In the year 295 of the Conquest Calendar, atop the Visenya Hill, in Tobho Mott's blacksmith shop.
Gendry was eleven now, and he had grown accustomed to the life of a blacksmith's apprentice. Behind the blacksmith shop was a spacious stone barn, with a roaring forge in every corner, filling the air with the acrid smell of smoke and sulfur.
Gendry, with his short, soot-blackened hair and deep blue eyes, was hammering away at a breastplate, completely immersed in his work.
For him, the world narrowed down to just metal, bellows, and furnace—a symphony of steel-making, with the hammer becoming an extension of his arm. Later, he would pick up the long-handled tongs, lift the breastplate, and plunge it into the quenching trough, the armor hissing as it hit the cold water.
Gendry felt like he had endless strength coursing through his veins. "Bastard vigor," he supposed he should thank his father, who had never cared for him, for that. His ancestor, the Laughing Storm, had been a giant of a man, standing over seven feet tall, and King Robert himself was no slouch at six feet six.
"Good job, Gendry," Tobho Mott praised. "For your age, you're strong and tall, and you work hard." Tobho saw a proud and sturdy young stag in Gendry. He was the owner of a big blacksmith shop, but at heart, he was still a craftsman. Gendry's build was indeed perfect for forging, not fighting.
"Thank you, sir," Gendry replied, continuing his work with a neutral tone. Honestly, he loved what he did. Although blacksmithing was backbreaking labor, one of the three most grueling jobs in life, at least here in Tobho's shop, he got enough meat and nutrition. He was tall and sturdy, better than starving in a tavern.
"Kid, blacksmithing is a slow process. There's common iron, then fine iron, and above that, Valyrian steel. Overall, it takes years and years. When I was your age..." Tobho started to reminisce about his apprenticeship in Qohor, but then stopped.
This boy wouldn't be here long.. Robert's bastard, older than the legitimate heir, was already caught in the web of power.
The queen's pride and stubbornness were well-known in King's Landing, and she despised the king's bastards. He was bound to leave the blacksmith shop sooner or later.
"Do you miss your parents?" Tobho asked quietly.
"Missing them won't bring them back. I barely remember them. My mother died when I was very young. I only remember her singing to me, and she had blonde hair. As for my father, he's probably dead too!" Gendry ran his fingers through his sweat-dampened black hair.
Tobho felt a pang of sympathy. The ignorant boy, compared to his well-off legitimate siblings, had to endure the monotonous life of a blacksmith. But it was for the best.
If Gendry ever found out who his real father was and got caught up in the fantasy of being a king's son, he'd never stay put in the blacksmith shop. That would be even worse. The Lannisters were not people to be trifled with.
"You're a smart kid, just a bit stubborn! Well, this breastplate is well-made. You can take a break now," Tobho dismissed Gendry from work.
"Thanks!" After finishing his work, Gendry could hang out with his fellow apprentices for a while.
"Come on, Gendry, we're playing a knightly duel game!" Stepping out of the barn into the narrow courtyard of the blacksmith shop, Gendry saw his peers, all around thirteen or fourteen years old. They were dressed in simple shirts, the uniform of the blacksmith shop.
Some were sons of blacksmiths from Iron Street, sent here by their fathers who admired Tobho's reputation. Others were second sons of bankrupt nobles or children of commoners.
"You play," Gendry said, watching his companions. "I don't like these games."
"Here we go again. This guy has no spirit. He's so big but doesn't like picking up weapons!"
Gendry found a place to sit and watched the apprentices play. The blacksmith shop had some old, blunt weapons, mostly swords, which the apprentices used as toys.
"Watch out! I'm the Knight of the Dawn!" A chubby, blond boy brandished a blunt sword and made a few swings.
"You're killing me with laughter! If the Knight of the Dawn looked like a fat pig like you, he'd have been kicked out of the Kingsguard long ago!" A thinner, freckled boy laughed.
"Damn it! Then come and duel me!"
"Fine, I'll duel you!" The thinner, freckled boy raised a blunt sword. "I'm Ser Barristan the Bold, the most legendary swordsman!"
"Knight of the Dawn! Ser Barristan the Bold!" Gendry recognized these names. They were all White Swords, the best of the best. But they had nothing to do with him. His job was to keep his head down and stay hidden.
The two boys went at each other. It was more like a street brawl than a knightly duel. These blacksmith's apprentices had no real training, and it looked like kids just messing around.
In the end, when both boys were exhausted, they called it a draw.
Gendry had no interest in their pretend knightly battles. Real fighting was about being stronger and bigger. In that department, he'd soon outmatch all of them.
"Come on, come on, I guess none of us will be knights. Gendry might have a chance. He's the strongest and looks the part."
"Gendry, forget it. All he knows is how to forge iron. Gendry, do you want to be a knight?"
"Not really," Gendry shook his head. "I'm here to be a blacksmith. Why would I want to be a knight? Being a blacksmith is just fine. As long as we're good at our craft, those noble lords will still beg us to make them armor!"
"Hahaha!" Gendry's companions laughed. They were used to his answer. He had no knightly dreams. He was born a blacksmith.
...
At night, Gendry heard the noisy sounds in the room. Four apprentices shared the room. One was snoring, another grinding his teeth.
Gendry was restless. The noise was keeping him awake.
"I need to get out of here," Gendry thought. But it was hard. He had no supporters. He was just a boy.
King's Landing was a dangerous city. Staying here wasn't safe. Mainly, he felt like he was always in the Spider's web. For example, among the apprentices who entered the shop from Iron Street, Gendry knew there were the Spider's eyes and ears, watching his every move, trying to get close to him. Gendry kept up the facade of being a born blacksmith, focusing on forging every piece of iron and avoiding talking about politics or knights. That was the best disguise.
As for revealing his identity to King Robert and exposing the secrets of his legitimate children, Gendry had never considered it. It was the most dangerous thing. King Robert didn't have much affection for his bastards. Even his so-called legitimate children didn't seem to be well taken care of. He was never cut out to be a father. Moreover, in King's Landing, the Lannisters had a massive influence.
Fortunately, for now, only the Spider knew his identity, the king's eldest bastard. Who knew how long the Spider would keep this secret? Maybe he was just using it to sell Gendry at a high price when the time came.
Gendry hated the Spider. The Spider had sent him here. Varys saw him as a pawn to be sold at a high price and thrown out when needed. But Gendry feared the Lannisters even more. If they found out about him, the ruthless queen would surely kill him, just like she had done with his other bastard siblings.