Inside Gendry's golden royal tent, adorned with the antlers of a giant elk, the fire burned bright and filled the space with warmth.
Two Kingsguards stood outside the king's tent. Guarding was the lifelong duty of a white knight.
Gendry had no interest in luxuries, nor did he care much for fine wine or rich food, but a warrior was bound to love famous swords, bows, and horses.
Gendry's tent could be called the most luxurious armory in the world today. Every weapon there was a priceless treasure, a testament to its owner's legendary feats in battle.
That was the true worth of "Dragonlord Storm." Victory after victory, from east to west, from the Horselords to the Ironborn.
The magic sword Just Maid from the Isle of Tarth, the "Sword in the Stone," naturally stood in a class of its own. Only Valyrian steel weapons bearing magical rune arrays could compare with it.
There was also the Valyrian steel greataxe Scream of the Kraken, traded from House Celtigar in exchange for the Sword of the Night and two Valyrian steel daggers; the golden greatsword Fury, taken from Malaquo, the Tiger Triarch of Volantis; the black sword Orphan-Maker, seized during the purge of Gulltown; and the Arakh curved sword "Fury," taken during the Bloodbeard War.
There was the double-curved Dragonbone longbow, obtained during the War of the Founding; the Purpleheart greatbow, the legacy of Fletcher Dick, his archery master; and King Robert Baratheon's dagger, a gift from Jon Arryn.
Gendry had spent almost no money on these weapons. Nearly all of them were spoils from one war after another.
Victory was the road to fortune. Better to seize than to buy, better to cut down than to pay. Honor was taken beneath the sword.
Win one epic battle, and a great haul of equipment would fall into your hands.
The stronger the enemy, the more gear they dropped.
"Crow's Eye really dropped quite a few divine items." Gendry had to thank Euron Greyjoy. Crow's Eye was worthy of being the strongest and most mysterious enemy he had ever faced, and the value of his equipment was absurdly high.
In one go, Crow's Eye had dropped three divine items: the Dragonhorn Dragonbinder, Valyrian steel armor, and a purple longsword.
There was also the mysterious Bloodstone, most likely inside the Blood Kraken.
The enormous Dragonhorn hung on one side of Gendry's tent, giving off a strange glow.
The thing was far too large. Even on the surface of the water, it could still be spotted.
"Blood for fire, fire for blood. To sound this horn is to give your life."
The Dragonhorn was deadly, so for now it could only hang on the wall as a decoration.
Daenerys wore a purple gauze dress and soft-soled slippers, looking like a violet in bloom.
Gendry had changed into a black short-sleeved tunic. He lifted the black Valyrian steel armor he had tested several times with magical flame.
"Did Euron Greyjoy really enter the ruins of Valyria? That madman." Daenerys asked curiously, drawn to the bewitching charm of the black Valyrian steel armor.
Euron was no ordinary enemy of mankind. Kinslayer, blasphemer, explorer of Valyrian steel, the ultimate horror of bloodshed.
"He went, but not completely," Gendry said.
"Euron possesses a powerful Skinchanger Talent. He may have skinchanged into bastards and half-breeds, making those people enter the ruins for him. Or if there were Krakens and animals near the ruins, he could have possessed them too."
That was Gendry's guess.
Valyrian steel armor, a precious sword, so many Valyrian steel daggers, jewels, gold, and wealth. The Valyrian Ruins were a believable source for all of it.
But Crow's Eye had not brought out many intact treasures, such as multiple long Valyrian steel weapons, scrolls with ancient runes, or magical artifacts.
Perhaps Crow's Eye had never gone too deep into the Valyrian Ruins. What he could carry out was limited.
"Skinchangers. Aren't they only rumored to exist in The North?" Daenerys asked.
"Generally speaking, among the humans of Westeros, only the Northerners and Wildlings with First Men blood, who worship the Old Gods like the Children of the Forest, have the potential to skinchange. But the Ironborn also have First Men blood, and it may be that they only trust the Drowned God as a disguise.
"Some believe House Farwynd of the Iron Islands are Skinchangers. Godless monsters who can freely change into sea lions, walruses, and even the wolves of the sea, spotted whales.
"History is long. It would not be strange for a Crow's Eye to appear in House Greyjoy."
"I see." Daenerys nodded. "It seems my ancestors also had First Men blood. Beth Blackwood, Queen Black Beth, the queen of Aegon V."
Gendry nodded. His great-grandmother, Rhaelle, was Black Beth's daughter.
But the Skinchanger Talent was not so easily awakened. Still, there were also Skinchangers in House Targaryen. The Three-Eyed Crow, Brynden, was still the strongest Greenseer alive, and there was also that possible black cat.
Skinchanging meant invading an animal's, or another person's, consciousness and controlling their actions. It demanded a great deal from the caster.
Invading a human body was even harder. It harmed the person whose mind was occupied, and it was no easy task for the Skinchanger either.
