Daenerys dismounted gracefully from the warship, riding atop a beautiful silver mare. The sea breeze swept across the harbor as she guided the horse toward Gendry's side.
Only after she lowered the hood of her cloak did the gathered lords finally see her clearly.
Silver-gold hair shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Her violet eyes carried an almost unreal beauty.
The crowd fell silent for a brief moment.
Then Stannis Baratheon stepped forward.
"Long live the Storm!"
He unsheathed his longsword and knelt, placing the blade respectfully before Gendry's feet.
The surrounding soldiers stared in shock.
Lady Melisandre covered her eyes unconsciously, unable to bear the sight before her. In the flames, she had once seen Stannis as the chosen savior—the warrior born amidst smoke and salt, a king as unyielding as black iron.
Yet now…
That same man had knelt.
Ser Cortnay quickly gestured toward Edric Storm.
"Hurry."
The young boy immediately ran forward. Once, Edric had been known as the most prominent of Robert Baratheon's bastards, but now he was merely another member of House Baratheon standing beneath his brother's shadow.
Still, he seemed genuinely happy.
"Long live King Gendry!"
Edric enthusiastically placed down his small sword and shouted with all his strength. His blue eyes shone brightly, though his large ears still gave him an awkward appearance.
Stannis awkwardly bowed once more toward Daenerys, his pride clearly wounded.
As for Edric, he held no resentment. He was still only a child.
Gendry raised both of their hands high before the cheering soldiers.
One hand belonged to a hardened middle-aged man.
The other belonged to an innocent young boy.
Stannis the iron-willed lord.
Edric the naïve child.
"Long live Storm's End!"
"LONG LIVE STORM'S END!"
The soldiers from the Stormlands and Dragonstone erupted into cheers. The division within House Baratheon had finally ended.
Many of them looked genuinely relieved.
At the edge of the crowd, Brienne leaned closer to Renly.
"My lord… I think you should step forward and ask forgiveness."
Even now, Brienne was still trying her best to protect him.
Renly laughed bitterly.
"Kings all meet their end eventually. Besides, even if I beg, do you truly think they'll forgive me?"
The soldiers behind him pushed him forward regardless.
A defeated traitor had no right to refuse.
Gendry's voice echoed across the harbor.
"Other than Renly Baratheon, all soldiers who surrender today are pardoned."
A thunderous roar immediately followed.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the Storm!"
Gendry then turned toward Stannis and Ser Cortnay.
"Lord Stannis Baratheon shall become my Hand—the Hand of the Storm."
"Ser Cortnay Penrose will continue serving as Lord of Storm's End and guardian of my brother Edric."
The surrounding lords exchanged shocked glances.
This was no small appointment.
Stannis himself seemed slightly surprised.
Gendry had considered the matter carefully. Stannis possessed tremendous administrative experience. Although harsh and uncompromising, he was exactly the kind of man needed for the coming age.
Winter was approaching.
The realm would soon descend into chaos.
A soft ruler could not survive such times.
Only someone as relentless as Stannis Baratheon could maintain order.
Daenerys smiled faintly.
"Please accept the position."
Stannis remained silent for several moments before answering quietly,
"I am tired."
"I wished only to return to Dragonstone and spend my remaining days with my wife and daughter…"
Then he raised his head.
"But for the sake of House Baratheon… I will continue fighting."
The soldiers roared even louder.
"LONG LIVE GENDRY!"
"LONG LIVE THE STORM!"
Many of the Stormlords could already see victory ahead of them. King's Landing no longer felt unreachable.
Renly, however, stared coldly at Gendry.
"And what of me?"
Stannis frowned deeply.
"You are a traitor, little brother. You are not in a position to negotiate."
Gendry answered without hesitation.
"The Wall."
The color instantly drained from Renly's face.
The Wall.
A kingdom of ice, exile, and endless snow.
Once, Renly had desired the Iron Throne for himself. He had gathered glory, wealth, banners, and armies.
But ambition demanded blood.
And now, everything had collapsed.
"No… no!"
A sudden cry interrupted the silence.
The crowd turned.
Several Green Dragon soldiers were carrying a stretcher through the crowd. Upon it lay a handsome young knight wrapped in white bandages stained faintly with blood and medicine.
"Ser Loras!"
The lords immediately recognized him.
The Knight of Flowers.
Loras Tyrell struggled to sit upright despite his injuries.
"You attacked us dishonorably!" he shouted angrily. "That is not the conduct of true knights!"
"I demand vengeance for Renly!"
Stannis stared at him coldly.
"You attacked us first."
Ser Cortnay sighed.
"Ser Loras, you stand before a king. Show proper respect."
Loras clenched his fists tightly.
"You… you cannot send Renly to the Wall."
"Enough, Loras," Renly said weakly. "I lost."
Still, Loras refused to back down.
"Renly is a traitor," Stannis declared coldly. "And truthfully, House Tyrell also committed treason."
"The king has chosen mercy."
"We require the Reach's food and armies, otherwise you would not stand here alive."
Even so, Loras raised his head proudly.
"For Renly… and for my honor… I challenge you, Stannis Baratheon!"
Despite his pale face and severe injuries, determination still burned within him.
Gendry couldn't help laughing softly.
