Gendry drew Just Maid, and the lords, knights, and squires watched the tall, gallant King and the azure sword with excitement in their eyes.
The Dragon Balerion seemed to feel that joy as well, the joy in Gendry's heart.
The Dragon circled high overhead and let out a roar.
That roar made armies shrink back and sent horses and animals into panic. For some, it was the first time they had heard such a soul-shaking sound.
"The Storm Dragonlord. The Warrior come down to earth!"
"The Dragonlord!"
"The legendary knight!"
"Holy Knight Gendry!"
"Long live the Storm!"
"Long live the Warrior!"
The onlookers' eyes were filled with awe and worship.
The legendary holy sword meant the King was a knight of legend, a Dragonrider, and the perfect knight.
No one would ever forget this sight. Gendry had ordered the reefs broken open and found the holy sword.
The Storm had drawn Just Maid from the great stone, while the black Dragon flew in the sky above the King.
The singers of Tarth sang of Ser Galladon of Morne, the perfect knight. No one did not know his tale.
Now that Just Maid had appeared again, the people of Tarth were the most excited of all.
"With this sword, we kill the Ironborn!" Gendry roared, flourishing Just Maid in high spirits.
"With this sword, we kill the Ironborn!"
"Kill the Ironborn!"
"Kill the Ironborn!"
"Into Oldtown, and kill the Ironborn!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
The knights of Tarth, the lords, knights, and soldiers escorting Gendry, and even the watching commoners and fishermen all shouted along.
At this moment, House Storm "Breaker" was about to reach the height of power. For these Ironborn to dare run wild on the King's lands was a slap in the face of the Stormlands.
Most people of the Stormlands had fierce tempers. The stormlanders had always been hot-blooded and eager for battle, and they admired warriors. Besides, they had a deep blood feud with the Ironborn.
More than three hundred years ago, it was House Hoare of the Ironborn that had single-handedly overthrown the Kingdom of the Storm and the Isles and Rivers. Back then, the Storm Kingdom, at its greatest, controlled part of the Crownlands, the Riverlands, and the Stormlands, and had been almost a little overlord of Westeros.
"Though it counts as a greatsword, Just Maid's length and width are right between the massive Rage and the slimmer Orphan-Maker. It should be easy enough to use," Gendry thought.
Just Maid's sapphire-blue, glass-like blade was about four fingers wide. Its length was not as terrifying as Rage, which stood over six feet tall, but rather a little over five feet.
Orphan-Maker was the narrowest and shortest of the three, a hand-and-a-half sword, a bastard sword, perfectly suited to killing and hacking.
It could be used with both hands or paired with a shield, which made it the most perfect sword in a practical sense. Of course, it did not possess the same legendary weight or materials as a greatsword.
Gendry looked at Just Maid, then put the greatsword away. The cut he had made through the stone was smooth as water, like the surface of a mirror.
Gendry had only ever seen such power when a Valyrian steel sword was swung with great force.
In its normal state, Just Maid's material and hardness were in no way inferior to Valyrian steel.
But activating the runes and symbols on Just Maid was not something an ordinary swordsman could do.
The wielder had to possess a vigorous flame and powerful life force, much like using a killing technique. The greater the power, the greater the difficulty.
This was a good omen. Before setting out against the Ironborn, he had gained another holy sword, and another rune.
"You try it, Ser Barristan," Gendry said to Ser Barristan.
The white knight Ser Barristan Selmy stepped forward in confusion, ready to take Just Maid from the King's hands.
But the moment he took hold of it, he discovered the sword was impossibly heavy. He could not swing it at all.
Ser Barristan put his strength into it, only to be pressed down by the sword's weight again. The blade sank back into the sandpit.
"How can this be?" Ser Barristan said in shock. Though he was old, he was still a first-rate warrior.
After several attempts with the same result, the old knight gave up the thought.
Then other knights stepped forward: Lothor, Anguy, Robar, Harrold, Guyard, Rolland, and the rest.
Even bastard knights of Tarth blood could not manage it.
Everyone used all their strength, only to find that they still could not swing Just Maid. Some could not even pull it free.
The blue glass blade seemed to carry a mountain's weight. It was unbelievably heavy, and any strength poured into it simply vanished.
"A sacred sword," Gendry said, lifting it once more. He handled Just Maid with ease.
It seemed Just Maid could only be used once the runes on the sword were activated. The threshold for wielding this sword was very high.
No wonder Morning did not allow ordinary men to use the sword. Just Maid with its runes was almost like cheating.
"The holy sword has a master!"
"The holy sword has chosen its master!"
"The Sword of Morning Light! The Sword of Morning Light!"
"Storm Dragonlord, Sword of Morning Light!"
After witnessing so many wonders, the knights were utterly convinced that this was the legendary blade, the unmatched Just Maid.
"Back to the castle," Gendry announced joyfully. "Today we drink to celebrate. Once we cut off Crow's Eye's head, we'll drink even more."
"As you command, Your Grace!"
The people around him answered in high spirits. With the gods protecting the King, victory was certain.
The knights happily escorted the King and his party back.
"These three swords represent the three aspects of royal power perfectly. Rage is the sword of the realm, the King's sword, and represents authority. Orphan-Maker is the sword of worldly justice, representing judgment and execution. And Just Maid is the sword of spiritual justice, the sword of chivalry, representing mercy," Gendry said to Ser Barristan.
Ser Robar Royce looked enviously at Orphan-Maker on the King's sword belt and Just Maid strapped across the King's back.
House Royce had never been so rich. Their only famous Valyrian steel sword, Lamentation, had been lost in the Dragonpit. They could only hope that Lord Randyll, who was clearing the ruins, would find it for them.
"Why does Just Maid represent mercy?" Anguy asked.
"Once Just Maid is drawn, the enemy is certain to die. That is mercy to the enemy," Gendry explained.
The power of a holy sword, combined with runes, was truly terrifying.
"You are right," Ser Barristan said with a nod. What else could he say? The King simply had too much equipment.
In terms of the value of his armory alone, Gendry might be unmatched in the Known world. Every famous sword and blade he owned was priceless, especially Rage and Just Maid.
Gendry also had treasures like the ring "Firebinder." The only person who could perhaps compare to him was Crow's Eye, who claimed to have visited the ruins of Valyria.
"A sword with a blue glass blade. It reminds me a little of Dawn," Ser Barristan said with a sigh.
"Dawn?"
"Yes, Dawn," Ser Barristan said. "In those days, Arthur, the Sword of the Morning, was my brother. I had the honor of seeing Dawn many times."
Gendry knew Barristan was not only thinking of the Sword of the Morning, but also of the Sword of the Morning's sister.
"What does Dawn look like?" Anguy asked, suddenly interested. "And what about the Sword of the Morning?"
"The Sword of the Morning was the finest swordsman I knew at the time."
"Dawn is also a greatsword.
Its blade is pale, like milky glass. Under the light, it gleams in a way completely unlike the usual dark Valyrian steel weapons, yet in strength and sharpness it can rival Valyrian steel.
Legend says it may have been forged from the heart of a fallen meteor."
"Looked at that way, the two swords really are somewhat alike," Gendry said with a nod.
One had a milky glass-like blade, and the other had a blue glass-like blade.
Given the chance, Gendry also wanted to see Dawn for himself and learn what was so wondrous about it.
But for now, few swords could rival Gendry's Just Maid, the "Sword of Morning Light."
Unless another sword appeared, one also bearing magical runes.