When Jon and Davos left the hall, Ramsay was still standing guard outside, but his cheek was so swollen that he could barely open one eye.
"Jon, actually, I don't think things are that serious. Balon also claimed to be king. Even if Robb didn't make the right decision, as long as he's willing to surrender and give up the crown, isn't his wife already pregnant? We can just take her to King's Landing as a hostage." Davos tried to persuade Jon not to be so extreme.
"Hmm." Jon nodded, knowing he had played his part well. It would be best to persuade Robb to go back and deal with the wildlings beyond the Wall first.
The two didn't know how long they had stood there, but fierce arguments and even curses kept coming from the hall behind them. Finally, footsteps approached, and Robb, followed by Catelyn and Jeyne, led a group of lords to Jon and Davos.
But he was still wearing his crown.
Robb came to Jon, opened his arms, and hugged him tightly, remaining silent for a long time.
This left Jon a little uncertain, when he suddenly heard Robb whisper in his ear: "This crown is so heavy, Jon."
After speaking, he placed his hands on Jon's shoulders and said, "Thank you for bringing our sisters back."
Jon still didn't quite understand Robb's meaning, only observing the expressions of Catelyn, Edmure, Rickard, and Brynden behind him out of the corner of his eye.
Greatjon wasn't there!
Jon's heart relaxed when he noticed this detail. The next second, Robb was about to take off his crown and prepare to kneel, and at this moment, the lords behind him looked displeased.
Jon quickly helped him up and immediately turned to Davos, saying, "A Prince doesn't need to kneel, does he?"
"Prince?"
Everyone was puzzled. Prince? What Prince?!
It was then that Davos remembered he had forgotten to mention something very important.
"I'm terribly sorry," Davos said, fumbling to produce a writ and addressing the crowd, "In the name of His Majesty Stannis I, King of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Robb Stark is hereby enfeoffed as Prince of the North!"
"Prince!"
Upon hearing this title, the lords' expressions visibly softened.
During the Targaryen era, Westeros had at most two Princes.
One was the Prince of Dorne, because Dorne stubbornly resisted even when the other six kingdoms bowed to the dragons, until the dragons became extinct. The Targaryens then used marriage to win them over, promising them the title of Prince and a relatively independent status, which finally made Dorne pledge allegiance to the iron throne.
In the centuries that followed, Northerners occasionally thought that if Torrhen had not surrendered so readily, and if they had resisted for a while, they might also have gained a princely title.
As Davos read the decree, everyone felt that their efforts had not been in vain.
Catelyn even smiled at her daughter-in-law, Jeyne. Both women's faces showed the relief of having survived a great calamity.
Seeing the mission successfully completed, Davos happily said, "Your Highness, this is good. A mother will not lose her son, a wife will not lose her husband, a son will not lose his father, and brothers will still be brothers."
"Long live the Prince of the North!"
"Long live Robb Stark!"
"Long live Jon Stark!"
The Soldiers of Riverrun erupted in heartfelt cheers, scattering flocks of crows, and brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds, further dispelling the war clouds.
After a feast, the Starks sat together again. Brynden wasn't there, Edmure wasn't there, and even Davos thoughtfully gave them space.
In the room, Jon, Robb, Catelyn, Jeyne, Sansa, and Arya sat by the fireplace, recalling past events.
Jeyne was visibly pregnant now. Jon asked Robb, "Have you named the child yet?"
"If it's a boy, we'll name him Eddard." Robb smiled, looking at Jeyne, then at Catelyn. "If it's a girl, perhaps Lyanna, in memory of our aunt."
When discussing the future child, Margaery naturally came up, and Jon took the opportunity to tell them about his wedding agreement with House Tyrell.
If they captured Casterly Rock, they would marry there; if not, they would go to Highgarden.
"Jon, the only reason I was able to invade the Westerlands back then was because Grey Wind discovered a secret path. Now, Tywin has probably blocked it. If you want to attack the Westerlands, you either have to break through Casterly Rock head-on, or take a long detour to attack from the south. But if you do that, you'll face heavy resistance, and eventually, Casterly Rock." Robb said with great concern.
Jeyne also noticed that ever since her husband put down the crown, he seemed much more relaxed and spoke more.
At this point, Catelyn couldn't help but say, "Yes, Jon, Harrenhal is actually quite good, three times larger than Winterfell. Casterly Rock is currently guarded by Daven. Rickard killed his father on the battlefield, and he is determined to avenge his father. Now Tywin has returned to the Westerlands, and the entire Westerlands obeys his command. The Westerlands are not like other places. Tywin showed his cruel methods as soon as he became lord of casterly rock. Do you know of the Rains of Castamere? House Reyne, a Family with a thousand-year Legacy, was annihilated by him! He is a formidable opponent!" Ever since Jon's heartfelt words, Catelyn hoped Jon would be more cautious and prioritize his own life.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Catelyn, but I believe there is no Family that prospers forever. Tywin's methods are cruel and vicious, but he is also old. The Westerlands nobility and elites have suffered heavy losses in this war, and they are at their weakest. Forget the Lannisters, in the age when Targaryen Dragons flew, even the gods had to bow down. What happened then? Aren't they also turned to dust now? Only a rumored Targaryen Princess is adrift overseas. There are no unconquerable opponents. The numerous sins Tywin committed in the Riverlands must be repaid with blood!" Jon said with resolute determination.
