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"That would be a stroke of fortune, sword "In other words, not bloody likely" His srim

Jory draped Ned’s cloak across his shoulders and clasped it at the throat with the Hand’s badge of office "The are house at the top of the Street of Steel Alyn knows the way, ods help this potboy if he’s sent h staff to lean on, but the Jon Arryn that Ned Stark had knoas not one to wear jeweled and silvered plate Steel was steel; it was ed his views, to be sure He would scarcely have been the first s differently after a few years at courtbut the change was h to make Ned wonder

"Is there any other service I in visiting whorehouses"

"Hard duty, lad to help Porther has made a fair start already"

Ned’s favorite horse was saddled and waiting in the yard Varly and Jacks fell in beside hih the yard Their steel caps and shirts of , yet they said no word of co’s Gate into the stink of the city, his grey and white cloak strea from his shoulders, he saw eyes everywhere and kicked his uard followed

He looked behind hih the crowded city streets To to take up positions on the route theythe’s Spider and his little birds had hiht

The Street of Steel began at the market square beside the River Gate, as it was named on maps, or the Mud Gate, as it was coh the throngs like so behind hied boys no older than Bran were dueling with sticks, to the loud encouragement of some and the furious curses of others An old wo out of herand e a bucket of slops on the heads of the combatants In the shadow of the wall, far out, "Apples, the best apples, cheap at twice the price," and "Blood melons, sweet as honey," and "Turnips, onions, roots, here you go here, here you go, turnips, onions, roots, here you go here"

The Mud Gate was open, and a squad of City Watch on spears When a colu into action, shouting co the carts and foot traffic aside to let the knight enter with his escort The first rider through the gate carried a long black banner The silk rippled in the wind like a living thing; across the fabric was blazoned a night sky slashed with purple lightning "Make way for Lord Beric!" the rider shouted "Make way for Lord Beric!" And close behind caure on a black courser, with red-gold hair and a black satin cloak dusted with stars "Here to fight in the Hand’s tourney, uardsman called out to him "Here to win the Hand’s tourney," Lord Beric shouted back as the crowd cheered

Ned turned off the square where the Street of Steel began and followed its winding path up a long hill, past blacks overold blades and razors froer the buildings grew The man they wanted was all the way at the top of the hill, in a huge house of timber and plaster whose upper stories loo scene carved in ebony and ood A pair of stone knights stood sentry at the entrance, armored in fanciful suits of polished red steel that transforriffin and unicorn Ned left his horse with Jacks and shouldered his way inside

The slie and the sigil on his doublet, and theout, all sirl, gesturing Ned to a couch "I am Tobho Mott, my lord, please, please, put yourself at ease" He wore a black velvet coat with hammers embroidered on the sleeves in silver thread, Around his neck was a heavy silver chain and a sapphire as large as a pigeon’s egg "If you are in need of new arht shop" Ned did not bother to correct hiies for that, oblets "You will not find craftsdo if you like, and coe smith can hammer out a shirt of mail; my work is art"

Ned sipped his wine and let the ht all his arh lords, the ones who knew fine steel, and even Lord Renly, the king’s own brother Perhaps the Hand had seen Lord Renly’s new arolden antlers? No other arreen; he knew the secret of putting color in the steel itself, paint and enamel were the crutches of a journeyman Or mayhaps the Hand wanted a blade? Tobho had learned to work Valyrian steel at the forges of Qohor as a boy Only a e theil of House Stark, is it not? I could fashion a direwolf helm so real that children will run from you in the street," he vowed

Ned smiled "Did you make a falcon hel moment and set aside his wine "The Hand did call upon ret to say, they did not honor e"

Ned looked at theHe had found over the years that silence sometimes yielded more than questions And so it was this time

"They asked to see the boy," the are"

"The boy," Ned echoed He had no notion who the boy ht be "I should like to see the boy as well"

Tobho Mott gave him a cool, careful look "As you wish, my lord," he said with no trace of his former friendliness He led Ned out a rear door and across a narrow yard, back to the cavernous stone barn where the as done When the arh on’s e blazed in each corner, and the air stank of slanced up froh to wipe the sweat from their brohile bare-chested apprentice boys worked the bellows

The e, his arms and chest corded with ," he told hih sullen blue eyes and pushed back sweat-soaked hair with his fingers Thick hair, shaggy and unkempt and black as ink The shadow of a new beard darkened his jaw "This is Gendry Strong for his age, and he works hard Show the Hand that helmet you made, lad" Almost shyly, the boy led them to his bench, and a steel hel horns

Ned turned the helm over in his hands It was raw steel, unpolished but expertly shaped "This is fine work I would be pleased if you would let me buy it"

The boy snatched it out of his hands "It’s not for sale"

Tobho Mott looked horror-struck "Boy, this is the King’s Hand If his lordship wants this hel"

"I made it for me," the boy said stubbornly

"A hundred pardons, my lord," his master said hurriedly to Ned "The boy is crude as new steel, and like new steel would profit fro That helive him and I promise I will craft you a helm like none you have ever seen"

"He’s done nothing that requires iveness Gendry, when Lord Arryn came to see you, what did you talk about?"

"He asked me questions is all, m’lord"

"What sort of questions?"

The boy shrugged "Hoas I, and was I well treated, and if I liked the work, and stuff about my mother Who she was and what she looked like and all"

"What did you tell him?" Ned asked

The boy shoved a fresh fall of black hair off his forehead "She died when I was little She had yellow hair, and so to me, I remember She worked in an alehouse"

"Did Lord Stannis question you as well?"

"The bald one? No, not hilared at hter"

"Mind your filthy tongue," the ’s own Hand" The boy lowered his eyes "A smart boy, but stubborn That helmthe others call him bullheaded, so he threw it in their teeth"

Ned touched the boy’s head, fingering the thick black hair "Look at me, Gendry" The apprentice lifted his face Ned studied the shape of his jaw, the eyes like blue ice Yes, he thought, I see it "Go back to your work, lad I’m sorry to have bothered you" He walked back to the house with the htly

Mott looked fretful "You saw the boy Such a strong boy Those hands of his, those hands were made for hammers He had such promise, I took hied "The streets are full of strong boys The day you take on an apprentice without a fee will be the day the Wall comes down Who paid for hiave no naold, twice the custo once for the boy, and once for my silence"

"Describe him"

"He was stout, round of shoulder, not so tall as you Brown beard, but there was a bit of red in it, I’ll swear He wore a rich cloak, that I do remember, heavy purple velvet worked with silver threads, but the hood shadowed his face and I never did see him clear" He hesitated a moment "My lord, I want no trouble"

"None of us wants trouble, but I fear these are troubled times, Master Mott," Ned said "You knoho the boy is"

"I am only an armorer, my lord I knohat I’m told"

"You knoho the boy is," Ned repeated patiently "That is not a question"

"The boy is my apprentice," the master said He looked Ned in the eye, stubborn as old iron "Who he was before he came to me, that’s none of my concern"

Ned nodded He decided that he liked Tobho Mott, master armorer "If the day ever coe one, send him to me He has the look of a warrior Until then, you have my thanks, Master Mott, and hten children, this will be the first place I visit"

His guard aiting outside with the horses "Did you find anything, my lord?" Jacks asked as NedWhat had Jon Arryn wanted with a king’s bastard, and as it worth his life?