The gardens of The Eyrie, where a beautiful falcon soared in the air, as white as honor. Outside the window, there was a beautiful blue sky, with white clouds coming and going.
The Eyrie was now clearly organized, with the Alliance of the Protectors of the Vale established, replacing Lysa's absurd rule.
Gendry, the protector of the little Lord and heir to the Iron Throne, served as the Chief Protector. Other members included Lord Bronze Yohn Royce, Baron Nestor Royce, the Grand Steward of the Vale, Lord Maekar Grafton of Gulltown, Lady Anya Waynwood of Ironoaks, Ser Vardis, Captain of the Guard, and Maester Colemon of House Arryn.
In essence, they were the regents of the young Lord Robert Arryn, exercising ruling power on his behalf when he was underage or unable to handle state affairs.
Among these individuals, Gendry served as a protector and would not interfere too much. Gendry was happy to be at leisure; he was not the type to micromanage. A ruler only needed to know how to use people to govern. The other affairs were also handled by these same individuals during Lord Jon and Lysa's administration. Nestor had been the Grand Steward of the Vale and Protector of The Gate of the Moon for over a decade. Colemon was a Maester, and Vardis was the Captain of the Guard for House Arryn. These three were loyal to House Arryn of The Eyrie. Bronze Yohn represented the second most powerful Lord in the Vale, Lord Maekar represented the not-to-be-underestimated power of Gulltown, and Lady Anya represented the second heir, "Dumb Harry."
Once the responsibilities of the Alliance of the Protectors were clearly defined, The Eyrie became exceptionally lively, with most people bustling about. The Lords and Knights of the Vale broke free from their courtship games with Lysa; they now faced a new war of revenge.
"I want you to investigate thoroughly," Bronze Yohn instructed Captain Vardis and Baron Nestor.
"Yes, my Lord!" Ser Vardis led the blue robes soldiers of House Arryn through The Eyrie, while Baron Nestor left The Eyrie, hurrying back to The Gate of the Moon.
Currently, the first priority at The Eyrie was to thoroughly investigate Lysa Tully and Littlefinger's remaining influence in The Eyrie. It proved to be minimal, as Littlefinger lacked the ability and time to deeply entrench himself in The Eyrie. Ser Vardis and Baron Nestor were both trusted confidants of Old Arryn. As for Lysa, given her volatile and irritable personality, few were willing to serve her, much less be her pawns. The second priority was for the Lords and Knights of the Vale present to line up and swear allegiance to the Protectors, supporting them in guarding the frail Arryn orphan. The third priority was to cut off all communications to prevent the leakage of Lysa's folly, and to find a way to eradicate Littlefinger's power.
In the narrow hall of The Eyrie, some Lords and Knights were now lining up to swear fealty to the new heir to the Iron Throne, to the Alliance of the Protectors. After Gendry accepted the Lords' allegiance, he broke free from the sweet talk. The Lords of the Vale were eager to pledge loyalty to a legitimate heir, especially one with a strong army and abundant wealth. Now, the Lords and Knights flocked to Bronze Yohn and Ser Vardis, who were primarily responsible for the Protectors' duties, and many gathered in the meeting hall, making sacred vows to uphold House Arryn and the Alliance of the Protectors.
In the center of The Eyrie's garden, under the watchful gaze of the Alessa statue, many Knights and squire of the Vale observed a splendid longsword Tourney. It might have been a small-scale Tourney, but it was highly significant.
Gendry was tall and agile, clad in black plate armor with a golden quartered surcoat over it. His short black hair reminded people of Aegon the Conqueror of old. Ser Lyn Corbray of the Vale was as thin as a sword, with shoulder-length brown hair. His white surcoat over steel armor bore three crows, each holding a broken heart in its beak. The golden and white storms clashed, and sword light danced.
The clanging of two blunted swords, "clank, clank, clank," shattered the stillness of the garden. Gendry wielded a heavy blunted sword, which Ser Lyn parried with his own. The metallic clashes made people's ears ring. Ser Lyn staggered back, and Gendry rose to pursue, like a leopard hunting its prey. The longswords clashed, moving as swiftly as the wind, appearing as blurred streaks of light.
Gendry's blunted sword struck Ser Lyn's body, first hitting Lyn's steel armor, leaving a long mark, causing him to feel a surge of blood and lose his footing. Then came Lyn's backhand upward slash, but Gendry's blunted sword struck first again. The two blunted swords clashed once more; this time, it was a pure contest of strength and speed. Lyn's forehead was covered in sweat as he desperately tried to push away the longsword, but the force on the sword was like a mountain crushing down, and his opponent was as solid as a rock.
Gendry looked at Ser Lyn, the force on his sword unabated, forcing Lyn to retreat repeatedly, unable to retaliate.
"I lose!" Lyn stumbled back a few steps before he could dissipate the force. He felt stiff and sore all over. Lyn bitterly wiped the sweat from his face and planted his longsword on the ground. He then gracefully bowed to the onlookers, and their cheers grew louder.
"long live the storm!"
"long live the storm!"
"Lyn!"
"Lyn!" The audience screamed, applauded, and cheered for their favored swordsmen. The vale men were always considered respectable and honorable warriors, and naturally, they loved to see spectacular Knightly duels.
Even though Ser Lyn lost, he lost to one of the strongest warriors of his time.
"It seems I'm very unlikely to win," Lyn said, holding his blunted sword. "Clashes between swordsmen usually don't end quickly, but now I've lost too naturally..."
Gendry also had to admit that Ser Lyn was indeed a dangerous swordsman; his endurance, strength, and swordsmanship were unparalleled in the Vale. Gendry enjoyed dueling such masters, as there were not many swordsmen in the world who could last several rounds with him.
Next was another longsword Tourney, where a Knight of the Blue Robe from the Vale bravely challenged Ser Brynden Blackfish. Ser Brynden reluctantly entered the fray.
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