not yet the final chosen white knights, and he had no reason to complain about having more men.
"A great knightly order of fully armored knights, the Order of the Storm," Gendry thought. House Gardener had once built such an order. The Stormlands did not have as many people as The Reach, but creating a knightly order here would still be easy. The Stormlands had no shortage of knights. It was ordinary soldiers they lacked.
"The Order of the Storm. Our house still has the last Greenhand Knights," Wendel Manderly, who had escorted Catelyn south, said to the person beside him. The Greenhand Knights were a knightly order founded by House Gardener. Only upright knights of excellent skill could join.
During Aegon's Conquest, the last members of the Greenhand Knights died with Mern Gardener IX on the Field of Fire. But because House Manderly had been driven out of The Reach, the Manderly knights who fled north survived the Field of Fire. They still claimed to belong to the Greenhand Knights.
Gendry returned to the high table in excellent spirits. Including himself, four knights had been made today.
The atmosphere in the hall was blazing hot. The knights were in place. What they needed most now was to drive out the Lions and take back King's Landing, which belonged to them.