Gendry won the first match. In this lively foot combat tournament, everyone had already decided there was no other choice for champion.
The second semifinal was merely a question of who would win, then lose to the Storm and take second place.
"How is this possible?" Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, looked again and again. He still had some confidence in mounted jousting.
But in foot combat, his chances seemed almost nonexistent.
The Knight of Flowers, Loras, could not even touch the edge of the Red Viper, Oberyn Martell, let alone Gendry.
"Could he really be the Warrior himself? I've trained since I was a child." The Knight of Flowers looked down at his own hands. He had trained day after day, only to understand in the end that there was always a higher sky above. A strong sense of absurdity rose within him.
"Lady Brienne of Tarth, from the Isle of Tarth, against Ser Garlan Tyrell, from The Reach."
The herald's horn sounded, announcing the next match.
The duel between Brienne of Tarth and Garlan Tyrell was not as splendid as the first, but it was just as fierce.
The Blue Knight Brienne faced Garlan, who wore silver-plated armor and a green robe. Upon Garlan's green robe were two golden roses on a green field.
Garlan was a full size taller and broader than Loras, and with his beard, he looked even more masculine.
Brienne and Garlan were equally strong. Blue shadow and green shadow, blunted swords whistling through the air, the two warriors' fight drew rough cheers from the crowd.
Brienne and Garlan traded blows back and forth, steel ringing against steel.
But as they fought into the final moment, the Blue Knight and the green-robed knight chopped and wheeled their longswords again and again. At times their shields crashed together, and both were beginning to sway.
In the end, Brienne won. Garlan lifted his visor and dropped the blunted sword in his hand.
Garlan's face was covered in sweat, and blood seeped from his lips. Facing Brienne was no simple matter.
"I won." The Blue Knight Brienne lifted her visor, drew back her blunted sword, and paid respect to the King and Queen.
"Brienne of Tarth!"
"Brienne the Beauty!"
"The girl from Tarth!"
The lords of the Stormlands shouted loudly, cheering Brienne's victory.
The following final held little suspense. Brienne had never been Gendry's match to begin with, and her fight against Garlan had consumed a great deal of her strength.
Gendry once again tossed a bit of sapphire from Brienne's helmet into the crowd, and the people thundered with cheers for them.
"The victory in the King's Landing foot combat tournament still belongs to His Grace King Gendry. Honor to our King and warrior."
"Storm!"
"Long live the King!"
"The Knight's Crown!"
The crowd roared its approval. This was an extremely rare sight: two crowns in a single tournament.
But Gendry's victories were not over. He still had the archery contest to enter.
The remaining highlights of that afternoon were the archery contest and the group melee.
At the archery grounds, the spectators packed in like a wall. If Gendry won the archery contest as well, it would be the most splendid of three crowns.
Gendry drew his longbow, judging the wind, the sunlight, and his strength. His arrows flew as smoothly as silk, both far and true.
The opponents with shorter range were eliminated first. The final strong contenders were Gendry, Anguy, Balon Swann, Jalabhar of the Summer Isles, and Mychel Redfort of the Vale.
The five entered the hundred-pace shooting in turn. Anguy eliminated the other contestants, and then Gendry defeated Anguy.
Thus, Gendry took the champion's title in the Longspear joust, the foot combat tournament, and the archery contest.
Aside from the group melee, which was too dangerous and which the lords all advised the King not to join, Gendry won all three contests he entered.
"Dragonlord Storm!"
"Dragonlord Storm!"
"The Stag!"
"The Stag!"
Gendry returned to his seat on the high platform, and the cheers of the onlookers seemed to drown the entire platform.
Arya Stark looked at Gendry and suddenly thought of that mysterious killer, Jaqen, who had brought the "Stranger."
"Is he a match for the Storm?"
Arya could not be certain. She knew the Storm was terrifyingly strong. No one had yet driven him to his limit.
The surrounding crowd and the knights could not suppress the joy and shock in their hearts. Three crowns in one tournament was truly rare.
Gendry's victories had not been hard fought or difficult. Instead, he had seemed to win at a leisurely stroll. If the King had not been barred from entering the chaotic group melee, Gendry might have taken four championships.
The Warrior's valor, the Smith's strength.
Lords, knights, squires, and warriors all cheered. Only martial strength could awe the world.
The noblewomen cheered even more eagerly, not only because Gendry had cut through the entire tournament, but also because of the King's handsome face.
"A hand of four masteries," Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, said with a smile to his fellow knight, Ser Balon Swann.
Longsword, great spear, warhammer, and archery. Gendry could be called unmatched in all of them.
Gendry sat beside Daenerys. He had changed into clothes of black patterns on a golden base, bearing the royal quartered arms, and together with Daenerys in her purple gown, they looked like a perfect pair.
Some noblewomen pretended to remain reserved, but many more had heat and fire in their eyes, as if they wished to swallow Gendry whole.
"Congratulations on your victory, Your Grace, and on the Knight's Crown," Daenerys said with a proud smile.
"You are the light of love and beauty in the Seven Kingdoms within my heart." Gendry kissed Daenerys on the cheek, and the two sat together.
"The Seven praise your victory, Your Grace," Margaery Tyrell said. She had a doe's gentle eyes, and those eyes carried a smile. "Unstoppable."
"Ser Garlan and Ser Loras have also lived up to the name of knight," Gendry said with a smile. It was a courtesy.
"A great victory, as handsome as you are," Sansa Stark said, blushing.
"The old and new gods must have chosen the finest parts for you, Lady Sansa."
Sansa was awed by Gendry's heroic bearing. The King was like a towering citadel. She saw those blue eyes, and his voice was like steel, fearless and unshaken.
Compared with him, Ser Loras seemed rather too delicate.
Arya secretly rolled her eyes and had no desire to say anything more.
The great chaos of the group melee went on for more than two hours. Because this was a foot combat event, it drew many participants, and by the time the foot melee began, there were over thirty men.
Most were freeriders, hedge knights, and newly knighted squires seeking fame and advancement.
The participants brandished blunted weapons and attacked one another in the field. Mud splashed, and blood flew.
Though the group melee looked somewhat crude, it was the closest thing to a real battlefield.
The final victor was Lord Beric. He and his old partner Thoros fought as a pair and had the last laugh.
Thoros used his flaming sword, and that move worked every time.
...
During the banquet that evening, everyone was full of optimism and hope for the future.
After this banquet, many soldiers would return to their homes. Some of Highgarden's men, and some of the Vale's men.
Too many soldiers meant a heavy burden. Elite troops were enough to handle a direct battle, and the key lay in the future.
Meanwhile, Eddard and Roose would lead the new Winter Wolf army to the Riverlands.
A small meeting was urgently convened that night, attended by Great Lord Eddard of The North, Great Lord Stannis the Hand of the King, Ser Barristan, Great Lord Mace of Highgarden, and Prince Oberyn of Dorne.
"Next comes war, in The North, the Westerlands, and the Iron Islands," Gendry said to Great Lord Stannis and the others. "I have decided. The one I will deal with personally is Crow's Eye. I will hunt the Kraken."
"The Ironborn." Stannis did not ask too much. He understood the King's meaning. The Kraken might be paired with certain ancient and uncanny things, which would make it quite troublesome.
"Perhaps I should go in your stead," Stannis said. "If the war truly carries a certain danger."
"To go west, one must first go east," Gendry said mysteriously.
Crow's Eye would have some strange things waiting when they clashed.
Gendry decided to take the dragons back to Dragonstone again to absorb fire. In addition, he would continue to study his runes.
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