"Sharpen your swords, knights!"
"Sharpen your swords and polish your armor!"
The knights of Tarth called out to one another as they lingered around the tourney grounds and archery range.
"Long live the Storm! Long live Evenfall Hall! Long live Tarth!"
All of Tarth was bustling with excitement, and banners flew from the castle in the wind.
Higher up was the golden quartered banner of House Gendry Breaker, and below it was House Tarth's quartered sigil of rose and azure.
Everyone on Tarth sang praises of the Dragonrider who rode Balerion, "The Black Dread Reborn," and of the Storm who had drawn Just Maid, the sword in the stone. King Gendry was a true knight, the Storm Dragonlord.
The knights and squires of Tarth had to polish their longswords and their iron armor.
With the Warrior's blessing, they would follow Gendry's steps on campaign to Oldtown against the Ironborn.
It was not only for honor, but for vengeance against the Ironborn.
A knight's armor needed oiling, and a longsword needed polishing.
Lazy knights would have their squires sharpen their swords. Knights who truly loved their blades would do it themselves, until the edge was keen enough to shave their own beards.
The warriors of Tarth would occasionally look west, thinking of the sight of the Dragon, and of Gendry drawing Just Maid. Those were scenes they would never forget for as long as they lived.
"For the glory of the Storm, let those iron bastards see what the men of Tarth are made of."
The steward of Tarth made the arrangements. After witnessing such a miracle, the people of Tarth became loyal servants of the Storm.
With Just Maid's appearance, Gendry had unquestionably become one of the knights of legend.
Gendry returned to Dragonstone, and war was pressing close.
The masters-at-arms, stables, smithies, fishing guild, training yards, all of Tarth began moving for Gendry's war.
The steward calculated provisions, while the masters-at-arms of Tarth harshly drilled the green recruits.
The smiths forged new weapons and repaired old ones, while the fishing guild counted longships and sailors.
The grooms arranged the horses and prepared suitable fodder. Knights compared their swordplay, horsemanship, and archery on the training grounds.
Even the women began washing great piles of clothing for the soldiers.
This was war.
...
On the Stormlands road from Storm's End to Sharp Point, the gold-cloaked knights rode north at full speed.
Clop, clop, clop, clop.
The sound of hooves rang out without end, and the knights stood tall as hills.
Ser Guyard Morrigen and Ser Rolland Storm held Gendry's golden quartered banner high. It was the King's banner.
They were not few in number. A party of several hundred knights was already a grand sight, let alone with a Dragon circling in the sky above them.
Gendry rode at the front, a golden circlet on his head, young and vigorous.
This journey to Storm's End and Tarth had brought Gendry enormous gains.
Not only had he further secured the hearts of the lords of the Stormlands and Sharp Point, he had also gained two new runes, Stubborn Stone and Morning Light, along with a new magic sword, Just Maid.
"Could Just Maid be one of the only three swords in the world that can match Valyrian steel?" Gendry wondered boldly.
Gendry knew that Dawn of House Dayne was made of a milky glass-like material, said to have come from a meteorite.
As for Ice of House Stark, not the Valyrian steel one, but the first sword the Starks had lost long ago, it might have been a weapon like true ice, or perhaps one bearing runes.
Together with Just Maid, the blades of those three swords were all priceless treasures.
Beyond their special materials, it was likely because they carried magic and runes. With the weight of years behind them, they had become truly wondrous.
"Could the Children of the Forest have all gone north?" Gendry thought.
The one flaw in the Stormlands was that the replies from the lords of the Rainwood on Cape Wrath were not encouraging.
They had begun searching the Rainwood, but so far, there was still no news of any Children of the Forest in the Stormlands. Perhaps they had truly gone extinct.
"Your Grace, public order in the Stormlands is good, and there are few signs of broken men," Ser Barristan Selmy said to Gendry in praise.
Their journey had been smooth all the way. The people lived in peace and worked in contentment, and they had been little affected by war.
Gendry nodded. "The Stormlands are still fairly peaceful. The more troublesome places are the Riverlands and the Crownlands."
In the current endless war, the Riverlands, Crownlands, Stormlands, The Reach, The North, the Westerlands, and the Iron Islands had all been drawn in.
Only Dorne, too hot and barren, and the Vale of Arryn, protected by high mountains and steep ridges, had escaped disaster.
Though most regions had joined the war, the places that served as the main battlefields were naturally the ones that suffered the worst.
