And a legacy

"Welcome to Horn Hill and the Hall of Heroes, my Lady. I am your guide, Tyrion Tarly."

"Are you related to the great Grand Maester Samwell Tarly?"

"I am, my Lady. He is my third great grandfather."

"He was an amazing man, so learned, so masterful with is words."

"It is a point of pride for the family that every child hears the Great Poem by the time they are ten."

"Attend now, all, this tale of bravery, valor, and betrayal. For all the years, and all the centuries should never dim our people's memories."

"Can you recite all four hundred lines?"

"Of course."

"How wonderful. Many can, but the way you spoke the first stanza tells me much. Are you a student of your family's history then?"

"Yes. Though Lord Gendry was a bastard in birth, he was Baratheon to his core, and Lady Arya was…"

"What Lady Baratheon was has filled many books. Maester Orlyth wrote an entire book based on the fifth stanza. 'And Princess Arya from her hip the Valyrian Blade drew. And in the Red Keep, with dagger in hand, the false Queen she slew.' Here, in the first display, we have the armor and sword of Lady Arya's protector and friend, Brienne of Tarth. The armor, given to her by Ser Jamie Lannister, still holds the scars from the battle at King's Landing, the Battle for the Dawn. The armor and her sword, Oathkeeper, also given by Jamie Lannister, is on permanent loan from the Tarth family, as all or displays are."

"I'm aware, as you know the reason I'm here is to hold the shards of Needle."

"As every female descendant of Lady Baratheon has done for almost two hundred years. It is our honor to keep them safe for you, my Lady."

"We are honored to be her daughters, and we are bound by our blood to continue her work."

"What work would that be?"

To be certain we are able as any man to do battle. "A point of pride in our family."

"I see. The next display is…"

"Ser Sandor Clegane… The Hound of Westeros."

"Ser Clegane's un-named sword and King's Guard armor were retired upon his stepping down from his post at age eighty. They stand here a testament to one of the bravest men to ever live."

"And the Hound of Westeros, his fear overcome. Alit the fire that saved the undone. For the Night King had won the day, and all King's Landing in his army's hands lay."

"You fifth great aunt, Sansa Lannister, wrote that part well."

"She did. 'The Night King's army now inhabited King's landing. As Princess Arya, Lady Brienne, Podrick Payne, Sandor Clegane, and Ser Jamie Lannister fought their way from the city toward the high ground upon which the Night King's generals directed their army, Ser Jamie told them of the Wildfire caches that the Mad King had placed under the city, and of his and King Jon's plans to destroy the Army of the Dead with them. At The Gate of the Gods Ser Sandor Clegane took the torch from Ser Jamie's hand, and he bade goodbye to his friends, believing he would die that day.

Into the catacombs beneath the city he went. Ser Clegane never spoke of those dark minutes under the city, but one can guess the horrors he faced. He prevailed, and he found the cache for Flea Bottom and set it alight. The explosion from the wildfire propelled Ser Clegane entirely out of the city. He was found battered and singed, but alive in the snow and mud of a piggery outside the city walls.'"

"You have read much."

"Another trait encouraged in the Baratheon family."

"Forgive my mirth, My Lady. Here the arms and armor of Ser Jamie Lannister. He wielded two swords during the Battle. One, his un-named battle sword, and the other the Valyrian Steel sword, Widows Wail."

"I understand they found it where he fell, and they thought to bury him with it."

"But Princess Arya would not hear of it. As you know in his hands, and in the hands of Theon Greyjoy, it saved her life, and that gave her the time to help Good King Jon kill the Night King, according to all accounts."

"There were a quite a few witnesses. Samwell Tarly being one."

"He was. Here his armor and Heartsbane stands. The sword, appropriated without leave from his father, saved many in his hands."

"You've inherited his poetic nature."

"A point of pride in our family."

"And his sense of humor also."

"My thanks, My Lady. Here the arms and armor of Ser Jorah Mormont."

"Another truly great knight. 'And Ser Jorah Mormont took up his dragon glass sword, and woe befell the Night King's dead hoard. For Ser Jorah was a knight brave and true, and there on the Dead Hill, Viserion the Mighty he slew."

"And there stands the sword that felled the ice dragon. Next Bearclaw and the armor given Lady Lyanna Mormont by the Stark family."

"And Lyanna Mormont, the sword Bearclaw in hand, led the vanguard of the children from her land. With cries of war they laid waste to their foe, and joined the Dawn's Army as the battle did grow."

"Well said."

"So this is Bearclaw. May I hold her?"

"Of course, My Lady."

"The balance is wonderful, so light in the hand."

"The Smith Lord was a craftsman of exceptional skill. I'm told by the male Baratheons that come to visit that they are required to make their own sword when they come of age."

"They are. My brother will forge his in a few months."

"But the ladies all come to hold Needle."

"Our fathers forge a sword much like Needle for us on our eleventh birthday."

"I assume it's waiting for you in the carriage."

"Only because you don't allow them in here."

