The midday sun brought a warm temperature, and the thin frost on the ground was gone.
Under the gaze of a crowd of soldiers, officers, and nobles, two young people, one older and one younger, looking remarkably similar, reunited, adding a touch of warmth to the bloody war.
"Jon!"
"Arya!"
With just one glance, their two pairs of grey eyes recognized each other.
Both had changed significantly from the other's memory. In Arya's eyes, Jon seemed to have grown taller, and his demeanor was closer to the Eddard Stark she remembered.
In Jon's eyes, Arya had clearly suffered a lot on her journey, looking like a scrawny cat.
Despite this, no awkwardness or distance arose between them; the same bloodline connected them tightly.
And when they embraced tightly, everyone noticed that they both had the distinctive Stark long faces and grey eyes.
"Arya? Arya Stark, is this Lord Eddard's youngest daughter?" Dondarrion said with great surprise.
Everyone who witnessed this scene was somewhat incredulous. The news they had received was that Arya was still in King's Landing.
Of course, this was also because they didn't know Arya well; she wasn't some delicate noble lady, but full of resourcefulness and strength.
Jon also hadn't expected them to meet here. He had thought he might see Arya on his way to King's Landing.
Upon asking, it turned out she had heard the news of Jon's march south and his slaying of the Mountain, which is why she sped up, heading straight for Harrenhal.
On the way, she happened to encounter the Brotherhood Without Banners, allowing them to meet earlier.
The main reason was that with Jon in the Eastern Army, successive victories prevented Tywin from ravaging the Riverlands at will, which gave Arya the opportunity to bypass the blockade.
Upon seeing Arya, Ghost also whimpered and sniffed at her.
His wet tongue licked Arya's face, finally revealing her original appearance beneath the grimy little face.
Arya was also very happy, giggling as she hugged Ghost. But after the joy of reunion, Arya remembered how she had 'driven away' her wolf, and the sorrow of losing her father enveloped her once more.
"Jon, Father, he... Father is dead, killed by Joffrey!" Arya buried her head in Jon's chest, her body trembling uncontrollably, like a wounded young animal.
"I know, I know Arya. We will definitely avenge Father! I will personally kill that bastard Joffrey!"
Although Arya was a natural tough person, she was still young. She had disguised herself as a little boy all this way, using the belief in revenge to hide her inner fragility.
Now, seeing Jon, her emotions could no longer be concealed. Tears streamed down, quickly making her face streaky again.
The scene before them deeply moved Old Yorek, Thoros, and many others.
Jon, before Thoros also lost control of his tears, asked her to take Arya to bathe and change clothes.
After all, having been away from King's Landing for so long, even the most fragrant noble lady would be quite smelly by now.
Moreover, Arya was more active than most little boys; Jon even noticed that her hair was somewhat matted.
But the sense of security Jon, her brother, gave Arya was something she clung to, insisting on staying with Jon a little longer.
"Good little sister, be obedient. We'll sleep together tonight after you've had your bath."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Watching Arya leave, Jon's heart grew heavier. He was about to embark on something big, and this girl's sudden arrival meant Roose Bolton would surely know. What if—
Wait!
Jon suddenly thought of something and turned to Dondarrion.
"Lord Beric, did you encounter a Night's Watchman on your journey?"
"Hmm, how did you know?"
"And where is he now?"
Among the Nights Watch, there were 'wandering crows' specifically responsible for traveling the Seven Kingdoms to recruit new members for the Wall. Jon had met one named Yoren just before leaving Winterfell for the Wall.
That Night's Watchman, Yoren, knew Arya's identity, and it was largely thanks to him that Arya escaped King's Landing.
Despite stating that the Nights Watch was neutral when they encountered the Western Army, he was still killed. The one who killed him was Amory, whom Jon had captured earlier in the Battle of the Green Fork.
Since Amory was captured, Yoren might have escaped death. In fact, Jon wasn't concerned about Yoren, but about Jaqen H'ghar, the Faceless Man he was escorting!
If he could make a deal with Jaqen, exchanging a dragon egg for him to eliminate Roose Bolton, that would be a very worthwhile trade!
However, Dondarrion looked troubled when faced with Jon's question, as if he didn't quite know how to answer. It was Thoros who came to his rescue.
"Jon, the Night's Watchman you're talking about must be Yoren. He said you were the only deserter he'd seen in thirty years, and now you command a large army. He didn't want the newly recruited Nights Watch new recruits to see you and have other ideas, so he went straight to Riverrun. We parted ways four days ago."
"So that's how it is." Jon nodded, not feeling displeased by this. It seemed the Nights Watch had a strong opinion of him now.
But unexpectedly, Thoros leaned in and whispered, "Jon, Yoren doesn't dislike you. He said it's unfair for a child your age to guard the Wall. It's too cruel to freeze your life at the Wall without having seen or experienced anything."