The strongest Skinchanger beyond the Wall was "Sixskins" Varamyr, who controlled three wolves, the old wolf One-Eye, the she-wolf Cunning, and the male wolf Stealth, along with a snow bear and a Shadowcat, and possibly an eagle.
The power of the Old Gods was especially dense beyond the Wall. Six-Skinchanger was so powerful because of his Talent and the shelter of the Old Gods beyond the Wall, but compared with Crow's Eye, he was hardly worth mentioning.
Invading the human body, or the body of a supernatural creature, was far harder than controlling an ordinary animal, and it was taboo besides. Yet Crow's Eye could use skinchanging in the natural world to control an entire ship of people, and even the Blood Kraken.
"With such a powerful Talent, perhaps that monster was the apostle the Three-Eyed Crow chose before Bran?" Gendry thought. "Skinchanging is like one rune forcibly invading the brain of another rune. In the end, it comes down to the strength of the soul."
All in all, Gendry still felt wary of the mysterious Three-Eyed Crow beyond the Wall.
The most powerful Greenseers survived through Weirwood, because Weirwood was immortal and did not decay.
"We have Stone Runes, which can control magical intrusion fairly well," Gendry said.
"Mm."
The magical color beyond the Wall was stronger than in the green lands, and its magical power was greater. They had to guard against it.
Gendry soaked the black Valyrian steel armor in the black-red flames under his control, and the runes on the armor shone brighter and brighter.
These runes even had the effect of resisting magic and flame. The spirals, rune-letters, and mysterious symbols were enough to suit a Pyromancer Dragonlord.
But the duel between Gendry and Crow's Eye had been too close and too fast, and besides, Crow's Eye had not worn a helmet.
Crow's Eye had launched the first attack on the minds of Gendry and the magic dragon Balerion, causing his own consciousness to collapse.
Crow's Eye was not a Pyromancer, so he could not use the battle armor properly.
The edges of the scales on the Valyrian steel armor were red gold, flashing with light whenever it moved.
Now, after being soaked in the flames of Pyromancer Gendry, that red-gold light became thick and fierce, a dazzling golden radiance too bright to look at directly.
"There is Valyrian script here," Gendry said, pointing to the runes on the armor. Some of the runes had brightened under the burn of his flames, rising clearly across the metal.
"I am the Dragonkeeper. Only the Dragonlord of Fire can awaken my power. Blood and fire, fire and blood," Daenerys read from the High Valyrian script.
"This is different from Dragonbinder." Daenerys glanced again at the Dragonhorn.
The Dragonhorn was evil, while this armor was mainly defensive and felt far more reliable.
"The Dragonhorn demands the sacrifice of flame and life, while the Dragonkeeper only requires flame to activate it. It is much gentler."
"They both require the flame of life," Gendry said. "They both require Pyromancers. Pyromancers control the element of fire, and their vital force is different from that of ordinary people. That is why they can blow the Dragonhorn without dying. This armor and that horn can only reveal their true power in the hands of a Pyromancer."
"That should be right." Daenerys remembered the terrifying sound of the Dragonhorn, deafening, demanding the life of the one who blew it.
The sound of the Dragonhorn had seemed endless, like one long scream.
No, it was the scream of a thousand throats gathered into one.
"This precious armor is mine." Gendry set down the Dragonkeeper armor with great satisfaction. It was a priceless spoil of war.
Even among Valyrian steel, the differences were vast.
The stranger the shape, and the more material used, the rarer and more expensive it became. Valyrian steel axes, curved swords, and greatswords were already rare, let alone armor.
Daenerys studied the Dragonkeeper scale armor as well. It truly looked like a beautiful work of art.
"Which Dragonlord's ruins did Crow's Eye find these in?" Daenerys was deeply puzzled.
Back then, House Targaryen had only counted as one of the weaker houses among the Forty Dragonlords. They had never seen treasured things like these. The Dragonhorn Dragonbinder, the Valyrian steel armor Dragonkeeper.
"It must have belonged to no ordinary Dragonlord family."
Gendry then lifted the precious sword Crow's Eye had left behind with eager anticipation, another treasure from Crow's Eye's hoard.
Like Orphan-Maker, the Purple Sword was a hand-and-a-half sword, a bastard sword, and perhaps the most perfect kind of sword.
The blade of this Valyrian longsword was marked with purple ripples.
Those ripples ran deep within the steel, the traces left by thousands of hammer blows in the forge.
The hilt and pommel of the Purple Sword were shaped like a crown of flame, symbolizing supreme power.
On either side of the guard were two purple Dragons, heads raised in furious roars, so lifelike they seemed alive. Their eyes were amethysts.
The Dragons' bodies were covered in flame patterns, and a large purple crystal was set in the middle of the guard.
"This is the same pattern as Firebinder. A rune array with magic that resonates with fire." Gendry recognized it at once.