Sansa felt a little scared seeing the flickering light and shadow on Jon's face, while Arya was somewhat eager to try.
Seeing everyone looking at him with strange eyes, Jon spoke to lighten the atmosphere: "Don't worry, Robb, Lady Catelyn, I know what I'm doing. Please be sure to attend my wedding as an elder."
"Don't worry, I will definitely." Catelyn solemnly promised Jon.
"Jon, I'll leave you five thousand troops to help you attack the Westerlands, how about it?" Robb generously offered, but Jon refused.
Jon believed that these Soldiers who had fully experienced war could be considered elites, and it would naturally be good to use them.
But the problem was that they had been away from home for too long, and it was unknown how long the fight in the Westerlands would take. Once war weariness spread among them, it would affect morale.
"No need, Robb, these Northern Soldiers have been away from home for too long and too far. You should take them back. I have already subdued a group of surrendered Westerlands Soldiers, and House Tyrell will also send troops to help me. Tywin is now temporarily conscripting Soldiers, who are all new recruits lacking training and courage. It's not about the number of troops, but their quality. I have enough manpower."
Finally, Jon and Robb discussed the issue of the wildlings beyond the Wall, asking him how he planned to deal with them. The Nights Watch's pleas for help were not only sent to Dragonstone and King's Landing, but almost all major lords had received them.
Robb excitedly declared that mere wildlings could simply be killed, at least their King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, and then driven back.
But Jon put forward a different view. Catelyn realized that Jon and Robb were about to discuss important matters, so she left with Sansa and Jeyne.
"Robb, these wildlings are actually people too. There must be a reason for such a large-scale attack on the Wall. I hope you can focus on appeasement, and ideally find them a place to settle. I know this might put a strain on the North's food supply, but what if they turn into White Walkers?"
"White Walkers!?" Robb had always considered White Walkers to be just legends. "Jon, are you talking about the legendary Others?"
"That's right, I've seen them on the Wall! Not long before I received news of Father's betrayal, several Nights Watchmen who went deep beyond the Wall with Uncle Benjen had been missing for a long time. Finally, we only found the bodies of these Nights Watchmen, and Uncle Benjen was completely gone. These Nights Watchmen's bodies, for some unknown reason, all turned into monsters that only knew how to kill. If you stab them with swords, they feel no pain. We can only truly kill them by burning them or cutting off their heads."
As a Transmigrator, Jon naturally knew the White Walkers' weaknesses from the start.
He had dealt with the White Walker-ified corpses on the Wall, and although he hadn't taken his vows, he had already caught the eye of Commander-in-Chief Jeor Mormont.
Jeor Mormont could tell that Jon was delaying his vows, but he couldn't bear to let him leave. That was why the Commander-in-Chief was so furious when Jon left the Wall that day.
Seeing Jon speak so seriously about these things, Robb was very surprised, even swallowing a mouthful of saliva and saying, "Jon, you must be joking, right?"
"Robb, even you think so, imagine what the Southern lords would think?"
"Defending the North is Winterfell's responsibility. I need your assurance that you will take this matter seriously, without the slightest bit of complacency!" Jon leaned close to Robb's face and said.
"I, I understand."
"Although those wildlings beyond the Wall are also enemies, they are enemies who can become friends. Our differences with the wildlings are at most about competing for food, while the White Walkers want to compete with us for life! Think of our sisters, think of the child in Jeyne's womb, Robb, you're not going home, but heading to another battlefield!"
Listening to Jon's warning, Robb felt a chill throughout his body, even with the crackling of the fireplace nearby.
Enemies that could only be killed by fire or decapitation—as a military Genius, he naturally knew how terrifying such enemies were.
Fortunately, Jon gave him another piece of information—Dragonglass.
"Dragonglass, also known as Obsidian, from Dragonstone, seems to have a special lethality against these White Walkers. I will have His Majesty Stannis extensively mine Dragonglass on Dragonstone and transport it to Winterfell and the Wall."
Upon hearing that Obsidian could kill White Walkers, Robb's tense expression relaxed a little.
Finally, Jon suggested that it would be best to also deal with the bodies in the Winterfell crypts to avoid any accidents.
However, Jon miscalculated this point, because Robb said that most of the bones in the crypts had long turned to ash, and disturbing the ancestors rashly was not a good thing.
The two finally decided to place a piece of Dragonglass in the mouths of their ancestors' remains just in case.
"Alright, Robb, I have one more thing to tell you. No matter what, do not trust Lady Catelyn's childhood playmate, Petyr Baelish. You can use him, but you must never give him any trust!"
This time Robb didn't ask why, but directly agreed.
Perhaps he still had some unconquerable pride in military command, but when it came to discerning people's hearts, he acknowledged the fact that Jon was stronger than himself.
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