"Are you saying he opposed his brother becoming king?"
Old Walder, who had been lounging lazily by the warm fireplace, listening to Rhaegar Frey's account, suddenly sat up.
The shaking motion in his hand involuntarily quickened, his thoughts spinning as rapidly as the sake in his cup, so much so that he didn't even notice the drink was about to spill.
"Yes, Father. As we neared Riverrun, Jon kept urging the sailors to go faster. When we disembarked, he didn't even bother to greet anyone and went straight to the great hall. It was as if he knew in advance that those Northerners were going to crown Robb," Rhaegar Frey recalled.
"Knew in advance?" Old Walder placed his cup on the table and chuckled. "How could that be? He's not some prophet with such abilities. He probably just wanted to know more about Eddard's situation."
Old Walder offered his guess, and Rhaegar Frey feigned a sudden realization, agreeing that this guess was more reasonable.
But Old Walder still had one thing he didn't quite understand.
His two encounters with Jon had left him with a 'slippery' impression of Jon.
Though Jon had been self-deprecating and humble the first time, and then swore his loyalty through fire and brimstone the second, Old Walder could sense that Jon didn't want too deep a connection with him.
In his opinion, if Jon wanted to dissuade Robb, he should have used other methods, at least not so vehemently.
This was very un-'Jon'.
But no matter what Jon was trying to do, Old Walder felt his investment in Jon was a bit of a loss.
His public opposition to Robb's coronation, though it wouldn't prevent him from becoming a noble and receiving lands in the future, would likely result in him being granted a 'border region' far from the core.
But it didn't matter.
Robb's coronation made up for it.
He had originally only intended to seize the opportunity to arrange a marriage alliance with the Stark.
He hadn't expected to earn a queen's crown for the Frey Family.
In the future, the Frey Family's status would not be lower than the Tully.
It was worth it!
Let's see who dares to call the Frey Family upstarts now.
Thinking of this, Old Walder's mood relaxed, and his cloudy old eyes began to wander over the maidservants around him.
Old Walder's small gestures caught Rhaegar Frey's attention.
He knew his father was in a very cheerful and relaxed mood, so he brought up another matter.
"Father, when Jon and I left The Twins that day, Roslin seemed to have some… feelings for him."
"Roslin is my prettiest daughter. She belongs to Robb."
Old Walder's words fell like a judge's gavel, deciding his daughter's fate.
"I certainly expect to recoup my costs from raising her, otherwise, what's the point of her?
As for any feelings she has for Jon, I don't know, and I don't care."
"Yes… Father," Rhaegar Frey bowed his head.
Meanwhile, in Roslin's room.
'Lady Roslin, this is my raven. I am heading to the Mountains of the Moon to recruit clan warriors for Robb.
When the war ends, perhaps we will meet at the victory feast.
Our last parting was a bit abrupt, please forgive me.
Jon Snow of Winterfell.'
At Roslin's window, a black raven over a foot tall was waiting.
From time to time, it would tuck its head under its wing to scratch itself.
Its black feathers, under the sunlight, reflected a 'multicolored' black.
It was clear Jon had taken good care of it.
As Old Walder's daughter, she naturally knew the purpose of ravens.
But she had never seen a raven as intelligent as this one, capable of finding her room!
She thought for a moment, then quickly and quietly brought the raven some nuts, snacks, and small pieces of dried meat.
Of course, all of this was done in secret.
She understood Old Walder and knew he would never allow his children to act against his will.
Soon, Roslin fed the raven and thought she should write something to Jon as well.
But looking at the blank letter paper in front of her, she couldn't think of how to reply, even as the ink from the feather pen's tip dripped and spread into a blot.
Roslin's memory seemed to return to the scene where Jon had sung her a song that day.
She couldn't help but blush again.
She looked at the raven and noticed it seemed to be staring intently at her letter paper.
As Roslin was lost in thought, the raven used its adult-finger-long, jet-black beak to peck out half a hazelnut from Roslin's sleeve.
