A streamlined ship slowly raised its sails, emblazoned with the twin towers emblem.
It was a Frey Family ship.
Given Jon's current situation, Old Walder found it truly inconvenient to continue discussing the marriage alliance with him.
Instead, he offered some words of comfort and had Jon sent to The Twins.
However, the old man didn't seem to give up.
He gifted Jon a set of high-quality plate armor, along with two fine steel longswords.
One sword hilt was inlaid with a ruby, the other with a sapphire.
This didn't seem like much, but he had Roslin personally help Jon don the armor.
"Jon… Lord Jon, please don't be too sad. Only by taking care of yourself can you avenge Lord Eddard.
I… I will wait for your safe return at The Twins."
Jon looked at the delicate-faced girl and suddenly realized, wasn't this Robb's aunt?
Before the Red Wedding, Robb, having broken his betrothal, proposed that Catelyn's younger brother, his uncle Lord Edmure, marry in his stead to solidify the alliance.
It was said that Edmure and Roslin's marital relationship seemed quite good.
And Roslin was also a relatively kind girl.
She knew everything before the Red Wedding occurred.
But she couldn't speak out.
So she could only cry incessantly at the wedding.
After she became pregnant, she even prayed that she would give birth to a daughter, so Old Walder wouldn't kill Edmure.
Jon estimated that her words were three parts true and seven parts false.
Especially that last line, 'I'll wait for you at The Twins'.
Most likely, Old Walder made her say it.
The intention was simply too obvious.
Perhaps his deliberately displayed humility and sincerity earned him some goodwill from her, but it wasn't enough for her to offer herself to him.
Jon had a rule in life:
Never underestimate the enemy's strength, and never overestimate your own charm.
"Thank you, Lady Roslin."
Soon, the armor was fully donned, and Roslin took out a black cloak to drape over him.
Jon stooped slightly, and Roslin's slender arms wrapped around Jon's neck, then patiently tied the cloak's clasp for him.
During this process, the distance between them was less than half a foot!
Jon smelled the scent of lilac emanating from her.
Looking at her beautiful face, Jon felt a small flutter.
Of course, this was just a normal physiological reaction; it was a long way from being in love.
But then again, Old Walder had already made two 'attacks', and now it was Jon's turn.
Only defending and not attacking was not Jon's style.
Jon remembered that Roslin seemed to be skilled in music. Seeing that the ship was still waiting for him and there was no one else nearby, he softly sang:
"I've already fallen in love with you ~ longing to be together…"
Jon's singing made Roslin freeze for a moment, then her fair face immediately flushed red.
"But the gap between us ~ is a great distance ~"
Roslin stood frozen, clearly a bit at a loss.
Especially when the warm breath from the young man's mouth brushed her face, it made her feel as if her ears were burning.
"I can only deceive myself, deceive myself into letting you go ~
Can I hold you ~ even for just a moment…"
Jon only sang a few lines, because he couldn't remember the rest of the lyrics.
But for a medieval maiden experiencing her first crush, it was like a nuclear bomb had been placed in her mind.
Her heart pounded, like a fish just pulled ashore, or a rabbit just caught in a net.
"Lady Roslin, I hope we can meet again." With that, Jon turned and boarded the ship.
"Jon…"
Roslin's hand hung in mid-air. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked around.
Suddenly, her eyes met the meaningful gaze of the pot-bellied man, and she felt somewhat flustered.
Although the pot-bellied man didn't know what Jon had said to his sister, he still reminded her:
"Don't think too much, it's just Father's task. Go stand over there and don't come back until our ship is out of sight."
"Understood."
Roslin nodded. This was actually part of the temporary plan.
If it was just a task at first, now she genuinely felt a bit reluctant to part with the big boy who had sung to her.
After all, he was the first.
And this innocent girl didn't know that Jon's motive for getting closer to her was also impure.
She just thought she had met her true love… "Jon, look, my sister Roslin seems a bit reluctant to see you go." Inside the cabin, the pot-bellied man reminded Jon.