"For obvious reasons."

"Yes, I suppose this room holds more priceless objects than any other."

"For many, yes, it does."

"Thank you for allowing me to hold her."

"Lady Lyanna was a force, and she was a great friend to the Smith Lord and his Lady. Most of you have asked to hold Bearclaw."

"I know who this is."

"The armor and axe of Lord Tyrion Lannister, my namesake, and the Great Hand."

"The Great Hand."

"There has never been another like him."

"My cousin, Teryl Lannister, apparently resembles him quite a lot. He'd probably fit in the armor too."

"I have yet to meet Lord Teryl, but I do look forward to it. A dwarf born to the Lannister family is a sign of great luck and good fortune for the entire kingdom."

"Teryl is much like the Great Hand, we are told. A lover of books and learning, he is bound for Old Town and the Citadel. We all think he'll be a Grand Maester one day."

"A worthy goal, I hope one day to attain it myself. The arms and armor of Lady Yara Greyjoy."

"Giving up privateering for honest shipping of goods has made the Iron Islands richer than piracy ever did. Yara the Good. She followed Good Queen Daenerys's desire, and that made all the difference."

"Her brother's armor and sword."

"Theon the penitent."

"Theon the penitent."

"May I?"

"All of you do."

"Theon Greyjoy, I lay my hand on the hilt of your sword and tell you once again you are forgiven. We thank you for your sacrifice on the Hill of the Dead, and I bid you peace."

"Princess Arya and Lady Sansa spoke those words first, I'm told."

"They did. Theon surrendered his own life to save Princess Arya, and all of us really. He truly belongs here in the Hall. 'The Iron Ships, balls of fire threw, while Lady Greyjoy and her brother to the battle flew. For Yara and Theon could not stand and wait while the Dawns army was driven to the sea there at the mud gate. With fire and fury they met the hoard, and on the Hill of the Dead Theon Greyjoy met the Night King's sword.'"

"Here the arms and armor of Ser Davos Seaworth."

"The Onion Knight. 'Theon Greyjoy, Ser Davos, and King Jon the Hill of the Dead did mount, and there faced the Night King and his walkers round about. Theon and Ser Davos held the king's back as King Jon faced the night, and the Heralds of the Dawn rushed to the hill to join in that final fight.' Ha, Heralds of the Dawn. I wonder how they reacted the first time they heard themselves referred to that way?"

"Grand Maester Tarly didn't say. Here the arms and armor of Greyworm, First General of the Armies of the Dawn."

"And Geryworm of the Unsullied, his fellows led. To battle with spears of dragon glass, the army of the dead. Many too many fell as they drove the dead through the King's Gate, and then they stood in awe as King's Landing met its fate."

"The song of Grey worm and Missande is as well-known as the song of The Smith Prince and his Warrior Princess."

"As it should be."

"Here the war hammer and armor of your fifth great grandfather, Gendry Baratheon, The Smith Lord."

"'And then Lord Gendry the Smith strode into the fray, with his war hammer, Soulsinger, walkers he did slay. The Night's Watch and Wildlings held the Smith's back, and with the cry 'for Arya!' he led their attack.'"

"There were a few that wanted Lord Gendry and Lady Arya to take the throne, Lady Sansa wrote."

"We are told there were many factions that thought their lord should sit on that uncomfortable hunk of metal, but all of those lords, to a man, and girl in Lyanna Mormont's instance, chose King Jon and Queen Daenerys."

"It is said that Lord Gendry had to be required by the King and Queen to take up the lordship of Storm's End. I see by your smile that story is true."

"It is. Lord Gendry and Lady Arya wanted nothing more than to return to Winterfell, but the King and Queen insisted, rather forcefully, that Lord Gendry take Storm's End. Lady Arya fought hardest of all. She believed that a Stark should be in residence at Winterfell. Luckily, there was one."

"The Three Eyed Raven, Brandon Stark."

"Yes, Maester Tarly. The Ravens are unique, and they usually don't marry, but Brandon Stark, as you know, chose to marry Lady Meera Reed and continue the Stark line. We owe him, we owe him a lot for saving a great house and name. He, and Lady Reed."

"And here what you came for, the arms and armor of Princess Arya Stark, Lady Arya Baratheon, heroine of the Dead Hill."

"I have been to New Town and the Dead Hill."

"As have all the Maesters of Horn Hill, my Lady. It's a strange place, isn't it? All round it are homes, fields, and stockyards, but the hill itself is barren, silent."

"The Baratheons believe the remains of the wights and the walkers along with the Night King himself have poisoned the hill, or perhaps cursed it. It's always oddly quiet there, they told me, even so close to New Town."

"But to stand on the hill where it happened, that is a special moment."

"For the battle was lost and the people filled with fear. As the dawn was driven to the shore, and the Night King, and his walkers upon the Hill of the Dead, did appear. Astride Viserion the Mighty, the Night King flew, and with the dragons freezing fire many brave knights he slew. But hold, now Good King Jon comes to the hill, with Ser Davos, and Theon Greyjoy the Night King to kill."

