"You're quite the celebrity now, Gendry!" Maester Qyburn joked in the cabin. Gendry's performance on the deck of the "Telescope" had earned him a great deal of respect. The boy with the mace was truly formidable. He was wild and unrestrained, and he had saved the "Telescope."
"The pirates wanted us to surrender. How could I surrender? You'd be thrown into the sea, and I'd be sold to the pleasure gardens," Gendry said with a helpless shrug. His left arm was still bandaged, but he was strong and healthy, and the wound would heal quickly.
Most pirates came from the Summer Islands. For the free men of the Summer Islands, the pirates would demand a high ransom, but their lives were not in danger. However, for Westerosi, it was not so kind. Slavery was the most common fate.
"That's true, my boy, but the victory has brought you many rewards," Qyburn said with a smile.
Qyburn knew that Captain Dunster, the Myrish sailors, and the Westerosi passengers had all given Gendry many gifts. After all, it was the boy's bravery that had spared them physical pain and financial ruin.
"Fighting is not what I imagined. If it weren't for Golden-tooth's overconfidence and splitting his forces, I wouldn't have had the chance to turn the tide. If twenty men had come at once, we wouldn't have stood a chance," Gendry reflected on the battle, which had been very dangerous. He needed heavy armor and a helmet to protect himself before he could fight. He had been forced by circumstances to fight without armor.
"If the pirates had armor, we would have been doomed."
"That's true, Gendry. War is a dangerous game, but luck is also part of strength! War is not a jousting tournament surrounded by flowers. A puddle of water, a pile of mud, dirty things at dinner time, and a bad mood can all affect the outcome of a war! Every person has their limits!" Qyburn looked at Gendry. He was very interested in the face behind the iron mask.
"In history books, there are superhuman warriors, but that was at least hundreds of years ago. The Valyrian Dragonlords, the princes and princesses of the Rhoyne, all excelled in both combat and magic. What we have now is just a war of mortals."
"I had originally planned to make you my apprentice. Medicine may not be as glamorous as knighthood, but at least it's safe and you can eat. But now, it seems you were born for the battlefield. Such talent is very rare," Qyburn said after thinking for a while.
"Being a warrior is good, but I want to live longer. Learning medicine is not bad either."
"I'd be delighted! But I know not only medicine and poison, but also history, law, poetry, faith, and the Old Valyrian language."
"I guess those are much more complicated than blacksmithing!" Gendry felt good.
A maester like Qyburn, who was so versatile, would rarely have had the chance to meet if he hadn't been expelled from the Citadel. There was also the advantage that Qyburn was a lone scholar; he had to rely on strength, rely on himself.
"It's also more interesting than blacksmithing. I'd be happy to shape a warrior! When we get to Myr, you might still need a weapons master. Knightly weapon training is professional," Qyburn continued. "Many people think fighting is just for brutes, but that's not true. A warrior can also be versatile, like Prince Rhaegar."
"Rhaegar!" Gendry immediately became interested.
"I know he was a prince who died at the Trident." Although Rhaegar was dead, his ghost seemed to hover in the sky, tearing the country apart.
"I'm also very interested in that period of history. Unfortunately, I'm just a maester, powerless. I can only imagine the heroes of that time from the Citadel's war reports. Our fat king was once formidable in his youth."
Maester Qyburn continued. "Back then, Prince Rhaegar and King Robert were the brightest stars, along with the Knight of the Morning, the Direwolf, the Maiden of the Vale, and Barristan, but they were two different kinds of people.
Prince Rhaegar was melancholic, preferring books over swords and playing the silver-stringed harp.
The ladies would weep for his beauty and melancholy. King Robert was different. He was the reincarnation of the Laughing Storm.
Robert always craved joy and laughter, hunting, drinking, womanizing, and jousting. He was tall and hearty in his youth, known for his bravery."
"What happened next?" Gendry pressed on.
"What happened next is known to all of Westeros. Two proud warriors got entangled over a woman, a she-wolf, and the whole country paid the price for a mistaken love! But what exactly happened between Lady Lyanna and Prince Rhaegar is hard to say!" Qyburn mused.