"You?"
He looked the young knight up and down.
Even healthy, Loras relied on speed and elegance rather than brute force. Against monsters like the Mountain—or Gendry himself—such techniques meant little.
"Even at your peak, you would not defeat me," Gendry said calmly. "Much less now."
"If your brother Garlan were here, perhaps that would be more interesting."
Renly lowered his head sadly.
"Long live the Storm…"
Then, unexpectedly, he knelt.
"I ask forgiveness for Ser Loras."
Loras looked stunned.
"I'll duel you once my injuries heal!" he insisted stubbornly.
Gendry chuckled.
"Forget the duel."
"Instead, let us make a wager."
He turned toward one of the nearby knights.
"Ser Parmen Crakehall."
A large knight stepped forward nervously.
"You will exchange several blows with me on Ser Loras's behalf."
"If you survive three moves, I will consider it enough."
Parmen's face twitched violently.
Fight Gendry?
Was this some kind of joke?
Even Brienne hesitated nearby. She noticed Lord Tarth quietly signaling for her not to interfere.
Loras gritted his teeth.
"And if you lose?"
Gendry smiled faintly.
"I won't."
Then he looked directly at Loras.
"You are a knight born in summer."
"But winter is coming."
"Go back to the Reach. Heal your wounds while you still can."
Ser Parmen reluctantly picked up a blunted training sword and stepped forward.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Then—
He charged.
But before Parmen's sword could even descend, Gendry moved first.
CLANG!
The first strike crashed heavily against Parmen's blade.
The knight nearly collapsed immediately.
The force numbed his entire arm.
Before he could recover—
The second strike came.
Fast.
Heavy.
Direct.
The blunt sword stopped inches from Parmen's throat.
Sweat rolled down the knight's face.
Even a blunted sword could kill in the hands of a true master.
Gendry lowered the weapon calmly.
"Young Ser Loras…"
"Courage is admirable."
"But strength and speed matter even more."
He released the sword casually, allowing it to fall before Loras and Renly with a heavy clang.
The sound felt like shattered hope.
Loras stared silently at the sword.
For the first time, he truly understood the gap between them.
No matter how unwilling he felt, continuing the argument would only humiliate himself further.
Anguy suddenly raised his bow high.
"Fight for Storm's End!"
"Fight for the Storm!" Daenerys shouted happily beside Gendry.
Soon the soldiers joined in.
"FIGHT FOR THE STORM!"
"FIGHT FOR THE STORM!"
The Stormlords looked at Gendry with growing admiration.
What kind of warrior was he?
Fearless.
Powerful.
Overwhelming.
A knight who relied not on elegant technique, but absolute strength.
Gendry finally looked back toward Renly and Loras.
"You have one day together."
"Tomorrow, Renly Baratheon will depart for the Wall."
Renly lowered his head.
"Thank you… Your Grace."
His voice trembled slightly.
Then he knelt fully.
Loras still wanted to protest, but Renly stopped him with a glance.
Some things were already over.
Loras might never accompany Renly to the Wall, but a part of his heart would remain there forever.
Renly suddenly turned toward Brienne.
"Thank you."
"And thank you, Brienne."
"In the end, you were still willing to stand beside me."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But you've done enough for me."
"From now on… live for yourself."
Brienne remained silent, though her eyes visibly trembled.
After a long pause, Gendry turned toward Stannis.
"Uncle, there's something aboard the flagship that you need to see."
Stannis frowned slightly.
"What is it?"
Nearby, Qyburn approached Melisandre alongside Jon Strong.
"Lady Melisandre," Qyburn said politely, "His Grace requests your presence aboard the flagship as well."
Soon, Stannis and the Red Priestess boarded the massive warship known as Storm.
The vessel itself was magnificent—large, heavily armored, and imposing enough to dominate the harbor.
Yet neither of them paid attention to the ship for long.
Because above them—
Something moved through the sky.
Tiny black shadows circled overhead before descending rapidly.
Then the creatures landed upon the deck.
One black.
One white.
One green.
Dragons.
The three beasts landed beside Gendry and Daenerys before spreading their wings once more.
The sight was breathtaking.
Fire and blood.
Dragons soaring across the heavens.
Stannis's eyes widened completely.
"Dragons…"
For nearly a century, such creatures had vanished from Westeros.
Yet now they had returned.
Melisandre remained silent.
For the first time in many years, uncertainty appeared in her eyes.
Had the Lord of Light truly abandoned her?
Were these dragons the true saviors she had failed to foresee?
At last, she looked toward Gendry.
"So… this was your true trump card."
Gendry smiled faintly.
"Against knights, I have knights."
"Against magic…"
He raised his hand toward the sky.
"I have dragons."
At that moment, the black dragon Balerion leapt from Gendry's shoulder and soared across the sea. Moments later, it snatched a massive fish directly from the water.
The dragon exhaled flames.
The fish cooked instantly.
Then Balerion swallowed it whole.
It had already begun hunting on its own.
Qyburn smiled meaningfully at Melisandre.
"You should consider yourself fortunate, my lady."
He pointed toward the dragons circling above them… and then toward Jon Strong standing nearby like a silent giant.
"These preparations…"
"Were originally meant for you."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)