'Phew—I thought you could read.'
Roslin thought to herself. She pondered for a moment and finally made up her mind.
A line of delicate handwriting appeared on the paper—
May your sword's edge often reflect the bright moon, not blood.
I shall also pray for you before the Gods.
If the bells of celebration ring,
Please save the first dance for the girl wearing a lily of the valley on her chest.
Roslin Frey of The Twins.
The language of the lily of the valley—the return of happiness.
After writing, Roslin couldn't help but blush.
She deleted the sentence 'If the bells of celebration ring, please save the first dance for the girl wearing a lily of the valley on her chest,' recopied the other sentences, and then carefully placed them into a bronze message tube… On horseback, Jon slowly opened his eyes. He had already known the contents of the letter before the raven delivered it.
So he simply found a place to destroy it and sent the raven back on its own.
Although at this stage, Jon only hoped to gather some intelligence about The Twins through Roslin.
If Old Walder still decided to hold the Red Wedding, he could prepare in advance.
But truthfully, Roslin was a good girl.
She would also make a good wife.
'If I can acquire lands in the future…'
Jon shook his head, temporarily banishing these idle thoughts from his mind.
He composed himself; the Northern Army camp was ahead.
If he were to go to the Mountains of the Moon, Howland Reed would be a good helper.
Jon planned to see if he could bring him along.
But as soon as he arrived at the camp, Jon received bad news from Old York—
Howland Reed had been sent to the Neck to guard the gateway to the North.
"My Lord, this was all Roose Bolton's doing.
Ser Howland Reed followed Lord Eddard during Robert's Rebellion, and his reputation is very high.
Everyone can see that he protects you, or at least he's on your side. Roose Bolton didn't want his authority to be further threatened, so he sent him to garrison the Neck."
"When did Ser Howland Reed leave?"
"Not long after you left," Old York said indignantly.
Upon learning the reason, Jon's expression darkened.
In the future, if he were to attack King's Landing, he absolutely could not leave his back to this fellow!
Even if it meant instigating a coup, he would have to control and imprison Roose Bolton to feel at ease.
Otherwise, this guy was simply a ticking time bomb.
One must remember that originally, Tywin, retreating from the Red Fork to reinforce King's Landing, passed right by Harrenhal, but Roose Bolton acted as if he didn't see him, remaining as still as a corpse.
Though Jon didn't know when he started to become a turncoat, he would never harbor any illusions about him just because he hadn't openly betrayed them before the Battle of the Blackwater.
After returning to the camp, Jon met with the other Northern lords.
It seemed they still didn't know about Jon's attempt to prevent Robb from being crowned in Riverrun.
Especially Meici Severn and Harrion, who remained very enthusiastic towards Jon.
"What's the point of recruiting those wildlings? These fellows have no loyalty to speak of, and their martial arts are mediocre. Jon, I advise you not to bother with that effort."
Upon learning that Jon was going to a place like the Mountains of the Moon, Harrion expressed his incomprehension.
After all, the wildlings in the Mountains of the Moon had different beliefs and possibly even different languages.
Forcing them together, it would be a miracle if they didn't fight.
"Jon, if you want to go, then go. I don't think this war will start anytime soon, but you must be careful," Meici Severn, being older, could tell that Jon was determined to go, so he admonished him like an elder.
However, he still felt that this endeavor wouldn't succeed.
Although he recalled how Jon had previously consolidated the Winterfell garrison and the various lords' ragtag soldiers.
But the wildlings of the Mountains of the Moon? With all due respect, the difficulty was still too great.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Severn. I would still ask you to continue managing the logistics for me."
After entrusting logistics and other matters to Meici Severn, Jon prepared to depart for the Mountains of the Moon.
Accumulating more strength now was not only preparation for attacking King's Landing but also a deterrent to Roose Bolton.
The Battle of the Blackwater concerned the overall direction of the War of the Five Kings, and Jon would not miss any opportunity to build up his strength.