Old Walder intended to marry Robb to his legitimate daughter.
But for Jon, it was anyone's guess who he would get.
Although the Walder family had many children, there were also many whose parents were unclear.
Marquess Walder, of course, would not look favorably upon Jon.
Even if he was truly no less skilled in martial arts than the Sword of the Morning.
Damn it, sooner or later I'm going to be my own boss!
This was Jon's strongest desire after saying a series of self-deprecating and humble words.
Although he could recognize his status as a bastard and accept the fact of his low birth,
if a person always lived like this, they would sooner or later develop psychological problems.
Those who fawn over superiors will bully inferiors.
This was Jon's experience from his previous life.
A person's emotional energy is finite; once it accumulates to a certain extent, it must be released.
The so-called 'kicking the cat effect' is precisely this principle.
But no matter what, these words did indeed make Old Walder feel pleased.
Firstly, his face was saved, and Jon, a legendarily strong fighter, also expressed his willingness to serve him.
That was enough; to continue provoking would make him seem too narrow-minded.
The reason he had said those words earlier was actually to test who the 'Winterfell expert' truly was.
It just seemed that the 'expert' had not come along.
So Old Walder laughed heartily:
"Interesting little fellow, look, I just scared him and he actually took it seriously! Since the alliance has been formed, the Frey Family will not withdraw. Our alliance is unbreakable!"
With that, Old Walder raised his wine cup, and the others also raised their cups in response.
As for the Northern Lords, they were greatly surprised by Jon's performance.
They had always believed Jon was merely a 'brute' under Robb.
Strong in martial arts, but surely lacking in strategy.
They had always assumed the one behind the schemes was either Robb or Luwin.
As for Jon, they had never considered him in that light.
But today, it was hard to say.
Especially Roose Bolton, who looked at Jon with more scrutiny and probing.
It seemed Robb had not just placed a pair of eyes beside him; it was more complex than that.
If Jon was the 'mastermind' behind all previous actions, then he would need to be extra careful.
As for Greatjon, he watched Jon with a chuckle.
After all, they shared the same name, and Jon was very skilled in fighting and resembled Eddard, so there was a natural fondness.
Rickard's gaze towards Jon also changed; he saw the temperament of Brandon Stark from back then in Jon.
Brandon was eloquent and also possessed formidable martial arts skills.
He was the Duke of Winterfell, favored by the entire North.
Or, to some extent, Brandon was the Rhaegar of the North.
Brandon was Eddard's elder brother; originally, Winterfell should have been his, and he was the one who was to marry Catelyn.
But he was murdered by the Mad King.
Jon was unaware that others' opinions of him had changed significantly; he just smiled without speaking.
In this world, there was no such thing as an unbreakable alliance.
After playing a'show of force' on Jon, Old Walder asked Robb to detail his southern campaign strategy.
Robb believed the most important thing at the moment was to relieve Riverrun. He stated that he would divide his forces into two routes: one would gather most of the cavalry for a surprise attack, while the other part would attract the attention of Tywin's army, still at the Green Fork.
"Ser Roose Bolton, you and Jon will be responsible for attracting the attention of Tywin's army for us."
"As you command, my Lord."
Roose Bolton stood up and responded, his tone flat.
He had already raised Jon's 'danger level' by one in his mind.
Subsequently, Robb made some more arrangements, and Old Walder, seated at the head, nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Robb again.
At least in terms of military acumen, Robb's ideas were bold and meticulous.
Just then, a servant approached Old Walder's ear and whispered something, and Old Walder immediately turned to Robb and said:
"Robb, your mother, Lady Catelyn, has arrived at The Twins."
"Mother?"
A flash of surprise crossed Robb's eyes, and he unconsciously looked towards the door.
Half an hour earlier, Catelyn had heard on her journey that her son Robb had already led his army south.
Leaving her sister Lysa at the Eyrie in the Vale, she hurried to The Twins.
At the same time, she sent Rodrik ahead to scout.
Rodrik's family was a 'house retainer' of the Stark family.
House retainers were closer and more trustworthy than sworn vassals.
For example, the captain of the guard Eddard took south was named 'Jory Cassel,' and Jory also came from the Cassel family.
It could be said that the Stark family entrusted their safety to this 'house retainer' family with confidence.
After Rodrik briefly understood the situation, he went back to meet Catelyn, who was still on the way, and upon seeing Catelyn, he praised Robb profusely.
Catelyn sat in the carriage, and Rodrik, riding on horseback, leaned slightly towards the carriage window to tell her:
"Robb used both grace and might, and quickly brought the Northern Lords under his command.
And now the North has formed an alliance with the Frey Family.
Robb is currently allocating troops and determining combat objectives; the army is ready to march at any moment."