"Beautifully spoken, please continue."

"And now comes Ser Jorah, Dragon Glass in hand, Before Good King Jon, his guard to stand. And Queen Daenerys astride Drogon, the Dead's Doom, dove upon the Knight King and forced him from the sky of gloom. There, on the Hill of the Dead, Ser Jorah lays Viserion low, and all around hope in Dawns army did grow, for now comes the Night King to stand and face King Jon, while Theon, Ser Jorah, and Ser Davos hold the walkers from their thrawn. But behold to the Dead Hill now come the Heralds of the Dawn, The Smith Lord, his Princess, Ser Jamie and Lady Brienne walkers they set upon. And now come the children of Bear Island, Lady Lyanna at their head, to take the leeward side from the army of the dead.

And now a sound of fury and fire rends the air as The Hound of Westeros Lays King's Landing bare. His army charred with wildfire the Night King turned to his foe, while the Heralds of the Dawn, fresh with hope, mounted the hill from below. Blades of ice and steel clashed in the dark, and then the Night King's sword found its unholy mark. Through King Jon's leg the Night King's blade passed, and on the Hill of the Dead King Jon believed he breathed his last. But Ser Jamie Lannister, a knight brave and true, took off the Night King's sword arm as a walker ran him through.

Taking up Widows Wail, Ser Jamie's sword, Theon Greyjoy advances upon the hill to attack the Ice Lord. But a Walker, Princes Arya's sword Needle had shattered, and so Theon chose the only course that mattered. With cry 'For Yara' he takes the walkers head. And then, run through himself, he falls to breathe his last upon the Hill of the Dead.

And now Princess Arya and Lord Gendry to King Jon have come, and then the Night King turned to find himself undone. For King Jon with Long Claw ran the Night King threw, and once again Princess Arya, the Valerian Dagger from her hip she drew. In throws of rage, pain, and death the Night king did find Princess Arya thrown upon his back by Lady Brienne from behind. And with Dagger in hand upon the Hill of the Dead, Princess Arya swung and took the Night King's head."

"And so the battle was won."

"Yes, Maester Tarly, but at great cost."

"Jamie Lannister died in the arms of Brienne of Tarth, Ser Davos struck down by a walker, Theon Greyjoy's last words were heard by Good King Jon, Podrick Payne, Ser Jorah, and so many thousands of others. But now here we stand, and here you are."

"Here I am."

"My Lady, the shards of Needle."

"Grandmother, Lady, Princess, warrior, slave, No One, I, Marya, Keeper of the Faces, come here on my seventeenth name day to honor you, and to make the pledge. I will guard the secret, I will master the sword, I will hold my honor dear and my family dearer, and I will never betray your memory. This I swear, on the shards of Needle, and on my sacred honor to the old gods and the new.

"I have heard those words many times before. The Baratheon Ladies say it as you did, The Lannister, Stark, and Targaryen women all have a different version."

"Yes."

"Lastly we have the Arms and armor of Good King Jon and Good Queen Daenerys."

"They say Queen Tallysia resembles Queen Daenerys, she is very beautiful."

"Queen Daenerys' beauty was legendary, but her kindness and honor out shown even that. She kept her word to all the freed slaves, she and King Jon. It took time, decades, to fully end slavery, but they did, and it changed the world."

"That and the code."

"The Knights code. Yes, my lady, King Jon's brilliance is seldom praised. He is criticized for his near failure at the Battle of the Bastards, but fate was on his side there. He was gainsaid at the time about his plan for the defeat of the Night King on the eve of the Battle for the Dawn, but he was right, and the light prevailed. But holding tournaments, and then pairing knights from different houses to keep the peace and order in lands other than their own, brought the whole of Westeros and the world together."

"It did. Thank you, Maester Tarly for your time and patience."

"It is our pleasure. Here at Horn Hill we revel in or history, we guard the truth of it, and we record it honestly as it passes. You, my lady, are in our books already."

"I hope I didn't disappoint."

"I don't believe, Lady Marya Baratheon, that you could ever disappoint."

"Only myself it seems."

"No one is immune from self-doubt, my Lady, but I believe, from my reading about you, that you are a true daughter of Lady Arya. The chronicles say that you took a boar with your bow at age eight, a stag at a hundred yards at age ten, and you and your elder brother drove a band of outlaws from a village in the reach just last year. Those are just a sample from your pages."

"Maester Tarly, let me leave you with some words of wisdom from Lady Arya, famous words in our house. 'Adventures are awful while you're having them.'"

"Thank you for the laughter, my lady."

"You are very welcome, Maester Tarly. I hope we meet again."

"As do I. Where are you bound from here?"

"To continue my training."

"And where would that be?"

"I am first daughter of the seventh first daughter, Maester Tarly. I am bound for Braavos."

I don't know if any of this will come to pass, but we'll see.

And now I bow and leave the stage.