Jon turned to look. Roslin, dressed in a blue dress, stood at the port, like a statue that had been waiting for a long time.
But he said nothing.
Only the expression on his face kept changing.
For a moment, lingering affection; for another, sadness.
When he turned away, it was as if he had made a great decision.
He sang to Roslin, hoping to better monitor the movements of The Twins.
Later, he could send ravens to her room, asking her to gather information for him within her capabilities.
To put it bluntly, Jon was also toying with someone else's emotions.
But after all, Old Walder had calculated against him first; he was merely collecting a small amount of interest.
As for Roslin… if Jon could end the war sooner, perhaps her fate would be better.
Jon looked at the pot-bellied man and spoke:
"My Lord, I am truly rude; I still don't know your esteemed name."
"Ah, my name is Rhaegar."
What?!
Shock flashed in Jon's eyes.
He thought, what class are you to share a name with my father?
This Frey in front of him was already somewhat unsightly in appearance.
Big belly, thin legs, and a pointy head.
He looked exactly like an ice cream cone.
Especially when he spoke, a sour, foul odor emanated from his mouth.
Upon inquiry, this Rhaegar Frey was a widower, currently with two sons and one daughter.
This Rhaegar Frey continued:
"Haha, surprised, aren't you?" He pointed to the boy of only thirteen or fourteen outside and said, "That's my son, his name is Robert Frey, and he will be your squire from now on.
The boy is a bit frail, but his mind is not bad. I hope he can learn some skills from you."
"Rest assured, My Lord, I will do my best to teach him."
Jon temporarily agreed to this matter, and the two chatted casually.
After a while of talking, they would occasionally look at the scenery outside.
Speaking of which, The Twins' ships were fast. Before long, they had sailed out of the Frey Family's territory.
And at this time, Jon also noticed that in the Frey Family's domain, the common people could still live normally, but as soon as they sailed out of the Riverrun area, Jon saw large areas of burnt farmlands and houses.
Those burnt houses and fields looked like charred islands scattered across the yellow-green land.
Undoubtedly, these were all the Lannister's 'masterpieces'.
Jon truly disliked this world.
Whether lords or knights, they acted without any scruples in their own territories.
Each one was like a petty tyrant.
Once they fought into someone else's territory, that's when they truly acted inhumanely.
The so-called king, in the end, was merely the most powerful lord.
As long as the noble lords below could pay their gold and blood taxes on time, they showed no mercy or care for the common people.
Unrestrained power turns the world into hell!
'This world lacks a monarch who can unify the realm!'
Such a thought popped into Jon's mind.
How strong are the Others, exactly?
And how many of them are there?
Jon didn't believe that a disaster brewing for eight thousand years could be resisted by a single savior.
He might be a leader, but a leader must rely on the strength of everyone to overcome difficulties.
But this thought was quickly suppressed again.
People still need to be more practical.
First, he had to find a way to make Robb give up claiming the crown.
At least then there would be a fallback.
Soon it was night. Jon and Rhaegar Frey and his son were resting on the ship when they suddenly heard a commotion.
Little Robert ran out first, then shouted into the cabin:
"Father, Lord Jon, come out and see!"
Jon and Rhaegar Frey walked out of the cabin, only to see a red bright line had appeared in the sky above them at some point.
That red line was both red and long, coming from the east.
It was like a god had used his fingernail to scratch a wound across the night sky.
"W-what is that? Is a disaster about to happen?" A sailor said timidly, while more people simply knelt on the deck.
"Disaster has come, it must be disaster."
"Oh, Gods, you know me, I have always been devout…"
"The Seven Gods protect us."
Sailors were already superstitious, and faced with such a celestial phenomenon, they became even more terrified.
They knelt on the ship one by one, hands clasped to their chests, muttering prayers.
"Father, w-what is this?"
"It's a comet."
Compared to the ignorant sailors, Rhaegar Frey was educated.
He knew some basic astronomical knowledge.
