The fleet sailed steadily across the sea.
A gentle breeze swept across the deck, causing the quartered golden battle banners to flutter proudly in the wind. The black crowned stag bearing a warhammer, the red Three-Headed Dragon, the pale direwolf, and the blue-and-white Liberator breaking his chains all swayed beneath the bright sky.
Sunlight shimmered across the endless sea, creating a breathtaking view.
Gendry loved moments like this.
He watched dolphins leap alongside the warships like silver javelins cutting through the waves, and every now and then, schools of flying fish burst from the water before disappearing back beneath the surface.
Standing at the bow were two figures.
One was an old knight clad in white armor.
The other was a young lord dressed in black.
A liege lord and his sworn protector.
A future king and his Kingsguard.
They stood side by side, chatting as they sipped unsweetened lemonade.
Lemons were rare in Westeros, making lemonade a luxury enjoyed almost exclusively by the nobility. Although the world resembled medieval Europe, its magic and unique history often produced unexpected luxuries.
---
Storm.
The Liberator.
Swordbreaker.
The Demon of the Blackwater Rush.
Despite all his growing fame, Gendry was still young.
Compared to Viserys and Daenerys—who had crossed the Narrow Sea countless times while fleeing from one Free City to another during their childhood—his experience at sea was insignificant.
Fortunately, he wasn't prone to seasickness.
He was also an excellent swimmer.
Beside him, Ser Barristan Selmy—the legendary Barristan the Bold—slowly sipped his slightly bitter lemonade.
Standing next to someone as young as Gendry inevitably reminded him of his own age.
Fine wrinkles surrounded his pale blue eyes.
His once golden hair had long since turned snow white.
He was an old man now.
For someone who had survived into his sixties in the Seven Kingdoms—especially after suffering countless wounds in battle—his longevity was remarkable.
---
"Ser..."
"What was your youth like?"
Gendry looked at Barristan with genuine curiosity.
The old knight had witnessed nearly every major event in modern Westerosi history.
He was a living legend.
Barristan smiled faintly.
"My past?"
"It's all recorded in the White Book."
The White Book, officially known as the Book of the Brothers, chronicled the deeds of every member of the Kingsguard who had served the Iron Throne over the past three centuries.
It was kept inside the White Sword Tower of the Red Keep, where the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard personally updated its pages beneath the eyes of the Seven.
Each Kingsguard knight was granted a single page recording his life and accomplishments.
"That must make for fascinating reading."
Anguy, the red-haired archer with freckles, couldn't hide his admiration.
As a fellow marcher lord's son, he had always idolized Ser Barristan.
Among Gendry's companions on this voyage were Anguy, Lothor Brune, and Robar Royce.
Jon Snow, Dumb Harry, Guyard Morrigen, and the others remained in King's Landing.
"My father always said you were one of the greatest Kingsguard who ever lived," Robar said respectfully.
Knights of the Vale deeply valued honor and the Faith of the Seven.
To them, Barristan Selmy represented the ideal knight.
Barristan smiled modestly.
"'The greatest' might be an exaggeration..."
"But I suppose I am among them."
He paused before continuing.
"My page in the White Book is probably one of the longest."
"The early entries were written by Ser Gerold Hightower."
"Later, after I became Lord Commander following the Battle of the Trident..."
"I began writing my own."
---
Barristan recited the words almost from memory.
"Eldest son of Lord Lyonel Selmy of Harvest Hall."
"As a child, he served as squire to Ser Manfred Swann."
"At the age of ten, wearing borrowed armor and disguised as the Mystery Knight, he secretly entered the tournament at Blackhaven."
"There, he earned the nickname Barristan the Bold, though Prince Duncan the Small eventually defeated and unmasked him."
"At sixteen, he once again entered a tournament anonymously in King's Landing."
"After defeating Prince Duncan the Small..."
"And even Ser Duncan the Tall, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard..."
"He was personally knighted by King Aegon V Targaryen."
"Later..."
"During the War of the Ninepenny Kings..."
"He slew Maelys the Monstrous—the last of House Blackfyre—in single combat."
"He also defeated Rommel Longspear and Cedrik Storm."
"At twenty-three..."
"He was accepted into the Kingsguard by Lord Commander Gerold Hightower."
---
Although Barristan spoke in an ordinary tone...
Every achievement sounded legendary.
His life had been a tale of extraordinary courage, forged through immense talent and relentless dedication.
His tournament victories stretched across Westeros.
Silverbridge.
Maidenpool.
Oldtown.
Storm's End.
King's Landing.
Wherever he competed...
He usually emerged victorious.
His military achievements were just as remarkable.
He personally slew Maelys Blackfyre.
During the Defiance of Duskendale, he rescued the Mad King Aerys II despite being shot through the chest.
He helped crush the Kingswood Brotherhood and killed Simon Toyne.
He fought beside Prince Rhaegar and his sworn brothers during the Battle of the Trident, suffering countless wounds from swords, arrows, and spears.
