When Jon and Davos left the Great Hall, Ramsay was still "standing guard" outside, except one of his eyes was swollen shut, his cheek puffed up high.
"Jon, actually... actually, I don't think it needs to be so severe. Balon once declared himself King too. Even if Robb didn't make the right decision immediately, as long as he's willing to surrender and hand over the crown, that should be enough. isn't his wife pregnant? Bringing the child to King's Landing as a hostage would suffice." Davos tried to persuade Jon not to be so extreme.
"Mm." Jon nodded, knowing his performance just now must have been convincing. Ideally, he wanted to persuade Robb to go back North and deal with the wildlings beyond the Wall first.
The two stood there for an unknown amount of time. Behind them, fierce arguments and even curses could be heard from the Great Hall. Finally, footsteps approached. Robb, followed by Catelyn and Jeyne, led a group of lords out to face Jon and Davos.
However, he was still wearing the crown.
Robb walked up to Jon, opened his arms, and hugged him tightly, remaining silent for a long time.
This made Jon unsure of what was happening, until he 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 intention, only catching glimpses of the expressions on Catelyn, Edmure, Rickard, and Brynden's faces behind him.
Greatjon was missing!
Noticing this detail, Jon relaxed slightly. In the next second, Robb moved to take the crown off his head, preparing to kneel. The expressions of the lords behind him darkened.
Jon, quick-witted and fast-acting, caught him by the arms to stop him, hurriedly turning back to ask Davos: "A Prince... a Prince doesn't need to kneel, right?"
"Prince?"
Everyone was confused. Prince? What Prince?!
Only then did Davos remember he had forgotten to mention a very important detail.
"My sincerest apologies," Davos said, flustered as he pulled out a scroll and announced to the crowd: "In the name of Stannis Baratheon the First, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, I hereby name Robb Stark the Prince of the North!"
"Prince!"
Upon hearing this title, the lords' expressions noticeably softened.
Even during the Targaryen era, at most, there were only ever two princes in Westeros.
One was the Prince of Dorne. Because Dorne resisted stubbornly even after the other six kingdoms bowed to the dragons, the Targaryens eventually used marriage alliances and the promise that they could keep the title of Prince and relative independence to bring Dorne into the fold.
In the centuries that followed, Northerners often thought that if Torrhen Stark hadn't surrendered so quickly, if they had resisted for a while, perhaps they could have earned a princely title too.
As Davos read the decree, everyone felt their efforts hadn't been in vain.
Catelyn looked at her daughter-in-law Jeyne and smiled. The two women's faces even showed the relief of survivors after a disaster.
Seeing the mission accomplished perfectly, Davos happily said, "Your Highness, this is wonderful. A mother will not lose her son, a wife will not lose her husband, a son will not lose his father, and brothers remain 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 the crows. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, pushing back the shadow of war even further.
After the banquet, the Starks sat together once again. No Brynden, no Edmure; even Davos tactfully left them some space.
In the room, Jon, Robb, Catelyn, Jeyne, Sansa, and Arya sat by the fire, reminiscing about the past.
Jeyne was showing now. Jon asked Robb, "Have you picked a name for the child?"
"If it's a boy, his name will be Eddard." Robb smiled at Jeyne, then looked at Catelyn. "If it's a girl, perhaps Lyanna, in memory of our aunt."
Talking about future children inevitably led to Margaery. Jon took the opportunity to tell them about his agreement with the Tyrells regarding the wedding.
If he took Casterly Rock, they would marry there. If not, he'd have to go to Highgarden.
"Jon, I was only able to invade the Westerlands because Grey Wind found a hidden path. Tywin has likely blocked it by now. If you want to attack the West, you either have to break through the Golden Tooth head-on or take the long way around from the south. But if you do that, you'll face heavy resistance, and in the end, you still have to face Casterly Rock," Robb said with great concern.
Beside him, Jeyne noticed that ever since her husband put down the crown, he seemed much more relaxed and talkative.
Catelyn couldn't help but speak up too: "Yes, Jon. Harrenhal is actually quite nice; it's three times the size of Winterfell. Daven Lannister is guarding the Golden Tooth now. Rickard killed his father on the battlefield, so he's bent on revenge. Tywin has returned to the West, and the whole region obeys his command. The West isn't like other places. Tywin showed his ruthless methods as soon as he became Lord of Casterly Rock. You know 'The Rains of Castamere'? He exterminated House Reyne, a family with a thousand-year history! He is a terrifying opponent!" Since Jon's "heartfelt speech," Catelyn hoped he would be more conservative and prioritize his own life.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Catelyn. But I believe no family in this world lasts forever. Tywin is cruel and ruthless, but he is also old. The Western nobles and their elite forces suffered heavy losses in this war; they are weak right now. Never mind the Lannisters—in the age when Targaryen dragons danced in the sky, even the gods had to bow their heads. And what happened? Aren't they gone now too? Only a rumored Targaryen princess is left wandering overseas. There is no invincible opponent. Tywin must pay in blood for the many sins he committed in the Riverlands!" Jon said resolutely.
