"At such high altitudes, doesn't this shorten one's lifespan?" Gendry even suspected that the short lifespan of House Arryn was related to the high altitude; could children live healthy lives at such heights?
At the second castle, Gendry and his companions reached Skywatch.
Going up another level meant higher altitude, harsher environment, and smaller fortresses.
The trees became sparse, the wind grew stronger, and the fortresses became smaller and smaller.
Skywatch was much smaller than The Bloody Gate, consisting only of a reinforced tower, a main castle built of wood, and stables hidden behind low stone walls.
The walls were roughly built and not plastered.
"Please, come warm yourselves by the fire?" The Commander here was a pockmarked, anxious young knight.
He offered them bread and cheese and invited them to warm themselves by his fire, but Mya politely declined.
They changed mules again.
"These are natural barriers, one after another, but supplies are a problem, and there aren't many defenders," Gendry thought.
"If an enemy wanted to take The Eyrie, they would have to fight their way up from The Bloody Gate, step by step, while enduring a rain of arrows and falling rocks from Skywatch.
But such an enemy would be too foolish."
At Skywatch, the strong winds came like sharp blades, cutting at their faces, and like howling beasts, threatening to sweep them into the ravines.
Fortunately, there was no ice or Snow on the steps, but it was still terrifying enough, making them fear falling from the clouds.
"What a beautiful night view," Gendry thought.
He had never seen such a night sky in King's Landing.
Clear, aloof, for hundreds of years, this night belonged only to House Arryn.
The stars were as if right before his eyes, within reach.
The moon was so beautiful, hanging in another place.
And the Red Comet, like a bleeding wound in the sky.
"My mother said that hundreds of years ago, this was the Snow line," Mya told them.
"From here upwards, it was all white, with ice and Snow that never melted."
She shrugged, "It's still a long way to the top, and I don't remember seeing Snow here, but perhaps it was like that in ancient times."
"Child, you've lived most of your life in summer, but winter is coming," Ser Barristan said.
Gendry and his companions finally encountered the most dangerous situation; above Skywatch was the most perilous path.
The road from Skywatch to Skywatch was extremely treacherous and often exposed to strong winds.
Gendry saw a solid stone platform, about twenty feet long and three feet wide, but on both sides of the path were bottomless abysses.
They had no choice but to dismount their mules and lead them across.
Gendry felt he had encountered a wonder of the world, Gendry felt it was extremely against nature.
"What kind of place does House Arryn live in? Next time, it's best to ride a dragon."
They finally reached the third checkpoint, Skywatch, which was perhaps the highest and simplest castle.
Skywatch was merely a crescent-shaped, towering wall built of rough stones along the mountainside.
Mya and Nestor greeted the guards, and the gate opened before them.
By this time, the morning light in the east was growing brighter, as they had rested for a while at The Gate of the Moon.
Behind the wall was a series of ramps, with rocks of various sizes teetering precariously.
Gendry suspected that a push would send them tumbling down.
A passage was carved into the rock face before them, with stables and barracks inside.
The Snow line began here, the walls were frosted everywhere, and the slopes above them were covered with long icicles.
"The Snow line has arrived, but if winter comes, and the Snow line drops, these people will surely return down the mountain.
So Littlefinger giving The Gate of the Moon to Nestor is completely like a prodigal son selling his father's land without a care," Gendry thought, "After all, can a king give his main castle to someone else?"
"We finally made it," Anguy said, trembling with fear.
This was the feeling of going up a dangerous building alone.
The last section of the path was inside the mountain, a bit dark, but it spared them from the wind and Snow.
The mules could only go so far; they had to choose between climbing or taking the winch.
"Is House Arryn an eagle, flying so high?" Anguy looked up.
Directly above them, in the dawn's morning light, he could see the foundation of The Eyrie, no more than six hundred feet above them.
From below, it looked like a small white beehive.
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