As Stannis's carriage drew nearer, the crowd could almost see the golden gleam of the king's crown reflecting the sunlight. Rhaegar Frey and Stevron Frey kept adjusting his clothes, as if he wanted to smooth out the wrinkles on his face as well.
At the same time, they were also a little nervous. After all, the Frey Family was among the families that had previously supported Robert. Although they had "gone their separate ways" now, they had also heard about Littlefinger losing a hand, so they were somewhat uneasy.
In their view, after Stannis ascended the throne, many feudal lords would likely have a hard time.
So for the sake of the family, they had to take out another layer of insurance, and among all of them, the most "invincible" person was Jon.
Heading south to avenge his father is absolute justice.
Opposing Robb's claim to the throne is an act of boundless righteousness.
The capture of King's Landing and the slaying of the false king are feats worthy of being recorded in history and sung by poets and musicians for a thousand years.
Moreover, in King's Landing, he always kept saying he wanted to go back to the Wall to continue being Nights Watch — although not many people believed this, and most were skeptical, but in any case, no one made the two old brothers feel as at ease as Jon.
It would be best to finalize the matter of Roslin marrying Jon; that would be the best protection for the entire Frey family.
It's just that they came in such a hurry that they hadn't found a suitable opportunity to bring it up yet. So as soon as Varys left, they couldn't wait to stick to him.
According to custom, the person with the highest rank should stand at the very front and in the middle to greet the king.
But everyone unanimously decided that Jon should be the one standing in the very center and at the very front, and even the old Grand Tutor Pycelle, a man of great experience and wisdom, thought that this was the most appropriate person.
Furthermore, Dondarrion, who was also an earl and had distinguished himself in battle, believed that this was the proper way.
" Jon, it's so nice to be young," Stevron said to Dao with a hint of envy, standing next to Jon.
At only fifteen years old, Jon wasn't the tallest, but he had a straight and agile posture, bright and determined eyes, and his clothes were personally selected by Sansa, who also made some alterations herself, making them look "excellent".
As the saying goes, youth is the most expensive luxury, and Jon's age is more eye-catching than his position.
Jon smiled slightly, agreeing with this, after all, his greatest fortune was being young twice.
Stannis soon arrived with his queen and a host of courtiers.
Selyse stepped down from the carriage and, with the help of a maid, came to Stannis's side, but the two still maintained a distance of at least half an arm's length.
Despite Selyse's luxurious attire, he was still outshone by Melisandre, who wore a simple red robe, especially by Melisandre's mysterious and alluring charm.
After seeing Melisandre, Sansa even marveled at how beautiful Melisandre's hair was, knowing that Dao herself was always very proud of her long, maroon hair inherited from her mother.
Behind Stannis and Selyse were the courtiers of House Florent's Queens Party, a group of Florents all with prominent ears. The comical feeling was even more pronounced when a group of prominent ears stood together.
Arya, in particular, reached for her sewing needle after seeing Florents' rather "ostentatious" ears.
It's like an archery enthusiast seeing a perfect target.
Jon also spotted a familiar face, Penny, but didn't see Davos or Littlefinger. Petyr may have gone to Tyrell to discuss peace talks and a marriage alliance, something Varys had just mentioned to him.
Jon believes that even if he does eventually marry Tyrell, the chances of him marrying Margaery are slim.
House Tyrell estimated that he would send a woman from a collateral branch of the family to marry him.
After all, if he really married Margaery, wouldn't Mace become his father-in-law? What kind of son-in-law would berate his father-in-law and brother-in-law before marrying someone's daughter?
Jon doesn't even want to imagine how awkward it would be if he really married Margaery.
Stannis's procession also included two nobles of unusual status, standing at the front. One carried a banner with the words "pierced arrow" and the other carried a banner with the words "red crab".
Jon remembers the one with the red crab flag; they belong to the Setiga Family, a family that fled from Valyria with the Targaryen. They were already Targaryen before Aegon the Conqueror launched his conquest. Family's vassals.
The Setiga family's fiefdom was on Crab Island, and they were a wealthy family thanks to the trade along the Narrow Sea.
The reason we hadn't seen them before was because they had become prisoners of House Tyrell. Since there was going to be peace talks, they would definitely be returned, which would save us from paying a fine.
Soon, Stannis and his party arrived at a spot about ten steps away from Jon. At this moment, Rhaegar Frey whispered in Jon's ear to Dao: " Jon, now we should pay our respects to the King."
"Um."
So, led by Jon, everyone knelt down before Stannis to pay their respects.
Stannis looked at the crowd bowing to him. Although he remained expressionless, his puffed-out chest and slightly trembling hand on the hilt of his sword betrayed him.
He had waited too long for this moment. In his opinion, the only discordant element on the scene was the House Stark flag. He felt that it would have been more comfortable if Jon had greeted him with his own flag.
Soon, his gaze fell on Jon at the front, and he sized up the young man with his blue eyes.
After a long pause, he spoke: "Gentlemen, rise, Jon, come with me."
Jon and Stannis walked side by side at the front, which naturally made The Loyalists, The Queens Party, and the previously captured subjects envious.
"Look at this Snow, he really rose to the top in one step," someone in the group said sourly to Dao.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for those around him to hear. Dondarrion frowned slightly when he heard it, but didn't say anything.
He knew that Dao standing up for Jon at this time would be detrimental to Jon's future.
Martin and his brother Mond were also unhappy, but they understood the principle, so they remained silent.
But some people dare to say it—like Arya.
"What Snow! That's my brother Jon!" Arya, being short, couldn't find who was making sarcastic remarks, but still retaliated in the direction the voice came from.
"Where did this brat come from? Who gives you the right to speak here?"
This time Arya saw clearly that it was a stocky guy— Yassel.
"I'm a girl!" Arya was mistaken for a boy again. Qi stomped his foot, about to confront her, but Sansa stopped him, quickly shielding Arya and Yassel. I apologize.
Yassel wouldn't choose to escalate the situation at this time, so he mounted his horse and followed the group.
At this moment, a guard with prominent ears came to Sansa and Arya and said, " Young Misses, the Queen invites you to her carriage."
Upon hearing the word "Queen," Sansa instinctively shuddered, but remembering that this Queen was not the same as the other Queen, she still went over with Arya and Jenny.
Stannis seemed to be intentionally creating distance between himself and the people behind him, which is why the two of them were moving faster.
Although the common people on both sides of the road were standing obediently on both sides, they were still blocked by the guards with their bodies.
Jon also spotted a familiar face at that moment—"The Hound" Sandor.
That day, Jon told him he was going back to the Great Wall, which made Sandor very upset. He really wanted to repay Jon for killing his brother, but he still couldn't make up his mind to go to the Great Wall with him.
He saw Jon and Stannis walking together and prayed that Jon would change his mind.
Soon there was no one else around except the guards, and Stannis finally had a chance to ask Dao: " Jon, why are you using the Stark flag? I haven't received any message from Robb pledging allegiance to me."