Hearing that all this had been accomplished by her son, Catelyn felt immense relief in her heart.
Especially the terms of Robb's agreement with the Frey Family; she believed that even if she had been there, she might not have done better.
To be honest, Catelyn had felt quite regretful throughout her journey.
She already knew that she was responsible for the calamity that befell the Riverlands.
Even her husband in King's Landing was implicated by her.
Since Robert's visit, she had successively experienced her son's crippling injury and her husband's imprisonment.
Plus, she seemed to have been deceived again.
Running around for this had left her physically and mentally exhausted.
Now, her son displayed such excellent qualities, which seemed to instantly dispel her fatigue.
Thinking of her tall, valiant, and strategic son, Catelyn's steps became lighter, and she soon arrived at the great hall.
"Lady Catelyn Stark arrives—"
With a call, the Northern Lords all rose. Catelyn entered the great hall of The Twins, and almost immediately saw Robb.
The corners of her mouth curved slightly, and the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Then, her second glance fell upon Jon.
Jon also saw her.
Aunt Cat.
Jon softly spoke her nickname in his heart.
Catelyn was only thirty-four or thirty-five years old, and despite having five children, she was still very well-preserved.
She looked as if she had just turned thirty.
Mainly, the noblewoman's aura she exuded was impossible to hide; otherwise, people would believe her if she claimed to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine.
Catelyn had the Tully family's characteristic auburn hair.
Her green eyes were still lively, no wonder the 'Littlefinger' who 'used chaos as a ladder' couldn't forget her.
He even thought of using Sansa as Catelyn's substitute.
Compared to Jon respectfully bowing upon seeing Catelyn, Catelyn merely glanced at Jon and chose to ignore him.
Ever since Eddard brought Jon before her, she had never liked this child of unknown origin.
Considering that Jon was going south this time to rescue Eddard, she said nothing.
But that was the extent of it.
She would never have imagined that behind Robb's establishment of authority, Jon was actually planning everything.
As soon as she arrived in the great hall, she immediately became the new center of attention.
Old Walder's gaze lingered on Catelyn for a moment before he withdrew it.
Clearly, as the daughter of a liege lord, Catelyn aroused a slight 'interest' in Old Walder.
However, the old man was able to hide it well.
Catelyn approached Robb and spoke to Old Walder at the head of the table:
"Respected Marquess Frey, on behalf of the Stark family, I thank you for your assistance. With your support, we will surely be able to bring justice to my husband more quickly, and all of Westeros will thereby restore order."
Listening to Catelyn's words, Jon also felt admiration.
Sometimes, Aunt Cat's impulsiveness was only because of her children; when her intelligence was online, she was a very competent diplomat.
If the Red Woman hadn't assassinated Renly with a shadow assassin, it's quite possible that the Stark and Renly alliance would have actually been formed then.
Piling on the flattery, it was in fact the exact same line of thinking Jon had just used to excuse himself.
After a pleasant conversation, both parties set the time for the army's departure for the following night.
At the same time, Old Walder also used the Frey Family's influence to ensure that not a single piece of news about the Northern army's southward march could leak out.
After the formal meeting concluded, Catelyn returned to the Northern army's camp, bringing Jon and Theon with her, and the group discussed the upcoming war.
The camp tent was filled with Northern nobles.
All those who could attend the meeting were Earls.
Jon Umber of Last Hearth, Rickard Karstark of Karhold—these were staunch supporters of the Stark family.
Roose Bolton, of course, goes without saying, and there was Lord Severn of Seagard, Ser Wylis Manderly of White Harbor—actually, Ser Manderly was a representative.
There was also Old Walder's son, Stevron.
However, he also represented the Frey Family.
Although Jon was present, he was standing, and from a ceremonial standpoint, he had no right to speak.
Jon knew that the battle Robb was about to fight was called the 'Battle of the Whispering Wood.'
In the Battle of the Whispering Wood, Robb not only relieved Riverrun but also captured Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, who was Tywin's eldest and most favored son.
It could be said to be a complete and utter victory!
But on the other side, the largely infantry army led by Roose Bolton suffered a crushing defeat in the 'Battle of the Green Fork.'
Although he preserved some of his strength and tied up Tywin's army,
he squandered an army of over eighteen thousand men, leaving only just over ten thousand.
This resulted in a significant reduction in Northern forces.
Moreover, the old man preserved his direct line troops remarkably well, with almost no losses.
Dreadfort's original army of over four thousand men was only one-fifth of the entire army before the battle.
After the Battle of the Green Fork, it directly became nearly half!
The battle was lost, but Roose Bolton's influence increased.
Therefore, Jon could not just stand by and watch this situation unfold.
So, even if it was somewhat against etiquette, he had to find an opportunity to speak up!