Perhaps because he had already died once, Dondarrion was very open-minded, conversing with Jon without any reservations, pouring out his heart.
Jon gave Martin a look, signaling him to stand guard outside to prevent anyone from suddenly barging in.
Jon's actions also made the atmosphere in the room much more serious; Thoros, who was nearby, even slowed his breathing.
Preventing Robb from declaring himself King was Jon's way of laying the groundwork for his 'defection.' Of course, preventing the North's independence was also a very correct choice, though few could understand it.
It seemed that Dondarrion had great political foresight, and perhaps he could help him in the upcoming actions.
"Jon, I estimate it won't be long before Stannis takes Storms End.
At that time, he will consolidate the nobles of the entire Stormlands, and with the most powerful naval fleet in Westeros at his disposal, taking King's Landing will not be difficult. I want to know your thoughts, and what your next step is?" Dondarrion's gaze was piercing, as if he wanted to see right through Jon.
Jon knew he was being tested, so he decided to state his plans truthfully. He stood up and said, "Although Renly is dead, his ally Tyrell still has a strong army. With the Seven Kingdoms in chaos, Highgarden will certainly not miss this opportunity. I believe they are very likely to form an alliance with Lannister next!"
Seeing Jon's insight, Thoros, who was nearby, was also greatly surprised. This was exactly the conclusion he and Dondarrion had reached in their private discussions.
"That is also what I am worried about," Dondarrion looked at Jon with a burning gaze, as if relieved by his choice.
Jon continued, "If Stannis's attack on King's Landing fails, and Lannister forms an alliance with Tyrell, then the situation in the Seven Kingdoms will develop in a direction unfavorable to us.
Although Stannis now has a high probability of taking King's Landing, if he fails, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"Exactly!" Dondarrion nodded, again expressing his agreement. "Once Stannis fails, not to mention our so-called allies, even among our own people, there will be traitors!"
"Roose Bolton!" *3
Everyone spoke the name in unison.
Their eyes, as they looked at each other, held even more appreciation, like lone wolves finding their pack.
This is not to say that Roose Bolton is necessarily evil, but rather that if the Stark's rule in the North were to be overthrown, the House Bolton would be the only suitable candidate.
As for the other families, they were either blood relatives like Karstark, or staunch supporters like the Umber Family and the Manderly Family.
Or simply not qualified enough.
Finally, all the analysis converged into one question:
Jon! What are you going to do?
Although the several people had only just met, Jon knew that the Brotherhood Without Banners had been resisting and harassing Tywin's army, and thus he respected their character.
Currently, everyone's goals were aligned.
Jon already knew that Stannis had taken Storms End and consolidated the Stormlands with astonishing speed, and the opportunity left for him was fleeting; he might also need their help in the future.
He pondered for a moment and then said, "I plan to stage a mutiny, seize Roose Bolton's military power, and lead the army to King's Landing!"
Neither Dondarrion nor Thoros had expected Jon's plan to be so audacious.
Both gasped simultaneously, sat up straight, and then looked at each other.
They had originally thought Jon would at most bring his own men to King's Landing.
But on second thought, it made sense.
Five thousand men seemed like a lot, but the target was King's Landing, which had a population of over half a million.
Compared to that, five thousand men seemed rather insignificant.
"But Jon, mutiny is a capital offense. If Robb were to punish you, what would you do?" Dondarrion asked urgently.
"I am already a deserter from the Wall; all I seek is revenge for my father, Lord Eddard. As for my personal life or death, I do not care," Jon said calmly.
Seeing him speak this way, Dondarrion and Thoros were filled with respect and no longer regarded Jon as a mere adolescent.
"So, what do you plan to do? Or, is there anything you need our help with?" Dondarrion asked.
"Yes, Jon, just say it."
Seeing that he could finally talk to Thoros, Jon pondered for a moment and then said, "Ser Thoros, you seem to be a follower of the Lord of Light?"
"That's right." As soon as the Lord of Light was mentioned, Thoros became animated, his eyes clear and devout. "The night is long, the road is muddy, only with the guidance of the Lord of Light can we reach the shore of dawn. What do you say, Jon, are you interested in the Lord of Light?"
Indeed, excellent believers never miss an opportunity to spread their faith.
"Uh, I guess so," Jon said. "I actually heard on the Wall that you followers of the Lord of Light all seem to know magic.
Although I've already figured out how to deal with Roose Bolton, if you have any better ideas, we can try them too."
Jon couldn't directly ask how to create a 'shadow assassin,' so he could only probe indirectly like this.
At this point, Dondarrion spoke again: "Thoros can foresee future events through fire, and... actually, I am already a dead man; he resurrected me."
"Resurrection..." Jon appropriately showed his surprise. To make them trust him more, he then thought for a moment and asked, "Then, can someone who has been beheaded still be resurrected?"
"I'm sorry, Jon, no," Thoros said with some regret. "I cannot resurrect everyone. I think my ability to resurrect Lord Beric must be the will of the Lord of Light. He must still be entrusted with a mission from the Lord of Light, unlike Ser Raymon, whom I could not resurrect."
Jon nodded, a look of regret on his face.
Dondarrion and Thoros knew why Jon asked this; it seemed he truly was a 'son who loved his father.'
The two had already determined that approaching Jon was absolutely the correct choice.
And Jon had also figured out Thoros's capabilities. It seemed that the Lightning Lord's mastery of magic was still very rudimentary; he wouldn't be able to help.
He probably couldn't manage advanced magic like a shadow assassin either.
Then Dondarrion suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, we met a little boy before who asked a similar question, asking me to resurrect someone who had been beheaded. Oh! That's right!" Dondarrion drew a small sword from his waist and placed it on the table.
This small sword was not as long as an adult's arm, shorter than a single-handed sword, and its blade was very thin, less than two fingers wide.
"That little boy also wanted to see you; he said that as soon as you saw this, you would know who he was."
Jon looked at the small sword on the table, his pupils constricting—
This small sword was precisely what he had commissioned a master in Winterfell to forge. Its name was 'Needle.'
------
PS:
Arya is about to appear. In the original work, Arya was attacked by Amory, but the protagonist has already captured Amory at the Green Fork, so it makes logical sense for Arya to appear earlier.
Additionally, without this incident, Jaqen H'ghar, the Faceless Man, might arrive at the Iron Islands sooner to assassinate King Balon. This is a chain reaction.
Also, regarding the listing for sale, based on my experience, the initial subscription for this book will only be a little over a hundred, which is terribly low.
But I have several reasons why I must continue writing.
Firstly, when I'm not writing, my entire life is chaotic, and I feel empty inside. This feeling is similar to a breakup, in short, it's very uncomfortable.
Secondly, although I haven't achieved success with my Game of Thrones writing, I've developed an emotional connection to it. Finishing it will fulfill a wish, allowing me to approach the next topic with a more relaxed mindset.
Fourth, yesterday I broke my beloved Fiji cup and need to buy a new one.
In short... based on the above five points, please consider an initial subscription.