But in his memory, comets were mostly blue or white.
A red comet like this was truly rare.
"Jon, what do you think?"
Rhaegar Frey looked at Jon in the shadows and asked.
"My Lord, I don't know either. This is truly… this is truly astonishing."
Jon certainly knew!
Even if he didn't know exactly what this red comet was, he knew that its appearance represented the occurrence of certain events.
For example, the famous 'Beggar King' had probably already donned a molten gold crown and died in a foreign land.
For example, Khal Drogo, who once dominated the Dothraki Sea, had become a vegetable and was personally killed by his Khaleesi, ending his life.
And this Khaleesi of the Dothraki Sea, Daenerys Stormborn, after nearly two centuries of dragons disappearing, hatched three young dragons in a great fire!
And she would use these three young dragons as a starting point to embark on a path of power and revenge.
Of course, dragons would indeed have a huge impact on the overall world situation.
But Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, was still thousands of miles away at this time, and would not affect the situation in Westeros in the short term.
Another theory Jon knew was that the appearance of the red comet represented the reawakening of magic.
Perhaps he should pay attention to magical matters next.
After all, the reason why the situation in Seven Kingdoms evolved so quickly afterward was that magic was an indispensable catalyst.
'The entire world has disappeared…'
Jon once again recalled the words of the female captive from the Mountain Clans tribe.
This description pointed to two key things.
One was dragons.
The other was magic.
Jon decided that after returning from Riverrun, he must make a trip to the Mountains of the Moon.
He should gain a lot from it.
Soon it was night. Jon and Rhaegar Frey and his son were resting on the ship when they suddenly heard a commotion.
Little Robert ran out first, then shouted into the cabin:
"Father, Lord Jon, come out and see!"
Jon and Rhaegar Frey walked out of the cabin, only to see a red bright line had appeared in the sky above them at some point.
That red line was both red and long, coming from the east.
It was like a god had used his fingernail to scratch a wound across the night sky.
"W-what is that? Is a disaster about to happen?" A sailor said timidly, while more people simply knelt on the deck.
"Disaster has come, it must be disaster."
"Oh, Gods, you know me, I have always been devout…"
"The Seven Gods protect us."
Sailors were already superstitious, and faced with such a celestial phenomenon, they became even more terrified.
They knelt on the ship one by one, hands clasped to their chests, muttering prayers.
"Father, w-what is this?"
"It's a comet."
Compared to the ignorant sailors, Rhaegar Frey was educated.
He knew some basic astronomical knowledge.
But in his memory, comets were mostly blue or white.
A red comet like this was truly rare.
"Jon, what do you think?"
Rhaegar Frey looked at Jon in the shadows and asked.
"My Lord, I don't know either. This is truly… this is truly astonishing."
Jon certainly knew!
Even if he didn't know exactly what this red comet was, he knew that its appearance represented the occurrence of certain events.
For example, the famous 'Beggar King' had probably already donned a molten gold crown and died in a foreign land.
For example, Khal Drogo, who once dominated the Dothraki Sea, had become a vegetable and was personally killed by his Khaleesi, ending his life.
And this Khaleesi of the Dothraki Sea, Daenerys Stormborn, after nearly two centuries of dragons disappearing, hatched three young dragons in a great fire!
And she would use these three young dragons as a starting point to embark on a path of power and revenge.
Of course, dragons would indeed have a huge impact on the overall world situation.
But Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, was still thousands of miles away at this time, and would not affect the situation in Westeros in the short term.
Another theory Jon knew was that the appearance of the red comet represented the reawakening of magic.
Perhaps he should pay attention to magical matters next.
After all, the reason why the situation in Seven Kingdoms evolved so quickly afterward was that magic was an indispensable catalyst.
'The entire world has disappeared…'
Jon once again recalled the words of the female captive from the Mountain Clans tribe.
This description pointed to two key things.
One was dragons.
The other was magic.
Jon decided that after returning from Riverrun, he must make a trip to the Mountains of the Moon.
He should gain a lot from it.