"That was my thought as well. I'll fly north and speak with the King Beyond the Wall." Gendry's gaze held firm resolve, the authority and strength of a ruler. "Now that we have dragons, we can communicate with the wildlings much faster. The Onion Knight and Jon Snow Stark are both at the Wall now. What they lack is someone who can make the final decision."
"When it comes to negotiations, no one is better suited than the king." Duke Stannis nodded. Sending Eddard back by such a roundabout route might not get him there in time.
"I worry about Your Grace's safety," Earl Mathis said.
"I don't think the wildlings are foolish enough to offend the world's one and only Dragon King, Pyromancer, and warrior," the Earl of Tarth said firmly. It was a kind of faith in a warrior. The king could do anything.
Gendry would not choose the sea route, flying from King's Landing to Gulltown and then to White Harbor.
Gendry chose the overland route, through the Riverlands and the North.
But beyond the Neck, people were scarce and the roads were terrible, so he brought extra supplies.
More importantly, the Riverlands also held the mysterious Harrenhal and High Heart.
These wondrous places were precisely the places Gendry needed to see for himself, concerning the truth of Summerhall and the legends of the ancient Age of Heroes.
Chapter 472: Reshaping royal power, the ghost of High Heart
At the beginning of the War of the Successors, the Night's Watch had sent ravens to the great lords throughout the realm, warning of the Long Night and the invasion of the Oddballs, but they had been all but ignored.
Before Gendry and the Night's Watch had established proper contact, the Old Bear had led a large band of