Seeing the flickering light on Jon's face, Sansa felt a little afraid, while Arya looked eager to join in.
Seeing everyone looking at him differently, Jon softened the mood: "Don't worry, Robb, Lady Catelyn. I know my limits. When I get married, please make sure you come as my elders."
"Rest assured, I definitely will," Catelyn promised solemnly.
"Jon, how about I leave you five thousand troops to help you attack the West?" Robb offered generously, but Jon refused.
Jon believed these soldiers, having survived the war, were elites and would be useful.
The problem was that they had been away from home for too long. Who knew how long the campaign in the West would take? If 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 recruited a group of Western surrenders, and House Tyrell will send troops to help me. Even if Tywin conscripts soldiers now, they will be untrained recruits lacking courage. It's quality over quantity; I have enough men."
Finally, Jon talked to Robb about the wildlings beyond the Wall, asking how he planned to deal with them. The Night's Watch's plea for help hadn't just gone to Dragonstone and King's Landing; almost every major lord had received it.
Robb excitedly said they were just wildlings; he'd at least kill their "King-Beyond-the-Wall" Mance Rayder and drive the rest back.
But Jon offered a different perspective. Catelyn realized Jon and Robb needed to discuss important matters, so she left with Sansa and Jeyne.
"Robb, these wildlings are people too. There must be a reason for their sudden large-scale attack on the Wall. I hope you focus on pacifying them. Ideally, find a place for them to settle. I know this might put pressure on the North's food supply, but what if they turn into wights?"
"Wights?!" Robb had always treated the White Walkers as legends. "Jon, you mean the White Walkers from the stories?"
"Yes. I saw them at the Wall! Shortly before receiving news of Father being framed, several Night's Watch brothers who went deep beyond the Wall with Uncle Benjen went missing. In the end, we only found their bodies; as for Uncle Benjen, there was no news at all. I don't know what happened, but those bodies all turned into monsters that only knew how to kill. Stabbing them with swords didn't hurt them. We could only truly kill them by burning them with fire or chopping off their heads."
As a transmigrator, Jon naturally knew the White Walkers' weaknesses from the start.
He had devised a plan to deal with those wight-corpses at the Wall. Although he hadn't sworn his vows yet, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had taken a liking to him.
Jeor Mormont could tell Jon was delaying his vows, but he couldn't bear to let him go. That was why the Lord Commander had been so angry the day Jon left the Wall.
Seeing Jon speak so seriously about these things, Robb looked shocked, even swallowing hard. "Jon, you must be joking, right?"
"Robb, even you think that way. Imagine the attitude of the southern lords."
"Guarding the North is Winterfell's responsibility. I need your promise that you will take this matter seriously. Absolutely do not leave anything to chance!" Jon leaned close to Robb's face and said.
"I... I understand."
"Although the wildlings are enemies, they are enemies who can become friends. Our conflict with them is at most over food. But what the White Walkers fight us for is life itself! Think of our sisters, think of the child in Jeyne's womb. Robb, you are not going home; you are rushing to another battlefield!"
Listening to Jon's warning, even with the crackling of the fire right beside him, Robb felt a chill all over his body.
Enemies that could only be killed by fire and beheading—as a military genius, he knew how terrifying such enemies were.
Fortunately, Jon gave him another piece of information—dragonglass.
"Dragonglass, or obsidian, from Dragonstone seems to be particularly lethal to these White Walkers. I will have King Stannis mine dragonglass on a large scale at Dragonstone and ship it to Winterfell and the Wall."
Hearing that obsidian could kill White Walkers, Robb's tense expression relaxed a little.
Finally, Jon suggested dealing with the bodies in the crypts of Winterfell to avoid accidents.
But Jon miscalculated on this point. Robb said most of the bodies in the crypts had long since turned to dust, and disturbing the ancestors rashly wasn't a good thing.
In the end, they decided to place a piece of dragonglass in the mouths of the ancestors' remains, just in case.
"Alright, Robb, I have one last thing to warn you about. No matter what, do not trust Lady Catelyn's childhood friend, Petyr Baelish. You can use him, but never give him any trust!"
This time, Robb didn't ask why. He simply agreed.
Perhaps he still had some competitive spirit regarding military command, but when it came to understanding people's hearts, he accepted the fact that Jon was stronger than him.