Petyr Baelish and Lysa Tully were no more; they had both flown out of the Moon Door, their bodies plummeting into the mountains.
"High as honor, high as victory. Honor is at the highest, highest point, and only those at the highest point can possess honor."
Gendry stood with his Falcon Sword, the fierce wind howling. Beyond the Moon Door was an endless blue sky and void, with falcons soaring across the heavens. The Eyrie seemed to bear no trace of these two traitors, only a faint, lingering scent of blood in the hall.
Sansa Stark looked at the figure of Gendry, as if seeing a prince from a song. How different Gendry was; he was tall and handsome, shining brightly in the crowd, with a smile as sharp as a blade.
"First, second, next are Lannister and Varys."
Gendry looked at the long sky outside the door, feeling a surge of joy within him, a sense of clarity and purpose.
Blood of the Storm, Blood of the Storm was cheering and surging; the power of Gendry was wild and untamed, battling heaven and earth. It seemed his strength and resilience were increasing once again.
"Varys, Tywin, if I kill them too, I will become even stronger," Gendry thought, eliminating these hateful enemies, fulfilling his heart's desire. To be beyond all things, to be free from all attachments, that is the realm of a sage. But most people's hearts are like pearls covered in dust; only by wiping away this dust will their power truly burst forth.
"Close the Moon Door," Gendry commanded. The matters of The Vale of Arryn were settled. He now possessed strength beyond three realms, and returning home became a ripple in his heart. He wanted to see Dany, Black Dragon Balerion, and see Pear Orchard.
"Yes."
The blue robes 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 away the dark red bloodstains in the hall.
Gendry returned to his high seat. The Eyrie's senior officials and the Lords of The Vale were utterly silent; even a dropped pin would have been a noise. They only heard the howling wind. Now that the traitors were vanquished, the discussion turned to war and strategy.
In the great hall were senior officials of The Eyrie, Baron Nestor, the Grand Steward of The Vale, Ser Vardis, the Captain of the Guard of The Eyrie, and Maester Colemon.
There were also relatives of House Tully, Blackfish Brynden Tully, Sansa Stark of the North, and Jon Snow. Even below the tower were warriors from Claw Peninsula, but the crabfeeders men had not yet ascended the tower.
Almost all the renowned Lords of The Vale were present: the most powerful, Yohn Royce, nicknamed "Bronze Yohn," the illustrious Earl of Runestone and head of House Royce; Anya Waynwood, Countess of Ironoaks; Bennard Belmore, Earl of Strongsong; Symond Templeton, Knight of Ninestars; Horton Redfort, Earl of Redfort; Old Hunter, Earl of Longbow Hall. The Corbray brothers, from Heart's Home. The Lords of Gulltown were absent due to internal strife.
In terms of personal prowess, the Lords of The Vale already looked up to Gendry. After all, King Robert was famous for his divine strength, and Gendry's state at least reached a more terrifying "effortless power." The usually proud and dangerous Ser Lyn was now like a docile lamb, proudly admitting he was no match for Gendry.
"My Lords, we have avenged Lord Jon Arryn and cleared his name. Most of Littlefinger's remnants have been executed. This matter ends here," Gendry began. "Next, we must set out again to jointly fight the traitor Lannister. All who are with us are friends, and will have fine wine and food. But if anyone, like Littlefinger, harbors ulterior motives, they are my enemy, and my sword will show no mercy."
Gendry's iron-like voice echoed through the hall, followed by a moment of silence. Compared to the ravaged Riverlands, where Lords' castles were burned and plundered, The Vale of Arryn had not suffered from war and was strong in men and horses.
Many Lords took Gendry's words to heart, seeing them as a warning. Gendry would no longer delve deeply into Littlefinger's affairs; what he wanted was loyalty. If anyone were to be two-faced like Littlefinger in the future, they would become Gendry's relentless enemy, suffering a cruel fate similar to Littlefinger's.