"Oh?" Thoros's words truly surprised Jon. He hadn't expected Yoren to be so humane.
He even surpassed Eddard. After all, Jon was his sister's orphan. To just toss him onto the Wall and forget about him? Was that appropriate?
Eddard, you're my maternal uncle!
At this moment, Thoros spoke again, "By the way, Jon, you probably haven't slept with a woman yet, have you? I think your handmaiden is quite nice—"
Jon looked Thoros up and down, not expecting this fellow to be such a 'lustful monk.'
"My Lord, a letter from Riverrun." In the Tower of the Wailing on the other side, the Maester delivered a letter. Upon reading it, Roose Bolton's lips curved into a smile. He happily handed the letter to his confidant, Polliver.
Polliver took the letter, read it, and also smiled, saying, "My Lord, now no one in the army can threaten your position."
It turned out the letter was from Robb. He wanted Jon to hand over command of the army as soon as possible and proceed to Riverrun within half a month to receive orders from Edmure.
As for the troops, Jon could take a maximum of a thousand men.
It seemed Robb had learned of Jon's refusal of Catelyn that day.
Roose Bolton, having received the letter, was also in high spirits. "It is said that the Brotherhood Without Banners also brought Eddard's youngest daughter. Why not let Jon go to Riverrun with her?" Polliver suggested.
"No," Roose Bolton rejected his proposal. "I want to see her later to confirm she is truly Arya. Then, you will have the Maester write to Riverrun, saying that we found Arya. Only then will Robb trust us more."
After hearing Roose Bolton's plan, Polliver exclaimed how brilliant it was.
Roose Bolton stood by the window, from where he could overlook all of Harrenhal. His window, in particular, directly faced the Tower of Dread where Jon was located.
As soon as Jon left, this army of twenty thousand men would all be under his command. Without Jon leading, those annoying lords would never dare to defy his orders.
After a hot bath, Arya changed into clean clothes. Although they were a bit ill-fitting, with sleeves and pant legs needing to be rolled up, they were much better than her previous smelly clothes.
When she approached Jon, he could smell grass on her.
Jon, having received Roose Bolton's invitation, took Arya and over a dozen guards and headed towards the Tower of the Wailing.
"Jon, when are we going to attack King's Landing to avenge Father?" Arya asked seriously on the way.
Jon's hand, calloused from years of gripping a sword, was rough yet very warm, making her reluctant to let go.
"Roose Bolton is the commander of the army; we need to obey his orders.
Besides, avenging Father is a task for Robb and me; that's enough. Tomorrow, I will send someone to take you to Riverrun. Lady Catelyn should be there too." Jon said, stroking Arya's head, which naturally met with fierce opposition.
Jon hadn't told her that she had already been used for a marriage alliance with the Frey Family, otherwise, with her temper, she would probably run away halfway.
"No!" Arya stamped her foot angrily, then pulled away from Jon to demonstrate her martial arts.
She wielded her sword with practiced grace, her footwork light and movements sharp. She was simply a natural swordswoman.
If not for the limitations of physical strength and size, she would undoubtedly become a first-rate swordswoman in the future.
"Jon, look, this is called Water Dance! I can kill enemies too!"
Jon glanced at the short sword in her hand, thinking it might break if it hit armor. So, no matter how much she argued, Jon wouldn't budge.
After all, if Arya returned to Riverrun, it would somewhat appease Catelyn and ensure she wouldn't do something foolish like releasing Jaime.
But just then, Arya offered a condition Jon couldn't refuse: "I know a secret passage into the Red Keep!"
"Secret passage?"
Jon immediately stopped, and his accompanying guards also halted and became alert.
"I know a secret passage, a secret passage into the Red Keep! I was practicing catching sparrows that day, and then—" Seeing Jon's reaction, Arya's eyes showed triumph. She vividly described how she accidentally discovered the secret passage, and at the same time, heard someone muttering something.
Although she hadn't seen who it was, she still remembered the secret passage.
"Do you still remember where that secret passage is?" Jon asked, bending down very seriously.
"Of course! I remember it very clearly!" Arya patted her chest, sticking out her neck.
This news invigorated Jon. If he could control that secret passage, he could control Joffrey and Cersei in the shortest possible time.
Even if the Lannister and Tyrell armies attacked King's Landing, he wouldn't be afraid! Joffrey was the foundation of the alliance between the two families; killing him would cause the alliance to disintegrate.
As for Cersei's other two children, Myrcella and Tommen, Jon knew they had been hidden in Rosby before the war began!
Rosby was just a small town, and its defender was an old man too slow to run.
Jon was confident he could take Rosby within a short time before attacking King's Landing, and resurrect Myrcella and Tommen.
Now, everything was ready except for the last crucial step. As long as he could find a way to completely control Roose Bolton, he should march on King's Landing!