Ser Loras helped Lord Renly don his armor, a suit of deep green plate steel, as green as a dense forest.
Infusing color into armor was an extremely advanced blacksmithing technique, mastered in King's Landing only by Tobho, Gendry's blacksmith master.
The armor was expensive, and few in King's Landing were willing to pay for it, but Renly was always extravagant.
Renly stood before a mirror, observing his reflection.
Renly was known throughout King's Landing as The Handsome Man, tall and robust, with shoulder-length ebony hair framing his neatly trimmed face, and a pair of smiling blue eyes that complemented the color of his armor.
He also wore a stag-antlered helmet, with two magnificent, gleaming golden antlers.
"Thank you, Loras," Lord Renly said, kissing Ser Loras's fingers.
Ser Loras was also recognized as The Handsome Man in the Seven Kingdoms.
He had long, flowing brown hair and a pair of beautiful golden eyes.
Loras smiled shyly but did not pull away; Renly was like his sun.
When Loras was younger, he had been fostered at Storm's End as Renly's Attendant.
Their forbidden relationship was already known to many in the court.
"How do I look?" Renly asked.
"Unparalleled," Loras praised; the two were always inseparable.
"My royal brother will be back soon, and the Small Council plans to send a few people to lead the welcoming party.
There's me, Ser Barristan, and Payne."
"Is it still His Majesty's entourage?" Loras asked.
"No," Renly shook his head, "There's also an honored guest, Lord Eddard, who is coming to be hand of the king."
"Lord Eddard, that's not surprising.
Everyone says the King went north to Winterfell just to invite Lord Eddard."
"Eddard Stark, a new player in the game of King's Landing," Renly analyzed.
"Will Lord Eddard be our friend?" Loras wondered.
"I think so.
Years ago, House Stark and House Lannister were not on good terms," Renly smiled.
"Anyway, Eddard coming is better than Lord Tywin returning to King's Landing.
My good royal brother isn't that stupid after all."
"Compared to Old Jon, Lord Eddard might be more amenable; Old Jon's obsession with honor was simply too high," Loras analyzed.
"This person is worth winning over.
Old Jon is dead, but Eddard can still rally support from the Vale and Riverlands; he has connections in both places," Renly said.
Eddard was both a son-in-law of the Riverlands and had been fostered in the Vale.
"We have too few people in King's Landing, only thirty guards.
Even if I can recruit some nobles and friends, it's only about a hundred people.
Compared to the Lannister, it's truly too few.
We need to test the new hand of the king to see if he is our friend," Renly complained.
"If you need, I can bring more men from The Reach for you," Loras said.
"Not yet.
The eunuch has too many eyes.
Although he smiles at everyone, I cannot be sure whose friend he is.
Perhaps if we move guards today, the Spider will deliver the information to the Queen tomorrow," Renly shook his head.
"What about Littlefinger?"
"Littlefinger tells me jokes every day, but this man is also unreliable."
"Lion soldiers, fully armed and wearing scarlet cloaks, are everywhere.
The King trusts House Lannister too much," Loras whispered.
"Not just them.
Aside from the Kingslayer, several members of the Kingsguard have long since defected to the Lannister.
We are isolated in The Red Keep, Loras," Renly smiled.
"Only Old Knight Barristan and the Kingslayer are at odds, but the Old Knight also detests betrayal the most."
"Then us?" Loras asked.
"Still according to our original plan, Margaery is more suitable to become Queen.
And I must try to win over an ally, our new hand of the king, Eddard," Renly said.
"My royal brother has never consistently liked one woman, and the Lannister woman grows more arrogant each year."
"Understood," Loras nodded.
"I will write to my father, and The Reach will also be prepared."
"Storm's End and The Reach are our homes.
If things change in King's Landing, we must leave quickly, just like my elder brother Stannis, and return to our own lands."
Renly's eyes seemed to burn with ambition.
Once the world changed, Renly believed that with the warriors of the Stormlands and the wealth of The Reach, he would have a huge advantage.