According to intelligence, Lady Mormont had retreated to Riverrun, while others were recruiting soldiers further north. House Mellinst and House Crakehall controlled Riverrun, and Robb Stark's taxi soldiers were cutting off Lannister's supply lines. Old Lion Tywin, who had chipped his teeth biting the winter wolf, was currently in Harrenhal.
Currently, two people in the country claimed kingship, refusing to yield. But in reality, three other factions were in motion: Gendry, Lord Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone, and King Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands.
"By the grace of the gods, we have killed the traitors Littlefinger and Lysa, avenging our old master. And Lady Sansa Stark has fortunately escaped the lion's maw. So we have only one goal left: to drive the rebellious imp of House Lannister from the Iron Throne. The throne rightfully belongs to the King's legitimate heir," Ser Vardis said.
Baron Nestor also agreed: "The Imp on the Iron Throne is not our King. Renly was crowned, but what right does he have to be King? He is merely The late King's third brother. Moreover, he bypassed his own nephew and disregarded his elder brother."
"Exactly," agreed Earl Redfort of Redfort, a loyal supporter of Gendry, as the princess's marriage was a huge advantage. "Now the forces of Winterfell and Riverrun are under Gendry's command. If we add The Eyrie, and His Highness Gendry's Two Cities, we control at least five major powers. Furthermore, the ancestral lands of House Baratheon are the Stormlands, and they do not lack loyal warriors. As soon as our war banners unfurl, Renly's forces will dissipate like sand through fingers. Even if Highgarden and Dorne come to support Lannister again, they will probably be too late, and Dorne has always had a grudge against the lion. It won't be long before we can impale the heads of Cersei, Joffrey, Tywin, The Imp, and the Kingslayer on spears."
"Let the crescent moon falcon and the Stag banners fly high, and let Lannister tremble at our coming," Bronze Yohn also agreed. They had previously lacked a legitimate claim, but now they had the justification of revenge.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
The Lords of The Vale roared loudly, fists clenched. Firstly, the Knights of the Vale were rigid and honored, and they would never tolerate Lannister harming Lord Jon or trampling on the dignity of The Vale. Secondly, The Vale and the North had many years of good marital friendship, always advancing and retreating together. Thirdly, due to the adoption and marriage alliances of the wolf, fish, falcon, and Stag years ago, The Vale, the North, the Stormlands, and the Riverlands had also deepened their relationships.
Gendry watched the excited people of The Vale with satisfaction. The war potential of the fish and the wolf was relatively limited, while The Vale's war potential was clearly much higher. The Vale was wealthier, and also more rigid and exclusive.
"If you ask me, Gendry is King Robert's eldest son and heir, and Gendry still has the last true dragon. Renly is a traitor and a playboy, and Stannis is a block of ice. They also didn't solve Littlefinger and Lysa for us. My Lords, if we are truly to kneel, I will only fight with Gendry," Ser Lyn Corbray suddenly shouted, raising his fist. "Long live the Storm!!" Then Ser Lyn drew his Lady's Sword, placed it below the high platform, and knelt there.
"Long live the Storm!!" Dumb Harry also knelt, placing his longsword down, kneeling beside Lyn.
The other Lords of The Vale also came to their senses and quickly followed Ser Lyn and Dumb Harry's actions. The hall erupted in a wave of sound, with everyone shouting Gendry's name, crying out "Long live the Storm!!"
The blue and white crescent moon falcon banner behind The Eyrie's great hall watched the crowd, high as honor... The Vale had decided to send troops. Under the leadership of the Protector's Alliance, the Lords began to plan for soldiers, provisions, and routes of deployment. The more secure route was through Gulltown, which was also the experience of previous expeditions.
As for the restless youngsters, they preferred to watch the lively tourneys in The Eyrie's gardens. Tourneys were contests of endurance, speed, strength, and skill.
In The Eyrie's beautiful gardens, "Dumb Harry," the second heir of The Vale, clad in silver-plated armor, and "bastard" Jon Snow, in black scale armor, together attacked Gendry. Their offensive was fierce, swords raining down.
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