After Robert's victory, he was pardoned instead of executed.
Later, he commanded troops during Balon Greyjoy's Rebellion.
He witnessed King Robert's final will alongside Eddard Stark.
After Robert's death, he crossed the Narrow Sea once more to honor that final command.
Gendry listened carefully.
He noticed Barristan deliberately skipped one event.
The Tourney at Harrenhal.
Perhaps because he had lost to Prince Rhaegar.
Or perhaps because that tournament had ultimately led to a chain of events that plunged the realm into war.
---
Barristan looked toward the younger men.
"Even so..."
"I don't recommend following my path."
"It is a difficult life."
"You sacrifice everything for an honor that is priceless..."
"Yet ultimately fleeting."
"When I joined the Kingsguard..."
"I surrendered my inheritance at Harvest Hall."
"The woman who was meant to marry me eventually married my cousin instead."
"A White Cloak owns no lands."
"He fathers no children."
"Our entire lives belong to the realm."
He continued quietly.
"The first duty of a Kingsguard is to protect the king."
"We must obey his lawful commands."
"Keep his secrets."
"Offer counsel when asked."
"Remain silent when not."
"Stand ready whenever he calls."
"And defend the honor of the Crown."
"But above all..."
"You must abandon your personal desires."
Barristan studied the young men before him.
"You're all still young."
"You don't yet understand how heavy the word 'desire' truly is."
He sincerely admired them.
The passionate Anguy.
The quiet and dependable Lothor.
The honorable Robar Royce.
Even Gendry's other companions possessed exceptional potential.
It was simply that Gendry himself shone so brightly that everyone around him appeared ordinary by comparison.
A true Kingsguard had to overcome lust...
Ambition...
Greed...
Only then could he fulfill his vows and die with honor.
Those who failed eventually became pawns in the game of power.
---
Anguy immediately waved both hands.
"Oh, that's definitely not for me."
"I still enjoy spending time with pretty girls."
Everyone laughed.
Lothor merely smiled without commenting.
As one of Gendry's closest confidants, he had no interest in becoming a Kingsguard.
Only Robar Royce listened with complete seriousness.
He had genuinely considered taking the white cloak one day.
Had Gendry never risen to power...
He might have sworn himself to Renly Baratheon instead.
Gendry grinned.
"Anguy..."
"If I don't keep an eye on you..."
"You'll spend every gold dragon you earn on women."
Anguy laughed shamelessly.
"What's the point of being young if you don't enjoy life?"
Barristan chuckled.
"Indeed..."
"Lust is perhaps the hardest temptation to overcome."
Prince Lewyn Martell had secretly kept a lover.
Every member of the Kingsguard had known.
Yet none had betrayed their sworn brother's secret.
Then there was Jaime Lannister...
His affair with Queen Cersei, along with his act of kingslaying, had forever stained the honor of the White Cloak.
Even Barristan himself...
Had once quietly admired Lady Ashara Dayne.
---
"The Kingsguard are the finest knights in all the Seven Kingdoms," Robar said with admiration.
Barristan shook his head.
"They once were."
"But not anymore."
"Today..."
"Only Ser Boros remains among the younger generation."
"I once stood beside the Sword of the Morning..."
"Prince Lewyn Martell..."
"The White Bull, Gerold Hightower..."
"Ser Oswell Whent..."
"Ser Jon Darry..."
"Even Jaime Lannister."
"One by one..."
"They all fell."
He sighed deeply.
"King Robert should never have pardoned the Kingslayer."
"And many who later joined the Kingsguard brought shame upon the White Cloak."
He couldn't continue.
He still remembered how some of those very men had mocked him as he departed the Red Keep.
Compared to the brothers he had once fought beside...
Their skill and honor were worlds apart.
Gendry nodded thoughtfully.
"Now there are men like Meryn Trant..."
"Boros Blount..."
"Mandon Moore..."
"The Hound..."
"And Ser Preston Greenfield."
Some died in riots.
Some drowned.
Overall...
The quality of the modern Kingsguard had declined dramatically.
One of them had even been reduced to guarding little girls in Braavos.
Barristan sighed.
"Yes..."
"Some of them truly fall short."
"I must restore the honor of the Kingsguard."
"I won't allow this proud order to continue declining."
He regarded that as one of the final missions of his life.
Robar whispered thoughtfully.
"The Sword of the Morning..."
"He must have been extraordinary."
"And the White Bull..."
"He was legendary."
"As for Prince Rhaegar..."
"My father always said he was charismatic."
"But also impossible to truly understand."
Barristan's expression softened.
"Rhaegar was unquestionably brave."
"He was also a close friend."
"But unlike Robert..."
"Or Jaime..."
"He rarely enjoyed tournaments."
"He never delighted in the clash of steel."
"He loved music far more than war."
"The harp suited him better than the lance."
"And he never found joy in battle."
Lothor and the others listened silently.
The legendary prince who had changed the fate of Westeros...
Still remained a figure shrouded in mystery.
________________________________________
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