Renly's acquisition of the Stormlands was already a windfall for a youngest son.
But the King's generosity only deepened Renly's greed; human desires are insatiable.
"Do your best; I am always behind you," Loras said.
"Yes, we must seize the initiative as soon as possible.
Besides the Lannister, the Baratheon traitors are also eager to act."
"The Mercenary King Across the Narrow Sea?" Loras asked.
"It's Gendry.
Compared to Stannis, that Bastard's power is greater, and his fleet is larger," Renly said worriedly.
"He also controls the Targaryen remnants.
He will surely invade amidst the chaos to assert his claim."
Renly had never taken Stannis seriously; he knew his brother had little popular support, and his territory was barren and small.
But that Baratheon traitor Across the Narrow Sea was different; the populations of Myr and Tyrosh were no less than King's Landing.
"So we talk to that Bastard?" Loras asked.
"I am always generous, Loras.
Land, money, I am willing to give to my subjects.
But some are exceptions; their appetites are too vast, too great to satisfy.
We cannot talk to the Bastard; what he wants is the throne."
"We have a hundred thousand troops," Loras said with confidence.
"How many of our hundred thousand troops are farmers and servants?
They are no match for a standing army.
I need allies, and I need greater authority," Renly mused...
Outside Wolf's Den, the sky was high and clear.
Standard-bearers galloped ahead with their banners, followed by soldiers carrying a forest of spears pointing to the sky.
Gendry watched his army.
The soldiers wore plate armor and carried longswords and great spears.
The most elite Wolfpack Army was the core force, followed by the Free Army and the Second Sons, who also largely wore plate armor.
The Unsullied's formation was one tactic, Ser Jorah's formation was another.
He hoped to have more taxi soldiers, as such a diversified tactic would be unparalleled.
Currently, only a few Unsullied still preferred to wear spiked helmets and light armor; even the most destitute taxi soldiers wore chainmail.
Ramsay Snow, who had been released, stood timidly to the side, not daring to speak.
A fleshy Bastard, his lips like large insects.
Ramsay, standing dismounted, looked at the soldiers, who were strong and appeared well-nourished.
Ramsay seemed to have shifted from one wind direction to another; originally, Ramsay was cunning and cold-blooded, possessing a certain ability to plan and manipulate, and he preferred abuse and pathological behavior.
Under Gendry's probing attacks and heavy blows, Ramsay had become a fawning dog, just as he would in front of Lord Bolton.
"How are my taxi soldiers, Ramsay?" Gendry asked Ramsay.
"Very strong, my Lord.
Well-supplied, well-equipped, high morale.
They are an invincible army in the Green Lands."
"Green Lands, then what about the North?" Gendry looked at Ramsay.
Ramsay cowered, not daring to speak.
He was a bully who picked on the weak, and such a person was inherently small-minded.
"Speak, Ramsay."
"Commander-in-Chief, your army is a summer army.
The North is different; our army is a winter army.
Only northerners can endure the bitter cold," Ramsay said, emboldened.
"A summer army, indeed," Gendry mused.
Winter was the North's best armor; these soldiers could not travel long distances to the North.
For future considerations, he indeed needed to leave chess pieces in the North.
Of course, Ramsay was just a disposable chess piece; his reputation was too foul, and his actions too barbaric.
"Do you still want to return to The Dreadfort?" Gendry asked Ramsay.
Ramsay instinctively shook his head, "I am your loyal servant, Commander-in-Chief.
Ramsay is willing to serve you."
"Speak truthfully, Ramsay."
Gendry looked at Ramsay, who felt the light in those blue eyes, pressing him until he couldn't breathe.
"Truly, truly," Ramsay said.
He was now afraid of Gendry's probing; if he answered incorrectly, he would be dragged outside and brutally beaten by the savage Dothraki.
"I hope you are truthful too.
If you can return to The Dreadfort, how will you repay me?"
This question was so suffocating that Ramsay broke out in a cold sweat.
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