"Fire!"
As Gendry gripped the sword, the fire elements around him seemed to leap and cheer. Heat and light slowly seeped over from the brazier.
Like the Firebinder ring, the Purple Sword bore strange ancient runes. It had been forged for a Pyromancer.
A thin layer of flame covered the Purple Sword, bright against the night.
The fire wrapped around the Purple Sword. This was not the legendary Burning Red Sword, but simply the power of the Pyromancer Dragonlord.
Daenerys watched the incredible scene. "There is a spell on this sword that awakens flame?"
Every Valyrian weapon was extraordinary. In those days, the smiths of the Valyrian Freehold did not only shape iron with chisels and hammers, but with sorcery as well.
But weapons like the Dragonhorn, the Valyrian steel armor, and this Purple Sword, all inlaid with Valyrian rune arrays, stood in a class of their own.
"That's right." Gendry nodded.
As the flames flowed, he once again felt the light and heat of the Pyromancer.
A string of small, elegant High Valyrian characters appeared upon the flame crown at the sword's pommel, circling the crown as they took form once more.
"The Sword of the Supreme, from the noble House Belaerys, First Dragonlord of the Dragonlord Council of the Valyrian Freehold."
Supreme. Highest. It represented an extreme.
Gendry saw the words upon the crown of flame. Sword of the Supreme was the name of this purple magic sword.
Belaerys. First Dragonlord. Only a Dragonlord family of that level could possess such depth.
At its height, Valyria had been the greatest city in the known world, the center of the civilized world.
Within its cold, gleaming walls, forty rival families had fought and schemed against one another for power and glory at court, locked in endless, treacherous, and often brutal struggles over who would rise and who would fall.
House Targaryen had been among them, but only near the bottom.
When it came to core technology, they had none. In the end, they left for Dragonstone with Dragons, two Valyrian steel swords, and a few scrolls.
"House Belaerys." Daenerys looked at the name of that Dragonlord family. "I had vaguely heard they were powerful, but I never imagined they were so much stronger than our house."
Gendry suspected Crow's Eye might have looted House Belaerys's ancestral tomb. The Dragonhorn, the Valyrian steel armor, the Sword of the Supreme. Every one of them was priceless.
"I have only heard that Jaenara Belaerys rode her dragon, Terex, on a three-year journey through Sothoryos," Gendry said, swinging the Sword of the Supreme in his hand.
This sword was not only unmatched in sharpness, it could also magnify a Pyromancer's power.
"The value of these weapons is beyond mortal imagination," Daenerys said.
Every piece of equipment from House Belaerys was something House Targaryen could hardly hope to match.
House Targaryen's divine weapons were only the two swords, Blackfyre and Dark Sister. They had no right to compare themselves to House Belaerys. House Targaryen had no Valyrian steel armor. House of the Dragon must have made that up.
"The Dragonlords of ancient Valyria controlled their mounts with binding spells and magic horns. We had only one word and a whip," Daenerys said. "Perhaps that is the difference between the great Dragonlord families and the lesser ones."
"The core technology of Valyria," Gendry said.
The glass candles, Valyrian roads, and the Black Wall of Valyria today were all remnants of Valyrian craftsmanship.
At Valyria's peak, the Dragonlords were supreme. They were the strongest Pyromancers and Dragonriders, and they held every secret.
"Clearly, House Targaryen was not among the strongest Dragonlord families, nor were we among the most powerful," Daenerys said. "Our move to Dragonstone was seen by our rivals as cowardice and surrender."
"But now, there is only this one Dragonlord line." Gendry took Daenerys's hand.
"Glory reforged. Storm and Dragonlord." Daenerys's resolve strengthened as well.
"You are right, Knight. But we must give the realm an heir."
"Yes." Gendry laughed and embraced the violet-eyed girl.
"Then we begin with the Lannisters." Gendry already had his strategy in mind.
With his divine equipment and three Dragons, what power did the lions have to fight back?
A three-pronged attack, aimed at slaughtering the lions and trapping them completely.
The first force was the army of The North and the Riverlands fighting hard along the Golden Tooth front, now commanded by Eddard and Robb, father and son.
The second force was the Redwyne fleet, with Asha leading the Ironborn to earn redemption through service.
The third force was the land army setting out from Old Oak, led by Garlan Tyrell and Randyll Tarly, along with the Red Viper and the Dornish spearmen.
As for the elite troops led by Gendry, they would be the unexpected strike force, the assault team.
A knight's sword used steel as its blade and courage in blood as its core.
A lord's sword used warriors as its blade and power as its core.
A king's sword used mountains and rivers as its blade, and the tide of the times as its core.
Now that Gendry had taken Oldtown and overawed the Iron Islands, both The Reach and the Iron Islands had become the edge of his sword.
And as Gendry swung this king's sword, its target was Casterly Rock and the Lannisters.