The Riverlands, which suffered most miserably, had been smashed apart. Now it was a case of shallow waters crowded with turtles. The problem of broken men was serious, though it was slowly being brought under control.
"There are dedicated people handling the broken men in the Crownlands and north of it. With Great Lord Eddard in the Riverlands now, things there should be much better too."
Gendry was still confident in how the broken men were being handled. Their numbers were falling.
"Good news," Ser Robar Royce announced happily, waving the letter in his hand.
"My father's men found Lamentation in the ruins beneath the Dragonpit. Our family heirloom."
"Congratulations, Robar," Gendry said, truly happy for him. This had always been a sore point for House Royce.
Even if Gendry had been the one to find it, he would still have returned it to House Royce. Gendry had never lacked equipment as richly as he did now.
Gendry tightened his grip on Just Maid. The new scabbard made for Just Maid was crafted from Goldenheart wood and wrapped in oiled blue leather.
Gendry could now grasp a faint blue rune-light from the runes on Just Maid.
Once touched, flame would slowly gather into the shape of a sapphire-blue glass sword, as beautiful as the morning light. Runes of many colors moved within the blade's edge.
"The rune Morning Light represents sharpness and the attacking power of the sword," Gendry thought.
Whoever had placed the Morning Light rune on a longsword and mastered the power of a magic sword had surely been someone skilled in runes.
Among the First Men of the past, there had also been some extraordinary mages.
Gendry could now use four runes together: Bronze Shield, Chain, Stubborn Stone, and Morning Light.
The shield represented defense.
The chain represented spiritual light.
Stubborn Stone represented isolation and the suppression of magic.
Only Morning Light represented attack and violent power. Gendry could hardly bear to put Just Maid down.
The group traveled north at speed, and after that, they reached Sharp Point, returning to Dragonstone along their original route.
"Roar."
Balerion flew above Dragonstone, and the other two Dragons rushed out happily as well. The Dragons circled together high in the sky.
After not seeing one another for some time, they had become remarkably harmonious.
"My love, my sun and stars," Daenerys said happily, taking Gendry's arm. In a black gown embroidered with gold thread, Daenerys was also extraordinarily beautiful.
It was one of Gendry's favorite colors, and Gendry himself often wore black tunics embroidered with gold thread.
Gendry kissed Daenerys's fingers.
Aside from reuniting with his wife Daenerys, Gendry also received all kinds of people who came to see him.
"Lord Celtigar wishes to see you."
"Oh?" Gendry was somewhat curious.
Everyone said Lord Adrian was known for his greed and wealth. People thought him dull.
Unexpectedly, Lord Adrian of Claw Isle offered Gendry a great gift to borrow.
"This may be of use to you," Lord Celtigar said, revealing the battle-axe he was lending to Gendry. It shone with a cold steel gleam.
Both edges of the axe blade had ripples of red and black, faintly shining in the morning light.
Gendry saw at once that Lord Celtigar had brought a Valyrian weapon, a battle-axe.
"Your Grace, this battle-axe may serve you on the battlefield."
"You are far too generous, Lord," Gendry said with a sigh.
"I am not giving it to you. I am lending it to you, Your Grace," Lord Adrian said, his face reddening.
"I hate those iron bastards. On my voyages, they have stolen no small amount of my wealth, and it was the same hundreds and thousands of years ago. I cannot imagine what a terrible sight it would be if they won this war."
"Of course I understand." Gendry looked at the battle-axe. Holding it gave a man a wild urge to slaughter. "After the war, I will return this steel axe."
It was Gendry's first time seeing a great axe of Valyrian steel, with black and red colors cutting through one another.
Each ripple was different, like the waves of dark night and crimson blood locked in battle.
Gendry swung the axe. It was indeed a work of divine craftsmanship.
The balance of the Valyrian steel axe was excellent. Even a beginner would have to praise it as a godly weapon.
"Your Grace, I have no other request. I only hope you can use it to cut off a few more Kraken heads. Our generation has no good warriors. How have Celtigar's warriors fallen so far?"
"What about your Kraken horn?" Gendry asked.
"That thing isn't real, Your Grace," Lord Adrian said awkwardly. "If such a horn really existed, we would have become overlords of the seas long ago. We tested that horn for many years and found it useless."
"However, I do have an unreasonable request. What do you think?" Gendry said softly, then gently set the great axe down.
"Please speak."
"If I were to obtain another longsword on the battlefield, a Valyrian steel longsword, would that be possible?" Gendry asked, looking at Lord Adrian.
No matter whether the answer was yes or no, he still felt a sense of achievement.
***
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