"It's hard to say who was right or wrong now!" Gendry said. "But the Mad King and his son did lose the throne."
"That's true. The key was the Battle of the Trident, the blow King Robert landed on Rhaegar. It's meaningless to talk about military failure! But it was quite an achievement for Prince Rhaegar to seriously injure Robert. He was too high-ranking and had too many hobbies; he wasn't a natural warrior."
Gendry thought about it and agreed. Jousting with lances and real battle were completely different, not to mention that Rhaegar hadn't focused all his energy on fighting.
"Whether it was Robert or Rhaegar doesn't matter. Aesthetics, music, dancing, and medicine, all of are just embellishments for a knight. The key is to win the war, to win everything! You have to be stronger, braver, and more cunning than your enemies. Prince Rhaegar forgot that, and that's why he lost to Robert." Qyburn's eyes seemed to burn with fire.
"Hmm!"
"Now, an old man's impertinent request! Could you take off your mask? If you don't want to, that's fine!" Maester Qyburn asked.
Gendry took off his mask. Black short hair, deep blue eyes, and the shape of his mouth, chin, and cheekbones.
"My goodness!" Qyburn pointed at Gendry's face, his mouth wide open. "I should have thought of it, I should have thought of it." He had seen Robert and Renly, and this face was like a smaller version of Renly, but the boy was destined to be stronger than Renly.
"Maybe it's a bit conspicuous, but I don't have any other choice!" Gendry said politely.
"Please forgive my slander of the king. Your temperament is not like the king's at all. The king was irritable and proud. Otherwise, I would have made a guess. After all, the bloodline is strong!"
"It doesn't matter. The king has forgotten me anyway!" Gendry waved his hand. He was not interested in interfering in Westeros for the time being. Declaring himself too early would be worse than developing quietly.
"That's even better. In a corner of the world, a bastard and a dismissed maester, we will eventually bring some new excitement to the world! And those damn Lannisters!"
Qyburn became a little excited. In the absence of dragons, bravery and charm were very important, as in the War of the Usurper.
Robert became king not only because of his bloodline but also because of his charm and military achievements.
"Lannisters, do you have some entanglement with the Lannister family?" Gendry asked doubtfully.
"Well, there was indeed such a period. After the Citadel expelled me, I wanted to seek refuge with Tywin, but I was driven out!" Qyburn said awkwardly and uncomfortably.
"Lord Tywin was powerful and wealthy, and he was a cold and pragmatic man who could abuse children and sack King's Landing. I thought maybe he could sponsor my research. But he was also a stubborn man, with an aristocratic air, and he hated a down-and-out maester like me."
"But none of that matters now. Compared to those studies, participating in the training of an invincible warrior is much more satisfying!" Qyburn looked at Gendry. Gendry had no power, but he had potential.
"You have the blood of dragons, stags, the First Men, and the Rhoyne."
"But what about the king's legitimate children..." Qyburn thought for a moment and spoke very tentatively.
He had seen the king's eldest son, a fair-haired and blue-eyed boy with a pale and proud appearance, but unfortunately, he had none of the Baratheon family's features. The king also had a bastard in Storm's End.
But that was not uncommon. There were rumors that the king had been cuckolded. During the reign of the Usurper, the Usurper himself had fabricated a lie that his wife and his brother, the Dragonknight, had an affair.
"Oh! I haven't seen them, and I don't know!" Gendry said coldly. If the secret was eventually exposed, it was better not to be him. That would draw too much attention.
Seeing Gendry's attitude, Qyburn understood a bit.
"It's an honor to be your subordinate and mentor. Let's work for your cause, Your Grace!" Qyburn said respectfully. Now he had completely broken with the Lannister family.
"It's my honor too, Maester Qyburn!"
Gendry thought for a moment. He had essentially formed the third team in Essos, although it was a bit small. The other two were the Targaryen siblings and the hidden Jon and "Aegon"!